Meet Eva

When the robots were first introduced to America, the people were excited. They were cutting edge technology, able to assist in any aspect of life. They were helpers, friends, and companions. They would raise someone's kids if that's what the family desired. Everything went well for the first year or two, but then as technology advanced and the robot population expanded beyond what society initially expected, and then people began to get afraid. This fear was fueled by a few freak malfunctions blown up by the media, and then the war happened.

When America saw that robots were being manufactured for war, the people turned their backs on this new technology, some to the point of destroying the machines created to help them. Their lives were turned upside down by the war, and after seeing what robots were capable of, that they could defy the Three Laws of Robotics, distrust spread and settled into the hearts of Americans for generations.

Two centuries after the war, the Inventor appeared and recreated robots from scratch, taking into account the mistakes made by his ancestors. Robots were slowly reintroduced back into America, and the people warily accepted them. First were low-grade robots meant to aid in manufacturing, then businesses used them, and then they were being placed—at a very slow rate—into the houses of civilians.

The Inventor's newest idea, however, was the LifeBot, a robot that was human in every way except for the fact that they were completely mechanical beneath their silicon flesh. The concept was not presented to the public, since the idea of a robot with free-will would be appalling to even the most trusting people. However, he believed in his invention, and he loved his prototype like a daughter. He was sure that the American people could love her too, but they would never go for the idea outright.

So he ran a test. He taught his creation everything she would possibly need to know, and he sent her out, booking her a plane ticket to New York City and promising to meet her on the other side. If she made it without incident, without anyone raising alarm, he would consider it a success. If not, he knew he might have to scrap her; the public would never let her exist if their distrust got the best of them.

He realized the risk—but he believed in Eva even more.

Eva, however, wasn't sure she could believe in herself. Train, car, hell she'd even walk, but a plane? From all that the Inventor had taught her, she didn't want him to make her start with the riskiest scenario. She only had a basic programming, and everything else was painstakingly learned from her creator. What if she slipped up and forgot something critical? Her memory, after all, was not as perfect as the other robots'. She was supposed to be human, not at all computer-like.

She shuffled forward in the line for TSA, her shoulders hunched and her eyes flicking to the other travelers. Some had their attention buried in small tablets and screens, a fad that preceded Eva. Most of them stared expressionlessly into far corners of the room as they watched digital displays imbedded into their retinas. She almost did the same, but decided against it. She was too nervous.

She stepped forward and handed the security guard her ID. She didn't look at the guard, imagining the way his lips would twist into a scowl. He waved her away from the metal detectors and to a roped-off area with a small sign that read "Robots."

Eva ducked her head and hurried to the station. It wasn't out of the ordinary for a robot to travel unaccompanied, but it was out of the ordinary for a robot to look completely human. In fact, it was only recently that robots could ride in planes as passengers.

She loved the Inventor, or so she liked to think she did, but she couldn't quit wondering why he had asked her do this.

"Where's the latch?" another guard asked as she probed the back of Eva's neck. "You must be one of the new models."