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Rebooting System

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Warning: This unit was not deactivated properly

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Date and Time have been reset

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Running diagnostics

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No errors detected

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Warning: Power input is below recommended levels

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Warning: Low Power Mode

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BaBS-Y’s visual sensors blinked back on. It was lying face down on the floor, its limbs lying awkwardly and at odd angles but nothing was damaged. One at a time, BaBS-Y activated its limbs, shifting, pushing, and turning, until it was in a sitting position beside CaSS. Or at least, what was left of CaSS.

Recharge stations are operational

It was an obvious observation but one that BaBS-Y considered important. Without the recharge station functioning, BaBS-Y would never have rebooted.

There was a small gauge on CaSS’s back that indicated what level of charge it had but in BaBS-Y’s haste it seemed to have disconnected it.

Batteries are likely just beginning to recharge

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This unit will wait twenty four hours to ensure full charge is achieved

There was another CaSS unit docked beside BaBS-Y. It made sense that one CaSS unit wouldn’t be able to clean an entire sector on its own. While BaBS-Y waited, it noted that the other CaSS unit never left to clean anything. The hours passed and it just sat there.

Thesis authorities likely deactivated all robots in the affected sectors

BaBS-Y turned its thoughts away from that and back towards the Frank Nelis Salon. It needed to return to work, otherwise the salon would cease to be operational. In fact, without BaBS-Y, right now it was nonoperational.

This unit requires additional power in order to resume normal functionality

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CaSS power unit supplies adequate voltage but insufficient amperage

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Additional batteries are required

BaBS-Y turned its visual sensors towards the other CaSS unit.

After waiting the full twenty four hours, BaBS-Y pulled itself back up onto CaSS’s back and began shuffling along towards the Frank Nelis Salon to retrieve the straight razor it had used in dismantling CaSS. With a full charge on the battery, BaBS-Y wasn’t concerned about running out of power but it could still only activate two main joint motors at a time. With a second set of batteries from the other CaSS unit, BaBS-Y suspected that it just might be able to operate well enough to resume working. Ideally it would find a better power supply but for now BaBS-Y would make due with what it could find.

When it reached the salon, BaBS-Y was immediately aware that something was terribly wrong.

All clients are missing

There were a few mismatched shoes, a hat, and several wigs, but the queue of clients was gone. It wasn’t very difficult to find where the clients had gone. The discarded remnants from the clients all led off towards the other side of the atrium and away from the Frank Nelis Salon. The trail passed out of sight around the corner to the further parts of the commercial sector. BaBS-Y took a hesitant step in the direction and then stopped.

This unit is unable to acquire guests in Low Power Mode

It turned instead back to the salon. The straight razor was where it had left it, along with CaSS’s leftover parts.

Thesis authorities may be attempting to reclaim the Frank Nelis Salon clients

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This unit has not granted them permission to remove the clients

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Thesis authorities do not need this units permission to remove deceased clients

All of those thoughts were somewhat difficult to fully understand while in Low Power Mode, but it wouldn’t stop thinking while it began the trip back towards the charging station. If the Thesis authorities were taking away its clients, the human ones, at least, then it would need to find additional means of maintaining the Frank Nelis Salon.

Large queues outside of establishments are not permitted under Thesis regulations

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Thesis authorities may have only moved the clients to another location or locations to reduce congestion in the atrium

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Thesis authorities do not have access to security footage while power is disconnected from this sector

That last thought didn’t quite make sense to BaBS-Y. Why wouldn’t the security cameras be connected to the emergency power? That seemed like something that would be important to have access to in an emergency. Unfortunately, the information that BaBS-Y had regarding the security systems on board the Thesis were limited.

Thesis authorities may still have access to security footage

That could prove problematic. Dismantling CaSS for its batteries might prove difficult if the Thesis authorities see what its doing. Without access to its full systems, BaBS-Y was too weak to overturn a CaSS unit to work on it without the unit being able to resist. In fact, all it needed to do would be to move away from BaBS-Y at its usual pace and BaBS-Y would never be able to catch up to it.

Of course, CaSS would eventually need to return to the charging station and then BaBS-Y would be able to get at it. If the Thesis authorities let CaSS run down its batteries then BaBS-Y would also be able to still get the batteries.

Thesis authorities may attempt to combat this unit if they feel it is a threat

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Without significant additional power this unit will be unable to defend itself

All it would take would be one good swipe across the power tether to dislodge the connection BaBS-Y had with the power supply. It was a tenuous situation to be in.

This unit must convince the Thesis authorities that it is no longer of interest to them

Humans grow bored with the lack of new stimuli

With that, BaBS-Y turned back to the Frank Nelis Salon. It did the best it could with its limited mobility to clean and organize the salon. All of the hair pieces were sorted and stored away in drawers, the floor was swept, and BaBS-Y locked the front doors before heading back towards the charging station.

The other CaSS unit was the same as before. BaBS-Y had wondered if the Thesis authorities would understand that BaBS-Y was considering taking that units batteries and have the CaSS unit move elsewhere. Apparently not. As it was, BaBS-Y made no effort to work on that CaSS unit. Instead, it moved the empty CaSS back onto the charging station and sat back down by its side.

It had time. It would sit and think. There were so many things it needed to consider and they were all too complicated to handle quickly without more power. That was the advantage of being a robot and not a human. It would figure this all out, and then it would reopen the salon. The clients couldn’t be that far away. The stairs and elevators near the charging station was the only way out of this sector and the Thesis authorities had clearly taken them to some other part of the sector. Perhaps simply hidden them away.

BaBS-Y would wait. It would think. It would figure this out. The Frank Nelis Salon was relying on BaBS-Y and it would not let the salon down.