Here is is! Chapter 4 of FutureBlog! When last we read from Sato in the year 2222, he had been told to not investigate any story down in the Machine Levels and had been assigned a security android who would watch his every move. Her name is Ryca… If you haven’t but want to, you can read chapter 3 and chapter 2. Want to start at the beginning? Do that here! Or just start reading!
22220809 posted by Sato Nakamoto
I knew Ryca was going to be a problem if I wasn’t proactive. I am comfortable around technology but not to the level of being able to take apart an android or control it any way other than it’s intended methods. So that meant, I’d need help.
I asked my old friend Arif to stop by and help me out. He complained a bit, his field not being robotics, but he gave in for his old friend, Sato.
When he arrived, Ryca said nothing. I gestured for Arif to enter, and then gestured to Ryca. “Arif, this is Ryca. Ryca, Arif.”
“Hi,” Arif said, holding up his left hand, creating a static wave. Ryca was silent for a moment.
“Is she deactivated?” Arif was as puzzled as I.
“I don’t know. Have you ever had a robot before?”
“Me neither,” Arif said.
“So, what do we do?”
“I told you, Sato! I never had one and this isn‘t my field!”
“So, why did you come over?”
“Well, you’re one of my oldest friends and you said you’d treat me to dinner and I’m hungry.”
“Not tonight and what are we going to do about Ryca?” I said, gesturing to Ryca who, at that very moment turned her head toward us and spoke. “My apologies. I was syncing my memory and updating my firmware. It was a large update. My systems should be fully functional in a few moments.”
Arif produced a small, palm-sized device.
“What is that? Actually, wait—” Ryca, are your sensors picking up our voices currently?”
“My systems are still updating.”
“Quick—what is that. It’s a thing.”
“A thing?”
“A thing I got from a friend.”
“A friend? What friend? And what is the thing?”
“It’s going to hack your ‘bot for you.”
“Great! Do it! Use it—quick before the firmware update is complete!”
Arif nodded, somewhat flustered and held the palm-sized device to the back of Ryca’s neck and tapped it. A bright orange spark popped from the base of Ryca’s skull causing Arif to jump back from her, quite terrified.
“Are you ok?” I asked seeing Arif holding his left hand. “Are you ok, Arif? Is your hand ok?”
He shook his left hand around trying to “shake off” the pain but I could see it was very red. “You are hurt!”
“I am hurt.” He looked almost hurt that he was hurt.
“Is someone hurt?” Ryca asked, startling both of us.
“Uh, yes, Ryca. There was an accident while you were updating your firmware. Arif, here, he burned his hand.”
“I am equipped with medical service capabilities. Does this apartment have a legally required medical aid kit?”
Arif and I exchanged nervous glances as I nodded at her. “Yes, it’s in my kitchen.”
My apartment is not big, so it took me all of thirty seconds to grab the kit and put it on the table in front of her. “Thank you. Injured person—”
“Arif,” I said gesturing him to step over to Ryca.
“Injured person’s name is Arif. Very good. Arif, please extend the part of your body that has been injured in front of me. Arif held out his left arm and immediately, Ryca’s head tilted and spotlights coming from her eyes illuminated the patch of bright red skin on his hand.
“Injury appears to have been caused by a plasma burn. Specifically, one of five proprietary versions of Paraplasma. A plasma invented by a consortium of mecha companies including the corporation that created me.”
“Uh, that’s great, Ryca, but can you treat him?”
She was silent as she cocked her head and looked at me. Finally, she emitted the sound of words. “Y-y-y-yes. Of course.”
She sounds different, Sato. Doesn’t she sound different?”
“She does at that, Arif. She does at—”
“Do you think she can still treat my plasma burn?”
“Why not?”
“My sensors are registering your voices and my smart algorithms are understanding you both as far as I can tell.”
I decided that was her telling us to not talk about her like she wasn’t in the room.
“Right, sorry, Ryca! So, please treat Arif’s wound.”
