The Repair Shop - Part 2
The Small Business Chronicles: The Repair Shop - Part 2
Chapter One: Working birthday
Jack walked into his lab, feeling like it was like no other day. Despite it being his birthday, he still had to work to generate income, but unlike most other people, he didn’t mind. He was one of the few people whose primary hobby was their primary job, so he actually enjoyed it. Even more so, it helped him pass the time for the evening, when Gabby treated him to her best cooking, and later sex, of the year.
Also, unlike most other weeks when Jack might be working on several androids at once, this time he was working on just one. A partier model that had broken down during a night of rather intense partying.
Jack sighed as he read the report on the android…this partier model had apparently been dragged along to several clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some people thought just because they were androids, they could handle more than a real person, but even the androids had limits.
Still, this particular one was kind of cute. She had a tomboyish appearance with dark colored hair pixie cut, with purple highlights in the back, and a plump face. Her face was only a little made up, with coloring around her eyes. She had shutdown with a friendly smile on her face.
She was still wearing her outfit, a simple pair of jeans and a black shirt; they smelled strongly of booze and drugs.
“Well Jenny, let’s see what’s wrong with you,” Jack said conversationally to her….old habits die hard. He then planted a few remote access devices on her to remotely access her systems, choosing to wait a bit before opening her up.
Jack was nearly an hour delving into her systems when he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the lift. He looked up to see who it was, hearing the sound of footsteps and a hand truck. Finally, Kat rounded the corner from the lift hallway, delivering a large case.
“Oh, hey Kat,” Jack said, saving his work, “What do you have for me?”
“A delivery just arrived…for you,” she said, looking at the packing slip, “Did you order something without telling me?” she asked.
“No, not that I can think of,” he said with a confused look, “Does it say who it’s from?”
“Yes,” she smiled, “Someone named Ellie Wren”
“Ah, that’s my cousin,” Jack smiled, taking the packing slip, “Hmmm, a few months ago she called Gabby and was plotting something for my birthday, I guess this is it,” he muttered.
“Well, did you want me to leave it here, or take it back up?” Kat asked.
Jack thought about it for a while. “Leave it, as a matter of fact, let’s get it set up on my new arrival table,” he told her, gesturing towards a table that was designed to fit a standard Spaztec delivery box.
It was clear from the box that his cousin had sent him some sort of android, but he couldn’t imagine what type she would send. Once Kat had helped him secure the box, he thanked her and asked her to leave. He always liked opening up these boxes in private. And, he figured, regardless of whatever android Ellie sent him, he’d still have fun starting fresh with a brand new model.
After a few moments decided if he should wait, he finally placed his palm on the security pad and watched as the box unsealed itself. Once he saw what lay nestled inside, he let out a gasp.
Chapter Two: A most unexpected gift
Nestled comfortably in the packing mold was an exact replica of Ellie…at least, Jack assumed it was. Ellie was one to play practical jokes, and having herself mailed to Jack wouldn’t be too difficult for her.
Jack gently probed her skin, and quickly determined the form of Ellie laying before him was indeed an android. Now Jack was awestruck, seeing that his cousin liked him so much she had an android made in her image and sent it to him, of all people.
“Well, I see this is the surprise you were planning with Gabby,” Jack whispered. It all made sense now, and, the best part was, because Ellie was a family member, Gabby’s jealousy protocols wouldn’t interfere with any fun he might have with her.
Seeing he had nothing to do but wait for Jenny’s preliminary diagnostics to complete, Jack reached in and carefully pulled the Ellie android free from the foam. It was no small feat, since Ellie was a slightly overweight girl in her mid-twenties. Fortunately Jack was wearing a power amplification brace, which allowed him to carry much more than normal.
She looked fairly normal now, but when she was a kid she had a stunted growth due to a medical condition. She was currently wearing a simple set of girls clothes…the same clothes she wore when they last met, actually. A sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers.
It took Jack a while, but he finally carried the body over to one of his examination tables and prepared to activate her. He was getting excited, because he didn’t usually get to see his cousin, and she was a very fun person to be with…at least he thought so. She was the oddball of her family, having almost no social boundaries and being a friend to everyone. Her parents and brother, on the other hand, were pretty mean people. Ellie got out of her parents’ house as soon as she could, helped along by Jack, who financed her entire time at college.
Once he had her secure on the table, he walked back over to the box to retrieve the control tab from the compartment below where Ellie was packed in. When he pulled out and activated the tab, a personal message from Ellie was the first thing that popped up.
“Dear Cousin…” it began. “I hope my birthday present for you does not come as a total surprise. I really wanted to give you something to thank you for helping me through college. I know most people would have wanted to be paid back with money, but I know you better. This is a perfect friend model android, built in my image and with all relevant memories from my experiences of school and of you. I also programmed in some basic android repair programs, though I know full well you’ll probably enhance them so she can help you around your repair shop. I also wanted you to have this android because I will be moving to Alaska to assume my duties as manager of a new touring company in the Aleutian Islands. As such, we will probably not see each other in person as frequently as before. I will be sending periodic memory updates to her so she’ll always be up to date. I hope you enjoy her! Love, Ellie”
Jack smiled as he finished reading it. She was the only relative who reached out to him after his parents were killed, and she occasionally came over to visit him and his Uncle Morty. He paid for her college stay from the surplus leftover from the shop, and he wasn’t even thinking of asking her to pay him back. Still, looking at her, he figured he could use her for something.
He swiped out of the personal message and checked out the basic stats of his new Ellie android. Jack whistled as he saw the specs…top of the line. Clearly Ellie spared no expense treating her favorite cousin. After he finished reading the specs, he concluded she was now his most advanced android…aside from Gabby, of course.
“Well Ellie, let’s get you turned on,” Jack said, toggling through the tablet until he reached the activation menu. He entered in his own personal identification code and allowed the camera to scan his face to confirm his identity, then, he waited as Ellie activated.
The anticipation built in Jack as he patiently waited for her systems to finish their first time startup sequences. Finally, they finished and her eyes quickly came open, immediately focusing on his. She did nothing but smile before saying, in her usual cheerful voice, “Hello cousin!”