Kessie's Short Stories

[MNo9] Call's Aunt

Originally published 9/27/2018

"Cho, you can't just take Call without permission! She has work to do, and..."

"And I want to spend time with my niece. You'll get her back in the next hour or two; you can survive until then, can't you?"

Dr Sanda made several guttural sounds of disagreement mixed with a sense of defeat.

Up until a week ago, Call wasn't even aware that Sanda had an older sister. Her name was Sayacho, apparently, and a good three years older than the doctor. She was also a pretty heavy smoker- but that fact was only relative at the moment. What mattered now was what Call's apparent abduction was going to look like.

And it looked like Doctor Sanda was losing the fight.

"Three hours Soichiro, that's all I ask." the older woman plead, her face breaking into fake pity. "You never told me I was an aunt, and after Trinity a year ago, I would like to meet her before the next robo-apocalypse strikes. Then it might be too late!"

"Cho, I..."

"William lets his robots have a little fun now and again, why can't yours?"

Now that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Dr Sanda shrunk in his spot. How could he say no to his oldest sister anyway? She was the oldest, and by extension the best negotiator between the Sanda siblings.

"Fine. Fine..." Dr Sanda relented. "Three hours. But nowhere too far in case there's an emergency!"

Sanda's sister just waved a hand at him as if it didn't matter. "I was only going to take her to the shopping plaza and then out for a warm coffee." she told him. "It'll be quick."

And yet, Dr Sanda still didn't look sure, and Call wondered for a moment if she should have been more worried than what she was feeling.

. . .

Away from Dr Sanda, Sayacho looked... dejected. The moment the two had piled into the woman's dark purple Mustang, Call immediately noticed a change in Sayacho's expression. A mask had been taken off, but for what reason? Did she not think Sanda would let her take Call? Did she not truly want Call by her side today? Was this just an excuse to talk to her brother again? Why did she seem so happy around Sanda, only to look so troubled away from him?

"You don't mind if I play a little music, do you?" Sayacho asked, snapping Call out of her train of thought.

"Oh... no, I don't mind." she replied.

"Do you have a preference?"

"No. You can play whatever you want."

The woman gave a nod before flicking on a knob on her car's stereo system. From there, the two sat in a silence as the radio played its song:

Never was a cornflake girl; thought it was a good solution. Hanging with the raisin girls... She's gone to the other side, givin' us the old heave ho...

The drive to the shopping outlet hadn't been that far, but it sure seemed to take awhile. Call figured it was because of the silence between her and Sayacho. When she figured she should say something, the human beat her to it:

"Callista." Sayacho mumbled to herself before letting out a little snort. "Is that your model name?"

"Yes." Call agreed with a small nod.

"Do you know why he gave you that name?" the woman asked, casting the robotess a curious -and rather hard- side glance.

"I... am not quite sure." came the answer. "Was I not named after someone in the Sanda family? I do believe it was mentioned somewhere."