“He’s dead.” The OLI announced, gently patting her robot’s dented face. “What charger does he need?”

“No chargers,” The mechanic replied. “450s ran on gas. There might be a canister hiding around somewhere, but that’s not really a priority.”

“I’ll look!” Ollie offered, dashing off. The mechanic rushed to catch him as he sprinted off of the table, and then gently set him on the floor.

“You need somewhere to sit?”

She blinked, surprised at finally being addressed. The mechanic was staring at her, yellow goggles betraying no emotion as she pushed a stool her way. “Sorry. Not used to having customers in here.”

“Oh, no worries! If anything, I should apologize for intruding!” She sat down with her ankles crossed, trying not to guess as to when her stool was last cleaned. The mechanic grabbed her own stool and rolled herself over to the worktable where her robot lay.

“You said you wanted him fixed, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The mechanic looked over the body with a grunt.

“Scrapping him and buying another would be cheaper, you know. You’d probably even get a newer model with cash to spare.”

She clenched her teeth. “Do you think I didn’t know of that?”

“Just making sure.” Was the reply. “Wouldn’t want you to feel scammed if you don’t know what you’re walking into.”

“Then know that I am very aware!” Against her will, her voice was rising. “I’ve chosen this establishment because you are the only one who says they can help me, instead of advising that I give up! Are you not the only shop in this city that has experience with EDW’s? I have to ask once again, can you fix him or not?”

Silence fell across the workshop. From the corner, Ollie whimpered. The mechanic stared on, unperturbed.

“Do you know if he’s sustained any damage to his personality chip?”

“Huh?” The question was so startling it cooled down her temper. “P-personality chip?”

“Yeah. Pass over that box, will you?”

As she did, she managed to peek inside and noticed a scattered selection of screwdrivers, all different shapes and sizes. The mechanic grabbed out a handful and started testing them, trying to see which one would allow her to successfully open the robot’s head.

The sight made her turn away, oddly squeamish. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I want to see if it’ll work…”

“If what will work?!”

The mechanic ignored her. “Ollie, forget the can! We can get it later. Where’s my other toolbox?”

“I’ll get it!” Was the reply.

“No wait! You’re too—”

The resulting crash sent them both running. Ollie was fine, thank goodness, save a few scratches on his shell, and before long he was peacefully sitting in the hood of the mechanic’s jacket, what she called “time-out” but was most likely more of a reward than anything else. Once all that was settled, the mechanic grabbed the new box and started to meticulously sort through it.

She was starting to get impatient. “What’s the plan? Why won’t you tell me?!”

“I don’t even know if it’s going to work yet,” the mechanic said. “Wouldn’t want to give you any hope in case it doesnt’.”

“And this all has to do with his… personality chip?”

“Yep. He seemed pretty coherent while he was conscious, so there’s a good chance, but just in case…”

A shiver ran down her spine. “What happens if you find the chip damaged?”

“Don’t jinx it. EDWs are nearly indestructible. It should be fine.”

But the sentence was spoken through gritted teeth.

“Why’s he so broken then?” Ollie asked from inside the hood. The mechanic reached around from behind to pat his head.

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“That would be a question to ask his mistress, Ollie.”

The little robot swiveled his head 180 degrees to meet her eyes. She felt her cheeks go hot. “Oh! Um… actually… I don’t know.”

“Why not?” Ollie pressed. “Aren’t you his mistress? Don’t mistresses know everything?

“I haven’t really… been his mistress for very long.” She admitted.

This caught the mechanic’s attention. “Oh?”

“I found him just a few days ago.” She explained. “He was abandoned so… I took him in.”

Ollie gasped, servos going into overdrive as his eyes flickered with glee. “You’re a monster!”

“What?! No, I-I!”

The mechanic cut her off before she could explain. “Found it!” From the depths of the robot’s hollowed-out cranium, she revealed a six-inch cube. “Perfect condition!”

“That’s the personality chip?” She asked. That’s not exactly chip-shaped…

“Yep!”

“And that means…?”

“It means we got a chance!”

Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean, chance?”

The mechanic turned her head to whisper a command to Ollie, before setting him down on the floor once again. This time, Ollie shot under the table, where a long, bunched-up tablecloth hid the entirety of his small frame from view.

“You asked me if I could fix your Edward.” She said, her shoulders slumped. “Technically yes, I can do that. Problem is, EDW-450s are long defunct. This model’s ancient, remember? Any part not locked in a museum is going to cost an arm and a leg. And there’s so many it’s just not worth it.”

“I don’t care!” She shot back, rising from her chair. “I have the money. I can pay any funds you give me!”

The mechanic continued without so much as a blink. “That’s why I asked you why you just didn’t buy a new one. If all you wanted was an EDW-450, it’d be a lot less effort to buy another, if you truly got all that money you say you do.”

“And I already told you, no. It has to be this one.”

“But does it matter that he’s a 450?”

“...Huh?”

“Here’s what I’m getting at.” The mechanic said. “Fun fact about the EDW’s, they’re remarkably backwards compatible. Since they were built to take a ton of beating, they basically had their brains boiled down to a single, ridiculously sturdy chip. It’s why their AI isn’t as advanced as it could be for what was possible in those days.”

“Also why I’m smarter!” Ollie called out from beneath the table.

“And those minds? All the same size, all connect to the same ports. In concept, any EDW is just as interchangeable as the next. And all those newer parts? They’re so easy to come by they practically fill up half my workshop. You understand?”

She was starting to. “You’re going to transfer his consciousness into a new body?”

“If you want to.” The mechanic shrugged. “If you were a collector, then only 450 parts would do. But if the only thing that matters is that he gets fixed, then updating would be the better option in the long run. It’s easier to maintain that way.”

“I see.” She looked over at her robot, her Edward. He probably wouldn’t care about what sort of limbs he got, wouldn’t he? No, she thought with a chuckle. He’d only be mad if it cost too much. Even if she didn’t have a problem with paying up, she’d still prefer to respect his wishes

“So, all you do is transfer the personality chip into another body?”

“Well…if only it were that simple.”

Now that the robot’s head was reassembled and screwed back on tight, the mechanic was busying herself with fixing whatever else she could. Tightening bolts, replacing frayed or torn wires, patching up leaks. Ollie scurried across the floor from time to time, helping her bring new supplies. Part of her wondered if the mechanic was only multitasking so that she wouldn’t have to make eye contact.

“What’s the matter, then?”

“See, all the newer models, like the 500, the 660, etcetera…. They’re a lot more advanced. They can feel pain, for one thing, the tactile stimuli detectors are far more advanced, it was programmed for a mind that should logically be capable of more advanced emotional states… it's a whole thing.”

“But you said all EDW models were interchangeable!”

“ Technically interchangeable.” The mechanic reminded. “Truth is, I don’t know how the AI will react. Best case scenario, it successfully adapts, and your robot will like it when you hug him now. Worst case…?”

She held her breath.

“Worst case is that the mind gets corrupted and completely fries itself from confusion. Not a good way to go.”

I should have known. She tried to keep her voice from quavering. “And what are the odds of that happening?”

The mechanic shrugged. “I can try to minimize the risk obviously. Introduce the limbs slowly, one by one, so that the programming has time to get used to the changes. AI was designed to be adaptive, so I wouldn’t say its completely hopeless, but I also can’t guarantee anything.”

“I see.” She slumped back in her chair, suddenly feeling more empty than ever. “So what do you suggest I do then?”

Ollie popped up from a distant corner, pushing along a container thrice his side filled with dark liquid. “Found oil!” He called.

“Great job!” The mechanic replied, reaching down and beginning the refueling process before turning the attention back to her. “As for you…”

Another shrug. “I mean, it’s your choice. I don’t think there’s a wrong one necessarily.”

But as she was about to respond, the mechanic’s voices dropped lower.

“But if you’re the kind of person I think you are? Ask him. Your robot’s getting this done to him. He might deserve a say, you know?”

With a final, satisfying click, the last two wires connected and the robot was lying on the table, freshly wired and no longer in need of any bandages.

“If you’re interested in continuing, contact us after you’ve thought it through.” The mechanic said, her voice once more crisp and confident. “That fuel should last you a few more days. I’ll hand you over to Jayce now so that he can install that security update, and you’ll be on your way!”

“Wait!” She called, a final attempt. “If you can add security, can’t you just program him to adapt to the new body?”

The mechanic shook her head. “Sorry. Not how it works. The security fix is an official update. My shop doesn’t deal with unofficial modding, remember? Don’t want to risk damaging the personality for good.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I see…”

The mechanic pulled down her mask, revealing a reassuring fine. “It’ll be fine. Trust me! I had to build Ollie up from scrap more than once, and he’s still kicking, right?”

“Still kicking!” Ollie confirmed.

But even as the door to the workshop closed behind her, she could not shake that odd feeling of powerlessness.