“Sure thing!” She reached into the medical aid kit and pulled out the disinfectant emitter. She held the narrow, rectangular, metal object somewhat cumbersomely with her almost knife-like fingers. It reminded me of how a human would pick up a wet piece of food from the floor.
“So, Ryca,” Arif began, “you ever treat a wound like this before?”
“No, but I have access to instructions on how to treat you medically, so I will have no trouble. Also, you are human life and therefore, I must protect your health and wellbeing.”
We both nodded awkwardly as she activated the disinfectant emitter with a finger that disjointed and extended to reach the emitter’s trigger. Is she pressed it the bulb on top of the device began to send disinfectant waves over the damaged tissue.
I decided then was a good time to ask her a question. “Hey Ryca, if you’re interested in protecting the health of humans, what would you do if I told you I knew about a human who was lost in the Machine Levels?”
She finished with the disinfectant and moved onto the dermal regenerator. The dermal regenerator was a similar design but wider and taller making it easier for her to hold in her hand like a human would.
“I would suggest that someone should be sent to get them as soon as possible. According to the data I can access, it is not safe to live in the Machine Levels if you are a human. Not for long periods of time. Anyway.”
Arif gave me a look that Ryca immediately noticed. We both became self-conscious. I worried she’d worked out that we were up to something.
“All done. Please rinse the effected area with water in one hour if you feel any irritation,” she said as she replaced the dermal generator in the medical kit and closed the lid.
“Thank you!” Arif said relieved to see his hand was much less red than it had been and no longer hurt. It’s so rare that we get hurt, generally speaking, it was a small miracle Ryca was there to help! Of course, it was our fault she was needed but, moving on…
“Arif, let me see you to the door, old friend!”
“What about dinner?” he asked as I gently shoved him toward the door.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean tonight. I have work tonight. As soon as my schedule opens up, I’ll let you know.”
“Sato, I know when you say that it means you have no idea—” Not knowing what else to do, I quickly hugged him to get him to stop talking.
“Why are you hugging me? You’re not a hugger.”
“Where did you get that device? It’s totally changed her!”
“I… can’t tell you.”
“You simply must tell me, Arif.”
He pulled away from me shaking his head. Even if it means never having dinner with you—I can’t tell you. I wanted to help you so I called in a tall favor.”
A “tall favor” means the favor was asked of someone in a high place. My heart skipped because my old friend reminded me of how much our friendship means to him and us… and me.
“Thank you, Arif.” He smiled as I continued: “Now get out—I’ve got a story to work on.”
Arif wished me luck and left my apartment. “Is there a human living in the Machine Levels?”
She just instigated a question on her own. Is that normally what robots can do? I suppose if their algorithms tell them to. But there was concern in her voice.
“This is a person who is very important to me, Ryca. She is in danger for her health and possibly her life. I’d like to go get her because no one else believes me that she is down there.”
“Do you not have proof?”
“Just what I saw and experienced. The only reason I am alive is because of her.”
“Very good. I understand.”
“You do?”
“Of course. A life is in danger and saving a life is one of the most important thing I can do. My job is to report you if you go to the Machine Levels without permission, but… if I decide to go to the Machine Levels to save this woman, you would have to come with me because I cannot leave you alone.”
“Ok…” I really need to know what Arif’s little dev did to this ‘bot.
“Ok?”
“So, will you report me if you go to the M’s and I accompany you?”
“The M’s? Oh, you mean the Machine Levels. I would only need to report you if youwent to the Machine—the M’s on your own volition. Since you will be joining me, a report should not be necessary according to the parameters of my command orders.”
I wondered if she could see how much tension I was feeling at that moment. I had to be as sure as I could be that she was not going to turn against me. “I just need to know that you and I… that we’re on the same team.”
“Of course. I understand the team metaphor and it is accurate.”
It felt entirely too good to be true…
Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be out next week, assuming I can edit it in time! Got thoughts on FutureBlog?
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