Department Store Transformation - Tumblr Posts

Clocking Out

Manny sighed as he input the last data from the computer for today’s sales. The department store was finally ready to close down. The long haul was over, and boy did he feel its effects. Still, they’d come out with a good profit this week, and the boss paid him well for his computing skills. Having a photographic memory certainly helped. That, and his model build. Men and women alike took one look at his garb and asked for fashion advice. Whether to flirt or out of a legitimate desire to improve their appearance, Manny didn’t know. He didn’t really care either. All that mattered was the bottom line. So what if someone wanted to flirt with him? He checked his watch. Ten minutes under time. It was a new record. He smiled as his vascular arms bunched and tensed with each fluid step he took toward the alarm system. A rectangular impression sat on the lower corner of the interface. He strode forward and jutted his left pectoral at the slot, clicking the black-and-silver badge neatly into place. He really had no idea why the company thought it was such a good idea to stick a key card in a place so-- A jolt passed through his system as his eyes went blank. “Unit 001 clocking out,” he said in a low monotone. Flickers of light emanated from the point of connection as he stood perfectly still and waited. Finally, the system let out a loud chirp and 001 disengaged. Its data port flickered as it processed its new instructions. 001 strode purposefully to the back room, where extra mannequins and stock were stored. An empty woman’s torso stood just a few feet to his side as he shoved one hand artfully into his left pocket. The face of the watch he wore on his wrist glinted in the blaring lights.He tilted his head and rested a hand on top, as if he were about to scratch. His biceps popped as the green shirt clung tightly to his frame. The sheen had grown brighter on his face as he stared into a mirror and watched his hair retract into his skull.The veins along his arms depressed as skin became pale and glossy. The softer appearance of his pectorals firmed and pushed out against the top of the shirt, while the lower end of his torso expanded to hug neatly against the sides of his shirt and show off a chiseled six pack. And chiseled was becoming more accurate by the moment. Keen features became less and less distinct as eyelids merged with eyes and color faded to reveal little more than slight depressions against an amorphous face. A few seconds later, even those were gone, and a smooth ovular shape with more defined curves to simulate a jaw line were all that remained of the former employee. The other mannequin jerked to life, strolling over with creaking joints. It lifted the shirt on 001 and tapped its back. A panel popped open and it pulled to reveal a charging cable. It strode to the nearest outlet and plugged 001 in, then resumed its position.The store owner smiled as he looked through the security feeds to watch the robot as it dropped its persona and resumed its true function. “All right, I’m convinced,” he said to a shadowy counterpart. “How much?” White teeth bore themselves in a grin. “Let’s discuss that....”

@davidphysique_