Was someone being a good boy today? she whispered.
I am Yeah I am like that sometimes!
His fingers lay down the rounded hips and slid upward. Gently and carefully, as if they were a predator afraid to frighten away the wary prey. When they reached the silken threads, they took a leap and, landing, shrunk, leaving marks on her skin. Annet moaned sweetly.
Then I am all yours! She whispered and kissed her husband.
***
Monday morning in the metropolis, as always, was accompanied by the human rush, the bustle of robot assistants, the whirring of drone motors, and the electric whoosh of public and private transportation.
When Adam, in high spirits after a stormy night, found himself only a block from the Center, the familiar voice of a robotic assistant who had appeared nearby, as if from nowhere, added to the general buzz.
Good morning, master! Beautiful day, isnt it? The metallic voice, reminding of the most unpleasant part of the job, echoed in the head with a stabbing pain.
It was good before I met you. Lets get right to the point,» the man grumbled indignantly. Youre earlier than usual today. Did something happen?
Nothings wrong, its a beautiful day! I must remind you that at ten oclock before noon, you have a briefing in the office nine hundred and seven; at noon you have a meeting with Robert Audley the representative of RoboticsGansIndustries the robot monotonously spoke for almost a minute, announcing the hourly schedule, without a single free window. And you also need to check the work of the «Life Capsule 3.0» and «Numismat» project teams, but I dont know where to put it. My system couldnt find the necessary time slot in your work schedule.
Adam wasnt surprised in the least. He heard messages like this every time he went to work and every time the assistant system failed to properly package the entire task list. It was just the way it was robots were great at math, but they couldnt learn to think like humans to combine the incompatible and work, sometimes breaking the rules.
Also, by my calculations, you wont have time for a full meal, so I made the order with delivery at fifteen hours and five minutes. Youll have ten minutes to eat. Anything youd like to add to the schedule?
Didnt I tell you it was a good morning before I met you? Now thats interesting Annet would love that!
His attention was drawn to one of the holograms of modern art objects on display at the city exhibition he was passing by. It was boring to listen to the robots far-from-perfect answers, but here was something new, even the added flavor was a blooming rose.
«In memory of the passing summer, must be?» flashed through the head.
You told it, master! the robot accelerated his thoughts. But I dont understand why the morning stopped being good after our meeting,» the machine complained, deftly avoiding collisions with the visitors. My system says that
All right, thats it! Too many words this morning, sorry. Ive accepted the schedule, Ill find time to check the work of «Numismatist» and «Capsule of Life 3.0» teams. Thanks for lunch, youre free.
Glad to help, master. And, Ive calculated all the possibilities. A morning like today fits the description of good by eighty-six percent, which means its more good than bad.
All right, so be it, Adam replied with a tired smile. Fly, come on, Ill be right there!
The modern art exhibition was far behind. The sweet scent of rose had been replaced by the tasteless smell of the commercial district. A massive building loomed up ahead with a hologram with a large inscription above the entrance:
«Center for Robotic Technology and Innovation.»
Well, here we are
Adam crossed the spacious lobby with quick steps, moving toward the elevator bay. There werent many people inside the walls of the Center. The Center was different from any other building in the city at all. Unlike the others, it had been built by robots to build robots. They were designed, approved, manufactured, repaired, destroyed, and, for the most part, robots worked here, too. Adam and his sixty-five colleagues were rare and valuable personnel in administration, engineering, robotics, programming, and cybernetics.
Despite the small number of people, he was not alone in waiting for the elevator. Next to him, two robot assistants, an autonomous printing system, a robot guard, and two robots of the «Administrator» version were impatiently spinning in place.
The lift ride was fast and silent. The silence of the high-speed ascent was broken only by the rumble of passing floors and the eternal beeping of a dozen processors. On the ninth floor the doors opened, revealing a long corridor with dozens of offices.
Have a good day, sloggers!
The doors slammed shut, and then the programmed responses came from the elevator. The flaws in the systems, the constant imperfections that prevented the creation from reaching perfection, had saddened Adam in his first years of work. Now, however, they caused nothing but smiles. After ten years of working on the most complex machines in the world, you get used to both their beauty and their ugliness.
The door to the office opened suddenly, almost hitting him in the face. Adam stopped just in time:
Whats your hurry? Its morning! Chen, the head of the marketing department and a bright representative of the intellectual elite of the Asian Union, appeared in front of the eyes. You should be more careful! I dont have the best reaction on Monday morning, I could have been knocked down.
Im sorry, Chen said guiltily. It was Derek! Hes joking about my last company again, and he wont even listen. The numbers are up, which means everything went well, right?
I think the numbers speak for themselves.
Thats what Im saying. Hes getting on my nerves, on purpose!
Calm down, youve known him for a while. Hes not worth your worry. Just exhale and forget what he said. You cant start a Monday morning like that. Why dont you have some coffee? Theres a new update on the machine, I think youll be happy with it.
What was added there? Chen was interested.
Here, go and find out, Adam winked at him.
Okay, the head of the marketing department gave up and waved his hand. Youre right. Better coffee than poison from Dereks mouth. You want me to grab you one?
Well, if its not too much trouble.
The usual double espresso, no sugar?
Thats right, the classics are everything.
Chen squinted his eyes in disagreement but didnt say anything. He loved new things and was inspired by new things. However, he respected other peoples positions as much as his own, for which he had the respect of most of his colleagues.
The second elevator arrived on the floor, and the director of the Center stepped out of it: tall, and slender, her hair gathered in a bundle and pinned up with a hairpin. She always smelled of exclusive perfume. Adam thought he could already smell it, even though there was a decent distance between them. The Director looked up at him after greeting Chen with a smile. Ten years of working together and Adam felt like day one. It had always been like that with Agatha: every appearance made him cringe, and feel like a small boy, but as soon as she smiled, the strange awkwardness receded. Then the weekend passes without her company, and at the beginning of the new week it starts all over again. She smiled at him, and the daze lifted. He smiled back and stepped away from the door, clearing the passage.
Cant decide whether you should come in? The director jokingly asked, noting the awkwardness.
No, Im just thinking about what Chen said, Adam couldnt admit it. Im tuning into my work, its my new rite.