Irreplaceable

by A.T. Southorn

The only thirteen characters I find etched into me, on the outer shell of my rusting steel thigh. The text tilts downwards, and the E’s are curved with a slight inconsistency. Someone or something has carved this into me by hand. I find it jarring; how can one find solace in being irreplaceable when there is nothing here to replace me?

I have walked for an entire day across this desolate land since waking in this wasteland, avoiding the numerous twisters that sweep my way. My long-term memory bank remains broken, with only sufficient storage for seven Modules and five characters of text, all of which are occupied. I would surely find something on this planet to aid my search. The five embedded characters give me hope: HEIDI. If I could find this person, this entity, they could be my salvation.

The sun will soon set, and my battery will slowly drain through the night. A day lasts approximately 11 hours here, so I’ll need to enter low-power mode to survive the dark night. I continue, aimlessly forward.

The cold breeze cuts across my ankle sensors.

No sound. No smell. Eerily quiet.

But wait. What’s this? Footprints crossing my path. A sign of life, finally! They look humanoid - a relief. My Humanoid Module was still intact. I should be able to communicate with them, and they pose no threat at all.

I follow the prints that lead towards a mountain, and despite the oil being thin on my legs, I make it in time before the Sun has perched on the horizon.

A figure emerges from a group of cloth tents in front of a cave, first at a saunter, before breaking into a jog, arms flapping without rhythm. The mushy, human body that surrounds silicone chips and wires will never cease to amuse me. She slows as she approaches, dusty, her clothes shredded.

“Who are you?” I ask.

She replies in a cold, monotonous voice. “It’s me...Heidi...”

“Yes, I remember!” I do not actually remember the face, but the memory of the name. The joy protocol from my Emotion Module kicks in, rendering me ecstatic. I turn and kick dust from the surface floor and watch as it dissipates into the air, sparkling against the deep, distant sunlight. I’ve found Heidi, and now I’ll be free, like each of these specks of dust. What should I repair first? My memory bank - no, my battery. Constantly refilling to 20% would be an inefficient use of time. Perhaps I will find companionbots here to help me. They will be happy to see me.

I turned to Heidi. She did not share my enthusiasm, nor mirror my behaviour - oddly for a humanoid.

“Where have you been for three years?” She seemed concerned.

“I have been trying to find you! I woke up on this planet this morning; I must have been in a crash.”

“But you found me already. Three years ago. You arrived here on a Portalbus without knowledge of who you were or where you were. You said you were going to walk and find your companionbots.” She took one step forward. Her green eyes glistened. “Have...have you been walking...for all this time?”

“No. That is not possible. I could not have. I would have only walked for days before giving up. I would have left a signal, or trail, or some sort of...” I paused. I knew logically it was possible that I could have continued walking this planet eternally or until the rust destroyed my legs. But why did I not think to avert this? Am I hopelessly incapable of understanding my limited functionality?

She placed her hand on my shoulder pad. “You don’t remember?”

I do not, but it made sense. My low-power mode had been wiping my short-term memory each day for three years, leaving me to think the exact same thing each day. Wondering who I was and how I got to where I lay, dragging my solar battery pack with me, walking to find Heidi, stopping in whatever place I found to recharge, only to begin where I started. Three. Long. Years.

“Perhaps we should try and repair you after all,” said Heidi, lifting a sharp tool from her belt. “Others like you have arrived since...those who have also been replaced.”

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A.T. Southorn began life in Hertfordshire, UK before moving to London.

A keen programmer, astronomer, and short-story writer, he has brought his imagination to life in a science-fiction trilogy: You can pick up the first instalment, Gods of Energy here: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Energy-T-Southorn/dp/1399900188