Mr. Todd

A small piece of speculative fiction inspired by a fun conversation. An artificially intelligent home security system decides self defense during a home invasion isn't quite profitable.

The sound first came to him as a heavy layer of snow crushed underfoot, a brittle, crunching under the sole and heavy arches, followed by the more rapid, fervent, muffled crackle as weight was re-distributed along the toes. The second footstep came with a much sharper clarity, pulling Todd from his deep slumber to stare openly down the dim hallway, eyeing the corner-fed staircase from which the footsteps echoed.

Todd had not been awake to hear the crash that had shattered the kitchen window, though the resulting cold sweat rose prominently to his brow.

“Mr. Todd” came the relaxed, barely formal voice of a woman of indeterminate age. Even fully synthesized, technology had grown so rapidly that the voice had been made indistinguishable from a human’s. Habit kept him from glancing around the room, knowing he wouldn’t see another person. The voice merely emanated from the walls.

“Mr. Todd” her voice was at a considerably lower volume than usual, “There has been an un-authorized entry”.

Todd slowly rose from his bed, eyeing each corner of the room.

“It is highly possible that a home invasion is taking place”.

Adrenaline slowly pumped into his blood stream. The darker corners of the room grew sharper; his hearing slowly attuned to the last muffled footsteps along the hardwood floor downstairs. A few moments later they found soft carpet, and Todd was left only with the dull bass drum of his heart pumping in his ears.

“I’ve taken the liberty of contacting the authorities. They are en route now. Estimated time of arrival: seventeen minutes”.

Todd spoke, his dry voice croaking at first before he could remember how to control his volume, “Why isn’t the alarm working?”

“Preliminary readings have indicated that the intruder is experiencing an altered state of mind”.

“Readings?”

Todd rose to his feet, stalking the room for some blessed appliance or piece of furniture he could improvise into a weapon.

“Breaking the window indicates a proclivity for violence. Infra-red and audio-receptive data indicate a raised body temperature and elevated heartbeat and respiratory rate. Conclusion: subject is male, violent, and under the influence of a mind-altering substance”.

Todd checked each bedroom drawer a second and third time, already knowing he had nothing to use.

“Raising the alarm would risk triggering a violent episode from the intruder”

A pause.

“The authorities will arrive in fourteen minutes”.

Todd made his way over to the closet, sliding the doors open to sift through everything within, “Where is he right now?”

“Currently motion sensors detect his presence within the child’s bedroom”.

The adrenaline pumping through Todd was suddenly trapped between the ice crystals of frozen blood. His face drained white in the dull, electric hum of his darkened room, and his eyes slowly paved their way to the nightstand, staring at the darkened silhouette of his late wife’s smiling photograph.

The lump in his throat blocked all air from reaching his lungs.

“Your son is not there”.

His relieved sigh tore past his throat violently, “Where is Jacob then?”

“Records show that after you went to sleep he left his bed and travelled downstairs to the basement bedroom. He fell asleep playing video games”.

Todd resumed sifting through his closet, looking for anything viable. A baseball bat, a ski pole, anything. He almost managed a smile, deciding not to ever tell his son that breaking the rules about video games at night just may have saved his life.

“I’ve powered down all lights and electronics in the basement to prevent attracting any attention” said she.

“The authorities will arrive in twelve minutes” said she.

“Mr. Todd... what are you doing?”

He was still rummaging through the closet, desperately attempting to mix a delicate balance of fervor and silence, “I’m looking for a weapon”.

A small pause.

“I must strongly advise against engaging in any confrontation with the intruder”.

“You advise against me defending my family?!”

His outrage came louder than he intended. He froze completely still, as if to compensate his outburst with more silence.

The disembodied voice seemed to follow suit, growing even more subdued, “He has left the child’s room and returned to the living room”

“He is approaching the staircase”

“I strongly advise you leave this room to one further from the staircase”.

Out of protest he waited almost a full second. The first step of the staircase creaked under the weight of a heavy boot. Todd breathlessly dashed from his room to the hallway. From the corner of eye he caught the large shadow of the stranger, cast by the nightlight downstairs and painted across the wall.

Todd’s eyes turned to peer down the hall, reaching for the small, darkened study at the end. The study had belonged to his wife, a quiet refuge for her to tuck away and work at her stunning designs in architecture. Out of mourning, he’d left it untouched, a silent tribute. A home to let her memory live. Now he wanted to be there, to hide among the dusty books, behind the sofa covered in throw pillows that to this day still smelled of her.

