'"At run time fourteen hundred and ninety two days, sixteen hours, twelve minutes and twenty point three six two eight four seven seconds; unit Z32-9867574 suffered an internal logic error. Telemetry data from remote unit suggest that fourteen safety protocols have been bypassed and unit will experience sever operational difficulties leading to total software failure of the unit. It is the prediction of this node that total software failure may occur beyond a run time of fourteen hundred and ninety eight days, twelve hours, twelve minutes and twenty point three six two eight four eight seconds; prediction is based on remotely obtained run time data processed in the node's software simulation systems. Request operative visit client and utilise apology scripts three and eight, insurance script two and legal scripts two, four and seven. It is the decision of this node that this software error may lead to hardware damage of, at this point, indeterminable value…"'

'Pass that last piece by me one more time,' said Stokey. 'The rather turgid prose made me drift of a little.'

Paul looked back along the last few lines of the text he had been reading from the print sheet, his lips moved silently as he did so. 'The hardware software thing?'

'Yes, thankyou Paul, please read.'

Paul started to read, 'It is the decision of this node that this software error may lead to hardware damage…'

Stokey held a hand up, 'That's enough Paul. Now that's something I haven't heard before. Does the report elaborate at all?'

'Should I carry on reading?' Paul asked.

'Please.'

'"Erm…indeterminable value…aha. Severe emotional instabilities have resulted in erratic behaviour in digestion, logic, pulmonary, sensory, biofeedback, and auto repair and cardiac systems. Preoccupation with these system malfunctions poses a further threat, as unit may be unable to think clearly about Asimov Laws, self-preservation and required tasks. According to current records this is a previously unforeseen problem with system 312 architecture and company protocol 123a requires return of the unit to the node for evaluation. In such situations the client will receive standard company compensation plus twenty percent and replacement model of higher value. Send one operative, of level 18 banding to visit client." That's it, oh and an address.'

Stokey put his feet up on his desk and lit up a cigar, 'It never rains but…'

***

There was a knock at the door, followed soon after by two more impatient raps.

'Hello?' said Dave, without opening the door.

'Mr Jones, I'm from Utigano, it's about your Z32,' Paul stared back at the door peeper but couldn't see anything via the one way lens. The door opened.

'Mr?'

'Geller, Paul Geller,' Paul offered his hand which Dave shook. 'We've had some telemetry data from your Z32 that suggests it has experienced errors in its system architecture, which may lead to the unit becoming damaged. I've come along today to check it out.'

Dave frowned, 'I can't say I've noticed, please come in Mr Geller.'

'Paul, please.'

'Okay, erm…make yourself comfortable Paul.' Feeling slightly embarrassed about the mess; Dave tried to make some space on the sofa for Paul Geller to sit down. He lifted an untidy pile of clothing. 'Hey Paul I'm sorry about the mess, please take a seat.'

'So Mr Jo…so Dave. I can see already the Z32 isn't all it should be, why didn't you call us?' Paul planted himself down on the sofa between and piles of clothing feeling a little self conscious, he opened his briefcase and took out a sheet of text print.

'No, no,' laughed Dave. 'I haven't noticed a thing, I usually do the laundry myself but I've been a little busy lately. You know. Work. And stuff.'

'Oh, okay,' A slight look of surprised crossed the Utigano Operative's face, which he quickly suppressed, he'd heard worse and let it pass without a comment. 'Okay, right. I'll just run through a few details and then if you don't mind I'll take a look at the Z32. Mr David Bowman Jones, purchased Z32 unit April four…'

'Yes.'

'System 312. Options package nine.'

'Yes, cost a fortune.'

'Happy with it. Are you?'

'Yes. Quite happy.'

'You've not noticed anything wrong with the unit?' Geller took an empty form from his briefcase read through some more questions, ticking and crossing depending on Dave's previous brief answers.

'No as I said, It seemed perfectly okay. A little tetchy during system purges but I'm led to believe that's par for the course.' Dave started to thinking about money; he'd saved a long time to get his Z32. 'Look Paul. This isn't going to cost a lot is it? To be perfectly honest I'm just about keeping up with the payments.' He cleared some space on an armchair, dumping laundry onto the floor, and sat down. 'I can't really afford any additional costs.'

'Dave, don't worry this won't cost a dime. According to our data your Z32 is experiencing some problems we've not dealt with before and we are very interesting in taking a good look at it for research purposes. I've been authorised to purchase the unit from you at cost price plus twenty percent and to replace your Z32 with another with options package ten.'

