. . .
Lali's face scrunched up in concentration as she was carefully soldered the zener diode component on a small printed circuit board – a tiny actuator, used in one of the micro fans for the Atavex android's cooling system. She found it a bit surprising that older pinhole components were still being used in the more modern, solid state electronics.
Maybe this little diode is still proving it's got its spunk, she thought.
It was just over a week since she started working at Synergy Corporation; she was slowly getting accustomed to the work environment, its culture and a multitude of different coworkers. But all with the same goal in mind – to make the company's products one of the most useful and profitable in the world.
Just then, an older man wearing a khaki utility shirt and jeans strolled by, a pen adorning his head. "Hey Lali, how's the training coming along?"
The young woman looked up. "Hi there, Norman. Slowly but surely."
He glanced down at her handiwork with a nod of approval, before reminding, "The goal is not a crash-course refresher on a model chassis in two days. Just keep reviewing the schematics and its vital points in terms of functional purpose, section by section."
"Yeah, but I sure love a challenge, boss," another coworker, just eight feet away from another workstation piped up. "When are we gonna start on the Sinron GPS-D system for the commercial aircraft?"
"That's in a couple weeks," Norman replied to the young man. "The engineers need to iron out a few more kinks in the latest patchware."
The coworker smirked, excited by the prospect. "This is gonna be good, being able to test it up against the obsolete radar system. Radar is in its twilight years. GPS-D is the way to go now."
"I wouldn't get too excited over its demise," Norman warned half-seriously. "Radar is still effective in many applications throughout the world. It's here to stay for awhile longer." He suddenly winced, rotating his right shoulder. "Oh man, looks like I need to go back to Johnny for another session…"
"Huh?" Lali questioned.
"Oh, an acupuncturist I see on Silik Avenue."
Lali thought of her own issues with pain – it was weird, as they had suddenly appeared as sharp sensations all over her back, foot heels, and neck area. Maybe she could use use an acupuncture treatment herself.
Later on, Rayna dropped by her workstation. "Hey Lali, you want to go check out the Java City café next door?"
"Sure," Lali replied. She was wanting to try out their mocha drink for awhile.
So far, both had been spending lunchtime in the cafeteria or one of the smaller lounge rooms. On Tuesdays and Fridays, a food truck came by. Twelve thirty came around, so the two mechatronic technicians headed over to the next building that housed several businesses.
A long, widened driveway where cars passed through separated the smaller structure from the main Synergy Corp building, so it was easy to cross over; even during busy hours.
As both approached the coffee shop, Lali recognized some fellow employees entering inside. There was also a fair mixture of workers from other businesses as well. Some of them were in military uniform, from the nearby Coast Guard station.
As the two stepped inside the coffee shop, their nostrils were assaulted by the tantalizing aroma of sweet coffee and baked goods.
"This place isn't half bad," Rayna remarked, looking around. "Just hope they have my cheese bagels."
"Berry scone for me," Lali added, before squinting at one of the baristas behind the counter. "Hey…isn't that Abby?"
Rayna glanced over at the young woman ringing up one of the customers. "Oh, your nextdoor neighbor?"
"Yeah…"
The other girl shrugged. "Could be another WR400. Ever since they've been let lose, it's hard to tell them apart sometimes. It's like the whole city gave birth to a gazillion tuplets!"
But when the android looked up, her eyes brightened in recognition. "Hey Lali!"
After an awkward pause, the human smiled and slowly waved.
"Whelp, guess it's her," Rayna said. "Good call there."
As it was their turn to purchase some drinks and food, Lali greeted Abby and introduced her coworker.
"Small world, isn't it? When did you start working here?" Lali asked.
"About two weeks ago," Abby replied, taking her credit card to process. "I'm so lucky that they hired me. Well, an employment center from New Jericho assisted me."
Lali assumed she meant that this business establishment was open to hiring androids. She could tell another barista, a male coworker of Asian descent, was also one of them. He still wore the trademark LED on his right temple.
"Hey, do you ever get tired?" Rayna asked.
Abby frowned at her question – after a second, she seemed to carefully consider it over. "Actually, not as much as a human would. I was built for my stamina to last well beyond 20 hours."
Rayna seemed impressed. "Lucky you! I heard some deviants were starting to experience stuff like exhaustion and pain. Strange anomalies, if you ask me."
"Yes, who knows? Maybe it's rA9!" Abby surmised, as she was now processing Rayna's order.
"Are you worried about it?" Rayna prodded on.
Lali thought she was being a little too personal, but Abby didn't seem particularly uncomfortable at the question. Her coworker was genuinely curious.
"Oh, to experience things only humans would? Well, a little," Abby replied, brushing a few hair strands aside. "But…it wouldn't be so bad to get…'tired' every once and awhile. That would give me an excuse to lounge around! Or relax!"
Relax…
Now Lali's thoughts swirled in her head about how some models, specifically from CyberLife, were becoming just as vulnerable and imperfect as humans. She heard rumors that some of them could even sleep and dream. This puzzled her more, because from a general standpoint, she couldn't tell if it was deliberate programming or the mysterious phenomenon that permeated all androids' neural processors towards deviancy.
Over the next week, Lali would occasionally go to Java City. Each time, she would try out a different coffee drink. Sometimes, Rayna would join her for lunch.
During this time, her derealization condition still hadn't improved. But so far, she hadn't gotten anymore panic attacks, as the medication was helping in providing her 'chill' moments. Her brain was also beginning to recognize that such a terrifying experience wasn't really life-threatening. The more the brain learned, the more it would immediately cease all synaptic messages to the amygdala part. No more alarm warnings to trigger her fight or flight response.
One day, Abby took time off on her break to sit down with the human during lunch hour.
"What is you do over there at Synergy?" Abby asked.
Lali put her water down after a drink. "I test and repair components for their androids – mainly the Atavax and Lumini models."
Abby titled her head, curious. "So, you're like a doctor to them?"
"Sorta. The engineers are the ones who troubleshoot more of the major issues with their products. They constructed a guide on the symptoms of a defective unit while it's still in the manufacturing phase."
"Yes, I believe I saw several repair shops around town that serve all android…brands," Abby recalled. "For awhile, I thought CyberLife was the only company who created me and the others."
"Well, they're the most popular," Lali explained. "Think of it like Amazon or Walmart. Mega corporations that millions of customers flock too, instead of the small or mid-size businesses. Mom and pop stores, that kind of thing." A sudden inquisitive feeling came over Lali. "Abby, do you like working here?"
"Oh yes! I like interacting with customers and I love the smell of coffee!"
"Even the cranky ones?"
The android nodded with an amused smile. "Even the ones that woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I know how complicated some customers can be."
"Yes, well, more power to you then. I don't think I can handle people who could bite your head off at any moment. "
Abby nodded, a bit of mirth crossing her pretty features. "Yeah, there's an unpredictability to it. It isn't for everyone. Even some of my people don't like it." She then grew serious. "But what I'd really like to do is counseling."
"Oh?"
"Yes! I want to go to a local university and major in psychology. I'd like to help out people with their issues, especially domestic violence."
"That's a great endeavor," Lali approved.
"I'd like to help both humans and androids; provide them the support, the solutions so that they never have to go through trauma like that again."
The other woman was impressed that her new friend wanted to give back to the communities in however way possible. But then a puzzling thought occurred to her.
"Well, can't you just download all the information from the textbooks?"
There was moment of silence, as Abby looked down, a bit forlorn. "No, unfortunately I wasn't designed to attain alot of information. I can't have some data port hooked up to my memory banks. Or flip through a book in twenty seconds flat."
"Mmm, well, I thought with you being an android, you had the ability to learn things at the speed of light or something."
"No, as far as I know, most WR400s were designed only for…activities of a carnal nature." She quickly added, "And for your basic activities, like cleaning, serving a glass of wine, small talk. Not much in the way of super abilities. I think the only androids who would be able to absorb whole libraries of information would be the more advanced models, like the PJ or the RK line." Her eyes then perked up. "I do have a sufficient memory though. I can learn quite fast."
Just then, Abby's dark eyes flew to two military men stepping inside. A smile formed on her lips, as Lali caught it. She turned around to the source that was catching the android's attention.
It was the two Coast Guard soldiers from before. One was an android, whom resembled the one she'd seen on the news from last year. It was shortly after the revolution. The other was a human male, in his late 20s, more friendly. He proceeded to greet the customers and baristas, engaging in a lively conservation with one behind the counter.
"Hey, do you know those guys?" Lali asked.
Abby turned back to her. "Yes! I think that one—" she pointed toward the android officer. "is cute."
"Do you like him?"
The girl android nodded, a bit sheepish. "I try to talk to him and he'll tell me about all kinds of things at the base...his important duties, helping with search and rescue at the lakes, venturing out in the wilderness and discovering nature."
"He looks kind of familiar," Lali mused.
"He's an RK800," Abby replied.
"Really?"
"Yes…I heard they were a prototype used to hunt down deviants before the uprising. Very advanced too."
"I think I've seen one of them on the news before…"
"Well, I heard CyberLife leased one out to the police department," Abby explained. "That's probably the one you saw on TV. This one here is named David." She then pointed to the RK800's human companion. "And that there is Lieutenant Theodore Allen."
A sad look then passed over Abby's eyes. "But…he told me he wasn't deviant."
Lali frowned, glancing over at David, who was waiting patiently while his friend was ordering up front.
"Oh…I didn't think that was still possible…"
"There are androids out there that are still like that," Abby replied dismally. "They maintain unwavering loyalty to their…owners, if that's the right word. At this point, I don't know if you would call it being against their will? I asked him if he wanted to deviate, but he refused. He told me he would always serve the humans."
"But how can he be loyal to them when he really has no say in the matter? Isn't that just defaulting to his original programming?"
Abby nodded, sighing. "I guess this so-called rA9 couldn't give everyone free will."
. . .
