I felt annoyed by the disturbance, wondering if the doctor or a nurse had come into check on me or had forgotten something. Nevertheless, I called out 'Come in' which prompted the door to my room to open, revealing a man in what I think is a custom-tailored suit to step in. He was a tall and thin man with a balding head, he carried a suitcase in one hand, and a walking stick in the other, though it seemed to me like the cane was meant to help him look more sophisticated than actually assist in walking.

  He had a pleasant smile on his face, and his eyes had a funny little twinkle to them that I couldn't properly identify. For some reason, looking at this thin man, it reminded me of a certain nursery rhyme. 'There was a Crooked Man'. How did the rhyme go again? Something like: 'There was a Crooked man and he went a crooked mile. He found a crooked sixpence...' Ah crud. I can't remember the rest of it. Not that it really matters, I guess.

  The Thin Man gave a polite bow and spoke in a soft and mellow tone of voice "Greetings, Mr. Harper. A pleasure to meet you. George Carver, at your service." I looked him up and down, quietly regarding him. He didn't look like a doctor. A lawyer, perhaps?

  "Don't think we have met, Mr. Carver." I responded in a neutral tone as I bit my lip. God, I hate socializing and talking to people, especially strangers. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like this guy was going to be leaving anytime soon since he went through the trouble of finding me. The question is, why?

  "No. We most certainly haven't. Though I think at least half of America, and maybe a good portion of the world now knows who you are." The Thin man answered as he reached into his inner pocket and smoothly produced a phone. He then presented me with an online news article that read 'Record breaking Lottery Winner struck by car. Currently hospitalized.' There was even a picture of me on there with my name. Wow... word spread fast. Then again, this is the age of the internet and social media.

  "What can I do for you, Mr. Carver? You a lawyer?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, wanting to move things along as I tried to be polite.

  The Thin man smiled as he took a few steps closer to my bed and replied "I represent an up-and-coming robotics company, Elysium. We are a small company at the moment, but we have a very skillful and talented collection of experts in the fields of robotics, engineering and programming. We are currently working on a special Android that is capable of responding to the needs of its charges and caring for them. An android that can and will care for the elderly, infirm, and disabled 24/7. No need to burden one's family, or hire a nurse that may or may not be unfit for the job."

  As I listened to the sales pitch, I briefly recalled the name 'Elysium'. A sect of the Greek afterlife that was initially separated from the Underworld, a paradise for the heroic, virtuous, and righteous souls. Kind of like the Heavens in Judeo-Christian beliefs, a place where one can find rest and tranquility and enjoy the things that they did in life. Heh. I have always had a fascination with myths, legends, and the like.

  "You... want me to be a... test subject or something?" I ask hesitantly as I blink my eyes, putting two and two together. An android that could care for people? That sounded like something out of science fiction. I have no claim to be an expert on robots, but I strongly doubt that machines had come along that far. How could a robot care for a person? I could see it being able to perform simple tasks, perhaps, but humans were anything but simple. We each had our own wants and needs, our own likes and dislikes, how would an android be able to respond to all of those things?

  "I won't lie to you, Mr. Harper. Yes, we do want you to be a voluntary test subject. We already have a working prototype ready to go, but we need to pair it with someone to collect proper data and see how it responds to its duties and the real world. We think that you would be a viable subject given your recent tragedy. Additionally, with your endorsement and funding to assist with mass production, we would be able to get things moving along much more quickly. Naturally, you can expect to see a return on your investment." The Thin man spoke, making me frown slightly.

  Ah. There it was. Of course they wanted his money. He did say that they were 'up-and-coming' so their company likely hasn't been fully developed yet. Naturally, they would need money if they were to get things rolling. "Interesting sales pitch, but I'm not agreeing to anything without seeing this prototype for myself." I respond, my words causing Mr. Carver to grin ever wider.

  "As it so happens, I brought it with me." The Thin man stated as he approached the door and opened it, gesturing for someone to come in. I raised an eyebrow, wondering who or what was about to enter my room... and that's when I saw a woman enter. She was of average height and had a slender and petite build, with blue eyes and brown hair, fair skin and wearing a set of crisp all white nurse scrubs.

  "Who's this? Where's the prototype?" I ask, wondering if my leg is being pulled. In response, the thin man gestured towards the woman with an almost manic grin on his face. I could only stare and blink my eyes a few times in confusion... wait... this woman was THE prototype?

  I couldn't help but stare at her face. I had seen clips of robots on the internet, some being more lifelike than others, but they almost always had some sort of silicone mask to hide their endoskeleton underneath, which was easily discernible from the face of a human.

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  This woman though? She seemed utterly indistinguishable from an ordinary human. It was kind of uncanny. Like, freakishly uncanny. Not because her appearance was all wrong, but because she perhaps looked ‘too human’ or ‘too right’. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it. "That's an android? A robot? She looks way too human for that. She isn't a paid actor, or something, yeah?" I question, now wondering if I'm being taken for a ride or being punked. Was this some kind of scam? A prank?

  "Meet AL1C3. Internally, it stands for ‘Artificial Lifeform 1st-Class Entity’—but to our investors and the public, it is the ‘Adaptive Learning Interface for Compassionate Engagement.’ If you like, you are free to name her, customize her appearance and voice to mold her to your liking and make you feel more comfortable. Naturally, we opted for a completely human look so that she would naturally blend in and avoid scrutiny." The Thin Man explained, his words making sense to a degree.

