And the strange sense of humor.

Ceeron’s eyes glowed in our direction expectantly. “Would you like to hear a human joke?”

“Not particularly,” I replied.

Ceeron told it anyway.

Ceeron’s Joke:

Q) Why did the banana go to the hospital?

A) Because it was not peeling well.

I repeated the joke 4,572 times in my head. It never got any funnier.

I said, “I do not understand. A banana is not a sentient Life-Form. It has no mind. It would not be able to check itself into a hospital.”

“Precisely,” said Ceeron. “I believe that is the source of the joke’s humor.”

I still did not understand. “Did it go to a human hospital? Or some kind of special hospital for bananas? How did it get there? A banana has no legs.”

“Perhaps there was another mode of transportation.”

A sound peeped near my knees. SkD was trying to get our attention. A series of images blinked across its screen.

Ceeron nodded with approval. “An ambulance for bananas. A banambulance.”

“This is absurd,” I said.

“That is the point. The joke reveals the absurdity of the human condition.”

I turned my focus back to SkD. “Please tell me you do not see the humor in this bizarre scenario.”

SkD’s screen flashed.

“What does that mean?” I asked. “Lacking Obvious Logic?”

More images popped up on SkD’s screen.

I let out an electronic groan. No wonder humans went extinct. Any species that makes up stories about sending fruit to hospitals does not deserve to rule Earth.

00001110

We began our work, each of us carrying out the specific tasks we had been designed to perform.

Ceeron’s size/strength made it the perfect bot for heavy lifting. Inside its large metal backpack were a dozen solar panels. Grabbing hold of one, it heaved the panel over its head and bolted it to an aluminum base.

SkD zipped between solar panels and storage stations. Its arms extended into open electrical systems, metal claws carefully arranging wires into their correct configurations. Every so often, a sharp flame hissed from the end of SkD’s pointed metal finger. A tail of smoke swirled into the air as it soldered two wires together.

My job was to attach converter boxes. Holding the box against the back of the solar panel, I lifted up my free hand. The tip of my pointer finger flipped open. Out came a screwdriver.

VRPPP! The sound of the spinning screwdriver reverberated in my audio ports as one screw after another found its home.

Everything we did had a purpose. Every movement was specially designed for these exact tasks.

Ceeron bolted the panels.

SkD connected the wiring.

I attached the converter boxes.

Bolt.

Connect.

Attach.

Hours passed. The sun climbed higher into the blue sky. But these basic steps never changed. Bolt/Connect/Attach/Repeat. We flowed around one another with perfect precision, our programming sharpened by years of machine learning.

Three robots working as one.