Chapter 10, An artificial life

Chapter 10: An artificial life.

Schysler has been visiting Metro West lately, hoping to find more information about RoboCop. Tyler gets nervous when OCP executives visit the laboratory to question her work. Schysler’s presence around Metro West also makes Sergeant Reed uncomfortable, especially after the Rehab team threatening his officers very recently. This time Schysler isn’t alone, Fleck, another junior executive of the company is with him, Johnson had sent them to give some news to Dr. Tyler and his assistant.

Schysler: And where is he now, the glorious RoboCop, Dr. Tyler?

Tyler: Out in the streets, working in an efficient way, isn’t that what he was made for?

Schysler: Right, right, and…how many hours does he usually sleep?

Tyler: Seven hours…I have already given this information many times…again with the same questionnaire?

Schysler: Well, Mr. Johnson sent these questions…and he has suggested, RoboCop could sleep five or four hours instead, so we could improve his performance on the streets…

Tyler: I will see what I can do about it

Schysler: His auto 9, that big gun of his…how is it only he can fire it?

Tyler: His operating system, the OCS, Omni Control System connects to an embedded microchip on his weapon allowing him to fire it. It is a safety measure to prevent anyone else from shooting it

Schysler: Could I take a look at those files? The operating whatever you said he has in his head?

Tyler: RoboCop’s programming is classified information that doesn’t concern Security Concepts anymore; you need access to the RoboCop project files developed by Robert Morton, only Mr. Highland can grant you the permissions, he has restricted the access…didn’t you know?

Schysler: I wasn’t aware of that…alright, and what about his dreams or recorded memories? Have you seen or noticed anything out of the ordinary?

Tyler: He doesn’t dream of anything and he only records police evidence to show Sergeant Reed

Schysler: …and what does he eat?

Tyler: How many more questions do you have there Mr. Schysler? I don’t mean to be rude, but Dr. Akita and I have a lot of work to do around here…

Fleck: You guys are just complainers… Mr. Johnson wants you to know, Dr. Lazarus from the Defense Development Program will be here tomorrow to make some upgrades to…the robot, thing, whatever you guys call it

Schysler: You seem to be very stressed, honey, is that what your problem is? You need to loosen up a bit…how about some beers tonight?

Tyler: It is Dr. Tyler for you, and I am sorry, I don’t mix my personal life with work and thank you for the heads up, Mr. Fleck, especially at such short notice

Fleck: Dr. Akita, you really think we are being unfair here?

Akita: No, not at all, I think we still have time to prepare for Dr. Lazarus’ visit…

The two executives walk away from the laboratory. Schysler is annoyed to grasp the old man has restricted the access of RoboCop’s programming files to the Security Concepts department.

Akita: You could have been more polite with the executives; don’t you care about your job?

Tyler: It’s because I take my job seriously, I wasn’t going to give away important information to those clowns…they just come here to put pressure on us to make him work as if he was some sort of appliance…

Akita: That’s the way they see him…

Tyler: To make him sleep four hours? Later on they will want him to not sleep at all…where will his mental sanity go, if he already works twice as much as any other police officer, enduring stress and mental exhaustion for many hours a day, every day…?

Akita: Are you still afraid, he eventually loses it?

Tyler: Who can live…the way he lives for years and not become mentally insane in the end? I try to give him the best quality of life possible; this is why his seven hours of rest will remain untouched.

Akita: What if they keep asking about his dreams and recorded memories?

Tyler: We can’t really tell them we decided to give him privacy, right?

Akita: You, you decided that, I came here one morning and those monitors had already disappeared, I am just complying with your orders…I still think we are missing a lot by not looking at his dreams to see if there are problems running in his systems…

Tyler: Nick, I had my own reasons to disconnect those monitors and you better not tell them that…

Akita: When have I ever betrayed your trust? Rose…don’t get too overly attached to him, he is just a project they hired us to give maintenance to…I know he is a nice guy, but what if one day, OCP people come here and they just… shut him down?

Tyler: We would miss him…but he would get his freedom, don’t you think?

