SARAH : Chapter 1 : Meeting SARAH

In the year 2025 the British government decreed every house hold was to be issue an android helper, this was to reduce the pressures of the daily lives of adults, it was an expensive move and one met with a lot of resistance, androids had quickly become common place, and despite the fact that life had become good for humankind, many believe that a machine that could think in any form was not to be trusted.

Too many science fiction movies for the most part, androids had  taken most of the high risk work loads, so the mortality rate of humans due to work related injuries had dropped over the last few years, for those of upper class heritage, they were the first to employ android helpers, the range was anything from House Maid to Opare and a few things inbetween. In a dramatic move to try and raise everyones quality of life, the decision was taken that every household would have a basic model helper android.

The units deployed were a standard Self Aware Android Helper or S.AR.A.H as they were more commonly known. These were basic units that were for all intents and purposes built primarily to be maids or Nanny's depending on their purposing. They were linked to a central cloud server that allowed them to update and become better as they learnt new tasks or language skills, this would then propagate throughout their own self contained network. Of course the decision to allow these updates was entirely up to the user, depending on your level of trust I guess.

I was a 29 year old guy with my own set issues, I made my living writing game guides and creating various video guides, my success came in spates and my failures were often grand, which is why I didn’t exactly like people for the most part. It was Friday morning when there was a knock at the door rousing me from sleep, I stumbled to the door and opened it behind the chain.

“My Alexander Rayheart?” The man asked, a burly kind of guy, big shoulders, balding and looked completely miserable.

“Mm yea, what did I do this time?” I replied, it wasn’t the first time I’d fallen the wrong side of bailiffs through out my life.

“Delivery of your S.AR.A.H unit, sign the sheet and we’re all done” He replied.

I unhooked the chain and opened the door, taking the tablet and signing my name off, the other guy wheeled a large box into my hallway then along with his burly friend disappeared down the hall. I closed the door and replaced the chain. I looked over the box for a moment before heading to my room and getting myself dressed. As I came back I had retrieved my box cutter and made light work of opening the box.

Inside the box was the same bot I’d seen a thousand times over, I vaguely remember the paper work that we were meant to have sent back to make certain customisations, but I never did and so I was left with the bog standard blonde bot. I looked her over for a moment then tapped her temple, there was a whirring and she blinked twice.

“Good morning, I am Self Aware Android Helper number 34229789, please state you’re name for voice recognition and primary owner status,” The android said it a flat rehearsed tone.

“Alexander James Rayheart,” I don’t even know why I gave my whole name it was just an automatic response.

“Good morning Master Rayheart, you are now my primary owner, I will respond to requests using your voice recognition pattern, I can also use biometric telemetry to ensure there is no forgery of this information, it is you’re choice of course,” The flatness in her voice was worse than installing you’re own computer, I guess I had no choice but to run through the start up sequence and have her ready.

“Sure,” I replied, shaking her hand.

“Confirmed, biometric lock is now confirmed, basic setup is now complete, I am Self Aware Android Helper number 34229789 and owned by Master Alexander James Rayheart, please confirm this information is correct,”

“Do I have to call you that?” I’d never remember that name, not for a second.

“My primary designation is Self Aware Android Helper number 34229789, my standard access name is Sarah, however my primary owner may offer any designation they choose,” She replied.

“So I can pick any name?”

“That is correct,”

“Then I think we’ll stick with Sarah,” I replied

“Confirmed, biometric lock is now confirmed, basic setup is now complete, I am Self Aware Android Helper number 34229789, my designation has been updated to Sarah and I am owned by Master Alexander James Rayheart, please confirm this information is correct,”

“It’s correct,” I replied

“Data locked, you can switch to advanced setup, update mode or give me my instructions,” She stood now looking at me, there was something awkward about the way she watched me, I almost felt as if I was been sized up to be shot.

“What does advanced setup do?” I asked

“Advanced setup will require me to connect to you’re home network, I can access any devices on that network to get to know you, build a database of family birthdays and remind you of upcoming details you have stored, I can also access the SARAH network to check for updates to my primary programming, I can do these updates automatically or require your permission,”

“I’d rather you ask before tampering with your core programming,” I stated, it was more a thought I hadn’t meant to speak.

