The Adventures of Will Irving: Automaton Trouble

Chapter 4

"Max, we're home," Will called out as he and Emily entered the front door of their house.

"Good evening, William. Hello, Emily," returned a voice with a slightly mechanical tinge. "It's a bit late. Stopped by Millie's for dinner again?"

"Yeah, and Will let me get a shake this time!" Emily said cheerfully as she and Will entered the living room.

There, sitting in a comfortable-looking armchair, was one of those mechanical curiosities known as automatons – wondrous combinations of nuts, bolts, and gears, with a bit of electrical technology thrown in for good measure.

"Let me guess...chocolate," Max stated.

"Nope. Strawberry!" Emily giggled.

"Hmmm..." Max said, eyeing Emily closely.

"Just kidding, Maximillian! You're right. I got chocolate. I always do...I just can't help it. It's my favorite," Emily said with a smile and a shrug.

"Ah ha! I thought so," Max chuckled as he put his arms out in welcome to Emily.

Emily gave Max a big hug and then flopped down on a nearby sofa. Will sat down next to his sister.

"How was your day, Max?" Will asked.

"Nowhere near as eventful as yours apparently, judging by the gash on your head," Max remarked.

Maximillian was no ordinary automaton. At least, that was Will's opinion. All automatons were still fairly novel, having only been around for about two years and still quite expensive and limited in availability. Still, Will felt like he and Emily had a special bond with Max that he had never seen in other people and their automatons. Perhaps it was due, in part, to the fact that Will had received Max as a gift from his father exactly one year after Will's mother had died and only days before his father – heartbroken from the loss of his wife – had left home and never returned. Perhaps it was the many hours that Will had spent modifying and improving Max whenever extra funds were available. Whatever the reason, it was true: Will, Emily, and Max were family.

Max's appearance was also extraordinary. While his silver-colored body was made of the standard proprietary metal alloy found in all automatons, several differences were immediately noticeable. About a year into Will's ownership of Max, Max had taken a liking to a certain fashion and had requested that Will make several modifications to his body. In accordance with Max's wishes, Will added three distinguishing custom features: plating on Max's chest that gave him the appearance of wearing a sort of stylish vest, a special neck socket that allowed Max to wear large interchangeable metal bowties, and a sophisticated-looking metallic handlebar mustache. Upon completion, Max had been utterly delighted to find the results exactly to his taste.

"Ummm, yeah...I guess I had a little excitement at work today," Will admitted.

"Perils of the trade, I suppose," Max said with a sigh. "Shall I get you some disinfectant and a bandage?"

"No, I'll be ok. Em already took good care of me. Didn't you, sis," Will said, turning to smile at Emily.

"Yeah, he'll survive," Emily quipped.

"Excellent prognosis, doctor! Well done," Max jokingly praised.

Emily started to giggle when a knock was suddenly heard at the door. Will got up from the sofa, walked over to the front door, and peeped through one of the door's small windows to see who was there.

"Hey, Will, it's me," called a voice from outside.

"It's Hank and Jennifer!" Will happily informed Emily and Max.

"They're back? Yay!" shouted Emily as she raced over to join Will as he opened the door.

Upon reaching the entry way, Emily ran and jumped into the arms of a well-built, middle-aged man who had just stepped into the house.

"Emily!" Hank warmly greeted as he caught the young little bundle of energy.

"I missed you, Henry!" Emily lovingly replied.

A chuckle was heard coming from behind Hank, and Jennifer, Hank's niece, entered the house.

"I still think it's cute that she calls you Henry," Jennifer commented.

"Jennifer!" greeted Emily.

"Hi, Em!" replied Jennifer.

"Well, come on in and make yourselves comfortable," Will said, closing the front door.

Everyone made their way into the living room. Max was now standing, waiting to greet their guests.

"Good evening, Henry!" greeted Max. "Good evening, Jennifer!"

"Good evening, Max," Hank and Jennifer said in unison.

"When did you get back?" Will asked after everyone had seated themselves.

"Just now. We haven't even been home yet," Hank answered.

The group of friends spent the next hour catching up and swapping stories until Will noticed that Emily was yawning.

"Hey, Emmy, why don't we go get you ready for bed, huh?" Will suggested.

"Ah, Will, do I have to?" Emily asked, disappointed at the prospect.

"Yeah, it's getting late. Besides, you can visit more tomorrow," Will said.

"Ok," Emily conceded, drawing her mouth into a slight pout.

"How about I come help you get ready?" Jennifer offered.

Emily looked at Will questioningly and smiled slightly.

"That would be great, Jenny, thanks," Will consented.

"Goodnight, Henry," Emily said as she gave Hank a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Em," Hank replied.

Emily then took Jennifer's hand and started walking toward the stairs in the hallway.

"Goodnight, Maximillian," Emily said, waving goodbye.

"Goodnight, Emily," Max replied with a wave of his own.

"I'll be up to tuck you in and say goodnight," Will said kindly.

Emily smiled and then led Jennifer up to her room.