The Process Read online

instruction. The Tech team came in as usual to take a few biometrics from the Replicant.

  Something it had been through dozens of times.

  Today for some reason it went completely crazy.

  Tech A had been doing body temp measurements when the unit quietly strangled him with one hand. Tech B had been moving his equipment into place and had seen nothing. His neck was broken instantly. Tech C had been calibrating his instruments and turned to receive a crushed skull. All of this took place in mere moments.

  The Replicant remained seated the entire time.

  In that moment the Nexus 3 Prime unit had become more like a human than we could have possibly imagined. It had killed without reason, it had done something unpredictable.

  'More Human than human'.

  The area was cleared and Tyrell himself came out alone, drew an old style gunpowder pistol and shot the Replicant cleanly through the brain.

  Security removed the body of the Replicant, Tyrell did the autopsy himself.

  The corpses of the tech team were moved to the pressurised Inception tubes and placed inside one. Tech teams normally cleaned these by hand after an Inception. Tyrell came down and sealed the tube, manually adjusted the safety over-ride and pressurised the tube, crushing the bodies of the already dead tech team.

  He called a Security unit in to witness the scene of his newly staged "accident". "This Inception tube has malfunctioned, killing the tech team that were cleaning it. Ensure their insurance policies are fully paid out to their next of kin and send our condolences. Have this tube destroyed and replaced with a new one from Storage. All components are to be destroyed and replaced by new ones."

  Tyrell's orders would be obeyed instantly and without question. The men present would never be aware of his cover up.

  The mighty Doctor takes care of his workers. Always.

  Before leaving for the end of the working day we were called to the Declaration floor.

  Our instructions from Tyrell were simple, "Gentlemen, place your hand on the sensor and loudly recite The Declaration". No please I noted, Tyrell had never been big on the social niceties.

  I stood facing the window and looked out across the city as the others took the test and passed. It never gets old or less weird hearing your work colleagues saying "I am a Human being" out loud.

  "Tech Twelve A, the test is waiting." Tyrell insisted on my compliance.

  The great scientist needs to tick his final box for completion.

  "Not this time sir, it's unnecessary today." I replied over my shoulder.

  "I think it is Tech Twelve A, the test is mandatory as well you full know. If you wish your employment within this company to continue you will move to the sensor and make the declaration. Now!", suddenly I could hear the subtle inflected tone of angry insistence in Tyrell's voice.

  "Come now Tech Twelve A, this is nothing personal. Merely business." Tyrell tried his best to engage me.

  "I know sir. I am the business" I almost muttered to myself. I believe no-one else heard my words.

  As I turned to face him for a fraction of a second, his eyes caught mine. "Not today sir. And not ever again." I said, loudly this time, turning away to return to my duties.

  Security initially moved to block my path but Tyrell shooed them away with a subtle and almost imperceptible gesture of his hand. "Yes, I see. No more tests for you, I believe." said Tyrell sheepishly, for he had seen all he needed to in the moment I had turned and looked into his eyes.

  No bio-mods or tests had been required, no more stupid Declaration.

  A Replicant may look Human but I had shown him the one thing his creations could never do, the perfect infallible test for Humanity.

  As the Security men stepped aside to let me pass I walked away with the tears rolling down my cheeks.

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  Authors Notes:-

  Using some of the information I created for my Blade Runner Time Line I finally got around to writing the story I was originally intending to do.

  Anson Clarke is an amalgam of two of the greatest science fiction writers to have ever lived.

  Unlike all my other work currently online, this is a very untypical piece for a few reasons. It wasn't written all in one go, it took a period of a few days writing small chunks here and there.

  It also wasn't written sequentially. Normally I start at the start and work my way through until I decide I have finished. Here I wrote the start, got about halfway then wrote the finish (mainly because I had to get the idea down before I forgot it) then went back and worked from the middle to the end.

  George was named for a specific reason, its a name chosen by an Abominable Snowman for his pet in a Daffy Duck & Bugs Bunny cartoon. As soon as I chose George I could instantly hear in my head "I want to love him and hug him and squeeze him and call him George". Bang, I knew I had the right name!

  The dialogue between Tyrell and Clarke about "The business" is my nod to the Blade Runner movie.

  The cover for this is a modified version of a Syd Mead concept art sketch, certain parts were removed from a Voight-Kampf sketch to create a Voight Machine.

  This particular story was quite a tough birth but I am glad it came out the way it did.