Zuben stirred from his sleep when he heard his mother’s sweet voice, “ Wake up honey, It is such a beautiful day. It’s time to get up.”
“ Momma…..” His baby voice trailed off as he got up and rubbed his small eyes. He looked so adorable in that sleepy avatar. You couldn’t resist the urge to hug him.
He got off the bed and dang….dang…dang… ran towards his mother with baby steps, the corner of his blanket still in his hand. It was made of thermal microns that kept the enclosure at a constant temperature.
He raised his hands to touch his mother’s hand but it met with cold glass.
He glared at the screen showing his mother’s hologram. He wanted to wake up next to his momma and not some stupid screen. He pouted and picked the showpiece kept on the headstand and threw at it with a scowl.
There was a loud crash as the glass on the screen cracked in the pattern of a spider web. Zuben watched with distaste as the glass of the screen repaired itself. Within moments it was as good as new.
“ One day I will find a way to break it permanently. Then momma will come to wake up Zuben and carry Zuben in her arms like before.” He said with seriousness that didn’t suit a six-year-old boy.
Right at that moment, a shrill tune sounded in his room, ‘Momma is calling baby, pick up….. Momma is calling baby, pick up………Momma is calling baby, pick up.’
“ Baby angry!!!! Baby no pick up!!!!!” He said with a sulky expression.
‘ Parental override! Baby has to pick up the call of parents, automated response….putting the call on speaker,’ the monotonous voice rang in the room and a large screen lit up with a video call from Zuben’s mother, Sarah Zen.
Her appearance matched her rank in society. Dressed tastefully from head to toe, every curl of hair was in place. The pupils of her eyes turn a beautiful shade of blue as she said, “ Baby!!! Good morning…. Mamma loves baby! It’s time for baby to join his friends for the morning play, okay honey. Remember to energize yourself before joining the play-zone.”
The screen turned blank and then flickered again. Mrs. Zen’s pupils turn a dark shade of red as she warned, “ Take only the prescribed amount of energy. Bye baby…. Mamma has to leave now.” She blew a flying kiss and the video turned off.
Tears welled in Zuben’s eyes as he said sullenly, “ Momma did not ask Zuben why he is angry……….”
Seeing the tears well in his eyes his personal assistant Cuppy Cake came rushing and it tried to soothe him in its mechanical voice, “Zubie is a good boy, Zubie don’t cry.” It took out Zuben’s toy robot and gave him saying, “ Zubie play, Zubie don’t cry.”
He tried his best to control his sobs. He didn’t want Cuppy to pester him with his pre-programmed drama. Zuben’s eyebrows furrowed and he puffed up his cheeks. After thinking something he said, “ Cuppy!! There is dirt on Zubie’s feet. Clean it with a cloth.”
Cuppy did as ordered. It took a cloth and started wiping Zuben’s feet even though it was clean.
“Stupid box of tin,” Zuben said as he took out a tiny metal object from his pocket. He pressed it and it turned into a long rod. He used it to press a small knob on the back of Cuppy.
There was a screeching sound and Cuppy’s light died out. The walls of the room were implanted with photons that recorded each moment but Zuben knew that his mother would be too busy to check.
Zuben stretched himself and walked to the corner of his room. His hands moved towards the button labeled 100,000 ATP but then he pressed on the button labeled 50,000 ATP.
He felt warmth radiate all over his body right up to his fingers and toes. He often liked to take an extra dose of energy. It made him feel excited but not today. He wanted to spend his time reading his favorite book. So, he didn’t want to risk it.
A loud siren rang whenever he pressed the button of a higher magnitude than was meant for him. His mother would then block him from his playtime as a punishment. Little did she know that Zuben did it on purpose. He hated playtimes.
He sat on the vair (a chair specially designed to meet friends virtually). He pressed a button and was immediately enveloped by a virtual surrounding. He worked quickly, his hands flowing freely across the virtual keyboard. The envelope raised from the floor by a few centimeters.
Then he tapped on another button and slid out through the gap he had created near the floor. He had entered codes into the system in such a way that his friends would think that he was still present.
When Zuben was five years old he accompanied his parents most of the time. On one such occasion, someone had gifted his father a physical book on coding. It was a very old copy of ‘Beginner’s Guide to Coding’. Driven by curiosity he had sneaked it into his room.
He kept it hidden in a secret vault gifted to him by his grandfather. Slowly he taught himself the art of coding.
The technology used by the systems at his house was so advanced that it usually ignored binary language. It was considered as a child’s play. Many systems were never acquainted with the binary language. Thus, Zuben was able to use it to his benefit.
