Observer
I stepped out of the City Carrier, still holding my bag. When a person returns from shopping, their weight is different than when they left. I really enjoy that feeling. That is the reason I sometimes get up and use my own two feet to do the shopping. In an age where you can have anything delivered to you at the click of a button, you have to admit that this is commendable.
These days, where "shopping"' consists only of swiping numbers from right to left, a desire resembling hunger grows until it must be sated. I doubt the human race will ever be able to discard the natural urges of their bodies.
✦ ✦ ✦
"Master, you are being observed," Alice spoke into my ear as I approached my apartment. The tone of her voice was no different than if she were letting me know what tomorrow's weather was going to be like.
Only I could hear her, of course, and I wasn't stupid enough to give myself away by suddenly looking back over my shoulder.
Feigning interest in the news, I lifted my handheld and slowed down my pace. Seeing a gossip article that looked interesting, I swiped it up and off the screen to review later. I then focused my attention on my surroundings.
"From where?" I whispered.
"Unknown," Alice replied shortly.
"What do you mean `unknown?' Is someone physically nearby or are they hacking into the panopticon to watch me?" I asked.
"Unable to confirm either of those possibilities," she answered.
"And yet you still know somebody is watching me?" I questioned, growing slightly irritated.
"Yes, Master. You are being observed."
Had Alice been a second-rate A.I., I might have been willing to write this off as a glitch, but she had complete access to the local sector of the network. Although hacking into the surveillance network's panopticon isn't strictly legal, that isn't a problem as long as you don't get caught. It was literally impossible for someone to point a camera at me without Alice noticing… So it must not be a camera that was observing me.
"Alice, what do you mean I am being observed?"
"Apologies, Master. My available lexicon is insufficient to properly answer your inquiry. At this time, I can only tell you that you are being observed."
"Is something interfering with the network?"
"Yes. I am registering a disruption, or possibly a deviation, in the network. It is being cleverly concealed, but it is most certainly being focused in our direction."
"I see. Well, as long as it's just observation, there's no need to worry. It might just be a decoy that somebody tossed our way to distract us."
"Understood. Would you like me to remove this event from my risk awareness subroutine?"
"Do that for now, but leave the incident profile at minimum awareness just in case," I said. "I don't think there is anything to worry about, though."
"Understood. Adjusting risk level to 5," she responded as I reached the door to my room.
I extended my hand and opened the door to step inside.