Chapter 1

1

Tony Cruise was halfway through debugging his coding assignment’s third draft when he had an interruption. Someone buzzed his apartment from the lobby. He thought about answering, and that was enough; his kybernet, his head computer, connected through the network and down to the lobby’s video phone.

It appeared as an augmented-reality window floating in his field of view, showing the building’s small but ornate lobby. A young blonde woman, wearing a simple suit with black jacket, tie, and knee-length pencil skirt and a crisp white blouse came into view. Kaitlin, dressed like she’d come straight from the office.

“Yo!” she said, her cheerful smile pointing right at the camera. A plastic bag hung from her V-signing fingers. “Buzz me up? I brought takeout.” She sang the last words like a temptation.

That took a bit more thinking. The video phone was one-way, so she couldn’t see him sink back in his desk chair while he pondered whether he wanted another visit.

A voice came over his apartment’s sound system. “Sir, your sister is in the lobby, requesting permission to come up.“ It sounded feminine, with a Transatlantic accent — an artificial blend of English and American.

He closed his eyes. The augmented-reality window, built from direct neural stimulation, remained in view. “I know, Ai,” he said. “I said I’ll deal with it.”

“Incorrect, “ Ai replied. “Perhaps you have again confused thinking something for saying it.“

Tony wanted to take offence, but there was genuinely no malice in the computerised voice. She had a point: he was too used to living just with himself and a bunch of machines. Non-sapient, thought-responsive machines, at that.

A visitor would do him some good. He could hear Kaitlin’s voice in his head, even aside from her still using the video phone to extol the virtues of Golden Dragon Chinese Takeaway.

“Fine, fine.” While he said that aloud, he sent another thought-command. Downstairs, the elevator unlocked — he saw it open up behind Kaitlin. She gave the video phone one last smile and wave before she shut it off, and the window disappeared from Tony’s vision.

Tony thought ahead. Moments later would come a knock on the door. The apartment’s locks were still purely mechanical, so he couldn’t unlock it just with a thought. He grimaced. Time to get up. Both hands went to his chair’s arms; his legs were stiff from so long spent working, and rising wouldn’t be a pleasant process, so he should get it done ahead of time.

“Allow me, sir, “ Ai said over the speakers. “It’s what I’m for.“

A flap opened in the closet door, much like a pet door. Out came one of Ai’s extensions: a round, flat robot, driving along the floor. When it reached the front door, a panel opened on its top and a thin, mechanical arm extended to open the locks.

The second after Kaitlin knocked, Ai opened the door. The blonde blinked, surprised by the swift service, but smiled and stepped inside. “Thanks ... oh wow.”

She turned slowly, looking around the apartment. Like the lobby, the building’s apartments were small but high quality. The front room took up most of the space, with different flooring defining the zones: plush rugs in the living zone, faux-hardwood in the dining zone, and vinyl in the kitchenette. The furnishings were ornate in style and made of artificial ebony, while the kitchen counters were topped with faux-marble. The bathroom and laundry were combined to save space, and the master bedroom had Tony’s desk and computer in it to serve as a miniature study. He’d left the guest bedroom untouched since he’d moved in. Almost everything had come with the apartment; his only nod to personal decoration was a holographic poster of the Space Expeditionary Force, hung up in the master bedroom.

“Wow,” Kaitlin repeated. “This place is way tidier than it was last week.”

“Correct, “ Ai said. “Though I regret it took two full days to complete the cleaning.“

Though the voice came from all around, Kaitlin looked at the round robot as if it was somehow ‘more Ai’ than looking at a camera. A musing look came across her face as she stepped into the kitchen. She found a sugar dish and tipped half out, leaving sugar scattered across the kitchen floor.

Immediately, the robot rolled over the grains and vacuumed them up. After a pause, Ai said, “That seemed unnecessary.“

“Ah.” Kaitlin blushed and kicked the floor. Rather than answer, she cleared her throat and called more loudly. “Hey Tony, c’mon out! The short soup will get cold!” She laid the bag on the kitchen counter and fished around for utensils. “Oh wow, you’ve even sorted the cutlery drawer. How would you...” She looked down at the robot. “How could you even see that high?”

Tony finally shut down his computer and came out to join them. His thin legs grumbled at him, so he flexed them back and forth to work out the kinks. “That’s not her body,” he said. “At least, not the only one.”

“Correct.“ To emphasise the point, the round robot went back into storage in the closet, while Ai kept talking. “My ‘senses’ are in cameras and microphones distributed throughout the apartment, and in the sensors of my extensions, like the roller unit you’ve already encountered.“

“Wait, like...” While she unpacked the food, Kaitlin rested her eyes on the bathroom door. “You have cameras all over the apartment?”

“Correct, “ Ai said. “However, as sir has requested, those cameras remain inactive unless actively needed for cleaning tasks. The shower and bath assistance features have been disabled.“

Kaitlin tugged a dark chair out from the dining table and flopped onto it. “Well—” She tried to call her by name, but realised she didn’t know it yet. She looked at Tony. “What did you end up calling her?”

He pulled chopsticks from the drawer and sat across from her. “Ai.”

Kaitlin stared at him. “Ai the AI. Really?”

He shrugged. “First thing that came to mind. She’s from a Japanese company anyway, right?”

