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The window of my office looked out over a heptagonal courtyard that broke up the crumpled polygonal pile that was Animsys headquarters. In the center of the heptagon was a circular path that intersected spoke-like paths that met up in the center. Each section made by the crossing of these paths had different floral color themes.

But, the center was the most interesting. Seven fountains of completely different styles were in a ring surrounding a mirror-finished dodecahedron.

While I'd been on the tour after the meeting, the guide said that that courtyard was to symbolize the joining of all of earth's continents. The guide ignored me when I said, "Like Pangea?" People didn't like it when you messed with their oh-so-serious artistic symbolism.

I turned away from the window and walked past the octagonal glass table and four white mesh office chairs in the center of my office. Very few people needed a workstation these days. Offices were often used as extra meeting places. Mine was only big enough for four people to sit in. It wasn't that different from a study room in a library. Or a walk-in closet with a window.

Not that the size of my office mattered. It was the type of office most synthetics had. Biological people needed the space more than we did.

The most important thing in my office was the standing bed that I was stepping into. My back was permeated by the warm tingle of the wireless charging field as it said, "Grab the emergency pull."

I slipped my index finger through a loop on the wall behind my right hand and then the bed strapped me in. If I pulled the loop away from the wall, it would open a mechanical release for the straps.

After that was done, a tendril connected to the optical port behind my right ear. I had access to Animsys's internal network. It was like I'd just swallowed a ball of compressed holidays.

Joy. I was swimming in data I'd never had access to before. The first thing I did was look for more information about my body's components. My muscles were the standard composite of nanotubes and polymers, I already knew that. Ooh! My bite pressure was higher than I thought! Not as good as my best CCAI-made body, but close.

They had a tendency to overspend for small improvements in performance. And those extremely powerful jaws required extra micro-hydraulics which made my cheeks rounder than I liked.

My high-voltage arm was boring, but the spike at the end was made of a composite that could get hotter than tungsten without melting. I'd be able to burn through graphene with this thing as long as there was oxygen present.

Then there was my laser. It, and my cooling system, were classified beyond my clearance.

I messaged Veeskha. Hey, could I get clearance for the specs of my laser and cooling system?

I'm sorry, they've been targets for corporate espionage. Until we're finished testing them, we are limiting access to their research team.

Am I part of the test?

Unintentionally, yes. She must have erased her first response to my question because the messaging app indicated she'd been forming a reply far longer than that.

Please elaborate. I always felt like this was the polite way of saying, stop withholding shit from me!

Your body is made of spare prototype parts. It was supposed to be decommissioned with its parts reallocated. But, it left our inventory and ended up in that warehouse. We have hit a dead end in our investigation.

I didn't tell her that the CCAI's trademark was dead-ends in investigations. Why am I not under suspicion for ending up in this body?

You are, hence why you cannot have access to recent targets of corporate espionage. I'm sorry I didn't state this more directly from the beginning.

Keeping me under suspicion was very smart. I'd been starting to wonder if they were inept or telling a big lie. I was still wondering about the latter. It's fine. I'd like to be cleared for access the moment it becomes possible.

I will do so. I suggest you focus on your FCAT breach for now. We want to see that yesterday wasn't just luck.

I want to see that too, I sent attempting humor.

Nothing.

I made a mental note to wait until she made jokes before I tried again and then asked, Why did you agree with Ferwa at the meeting?

Ask Nonah. I shouldn't have said anything.

I thought she was a bit harsh.

Are we done? I'm sorry, but I do not comment on the behavior of coworkers when they are not present.

Eew, she wasn't fun to talk to. Yes, thank you for your time.

Okay, anyone who said they didn't talk behind other people's backs was either an epitome of morality or they didn't want to be your friend. With her, I was guessing the latter.

It didn't mean she gave bad advice. I'd been told before I left the meeting that I wasn't going to get any access to files on FCATS or FCAT developers. I was supposed to do the hack as an outsider would. This made sense, but it was way harder.

I was hoping I'd get access to the template AI's that went into FCATs or some code for their components. Stuff I'd never had access to before. Stuff that would make this an easy day at work.

Oh well, I'd figure something out. Or I'd fail completely and look inept and lose my job. Just a normal lovely day at work.

My AIs scoured the net for any and all information on FCATs. Animsys had done a very good job at keeping sensitive data off of the internet. An hour later, I started digging around in Animsys's site and found the customer support forums.

There was a section for FCATs. It was a goldmine. In ten minutes I had a plan. I spent the next couple hours editing the supposedly unhackable firmware on my combination wireless networking and radar array. The ICC (International Communications Commission) would arrest me if they knew what I did, but I wasn't planning on getting caught.

That night, I was too focused on my tussle with the FCAT to worry about questioning Nonah. I just let them cuddle with me and dote on me until they went off to bed.

» O «

The next day, a couple hours before lunch, I was in front of a gymnasium-sized room with Kwame, Craig, Konkana and Nonah.

Kwame said, "So, tell us about this hack. We have an FCAT in there ready to go."

"It's part hack and part physical attack. I can explain in a meeting afterwards."

Kwame nodded, "Sounds good."

"Careful, it's angry," Nonah said.

Craig laughed while Konkana rolled her eyes.

"You're just going to throw me in there with it?"

Konkana grinned. "We're going to show a video of our new intensive testing program at a luncheon next week."

I tried to relax. The FCAT moving and shooting added more variables. I'd be more likely to screw up. It would make a much better spectacle for anyone watching, though. "Bad news is that this body might be toast if it decides to try and kill me. Good news is: there is no good news. Are you guys sure that virus or whatever isn't in your FCATs anymore?"

