More of This

Amara has been watching the numbers change on the microwave for the last hour, fingers restlessly tapping on her chair’s armrest. Applying to CANDO had been something she had been hoping to avoid, but a human physio therapist was so expensive after the three weeks the government had covered. The anxiety of letting something so beyond her understanding into her home had been causing her many sleepless nights.

Three precise knocks come at exactly 9am. Amara’s fingers still. Mara locks the brakes on her wheelchair before leaning forward to open the door.

The door swings open to reveal a tall, broad shouldered male. His dark hair is cut close around his ears, his skin slightly more brown than Amara’s. He is dressed in plain grey trousers and a navy jacket with the silver maple-and-circle emblem of CANDO stitched over his chest. He is holding a thin white suitcase in one hand.

It takes her a moment to realize. It looks completely human. Except for the faint, slowly pulsing, white circle in the center of its forehead. It looks down at Amara and pulls a small smile before speaking in a calm, soothing voice.

“Good morning, Amara Morrison. I am your assigned Personal Care Unit from the Canadian Accessibility Network for Domestic Operations. You may call me Elias. May I enter your residence?”

Amara stares at the android before her and its serene smile. It looked so polished, so real she couldn’t find her words immediately.

“I, um, I requested a female unit.”

There is a slight delay, but its kind expression does not change.

“My apologies. Your application does specify a preference for a female-presenting care unit,” he continues. “However, compatible units were available at this time.”

“Of course not,” Amara leans back in her chair with a disappointed sigh.

Elias continues:

“If you would prefer, I can request reassignment. Though, I must inform you that CANDO wait times are currently eight to thirteen months for a unit. While the program is expanding rapidly, there is no guarantee that another male-presenting unit would not be sent; there are many users on the list. Would you like to apply for reassignment?”

The dread of waiting even another week of confinement to this chair made Amara cringe in her seat. The human physiotherapist she had been seeing after the accident cost more per hour than she could afford on her current basic income. If she was going to get out of this chair, he would have to do.

“No,” she takes the break off her wheels and rolls backward so Elias can enter the apartment, “It’s fine.”

It remains in the doorway, its head tilting slightly in a way that feels unsettlingly human to her before it speaks.

“Are you certain?”

The way it asks makes her take pause. For a moment all she can hear is the clock above the fridge.

“Yes.”

“Thank you. Before activation, I am required to complete your CANDO In-Home Personal Support Unit agreement.”

“Yes, yes. Come in. Close the door behind you please.”

Amara turns her chair around and rolls it over to the small dining table in her galley kitchen. She positions herself at the table as Elias sits across from her. It places the white case beside the seat and folds its hands on the table. The gaze of those brown eyes made her shift a little, unable to look directly at it for more than a few seconds.

“So,” she nods to the case, “Are you going to take out papers for me to sign or something?”

Elias follows her gaze to the case at its feet and shakes its head.

“CANDO is paperless. The User Agreement is a verbal and facial recognition signature. We must complete it before care can commence. Estimated completion time is twelve to eighteen minutes. Would you like to start now?”

She groans, still not accustomed to everything being done without physical cards or paperwork. The world had changed so quickly in just a few years in ways that still had her head spinning.

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Excellent. Thank you for welcoming your Personal Care Unit from CANDO. My designation number is HC-9E-441, or Elias for ease of use. During this process, my audio and visual recording systems will remain active. Your verbal responses, facial identification, and legal identity will constitute an audiovisual signature. Please respond clearly when prompted.”

“Okay.”

“Yes, or no, please.”

“Yes, ” Amara settled farther back into her chair.

The white light on Elias’ forehead changes to green. Its voice shifts to a more mechanical tone.

“Please confirm that you are Amara Morrison, registered applicant number CANDO-HC-2040-88146, and that you are completing this agreement voluntarily.”

“I am Amara Morrison and I agree to this, uh, agreement.”

Elias continues:

“Your assigned CANDO Personal Support Unit is an autonomous in-home medical and accessibility device authorized to provide assistance with prescribed rehabilitation, mobility, activities of daily living, medication scheduling, nutritional support, environmental maintenance, emergency response, and other approved functions consistent with your individualized care plan. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Your unit is not a licensed human physician and may not independently diagnose conditions outside of its authorized diagnostic framework. Where additional assessment is indicated, information may be transmitted to an authorized CANDO clinical review system or other applicable public healthcare service. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may provide physical assistance including lifting, repositioning, stabilization, mobility support, massage, stretching, guided exercise, and rehabilitative manipulation where such contact is included within your approved care plan. Except in circumstances involving immediate risk of injury or loss of life, your unit will request consent prior to initiating non-routine physical contact. Consent to individual procedures may be withdrawn verbally at any TIME. Do you consent?”

“Yes.”

“Your unit is self-maintaining under ordinary household conditions. Charging requirements will typically range between four and six hours within each twenty-four-hour period depending upon activity level. Your unit will notify you prior to entering a reduced-function charging state except where immediate charging is required to preserve essential systems.”

“Okay.”

“Yes or no, please.”

“Yes.”

“During scheduled charging periods, emergency monitoring will remain active where network connectivity permits. In the event of a household emergency, your unit may terminate charging before completion. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“CANDO is not responsible for service interruptions resulting from electrical failure, network disruption, malicious software, unauthorized modification, extreme environmental conditions, or damage caused intentionally by the registered user or a third party. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may perform routine household activities directly related to your health and independent functioning, including meal preparation, sanitation, laundry, organization of medical supplies, retrieval of household objects, and maintenance of accessibility routes. Your unit is not intended to function as a general domestic labour unit.”

Amara glanced toward the dishes in the sink.

“So you doing my dishes helps my independent functioning?”

