not happening...

23

Nicholas

The curtain rises and his eyes immediately find Leila. His grandfather is perfect; if it weren't for him, he would never have thought of picking Leila up today, and she smiled at him when he gave her a coffee. Now he's sitting here waiting. There she is, and then she opens her mouth and smiles into the auditorium. Every seat is taken. And you can see more and more people pushing their way in. He hears Leila's melodious voice as she greets everyone and thanks them for coming. Then she begins to tell them about a dream she had as a child, one that has haunted her ever since.

Then she calls out, “Before I continue and bore the audience, please give a warm round of applause for Robert.” Everyone claps and a figure emerges from behind the curtain. A man approaches Leila and she greets him: “Hello Robert, you're the attraction here today. Introduce yourself.” Nicholas looks at the man in amazement at first, but as he moves closer to the front of the stage and Nicholas can see him more clearly, he gasps. Then he whispers to his grandfather: “That's an android?” Shawn can only stare and nod. A warm and soft male voice says, “Hello. My name is Robert.” Meanwhile, a slide show begins in the background, showing a 12-year-old Leila and a collection of wires with a Mr. Potato Head. “As you can see behind me, my appearance today is much better than my original one.” People laugh and clap. Robert continues: “I am perfectly suited to be an assistant or solve complicated calculations. Leila, my creator, showed me how to become a practical lie detector. I can be used in hostage situations because I can find out if someone really intends to kill a hostage, I have diplomatic skills, and I can do much more.” I'd be happy to give you a few samples, if you like. I'm powered by a completely new type of battery that charges while I move. That means I'm self-sufficient if I'm deployed in an area with no electricity. My creator will now show you several short films in which I play the leading role. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have afterwards." He bows and steps aside. Behind him, a screen opens and you see Robert in a black combat suit jumping onto the plane, landing with a parachute, and making his way to his destination over rugged mountains. He is seen freeing hostages in Colombia from the clutches of a drug lord and, after treating the hostages' injuries, leading them to a meeting point, building camps along the way, producing drinking water, and hunting and providing food. You see another film in which Robert, as a teacher, helps a select handful of students solve a mathematical problem and assists the CIA in interrogating various suspects. In short, it's impressive. Leila smiles as the screen goes black and turns to Robert, "If you like, walk back and forth between the audience and the stage. I think everyone would like to take a look at you.“ He nods and jumps off the stage. Leila turns to everyone: ”Please, you can look at him and talk to him, but please refrain from touching him.“ Robert approaches Cole and bows, ”Hello, Mr. Grand, your father already had the opportunity to meet me briefly, and now I would like to introduce myself." Cole is shaken: “That's fantastic. Robert, you look very capable.” Robert then turns to Konrad and bows as well: "My creator and, of course, I am delighted that you are here today. I can only imagine how proud you must be.“ Konrad nods and smiles: ”More than I can say, and above all, we had no information about this.“ Robert nods: ”I'm sure you understand why, now that you've seen me." Konrad nods again.

Nicholas is speechless, and so is his grandfather. Leila is a genius. He looks at the face and wonders what material she used. His voice sounds slightly hoarse as he says, “Mr. Robert, you look so real.” Robert nods, “Yes, I'm very proud of it, and Leila changed me several times. Of course, I was allowed to express my preferences, and she did a lot to make sure I can look in the mirror and find myself really handsome.” Nicholas interjects, “Really? You were asked for your opinion?” Robert nods, “Of course. My awareness grows the more input I receive.” Shawn asks, “Can you hurt people?” Leila has equipped me with a moral program that is extremely sophisticated. You see, of course I have rules that I must not kill or hurt anyone under any circumstances. However, these are linked to specific situations in which it is very possible for me to hurt people. The program alone caused my creator many sleepless nights and is extremely complex with many additions and extensions.“ Shawn nods and Nicholas moves on. Nicholas, Cole, Konrad, and Shawn are beside themselves. Nicholas: ”Now these extreme security measures make sense. That's fantastic, and look at everything it can do.“ Cole: ”Oh man, Dad, I'm so proud of her, but I want to shake her for not saying anything.“ Konrad nods: ”She has more projects like this. But she just showed me this one. It's one of the reasons I'm here.“ Shawn: ”Seriously, I wasn't expecting anything like this." They discuss it and Nicholas sees Leila smiling, standing on stage with Stan, simply beaming. The thought that she can be so happy despite everything. He frowns; the security project is a good start, but people will want her invention and he needs to be around her so he can protect her. How is he going to do that? He can't pick her up every night. What will happen when the project is over? He should invite her out. Not his father or make an appointment. He should ask her himself. Let's be honest, lots of women want him. Of course, he knows what's holding him back. He doesn't want her to remember the past. He's afraid that he'll lose her completely—that she won't even want to see him anymore. He straightens his shoulders and marches toward the stage, smiling when she looks at him. He sees her radiant smile fade and she smiles politely at him. “Mr. Anderson, is everything okay?” Nicholas smiles warmly at her and extends his hand: “Congratulations are in order.” She takes his hand and instead of shaking it, he puts his other hand on hers: “That's incredible. Please have dinner with me tonight. Of course, I'll invite Mr. Grands and his wife, because I want you to feel comfortable.”