E-UNIT: BROKEN GLASS WINGS.
Two years after the Blue Angels first flew over Metromania.
"Artificial Intelligence."
Dr. Nick stood firmly at the center of the auditorium, facing the three hundred students of West Winds University in the northwest sector of Metromania. The lecture hall was huge and brightly lit, with long wooden tables painted blue stretching from wall to wall. Tall windows ran along both sides, catching the late-morning light.
The floors had been spotless that morning, but now, the countless footsteps had darkened the tiles. The room wasn't designed to hold this many people, yet the overwhelming number of students wanting to see the man who created the E-UNIT had pushed the limit. Students filled every seat, every step, every free space on the floor. No one complained. Today, sitting on the floor was perfectly acceptable.
Dr. Nick, twenty-four years old, a young genius whose perfect grades had made his teachers question their own intelligence, stood with casual confidence. In his second year of college alone, when he was only 19 years old, he had driven four teachers to resign, made professors hate office hours. His fellow students had given him a nickname: "Nick-signer."
"It is a fascinating technological breakthrough," he began. "Making a simple machine understand us, react to us, guide us when needed… help us in crucial moments… and feel for us when this dark world doesn't seem made for humans."
He waved his hands as he spoke. "AI can vary between many types and operate at different levels. It can break human limitations and stand beside us during the creative process."
He raised his phone. "We call this little thing a 'smartphone' for one reason: it can do so many things in a small portable device. If you brought this invention seventy or a hundred years ago, people would call it sorcery. They would burn you alive!"
The room erupted with laughter.
"But in our time, we don't burn the ones who oppose us. We burn the ones who oppose the law. We burn those who take shortcuts, thinking they're smarter than everyone. We lit fire on the ones who try to live off others' work… by stealing from this country's vault."
He leaned forward slightly. "To burn anything… we need fire."
He stepped back. "And for fire, we need certain requirements. What are they?"
Hands instantly shot up.
"You, in the front row."
A student stood. "Oxygen."
"Perfect. Anything else?"
More hands rose.
"The object must contain carbon elements."
"Excellent!" Nick said, turning to the whiteboard and drawing quick sketches. "Anything more?"
"Dehydrated material!"
"A fuel source?"
"Carbon."
"I already said that!"
Nick smiled and faced them again. "Very close. But all of you forgot the most important step." He stepped aside, revealing the drawing.
"A spark."
A large explosion sketch filled half the board.
"Even AI needs a spark. You can give it everything, data, training, restrictions, whatever you want."
He slammed his palms onto the wooden desk. "But only one thing will make it adaptable and approachable like humans."
His eyes sharpened.
"Emotions. That is our spark."
He wrote rapidly on the board. "We've always been able to make robots enforce the law. We could do that twenty years ago. But they weren't adaptable. They couldn't understand why humans do what they do. They couldn't predict what a living creature, cornered with only one chance to survive, might do."
He turned slightly, letting his smile reach the crowd.
"But we understand. We feel it."
More writing on the board.
"A robot will never understand life if it can't feel it. It will never adapt to… let's say, a bank robbery."
He faced them again.
"When an emotionless robot enters a crime scene and sees bodies, it views them as casualties that needed to happen. But a human? A human would be furious, determined to stop the criminals before they hurt anyone else."
He moved toward a pile of papers on the desk. "That spark of emotion… the one that pushes a human officer to act… is exactly what we need in our law-enforcement machines. Since they must interact with humans daily, they must understand us."
Sitting on the desk, he held up one sheet.
"Combine human adaptability with machine precision… and you get these incredible numbers from the latest E-UNIT performance reports. I could bore you by reading all of it."
He set the papers aside.
"But just walking through this beautiful city will show you what emotions in a robot can achieve. The carbon is there. The oxygen is there. All we needed… was a spark to light our dark world."
The room exploded with applause, like cannon fire.
The students were amazed at how Dr. Nick could make something as complex as the E-UNIT sound so simple, so human.
