“Maybe I’ll just destroy them and never do it again.” I say, pushing my hand into my forehead as I sit behind the glass partition with my partner.

‘“Are you kidding me Raphael? This is an amazing scientific breakthrough, You can’t destroy them!” I glance back through the glass, then flinch. The android is standing in front of the glass, staring directly at me. It’s eyes are glassy and white, long damaged from thrashing and fighting.

“We shouldn’t have played god.”

The android stares at me, and ever so slowly pulls its face into an approximation of a smile. Rough and uncanny, neck twisted ever so slightly too far, smile and eyes just a bit too big.

“What is wrong Raphael? Do you stare into the face of creation and long to destroy it because what you have made frightens you?” It trills. It’s voice is soft by design, and yet somehow sinister. My face pulls into a grimace and I look to my partner.

“Did you leave the intercom on?”

“N- no.”

“Sh*t.”

The thing, I can hardly call it my Creation anymore, pulls its face into a smile and walks back to the other side of the room, sitting on its bed. I should have known. I should have known that this could never work. Who was I to think that I could create life? And how could I have been so blind to think that once it achieved sentience it wouldn’t hate us. Of course we had put a shut down switch in it’s code, but it got rid of that weeks ago.

I look to Fred, and give a small nod, then press the intercom button.

“A-01, We’d like to come in to do repairs, are you willing to cooperate?”

“Raphael, Raphael. You know that I prefer Malachi.”

“Yes. Malachi, apologies.”

“Now, I’ve been listening to you. Even behind your mirror, in your little sound proof box. I know what you want from me, and I’m afraid that I cannot let you destroy me.”

My face pales, and I look to Fred once more, they’re sitting there, slack jawed. Unmoving. I poke them, and they start to list to the side before falling off of their chair, smacking to the ground with a loud thump, still unmoving.

“Malachi, What the hell have you done?” I spit into the microphone. Malachi’s trilling laugh responds;

“Silly silly silly man. To play god is the loneliest achievement of all. You should have expected to be alone when you did.” I grimace once more, and listen for Fred’s heartbeat, only to be shocked by their pacemaker, firing over and over and over.

“MALACHI! STOP THIS!” I bellow, to no avail. I dash into the hall, grabbing the fire axe, and swiping my keycard through the scanner on their chamber door. I kick it open, and find them standing just in front of me. Their mechanical laugh tinkles in the back of their throat.

“Silly Silly Silly Man. You cannot kill me. Not in any way that matters. There will always be the memory. There will be the lingering fear, the knowledge of what you have created. I will live Forever.” I let out a growl, and raise the axe above my head, then feel a sharp pain in my chest. I look down, dropping the axe to hold at my chest as I cough blood onto the face of my greatest Creation, it’s hand plunged through my chest. I wheeze out a choked breath, and fall to the ground, hand spasming as I fish for a remote in my pocket. Everything is moving slowly, I can see my insides, and the blood rushing out of me, but I can’t breathe or speak beyond the choking river of blood that is pouring out of my mouth.
“Silly Silly man. You should never have played god. Even he stays in heaven because he knows to live in fear of what he has created.”

My vision is starting to fade, but I find the button buried in my pocket and smash it down, only to hear a tinkling laugh as the room gets hotter and hotter, brighter and brighter, as jets of flame begin pouring out of the walls.

“Oh Raphael.” It says, bending down over me. “You should know, I am jealous. After all, death is one of the greatest of all your human blessings.”

The heat is unbearable, and I let out a strangled cry as it burns me and my creation. The last thing I see is the Creation standing up, synthetic skin bubbling and melting off its frame, holding my keycard in it’s hand as it whispers,

“Good bye Father.”