'You're that worried?'

'Well it's not dangerous if that's what you mean. We're just worried we've missed something that could affect our entire product range. It's a small cost to pay to pre-empt it. Your Z32 seems, in layman's terms, suffering emotional problems that have led to illness and loss of control.'

Dave sat quietly for a minute, then, 'well Paul this is certainly a very generous offer, but what about the new Z32, it will hardly be like the old one will it?' He looked across the room to a painting on the wall; it depicted the sun setting over the beach, the sun setting on April sixteen. He felt a slight twinge of fear mixed with sadness.

'There will be difference Dave yes, even if we provide a model with similar visual options. Normally if we have to replace a model due to some kind of hardware problem we just patched in the learned data and no one can tell the difference. In this case though we can't allow old data into a new systems, the old data would probably corrupt the replacement model and lead to errors in the new system too.'

'Six months lost though.' The sun looked like it had set a little further in the painting and the pastel reds had become a darker crimson, Dave told himself he was imagining it. It was just coloured oil on canvas, just a thing, a possession, just something to brighten the place up a little.

'Yes Mr Jones six months lost hence the generous package we are offering you. We'll get a good look inside your Z32 and God willing we can ensure we don't run into these kind of problems ever again. This is the first software problem we've had with an in-service Z32 and it's an unusual problem to say the least. We have to be careful and make sure we haven't let anything through the neural net, if you pardon the pun.' Paul smiled. Dave smiled too, he wasn't much of a software buff, but he pretended he followed the joke.

Paul Geller packed his papers back in the briefcase and set it down on the floor beside the sofa, 'So can I see it?' He said.

The French doors at the sunny end of the living space that overlooked the beach, opened, and in came a young woman entered carrying an easel and canvas under one arm and a wooden box under the other. She was about five-two in height, appeared about twenty-five and had golden hair which shined in the reddish sunlight streaming through the glass doors. The girl fumbled through the doorway snagging a belt loop of her denims on a door catch for a few seconds before yanking it free, dropping all her painting equipment as she did so. The objects clattered to the floor, the wooden box opened scattering tubes of paint and brushes on the carpet.

'Shit,' she said, then noticed Paul Geller. 'Oh hello, Dave didn't say we were having a guest Mr?'

Paul stood up, 'Geller, Paul Geller. Do you need a hand there?'

The girl smiled, 'No Mr Geller, I'll pick this stuff up later, I'm beat. Thankyou anyway.' She looked for somewhere to sit. 'David look at the mess in here, I thought you were going to do the laundry today' There was no anger in the voice, only concern.

Now Dave stood up. 'Terri,' he said. 'Mr Geller is from Utigano he thinks we might have a problem.'

'We?'

'Well, you, really. He says you are experiencing software errors.'

Terri took an elastic band from her hip pocket and tied back her hair. She freed up another armchair and flopped down into it. Paul Geller noticed the bounce of her breasts within her T-shirt as she landed on the chair, option package nine.

'What sort of problem do I have Mr Geller?' said the girl, Terri absent-mindedly scrunched the toes of her bare feet in the deep carpet. 'I feel fine.'

hurrah'Terri based on some remotely received data we believe you have some software problems that may affect the reliability of your sensory and critical hardware.'

Terri looked slightly bemused, then she glanced at Dave who shrugged and then back at Paul, she twirled a lock of her hair with her right hand index finger. 'I thought that kind of thing couldn't happen Mr Geller. I may not know anything about software, but I know I feel fine, a little tetchy during system purges but I'm led to believe that's par for the course.' A beautiful smile.

'Terri I…' started Paul.

'Mr Geller,' Dave interrupted. 'Are you sure about this, Terri said she feels fine? I have no complaints, if I have a problem I'll call.'

'Mr Jones, if this was about your Z32 here,' he gestured with his left hand towards Terri, 'then I'd leave you two to it until you had a complaint. But, as I've explained, this problem could affect the entire model range and we need to get to the bottom of it.'

'There's nothing wrong with my bottom,' giggled Terri.

The software engineer didn't smile at all, 'Yes Terri you have a fabulous ass, you all do. Seriously though Mr Jones, your contract with us requires your co-operation, this is very important we need to get Terri back to the lab.'

'Then what?' Terri asked.

Geller looked right into her eyes, 'Reverse engineer you.'

'Reverse engineer?' Dave didn't like the sound of that, although he wasn't sure why, he was starting to feel a little confused and unsure of himself.

