TEASER:
I sit comfortably in my makeshift shelter, planning my next voyage to the surface. Faint footsteps above ground snap me out of my thought. I silently reached to my loaded gun, an SKO Shorty, and carefully pulled back the hammer. I silently...
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The year is 2093—————————————————— Anastasia Hansen has just turned 19 years old—
I sit on the cream colored couch of my condo in Issaquah, waiting for the package to arrive. I glance around my condo, noticing the faintest layer of dusting coating the chocolate brown mantle. I thought for my birthday, I'd treat myself to a nice present. A sudden knock on my door tells me it's here. Even though they have been around for a couple years, the new, "Artificial Interactive Companions" or AIC's as they call them always freaked me out. Of the two and a half years they've been around, not one incident had occurred. I shake my thoughts away and briskly walk to the door. Cracking the door, I see the mailman holding a cart with the AIC sitting comfortably in it. "ID please" he says in a monotone voice. I show him my ID, that he registers with ease. "Enjoy your AIC ma'am". And with that he walks away. I push the heavy cart through the door, not really knowing what to do next. I'm majoring in electric engineering but this thing is like nothing I've seen before. The human sized android sits in the cart, powered off I assume. I look around and find a manual. It shows basic functions of the AIC. The manual reads:
The eyes serve as an indicator of what your AIC is processing.
Flashing Red: Your AIC is sensing imminent physical danger.
Flashing Green: Your AIC is sensing imminent immaterial danger.
Flashing Purple: Your AIC is in need of repairing.
*Great.* I think. *None of this helps me turn it on.* I decide to start feeling around for a power switch. I find a small button near the temple of the head. Pressing it, the AIC springs to life, causing me to jump. "Error 6841 DHCP failed. In need of reboot". With that, it powers off. "Uh... okay...." I whisper to myself. I try pressing and holding down the power button and that seems to work. "Reboot successful. Powering on." A light humming noise sounds from the AIC. Then the eyes light up.
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"Hello Anastasia. Please give me a name." I didn't even know you got to name these things. I ponder names for a second before something comes to mind. "Nila" I say with confidence. That was the name of my late grandmother, the one who encouraged me to move to Issaquah. "Identification, success. Nila" it says to me. *Well, that was easy* I think to myself. I set Nila to dust off the mantle while I make myself dinner. In the process of cutting onions, I nick my finger. "Goddammit..." I mutter to myself. Just then, Nila walks into the kitchen. "I have finished dusting the..." It's neon blue eyes slowly trace down to my bleeding finger. It feels like a lifetime where we just stand in silence. The eyes look back up at me, but this time, a sickly shade of red.
