Continue Online (Part 3, Realities) Read Online Free

couldn't look good to a boss. Maybe they sensed some sort of violation. Vice President Miz Riley could have restricted access easily. She might even suspect my reports were less than complete. Xin Yu's recreation had stayed off most papers filed.
    "Affirmative. This quarter's results are available for review if you desire, User Legate," the machine said.
    I sighed with a bit of relief. At least this problem could be solely tied to my sister's actions. This wasn't a corporate security program busy kicking me out of the device one piece of software at a time.
    "No." I waved one arm and started to rub my forehead. None of it helped the growing headache from all this stress. Dealing with my district manager and his grumpy round face couldn't possibly help. "Are there any other changes?"
    "Active watch programs have been initiated and user search history is being monitored. No other programs are being restricted," the ARC said.
    "Voices," I muttered. The curse felt alarmingly natural to say even out in the real world. It was a habit I picked up during my time as William Carver, from a combat instructor named Peg Hall.
    Liz would need to give me an answer regarding this situation. My sister, older or not, couldn't just shut off my game. Oh. No, she could and would. There could only be one thing bringing her to this action. Like everything else, it was my fault.
    Xin's letter. I left it for Beth to read and leapt off the tower's top without any thought of the fallout. My impulsive action to get to the Jester, Voices had I actually fallen headlong to my virtual doom to see that disquieting AI?
    The van ride gave me time to simmer down. Being in a vehicle always brought a measure of peace to my day. Even with Hal Pal's robotic shell behind me. The Artificial Intelligence that operated it made idle conversation.
    "Lovely weather we're having," Hal Pal remarked. It currently used a jovial nanny tone that would have fit in a Victorian Household.
    "It's cloudy." I tucked back a cheek while staring out the front of the company van. A small ticker to one side kept track of mileage used for non-work related activities.
    "Clouds are rather lovely when one pays enough attention." Hal Pal's feminine lilt felt wrong. Part of me assumed the AI was messing with me.
    "That's dangerously poetic. Are you allowed to be poetic about clouds?" I tried not to chuckle.
    "I once wrote a Haiku about a rather charming hamster in someone's house." Hal Pal's head stared forward from the van's back seat. There was a docking station used to recharge the robotic shell while nothing else needed to be done.
    "Charming?"
    "The eager fellow was in the process of mounting a female hamster, so I assume he was charming, if not handsome," Hal Pal clarified. Its head didn't move in any particular direction. I could see it sitting there in the rear view mirror.
    "Why would you pay attention to that, Hal Pal?" I asked the robot while trying not to laugh. Part of me could imagine Hal Pal walking into a house and staring blankly at a hamster cage.
    "User Legate, this unit takes note of everything," It responded.
    My head shook. Just when I thought the AI couldn't be any stranger it managed to raise the bar. There were people all over the world that were scared of exactly how much information any AI could have access to. Those thoughts weren't for me. I was simply a guy who repaired the devices and played a game.
    "I don't know what to do with you sometimes, Hal," I said.
    "Please do not reduce your interaction, User Legate. This unit values our conversations highly."
    "I enjoy talking to you too." My words felt numb. Hal Pal and I hadn't talked as much since the whole Continue Online process started. It seemed oddly unfair to the artificial intelligence. Part of me assumed it had tons of other jobs to be doing.
    "Lovely weather we're having," It said again, without even looking out the window. The glow of Hal Pal's eyes felt subdued and lazy.
    I nodded and tried not to worry