"...Morkat gave us a list of objectives ... small group of us ... went off in search." Bill smiled. By now a rogue AI would have made a move on him. This one didn't seem too bad. Bill wasn't going to completely let his guard down, but the robot had earned his trust. As he drove and listened, Bill took his radio out of his pocket and put it on it's charger on the dash. "Then Alex started acting like a fool and started to annoy the young Miss ... she made a remark about Alex being nothing and he, how do you humans say, snapped? Alex grabbed her by the collar and tossed a few feet into the air and from there a battle between the two broke out. The rest you know sir." Bill's eyebrow quirked and his expression darkened "ugh..." he groaned out in a creaky sigh, Gorram kids... It's one thing to get pissy over a little name calling. It's quite another to put a whole operation in jeopardy because ya can't keep control of yerself. "Inquiry: Why are humans so touchy about their pasts? Inquiry: Bill are you touchy about your past?" John questioned, his metallic voice creaking in confusion.
"Nah, not usually. There are a few things I'd rather not talk about if I can help it, but I'm not gonna flip my lid over a comment or two. That's how misunderstandings happen, and that's also a real easy way to get inta trouble." -Bill paused a beat- "Heh, just ask Alex." Bill picked up his radio. "We've gotta be in radio range of the town by now, right?" Bill said absent-mindedly, more to himself than anything else as he pushed down the transmit button on the side of the radio. "Morkat, come in Morkat. This is The Po-No SS Mabel coming into port" Bill gave a little chuckle. "I'm stopping by to pick up a couple of our guys who got themselves locked up for fighting in the street. I'll fill you in on it later. Hawta-ahem-Leader said that if things get outta control you're to let the gears out. I assume he was talking about your power." Bill stopped holding down the transmit button and scratched his head with the antennae, before bringing it back to his face. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you use yer power, have I? Guess I got lucky during the war, eh?" Bill chuckled. "Having said that, I doubt it'll come to that, the sherrif here's stern, but fair, he'll probably let them off with a warning." putting the radio back on it's charger and coughing a little, Bill turned to John and made a quick statement; "Alright, Johnny boy, We're about to arrive. I'm not looking to try anything funny, so don't go sneaking off to bust 'em out or whatever, not saying you would, but I don't know what protocols you've got programmed." Bill wasn't really expecting John to, but he'd seen an AI take on aspects of their owner all too many times, and Alex seemed to be the gung-ho type. Bill once worked on a servo-bot that kept trying to smoke spanners and screwdrivers after it saw Bill light up one too many times. Something about the AI's learning algorithm, apparently.
~~~
A short while later, the old RV was parking up outside the precinct. Bill left his gun in the RV, as well as his knife and the large monkey wrench, since he remembered there being a metal detector here last time. Bill had fond memories of popping his eye out and putting it in the little tray they gave him for valuables last time he had come. the look on the sheriff's face had been priceless.
Bill checked his pockets. Wallet, keys, stick of gum, cigarettes.
Bill paused, massaging the bridge of his nose. What was he missing...?
Aah-
Bill grabbed his radio from its stand and clipped it onto his belt. All set.
Bill gestured for John to follow him, "Alright buddy, lets go get your owner out of this little mess."
Bill opened the door of the station and walked in, smiling to the guy on security detail and the receptionist, popping out his eye and dropping it in the tray of stuff to not go through the metal detector.
He nodded to Derany and greeted him before turning to the receptionist and announcing;
"Af'rnoon, ma'am, I'm here about a coupl'a hoodlums."
