How to Date an Android

Chapter 17 Part B & Announcement! (revised)

Author Note; Please watch for my book release this weekend on Amazon! Thank you. 

Chapter 17 Part B

Continued from Part A

She was smart. Probably smarter than most scientists and engineers, I bet.

"I can't answer that. It's too unpredictable. Giving it a timing or due date ruins perceptions of true predictions, because if the date of the prediction goes awry then people lose faith in the warning and the person giving the warning. Instead think of which variables are lining up and converging, and which have yet to happen. Even though I know it's a very short time with some of the variables giving specific but sporadic data that can sometime spin off its own self feeding chains. The amount of chaos increasing and disrupting is so sporadic that you can't predict with 100 percent certainty 'when' it's about to hit," she said.

"Yeah, I kind of figured it was something like that," I nodded.

"Yeah true."

"But surely you have a window range," I prodded looking her in the eye.

She sort of smiled, "I knew you'd get it Jack. It's not a mistake you are able to discern things from what's going on around you to such a conclusion. There is a consensus among the leading high caliber units ... of my kind...that your society will collapse before the end of the year into some kind of big trouble coming. All the signs are there, except they aren't quite sure what kind of threat it is," she said.

I was so stunned I didn't even say anything. "That bad..."

I then thought my sister talking about that eternal youth drug... it had something to do with it.

She gave me a concerned look but didn't respond right away. She seemed to be studying my response.

I figured there was some time maybe...but ...even when you know something bad is going to happen. The confirmation hitting you is still going to be a shocker of its own.

"Jack?" she probed. "Are you well?" Her tone of voice sounded almost motherly in a way.

She placed her hand on my forehead.

"I'm fine really. I just was outside trying to get some things ready," I said.

"You shouldn't be alone Jack. This is too much and your injuries are quite severe. You were lucky to live through what you did," she said.

"I get it. But all my family live in another state," I replied.

"That's tough. I wish I could be here with you more, but my garage sends a security report to the plant if I don't check in there at night."

"Well you already did all your screening. I think we can go forward," I said.

"True. But we have to get this android order, for the replacement in ASAP Jack. There's ... a feeling among the other androids that they won't find enough human refuges...or they'll become refugees depending on how you look at it, fast enough before the collapse. It's going to happen soon. And because we depend on humans for a lot of things then we have a vested interest in ensuring human survival if we can trust those same humans," she said again. There was something she was trying to communicate to me non-verbally. She was on the edge of her chair facing me. She had done something very strange in that she almost looked...I don't know ...desperate?

Wait, what is this... she's telling me something without telling me something. That's why she's repeating what she told me already.

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