Chapter 10 · Continued
Back to the Factory
They pulled quietly into Jane’s driveway.
For a moment, no one moved. The entire situation still felt completely unreal.
Chris shut off the engine. “Well, this officially became the weirdest night of my month.”
The delivery bot beeped from the cargo area.
“MOO MART EXPRESS VALUES CUSTOMER FEEDBACK.”
Chris pointed toward the back of the SUV. “You are not helping.”
He climbed out and opened the rear hatch.
“Let’s get you guys inside.”
Chris grabbed the little bot by both sides and lifted it out.
“Good Lord. You weigh far more than you should.”
The bot chirped proudly.
“QUALITY INGREDIENTS REQUIRE STABILITY.”
Chris stared at it. “I hate how much sense that almost made.”
Cam stepped calmly out through the rear passenger door.
Chris looked over at him. “I should’ve had you carry the yogurt tank.”
“Yes,” Cam replied. “You could have.”
Jane laughed tiredly as she unlocked the front door. “Come on. Let’s get inside and figure out exactly how much trouble we’re in.”
Chris carried the Moo Mart bot inside and set it on the living-room floor.
Seymour appeared immediately.
The cat rubbed enthusiastically around Chris’s legs, then Jane’s, and finally Cam’s. Then he stopped and stared at the battered yellow machine sitting in the entryway.
The bot’s status light blinked.
“MOO MART EXPRESS WELCOMES YOU HOME.”
Seymour jumped onto it and sat down.
Claimed.
The bot emitted a strained electronic chirp beneath the unexpected weight.
Chris turned on the living-room lights. “Okay,” he said, shifting into technical mode. “Cam, come over here and let me look at that chest damage.”
Cam stepped closer immediately.
Under the brighter light, the damage looked worse. A deep, dark groove stretched across most of his upper chest plate. Metal had been scraped bare, the housing seams were cracked, and one section had been driven inward farther than the rest.
Chris crouched to examine it. “Yeah. I think I’m going to need to remove this panel.”
Jane moved closer rather than backing away. “Can you do that safely while he’s still powered on?”
“Yes,” Cam answered. He touched two concealed release points near the damaged plate. “There are manual latches beneath the housing seam. Rotate them clockwise.”
Chris carefully followed the instructions. A second later, the chest panel released with a soft mechanical click.
He slowly lifted it free.
Jane leaned over his shoulder to see inside.
Cam’s chest contained a tightly organized network of wiring bundles, fiber-optic lines, circuit boards, cooling channels, and diagnostic modules. Tiny status lights blinked blue and green throughout the interior. Several near the damaged center section glowed solid red.