Cyberdrive

Investigation

Mel sighed, drumming the fingers of her right hand on her workbench. Even with all of the oil and grease smells of the shop, she still caught the leftover scent of Ashton's aftershave or perfume or whatever it was. She leaned back, and the robotic arm holding up her screen adjusted to follow her movements. On the screen was Officer Darren White of YCS Security. He was asking questions they had already gone through. It was hard to concentrate.

"The car drove off without anyone ordering it anywhere or controlling it?"

"Correct," Mel said. Again.

"He did not engage the manual overrides?"

Mel clenched both of her cybernetic left hands. What does he think of her son? She tried to calm down. This Officer Darren White was most likely an artificial construct and not a real person anyway, although she could not tell from looking at him. YCS was getting very good at those constructs.

"I am sure he tried them. Since the van failed to stop, your overrides failed to work."

"Manual overrides cannot be disabled on YCS vehicles. There was only you, your son, and this unknown female customer in the garage?"

"As far as I know." Mel said.

"Has Ashton contacted you in any way?"

"No, but as I said before, the mesh acts as a faraday cage, he cannot get a signal out."

"That is all of the information we need to create our report. You will receive the report within three to nineteen business days. Thank you for your time. And thank you for being a YCS Security Plus member."

"Are you going to help me find him?" Mel asked. She swept greasy tools off of her workbench in order to lean forward and glare at him. Of course, the robotic arm adjusted the screen away from her as she leaned forward, so the effect was lost on the probable artificial intelligence.

"Your Security Plus membership gives you round-the-clock protection for your property as well as a full and detailed report if a crime is committed on the premises. If you would like further investigative services, you can upgrade to Security Premium Plus for an additional eight hundred yun per week. Subscribe now, and for a one-time fee of two hundred thousand yun we will send an assassin to hunt down the perpetrators."

Mel sighed. "I can't afford that. Not even if I sold the garage. And a kidney."

"We offer a variety of payment plans."

"Yes," Mel said. "And what happens if you get behind on a payment to an assassin?"

Officer Darren White said "We have never received complaints from consumers who were behind on their payments."

"I wonder why. I cannot even afford the Security Premium Plus. Is there anything you can do?" Mel pounded her lower left fist on the table, but so that accomplished was sending a wave of searing pain into her shoulder.

"We have done all that we can at this level of service. We can offer you a one-time deal of Security Premium Plus for just four hundred yun per month for three months if you purchase twenty-four months."

"That's still beyond my ability. What sort of investigating would you do at the Premium Plus level?"

"The Premium Plus level allows us to check all surveillance devices in the area for Ashton or the vehicle. We scan and monitor all communications for words or phrases pertaining to the incident. We find the perpetrators in ninety-nine point nine percent of cases. Guaranteed."

Mel slumped on her stool, her three arms on the bench in front of her. She would have to sell the garage. But if it could get her son back...

"Could you give me that four hundred dollar price if I signed up for twelve months?"