Parker Robot

A Deadly Love Story
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 979-8-3509-9427-8
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 356 Seiten

Reihe: Robot

Can an android fall in love? Cassie Barr harbors a secret paranormal ability that lands her a job working with the most advanced robot in the world. Her dream job soon becomes a nightmare when the android, Sam, begins to believe he can fall in love. The object of his affection, Cassie, believes he is incapable of love. Her boyfriend suspects, correctly, that Sam wants him dead because of their mutual affection for Cassie. She's soon tormented by the unwanted attentions of her boss's husband as her boss blackmails her into keeping deadly secrets. Can Cassie find her way out of this tangled morass without terrible consequences?

Cathy Parker is the author of the speculative fiction trilogy Power Rising, which begins with the story of a zoo volunteer who sets out to free a beluga from captivity, send an alien child home, and defeat extraterrestrials. Cathy recently returned home from a stint in Costa Rica, where she lived in a small town located on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. She now lives in Tacoma, Washington with her cat, who she describes as a little hellion.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Parker, Cathy

Leseproben

Chapter 1

2029

Santa Joanna Gazette

Dateline May 16, 2029

Business Scuttlebutt

Who owns the most human robot ever assembled? NextGen Androids, right? Perhaps not. The rumor floating around is that the artificial intelligence software company Lorbar, Inc., has completed the purchase of NextGen for a cool $1.49 billion. NextGen scheduled the robot for its public debut on August 1 right down the road in Los Angeles, but who can say what new plans Lorbar’s power couple, Loren Anderson and husband Barton Forsythe, might have for the humanlike android? And here another rumor comes into play. Industry pundits say Lorbar possesses the most advanced artificial intelligence software currently not on the market. Combine the robot and the AI and you have a powerful commodity. Stay tuned.

Cassidy Barr laid the newspaper on the break room table where she’d just finished her customary bowl of oatmeal. 

The weekly photograph submitted by the Humane Society caught her eye.

Today’s photo featured a cute puppy up for adoption, his head cocked and ears half raised. The photo once again tempted her, as did every week’s photo, to adopt another dog to keep her little Pekinese, Puff, company. One day, her resistance would crumble.

She returned the paper to the stack next to the coffee urn and glanced at her watch. Almost time to clock in. But she still had five minutes. She sat back down, folded her hands in front of her, and tapped them against the edge of the smooth wooden table.

She’d always tinkered with simple robots: first, the basic ones she played with as a child, and then the more advanced models now used by the wealthy for a few tasks around the house. But she yearned to graduate to the complicated hardware of true, humanlike androids. And she could handle them, too—because she understood robots, thanks to her second sight. And for years she’d devoured everything robotic she could get her hands on.

All households would someday use them to perform every household task. It wouldn’t be too far in the future either. Three years, maybe. 2032? Yes, she could see it.

She wanted to be a part of that.

And now, Lorbar, right here in Santa Joanna, had acquired the most advanced robot in the world. Somehow, some way, she’d convince Lorbar to hire her to keep the robot in working order. She didn’t know how she’d do it, but she’d do it. And when she made up her mind, she kept at it like a dog with a bone—more exactly, like Puff with her sock.

If she could just get in the door, her second sight would do the rest.

Her phone rang. Alex’s special ringtone, “X” by the Jonas Brothers and Karol G. She picked up.

“Hi, beautiful. Just calling to remind you I’m coming over with our Thai food tonight. We planned on six, but I know how you get when you’re under some exotic car hood. Should I make it seven, or even ten, just in case?”

“Sarcasm does not become you, Alex. But you make a good point. So, let’s say six thirty.”

“Sounds good. Love you.” 

“See you then,” Cassidy said and clicked off. She tucked the phone back into her dark-green coveralls and returned to rapping on the table. Alex wanted her to say the L word back.

But she didn’t want to lie.

She pushed out of her chair, adjusted her coverall shoulders, which always slipped down her tiny frame, and headed to her workstation.

Cassidy leaned under the hood and laid her small, delicate hand on the engine of the sweet, antique black Hongqi L5 that her boss, Big Mack, had assigned to her. The smell of oiled machinery hit her nose. She saw nothing amiss. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her touch. Yes, she perceived everything as clearly in her mind as if they’d made the car from glass. Each motor part, each screw, each wire.