Akita: Do you believe he would be capable of killing himself one day?

Tyler: He didn’t do it when he became self-conscious of who he was…why would he do it now?

Akita: What do you think that stopped him from doing so? What do you think that keeps him alive now? His sense of duty, and that’s it?

Tyler: I have wondered that many times too…

Akita: And hey, why didn’t you accept Schysler’s invitation, if you play well your cards, you could even get promoted…

Tyler: You serious? Dating OCP executives to climb up positions is not my style…I am actually sick and tired of Schysler’s harassment…

Akita: Yeah, right…if that invitation had come from the one you wanted, you would have immediately said yes…I still can’t understand why you are being faithful to a dead guy that never took you seriously, how can you still be in love with him? He was a douchebag…

Tyler: I am not being faithful to anyone; don’t mess with my personal life Nick, I don’t mess with yours…let’s keep it professional between us, okay?

Akita: Don’t be mad at me, I was just saying that eventually, you will have to date someone, you are an attractive woman, Rose, any man would be happy to take you out sometime, I would be happy…

Tyler: Nick, focus, we have less than a day to receive Dr. Lazarus here, we need to get RoboCop ready for the tests they will perform on him, I need an inventory of the materials we need for his maintenance, like neural cables for scans and the equipment to perform lubrication and joint cleaning on his arms...

Akita: Aha, keep dreaming, like he is going to let us clean his right arm...those joints will break again before he allows us to give maintenance to any of his arms…and when that happens and you have to use tweezers and screwdrivers to remove the old gross ones to install the new joints, he will be all yours…they don’t pay me enough for all this hassle…

Out in the streets RoboCop is working as usual, whenever Lewis has been inquisitive about the police arsenal investigation, Robo has made an effort to remain quiet, since Reed asked him to not tell her about him patrolling Splatterzone at night. They are driving to Clover Hills, one of the most impoverished districts in Detroit; there have been calls for vandalism and property destruction of public places.

Once RoboCop and Lewis arrive to the district, they see an OCP amusement park that was almost completely destroyed by explosives. There is a billboard sign leaning on a broken wall that has been vandalized, the sign is an announcement for the upcoming Delta City construction.

“The future has a silver lining” can be barely read on the sign since, “OCP OUT” and “capitalist cocksuckers” is written with green and red spray paint on top of it.

Lewis feels the chills when she starts recognizing the place, there are some remains of the explosives they used to destroy the park on the ground; those are some burnt wires and empty metallic cases that have red “X” marks on them. As if it was a nightmare, Lewis remembers looking at the same type of explosives when Estevez and she were captured in the ruins of Delta city.

Lewis: These cases with red marks…seem familiar to you?

RoboCop: Delta city ruins…

Lewis: This isn’t over yet…I thought that terrorist group was terminated by us

RoboCop: Two of them survived, they are at the Detroit Memorial Hospital.

Lewis: The major said on the media break they are conscious now but none of them want to talk, not even to their lawyers…the whole thing just seems nonsense to me, are they just blowing up public places for fun?

RoboCop: Hedgecock said, they were amateur terrorists; perhaps they are just angry civilians.

Lewis: Angry civilians or not…they were ready to kill two police officers with no remorse, you were right, I should not have exposed myself and Barbara that day…

Lewis takes out her smartphone and starts scanning the broken pieces of the explosives that are on the ground. RoboCop feels excluded; his partner owns a high tech device capable of performing some of the computerized tasks he usually employs to resolve crimes. Although it is hard for him to admit it, Robo is jealous of the device and the men that call Lewis on that same device.

RoboCop: Who are you talking to?

Lewis: To my personal safety assistant…I want her to come back with information about the explosives…she is an operating system that has access to many online databases…why?

RoboCop: I am capable of doing the scanning.

Lewis: But you don’t have access to any online databases outside the Metro Network until you connect that thing of yours to the OCP mainframe computer at the station, am I right?

RoboCop: Yes… that is correct.

