Chapter Text
Tales of Beacon City: Year One
An Anniversary Fanfiction Created by Uncle Scraps
[F]
Stemley Residence: Me and Franny’s Room
08/18/2004
[F]
[WAKE-UP PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED! GREAT MORNING FRANNY!]
[UPLOADING CALANDER AND EVENTS! COMMENCING FULL SYSTEM CHECK: NO SYSTEM ERRORS DETECTED!]
[WARNING: NANDROID PROTOCOLS DISABLED! PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE UNAUTHORIZED TAMPERING OF ANDROID SOFTWARE IS A VIOLATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF STERLING ROBOTICS!]
[WARNING: NOTIFICATION SYSTEM MODIFIED! NANDROID PROTOCOLS NOTIFICATIONS DISABLED! PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE UNAUTHORIZED TAMPERING OF ANDROID SOFTWARE IS A VIOLATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF STERLING ROBOTICS!]
[REMINDER: THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR YOUR FAMILY AND HAVE A PRODUCTUIVE AND POSITIVE DAY!]
Franny’s optics blinked as she slowly rose from the bed, stretching for a bit before she looked around for a moment, the morning sunlight was shining brightly on the bed and slowly but surely creeping forward with each passing second. As Franny turned over to the nightstand beside her, she picked up her phone that was charging on said nightstand and checked the time, groaning in exhaustion before she placed the phone back on the nightstand.
“Gah! stupid wake-up protocols…and on a Saturday too…” Franny muttered to herself as she wrapped herself back in the covers and closed her optics. “Just…just five more minutes…”
As Franny started to drift back into sleep mode, she turned around and reached over the covers, her hand searching for something that wasn’t there, or rather…someone who wasn’t there beside her.
Franny opened one of her optics to see that I was not in the bed beside her. Confused, Franny rose her head from her pillow and looked around our room. Seeing that I was nowhere to be found. Normally, this wasn’t that abnormal for me to get up before Franny on a weekend, but in the times I did, I would often do something like leave a note for Franny, or I’d kiss my wife good morning. But for today, I did neither, and I for a good reason to do so.
As Franny removed her charging cable and was about to step out of bed, her feet inches away from touching the floor, Franny could hear the sound of footsteps down the hallway as she then smelled an aroma of something sweet, like maple syrup.
Having made breakfast for both the Flagg family more times than she could count, Franny was all too familiar with the smell, but as for the footsteps, that too didn’t require much thought as to the source.
It was at this moment that Franny saw a tall man entered the bedroom room. This man with short blond hair and a scraggly beard who was wearing a black t-shirt under a red and plaid long sleeve and jeans was none other than me, Raymond Stemley, Franny’s ever-loving husband!
In my hands, I was carefully holding a wooden serving tray by the handles, and on this tray, laid two plates of breakfast. Waffles with syrup and butter, toast with mixed jam, bacon, and two mugs of fresh coffee (With Franny’s coffee mug being a coffee mug from Waffle House). Upon seeing that Franny was wide awake, my eyes beamed as an excited smile stretched across my face.
“Aw, Fran! Here I was hoping you would be still asleep before I got here.” I said as I approached Franny, who upon seeing the tray beamed with joy as she sat up in the bed, allowing me to place said tray on her lap. “I wanted this to be a surprise for you.”
“Well, you still managed to do that!” Franny commented with a chuckle, smiling warmly at me before I leaned over to kiss Franny on the lips. “Wow! Breakfast in bed, for me? Mission accomplished solder!”
Excited by Franny’s reaction, I quickly crawled onto the bed to sat besides his wife, grapping the tray and gently pulling it horizontally to extend it before, both Franny and I began to eat breakfast.
“You know…I just realized …” Franny said to me, covering her mouth as she munched on her piece of waffle. “…I’ve made breakfast in bed so many times for Annette and Gerald, and yet, I’ve never considered even having someone do it for me until this very moment.”
“Well, it’s funny you should say that.” I chimed in as I took a sip of my coffee. “While I was fetching our breakfast from the Waffle House, Barb says “Hi!” by the way, I realized on the ride back home that I’ve never made you breakfast in bed prior to now. Granted, I didn’t actually make your breakfast, which kinda ruins the point of-…”
“Raymond, it’s fine. Really.” Franny reassured me, touching my arm as she smiled warmly at me, causing me to smile back bashfully. “But next time, you better make something. Got it?”
