He stood there staring blankly at the blue lamp, overwhelmed.

What just happened? Robots I can understand. But what was that?

He tried to make sense of what the scorpion said.

It spoke to me like a person would. I’m supposed to kill things like that?

The more Stanley thought about it, the more nauseous he became.

What have I gotten myself into? I think I’m going to be-

He ran for the bathroom, retching on the way, before throwing up into a toilet.

Is it going to try to kill me? We’re just supposed to try to kill each other, is that it?

Stanley sank to the floor, his back to the wall.

Can’t I just help people without hurting anyone in the process? Is that so hard? Why are we even at war with an AI from another dimension? It doesn’t make any sense. Albert said it was part of a conquering empire, with this world just being the next of many targets. But that doesn’t explain why. He says that no one knows why anymore, but that can’t be true. There needs to be a reason for all this.

He examined the tiled floor, wondering what kind of process went into its production, from the natural formation of the raw materials, all the way to when the finished product was placed by some unknown construction company.

Everything has a story to tell. People most of all. Who am I to try to take that away? This changes nothing. I’m still unwilling.

Beginning to feel better, he went to clean himself up.

Who are these people that ever believed that war was a good idea? Do they have a story as well? Who have I aligned myself with? Is there ever a ‘good’ side? A lesser of two evils, yes.

He returned to the shop front room containing the lamp that had given him so much trouble. His back to the desk where the blue lamp lay, he stared out the wall length window that revealed the not so sunny street. It wasn’t yet night, but dark clouds shrouded the sun, threatening rain.

Who am I? I’m not a politician. I’m unwilling to be a soldier, at least, not the traditional kind. Is there no place for who I want to be?

A familiar ringtone rang out from a table behind him, he’d left his phone there. He considered just letting it ring, but grudgingly went to answer it when he remembered Kerala’s reaction last time he’d done that.

“Hey, how’re you doing?” Kerala asked from the other side of the line.

“Okay. What’s up?”

“Hadn’t heard from you for a while, wanted to make sure you were doing okay,” she answered, a hint of concern in her voice.

“I’m fine. New job has been keeping me busy is all,” he answered.

Not technically a lie. It is my job for now. Until I quit anyway.

“Wow, you’ve been able to find work with everything that’s been happening? Well, anyway, glad that you’re well, but did you remember that we scheduled a meeting today?”

Now that I think about it, extra-terrestrial balls of fire raining down from the sky can’t have been good for the local economy. I’m just happy that none of them made landfall.

“No I didn’t, sorry. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it today, it’d be better if you all continued without me,”

“Oh. Okay,” she said, evidently disappointed. “So you’re working right now?” she asked.

“Yes,”

An audible sigh came out of his phone. “Can you negotiate for less hours or something? We have some new ideas that we’d love to bounce off you soon,”

Negotiate. Now that’s an interesting idea.

“Maybe, I’ll see what I can do. Thanks for checking up on me,” he said with a smile.

“Good. And wow, you actually sounded pretty depressed just earlier, but is this positivity I’m hearing?” she asked.

“You could call it that. But I really do need to go now, talk to you soon,” he said, his smile widening even more.

“Alright, see you,” she replied sunnily.

After hanging up, rain drops began pounding the roof, but it did nothing to dampen his mood.

Negotiation. I need to negotiate with Albert to give me authorization to fight in my own way, and to point me in the right direction on how to accomplish it. Normally I’d talk to the commander, but they’re still learning the ropes, so he’s still my best bet. I might not have to quit after all. I want to stay involved because I need to understand. To see if there’s something that I can do. Perhaps something most would think impossible. I want to find a way.