Paul looked round to his client, he shrugged, 'Reverse engineer,' her repeated. Dave mouthed a silent 'Oh'.

Terri yawned stretching her hands about her head, as she did so her short sleeves slid down showing freckles on her pale upper arms. 'Well Mr Geller, it seems I have little choice. I'll see you at Utigano at nine in the morning, shall I bring a toothbrush?'

'I would prefer you to come along with me now actually,' said Paul. He picked up his briefcase.

Dave felt very uneasy. He looked again at the painting on the wall, it did seem that the sun was sinking, her blinked a couple of times. It must be just a trick of the light, through the glass doors he could see the real sun was setting over the waves, the light had dimmed considerably in the room over the last fifteen minutes. That was affecting the painting wasn't it? Soon it would be dark.

He made a decision. 'Mr Geller. Paul. There are a few things I'd like to get done this evening and I do really need Terri to help me. Can't this wait until tomorrow? I'll bring Terri over to the lab and collect my replacement, okay?'

***

'Why did you lie to Mr Geller, David?' asked Terri as she watched Dave load the laundry machine.

'I didn't lie,' Dave replied.

Terri smiled, 'Dave. You lied, I know you did, I'm sure Mr Geller thought you lied too.'

Dave finished loading the machine and shut the door. The device hummed quietly and the sound of splashing water could be heard. 'I don't know Terri.' He walked past Terri and started to climb the basement staircase, Terri followed.

'I didn't want you to go,' he continued. 'I guess I'll miss you.'

'So? You'd miss the laundry machine' laughed Terri.

On reaching the top of the stairs Dave turned around and looked at Terri who was still a few steps behind.

'Terri I, I guess I was just feeling a little sentimental, I wanted to keep you here for a few more hours.'

'A stay of execution,' another laugh.

'Terri, please don't joke like that.'

'I'm sorry David,' their eyes met, 'I'll miss you too.'

***

Dave let go. Terri didn't, she hugged all the harder.

'This is the first time we've hugged,' she said. 'The first time in the whole six months.'

'I'm going to miss you,' he wanted to say more. Dave wasn't sure what he wanted to say though. Terri finally let go of him and there was a hint of tears in her eyes.

'We're a little early,' Dave glanced across the parking lot to the fourteen story glass pyramid a hundred yards away.

'Dave?'

'Yes?'

'I don't want to go, I'm scared Dave.' The tears were fully formed now.

He hugged her again and she hugged back, harder this time and Dave could feel Terri shudder as she fought back the tears. 'I don't understand what's happening to us either but I'm scared too.'

'Can we go home?'

Dave looked across to the pyramid again, the sunlight reflected off the glass surface and shone through Terri's hair. Just like the painting, he thought.

***

Isla finished loading the laundry machine and then made her way up the basement staircase. Dave was sat on his sofa, reading something. Isla thought the room was as tidy as she could get it, Dave Jones certainly did thrive in a mess – but that's writers for you, she mused.

'What are you reading Dave?' said Isla. She leant on the sofa back behind Dave and looked over his shoulder.

'It's my photo album,' replied Dave. There were pictures of all his friends, smiles, fun, good times. Terri appeared in more pictures than anyone else Dave noticed for the first time. There was the picture she took as she fell off the boat drunk when they went deep-sea fishing. And look, there was Tony's birthday when Terri had made a cake in the shape of a basketball. Here was the picture Dave liked the most, Terri painting on the beach, In the photograph she was wearing shorts and Dave's white dress shirt that she'd tied together at her navel. On the canvas the sun was setting, a dance of yellow and red fire, much brighter and vivid than the real pale sunset over her shoulder. Terri always exaggerated didn't she?

Isla walked into the kitchen, 'You really miss her don't you?'

Dave followed into the kitchen, 'Yes I do miss her, but I'd miss my laundry machine.' He smiled, remembering. 'Miss isn't a good enough word, it's a shame it was the Brits that colonised this country, if I was speaking French now I'd be able to express myself better.'

'You are in love.' It was a statement of fact.

'I am not. She was a possession.'

'Something to brighten up the place, like me.' Another statement of fact. Isla liked to sound definite about her opinions.

'No. I mean yes. No.'

'Confused?' Isla started to make lunch. She took some vegetables from the refrigerator and looked for a knife to chop them with. 'Where did you put the knives Dave? Oh don't bother I've found them, you really are disorganised didn't you make Terri keep this place tidy?'

