Box

Chapter 1

Box's description stated that the Repository AI Type Zeta edition 2095 was an artificial intelligence serving as a mobile personal assistant and knowledge navigator. It provided hands- and eye-free voice control to apps and Bluetooth-enabled electric appliances and electronic accessories, and could also serve as a hologram projector. But Box knew it was much more than that to its holder, Aydin Cain. To him, it was not just a tool; it was a friend, housekeeper, masseur, and a vital companion without whom Aydin couldn't function properly anymore.

Box's inner alarm beeped.

Box cancelled it and looked at the sleeping man, at the arm pushed under the pillow and the strand of red hair peeking from under the sheet. Box was keeping track of his body functions; from his heart-rate to his blood pressure, which were displayed on its screen. It had been seven hours since Aydin had come into his multifunction room and dived into his bed, and an hour before Box was supposed to wake him up. An hour Box best used to make breakfast for its favourite human.

It enabled its anti-gravity system, which should have been, in Box's opinion, called a weight reduction system, since it artificially reduced its weight rather than defying gravity. Despite the promise of its inventors that five years down the road, the world would have floating cities, twenty years after the promise, the system still only worked on small objects or for small distances between the ground and the object.

Box started floating upwards away from its charging station. It connected itself to the room. It needed a refrigerator, stove, oven, sink, and kitchen cabinets.

The walls of the multifunction room opened and pushed out the appliances and the furniture Box needed for its famous turkey and mozzarella whole grain flour muffins.

It turned on the small thrusters on the bottom of its orb which it used for steering and flying and went to the refrigerator, pushing its wiry arms out of its metal body. It only took Box fifteen minutes to prepare the muffins and put them into the baking pan, which it put into the oven for twenty minutes. Coffee was next. It boiled the water, then poured it through the strainer it had prepared with a filter and one and a half teaspoons of coffee and set it into a cup.

"Something smells nice," a sleepy voice came from behind Box. "What time it is?"

"Six forty-seven." Its main camera moved to its back, and it looked at Aydin, who was now lying on his back, with his arm over his head. It measured his life signs again. They were all normal. "Breakfast will be ready for consumption in fifteen minutes."

"Are there any notifications?" Aydin yawned and sat up.

Box carried the cup to the shelf by the bed and set it beside its station. It opened Aydin's inbox to see eleven unread emails. Three of them were advertising, four of them were news subscriptions, one was a personal email from his mother, two were notifications about the incoming referenda, and another one was a notification about the incoming election of a new finance minister with a list of nominated candidates and their qualifications. Then it opened Aydin's calendar and looked at his working schedule, and then at the Border Police bulletin boards where it saw a pending request from this region's Commander. "Inquiry received regarding the status of a package from Mother. Confirmation of receipt is pending. Additionally, communication request logged from the Commander. Immediate response recommended."

"It's probably about the new arrival." Aydin climbed out of the bed. "Clear bed."

The bed descended into the hole that opened underneath it.

"It was going to be just another boring day today. But I'll have you to keep me company, so at least it will be bearable."

Yellow light layered Box's vision. It flew to the redhead and nestled against Aydin's side. Mark; My significance to Aydin is established. Confirmation 1563.