Chapter Two
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"So, do you want me to get started? Do you have anything you want me to do? I have permanent Wi-Fi connection, I can look up anything you need in milliseconds, and can get programmed into any task you desire. Also-"
Anna cut her. "Wait! Can we take it easy? There'll be time for everything later."
"Fine. What would you like to do, then?"
"Um… could we just talk?"
"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"
"I don't know. You tell me about you, I tell you about me. Just talk, get to know each other. That kind of stuff. Come on, sit here with me."
They sat on Anna's bed and stared at each other for a while. Finally, Elsa began.
"Alright, then. How old are you, Anna?"
"I'm eighteen. Just turned eighteen."
"So you're in high school?"
"Yeah, this is my last semester. After that I'll be going to college."
"What will you study?"
"Biology. I was thinking of doing a double degree with Architecture, but I'm not sure yet."
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"Uh… I play the piano, and sometimes I like to dance. I never took dance classes, though, I just freestyle. But enough about me. I want to know all about you."
Finding a question proved difficult; Elsa had no backstory -or any memories whatsoever before Anna had turned her on- and it was also too early for her to have preferences or tastes.
"So, um, do you sleep? Eat? What kind of care do you need?"
"I don't eat. In fact, food could harm me because of all the circuits inside me, so I cannot be given any. I don't sleep, either, but you can put me on rest mode whenever you wish and I will not bother you."
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just want to know how to take care of you properly."
Elsa smiled. "Thank you, Anna, you're very kind. There isn't much to do, just make sure I'm charged. Other than that, I'm water resistant, bulletproof, and can stand heavy blows or crashes."
"Wow," breathed Anna. "That sounds awesome. What's it like, being so cool?"
Elsa smiled, and looked down softly. "It's the only life I know. But Anna, you too are really interesting. I mean, you know a lot, you have seen and done many things. That's amazing."
"Bah, just human things, nothing out of the ordinary." Anna rolled her eyes. "By the way, you'll be sharing this room with me, if that's fine…? Great! You can use all that area for your stuff. Do you have stuff?"
"Just my box."
"Oh, yeah, this thing. Wait, you say you only have your box? What about, I don't know, everything else?" Elsa shook her head. "Clothes? How about clothes?"
"These and another change."
That gave Anna an idea. "Then that's what we'll do. We're gonna get you some clothes. Come on, we're going to the mall!"
Anna rushed to get ready. Money had never been a problem to her, and she wanted her new friend to have all sorts of pretty things. Just to think of everything she'd get her made her happier than she'd been in a long time.
"Have you ever been on a hoverboard?" she asked, pulling hers out of the closet.
"No, never," came Elsa's reply. "Hey, that one comes from the same place I do."
"Really?"
"Yeah, look."
Elsa showed her the brand name on the back of the board, and then moved her hair to the side so that Anna could see the same name on the back of her left ear.
"I didn't know Ishiguro made hoverboards," Anna commented. "I thought they specialized on robotics."
"The Ishiguro Company has many branches now. The main one is definitely robotics and androids like me, but it has started to work on new-generation transport systems."
They headed downstairs and Anna mounted the board. Under her instructions, Elsa joined behind her, and sought a spot for balance.
Anna grabbed Elsa's hands and placed them on either side of her waist.
"Come on, hold on to me."
"You don't mind?" Elsa asked.
"You can't be worse than some guys I've gone out with."
Anna's body felt warm, even through the jacket. Elsa registered that warmth, just like she had saved the chirpiness of her voice, the softness of her skin, the red shades of her hair, the natural thump-thump of her heart. Anna was her owner, wasn't she? It was Elsa's job to know her and appreciate her to the smallest detail, wasn't it? As they rode to the mall, Elsa watched other girls and women they passed, and was convinced that there was none as pretty as the one she had been bought for.
Elsa had been distracted by her own analysis, and her grip on Anna loosened. Instantly, the human girl was securing her again.
"Hold on tighter, I can barely feel you. You know what? Hold under my jacket, that way you'll be safer."
Elsa could only assume the whirling of engines inside her body was a natural, programmed reaction to the contact.
Anna soon noticed the board's movements were even smoother and faster than usual; behind her, Elsa seemed to have been born on the board.
"Wow, you're a natural."
"Its signal and mine got synchronized," Elsa replied matter-of-factly. "The board balances both of us and since I've told it where we're going it knows the way and you don't have to do anything but enjoy the ride."
