Chapter 12 · Continued
Piston
Seymour had been watching from the couch with deep suspicion. He immediately stood and puffed himself up.
The robot stopped.
Its animated eyes focused on the cat.
“Hello, Seymour.”
Seymour stared at it for several tense seconds.
Then he turned around and sat down again.
Acceptable.
“Well,” Chris said. “That approval process went better than expected.”
He carried the large charging dock in from the porch. “Where do you want this?”
Jane pointed toward the front window beside her desk. “Over there. That’s where Cam used to stand.”
The room grew quiet for a moment.
Not painfully quiet.
Just long enough to acknowledge that the space remembered him.
Chris nodded. “Yeah. Good spot.”
A few minutes later, he had assembled the charging station and plugged it into the wall.
The little robot immediately rolled toward it. A soft tone sounded as it aligned itself and connected automatically.
“Charging sequence initiated,” it announced.
Chris folded his arms. “That’s actually pretty slick.”
The robot’s screen face brightened. “I can continue conversations and receive instructions while charging.”
Jane sat on the couch and studied it.
“I would also like to connect to your Wi-Fi network,” the robot continued. “You may enter your credentials through my interface panel or provide them verbally.”
“We are not saying the password aloud,” Jane replied immediately.
Chris looked at her. “And we aren’t connecting it until we know what information it sends back to RCAM.”
“Agreed. We can use an isolated guest network after we inspect its settings.”
The robot’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Internet connectivity will significantly improve my functionality.”
“That’s what worries us,” Chris said.
“Wireless access will provide software updates, expanded contextual information, smart-home integration, and real-time knowledge access.”
After a tiny pause, it added, “And memes.”
Jane burst out laughing. “Oh no.”
Chris pointed dramatically. “See? It’s already evolving.”
The robot tilted slightly. “I do not currently possess sufficient data to evolve significantly.”
Chris looked directly at Jane. “That sounds exactly like something an evolving robot would say.”
“Oh, Chris, stop worrying.” Jane laughed. “He needs internet access. What if I suddenly require information about three hundred varieties of flowers and trees for the backyard?”
Chris pointed at her. “That is exactly how robot uprisings begin.”
Jane ignored him.
She opened the router settings on her phone and created a separate guest network with device isolation enabled. After reviewing the robot’s privacy options and disabling automatic data sharing, she entered the new credentials through its interface panel.
The little robot immediately produced a happy series of bleeps, clicks, and electronic chirps. Soft status lights pulsed across its shell.