The night had given way to morning and Kate continued to sleep in the pod.  She had been completely oblivious to the man who was following her (came in the shop but left without really looking closely).  She had no idea that Flint was in there now, and that the Sun was already up.  She felt like she should be awake, but her eyes just would not open. The memories of last night begin to return to her, and while her thoughts begin to move to a panic, her heart rate stays constant.  Her fear that would normally make her whole body convulse seems to have no affect on her.  She is calm and content to just stand there resting, waiting.

Flint closes in on her pod.  His puzzled look seems foreign to his face, as he does not do much adventurous. He can see a fully clothed robot in a pod, which is against any regulation.  “Maybe he left in a real hurry,” he says to himself as he activates the pod.  At that moment, Kate feels a sudden rush of electricity in her body.  Every nerve fires at the same time.  She jerks, twitches, and opens her eyes.  The room seems different to her but then it is hard to tell in daylight.  The pod door opens and a man she has never seen before is standing in front of her.  His outfit and name tag put her at ease, figuring he is an employee.  The puzzled look on his face seems natural, as he was probably not expecting me to be here, she thinks.

She tries to say something, but then another wash of electricity hits her, sending her right leg forward, followed by her left.  In a stop-motion fashion, she steps out into the showroom.  He looks her up and down, trying to find a tag or ticket of return.  When he does not find one, he says, “Designation.”  Kate feels the electrical push again and her mouth moves with a robotic, monotone: “Kate.”  Nodding his head, he walks out of her sight.  She stands at attention, trying to move or say more but she cannot.  It is like something is controlling her.

He returns shortly with a tablet.  Clicking various icons, he looks up bewildered.  “Well, Kate,” he starts, “I cannot get a signal from you.  Are you sending or receiving any communications?”  Kate opens her mouth to answer: “Wifi signal not detected.”  “Hmmm,” he mumbles, “that’s strange.”  He turns on his heels and walks away.  She can hear him rummaging through a drawer.  Coming back, he has a small metal rod attached to an ear piece.

Stepping up to her, he wedges it into her left ear, pointing the antennae upwards.  Kate can hear or feel some type of sound coming out of it.  As he fiddles with the controls, she can hear it becoming clearer, more distinct.  She thought it was white noise from the speaker, but it is the same male voice stating: obey, obey, obey.  This seems weird for a robot to need to be reminded.  While she thinks of that, the voice changes its message: “step forward and follow Flint, Assistant Manager. State your designation, orders, and compliance now.”
Without thinking, Kate says out loud in her monotone: “Kate will follow Flint, assistant manager, now.”

“That’s better,” he smiles, as he walks to the back office.  Kate in stop-motion movements follows him.   Once in the workroom, she hears: “stop.” In her ear, so she does.  For the next few moments, he reads what the screen says.  His thoughts are interrupted by a sound at the front door.  Looking at the wall clock, he curses and puts the tablet down, “I forgot to unlock the door.”  Tapping Kate’s collar, the green light turns yellow.  Her eyes close and she slumps slightly while standing.  Her new ear piece continues to say things softly, but she cannot seem to make them out.  Maybe I –pause- could get –pause- away while –pause- he is –pause-…-pause-…-pause-.

Flint leaves the room to help the customers that are coming in.  Kate remains hidden and paused in the workroom.  From a distance, she would look robotic, except for her clothes.  She is continues to “pause” while Flint puts on his slick salesman voice out front.  He does not even think about his mystery robot during this time, as he works on commission today.