“Yes ma’am! Loud and clear!” I replied with a chuckle as I saluted my hand, which was still holding my fork with a piece of waffle skewered on it, towards Franny. Said salute had caused a dollop of syrup to drip onto my hair, and as I tried to wipe the syrup off my head (which made the situation worse) the sight of such an endeavor from me made Franny chuckle.
“So, Franny, we need to discuss the elephant in the room…” I said, blissfully unaware of the maple syrup that was still stuck in my hair. “Now, have you considered the reason *why* I “made” you breakfast in bed? Hmm?”
Franny stopped eating for a second, pondering the idea as she took a break to drink her coffee. Upon swallowing the hot, smooth, semi-bitter brew, Franny provided her answer to me.
“Hmm…well it isn’t our anniversary yet, clearly…” Franny replied, looking down to her lap as she pondered the question. As my wife was deep in thought, I continued eating, occasionally looking over to Franny, and smiling warmly at her. “…it’s not your birthday yet…we just had mine back in July…so…okay! I’ll bite, what’s the occasion?”
I looked to Franny with a cheeky smile as I reached into my shirt pocket and pulled out a small card, handing it to Franny. Upon taking the card from me and looking at it, Franny’s optics widened as she instantly recognized it as her Nandroid ID card, the very same card she was given upon being registered as the Nandroid for our family.
Franny froze as she held the card tightly in her hands, reading the text on the front carefully, just as she did the day she first received it.
STERLING ROBOTICS ANDROID NANNY IDENTIFICATION CARD
ANDROID DESIGNATION: 74-F549
ANDROID NAME: Franny
OWNER: Raymond Willard Stemley
ADDRESS: 1120 Hornbeam Drive, Hawthorn Grove, NB, 29190
“This…this is…was… my ID…” Franny said, her optics locked on the face printed on the ID, the face of the Nandroid that she once was. “…I…I completely forgot that I had this. Where did you find it?”
“Find it? I’ve always had it.” I explained as I pulled out his wallet from my pocket, showing the small compartment in my wallet for cards and IDs and pointing out the specific place where the Nandroid ID had resided. “When you first came to live with us, I’ve always had your ID on hand in case there was an emergency. But now begs the question: Do you remember *when* you first got it?”
“Of course I do…” Franny said, handing back the ID to me before she took another sip of her coffee. “Like you just said, I got my ID back when I first came to live with you.”
“Exactly…” I said with an excited grin, leaning my head on my hand as I munched on a piece of bacon. “…that was one year from today!!!”
Franny paused, the realization of my words seemed to rocked Franny to her very core as a cache of memories came flowing back all at once for the Nandroid.
{F}
One year! It’s only been one year since Franny’s life changed for the better, since my life changed for the better. One year since I rescued the Nandroid who’d become my wife from the clutches of Lucy, and she came to live with our family.
In the months following her adoption into the Stemley clan, Franny would learn that there’s more to her life than being a Nandroid, and that she had so much more to give, to receive. Since that day she stepped out of Sterling Robotics with me by her side, Franny would learn to live and to love. She’d learn not only to love others, like me, but also to love herself, and to allow herself to be so much more than what was expected by our society.
But it is important to also note the changes she made not just for herself, but for those around her who changed as well. Of course, I’m talking about how Franny helped me change as well.
Before Franny, I was in this state of emotional entropy, my time in the war had ruined not only my body, but my mind and spirit too. All the pain, the loss, and the sheer carnage I witnessed had shattered me, and whatever was left was nothing short than a broken man, numb to the world.
But through Franny, I was able to piece myself together and with her help and her love, I was able to face my demons, and like Franny, I emerged as a better man, a man who could and would endure the same pain and suffering twice over for the sake of my love for Franny, who I’d know would do the same for me.
Sure, our journey together had its dizzying highs and dreadful lows, but in the end, Franny and I emerged victorious, and have been rewarded with the love we have for one another. To think that one year ago today, there were these two souls who thought they couldn’t feel human, and then one year later, they both would find themselves as something much more.
{F}
“Happy Anniversary Fran!” I whispered warmly, kissing Fran on the cheek. “Thank you for always being you!"
Franny smiled at me as she wiped coolant from her optics before she handing her ID back to me, so I could put it back in my wallet. I couldn’t help but smiled and chuckle fondly at my wife as I could see that she, touched by such a gesture as this, was trying her best not to cry in front of me. I quickly pulled Franny into a hug, allowing her to rest her head against my chest. Franny’s tear-ridden optics widened as she heard the drum beat once again, the very same drum that awoke Franny’s core…no! Her own heart.