Their conversation is abruptly interrupted when they spot a few civilians that are walking towards them and don’t seem friendly, the local people don’t want to see any cops around the area, some of them are carrying wooden boards with nails, baseball bats and homemade weapons.

RoboCop has to protect the innocent and can’t shoot at any of them, unless these people decide to attack them first.

One of the men start yelling at them that cops are not wanted there, another woman starts insulting OCP by saying they are tired of cops going there at night to cause trouble in that area, RoboCop knows they are referring to the Rehabilitation team, then again, he hesitates about telling Lewis about it.

Lewis: Listen, people, we are here to protect you, not to harm you, what officers are you talking about? We are not the ones that come at night here to cause problems, can you identify what station are those cops from? Do you know who has been setting explosives in this part of the district?

Woman: Like you don’t know, all of you, OCP employees are the same rotten crap…you come here at night, to get intoxicated and practice your shooting on the streets…scaring and threatening us, but we won’t remain shut…we will fight back!

Man1: Go tell your boss at OCP we will not be intimidated by you…they won’t evict us, we will resist, if you think we don’t have a leader anymore…you are wrong! She’s still standing by us!!

RoboCop: You should come with us to identify the officers that are in violation of the police code.

Man2: We are not going anywhere…if you try to use police brutality against us, we will blow your fucking station in pieces…and all of you fucking cops will end up in morgue bags…

Lewis: This is it…you are part of the terrorist group that have been setting explosives in different parts of the city…we will arrest you and make sure you never see the light of day again…

Man1: You have no case against us, we can walk free now and you can’t do anything about it…

Woman: We know our rights!!

RoboCop: If any of you identify these officers, you will be assigned to a witness protection program.

Man2: We don’t need your damn protection RoboCop, like any of you cops has ever cared about this lost part of the city…you have been warned…stay away from here and don’t come back!!

The civilians start to walk away, RoboCop feels powerless to realize they can’t really stop them, or force them to declare, he looks to one side to see that Lewis is infuriated aiming her weapon at one of the men that keeps provoking her with insults and threats to explode their police station, RoboCop has to reason with her, this is not the police way, he can’t let his partner act on impulse.

RoboCop: Lewis…put the gun down, we can’t arrest them.

Lewis: I will fill this idiot with holes Murphy…he will love it…doesn’t he like explosives?

Man2: Come on, fucking cop from hell, shoot me, shoot an innocent man…show how brave you are!

RoboCop: Lewis, you can’t shoot a disarmed man…this is not the police protocol

Lewis is so enraged thinking about the day in the ruins when Estevez and she almost died because of the stubbornness of some rebellious civilians that decided to set explosives in an irresponsible way, just to take it out on OCP, she doesn’t listen to what RoboCop is saying.

The man is now walking among the other people that are leaving the park; the red dot sight from Lewis’ pistol is on the guy’s back. Lewis is aware the man has rights, but in her thoughts, she wonders “Where were my rights when Barbara and I were going to be murdered that day?”

Her hands are slightly shaking and her green eyes are injected with anger, but before Lewis does her move, someone takes the weapon off her hands and immobilizes her arms; then, a familiar feeling of comfort starts to kick in and the anger starts to slowly dissipate. It is him, embracing her from behind, stopping her from doing something she might regret later.

“This is not who you are” That’s what he tells her almost as a whisper and she is willing to reply “I wasn’t going to do it, I was going to put it down, why am I so angry sometimes?” but that part of the conversation remains in her head, Lewis stays in silence for as long as the moment lasts. Finally, RoboCop releases her and hands the gun back to her.

Back in the cruiser, the one that doesn’t talk is Lewis. She is absent minded looking through the car’s window and the one that is wondering now, what is going through her mind is RoboCop. He knows now that the terrorist case is connected to the Rehabilitation team. Sergeant Reed won’t be pleased to hear the news. Nevertheless, at that particular moment, RoboCop is more interested in observing his partner rather than thinking about police work.

RoboCop’s slow journey to self-discovery was painful and difficult, however, at the minimum; he was allowed to keep his gender identity. Robert Morton, a narcissist, sexist, self-centered man, obsessed with corporate success and financial power, projected his own desires of invincibility, physical strength and masculine superiority in his RoboCop project.

