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Story Notes:

Based loosely on Aritificial Intelligence and Bicentennial Man

Author's Chapter Notes:

Hello all. I thought I'd try the challenge. ^_^ You are welcome to review.

 

 

 

The Year is 2048.

 

My name is Myra.

 

Myra Renee Devins.

 

One look at me and you see a successful, wealthy, black executive woman who has exactly what she wants.

 

Thing is, I don’t have exactly what I want. I’m 27 years old and I haven’t had a date with a man in nearly a decade. I was far too busy and far too independent for a man. Sure, I’d looked. But, that was about it. I loved my job as the CEO of Rory’s Robotics.

 

Yet, there was something missing.

 

Each day, I’d drive to work. Boss people around. Eat. Go home. Then do the same things all over again. I needed a man in my life. Maybe I’d get lucky and one would end up on my doorstep.

 

So, I halfheartedly stated this to a coworker of my mine.

 

To this day, I can’t decide whether that was a mistake.

 


 

 The minute I walked into my home, I knew something was up. There was a dark, mysterious box at the door. I was always getting packages so I didn’t even bother wasting my time. It was probably another prototype the company wanted me to check out. I set about cooking my boring dinner. A sandwich sounded good right about now. My phone rang in my pocket.

 

Iphone 13; courtesy of the company.

 

I answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

 

“Riri? Young woman, you don’t call anymore! You don’t stop by. Don’t think you’re too high and mighty for your mother now! I’ll come down there.”

 

I rolled my eyes. “Mother, I’m pushing thirty. Your child is a woman now.”

 

She hissed into the phone. “I don’t care if you’re 92, you’ll always be my baby. Now, tell me—how was work?”

 

“Same old. Same old. Somebody left a package for me to look at.”

“What is it?” She demanded.

 

“I have no idea, Mother. I was going to open it. Then you called me.” I scraped my sizzling onions onto my steak.

 

“Oh? Well, your brother asked about you. You know he turns 16 next week. Are you coming to his birthday party like you promised?”

 

I glanced at my calendar hanging on the wall. “Maybe. I’m busy next week.”

 

“Marcus really wants to see you, you know. It’s been awhile. You promised.”

 

Here she goes again. Throwing the guilt card.

 

“Fine. I’ll be there.” I can practically see her grinning through the phone.

 

“Sweetheart, you take care of yourself.”

 

“I will, Mother.”

 

“And when are you going to give me some grandchildren? I’m not going to live forever, Myra.”

 

“Goodbye, Mother.”

 

She grumbled a bunch of incoherent things before finally hanging up the phone. I loved my mother. I really did. But, she tended to hover.

 

I grabbed my plate of delicious food and sat down at my table. Yup, this was the life. Always alone. Always lonely. Scrolling through the music on my phone, I chose a song that I loved to listen to. People always told me I should have been born 100 years ago because I loved the music from that time. That was an understatement.

 

I lived that music.

 

The sun is shining, there's plenty of light
A new day is dawning, sunny and bright

But after I've been crying all night
The sun is cold, and the new day seems old
Since I lost my baby.
Oh, since I lost my baby…

 

David Ruffin and the Temptations are legends. Simply genius. There is no one that can compare. Except maybe Michael Jackson. He died a long time ago, but his legacy lives on…

 

The birds are singing and the children are playing
There's plenty of work and the bosses are paying
Not a sad word should a young heart be saying
But fun is a bore and with money I'm poor.

 

That wasn’t David Ruffin’s voice. No, it was far too soft and tenor…ish.

 

It was coming from the box…

 

I grabbed the knife I had been chewing with. “Who’s there?”

 

The voice continued to sing.

 

I slowly approached the box and knocked on it gently. “Hello? Who’s in there?”

 

“The question is…who’s out there?” A soft voice answered back.

 

“Are you dangerous?”

 

“No, the girl is, though.”

“What girl?”

 

“The one that comes at me in sections with the odds of desire.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“Please let me out. I won’t hurt you. I’m not allowed to—unless you ask me of course.”

 

“What are you?” I question in awe.

 

“I’m…artificial intelligence.”

 

“A robot?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But, I haven’t activated you, yet.”

 

I stare at the box and it begins to shake.

 

“I’m not like the others.”