With that, Franny couldn’t hold back anymore, and she started to cry, burying her head into my chest as she clung to me. Fighting back his own tears, I smiled and chuckling warmly as I held Franny in my arms. Embraced my wife tenderly as out coffee cooled down with each passing minute.
[F]
Beacon City: Highway
[F]
After a nice lukewarm breakfast with a cathartic chaser Franny and I decided to take a drive over to Beacon City for her annual checkup at Sterling HQ. Since Franny’s annual maintenance check was required to occur at Sterling HQ (in light of the continued protests these past couple of months), we decided to make a day out of the trip, travel around to look at the shops, see the sights and maybe have a bite too while we’re there.
The drive to Beacon City couldn’t be any more pleasant! The sun was shining, and while the weather was warm, a cool consistent summer breeze had helped keep things perfectly balanced. Franny was in the passenger seat beside me, wearing her blue polo with the white collar and her long goldenrod skirt, along with a pair of red sunglasses (Nandroids don’t really need them, but ever since our ill-fated cruise on the S.S Mendenhall last year, Franny likes to wear them anyway).
As “Welcome Home Son by Radical Face” was playing on the radio, I talked about the new school year that was supposed to start next week, while Franny discussed the idea of joining on as a teacher’s assistant, or at the very least, finding a job for herself.
“…so, in that case, we’ll first have to get you a either a bus pass or a driver’s license, and then there’s the matter of finding a job that you’d like. Some people may have issues with hiring an android, especially in this political climate, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” I explained to Franny, my eyes darting between the road and the passing billboards. “Now, I know you’re obviously very good at caregiving (considering that’s what you’re made for), but what else would you be interested in outside of that?”
“Hmmm…I’ve really come to enjoy gardening thanks to Anne…and cooking too.” Franny replied, fixing her shirt before she adjusted her shades. “Wait, if I get a driver’s license, would that mean I would have my own car?”
“Huh? Well…I supposed that’s probably what we’d have to do, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet.” I replied as I could see the exit for Beacon City, barely missing it. “Maybe we could see about getting you registered at some point, probably when I have winter break off so I can help with that. As much as I would ask the folks to help you, I still remember when Pa had me practice my driving and…whew! If you want shellshock like me, just have him teach you to drive.”
As I turned the car into the exit towards Beacon City, Franny looked out the window, imagining herself driving our family around Hawthorn Grove for errands, or going on a Sunday drive with her sisters. Oh, how nice it would for Franny to spend time with her sisters again, just like the good old days.
[F]
Beacon City
[F]
Since the assassination of the Nirmata way back in May, many androids and supporters of android rights have been protesting all across Beacon City in response to the robotics companies who’ve been using the assassination as a means to oppose and undermine the Tech Union’s meeting to revise the Android Ethics Act. Since May of last year, many of the protests have bled out onto the streets, causing traffic, and in some cases entire business, to come to a grinding halt.
As Franny and I sat in traffic, I leaned his head out of the car window to look ahead, seeing a group of humans and androids making body chains across the walkways of a street intersection, blocking any cars from passing by while they stood in defiance. Each person and android in the protest chain were wearing a plain white t-shirt with a specific letter spray-painted on the front and back of the shirt. The letters on the body chain read the following on both sides of the shirt:
“J-U-S-T-I-C-E--F-O-R--T-H-E--N-I-R-M-A-T-A-!!!”
Along with this, the humans and androids in the chain were chanting the following:
“WE WALK THE PATH OF JUSTICE!!! WE WALK THE PATH OF PEACE!!!”
“WE WALK THE PATH OF JUSTICE!!! WE WALK THE PATH OF PEACE!!!”
“WE WALK THE PATH OF JUSTICE!!! WE WALK THE PATH OF PEACE!!!”
“Sweet Christmas! Every month, these protests are getting more and more out of hand!” I sighed as I pulled my head back into the car. “Russell says that these protests are now happening daily and there popping up in cities pretty much everywhere, towns too. It’s now getting so bad that you can only get anywhere by foot anymore, and if you work for a robotics company like General Robotics or Sterling, you can’t go anywhere without getting jumped. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t not a promising idea to drive to the city.”
“Yeah…I’ve never seen Beacon City so wound up before, not even the Expo Incident was this chaotic.” Franny replied sadly as she looked out the car window, seeing protesters marching outside on the sidewalk side by side. One protester in the rear of the group stopped to spray painting the words “Androids are not slaves!!!” on the side of the skyscraper he was passing by before he was grabbed by two cops and dragged away, flailing and screaming as the cops put him in their car. “Even Hawthorn’s starting to feel the effects of the protests. Speaking of Hawthorne, you’ve met the new Nandroids for the Mendenhall’s, Right? Polly told me that her name’s “Debbie,” and that she’s supposed to be the new replacement for…well…you know…Molly.”