"No, but we'll shut it down if it gets too killy," Kwame said.

"Killy?" Nonah laughed.

"Shut up." Kwame blushed.

Craig and Konkana laughed.

I was starting to like my new coworkers, but remembering yesterday, I couldn't laugh with them. Perhaps they were all nervous and laughing because they knew they were sending me to my doom?

Kwame said, "We'll go up to the observation room. Once we're up there, we'll cue you to enter."

"Sure," I said. Oh, I was going to need repairs after this. I'd shut off my pain if it got too bad.

Nonah came over to me as the others walked toward a staircase a couple meters to the right of the door. "Be careful."

"I'm dueling with an FCAT, I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks," I said.

They kissed my forehead. "Asaaha fek fek."

It was our version of the phrase "break a leg." It had been used so much over the years that it had been shortened and word parts had been lost. It meant "obtain the highest awesomeness."

I kissed their neck. "Thanks."

They walked up to the observation room.

I felt like I was floating in an updraft of pure anxiety for hours until I got the go ahead.

The moment I entered the KREEPcrete-walled twenty by twenty by ten meter high gymnasium, the FCAT shot at me. I jumped with a spin and then rolled on the ground. My roll ended with me in a crouch and I twirled in the air as I shot up five meters and shot at the base of the FCAT's ball turret.

I'd seen the specs on the capacitive position sensor I could knock out and was drilling tiny holes trying to find the right spot. Meanwhile, the FCAT was trying to hit my laser and I had to move my hand in a random pattern while I was spinning. Laser battles were about constant movement. Presenting one spot too long led to deep holes.

I turned my laser up to sixty percent power and a femtosecond pulse as I reached seven meters above the ground. I'd made a lot of tiny holes with no effect, it was time to make a big one. The FCAT hit me in the neck with a pulse. The sound of the blast would've broken my eardrums if I wasn't synthetic. I tumbled and I lost my shot.

It harpooned me in my right leg. Electricity poured into me forcing me to disconnect the power to my leg.

I grabbed the harpoon line with my high-voltage arm and lined up my laser. The flash of plasma was blinding. The shockwave was even worse than the FCAT's blast. A chunk was missing where a sensor would've been and the moment I'd been waiting for arrived.

The FCAT began a restart cycle to recalibrate now that it was missing a sensor for the ball position. I used my illegally modified wireless antenna to saturate the FCAT's antenna with noise just as it was restarting.

It froze in place. Lifeless.

Kwame sent me, What the hell just happened?

I sent to everyone in the observation room, It's in test mode.

So you basically cast a sleep spell? Nonah asked to the chatroom I'd just made.

Craig sent a cartoon image of himself facepalming.

Konkana sent, Nonah, you turned the most awesome thing I've seen all year into a joke. Shame on you.

Kwame sent, Actually, if it's in test mode, it's more like she used 'confuse.'

I left the chatroom. The hole in my neck hurt enough that I turned off the pain from it. That resulted in it feeling very very strange. I grabbed the harpoon line and bit into it until I severed it with my teeth. Take that!

Kwame sent me. Sorry about the joke, you must be feeling pretty beat up.

It's fine. I just don't feel like joking around right now.

We're all ecstatic. Konkana and Craig are talking about how excited the investors will be to see that.

I'm glad, I sent.

We'll get you patched up very soon.

I sent him a thumbs up emoticon.

Craig messaged me, Be ready for a meeting about what you just did at ten a.m. tomorrow morning. You have the rest of the day to get repairs, prepare for the meeting, and get more settled in. Kwame and Nonah are coming with a gurney. Sorry about the damage.

It's better than a desk job.

That's the spirit! Craig sent. See you at the meeting.

Nonah crouched down by my side and pointed at my harpooned leg. "That looks awful!"

"I had to disconnect it. Doesn't hurt."

"And your neck?" they asked.

"Uncomfortable." My voice was different from the damage.

"Should I tell them to back off next time?"

"No, I loved it." I gave a lazy smile. "Even though this part sucks."

They nuzzled my cheek. "You're turning me on."

Kwame must have noticed we were having a serious conversation because he backed away.

I smirked, "You really are into action heroes, aren't you?"

They nodded blushing.

"About what Ferwa said..." I prompted.

Their eyes narrowed. "She hates me, okay?"

"I'm just wondering why she'd say that and why Veeskha agreed with her. Are they spreading rumors about you?"

"Why do you care?"

"Wouldn't you be curious if you were in my position?" I put a hand on theirs. "I'm out of my element here and vulnerable."

"Have I given you any reason to distrust me?" they asked.

"No, but, I just want to understand what they were talking about."

"I told you, they resent me."

"Why?"

"Do you really want to get into corporate politics on your second day?" Their intonation was very rhetorical.

My crest rose slightly in confusion. "We're going in circles here."

"Then let's stop." They turned to Kwame. "Help me get her on."

He lowered the gurney and put it next to me. They lifted me onto it.

I sent to Nonah, Could you please stop deflecting and tell me what's going on?

No. Stop asking.

I just want to hear your side of the story.

I'm going to find you your own place ASAP.

I looked up at them. They wouldn't meet my eyes. Seriously?

Seriously. Staying at my house for a day or two doesn't give you a free pass to my personal life. If I don't want to talk about something, you drop it.

Okay. I slumped in the gurney. Perhaps I was too eager to make friends. Perhaps all this was one grand mistake.

»» END OF SESSION « «

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