Artificial(ish) Intelligence

Chapter 72

Adelaide checked the selfiebot locator, then looked up. It hadn't been easy to track. The signal shifted almost instantly from one location to the next while she was en route, but had now finally settled on this house with the thick colourful garden out front.

She looked around. The neighbourhood wasn't too busy. A few cars pottered by, and a couple of teenagers laughed on the other side of the road, but nothing that might get in the way. It was a poor area, yet someone must have owned the old van parked on the street.

Through the thicket, she'd seen two different men walk by the lounge window. The good news was that Josef didn't yet have his grubby hands on the AI. But then came the bad news: she'd seen an old woman shoot up from the couch before briskly leaving the room. It was the one category she couldn't charm. They had natural defences.

She was distracted by the teenagers yelling into their own selfiebot, a silver version rather than the gold of Libbi's facade. One of them looked familiar. Was it...?

"Oh, I dunno," said Charlotte. "Ohh ohh. Remember Fll?"

The other girl didn't answer, too busy playing with her hair.

"Ashley?" said Charlotte. "Ash? Ash Ash."

"Soooo old," said Ashley, catching up.

"You loved it soooo much."

"It was kinda demented."

"'Specially when Jackson was on it."

"Get lost!" Ashley turned away, embarrassed.

"You said a second of his abs wasn't enough," said Charlotte.

They were discussing the social media app that gave users the ability to share a full -- or "Fll" -- thousand milliseconds of video. It had shot up in popularity for a fraction longer than eighty six million milliseconds, before selling out at half a billion dollars.

"Such a pale app," said Ashley.

Charlotte giggled.

Adelaide shook her head to regain the lost brain cells. This was the same Charlotte she saw on Josef's call. His daughter. Did that mean he was around?

"Surely not in this neighbourhood," she said.

But it was enough to give her pause. He was a clever man. Did he know she would come to re-capture the selfiebot?

She double-checked its location. It had moved again. According to the locator, Libbi must be in...that van.

Exposed, Adelaide ducked for cover behind a tree. There wasn't any visible activity, but they must have slipped inside while she was focussing on the teenagers. In fact, where were they? Inside the van, too? Josef really was there!

The locator blipped. Adelaide stared at the monitor in confusion. Once more, Libbi was inside the house, not in the van. She took evasive action to be hidden from the house, and peered at the vehicle, focussing on any movement near the windows. It was as empty as she'd thought. Charlotte and her friend walked along the footpath, past the van, with their own selfiebot.

"Ugh, stupid making-love thing!" said Adelaide, tapping the locator.

Libbi's location flickered, changing for a split second to Charlotte's selfiebot and then back to the house.

"Don't tell me those domestic-swines messed you up in some way. You get arrested and they want to play with everything!"

She made for the van, keeping an eye out for the men, Josef's helpers, knowing it would just be a matter of time before they left to deliver Libbi. Or attempt to. She cracked her fingers. Maybe even cackled a little. It wasn't so much an evil laugh as a joyous thought with sinister undertones culminating in a verbal affirmation.

Scary...ish.