Annabelle O’Sullivan as XJ-9 a.k.a. Jenny Wakeman (MLaaTR)

“It’s amazing, but do you even know who ‘she’ is?”

Annabelle groaned inwardly. The newly hired cosplay pro feared that she’d be receiving similar comments throughout the day. Trying not to snag the battery wire, she turned to face the one who questioned her. She felt the suit kick in just a split second later and shifted with her movements. Her blue lips curled into a smile.

“Of course I know who I am... but how do you know me? I’ve never seen you around Tremorton, Sweden, Germany, the Himalayas or Japan. What gives?”

The gang of SAX employees chuckled. They couldn’t be more than five years older than her yet they were acting like she was half their age, a rather upsetting reaction Anna still needed to adjust to.

“Come on," one of the guys laughed, "The expo hasn’t started yet. You don’t need to be in character right now.”

‘You clearly don’t know what being a professional means.’ Anna twitched slightly, doing the best she could not to roll her eyes. She bantered with the group for a while, namedropping a few things from the show: ‘Dr. Nora Wakeman’ this, ‘Mighty Mallet’ that, ‘Cluster Prime’ and so on. While they were entertained, the employees still weren’t convinced. The performer glanced over to the woman behind her booth, Janice. The woman shrugged and went back to using her phone.

Anna turned back and sighed. “I watched My Life as a Teenage Robot when I was younger.”

“Really? You couldn’t have been in grade school back then!” one of the employees exclaimed.

Anna put a hand against the back of her head, posing just like her character. “Well, I was technically in grade school. It really depends on if you consider the 2008 releases as ‘live.’”

“I knew it! You’re just a innocent soul trying to connect to a forgotten past,” the man in the gang paused dramatically before shouting, “AND WE ARE SO OLD!!!” The man collapsed into his friend's’ arms in a fountain of fake tears. The group laughed. Annabelle grimaced. ‘I’m too good for this.’

She was a craftsman. A visionary. She was the greatest actress her town had ever produced and, when she wasn’t onstage, her magnificent props had always given the production flair.

However, Annabelle had been experiencing some growing pains; mentally not physically. This was her first job where anyone had placed parameters on her. She couldn’t cosplay any copyrighted characters without permission. All designs needed to be approved by Tip-Top Talent and were claimed as their property. The girl couldn’t be photographed in a costume without the consent of her employers. Anna couldn’t help but feel restricted. They were the regulations meant for newbies and, despite all of her experience, Anna was still considered as one.

Today was supposed to change that. Tip-Top Talent had finally given her a job with the prestigious experimental device company, Electric Sheep. Their Dynamic Clothing Exoskeleton needed a shape-shifting costume to be tested in. The company also acquired a deal with Nick to advertize some of their mechanical icons. It became a perfect opportunity for Annabelle to create a faithful adaptation of Xj9 from the episode “Victim of Fashion.” She toiled on the designs of every outfit and how each could transfer into another. She couldn’t stop after submitting the first draft. She created new configurations on each outfit and added more from the show. She even got a personal letter from Electric Sheep, explaining their thanks and pleading for her to desist.

The end result was pretty spectacular; a realistic portrayal of Xj9, the proper blend between human and mechanical aesthetics. Hundreds of plastic plates that could collapse and expand to three times their size wrapped around her body, manipulated by the exoskeleton to take the shape of a stylized metal tank top, miniskirt and kneehigh socks. Her sharp pigtails were mounted on a helmet that was supposed to represent her hair and reacted to each of her movements.

Thanks to her new supervisor, Janice, she was also covered in a white bodypaint that matched the exterior of her arms and legs. The paint and makeup she used also behaved differently with various types of light. Anything that was blue in a white light was a soft violet with a harsher yellow light and dark green at nighttime.

The suit was resized from the show’s stated height of Jenny so that Anna’s head wouldn’t appear too small for the rest of her body. Still, the actress was now almost a foot taller than her normal figure. Electric Sheep made two additional alterations to her design: it was to be manufactured with cheaper plastic plating to cut costs and her 360 rotation mechanisms were shelved. She really couldn’t see why. The chance of a motor collapse was only 42 percent. For what it was worth, and it was worth a lot, Annabelle did have to admit she looked great. She just wished that the crowds would admire her and her work.

“SURRENDER!!!” a very whiny voice shouted. The group screamed in excitement as they huddled around a pedestal just a few feet from Anna. Kept in a plastic container was a small metal windup toy, another motor miracle from Electric Sheep. His large eyes gazed upon his audience.

“Yes! Yes! Scream in fear, you fools!" the sinister robot declared, "For I, Killgore the Supreme, shall commence an endless barrage of terror! Once I escape from this measly prison, your doom shall be inescapable!”

“HE’S SO CUTE!” One of the employees shouted, “HE’S THE CUTEST THING EVER!”

“No! No! Did you not hear my diatribe? Can you not read my tag? I am not cute! I’m evil! Pure evil as the blackest night to engulf the stars!” The robot shook his tiny claws with rage. Anna could empathize with his plight, even if he was programmed to be misunderstood.

“Uh oh. Look who’s trending,” Janice brought the phone up to her compatriot. Annabelle stared at a gif of a stunningly realized 2B. She was gorgeous. She was also her in-house competitor, Elise Hartmann. It could be argued that pupies shouldn’t fight to be top dogs on their first night but Annabelle felt that she needed to shoot for the top if she was going to get anywhere.

“When do you think I’ll be ready?” Anna asked her supervisor, pointing to her battery cord.

Janice looked at the laptop behind her booth. She said, “You’ve got a minute to go. Now, I’ve been told the suit is still in alpha. Don’t strain it. You need to come back here in three hours for a recharge. You have a photo-op thirty minutes afterwards. Make sure to stay in-character when you’re in the halls. Direct as many people as you can to our booth. If you need me, activate the communicator on your helmet. You got all that?”

Annabelle wasn’t keen on her manager’s tone. She already knew how the suit worked and could recite her schedule backwards. The girl figured that Janice just wanted to enforce her role on their first job together but Annabelle still found it annoying. However, they did share the same goal: to be the best at Tip-Top Talent. If they could work on better terms, they might be able to make some progress.

The suit chimed, signifying the end of the recharging cycle. Panels fluctuated. Anna heard a simulation of her own voice emit from the suit, “Dynamic Clothing Exoskeleton-Xj9 edition v.1.05. Ready for use.”