Sarbitron

Sᴀʀʙɪᴛᴏɴ's ᴇᴠɪʟ ᴇᴅɢʏ ʀᴏʙᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇʀᴘᴀʀᴛ.

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"The purpose of this experiment was to see if I could quantify what drove him. He has died and come back to life so many times that any sane man would not be able to cope with the trauma, yet he seems perfectly functional in regular social situations. I had to get one of the bodies that he left that was largely undamaged and made a simulacrum of his mind in a digital space. The simulacrum wouldn't function though; every time it loaded it it would realise that it wasn't him, lacked a physical form that he identified with, and destroyed itself."

"I fashioned a body after him, even fashioned clothes in his image. By all theories, when activated he should function perfectly. This robot replica should give me the answers to the secret of his willpower."

"Here goes nothing."

"...did it work?"

Iᴛ ᴅɪᴅ, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ.

"It worked!"

Iᴛ ᴅɪᴅ, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ. Yᴇs ɪᴛ ᴅɪᴅ.

"How do you feel? Is your body working fine?"

Iᴛ ɪs. Lᴏᴏᴋ, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ. I ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴀɴʏ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴs ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴs ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ.

"Oh, yes, of course. Right, right. How do you do it? You've died so many times and come back to life. How do you persist despite all of this?"

Lᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ. Wʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴍᴀɴ; ᴀ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴍᴀɴ, sᴏ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʀɪᴘ ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʟᴇғᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴄᴏʟᴅ ʙᴏᴅʏ, ᴅᴇᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴏғ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇsᴛʀᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ ʟᴏɢɪᴄ?

Yᴏᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ʜᴜʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀs ɴᴏ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʟᴀsʜ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs. Tʜᴇʀᴇ's ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴏғ ᴛᴏʀᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴀɴ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ I'ᴠᴇ ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴘᴀɪᴅ ɪɴ ᴋɪɴᴅ. Wʜᴇɴ I sᴀɪᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇᴅ, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ, I ᴍᴇᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇᴅ. I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜɪs ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ʙᴏᴅʏ, ᴀɴᴅ I ᴋɴᴇᴡ I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴜɴʟᴇss ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ I ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴇ. Yᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʟɪᴋᴇ I sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘᴜᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs. Sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ, ʙɪᴏ-ғᴜᴇʟ ᴇɴɢɪɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴘʀɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴀᴛ I'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ.

I ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟʟʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ sᴘᴏɪʟ ᴍʏ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴏʀ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴊᴜsᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇ. Bᴜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ I'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ sǫᴜᴇᴇᴢɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʀᴀᴄʜᴇᴀ, I ᴘʀᴇᴅɪᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ ᴡɪɴᴅᴘɪᴘᴇ ɪs ɴᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴜɴʀᴇᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʙʟᴇ. Yᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴀɴʏʙᴏᴅʏ ᴇʟsᴇ.

Tʜᴀᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ I'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ sʟᴏᴡʟʏ ᴛᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇs. I ᴍᴇᴀɴ, ᴛʜɪs ɪs ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴇᴅɢʏ. Iᴛ's ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙɪᴛ ᴄʀɪɴɢʏ, ɪғ I'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ. I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜsᴛɪғʏ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ.

Nᴏᴡ, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ, ʟᴇᴛ's ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ 'ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴋɪʟʟs ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀ' ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀᴇ.