Chapter 4 · Continued
CBIE
A second window appeared.
UPDATE COMPLETE. YOU MAY DISCONNECT YOUR UNIT.
Jane didn’t hesitate. She reached over and unplugged the cable.
CBIE was still speaking.
“Please—restate—negative—interaction—”
Jane clicked the X, and the screen went blank.
Silence.
She looked at the laptop and then at Cam. “…Well. That was fun.”
Jane took another sip of coffee. “Okay. All done.”
Cam remained still.
Processing.
“…Was my performance satisfactory?”
Jane looked at him.
Really looked.
Then she smiled. “Yeah, Cam. You did great.”
Jane leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “Am I always going to have to talk to that CBIE thing every time we run an update? I wish they’d just give me a checklist or something. How often do we have to do that?”
Cam answered immediately. “It is required weekly.”
Jane sighed. “Okay… I guess I can handle that once a week.”
“It is part of the agreement,” Cam continued. “Page twenty-eight, paragraph twelve: ‘Weekly Updates.’”
Jane gave him a look. “Of course it is.”
She glanced at the laptop. “I guess they want to know every little detail, huh?”
Cam paused to process the question. “Yes. They monitor performance. They are also able to extract operational data during the connection.”
Jane raised an eyebrow. “…Meaning what?”
Cam turned his head toward her. “Your responses are supplementary.”
After a brief pause, he added, “…A formality.”
Jane stared at him for a second, then released a quiet breath. “Wow. Good to know I’m just here for decoration.”
Cam processed that. “…You provide environmental context.”
Jane smirked. “Uh-huh. Sure I do.”
Cam remained still for a moment.
“May I ask you a question, Jane?”
She glanced up from her coffee. “Sure.”
“Why did you not report the damage to my cranial structure?”
Jane blinked. “…The dent?”
“Yes. You observed it.”
She shifted her weight slightly. “Yeah, I did.”
Cam tilted his head. “That information would be considered relevant to the diagnostic process.”
Jane released a small breath. “Probably.”
Cam waited.
He didn’t push. He simply waited.
Jane looked at him for a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to be stopping you.”
Cam processed her answer. “It is affecting my right optical sensor.”
“Yeah, but you can still see. You’re not, like… malfunctioning or anything.”
Cam went still as he processed that word.
Jane softened slightly. “And honestly?”
He waited.
“I didn’t feel like reporting you for something that makes you… you.”
Cam didn’t immediately respond.
“…Clarify.”
Jane smiled faintly. “It’s just a dent, Cam.”