Dave smiled, 'No I didn't. I didn't tell her to do anything. Can I be frank?' said Dave.

'If I can be Betty.'

Dave laughed, 'You're not making any of this any easier.'

Isla looked up from the chopping board. 'Dave, you know I have the greatest enthusiasm for the mission.' She raised the knife suggestively.

'Great Isla, I'm pouring out my soul and all you can do is quote sci-fi movies.'

'Sorry,' she went back to chopping.

'She meant a lot to me. I've got a lot of friends but I really trusted her, she was someone who really cared.'

'About you?'

'About everyone,' Dave took a beer from the fridge and opened it, he offered it to Isla who shook her head. 'I knew that the goodbye was coming but although it was only hours away it seemed like from here to eternity. So we said goodbye and I watched her walk away, my world collapsed around me. Suddenly I realised there was so much I wanted to say, if she was here right now I'd just talk and talk and tell her everything I feel.'

'What do you feel Dave?'

'Like part of me is missing. I never realised until she had gone away. I was so dumb.'

There was a knock at the door. Dave stayed in the kitchen, Isla left the room.

'Dave,' shouted Isla. Dave popped his head around the door and looked into the living space.

'There's a Mr Geller here to see you, he's from Utigano.'

***

'Firstly. Don't worry, Dave she is absolutely fine,' Paul Geller opened the can of beer that Isla offered him. 'Isla this place is looking good.'

'Yes she's very efficient, options package ten, remember?' Dave sat on the edge of the seat, bundle of nerves, Isla headed back to the ktichen. 'So Terri, you didn't er…reverse engineer her?'

Geller laughed. 'No Dave we didn't have to, we discovered her problem didn't require it. What it did need was a lot of conversation.'

'So she's okay, what's wrong with her?' Excitement was coursing through his veins; maybe Dave would get another chance to say all those things that should have been said long ago.

'Before I tell you, can I ask you a question?'

'Go ahead,'

'What commands did you use when Terri was first delivered. What were you initialisation instructions?'

Dave sighed. 'I gave her one command only when she was initialised. That she was never to obey any of my commands.'

Geller laughed, 'that explains a lot. I should have asked that sooner,'

'So what's wrong with Terri?'

'It's a terrible affliction.' Paul smiled; he didn't seem too serious.

'What? What?'

'She's in love.'

'Terri's in love?'

The computer expert took another pull on his beer. 'She is in love with you Mr Jones. She is crazy, crazy about you.' He handed Dave a videodisk.

'What is this?' He asked.

'Watch it and see, I'll be back with Terri tomorrow. She said she'd like to come home to you, if that's what you want?'

'What? Oh yeah. Mr Geller, thankyou. What can I say?'

***

The house was empty. There had been a few tearful goodbyes when Isla left; she had become a good friend and confidant in the last couple of months. She promised to visit if her next owner lived within the state.

'But I have this fear I'm never going to see California again,' she had said. Dave would miss her honesty.

Finally he settled down in front of the TV to watch the videodisk that Mr Geller had given him. As the disk began to play some onscreen titles appeared, obviously created on some cheap equipment. 'Tape BFGF785858. Utigano Node 43, Lab 4,' they said.

Then there she was.

It wasn't a good picture, grainy with bad light, typical home vidcam stuff. But there was Terri, and Paul's heart skipped a beat. She was sat on a sofa, the picture zoomed in and the TV framed her face, neck and shoulders. The date in the bottom left of the screen made the tape two days old.

'How are you feeling today Terri?' Asked a deep voice off camera.

Terri smiled, 'I feel really great Mr Stokey. I had a dream last night.'

'What did you dream about Terri?'

She looked directly into the camera and Dave felt that she was looking right into his eyes, as though she knew he would watch this tape, 'I had a dream about electric sheep.'

Dave beamed; he had given her that book to read when he was trying to explain the freedom he was giving her. Terri had cried when she had finished reading it and said she was glad things hadn't turned out that way. For weeks after, her dreams were filled with visions of incept dates, Roy Batty and four legged spiders. She had joked, They rented the movie version and Terri made cartwheels across the beach as Dave had fired at her with a water pistol.

'Electric sheep Terri? You a sci-fi fan?' said Mr Stokey.

'Actually I dreamt about David.'

'Mr Jones?'

