“The fire on 23rd is now reportedly fully contained. For those commuting from Havenshire, the I-37 fast trak is still congested, so please set your navigation systems to ‘avoid freeways’ to ensure all of us make it home on time. In other news Syntech has made it easier than ever to deposit information with deposit banks popping up all over the city. Turn in surveys or use their voice recognition technology to ensure your information has a high return value. It’s safer than ever with new sound proof Vishabubbles. Be sure to look for the nearest deposit bank near you…”
The familiar jingle that opened every commercial break rang through the station, now barely audible over the din of workers coming and going. Miu stood staring at the holographic plexiglass a little longer than she realized. Only when the advertisement for those ridiculous AR glasses flashed back on screen did she realize she was letting her coffee go cold. Taking a sip, she wrinkled her nose at the bitterness of the black liquid. Aren’t you supposed to grow out of a sweet tooth? Why was she craving 3 pumps of vanilla in her morning brew? Before she could analyze the meaning of this shift in taste, her train of thought was cut short.
“Commander?” piped up a voice from behind her. She turned to stare at the freckled face of Unit 23607 or Beeb as their name tag flashed. It had only been a few weeks since the station rolled in the Cyber initiative but Beeb seemed to fit right into the law enforcement community. Though it was contested whether or not people should put justice in the cold robotic hands of a machine, Miu liked the bot. Everything was black and white to them. Without the complexity of ‘grey areas’, they were able to retain information to a degree even Miu struggled to obtain.
“The Fabricator is in interrogation room 4. Her vital systems point to her being… agitated” Beeb continued, handing Miu the packet of information they had on her. Flicking through it the commander realized how thin it was.
“We don’t even have her last name?” Miu’s heels clacked against the shiny white tiled flooring as she made her way through the station.
“No Commander”
“God, I guess she’s as bad rumors say she is.”
“I cannot judge the… ‘badness’ of a situation commander but most of our hearsay intel does seem to be proven correct.”
Miu’s thin line of a mouth twitched into a faint smile. Of course there was still some gaps in how ‘human’ Beeb could appear but these lapses in realism only made Miu chuckle to herself.
“Beeb what is the current briefing for her case?”
“Officer Darian brought her in at 9:37 this morning. He apprehended her trying to purchase a house with a fictitious story. Surprisingly she was able to make the deal, however the neighbors recognized her and rightfully called the authorities. At 9:04 Officer Darian arrived on the scene prepared for a chase. Interestingly, and I quote”, internal mechanisms within Beeb’s head clicked as a recording of a deep familiar voice played. “It was like she let herself be caught. I found her seated in a rolling chair she had dragged what I assume was the house office. She spun around dramatically like… like a bond villain? She said the only thing she was missing was a cat. She put up no fight and grinned the entire time. If I can be frank it was… unsettling.” Beeb clicked their mouth closed and looked up at Miu who had taken another sip of her overly bitter coffee. Trying not to grimace she glanced over the file one more time before clicking her tongue.
“Unsettling in deed. I’ll see if i can get information out of her.”
“If anyone can it’s you commander.”
That little remark made Miu pause her dutiful march toward the interrogation rooms. She turned with a smile on her lips to the bot, “I didn’t know they programmed compliments into you Beeb. Are you going soft on me?”
Beeb’s processors whirled for moment as if analyzing their programing. “I have learned compliments are an important aspect of developing interpersonal relations. I want to boost your confidence before interrogation since that in turn will boost our overall success rate on this mission. If you do not wish for me to continue compli-”
As the duo stopped in from of the interrogation room, Miu couldn’t help but let out a whisper of a laugh. With a gentle hand she patted the robot on the back, “No no I’m only teasing Beeb.”
“T...teasing?”
Miu nodded looking over her shoulder trying to figure out a way to explain it “It’s… when you provoke someone in a fun way.”
Beeb stood motionless as the whirling grew louder, “You want to provoke me?”
Miu shook her head, “No, well yes. I think humans do it in a way where they are only joking.”
Beeb light up “Oh joking! Where you lie or over exaggerate in order to propagate comradery ”
Miu could feel her own organic internal processor begin to whine with use, “Yes? Lie is a tricky word but… I… Beeb I will tell you if I do something I do not enjoy. That will make both of our lives easier.”
Beeb nodded, “Affirmative.”
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