A pair of police robots stood on the sidewalk, while foot traffic glided past them. Their heads swiveled back and forth as they scanned the crowd with their glowing eyes. The police looked menacing, but they sounded friendly. Whenever a human walked by they’d say, “Have a nice day!” in a perky voice. There were a lot of humans walking by, so the police kept repeating their words.
“Have a nice day! Have a nice day! Have a nice day!”
Our robot was not having a nice day. She was alone in the city, she was worried about her son, and she wanted nothing to do with the police. But she couldn’t avoid them. If she turned suddenly, she might draw their attention. So she kept her eyes forward and calmly marched along with the other robots on the street.
Roz may have looked calm on the outside, but on the inside her thoughts were scrambled.
Were the police dangerous?
Did they work with the RECOs?
Was she about to be caught?
It seemed as if the police were watching Roz. Their eyes lingered on her for a second, two seconds, three seconds, and then they continued scanning the crowd.
Our robot felt something like relief when she made it past without incident. She went on her way, just another robot on the street, and those perky voices gradually faded behind her.
“Have a nice day! Have a nice day! Have a nice day!”