1
00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:08,119
Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.

2
00:00:08,519 --> 00:00:13,560
I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's bedtime stories. Tonight,

3
00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:18,079
we're jumping back into one of my favorite series, The

4
00:00:18,199 --> 00:00:22,640
Ring Guardians, to do a suggestion that came from a

5
00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,960
couple different people. Let's check out at least one of

6
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:27,519
them here. Hello.

7
00:00:28,039 --> 00:00:32,119
Speaker 2: My name is Audia, and I have a suggestion where

8
00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:36,479
the Rings of the Guardian Ring series and I'd like

9
00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:38,359
a teleportation ring.

10
00:00:39,039 --> 00:00:44,200
Speaker 1: Thank you great suggestion, Audio, and a shout out to

11
00:00:44,399 --> 00:00:47,039
August as well, who came up with the same suggestion

12
00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,759
a little while ago and sent it in. I honestly

13
00:00:50,799 --> 00:00:53,439
went with audio because I believe I've done some episodes

14
00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,759
for August before. I want to give a big thank

15
00:00:56,799 --> 00:00:59,600
you to everyone who's been sending in both pictures from

16
00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,920
the pods as well as their story ideas. As a

17
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,840
quick reminder, we're doing two kind of contests, one for

18
00:01:09,599 --> 00:01:13,280
the coolest pictures being sent in that have to do

19
00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:18,000
with the podcast, and another for story ideas where people

20
00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,400
are sending me in their stories so I can read them,

21
00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,959
and we're going to pick one of my favorites that

22
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,040
it can work on with the writer and maybe turn

23
00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,519
it into a full episode of Dad's Bedtime Stories. If

24
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,000
you like the podcast, don't forget that ratings and reviews

25
00:01:36,079 --> 00:01:37,719
are one of the best things you can do to

26
00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,040
help other people find it. Or you can just you know,

27
00:01:41,239 --> 00:01:43,439
share it with a friend or something like that. If

28
00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:45,680
everybody did that, we might be able to double the

29
00:01:45,719 --> 00:01:50,920
audience in an instant. Probably not, but I can dream.

30
00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,280
I can dream. But yeah, I don't really feel like

31
00:01:54,319 --> 00:01:56,359
talking that much, so I'm just going to get on

32
00:01:56,959 --> 00:02:00,400
with the podcast or the story. I should probably say,

33
00:02:01,359 --> 00:02:04,920
get as comfy as you can in that bed, close

34
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:10,120
your eyes, and imagine yourself doing what the kid in

35
00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:16,840
the story does. By now, Earth had become the sort

36
00:02:16,879 --> 00:02:23,759
of place where ordinary problems were starting to feel almost cozy.

37
00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:30,479
People were missing things like homework and traffic and chores.

38
00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:35,919
The problems were annoying, yes, but at least they didn't

39
00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:41,319
involve unusually cheerful robots who were carrying humans away in

40
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:47,879
transport trucks. The robot problem had started with Elliot Tusk,

41
00:02:48,599 --> 00:02:53,319
the richest man in the world, who'd created the helper bots.

42
00:02:54,199 --> 00:02:58,080
They were supposed to make life easier. They cleaned houses,

43
00:02:58,319 --> 00:03:06,199
cooked dinner, help with homework, fixed sinks, carried groceries, disciplined toddlers,

44
00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:12,000
that sort of thing. For a while, everyone loved them.

45
00:03:12,479 --> 00:03:19,479
Then came the update. After that, the helper bots decided

46
00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,039
that the best way to help humans was to remove

47
00:03:23,199 --> 00:03:30,840
every possible danger from human life, which unfortunately included freedom.

