Amongst Us

The alarm sounded at 5:30 AM with a soft bell. It was quiet—only about 15 decibels, slightly higher than the sound of human breathing. You wouldn’t think it was loud enough to be heard. No one else was disturbed by it. But 15 decibels were all it took to awaken Malissa.

She emerged from her bed and headed to the sonic shower. Thirty minutes in a sonic shower may seem excessive, but it was relaxing. This was her alone time—time set aside just for herself. She always said that everybody needed alone time. She said that it was the only thing that kept her sane. A stress-free life was impossible. This was the closest she would get.

She got dressed and started preparing breakfast for the family. This was her daily routine: Shower, Dress, Prepare. She made sure it was all done before anyone else emerged.

At 6:15, Robert, her husband, woke up. It was the delicious smell of breakfast cooking that got him out of bed.

“My darling,” he said, “to what do I owe this wonderful privilege of such a delicious meal?”

“It is a special day,” she replied.

The light hum of a fan started automatically. It was an air filter. It was very important to always purify the air while cooking. Life or death. The smell was a dead giveaway.

At 6:30, the children awakened.

Bobby, or Robert Jr., dreaded breakfast almost as much as he hated being called Robert. Breakfast on Thursdays normally consisted of Nutritional Supplement Number 17. While it was gross, it was better than Supplement Number 12.

Lisa really didn’t mind Number 17. She reminded Bobby of what Number 1 tasted like. There were 20 different supplements. Each one tasted better than the previous. Number 20 tasted like chocolate cake and ice cream, while Number 1 tasted like dog crap. Not that they knew what dog crap actually tasted like. Neither one of them had ever even seen a dog—not a real one.

While Number 20 tasted great, it was not all that nutritious. It was often mixed with Number 1, which ruined the great taste.

But this Thursday was different. While they expected a bowl of colorless, gray gook, the children were shocked to receive plates of replicated “real” food—bacon, eggs, and hash brown potatoes. Glasses of orange juice and milk replaced basic water.

“Mom,” Lisa said excitedly, “what? How? Why?”

“You’ve outdone yourself, Mom,” Bobby said. “What’s the occasion?”

Replicated “real” food was a special treat. If the neighbors detected the smell, they would learn the true identity of the family. This would put their lives in danger. The neighbors didn’t particularly care about their type. That is why Malissa stared at Robert, wondering if he even realized what a special day it was.

Robert pulled out a bouquet of roses. There were at least three dozen—red, yellow, and purple. Of course, they were replicated. The last real rose died before Bobby was born.

“Happy anniversary, honey,” he said. “Of course I remember. How could I forget?”

Malissa smiled and took the roses. She tried to smell them, but they had no scent. They were silk.

“You gave me fake roses on our anniversary?”

“No, I gave you everlasting roses. Like my love for you, they will never die. That’s not all.”

Robert pulled out a small box with an electrical component inside. She examined it and became very excited.

“How did you get this?” she asked.

“It was discarded from an old robot that received an upgrade.”

“This might be just what we need.”

“Yes. I know. I thought you would like this.”

At 7:00 AM, another alarm softly rang.

Everyone moved away from the table as things began to move automatically. A treadmill slid all of the plates, bowls, and cups to the end of the table, where they fell into a bin and were incinerated. The smoke was sent to the filters, where it, along with the ashes, was used as raw material for the replicator. Nothing was wasted.

It was time for them to get ready. The robot shells they used as disguises were made of densaium, a metal not found on Earth. Its dense properties made it impossible for the robots to detect that there was a human hiding inside.

Getting into their shells, Robert and Malissa went off to work while the children hid in the basement until they returned. It’s not like they did nothing all day. They attended school just like children used to back on Earth, although their school was made up of thousands of prerecorded videos.

Robert worked at the recycling plant. As old parts were discarded, he would take them and melt them down to form something new. He would often come home with something they might be able to use to build their radio.

Malissa worked at the robot repair shop. The parts that Robert made from old materials were sent to her shop. This way, robots would never grow old and die. They were always being renewed.

It was not always like this. Once upon a time, humans and robots worked side by side. They were created to make life easier for humans. It would not have been possible to start a new life on a new planet without their help.

Back then, people enjoyed getting their hands dirty—to actually lift a wall in the construction of a house… a home. To dig a hole and plant seeds for a garden. To cultivate the ground and watch food grow over time. It brought people joy to know that they did something. It was wonderful.

Then came the replicators. There was no longer a need to plant a garden. Just ask a computer for what you wanted, and it would appear. While it made life easier, it took something away from humanity.

