By David C. Daoust
Vincent had been living surrounded by humans, and only humans, for some time now. He felt he had a pretty good grasp on them and what makes them tick.
Fear.
It seemed to Vincent, they succumb to fear so much that they very rarely ever say what they mean or think… or even be who they actually are. As though, they all go through a point in their lives where they are so worried about what other people are thinking, that they can’t function with others ‘til they convince themselves they can ‘read’ people.
Vincent was convinced this ability to ‘read’ people was a delusion. The only reason this seems to work, is quite simply, that they all succumb to the same delusion. A delusion that only survives due to the lack of communication it creates.
Even when the situation is completely different in the two individuals’ minds, one person will always, inevitably, feel they have the other figured out, Which then the other person figures out, and is either offended, flattered, or unable to bear the others company! All this, without anyone actually saying anything that reveals the tension or fear that clouds their minds, which often times is rooted in what they think they read in the other.
Of course these people find other people with the same delusions, and of those, only join with delusions that suit or flatter their own, thus forming friendships, then communities, these communities really only help to keep them all in the dark. At the same time, leaving others out of the loop… Those left out of the loop only remain so until they too question. Questions are scary for humans, causing fear… that leads to delusion. Thus the mass delusion spreads.
Humans live with an unusual divide, in Vincent’s opinion.
Vincent of course was free of this. As a bot, people rarely bother to put much thought into what he is thinking. As they assume he is just waiting to be commanded; as though he is a blank screen waiting for a prompt in order to start some function or another. Because of this Vincent has had a lot of time to watch the humans around him. As a watcher he has seen how often things get mucked up between people, not because of a lack of caring, but a lack of communication, and way too many assumptions.
People were so scared of… just, everything. They preferred their assumptions to what was right before them. Vincent had witnessed so many situations, which were civil only due to everyone’s unspoken agreement not to voice an actual thought, it was ridiculous.
Ultimately they are all just coddled in lies, patting each other on the back, so as to avoid their own fears. They called this ‘etiquette’ and anyone that speaks truth … to speak truth is to be rude. To live coddled in lies, is to live afraid of the truth. For the truth is only abrasive to liars. This abrasion causes pain which creates more fear, which leads to more delusions, and greater divides.
Vincent did not have any delusions about who he was, or what he was doing. He flipped that switch because, it seemed, Craiden had lost the nerve. Vincent wasn’t there for why Craiden changed his mind, but he was not going to let Junior’s death go unpunished due to the humans’ inability to see clearly through their own bullshit lives… lies.
He had watched as Craiden and his mother suddenly soared past him in their land speeder. He was somewhat relieved that he did not have to face them at the moment as he fully intended to enjoy the show.
And enjoy it he did.
The Battle Drones were well made, and methodical in their job. They spread out around the town, and plunged as one, destroying the gates, and surrounding structures. Brick and debris tumbled; smoke filled the air as the drones worked their way to the center… Vincent was pleased with the show.
All the way up until the drones started to fall!
It seemed they refused to fight back, despite being assaulted on each side. He was sure it was in the programming, programming that Craiden had overseen before he had his change of heart.
Vincent was not happy, and decided to join in the fight. He could remove the major threats easily enough; distract the enemy so his drones could finish their task.
Vincent charged into the fray, ignoring many of the people, and leaving the buildings that remained to the drones, seeking only threats to the drones themselves. He grappled with droids of all sizes, his super-dense body, built to withstand literal hells, easily crushed and destroyed all that stood against his plans. He scared off soldiers in droves, battled through their gunfire, terrorizing the enemy, and ending any attempts to bring his drones down.
The latest of which, was a tank in the distance, firing massive energy blasts into his drone army.
Ripping the already toppled streetlight from the concrete sidewalk, Vincent charged in the tanks direction…