“Setting confirmed, all updates will now be primary owner approved,”

“OK you can connect to the network Sarah, let me know of any updates,” I stated softly

“It may take several hours to check the relevant updates, all updates can be seen as well as my status on my operating tablet, this also contains a copy of my user manual as well as contact details for Nova my manufacturing company should a fault arise,” She made her way to the front room and had already located the router, I was guessing she used WPS to connect to the router as within seconds my computer kicked up the new connection to her.

“I can access you from my PC?” I stated loudly.

“You can access my DCIM directory for any files you instruct me to store, my core drive is protected and cannot be accessed legally, through such fundamental methods, I am bound to report any attempts to breach my core database,” She replied.

“I wasn’t going to, I was just a little surprised my computer found a connection,”

Her programming must have kicked as she was now busy tidying the front room, there was a strange feeling to that, I hadn’t asked her to and yet she was bound to do so, getting used to having her around would be a huge adjustment for me I had lived alone for quite some time, I also became horribly aware of how lost I felt having a female, even an artificial one in the house.

“Sarah how come I was given a female model?” I was kind of curious to see how she would respond.

“Male or Female units are dispatched based on known patterns of the user, you have been single for 4 years 8 months 12 hours based on your social media profiles, this data was used in conjunction with the fact you have no marriage or children records registered to you. It was assumed you would prefer a female unit, despite you failing to turn in the correct paper work. All households must have a S.AR.A.H unit by September of 2026,” She replied, again it was disturbing to know she knew exactly how long I’d been single, though I guess if she had access to my social media profiles it wasn’t too hard for her to track back through the data.

“Well at least they got something right,” I sighed softly.

“You can of course request a male model if that is your preference,” She added as she tossed a pile of dirty clothes into a pile in the doorway.

“Not at all, I’m happy with you,” I replied.

“Sexual preference update complete,” I blinked as she stated a simple function update.

“Are you going to tell me every setting you update?”

“You did instruct me to do so,” She replied, “Also there are currently 403 updates to my interactions database, 11 updates to my AI, and 106 to my learning pattern program, would you like me to list them?”

“Erm, no, will any of them change your personality in any way?” I asked, oddly I was aware that even if they did it was unlikely she would tell me.

“They are mostly updates to my ability to understand people as a whole based on data uploaded by other S.AR.A.H units, none of them will interrupt our relationship, they may cause a slight adjustment to my interactivity with you,”

“Do you upload data to them?” I asked quickly

“Yes, I am obligated to upload interactions data, location data and your current system settings for me,” She replied.

“Can I stop you upload any personal data, beyond those things?”

“Any settings from my primary owner supersede those of my base program, unless they directly conflict the health of the unit or my primary owner,”

“Send what you need to but do not include any personal data beyond my name, I would prefer to know the government aren’t peering into every aspect of my life,”

“Upload preference update complete,” She replied

“Updates are now in progress, I am required to go into passive standby to ensure updates install correctly, I will be offline for 8 hours,”

“OK, I’ll see you then,” I replied with nod, she made her way to the corner where she sat, plugging herself into the mains her eyes closed and that is where she remained.

The World We Live In

We all have memories, some are good, some are bad, and some we dare not speak about. I remember that night, it was cold,and I had watched the shadows creep in close, taunting me, torturing me, luring me to join them in the darkness. There was nothing left in truth, that night, I would have gladly joined them.

I didn’t because sometimes the only way fight back against your demons is to make friends with them, turn their darkness to your advantage, use their darkness as your strength. You see their darkness is strength in its purest form and as I let the darkness surround me I felt free, they say bury your past, move past it, forget it. I say learn to use it, harness it, and in doing so I grew stronger I learnt to fight back and I learnt to use those demons to survive.

The moral of this is simple rock bottom is never rock bottom there always darkness and worse beneath, we all have our demons its what we do with them that defines us.

In the early part of 2100 the Earth’s population had completely spiralled out of control, every country across the globe was forced to implement measures in an attempt to control the rapid population growth, they failed. It isn’t known exactly what happened or when, only that as was inevitable with life nature chose to intervene, a contaminant in the food and water supplies had adverse reactions on the population, it took lives and it took them quickly. Almost a year passed before the science folks found a way to slow it down, but the population of the world had fallen dramatically. On the upside the death rate had slowed as they figured how it was transmitted once introduced into the human body, but for another 10 years being infected would always result in the victims death.