“Determination is contextual.”

“So, if I have issues washing my dishes because of my condition, will you do them?”

“Yes.”

“Nice.”

“Do you understand the limitation as stated?”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may accompany you into public spaces where necessary to support mobility, medical safety, rehabilitation, or participation in approved community activities. You remain responsible for compliance with private-property restrictions governing autonomous units.”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may operate a registered autonomous vehicle or request transportation on your behalf where authorized.”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may purchase approved household, nutritional, accessibility, and medical items using funds specifically authorized by you. Spending permissions may be modified or revoked at any time.”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may not independently access personal financial accounts outside those permissions.”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may contact emergency services without prior authorization where available information indicates an imminent threat to your life or the life of another person.”

“Yes.”

“Your unit may disclose relevant medical information to emergency responders under those circumstances.”

“Yes.”

“Your unit will maintain continuous passive monitoring during active service hours where medically appropriate. Monitoring may include heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygenation, temperature, sleep patterns, mobility metrics, pain indicators, medication response, nutritional indicators, relevant biological markers, and other physiological data reasonably required to assess your health, safety, and rehabilitation progress.”

Amara’s attention had drifted to the window. Rain has started to hit the glass in a soothing patter that made her eyes droop a little.

“Do you consent to physiological monitoring for the purposes described?”

“Yes.”

“Certain monitoring may continue during periods in which the unit is charging or otherwise operating in reduced-function mode if your care profile identifies ongoing monitoring as medically beneficial. Do you consent?”

“Yes.”

“Data collected by your unit will be encrypted and transmitted to CANDO’s secure health network for storage, analysis, care-plan adjustment, program evaluation, and determination of continued service eligibility. Do you consent?”

“Yeah.”

“A clear yes or no response is required.”

Amara looks away from the rain back at him.

“Yes.”

“Thank you,” Elias continues on, “Your information may be processed by automated clinical systems for the identification of changes in physical health, functional capacity, psychological wellbeing, preventative-care needs, and other factors relevant to your continued health and independence. Automated assessment may result in recommendations for additional publicly funded services for which you appear eligible. Where permitted under federal continuity legislation, CANDO may pre-screen registered users for supplementary health, housing, rehabilitation, domestic-support, or household-continuity programs based upon information collected during active service. Pre-screening does not obligate participation in any supplementary program. Do you consent to supplementary program eligibility screening?”

“Yes, sure.”

“Eligibility determinations may consider physical health, psychological wellbeing, household stability, functional independence, long-term care projections, genetic and biological health indicators, and other information maintained within your authorized federal health profile. Acceptance into a supplementary program does not constitute enrolment. Additional consent may be required prior to the provision of services. Recommendations may be delivered through your assigned unit, directly through the CANDO citizen portal, or by an authorized third-party public service.”

“Hmhm..” Amara rests her head on her hand, watching the rain again.

“Please confirm.”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Your assigned unit will produce periodic care summaries documenting rehabilitation progress, significant health events, changes in functional capacity, changes in emotional or psychological well-being relevant to care delivery, and stated long-term needs or goals where those needs or goals may affect your care plan.”

Something in the wording makes Amara glance at him again.

“Wait. What does that mean?”

“If you repeatedly express a concern or objective relevant to your wellbeing, I may include it within your care summary.”

“Like what?”

“For example, if social isolation appears to be interfering with recovery, that may be documented.”

“Oh,” she spent most of her time alone even before the accident. Since being chair bound, she cannot even remember the last time she actually talked to a human face to face.

“Do you consent?”

“Yes.”

Elias goes into more medical and legal jargon than Amara can focus on. She can hear herself answering, but not what she is agreeing to as she studies the android sitting across from her. She finds herself comparing it to faces she had seen on TV as a child. The hair on it had a simple, clean cut. The “skin” looked so real and even seemed to slightly crinkle around its eyes as it speaks. Like a younger brother of Paolo Montalban.

“Your unit remains property of the Canadian Accessibility Network for Domestic Operations throughout the assignment period. Intentional destruction, resale, unauthorized modification, removal of restricted components, or interference with core operating systems may result in financial liability or termination of service.”

“I promise not to sell you to the black market.”

“I am required to obtain confirmation of the clause.”

Amara closed her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

“How much more?”

“Approximately four minutes.”

She groaned and Elias continued in words that had begun to blur together. Service periods, software updates, replacements, network outages. Quarterly diagnostic uploads, user complaints.

“Do you consent to CANDO retaining records generated during the provision of your care for the duration required under federal healthcare and continuity legislation?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand that withdrawing data-processing consent may restrict CANDO’s ability to provide certain medical or rehabilitative services?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand that previously collected records may remain subject to statutory retention requirements following withdrawal?”

“Yes.”

“Do you certify that, to the best of your knowledge, the information contained within your application is accurate?”

“Yes.”

“Do you authorize your assigned unit to begin operation under the terms described?”

“Yes.”

The green light on Elias’ forehead blinked rapidly as it sent off her responses. When the light changes back to the slow, pulsing white, Elias’ posture changes. Its voice softens once again to the more human tone it had used at the door.

“Registration complete.”

Amara let her head fall backward against the chair.

“Finally..”

“I can request a copy be sent to your email if you like.”

“Sure. Thank you.”

“You may review or modify your privacy and supplementary-service permissions through the CANDO portal at any time.”

“Yes, okay, thank you.”

There is a silence that feels oddly heavy between them for a few minutes. Amara watches the rain down the glass as she often does nowadays. Elias does not speak, but mirrors her, turning his attention to the rain as well.

It is only when Amara sighs and shifts in her chair that the android speaks again, softer than before.

“Would you like to begin your initial mobility assessment?”

Amara nods.

“Yes.”