Next to the lounge was the master’s bedroom. The droid entered the room to complete its sweep. It dusted the nightstand, the pictures of its master with a woman, the master’s watch and ring, the stack of books by the bed.

It tried once again to move beyond the bed to the far corner of the room but found its path still obstructed. Had it been human, it would have been annoyed. For weeks its circuits had been telling it to clean the entire bedroom, even the far corner. But once again the droid had to exit the room without completing its scheduled tasks. It was physically unable to remove the body that was blocking its way.

Outside it was raining. Thunder shook the windows of the small apartment as the droid made its way back to the kitchen. Next to the sink in the kitchen was a small plug labeled “SXB1”. The droid extended its right appendage, bringing its wrist to within an inch of the outlet. A thin wire from a small pore on the droid’s wrist connected itself to the small plug located there.