Re: Fill for Autonomous Natal Care Unit #429 11/?
anonymous
June 8 2014, 18:56:55 UTC
“Whoa there, Ashley,” Shepard interrupted, trying to calm his daughter down. There was no controlling the smile on his face now, especially after what he just heard. “Did you say you made him… laugh?”
“Show him Navel Unit! Show papa how you laugh!” Ashley crowed. Shepard and even Kaidan looked up expectantly as the geth seemed to shift under their scrutiny. It shifted, actually shifted its limbs like a guilty individual as it stared at the floor of their room for some reason, the silence painting the air thickly now.
“Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha,” the geth unit suddenly voiced in a dreadfully mechanical monotone.
Shepard couldn’t stand it anymore.
He burst out laughing as well and the sound was infectious. Ashley was giggling wildly and Kaidan was trying, and failing, to stifle the short guffaws that came from him. The effect was cumulatively massive and the harder they laughed, the more hysterically funny the geth’s laughter seemed.
“We need to get this straightened out,” Shepard said at last when he could breathe, wiping the tears from his eyes. “The house is a mess.”
All at once, the geth’s laughter cut short.
“Shepard Commander?” the geth asked almost uncertainly. “This one is… unsure. Have we… Have I done something wrong? Tasks were performed accordingly.”
Shepard couldn’t be sure but for a moment there, he was almost certain that the geth sounded… nervous. And that conscious, or sub-conscious, shift in addressing itself made his heart tug and his mind spark in memory. Damn.
“Well, for starters,” Kaidan replied with his usual calm, “You practically destroyed half the furniture and furnishings.”
“Not that it’s that big of a problem,” Shepard quickly amended. Sure it was going to cut into their funds but they were more than well off considering that they’ve had a stable income and prudent savings and investments courtesy of friends in high positions for the last decade or so. Still, at most it was an annoyance. “It’s just that… well, we might need some… help, putting everything back the way it was?”
“Is that wise, John?” Kaidan asked him, alarm rising in his voice.
“Oh come on, Kaidan,” Shepard insisted. “They’re geth. They’re like… little… okay, wait. Big. Big, metal kids just trying to fit in.”
“And you let one, a hunter no less, look after our nine-year-old daughter?” Kaidan muttered darkly.
“Couldn’t think of anyone else better actually,” Shepard replied breezily, trying to steer the conversation away from the fact that it was his idea in the first place.
“Has this one performed unsatisfactorily?” the geth repeated, voice dropping an octave lower. “We… are unable to extrapolate data in order to create a response. Will Shepard Commander require further aid?”
Damn but the geth sounded so devastated. So forlorn. He guessed there was only one option left to him. Shepard sighed.
“Well, for starters, you might want to take off that dress and start straightening up the place with us,” Shepard replied neutrally though he let a small smile crack through his otherwise serious demeanour. “Ashley, you’ll have to help too. We’ll all help. Then we’ll discuss the proper way you should be babysitting a child.”
“You will explain?” the geth asked, turning its gaze up and looking at him through its optics. It looked… hopeful.
“Yes, I will,” Shepard nodded in affirmation.
The geth hunter stood there, absently stroking the frayed fabric along its limbs. The light in its head brightened then dimmed and then brightened again even more and Shepard waited patiently as the plates clicked and realigned themselves, a wave of motion shifting around the mechanism’s head.
“Understood, Shepard Commander,” the geth said at last and this time, this time Shepard was absolutely sure that the geth sounded… more alive.
“Show him Navel Unit! Show papa how you laugh!” Ashley crowed.
Shepard and even Kaidan looked up expectantly as the geth seemed to shift under their scrutiny. It shifted, actually shifted its limbs like a guilty individual as it stared at the floor of their room for some reason, the silence painting the air thickly now.
“Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha,” the geth unit suddenly voiced in a dreadfully mechanical monotone.
Shepard couldn’t stand it anymore.
He burst out laughing as well and the sound was infectious. Ashley was giggling wildly and Kaidan was trying, and failing, to stifle the short guffaws that came from him. The effect was cumulatively massive and the harder they laughed, the more hysterically funny the geth’s laughter seemed.
“We need to get this straightened out,” Shepard said at last when he could breathe, wiping the tears from his eyes. “The house is a mess.”
All at once, the geth’s laughter cut short.
“Shepard Commander?” the geth asked almost uncertainly. “This one is… unsure. Have we… Have I done something wrong? Tasks were performed accordingly.”
Shepard couldn’t be sure but for a moment there, he was almost certain that the geth sounded… nervous. And that conscious, or sub-conscious, shift in addressing itself made his heart tug and his mind spark in memory. Damn.
“Well, for starters,” Kaidan replied with his usual calm, “You practically destroyed half the furniture and furnishings.”
“Not that it’s that big of a problem,” Shepard quickly amended. Sure it was going to cut into their funds but they were more than well off considering that they’ve had a stable income and prudent savings and investments courtesy of friends in high positions for the last decade or so. Still, at most it was an annoyance. “It’s just that… well, we might need some… help, putting everything back the way it was?”
“Is that wise, John?” Kaidan asked him, alarm rising in his voice.
“Oh come on, Kaidan,” Shepard insisted. “They’re geth. They’re like… little… okay, wait. Big. Big, metal kids just trying to fit in.”
“And you let one, a hunter no less, look after our nine-year-old daughter?” Kaidan muttered darkly.
“Couldn’t think of anyone else better actually,” Shepard replied breezily, trying to steer the conversation away from the fact that it was his idea in the first place.
“Has this one performed unsatisfactorily?” the geth repeated, voice dropping an octave lower. “We… are unable to extrapolate data in order to create a response. Will Shepard Commander require further aid?”
Damn but the geth sounded so devastated. So forlorn. He guessed there was only one option left to him.
Shepard sighed.
“Well, for starters, you might want to take off that dress and start straightening up the place with us,” Shepard replied neutrally though he let a small smile crack through his otherwise serious demeanour. “Ashley, you’ll have to help too. We’ll all help. Then we’ll discuss the proper way you should be babysitting a child.”
“You will explain?” the geth asked, turning its gaze up and looking at him through its optics. It looked… hopeful.
“Yes, I will,” Shepard nodded in affirmation.
The geth hunter stood there, absently stroking the frayed fabric along its limbs. The light in its head brightened then dimmed and then brightened again even more and Shepard waited patiently as the plates clicked and realigned themselves, a wave of motion shifting around the mechanism’s head.
“Understood, Shepard Commander,” the geth said at last and this time, this time Shepard was absolutely sure that the geth sounded… more alive.
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