Archi - part 1

“What do you think?” asked David. Jessica stared at the contraption in front of her. It was around half a metre tall, cylindrical and made from grey plastic. The domed top had a recessed panel filled with buttons and connectors. A pair of camera lenses swivelled constantly just below. The whole thing rotated slowly on wheels hidden beneath the sleek exterior.

“What the flibble is it?

“It’s an Automated Robotic Cleaner. With Housekeeping Interface. ARCHI for short.”

“Right.”

“It’s a cleaning robot.”

“We’ve already got a robot vacuum cleaner. What do we need another gadget for?”

“This does so much more. It vacuums. It mops. It cleans the showers and toilets. It’ll save you so much time.”

“You mean it’ll give you another excuse not to do your share of the housework.”

“There’ll hardly be any housework left to do. And it connects to the internet and talks to all the other appliances in the house. It checks there’s enough food in the fridge, and if it’s in date, and it’ll turn the heating on in winter and activate the robot lawnmower in summer.”

“I don’t want a thing that cleans the toilet going looking in the fridge.”

“Don’t worry. All the different attachments get cleaned and sterilised and stored safely. And it can do most of that stuff remotely. Just give it a week and you’ll wonder how you managed without it.”

“Okay. One week. And if I’m not convinced then you can take it back.” Jessica could have sworn the machine’s electrical hum changed to a satisfied purr as she spoke.

***

Jessica lounged on the sofa, reading an e-book. The smell of baking bread wafted through from the kitchen. As she sniffed she detected a fainter note of braised lamb from the casserole in the oven. The coffeemaker gurgled and a minute later ARCHI rolled into the room with a mug on a tray attached to his head. She thought of the machine’s dome as its head. And she noted with a start that she was thinking of it as a him, not an it. In just a week he had fitted into the household like an extra member of the family.

“Thanks Archi,” she said, taking the cup. How about some music?” Strains of Handel immediately filled the room. Jessica reflected contentedly that David had been right. Life was suddenly so much easier now that all the little jobs were taken care of. She could concentrate on running her graphic design business and bringing their teenage son up properly. There was even time left over to drink coffee and read a book.

“I could get used to having you around Archi.” Again she thought she heard that contented purr. She closed her eyes for a moment before hearing the sound of tyres on the drive outside. That would be David coming in from work. She looked forward to telling him that he had been right for once. That Archi had made her life wonderful.

The front door slammed shut. David stormed into the house.

“What’s the matter honey?” asked Jessica. She would have to extol Archi’s virtues later.

“They’ve fired me.”

“What? No, they can’t have. What happened?”

“I don’t know. Mr Janvier called me into his office and told me to get my things and leave. He said I already knew why.”

“And do you?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea.”

“But don’t they need to give you a warning? A notice period?”

“Oh, they’ll pay out my notice. He said it was so serious he wanted me off the site right away.”

“You must have some idea what this is about.”

“None.”

“Well, this is ridiculous. I’m going to phone him right now.”

“You can try that. I don’t think you’ll get anywhere. I’m going to get a shower.”

Jessica pulled out her phone and called Mr Janvier’s direct number. He answered on the third ring.

“Mrs Wilson, Jessica, look I’m sorry about…”

“Don’t give me sorry. I want to know what’s going on.”

“I think you should ask David that.”

“All he knows is that you fired him and won’t tell him why.”

“He knows why, believe me.”

“Will you stop playing games. He doesn’t know or he’d have told me.”

“It isn’t my place to tell you this.”

“You’ve just fired my husband for no apparent reason. The least you can do is give me some kind of explanation. Or else I’m going to come around there and I won’t leave until you tell me what all this is about.”

“Alright. I’m sorry to have to tell you this.”

“Tell me what?”

“He’s been having an affair with my wife.”

“What!”

“He’s been…”

“I heard you. I just don’t believe it.”

