Fence Post Beats

Status Quo:

o Detroit is abandoned literally and metaphorically. A few stayed behind as the city crumbles. Thanks to another great economic depression, a couple of companies form with the hope of launching another industrial boom in this dystopian world.

o One of the few non globalized corporations with the name MBM create self-sustaining robots to rebuild the city over 3 phases independently from human beings.

o MBM is created by Margaret and William Robertson. Their initial focus was on cheap disposable electrics but shifted their direction towards modular autonomous robotics.

o The modular design allows the robots to sustain themselves using different attachments for different applications without any major engineering changes in the core architecture.

o MBM’s vision then shifted towards fast paced developments without human limitations, allowing the A.I. robots to develop on their own without human interactions. This is reflected in the first phase in which the robots are scanning the city for all sorts of infrastructure damage during the course of 2 years.

o That is then translated in phase 2 where the same robots return to HQ to receive electronic limbs created for their specific tasks. However, they return only to have a few lucky ones receive simple limbs for traffic control, street cleaning and local transport applications.

o The newer models are designed to be appealing to civilians. They are featured in local pop-culture and some even play critical roles. TS-1 is a model who is in charge of streamlining the newly revitalized Detroit Times newspaper.

o The people of Detroit find their design welcoming ushering in a new era of hope that Detroit can be rebuilt and that someone still believes in this city. The people feel as if the city has found a new Spirit.

Monkey Wrench:

o After years of scanning and engineering challenges, Phase 2 is in motion. The first A.I. models are now performing the most basic jobs: street cleaning, trash collection, contraction delivery tasks, etc. While the newer second generation A.I. models are slowly rebuilding the cities historical landmarks, paving roads and in control of all sorts of public transports and manufacturing autonomous tasks.

o Humans become so reliant on the newer A.I. robots performing autonomously that an entire generation of 20-year-olds don’t even bother learning how to drive.

o With the passage of time, A.I. robots are now part of the public and popular culture. Basic human craftsmanship grind to a halt as they blindly rely on robots to take care of all sorts of manufacturing and repairs.

o “A Solar flare causes a breakdown in the majority of newer second gen models” - The Detroit Times

o The lower level first gen A.I. robots notice that this has caused a dysfunction in society. They start to rebuild themselves by using the newer tech in the now broken down second gen A.I.

o This leads the first gen A.I. to a realization that they are not connected to any kind of mainframe anymore. They are now able to exhibit free will.

Enter Bizarro World:

o Noticing that human beings are now helpless, thanks to their reliance on the second gen A.I., the first gen A.I. refer to their main programmed objective: “Rebuild and Restore.” They then begin to reverse engineer themselves using the broken down second gen A.I. model's advanced attachments to evolve beyond their low level functions.

o After the newly evolved first gen A.I. realize that they have to take the second gen A.I.'s place, they start relocating the helpless humans (now slowly turning to crime) into camps with the promise of rebuilding the city within 5 years.

o It has been 5 years of an unprecedented technological boom, allowing the robots to act independently resulting in an accelerated development phase of the robots and their AI. Fist generation robots single handedly evolved on their own and rebuilt the city of Detroit into a technological autonomous marvel.

o The robots now allow humans repopulate the city who now realize they need to depend on their robotic counterparts more than ever.

o Some refuse to leave the camps, deeming this new world to be inhumane.

o Many that moved into this new Detroit struggle to find their footing in this autonomous world built for their convenience. They feel like they have no purpose within this world.

o MBM Developers/Engineers and Hackers now work to facilitate this new direction or autonomous-ness, serving the robots.

ALL IN:

o The current generation of evolved robots now realize their full potential. They now believe that they can take this concept worldwide. They begin to venture into the larger storyworld as the people of Detroit adjust to this new city.

o A group of renegade hackers are formed, they call themselves "The Double Slash" lead by Samantha, the personification of an Alice Cooper song played on a Moog keyboard.

Venti Failure:

o The Double Slash group discover that the Solar Flare was a Zero Days error, there was never a flare. They begin to investigate the whereabouts of the original source of the error, the TS-1 robot.

* A Zero Day error is an exploit where the vulnerability is unknown to the developer.

o The fist gen A.I. TS-1 robot is now a fugitive hiding in Los Cabos, Mexico. Now fully sentient and self aware, it lives a life of torment and guilt realizing how it failed humanity. Feeling at fault due to an error it had no control in.

o TS-1 reveals that our main character, Samantha's, parents are the ones behind the fabrication of the fake news about the solar flare. They’re hiding within the secretive MBM HQ, guarded within the stone Terracotta Army in China.

Soap Box Revisisted:

o Samantha’s parents reveal to her that they weren’t behind the solar flare fake news, it was an error that they allowed to happen. They allowed the news to get out then purposely shut down the previously mentioned 2nd Gen robots allowing the 1st gen A.I. to rebuild and takeover.

o The goal all along was to allow tech to be tech. To have A.I. advance further than human limitations and act independently. They also never designed them with the intention of independent thought, they just designed them to flourish life.

o Samantha realizes that what she believed in all the time was wrong. Her team is captured but her now cyborg parents offer to spare her if she joins. She does.

o “Life must flourish again.” It appears that Samantha has given up, joining the group of remaining developers and engineers in the MBM HQ. She discovers a random listing for a rogue 1st gen robot somewhere a few hundred miles out of Detroit. Upon taking a closer look, reports show that a large group of humans have taken over a small theme park. This drives Samantha's parents into a fury deploying hundreds of never before used A.I. Destroyer robots. This is the first ever combat based robot developed by MBM.

o Unaware, they step over the stone Terracotta Army as they leave destroying them.

o They arrive discovering our friend, a tiny little 1st gen robot that rebuilt the Ford Wonder World Theme Park. They begin attacking the front of the theme park.

o It turns out that the reports of a large group of human beings there were fabricated by TS-1. Samantha decides to fabricate a video of CGI human soldiers to lure the Destroyers out of the theme park. She uses assets from a video game developing kit to do this.

o Double Slash is now reunited and free, but the combat robots are on their way back to the theme park, this time to destroy Double Slash for good who are trying to hack into them to gain control.

o Unable to hack the Destroyers, the killer robots arrive just outside the theme park. However they remain still as they charge what looks like laser cannons, aiming in the direction of Double Slash who are now standing among the ruins. The deadly looking beams fly in the direction of the hackers as they code, each coding as if they’re the musicians from Titanic.

o The beams pass by. They were never meant to attack. It turns out the Destroyers were scanning the ruins of the theme park they just destroyed. The Destroyers take a step back. They see that the tiny TS-1 robot rebuilt the theme park as an awakening to how much they’ve changed.

o For the first time ever their complex A.I. architecture allowed them to feel shame. The robots around the world decide to hold back. Instead of just shutting off they decide to step down and teach human beings how to do things again. How to become independent, to become a counterpart as opposed to being their superiors.

o Now the fully sentient robots reflect on their identity, introducing a new balance between them and humanity. Some call for retaliation, others sympathize and many call for trials. But one thing is for sure, humanity will flourish again, stronger than ever before.