Home
Ana paced in the metal box, incapable of controlling her sense of urgency. Finally she heard a faint ding and the doors opened.
She stepped out of the elevator and set quickly for the reception counter. A young woman wearing a dark suit and sporting a neat ponytail smiled politely.
“Hello, may I help you?”
“Yes, I'm here to see Dr. Isaac.” Ana said.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I do.”
“Lovely, may I get your name please?” She smiled again.
“Anastasia Parker, can you tell him that it's urgent?” Ana pressed.
The receptionist nodded and typed a few keys on the flat keyboard in front of her, she then motioned to the comfortable chairs and sofas across from the counter.
“Please make yourself at ease, Dr. Isaac will be with you shortly.”
Without taking the time to thank her, Ana started pacing again, her nerves not allowing her to sit down.
After what felt like an eternity but in reality was only a couple of minutes, the door to an office opened and an older man stepped into the reception area.
Dr. Isaac was sporting a white coat, despite not being a doctor in the traditional sense, his white speckled grey hair was parted to the side neatly and a thin-rimmed pair of silver glasses was resting on his nose, the numerous wrinkles on his face crinkled as he smiled genuinely at the nervous woman standing in front of him.
“Miss Parker, what a pleasure to see you again!”
“And you as well, doctor. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I have a problem that could be time sensitive.” Ana said, gripping her handbag with one hand and shaking the old man's extended palm with the other.
“Of course, if you would step into my office, we will do everything in our power to help.”
He waved gently to the room he had just come from and Ana entered hearing him pull the door closed behind them. He pulled out a luxurious chair for her and stepped around a bare dark wood desk, taking a seat as well.
“Now, could you tell me the nature of your problem?” He asked softly.
Ana fidgeted nervously in her seat, unsure how to start.
“If I remember correctly, you have recently purchased one of our latest models, CB015?” He said. “But of course I assume that's not how you've been referring to her?” He added kindly.
“N-no, when she... woke up, she asked me her name. I told her she could choose.” Ana answered, a little flustered at sharing the memory.
“And what did she choose?” Dr. Isaac asked, a soft smile dancing on his lips.
“Lucy.”
“The first woman, that is a wonderful name.” He nodded.
As if suddenly remembering why she was there, Ana leaned forward.
“T-there was an... incident, and I can't find her.” She said with urgency.
“I see, give me a minute.” The old man said, his brow furrowing slightly as he pushed an invisible button on the side of his glasses. His eyes swirled around in the air between them.
“I have notified the appropriate service, they will locate her and make contact. Now, as mentioned in the manual that was given to you when Lucy was delivered to you, in cases where she is separated from you without your consent, she will follow a sub-routine that will push her to go 'home'.” He stopped, resting his elbows on the desk, waiting for his words to be registered by the shaken woman.
Ana nodded briefly for him to continue.
“Depending on the level of attachment Lucy developed during the...” His eyes unfocused for a moment. “Two weeks she was with you, that term could refer to a variety of places, the most likely being your own home. Although, if she didn't develop a high enough attachment 'home' would be the factory where she was born.” He explained calmly.
“I don't think she would go back to my house, that's where she... where the incident happened.” Ana said, her voice had sounded weak to her own ears.
She swallowed hard as pieces of what happened flashed through her mind.
Lucy's smiling face and innocent words. Her father grabbing the kitchen knife and slashing her arm. Her own terror at the red blood flowing from the wound. Of course she knew Lucy was part organic, still, the sight of the crimson liquid had made Ana freeze. That unfortunate reaction had allowed her father time to push Lucy into his car and leave her house in a hurry.
By the time Ana had regained her senses and had managed to get out of her mother's grip, they were long gone. She had still gotten in her own car and left after them, hoping to catch up to them if she broke enough traffic laws. It didn't take long for her to find her father's car on the side of the main road, driver and passenger doors open. Her father knocked out on the ground.
Lucy nowhere to be found.
“I see.” Dr. Isaac said, bringing her back to reality. His eyes unfocused again, they moved slowly from left to right.
“It seems that Lucy hasn't attempted to go back to the factory. She was localized near the Yellowstone bar on Brick road, is it familiar to you?”
“Not at all.” Ana replied, her eyes widened in surprise. She recognized the name of the place as she had driven past it on her way to the doctor's office, but it was nowhere near her house, her office, nor any places that she had gone to with Lucy.
“Well, not to worry, a team was dispatched, they should be able to find her in a matter of minutes. They accessed Lucy's memory, gathering the addresses of all the places she visited since she... woke up, as you said, when they make contact with her they will offer to bring her 'home' and list the addresses, one of them should match what's set in her database.” He smiled again, obviously trying to reassure Ana.
“Hum, doctor?” She started, biting her bottom lip nervously. “Are the... CB015 programmed t-to... love?” She felt a blush creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks at her own words.
