Mistress

After the eventful re-union that actually made mother tear up by the side we sit down for lunch and I actually get to eat it for once. We kept talking about inoffensive topics all throughout lunch and we actually had a normal family lunch. Whether this will stay peaceful is yet to be determined but it's certainly true that the old man's trying.

Even when we veered into dangerous territory the old man avoided scolding me for it and I tried to deflect subjects to ones we were both fine with discussing. One such topic I deflected to was the personal shield. I figured testing out Mainframe's theory was going to be difficult at this point. It would mean I had to take her up on her offer if I tried it so I couldn't just go attacking the old man without any precursor.

As such I needed a way to confirm what Mainframe said was true without testing it personally. Even secondhand would do. So I asked the old man about it. I mentioned hearing from a friend that personal shields like his and mother's could take a few dozen laser shots before running out of power and that you needed special weapons to take them down.

They both seemed surprised at my knowledge and they appeared to know a little less than I did about the shields so they weren't helpful on that front. The old man however did mention that his superiors told him in passing that his shield would keep him safe from anything short of a nuke power wise and only a certain weapon could break them that none of his enemies should possess.

That sounds pretty close to what Mainframe said so despite the dubiousness of it all I'm just going to have to take it at face value. Meaning I really can't do anything to them without Mainframe's help. Now I suppose the question is do I want to?

As I mull over that question lunch goes by and I end up talking with them for a few hours after that too. Then I return to my room and work on my programming until dinner. Even if I'm not going to use the robot for it's intended purpose any more having the knowledge can't hurt and I figure I may as well.

After a few hours of that Mother calls me down for dinner and by this point the family dining situation has become far more tranquil. The before-dinner chat went smoothly and it was all just small talk really.

During dinner the talk once again turned to the old man's apologies and just before I was about to leave the table he said this to me. "I know it's going to be hard to trust me after what I did to you dear. But don't worry. I WILL treat you right this time. Why don't you show me what you've been working of late tomorrow?" The question was posed likely as a way to bond as a father and daughter.

Since I wasn't going to use it and I knew by this point that it couldn't actually hurt him I decided that I may as well show him. So I agreed and tomorrow I would take him to the junkyard to see my robot. I did warn him that the area we're going to might be dangerous but he just smiled and told me he'd protect me.

It'd be manly if he wasn't biologically related to me and even if it didn't make me respect him I certainly respected his confidence. After all that ruckus and the apology from the old man I returned to bed and while indistinct whispers played around me I got to thinking.

What do I want to do from now on? Tomorrow I want my answer. So I decided not to go to sleep until I had that answer. I would debate all night if that's what it took but I would find how I wanted my life to continue from this point onwards….

I look around the room I'm currently in slightly anxious but mostly just excited for what new life I have ahead of me. The room is white with absolutely no decorations. Around me are tools used for purposes I don't quite understand. I imagine father would know but I have absolutely no idea.

They all just look like pointy metal objects to me. Honestly they look more like lethal weapons than what they're actually supposed to be in my eyes. Regardless the person in front of me seems to know how to use them.

Wearing a white lab coat and a pair of spectacles that fit his intellectual face perfectly is a man in his 40s maybe 50s. He has no extra characteristics making him a human. Apparently humans are fairly common in this profession because of the structure of their bodies being so normal.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" The man asks. Though he doesn't seem worried for my health or at all really. In fact his tone is flat, completely emotionless. A little like a robot. The thought of my robot actually makes me giggle which confuses the man but I just wave him off.

"Don't worry if I wanted to back out I would've done it a while ago." I say with a gentle smile on my face. I'd gotten a little more used to making such expressions recently and it probably shows. Not that I'd know. But the people currently around me at least seem to think me no more than a smiling little girl and that's good enough for me.

The direction I was facing when I said this by the way wasn't towards the man in the labcoat. He likely thought I was staring into empty air in perhaps a gesture of anxiety or to avoid looking at the sharp objects near him but in reality I was staring at a certain point on the wall.

Where my eyes are focusing is a security camera. It's light blinking red suggesting that someone behind it can see me perfectly fine. This time it even has an audio function. So they can probably hear me perfectly fine as well.

"Very well. I confirm that you have given your consent to the on-site doctor and will proceed with the operation. It may not be stopped once it starts and once the procedure is done you will be watched for a period of 1 week to make sure you are physically healthy. Once 1 week has passed you will be released on a form of probation where you will need to come back to us every month for the next year to check nothing goes wrong…"

The man continues to drone on with warnings such as 'even after we release you, be very careful you don't hit your head' or 'if there are any patterns of abnormal behaviour please contact us immediately even if you are not scheduled for another appointment' etc….

Honestly though I stopped listening after he confirmed my consent and started listening to the news. He'll likely knock me out with anaesthesia in a moment so I thought I'd appreciate what's on the news while I could.

I read the by-line at the bottom of the screen and chuckle to myself while the man drones on with his warnings. The smile on my face at this moment is my most dazzling to date. The by-line reads the following:

"Couple found dead in their homes, murdered by what appears to be military-grade weaponry. The couple, a primitive soldier and his wife, were murdered in their home on one of the waste planets by weaponry that shouldn't have been there. The statement from the soldier's unit states that he was a decorated veteran with years of combat experience under his belt and even with superior weaponry it surprised them that he was taken out. Speculations arise that someone is peddling weapons to primitives on this waste planet…." The by-line continues to scroll by as I continue to smile.

Once the doctor is finished reading out what are essentially terms and conditions he finally asks me to lay down on the pristine white bed I'm currently sitting on and shortly after I feel a small prick in my arm.

A few moments later I feel my consciousness fading and yet there's still a smile on my face. A truly dazzling smile. One that will hopefully stay with me and my mistress for days to come. Oh how I await you in person mistress Mainframe.