Zuben sat below the Energy Dispensing machine and pulled out the secret vault. He turned the knob round and round and it opened with a creak.
He took out an old book from his hoard. It was titled ‘Malgudy Schooldays’. It was his favorite book. He often fancied himself to be the main character and got lost in the world of imagination.
He had sneaked all of them from his father’s library by hacking the systems of his house. He knew the routine of his parents like the back of his hands. The fact that his parents never did anything out of routine helped him too.
He was a child prodigy alright but he was sad deep within. He longed to be with his parents like he did a year ago. They were busy even then but their physical presence comforted him. He didn’t want to live an isolated existence away from his parents.
While Zuben was lost in his own world the door of his room slid open.
Beep….beep…..beep…. Danger alert! Danger Alert!
A mechanical voice sounded behind him. He was lifted from the floor by Rocky (The robot that was in charge of security)
Zuben struggled against Rocky but what could a small boy do against a large robot made of metal?
He had to give up after a while. Rocky carried him out of the room. Zuben was pleasantly surprised when he realized that Rocky was walking towards his mother’s room.
Now he would be able to meet her and hug her. He would pretend to be angry and then forgive her after a while.
Miss Sarah Zen had been working in her cabin, which was also her bedroom. The walls in her bedroom were completely covered in screens. The one facing the bed displayed the details of all the companies that she owned, which is a lot considering that they owned close to fifty. She could inspect the work-stations, give commands, take decisions, and authorize others to do the work for her using that single screen.She would get so tired seeing through so much footage that she rarely checked the footage of her house which was displayed on the screen behind th
Sarah Zen was jubilant today. It was maybe the fourth or fifth time that her husband, Arnold was sitting right in front of her. Moreover, he seemed in a wonderful mood which was so unlike his character.“ I am so proud of you Sarah! You acquired the ‘Network Jamming Chip’ for me. You are the best.”Sarah’s brows furrowed in confusion. How could she have helped him to acquire something when she didn’t even know what it was?
“How did a pin covered in plumbic cyanide reach my son’s hand? I want to know the answer as soon as possible!” Arnold roared at the group of detectives who had gathered for the video conference.He felt irritation and fury bubble within him as he looked at the faces of the useless detectives and security personnel. He wondered why he spent so much money on them if they couldn’t even guard his son! He picked up the transmuter on the table and threw it at the screen releasing some of his pent up fury. He felt that he would explode i
Arnold made Sarah sit comfortably on the bed and then taking her hand in his, he said, “ Sarah, Please talk to me. I know I am wrong. I was the one who was never there for you. What I did was wrong. I should never have accused you. I was never angry with you. I am angry with myself, with my incapacity to save my…our son.” When Sarah still didn’t respond Arnold felt disheartened and hopeless. He squeezed her hands and said in a pitiful voice, “Please…..”Sarah’s resolve broke when she saw her mighty husban
Sarah’s arms ached and she stretched herself to relieve some pain. Her hands landed on something soft and warm. This jolted her awake. She had slept alone most of her life. So, she sat up quickly to investigate the source. There lying in all glory was Arnold himself. Her cheeks reddened as she recalled their passion-filled lovemaking. A loud gasp escaped her mouth as the realization of what they had done, sank in. “Gosh!! What will we do now?” Sarah exclaimed loudly.
Sarah moved up and down the room like a caged tiger. Then she sat down but she kept shaking her legs and wringing her hands. Then she got up and started pacing again. She felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she waited for the clock to strike 10:00.The moment the clock struck ten she tapped the call button on her screen. “What was the verdict?” Sarah asked before Arnold could even say hello.
Arnold paced around his office deep in thought. He felt his blood boil at the thought of what Mr. Rendall did. “The nerve of him to mess with me! Did he think that making me dance to his tune is a child’s play? Just wait and watch as I turn tables on him.” Arnold muttered resolutely and tapped on the screen.He called an emergency video conference of all the detectives and security personnel under him via his private satellite that was designed for emergencies such as this. Within moments all were online.
When it was 5 in the evening Arnold signaled his trusted Assistant Roasty. He had designed the robot in such a way that it couldn’t be controlled by the others and it responded to the commands given only by him. If someone else tried to control Roasty it would shut down instantly.“Roasty, You have to keep a watch on, screen number five. You should be able to see me at all times. In case you see me in danger deploy Squadron Spice ( A team of robots that have varying capabilities just like spices) to rescue me. Is that clear.”