Adieu, Carter || The Ink Well Monthly Contest

Carter pressed a tiny button on his wrist as the Breville deluxe espresso machine hummed in the kitchen. The tiny button dipped inside the plastic panel on his wrist, clicked and a rectangular screen appeared. He checked the weather forecast for the day: 31°C, Precipitation - 10%, Humidity - 70%, Wind - 6 km/h with an 80% possibility of a storm.

The espresso machine chimed that the coffee was ready. Carter filled up four mugs, poured steamed milk from the frothing pitcher and designed a heart on each coffee. He placed the mugs on a tray and carried them into a computer lab.

Via electronic eye recognition, the door hissed and slid open. In a white room with machines of different sizes spread on tables sat two men and two women, their heads bowed and eyes glued to computer screens.

The tall, bearded and dark-skinned male with a pleasant smile glanced at Carter. "Yo, Carter. It's that time already?"

"Yes, Moreno. Your energy levels are depleting and you need this shot of caffeine to stay alert for the next three hours and twenty-three minutes."

A slender female with an olive skin tone picked a mug and raised it in a cheer. "Good work, Carter."

"Thank you, Sharon."

Moreno, and the second female called Brent, brown-skinned and plump, took their coffees and went back to their screens.

The second male and leader of the group, Asian, five feet tall, stern looking and plump slid his revolving chair from his screen to the microscope on the next table. He peered into the lens and stayed thus. Carter walked up to him and placed his mug beside his computer.

"Your espresso, Chang."

Chang gave him a thumbs up and continued looking through the microscope.

"One more thing," Carter said. "There's an 80% possibility of a storm between the hours of 17.05 pm and 19.20 pm later today."

"Thank you, Carter," Moreno mumbled as he sipped his coffee, his eyes on his screen.

Carter swivelled and marched to where his small desk was located in a far corner of the lab. He sat and disengaged, a beeping sound, alerting the four software engineers that Carter had fallen into sleep mode.

"He's getting old," Chang muttered, still peering into the microscope. "Maybe a replacement?"

"Yea. Sonex has this improved droid that's faster than our Carter here. They offered to give us one for a testing period and if we find it suitable, we make a down payment," said Moreno.

Chang shook his head. "I know the one. Their droid is made of the latest unit from Cosmo Robotics in Japan. We'll simply get the unit and build ours."

"And Carter?" Sharon whispered.

Brent turned to shoot her colleague a withering glance. "Why are you whispering? He's in sleep mode until the next item on his schedule which is in," she paused and checked her wristwatch, "about two hours. Please speak freely."

"I don't know. Carter's been with us for so long and we've come to rely on him for everything. We call it 'him' for Pete's sake!" Sharon mused in a whisper.

Chang and Moreno chuckled.

"I mean it, guys. Do we have to replace him?"

Carter's index finger jerked for a second where he sat but none of the engineers noticed.

"Carter is simply a droid. He doesn't have feelings, so it's all good," Chang replied.

"I'm gonna miss him—" Sharon said but Brent's scoff cut her off.

The engineers worked in silence for an hour when the rumble of thunder in the sky alerted them to the storm. Chang looked at his watch and glanced at the windows. The sky was darkening.

"It's just 3.24 pm. I think the storm may be starting sooner than we expected," Chang noted. Almost immediately, the winds began to blow, shaking the windows and doors. The engineers refused to be distracted after all they were sheltered in a fortified, state-of-the-art building….

A flash of lightning quickly followed by a loud clap of thunder shook the building immediately causing a power blackout.

"What just happened?" Sharon yelled.

"Calm down, guys," Moreno said, switching on his phone's flashlight. "I'm sure the backup electricity will soon switch—" He didn't finish his statement before another lightning and thunder tore through the building, shattering the glass windows and letting in the rain.

The ladies screamed from the force of the breaking windows and fell on the white marble floor before scurrying on their hands and knees to find hiding spots.

Chang and Moreno, their bodies soaked wet, began to move the tables and computers to the far corner of the lab where Carter's desk was because it was untouched by the rain. They froze when they saw Carter's chair empty.

"Where is he?" Chang shouted above the howl of the wind.

"Look!" Moreno pointed.

The engineers stood and watched through the broken windows as Carter marched out of the lab onto the lawn area before the iron-wrought gate.

Carter turned, the light on his forehead blinked green, indicating he was in active mode. He gazed at the four shocked engineers, gave them a stiff bow and turned to walk out of the gate.

"Brent, turn it off. Now!" Chang commanded, his hair and face dripping wet from the rain.

"I can't. My system is damaged," she pointed to her flat screen displaying rainbow colours in wavering patterns where it was cracked.

Sharon smiled slightly. "I told you, he may have feelings. Adieu, Carter."

The three engineers scowled at her.

^{Weather source}