[IC] The year 2041

[GracefulFox]

Sophia rubbed her neck and yawned. It had been 4 hours ago that she had left her apartment, and she had only just made it through the border check into Minneapolis city. The above ground subway rattled as it zoomed along above the glittering city lights. It has been a mission convincing Katy to let Sophia go check out the house and store alone, but she was glad for a break from Katy's constant mothering.

Sophia reached up to a small earpiece and switched off the soft classical music that had been playing in her ear for most of the journey. The subway groaned to a stop, an electronic voice spoke as the doors slid open, "Welcome to Uptown Minneapolis!!". Sophia grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, stepping off the subway and out into the glowing white light of the almost empty subway station. Spotting a free Taxibot at the taxi stand, Sophia made her way towards the street. She climbed inside the taxi, and the same electronic voice greeted her from the front seat. "Hello! I am Minneapolis Public Transport System 706, please state the address of your destination, and scan your identification card at anytime." Sophia waved her hand over the scan plate, her bracelet had been encoded with her ID, a thoughtful gift from Katy.

"1083, West 28th St, please."

The taxi buzzed to life and pulled out into the street. 15 minutes later Sophia was standing outside an old 2020 style building with a loft apartment, and LED light sign glimmered softly showing the words "Antique Art and Furniture". Sophia walked up the stairs towards the door, the windows where tinted, and the door was thick and heavy. She opened the letter given to her by her Aunt.

...Enter the code 199267 to open door and deactivate alarm systems. The store, house, and all content are now under your name...

Sophia punched the numbers into the keypad, and heard a faint click as the door unlocked before her.

"Well... Here goes..." She muttered, opening the door, both nervous and eager to see what lay on the other side.

[Miraboreasu]

Inside it looked like a stereotypical antique shop: old furniture and art, classic toys and movie memorabilia, and random knickknacks, all covered in a fine layer of dust. It wasn't very unique, with the exception of what looked like a large charging station in a corner. It was odd; only people with a lot of money could afford them.

"Are you the new master?" a voice said. A young "man" appeared from behind a stack of books almost to the ceiling. He was stocky in build, dressed from head to toe in black, his clothes and hair covered with dust.

[GracefulFox]

Sophia jumped, startled at the appearance of another person inside the store. "H-Hello?" said croaked, the air was thick with dust, and she coughed suddenly.

"Who are you? New Master?" She looked at him. He didn't seem.. quite right. Suddenly it all clicked into place, the charging station, the strange "man" living in an abandoned house. He was a robot, usually only very wealthy people could afford ones so... real looking. Even his eyes looked human, they had an almost curious expression as he looked at her. Sophia swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I am Sophia, are you a humanoid robot?"

[Miraboreasu]

"My designation is Android 343I-3ARC-ANDR3," he replied, fixing his glasses. "The master named me Andre. And I prefer the term 'artificial human'. Just curious, but what is your name? And how shall I address you?"

[GracefulFox]

Sophia had been addressing robots for a large part of her life, even her part time job at a retail appliance store back in Metaorbis was mostly staffed by humanoid bots, but this one was incredible. His eyes seemed so alive, and the way he moved was so fluid and.. well.. human.

"I am Sophia.. Just call me that. Don't call me master or anything." Sophia felt awkward, she hadn't been expecting her Aunt to be staffed with a robot so advanced.

"Ok, well my Aunt left me this place. I just want to look around and then go to bed. I am very tired.." She gestured to her bags, "Can you show me the house?".

I shouldn't feel bad for ordering him around, after all, he is my robot now, and thats what you're supposed to do. Sophia frowned, unable to help but feel bossy. I'd better ask him to clean up as well.. This place needs a good sweep up."

[Miraboreasu]

"Of course, Sophia," said Andre. He picked her bags up, and showed her the different parts of the shop, where to find things - like, one area was exclusively for toys and children's books, another for old magazines. He led Sophia upstairs into the apartment. There was a single bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen. "It's all electric, since the war caused a severe shortage of natural gas and all of the world's oil was used up."

