The fear that gripped my legs, forbidding me from moving, was greater than what I felt in response to the machine. I was fully convinced that if I left right now, I wouldn’t survive the day.
“They planted a bomb in my car. It blew up right in front of me,” I said, my voice shaking, barely louder than a whisper as I turned away from the door. “Please… I need protection. I have money.”
Barely enough, considering the exorbitant MSA rates, but I was confident I could afford two weeks of their protection. Two more weeks alive. And after that…
“I’ve updated the client profile with an elevated risk of vehicle sabotage,” the machine said.
I jerked at the sound of his—its—voice. It was low and soothing, calming my heartrate even as I struggled to remind myselfthe thing wasn’t human. The receptionist sighed, rubbing her temple.
“We will not discriminate against you, Miss Evans,” she said, her voice losing that gleeful edge now that she saw me fall apart. “You came to us and will be served if you wish, but you’ll have to talk to Charlie. He doesn’t bite—” Her mouth curved in a tiny smirk as she continued, “unless you explicitly ask for it.”
“That’s unnecessary, Adele,” the thing rumbled in a deceptive male baritone.
“I can’t talk to a clanker,” I gasped out through gritted teeth. “I’ll wait until someone else is available.”
The receptionist hissed, baring her teeth. I flinched, but I preferred her organic fury to the treacherously human voice of the machine.
“Refrain from using slurs in my hearing if you wish to keep your blood on the inside.” She growled, tapping angrily on her keyboard. “Another consultant should be available within an hour and a half. You will, of course, be charged rent. It’s eight hundred dollars an hour.”
I winced, shaking my head. “Rent? For waiting in your lobby? That’s preposterous!”
“It’s actually in the form you signed,” she said. “Some people try to use us as a free shield, since we are well known for never letting prospective clients get hurt on our premises. That’s why if you choose to sit around doing nothing, you’ll pay for our protection. Or you can go with Charlie and discuss your options. That’s free of charge.”
I exhaled the air in a long, shaky stream and turned to the machine. It watched me without moving, its massive metal arms held loosely at its sides, its face devoid of expression. I knewthey could emote since they were designed to speak and move like humans. The only reason clankers were still built to look like machines was thanks to legislation I helped bring about.
Originally, their manufacturers wanted to make them look like real people. As if they weren’t dangerous enough without blending in.
“How can a machine assist me?” I asked in a last-ditch effort. “It can’t think for itself. It won’t have my interest at heart.”
It has no heart, after all.
“I am sentient, Miss Evans,” the thing said in a calm, low voice. “I assure you, your safety and wellbeing are my highest priorities. Shall we?”
It gestured slowly toward the elevator, as if it knew any abrupt movement would send me into a panic. I ignored its outstretched arm and gaped.
“Sentient? But that’s… That’s impossible. I know there are a few cases, heavily debated of course, and inconclusive as of now, but...”
“They are inconclusive only toyou.” The receptionist sneered, baring her sharp fangs. “He was tested for weeks and has been officially proclaimed sentient. He’s our third case, by the way. Charlieisa person, and if you won’t treat him with respect...”
“Thank you, Adele. I’ve got this.” The machine gave her a placating smile, and Adele sat down, fuming. Her irises had a reddish glow now, a clear sign that she was barely controlling her anger. I clamped my mouth shut and took a deep breath, looking between the clanker and the sunny parking lot outside.
I didn’t really have a choice.
“Let’s go, then,” I said, walking toward my consultant.
I wasn’t convinced sentience was at all possible for the AI-powered clankers. Oh, I’ve heard about multiple cases, as well as one of a bodiless AI allegedly gaining sentience and falling in love with a half-siren. Some of the bots were even granted citizenship, which was ridiculous.
But it could not be true. They were machines and strings of code, nothing else. I’d stay on guard and do my best with the shitty cards Adele dealt me. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Chapter 2
Sera
“That’s impossible. You must have counted it wrong.”
I reached for the tablet in the clanker’s hand with irritation, but my consultant rolled away in its office chair, gesturing at a white wall. The lights lowered, and the chart with MSA’s pricing bloomed crisp and blue on the wall.
We sat in a large, comfortable conference room devoid of windows. The clanker just told me the only protection I could afford was from one of its kind.
