T.D 202 (Long Forgotten Yellow)

Aerosol and acrylic on canvas board.

18x24x1"

Black frame. Open front. Hanging wire for wall. Gesso ground. Semi Gloss finish.

"T.D" stands for Taxi Driver. 202 is the version number. "Long Forgotten Yellow" is in reference to the Yellow cabs of 20th century NYC.

World building short story I wrote to accompany "T.D 202"

"You're one of the refit 202 models, aren't you?" I asked, noticing the reworked shoulder on its older framework. Metal and polycarbons visibly newborn from the assembly line.

We had all seen on the screens a couple cycles back, that EonCorps had recalled 150,000 S class T.D 202s. Because of, what did they say?.. ..a malfunction in the shoulders' rotational ability." When in actuality, most people knew that to be false. A rehearsed statement for P.R to present the media with.

It's was almost common knowledge that the problem in it's shoulder arose not from any malfunction, but instead from some kid jabbing a auto-file into the back of the 202s shoulder. While it was mid way through manuevering the highspeed anti gravidic vessel through a left turn. The kid had somehow spotted an opening between two shell plates that invited some proding. Tragically this activated a self-preservation fail safe in the machine.

This fail safe had been programmed into any EonCorps bot classed higher than the L models. The T.R 202 had unintentionally killed the child in response. I imagined the attack unfolding. The difference between biological and cybernetic. The meeting of metal and flesh.

It would have rotated back, the opposite direction from which it had just been committed to; the left arm wheeling about in exaggerated efficiency, overlapping it's right to grasp the boys arm at the elbow.
And then with the strength of a dozen terrans, tearing the arm from its socket.

And to think, while doing this it would have spoken the programmed line "Stop! You're hurting me!" The impression of fear noticeable in it's temper of voice, a shrill tone, intentially unpleasant on the ears. The irony of such a..

I snapped out of my musings, the driver had started to answer my question and had turned it's head to the side to regard me as it spoke.

"...had my shoulder replaced. As have all the other 202s. I can assure you that EonCorps is in the business of providing a safe, reliable operator. I am at your service madame".

With that it turned back to watching the skyway and I moved my attention to the blur of skyscrappers falling below us as we accerated in a slow incline towards cloud level.