“How not?”

 

“I don’t know, but I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

 

“I’m going to let you out…and if you attack me, I’m slashing you to pieces.”

 

I grasp the knife tightly in my hand and cut along the taped edges. A note is attached to it:

 

You said you wanted a man to show up at your doorsteps, remember. You can thank me later. This one was made especially for you.

 

-Cooper

 

 Slowly, the box begins to give way. The robot pushes against it and I see a caramel hand.

 

“A little help?” The robot asks.

 

“Um…oh, here.” Together, we manage to free it from it’s prison. I stare directly into the face of the most beautiful robot I’ve ever seen. Beautiful because it had hair…and skin…and…oh my.

 

The robot cocks its head at me and smiles.

 

Robots don’t smile! They have no emotion, whatsoever.

 

“What’s your name?” It asks as it climbs out of the box.

 

“Myra. What’s yours?”

“That’s a pretty name. I don’t know what my name is. My instructions are in the box, though. Would you like to take a look, Miss?”

 

He looks oddly familiar. Like I saw his face once…when I was a kid. Somewhere…

 

He digs into the box that was once his prison, handing me a thick packet. “Here you are, Miss.”

 

MICHAEL JACKSON: User Guide and Manual

 

 

Congratulations! You have just purchased your very own MICHAEL JACKSON unit! To ensure that you drain every last drop of wonderful from your unit, we have provided this user manual: reading it would be advised if you don’t want to die or get maimed.

Responds Positively To: Michael, MJ, Mikey, Mijo, Miguel, Applehead , Mikhail, Lithuania (This one will be explained later.) and Maikeru-san.

Responds Hesitantly To: Maiki-kun, JoJo, Space Michael, Captain, Eo, Maestro, Otaku, Applebutt, and Gold-Crotch.

Responds Negatively To: Rapist, Poser, Pedopan, Pedophile, Peter Pan, Freak, Wacko Jacko, and Child Molester.

 Age: This depends on which model you get-

Off the Wall Model: 21

Thriller Model: 24

Bad Model: 29

Dangerous Model: 33

HIStory Model: 36

Blood on the Dance Floor Model: 40

 Invincible Model: 45

 This Is It Model: 50

Height: 5'11

Weight: Though he may keep his figure, his weight tends to change depending on his intake of certain foods which can be pretty bipolar.

Length: WHAT THE HELL’S WRONG WITH YOU!? HE’S A GENTLEMAN! GET YOUR DAMN HEAD OUT OF THE GUTTER!

Your MICHAEL JACKSON unit comes with the following accessories:

One (1) sequin glove

One (1) microphone

Three (3) pairs of black penny loafers

Five (5) button-up, long sleeve shirts

Two (2) white T-shirts

One (1) pair of blue jean

Three (3) pairs of black slacks

Two (2) black blazers

One (1) red leather jacket

One (1) red changshan

One (1) Lithuania and/ or Russia cosplay

One (1) Roy Mustang cosplay

Six (6) friendship bracelets

Two (2) black fedoras

One (1) set of blue-striped pajamas

Ten (10) hair-ties

One (1) 100 page sketch pad

Two (2) 100 page composition note books

One (1) music notebook

Five (5) pencils

Five (5) artist’s ink-pens

One (1) Kenya unit

 Your MICHAEL JACKSON unit is equipped with the following traits:

Singer/ Dancer- the real Michael Jackson was an amazing performer, so why wouldn’t this unit be also? He learns notes and steps quickly, and has incredible potential.

Writer/ Poet- Though not very well known for his writing, he’s incredibly good at it. He may be able to even get a few books published while in your care. He also comes up with amazing, and unique songs.

Comic Artist/ Manga Writer- Your unit is extremely creative, and imaginative with his ideas, and can draw them out very well. He is good with realism drawing as well as chibis and anime-based styles. Plus he has fun doing it. He may also take to drawing doujinshis. Fair warning, he may take a slight interest in shounen-ai or shoujo-ai, but he will never go as far as yaoi or yuri. 

Elementary Teacher- He is very patient and bright. He will take his time with each student, to make sure they understand and get a good grasp on what they are learning. All of his students will adore him.

