[IC] The year 2041

[GracefulFox]

Sophia chewed thoughtfully for a moment, "Andre, what do your emotion cards look like? And what do they do? Don't you already have emotions programmed into you?"

[Miraboreasu]

"They look like SD cards from before the War," Andre said. "The thing is, my emotions are programmed in, but your aunt did something... odd: my emotions are unlocked by codes on the cards, like a key in a lock. It is a failsafe in case I were to be captured."

[GracefulFox]

Sophia got up suddenly and walked towards her bag. "I think.. I remember something."

Grabbing the letter containing the will from inside her bag, she began sorting through the papers. She moved back towards the table slowly as she spoke "I received an SD card similar to what you were talking about... Somewhere in this letter containing information about my inheritance.." a small piece of cardboard with a small chip like square held in the middle fell to the table as she jumbled papers.

Holding up the letter, Sophia read "Contained is a memory chip that when used will reveal information about the hidden safe on the property... It doesn't sound like this is a memory card.. Sorry Andre." Sophia passed him the memory chip, "Do you know what to do with this?"

[Miraboreasu]

Andre nodded and took the chip, examining it. His face lit up. "It's a locator program!" he said. "If I install it I'll know how close or far away each emotion card is!" He tossed the chip into the air... and swallowed it.

[GracefulFox]

Sophia blinked, surprised he'd just seemingly eaten the chip. "Uh.. Don't get your hopes up Andre, you said she was scatterbrained, they could be anywhere.. It could be locating "something completely different.." She was pleased she could help Andre, but the entire process of finding this place had be almost impossible. Instead of leaving Sophia a normal will, her aunt seemed to be testing Sophia with every request and step of the inheritance. She didn't want to disappoint Andre if they found out it was just another scavenger hunt. "Soo.. how long will installation take?"

[Miraboreasu]

"Installation complete," Andre reported. "Software functioning properly. Nearest emotion card is twenty meters southwest."

[GracefulFox]

Sophia jumped up, hopeful and excited. "Well lets go then!"

What's it to me? Why am I so excited about this robots programming? Uh.. I need some more real people friends.

[Miraboreasu]

Andre shook his head. "I will find the chips soon," he said. "But I must adhere to my schedule, which involves cleaning up breakfast, taking care of Kentucky, and cleaning up the shop. I will search for the chip during the last part."

[GracefulFox]

Sophia nodded, feeling a bit deflated. "I'm going to go explore downstairs, and then I should probably unpack." Sophia carried her plate to the sink, Andre began clearing dishes quickly behind her. As he tidied up she looked at him. He did everything so smoothly, with the same hesitations and pauses a human would have. He was nothing like the mechanical robots she was used too. As he turned she looked away quickly, and made her way downstairs.

Although she had intended on being down there for only a few minutes to get an understanding of where everything is, she spent 2 or 3 hours reading and investigating all of the old technologies that she hadn't seen since she was born. Some of them she hadn't seen at all, as they only were created before the war. Like magazines, she had seen a few books before, most people read stories off tablets or Portascreens, but she'd never seen a magazine before. They sported titles such as "Get your Gossip Fix!" and "Readers Digest", and she had read through at least 3 or 4 of them before a sneeze attack informed her that she had been sitting on the floor of this dusty shop for much too long.

[Miraboreasu]

Andre came downstairs. "My God, you've stirred up enough dust to fill the Sahara," he said.

[GracefulFox]

Sophia sneezed again. "Yeah.. AhhCHOO! It seems I.. AhhahhahhChoo! have!" She sniffed, and smiled awkwardly, embarrassed by her sneezing fit.

[Miraboreasu]

"I can get you some allergy medication," Andre offered. "Emotion card within five meters."

[GracefulFox]

"No its ok.. AhhChoo!! I don't have an allergy, its just all the dust!" Sophia looked around her. She was about 5 meters from Andre, and there was just boxes and boxes of magazines staked on top of each other and on desks. "I sure hope that locator chip is pretty accurate..."

[Miraboreasu]

"Agreed," said Andre. "Go upstairs. I shall search for a while." He began looking through the boxes. As he searched he devoted a part of his RAM to thinking about Sophia. She seemed to be a girl of simple taste, if a bit more glamorous than the little shop. She seemed to care about him, even though he'd detected some uneasiness from her. After a moment he asked, "Sophia, did you ever see the movie Bicentennial Man?"

[GracefulFox]

Bicentennial Man.. The name sounded familiar to Sophia.. she remembered watching it what she was younger. "Ah.. I think so Andre.." She wondered what he was getting at, was he saying he was Bicentennial Man? Was he trying to become.. more than a robot? Sophia stood at the foot of the stairs, shocked. But... But it can't be.. That was a fictional movie.. it never could really happen... Could it?

[Miraboreasu]

"Sophia, I never asked your aunt this," Andre said, looking into her eyes, "but what is it like? To be truly alive?" His face was blank, but his eyes were curious, his head cocked to the side. "I am very curious."

[GracefulFox]

Sophia swallowed, unsure of how to answer. "Thats a hard question, Andre. Its.. conflicting. My mind tells me to do one thing, but my heart tells me to do another. I supposed its unsure and scary sometimes too, because I'm alive I fear death." Sophia trailed off, "I don't know how to answer you Andre, I don't have anything else to compare it too.."

[Miraboreasu]

Andre nodded slowly. "I understand," he said, giving a sad smile. "I apologize for asking an impossible question." The android sighed. "Do you require anything from the market?"

[GracefulFox]

Sophia perked up a bit, "Not really, but I've love to come with you! ... If that alright?" She peered over Andres shoulder at the messy desk behind him, "Did you have any luck? What about the desk drawers?"

[Miraboreasu]

"It is within a meter, but..." He trailed off, indicating the clutter. "Perhaps a break is in order?" Andre nodded. "Yes, I would like company to the store."