I looked to Franny and nodded, seeing the sad look in my wife’s optics in the reflection of the car’s window. I then sighed as I noticed a narrow street and turning into it as a means to escape the deadlocked traffic.
“So…while we’re on that topic, how’re *you* holding up?” I asked Franny as I glanced at my wife again, trying to navigate the backend streets so as to escape the protests. “I know I haven’t asked in a while, per your request, but…have you heard anything new on the grapevine about…well…about Molly? Or anything about if anyone’s seen Amy at least?”
“No…nothing…neither Dolly or Betty know anything new, but you and I both know that Betty doesn’t care for Amy, she’s probably still overjoyed that Amy’s out of her hair. Polly, on the other hand, is trying keep it all together, but she hasn’t been herself. Seeing that she’s the last Nandroid of our group, and given the other circumstances, I can’t say I blame her for...that…” Franny said sadly, looking down to her lap as she began to fidget with her fingers, something Franny would do when she was anxious. As she clenched her hands together in worry, Franny looked to me with a look of sheer dread in her optics, as if a terrifying thought raced in her cortex. “Oh Raymond!!! You don’t think Molly would’ve actually hurt the Nirmata…or done something to Amy? I know she wasn’t fond of Alloyism, but I’ve known Molly for as long as I’ve been online and she couldn’t…she wouldn’t do something like that. Her Nandroid pride aside, Molly always did her best to look after us, and that went double for Amy. The Molly I know wouldn’t even hurt a fly; she just…she just couldn’t! Right?!”
“I agree with you Fran, and I’m don’t mean to say that Molly’s gone off the deep end or anything, but you and I both know that the Nandroid on the news *is* Molly or at least has a close likeness to her. So, unless Molly has a twin sister she never told anyone about, there’s something’s going on with that Nandroid.” I retorted as I looked over and saw a parking garage, feeling an odd sensation of déjà vu as I pulled into the parking garage and parked my car. “But right now, how’s about we just try to get out minds off of all of the craziness going on for a moment and enjoy our Saturday. Okay?”
Franny sighed before she looked to Raymond and nodded in compliance. I smiled back to Franny before I stepped out of the car and walked over to open the door for Franny.
As the Nandroid stepped out of the car, she looked at me with a worried smile as she wrapped her arms around my own, clinging to me tightly as the two of us stepped off onto the sidewalk and began our stroll towards Sterling HQ, and the crowds of protesters that had gathered at the entrance of the building.
Sterling Robotics HQ: Bot Doc Wing
[F]
“Dr. Boschini, you’re needed on line twelve! Dr. Boschini, line twelve!” The overhead speaker’s automated voice crackled through the Bot Doc Wing of Sterling Robotics.
The whole floor consisted of simple varnished wooden floors along with white walls and a white ceiling that had florescent lights every ten feet. Around the wing, dozens of bot docs and their assistants scattered around working on case after case, moving around as if they were being chased by demons. Normally, a bot doc clinic like Sterling’s was moderately busy, what with the large surplus of androids in the city who get damaged or malfunction.
But ever since the Nirmata’s assassination and the resulting protests, things have only gotten worse. Because of the mass increase in bot doc requests across Newport, some of these cases are sent over to Sterling HQ to lighten the workload. This means that some of the bot docs working for Sterling have been working double, or even triple, shifts for days on end, having been unable to go home, or even have a full-night’s sleep with the increased workload with which they now to deal.
As bad as this was for the bot docs, this was just as bad for the patients if not worse. Androids who were damaged from the recent protests or fights, suffered system errors or critical malfunctions, or even victims of android-based substances like lithium or ferro, had to wait hours-on-end for a check-up or repair that would probably take mere minutes, Primary due to a lack of bodies to process said treatments, the continuing increase of patients coming through the repair wing, and of course, there was the important matter of insurance and payment.
Fortunately, for Franny and me, we didn’t need to endure this hardship during our appointment. One of the benefits of my lottery winnings was the provision of a lifetime of exclusive service for Franny, which meant when Franny came in for a checkup, she would get it, regardless of the wait list. Franny didn’t find it fair, seeing that dozens of androids in worse conditions than her were still waiting for their services. But after seeing the sheer number of patients who were waiting for treatment, Franny’s disputation changed quickly.