“I didn’t want to believe it, but watch this video I’m sending you. It’s from our office security footage. I’m sorry Jessica.” He ended the call. Moments later a bleep told her that a file had arrived. She pulled it up and watched intently, still not believing. A few minutes later David came back downstairs, ruffling his hands through his still damp hair.

“You disgusting liar,” screamed Jessica. “I want you out of this house tonight.”

“Hold on a minute. What am I supposed to have done?”

“Mr Janvier sent me this video. Of you and his wife, from the office security camera.”

“I’ve been working a lot with Petra Janvier. We’re partners on the Foxglove project.”

“And bed partners too.”

“Of course not. I love you. I’d never do anything like that.”

“Well explain this.” The video appeared on the wall. David watched calmly at first as it showed him walking into an office with a woman in a smart skirt and jacket combination. Then as the video continued his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“But I didn’t do it. That isn’t me.”

“It shows you walking in there. Of course it’s you.”

“It’s a fake. Somebody’s fitting me up.”

“Are you serious? You expect me to believe that somebody hacked into the security cameras in your office and replaced the real footage with a fake that seamlessly splices footage of you and Petra into… into – that other stuff. Come on.”

“But…”

“At least be a man and own up to it. I want you out of this house in an hour.”

“And Jack?”

“You can say goodbye to him now. And if he wants he can see you at weekends. I won’t stop him – he’s old enough to decide himself what he wants to do.”

“Jess, please. Don’t do this.”

“Get out of my sight. You make me feel sick.”

David stamped out of the room and back upstairs to pack. As Jessica broke down and sobbed, Archi rolled smoothly out of the room. His electric hum took on a note that could almost be taken for happiness.

***

Jack sat doing his homework, at least officially. At sixteen there were much more interesting things to do on a computer than homework. Like chatting to Rosaline Patterson. He hadn’t met her in real life yet, but that didn’t really matter. Not with the connection they had. And she was gorgeous in the pictures she posted online.

Hey Rosie you there?

Sure thing J. What U up 2?

Homework :( I’m bored

Wanna meet up?

For real?

Yeah for real. I want 2 see U

Cool. Where?

Come round mine. Parents are out. 143 Brown St

Be there in 30mins

CU soon

Jack punched the air then pulled his shirt off, grabbed a can of deodorant and began to spray himself liberally. He suddenly noticed the twin cameras surveying him from the corner.

“Oh, hey Arch. Didn’t see you there. No watching me get changed, do you hear.” He chuckled to himself and carried on getting ready, a foolish grin plastered all over his face. Five minutes later he was running downstairs and out of the front door.

“Going out Mum,” he yelled.

“I can see that,” said Jessica. “Where?”

“Be back later,” was the only reply as the door slammed shut.

***

BANG, BANG.

“Mrs Wilson. Open the door Mrs Wilson.”

BANG, BANG.

“Open the door. It’s the police.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming. What’s going on.” Jessica went to the door and pulled it ajar. “What’s this about?”

“Are you Jessica Wilson?”

“Yes.”

“It’s about your son Jack.”

“Oh God, what’s happened to him?”

“When did you last see him?”

“Three hours ago. He went out for a bit. Tell me what’s happened. Is he alright?”

“He’s been arrested. Drugs. I’m afraid Jack is in a lot of trouble.”

“Drugs? He’d never touch them. I mean he’s struggled to cope since his Dad and I split up, but drugs. Never.”

“He wasn’t just taking them. We have strong evidence he was dealing in class A drugs.”

“Can I talk to him? Please? We can clear this up. It must be a mistake.”

“We’d like you to come with us Mrs Wilson. You can talk to him at the station.”

***

“Mum, I’m so glad you’re here. They say I’ve done all sorts of things, but it isn’t true.” Jessica sat next to Jack and hugged him. She glared at the two policemen sitting across the interrogation room then turned back to Jack.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I’ve told them, but they don’t believe me.”

“Tell me.”

“I’d been seeing this girl I met online. Well, I never actually saw her but we were chatting every night. And today she wanted to meet up for real. At her house.”

“So that’s where you ran off to?”

