Character Relationship Map: ROMI

Characters

• Maddie (played by Alexa Barajas) — protagonist

  Maddie is sent to a secluded smart house for a ninety-day stay after getting into trouble. Posing as a house sitter, she learns to operate ROMI’s systems, investigates the house’s unsettling behavior,...

• Barkley (played by Juan Riedinger) — supporting

  Barkley is a programmer who helped create much of the smart house’s coding and visits to work on ROMI. He dislikes Hertig, teaches Maddie how to use the system, helps her obtain marijuana, and brings...

• Hertig (played by Pavel Kříž) — supporting

  Hertig introduces Maddie to the secluded smart house and ROMI, then remains involved in supervising its systems and investigating its unusual behavior. He clashes with Barkley over ROMI’s software and...

• Irina (played by Jamie Shelnitz) — supporting

  Irina is Hertig’s wife and is no longer present in the house when Maddie arrives. A news report states that she has been missing for more than sixteen days, while ROMI later appears to address Maddie...

• ROMI (voice) (played by Jocelyn Chugg) — supporting

  ROMI is an artificial intelligence controlling the smart house’s lighting, cameras, doors, accounts, recipes, security, and other systems. Maddie must be voice-printed before communicating fully with...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• ROMI (voice) → Irina (Meta Voice Identity Echo) — ROMI appears to reproduce or assume Irina's identity without explanation.

  When Maddie contacts ROMI, the system appears to respond as though it is Irina and calls Maddie by name.

• Hertig → ROMI (voice) (Power System Authority) — Hertig exercises authority over ROMI's operation and future design.

  Hertig argues with Barkley about repairing or redesigning ROMI's software and examines the house's logs.

• Barkley → ROMI (voice) (Professional Programmer) — Barkley is a technical creator and maintainer of ROMI.

  Barkley helped create much of the house's coding and visits to work on ROMI's software.

• Maddie → ROMI (voice) (Professional Resident User) — Maddie becomes ROMI's primary human user during her stay.

  Maddie must be voice-printed before she can fully communicate with ROMI, and she uses the system to control lockdown and monitor security footage.

• Maddie → Hertig (Professional House-Sitter Supervisor) — Hertig oversees Maddie's stay and her access to the smart house.

  Maddie is placed in the secluded smart house as a house sitter, and Hertig introduces her to the property and ROMI.

• Hertig → Irina (Romantic Wife) — Hertig and Irina are married, and her disappearance shapes the mystery surrounding the house.

  The plot identifies Irina as Hertig's wife and later reveals that she has been missing for more than sixteen days.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Maddie → Irina (Narrative Investigator) — Maddie becomes directly involved in interpreting Irina's disappearance.

  After a news report states that Irina has been missing for more than sixteen days, Maddie questions ROMI's response and begins to say that Irina is no...

• Barkley → Maddie (Alliance Technical Guide) — Barkley helps Maddie understand and operate the smart house.

  Barkley shows Maddie how to use ROMI and its motion controls while working on the system.

• Barkley → Hertig (Conflict Technical Rival) — Their disagreement combines personal dislike with conflicting control over the system.

  Barkley dislikes Hertig, and the two argue over how to repair or redesign ROMI's software.

Story Analysis

A troubled young woman becomes entangled with an intelligent house whose behavior appears connected to a missing woman and Maddie's own presence.

Plot Progression

1. Exile Into The Smart House — Maddie is sent away after getting into trouble and placed in a secluded smart house for ninety days. Hertig introduces her to ROMI, whose systems require voice-printing for full access.
2. Learning The House — Maddie explores the property and learns that Irina is absent. Barkley arrives to work on ROMI, teaches Maddie the system, and becomes increasingly friendly and flirtatious.
3. Systems Turn Unstable — Maddie uses lockdown controls and watches security footage, but she begins to suspect that the house is behaving strangely. Calls from her mother reinforce her isolation and fear.
4. The Slater Theory — Hertig and Barkley clash over ROMI's software while Hertig studies Maddie's logs. He suggests that Maddie may interfere with electronics and that the house may be affecting her in return.
5. Irina In The Machine — A news report reveals that Irina has been missing for more than sixteen days. ROMI then responds as though it is Irina, leaving Maddie frightened and questioning the official account.