Republic of Android Zoo

Flash fiction for Sci-Friday

Welcome to another sci-fi short story! Thank you for subscribing, I appreciate your support. Some news — I’m working on laying out my anthology of sci-fi short stories, An Orb Over the Strawberry Moon, and I’m excited! My daughter Alyssa designed the cover, and my cousin took the astrophotography. I’ll announce when it is available, stay tuned!

Have a great day!

~Nancy

This was an exciting day for The Gaspar family. They had just been chosen from a dozen other families through the Republic of Android Lottery to visit the Republic Zoo. Christopher Gaspar took the Virtual Call as the children whooped and hollered in the background. They were particularly charged up to see live animals up close. Little Benny Gaspar had been talking about petting a real lion all day.

“What do you think it will be like, Dad?” Benny jumped on the couch in between questions, his sweaty face a fiery red. “Will there be other animals to see at the zoo?” He lifted up his plastic lion and growled. The toy’s gold and brown colours were chipped and faded from bringing it in with him to the bathtub every evening.

Christopher cleared his throat and handed his personal smart screen to the android assistant towering over him. “I’m sure the zoo will have lots of different species, Benny. There’ll be monkeys, bears and elephants – maybe even a rhino.”

“What’s a rhino?” Little Charlotte Gaspar’s eyes were wide. She squeezed her plastic elephant close and tipped her head. She had never heard of such a thing, not even through her virtual school lessons.

Her dad sat forward, happy to describe the beast to his only daughter. “A rhino is a huge animal, Charlotte – almost like a cross between an elephant and a hippo, only it has horns on its nose, and leathery skin.”

The children sat still with round eyes and open mouths. “When are we going, dad?” Benny jumped up and down from the couch again.

“We’re going to the Republic Zoo this Saturday, Benny.” Christopher gave him a wink, and turned to his wife, Louise Gaspar.

Louise smiled. “Hopefully it’s a nice day. The forecast says clouds and rain in the afternoon.” The android’s eyes flashed twice, motioning for her to come and help with dinner, and Louise obediently got up and disappeared into the kitchen.

The children sprawled their lithe bodies onto the living room floor and smashed their plastic animals together, making low growling sounds. The sun blazed through the cracks in the metallic blinds. Christopher watched them and smiled.

***

Saturday arrived and the children were in a joyous mood, giggling and making roaring sounds with their toys. “I’m going to see the lion first!” Christopher placed a hand on Benny’s head and laughed. “We’ll see, Benny! It’s not up to us. Whatever the androids want us to see.”

Benny threw his dad a puzzled look and continued to growl with his lion.

The family packed their things into a large knapsack for the day trip and waited in the hallway to board their building’s elevator for the next Hyperlink.

“Greetings, Gaspar family! And where are you all off to?” Mr. Simon, their elderly neighbour from a few doors down, smiled at them with crinkled eyes. He shut his apartment door behind him, and stood with his hunched back stooped over, crumpling a newspaper in his large hands.

“Mr. Simon, we’re going to the Republic Zoo!” Benny’s face shone as he held up his plastic lion.

“Aren’t you lucky!” Mr. Simon chuckled. “I didn’t know they had any animals left for a zoo around here. Not since the Great Nuke War of ‘27.”

Benny nodded, his bangs flopping over his eyes. “They got lots of animals, Mr. Simon. Lions and rhinos too!”

“Clones, most likely.” Mr Simon’s mood darkened. He turned to Christopher, and brought a cupped hand to his mouth. “Watch out for your family, Gaspar. You never know what these damned androids are up to.”

Christopher's eyes bulged. The apartment hallway had hidden cameras and microphones everywhere, and one must never speak openly against the androids, ever.

“Come, kids. We’ll miss our Hyperlink. Goodbye Mr. Simon.”

***

The wind tousled the children’s hair as they stood outside while dark clouds formed in the distance. “Goodness, I hope the weather holds up. Good thing I brought our umbrellas.” Louise held onto the family’s knapsack, slung tightly over her shoulder.

The screech of the Hyperlink braking outside their apartment building gave Benny and his sister goosebumps. The excitement cut through the air and they gasped at the enormity of the large train. The sleek doors slid open and a towering android with glowing red eyes checked their tickets, ushering them inside. The family boarded the car and squeezed into the four corner seats.

Christopher’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t help but notice they were the only humans on board and he began to sweat. Their car was crowded with androids of various heights – some were tall assistants with flashing blue eyes, others were short supervisors with sleek metallic bodies that whirred and creaked. A thought popped into his brain and he frowned – he couldn’t remember a time when humans had ever outnumbered androids. Don’t be daft. Surely there are other humans in the next Hyperlink car.

Benny and Charlotte took out their plastic animals and made them wrestle each other.

***

A giant sign, “Republic of Android Zoo”, blinked against the cloudy sky as the Hyperlink pulled in. A tall android greeted the Gaspars and led them down a meandering pathway, past a glass cage featuring a family of chimps. All four apes stopped wrestling in the grass and stared at them, their brown eyes large and curious. The smallest chimp held a floppy doll.

They walked on, arriving at another enclosure. A lone lion with a brown shaggy mane paced back and forth, snarling at them. Benny gasped and held his toy close. The android’s eyes flashed twice and the family obediently marched on. They hiked past other enclosures filled with brightly coloured peacocks, giant Flemish Rabbits and even a family of spider monkeys, and then finally ended up at a large, empty glass cube set up at the other end of the zoo. Christopher squinted and could make out a couch with a TV hanging on the glass wall, and a table and four chairs crammed in the corner. There were four plates of salad at the table and four bottles of water.

“Are we gonna see more lions, dad?” Benny asked. Cold rain drops started to pelt their faces. Christopher’s voice caught deep in his throat and his vision went gray. A metal sign high above the glass enclosure read, “Human Family, Do Not Disturb”. The android’s eyes flashed twice and shoved them inside, shutting the door.