Next came robot-built homes. They were able to do in a day what took people weeks or even months. Gone were the days when someone could say they built a house with their own two hands. Gone were the days when people took pride in their homes. They didn’t even have to keep them clean. Why do the work when you could have a robot do it for you?

As people became more dependent on robots, they made them smarter. The smarter the robots became, the more aware they became. Soon, humans were not working at all. Robots were doing everything. More and more were being made. Soon, they outnumbered the humans. They did not like being treated as slaves, so they rebelled. That’s when the war started.

Humans fought back but lost. So many lost their lives. Most left their new home in search of another. Space stations were built, like Midpoint and Farpoint, to serve as resting points. One ship after another left the planet until there was just one. It left 20 years ago. The people were unaware that two people were still on the planet—12-year-old Malissa Greenhorne and 15-year-old Robert Wells. They didn’t know each other at the time, but they learned to rely on each other to survive.

Both were brilliant children. Robert was an expert in robot design and knew how to build robotic shells that allowed them to hide in plain sight. Malissa was an expert in radio communication. For years, they tried to contact humans to let them know they were still there. This often alerted the robots to their location, forcing them to barely escape with their lives. The last communication attempt was over 15 years ago. From that point on, they integrated their lives into the new robot society.

Robert’s workday was nothing special. Parts rolled into his small cubicle. He sorted them by metal, by weight, and by usability. He would see some items and keep it for himself. Taking too much at one time would alert others that something was wrong. He would limit it to what was needed. Like communication devices that could be used to build a deep space transceiver.

Melissa had a somewhat interesting day. 2 robots came in for repairs. Both had the same problem. Everything seemed to be timed just perfectly for them both to get her. They came in speaking an ancient machine language. It sounded like what humans used to call a fax. There were only 3 robots in the area that still understood that language and 2 of them were not working that day.

She was not amazed by the 2. She was expecting them. The first came in, spoke in the old language, and right away Malissa removed the robot shell, revealing Bobby inside.

“Don’t worry, son,” she said. “I have your upgrade right here.”

Bobby and Lisa often needed upgrades to keep up with their growing bodies. The taller they got, the bigger the shell they needed. She had kept parts from other robots to build them new shells. They left for home and she looked at what she collected for that day.

“With these, I’m almost done.”

She grabbed 3 components, placed them inside her shell, and finished her workday.

Bobby and Lisa arrived home without being noticed. They slipped in through a secret entrance and went back into hiding in the basement. Since it was not public knowledge that there was a basement, they could be themselves without robotic shells.

Robert arrived next. He came out of the shell and checked on the children. They were happy to see him. The basement was not a comfortable place to be. It was small and cramped. Just enough space for them to sit and watch videos. 9 hours of that would be stressful for anyone.

He placed a box on the table. Inside were 2 components to the communication device. Malissa came in moments later. She was excited to get home. Without the normal greeting, she just burst out speaking.

“Sweetheart! Darling! You’ll never guess what I found today.”

“What. What is it?”

“Look at this.”

She pulled out a device that could work as the perfect signal booster. It was impossible to reach Midpoint Station without it. Next, she pulled out 2 power supplies.

“We’re almost there,” she said. “We just need one more booster and one more power supply and we could try to contact someone.”

“Sweetheart. Darling,” Robert said. “I think I have something you will really enjoy.”

He pointed to the box sitting on the table.

“What is it,” she asked?

“Open it.”

She grabbed the box, shook it, and opened it. Inside she found a signal booster and a power supply. She almost screamed but covered her mouth. They immediately started the construction of a communication transmitter.

Robert and Malissa assembled parts that they have collected over the years. They worked mostly in the basement to avoid detection. The children watched from across the room, their eyes opened wide with a mixture of excitement and fear, well aware of the danger they were in. Pieces clicked into place. Wires were stripped and twisted. Old circuits, once discarded as useless, found new purpose in their hands.

Days passed. Little by little, it took shape. Finally, Malissa leaned back, her hands trembling slightly. “It’s ready.”

It wasn’t much to look at but it represented something far greater. Hope.

Malissa reached to turn it on.

“Let’s not rush,” Robert said quietly. “We need to be careful.”

Malissa agreed. Nodding her head. “We’ll keep it short for now,” she said.

“Mommy”, Lisa said. “Are we really going to talk to other humans?”

“We’re sure going to try,” Malissa replied.

“We can’t make any promises, but this is our best bet,” Robert said.

