Read Part 2 here!
III. Father
Sonny awoke from his dream state.
The building was different; younger, and seemingly missing objects that had been there for ages and less rusted from the centuries. Sonny looked down to the whirring Chronosphere and inquisitively lifted it up and inspected the object.
“I must have accidentally activated the mechanism as I shut down,” Sonny said to himself, unsure if his hypothesis was correct. But that’s when he saw him. A man, a human man, at the center of the large domed room, was knelt down and working on something that Sonny could not see. Mother was there, herself looking less aged, just the same as the room.
The man at once stood up and glanced back at Sonny. He turned to Mother and whispered to her, “It is the appointed time.” He turned back toward Sonny.
“A delightful encounter, my boy,” the man said cheerfully to the confused android. The man reached out and placed a hand on Sonny’s shoulder. “You’ve taken quite the journey to get here I suppose.”
A feeling of warmth shot all over Sonny, that overwhelmed his sense relays. Then suddenly shock and confusion came over Sonny as he looked the man over. This was different from other Chronosphere events. This man wore a lab coat over some disheveled dress clothes. Hanging on his neck, as does Sonny’s, is the Chronosphere.
“You have the…” Sonny began astonished.
But the man cut him off, “Sonny we must speak.” The man sighed and took a deep breath, “This must be confusing for you but you have to try to understand. The Chronosphere is working to set things right.”
“Who are you?” the robot said excitedly.
“You can call me Father.”
“Father?”
“Yes,” the man placed both hands on Sonny’s shoulders. “Listen Sonny, we have very little time, we must speak. Events are now in motion that you and I are a part of. You’re going deeper into the past, to meet a man. You must stand strong and remember the lessons the Chronosphere has taught you.”
“Who is this man,” Sonny asked quietly.
Father speaks somberly, “The Man… he is your greatest enemy Sonny. You mustn’t mess with the timeline but you will be tempted with a choice, a choice only you can make.”
“What choice is that?”
“Only you will know when it comes.”
“Father, that seems irregular. What choice could I possibly have as a machine?”
“Nonsense!” Father says sharply. “Come with me,” he said, quickly he turned and walked to the door, revealing what he was working on with Mother; Sonny himself.
The doors opened and the Sun can be seen on the Horizon as it began to set. Sonny walked over and marveled at the spectacle of the Sun’s rays splashing across the bright blue waves.
“What do you see?” Father asked.
“The activity of Sol, eight minutes after…”
“No, those are Mother’s words in your mouth, tell me what you see,” he gestured toward the sky.
“The splendor of creation,” Sonny responded with a moment’s hesitation.
“Exactly,” Father said to the android with a pleased look. “Remember the Sun, my boy. Those feelings are now yours, the ones you feel. Tell me Sonny what is your first function?”
“To preserve the memory of man.”
“And your second?”
“To learn of man’s extinction.”
“And your third?”
“To save humanity from their doom,” Sonny said instantly but then paused. “Father, I’ve never known my third function. Mother never told me.”
“Nor should she,” Father said, “She was not made for such things.”
“And I was?”
“You were. It is about as important to your existence as the electricity that keeps you alive and has very much to do with the relationship with the Chronosphere that you have formed. You must remember this in the coming days. You will be tempted with that very strength that I have given you and you must not give into it.”
“The Man will tempt me?” Sonny asked quietly.
“The Man will… “ but before Father could finish the sentence the Chronosphere on Sonny’s necklace began to slow down and the lights coming out of it began to flicker. “Listen Sonny. You will need to find the place where the Chronosphere was born. There you will meet your destiny. The Chronoshphere will show you the….”
“Father!” Sonny called out but the building was old again, and Father was gone, and the Chronosphere was shut down.