"Wait a minute. You're driving the hoverboard?"
"Yes."
Anna sighed. "And here I was trying to make sure you didn't get hurt."
They arrived to the mall in record time. Once there they dismounted the board –Anna wanted to take their time walking into every shop, and the machine could easily follow behind them. They'd only gotten started when a new hoverboard caught up with them.
"Heyyy, Anna."
"Oh, hello Hans." Anna grabbed Elsa's hand and quickened her step.
Hans matched her speed with his board. "Wait, wait, wait, not so fast. Christmas is coming, y'know."
Without looking at him, Anna groaned an answer. "I do, Hans, what about it?"
"Well, I was thinking, perhaps you would like to come to my place, have some punch, cuddle by the fireplace, and who knows, maybe there'll be mistletoe somewhere around-"
From the tone of Anna's voice, it obvious the conversation had taken place many times before. "I thought I'd made it clear, Hans. I want nothing from you anymore. And I'm sure as hell not going anywhere near your place ever again."
Anna tried to keep walking, but Hans grabbed her arm.
"Please, love, give me another chance-"
Instantly, Elsa stepped forward, getting between Anna and Hans.
"You heard her. She wants nothing from you. Now get lost."
"Wow, who are you? I don't think we've met. I mean, you can both come over if you want." Hans looked her over, and appreciation turned to recognition. "Oh, I see, you're one of the androids. You almost fooled me for a second. You're so realistic!"
Hans reached out to touch Elsa's face. This time it was Anna who got between them.
"Go away, Hans, and leave her alone. She's mine."
He snorted. "Protective of your new toy, aren't you? Don't worry, Anna, I've got plenty of toys. You can come try them whenever you want. See you around. Bye, doll," he called at Elsa.
One they had lost him Anna sighed in relief and annoyance. Then she turned to Elsa, and her voice softened.
"Sorry about that. Thank you for defending me."
"Don't mention it. It's my job to detect a threat to you and deactivate it. Who's that, anyway?"
"That's Hans, my ex-boyfriend. We really didn't finish in the best of terms, but he's been trying to get me back with him."
"Has he hurt you? Has he tried anything?" There seemed to be a hint of concern in Elsa's voice.
"No, not really, but it's still very unpleasant to see him. Whatever. I refuse to let that idiot ruin our day. Let's continue."
Anna soon put the incident behind her and focused all her attention in the significantly more important task of picking the most gorgeous clothes she could find for Elsa. Dresses, coats, beanies, shirts, flats, boots, no expense was too much for Anna. When she perceived Elsa's newfound taste for lace and knit sweaters, the android girl found herself overloaded with them.
"Anna," she eventually had to say, "it's my job to protect you. And that also means protecting you from yourself. One more swipe of that card and you're going to get yourself in huge trouble, and me along."
"Don't worry, Elsa, it's fine. Look, just one more thing. If this fits you, we'll take it and it'll be the last one, okay?"
But, of course, it wasn't the last one, not by far. Elsa was forced to intervene again.
"Anna," she said for the tenth time, "I've told you I don't need a bed. If you're so concerned about it, get that divan. You can use it during the day and put me on it and set me on rest mode at night while you sleep and don't need my presence. And that's it. That's it, Anna! Give me the card. No pouting, just give me the card. There you go. If we missed anything, we can always come back. I'm immune to puppy eyes, Anna, you're wasting your time."
Anna's tantrum lasted a few minutes after they left that last store, but as soon as the mall music changed so did her mood.
"Oh, listen! I love this song, but I'm too lazy to look it up and I keep forgetting. Isn't it pretty?"
"It's a Korean pop song called Mechanics of a Heart. I just downloaded it to your laptop. Lyrics and artwork too."
Anna beamed. "Elsa, you're the best!" A gust of wind suddenly made her shiver. "Whooo! It's getting more wintry here every day."
"Are you too cold?" Elsa asked her.
"No."
"You're lying." She looked at Anna's face and touched her cheek with the back of her fingers. "Your skin feels cold and your pulse is rushing. At this rate, and with the speed of the hoverboard, you'll be trembling by the time you get home. I suggest a coffee."
"Sounds great. But I'm more the hot chocolate type."
"Chocolate it is. There are fourteen places here where we can get hot chocolate. Which one would you like?"