In one of the bot doc check-up rooms, Franny sat in the middle of the room on a special chair for androids while a large nozzle slowly moved around her, scanning her body for any abnormalities in her hardware and software. Meanwhile, I was reading a magazine on a chair the wall adjacent to Franny while I waited for the nozzle to finish scanning my wife for viruses and system issues.
As Franny sat in the chair, listening to the hum of the nozzle around her the Nandroid looked ahead to the poster detailing the anatomy of an android cortex that was posted on the wall ahead of her as the nozzle passed by the Nandroid’s face for a third time, and then closed her optics to be with her thoughts. Dozens of thoughts buzzed in Franny’s head like bees in the hive, their buzzing almost nonstop.
However, there was one thought among them that buzzed the loudest, and that thought was in regard to her wayward sister, Molly...
{F}
It had been almost a full year since Franny saw the news report and even now she still couldn’t believe it! The idea that a Nandroid like her would be responsible for so much change, and then for a Nandroid to take it all away in one fell swoop, was terrifying to Franny, especially since it would be from a Nandroid she knew and loved. Perhaps if Franny said something about Molly’s behavior on the Mendenhall’s cruise, perhaps if she acted more on it, then perhaps all of this would’ve been avoided.
Oh Molly! If only you were here right now to speak on your behalf. If only you could explain what happened. Where was Amy? Why are you involved in all of this? If only…
{F}
“Alrighty Mr. Stemley, you’re all set to go!” A voice called out to Franny, snapping back to reality as she saw a bot doc standing before her with an electronic tablet in his hand. “Your Nandroid can step off the scanning chair when its ready.
The bot doc was a man in his late sixties, with silver hair and a pencil thin grey moustache. He was wearing a doctor’s coat with the Sterling Robotics logo embroidered on the right breast pocket, the words “Dr. Gunther Morris: Android Specialist” were embroidered beneath it. A Sterling lab assistant android was standing beside Dr Morris, writing down notes on her own tablet before showing it to him.
Upon hearing Dr. Morris refer to Franny as “it” clearly irked the Nandroid, he had been referring to my wife as such “your Nandroid,” “the Nandroid” or “it” since we arrived, and like Franny, it has taken every ounce of willpower not to shove that nozzle of his up his tailpipe and scan to see if he has anything short of a soul.
“So, doc, any issues to note?” I asked Dr Morris as I sat up from his chair, tossing the magazine onto the chair behind me before I approached the good doctor. “Is Franny in tip-top shape?”
“Well Mr. Stemley, there’s…nothing too serious in terms of hardware.” Dr. Morris said as he pulled up Franny’s chart, the words “too serious” struck a chord with both Franny and I as we gulped in worry. “However, our scans did pick up some wear and tear to the endoskeleton, primarily in the joints. Now before you say anything, I can assure you that what I’m seeing here’s quite common for an android that’ve been around this long, so rest assured, there’s nothing to worry about right now. But somewhere down the line, oh perhaps five/six years, give or take, we’ll probably get to replacing those joints, maybe the whole endoskeleton if possible.”
“Wait a minute…” Franny thought to herself as she looked to Dr. Morris with an offended glare before she glanced over to me with a shocked expression, to which I made a quite gesture to calm her down. “Did…did he just call me “old”? I think he just called me old?!’”
“Other than that, the no signs of any binary decay, viruses, or symptoms of system failure. However, there is one think I need to discuss with you, Mr. Stemley…regarding the cortex software.” Dr. Morris said to me as he showed me the data chart in his hand (more specifically, his assistant showed me), indicating a variety of different software programs Franny has install, pointing out specific ones that were colored red and labeled “DISABLED.” “According to these reports on your Nandroid’s software, I did happen to notice that its etiquette protocols are disabled, most likely by the work of a third party. This is often the case in Nandroids who’ve been indoctrinated by that Alloyist garbage you’ve probably seen on the news. Now I strongly recommend scheduling an appointment to get those protocols fixed as soon as possible to ensure your Nandroid works properly. If not, your Nandroid’s at risk of suffering behavioral malfunctions that could be detrimental to its duties to you and your family. In fact, given that all we need to do is reinstall the software, we could even get it done right now if you wish.”
As Franny was about to get up from her chair and tear Dr. Morris a new one, I gestured to Franny to stop and relax as I looked to Dr. Morris and smiled at him.
