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But her moment of awe was interrupted by Walter’s nasally voice, “Time’s ticking.”
Darcy grimaced, biting words back on the tip of her tongue. Oh, how she wished she was better at arguing. But then she’d get furious and flustered, and tears always pricked her eyes when her emotions ran high.
Crying on the first day on the job wasnotan option.Ifshe still had a job after this.
She carefully slid her palm over the box. One rule had guided her career so far–always start with a technology’s form and function. There were no small dents on it, either, so not a fertilizing device. But it did have a slit on one edge.
What in the hell did it do? And how could she open it?
As a hint of panic rose in her mind, Darcy took a deep, centering breath, acutely aware that Walter watched her with beady eyes. It was useless to handle the device like a human–it was Deruzian. And the one thing Darcy knew about Deruzians was that they were big and powerful.
Instead of her gentle ministrations, she pressed on the box with all her might–which, granted, wasn’t a lot.
But it did the trick.
The box buzzed and the narrow side of it slid open–only for a dozen spiders to come crawling out.
Darcy flinched, but didn’t back away. These weren’t real spiders. They were tiny robots. With a dark bump where their body should have been and tiny metallic legs that carried them fast over the table and into the grass. They lined up and began cutting the grass at the same time, down to the exact same length.
“Wow. Robot spiders that cut grass. I would never have thought of that.” Darcy huffed a laugh of amazement. “That’s insanely awesome. And they’re kind of cute.”
“Yes, it is awesome.” Walter puffed up his chest. “I told Mr. A'Cryththisshould be the first device Deruzians sell on Earth and–”
“Oh, humans aren’t going to buy something like this.”
The self-satisfied smirk froze on Walter’s lips. “Pardon?”
“It’s a black, opaque box that insects come out of. Arachnids, if you want to get technical, but the general consumer won’t care about that distinction. They’ll think it’s creepy to have bugs scurrying around their gardens.”
“But–” Walter pointed at the grass, which was perfectly cut. “They’re so fast.”
“Yes, they are. But consumer behavior is driven by emotion, not logic.” She placed the box back onto the table and watched as the robots scurried back inside.
“But–but it’s eco-friendly. And you said they were cute.”
“Yes, because I’m a scientist who works in robotics and insect-like movements are highly efficient. Nature’s the greatest inspiration, after all.”
“So that’s your officialscientificopinion?” Walter smacked his lips. “To just give up on the projectIhave suggested–”
“I didn’t say that,” Darcy said with a smile, and she meant it this time. She took her jobveryseriously. She was acutely aware the lab had gotten quiet again, but she was too focused on the bulging vein on Walter’s forehead. “We’re going to change its form. I’m guessing Deruzia’s terrain is quite rocky.”
“I–yes. How did you–?”
“Spiders can climb onto basically anything, so these robots had to face some pretty unwelcoming grounds. Human gardens, for the most part, are level. So that’s where we’ll start. We’re going to make them more accessible. Change the colors and the body’s design, so they don’t look like bugs. Paint them in some pretty colors that can be easily spotted in the grass. Maybe red. And make the box see-through, with a clear button to press to deploy them. More box-of-chocolates, less Pandora’s box. Make it as user-friendly and welcoming as possible, and they’ll fly off the shelves, especially if we lean into the ecofriendliness of it all. ‘Look how Deruzian technology can make this problem go away, free up your Sundays, and make your lawn look perfect’. Or something like that, I’m not a marketing expert.”
She finished with a smirk.
There. That’s why she was hired.
Darcy was quite proud of herself. Sure, she’d have to work a ton on this to actually transform this device, but it was a good start.
And if she was beingreallyhonest, she was kind of loving Walter’s bewildered stare and the way he kept sputtering, not able to form words.
“You–I mean, what–”
“Walter, you need to relax,” a crystalline voice said from behind him. “We don’t want you having an aneurysm.”
A redheaded woman with a coy smile appeared, tapping him on the shoulder as she sent a dazzling smile Darcy’s way. She breathed fresh air into the tense situation and Darcy breathed a sigh of relief.