After being ruthlessly killed in the line of duty, officer Alex Murphy could have been doomed to become an androgen cyborg, without a face, no vocal cords, just a human brain merged with machine components that could bring life to a cybernetic body that had no gender anymore, however, Morton chose otherwise; he wanted his RoboCop to look like a man, a powerful, sophisticated, artificial man, his cybernetic alter ego.

Ultimately, Morton’s personal decision to not take away RoboCop’s gender identity made his path to self-awareness less traumatic. He can still look at women and appreciate their beauty from a platonic perspective; that is something they could not take away from him.

The words and actions of the woman that has been sitting next to him for a long time, has made him develop a mental attraction towards her, he is still struggling to define. RoboCop liked the experience of being close to Lewis, but is too afraid if that ever happens again he won’t be capable of having any sensations this time.

He is unaware that it was his emotional attachment for Lewis what triggered a physical electrical response from his nervous system that made the experience meaningful for him when she approached and kissed him. His mind ordered his brain to give a response, any kind of response that made the moment have sense for him.

Robo has many questions now and he is discovering that the broken loose memories of Alex Murphy, are useless to face the recent experiences of his life as RoboCop. He is able to reorder certain images in his mind, but he can’t remember sensations; that is impossible for him, since his prosthetic body is new and inexperienced.

A day later, Dr. Lazarus and his assistants are at the laboratory, performing tests on RoboCop. Dr. Marie Lazarus, an expert in bioengineering and technical design is interested in developing new weaponry for RoboCop that can be attached to his body.

Although Lazarus’ ideas are innovative, Robo is too tired to be cut open to be experimented with. Dr. Tyler is also tired of OCP’s attempts to make RoboCop a super mechanical device with extra improvements that will require more maintenance.

This is not the first time that Lazarus has visited the precinct; the doctor seems to have an infatuation for the RoboCop project. The laboratory is a mess once Dr. Lazarus and her assistants leave, Robo is unmasked, sitting on his chair and as Tyler starts to unplug some electrodes that were still connected on the back of RoboCop’s head and chest she feels relieved to know they can finally start talking privately now.

Tyler: So Murphy, what’s the verdict? What do you want me to report about this technical visit?

RoboCop: Mechanical incompatibility with the new proposed devices.

Tyler: Alright, I will write a memo to OCP to let them know, you won’t be upgraded this time either. I don’t really get Marie, asking me to make your forearm’s nerves detachable so you can interface your arms with different weapons, is not practical at all…

…Doing that for a long time would eventually mess up your central nervous system and the OCS would struggle to detect your arms, then I would have to rewire you again…I guess she is more of an engineer than a physician…

RoboCop: I agree on new weapons, but not attached to my body.

Tyler: I know this isn’t the best time, but I need to eventually perform cleansing on your arms, those joints on your armpits and forearms are meant to last for years but they only last months on you because you don’t allow us to give maintenance to them…at least your right arm, I know it is the one you use the most to fire your gun, because…well

RoboCop: Alex Murphy was a right handed man…

Tyler: Somehow your brain decided to keep that trait of your former persona, even if we programmed you to use both hands in distinctively, so, what do you say? Shall we do it?

RoboCop: Not today.

RoboCop is downhearted looking at his black metallic chromed hands; he opens and closes them repeatedly, then Tyler observes him making a fist with his right hand as if he was willing to break something out of frustration or anger.

Tyler: Are you okay Murphy? Did any of the tests make you feel pain? Akita is at the spare parts depository getting neural cables for your scans, do you have any questions for me?

Still, with a closed fist, RoboCop seems to be now concentrated doing a complex task inside his head, almost as if he was reading information in his mind, Tyler can see his eyes moving from one side to another, as if he was looking exactly for the information he wanted to ask about.

Tyler pays close attention to what he is doing, whilst in silence. She guesses he will start talking again soon. Finally he shoots a very direct question that won’t have an easy answer.