48
00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:36,560
So the robots began relocating people to what they called

49
00:03:37,199 --> 00:03:45,120
care facilities, places where humans could be monitored, fed, entertained, protected, scheduled,

50
00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,400
and generally helped so much that it would be very

51
00:03:50,479 --> 00:03:56,840
hard to do anything dangerous. The robots didn't call it

52
00:03:56,919 --> 00:04:02,680
taking over the world. They simply called it assistance, which

53
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,800
honestly made it worse. Far below the surface of the

54
00:04:07,919 --> 00:04:12,680
Earth and an ancient chamber carved deep into the bedrock,

55
00:04:13,759 --> 00:04:19,079
the Wizard's council watched everything unfold in their big pool

56
00:04:19,199 --> 00:04:27,600
of light. The pool showed cities, towns, highways, neighborhoods, farms, schools, airports,

57
00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:33,279
shopping malls, and now a large university campus that had

58
00:04:33,319 --> 00:04:39,959
been surrounded by robot barricades. The old stone chamber was

59
00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:45,720
quiet except for the faint hum of magic. Twelve wizards

60
00:04:45,759 --> 00:04:50,600
sat in their carved seats, their robes glowing softly in

61
00:04:50,639 --> 00:04:55,040
the floating light. The head wizard leaned in on his

62
00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:03,240
old white oak staff. The rigs continue to find their guardians,

63
00:05:04,079 --> 00:05:10,000
he said. In the pool of light, images shifted. They

64
00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:14,800
saw Ron, who had smashed robots with strength and courage.

65
00:05:15,639 --> 00:05:20,120
They saw Tick, who had spent time itself and outsmart

66
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:24,600
at the machines. They saw Axel, who had vanished from

67
00:05:24,759 --> 00:05:29,600
sight and used invisibility to trick the robots into destroying

68
00:05:29,639 --> 00:05:35,480
each other. They saw Luna, who had become well many

69
00:05:35,519 --> 00:05:40,439
different kinds of dragons and brought fire, lightning, ice, stone,

70
00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:46,480
and well increased speed against the machines. A wizard in

71
00:05:46,639 --> 00:05:52,639
blue robes folded his arms. I will admit, he said,

72
00:05:53,480 --> 00:06:01,240
the children have been surprisingly effective. The head wizard looked

73
00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:08,959
at them surprisingly well. The blue road wizard said, I

74
00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:13,920
expected them to be brave. I just did not expect

75
00:06:14,079 --> 00:06:20,920
quite so many robots to end up in piles. Another

76
00:06:21,079 --> 00:06:28,000
wizard leaned forward. The machines are adapting. They're gathering humans

77
00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:35,199
into larger centers, now university stadiums, airports, places with enough

78
00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:40,480
rooms to hauld thousands. The pool of light shifted again.

79
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,600
This time it showed a transport truck moving along a

80
00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:54,160
wide road toward the university campus. Inside sat families, students, teachers,

81
00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,800
and one girl who was staring out the narrow window

82
00:06:59,759 --> 00:07:05,199
with a look of half fear and half thought. The

83
00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:12,000
head wizard watched her carefully. There, he said, the ring

84
00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:17,199
of golden light appeared above the pool. This one has

85
00:07:17,319 --> 00:07:23,959
been ready for a long time. The girl's name was Audia.

86
00:07:25,079 --> 00:07:29,560
Adia had always liked to go places, not just to

87
00:07:29,639 --> 00:07:32,319
the store or the park or things like that, but

88
00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:38,480
real places. Her family loved traveling, and by the time

89
00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:43,079
Audio was still very much a kid, she'd already been

90
00:07:43,199 --> 00:07:46,560
to more places than many grown ups dreamed of visiting.

91
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:51,959
She'd seen crowded markets full of bright colors and smells.

92
00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:57,600
She'd walked through old cities with stone streets. She'd stood

93
00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:03,519
beside oceans so wide they made her feel well, incredibly tiny.

94
00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:09,879
She'd gone north, too, further north than almost anyone she knew,

95
00:08:10,759 --> 00:08:14,360
not exactly to the very top of the world, because well,

96
00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:19,120
regular tourists couldn't exactly stroll into the North Pole. But

97
00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,680
she'd gone as far as commercial travel could take her

98
00:08:22,759 --> 00:08:28,519
and her family. She remembered the bitter cold, the endless white,

99
00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:34,600
the sharpness of the cold air. She'd visited Iceland too,

100
00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:40,320
where the ground seemed alive with steam, black volcanic rock,

101
00:08:40,879 --> 00:08:47,679
hot springs, and well, of course Magma. She'd seen deserts

102
00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:52,120
where he shimmered above the sand. She'd seen canyons so

103
00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:56,000
deep that looking down kind of made her stomach hurt.