Babysitter- He is very good with kids, and knows exactly how to take care of them. It doesn’t matter if they’re bratty or not, he will be patient and will get them to behave somehow. He will punish them, but will never go as far as spanking or hitting. He will more than likely be a favorite among the kids he takes care of.

Actor/ Voice Actor- He is a very good actor. If he finds even the slightest link between him and a part, he will become extremely in character. He can mimic voices well, especially ones from cartoons and anime. Particularly from Hetalia: Axis Powers. This is why he responds to Lithuania, who he can voice well and is very similar to.

Cook- He is an insanely good cook, who comes up with tons of recipes. He has very good taste, and will be an instant hit with whoever he cooks for.

Removal of your MICHAEL JACKSON Unit from packaging:

This unit can be very sweet, but if you wake him up the wrong way, he may (though inadvertently) hurt you. To prevent this, we have included this list of ways to wake him up.

1) Play any Motown music and Michael will slowly wake up and begin to sing along. When the music is over, he will knock on the top of his box and politely ask for you to let him out.

2) Play "Rhythm Nation" and he will burst out of he crate and start to dance to it. Make sure that you’re a good distance away when using this option if you don’t want to get hit. After realizing what has happened, he will apologize and start baking something for you.

3) Use any racial slur, and he will furiously kick his way out of the crate. He will be in his Angry and/ or Frustrated mode automatically if you chose to do this, and this option isn’t advised if you want to have a good relationship with this unit. First impressions count.

4) Turn on the Kenya unit that came with him. She will start barking and Michael will wake up automatically and snuggle with his beloved pet. When he notices you, he will ask playfully if you want to pet her.

5) If you think it is safe to wake him up yourself, then go ahead and take him out. Just realize that it may take awhile. Michael can be a very heavy sleeper. If you want something quick, then shoot him with a water-gun. Be warned that later, he will probably get you back somehow.

After you successfully get your MICHAEL JACKSON unit out of his box, you can reprogram him to any of the following modes:

Sweet (default)

Happy (default)

Frustrated

Angry

Otaku

Flustered

Mischievous

Sexy

Sadistic (locked)

Perverted (locked)

Flipped (locked) 

This unit is naturally a kind, giving, energetic, happy person. If you want him like this, then leave him as is.

His Frustrated and Angry modes can be activated if you or anyone else around shows apathy or intolerance. It can also be activated if he has a bad case of writer’s block or art block. He will keep to himself most of the time, and will fly into negative mood-swings. To get him out of this mode, simply assertively tell him to stop and he will apologize, and if he’s still grumpy or quiet, give him some chocolate and sunflowers and send him to his room. He will be his old self again in the morning.

Otaku is almost automatic once you show him any anime or manga. He will listen to J-pop and Vocaloid, and buy quite a collection of manga novels and anime DVD’s. It’s impossible to permanently get him out of this mode. He will tone down eventually, but he’ll still love his manga and anime and will gladly watch it with you. Particularly Hetalia: Axis Powers, Fullmetal Alchemist, Sgt. Frog and InuYasha.

Flustered is activated when girls start flirting with him, he does something embarrassing, or if someone is telling dirty jokes. He will turn red, start shaking a little and start stammering or rambling. If he isn’t doing that, then he will be very quiet. To snap him out of this, just let him camp out in his room, and he’ll forget about it by morning.

Mischievous is activated when someone pranks him. He will get you back and start a prank-war. Though this can be fun, it gets old after awhile, but Michael will still be going strong. To snap him out of this, prank him pretty badly and post it on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace. He will learn his lesson, and more than likely will never go into this mode again unless you ask him to.

Sexy mode is activated by getting him into his Flustered mode first by flirting with him. Keep it up and he’ll eventually feel comfortable and slowly slip into his Sexy mode. (Please note that this may take days or even weeks.) You know that it has worked once he starts flirting back. Your unit will start trying to "get it on" with anyone he sees. Just make sure that you’re the only one he sees, and you should be fine. To get him out of this state, lock him up in the box he came with, or in his room, and he’ll fall asleep and be over it by the time he wakes up.