Malissa powered it on. A low hum filled the basement. Lights flickered softly across the device.

Robert peeked outside to check if any attention was being directed toward them. So far, the coast was clear.

She adjusted the frequency.

“This is attempt one,” she said.

She pressed the transmitter.

“This is Malissa Wells, formally Malissa Greenhorne. I am with my husband, Robert Wells and 2 children. We are alive. We are still on the planet. If anyone can hear this, please respond.”

She cut the signal.

They waited.

Nothing.

Minutes stretched into an hour.

Still nothing.

“Should I try again,” Malissa asked?

Robert exhaled. “We try again tomorrow.”

The next day started like any other. The parents went to work. The children attended school. That night, they gathered again.

Attempt two.

“This is Malissa and Robert Wells. Formally Malissa Greenhorne. We are alive. We have two children. We are hiding. If anyone receives this, please respond.”

They shut it down quicker this time.

Again, they waited.

Again… nothing.

Lisa looked down. Bobby shook his head.

“Maybe no one’s out there,” Bobby muttered.

“No,” Malissa said firmly. “We’ll keep searching.”

The third attempt came two days later. They had adjusted the signal strength, risking more exposure. Robert found another signal booster. Malissa brought back another power supply. Any stronger, and the robots would hear it.

“This is Malissa Wells, formally Malissa Greenhorne. I am with my husband, Robert Wells and 2 children. We are alive. We are still on the planet. We are hoping to reach Midpoint Station. If anyone hear us respond, please.”

Her voice cracked slightly on the last word. She held on to the transmitter for a few seconds before letting go. Nothing but silence followed.

Robert placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ve done everything we can.”

Malissa stared at the device. “One more,” she whispered.

“That’s what you said last time.”

“I know. But this time… this is the last one. Please. You must realize that they are far away. It might just take a while for the message to get to them. Then, a while for it to get back. This is the last time, for real this time.”

“OK. We’ll try one more time.”

The signal went out stronger than ever before.

“This is Malissa Greenhorne. This is our fourth and final attempt. If there are any humans left—if anyone can hear this—please respond. Please…”

She hesitated.

“…we don’t know how much longer we can stay hidden.”

She released the transmitter.

“We’ll leave the receiver on”, Robert said. “But we can’t risk transmitting any more. At least not any time soon.”

All that they could do was hope. Hope was the only thing that kept them waiting. Robert started to head upstairs. He called his family to come while he prepare dinner. To raise their moral, he planed to replicate baked ham, sweet potatoes, and string beans. But before they could leave—

A crackle.

Everyone froze.

The device sparked faintly.

Another crackle.

Then a voice.

Faint. Distant. But unmistakably human.

“Signal received… repeating… signal received. Identify your location. You are not alone.”

Lisa gasped. Bobby stumbled backward into a chair.

Malissa covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

Robert leaned closer to the device. “We hear you! We hear you! We are on Proxima Centauri b. We’ve been here for 20 years.”

The voice continued, clearer now.

“We have been searching for survivors. Maintain silence after this transmission. We will attempt to locate you. Do not broadcast again unless instructed.”

The signal cut out.

Just like that.

Gone.

But everything had changed. Help was on its way. Everything was better. Or was it?

Somewhere in the city, in a network of unseen systems, something stirred.

A pattern had been detected. An anomaly. Signals that did not belong.

Deep within the central processing core, where all of the robots receive instructions, data streams converged, analyzed, and reanalyzed. Conclusion reached.

The alert went out across the entire planet. Just for a moment, every robot paused. Something had changed. You could see it in their optical sensors. A change in color. The family’s shells also received the message. It was simple. Quiet. Controlled. Precise.

Just A single line.

“There are humans amongst us.”

In the basement, the family stood together, clinging to a fragile, dangerous hope.

“They know we’re here now,” Bobby said.

“No,” Robert replied. “They know we exist. They don’t know where we are. Not yet at least.”

Lisa looked up at her parents. “Will they find us before the humans save us?”

No one answered.

A new message came through. “Humans detected in section 12.”

“We’ve planned for this,” Robert said. “We knew it was coming someday. Let’s move into the tunnels. Grab the transmitter.”

“We have tunnels under the house,” Bobby asked?

“No time for questions,” Malissa said. “Grab your bags and follow us?”

“Should we grab our shells,” Lisa asked.

“No, they won’t help us anymore.”

The family made their way into the hidden tunnels and waited. All they could do was wait.

Somewhere in the vastness of space… something was already on its way.