During the awkward silence, one of Ai’s cameras swivelled to look down on the table. “Bringing food was unnecessary. My cooking capabilities are sufficient.“

Kaitlin jabbed her chopsticks outwards, pointing vaguely towards the ceiling. “But life isn’t just about what’s sufficient. This stuff is good, it’s tasty.” She swallowed her mouthful and turned her attention to Tony. “So ... how have you been?” Maybe it was just his imagination, but her tone sounded like an interrogation.

He made a gesture, palm cupped and pointed towards the ceiling, and sent a few thought commands. Though he didn’t hold any physical object, both he and Kaitlin would see the same floating window created as augmented reality in their kybernets. His most recent grades: all high. And his checklist of approaching deadlines: everything already had a draft he could submit, and the closest deadline still had until Monday for refinement.

Kaitlin waved it off, the window dissipating. “That’s just school. That’s just what’s ‘sufficient’. I’m asking how you are doing. Have you been making time for things other than work?”

He focused on his sweet-and-sour pork. “A little writing. Short story or two.”

Kaitlin looked up at the ceiling. “Ai?”

“Semi-correct, “ she said. “Since my installation last week, he has discarded a full notebook’s worth of used paper. However, they contained incomplete poetry, and not prose.“

His face lit up red like a bonfire. “Ai! You’re not supposed to look at my garbage!”

“Incorrect, “ she said. “A cursory examination is required for correct sorting and disposal. You crumpled and discarded the pages one at a time, and in each case, a single glance showed verse formatting.“

“Tony,” Kaitlin groaned, a hand rubbing over her face. “This is about Sonia, isn’t it?”

He flinched back from the touch on his raw nerve, scowling.

“Knew it.” Kaitlin shook her head. “You can’t keep trying to win her back, and you can’t just throw yourself into work, either. You’ll burn yourself out. If you work hard, you have to play hard, too.”

Tony couldn’t defend himself, so he turned it around instead. “Like you’re one to talk. Last time you even took time off work was for that kybernet upgrade.”

“Don’t diss the Caliburn.” Kaitlin pronounced it so he could hear the capital. That was a proper noun, not a common kybernet like everyone had. She tapped her temple. “I’ve got room for two minds in this thing.”

“That’s not the point.” He set his food aside. “You like to say ‘work hard, play hard’, but you haven’t gone on an actual vacation in more than two years. You’re a travel agent. How many other people’s holidays have you set up, but you don’t take your own advice?”

That gave her some pause; her mouth hung half-open, but she didn’t say anything.

Guilt made him wince. He took a few deep breaths to slow and calm himself down. “Look ... thank you, but I’m fine. Really. I don’t need you checking in on me.”

Kaitlin shook her head. “It’s what big sisters do. We worry, and we check in on you. Especially with how I found you right after the breakup. How I found this whole place. What’s a girl supposed to do?”

He gave her a wry smile. “Apparently, she’s supposed to get me a new assistant and housekeeping AI.”

Kaitlin laughed. “Yeah, that was an impulse buy. But hey, look around. She’s doing a good job.”

“Correct.“ Ai somehow conveyed smugness without changing a single detail of her tone.

2

The next day, Kaitlin kept thinking about her conversation with Tony. Snippets of it interrupted her train of thought during work, which she spent making other people’s travel arrangements. One particular part rang true. She really hadn’t had time off in far too long. If Tony hadn’t reminded her that it was two years ago, she would have struggled to remember the last time.

Now that she’d been so starkly reminded, she could feel it down to her core. Her throat strained from so long spent forcing saccharine, customer-service cheer. Her neck and shoulders felt as hard as iron. Her back ached, all the way to the base of her spine. Her eyes stung every time she closed them, extending each blink.

Yet even with her eyes closed, she could scroll through the different holiday packages her company offered. She looked at them in a new light: not something to match up with a client, but something for herself. She could afford it, in both money and vacation time.

With a hint of bitterness, she noted how many were couple’s retreats or family packages. That just wasn’t her life; she didn’t have time for a relationship, and even casual flings were more trouble than they were worth. She’d stopped chasing them. She hadn’t been laid since her last vacation. Though she generally tried not to think about it, that ache joined the others that now emphasised themselves throughout her body.

What she needed was to get away. Away from work, away from her stresses. Away from Tony, just for a little while, so she could get herself off his case. Away from everything.

So it was the off-world vacations that caught her eye. ‘Planet Dusk’, especially. As she read it over, her plan started to form. She got to put the arrangements together for herself, for once. She’d just need a little bit of help from someone else, to look after what she’d leave behind.

3

By Friday night, Tony ran out of things to do. Sinking back in his chair, he internally turned his thoughts over in his mind, much like he was pacing back and forth. As he scrolled once again through his checklist, he noticed something. “What about the data security essay?”

(Presently awaiting a response from Professor Hasegawa-Ramirez, ) Ai said, (clarifying an ambiguity in the requirements.) He’d given Ai access, so they wouldn’t need to speak aloud as much; she could ‘speak’ directly into his kybernet.

Tony swiveled in his chair, turning back towards his desk. “I remember. The question can be read as being about how to patch security holes or how hackers might exploit them, right? I can do a draft for each.”

(Incorrect, ) Ai said. (You completed both versions on Tuesday night.)