The old man put a finger to his lips as his eyes unfocused yet again.
“No.” He said firmly. “Not in the sense you mean. When you placed your order, you filled out a form, listing your preferences for the settings of your cybernetic organism. As you have left the form completely blank, that is how you received Lucy. Blank.” He smiled warmly.
“It is true that a number of our clients order companions from us, creating the perfect partner and having their taste match their exact description so the android will have no choice but to develop feelings for them.” He sighed slightly, shaking his head and closing his eyes.
“Although this was not our goal, we cannot deny the considerable happiness that our 'products' bring our clients.” He opened his eyes and looked into Ana's, a serious expression on his face. “Lucy, however, would have developed likes and dislikes any way a real person would, by experiencing things, trying out everything she could, learning at a high speed... an inhuman speed, of course.”
Ana couldn't suppress a smile at the memory of the android marvelling at everything and anything around her house, on tv or on the internet.
She casted her eyes down.
“She... she said she was in love with me.” Ana admitted, grateful that her hair had shifted in front of her face, hiding some of her embarrassment.
Dr. Isaac let out a soft chuckle, a warm smile on his face.
“I am not surprised, Miss Parker, I don't doubt you are a very lovable young woman.”
Before Ana could respond, he frowned.
“It seems that Lucy refused help.” He said, surprise apparent in his voice. “That is very curious, she should have reacted to the mention of her 'home'.” his brow furrowed deeper as he read on, his eyes moving in the space between Ana and him.
“It appears she used an electric charge to knock out the team sent out to contact her, this is worrying.” He breathed out.
“Why?” Ana asked, panic rising in her chest. “Even if she runs out of power, she's also half human, she wouldn't... she can't... die, can she?”
The old man looked at her sadly. “Miss Parker, you have to understand that, even if Lucy has organic parts, they are maintained by her mechanic ones, in the same way that your heart keeps your body going, Lucy's battery and cybernetic technology is keeping the part of her that is flesh and blood alive. Should she run out of power, her whole system could shut down, putting her at risk.”
The woman felt tears tingling behind her eyes, she blinked them away.
“What can we do?”
“We have portable chargers that would fix her power problem in half a dozen minutes. But if we send another team to bring it to her, she might reiterate her previous actions, another electricity burst could flatten her battery instantly.” Dr. Isaac sighed.
“What if I went?” Ana said, she didn't care if she sounded desperate.
The old man seemed to ponder the idea for a few seconds before turning his gaze to her.
“That actually seems like a reasonable course of action, two of my employees will accompany you to where Lucy is, but you will approach her alone.”
Ana nodded and stood up.
As he went to open the door to his office to let her out, he reached out to her, putting a hand on her forearm.
“I do hope you are able to save her, Miss Parker, to save Lucy.” He said, a genuine concern in his eyes.
Ana covered his hand with her own.
“Thank you doctor, for everything.” She said.
She left his office and was instructed by the receptionist to go down to the parking garage. She turned away from the elevator, instead flying down the stairs as quick as her legs would let her.
When she arrived, a couple of tall men in costumes were waiting for her next to a dark car, she ignored their introductions and opened one of the back doors, stepping in the vehicle, quickly followed by the two men.
In the car, the man on the passenger seat gave her a small craft paper bag. He explained that the device only needed to be pressed against the skin or the cybernetic organism for it to work.
Ana opened the bag and took out a rectangular metallic gadget, it was slightly bigger than her hand but thin enough for her to be able to grab onto it easily.
The driver signaled that they were close, interrupting her study of the object.
As soon as the car pulled to a stop, the man in the passenger seat pointed to a swaying form ahead of them. Barely registering his words, Ana ran out of the car, charger in hand.
As she approached the android she was able to see the dried blood on her arm. Her slow movements and slumped shoulder threatened to break Ana's heart.
She stepped closer.
“Lucy!” She called out.
The android turned around at her voice, her features looked tired and her eyes aghast, but as Ana got closer a sparkle appeared in them, a ghost of a smile tugging at the human lips.
“Lucy.” She said again, stepping closer and closer to her, her heat beating heavily in her chest. “Will you come home with me?” She asked.
Lucy closed the remaining distance between them before Ana could. Looking at the device in her hand, she grabbed the woman's wrist en pulled it close to her chest.
Ana felt the charger come alive in her hand as it touched the android's skin, it became warm and emitted a soft whirring sound.
Lucy kept moving closer still, her hand still on the woman's wrist as it was pressed between their bodies. She slipped her other hand up Ana's back, hugging her tightly.
“W-will you come then?” The woman asked again, her heart fluttering at the contact.
The android lowered her head on her shoulder, turning a little, her nose brushing slightly against Ana's neck, she smiled warmly.
“I am home.”