New Neopian Times

I had slammed into a wall and had fallen. I didn't get hurt but as my eyes focused it was like a door burst open. Memory upon memory exploded into my synthetic brain at such a force I almost fainted from it. It was painful beyond description as I recalled my youth.

This youth is one that I want to write down. Even though the memories are painful, I feel a need to write them down so I can read them and be glad my life is better now... so much better.

You're probably confused right now so let me explain. I am 1234536045872 but call me Axis. I am an android. I have a synthetic brain, and I feel no pain. Everything about me has been programmed and yet... and yet I have feelings an android is not supposed to have... this is my story...

My opened and focused. There was a tube over my muzzle that let me breath, I guess because I was in a tube of some sort that was filled with a blue liquid. There were all sorts of wires and things attached to me. I looked at myself and I saw a red body with four legs and a tail. My paws and the tip of my tail were black. All of a sudden someone appeared in front of me. Person, my mind told me. He was tall and he had an angular face with black hair. His eyes were bright orange in colour, and he was wearing a deep purple cloak.

I didn't say anything, not that I could anyway. He pressed a button on a... a... Computer Pad, my mind told me, and I felt the liquid draining from the tube I was in and the tube on my muzzle and wires from my body receded from me. The tube opened and I walked out. The person smiled. It had a hint of... of... Evil, my mind told me. What was evil? I didn't know... at the time.

"I am your new master now. You will obey me... of course. I created you to obey me," he said with a grin. He started to pace in front of me.

"You are flawless. You are fast, strong, and extremely intelligent. You cannot feel pain and your wounds heal instantly," he continued. "What shall we do first? Hmmm... Aha! Go and hack into this account, and bring all of the Neopoints and rare items to me." He handed me a piece of paper.

I whimpered and hesitated when he opened the door. The man pressed a button and a electric shock went through my body again and again. It was like... like... Lightning, my mind told me. It went zigzagging through my body, hitting every wire and circuit that was inside of me. Then it stopped. I thought I couldn't feel pain, I thought. But I dared not ask him about it. I looked at him then meekly went out the door. He started laughing and the door clanged shut.

The night had no moon and no one saw me as I traveled through the quiet streets. I finally came up to the house. But I could see into the window of the house next door and I saw the owner. He was staring at his fireplace and as I looked closer I saw wetness around his eyes. He was... was... Crying, my mind told me. In the next room I saw two pets around two cribs. They were crying too. My eyes zoomed and inside the cradles were tiny Aishas. They must have been just born. But there was something wrong. The two pets around the cribs were crying and the Aishas were very sick. The owner came in and explained something to the two older pets and they all walked out. I couldn't resist. I went in and saw the Aisha's and I was struck a sudden... a sudden... Sympathy, my mind told me. I guess it was the first sign of an error in my android body. Anyway, I looked around the room and saw a paper tacked on the wall. There was a jumble of numbers. It must have been the amount of Neopoints the family had. The number was very low. I then realised that they couldn't afford to cure the Aishas! They were so young and tiny. Then I knew what I was going to do.

I crept into the next house and took enough of the money to heal the pets and left the items. There was no need to completely devastate the person, I reasoned. I think that was the second sign of an error in my android body. I think I realised after that, that I was no ordinary android, and I was happy. I didn't want to obey my creator. So it took the money and went back to the neighbour's home. I hooked myself up to the computer and transferred the money to the family's account, then I went outside and watched the joy of the family as they realised they could heal the little ones. I felt very happy.

My joy didn't last long though. I came back with no loot and he was enraged. He shocked me again and again and left the room muttering something about the axis of my body. I didn't know what he was talking about but fell asleep anyway.

Days turned into weeks and the man always sent me out to steal something or another. I never stole anything but instead found different owners that badly needed help and took enough from the richer owners and gave it to the people in need. I touched nothing else. I loved seeing the joy on the family's' face when they got the item or money that they needed. I knew that when I got back without anything he would shock me again. Afterwards, he would shut me in my room until he wanted to try again. Well the news of my doings got around and soon there was an article about it in The Neopian Times. I read it at a News-stand on the next night I was supposed to be stealing. This is it:

Phantom Helper Saving Families In Need

It started about 3 weeks ago. One family sure that their pet would never get better because they didn't have enough money went to sleep and woke up with more then enough to cure them! "It was a miracle," the owner said. Since then, the Phantom Helper as he or she has been named, has been giving pets medicines and food to the poor owners who need help.

"I had been scammed. The person who did it got frozen but that wouldn't get my items and money back. Then the Phantom Help found the account that did it and took back my items and money and froze that account!" That was how the Phantom Helper saved one little girl from devastation.

The Phantom Helper gets the items or money by taking it from accounts that can afford it, then boosting them back up from the riches that hackers accumulate. When they realised the Phantom Helper was doing this, they were overjoyed.

"I thought someone had hacked me but then my money and items came back! I realised my account had visited by the Phantom Helper and I was honoured that he visited my account. I still am."

***

When he saw this article, he was outraged. He shut me up for weeks before trying to make me go out and do worse things. He tried to reprogram me but I wouldn't let him. Then he would shock me with a newly developed shocker that made the pain worse. He would do it everyday. Because of this I developed another human trait... depression. The only thing that made me happy was being able to got out and help people, even though I knew I would get a shock when I got back. Then he made me go out again. It was a never-ending cycle and I developed another human trait... rage.

Weeks turned into months and one night. He ordered me take the money and items from one of the Neopets staff. That was the final straw.

He shocked me. I got up shakily and refused his orders again. He shocked again. The pain was worse this time. It went through my wires and circuits and the pain was doubled. It was too much that I couldn't even scream. I couldn't even move! I lay there with my eyes squeezed shut as the pain coursed through my body again and again. Finally it stopped. I stood up and refused again. It was too much for him now. He shouted something loud about my axis and then pressed a different button.

I woke up in a cage. There were other pets all around me, and a mean looking Techo was dishing out food and water. I couldn't remember a thing. I felt sad but I didn't know why. Every other pet around me looked sad. Just then, a girl walked in. She looked old, but didn't look like a woman. She was a... a... teenager, my mind told me.

I can't describe what happened then, but there was some sort of feeling I felt... like a... a... Connection, my mind told me. She looked at me and then at my name and moved on. I followed, appearing in every cage she looked. I don't know how I did it but I did. Finally she smiled. She looked at me, placed her hands on her hips and shook her head still smiling. Then she called to a Pink Uni and pointed to me. The Uni came over, smiled, and brought me to a desk. The girl took some money out and paid for me, then brought me out of the shop.