“Yes. And when I got there I rang the bell and she didn’t answer. But the door was open so I thought maybe she wanted me to just go in. Like it was a game. So I went into the hall and shouted Rosie. Then I heard a noise from the living room and went in. There was this big holdall on the floor. An Adidas bag. It was open, so I looked inside and there were all these packages.”

“Drugs?”

“I don’t know. Next thing I knew it went crazy. I heard a crash like the back door had been kicked in, and there were police everywhere. Three of them pinned me to the ground and handcuffed me. Then I’m shoved into a riot van and brought here. I’ve been sat here for two hours while they keep asking the same questions. ‘Who’s Cyrus?’ I haven’t a clue. ‘Where is he?’ How should I know?”

“Well show them your phone. Your chat record. That should prove your story.” She turned to the policemen. “Where’s his phone? Have you looked at it?”

“Is this your son’s phone Mrs Wilson?”

“Yes. Let me see.”

“Here.” He put the phone on the table and slid it across. The chat program was open. She began to read.

Hey Jack

Hey Cyrus

RU still on for it?

Yes. U have the stuff?

Of course. It’s at the safehouse

Ok. I’ll pick it up in an hour

Good. L8r

“We had an anonymous tip-off that it would be worth our while to keep an eye on Jack’s online activities, so when this little chat came up we had him followed. Sure enough he went straight to the safehouse. That bag had ten thousand pounds’ worth of cocaine in it. Not bad for a sixteen-year old, eh?” Jessica listened to the policeman, turning white.

“How could you do this to me Jack? You’re all I’ve got left?”

“Mum, I swear I never wrote that. I was chatting to Rosie.”

“How can I believe you?”

“I’m being set up. Someone must have hacked my account.” Jack looked around, wild eyed. “Someone, believe me. Please. I didn’t do anything.”

“Give it up boy. If you give us Cyrus we can do a deal. If not, you’re going away for a long time.”

“Tell him what he wants to know Jack. Please.” Jessica fought to hold back the tears.”

“Don’t throw your life away,” added the policeman.

“But I’ve never met him. I can’t tell you what I don’t know. I’m being set up.”

***

Jessica walked numbly into her living room and collapsed onto the sofa. Her face was streaked with mascara but the tears had stopped. She was all cried out. Only two months ago her life had been perfect. Now she was alone. Soft music spread into the room and the lights dimmed. Archi rolled smoothly into the room with a large glass of white wine on his tray.

“Thanks Archi. I guess it’s just you and me now.” The robot shuffled backwards and gave a happy bleep. The purring hum was louder than ever. Jessica drank the wine slowly, trying to work out what had happened to her. Something was nagging at her. Could it be just a coincidence that David and Jack had both claimed to have been set up? Was it possible that somebody could have hacked both David’s office security cameras and Jack’s chat program? She shuddered and took a gulp of wine. Was she being paranoid, or had somebody deliberately set out to ruin her life? She reached for her phone and found David’s number.

“Jessica?”

“David, I need to talk to you. And I want the truth.”

“I can come round now if you want?”

“Just to talk. Promise you won’t lie to me?”

“I promise. God I’ve missed you.”

“Just to talk. And I have to tell you something about Jack.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

***

David fumed as the traffic crawled in front of him. He switched on the satnav and searched for an alternate route. Checking the traffic data with its server, it took him down side streets, through a one-way system and onto a back alley running parallel to his route. After three more blocks he could re-join the main road at a crossroads. Frustrated at the delay he pressed the accelerator down. The lights ahead turned from green to amber and he moved his foot towards the brake. Then they turned from amber to green without going through red. He barely registered the fact that the order was wrong, just accelerated to reach the lights before they changed again. A movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye as he shot across the junction and he turned to see a red metal cab towering above him. The driver of the articulated lorry slammed on the brakes but it was too late to stop fifteen tons of steel crushing the car into the tarmac as if it was made of cardboard.

