jujuszabo

I step into the Adaptive Technology Lab, my training collar feeling tight around my neck stem. My view is all still pixelated through my collar’s graphics card, but I can make out a tall, lanky guy swiveling around in his chair. “Excuse…me?” I ask. My collar’s speaker grill meekly emits my robotic voice. “I… have… an… appointment… for 10.” “Hey, you’re Laramie Strong!” he says. “I’m Dave Kreuzberg, your adaptive tech helper. You know what day it is?” I plug into his data port, and his image comes into focus—scruffy beard, lopsided grin, warm brown eyes behind wireframe glasses. He’s wearing a retro T-shirt with a robot on it. A bit of a geek vibe, but kind of cute. “Course I do,” I say, my halting voice evened out by the data boost. Still, its smooth, steady cadence hides my excitement. “It’s Loquette Day. Finally, ditching this clunky collar for good.” Dave chuckles, running a hand through his tousled hair. “Well, don’t chuck it just yet. Keep the collar around as backup, in case