Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 15

Life, Relationship change

On a mission from The Spider, Rue finds themself a guest in the home of one Eli Manchen, the notoriously antisocial robotics genius, but isn't quite ready for what they find inside.

After a surprisingly short interval, the intercom on the gate in front of Rue rattles to life and a mechanical voice on the other end of the line responds, "Manchen residence. Please state your business."   ''Uhh, I've got a delivery for Eli.'' They announce to the robotic voice, a little taken aback. ''It's from Mr. Creel.''   "It would appear you are late," the voice continues as the gate buzzes and Rue is allowed onto the grounds.   They feel uneasy stepping onto the Manchen estate. The place feels in some way off. The place looks like it's been looked after, but without an ounce of joy. The hedgerows and architecture are objectively perfect, but also unpleasant. Devoid of life. But if that were the case, why did Rue feel so watched?   ''Ummm... I'm sorry?'' They say hesitantly, following the driveway up towards the mahogany double doors of the mansion. They have a careful glance around the grounds, their hearing picking up on a faint whirring to their right. As they turn to look, they spot a small camera inside one of the meticulously kept bushes, its lens adjusting slightly as it zooms in. Once they reach the doors, they notice another camera directly above the door, the red dot indicating that it's recording their every move. Rue can't help but feel a shiver going down their spine, the abundant surveillance making them highly uncomfortable.   Without them having to knock, the door begins to open and Rue is brought face-to-face with a young woman, or at least that's what it appears at first. Between her segmented, porcelain face and blank expression, Rue soon makes two unsettling realisations. Firstly, that this woman is some sort of android, and secondly, that she bears an uncanny similarity to a black-haired Rachel, "Welcome to our home..." she says, in a monotone, yet sombre, voice, "Please, wipe your feet."   They stare at the android for a while in shock before stepping onto the doormat, wiping their feet as instructed. As they walk in, they’re trying to come up with a better word to describe Eli, as creep doesn’t quite seem to do him justice. Reminding themself that they should continue to stay in Spider’s good graces, Rue forces themself to go along with it.   “Thank you, miss…” They pause, uncertain what to call the robot. Rachel? Rach-bot?   "My name is Evelyn," the android says in that same monotone, "I'll be your chaperone while on the grounds."   The inside of the mansion is much like the outside, and Rue can quickly see why. As they enter, they notice a crew of small robots scurrying to and fro, cleaning and moving things around. They all seem to be far simpler in their design than Evelyn, with non-human shapes and only enough complexity to carry out their duties. It gives the mansion the illusion of life despite being objectively devoid of it.   "If you'd like to follow me," Evelyn says, motioning towards one of the adjoining hallways, "Master Eli is currently in the workshop and he's informed me that he wishes to see you personally."   ''Right...'' They say, following Evelyn down the hallway. The lack of any living creatures is putting Rue on edge, their eyes darting around at at the slightest noise. They're ushered to another impressively embellished door, the wood carved with intricate decorations. They wait patiently as Evelyn knocks on the door for permission to enter.   A light above the door turns from red to green and Evelyn pushes the door open, ushering Rue inside. The sudden change in the building's decor is drastic as they walk into the workshop. The fairly classic styling of the Manor is dropped in favour of a highly futuristic feeling, with white tiled floors and odd-looking machinery in every direction. There are half-finished projects scattered around and in one corner, Rue is able to see what looks to be a spare parts area for Evelyn, including spare arms, legs and other pieces of anatomy that they choose not to look into any further.   "Master Eli, Mister Creel's courier is here to see you," Evelyn announces as she leads Rue into one of the multiple smaller working areas within the room, complete with a table at which a young man appeared to be working with a soldering iron on a piece of circuitry.   He turns towards the two and begins to remove his apron, "Ah, hello there," he says in a parched tone. It seems he's not spoken to anyone in a long time. He stands and removes the protective gear he'd been working with, revealing himself to be not quite the snivelling freak Rue had been expecting, but a fairly handsome young man, with ash-blond hair and dark brown eyes. He smiles and holds out a hand to shake, "Eli Manchen. Welcome to my home."   Rue shakes the proffered hand, giving the man a small smile. “I’m Rue,” they say politely. “You’ve got quite an… impressive home.” It’s not entirely untrue: whilst Rue doesn’t necessarily like the mansion and its cold, lifeless atmosphere, they can’t help but note that the robotics that they’ve come across - as far as they can tell - appear to be state of the art. It’s almost a shame that this guy is a creep, as they wonder what else this man could use his talents for.   They unzip their jacket to reveal the package, holding it out for Eli to take. “Mister Creel asked me to deliver this to you.”   "Why thank you," he says with a hint of surprise in his tone, "And thank you for bringing me the package. It'll go well with my collection," he takes the parcel and hands it off to Evelyn, asking her to take it to his room. She replies in the affirmative and turns, making a quick exit from the workshop, "Now, she's going to be gone for a few minutes," he continues, taking a seat nearby and putting his feet up and looking them up and down, "So, Rue. