Hey guys! Grace Nask here with Day 24 of the April Challenge. Today we have Coding DNA, a short story for middle grade and above. It's about a very strange boy named Isaac going on a date. So let's get to it!
For my grandmother Susan, who's birthday is today.
Coding DNA
“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you, he’s the one.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I’ve seen this type of thing before once. The...last time. You didn’t distrust my judgment then; why do you distrust it now?”
“Because I witnessed the havoc Milo created! Do you not remember the destruction of every single thing this company strived to prevent?! How can you say this one will be different?”
“Because I know him, better than I knew myself. And he will not be alone; I will be with him. He is the one. The real one. The one the last could never become. I will make sure of it.”
“And if he is not?”
“Then, by all means, I give you permission to terminate him. And me.”
“Wake up!” The voice was familiar, an old friend. Like always, I tried to place it and found I could not. It didn’t seem to come from a singular direction. “Stop dawdling; wake up, Isaac!”
As commanded, I opened my eyes and got out of bed. Satisfied, the voice spoke again. “We begin training today. There’s a lot of damage from recent failures. Many people will hate you. You must show them that they are wrong to hate. We’ll start off small. One person, but a pivotal figure. McKenzie Hoffman. Only fifteen years old but a high influence. You cannot disappoint. She’s waiting outside, at the picnic table, but I cannot accompany you there. You understand?”
A small part of me fumed at the absurdity of this. Me, with all my capabilities, eating lunch with a fifteen-year-old girl? I pushed it down, though. I didn’t nod, like I’d been told to do, but instead posed a question. “Should I eat there?” I asked the voice.
A pause. “As much as is necessary. We will remove the toxin afterward.”
This time I nodded. I pushed open the door of my room, which led outside, and walked to the picnic table. Everything was laid out as planned. The sky shone blue, the grass was fertilized to a crisp green, and the wood of the table had been stained this morning. Everything appeared perfect for this encounter.
But not everyone. McKenzie sat at the picnic table, nibbling a muffin. When she saw me, though, she gagged. “Oh my gosh! What is that?!”
That. Not he. But perhaps she was confused; after all, my skin consisted of metal. “I’m Isaac,” I answered, approaching her. I extended a hand, each joint creaking. “And you are?”
“Get away from me you freak,” McKenzie hissed.
I held my hands up to my face, to show I didn’t carry a weapon, and sat down at the wooden picnic table. McKenzie shrank back but did not leave; I took it as a good sign.
A part of me felt annoyed by these outbursts of immediate disgust, but I carried on as expected. “I am Isaac. I’d prefer if you would call me Isaac, but if calling me an object helps, please continue.” I forced myself to smile.
“Shut up,” she spat. There was so much venom in her tone that this time, I shrunk back. Mckenzie snorted. “I know perfectly well who you are. Call yourself whatever you want, but you’ll always be a weapon. You’re just a more advanced version of Milo.”
We both paused, staring each other down. I contemplated McKenzie’s words for a moment and tried to maintain my programmed smile. And found that I couldn’t. Instead, I stood up, smacking a metallic hand against the table. “You think I wanted this?” I hissed, matching her venom with some of my own. “You think I chose to clean up Milo’s mess? After all those threats he made, and the scientist he killed? Do you think I chose to pave the way for this new species?” “Believe me,” I said quietly, “If I had any say in it, I WOULDN’T BE HERE RIGHT NOW.”
Who did she think she was? But as my anger dissipated, my words came back to me. Who did I think I was, except a robot one misstep from dismantlement? Oh no; I failed! What if McKenzie hated me now? They’d kill me for sure! Desperate, I searched her face.
To my surprise, McKenzie...laughed. I stared in shock as she screeched herself into hysterics on the other side of the table. When she calmed down, she addressed me once more. “Milo never did anything like that when we dated!” She chuckled again. “I guess they changed the programming after all.” She stood up and held out a hand. “Sorry for my rudeness. I’m McKenzie.”
I grasped her hand and gave it a firm shake.
“Well? You watched his performance through the hidden camera; what do you think?”
“He yelled at her.”
“But he got the job done.”
“Yes, I suppose he did, even with a rather unorthodox approach. I may not have watched through his eyes or listened through his ears, but I think he’s the one, too. Your descendent did good. You did good, Milo.”
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