[GracefulFox]

As they toured the house Sophia became even more impressed with Andre, he was easily the most real looking robot she'd ever seen. He was modelled after someone who was clearly quite handsome, and Andre's voice was deep, even if it was a little robotic at times.

"It's all electric, since the war caused a severe shortage of natural gas and all of the world's oil was used up." Andre informed her factually.

Sophia blinked, surprised that he was programmed to mention the war. Most of the robots she'd encountered were programmed to only speak of positive things, but Andre, for some reason was programmed to incorporate the war and loss of natural gases into his script? Odd..

"Ok Andre, what are your functions? Are you able to leave the house independently?" Sophia asked, flopping down on the bed. Small dust clouds rose around her as she disrupted the sheets. She hadn't realised how sore her feet were until she sat down, and her shoulders were exhausted from hauling her suitcase on and off trains and taxis all day. She pulled at the scrunchy holding her hair up in a loose bun, and her brown curls tumbled down her shoulders.

"What do I need to know about this house? Who was my Aunt?"

[Miraboreasu]

"I will start with my functions," said Andre. "I am designed for human-cyborg relations, including assisting humans, making repairs, and protecting my master, and anything or anyone they deem in need of protecting. Your aunt had a knack for technology, so she programmed a new set of instructions into me: the ability to learn and feel emotions." He sighed, giving a sad smile. "Unfortunately before she could implement the new programming, the individual cards for them were lost; she always was scatterbrained."

Andre shook his head. "I can function independently, but I rarely ever left this place, since your aunt needed me. As for who she was, she worked for the US Government during the war to create androids such as myself. I was the first successful series-three model."

[GracefulFox]

Sophia was shocked with this bit of news, robots had been programmed to display emotions, but none of them could actually "feel" emotions, or learn new ones without them being programmed or updated. "Thats.. a lot of information." She said, looking closely as Andres face as his face changed as he spoke.

"Well, I suppose the first thing that needs to be done is some housework, but that can wait till later I suppose.." Sophia didn't know what to do, she unzipped her boots and let them slip to the floor, tucking her legs up towards her chest. "What do you usually do everyday? Do you have.. Hobbies?" She felt like she was making pointless conversation, even if he could display feelings, he was a computer, and computers were nothing but machines. Sighing, she moved towards her bag, she unzipped it and shuffled through the clothes, hunting for her pajamas.

Well, he's a robot anyway, he won't care. She mused, slipping off her jacket and unbuttoning her jeans. Even though she knew he wasn't a real person, she couldn't help but face away from him as she pulled off her camisole, exposing her smooth ivory skin. Quickly she grabbed an oversized T-shirt from her bag and put it on. Uncomfortable with being shirtless in his presence for long. He just seemed so real, it was much harder to treat him like she did with the other robots.

[Miraboreasu]

Andre nodded. "I usually work," he replied. "I helped your aunt clean, fix machines, watch the store..." He trailed off. "I have a single hobby: I write in a journal. I want to track my emotional progression. I don't type, or log it onto my hard drive. I put pen to paper." However as Sophia changed, he looked away, blushing. Her aunt had programmed those emotions into him, of all things, embarrassment and a sense that nudity was not normal.

[GracefulFox]

Sophia yawned, and glanced at the bed. She didn't really feel comfortable sleeping in the bed her aunt had slept in. She didn't know if the sheets had been changed, or worse, if her aunt died in it. She noticed a duvet folded over the back of a arm chair, grabbing it, she pulled it over to the couch in the adjoining lounge. "So, what was the purpose of giving you human emotions?" As Sophia thought about the question she asked, she realised the gravity of it, robots were perfect because they didn't have emotion, emotion was humans flaw. Why would someone program humans greatest flaw into a machine?

"Ok well.. I'm going to bed now.. There are a couple of things that need doing since I'm going to be living her for awhile. We need fresh groceries, the house and store needs cleaning, we need to take inventory and reopen the store.." She trailed off, another yawn interrupting her list. "We can start tomorrow morning I supposed...." She flopped onto the couch, her bare legs flipping into the air as she plonked on her back.

