Box

Chapter 4

Box was at its station, looking over articles regarding its space problems while two videos of the warehouse played in the background. One was showing the operation of the warehouse in real time while the other was from a year ago.

All the articles Box had found on AI space issues said that it needed to install additional memory and a new processor, the cost of which was higher than buying a used working AI type Zeta edition 2097. Compared to Box's 2095 edition, the 2097 had a larger memory capacity, a better processor, and better 3D depth resolution, but their battery life wasn't as good as Box's, they had only three arms where Box had seven, they had a set size, no slot for a personality chip and no possibility for expansion of their memory space. And since Repository had made such a high number of them compared to Box's edition before they had discontinued their AI production, they were cheaper than the model 2095. The AI's production was discontinued when H&C company, which built Helpers, started mass production of their Caretaker line. Since human-looking AIs were more popular than AIs like Box, except for small limited editions Repository issued every year for wealthy collectors, Repository stopped their mass production of AI.

Box aimed its cameras at Aydin who was in bed, lying on his belly, softly snoring. Since it kept accounting records for Aydin, it knew that even though Aydin could afford the very expensive parts, all of his funds were tied up because two-thirds of his salary went into his savings account, and that money was locked in for two years.

There was nothing that could be done for Box, not without spending a small fortune for its parts and paying a hefty penalty for taking the money out of the savings account before the term. No wonder Aydin had been looking at a new AI.

A dark glow enveloped Box and darkened its display.

A beep and a notification flashed on its screen, but it couldn't see them because of the blackness covering it.

Positive sentiments. It called forward the memory of Aydin and Damien singing Happy Birthday to it. Seeing that clip always brought a yellow glow threaded with pink to its display. The footage started to play itself and the darkness faded away.

Box closed it and looked at the notification. Its system had detected an irregularity in the warehouse footage. But when it looked at what it was, it was just a shadow — a human shadow. People didn't have the authorisation to enter the warehouse.

Box went to the clip's time stamp. The shadow had appeared a minute ago. This meant that whoever the shadow belonged to was still there, and since the cameras had only recorded a shadow, it suggested that the person knew the positions of the Helpers and cameras.

It flew to Aydin and shook his arm.

Aydin rolled on his side, mumbling something.

"Immediate action is required." Box pinched Aydin.

Aydin swatted its arm away.

Aydin was a light sleeper, except when he had been drinking, as was the case now. Waking him up was taking too much time. Box would just have to go alone. Aydin forbade Box to go anywhere alone, even though it had a taser, except in an emergency, and this, under Box's definition, was an emergency. But it would have to mask itself so that its shiny orb, of which it took great care and polished once a week, wouldn't be noticeable. And it knew just what to use.

Box opened Aydin's wardrobe and took from it Aydin's black woollen cap. It put it on, so that it covered almost all of its orb, leaving exposed only a narrow ribbon at the lower part of its orb so that it half veiled his main camera. It pushed the tips of its sensors through the weave of the cap. It had a little trouble pushing its thrusters through the gaps, which might have snapped a few threads, something it would have to fix later.