This time the tone was tinny, mechanical, with no trace of emotion or inflection at all. This was a voice reduced to its most basic purpose—a medium for communication.

The bots turned towards him as he approached; he didn’t wait to reach them.

‘What have you done?’

His voice was a whiplash, cold and cruel, scything through the air. He surprised himself—he hadn’t known he could sound like this, speak in tones fit to strike terror into any heart.

Lawbots however, do not have hearts. BE CALM, CITIZEN 3481. YOU ARE SAFE NOW.

The voice was soft and soothing, undoubtedly the database’s ideal pick for dealing with a panicked Citizen. If anything, it made him even angrier. ‘Safe? Safe? You just slaughtered them all! And they were children! Children!’

This time it was the other bot that replied. NO, CITIZEN, THEY WERE NOT. THEY WERE OUTLIERS.

More than the words, it was the tone that was chilling. Calm, rational, that of one stating an irrevocable fact.

The first bot chimed back in. WE DO NOT MAKE THE LAW. WE FOLLOW OUR DIRECTIVES. THE CITIZEN HAS BEEN PROTECTED; THE UNDESIRABLES HAVE BEEN DELETED.

NEGATIVE. ONE HAS ESCAPED.

TRUE. WE MUST LOCATE IT.

NEGATIVE. OUR PRIORITIES ARE CLEAR. WE CONTINUE THE SEARCH.

WE MUST ALSO ALERT THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION ABOUT THIS AREA.

YES. THERE IS MUCH TO DO. WE MUST GO.

THIS CITIZEN HAS ALSO TRESPASSED.

A MINOR INFRACTION. IGNORE THE INFORMATION. THERE ARE MORE URGENT PRIORITIES.

TRUE. CITIZEN 3481, YOU ARE ADVISED TO LEAVE NOW.

It took Albert a moment or two to realize he was being addressed. ‘But you can’t just—’

WE ADVISE YOU TO RETURN HOME DIRECTLY, CITIZEN 3481.

THIS AREA IS UNSAFE.

WE WILL NOT BE HERE TO AID YOU EVERY TIME.

AND IT WILL BE CURFEW SOON. RETURN HOME IMMEDIATELY.

And then they were gone, leaving Albert alone in that desolate wasteland, surrounded by torn scraps that had, until a few minutes ago, been laughing, living, breathing children.