[Miraboreasu]

Andre nodded. "It was an experiment," he answered. "However if I was to lose control I was to be terminated. Do you want me to stay in here tonight, or shall I retire to recharge?"

[GracefulFox]

Sophia actually took a moment to decide, she actually didn't want to be left alone, but at the same time, having Andre here would be a little bit weird.
"Oh um, its up to you really.. What do you usually do? Do you need recharging?" Sophia flustered, her cheeks blushing a shade pinker. She pulled the duvet over herself and rested her head on the arm of the couch. "Just.. Suit yourself Andre." She said, giving him a little smile. This is ridiculous, stop treating him like he has an opinion, he is a robot for christs sake Sophia! Pull yourself out of it!

[Miraboreasu]

"My battery is at precisely ninety-eight point seven percent," Andre said. "I do not require recharging at the moment, since my battery can last for four days under normal circumstances. Normally your aunt would have me recharge, regardless of battery level." He paused. "I sense some level of distress from you, Sophia. I believe I will stay here for tonight, or until you feel comfortable sleeping alone. Is that acceptable?"

[GracefulFox]

Sophia nodded, and snuggled into the couch. "Ok, that is fine Andre, just uh.. Sit down or something, it would be weird if you stood there all night, but I suppose it really doesn't make a difference to you no matter how you stand." Sophia stretched out her legs and arms, glad she could finally relax after traveling all day. "Uh.. Goodnight Andre.."

Sophia smiled to herself slightly as she feel asleep, the first page of the story behind this mysterious aunt had been turned tonight, and Sophia was excited to find out more, explore the shop, and hopefully make her own life here. With plans and questions running through her mind, Sophia slipped off to sleep.

A quiet beeping on her wrist told her it was 8:30am, Sophia groggily poked at the watch on her wrist until the beeping stopped. She suddenly sat up in a panic, her surroundings completely different to that of her usual small apartment bedroom back in Metaorbis. A split second later the memories of the previous day returned. Glancing around, she looked for Andre. "Andre? Goodmorning.."

[Miraboreasu]

Andre sat down in the easy chair and closed his eyes. He wasn't truly sleeping; it was a rest mode, like the monitor of a computer turning black after a set amount of time. But for something that could process many things a second, it was a long night. By the time Sophia was awake, Andre was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. "Good morning, Sophia," he greeted. "I have prepared breakfast for you." It was an omelette, with cheese, bacon, and peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes, as well as some toast, a glass of orange juice and a mug of coffee.

[GracefulFox]

As Sophia stretched she noticed the delicious smell of bacon and coffee. Tumbling off her sofa bed, she strolled over to the kitchen. Andre was busy preparing food, a fresh pot of coffee sat on the bench, and the table was set for one, with a steaming cup of coffee waiting for her. A small pitcher of milk, a sugar jar, and a glass of juice sat waiting, along with a small plate with a piece of toast. The main plate was missing, with Andre busy plating up the omelette he had prepared. At a loss for words, Sophia sat down at the table and Andre delicately placed the plate in front of her.

"Oh.. Wow Andre.. This looks amazing! You sure know how to cook.. Where did all this fresh food come from? Hasn't the house been empty for weeks? ... I mean, aside from you of course."

[Miraboreasu]

"I cultivate a garden on the roof," Andre said. "There was bacon in the freezer, and I keep a chicken in a coop on the roof. I named her 'Kentucky'." He smiled, chuckling. "That is called, 'ironic humor', is it not?"

[GracefulFox]

"Yeah, I believe so." Sophia said, giggling at bit at Andre's joke, and amazed at his productivity here in this house. She tasted the omelette, it was perfectly cooked, and delicious. She took another bite, savoring the taste. "Andre," Sophia spoke between mouthfuls, "I want to reopen the shop and have a big clearout sale. I have been at university training in cooking technology, I'd love to open a restaurant. The old style where you sit down with friends and talk together instead of eating in front of a TV.." She stopped suddenly, aware that she was rambling, and took another few bites of omelette.

[Miraboreasu]

"That is a wonderful dream," Andre sighed. "I will help to open the shop, but I wish to try and find my emotion cards. I do not know where they are, though."