All private WAI-based educational systems had shut down due to the global funding freeze and subsequent market crashes. Dread crept into Nithya’s stomach. Had the world lost its mind? Banks had frozen all balances for twenty-four hours. The threat of sentient artificial intelligence had been realized, some experts claimed, and no WAI could be trusted to behave correctly. The kitchen. She banished the ridiculous thought from her head. Nobody would bother to hack their unit… would they? And what about Sita? Were their agents no longer reliable?

Nithya exited the alcove. Aunty caught her eye across the room, her hand hovering near the power switch for the kitchen. Nithya nodded. She reached for her right earring and turned Sita off, then went to her daughter.

“There’s some trouble with the networks and WAIs right now,” Nithya explained as she manipulated Carma’s jewelry.

“Can I play?”

“Yes, but you’ll have to use your static toys.”

“Those are so boring! Can I go to Soumya’s house?”

A simple question that under typical circumstances had an easy answer, but not today. Carma’s friend lived two buildings away. The thought of letting her child outside with the world falling apart and no swarm to watch over her… Nithya’s stomach clenched again.

“Not today. We need to stay home.”

Her daughter scrunched up her face.

“Come, sweetie, I’ll play with you,” Bhairavi Chitthi said. “Do you know how to play rummy?”

Nithya sent her aunt a wordless look of thanks. The older woman had an expression of forced cheer for Carma’s sake, but her eyes showed the same worried tension that gnawed at Nithya.

She opened the balcony door. The outside air was thick with heat and humidity, but without the climate-control WAI, the flat would turn sweltering in little time.

Someone knocked at the door.

Nithya opened it by a few centimeters, then wider once she saw the landlord. Krishnamurthy wore cheaply designed slacks and a button-down shirt. His thinning gray hair lay oiled against his head. He rarely came upstairs.

“Your messaging was not receiving. I’m shutting off the building manager at five o’clock,” he informed her in English. “Water will not come, but you can collect from the tap outside. Power will go off, also. I won’t take any risk in this situation.”

“Okay,” Nithya said, then switched to Tamil. “Are you scared?”

He replied in their native language, “Without a doubt. I have never liked this WAI business. It was better before.”

Nithya couldn’t agree with that, but she thanked him again. He shuffled up the stairs. She turned Sita back on. While they had electricity, she had to risk using her WAI.