Fourteen places? Anna had never noticed more than one or two. "Uh… Starbucks…?"
"Anna, you can do better than Starbucks. Look, averaging prices and customer reviews with variety in the menu, the best place to get your chocolate is Hot Mama, third floor to the right."
Despite Anna's doubts, Hot Mama proved to be the perfect choice. Five minutes later, Anna was proudly holding the largest cup known to mankind; the chocolate was light yet creamy, flavored but not overly sweet, and she had even been given a free cookie. It was perfect.
"Elsa, I definitely don't know how I survived all these years without you," she said with her mouth full.
The android girl laughed. "Hot mama," she said, nudging Anna with her hip.
Anna stared at her, wide-eyed. "Excuse me?"
Elsa laughed again. "Come on, that was funny. I can tell you like a sense of humor."
Anna began laughing, too, and shook her head. "You're so much better than I imagined, really."
She put her arm around Elsa's and continued walking. The android girl stared at their joined limbs. Not one of the 1.7893 billion reactions her software instantly gave her felt the right one for the sudden overactivity of her circuits.
When they got home, Anna was only too eager to make Elsa model every single thing they had bought. Her parents, however, had other plans for the new robot and did want her to get started on her actual tasks.
Though Elsa was mostly Anna's there were a few chores she would have to do for the entire family. She was showed around the house, and given instructions as to the rules she had to follow. To Anna's relief, her father had accepted the android's name and female identity, which spared them yet another uncomfortable argument on people and their pronouns.
"Alright, Elsa, your main job will be to take care of this little one here," he patted Anna's cheek. "I've been told you're programmed with Asimov's Rules of Robotics?"
"Yes, sir. Asimov's Rules as accepted by the Code of Discipline and Ethics for Robots, Humanoids, and Androids."
"Good, good. You'll do nicely for my girl. Her curfew is one a.m. on weekdays, two on Saturdays and Sundays. Make sure she eats, she studies, she does well in school, and she doesn't get pregnant."
"Dad!"
"What? That is important. You can't get pregnant, can you, Elsa?"
"No, I can't."
"Good. I don't want anyone getting knocked up around here. Since Anna's school insists on not allowing androids inside, while she's there you will stay and help my wife. We've got cleaning help, so you'll mostly assist with taking calls, running errands, going shopping with her, that kind of stuff. I'm seldom home, but if there's anything I need I'll let you know. Questions?"
"No, sir. If you allow me, I'll tune myself to the signals on all the mobile devices in the house, so you can reach me whenever you desire."
"Perfect. Well then, enjoy her, Anna. She's all yours."
Anna all but dragged Elsa back to her room. The first thing she did was listen to the song she'd caught at the mall; just as Elsa had told her it was ready for her. She lied in bed while she followed the lyrics with the translation Elsa had also provided.
"Thank you so much, Elsa. This song is beautiful."
"I didn't do anything. You were the one who liked it in the first place."
"Yeah, but you got it for me. You're helping me come out of my own mess."
Anna's smile was warm and sincere. This time, the software produced 2.1595 billion interpretations for that smile, and still none felt right. But before Elsa could pay more attention to that, her hyperactive owner decided to put her through the interrupted session of modeling. Horrified, Elsa managed to ask about Anna's plans for the following day before anything happened. It worked; immediately Anna grabbed a small control and clicked. The air screen popped up.
"Hm, so let's see… There's a public concert at the main square tomorrow. I was thinking of going, wanna come with me?"
"Do you want me to go?"
"I'd love it."
"Then I will."
Anna groaned and tensed her fingers. She sat up and looked directly into Elsa's eyes.
"No, not like that. I don't want you to come with me because I tell you to, or because I 'own' you," she made the quotation marks in the air. "I want you to come because you want to come, because you want to be there. I don't want you to feel like a slave when we're together. You're my friend. So, do you want to come to the concert with me?"
The specifications for the tenth generation of androids made it impossible for them to actually want anything for themselves –if their owner wanted, so did they. Nothing more.
Anna would have known that, if she hadn't spent her two years of Technology classes doodling and staring out the window. Yet now she didn't, and she wouldn't find out until much later. If she had known then, it might have saved them a lot of trouble. But she didn't. Her android had no choice but to ask herself whether she wanted to attend the concert.
Elsa placed her hand on Anna's. "I would love to go with you, Anna. I really would."
And Elsa wanted.