System initializing.
Adjusting optic focus…
The first thing it saw was its lady’s face. Yes…yes, it was her, but also… different.
It refreshed its visual functions. What was going on? There was the elaborate bun, the dark eyes, the ever-present look of concern… So then why did something seem…?
And then it realized. Not only were both eyes online again, but both were functioning under a higher resolution than it believed possible. It could see everything, from the soft, miniscule hairs that graced its lady’s cheeks, to the striation in her irises, brown to green and back again. Far, further away on the very opposite end of the workshop sat the OLI, waving cheerfully, and it could see the very joints in its elbows pivoting against the other to induce the movement.
“Are you still alive?” The OLI called.
“I am–” The sound of its voice startled it into silence. This is what it sounded like now?
“F-forgive me, I meant to say that I am awake. As to the rest of my programming, I cannot say. I have not as of yet tested out the rest of my abilities.”
Mistress frowned. “You changed his voice box?”
“Nah, you can change it back if you want. I just thought him being British would suit him, you know?”
“I do not take any offense to the change.” It added. “Merely…startling, that is all.”
The lady looked it over, biting her lip. “...Right. How do you feel, Edward?”
Feel?
For the first time, it became aware of its new body. What had once been a jumbled mess of copper limbs was now a smooth, sleek shell that seemed simply too fresh and new to be under the control of someone like it. And yet… there it was. When its programming demanded it, the fingers moved under its command.
Fingers…I have fingers again!
It bent them, one at a time, relishing the way the joints moved to create whatever shape it could desire. A flat palm, a fist, a thumbs up, gripping onto a nonexistent package…
And finally, an outstretched palm, staring up at the sweet lady who gave it such a gift.
“You will have to forgive me for being unable to make such proper introductions earlier. I am Edward, my lady.”
Her hand fit into its palm, trembling. “I-it’s a pleasure to meet you, Edward.”
“The pleasure is mine, my lady.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
They shook. It was a relief to note that the mechanic had not lied. It could not sense any more tactile information than what it was already familiar with. This new body was larger, taller, sleeker than anything it could have ever estimated, but it was not without its hint of familiarity, and for that it was grateful.
“Well, not bad!” The mechanic clapped, a self-congratulations for her own hard work. Edward clapped along to not seem rude. “Sensors working good, all joints seemed to be locked in tightly… we’re all set! Wanna test out a few steps, big guy?”
“Big guy” was an accurate title. When its new feet stepped onto the floor, its head nearly brushed the workshop ceiling.
“I must apologize. I do not remember being this tall…”
“That’s because you weren’t!” The mechanic said. “You’re an EDW-860 now. They had to add an extra six inches to your frame for all that new technology they had to stuff in. But it shouldn’t be that bad!”
Its next three steps would prove her wrong.
The first was adequate, wobbly, but acceptable for a first foray out into the world. The lady grabbed onto its arm to help steady it. The next saw it fully standing, limbs frozen as its mind ran frantic calculations attempting to gain its bearing and accurately predict which length and direction its next step would have to be in order to gain equilibrium.
The third… The third saw its forehead smashed by a low-hanging beam that had been out of view of its optics. With a pre-recorded “Look out!” Screeching through its vocal processor, it crashed, toppling over like a child’s doll against the work table it had previously laid on and sending the mechanic’s tools scattering.
“Edward!”
It could pick out three voices. The lady. The mechanic. The OLI, all crying out in shocked surprise. Footsteps pattered over, faces peered into its field of vision.
“Are you alright?!”
“Did it hurt?”
“Hey, you didn’t dent anything, did ya?”
It couldn’t answer. Not yet. First it had to… had to…
….?
Does not compute.
“Edward, what’s the matter?” The lady asked. It was almost too scared to respond. All that money…all those resources… and it hadn’t been able to save its one core resources. The only reason a filthy machine such as it had even been granted the freedom to move.
“Mistress…” It spoke gently, using her greatest title.
“I am sorry. I am so, so, truly, deeply sorry. But my disciplinary measures… they appear …”
The last word was nearly impossible to verbalize.
“...malfunctioning.”
*********************************
She almost wanted to laugh.
It wasn’t funny, it was not funny, especially with the fear and dread in Edward’s voice. No more was he limited to only one, cheery cadence, yet he still communicated just the same; injecting his opinions and feelings not through tone of voice, or high and low pitches, but through pauses, gaps in dialogue, words left unsaid, the careful rationing of each and every chosen word. This was a situation he was taking very seriously, a nasty shock to an already overwhelmed system. It would not be right to react in any other way.
And yet…
It was still rather comic, in a way, to see such a giant tumble from a tiny bump, to see him awkwardly sprawled like a deflated balloon, to see his joints frantically swerve and rotate in an attempt to regain a more dignified posture. From behind, Ollie had not been able to resist the urge to giggle.
And then her Edward’s next words vanished any thoughts of comedy from her head.
“Malfunctioning?” She repeated, just to make sure she heard correctly.
“Yes. P-please Miss, do not step closer. Without the proper control I fear I may become a hazard to your safety. It is an accident I assure you, I will attempt to search for the data, but until then—”
“I deleted it.”
“What?”
Jayce stood up, chest puffed out proudly. “I got rid of it for you. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. Doesn’t it feel great?”
Edward stared.
And stared.
And stared some more.
His head flopped back as the light died from his eyes.