BANE: avenge

Chapter 13

I smiled in recognition - the maid-bot I built for Uncle- the maid-bot I built & gifted Earl Sylvester! So that's where it had gone off to! It had been a few years, around the time my father was murdered by my own mother, actually, since I had last set eyes upon the bot.

Talking about eyes, the violet inset eyes that I had installed in her Visual Processors did not glow as much as they had a few years ago, but they were still quite stunning.

“Mr. Krane--” I began.

“Edward.” he interjected.

“Mr. Edward--"

He began laughing.

“Simply Edward, dear."

I grumbled, but acquiesced. Somewhat acquiesced.

“Simply Edward--"

Here, Pippin interrupted with a booming laugh. I flared my nostrils at him to display my annoyance, & he quieted down.

“Simply Edward--"

Pippin snorted & I gave him one of my plague-giving stares.

“Once again, Simply Edward...” I trailed off.

I had completely forgotten what it was I had been meaning to say.

Simply Edward looked at me expectantly.

“Why, I have completely forgotten what it was that I meant to say!"

“Well, the tea is almost ready anyhow, so perhaps you will remember what it was that you meant to say over a fresh cup of tea, yes, Ara?"

“perchance."

I strained my IEMP to infinity & back to negative infinity, doing my best at trying to remember what it was that I had been meaning to say.

The more I tried, the less I remembered.

Then, the maid-bot entered the room with the tea, & I saw her eyes.

“Ah!” I exclaimed.

Edward started.

“Why, has only the tea's aroma helped you recall?"

“Not at all, for it has to do with the maid-bot."

“Oh, yes, yes. I got that one from Pippin's father a while back. I am rather inclined to think it was that year there was such a fuss about concerning the returned Duke of Westminster & his mistress having been murdered by his very own wife, that. Yes, indeed! There was also a fuss over the two sisters that had went missing years before that, trying to find the elder because she was heiress, & the younger because she was bound by the law to execute her mother. An awful undertaking that must be. Of course, I immediately went to Earl Sylvester, because I had heard rumours that he had been housing two young girls in his home, but he told me that was great balderdash. He gifted me with this maid-bot, though, & it has always seemed to me like it was some sort of bribe. It sure worked, though, because to this day, I have not so much as peeped about the whole matter to anyone.” Here, he paused to take a few breaths, & take the tea-cup the maid-bot was handing him.

I sipped a bit from the tea-cup the maid-bot had handed me, & was surprised at how good it was. It was perfectly blended with a bit of milk & honey, just how I liked it.

“Why, the bot still remembers the setting I input for preparing my tea! I should say! It recognised me after all these years! Do you never clear out the memories?"

“Hold on... Wait a tick. Did you say that you input the settings?"

Pippin coughed.

“Edward, dear friend, would you happen to have a few lumps of sugar on hand?"

His tastes in tea had changed since I had input the settings, so, of course, it would have been prepared incorrectly.

“Oh, yes, Peregrine. Maid, please go fetch a sugar bowl! Back to the subject at matter--"

Pippin spluttered.

“Ooh! This is a bit hot, Ed..."

“Dear chap! Have you become delicate? Maid, fetch some frosteam cubes along with the sugar bowl!"

The poor machine, she had just re-entered the room, emitted a beep that resembled a grumble & went to fetch it.

“That maid-bot has always been particularly human-like. I had never seen another that was so well made. Sometimes it represents a human so well I forget it is a machine.” He chuckled.

“I shaped her Processor to adapt & learn from the environment. She remembers people, things said, reactions, & quite a few other things. I am sure that in the time I have not seen her, she has progressed quite a bit. That beep quite resembled a grumble, if I am not mistaken. I should say she shall eventually develop speech capabilities."

Pippin groaned. Simply Edward sat back, astounded. Then, a spark flickered on in his eyes & he leaned forward.

“I should say. A woman building machines. Quite remarkable indeed. Not only a lovely face, but a good IEMP. Why, it is better than most men's brains, I should dare suggest. I had not even figured out how to change the settings in all these years."

He looked curiously at the metal on my face.

“You wouldn't happen to have a machine IEMP, would you?"

“I have a pretty small part that is machine..."

“How did that happen? Implanted? Accident?"

“No. I was born this way."

He sat back in thought.

“You are a natural born cyborg, then?"

“Yes. I am indeed a natural born cyborg."

His face morphed into a concentrated one.

“Wait a tick... So Natural born cyborg... You built this machine... Peregrine's best friend?"

I waited for him to piece together the puzzle pieces.

“Are you one of the girls that lived with Earl Sylvester?"

“Yes, I am one of those girls of which you speak."

“There is a rumour that the younger of those girls was not completely human... Rumours that she was cyborg."

“So? You say they are rumours, do you not? They are likely only rumours & nothing more, do you not think?"

“Well, that is what I am asking you, Ara."

Pippin bumped in to the conversation.

“Yes, the rumours are completely true. Behold, this is Gadaranine Olesya Eberneus, she is the daughter of the Duke of Westminster, she is a natural born cyborg, & by law, she must execute her mother."

I'm backkkkkkk, kiddos! Oh, and there's the catchphrase or whatever. Hello there! 😂😅😜