Chapter Text
||Chapter 1 - A New Beginning in an Old Way|| (Prologue)
“Oh yes, yes, right over there,” an old man in a wheelchair stated with a chuckle. "I paid a pretty penny for that one, I don't want a scratch on it," he added, his humor tinged with a slight seriousness, as he addressed the young men moving the box.
They carefully placed the box in the living room, on the pale peach-colored carpet which covered the floor, right next to it were shelves filled with old memorabilia and faces lost even to the man's own memories. "Need anything else, sir?" one of the young men asked politely.
"No, no, that'll be all. Thank you, gentlemen," replied the old man as he watched the young men leave. Slowly, he rolled his wheelchair closer to the box, wearing a faint smile of anticipation. The blue doll-like box with white accents read "Sterling Robotics," and above it, the name "Evelyn" was stamped with care. With a gentle touch, he slowly opened the box.
Inside stood a feminine robotic figure dressed in a baby blue dress and a white apron, frills atop her head, wearing a faint, distant smile flanked by two big pink blush marks. Her eyes were closed, waiting to be activated. Her hair, a dark copper shimmer, was tied up in a short updo with slight braids horizontally placed on the back of her head.
"Now... how did they say I could get you working?" the man muttered to himself, reaching out to touch her hand. With a blink, she opened her eyes and settled her gaze on the man in the wheelchair. "Good evening, you must be Lieutenant Stresser. I am Evelyn, and it's an honor to meet you," she said, squatting down slightly to meet his gaze.
He gave a slight boyish chuckle, giving her a slight wave before turning his head to the side. "Hello, Miss Evelyn. Pleasure to meet you too," he said while adjusting himself in the chair. "I am told that you'd need some help around the house, as well as some general assistance with outside activities and shopping," she continued, the late evening sun reflecting off her blue electronic eyes.
"Now there, Missy, these bones may be old, but I ain't incompetent," he replied, chuckling. "Oh, I'm sorry if I offended-"
"No, no, I was just tugging on your leg," he interrupted with a smile. Evelyn laughed candidly, and Mr. Stresser chuckled in response.
"I have a room set up for you in the basement. Not much, used to be a spare bedroom, but no ones stayed in it for a long while, so I thought it'd be put to better use by you," Mr. Stresser explained.
"Thank you, sir! That's very kind of you," Evelyn said, perking up with a smile and a tilt of her head.
Mr. Stresser checked his watch before calmly stating, "Well, seems like it's time for me to take my medicine. Make yourself at home; there's some cleaning to do if you're up for it. I'm sure you can find your way around; not the biggest home there is." He joked
"Very well, sir! I'm excited to be of service!" Evelyn replied enthusiastically.
After the man had used his chairlift to head upstairs, Evelyn let out an excited squeak and promptly started exploring her new home.
The home itself was, as the man had stated, not large by any means, but Evelyn was nonetheless politely ecstatic the whole time. Ever since her initial training, she wanted to care for an older gentleman or woman, and lucky for her, that's exactly who she was made for.
The first floor had a small bathroom that hadn't been used for a long time and a closet filled with old clothes and the smell of mothballs.
The living room had an old couch and a few chairs surrounding a TV, a coffee table in the center of it all, along with dusty bookcases lining the wall, filled with books that hadn't been read in many years. Old trinkets and toys also lay there, in need of a good dusting. The walls displayed old photos of a young Mr. Stresser, photos of him in various ranks of his military career, some with other soldiers and robots, and others with just him. There were also photos of other soldiers by themselves in uniform some standing next to old war robots.
The kitchen had only one other chair at the table and a fridge with some eggs, beer, and a jug of milk, two days expired. Evelyn, after looking in the fridge and cabinets made a little list of ingredients and spices for Mr. Stresser to read.
What caught her gaze the most in this small home was the backyard—an unkempt and overgrown garden in the center of the garden; surrounded by rose bushes was an old mossy fountain. Evelyn knew she had a big project ahead of her, and she couldn't wait to take it on.
After tidying up the first floor she took her box and the items that came with it. She put the Sterling robotic nanny guide book on the coffee table in front of the couch and the certificate of authenticity on top of it. Then, she made her way downstairs, pressed against the wall next to the chairlift rails, eager to see her new room. As she got downstairs, she flipped the light switch, revealing a small basement. There, in front of her, was the room that would become her new home.
Before going into her room, Evelyn looked around the basement, placing her box beside the wall. There was a washing machine next to a dryer in the corner of the room, and a basket of unwashed clothes lay on top of the dryer. On the wall opposite of the washing machine and dryer were shelves full of old dusty boxes, long-unused Christmas decorations, and cleaning supplies and dusters that she knew she’d soon become familiar with.
However, what piqued her curiosity the most was a box of old photos. She hesitated for a moment, knowing it would be rude to look inside, and ultimately decided not to, choosing to respect the privacy of Mr. Stresser's memories until she could ask about them herself. She then entered the room that would become her new home, opened the door, and pulled the string of the dangling light, illuminating the space.
The room was old and musty, with dust settled except around the places where objects had been moved for her charging station. On the walls, there was only an old cross and a dusty clock that surprisingly still ticked. "8:57," she read, knowing Mr. Stresser was an early-to-bed, early-to-rise person from his file. She decided not to go upstairs as she didn't want to wake him, although she would have loved to continue her exploration.
With a happy heart, she settled at her charging station, preparing her mind for the day ahead, excited for what was to come.