In the cave-like lair, 831\1 received Nell politely and awkwardly. The robot's plastic exoskeleton was suffering from wear and tear. Nell, who had built the body that the AI used, felt a little upset that her work was falling apart.
"Fixer Nell, it good is to see you," 831\1 said. The AI had never been able to perfect its grammar well enough to speak without swapping words around.
"You too, Ben," Nell greeted. Ben was a name that the robot used for itself, but was poorly researched--831\1 perceived itself to be a female. Nell had no intention of causing the thing any anxiety by correcting its mistake of choosing a masculine name.
Its mechanical voice: "You building were?"
Nell wasn't entirely sure what the robot was asking, so she answered as many different questions as she could. "New client needed me to make a holographic projector. I spent the last few days there. Can I live with you for a few days?"
831\1 shrugged as well as it could. Its joints were imperfect and didn't allow for subtle human movements. "Homeless still?"
"That won't be changing any time soon. It's more convenient to just live with employers."
"Except that work don't you always have."
The AI was right. Nell admitted, "Yeah."
"Do you want live again last winter?"
Nell winced and pushed her copper hair out of her eyes. Last winter had set state records for freezing temperatures, and there had been nowhere for Nell to go. 831\1's domain, an abandoned subway station, had been subzero. Nell had visited, hoping that the slight insulation would be enough to keep her alive, but it had been too cold. Even Ben had suffered in the cold.
"Fixer Nell, it good is to see you," 831\1 said. The AI had never been able to perfect its grammar well enough to speak without swapping words around.
"You too, Ben," Nell greeted. Ben was a name that the robot used for itself, but was poorly researched--831\1 perceived itself to be a female. Nell had no intention of causing the thing any anxiety by correcting its mistake of choosing a masculine name.
Its mechanical voice: "You building were?"
Nell wasn't entirely sure what the robot was asking, so she answered as many different questions as she could. "New client needed me to make a holographic projector. I spent the last few days there. Can I live with you for a few days?"
831\1 shrugged as well as it could. Its joints were imperfect and didn't allow for subtle human movements. "Homeless still?"
"That won't be changing any time soon. It's more convenient to just live with employers."
"Except that work don't you always have."
The AI was right. Nell admitted, "Yeah."
"Do you want live again last winter?"
Nell winced and pushed her copper hair out of her eyes. Last winter had set state records for freezing temperatures, and there had been nowhere for Nell to go. 831\1's domain, an abandoned subway station, had been subzero. Nell had visited, hoping that the slight insulation would be enough to keep her alive, but it had been too cold. Even Ben had suffered in the cold.
