When he saw the fences in the distance, the image of sheep jumping over them came to mind. The conjured imagery made Rod shake his head. How low the mighty has fallen, he thought. All these new regulations had put a stop to cybernetic commerce. Gone were the days of hunting down renegade milbots through city alleys. Now it was all household pets and farm animals. He guessed that was a good thing for society even if it was bad for business. At least, his business.
The phone call from the police force had come late in the day. Missing sheep at a company called ShepherdTech- a bio-agricultural firm that worked in the valley with farmers and ranchers on genetic solutions to their problems. The company’s online profile was scant on details, which was probably because of the insular nature of the bio-agricultural industry in general, often portrayed in the socials as a Frankenstein conglomerate. Not that they had been doing themselves any favours with the recent mishaps like the cyborg llama that caught fire in the middle of a busy freeway.
The force was busy tonight with the game, so a little private eye consultancy helped free up resources. His legal powers were limited and no guns allowed, but a job was a job, he reminded himself.
Opening the glove compartment, he withdrew a taser and placed it on the seat beside him.
The sky above the mountains was lit like a glowing ember.
He pulled over beside a closed gate, lowered the window, making sure his face was fully visible to the scanner.
The invigorating scent of fresh air, damp vegetation, and manure hit his nostrils.
He heard the clang of metal on metal, then slowly, the gate began to open.
"Where is the rest of your squad?" said the disheveled-haired woman in the lab coat, who without much fanfare, introduced herself as Dr. Nora Davon, head of research.
"Squad?" said Rod, "I'm afraid all resources are tied up for tonight’s event downtown."
"But-" said Dr. Davon adjusting her glasses, "you don't understand. They are not your typical sheep. I told them that they are part machine and can be unpredictable. We have to find them before they hurt someone!"
Rod reached into his jacket and took out his phone.
"I don't know how fast I can get someone here,” he said tapping on the screen. “I'll make the call but no promises."
Just as he suspected everyone was busy with the rivalry match.
"It'll be at least a couple of hours before anyone gets here," he informed her and was about to ask her more questions, but she cut him off.
"Then there's no time to waste," she said brushing aside her wild strands of hair. She rushed into the building and came out with what looked like two sawed-off shotguns and a robo-dog with lights attached to its back.
"Woe! Hold on there, doc," said Rod. "we should wait for backup."
"I told you that there is no time," she said raising one of the guns and demonstrating its operation. "These will deliver EMP charges to neutralize them. One charge per minute.”
Rod took the gun the mad scientist shoved in his hands, feeling a familiar rush as his fingers wrapped around the grip. This was against regulations and could land him in trouble. Then again these would certainly qualify as exceptional and extraneous circumstances, which gave him more leeway to act.
He gripped the gun tightly and followed Dr. Davon across the field.
"So you want to tell me what this is about, doc? What are we dealing with here?"
It was getting dark, and a few lights were visible throughout the ranch. It was not a typical ranch with quaint wooden barns but a complex of modern buildings scattered across fenced pastures. Oddly, he hadn't seen anyone but Dr. Davon and several robot workers since he had arrived, which begged the question, where was everybody?
"There!" said Nora looking at the spot where Deckard the robo-dog was shining its light. "Look at the tracks in the mud. Notice how precise they are."
Rod looked at the illuminated tracks then at the dog who was wagging its tail. Darn creature is a better detective than I am, he thought grimly.
Nora stroked Deckard’s head. It responded with a metallic bark. There was an uncanny valley feel about the hybrid creature. He moved in an organic manner, and yet most of its body was smooth white polymer.
On the doctor's command, the dog looked closer at the spot then began to follow the tracks down a trail that led into the woods.
"The sheep are not supposed to jump. That urge has been attenuated artificially."
Dr. Davon sounded mystified. Her words carefully chosen.
Rod peered into the darkness along the trail that rose up at a steep angle into the dense woods. He was not the outdoors type, and now he understood why. Nature creeped the hell out him. There was something oppressive about it. The unknown stirring in the darkness all around. Where others saw beauty and wonder, Rod saw danger behind every leaf and blade of grass. Maybe this paranoid tendency was what made him suited to be a detective- the uneasy sense that on the edges of civilization nothing was certain.
"Something went awry with the sheep’s programming," Dr. Davon said as if continuing a line of thought. "I don't know what. Somehow, their neural networks changed rapidly, overriding attenuating mechanisms or perhaps generating new connections. The implications of this assumption are intriguing. Some form of meta-learning… new circuits… synaptic growth... their brains are evolving much more rapidly than anticipated."
"Doc, your dog is flashing," Rod called out to the mumbling scientist.
The creature barked.
“Deckard!” shouted Dr. Davon.
The dog had sped ahead on the trail.
Rod saw a series of flashes followed by a grinding sound and squeal. He shone the light up ahead and saw the dog broken in pieces on the ground.
Two sheep and a ram stood over him. Upon seeing the detective and the scientist approaching, the animals bleated and charged towards them.
Without wasting any time, Dr. Davon took her shot. With a high-pitched whistle, the gun fired a flash of light that sizzled through the air and struck one of the sheep. The animal’s momentum carried it forward and collapsed on a pile of smoldering leaves.
Rod followed right after and shot another animal on the leg. It gave a loud cry and lay writhing on the ground.
Seeing his two injured companions, the enraged ram barreled towards him.
Rod saw that the gun was still charging, and he tried to get out of the way, but instead found himself flying through the air as the ram slammed into him and sent him tumbling over the edge of the steep ravine.
In a tangle of arms and limbs, Rod wrestled with the surprisingly powerful ram.
A snot-like substance poured out of the animal's nose.
Rod managed to get a hold of his taser and shifting his weight, he zapped the animal.
Man and creature crashed into the river.
Pain shot through his left shoulder as he fell into the current, which dragged him deeper into the frigid water.
The fear of drowning and hypothermia made him thrash around trying to orient himself. He kicked his feet on the rocks. Water poured into his mouth and nose. He coughed.
He heard a faint call above the rushing sound of the river.
Dr. Davon...?
He looked towards the shore and waved his hand.
Then, he saw nothing but icy darkness.
"Now you're going to tell me what's going on, doc?" said Rod sitting on the passenger seat of the company truck, bundled up in a lab coat as Nora drove him to the hospital. He was still shivering from his plunge into the river.
"You may call me Nora,” she told him. “And I assure you that nothing is going on. It was just a malfunction.”
“That’s not what you said back there,” he reminded her.
She brushed back her hair. “Artificial life is very complicated, as you can imagine. Anomalies are bound to happen."
"You know I have to write a report."
"You have to do your job, detective, and I have to do mine. Don't forget to add a note about the unregistered and modded shotguns."
He smiled slyly and nodded.
"I have one question, if you don't mind. The ranch is a large complex, and yet I didn't see anyone else beside you. Where were the other workers?"
"There's no one else, detective. It's just me and my little monsters."
He didn't press her further.
He thought about the ram that had fallen in the river. Nora said it had likely drowned given that its bio-circuitry was not capable of coping with the frigid temperatures. Did it feel any pain? He wondered. Or was their brain just filled with dumb machine logic?
He watched the road ahead in silence, then he closed his eyes and dreamed of electric sheep.
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