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? It's not like Creel to have his girls doing the grunt work. More the grunt-ing work, if you know what I mean."   “I guess even mister Creel doesn’t wish to be seen hiring kids for ‘grunting work’, as you put it,” Rue says, the polite smile shifting slightly into something more menacing. “Also, not a girl.”   They walk over to the seat, cocking their head slightly as they cross their arms, the sweetness in their voice dripping venom. “Now I’m sure an honourable businessman like yourself will have the payment for our services rendered readily available.”   "Well, that remains to be seen," he says, clearly noting but not obviously impressed by their change in attitude, "Funny. No-one's ever accused me of being honorable before," he sighs at the lack of reaction from Rue, "Well, you're not much fun. Briefcase is over there," he nods to a table near the door, "Fifty-thousand in bills. Don't lose it. I'm not sure what Creel does to disappointing employees, but I doubt it's pleasant."   Rue’s eyes go wide at the number Eli so casually mentions, barely able to wrap their head such a large sum. They walk over to the table, looking back over their shoulder. “Mind if I make sure everything is in order with it?” They ask, placing a hand on the briefcase.   "What? You don't trust me," he says, feigning shock, "And I thought I had such a trustworthy face," he chuckles but rolls his eyes when he sees no hint of mirth in Rue, "Go on, then. The combination is 999-999."   ''Like you said, mister Creel won't like a disappointing employee.'' They shrug, putting in the code. The briefcase opens with a 'click', and Rue is faced with several stacks of notes. They take out the first pile, careful not to let out a low whistle, and begin to count.     The task proves more time-consuming than they care to admit, but eventually they confirm that everything is in order. They lock the briefcase again by spinning the numbers arbitrarily, taking it by the handle and lifting the hefty item from the table. ''All good on my end,'' Rue says, polite smile back in place, ''Pleasure doing business with you.''   "Ah, the pleasure is all mine, Rue," he says, standing to lead you out, "Could I interest you in some lunch before you go? I'm sure I could have Evelyn whip you up something. She is a very skilled cook."   They seem to consider the invitation for a moment, their curiosity somewhat piqued. It would give them the opportunity to find out more details about Eli and his creations, ''That's very kind of you,'' Rue says, ''If it's not too much trouble...''   Eli raises his brows, "R-really?" He mutters before shaking his head slightly and reassuming his confident persona, "Of course. Its no trouble at all," he says, before turning and pressing a button on the wall next to an intercom, "Please have Evelyn prepare lunch for two. We're having a guest."   There's no response but he seems satisfied and leads Rue further into the mansion, towards a lavish sitting room, "So, Rue. Care to tell me a little about yourself? How does a... person like you end up working for someone like Creel?"   They follow him into the sitting room, taking a moment as they slowly spin around, taking in the fancy decorations, the art on the walls surprisingly tasteful, albeit a bit too abstract to Rue's liking.   ''Oh you know,'' They say, somewhat sinking into the cushions as they sit down on the sofa, ''I was just another Rail yard roach in need of money, he offered me a better gig than pickpocketing.''   "Well, that's definitely something at least," he shrugs, sitting forward in his own chair, "And why did he offer you that? It's not like he's the most philanthropic man in the world. What makes you so special?"   ''I might have pickpocketed one of his employees...'' Rue says with a grimace. ''I guess I proved my worth after that while paying him back for that.'' They fidget with a tassel on one of the cushions, a clock on the wall ticking noisily. ''What about you? How did you become acquainted with mister Creel?''   Eli chuckles at the admission, "Well, he speaks pretty highly of you, if that helps any," he says before shrugging, "I met Aloysius at the annual meeting of the Pinnacle. I was grandfathered in after my Dad passed, and the Spider never misses an opportunity to rub elbows with the rich and powerful."   ''What about Manchen robotics?'' Rue asks casually. There's a small robot that has entered the room, whirring faintly as it brushes non-existent dust off the artwork frames on the wall. ''I must admit I don't know much about it. Did you set it up yourself, or was it your father's company?''   "My Dad was the founder. He was something of a tinkerer back in his youth and started the company to fund his hobby," he says, nonchalantly, sitting back in his chair as if the whole matter bored him, "I took over after he died and tried to take the technology up a level or two, but I've never really cared about the business side of things. Frankly, I sometimes wish I hadn't been born into any of this, I'd just-"   He's interrupted as Evelyn enters the room, her porcelain face exhibiting the same blank expression as ever and in her arms, a tray laden with various deli meats, cheeses and breads, a tossed salad, selection of cakes and two cups of tea. She places them down on the table as Eli thanks her.   "Please, help yourself," he says, taking a piece of brown bread and sliding a buttered knife across it, "I assure you, its all perfectly fresh."   ''Thank you,'' They say to both Eli and Evelyn, taking a small block of cheese to nibble on. The cheese is soft and mild, with a nutty undertone. Rue picks up a piece of the bread and butters it, their eyes drifting back to Evelyn, who is stood still in front of them, her hands folded politely in front of her, back perfectly straight. It unnerves them a little to see a near-perfect replica of Rachel so devoid of life.   ''How did you make her?'' They ask in between bites, gesturing to the stoic android.   "Who, Evelyn?" He asks, seemingly surprised by the sudden interest, "She was a bit of a pet project of mine for a while. Pretty proud of it honestly. Some of the stuff I put in there I haven't revealed to anyone. I had to design a new stabilisation system so she could stand at a relatively normal height, strength versus manual dexterity was a problem, had to use an experimental type of synthetic musculature that my company had been working on. She still requires regular recharging, especially if she's busy. And after all that, it was impossible to create a program that could actually handle everything while also being able to talk and listen like a person."   Rue couldn't see it in her expression for obvious reasons, but there was a slight upward tilt in the android's head. If they didn't know better, they'd say the robot looked proud.   "I'm still tweaking as we go. Currently working on a more lifelike face that can actually make expressions..."   Rue’s gaze lingers on Evelyn a while longer, curious about the subtle movement of her head. They wonder exactly how much autonomy an android might have, especially one as complex as her.   “Is that why you wanted the information Creel has on Suplex? To make Evelyn’s expressions more lifelike?” At Eli’s expression, they shrug. “Any Railyard roach would recognise her,” They explain, picking at the food. “The likeness is… impressive.”   Eli falters for a moment, and Evelyn turns sharply, beginning to take some of the used plates out of the room with an unusual haste, "I'd best start on the washing." She mutters as she prepares to depart.   "I... didn't realise Aloysius was so... candid about the nature of our dealings," he says, pointedly looking away from Rue, "I appreciate the compliment, and I'll admit that Rachel is... my muse, shall we say?" He fidgets uncomfortably in his chair before sitting forward once again, "But I assure you that I am simply... a devoted fan. And what can a fan do if not fawn over his idol?"   It takes all of their willpower not to cringe, both parties equally uncomfortable albeit for different reasons. “I can assure you, mister Creel is very private about your business,” They say in an attempt to keep Eli placated, “It’s merely that I helped acquire the information.”   "Ah, so you're as resourceful as you look, eh?" He says, trying to resume his previous arrogance, "So how did you come across this stuff?"   “I have my ways.” They say vaguely, hoping to leave it at that. They pick up the cup of tea, taking a small sip. “Why the black hair, though?”   "What, you don't think she looks nice?" he says as Evelyn returns, standing over the two of them and noticeably avoiding any further eye-contact.   “I’m just curious why you didn’t go with red.” They shrug, observing Evelyn carefully. Could she actually be uncomfortable, Rue wonders. They don’t know nearly enough about robotics to be certain, but the movements, despite the blank face, make it seem like she has genuine emotions. If Eli could really give her more facial expressions, just how ‘human’ would she become? The thought causes a shiver to run up their spine, reinforcing their discomfort with the man sat across from them.   "I've considered upgrading her to the red," he says, looking up at the android who does seem to be evading his gaze slightly. After a moment he gives up and looks back at Rue, "But I'm saving it for when she's done. I want everything to be perfect."   "Are you finished with your lunch, Miss Rue?" Evelyn asks, moving around the table and motioning to the remaining plates, "Can I get you anything else?"   "Ah, but it's not Miss. Is it, Rue?" Eli says, "Please feel free to tell her how you'd prefer to be addressed."   ''Just Rue is fine,'' They answer, taking a final sip of their tea. ''And I'm all done, thank you, Evelyn.''   They get up from their seat, reaching down for the briefcase and turning towards Eli, extending their free hand. ''I'd best get going. Thank you again for the lunch.''   "Well then, it's been a pleasure, Rue," Eli shakes Rue's hand but doesn't get up, allowing Evelyn to show them out.   "If you'd like to follow me, Rue," she says, leading the way down the opulent hallways towards the front door.   “I uhh… I’m sorry if we made you uncomfortable earlier.” Rue begins as they walk down the corridor, carefully observing Evelyn for a reaction. They’re not sure if a robot can actually feel uncomfortable, but the way she avoided their gaze earlier had left an impression.   "Nonsense, Rue," Evelyn mutters, still making no effort to look towards them, "I am merely a machine. My comfort is immaterial. I exist solely to serve Master Eli and his... guests."   Despite the reassurance, Rue got the feeling that Evelyn did not like them very much, but as they got to the front door, they decided to drop the matter. Ensuring they had a firm grip on the briefcase, they give another polite smile to the android, extending their hand. ''Thank you for your hospitality, Evelyn.''   "Of course," she says, her eyes finally meeting Rue's as she clasps her hand in a gentle shake, "We hope to host you again soon." After a slight nod, Evelyn closes the door in front of Rue and leaves them alone, returning to her duties within the household as the young superhuman begins to make her way back to the Six-Nines.   To be continued...