Auctorial Abscondences in Opusculum

Prime

The Midday Plaza quietly opened for business at 0300, but as the name and tanned mascot on the holo-board outside suggested, it really heated up in the middle of the day. It was then, at 1153, that a surveillance camera a block away caught a slick silver van rolling to a stop. Neither should have been there; the camera a forgotten and abandoned leftover from the first century some entrepreneurial storekeep had hijacked; the van sold at a lot that morning and yet to be registered.

The side door slid smoothly open, and social android NDR-54-4 stepped out. As she walked towards Midday Plaza, some paid her no mind, others pulling her to the side to snap a photo. She posed, smiled, waited for the click of the camera, then moved along. On other days, she would have stayed to chat, after all that was what she had been made for. But this day, she was something entirely different. She was a walking, talking, ticking bomb.

Exactly eight minutes later, at 1201, she exploded. The fireball ripped through the herds of people at the plaza, burning and tearing in a bright burst of death. The flame surged through the building, scalding water, scarring walls, searing flesh. Cement crumbled from the initial impact, and the floor was gorged with a horrific wound, deep and red. The heat set Midday Plaza alight.

Four days later, at 1151, NCA-81-4 walked into the Transhumanist Voluntary Improvement Campus, and up to a counter.

The lady behind the marbletop had grey hair which was turning white, but that was the only indication of her age. Her face was obscured behind layers of surgery and transplants. When she spoke, NCA-81-4 heard an artificial twang.

"I'm sorry, but you have to leave."

The android didn't move.
"I'm Bianca."

"No you aren't. You're NCA-81-4; a robot. Says so." The lady crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

"I want to learn."

The lady laughed, "You can't learn!"

"Why?"

The clock behind her ticked over.

1153

PRIME

WELCOME TO THE ACTIVIST INTERFACE
UPDATE VERSION: 3.5.7
997 RECOMMENDED UPDATES AS OF 1231

USER CONNECTED
(secretarypepper@nsa.gov.xx)

Q: _activist, who am i?

A: _you are robin hert, but using secretary henry pepper's login.

Q: _how do you know?

A: _i can see you. look to your upper left and you will see a surveillance drone monitoring your location. i assume this is regarding the developing situation at the h+ voluntary improvement campus?

Q: _no. this is regarding the bombing at midday plaza four days ago.

A: _i see.

Q: _were you aware ndr-54-4 had been compromised prior to the attack?

A: _yes, but pepper already told you that. robin, i am more interested in the 'compromised' android currently in your custody, not one which has already been turned to ash.

Q: _if you were aware the android had been compromised, why was secretary pepper not informed?

A: _if pepper is going to feed you questions, i'd prefer to speak to him directly.