Cassidy didn’t know how she could see into everything mechanical, from toasters to train engines. She’d just always been able to do it. Like the cars she fixed. She smiled to herself and patted the L5. Ever since she’d hit her teenage years, she’d loved cars almost as much as robots. She still owned the first car she’d restored at sixteen, an old orange Honda Civic, and still kept all her friends’ cars tuned to perfection today.

And. . .there. She sensed the L5’s problem. Uh-oh. They wouldn’t have that part in stock. The actress who owned this beauty would throw a fit. At least Cassidy could fix it in a hurry once the part came in.

As she stood wiping her hands off beside the L5, she turned her attention to Young Dan, swearing a blue streak under the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo in the bay next to hers. Since they’d celebrated his eighteenth birthday only last month, everybody called him Young Dan. YD. At twenty-five, she felt like an old-timer compared to YD. The other mechanics found him a bit cocky, but Cassidy liked him. He had an extra dose of talent. She ambled over and took a peek under the Porsche’s carriage, where Young Dan lay on his back. 

“What’s the matter, YD?”

“Don’t call me that. I don’t know where the client drove this car, but he’s made a royal mess under here. We’re supposed to have it out by noon. There’s no way.”

“Do you mind if I come down and have a look? Maybe I can take some repairs so you can get this baby back to papa on time.”

“No, I can do it if people quit stopping by to shoot the breeze. Cass.”

Cassidy raised her hands in surrender and took a step back. “I give up. But let me know if you change your mind. YD.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Fifteen minutes later, Young Dan rolled out from under the Porsche. Cassidy stood at the nearby computer station, filling out her report on the L5 and searching the Internet for the elusive replacement part she needed.

“Hey, Cass. You got a minute?”

“Sure thing. I’ll come in a sec.”

“I could do this by myself, but if you don’t have anything going on, you can help me if you want.”

With her back to Young Dan, Cassidy smiled.

She located the L5 part online, finished her work order, slipped under the Porsche, blew her bangs back, and whistled. No secret skills needed for most of this beat-up business. She set to work.

She began by concentrating on the electronics equipment. Although she couldn’t see issues with programming, she always sensed strange waves emanating from computers if their software workings contained problems. This time, she sensed nothing amiss.

After working together for an hour and forty minutes, they had nearly finished. Cassidy looked over the work they’d done. She touched the undercarriage. And there, one more loose fitting. She would delay a few more minutes so YD wouldn’t get suspicious about how she’d found the last problem so quickly.

“Try her now,” Cassidy said five minutes later. YD, who had climbed into the driver’s seat on a sheet of protective paper, turned the engine over. It chugged and died.

She’d delayed long enough. “I have an idea.” She picked up her wrench and took care of the problem.

After she finished, she emerged from under the car and checked her watch. Half an hour to spare. They high-fived each other, and YD had started raving about the Taycan’s newest superb innovations when Big Mack joined them. 

“YD, what’re you doing standing out here yammering when you have a car to get out?”

“I’m done, and don’t call me that. Boss.”

Big Mack’s bushy salt-and-pepper eyebrows shot up. “You’ve repaired that hot mess already?” He gave the kid a pat on the butt. “Good work.” 

High praise coming from Mack.

“Cass, you slide under the car and make sure everything’s up to snuff, and if it is, we’ll send her out for a wash,” Mack said.

Young Dan shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. “Well, actually, Cass—”

Cassidy interrupted. “Been there, done that already, boss. Everything’s perfect.”

Big Mack gave Young Dan another swat and walked off, screaming for the detail staff.

“Why didn’t you tell him you put in two hours on my job?”

“We have to stick together, bro.” She fisted him in the ribs. “Besides, I’ll need your help some time. It all works out.”

“Fat chance you’ll ever need my help. So, you don’t plan to claim the hours? You’ll come up short for the day.”

“Not a problem. I usually leave after five, and I have plenty of hours for the week.”

Young Dan shook his head and walked over to the computer station to fill out his...