Book 5: Chapter 16: Theresa’s Time
Bob
March 2340
Quin
Iwas reading the latest report from Neil and Herschel on the Ever Onward Society’s preparations to evacuate from Romulus when a six-foot-tall beaver popped into my VR. “Greetings,” he said. “Formalities having been dispensed with, your friend Theresa Sykorski is expiring. You asked to be advised.”
I closed the report with a wave of a hand. “Thanks, ANEC. Any problems with her relatives?”
“They are behaving within parameters. Nevertheless, a physical presence would serve as additional insurance.”
That was the closest ANEC had ever come to subtlety. The only conscious AI in existence in known space, he—ANEC had decided to identify as male—had a tendency to go for the conversational jugular.
“Right, that’s my cue.” I stood, and ANEC disappeared. Not big on social niceties, either. In fact, he and Guppy had a lot in common, overall.
I quickly activated and transferred my POV to my quinny in the Sykorski villa—and opened my eyes to pitch blackness. After a moment of confusion, I adjusted the quinny’s vision down into infrared and realized I was in a closet. Literally. I had brooms, mops, and other miscellaneous cleaning implements either leaning against me or propping me up.