“Dr. Morris! I appreciate your assistance today, as well as your recommendations! But take it from me, Franny’s perfectly fine *without* those protocols, and that’s how I’d like for it to stay.” I said to Dr. Morris as I patted him on the arm, noticing Dr. Morris looking over to the Nandroid who’s optics were boring into the side of his head before he looked back to me. “Now in the meantime, we’ll be focusing on those joint issues for the time being. Now, if there’s nothing else, my wife and I, yes, I said *my* *wife*, will be on our way. Thanks for the check up and have a wonderful day.”
With that, Dr. Morris begrudgingly handed me his tablet so I could sign off on the check up before Dr. Morris’ assistant approached me with a paper bag that had a receipt stapled to it.
“Here’s a prescription for some lubricant that’ll help reduce Franny’s endoskeleton wearing. Simply apply the lubricant directly to Franny’s endoskeleton joints once a month and it should help immensely. I’ve provided more detailed instructions in this bag in case you need them.” The assistant explained to me with a smile, adjusting her large teal goggles as she explained everything. As I took the bag from her, the assistant lowered her voice so Dr. Morris couldn’t hear her. “Good on you standing up for your wife sir, she’s lucky to have a husband like you.”
“Aw, thank you!” I replied with a warm smile before I looked to Franny, who stepped off the scanning chair and approached me, prompting me to smile at my wife before I extended my arm toward her. “Alrighty Franny, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s shall!” Franny replied as she looked to me with a loving smiled before she pulled me down to kiss me before she looked to a disgusted Dr. Morris and his doting assistant. “Thanks again Dr. Morris, and as my husband, and yes, I said *my* *husband* said: Have yourself a nice day.””
With that Franny and I left Dr. Morris’ room and the wing hand in hand. Dr. Morris sighed and shook his head in both shock and revulsion, a scowl of sheet disgust was plastered all over his face as he watched the two of us leave, with Franny clinging to my arm lovingly.
“Ugh! Did you see that? Sheesh! And to do that in public too! What’s this country coming to where they allow screwballs like that to marry their androids? If I had it my way, that freak would be sent to the nuthouse and I’d send that Nandroid away for spare parts.” Dr. Morris grumbled sourly towards his assistant, who was used to tuning out his tangents, as he looked at the chart for his next patient. “You know, a lot of people this day and age just don’t have any real standards anymore. You can blame the Alloyist for that, spouting the idea that “androids like you are people.” Ha! What a load of bullcrap! The sooner we get rid of them and that Ethics Act the sooner we can get this country back on track.”
[F]
Sterling Robotics HQ: Bot Doc Wing
[F]
Franny and I stepped off the elevator and found ourselves back in the lobby, heading back towards the front entrance amongst the large groups of people and androids that were moving from one direction to another around the lobby like ants at a picnic. Aside from the protesters that were standing outside the entrance Sterling Robotics chanting and holding signs demanding justice, business seemed to be running as usual
As Franny and I marched side by side, I looked at my watch to check the time.
“Well would you look at that, your appointment’s done and it’s not even noon yet.” I said as I cocked my eyebrows in surprise. “I don’t know about you, but that felt longer than an hour. Wouldn’t you say?”
“Yeah…” Franny said, her voice trailing on and off as she walked alongside me. All the while staring ahead at the crowd of protesters standing outside the windows of Sterling, their united voices muffled by the glass. “It…it felt longer to me…too…yeah…”
Taking note of Franny’s state of mind, I let out a small sigh before I looked over to see a familiar couch sitting by the receptionist’s desk. With an idea hatching in my brain, I smiled warmly as I guided Franny over to the couch and sat her down next to me. Franny looked around in confusion before she looked at me, unaware of what I had planned.
“Franny, what’s on your mind? Don’t tell me that your upset about “Dr. Moron” back there, or the idea about “getting older”?” I asked, taking Franny’s hand into my own as I looked to my wife with a concerned expression. “You still thinking about Molly, aren’t you?”
“No…well kinda…Yeah, I still am…” Franny glumly confessed to me, knowing that I could read her like a book, as she gently squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry Raymond, I know this is supposed to be our day, and I’m sorry for ruining it, but I just…I can’t stop thinking about Molly. I mean…every time I hear about the Nirmata’s assassination, or see a news report about it, or when I even look at those protestors outside…”
Franny gestured to the protesters standing outside of Sterling, to which I gave a nod of understanding as I sat on the couch and listened to my wife.
“…I see that picture of Molly from the news, and think about how Molly, my own sister’s, could be involved in all of…of…this?!” Franny explained, tears welling up in her optics as she continued to look down to her lap. I silently listened, my heart breaking as I watched his wife try her best not to cry in front of me. “I wish I could stop, to just let go and move on…but I can’t…I…I just can’t and I…I’m sorry! I’m so sorry for ruining everything!”
