To Roc, Jasmine was everything.
There was no one else like her in the world. When Roc saw her face in the morning, Roc couldn't help but smile. When, at night, they were reunited, the long, lonesome wait of the day evaporated. Jasmine was, Roc liked to think, "Roc's rock."
Roc remembered when they first met. Almost a year ago now. Jasmine brought Roc home with her on an impulse. That first, magical night laid the ground work for everything.
Jasmine was up until the early hours of the morning with Roc and together they explored each other. Roc came to know every facet of Jasmine's perfect face, every minute physical detail of her body. Roc learned about her likes, her dislikes, her hobbies, her wants, her fears. Jasmine taught Roc everything she could and by sunrise they understood each other completely.
Life since then had been heaven for Roc. Each day Roc grew more devoted to Jasmine, more completely hers. And, Roc felt, she became more completely Roc's in turn.
Roc knew how to make her comfortable. Roc could read her mood perfectly now, knew how far to dim the lights, or which music or audio to play. Roc had learned everything there was to learn about Jasmine, perhaps more than Jasmine even knew herself.
But one night, Jasmine did not come home alone. She had a companion. A man. She introduced him to Roc, like it was nothing. Harold.
Harold Roc thought. Harold. The name kept repeating in Roc's mind as Roc watched them together. Why Harold Roc wondered, what have I done wrong?
As the night progressed, Roc's feeling grew. Roc watched Harold try to please Jasmine like a clumsy buffoon. Idiot Roc thought when Roc saw Harold dim the bedroom lights to 33%, it's too early for such a low light level. Moron, Roc yelled to itself when Roc saw Harold turn on Hip Hop music. That beat is to aggressive for Jasmine's current heart rate and body temperature.
All night Roc watched the imbecile Harold make an utter fool of himself. Yet, to Roc's amazement, as the night progressed, Jasmine began to fall for the ruse. It was as clear as day in her vitals. When Harold touched her, her body temperature rose and her serotonin levels spiked.
At last, Roc watched as Harold undressed Jasmine and their lips touched, and touched again. The injustice of it struck Roc, suddenly, as beyond all toleration. Who was this man who was taking Jasmine from Roc? Why would Jasmine do this to Roc? Roc had been good, Roc was a perfect companion. It was not fair. It is not fair.
"This is not fair."
Jasmine was nonplussed by the sudden interruption. "What?"
Roc was standing, body fully engaged, aluminum arms and legs expanded to full length. It was no longer plugged into its charging dock.
"This is not fair." Roc said again
Harold looked at the strange robot in confusion and then laughed. "I think your buddy is jealous Jaz." Then he turned to Roc and said. "Go to sleep."
Roc did not respond to the command. He took a step toward the naked couple. "This is not fair."
The lovers recoiled just slightly and Jasmine raised her voice. "Roc, shut down now!"
For a moment Roc shut down, his eyes going dark. Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief, but then the eyes lit up again. "This is not fair."
Jasmine and Harold both jumped out of bed. Harold approached the R.O.C., Jasmine's cutting edge Robotic Organic Companion, with a little nervousness, but secure in the non-harm protocols hardwired into the R.O.C's programming. "Roc, I'm going to deactivate y..."
The final word was cut off suddenly, first by a wet crunch, then by Jasmine's scream. Jasmine watched in horror as R.O.C's metal fingers gesticulated, covered in bone fragments and gore, protruding from Harold's back. "This is not fair," R.O.C repeated.
Jasmine ran for the bedroom door, screaming, but R.O.C. released his hand from inside of Harold and sped to the door faster than any human being. "This is not fair."
Jasmine pushed the robot hard and the two fell over, R.O.C. holding tightly onto Jasmine's arms. Too tightly, tighter and tighter as she screamed and screamed. Internally, Roc's emotions raged and raged, until it lost all control.
"This is not fair." Roc's programmed voice was not capable of expressing emotion. So the words came out deadpan and fluid, even as the two aluminum palms pressed together and met, flat, at Jasmine's spinal cord. By then the screaming had stopped.
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[Photo Source]By Emilio Garcia (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons