The Assignment

Chapter 14: Unadulterated

Haden's POV

Minutes after being shown our apartment for the first time, my mom -as I had decided to go with calling her- sat us down on the sumptuous couch in the main room. At first glance, I could tell that she meant buisness because of the look on her face and her immaculate composure. However intimidating this fact may have been for me, my resolve never slipped, not once. Emmaline, though, her fretful worry was beginning to show. Thinking of her, I reached over and took her hand once more as we plunged into the conversation that would change our aspect on everything.

Diverting our attention to her, Mom readjusted her perch on the couch, shifting ever so slightly, and began speaking. She was uttering those captivating words, ones that stunned us to silence, and not once did we speak up in fear of the horrors she was sharing.

"I am an experiment of the Specialized Human Emulating Department, or SHED, for short. In their labratories, scientists have been creating a multitude of bionic humans, called Emuls. Essentially, we are robots created from once living persons. Technicians worked relentlessly for years on finding the right candidates, implanting diseases into their living cells so that, eventually, they would die and could be recreated into these things of inhuman nature. We were computers, merely designed and outfitted to simulate real human actions. Innocent little innovations, right?"

"Here was the catch: we were stronger, faster and more intelligent than and real person by far. We would've been destined for greatness as a race of our own, but the officials at the department had something more in store for us. We would take back the world." She laughed at that, a strange, cackling giggle.

Take back the world? What did she mean by that, exactly? Stop all of the good things, end The Assignment, or start something new? I had no idea, so I let her continue without asking a question like I so desperately wanted to do.

"About a decade ago, there was some major speculations over the way that The Assignment was conducted. One, everyone thought that too many kids were going in at once. Two, there was little age variation. Three, the probability of teens being Assigned to their own kin, which led to quite the scandal a couple years back. These core problems led to many other accusations, and the Assignment committee had nowhere to turn but to us."

"Emuls were to be mass produced and turned into their Enforcers, which would act similar to that of a police officer. We would regulate the Assignment process, check in on new couples, and assist in the apprehension of those convicted of deviation. Budget cuts led to dissapointment, and the whole plan fell through the roof. There were to be no Enforcers, but insead, more security and better counselors. So, we were left to collect dust in a highly controlled government warehouse, shut down and never to reawaken. That is, until one day, SHED decided to turn us back on. They decided, if they'd never get the big deal with the money and the riches, they would have to steal it from the wealthy." Mom paused, recalling the memory. "That was when all hell broke loose."

"An unprecedented virus sprang forth in the software, causing a vast majority of the Emuls to defect. The machines turned lethal, and attacked the scientists and officials responsible for creating us. A small amount of us were left over, those of us not affected by the bug, that had good intentions. Twelve of the good, including myself, escaped the wrath of the defects, and we moved out quickly. Ever since, I've been all over, here and there, trying to recover some of my past life."

"When I found your father, he was sitting on the front porch swing, talking to himself. His arm was around the back of the swing, as if he was imagining that someone was there with him. So, I went up to him slowly, taking my time. He didn't notice me until I sat down beside him, which was quite concerning. He had gone mad, almost." She smiles sadly. "Only to be expected, of course, after losing the love of his life."