The Robot Couldn't Handle My Order Novels & Stories

Its posture looked too stiff, even for a machine. “Unit Four,” she said. No response. She stepped closer and waved a hand in front of it. Still nothing. “System,” she called. “Yes, Mrs. Moretti?” “Why is Unit Four facing the wrong direction?” “Unit Four is in rest mode.” “That’s not what I asked.” “Unit Four has entered rest mode,” the system repeated. Her jaw tightened. She took a step back, resisting the urge to kick the robot just to prove a point. The house system suffered glitches sometimes, but tonight everything felt… off. The delayed greeting. The unresponsive bot. The dimness of the lights. The faint hum in the walls she couldn’t place.

My mom was a computer genius with a PhD who works in Silicon Valley. Shortly after I was born, she created an AI robot sister modeled after me. Mom said my AI robot sister was equipped with the world's most accurate child behavior evaluation system. The moment I made a mistake, it would detect it. From then on, my AI robot sister became the judge of my life. Whenever she issued a warning, even when I had done nothing wrong, all I received was punishment. I tried to defend myself before. But Mom said the robot she built with her own hands could never make a mistake, and she became even more convinced that I was an inferior child. On my birthday, Mom took my sister and me to participate in an