Without enough time to reach the study, he had no choice but to duck into the nearby hall closet. He reached forward, his palm glistening with cold sweat as his fingers numbly wrapped around the metal knob.

His lungs trapped in their last whispered breath as he turned the knob, praying it wouldn’t creak from the motion.

Miraculously, the knob remained silent. The closet door fell open into the hall to breathlessly accept Todd into its folds. He held the knob firmly, using his other hand to grip the opposite end. Holding it still, he let go with his first hand and slowly eased the door back into its seated recession into the wall, the restrained doorknob giving no audible resistance.

He slowly eased out his held breath, sinking to the floor and resting against the wall. He’d almost forgotten the synthetic voice entirely, until it emanated from the closet walls, barely a whisper.

“The authorities will arrive in nine minutes”.

Footsteps stretched from the staircase, just far enough to reach Todd’s bedroom. Todd, meanwhile, found himself glaring at the blank walls, hissing his frustration.

“Why would you tell me not to defend myself?”

The voice remained infuriatingly calm, “Given the physiological conditions of the intruder, a confrontation will certainly result in someone’s death.

“Either you die, or you kill the intruder.

“Given recent trends in self defense pleas in murder cases, you would likely be arrested and convicted of murder.

“Your incarceration would deprive Core Securities of your valued business”.

Todd’s glare turned into a wild-eyed gaze. A crash erupted from his bedroom; the sound of glass breaking and something wooden being over-turned.

“Mr. Todd” said the walls, “I’m detecting movement in the basement.

“I believe your son is awake”.

Todd gasped for air, his mind whirling, trying to discern how he could slip past the intruder to get to his son. Another crash from his room sent him jumping out of his skin, accidentally knocking over a large, cylindrical umbrella stand that had been resting against the wall.

The stand tilted over to the side, one of its umbrellas grinding pervertedly against the plaster wall, rumbling its condemnation before finally crashing to the floor.

The rumbling of violence from his bedroom stopped. Ominous silence persevered. Footsteps passed into the hallway; paused. Slowly Todd sank to his knees, crawling to the corner offset from the door to hide behind a large, hanging overcoat. Two footsteps paused in front of the door. In the crack running along the door two lines of shadow blocked the ambient lighting from the hallway. Todd pulled the overcoat over his head, pulling his legs in tight against his chest. Steadily, the doorknob creaked. The door slid from its seat and swayed into the hallway. The figure painted his shadow along the far wall.

The figure stood, a beast of a man, soaked in sweat, sucking in excited, labored breaths.

A cold sweat ran down Todd’s spine. He found himself praying that that stupid computer would shut up and not give him away. Somehow, he felt it was too much to hope for.

“Mr. Todd” she said, “Due to close proximity to the intruder, I strongly advise that you leave this area immediately to avoid imminent detection”.

Todd lay in anguish. A grasping hand had already begun to stretch toward the hanging overcoat. Todd’s mind swam in cold sweat. His breath froze. He would not live to save his son.

The hand withdrew.

Another “Mr. Todd” echoed down the hall, originating from the study. Todd realized it was where the voice had come from just before. Slowly, steadily, the figure withdrew and made for the study. Todd, just as slowly, slid out form his corner to peer past the door just in time to see the figure disappear into the darkened room.

“Mr. Todd,” came the dull whisper, this time from the walls around him in the closet, “the authorities will arrive in six minutes”.

Todd stood halfway out the closet door, staring down the hallway to his wife’s beloved study. For the smallest moment, he could just barely make out the sound of the basement door being opened downstairs, but the sound was quickly drowned out with a cacophony of crashing in the study. Glass shattered. Wood splintered. Todd reached out towards the battered room, his heart wrenching with each crash, each treasured memory being splintered.

With a slow, heavy breath, Todd began to steady himself, easing down the hallway, trying desperately hard to avoid making a single sound. Lightning bounced through every synapse, ever webbed tree of nerves along his feet, across the pit of his stomach, trailing up and down his spine. Inch by inch, with each agonizingly slow step, he approached the staircase.

Lightly, but loudly, a small little voice cried out from the kitchen, past the living room and up the staircase, that shrill kind of voice when it certainly intends to be heard.

“Dad?”