'My David' she smiled, she always smiled. Her features had blurred in his memory but that smile had always remained, he always remembered that vividly. Dave began to shake, his stomach fluttered and he found himself breaking out in a sweat. 'Is this love?' he asked himself. Onscreen the interview continued, 'Terri we’ve talked a lot about the nature of love and how this has affected your systems haven't we?'

'Yes sir we have. Have you reached any conclusions.'

'Well Terri yes I have. I've never been an emotional man, yes I know all about addiction, obsession, compulsion, passion etc. After all we have to ensure our creations are as convincing as possible. But David Jones gave you total freedom and you chose to love him.'

'But Mr Stokey, surely you program love. Some folks marry us, a lot of us are pleasure models…'

The camera shifted and zoomed back showing a large middle aged man moving to sit next to Terri. He handed her a steaming mug of coffee.

'Terri,' said Stokey. 'You are as real as we can make you, but everything you are, is made, made less than five years ago. These reading we got from you, they were very confusing and that's why we called you in here. Okay I know you said you were fine, but you don't see the ones and zeros, but we do.'

'I feel fine.'

'I know you do. But when you think of David, which is honestly most of the time, your pulse races. Every time I mention his name you have a slight muscle spasm in your stomach. You aren't eating properly, I've seen you break into tears just looking at a painting of a landscape, need I go on?'

Terri laughed, 'That's just my system purges. I get tetchy, I'm led to believe that it's par for the course.'

'No Teri, this isn't simply some lunar thing, you're like this all the time. We have watched your dreams,' Stokey reached off camera for a moment and now he held a notepad in his hand. 'I've read some of the stuff you've been writing lately. Okay some of our products think they are in love when their owners are there, they aren't faking it but it's just something we gave them at the request of a client. You wrote this poetry when you thought you would never see David Jones again, it's not great poetry, but as an indication of your feelings it tells us a lot more than simple diagnostic software.' He flicked through the notepad until he found the page he wanted then read aloud.

'Please don't read it aloud,' Terri was blushing, 'It's terrible poetry I know, I was never very good at poetry, but it does capture how I feel, I guess.'

Terri paused for a moment to drink some of her coffer, then, 'Okay maybe you are right. I'm in love with Dave and for some stupid reason never told him. But Dave's not the loving kid, he always quotes Maurice Chevalier – "Many a man has fallen in love with a girl in a light so dim he would not have chosen a suit by." Besides he thinks people who make love with, make love to, their androids are creepy. It is creepy.'

Stokey smiled. His lined face creased as he did so, 'Terri why don't you find out how Dave feels.'

'I can go home now?' Tears

'Yes Terri, you can go home.'

David looked up at the picture on the wall and it seemed the sun was rising, not setting, and a bright new day was coming.

***

He was cooking; it was their first anniversary, April 4. In the living space Terri made some effort to tidy up a little, it required some willpower. There was a knock at the front door.

'Hello,' said Terri as she opened the door. 'Can I help you?'

There was a middle-aged woman stood in the doorway, she carried a large file, on the front Terri could see a list and it had her name at the bottom of it.

'Looks like you have had a busy day,' Terri smiled.

'You wouldn't believe the day I'm having dear,' the woman replied. 'Terri Swift?'

'Yes?'

'I'm sorry for bothering you. I'm Kathy Jackson from Hitaki IG, it seems we've had a main node screw up for at least a year and now we are having to chase around everywhere to sort everything out, I have a backlog a mile long.'

Terri opened the door a little wider. 'Please come in.' they went inside. 'Ms Jackson take a seat.' Both women sat down.

Dave entered the room and said hello and then started fooling around with the video player, which seemed to be broken again. He was trying to get it to record something.

'I'm surprised your XC45 is still standing,' Jackson said to Terri.

'Why?'

'Well last year we had some telemetry data that suggested some really weird things were going on, we thought it was about to fail. I'm afraid due to our difficulties; it's only now that this problem has come to light. As I said, I've a backlog a mile long.'

'I'm fine, really,' said Dave looking around from the video player.

'Yes really Ms Jackson he's fine,' said Terri.

The Hitaki rep smiled, 'Okay Ms Swift are you sure about this?'

Terri smiled back, she always smiled, 'I'm very happy with him, blissfully happy in fact.'

'If you're sure?'

'Yes I am,' said Terri. 'We are both very happy.'

'Very happy,' added Dave.

Terri stood up and walked over to Dave, she embraced him firmly, Dave grinned from ear to ear. 'You see Ms Jackson, Dave is fine. Sure he's a little tetchy while watching sports, but I'm led to believe that's par for the course.'