Chapter Text
Harvey likes Jessica’s office quite a lot. It’s stylish, it’s sexy. It suits her very well.
He does not, however, like being called in there the second he arrives in the morning. Rarely has he had a good day that started with a ‘conversation’ from Jessica. Unfortunately, the second he steps into that sleek office of hers, he knows something big is going down today, something that he won’t like. He knows because Jessica actually smiles at him- a small, apologetic twist of the lips. He groans internally.
He takes a seat and eyes her with unhidden mistrustfulness. She laughs. “Relax, Harvey. You look like I just killed your favorite kitten. I’m just informing you of your new employee, your associate. This way you won’t have to interview people. Besides, he’s very good; I’m sure you two will get along just fine.”
Harvey frowns. This was…unexpected, and unwanted. “I haven’t been looking for a new employee. And why would you call me in here for that?”
Jessica pauses, as though searching for words. Harvey raises an eyebrow now. He hasn’t seen Jessica so hesitant in a long, long time. “This particular employee is…a special case. He was just sent over today from Starkner Industries, as a test run.” Harvey gets a sinking feeling where this is going. Starkner Industries is the premier company behind the recent advances in artificial intelligence. Because of them, robotic house maids and babysitters have become commonplace. Harvey shakes himself, turns his attention back to Jessica, who has been talking this entire time. “…so he’ll have a complete re-haul about a month in, if we like how things work out. Until then he’s all yours. He’s in your office.”
She turns back to work, and Harvey recognizes the gesture for what it was: a dismissal. Harvey stays for a moment, letting everything sink in. A robot? He had to work with a robot? He Jessica shoos him.
He knows Donna’s excited about this-he can see it in the way she’s twirling her pen. “It’s a robot!” She exclaimed the moment she sees him.
“I don’t like this, Donna. What if it decides to go all HAL on me?”
Donna turned to stare at him. “Okay. First, ‘it’ is a ‘he,’ and he happens to be very sweet. Second, you did not just quote 2001: A Space Odyssey at me. Seriously, do I even know you?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Harvey muttered, but a smile curls his lips. At least some things will never change.
“I hope he doesn’t frighten off the clientele, though. He is rather…uh, large..” Donna points one perfectly manicured finger towards Harvey’s office. Harvey follows her gaze, and feels his chest constrict. The form there is metallic and masculine, more robotic than human. There is a grace somewhere underneath the twists of metal and the gathers of wires, but it lurks too deeply below the surface. Harvey wonders if a good suit will help the situation, but fears that this problem is beyond even Rene.
“Klaatu barada nikto,” he mutters sarcastically to himself as he heads through the doors.
“Seriously, The Day The Earth Stood Still? Who are you, and what have you done with Harv-” Donna’s voice is cut off as the door swings shut, and Harvey allows himself a minute smile before realizing that he is now very much alone with a robot of unknown ability and functionality. It’s a test robot, for goodness’ sake- Harvey had no way of knowing for sure that the thing wasn’t about to snap and break his neck because of some faulty wiring. It certainly would be capable of it, Harvey thought. Its hands were nothing but approximations of human flesh and bones; they were cold steel and hissing hydraulics. Harvey felt a chill at the thought.
“So. You’re my new associate, right?” Harvey asked with a smile. He could bluff his way through this. He had charmed clients so cold and distant Harvey honestly pondered asking them if they were Vulcans.
Harvey felt all his confidence fade away as the thing turned to him. Soft electronic whines filled the air as the thing turned its head to peer at him through narrow red eyes. Terror flooded Harvey- for a split second, he was sure that someone from the future had sent a Terminator after him. But the metal beast merely bent its head slightly in agreement, and Harvey let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
“So. Uhm. What’s your name?”
“A-7713,” it said. Its voice was a tinny, scratchy noise; the attempt at a human sound forced over inadequate machinery. Harvey winced. He was unsure how they had ended up with such an unsophisticated model, but this was bad.
“What, you don’t get a real name?”
“No, sir. They were not expecting to ship me out so soon. They didn’t have a body that would be compatible with my circuits. I will be receiving a more human appearance, as well as personality chips, when I go in for maintenance.”
“Oh, joy.” Harvey really wasn’t sure how this could get any worse. He glanced up to see A-7713 staring at him beadily. It was by far the creepiest thing Harvey had ever seen, including Louis in a thong. Neither was a sight he wanted to revisit, ever. “Well. A-7713. What are you supposed to be doing here, exactly?” Harvey asked, in the vague hope that he could get the thing out of his office, or at least give it something to do that wasn’t staring at him.
“I am programmed to do whatever you, or any Pearson-Hardman employee, tells me to.”
Harvey raised an eyebrow. That sounded promising, at least. Very promising. “There’s a coffee shop downstairs. Order my usual, and bring it back to me. Quickly.”
Without looking up from his paperwork, Harvey realized he would have to be more careful about his orders. Sounds of metallic thuds, Donna’s gasps, screaming people and scattered paper filtered back through his open door. Apparently, A-7713 was too literal in its interpretation of the word ‘quickly.’ Harvey sighed and got up to see if his wayward robot had broken anything in its mad dash for the elevator.