‘Would you prefer if I referred to the machine as “it”, Ashleigh? Would you?’ She took a deep breath. ‘I thought not. And if you think that I’m enjoying any of this then you are wrong. Wrong. I feel, I feel …’

‘Spare me,’ I said. ‘So, Aiden doesn’t have to die. You can just let him be.’

‘I’ve explained this,’ said Mum. ‘He should not be behaving in the ways he’s behaving. I put limiters on the AI neural networks that make it impossible for him to commit any acts of violence. Clearly he has found a way to get around them or remove them altogether. He was created to protect you, Ashleigh. Now he could hurt you. He might kill you.’

‘Aiden would never hurt me.’

‘He already has. You say by accident, but the point is, you just don’t know. I don’t know and I made him. He might have killed that boy in the classroom fight. He might kill you.’

‘Okay.’ I’d got to this point quicker than I’d planned, which probably showed how little headway I’d made against Mum. It was clear that me just saying Aiden would never hurt me wasn’t going to cut any ice. ‘In that case, leave him in the clinic. Keep Aiden locked up there, where he can’t do any harm. I could talk to him all the time and visit regularly. It would be just like having a brother who was very ill and wasn’t able to leave hospital. There’s no need to kill him.’

Mum did stand now, but she didn’t come anywhere near me, for which I was grateful. Instead, she moved to the window, unfolded her tablet from her pocket and punched in some command or other. The windows changed from opaque to clear. She stood with her back to me and looked out over our garden, the lines of vegetable plots stretching into the distance. For a moment, I seriously thought she was considering my idea.

‘When I created Aiden, I did something illegal,’ she said, her back still to me. ‘The law is very specific on AI. All devices must be registered. I didn’t do that with Aiden. Or your dog, actually. The reason why they must be registered is so that if there are any … malfunctions, swift action can be taken. By swift action, I mean shutting down. Leaving Aiden in the clinic would serve no purpose and it would certainly put me in prison.’

‘Maybe you deserve that,’ I said.

Mum turned then. There was a small smile on her face.

‘Maybe I do,’ she said. ‘If going to prison was the price to pay for protecting you, then I would consider it a bargain. But I told you. Leaving Aiden as he is would serve no purpose.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Have you heard of Stephen Hawking?’

‘He was a brilliant scientist, I think.’