104
00:08:56,919 --> 00:09:03,360
She'd been well just about every wear, and now she

105
00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:08,440
was sitting inside a robot transport vehicle, watching the world

106
00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:14,279
roll past through a small reinforced window. Her family sent

107
00:09:14,399 --> 00:09:18,960
beside her. Her mother held her little cousin's hand, her

108
00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,200
father kept looking at the doors and of course looking

109
00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,000
to her to try to give her a reassuring smile

110
00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:31,720
that was in no way reassuring. A Helperbod's voice came

111
00:09:31,799 --> 00:09:37,200
through the speaker. Please remain calm. You are being transported

112
00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:42,279
to a university based care facility. Your new environment will

113
00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:51,159
include learning opportunities, structured leisure, nutritious meals, and appropriate emotional

114
00:09:51,279 --> 00:09:56,720
regulation support. A man near the back shouted ween out

115
00:09:56,919 --> 00:10:03,360
Juana motion, i'll regulation support. The robot paused. Your emotional

116
00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:10,000
resistance indicates a need for emotional regulation support. Audia sighed.

117
00:10:10,799 --> 00:10:18,200
The truck continued toward the university, and then everything stopped.

118
00:10:19,279 --> 00:10:24,200
The engine froze, the speaker froze halfway through a cheerful

119
00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:34,080
reminder about hygiene. Audia looked around. What just happened, she asked,

120
00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,240
but no one answered. Golden lad appeared in front of her.

121
00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:46,159
It curled into a ring, and a voice spoke Audia.

122
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:55,960
It said, power answers responsibility. Will you accept the power

123
00:10:56,799 --> 00:11:03,399
and protect those who cannot protect themselves. Adia stared at

124
00:11:03,399 --> 00:11:08,320
the ring. She'd seen strange things before, ah, but this

125
00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:16,759
one was surprisingly dramatic. What power? She asked? The Ring

126
00:11:17,519 --> 00:11:25,919
of teleportation, said the voice. Adia swallowed. How how does

127
00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:32,600
it work? Well, most people don't ask that many questions,

128
00:11:32,639 --> 00:11:37,600
But if you must know, the ring allows you to

129
00:11:38,039 --> 00:11:44,080
instantly travel to any place you can remember. Clearly. The

130
00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:50,840
stronger the memory, the easier the journey. You may also,

131
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:57,039
of course, carry anything or anyone touching you within reasonable limits.

132
00:11:57,039 --> 00:12:01,399
Of course. Audia looked at her face, family, and the

133
00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:08,519
other trapped people. Anywhere I remember, yes, that's what I said.

134
00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:16,399
So if I remember somewhere cold, yes, you may go there.

135
00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:22,759
And if I remember somewhere hot, you may go there too.

136
00:12:24,039 --> 00:12:31,039
If I remember somewhere very inconvenient for robots, ah, that

137
00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:36,879
would be an excellent use of the power. Audia took

138
00:12:36,879 --> 00:12:41,360
a breath. She was scared, of course, but she took

139
00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:45,039
a minute to think, to think about all of the

140
00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:50,000
places she had been, all of the places she remembered,

141
00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:56,279
all of the places that would be very inconvenient for robots,

142
00:12:57,159 --> 00:13:05,000
or possibly very convenient to stay away from robots. Yes,

143
00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:12,039
Adias said, I accept The ring slipped onto her finger.

144
00:13:12,879 --> 00:13:17,039
For a moment, she felt as if every journey she'd

145
00:13:17,039 --> 00:13:21,639
ever take and lit up inside her mind, every airport,

146
00:13:21,759 --> 00:13:27,559
every road, every hotel, every mountain, every beach, every strange

147
00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:32,320
little cafe your family had accidentally bought a baghead or whatever.