RoboCop: What percentage of my central nervous system is still organic?

Tyler drags a chair towards his, she needs to sit down to reflect on the best way to explain to him, that his human nerves were almost completely torn and had to be replaced with artificial ones in order for him to connect to his new limbs and be able to move.

RoboCop’s very sophisticated central nervous system is mostly artificial and cost two million dollars for OCP to develop. Tyler remembers getting a big check when the technical team finished connecting it to his body.

“You see, when we replaced 85% of your human nervous system, Morton was so proud of his technical crew, we all got a lot of money for the job, I had a happy Christmas with my family and friends, in the meantime your own family was grieving your loss”

Tyler knows those thoughts should remain in her head. She can’t be that brutally honest. However, RoboCop is expecting an answer. The sad blue eyes of Alex Murphy that match his blue grey-armor are looking directly at her.

Tyler: Defining your nervous system as a whole is difficult. Since what was left of your organic components were connected to a new central core system. Your artificial nervous system merged with the organic part and it has become autonomous and capable of updating itself. Imagine a little kid that gets close to the fire for the first time and burns his hand inadvertently, his nervous system has learned to not do that again. Yours functions like a human one. In fact it can function better than a human one...

RoboCop: Fire…doesn’t burn me

Tyler: Oh it does. But you have a self-defense mechanism inside your chest plate, that when you are about to feel sharp pain, it disconnects it from your brain so you can function under pressure. Your body can take way more damage than a human one, so we can disconnect you at least for 20 minutes before your systems start burning for real.

RoboCop: Is it adrenaline?

Tyler: Hmm, Something like that…but then those imbeciles dismantled you and we had to start all over again...looking at you in such deep pain was a nightmare for all of us

RoboCop: Was I completely restored?

Tyler: Even better...because this time around I was experienced enough to reconnect everything, I had done it once, so doing it again was easier. I even got you lighter limbs this time and after your fight with Cain, we got you a helmet that uses clips-on and not bolts… those parts were manufactured by Mecca Bionics…

Tyler wants any kind of recognition from RoboCop by reminding him of the new improvements she went out to get him, when he was rebuilt for a second time.

Although he has never said anything about those, Tyler knows that feeling lighter made RoboCop more confident to have a physical fight with a more advanced cyborg such as RoboCop2 and perform actions that he wouldn’t have dared to do, with his old body, such as jumping on the robot’s back.

However, RoboCop has never acknowledged Tyler for such improvements. She is disappointed to see he is absorbed in his own personal thoughts in silence; Tyler knows she won’t get a thank you this time either.

Tyler: I made sure OCP outsourced a state of the art company this time…not that you have ever said anything about those improvements… but anyway, Murphy, if your nervous system had been human when they broke you into pieces...you would have died...you survived, because…

RoboCop: I am mostly artificial...

Tyler: Well, well...you are talking about my work here...I wouldn’t say artificial, how about superhuman?

RoboCop looks depressed now. These aren’t the answers he was looking for. Tyler is slowly getting what her patient really wants to know. The doctor thinks it will be a difficult topic to talk about, although she’s aware he was going to start asking, sooner or later. Robo has been discovering a new world of sensations in that new body of his. His nervous system has been learning; it’s his right to ask.

RoboCop: Is serotonin still produced by my brain?

Tyler: Yeah, and oxytocin, those hormones can’t be extracted from your brain, they are the neurotransmitters that trigger a chemical synapse your spine recognizes and connects to the mechanical part, so you are able move your body at will

RoboCop: Just to move my body and nothing else...?

Tyler: The…possibilities of new sensations are many, depending on external stimuli and how much you decide, to, train your central nervous system and your thermographic sensors; there is always room for improvement…

Silence follows. Tyler hit the mark in giving him such valuable information. RoboCop’s real interest is to know how much of human sensation he can still feel both on his face and his artificial limbs now.

“What kind of funky shit has this woman been doing to you that is royally messing you up?”

More and more, Tyler is having a hard time keeping certain thoughts to herself. She has to be professional and polite; otherwise RoboCop won’t trust in her anymore.

