Chapter 8: Chaos is a myth 2...

Ephesians 4: 25-32

“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

The bot’s eyes flash green, a hum sparks in her frame, it shudders to life. Moose leans back to give the bot some room. “Binding protocol begin,” comes a voice from the bot. Her hands shoot up, grabbing Moose’s trench coat. She pulls him close, her face pulled right up next to his. A thin green line shots over Moose’s face and scans, running up and down, pausing on his eyes.

In an instant the binding protocol is over. The sleek, dark, bot releases Moose. He stands and takes a few steps back, careful, guarded. There is nothing unusual about a bot binding, nevertheless, he tilts his head and watches the protocol closely. The bot’s origins are unknown. The bot’s manufacturers are unknown, and this protocol is particularly different.

“Your name?” The bot asks. Her voice is quick, quiet, and short. It dances smoothly through the night air. She lifts herself from the ground amongst whirs and a few protesting gears and stands, eyes never leaving Moose.

“You can call me Moose,” he replies.

“Moose, I am Companion Bot.” The reply is short. Gears quietly whir and spin as she tilts her head.

Moose rubs his chin as he stands in the alley of the grocery store and looks around. The crowd on the street walks by, hardly a head is turned. Deep space in the sky, a shooting star fires across the sky.

“I will call you Cbot. Cbot, we have a waking protocol. When you wake, we always start with Proverbs 1: 7. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Repeat.”

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The bot repeats the line.

Proverbs 1: 7-9

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head and chains about your neck.”