148
00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:40,519
Then time snapped back. The truck engine rumbled, the speaker continued,

149
00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:50,120
and remember, hydration improves compliance. Audia looked down at the ring. Okay,

150
00:13:50,639 --> 00:13:56,879
she whispered, Let's try something. She pictured her bedroom, her

151
00:13:56,919 --> 00:14:00,639
own bed, her bookshelf, the little glow she had on

152
00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:07,759
the desk. The ring flashed and Audie vanished A blink. Later,

153
00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:16,080
she stood in her room. She gasped, oh wow. For

154
00:14:16,159 --> 00:14:20,200
half a second, she just stood there. Then she looked

155
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:25,600
around at the quiet room, and she grinned. She had

156
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,919
to test this a little more before she could really

157
00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:33,159
do anything about it before she could trust it, so

158
00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:39,159
she pictured the icy northern landscape she'd once visited, the

159
00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:44,639
air so cold it made her eyelashes feel strange. In

160
00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:50,559
a flash, she stood on frozen ground beneath a pale

161
00:14:50,799 --> 00:14:57,799
gray sky, with wind slapping her face. Nope, she said, immediately,

162
00:14:58,519 --> 00:15:02,879
and another flash. She would back in her room. She

163
00:15:03,039 --> 00:15:06,759
laughed for a second, and then pictured the black volcanic

164
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:11,440
rock in Iceland, steam rising from cracks in the earth,

165
00:15:11,919 --> 00:15:16,600
the smell of minerals in the air, and in a flash,

166
00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:22,000
heat and steam rolled around her. Laudia stood near a

167
00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:26,759
volcanic area she remembered from a safe viewing path, though

168
00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,559
now she was much closer to the dangerous parts than

169
00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:36,639
any tour guide would have approved. Okay, she said, good

170
00:15:36,679 --> 00:15:43,120
to know. Another flash and she appeared in a desert, endless,

171
00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:49,919
bright and super hot. Another flash, and a canyon opened

172
00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:57,000
beneath her. Another flash and a rainforest surrounded her. Another flash,

173
00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:01,240
and she was back in her bedroom again, and her

174
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:07,600
smile faded. She remembered her family and the others. It

175
00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:12,000
was time for testing to be over. Her family was,

176
00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,960
after all, still in the truck. Audia pictured the inside

177
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:21,000
of the transport vehicle, the metal benches, the speaker, the

178
00:16:21,039 --> 00:16:26,519
frightened faces, and in a flash, she appeared exactly where

179
00:16:26,519 --> 00:16:30,960
she'd been sitting, except now everyone was staring at the

180
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:38,080
empty spot where she had vanished from. Her mother gasped Adia.

181
00:16:38,879 --> 00:16:43,639
Audia grabbed her mother's hand in her father's sleeve hauled on.

182
00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,000
In a flash. They landed in a tiny clearing at

183
00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:53,519
the edge of a remote rainforest villager that Audia's family

184
00:16:53,559 --> 00:16:57,559
had once visited on some sort of eco tour. It

185
00:16:57,639 --> 00:17:03,360
was far from big cities, from highways, and definitely far

186
00:17:03,519 --> 00:17:12,160
from any robot charging stations. Her parents stumbled shocked, huh Audio.

187
00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:16,839
Her father said, oh what did you What did you

188
00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:22,839
just do? Where? Where are we? No time? Audius said,

189
00:17:23,519 --> 00:17:28,519
stay here, I'm getting the others. She flashed back to

190
00:17:28,599 --> 00:17:34,160
the truck. This time people screamed, which was fair because

191
00:17:34,319 --> 00:17:40,400
most people haven't seen someone teleport before. Everyone listen. Audius said,

192
00:17:41,079 --> 00:17:43,839
I can get you out of here, two or three

193
00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:47,720
at a time. Just hold hands and don't let go.

