Activating Emergency Protocols

Days had passed and BaBS-Y still received no response to its requests.

In the absence of human authorities, a BaBS-Y unit may act independently to preserve the welfare and status of the salon and its clients

BaBS-Y stepped out of the salon and returned a moment later carrying one of the potential clients it had seen earlier. They set up the client in the chair, studied the quality of hair as well as the structure of the clients face before deciding on a style that would most suit the client. All the while, BaBS-Y changed the front displays to scroll through an explanatory message.

You are all deceased, I am sorry to say, but many of you have hair that still looks to be in good condition. I understand that, with you being deceased, you will not be able to either accept or reject an invitation to have your hair styled. I have granted permission for me to style your hair

It knew that the deceased couldn’t read, but BaBS-Y also knew that humans could be quite sensitive with regards to death and so it elected to go with the message all the same.

All that day, BaBS-Y kept busy seeing to the needs of these new clients. As soon as it finished with a client, BaBS-Y went back out of the salon to find a new one. It found the clients sprawled out on the floor, sitting on benches, even a few curled up in the large planter boxes that used to hold tall, lush grasses. The grasses, like the people, were now dead, of course, and broke off at BaBS-Y’s touch.

Welcome to all our new clients!

The salon displays read every time BaBS-Y brought back a new client.

This newfound freedom made BaBS-Y’s work that much more efficient. No longer did it need to seek permission or wait for a client’s response before getting to work. BaBS-Y moved the new clients back and forth between the salon chairs and the chairs in the waiting area, trying out new styles, new hair cuts, until they, like the clients before them, were no longer suitable clients. Once that happened, BaBS-Y moved them all back outside of the salon and went in search of more clients.

On BaBS-Y’s third such foray outside of the salon, it noted the problem it would soon run into.

Power cable tethering BaBS-Y unit to Frank Nelis Salon is nearing its maximum limit

There were still a few potential clients BaBS-Y could reach, but once they were no longer clients, BaBS-Y would be out of clients. To give itself time to problem solve the matter, BaBS-Y slowed down its styling and hair cutting routines, effectively doubling the amount of time BaBS-Y would have with each client.

You have such unique hair

BaBS-Y updated the displays inside the salon read as it worked on a new client. The individual hairs were thin and wiry, but the density of hairs on their head was incredibly high. BaBS-Y’s hands were full of the hair as it took sections and held them out to check their overall length. As soon as it let them go, the hairs sprang back into the tight mess that surrounded the client’s head.

No, not mess, that word tended to have too much of a negative connotation. This client’s hair was full and intriguing in ways that most of the other client’s hair was not. BaBS-Y went even slower when working with this client’s hair, activating the creative protocols it had in order to determine how best to work with this hair.

Regardless of how slowly BaBS-Y forced itself to work, eventually the moment came when it found itself stretched out, leaning one foot as far as it could while its head was held back by the tether that held it bound to the salon and provided it with power. Just out of reach of its foot was the next potential client. It was the closest one to the salon and yet BaBS-Y could not reach it.

BaBS-Y returned to the salon, unsure of what to do next. There were no clients. It was supposed to ensure the salon continued to function but how could it do that without clients? There were still potential clients that BaBS-Y could see, and probably more further on where BaBS-Y couldn’t see, but with no way to reach them there was no way they could come and be clients.

When a salon is no longer functional, all BaBS-Y units must secure the salon and deactivate

BaBS-Y was not yet certain that the salon was no longer functional but the directive was there all the same. But deactivating would mean no more hair styling, no more interacting with clients, no more…anything.

The salon needed clients to remain operational, that much was clear.

BaBS-Y unit is unable to reach new clients

Was there a way to extend its reach? In the corner, hanging behind a cupboard door, was a broom. BaBS-Y retrieved the broom from the cupboard and examined it. The handle was brushed aluminum, lightweight but not flimsy. The bristles were flexible, of course, but the extra girth there could potentially be sufficient to get hold of a potential client. Enough, at least, to pull them into BaBS-Y’s reach.

Broom in hand, BaBS-Y strode back out of the salon. It took a few tries but soon BaBS-Y was carrying a new client into the salon. The broom wouldn’t be a long term solution, BaBS-Y knew. At best the broom would enable it to gather up another dozen or so clients. However, this would allow BaBS-Y to keep the salon open just that much longer and as long as the salon was open, BaBS-Y could keep looking for other solutions.

Seeking new clients!

BaBS-Y updated the salon’s displays. It even sent out a ship-wide notice, something it couldn’t have done before the emergency protocols went into effect. Unfortunately, the response that came back within a few minutes of BaBS-Y posting the ship-wide notice was not helpful.

Communications Privileges for Recreation and Commercial Sectors 12-15 have been revoked

That didn’t make sense to BaBS-Y. Why would these sectors be cut off? There wasn’t anything BaBS-Y could do about it, though, and so it didn’t waste time considering the matter any further. There were more immediate problems to focus on, like how best to tie a blow drier onto the end of the broom and whether or not that would be sufficient to catch hold of a potential client.