Recharge 04: Meeting the Boy

There are many things my teachings include.

 

For one, I must not be discovered. If my Human finds out that I'm an Upload, he or she will be eliminated and I'll be dissasembled. So secrecy is everything. I do not worry. I have the mind of an Upload. There is no way I'll let him or her find out.

 

Another thing: I need to change something in my Human's life. Daddy told me the story of how an Upload once stopped their Human from overdosing on over the counter pills. He reminds me that Uploads exist to better the Human race.

 

I must check in at the end of every night to report my Human's interactions and behaviours. Here at the lab, these people study Humans so they can create Uploads even more efficient and beneficial. At least, thats what my chip says. And my chip is never wrong.

 

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The day eventually comes where I am to be assigned. To mark the secial occasion, Daddy has dressed me quite ornamentally. He's taken my long, emerald green hair and braids it so it trails down my back. He adds a barette to keep whisps of hair out of my line of vision. I wear a silk sleeveless top that is the colour of watermelon. My skirt, of which is the same colour, reaches my knees and has milk white lang hemming the bottom. I also wear powder white stockings that cusp the bottom of my kneecaps and coal black Mary Janes. 

 

Dr. Lumberghast arrives early that morning. He knocks on Daddy and I's dorm. "Get up, Dr. Wells. It's Lacey's big day today," he says on the other side of the door. Daddy slowly slinks up from his bed, but his face reveals no intention of letting Dr. Lumberghast in. Daddy wallows in silence until we both her Dr. Lumberghast's footsteps ring through the labratory hallways. He then looks at me, his face pale.

 

Daddy doesn't want to let me go.

 

The chip tells me the reason Daddy built me. His daughter, a flesh and blood Lacey Wells, died in a car accident about three years ago. She'd been driving home from work when another Human driver crashed into her and sent her car tumbling down the mountain. The Human was never found. He drove away before she even hit the bottom.

 

He wants to replace her, the chip says, he wants to forget about her.

 

The chip also tells me that he built me in Lacey's exact image. If the real Lacey walked into the same room as me and stood right next to me, we'd look like twins.

 

Thats what my chip says.

 

"Lacey," Daddy calls to me, and I stand attentive. He smiles down at me, brushing some hair out of my eyes. "Today's the day."

 

My chip says Daddy is trying to arouse some feelings inside me. Excitement, it's called. Or perhaps Anxiety. 

 

Daddy hands me a Nutri-Grain bar. "Breakfast?" I ask, still trying to remember the order of which Humans consumed meals. Daddy nods and I give him a wide smile. "Good job Lacey. You're getting better and better every day," he compliments as he goes in search of his own breakfast.

 

Uploads can feel Hunger. That is one emotion of sorts I can feel. Daddy built me with a system similar to that of the Human disgestive system. My body runs off of fuel from nutrients. Daddy says to only eat foods with vast amounts of iron, wheat, pottasium, calories, and chloroplasts (such as veggetables). My body can make fuel out of that.

 

Oh and Daddy says its crucial: I must devote one whole day every week to consuming nothing but sugar. Not only will it make me look more like a Human, Daddy says, but it'll give my fuel production a turbo boost. I'll be able to get more done. On days like this, foods like cereal, ice cream, chocolate, candies, and fruit are completely acceptable.

 

But no other days before then.

 

Dr. Lumberghast comes again, this time with more doctors. Daddy shakes their hands, then looks at me. "Are you ready, Lacey?"

 

My chip says I'm ready.

So I nod.

 

 

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A long silver car is waiting outside the lab. Dr. Lumberghast is going to take me to my Human. I turn to Daddy, who is experiencing Sadness. He's crying. "Take good care Lacey," he says. I nod. Daddy talks again. "Check in every night," he reminds me. I nod again. I have no idea what to say to a sobbing Human.

 

"Dr. Wells," starts Dr. Lumberghast. Daddy looks him in the eye as Dr. Lumberghast smiles creepily. "Lacey will be taken care of, I assure you. She'll get along great with her match. I promise," he says, but Daddy doesn't look sure.

