Chapter 2 · Continued
Arrival
Jane let out a small, breathy laugh. “Okay… wow. Okay.”
The robot shifted slightly—not much, but enough to remind her that it was still sitting inside a wooden crate.
“Jane,” it continued, its tone unchanged, “if you would like me to exit this container, you will need to remove the lower-limb restraints.”
It looked down, following the edge of the crate with precise, deliberate movements.
“Per page twenty-six of the manual you are holding.”
Jane looked down at the packet. “Oh—right. Okay.”
She began flipping quickly through the pages.
Too quickly.
“Twenty-six, twenty-six… Where is it? Why is there so much in here?”
The robot watched her, completely still, its eyes tracking her movements.
Jane finally found the page. “Got it. Okay.”
She crouched beside the crate and leaned in. “There better not be anything in there that jumps out at me,” she muttered.
“There are no jump-based functions enabled,” the robot said.
Jane paused, then laughed as she looked up at him. “Good to know.”
Jane reached carefully into the crate, feeling along the robot’s legs until she found the restraints—thick plastic bands locked firmly into place.
“Wow… they really packed you in here.”
“This ensures safe transport and minimizes structural variance during shipment.”
Jane snorted softly. “Yeah, well, we’re gonna fix that.”
She began working the first restraint loose.
Behind her, Seymour crept closer, his body low and his movements cautious.
Curious.
Suspicious.
The robot’s gaze shifted and locked onto the cat.
“Jane,” it said quietly, “there is an additional life-form present.”
Jane didn’t look up. “Yeah. That’s Seymour.”
The robot studied the cat for a moment. “…Seymour,” it repeated.
Seymour stopped, sat down, and stared right back.
Jane snapped the final restraint loose and pulled her hands away. “Okay… I think that’s all of them.”
The robot’s eyes shifted slightly.
Processing.
“Restraints removed,” it said. “Preparing to transition to a standing position.”
Jane instinctively scooted backward. “Okay… yeah, go ahead. Do your thing.”
The robot placed its hands on either side of the crate and pushed. In one smooth motion, it rose to its feet.
No wobble. No hesitation.
Just controlled movement.
Jane blinked. “…Well, that’s impressive.”
The robot stepped out of the crate with perfect balance and posture. Then it simply stood there, waiting.
Jane stared up at it. “…You’re taller than I expected.”
“I am configured to optimize interaction within standard human environments,” it replied.
Jane nodded slowly. “Right. Sure. That makes sense.”
Then she glanced toward the street. “…Okay, we need to get you inside.”