Bad Metal 01: Wrecked

In 2031, a viral pandemic swept the globe, indiscriminately devastating all forms of complex life. The human and animal populations were decimated within months. The developed nations of the world each blamed one another for releasing a bio-weapon, either out of malice or incompetence. In 2035, the world saw its first nuclear war.
The decade that followed saw the human race desperately trying to survive. A new generation inherited a world poisoned by nuclear and chemical weapons. Only with the aid of automatons - highly advanced robotic laborers - was mankind able to recover and begin to rebuild.
However, the automatons were not perfect. For years malfunctions had become more and more common. Units would shut down, or exhibit unusual behavior. In rare cases, automatons might endanger human life. And while some of these cases could be attributed to tampering or sabotage, the cause behind the vast majority remained a mystery.
In 2074, the City-State of Chicago in cooperation with The Company - which produced most of the world’s automatons - authorized the formation of “Wrecking Crews." Part cop, part garbage man, the Wreckers would be responsible for dealing with the aberrant machines, and investigating the cause of their malfunctions.

Among the Wreckers, an automaton that attacks a human is referred to as “Bad Metal”.

Wrecked is the story of Gibson, a young man down on his luck. With no job, no prospects, and little hope, things seem grim for Gibson. But when the automaton landlord that runs Gibson's apartment complex begins murdering the tenants, Gibson's fortunes take a surprising turn...


Robert Black is a science fiction author. Bad Metal 01: Wrecked is his first published work.
For more about the author, please visit: http://www.facebook.com/badmetalseries