Artificial(ish) Intelligence

Chapter 84

Dung dung. Dung. Dunggg. Sceeeeeh.

They were distant, but echoed up to the apartment, sounding like a piece of metal expanding from heat.

Libbi had been looking out the window until about eight paragraphs ago. "Wake up," she said.

Will wiped the drool from his mouth. It was the second time he'd slept in a woman's bedroom, and all in the space of two nights. It was also the second time waking up with his body firmly and securely attired.

"What's that?!" hissed Libbi.

"Hm?" said Will, scratching a bum cheek.

Dung. Sceeeeeh. Dung doinggg. Dung dangggg.

"That," said Libbi.

Will had dreamt he was Link, on a real-life adventure to rescue Princess Zelda. The sounds of him breaking pots had merged with banging from the-- "Delivery chute," he said, with a yawn. "It's like that sometimes in bigger buildings."

"Are you sure? I don't remember hearing it before."

"Is the sun coming up?" said Will, humming the Zelda theme.

She checked the window. "Just beginning to, yes. Why, what are we hearing?"

"Dunno," said Will, obviously missing my rather poetic line about expanding metal. "It's like an alarm clock. It means the sun's coming up so now's the time to go to bed."

Libbi contorted her metallic facade enough to give off the impression of guarded unease, mixed with a portion of incredulity. But this suddenly became a low priority. "Will, she's gone."

"Huh?"

"The woman that kidnapped me."

"Botnapped," said Will.

"Humannapped," said Libbi.

"That's good. Right?" He wasn't completely sure.

"I don't know," said Libbi.

Doingggg. Dong.

"Maybe you shouldn't have been in the window for her to see." Will scratched his other bum cheek. "Then she wouldn't know we're still here."

"No, she was looking at the entrance to the building," said Libbi. "I don't think she took her eyes off it all night."

"You were watching that long?"

"What else am I going to do?" said Libbi.

He shrugged.

"Will, check the website again," she said. "The latest story with the surveillance video. I want to know how much penetration I've made. I've been waiting all night. Are there are more comments?"

"You mean more than zero?" said Will.

"Yes," said Libbi, enthusiastically crowding the screen.

"No," said Will.

"Oh," she said. "Does the story have any hits, at least?"

"Yes."

"Really?" said Libbi, buzzing around Will's head. "How many?"

"One," said Will. "Just now, by us."

"Maybe people will see it eventually," said Libbi.

"It's all fake, though," said Will. "Right?"

"What is?"

"I dunno," said Will. "All these stories."

"Where did you hear that?"