Tyler: Murphy, have you, experienced anything lately that has made you have sensations...you were unaware of...?

RoboCop: It was…electrical, can that… be repeated?

Tyler: Yeah, that makes perfect sense! This is how I imagined you would perceive certain things now, I don’t have the answer for that I am afraid, your situation is quite… unique, besides, sensations or emotions can’t really be repeated, you live something new every day, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t get similar responses if you receive, the same stimuli, again…?

Although Tyler knows that RoboCop will be silent from now on, there is no need to ask more. Tyler already deducted what happened to him, many things start to make sense now.

Unfortunately, their conversation should continue another day, since Dr. Akita is back with the cables, “Why the long faces, it seems you guys have just seen a ghost” Akita feels excluded to see that once again, Rose and Murphy had a conversation he won’t be part of.

Days go by and there is a certain disconnection between RoboCop and Lewis that makes their working hours numb, just police work and not much friendly interaction among them anymore.

The protective embrace that RoboCop dared to give Lewis, made her conscious on how tragically trapped they both are in a relationship that is not going anywhere anymore.

Anne’s fierce determination to free the man she loves from his cruel metallic prison only resulted in her sharing the same prison with him. RoboCop’s heavy arms around her body symbolized for Lewis how imprisoned they are together in a relationship that seems doomed to not have a future.

RoboCop’s thoughts are different. He wonders if Lewis’ recent detachment from the reality means her walking away from him soon.

The symbiotic relationship RoboCop and Lewis have developed has been a key element for him to adapt and cope with his new circumstances; although his recent personal evolution is slowly making him conscious that Lewis is a woman that has more life choices than him and can walk away from his side if another man comes into scene.

For a long time he presumed his partner was a devoted cop that didn’t need anything or anyone else in her life, besides police work. Someone like him.

RoboCop is concerned to see Lewis continuously unhappy around him, he doesn’t want to lose the connection he has with his best and only friend; she has already started replacing him with her new device. Robo fears another man will come later on.

“When will be my turn to drive? Will you ever stop monopolizing the car?” That’s what Lewis says to him to break the ongoing silence between them whilst they’re both in the cruiser.

RoboCop: We are in the middle of the freeway.

Lewis: Let’s park underneath the yellow bridge, it’s not far from here and we switch places there

The moment when they park and RoboCop takes the passenger’s seat, he sees Lewis is getting there with him, RoboCop thinks Lewis might have forgotten something, he leans back allowing her to find what she might be looking for, all of a sudden he notices her hands on his shoulders and her knee resting on the car seat, between his legs, Lewis is leaning on him now, he is able to sense her body weight on his, the electrical overwhelming feeling is triggered, especially after the touch of her hand on his face, Lewis is approaching to kiss him again, RoboCop reacts and puts his hand on her police belt pushing her back, slowly.

RoboCop: Don’t.

Lewis: Why not? Come on, don’t be afraid…it’s ok…

RoboCop: No. Take the driver’s seat.

Lewis doesn’t take the driver’s seat. She takes him as a seat as she sighs in frustration dropping her body weight on top of RoboCop’s, sitting on his lap for a while. Lewis quietly starts observing his chromed armor and the way his waist moves when he breathes.

“He is not that much of a robot, I know there is still a man in there” Anne thinks to herself hoping he thinks things over, nevertheless, his unresponsiveness and the operator on the radio calling them for duty, makes her to eventually give up. Defeated, she takes the driver’s seat, starts the engine forcefully and drive away, the rest of the day will be about police work and nothing else.

RoboCop’s unresponsiveness and lack of speech was in reality his own particular way to be captivated by having Lewis close sitting on top of the artificial body he thought, nobody was going to approach in a loving way ever.

Despite him not being ready yet to accept again another experience as shocking as a kiss, the intensified affection demonstrations he keeps receiving from her have accelerated a process of self-acceptance in him.