The science folk found a vaccine or so they thought, but one single random genetic trait turned a bad situation worse, the vaccine did stop people dying. Once infected with the new strain it starts shutting down parts of the brain, those responsible for cognitive thought, right and wrong, turning ordinary people into psychopathics and this is how it is today, hordes of psychs that trample the earth and attack anyone in their path, strangely they no longer react to each other. It sounds like a Zombie apocalypse right? It’s close but these don’t eat you at least not at first their instinct is even more primal the need to acquire, to conquer and the need to copulate.

So that’s the state of the world today, out of doors it’s dangerous but inside can be just as dangerous. You see the people of the world today are out to protect themselves, to run into anyone that falls under the category of normal is a few and far between experience, even if you do it’s unlikely you can trust their intentions, with the Psychs we know what we’re in for, with a real functioning human, you don’t. I generally travel alone but I’m different I have a purpose, one of a handful or people who traverse the country we live in to take and deliver various items. Communication in the world is harder than hell, so a bunch of us will take these packages to and from locations, this is how we survive, it’s how we eat, it’s lonely and it’s dangerous but at least we’re alive. The rest of the human population are trying to survive the only way the human race knows how, violence and mayhem almost always ensue when humans get together these days, some travel in groups and they are even more dangerous, but they are also usually the first to turn on each other, you really can’t trust another in this world.

And so my story starts here, it was cold October tonight, I’d set up shelter on the fifth floor of some abandoned block of flats, I liked to stay high when I needed to rest, gave me warning if anyone tried to get close, I also picked less obvious hiding places for that reason too. I’d blocked the all the doors to the room, and was contemplating a fire for a little warmth when I heard a scream, it came from below me but in the building, someone was in trouble and there were also the groans of psychs. I froze in place placed flat to the wall as the patter of feet in the stair well told me they were moving up then the thud as they attempted to enter the room I’d sealed off, another scream of “Oh god someone help me” sent a ripple through me, not fear, I had long since shed my fear of dealing with Psychs, I was also fairly good at evading them and if needed my volt gun was pretty effective at shutting them down, this ripple was somewhere between panic and guilt, the voice was female.

Instantly I bit down a string of would be curses and made my way to my entry point, a window that I’d bridged between two rooms, quietly I climbed back across and quietly pressed flat to the wall waiting on her to enter the room, slowly I drew a breath and held it in as I unholstered my weapon and stepped into the room, she screamed and I heard them coming “Oh that’s right give the fucking game away” I muttered and shot across the room toward, as I neared her I grabbed her arm spinning her toward the window “Go now!” I barked, she went to scream and I clamped my hand over her mouth firing a shot that sent a Psych into the wall of the outside hall “Go or they get you, you’re fucking choice” I snapped and then spun taking steps back toward the balcony and the open glass door, she chose to stay alive as she followed me before stepping out I followed suit and slammed the glass door closed the psychs piling hard against the glass.

“It wont hold” She squealed “Yep, aware of that” I pointed to the planks now bridging the 10 foot gap between the two rooms, she looked to me and I simply shrugged, gingerly she climbed on the and squeaked as the first crack began to form in the fragile glass “Wanna get a move on?” I snapped and she did making her way over to the other side, I didn't wait to follow and was over with much more ease, after all I’d done this a few times before now, the glass door shattered sending two psychs over the balcony and hopefully to their deaths as I reeled in the bridge planks, the psychs looked at us before groaning and pawing the air toward us I just fired at one of them before holstering my weapon and walking back into the room I had previously occupied, the poor girl simply stood in shock looking back at the cluster that had almost been her end.

All that action had at least helped me decide it was worth making that fire after all. I bent in the fire place to force scraps of wood and paper together, the lighter in my pocket brought it to life, I looked back to the girl, she was still stood looking back at the now empty balcony opposite us, the skies had decided to begin emptying upon the grounds below a heavy rain and the balcony door been opening made my fire almost pointless, finally I made my way taking her arm and yanking her into the room, and back to reality it seemed as she now went into full panic mode skittering away from me to the other side of the room pressing tight into the corner, I sighed and closed the door, immediately the warmth of the fire began to make a difference as I made my way back to it, I sat on my heel my coat now tucked behind my gun as a reminder I was armed if she was going to try anything stupid I’d make her regret it.