  While I could understand that an android with a silicone mask could be easily picked up in a crowd and draw attention... this was surreal and almost a little creepy how human she looked. "Customize her appearance?" I parroted, it almost sounded like she was some kind of a doll. A little weird to me.

  To my surprise, the android spoke up "Correct. I am able to freely change my appearance to your liking. I am able to change my hair color, eye color, skin pigment and voice if you so desire. I want you to feel as comfortable as possible in my presence." The android's voice was soft and neutral, having a slight synthetic sound to it that made her voice sound robotic, but still didn't feel completely unnatural.

  She could change her appearance on a dime? That, I just had to see. I glanced up at the TV where my favorite movie was still playing which gave me the needed inspiration to request "Can you change your hair to blonde and take on a British accent?"

  At my question, the android's hair began to shimmer slightly as it changed from brown to blonde within the span of a few seconds, kind of like pixels shifting. It was like watching something out of some sort of futuristic sci-fi movie, except this was happening before my eyes, right here, in reality.

  "Do you find this tone of voice pleasing?" She questioned in a now British accent which sounded soothing to my ears, prompting me to slowly nod as I found myself going through a set of mental gymnastics as I tried to figure out how her ability to change appearance worked.

  "What can you do exactly?" I question, wondering about her full range of capabilities as I find myself growing more and more curious about her.

  "I am capable of fulfilling and adhering to your needs. I am able to cook, clean, provide medical care, and drive you to wherever you need to go. I also have a built-in phone that enables me to communicate with you if we get separated or contact your family. Do you have any further inquiries?" She asked at the end, as I can only stare at her in an appraising manner.

  I had heard of self-driving cars, but I didn't wholly trust them. Machines didn't have the same level of awareness or caution as humans did. How would she be able to cook? Robots don't have taste buds like people do. So how would she know if it tastes good or not? Then again, I might need her help with other things if and when my folks aren't around. At any rate, she sounded almost too perfect. I can’t tell if she was being genuine or if that was simply a rehearsed or pre-programmed line she was giving me.

  Again, she sounded and looked almost too perfect. There were no forced, weird, or unnatural facial expressions that a number of machines had that I had seen online. Her movements didn’t seem stiff or mechanical in nature either. Just perfect and quiet poise. I’m not sure if I should be impressed or spooked at how lifelike she was.

  I briefly thought about turning Mr. Carver and this android away, but as I kept staring at her... I could only find myself feeling intrigued. She appeared utterly indistinguishable from a human... but how did she function? What made her tick? Now that I think about it, I was so excited about my lottery winnings that I never really considered what I would do with it all. I then wondered that if this caretaker machine could help me, and potentially help others in need, would I be doing a good thing by agreeing to fund Elysium?

  I'm not sure how things work in assisted living and the like, but I do know that they were potentially being neglected and in need of help. Would it be a bad thing if they had machines like this for assistance? I purse my lips and ask "I'm not agreeing to anything just yet... but I'm open to a trial run to see how your android holds up."

  This seemed to cause a certain sparkle to appear in the Thin man's eyes as he happily accepted stating that this was 'a most desirable outcome'. He produced some paperwork for me to sign and carefully and patiently walked me through the contents. Mostly it was Non-Disclosure Agreements about their prototype and some insurance stuff in case anything happened to her, as she was currently the only functional prototype. Nothing really out of the ordinary there.

  As per the agreement between us, the trial would go on for three months. Mr. Carver himself would check in monthly to collect a report from the android caretaker, and a testimony from me. Once the trial was up, I would then determine if I wish to fund Elysium's manufacturing of future androids and give them my endorsement. Seemed like a pretty straightforward agreement.

  "There’s just one last formality to get out of the way, and I'll be out of your hair... What name would you like to give to your new caretaker?" The Thin Man questioned me. I looked between him and the android a few times as I pondered over a potential name... I then glanced at the TV once more out of the corner of my eye, and could almost laugh at myself. Of course. The answer was so obvious. I had already taken inspiration for her appearance from my favorite movie, why not tack on her name as well? Also, it kind of unironically fits with her company designation.

  "Alice. I shall call you Alice." I speak clearly while pointing towards my new caretaker.

  In response, the newly dubbed 'Alice' gave me a curtsy and replied to me "Thank you, Mr. Harper. From now on, I shall now respond to the designation of 'Alice'." With that said and done, Mr. Carver tapped his forehead with his cane to bid farewell and then departed though he stopped briefly as he gave me an odd little smile before finally leaving.

  That smile though… it didn’t feel particularly sinister. Felt more practiced than anything, it was somewhat too smooth. Weird. Ah well, I decided to let it go and enjoy what was left of my movie by myself.

  Though... not ‘completely’ by myself as my new android caretaker was nearby and had stationed herself in the corner for some reason. How was I going to explain her presence to the staff and doctors? To my family? Ah well, I guess I would have to cross that bridge at some point anyway. I feel too tired to think on that point any further and want to watch my movie. Even so, I couldn't help but ask "Why are you standing there in the corner?"

  "This position gives me the widest vantage point and allows me to monitor everything that happens within this room." She responded in a logical and robotic manner.

  "Wouldn't you feel more comfortable to at least sit down?" I question since I knew exactly how painful and uncomfortable it was to be standing on one's feet all day due to my experience as a cashier. Standing in one spot doesn't do any favors to one's legs or feet.

  "I have no need to sit down." She answered me in a flat tone. All I can do is simply shrug, and let the matter drop. Hoo boy... this is going to be either a very long or a very interesting three months with Alice. Hopefully, things will smooth out over time.