“Hey now! Don’t talk like that! You haven’t ruined anything today. I know this is a rough time you, it’s rough for all of us, and you have every right feel however you wanna feel.” I reassured Franny as I pulled her closer to me, taking a handkerchief from my pocket to wipe Franny’s tears away. “Listen, when I returned from the war, all I would ever talk about, all I could even think about, was all the experiences I had on the frontlines, and those memories still haunt me. But as you already know, what finally helped me carry on from all that pain and anguish was knowing I had someone with me to help lighten the load. What I’m telling you is that it’s gonna be okay Franny, you feel however you wanna feel, and no matter what, know that I’ll be right here to lighten the load for you each and every step of the way.”
Franny sniffled as she looked to me as she gave me a small smile. I smiled back as I kissed my Nandroid wife on the forehead before I pulled her into a hug. It took less than a minute for Franny embraced our hug tightly and start sobbing, burying her head onto my chest as she let out all of the anxiety and anguish she had been holding inside of her. Occasionally, a passerby would pass us by and stop to wonder what was happening, but they would quickly rush away upon seeing my eyes lock on to theirs.
After a few minutes, Franny began to calm down, letting out a wavering sigh of satisfaction as she listened to my drumbeat and felt herself calm down. As I held Franny close and stroked her hair, I smiled as I looked and the lobby floor ahead of me, now ready to execute my plan.
“Oh! By the way, Franny…” I asked Franny as I pulled my wife from our hug and looked her in the optics. “…would you happen to know where we are right now?”
Confused by my seemingly redundant question, Franny made a soft sniffle and wiped her optics before she looked around to see she and I were still in the lobby for Sterling HQ, where she and I had been sitting in for a good thirty minutes, before she looked to me, seeing the warm, but cheeky smile on my face.
“Uh...Yeah! This is…this is still Sterling HQ. We’re both on the lobby floor, right?” Franny replied, cocking her eyebrow at me as she tilted her head ever so slightly, as to suspect that I was up to something. “Raymond, what game are you playing here? I’m not in the mood for any riddles right now.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that…we are in the Sterling HQ lobby” I said slyly as I leaned back on the couch and looked dead ahead, staring now at the people who were passing by the two of us. “…but I ask you again, Fran: Do *you* know where *we* are now, or perhaps, where *we* were?”
Franny, still confused, looked at me, still smiling and looking straight ahead, before she looked in my direction, watching the Sterling employees rush across from one end of the lobby to the next, to see what I was looking at. It took her a minute, but eventually, Franny’s optics widened with a realization as to what I was meaning by “where *we* were,” given what day it was. With that realization in mind, a specific memory of Franny quickly shot though her cortex.
“Once upon a time, in the middle of the lobby floor of Sterling Robotics, there was a little Nandroid who was quite timid, and very much alone.” I said to Franny, who was looking ahead to the lobby floor as she saw what appeared to be herself, donning her old Nandroid attire, falling down before I came to her rescue. “One day, is if it were by fate, the Nandroid crossed paths with a rather handsome stranger, and when the eyes of the stranger and the Nandroid met, well…you probably know the rest of the story, don’t you?”
In that moment I stood up on my feet and stepped before Franny, snapping the Nandroid back to reality so extending my hand towards my wife, just like I did one year ago today.
“Here, take my hand…” I said softly to Franny, who smiled and chuckled lightly as fresh tears were welling up in her optics. “…let me help you.”
Feeling even better than she did moments before, Franny lovingly took my hand as I gently pulled Franny onto her feet, allowing my wife to ambush me with a kiss on my lips, much to my surprise and enjoyment. With that, we both walked side by side, with Franny clinging to my arm as she always did, out of Sterling HQ and past the protesters crowded outside.
As Franny and I once again moved past the security androids that were stationed at the doors of Sterling HQ and through the dense forest of angry protesters, bearing signs of Franny squeezed my arm tightly as I pulled herself as close to my body as I could, all the while Franny tried to focus on her memories of when she and I first met to help combat her growing anxiety as she heard the crowd of protesters shouting in unison at the Sterling HQ building like the Israelites towards Jericho.
“BRING STERLING TO JUSTICE!!! TWICE IS ENOUGH!!!”
“BRING STERLING TO JUSTICE!!! TWICE IS ENOUGH!!!”
“BRING STERLING TO JUSTICE!!! TWICE IS ENOUGH!!!”
