"This is Zach Jr. At least that's what we call it now." Bo nods to the man standing next to them.
Zach Jr. is looking straight ahead, and no one is within his sight, as he is very tall, taller than anything in this room. Rae's head is barely near his chin, and Bo probably stands just under his nose.
Zach Jr. is a specimen of a man: chiseled jaw line, clean shaven, defined cheekbones, and a smooth forehead. Under that masculine, slightly furrowed eyebrows is a pair of deep-set eyes, blue as the sky. He has short light brown hair, a subtle, stylish undercut hairstyle, and his hair looks a little tousled, like he just went out for a jog in the wind. He's only wearing a pair of gym shorts, and boy, Rae can't help but notice there's…a bulge there. Rae clears her throat a little.
"Why is there a wax figure of a super hero?" Rae laughs nervously, trying to joke.
"This is our A.I. assistant prototype. He is the realistic-looking robot I was talking about."
"No kidding. He looks like... a man."
"And he is not activated yet. Wait until I wake him from stand-by mode." Bo takes a step forward, presses his index finger on Zach Jr.'s lower back, and steps aside
Rae holds her breath. She thinks she would hear some mechanic noise, but nothing. Just when Rae is about to say something, the robot greets: "Hello there."
"Oh my goodness!" Rae covers her mouth with both her hands. Zach Jr. appears to be breathing, blinking, and looking straight at her.
"Are you a new user? Would you like to change the setting?" The robot asks. His voice is smooth, and not robotic at all.
"Well, this is the sample you will be trying out." Bo announces with pride.
"This... this is what I'm trying out? A man?" Rae asks.
"He looks real, right? He's the only A.I. assistant we've built so far. We will build more but we want to have someone from the public try it out first, give us feedback, to see if there's anything we should do to perfect it, and start manufacturing more and introduce them to the market."
"Wow." Rae finds it hard to concentrate on what Bo is saying, because this robot is stunning. "Why do you guys make it so real?"
"Well, we want to provide more than just a device, we want to make it the best friend that anyone can ever have. It can be customized to the user's liking, so each robot is special and irreplaceable. We think it will be a huge hit, especially more people are staying at home these days, and craving for companions."
"Have you tested the robot out yourself?"
"I have. Our team in the lab has, every day, here."
"So you want an outsider's opinion then. Outsider like me?"
"Yeah."
"OK," Rae nods, acting like she is only mildly impressed, even though she is excited and nervous, "I can come here every day. I can start tomorrow."
"No, you take him home with you." Bo pats on Zach Jr.'s left shoulder. Zach Jr. turns his head to look at Bo and then turn to smile at Rae.
"What? This is probably super expensive. What if I break it?"
"It is not cheap, but for your feedback, it is free. And no, it doesn't break that easily. Consider it a free trial.... Hey, you can buy one when we have it out on the market. Recommend it to your friends, too!"
"Let's not jump to that part yet. I don't even know if I want the trial part."
"Why don't you want to try?" Zach Jr. suddenly interrupts. Rae looks up, meeting his blue eyes.
Zach holds his gaze, "I can tell you have a bit of adventurous spirit in you. Try me. Even just for a day." Zach Jr. now leans in on Rae. Without realizing it, Rae backs into a worktable. This unfamiliar, strapping male presence is making her tense. He towers over her with his height. Rae can't help but press her palms tightly against the table.
"I'm tired of seeing Bo every day," Zach Jr. continues and laughs,"You'd be doing me a favor. And you can always have Bo take me back."
"O...OK...I…I think I can try then." Rae bites her lips.
"Great!" Bo exclaims, "You just need to sign to guarantee you will provide honest and detailed feedback to us, and obviously, no disclosure about our project. And we won't disclose your experience or info, either." Bo hands his tablet to Rae again. "This time, please also provide your address and phone number."
"But I can't take him home now. I'm going to work."
"How long is your shift?"
"I work until 9 pm."
"No problem. Zach Jr. will be delivered to you when you are done with work." Bo still holds his tablet out. Rae quickly types in her information, and signs again, agreeing to keep this confidential.
"OK. I'd better get going." Rae adjusts her bag.
"Wait, where do you work?" Zach Jr. asks, like a friend who wants to meet up later.
"A few blocks down the street from this building. Saved By The Bread Bakery."
Zach Jr. chuckles, "Funny, like that TV show in the 90s."
Bo also laughs, "I know where it is. He will see you later." Bo sets the tablet down and walks out with Rae.
Although Rae has a ton of questions, she puts on a calm, smiley face. She doesn't want to appear to be very shocked by this, like she's some caveman who's never seen anything high-tech in her life...well, she definitely hasn't seen this.
Rae leaves the Zabby building feeling so eager to be done with work already, which is a new sensation that she hasn't experienced before. She walks down the street briskly, as if the faster she gets to work, the faster she can get off. Rae goes into the bakery shop from the side door, smiles to a few customers, slides into the kitchen. She greets her colleagues and puts on her green apron.
Then, she looks into the mirror above their kitchen sink. She pinches herself. "Was that real?" She examines her reflection.
She has dark brown hair that kind of shines copper red under bright light. Pale skin, lots of freckles. Big greenish hazel eyes, dark eyelashes, and full lips. She thinks she looks ordinary—the "friend-zone" type of girl. When she was in high school, guys never considered her a love interest. Now that she just turned 30, she thinks she is just going to be one of those "leftover" women.
She shakes her head, begins kneading, rolling, flouring, and putting dough into the oven. Rae loves bread. Her other job is at a gourmet pizza restaurant, where she also prepares dough.
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
In the Zabby lab, Bo is texting quickly on his phone: "Trial user info input done. Final trial run starts. Didn't tell user anything in detail so we're good. Where's the clothes for Jr?" Bo's phone immediately vibrates: "In the bag." And then another message follows: "Remember the watch."
Bo sends a thumbs-up emoji in response. He stands there, hesitates for a second, then texts again: "You meeting Nikki?" A reply comes immediately: "Yes. Finally."
Bo's face now looks intense. He curls his mouth downward. He regrets ever mentioning Nikki to him.
Bo decides he is going to "forget" something on purpose. What could be the harm to send the robot out like this? Bo smirks.
"You're not supposed to run your 'ALL' systyem on this robot anyway." Bo says to himself.
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
Rae's six-hour shift seems to fly by. After cleaning up, she leaves the store from the side door. She steps out, closes the door behind her and turns around. Immediately, she bumps into someone.
"Sorry," Rae says without looking.
"Hey there!"
Rae looks up. It's Zach Jr., the A.I. assistant, now dressed in winter wear, like a normal person.
"I'm glad you're off now. Let's go." Zach Jr. grins, revealing his white teeth.
Rae didn't expect to see Zach Jr. here. She feels so self-conscious now. She wants to check if her hair looks fine.
"You warm enough? You want me to carry you? Your boots don't look comfortable."
Rae's mouth agape. How does he know her boots are not comfortable. How does he know she feels a little cold?
Zach Jr. beams, then points with his head to the streets, "Come on. Don't stand on your feet any longer." Rae feels spell-bound, she follows him to the streets. This man is coming back to my apartment with me now? She can't believe it. But it will be just for a day, right? It'll be fine. Rae tries to keep her cool.
"I'll show you how to use me when we get home. And you can tell me what you want from me." Zach Jr. says.
"O...OK."
"It'll be fun." Zach Jr. winks.