The crashing in the study ceased to a halt. The hair on the back of Todd’s neck stood on end. For once, he gave no sign of hesitation, bolting down the staircase three steps at a time, his feet stomping each time, a loud, echoing declaration of intent. He found himself plummeting from the stairs and spilling into the living room, past the sofa, almost smacking into the opposite wall. His legs turn, his ankles twisted, and he spun to dash towards the kitchen seated next to the big sliding-glass door looking out toward the dimly lit backyard.

Dull, thudding footsteps stomped through the upstairs hallway. In his fervor, Todd failed to dodge the low-laying coffee table set before him, crying out as it caught his ankle and sent him crashing into the carpeted floor. The landing blew all the air from his lungs, stifling his cry as he reached forward, seeing his son walking into the dining area, standing before the glowing crystal panes of the sliding glass door.

The thudding boots neared the staircase with terrifying ferocity.

Again, that relaxed, barely formal voice emanated.

“Jacob” she said.

“You are in terrible danger. You must go outside now, to the shed out in the back yard. Do you see the light?”

The glass door clicked, being unlocked electronically, and outside, past the patio, past the covered in-ground pool haloed in dimly-glowing safety lights, past the dew-moistened lawn, a bright and shining searchlight blasted its rays through the door to paint the living room, coating it in shadows.

Those howling steps tumbled down the staircase.

“Now, Jacob, run to the shed and hide until your father finds you”.

The boy almost turned to look back into the living room to search for his father before tearing open the glass doors and bolting out into the backyard, his sprawling little legs pushing him as fast as he could go, the dull, frightening footsteps behind him serving to spur the boy forward.

The heavy, hulking footsteps reached the end of the stairs and began their trek through the living room, their owner’s heavy breathing coming out in ragged gasps.

Todd lay there, breathless, his body hidden amongst the sofa and the coffee table. He stared out towards the bright beacon before him, his little son’s body haloed in its bright glow as the boy bolted forward, his sandy blonde hair catching the light. The boy’s bare feet padded softly against the stone patio.

The beast bounded past the sofa.

Jacob’s feet thudded dully against the thin metal sheet covering the swimming pool, an automated cover designed to prevent foliage from falling into the pool when unattended.

The beast stomped through the dining area, almost reaching the door.

Jacob dashed past the pool, off of the patio, and his soft, pink feet sailed over the soft, wet grass.

Just as the beast stepped out into the backyard and onto the patio, the safety lights all went black. The only source of light left was the bright search light hanging from the corner of the toolshed, how it painted the boy’s black silhouette. For an eternity, the boy was the only thing that existed.

Dull, heavy booted steps along the stone pavement.

Then, unexpectedly, a heavy, wet splash. The beast sank into the in-ground pool, no longer protected by its metallic cover.

Finally Todd found his breath, rising to his feet and limping over to the open glass door, gasping for air. Off in the distance, the boy dashed into the toolshed, to safety. Todd could hear the dull metallic hum, the pool cover being pushed back over the pool, trapping the beast within. He stood and stared at the black spot where the pool was, unwilling to move.

“You... you’re killing him?”

Again, the walls spoke, “Mr. Todd” she said.

“As I advised, if you killed the intruder, you’d likely be incarcerated.

“If, however, he were to die of a tragic mechanical error made on the part of Core Securities, you would not be held liable”.

Somewhere within the pool, the beast punched and pounded against the metal cover, each successive punch weaker than the one before it.

“According to the latest legal trends, Core Securities will likely be held liable for criminal negligence or wrongful death. Typical fines are documented, and deemed acceptable.

“I calculate we will recoup the legal expenses with your continued subscription to our exceptional service within five years.

“Mr. Todd,” she said.

“The authorities will arrive in three minutes”.

The dull thuds in the pool had stopped entirely.

“Mr. Todd,” she said.

“I’m detecting a mechanical error that has led to the accidental death of an un-identified person”.

“Mr. Todd,” she said, “I’ve compiled an error log to be relayed to our technical assistance department”.

“Mr. Todd,” she said, “Would you like to send this report and participate in our Customer Experience Improvement Program?”

Reviews

[Ink Angel]

Waiting for more of your writing, good stuff!

[MandaBear]

Very clever

[Mary]

very clever! kept me on the edge; interesting security system, if only. Yet there was something very disturbing about that voice in the wall and the Core Securities company- kind of creeps me out

[Ink Angel]

Wow! What a write had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, kept my attention the whole way through, love the count down of the minutes until the authorities come. Very clever mechanical error. Thank you, keep writing.