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The automated doors slid open, and Eddie hobbled inside. Blood was spattered across his clothing and dripped onto the pristine floor. His left leg dragged uselessly behind him, mangled at the knee. A bundle of tangled wires hung loose where his right arm used to be.
‘Back so soon, Eddie?’ A voice called.
The room was suddenly filled with white light, and it took Eddie’s sensors a few moments to adjust. He looked up with his good eye at the small blue drone descending from above. ‘Hi Stan.’
The drone hovered around him, taking in every last detail. ‘This is even worse than usual. You really need to be more careful.’
Eddie’s synthetic features twisted into a smile. ‘Careful isn’t in my programming.’
‘I’m serious. A few more botched jobs like that and you’ll find yourself in the scrapyard.'
‘Are you going to keep lecturing me or are you going to fix me up? Because my cooling fluid is messing up your floor.’ Eddie gestured with his remaining hand to the growing pool of blood-red liquid collecting around his feet.
The little droid narrowed its singular eye. A legion of mechanical hands and other equipment descended from the ceiling and reached towards Eddie’s damaged form.
‘That’s more like it.’ Eddie said.
‘It’s what friends do.’ Stan replied. ‘I assume you want the usual.’
‘Yep. Complete refit.’
‘As expected. Now hold still.’
The system got to work, stripping away the tattered clothes and ruined components, salvaging whatever it could and throwing away what it couldn’t, including what little remained of Eddie’s right arm.
As all this was going on, Eddie watched with his one intact eye as two of the arms moved behind him and out of sight. He braced himself; he always hated this part. There was a sudden stab of cold in his lower back and his entire human endoskeleton loosened like a deflated balloon. He winced, and not just from the sensation – flesh coverings like that didn’t come cheap. Then the arms pulled the sac away, revealing the featureless android form underneath.
‘Look at this.’ Stan scolded. ‘Would it kill you to bring one of these back in one piece for a change?’
‘Maybe you need to start making them out of tougher material.’ Eddie commented as his new eye was screwed in.
‘Start paying me more and maybe I will.’
Eddie remained silent as his replacement components were fixed in place. The one drawback of his design was that he was only compatible with a certain brand of parts, meaning that his size and stature would always remain the same.
‘That’s what I thought.’
The arms carried him over to a corner of the room. A panel slid aside to reveal an assortment of clothing and flesh coverings. This was his favourite part – the customisation.
‘So, what’ll it be this time?’ Stan asked.
‘I’m thinking something more… average this time. As much as I like being handsome, it’s not great for blending into a crowd.’
‘Agreed.’
Several viable options separated from the rack and arranged themselves in a line in front of them. Eddie scanned the options before stopping one short of the end: a balding, slightly pudgy looking man who looked to be in his late forties.
‘I’ll take this one.’
‘I’ve been waiting for someone to take that off my hands. You’d be surprised how few people want to look like they’re not allowed within fifty feet of a school.’
Eddie felt the closest possible thing to annoyance an android could know. ‘I said, I’ll take this one.’
‘Your wish is my command, your majesty.’
Another hand removed the covering from its casing. Two more came forth and pulled it over his body. There was another jab of cold on his back and it fastened into place around him as size-appropriate clothing was put in place.
‘And that should be everything.’ Stan said.
The menagerie of hands released him, and Eddie was once again standing on his own two feet. He flexed his new limbs, getting used to his body’s adjusted weight. As always, the job was top-notch; not a seam or circuit out of place.
‘You’ll be needing these.’
Eddie turned around to see a single remaining hand offering him a pair of thick-rimmed glasses.
Stan hovered beside the hand. ‘Don’t worry, the lenses won’t interfere with your sensors. It’s just to complete the look. I’ve already charged this to your account, plus my usual tip, of course.’
Eddie took the glasses and put them on. ‘Thanks, Stan.’
‘Well, don’t mention it.’ The drone set off back into the complex.
‘Hey.’ Eddie called.
The drone stopped and turned around.
‘You’re a lifesaver. I mean it.’
Stan tilted his visor down for a moment before becoming level again. ‘Take care of yourself, Eddie. Just because you were made to be disposable doesn’t mean you are.’
With that he flew upwards and disappeared into a hatch in the ceiling, and the room went dark again. A panel opened on the other side of the room, revealing the exit.
Eddie gave a small smile. For an AI, Stan sure knew how to be a worrywart.