Chapter 10 · Continued
Back to the Factory
“Hello, Jane,” Cam said calmly.
His projected eyes shifted toward the driver.
“Hello, Chris.”
Jane stared at him in disbelief. “Oh my God.”
Now that he was closer, she could see the damage. Dirt streaked across his exterior. A deep dent cut through the front of his chest housing, and one side of his projected face flickered faintly with static.
Beside him sat a battered yellow delivery bot, wobbling crookedly on the shoulder. The cartoon cow painted along its side had been scraped almost beyond recognition.
Jane blinked at it. “What is that?”
The bot immediately announced, “MOO MART EXPRESS THANKS YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS.”
Chris burst out laughing. “Oh my God.”
Headlights appeared on the road behind them.
Another vehicle was approaching.
Chris checked the mirror. “I hate to interrupt whatever the hell this is, but we need to move before somebody sees him.”
He climbed out and opened the SUV’s rear passenger door.
“Cam, get in.”
Cam obeyed immediately, folding himself carefully into the back seat.
Chris hurried around to the rear hatch, then bent and lifted the delivery bot by both sides.
“Jesus,” he muttered as he placed it in the cargo area. “You’re much heavier than you look.”
The little bot beeped happily.
“MOO MART EXPRESS VALUES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.”
Chris snorted as he closed the hatch. “You’re welcome, I guess.”
He pulled back onto the road while Jane twisted in her seat to stare at Cam.
The Moo Mart bot rattled around in the cargo area every time the SUV hit a bump.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Finally, Jane found her voice.
“What the hell happened to you?”
Cam processed the question.
“At approximately 19:42 hours, transport instability occurred.”
Chris started laughing. “Oh no. He’s filing a report.”
“A roadway collision interrupted transport operations,” Cam continued.
Then, without warning, he produced a long, piercing sound.
“SCREEEEEECH.”
Jane blinked.
Chris looked sharply into the rearview mirror. “Did you just make a tire sound?”
“I believed an auditory recreation would improve narrative clarity.”
Chris lost it.
Jane covered her mouth, laughing.
“The transport vehicle attempted an evasive maneuver after two autonomous dairy-delivery units entered the roadway,” Cam continued.
From the cargo area, the little bot announced proudly, “MOO MART EXPRESS VALUES ROAD SAFETY.”
Cam turned his head slightly toward it. “Your unit was involved.”
Chris was laughing so hard that tears had formed in his eyes. “Please continue.”
“The driver then accelerated unintentionally while vocalizing multiple profanity variations.”
Cam paused before reproducing the driver’s voice perfectly.