In the Event of Unexpected Reboot, Please Consult Manual

Frankie walked into Lloyd’s apartment, a tidy, under furnished affair with loads of books, a large computer and enough seating to make the few guests he routinely had comfortable. It was cold, as Lloyd didn’t need the heat unless other people were with him. “Lloyd, mom says dinner is ready. It’s mac and cheese with hot dogs again, so don’t expect too…”

As she entered Lloyd’s bedroom, hoping to quickly pull their frequent guest out of his chilly room, her words caught in her throat. She had never given much need to his privacy these many weeks since she had found him partially buried in the woods. It wasn’t like the robot ever did anything which required privacy.  Which is why it was so surprising when Frankie saw a little girl in what looked to be an elaborate Victorian style gown staring at herself in the mirror in Lloyd’s bedroom.

“Oh. Hello mistress. I shall be ready in a moment,” the girl politely said.

“Not to judge, but is this what you do in your spare time?” Frankie asked.

“I’ve been spending the past few days staring at this face when I have nothing better to do,” the little girl said before the Holo Grid faded away, revealing the compact form of Lloyd’s metal  body. His arms and legs extended themselves, his torso sprang up, and soon he was back to his regular height. “I have been seeing her face more clearly lately. I thought if I could stare at her, hear her voice, something might trigger. But so far, nothing. It is becoming…distressing to me.”

“This lost charge thing is eating you up, huh?” Frankie said.

“I am happy living here, serving you and Lisa and your mother. But there is a large hole in my life, something I can’t even define. It bothers me greatly,” Lloyd said, searching for the correct words.

“Bothers…yeah. Well, dinner is ready, so get your sexy nerd look back on,” Frankie said, walking quickly to the door.

“Why are you irritated by me?” Lloyd asked. Frankie’s hand stopped on the know.

“I’m not. I’m fine,” she said curtly.

“All I have done is try to help you and your mother. Your business is booming. Gracie says she is happier than she has been since…”

“Don’t use her name! Don’t! You’re…you’re not…you’re a robot! A thing! A product! People buy you! You’re only good to me because you think I own you! God, do you not get how weird this is? You were a little girl and…you’re not human! You might have killed someone! I’ve already…” Frankie stopped before she something worse. “Sorry. I didn’t mean…” Lloyd stood stark still for several moments, staring at her.

“I want you to shut me down,” Lloyd said.

“I’m not…Lloyd, I’m irritated, but I don’t want to kill you,” Frankie said, her eyes going wide behind her glasses.

“I’m not asking you to kill me. Soul golems like myself…we cannot have our memories completely wiped unless our souls are destroyed and reconstituted. Something was done to me. I believe it is why my talisman always pops out, why I can never truly rest. I feel like I am going mad at times, mistress. If you hold it in place, I can look inward, try to reboot my lost data,” Lloyd said.

“Why haven’t you asked me to do this before?” Frankie asked, eyeing him carefully.

“It carries risks. If I am too far damaged, holding the talisman in could damage me further. You could kill me, and you wouldn’t even realize you were doing it,” Lloyd said calmly.

“Oh, great, put your life in my hands after I said all my previous crap!” Frankie huffed, crossing her arms.

“It is because you said those things,” Lloyd said. “We both need to heal our pasts. I trust you, Frankie,” Lloyd said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

“Hell. Damn it. Okay. Tonight. Until then…come get your damn mac and cheese,” Frankie said. Lloyd nodded, his Holo Grid forming over his body.

“Why do you keep calling me sexy, by the way? Does your mother say it?” Lloyd asked as they left his apartment.

“Shut up shut up shut uuuuuuppppp!” Frankie moaned as the door closed.

*

Lisa sat on Lloyd’s bed, watching as Frankie approached, holding the talisman in a hand which wouldn’t stop fidgeting. “Hopefully you don’t need me for backup,” she said.

“It should be as easy as rebooting a computer,” Lloyd said, his Holo Grid off, standing before Frankie and bending slightly so his antenna was within reach for her.

“Should carries a lot of weight there, tin man,” Frankie said. “Run me through the worst case.”

“I am powered by an artificial human soul, created by the mage assemblers at Magus Industries. My antenna is a direct link to it, and the talisman you hold carries instructions. Each soul construct carries a unique talisman. This you both know. But there are hidden runes, etched incredibly small onto it, that I recently discovered. I believe those are the source of my problems,” Lloyd said.

“So you were supposed to be shut down, but this thing was screwed with?” Lisa asked.

“Yes. I would have been recycled, my soul extinguished and reformed.  But the hidden runes I found…they are incompatible with my body. It is why it keeps popping out. Someone didn’t want me reborn. They wanted me to suffer.” The wind whipped snow at the windows, as if nature itself were dismayed by the thought.

“So what happens if I hold it in your head for too long?” Frankie asked.

“It could be like putting diesel in a car. It could ruin me. Or…it could be like putting a drawer full of forks in a microwave,” Lloyd said, letting the two comparisons hang in the room.

“And if we don’t do this?” Lisa squeaked out, softly and hesitantly.

“My mind keeps…slipping to these thoughts I can’t remember. I am tormented by them. If I do nothing…I feel like I will eventually go mad,” Lloyd said.

Frankie cracked her knuckles, holding the talisman up. “Then we don’t have a choice. Trust me, I know what having the past cling to your butt like an angry monkey feels like. Let me at your antenna, Lloyd.”

“Frankie…” Lloyd started to say.

“Don’t. Not yet. Not until you’re less crazy,” Frankie said.

“I’ll note you didn’t say not crazy,” Lloyd said.

Frankie smiled, then in a swift motion she shoved the talisman in. Lloyd shut down, the green glow leaving his eyes and chest plate. For several minutes Lloyd stood silently, Frankie’s hand on his antenna, the only sound the blizzard picking up outside.

“When do we know it worked?” Lisa asked.

“We he starts talking again,” Frankie said.

“When do we know it didn’t?” Lisa asked.

“When we blow…” Up, Frankie was about to say, but stopped when the talisman started trying to eject. She pressed her hand down. “Like hell you are!” Frankie said, gritting her teeth. Lloyd started shaking, his metal joints rattling.

“Frankie!” Lisa gasped as a deep red light came from Lloyd’s chest cavity. Before either could react, a spark of energy traveled up Lloyd’s body and into Frankie. She screamed, time seeming to stretch into infinity, and then there was darkness.