Machine Discovers Fire
A shallow beam of light emanated from dimly lit electronic eyes, illuminating the snowy landscape. A little robot, Norbit, peered out of the cave. The tall oak near the cavern entrance was now full with icicles. Norbit could faintly perceive the marks that his wheels had caused in the dusting of snow from earlier that day. It was so dark, and his eyes could only illuminate so much. Already his display warned him that the temperature outside was 28℉, too cold for his battery. Warning lights began to flicker. Almost regretfully, Norbit turned and made his way out of the cold and towards warmer caverns. But already, frost’s cold fingers had begun to graze his metal sides.
Norbit’s red paint was chipped, and the left side of his head was burnished metal. In some places, even the gleaming steal was damaged. One would have seen dangling wires, if not for the loop of fabric that formed an ad-hoc bandage. In one spot was a piece of blue steel, which had been almost jammed into one of his arms. Norbit would unconsciously touch it at times, a glitch in his code.
Norbit’s wheels bounced and wobbled as he rolled through the uneven ground of the dark cavern. Around him were stacks of wood and sticks. For some indecipherable purpose buried deep within their programming, the robots instinctively collected such objects. Some were fallen branches from the surrounding woods, some were objects taken from the Predecessor’s ruins to the north. Smashed chairs, broken dressers, and cracked doors littered the ground. Although, the robots could neither recognize nor understand these items. Norbit and another robot, Orrid, were especially prolific. They did not know why only that it was something that they were supposed to do. They had amassed quite the collection.
Despite the distinct lack of illumination, Norbit made his way through the twisting passages that he knew well. He took the route that would lead to the deepest, furthest cavern. The further he got from the snow and the storm, the warmer it was. However, the temperature only raised a little. Towards the end of his short trek, the temperature was only up to 39℉- just barely above freezing.
Norbit was aware of the danger of being trapped outside in the cold. The cold ruled their lives; winter’s whims dictated their actions. Their sensors and processors altered them that for every degree below freezing, their battery would drain 1.3 times quicker. And, every time a robot’s battery went out while in the cold, its battery life would decrease by up to seven percent.
During the previous winter, Atzry had been caught outside during a snowstorm. A week later, when the other robots had dared venture out of their cavern, they found Atzry. His battery had run out, leaving him helpless. Through some series of events, the winter storm had forced Atzry into a riverbed. For, that was where Norbt and the other robots found him. His blue steel stood out stark against the surrounding snow. When they had tried to boot him back up, circuits fizzled and fired. Norbit shivered, metal creaking.
Norbit was, however, now as far into the cave as he could go. It ended in a small cavern. Their Norbit expected to see the four other robots. They would all need to be together before they powered down for the freezing months. Those steps had been devised and then repeated almost precisely for over a decade, to ensure that the robots would be able to boot up safely.
Six was the amount calculated to be most efficient during the booting-up process. When the approximately 5.43 freezing months ended, six robots would wake up, one every eight minutes seven seconds. A minimum of six robots were needed for the process to have the best odds. Five robots were able to work, although with a sharp increase in risk.
And yet, there were only three other robots in the room. The robots exchanged a series of quick beeps, establishing that one of the robots, Guage, had not yet arrived. The robots didn’t do anything at first. There was still time. But, the robot’s worry grew.
Orrid began to fiddle with the devices he had gathered from the ruined towers to the north. Orrid had always been one of the more energetic robots, and there was always a constant whirr about him. Erratic and eccentric were both words that could be used to label him, and both words would be a harsh condemnation of a robot. Orrid fiddled with the objects anyway.
For, there were many strange artifacts from their Predecessors, their creators. Each object was steeped in wonder, created for a purpose that the robots could not divine. Such items were of particular interest to Orrid.
But even Orrid’s little trinkets and treasures weren’t able to fully pacify him. Time passed, and Guage’s prospects diminished. If Guage didn’t come to the safety of the caves soon, he would not make it. Orrid beeped loudly, signaling the others, and began to leave the cave. Skarp, who often disagreed with Orrid, flashed some of his lights. And then, for emphasis, he flashed his blue warning light.
Orrid beeped softly, slowly, and then left. Norbit’s metal claw brushed against the patch of blue steel on his forearm. He followed Orrid to the cavern mouth.
