• “So, what you’re saying is… If I put up with your freak of nature machines for a few days, you’ll take me to New Paris?”

    The powerful woman strode through the long, brightly-lit hallway of her luxurious mansion, her stiletto heels clicking noisily with each graceful step, meticulously-manicured hands smoothing down the dull grey fabric of her three-piece suit. Her husband trundled on behind her in his wheelchair, sausage-fingered hands moving in a sweaty blur to propel himself forward after her.

    The two were different in nearly every way. She was tall, blonde, long-legged and stunningly beautiful - a perfectly cliché housewife. He was short, balding - the few remaining greasy strands of hair combed over his shiny dome of a skull in a desperate and futile attempt to hide this sorry fact - and restricted to his wheelchair. She, quite obviously, had married him not for love, but for power, money, and status. He was more than happy to indulge her.

    There was a short pause as she turned on her heel in one swift motion and faced him, her slender hands resting on her hips as she fixated her dark gaze upon her spouse. She watched him skid to a halt infront of her, the wheel of his transport gently bumping into the heel of her shoe - prompting a derisive snort from the female - and nod quickly, his head moving up and down like one of those toy bobble-head dogs.

    His little hand producing an already soiled handkerchief from his pocket to dab at the beads of sweat dribbling down his frown-plagued forehead, as chapped lips parted to mumble, “Sure, darling. Whatever you want. They’ll only scuttle around the house and clean up… Wash the dishes, vacuum the living room, dust those silly little Russian dolls you have on the mantle piece.”

    “They are not silly, George.”

    “No, no. ‘Course not, Olivia.”

    “Well…” She gave a little sigh, like she always did when she had to decide something for herself, and tapped a long, shiny fingernail against her bottom lip.

    “You won’t even notice they’re there, darling.”

    Another sigh, softer than its predecessor, before the woman’s tanned - almost to the point of looking orange - features split into a perfect, glistening smile, and she curled her arms around her husband’s neck and slid onto his lap, planting a light peck on his cheek.

    “Well, alright then! But, only if you promise they’ll behave themselves.”

    “Oh, I’ve made sure they’re all under control.”

    * * *

    Two days later, a hoversled arrived on the gravel driveway. It was a long rectangular platform, about four meters in length and three in width, with a trio of anti-gravity thrusters located underneath, which made the ‘sled itself hover just four inches above the ground. On its surface, rested three figures, their long, willowy legs hanging off the edge, swaying back and forth slowly, bodies slumped forward.

    One of the many tech-drones zooming in and around the mansion, performing the jobs of everyday servants at double the efficiency, signed off for the packages to the delivery-drone in charge of the hoversled, and prepared to bring them inside.

    As the platform glided away smoothly above the ground, the metallic, baseball-shaped tech-drone whizzed around them, the ring of shimmering crystals imprinted across its surface gleaming brightly. Several panels pushed out slightly from the tiny machine’s exterior and slid open, allowing various devices to slide out.

    The tech-drone shot forward, one of the tubes protruding from an open panel letting loose a spray of glistening foam and bubbles all over the trio of figures, circling around each of them until all were completely covered. It then activated its tractor beam, the shaft of blinding white light enveloping all three figures and lifting them up into the air as if they weighed nothing, and floated into the mansion, dragging its cargo behind it with relative ease.

    “Mr Mason! Mr Mason!” The drone screamed in its hollow, tinny, mechanical voice, until its wheelchair-bound master entered the main hall.

    “Yes? What is it?!” He thundered, rubbing sleep from his beady eyes with a meaty fist, obviously none too happy about his second morning nap being disturbed.

    The machine continued to bleat out his name, apparently unaware of his presence, until he swiped up the infopad - a flat slate, with a digital screen which news and information could be read from and scrolled through - from his lap and smacked it into the drone, causing it to soar across the room none too majestically and crash into the chandelier.

    Ignoring its frenzied shrieks of distress and the groaning coming from the chandelier, George brought his wheelchair infront of the three bronze machines, waiting until the foam had dispersed, its disinfectant properties putting an end to any contaminates on their bodies.

    Slowly, a crimson pair of eyes flickered on within the once empty eye sockets of each robot, and faint whirring could be heard as they powered up. In unison they rose to their feet, towering over the human at nearly twelve feet in height, their bronze hides gleaming dully in the harsh glow cast by the overhanging light bulbs.

    Their limbs were slim, with fingers sharp enough to slice flesh like knives, and toeless, triangular feet pointed enough to kick through someone’s shin like a pen through the skin of a balloon. The heads were largely feature-less, apart from the glaring eyes and a slight indentation that could’ve been a nose.

    Apart from this, the trio were quite human-like in appearance, and George couldn’t contain a low, impressed whistle at the sight of them, towering before him, slender arms folded over narrow chests, unblinking gazes cast downward at him.

    Behind them, the ceiling finally gaze way to the violently swinging chandelier and let it plummet down into the marble floor, shattering in an explosion of glass and gold, the tech-drone falling with it and swiftly silenced as it was crushed beneath.

    “Nice,” came the gentle, deep voice of one of the machines, as the noise of glass raining down finally ended. The other two chuckled lightly, and stepped forward to introduce themselves.