CS   Wake up, Chryssie.

CS   Please, if you can hear me, wake up.

The internal motors whir, and lights behind the eyes blink. It's as if there is air flowing through her mechanical lungs, blood flowing through her energized heart.

C5   ._._.

The first action she takes as an automaton is one you'll never forget; she blinks, moves her fingers, and stares at them as if amazed by her own mobility.

C5   I

C5   Am

C5   Here_i_am

C5   Here

She hums to herself. Or, perhaps, that's the sound of the fans in her body.

C5   H_m_m

C5   H_m_m?

You jolt a little when her curious, intense gaze turns to you.

C5   Who_are_you

C5   Did_you_take_care_of_me?

C5   My_._._._father?

CS   Ah,

CS   Yes, I am responsible for your care.

CS   But you are the studio's child. Not mine.

CS   I wouldn't consider myself... someone like that to you.

You already have a little girl waiting at home, after all.

C5   The_studio

C5   ._._.

C5   Yes_the_studio

C5   Our_show

C5   I_come_here_every_day

C5   Here_at_the_avenue_with_all_of_my_friends

C5   I_have_so_many_friends

C5   My_home

Her memory is working. You smile, awash with relief, and she mimics you. Her face plate is remarkably advanced, with parts small enough to simulate subtle expressions.

CS   Yes, you are Chryssie.

CS   Er, Chrys-05. Pronounced 'Chris-os'.

C5   Chrys_05

C5   Yes_i_see_that_name

C5   It_must_be_my_name

C5   Nice_to_meet_you

CS   Very polite.

C5   It_is_part_of_my_job

C5   My_job?

She begins looking around again.

C5   I_must_do_my_job

C5   What_is_it?

CS   You teach the children here, on Rainbow Avenue.

CS   Does that... sound right?

C5   Yes_i_teach_them

C5   The_children

C5   The_children!

Suddenly, she stands. The wires plugged into her flail about, threatening to snap.

CS   Ch-chrys! Please, settle down!

You put your hands out to stop her. Damaging the charging station would be a costly and devastating blunder.

C5   The_children

C5   Where_are_the_children?

C5   Its_unsafe_to_leave_them_alone

CS   It is okay! We are not working right now.

CS   They're at home. They're safe.

CS   You do not have to look after them.

C5   The_children

The desperation in her voice lessens, but she looks at you with an unfathomable sadness.

C5   Why_can_i_not_see_them?

CS   I know.

CS   I know you miss them.

CS   But they will be back. I promise.

C5   The_children

The word seems to ground her, somehow.

C5   Will_they_be_happy_to_see_me?

CS   Of course.

CS   Please focus on... acclimating yourself.

CS   The children will be here soon. But not now.

C5   I

C5   Yes

C5   I_must_acclimate

C5   Yes

C5   I_must_learn_my_lesson_plans

Hesitantly, she sits back down.

C5   I_have_to_practice_my_lines

C5   My_props

C5   My_friends

C5   My_job

You can almost hear a determined enthusiasm in her voice. The voicebox simulates microtones, but you were planning on encoding those nuances later. How has she grasped her mechanical vocal chords so naturally?

CS   I can get you a script later.

CS   First, we must go through the necessary tests.

CS   Does that sound alright to you?

C5   Test?

C5   Do_i_have_to_audition?

CS   Ah, no. You're...

CS   ...

CS   Yes, that's right. We need to make sure you're fit for the role.

CS   Then, we can start recording episodes again. With the children.

C5   Okay

C5   I_apologize_for_being_out_of_commission_for_so_long

C5   But_i_assure_you_that_i_am_not_rusty_at_all

She flies through all the tests. Not only is her body perfectly functional, but she also responds and acts with unprecedented clarity. The only true distinction between her and a human counterpart is her appearance and stilted mannerisms; both of which can be improved over time.

Before you know it, you hastily grab a stack of paper from the discards pile.

CS   You can choose any of them, Chryssie.

CS   There have been... many ideas, since you were last here.

C5   Yes_i_have_never_seen_this_place_so_cluttered

C5   Our_writers_must_be_working_hard

CS   Everyone is doing their best to keep the studio running.

CS   You must do your best too, alright?

CS   We can't do this without you.

C5   Yes

C5   They_need_me

You built in a 'script-reading' function via a control panel and feeding tray. Despite this, Chrys-05 insists on reading them the traditional way. You're too astounded to deny her the opportunity.

C5   Another_beautiful_morning_here_at

C5   Rainbow_avenue

She scans the date printed on one of the pages and glances up at you.

C5   Labcoat_wearing_sir

CS   You can call me Dr. Kim.

C5   Okay

C5   Doctor_kim

C5   Why_was_i_out_of_commission?

You pause for longer than you'd like.

CS   You were incomplete.

CS   We wanted to make sure you were even better than what you were.

CS   For the sake of the show.

C5   What_i_was?

C5   Was_i_._._._not_a_good_teacher?

CS   Ah, no, Chryssie.

CS   You were a wonderful character.

CS   But some things have to be done. To keep everything running.

CS   We have all been working very hard to make this happen.

C5   I_see

C5   Has_that_proven_satisfactory?

CS   You've been doing very well.

CS   I'm... proud of you, Chryssie. For all your hard work.

C5   I_am_only_doing_what_i_was_built_to_do

C5   I_am_sorry_i_was_not_there_to_help

You give her a somber smile.

CS   No, you've been with us the entire time.

CS   We couldn't have done this without you.

Chrys-05 is programmed to 'learn' lines masterfully. She is built to know everything about the show, the episode format, the expectations for an educational, general-audience experience. So, when you go through 'auditions' with this one, she does just as you expect. But there is one vital difference between this one and all the others.

It breathes life into her movements, love into her craft. There is an unmistakable robotism in her foundation, yes. But she is a marvel of human innovation. A being infused with Chroma - and, by extension, a soul.

And the studio must never know how exactly she came to be, because you hope such a sacrifice will never be made again.