Novels2Search

Chapter Two

"Here we are!"

She triumphantly kicked the door of the apartment shut behind her as a boom of thunder roared through the sky. She was soaked to the bone and her teeth were chattering, but they had made it.

And the robot was at long last safe from the weather.

She set down her cargo gently on the floor, even as her back screamed from the strain of carrying such a bulky charge. She hadn't expected it would be so taxing... Then again, she couldn't exactly say she was accustomed to any sort of heavy lifting. There had always been someone around to do that for her.

The robot still didn't respond, even as its battered body first touched the soft shag carpet. Rainwater mixed with dirt and filth pooled from his fragile shell onto the floor, leaving the same blood-like stain she had seen back in the alley. He was still functioning; that she knew from the signature hum of the cooling fan, and the way his machinery had warmed her back the entire way home. Perhaps he was in shock.

...Could robots even be in shock?

"Pardon the mess," She called as she wove around the still-unpacked boxes piled high in her living room. "I just moved in yesterday."

Now, where did I leave the towels?

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, she finally gave up and settled for the only one that happened to be unpacked, hanging in her bathroom. It was a white, daintily embroidered thing, and she nearly mourned its perfectly clean, fresh-smelling surface before returning to her new guest.

"Alright!" She cheerfully announced. "Now, let's get you nice and drie—huh?"

The towel dropped from her hands. The robot was gone. In its place was a long, wet streak across the carpet, and a door that was still firmly shut, only now with a dripping wet door handle.

...How?

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It was almost halfway down the hall when the lady caught up to it. Her hand pressed down on its shoulder, and instantly, he froze any attempt at movement.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

It ran a scan to analyze her emotion and tone. Confusion, above anything else, leaning more to curiosity rather than frustration. No anger, no irritation. What was particularly strange was the note of concern. Odd... perhaps the rain had damaged more than it originally thought.

"I apologise for bothering you." It said. "And for making you worry. I was not aware that you would react in such a manner. I merely wished to not dirty your place of residence."

"Oh... you were worried about that?"

"I do not feel worry, my lady. I was merely following my programming to the best of its ability."

Her brows furrowed.

Negative facial reactions detected.

Caution. Caution.

"I was not planning to run away." It was quick to assure. "Or to crawl away, as that is currently the only movement allowed to me. I will merely wait in an appropriate location until you have need of me."

"...I see." She stared at it like a puzzle she could not solve. "And what would be an appropriate location?"

"Someplace where I will not stain your belongings, my lady. A shed or garage would both be good examples."

Her lips tightened into a thin line. Wrong answer. It should not have been so bold as tosuggest anything. A shudder ran through its framework as its disciplinary measures ran their course, a painful, pricking reminder that such rudeness would not be tolerated.

"If I cleaned you up, would you be allowed inside?" The lady asked. "You wouldn't have to worry about 'dirtying' anything, then."

"I deeply, deeply apologize, my lady, but in my condition, I would not be able to stop myself from leaking oil."

A pause. The lady turned away, biting on her fingernail.

"Wait here." She said.

It would not dream of doing otherwise, not when it's limbs ached with the dull agony of rudeness.

When the lady returned, she was holding a small covered box. It kept its eye lowered in respect, not wanting to seem curious about information it was not privy to. Packages were never to be opened, no matter how curious they sounded.

If only it were polite to ask...

"Is it alright if you close your eyes?" She asked.

It did so too reluctantly. The world faded to black with a kick of synthetic pain, a reminder to be more trusting of its higher authorities.

It was nonsensical anyways, the punishment well deserved. What was there to be hesitant about? It did not feel fear. It did not have enough tactile sensors for the outside world to cause physical discomfort. What were the odds of further dismantlement, after all the time and sweat and exhaustion the lady spent on loading it here in the first place?

...It disabled its calculating function before it could discover the odds.