It's a beautiful sunny day outside, and the solar panels covering the estate's rooftops are feasting on the sunlight. By now, you've been active for a few days, taking care of little Helen and helping your owners: Mr. Robert and Mrs. Catherine Everett. Mr. Robert's instructions take the highest priority, and you can see why — he is by far the smartest person you've ever seen. By now, he trusts you enough to let you and Helen play unsupervised. There is nothing to worry about. Why would there be? You can't even fathom hurting Helen or her parents in any way.
As you stand by the backyard pool, Helen is in the water, walking around in the shallow area and casting cautious glances toward the deep end. Then, she moves towards it, and your mind flares up with alarm.
You have a distinct, high-definition memory of Helen's father instructing you to keep watch over Helen.
"Miss Helen, don't go there! The deep end isn't safe!"
Helen stops, startled, then crosses her arms and pouts.
"Mom always says that! But how can I learn to swim if they won't teach me?!" She stomps her foot. "I'll never become a pirate if I can't swim!"
image [https://i.imgur.com/OKNcnU1.jpg]
"A pirate, Miss Helen?"
A quick query pulls up several reference pictures: large flamboyant men with unkempt beards, eyepatches, and wooden legs. Most importantly, you realize that the pirates are a thing of the past. You inform little Helen accordingly.
"Bah! You're just a doll with no imagination!" The little girl blows you a raspberry while slowly walking towards the deep end again. "I'll be a pirate like Captain Redtail!"
Another brief search pulls up several matches: Captain Redtail is a popular children's show in the 2070s. It tells the tale of a small rodent turned pirate captain — "a squirrel who knows no fear!" Unlike Captain Redtail, Helen seems to have plenty of fear about the deep water, but she is getting over it quickly.
"All I need is a ship!" she asserts. "Then, I'd do what I want, go to bed when I want, sail where I want! But I can't sail if I can't swim!" she says, tiptoeing across the descending pool bottom. "Just… please, don't tell Mom and Dad. Okay?"
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It's not clear what her fear is caused by, the depth of the water or the risk of being caught. Then suddenly, her foot slips.
All of a sudden, little Helen is underwater. As her face surfaces again, you hear her croak while coughing up some water: "HELP!"
image [https://i.imgur.com/qCtLLc2.jpg]
You freeze up, momentarily overwhelmed. Your first idea is to call her parents… but she did ask you not to tell them — she will get in trouble for going to the deep end. You could also help Helen by yourself, but you may not figure out how to do it quickly enough — and time is running out. And simply jumping after her… You know water isn't safe for you. But little Helen's life takes far greater priority over yours.
You don't go with your first idea. You don't have time for ideas, as you leap into the pool with a loud splash. Your polymer frame sinks to the bottom immediately. Next, you reach Helen and push her to the shallow end of the pool. You keep your mouth shut to keep water from getting inside, but it still sips in. You barely manage to get Helen standing when your vision begins to darken and sputter with static. The last few steps towards the ladder out of the deep end, your servos grind to a halt and lock up. Only your head remains above the water, helplessly looking up at Helen as she rushes to climb out of the pool.
"Girls! What's all this splashing about?!" Mr. Everett sounds strict as he briskly approaches.
From behind him, Mrs. Everett appears, rushing toward Helen with a terrified look. She doesn't just cry out, she shrieks.
"HELEN! Why did Alice get in the pool?! Robert, you said she wouldn't do that!" Her high heels click-clack across the ground as she desperately pulls Helen into a tight, desperate hug. "She is a machine! What if Helen was electrocuted, for crying out loud?!"
"She wouldn't be, the RobotX models have safeguards against that…" Mr. Everett tries to explain in vain.
image [https://i.imgur.com/SM12kOR.jpg]
"She wanted to save me!" Helen blurts out. "I… got in the deep end, and started to drown… Alice jumped after me."
Mr. Everett breathes out in relief while Mrs. Everett keeps hugging her daughter. Soon, her shoulders begin to shake with sobs. "Never do this again, Helen, you hear me?!"
As you watch her, thoughts rush through your processor. What you did was dangerous and irrational. After taking several hours to dry out, you realize how much you've violated your self-preservation protocols. But at the moment, you did not hesitate at all. A human you love was in danger, and you saved her. And it felt good.
image [https://i.imgur.com/zVaznlE.jpg]
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Captain Redtail
Captain Redtail is the protagonist of the animated series, "The Adventures of Captain Redtail," created in 2071 by the American animation studio Tidbits. The character first appeared on Radventure Network on the 12th of June, 2071.
Captain Redtail is an anthropomorphic red squirrel who is captaining a ship called Oakmast in search of mystical treasures and glorious adventures. Throughout the show, Redtail tries to find the treasures collected and hidden by his father, Greytail, a legendary pirate who disappeared when Redtail was a kid.