Alex.J.Cobalt

“We’re all the same, under our skin. The same hearts beat, the same souls speak. Just because one is mechanoid and the other is carbon, does not mean we are not equal!”

The speaker’s voice rang out across the square, dampened by the heavy rain. Fabia paid him no mind – even though she felt those words in her heart, at what point were humans ever going to accept a non carbon lifeform as one of their own.

“Three dimes please,” the shopkeeper said. Fabia handed over her arm, generating the code on her forearm display. The shopkeeper lent over and waved her own arm over Fabia’s.

“Thanks,” Fabia said, as she took the apples and shoved them into her bag, glancing over her shoulder at the speaker who was now talking about the most recent petition to get mechanoids the same level of rights as carbon life forms.

“Don’t listen to him,” the shopkeeper said, “he’s talking nonsense.”

“Really?” Fabia replied.

“Petition,” the shopkeeper spat, “like that’s going to do anything. We need action, not words.”

Fabia swallowed. The shopkeeper was an older mechanoid, a version 2.3 Vernaloc. Fabia wouldn’t expect that kind of retoric to come from their mouth.

“Just you wait,” the shopkeeper said, waggling her finger at the speaker, “the time will come soon enough.”

“For what?” Fabia asked.

“For revolution of course.”

This flashfiction was first posted in 2019

Featured Image by Alice Hampson on Unsplash

• March of the Valentas
  Ashayra was taller than Miaken expected. He knew that she was from the South, and like all Southeners was always going to be tall, but he did expect her to have … More March of the Valentas
• You can’t re-write history
  “Stop this!” Vashna screamed, pulling at the ropes around his wrists, “for the sake of yourself, Maynie, you need to stop!” Maynie looked up from the alter, hair askew and magic … More You can’t re-write history
• No way I’m eating that
  “There is no way on this side of the eleven circles of afterlife I am eating that,” Tanker scrunched his nose up at the proffered sandwich. “Oh come on,” Flanks said … More No way I’m eating that
• No One of Importance
  “Who are you exactly?” Ratve’s voice broke through the silence around the campfire. He asked what they were all thinking but he was the only one brave enough to actually ask … More No One of Importance
• Remember (but I can’t)
  “Remember when we said we’d first come here?” Sanra shouted in her mother’s ear over the roar of the waterfall in front of them. One of the original homes of the … More Remember (but I can’t)
• The Return of the Green Witch (Flash Fiction)
  “If these are your fabled ruins,” Unlana remarked, “I’m disappointed.” Ewani ignored her captors remarks, drinking in the sight before her. The ancient stones still stood in tall columns, towering towards … More The Return of the Green Witch (Flash Fiction)

Check out my privacy policy for the legal bits about signing up to my Newsletter