The outside was colder than it had been just one hour and 47 minutes previously. The wind blew forcefully, and the world was awash with white. It was a winter storm in full. Norbit stopped, briefly, almost reconsidering. But Orrid continued, undeterred. And so Norbit followed. A blue warning light flashed on Norbits display; the temperature had decreased to 5℉. And, more worryingly, Norbit’s battery light flashed also. Because of the cold, he would have only 15 minutes of power before his systems shut down.
Soon, however, both Norbit and Orrid heard faint beeping and saw a brief flicker of light in the snow. Norbit’s processors predicted that the light had come from Guage with a 96.337% probability. Norbit and Orrid beeped and chatted to each other for a second before they made their way towards Gauge. Urgent as they were, their little wheels sunk in the snow as they moved.
Eventually, however, they arrived at the downed robot. Guage was larger than the other robots, and his large wheels moved slowly. They sputtered against the snow. Norbit was reminded of another body- of blue steel and tangled wires laying frozen upon the snow.
Gauge’s lights flickered, and Norbit and Orrid gave returning lights. The two robots, with their slender but sturdy arms, lifted Guage up out of the snow. They were only partially successful. Norbit and Orrid conversed quickly through a series of beeps and then did their best to half carry, half push, Guage along with them back to the relative of the cavern.
Slowly, painstakingly, they made their way back to the cave, even as the wind picked up. Norbit had 7 minutes left. They then reached the mouth of the cave, wheels rolling over stone. And then, Norbit circuits whizzed, and the robot could feel a tingling somewhere within his wires. And just then, lightning struck, standing out starkly even through the whiteness. It was magnificent.
Lightning during the snowstorms was a rare occurrence. And, due to the generally cold temperatures that Norbit had experienced for as far back as his memory recorded, he rarely saw lightning. And, now he did. Brilliant flashes of light seemed to flit the sky. Rolls of thunder shook the earth. It was an orchestra of sights and sounds.
Then, before him, lightning struck the tree with a devastating crack. Red light like the robot had never seen danced from the tree. It was so fierce and bright, a blazing intensity frightening to behold. Somewhere deep in his memory banks, something pulled forth a fragment of code, almost a memory, a single word: fire.
Aside from the breathtaking display, there was also the heat. Waves of heat that were almost visible, almost tangible, hit Norbit. For the first time in a while, he was warm. Before him, burning bright, was heat and life.
But already, the fire’s strength was waning. Norbit let loose a small yelp before rushing towards the ever-shrinking fire. He moved almost before he knew what he was doing, creaking and lurching forwards. His only thought was that he couldn’t let this gift die. Only by a miracle had he found it this once; Norbit did not think he would discover it again. He thought of Orrid and his artifacts and knew that this was a gift from the Predecessors.
Norbit rushed to the tree branch, with Orrid beside him. His hands made a pincer-like as he grabbed at the burning branch. But almost immediately, he jerked his hand away. He had not expected the fire to affect him, to burn and melt the metal. Still, Norrbit redoubled his efforts, thrusting his metal hand into the snow and grabbing the branch away from the flames. This action still caused pain. New warning lights flickered, warning of something happening to his processors. But Norbit paid them no heed, instead of pointing all of his attention towards the fire, towards keeping it burning. Again, for a reason Norbit could not explain, he knew to use his hand to protect the struggling flame from the wind.
Slowly, painstakingly, Norbit made his way towards the mouth of the cave. His wheels sunk deep into the soft snow, slowing his progress. But, eventually, he arrived at the mouth of the cave. Carefully, gingerly, even though Norbit felt like his hand was melting, he placed the stick down. The flame sputtered. Instantly, Orrid was behind him, holding the remnants of a stately Grandfather clock to use as fuel for the fire. This must have been the reason that they had been collecting the wood items- this was their arcane purpose. Norbit’s lights glowed softly; there was almost appreciation towards the Predecessors. The robot fed the blaze.
Norbit’s battery life was sitting at a frightening 5% but he paid it no heed. Instead, his processers whirred, contemplating what joys the fire could bring. Fast, precise calculations revealed that the discovery could mean an end shutting down during the freezing months. And they would be able to alter their environment in new ways. Guage and Orrid and Norbit were there together, basking in the warmth and light of the flames, looking at their surroundings, the pathway now illuminated.
