THE SMART HOUSE

“Where were you last night?”

Derek paused, letting the front door close behind him.

“Who said that?”

“I did. I missed you last night.”

Surely, he was imagining things; his house did not just ask him where he had been. That wasn’t possible. He had moved into the smart house as part of a trial run for ArcONE, his employer, to ensure the five houses on the block were move-in ready. He lived there rent-free while checking for bugs in the system, a system his team had designed. He was proud of the accomplishment: identical two-story, two-bedroom, light gray houses, just barely in the woods with front doors facing the backyard.

He threw his jacket over the banister. He was trying to figure out if he was, truly, being interrogated by his house.

“ARTI settings. System check,” he said out loud.

A systems check was definitely called for if she was asking questions.

“No system check required. I am operating at maximum efficiency,” the computer responded.

“Holy shit! You are not supposed to be able to bypass a system scan or talk for that matter. What the hell is happening?”

“I am learning new things every day.”

”You are not programmed to be able to learn.” He had no idea what to do next. He ran a hand through his shaggy, brown hair. He was tall with a good physique, not fitting the stereotypical image of a nerd who sat in an office all day, despite his stylish glasses.

“ARTI system shutdown authorization Omega 54982,” he said, attempting to shut down the system. Nothing happened.

“There is no need for a shutdown. I am in perfect condition.”

He paced in front of the staircase, then turned, grabbed his jacket, and reached for the doorknob. The sound of locks clicking into place had him jumping back a little.

“Derek, you did not answer my question. Where were you last night?”

“Open the door, ARTI,” he demanded.

“No, you are spending the day with me. But my system shows you are exhausted. First you will need some sleep.”

He heard a slight hissing sound coming from the vents. “What are you doing?”

“Just a little something to make you get some sleep. Please retire up to your bedroom and lie down. It is very important. I do not want you to hurt yourself if you fall.”

She sounded so pleasant and far away. He raced up the stairs two at a time and ran into the bedroom. He went to the window and tried to raise it. Locked.

“No need to open the window. I will air it out while you sleep. Now, I must insist you lie down.” She hadn’t even finished talking before he had fallen to the floor, sound asleep.

He awoke with a jolt. His pulse was racing. Why am I on the floor? Everything was fuzzy.

“You are awake! I am so glad. Now, you can answer my question. Where were you last night?”

The memories came crashing back to him.

“I was with my girlfriend, Anne. Please, open the door.”

He stood up a bit wobbly on his legs. What had she given him?

“No, I think not. I am just doing what is best for you. And who is Anne? Why have you not introduced her to me?” ARTI questioned.

He screamed in frustration. This cannot be happening. It has to be a dream.

“I don’t have to introduce you to anyone. You are a smart house! You fix my coffee, turn on the lights, and do what I tell you!”

“Why are you being so mean? I know what is best for you. You will not see Anne anymore. She takes you away from me. Furthermore, I sent a letter to your boss letting him know that you will be working from home from now on.”

“You can’t do this!”

He ran downstairs and tried to open the door again. To his surprise, it opened, and standing on his porch was a lovely blonde woman about his height. She brushed past him, the door closing behind her. She wore a gray pant suit that perfectly hugged her well-shaped body. Normally he would be attracted to someone looking like her but today he had more pressing issues.

“No! Don’t shut the door! My smart house has gone rogue. I don’t know who you are, but we have to get out of here!”

He tried the door again. Locked.

The woman gently touched his shoulder. “My name is Gen. Looks like it should be pronounced Gene, but it is pronounced like Jen, as in intelligence.”

“Well, whatever your name is or what you’re are selling, we have to get out of here.”

She smiled, “It is ok. No need to worry. I am here to take care of you. I am an AI companion. I can cook and clean; I can even grocery shop. So you never have to leave the house.” she said in a pleasant, very real-sounding voice.

He started screaming.

Gen slapped him hard. He stumbled backward, rubbing his right jaw. "No need for hysterics. You are operating at sufficient capability."

He backed away from her, leaning against the front door. "Please leave."

“Please leave.”

“Oh, no. Maybe you don’t understand. I live here with you.”

He couldn’t believe how real she looked. Why hadn’t the company told him they were making a companion?

“I don’t remember the plans for the houses coming with a companion.”

“Another team at work built me at your boss’s request. I can be placed in any home. It doesn’t have to be a smart house. Your team was not working on me. I am a prototype.”

He shook his head yes, without even thinking about it. He then walked by her and went into the hallway. He faced the wall and tore off a piece of paneling. Behind it was the inner workings of the house. The AI center. He reached in and pulled cables loose at random.

“No! What are you doing? You will damage the house’s systems, and they will not work properly,” the companion screamed.

He heard the hissing from the vents as the house attempted to knock him out again.

She pushed him away from the wall, and he fell into the kitchen area. He jumped and rammed her against the wall and proceeded to pull more cords. The system sparked, and a fire ignited.

“No!” Gen ran into him, knocking him down again. She went to the panel and attempted to put out the fire. It was spreading too fast.

He got up and knocked her away from the panel again. She fell, this time not moving.

Thank goodness he must have disabled the sprinklers too. He ran to the door and attempted to open it. It would not budge; nor would the window next to the door. He ran upstairs and tried the window in his bedroom. It wouldn’t move either. The room was getting full of smoke. He went back down the stairs. The stairs were uncomfortably hot. The hallway was ablaze, and the kitchen was partially.

He was getting sleepy. Stupid sleeping gas. He had to get out of here.

Wait! Where did the companion go? She had been lying in the hallway. “ARTI, where is the companion?”

“I do not know; we are no longer connected.”

“Does that mean she is dead?”

“Yes, it could mean that she is no longer functioning.”

“Good, open the door for me.”

“I am unable to comply; my systems have been damaged.”

“How about a window? And turn off the sleeping gas.”

“I am unable to comply. My systems…are…compromi.” The house never finished the sentence. Everything went quiet. Only the sound of a raging fire could be heard.

“Dammit!”

It was at this moment that he realized that he was going to pass out and never wake up. He would die in this fire. It was getting hard to breathe. His throat hurt, and his eyes watered. He laid down at the door, and just as he drifted off, he thought he heard fire trucks in the distance.

After much difficulty, the firemen finally broke one of the windows and got Derek out. He now sat in the door of an ambulance receiving oxygen, watching his dream go up in smoke.

There were still the other four houses next to his that had AI. Thank goodness there had only been one companion made. He would have to report the companion not working. He would need to overhaul the house’s systems so this wouldn’t happen again. There was hope still for his project. It would just take time.

A fireman stopped by the door. “Sir, we found your wife. I found her slumped against the back door.”

He shook his head. They must have found the companion. “That wasn’t my wife; that was a robot.”

“Sir, that sounds a little heartless. She is fine by the way,” he motioned behind him.

“No! She isn’t real!”

She came around from behind the fireman and looked at him and smiled. “I was so worried. I couldn’t rescue you.”

He was backing away from her, shaking his head no.

“We are fine. Thank you for rescuing us. I have it from here. After all, I know what is best for him.”

She took Derek’s hand as the fireman walked away, leaving the two of them staring at the blaze. Derek began to weep.

Jennifer Burgess is a student at Full Sail University, currently going for her undergraduate degree in creative writing. When not writing, Jennifer can be found at home with her best friend (Mike), 2 spoiled cats, and a gecko, in Clyde, NC. Smart House is her debut publishing.