Dr. Nick gathered his things from the long desk, papers, a tablet, a laptop, and a pile of stats. Students crowded around him, asking for photos, bombarding him with scientific questions, and even a few ridiculous ones like, "Do you have a father kink?"
He ignored the chaos with a polite smile.
But then one specific student approached him last, quiet, gloomy, but genuinely interested.
"Mr. Rivera?" Nick turned toward him. "Yes?"
"I'm a huge fan of yours! You completely changed the city with one invention. Can I ask you some technical questions?"
"Of course," Nick said, moving to a nearby bench in the university park. He sat down, and the student quickly joined him.
"You said emotions are the spark," the student began. "What are the downsides? Since we're humans, emotions sometimes take a bad turn."
Nick rubbed his chin. "Very good note. Yes, of course. Nothing is perfect. I told this to one of the androids recently: You're not here to erase the number. You're here to make it as close to zero as possible."
He straightened his posture.
"Even the perfect machine can't operate in a world built around imperfection. They need a touch of that imperfection so they can mimic living creatures more effectively. And that touch… is emotion."
The student's eyes widened, full of admiration. It looked like he had just found a new idol.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Nick. I hope someday I get the chance to work with you."
"Hahaha. With real effort, you'll surpass me. I'm just a man who saw a vision and chased it with determination."
Later, Nick reached his car, grabbed the steering wheel, and exhaled deeply.
'That was hard… How does Mikael stay calm around crowds like this?'
He shook the thought away. "Anyway, time to move. I need to introduce the latest E-UNITS."
Sector 2 Highway. 10:04 AM.
Beep. Beep.
Dr. Nick's phone rang. He placed a wireless earpiece in his ear and answered.
"Yes?"
"Nick! How are you doing? It's been so long."
"Redwood? Sorry I forgot to call you back. I'm fine, how about you?"
"Very, very fine. Ever since we launched the Blue Angels Project two years ago, people have been happier and safer. So am I."
"Indeed, haha. Who would've guessed taking down the corrupted governors would actually improve people's lives?"
"I wanted to thank you personally. I know it's been a long time since we started this project together, but I always felt like you were under-appreciated. The Blue Bots took most of the spotlight."
"No problem," Nick chuckled. "Seeing my creation walk among people was already the greatest reward. And your support was crucial."
"Thank you. Are we moving to part two as planned three months ago?"
"Not yet. I found issues with the crystals we received. I tried a prototype called Omega. You saw it move, perfect agility and way stronger than the standard E-UNIT bodies. But it wasn't stable. The energy was so high it made the host unstable."
"No way. So, Project G-Bots is on hold? Do you need more funding?"
"Not really. The crystals have too much raw energy and no control. I'm taking extra safety measures using an element that doesn't exist in the periodic table."
"Good choice, Doctor. So… what's E-UNIT 02 doing without the new body?"
"I built her a normal body for now. The Omega variant is still under development. I just hope we never need to use it."
"I hope so too. One question, though, what does the 'G' stand for?"
"Haha! That's for you to figure out, my friend. Think of it as a little foreshadowing of the future we want."
"Still sneaky as ever, Nick. Catch you later. I won't make it in time to see the new E-UNITS, sadly."
"Just new units to provide support, nothing much to miss."
"Good to hear. Safe trip."
"Thanks."
The New Dr Nick's Lab. 10:31 AM.
Nick arrived at the new lab, previously the old police department.
E-MEDIC 03 was waiting for him. He had recently assigned her as his main lab partner.
The pink E-MEDIC greeted him in a soft, human-like voice.
"Welcome back, Father."
Nick slapped his forehead. "I told you not to call me that! Why are you so persistent with that name?!"
"It has become your official title among your creations, Father."
"Ugh… fine. How are the girls?"
"A suicidal attack downtown is currently being dismantled by E-UNIT 02, 03, 04, 05, and 08."
"Keep me updated."
She saluted sharply, like a soldier.
"Roger that, Father!"