A Star Curiously Singing (DarkTrench Saga Book 1) by Kerry Nietz

Author:Kerry Nietz [Nietz, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Freeheads
Published: 2015-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

Day 39, 10:39:01 a.m.

[Access Hallway 37]

FROM EARTH, THE STATION is doubtless a speck, but having been on it, having spent over an hour searching for a renegade bot, I can honestly say the place is honking big. Over three kilometers around—which, using conventional mathematics, means it is better than a third of that across. In the simplest terms, it is large enough to make finding the bot difficult.

“You’re a debugger,” you say. “It should be easy, shouldn’t it? You have that fancy implant in your head—doesn’t that get you anything?”

Normally it would, that’s right. Normally I would stream out, get myself a map—mostly so I don’t bump into any walls or wander into a restricted area—and use the stream to find the location the bot is logging itself. That would be the easy way.

There is a big problem with that method, though: the bot isn’t reporting its location at all. Or if it is, I’m looking for the wrong bot. You see, I think I have the right ident for the servbot stored in my head. I mean, that information was one of the last things it gave me. But I’m becoming a little suspicious of that. Did I get the number right? Because if I did, the bot is nowhere to be found.

Or the reporting mechanism is broken. I thought I went over everything, but maybe I missed something.

All that is left to me is a concentrated and frantic search. Like in my dream, I’m forced to use labyrinth techniques. I take each hall as I come to it, open each door, peek in cautiously—even call out for the bot in the stream—then move on. Further complicating my hunt is the incredible number of bots on this station. Hundreds!

I enter another unfamiliar hallway. By the dimness of the lights it appears to be rarely used. The lights don’t notice my presence, however—they stay dim. That’s odd, but there is still enough illumination to see by.

Near the far end of the hall is a bottle-shaped servbot, colored green and running on four wheels. Its primary function is to keep the glass clean, or so the stream tells me. Otherwise, the hall is vacant.

There are four doors ahead. I make my way to the first on the left and attempt to stream it open. No-go. I frown and work the touchpad. The door slides away. I look in and find an empty room. I work the touchpad again, but the door doesn’t close. I shake my head.

This station needs some maintenance…

The servbot has now closed half the prior distance between us. It has an appendage extended, the end of which is a narrow rubber wiper, held at an angle. I glance back the way I came. I don’t see any windows there. Frowning, I cross the hall to the next room. This one streams open fine. The lights don’t come on, though, so I work the manual switch.

This room appears to be for bot storage. There are three servbots—older hominoid models—lined against the opposite wall, completely void of life.

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