Leo Newall must discover the secret his domestic android Xander is keeping before it threatens their companionship.
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Leo Newall is captivated by his household's latest state-of-the-art domestic...
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While finishing some schoolwork later in the night, an email popped up in my inbox from Colife Industries with the subject line: Scheduled Maintenance for Your Domestic Caregiver.
Xander would soon have to return to the facility to undergo routine maintenance where any malfunctioned, missing, or worn parts or sensors would be replaced and, if necessary, recalibrated. The email asked if we as the client had any concerns that we feel needed tending to. They provided a link to a survey that requested us to report any odd or irregular movements or behavior of our droid.
Amazingly, they confirmed Xander's report of the incident with dropping the knife on his foot. I only had to verify the incident and provide details. Before sending the email, I sat in the chair for ten minutes debating if I should mention his fragmented memory. But after realizing they'd want details of what events taking place before and after, I decided against it.
I sent the email, closed my computer, and pulled out my phone to text the Misfits.
"How's BaeBae?"
It took a couple minutes for Rima to answer. "Damn vet sent a droid to evaluate her. The droid didn't even blink when talking to me. Creepy as hell. Testing her to make sure she hasn't caught a strain."
I frowned. "Are you ok?"
"As cool as cucumber salad. Sorry I couldn't meet Xander." She punctuated the message with a said face emoji.
"Did someone say cucumber?" I could imagine Austin's wink as clear as day.
"Let's make time this weekend to take Xander to our favorite night club," I suggested, anticipating another excuse from Austin.
"Let's do it!" he responded, surprising me.
I lifted an eyebrow. "What do you say, Rima?"
"Sure, I'm gonna wear something so inappropriate even Xander would want to spank me, so watch out!"
"Great!" A flutter of excitement bubbled in my guts, even though I couldn't detect the level of seriousness in her words. "Later."
As soon as I sent the text, the lights in the room flickered, making the stark white space pitch black for a couple seconds. That only happened a few times in previous years and only immediately before Dad triggered his bedside emergency button, causing the lights in every room to flicker and alert me of an emergency no matter where I was in the house.
I stood just as the loud buzzing followed, emerging from the panel next to the light controls on the wall. I rushed out of the conference room, up the stairs, down the hall, past the piano in the living room and the vacant kitchen to enter Dad's room.
Thankfully the sight of Xander standing at his side eased my fears even if for a split second. Xander exuded the energy of a solid block of marble compared to Dad who flailed his arms about like a fish out of water.