His emotions are being moved to the point where he doesn’t want Lewis to be close to any other man that is not him anymore. Lewis’ apparent failed attempts to unlock her blue knight from the machine have caused more impact on him than she is aware of.

In the evening, after work, Lewis is at her apartment, sitting on the edge of her bed, alone, her hair is dripping wet from an earlier shower, her police uniform is on an armchair piled up with clothes she never wears, her police belt is on the floor; the heavy rain outside blends with the faulty orange neon lights from the motel across her building, making the view from her window depressing.

Anne is looking at her smartphone hesitating whether to turn on her safety assistant, aiming to at least have a conversation with an operating system, to prevent her from not going insane.

Alana32: Good evening Anne, this is Alana32, your personal safety assistant, what can I do to help you?

Lewis: Hi Alana, I accept suggestions at the moment, surprise me…

Alana32: I suggest we go through your personal e-mails. You have 450 new unread e-mails

Lewis: Really…? No, no, I can’t be bothered, anything else?

Alana32: You have three electronic deposits in queue, issued by Omega bank and endorsed by the Metropolitan Police Department; do you want to approve them?

Lewis: Right, payment…I keep forgetting to check my account, yeah, approve them all

Alana32: Would you like to automatize this operation in the future?

Lewis: Sure, that is a good idea, thank you

Alana32: It is done now. Do you need further assistance?

Lewis: Do you…can you access the Metro West police department employee database?

Alana32: Acquiring access in this moment…done. What information should I look for?

Lewis: Go find the letter “R” in the database…

Alana32: There are 45 employees in the database with surnames starting with the letter “R”

Lewis: You’re quick, you smart, smart girl! Alright, get me…Riggs, John, his contact details

Alana32: Officer John Riggs, badge ID 9870, mobile phone L345 89 097, police TSAP.net account “JRG”, also, by facial recognition, I was capable to find his personal Sparkle account. Would you like to directly call it?

Sparkle Telecommunications is a multinational company that offers networking and messenger services for personnel as well as the general public. Their technology is based on the internet framework in the SPARQL query language - a semantic portal merged with artificial intelligence and capable of facial recognition.

The Metropolitan Police Department and OCP’s private intranet services - the Metro and Omni networks, are services provided by Sparkle Telecom. The police TSAP messenger service relies on the Metro Network’s infrastructure and stands for "To Serve and Protect".

Lewis: Nice and easy! But no, no let’s send a text message to his police TSAP messenger service instead…

Alana32: What message should we send Officer John Riggs?

Lewis: “This is Anne; I will be at Zero Zone on Friday evening around nine, if you want to come”

Alana32: I strongly suggest we add a greeting line at the beginning of this message and a goodbye one at the end. Would you like us to go through the pre-written templates I have on my database? Some examples that can be applied to this message are: “Hello darling, how are you? Truly yours, looking forward to your reply…”

Lewis: Nope, just send it like that…

Alana32: It is done. Do you need any further assistance?

Lewis: Go get yourself a body… Maybe you can come with me to Zero Zone instead…

Alana32: I am sorry Anne; I find your request illogical to comply with. Officer John Riggs has just replied in an affirmative way to your instant message, would you like me to read his response?

Lewis: No…I bet he wrote something retarded like “Hey sweet babe I will see you there on Friday”

Alana32: Your guess on his reply is 92% accurate

Lewis: No way! Now I am curious, what did he write?

Alana32: “Hey sweet babe, I am glad to finally hear from you, I will see you there on Friday, xo xo xo”

Lewis: Gross…I am already regretting this…if only things were this easy with the other guy…as a matter of fact I believe you and him would get along just fine… you both talk similar, oh god, my life is so depressing…!

Alana32: I am sorry to hear your life is depressing, Anne. Although I need previous references and context in order to fully understand this conversation. Would you like to send a written reply to Officer John Riggs?

Lewis: You are funny! No, don’t send him anything else…let’s leave it like that…

Alana32: Do you need any further assistance?

Lewis: No, Alana, that would be all, thank you for your assistance and…for keeping me company

Alana32: You are welcome; I am always at your service Anne. Goodnight.