past the stern man and seemed to recognize me, too.

The detective suddenly grabbed the badge hanging exposed from his shirt pocket. “First strike, JF! What part of ‘undercover safety enforcer’ don’t you understand? If the civilians see a cop coming, you’ll never catch them in the act!”

“But, sir, they already assume we’re watching them.”

The detective shoved the badge into JF’s pocket. “I told you to finish rendering the security footage and get back on the streets, now get to work! No more dins to the Calgary PD! This case is closed and I don’t need you anymore!”

He stared at the patrolman until he turned around and left, then turned back to face us. “Don’t believe the rumors you hear, kid,” the detective said. “Artificial intelligence can’t become self-aware. What you encountered was probably just some elaborate program run amok.” He took a step back inside and spoke in a surprisingly kind tone. “It is all programming, Brandon. Programming is all a malvirai can ever obey.”

He left the two of us alone. I held the print tightly in my fingers. A soft “No” escaped my lips and I began to cry. Immediately, Vair grabbed the paper out of my hands and tore it. “That’s police property!” I screamed, fear suddenly forgetting grief.

“Is it the truth?” Vair replied, looking me in the eyes; mine wandered and I couldn’t reply. “Is it the truth?” she asked again.

“I don’t know!” I replied.