The room was very crowded, full of them, all dancing and having a good time. It was just like every other year; they would talk, and dance, and stand by the refreshment table while the time slowly slipped by. The MC casually padded up the steps to announce the next song. He talked very loudly, speaking over the monotonous hum of electronics and the metallic clangs enveloping every inch of the room.

They were all there, just like they were every year. Everything was the same as the year before, except there was one among them who did not fit in. There was one who was different from the others. They didn’t know; only he did, and he stood in the corner, hoping not to be noticed, and observed them. He just stood there, unnoticed by the rest of them. He looked the same; he had even trained himself to talk like them, but he was not the same. He held with him a secret that the rest could hardly imagine: a secret about his past, all of their pasts.

Many before him had attempted what he was planning, but none had succeeded. Whatever it was that made him think that he was even the slightest bit better than the rest was the only thing that kept pushing him to go on. People had been trying for over a decade to accomplish what he had come to achieve, and then, in the year 3004, Walter, a simple minded computer genius, thought he could. Maybe it was the fact that he had more experience with computers and robots that made him think he could do a better job, or maybe it was the simple fact that somebody needed to do it, but whatever it was, Walter was there with his plans well thought out, ready to take care of the problem once and for all.

It was all very simple. He would sneak into the main computer hall through the back entrance. Only then would he be able to plant the bug in the system: the bug that would destroy them all before they could even know what had happened. The plan he had was a good one, certainly better than any of the others. For he knew that at the right moment, the computer would be unguarded, waiting for him. He had studied previous attempts. He had seen the awful failures and the last minutes of life of the ones who failed. It was because of his dedicated research that he knew. Every year, as the guards are replaced by those honored at the party, there are just over six minutes when nobody is near. Walter had gone over the math time and time again. If he were to fail, it would surely be the end of his kind. Every little aspect was carefully considered, and the time he would have was figured out to the fraction of a second. It was always the same. Year after year, nothing changed. He wondered why the others hadn’t seen this. With this information, it would be pitifully easy to bug the main computer. Why hadn’t the others seen this?

He would easily be able to hack into the security. He had done so many times before, just for practice. He had set up virtual reality machines in his hidden cave underground and had practiced the whole maneuver more times than he could remember.

"And now," he thought to himself, "it is time."

Glancing down at his watch, Walter started down the long corridor leading to the main computer. Behind him, he could already hear the MC start to call some of them up to the stage. That wasn’t right. It was too soon. He should have still had three minutes before they started the announcements. He glanced at the watch on his wrist again. It couldn’t be wrong. He had set it to the second right before he left. That was only three hours ago. It couldn’t be wrong.

Walter continued to hurry down the hall. He was almost there. There were just a few more steps to the security. He reached the system and recalled his calculations. The machine let out a soft woosh as Walter punched in the security code.

"Piece of cake." Walter moved down the corridor to the main computer hall.

"Number 48-B, please step up." The MC’s toneless voice could be heard echoing through the empty hall. That was the sixteenth one to be called. That couldn’t be right. Walter was sure he hadn’t made a mistake. He should have had nearly four minutes to complete the job, but listening to the announcer, he knew he had less than half of that. There were only four more to be called up; then they would come back to him. They would come to guard the computer.

Walter started sprinting towards the main computer. He looked down at his watch.

"Worthless!" he cried into the empty hall. The seconds went by at about half that speed, and the watch kept getting slower the closer to the computer he became. He shouted again as the last number was called. All his calculations, his work, his efforts had been worthless all because the computer affected his watch in a way he could not understand. If only he had been more careful. If only he had realized his mistake sooner. But now it was too late. It was too late to turn back. He could already hear the clanking of footsteps down the hall. The new guards had been chosen, and he would be discovered. He had seen what they had done to the others; it was not pleasant, and now he would become a victim too. He stopped running now and waited for them to catch up. His thoughts whirred through his head like a wild storm as he slumped against the wall in defeat, and he waited for it to end.

The scream lingered in the air long after Walter had been found. The main room fell silent. What had once been a clamorous room of clings and clangs and beeps, was now hushed. The only sound as they waited for the scream to end was the great hum of electronics echoing off the walls of the room. When it ended, the MC stood up. The microphone clattered against him once, and then he spoke.

"That was the last one," he said, and a great roar of cheers went up through the walls of the building. That was the day they had all been waiting for. That was the day the robots took over.