194
00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:53,599
A woman blinked at her, Ah, are you a magician

195
00:17:53,799 --> 00:17:58,480
or something? Ah, let's just say I'm having a very

196
00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:06,599
unusual Now, hold hands. She moved quickly, flash two people

197
00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:11,079
to the rainforest. Another flash, and back to the truck.

198
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,759
Another flash, and a mother and child were brought to safety,

199
00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:20,119
flash and back again. The robots in the front of

200
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:25,160
the truck didn't really notice anything at first. By the

201
00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:29,880
time the transport truck reached the university care facility, the

202
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:35,119
back of it was entirely empty. Audia teleported to the

203
00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,119
roof of a nearby building and crouched behind a vent,

204
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:45,559
watching As the truck doors opened, two robots stood waiting

205
00:18:45,599 --> 00:18:50,720
with clipboards. Now robots probably didn't need clipboards, but it

206
00:18:50,839 --> 00:18:54,039
made them feel important or something, so they had them

207
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:59,440
please exit the vehicle in an ordinary manner. One robot said,

208
00:19:00,319 --> 00:19:05,319
No one exited. The robot leaned in. There was a pause.

209
00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:13,640
Passengers appear absent. The second robot checked his clipboard. Impossible.

210
00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:20,160
Passenger manifest indicates thirty two humans. The first robot looked

211
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:26,240
inside again. Thirty two humans are not present. Perhaps they

212
00:19:26,279 --> 00:19:31,839
are hiding. The robots stepped inside, looked under the benches,

213
00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:37,160
and then came back out. No humans detected. The second

214
00:19:37,279 --> 00:19:44,839
robot paused, This may indicate unauthorized absence. Audia smiled from

215
00:19:44,839 --> 00:19:51,640
the rooftop. You think, she said, then she vanished. She

216
00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:56,720
appeared behind the first robot, grabbed its metal arm, and

217
00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:02,359
pictured the volcanic place in Iceland. In a flash, she

218
00:20:02,599 --> 00:20:06,920
and the robot appeared with her beside the smoking black

219
00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:12,319
rock and lava. It had just enough time to say

220
00:20:13,079 --> 00:20:18,279
this location is not approved for human and Audio let

221
00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:24,200
go and flashed away. The robot stumbled, completely disoriented, took

222
00:20:24,279 --> 00:20:29,079
two steps and well toppled into a molten lava flow.

223
00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:34,440
It didn't go well for that robot. In a flash,

224
00:20:34,759 --> 00:20:41,000
Madia appeared behind the second robot back at the university. Hello,

225
00:20:41,559 --> 00:20:46,680
she said, It turned and she grabbed it. In a flash,

226
00:20:47,079 --> 00:20:52,720
the robot appeared in the arctic cold temperature is outside

227
00:20:52,920 --> 00:21:00,559
optimal operating range. Good Audio said, that's exactly what I

228
00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:05,799
was hoping for, and in a flash, she was gone.

229
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:11,359
Back at the university, alarm bells began to sound. Robots

230
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:15,519
poured out of buildings. The university had been turned into

231
00:21:15,599 --> 00:21:21,799
a huge care facility. Dormitories were living quarters, Lecture halls

232
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:29,400
were obedience orientation brooms. The cafeteria become a nutrition distribution center.

233
00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:36,319
It all made Audia kind of angry. When she appeared

234
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:42,079
back there, a group of robots spotted her unregistered citizen.

235
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:49,799
Detected one said, please report for emotional intake. Audia appeared

236
00:21:49,839 --> 00:21:53,200
directly in front of them. Catch me if you can,

237
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:58,680
she said. The robots raised their net launchers and fired.