When Lali got home, she saw how Max was glued to the TV playing another video game. Cassandra was on the couch, munching on some popcorn. She glanced up when her cousin strolled through the door, hanging up her sweat jacket.
"Hey there Lali! I ordered pizza tonight. It's on the table."
The young woman nodded, before noticing the game that Max was so fervently into.
"What are you guys playing?"
"Murdered: Soul Suspect 5," he answered.
Lali rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. The house cat is the prime suspect."
"Well, almost close," her cousin quipped. "There is a spirit of an angry hamster that the main character keeps seeing. It got abused alot when it was alive."
"Are you kidding me?" Lali muttered, walking into the kitchen. "Wonder if the franchise is running out of ideas…"
After eating dinner, she decided to check up on Pepper. Cassandra had said the little dog was asleep in her room, after wearing herself out chasing around her tail in circles. Sure enough, Pepper was curled up on her bed, her body slightly twitching from a dream.
The young woman proceeded to undress from her casual clothes and into something more comfortable. She then put on the diffuser, with the soothing scent of the lavender filling the room in a couple of minutes.
Pepper stirred, and managed to happily greet Lali – but she could tell the dog was tired and wanted to go back to resting. She then did a few stretches to loosen her tight muscles, thinking of how she would get up in the morning to go jogging. A burst of steady cardio always helped to clear her mind, if not her slightly disturbing condition.
That night, she dreamed of her mother. Her name was Adelia. Her maiden name had been Ortiz. Lali only remembered her through photos and old videos, having been a year old when she died. It was due to a sudden onset of stomach cancer. According to relatives and friends, Adelia had wanted to be a dancer. She even modeled for several mainstream clothing brands.
Lali recalled a picture of her mother as a little girl, with an older brother, Rudolfo, posing by her side. Both of them smiled playfully for the camera. He would later marry and become the father of Carlos and Cassandra.
In the dream, her father then appears and does a tango dance, as if to impress her mother. Ulisse Duran was his name; how Lali missed him as well. She lost him when she was just five, due to a hostage crisis that occurred around 2019 in Ann Arbor. He had gone to pick up a new TV at a local electronics store, when the entire building was taken over by a terrorist group.
Unfortunately, the terrorist's leader decided to make consequent examples of several customers if the state governor didn't comply with their demands. One of the casualties had been her father, a bullet to the head. So at tender young age, poor Lali was completely alone – she had lost them both to cruel fate, paving the way for a volatile childhood, though not without its happy moments.
But if only they were still alive…
. . .
Abby sat in the chair as the diagnostic was being performed on her. The human cyberneticist known as Andrew stood nearby, monitoring her bio frequencies from a special software on his computer. His two other assistants had gone out for lunch.
Nearby, her roommates sat in some chairs, waiting patiently for the results.
"It looks like everything checks out okay," Andrew stated. "I even twice checked all circuitry connected with your ocular implants."
"You don't think it's a defective part?" Susan spoke up.
"No," Andrew replied. "It would have to be of a microscopic nature, especially during Abby's creation; or from the vital biocomponents made elsewhere, such as Bering Inc or NEC." He then glanced over at Abby with concern. "Does it bother you a lot, my dear?"
"No, not really," Abby replied with sincerity. "I've had this ever since I was activated. I just eventually…got used to it. It's like seeing the twinkle in water droplets when the sun hits them."
"Mmm," Andrew mulled over this for a moment. "But why do you see this spark only in human eyes and not androids?"
As he pondered over this, something in the back of his mind stirred – a slightly intriguing notion from long ago. Where had he heard it? Was it in some magazine? Maybe a documentary? A late-night radio show? But the vague thought was elusive, and he couldn't grasp on to it. Atleast, the WR400 didn't know about the rest of her past life before being brought back online several months ago.
There were things he was unable to remove from her memory banks; a terrible playback scene while viewing it on the monitor. The chilling fear in her voice…being attacked in a room, while another WR400 tried to help her, but to no avail. A smarmy, evil man…
Suddenly, the doors burst open with two desperate-looking androids.
"Hey Andrew, you gotta help us, man," one of them announced.
The cyberneticist was slightly confused, but demanded, "Huh? Vincent, can't you see I'm busy here?"
"It's Chad, he's lost it this time!"
Andrew sighed. "What did he do now?"
"He's racing around town with the cops after him."
"Yeah, he started acting weird, saying he was Rick Astley and got in the car, naked with a Donald Trump mask on!" the other android added.
There was moment of silence, Abby and her friends now looking puzzled.
"What do I look like? A robo nutcase doctor?" Andrew demanded.
"Well, he's obviously malfunctioning," Vincent insisted.
"Are you sure he just hasn't lost it?" Andrew argued back. "Deviancy and all? I already took a look at his systems two days ago. He's perfectly fine."
"Maybe he got hacked."
"A low chance at that. His security firmware was updated. Meran software is pretty damn good about it."
His other friend was listening to a handheld police scanner. "Eh, it's over now. Chad just crashed into a ditch."
Andrew put a hand over his forehead. "Oh Jesus, just let the cops deal with him." He then muttered under his breath, "The dumbass..."
. . .