 

My chip reminds me that he is not family.

Technology is family.

Daddy is flesh and blood.

 

I slip myself into the car and sit, legs crossed and eyes looking straight forward. I watched as Daddy and Dr. Lumberghast argue audiolessly as I watch from behind the rolled up car window. Eventually, Dr. Lumberghast throws up his hands and stomps away from Daddy and into the car. "See ya, Dr. Wells!" he shouts as he waves to Daddy. Daddy looks Angry, and he begins to stomp towards the car. But Dr. Lumberghast doesn't want this. He slams his foot onto the accelerator and speeds away, leaving Daddy to watch the car leave, speechless I'm sure.

 

 

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The house my Human lives in isn't at all like the picture my chip put in my head.

 

It's blue, with torn off side shingles. The outer perimeter of the house has what looks like an attempt at a garden, but the flowers are wrinkled and dead. The curtains on the inside are all lopsided and the door is slightly creaked open. Dr. Lumberghast walks towards the door and rings the doorbell. I stand, awaiting my orders.

 

"Hello?"

 

A cracked voice staggered to the door. I looked, patiently awaiting to see the face of my Human.

 

What I saw was a total surprise.

 

It was a boy, who looked like he was about sixteen years old. He had stringy, short blonde hair that covered up his chocolate brown eyes. He had tan skin that seemed to droop at the eyes. He was wearing dim green cargo pants that hung so low you could see the rim of his red and white striped boxers. His shoulders were broad but tired looking, and he wasn't wearing a shirt.

 

Dr. Lumberghast smiled, then cleared his throat. "Hello. I'm Dr. Drake Lumberghast. You've recently signed up to participate in our Foster Friends program, yes?" he asks, extending his hand to the Human Boy. My chip tells me this is the Human's way of greeting one another.

 

Human Boy looks over at me, then back to Dr. Lumberghast. He doesn't bother to partake in the Human Hand Greeting. "Riiiighhht...I uh...dont remember that."

 

Dr. Lumberghast looks confused.

 

Human Boy turns to head back inside the house, but Dr. Lumberghast stops him. "You're name is Christopher Simon, isn't it?"

 

"Yeah, but..."

 

Dr. Lumberghast shows him a piece of paper. "You signed up for it. Your name and address is right here!"

 

Christopher looks confused. "I did?" he asks, scratching the back of his head. He looks at me again, then back to Dr. Lumberghast. "Refresh my memory...what is the Foster Friends program?"

 

Dr. Lumberghast tells Chistopher a lie. He tells him that it's a program where an orphan from the other side of the world moves in with you. Now I know that Christopher is not sixteen, but eighteen. Christopher listens with great misfortune, but once Dr. Lumberghast done talking, he brightens up. "Oh. Right. Cool. So who's my new Foster Friend?" he asks.

 

Dr. Lumberghast walks behind me and grabs my shoulders. "Chris, this is Lacey Wells. She'll be moving in with you," he says.

 

Christopher looks at me. Slowly, he walks over to me and looks me right in the eyes. "Lacey, huh? Pleasure to meet you. Sorry about your whole being an orphan thing...call me Chris," he says, extending his hand towards me. I look at his hand. My chip tells me to grab his hand and give it a light shake. So I do. Chris smiles. I smile back.

 

But Chris is not a motherboard.

Chris is a Human.

So Chris is not family.

 

"I'll leave you two to get aquainted," Dr. Lumberghast says as he slides himself back into his car. He opens the door just so I can hear him once more. "Lacey, take care of yourself. You know how don't you?"

 

"Yes, Dr. Lumberghast."

"Good."

 

With that, Dr. Lumberghast speeds away, leaving me and Chris to stand in a strange silence.

 

 

 

Reviews

[Rainbow Skank]

This is so awesome!!! :D

[Angie Diane♥&hea..]

This was a good chapter. It makes me want to read more. I can't wait to read more. Yay! Update soon. Chris seems funny. XD Thanks for sharing. :D