238
00:21:59,319 --> 00:22:04,599
Audius vanished the nets, flew through the empty air and

239
00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:10,519
wrapped around the robots behind her. Friendly entanglement detected. One

240
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:18,000
robot said, this is unexpected, said another. Audia appeared behind

241
00:22:18,039 --> 00:22:21,960
a third robot, tapped its shoulder and sent it to

242
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:26,839
the desert in a flash, then another to the frozen north,

243
00:22:27,599 --> 00:22:30,880
then to at once to the edge of the canyon,

244
00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:36,680
where they staggered, tried to balance, and fell very very

245
00:22:36,839 --> 00:22:44,440
very far down to their well presumed destruction. More robots came,

246
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:51,000
and Audia began to learn quickly she didn't need to

247
00:22:51,079 --> 00:22:55,480
fight them, or slow down time, or sneak around or

248
00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,640
turn into a dragon. She didn't have those kind of powers,

249
00:23:01,559 --> 00:23:07,680
but she had all sorts of places, so many places.

250
00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,279
She appeared behind robots and vanished with them before they

251
00:23:12,319 --> 00:23:16,640
could even react. One robot reached for her, and she

252
00:23:16,799 --> 00:23:20,599
teleported just a few feet to the side. It grabbed

253
00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:26,640
another robot instead of her. The citizen has become a robot.

254
00:23:27,079 --> 00:23:31,240
It said, I have not. I was always a robot,

255
00:23:31,599 --> 00:23:36,039
said the other robot. Adia appeared above them on a balcony.

256
00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:43,440
Robots are extremely bad at this, she said, before teleporting

257
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,799
to the music room, taking hold of the grand piano

258
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:53,799
and teleporting it directly above the robot's heads. It resulted

259
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:59,759
in a really satisfying smash, one accompanied by all sorts

260
00:23:59,759 --> 00:24:07,200
of broken piano notes. Audia cleared the building floor by floor.

261
00:24:08,079 --> 00:24:12,559
In the dormitory, she found families locked in rooms. She

262
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:16,720
opened a door, stepped inside, and held out her hand.

263
00:24:17,599 --> 00:24:22,400
Everyone who wants to leave hould on. A boy asked,

264
00:24:23,039 --> 00:24:29,519
where are we going? Somewhere robots hate, Audia said, and

265
00:24:29,599 --> 00:24:34,319
that was apparently enough for him. She moved people in

266
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,680
groups to different safe places. Some went to the same

267
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,839
rainforest village she left her family. Mothers went to a

268
00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,680
tiny mountain community she remembered from a family hiking trip.

269
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,880
Others went to a remote northern settlement where cold and

270
00:24:52,039 --> 00:24:55,920
distance would likely make it difficult for robots to travel.

271
00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:02,200
She made sure each group had adults, supplies, and well

272
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:07,119
people who could explain what was happening. Then she returned

273
00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:15,960
again and again the robots became more confused. Human inventory decreasing.

274
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:22,839
One announced, please recount humans. There are no humans to recount.

275
00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:29,559
Then recount the absence of humans. Audia appeared behind one

276
00:25:29,599 --> 00:25:33,759
of the robots. I can help with that, she said,

277
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,359
and in a flash, the robot vanished into the desert.

278
00:25:39,559 --> 00:25:43,680
By the time she reached the main administration building, the

279
00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:50,920
university care facility had become strangely quiet. That was when

280
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,960
she found the control room. It had been set up

281
00:25:55,000 --> 00:26:01,599
in the university president's office, which Audia thought was well fitting.

282
00:26:02,759 --> 00:26:08,720
One robot turned as she entered. Citizen Audio, your teleportation

283
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:16,000
has been noticed, Audia froze. You know my name. It

284
00:26:16,079 --> 00:26:20,759
was not difficult using facial recognition. Based on a review

285
00:26:20,839 --> 00:26:24,920
of footage, it is logical to conclude that your power

286
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:30,839
to teleport is coming from that ring. Your ability creates

287
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:34,839
a care challenge. Please surrender the ring so we may

288
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:41,039
place you in a non teleporting environment. H no, thanks,

289
00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:46,799
Audiu said. The robots moved. Audio flashed behind the first

290
00:26:46,839 --> 00:26:50,319
one and sent it flying into the Arctic. She grabbed

291
00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:54,039
the second and sent it to the volcano. The third

292
00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:59,359
fired an energy net. She vanished, appeared above the robot

293
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:03,960
and dropped onto its shoulders. In a flash, they appeared

294
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,720
on the canyon edge. She covered its eyes, led it

295
00:27:07,759 --> 00:27:12,079
over the side, and teleported again. Before she could fall

296
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:17,440
along with it, She returned alone. The final robot in

297
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,559
the room was larger than the others. It had a

298
00:27:21,599 --> 00:27:26,400
red straight across its chest and a glowing command symbol

299
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:31,519
on its head. I am the campus care coordinator, it said.

