FGAE1 gone rogue

Chapter 1

-Ethelind Margaret

I once again conclude that my results don't match with my calculations. This, in turn, means that the plant before me would die should I put the acidic solution into the soil. I like my job on the best of days, however, today is not one of the best of days. This whole week has been the worst of my career. I keep hitting dead ends.

Since it was discovered that our atmosphere is too polluted to grow good produce, scientists have been working hard to discover a way to enhance plants to adapt to the new atmosphere to continue producing fruit and vegetables. So far, any attempts have been met with less than perfect results. Including the disintegration of plant life.

And this is just the problem with the flora.

The fauna of our world is another topic completely. In certain areas, there has been an increase in animal mutations and other parts of the world there has been a steep decrease in animal life altogether. And why is this happening one might wonder?

Because humans have destroyed our ecosystems so much with all kinds of pollution, flora and fauna are having a hard time adapting to all the chemicals being released.

Just last week a flycatcher mutation had been discovered that swallowed human's whole. That's right, the little plants we once knew had grown into twelve-foot tall plants that devour unsuspecting humans as they walk by.

The wealthy men and women in their floating island homes had laughed off the conception until a video was released of one of the wealthy men almost being digested himself. Yeah, life can bite you in the ass sometimes.

"How's it coming along Dr Margaret?" My colleague, Chalondra, asks as she peeks around the greenhouse where I have currently situated myself.

"It's not going anywhere, because I keep hitting walls." I slouch into my chair and release a heavy sigh.

She gazes pointedly at her watch then up at me. "You worked an extra four hours today."

My eyes feel ready to jump out of my head. I grab my purse, gather all my papers and equipment and check the time on my phone. "No, no, no. I'm going to be late."

"For what?" Chal is grinning as she watches me throw all my papers into a bag, then carefully but quickly place my equipment into its position in my tool case.

"You know why. My FGAE1 is arriving today, to be more precise, in ten minutes." I close my case and lock the keypad. "I'm outta here girlfriend."

"Bye!"

I jog towards the double doors leading outside, with both my case and purse in my possession. My car is, thankfully, parked in front of the greenhouse. Placing my hand on the driver's window, I let the familiar words of my name and password flow through my mouth and into the air. The car lets out a quick three-second beep before unlocking. I lift my legs into the hovercar and place my possessions on the passenger seat. Once again placing my hand on the driver's window, I pull my seatbelt over me and instruct the hovercar to take me home as quickly as possible.

Seeing as traffic is light because it is quarter to nine, I reach my three-bedroom house on the floating island SSRA72B in twelve minutes. The delivery transport unit is just arriving as I pull into my driveway and I thank Chalondra for remembering I had to get home earlier than usual today.

I jump out of my sleek silver hovercar, four models behind the latest hovercar, and rush over to the MLEA666DS and sign for my package. Saying a monotone goodbye, I watch the automaton get in the transport unit and zoom down the street. Switching my focus to the black carbon box, which looks suspiciously like an oval coffin, I gulp down my excitement and settle for opening the door to my house. I repeat a similar security process like with my hovercar and direct the hovering carbon oval coffin into my house with relative ease. Remembering I still had my papers and work files in the car, I quickly retreated from my house, retrieved the items and returned. I shut the door behind me and engaged the lock once more.

Lights flickered on throughout the house, even the antique record machine I had left on begins playing a record of an old band called the beetles. I hum along to the song 'Hey Jude' as I inspect the odd carbon box in my moderate-sized home.

I recall what Solon had told me about how to access the automaton so I place my hand on the cool surface and say my name. "Ethelind Margaret."

The box responds, opening the cover to reveal a gorgeous male inside. The automaton is so real-looking I could've called it human. But no human is this good-looking. With dark brown hair its almost black, suntan brown-golden skin, a perfectly symmetrical face with edges and cheekbones for days- it might have been a movie star. Perhaps it is my intense staring that distracted me from noticing his eyes open, but I don't realise he is staring at me until he speaks.

"I am FGAE1. Your requirements are my command."

His voice is so smooth and deep that it sounds like a man in lust. Literal shivers run down my spine at the thought. Too bad he isn't a pleasure bot.

"Does my inefficiency to pleasure you bring dissatisfaction?"

I almost jump out of my skin, I hadn't meant to say that out loud. How embarrassing. Luckily an automaton can't tease or have emotion, or I would have to be worried about future teasing.

"You satisfy me just as you are."

"Shall we begin programming then mistress Ethelind?"

My cheeks flush pink at the title. He sure knows how to speak like a pleasure bot. I clear my throat before answering, "Yes, I think that is best. And please, call me Ethelind, not mistress."

The bot rises to its feet and positions itself in front of me. I have to raise my head to look it in the eyes because he's at least a foot and a half taller than me. My breath catches when I find his eyes with mine. A band of pine forest green blend into a band of dark ocean blue. Breathtaking eyes for a breathtaking male. He isn't human Ethelind.

Perhaps if I say it enough times, it will finally begin to sink into my thick skull.

"Let's start with giving you a name. How does...Rainier Alden sound?" This is the most promising name I could come up with. After I had decided to get an automaton, I began writing down names I liked. This was by far the better of the ten or so names I came up with.

"If this name is to your satisfaction, then that is what I will be called."

"Seriously? What if I chose the name batman? Or Ben? You don't look like a Ben." I feel exasperated/ bewildered just thinking about all the ridiculous names I could have picked.

"If it to Ethelind's satisfaction, it is fine."

I feel like I have just signed up for slave master of the year.