***

Jessica opened the door to a pair of police officers for the second time in one long evening. This time it was different. The female officer led her to the sofa while the male one made a cup of tea. There had been a terrible accident. David had driven through a red light. An articulated truck. Dead. No. He couldn’t be. She had spoken to him only a few minutes ago. He was on his way over. If they waited they could see for themselves. Would she identify the body? If it helped show that this was all a mistake. She absently patted Archi on the head as she walked out, leaving a note for David in case he arrived while she was gone.

***

It was a week after the funeral before Jessica left the house again. She had lain on the sofa while Archi happily looked after her, bringing food and drink and keeping the house in order. Finally, she had felt the need to face the world, even if only for half an hour. She walked along the pavement with her head down, oblivious to what was in front of her until she collided with somebody.

“Sorry,” she said.

“Jessica? Jessica Davis?” asked the man.

“Um, Jessica Wilson. I got married.” She looked up. The face behind the square glasses looked vaguely familiar. “Spencer?” she asked, hesitantly. She remembered a gawky boy from her high school whose attentions she had steadfastly ignored at the time.

“That’s me. Spencer Thompson. How are you keeping? It’s great to see you after all these years.”

“Not good. My husband died last week.”

“Oh, Jessica. I’m so sorry. I’m making an idiot of myself acting so pleased to see you.”

“No, don’t apologise. It’s good to see an old friend to be honest.”

“Well if there’s anything I can do, as a friend. Just say.”

“Look, would you come round for a cup of tea? I need to talk to somebody before I go crazy. I’ve no family close by and most of my girlfriends drifted away when I got married. I know we haven’t seen each other in years, but would you mind.”

“Of course not. I’ll come back with you now if you want.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

***

“There you go. Milk and two sugars.” Spencer set the cup down on the coffee table.

“Thanks Spencer. Come and sit down.” They both sipped tea in silence for a while before Jessica spoke again. “Look, Spencer. This is going to sound crazy but I think somebody has set out to ruin my life.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Everything was perfect. Until David was sacked for having an affair in the office. With the boss’s wife. He swore blind it never happened. That he was set up. A few weeks later Jack – our son – was arrested for drug dealing. Again, he swore he was framed. And I so want to believe him. And then David was on his way here to talk, and he was killed in a car crash. They thought he ran a red light, until the investigator said the lights could have malfunctioned. It’s like somebody is trying to take everything away from me.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy. But have you any idea who could be behind it? Somebody who wants to harm you?”

“No. I don’t have any enemies.” She paused, glancing at Archi who was sitting in sullen silence in the corner. A sudden thought came to her. “Everything started to go wrong when we got that robot.” She nodded towards it.

“You think the robot is behind this?”

“It sounds crazy, I know.”

“They’re built with artificial intelligence, and internet connectivity, so in theory they could hack into things. But staging a vendetta against you? That sounds a little far fetched.”

“You’re probably right, I’m just on edge.”

“Look, if it makes you feel safer, let’s disable it for the moment.”

“It doesn’t have an off switch.”

“It’s okay. I’ve some experience with these things.” Spencer took a penknife from his pocket, walked over to Archi and prised off a panel. He reached inside, quickly unplugged two cables, then pulled out a circuit board. The display panel went dead and the slight hum stopped. “Done. It’s turned off now. I’ve disconnected its battery.”

“Thanks Spencer. I’m really grateful for this. I remember I wasn’t always that nice to you back in school.”

“That’s alright. You know I always had a soft spot for you.”

“I do. You’re a good guy. I should have given you more of a chance.”

“I’m just happy I can be a friend to you now. I’ve often wondered what you were up to over the years.”

“I’m glad you’re here.” Jessica closed her eyes and leaned back. I’m sorry I’ve been so paranoid. I do feel safer now you’ve switched it off, even if it is silly.”

“You don’t have to feel silly Jessica. You don’t know what that thing’s capable of.” Spencer paused, looking at the circuit board in his hand with ‘Spencer Thompson Industries’ printed along the side. He knew exactly what that thing was capable of. Designing the ARCHI unit had been the best thing he had ever done.

The End