“Hi Howie!”, I said when he picked up.
“Hey Abby. How’s Shauna working out?”
“She’s awesome. I’ve put her in charge of the day-to-day administration of my charity.”
“Huh. That seems to underutilize her skill set.”, he commented.
“Well, she may have a few other duties, but we can discuss that another time.” Actually, we would not be discussing that. Ever.
“Can you get me a powered exoskeleton suit?”, I blurted out. I find that often works in moving the conversation to less sensitive matters.
There was a short pause on his end. “Sorry, Abby. My brain had to switch gears. I wasn’t expecting that question. You’re making a habit of that. To answer your question though, yes, I can get you a suit. Is it just the one and will you be the one using it?”
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“Yes and yes. I need to be able to carry a heavy load over a long distance and up and down stairs. Anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds.”
“So not just the ones that provide strength to your legs. You’ll need the full suit that enhances your upper body strength and provides significant back support. There are quite a few models you can choose from, including both civilian and military models. A lot depends on the battery life you need, how complex the tasks your doing is, the weight of the actual suit, and the amount of armor protection that’s required.”
“Well, I’ll need it to be lightweight, since I’ll probably be wearing it for an entire day or carrying it with me. As to batter life, do they come with a passive mode, where I’d just be wearing the suit without it assisting me?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to look into that.”
“I don’t need any armor. I just need help in lifting. Overall, battery life and low weight are the key features I’m looking for. The task is a very simple lift and haul.”
“Ok, Abby. I’ll see what I can get you.” Howie sounded like he was about to hang up.
“Wait! I need it yesterday. Since that’s not possible anymore, when’s the next earliest I can get it?”
“You can’t rush this, Abby. I need to research the best options for you. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hung up on me again. I sighed and changed for Kung Fu.