Chapter 1 · Continued
Jane
Based on your interests, you qualify for the new Robotics Beta Test Program.
Please read the agreement and click Agree.
A document opened.
Three pages. Dense, tight, endless lines of fine print.
Jane stared at it, scrolled a little, and stopped. “…Yeah, that’s not happening.”
She dragged the bar all the way to the bottom and clicked Agree.
The screen changed.
Initializing Enrollment… Please wait.
Jane leaned back, squinting at it. “Enrollment for what?”
A small icon spun in the center of the screen. It wasn’t quite a loading wheel. It was something softer, almost decorative—a little flower, turning and turning.
It took too long.
Jane glanced at the clock. “Okay… come on. Break’s over.”
The screen flickered.
Enrollment Complete.
New text filled the space.
Based on your interests, you qualify for the Robotics Beta Program. Congratulations.
Another window opened.
This time, there was a face.
A woman. Perfect. Too perfect.
She had blonde hair, soft features, bright eyes, and a smile that was just a little wider than it should have been, as though it had been measured and then adjusted.
“Hi, Jane.”
The voice was warm, polished, friendly—and practiced.
“I am your Corporate Beta Interface Expert…” A tiny pause followed. “…but you can call me CBIE.”
Jane stared at her for half a second. Maybe a full second.
The woman’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t blink or shift.
“Yeah… no.”
Jane clicked the window closed.
The screen returned to normal as though nothing had happened.
She exhaled lightly and shook her head. “What the hell was that?”
Probably some new AI interface demo. A marketing gimmick. Subscription bait. She had seen worse.
Jane glanced at the clock again. Back to work.
For just a moment, her mouse hovered without moving. Then she shook it off, went back to work, and started typing.
Somewhere in Silicon Valley, a factory was awake.
It wasn’t loud or chaotic. It was just… constant.
A low mechanical hum that never quite stopped.
The sign outside read:
RCAM SYSTEMS Robotic Creations, AI and Movement
Inside, everything moved with perfect timing.
Conveyors carried components in steady lines: arms, legs, torso frames, heads.
Metal met metal. Sparks burst and scattered as robotic arms welded seams in quick, precise flashes. They fell like brief, bright rain, hissing against the floor as the parts rolled past.
No hesitation. No error. Just assembly.
One unit neared completion.
Its chassis hung from a moving hook, turning slightly as the line advanced. A robotic arm extended and aligned the final leg panel.