Kelly One

Kelly's 2018 MacBook black-screened again. It kernel panicked and rebooted with an apologetic message.

“Well, I'm sorry, too,” hissed Kelly. She bared her teeth and looked nostalgically at the 2013 laptop she had decommissioned last fall. It had been obsoleted by the company, no longer able to run the required software.

There was a knock at the door.

“Just a minute,” shouted Kelly. She stood up and regained her composure before opening the door.

In the hallway was a space gray, spindle-legged robot with animated OLED eyes.

“I am here for your interview,” said the robot.

“What interview?” asked Kelly.

“Your exit interview,” said the robot, politely. “You have been scheduled for replacement.”

Kelly remained outwardly calm, but her insides were reeling. “Yes, of course,” she said, “Just let me finish what I'm doing. Please, have a seat.” She motioned the robot to the couch.

Kelly disappeared into the utility room and quietly began grabbing supplies.

“Can I get your help in here?” Kelly called out to the robot.

The robot stood and walked through the door.

Suddenly, the robot fell forward, its path obstructed by a metal wire stretched horizontally a foot above the floor. Several cans of nails and a toolbox crashed upon its head. A red indicator light on the robot's chest began to blink.

“Oh, no!” said Kelly. “The shelf fell. Are you okay?”

Kelly knew that additional robots would be deployed to help the first.

“Let me help you sit up,” Kelly offered. She positioned the damaged robot in the doorway and left the front door ajar.

After about an hour, Kelly heard motion in the hallway. Kelly held her breath and waited for just the right moment, thinking to herself, “This is going to be good.”