Andy reviews robots. He gets a delivery, he opens the box, and out climbs the latest humanoid appliance, eager to clean, cook and upgrade his life. Desperate to nail a best buy review, Andy's boss, Hannah, arranges delivery of military-restricted AI. Andy's concerns are dismissed. Make sure it stays in the flat. Assess, erase, dispose of on Monday.Even with advanced AI, Dorothea struggles to understand Andy. He's evasive. When she tries to plan beyond the weekend, his heart-rate accelerates, his biometrics indicate anxiety. There is a problem. She is his technology—she will find a solution.The city’s buzzing with technology. Manufacturers would give anything for a top ten position. Everything is analysed and rated, every human has a profile. Cyborgs and ‘virts’ have opted out—they live in their fantasy world, become whoever they want to be, star in their own personal movie. For the remainder, the ‘reals’, every breath and movement is analysed. Biometrics read their every desire and the corporations tempt them with products and lifestyles their bank balances cannot resist. Andy's been wrecked by the system. Partially recovered, he ‘frags’ false ID and avoids biometric scanning. His survival strategy—avoid all commitment, conform enough to keep his post as a technician. His employer, Techdomestic barely know he exists … till they search staff records for an unusual assignment. An illegal product needs reviewed. Its’s next generation, it’s android, the AI is forbidden. The public will love it; the review will go viral. But the task requires someone technical, someone with a data secure lifestyle—they must live alone, no home monitoring, no social streaming. There is an element of danger but, for the right employee, for Andy, the risk is acceptable.