Sadistic is locked for a reason. It is activated when you tell him that someone he loves is killed, murdered, raped, molested or tortured. He will stop at nothing to get revenge in the worst ways possible. He will lock himself up in his room during the day and will go out late at night. You know for sure if he’s in this mode if he comes home with blood on his hands. Keep your distance. It is impossible to knock him out of this. Contact us immediately after he slips into this mode and we will deactivate him.

Perverted is activated after you get him dead drunk. He will be resistant about drinking because he knows what will happen if he does, which makes this mode harder to get him into. He will start chasing as many skirts as he can when this mode is activated, and will be a major flirt. He’s a jerk when in this mode, and we have no idea why anyone would want him in this mode. But he can slip into it, so we’re giving you a friendly warning. To get him to stop, hit him in the head and make him go to sleep. He’ll have a terrible hangover when he wakes, but he will make sure to say sorry.

Flipped tends to happen on accident. When in this mode he will be almost the exact opposite of his usual default modes. This occurs after a bad blow to the head. To make him stop acting like this, just hit him hard over the head again and then he’ll revert to his old self. Again, like he would after getting out of his perverted mode, he will make sure to apologize.

Cleaning:

He can clean himself up nicely on his own. But will go into his Flustered mode if you try to help him or get in the bath with him, so don’t ask.

Feeding:

He can cook for himself, but his tastes tend to change. He eats heathy foods one day, and then the next, he will have a sweet-tooth. He likes Chinese and Mexican food, and is up for it any time. He may eat quite a bit of candy also.

Rest:

He goes to sleep around 10:00 PM and wakes up around 7:00 AM. The only way this will be disrupted is if he pulled an all-nighter writing, drawing, watching anime, or doing a little "something"with a certain someone if in his Sexy mode. He will sleep with others, but it is purely an innocent gesture, unless he’s in his Sexy mode of course...

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: My unit is bringing a lot of animals into the house, and it’s gotten so bad, I found a mouse in my cereal bowl! Help me!

A: Your unit loves animals. He tends to bring quite a few along with him, but they also follow him. He may not be the one responsible for all the animals coming into your home. They’re probably following Michael like a mother hen. Just don’t let Michael get attached to them, and find them all another home.

Q: My unit ran out of paper and is sketching and writing all over my walls. What should I do?

A: Just buy him some other notebooks. After that he will apologize and clean up after himself.

Q: My unit walked in on me while I was changing and he got a major nosebleed and fainted. What the hell just happened?

A: He got knocked into his Flustered mode. But this is the more extreme case. Just let him rest and camp out in his room for awhile.

Q: I accidentally hit my unit in the head and now he can’t sing. What’s wrong with him?

A: Something probably got disconnected when he was hit. Call someone to fix him and then re-activate him. After that, he should be fine.

Q: My unit has been having bad nightmares lately. What’s up?

A: He may have been listening to some of the darker Vocaloid songs. Since the units are also popular in places where English isn’t the national language he is programmed to understand and speak more than thirty-seven languages. Because of this, he understands the lyrics in the songs he’s been listening to, and that may be the source of his nightmares. If it isn’t this, then he’s been trying to force himself to watch horror movies he just can take. If that still isn’t the case, then he’s been reading Stephen King.

Troubleshooting:

Instead of a fully-grown MICHAEL JACKSON unit, there was a small boy dressed in clothes from the 1960's asking for Miss Diana or his mother.

Oops! We sent you a Jackson 5 Model by accident! He isn’t much different than his fully-grown models, but he is much more quiet around new people. He’ll eventually come out of his shell though, but if you want to replace him with another model, just contact us and your new model will be there the next morning.

Michael is acting a lot like one of his alter egos.

We may have accidentally sent you a unit of the particular character rather than Michael. If it bothers you, then go ahead and send him back.

Instead of a guy, you got what looks like a female version of Michael.

Oops again! We accidentally sent you the gender-bend model. The name itself is self-explanatory. She isn’t much different than the other models, however she is slightly more quiet, and gets offended more easily. If you want to send her back and get another model, go for it.

Follow this manual, and you should get along just fine with Michael. If you have anymore questions just contact us at Rory’sRobotsCompany.com

I didn’t understand. Robots did not have emotions. Robots did nothing but obey their masters. Robots did not have skin that seemed just as real as mine.

This was no ordinary robot.

Michael, it was called.

 

Chapter End Notes:

A picture will be up later.

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