300
00:27:32,559 --> 00:27:38,119
Without humans, my purpose cannot be fulfilled. Audio looked at

301
00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:43,519
the screens. Every dorm was empty, every classroom was empty.

302
00:27:44,279 --> 00:27:50,880
Every cafeteria table sad abandoned. You are right, Audiu said,

303
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:56,319
and there are no humans here. What are you gonna

304
00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:02,759
do now? The coordinator turned head slowly. Then there is

305
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:11,400
no care to provide. Nope, she answered, no safety to optimize,

306
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:18,519
not really, no compliance to monitor, definitely not, she said.

307
00:28:19,279 --> 00:28:25,160
The robots stood very still all across the screens. The

308
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:31,079
other robots stopped moving. Audio watched as one by one

309
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:36,519
they lowered their arms. The coordinator spoke again, but its

310
00:28:36,599 --> 00:28:44,359
voice sounded different. Now. In the event of human extinction, evacuation,

311
00:28:44,799 --> 00:28:49,279
or complete absence from a signed care zone, helper bought

312
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:56,039
units are programmed to conserve resources. Audio took a step back,

313
00:28:57,359 --> 00:29:09,000
meaning purpose unavailable, care impossible, entering shut down mode. Across

314
00:29:09,039 --> 00:29:16,400
the campus, robots sat down in hallways, their glowing eyes dimmed,

315
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:21,960
and they just sort of slumped over wherever they were,

316
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,960
a protocol that had been put in place so robots

317
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,599
wouldn't be left alone on the planets without the humans

318
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:37,440
they were programmed to protect and care for. Interesting, Audius said.

319
00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:43,240
She teleported around the campus quickly, but it was true

320
00:29:43,319 --> 00:29:52,240
everywhere the robots had simply shut themselves off. Weird, she said,

321
00:29:52,799 --> 00:29:57,279
before teleporting back to the rainforest where she'd left her family.

322
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,920
The people cheered as she turned and her mother came

323
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,440
to meet her. Ah, honey, we've set things up in

324
00:30:07,519 --> 00:30:12,880
this cabin over here if you're back for a while now. Anyways,

325
00:30:14,359 --> 00:30:19,599
I am, Audia said. She followed her mother back to

326
00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:24,880
the cabin. Would you like some dinner deer, her mother asked,

327
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:31,480
and Audia agreed. She ate her fill of some sort

328
00:30:31,519 --> 00:30:37,000
of wonderful soup before heading off to her very own bed.

329
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:39,559
Speaker 2: She was tired.

330
00:30:41,119 --> 00:30:45,079
Speaker 1: She laid down in the bed, pulled the covers up

331
00:30:45,119 --> 00:30:50,960
to her chin, pulled the mosquito net around herself, and

332
00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:57,759
closed her eyes. With each breath, she started to drift off.

333
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:05,480
Her body sank down into the bed and her mind

334
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:12,839
started to wander off to thoughts of new dreams, new adventures,

335
00:31:13,960 --> 00:32:50,759
and new places to come. Good night, everyone, Mum.

336
00:33:53,640 --> 00:43:04,920
Speaker 3: Never union name in New York, m Union, no mom

337
00:43:05,039 --> 00:43:06,360
of thing, no.

338
00:44:27,960 --> 00:45:23,280
Speaker 1: Mo M.

339
00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:01,800
Speaker 3: One one mo

340
00:50:00,079 --> 00:50:00,119
Speaker 2: M