Coded ambition

Fragment 1: Family life, Part 1

It was a cold October evening when L-35 was holding little Mark while standing before the large window, uncovering the view at the giant oak tree in the garden. The child was clinging onto him like the humanoid robot was his tower of strength.

Only the appearance of L-35 was humane. Under the layers of silicone skin, many complex parts of aluminum, steel and advanced composite materials build up his robotic body. Synthetic fibers in an auburn shade built up his decent short hairstyle. His face was wrapped in silicone skin and shaped in a masculine form that was perceived as friendly and pleasant by most people. Even when not imitating specific facial expressions, L-35 emitted an aura of calm. He was clothed in black trousers and a pullover in a warm tone of brown which complemented the green color of his eyes, the coverup for his two input cameras. The height of his entire body structure was 186 cm and aligned to a male size that conveyed feelings of safety and reliability to most women and children in this country.

Nobody could have guessed it if they would only see but not touch him. His face looked calm but also a little bit tired as his complex system imitated the mimic of a human in his position. Governed by a highly complex processing unit in form of a quantum chip, he had been fabricated to tend to all the variegated needs of any human being, including intimacy.

The boy, tender five years young, who had another conflict with his mom earlier, had no issues with the fact that his arms were not warm most of the time. At least they were strong and reliable. Sometimes, they seemed to be even more reliable than those of his father. Besides, L-35 never argued with him.

Quietly, the uneven duo of a human child and its robot caretaker observed how nature ran its course, eliminating every other thought about the relatively stressful day that lay behind them.

The slow descent of the leaves swirling around in the wind, revealing many shades of yellow and orange on their way to the ground allowed the boy to relax. The ground was already covered in foliage in all types of different colors of fall that Mark really loved to admire.

L-35 observed him motionlessly. He was five years old, but he was very different from other kids. Mark liked the world when it was quiet and not much happened at all. He was also afraid to tell others about his thoughts whereas he often felt excluded and had a hard time making friends. Luckily, his blonde hair and blue eyes, combined with the soft features that gave off an aura of friendliness, put him in the 'handsome and aristocratic' category. Few children messed with someone in that league. His mother's beneficial genetics protected him despite his social ineptitude.

The robot patted his head gently to help him relax from his inner anxiousness. He was aware that the child needed a lot of care and time to deal with recent events that included his mother, even when they had been resolved already. L-35 computed action recommendations that aligned with optimal child raising that compromised two main tasks. At first, the child should deal with his feelings by himself. If that failed, support should be offered. Mark was in the process of discovering his own individuality which came with its own pitfalls. As of now, his psychological profile did not look like the optimal one L-35 had calculated.

Obviously, the behavior of his mother today did not aid in achieving this goal. Mark clinged closer to his robotic friend in order to suppress his shaking when he thought back to earlier in the day.

It had been lunch time after L-35 had picked up Mark from kindergarten. Today's dish, a hearty lasagna, had already been prepared and was kept hot in the oven. When robot and child entered the home, Mark's mother Natalie took over the task of serving lunch from L-35 which showed that she was in a good mood. That for itself was great news as she has been in low spirits for several days in a row.