Life Ahead of Time : Chapter 1

It was strange as I stood staring at this thing, 5’ 8, dark hair, grey eyes. The strangest thing was she just stood there blank. She wore some uniformed clothing shimmering grey jumpsuit style thing. The only sign that this thing was different from me was the cord that ran from the back of her to the socket on the kitchen wall of my one bed flat.

The light on the socket flickered indicating the new machine was now fully charged, as I stared at the manual in thought. Government guidelines now meant every household in the UK was to be issued with these new service model androids. Each was built using data from various places that our governments have access to including internet history, social media interactions, some believe even details of past relationships can play a factor.

The service androids also come with various bits and pieces in their box entitled personalisation kit, which is basically a form we can send back to the manufacturer and have details changed, eye colour, hair, I suspect those were for the more obsessive of people. Still staring at this instruction manual and the guidelines and laws related to this one single piece of technology are enough to melt my brain in a puddle of confusion.

The only option I have is to skip the terms, conditions and legal guidelines to the installation and start-up of your new service android. Once charged … blah blah yea I’ve done that bit, touch the base of your service androids skull until you hear a sound.

I circle the android before reaching to touch the polymer that serves as skin, oddly it feel like flesh, cold but life like, another scary point about these things, they appear human, incredibly so. As my hand slips over the base of the skull there is a bleep and a whir deep inside her, before she staggers a step forward.

“Please stand by, initialisation in progress,” She states in a flat tone.

I move back around to see her eyes have now turned a lighter blue as her eyelids flutter, I assume setting herself up much like the first install of a household PC. I wonder if they even bother to test them before they ship them. Hmm something for the internet search later.

“Initialisation complete, Hello I am service android model Delta Zero Four,” She was fourth generation and the first built for domestic interaction, the first generation were hit and miss at best and largely built and used in Japan or China, second generation were sent into more hazardous working environments, nuclear power plants, mining for rare minerals or coal, some on oil rigs in the oceans. The third generation also were for employment but to most other industries as a result more than 75% of our work force is now machine based, efficiency of those industries is around 90% or higher. Supermarkets, post, even the street cleaners are all now machine based.

So here they are the 4^th generation and built for domestic.

“Please authenticate Alpha User,” She stared at me now waiting on my name? I wondered I could say anything, but they were also able to tell a lie, the police force also used them in those roles and for hostage negotiations.

“Um, oh right, I’m James,” I managed to reply, her eyes fluttered then she looked dead at me with what I presumed was a smile “Hello James, I am now registered as your personal Service Android, you may of course change my designation, may I have permission to connect to your home network and check for updates to my hard code?”

I made my way to my router and hit the button that allowed wifi device to connect, another technical evolution preventing keys being hacked, the button created a temporary signal that a device picked up to and then authenticated to the network, if that signal wasn’t broadcasting no device was allowed to connect. It was also a short range signal to prevent external devices locking on while it was broadcasting the connection signal.

Again her eyes fluttered before her head cocked to the left slightly, a moment later and again she smiled, this time with far more realism, honestly again a little disconcerting.

“Update complete, would you like me to list changes made to my hard code?” She stated, it was always odd to me how matter of fact the technological world was, everything they did was just so precise.

“Only if there’s a short version,” I muttered in reply.

“Updates to facial motor systems, update to language databases, update to operational standard systems, update to anti tampering software, update to anti-viral software,” I feared this could go on a while as I shook my head.

“That’s enough,” I grumbled.

“Of course James, do you wish me to begin the housework?” She replied, again considering my dismissive nature she remained happy and compliant, I motioned to the room and shrugged, she seemingly gauged my intent and moved off to begin her pre-programmed duties.

I watched her for a moment before making my way to the couch and taking the Instruction Manual with me carried on looking through it, most of it was stuff I already knew from the adverts, news feeds, pages on the internet, she was programmed to do housework, laundry, all those tasks we people tended to either do when we felt like it or tended to overlook.

It was as I read the manual that I discovered bits I didn’t know, the series four model had variants.

Alpha Models were again industrial models, though much more efficient in their work, Beta models were well duh test models for whatever needed testing and were the most expensive due to insane insurance costs, oh yea we get a year’s free insurance for damage though for the most part they can self-repair, there are things they cannot, pushing them from extreme heights was the manuals example, really who pushes them from such heights as to cause that level of damage? Charlie models were for families with children, they were programmed with nanny abilities as well, the Delta models were more companions than housemaid, and though their primary function remained they could provide conversation and companionship to single people. I guess my government think I’m some weird lonely kid alone by choice, which thinking about it is kinda true.

It didn’t take long before my wreck of a flat started to look cleaner, and by default much neater, the piles of dishes in the sink vanished replaced by a drainer full of clean ones, the washing machine also saw its first real work out since I had got the thing a year ago. She continued to work and I continued to read.

“You know all information is contained within my neural data network, you need only ask,” She stated as she walked past me I guess on the way to the bathroom or bedroom to continue cleaning.

“I prefer to read,” I replied.

“Of course James, as you wish,” If I hadn’t have known better I would have sworn she sounded hurt, I pushed the thought aside and continued reading.

I had skimmed more than three quarters of the instruction manual by the time I began to feel myself getting tired, so I rolled off the couch and stood making my way to my bedroom, my service android was on her way out “Good night James,” she stated softly and moved past me, she stopped and looked back “I will finish my duties then place myself in a charge cycle, if this is confirmed by you of course,”

“Yea sure,” I replied and headed to bed.