The Sun had been up for a while by the time Flint got to the store. He is the substitute manager for Life-Like-You Industries. He fills in when others get sick or go out of town. His personality is not one that you can take for very long, so it works out great for him and his other small business ventures. Last night, he was called to this store since the manager had a sudden death in the family and had to leave town immediately. Flint likes money, so he does it, but he would rather be watching TV at home.
The store looks as it should when he comes in. Each robot has a steady flashing orange light, signifying they are charging. He flips on the inside lights and powers up the AC while looking around. The room is sterile with no decorations. The walls are covered by the pods of the robots. The back wall has all the clothes and accessories you can add to your robot, as well as a stocked storeroom in the back. You can buy from here, but renting is preferred.
Walking down the middle of the store, he says out loud, “So, who will be my ‘special’ helper today?” Each robot stays exactly as it has been all night, making no reaction to his question. He looks down the one side and points to a female robot near the middle of the room. Pressing the activate button, the door to the pod hisses open. The female robot’s eyes open and she takes one mechanical step out of the pod.
Flint takes a moment to admire “her.” The robot looks exactly like a human. She has red, wavy hair that goes just past her shoulders. Her feminine hands and shoulders look dainty, but are carbon-fused steel underneath. Her waist curves in tight, accentuating her hips. Her breasts are mostly covered by the zippered vest made out of a spandex-latex material called Slex. Supposed, it is an abbreviation of the two names, but most guys feel if their woman wears it, it leads to sex. He chuckles at that and reaches out to her. His hands cup her chest, squeaking softly on the material. They feel soft like they were real, providing Flint with a rush. Her boy shorts are not that appealing to him, but she won’t be wearing them long, he thought. The flat sock-like shoes were plain stupid, but he could not convince corporate they were a waste of money.
“Time to go to work,” he says to her. She seems to process that and states in a monotone voice, “Reloading job program.” Figuring she was escorting or something near that, he continues to cup her, feeling how perfect they are. She states, “Security guard protocol initiated.” Security guard, he questions, who asks for a sexy security guard? Before he can answer, she deflects both of his hands away. “What?!” He says shocked. She replies, “Hynda Automotive does not allow handling of the employees.” He realizes too late that in saying ‘go to work,’ she is running her last program which was security, which means he may be seen as---
His thoughts are cut short by the punch to the gut, the kick to his knee, and the chop to the base of his neck. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. Flint, the assistant substitute manager, lay crumpled in the floor. The security guard robot stood above him, reaching for a “walkie-talkie” on her “utility belt.” She calls in the disturbance and turns to walk away. She was close enough to the pod that once she turned to the side, it contacted her. Overriding her program, the pod forces her to get back in, a safety feature in case someone tried to steal one. She complies and enters the pod, acting much more robotic-like. The door and her eyes close, leaving Flint on the floor.
He had come to the store early to have some fun with a robot, which turned out more painful than he thought. The good news was that he had time to recover from his beating before customers arrived. He stumbled into the backroom and straightened himself up. While there were no visible bruises, he was sure in a lot of pain. He takes 3 pain killers and washes it down with tap water. Feeling foolish, but thankful no one saw him, he steps back into the showroom of the store. From this angle, he can see the other side of the room, and one of the robots causes him to say, “What in the world is that?”