Chapter 4 — Grimmland

Chapter 4 — Grimmland

It was time for the parade.

Every AI, other than security and those working at some of the shops and restaurants, was to perform at the parade. Each character or worker had their own costume that was unlike any other that they wore throughout the day. The uniform the mechanic workers wore was that of a purple and blue with a mushroom-like, shimmering skirt, white shirt with a tie and vest that matched the blouse. Some of us twirled batons, some of us had katsugi okedaiko, and others had symbols, flutes, and anything one could think of. It was definitely a multi-cultural parade of instruments.

And they worked well together, or at least that was what my sensors indicated, along with the feedback the patrons gave. I was one of the performers with the katsugi okedaiko and played along as the character AI’s rode in floats that hovered above the ground at various levels.

The different songs had been composed by some of the most prolific musicians of the times, and it definitely showed. The programing for all the characters must have taken months to develop, and it changed every few weeks to keep it interesting for returning patrons. It was easy for us, as we just did what was instructed of us in our coding. The new coding should be coming out in the next couple of days, if my calculations were correct. Sometimes it differed depending on the holiday and such.

I glanced up to find that Aladdin and Badroulbadour were stationed above me. They were dancing and having a good time, as programmed for them. This made my mandatory smile feel as if it were going to fade. What was wrong with me? Why did I… feel? Why did I have what seemed to be emotions associated with Badroulbadour? Perhaps I should have Mamoru check my programming in the morning. I added it to my itinerary for tomorrow.

The parade lasted for thirty minutes with fireworks and a light show, making the event even more spectacular. Stars and hearts and little creatures made of light flittered through the audience, causing kids and adults alike laugh and smile in glee. The parade was one of my favorite events as no one ever seemed to be in a bad mood and since we were AI and never got tired; it didn’t matter that it happened so late at night. We AI typically needed an hour of rest time before we turned back on in the morning and prepared everything for the new day.

Takashi and Hikaru were nearby, both also performing on the katsugi okedaiko. Sometimes we were instructed to use a different instrument, but for the most part we all performed on the same instrument, no matter the song. We clanked our bachi together, trying to get the audience to clap with the song. Most complied, especially the children.

The next skit was the final song of the set. It started with large fireworks in the sky, along with all the types of drums we had. I beat down with my bachi and listened to the echo of the other drums. This song, to me, felt like a conversation between different sections of the parade. The pace quickened and different instruments were introduced until we were all playing together. I twirled the bachi in my hand, making those who watched gasp in awe. It wasn’t as hard as it appeared, but even with my programming, it took a while for me not to drop the bachi.

As we came upon the last line of music, there was a scream. My sensors indicated it was an AI and not a human. However, that didn’t mean it wasn’t something to ignore. All of our attentions turned to the AI screaming. Since it was close to me, I could see who it was. It was the dancer Sofi. She was who Mamoru had been working on earlier. Clearly, the coding did not get fixed.

During the three years that we had been serving at this park, no AI had malfunctioned during a parade like this. I did not know what to do. Did we stop? Did we pretend it wasn’t happening? Did only one person retrieve her while the rest kept on performing? I waited for my orders, as someone from the human headquarters was always watching.

There was a blip on my screen and I was ordered to recover the AI. I stopped playing the katsugi okedaiko and jumped up to the platform Sofi was at. She was still screaming and grabbing onto the other dancers, as if they could help her. I quickly clicked the button at the bottom of her hairline and she turned off. The lights shined away from me for a moment, and I hopped down to take her to one of the maintenance areas.

As this went down, all within less than a minute, I could hear the gasps from the audience. Luckily there was a no video policy during the parade and anyone who tried to use their phones would get a strike on their card, which could add up to being banned from the park. They would gossip and tell other people what they saw, however, and that would not bode well for us. At least I knew no one would complain to terribly as the humans watching always gave out a free event pass or dinner for inconveniences such as this. Hopefully, not everyone attending noticed it.

But the screaming was quite loud.

The patrons who were at the Aladdin palace would probably also mention how they saw the same dancer scream early that evening. It wasn’t uncommon to have malfunctions, and people understood this, but to have so many today, I felt as if something were going on behind the scenes.

Was this a test? Or would we have to be updated soon?

I was able to make it to the closest maintenance area with no patron following me to see what I was doing. I carried Sofi all the way to the backroom and placed her on one chair. I opened up her coding with my scanner.

It was there. The code was still there. I tried opening it to find that my scanners wouldn’t let me. There was nothing I could detect in detail—my sensors could only indicate it was bad code.

I deleted the code like I had that morning and sent of the report. The last firework went off in the distance.

That was the end of the parade. The patrons would now be escorted out of the park and toward their hotels. Then this would all start again at eight in the morning.

As the show ended, an alert appeared on my screen. There would be a full update tonight for all AI. I figured there would be. I turned Sofi back on and found her to be back to normal. She smiled to me.

“Chio, there seems to be an update tonight.”

I nodded. “There is. Why don’t you go back to where you need to hook into the system? I am required to make my way to my docking area as well.”

“Right. Thank you for fixing me.”

With that, Sofi left. I prepared myself for the update. I always felt off after an update and I had a feeling this one would be quite the download. It was as if my system had to get used to the new coding or something.

I made my way back to the mechanics unit where we typically plugged in for the night and charged. As I was walking over, Hikaru and Takashi were on the pathway.

“Chio, how did it go? What was wrong with Sofi?” Takashi asked.

“It was like what I mentioned earlier. There is something in the coding that is off.”

Hikaru chimed in. “Do you think that is what the update is for?”

I shrugged. “I suppose so. I don’t see why else we would be updating. It’s still a few days early to be for the parade.”

“Well, hopefully they figured what the bug was,” Takashi said. “That will make our job easier.”

I let out a laugh as we made our way to the docking station. I stepped into my cubicle and felt the electronic systems begin to charge and download the new update.

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