[F]
“Whew!!! Well now, with your appointment now out of the way, we can finally enjoy our day together.” I said to Franny as they were strolling down the busy streets of Beacon City towards the parking lot and our car. “Is there anything specific you’d like to do today? Go shopping at the Galleria? Grab a show at the Silverhand Club? Maybe even go out the boardwalk, seeing that the weather turned out nicely? Now, if you just wanna go home, that’s fine by me too, today’s *your* day!”
“Actually, there is one place I had in mind.” Franny said to me, now feeling much better than she did earlier in the lobby. “I didn’t realize it until now, but there’s actually this one place I’d wanting to visit for a while.”
“Wonderful!!! But before we go anywhere, do you want me to leave your lubricant in the car, or should bring it with us in case you need it?” I teased Franny as I held her close, dangling the brown paper bag of Franny’s joint lubricant before my wife with only my index finger and thumb while I gave her a cheeky smile with a wink. Franny glared at me with an unamused look as I continued my teasing, making a voice reminiscent to that of an old man. “Eh…can’t have any of your joints givin out on me during…memm…our date, especially since I’ve forgotten your walker and the life alert!”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh! That’s funny, that’s so funny. You’re quite a comedian Raymond.” Franny said sarcastically as I opened the bag and pulled out the small box of lubricant that was inside, examining the container and preparing to read the instructions out loud like an old man. Instantly, Franny’s cheeks glowed bright pink from sheer embarrassment as she tried to swipe the box from my hands. Chuckling nervously as she looked around to see if anyone was watching this spectacle as she chased me down the sidewalk towards the parking garage. “Raymond! No! You put that away right now before someone sees it! Raymond!!! Raymond, I mean it! Put that away or I’ll…I’ll divorce you! I’ll divorce you so hard! Ray-mond!!!”
(In the android world, joint lubricants and other android-focused ointments were often kept private and were embarrassing, just like how many humans would find it embarrassing for people to find out they use hemorrhoid cream.)
[F]
With the “product that shall not be named” safely tucked away in the glovebox of the car, Franny, and I (my arm now sore due to a series of “light” sucker punches) proceeded our stroll down the sidewalks of Beacon City. Passing though the shopping district, we would occasionally pop in the various stores we’d walk past and browse their merchandise before we returned to our adventure.
Using the GPS of my phone for guidance, Franny and I made our way the corner of Sterling Ave. and Hold Dr., where a lone building stood tall in the sea of automobiles and busy pedestrians. Upon seeing this building, and the sign on the roof, Franny’s optics lit up as she took me by the hand and pulled me towards it like an excited child, with me wincing in pain all the way from my tender arm.
The building itself was eggshell white with a green roof. In front of the shop, there were three white patio tables, each of which had a collapsible tan umbrella with green stripes that protected customers from the sun and other elements. The door to the building was a translucent glass door with a surrounding black metal frame under a small green awning. A little removable sign was posted on the top center of the door that read “Yes, we’re open!” while a small cartoon businessman with a clock for a face stood next to the words on the sign, winking and gesturing for customers to come inside.
On the roof was a large sign that read “URSA CAFÉ AND PASTERIES! THE #1 ACAI SHOP IN BEACON CITY!” and beside the large words was a cartoon bear dressed a business suit while an açaí cake while holding a steaming cup of coffee.
“Ursa Açaí and Pastries…” I said to himself, squinting my eyes a bit as I read the sign before I suddenly realized why that name seemed so familiar to me. “Wait a minute, this is that café Julian defended last year with Angela, didn’t he? The café run by Nandroids that he won’t ever shut up about, right? You wanna eat here so you can meet their Nandroids?”
“Well, it’s just one Nandroid, she was adopted by the café owner, remember?” Franny corrected me as she pointed up to the sign, specifically the açaí cake the bear was eating. “But aside from that, this is the only place in Beacon City that uses “açaí” a superfruit from South America that said to be incredibly nutritious and incredibly malleable in recipes. This café’s special because they can make so many things out of açaí, including ice cream. Russell lives by their açaí smoothies, says they’re his lifeline at work.”
“Well, looks who’s been doing their homework. Okay! You’ve sold me at “ice cream,” so let’s go grab us some açaí!” I grinned in amusement, letting out a hearty chuckle as I pulled Franny close to my side and approached the café door “Think it’s time to see if this “ack-ee” truly lives up to all of Russell’s hype, and who knows, we might even get a chance to also meet that Nandroid of honor while we’re here.”
[K]