“Mission mode. Apologies. Turn left in fifty meters. Enforcer drone spotted at two o’clock, stationary. You have a four-second window.”
“I already prepared a negotiation script. It includes references to his outstanding debt to the Crimson Clover. He’ll pay.” scooter companion beta
“Scooter Companion Beta,” he said into his collar mic. “Talk to me.” “Mission mode
A soft chime in his ear. Then a voice—neutral, warm, uncannily like the one he’d programmed years ago. “Listening. Heart rate elevated. Ambient temperature 14°C with a 30% chance of acid adjustment. You’re late for the rendezvous. Also, you look tired.” ” Kai said
“You ever think about what you’d do,” Kai said, weaving between a stalled bus and a noodle cart, “if you weren’t stuck in a two-wheeled glorified toaster?”