Jan’s hover car stalled -

The hover car’s engine hummed - gently - the hum grew noisier.

 

Now where’s that landmark, he said to himself... left at city corporate headquarters.

 

“Hold on Betty - we’ll soon be there.”

The hover car’s humming grew in volume, becoming almost a growl.

“Hold on now Betty - hold on.”

 

The car’s engine hum - was a reminder to him that he was stationary and unless he as the driver made a decision of some consequence, requiring the car to execute either an up down left right manoeuvre within the next few seconds, the hover car itself, automatically, would immediately start to descend.  Jan punched a couple of keys on the dashboard, green, blue and yellow lights flashed intermittently - accompanied by a series of high pitched tubular sounding tones.

 

“Right - Where was I? - City corporate headquarters - ah that’s it - so that’s the building! - OK now here we go.”

 

“Thank you now sir, I was just about to descend.”

 

“Oh so you're awake” - Jan joked.

 

“I am always awake” - the car’s robot replied “just as I am always most patient and polite.”

 

Jan smiled to himself - that’s the thing with this latest model he thought, its particular selling point - a patient on-flight robot steward, as he recalled that feature being marketed - “Yes you are patient and clever.”

 

“Now there is no need for you to flatter me, but I sense that it is not flattery you are engaging in, but cheekiness, I should remind you that you have an appointment and therefore your cheekiness should wait until you have located your destination, put into action a form of execution, which shall result in us landing preferably near the building, so that you will not be late for your (DETAILS CLASSIFIED) appointment with the Director of Cybernetic Robotic and Cyborg Services.  May I suggest a…. ”  (*click)

 

“Phew!” - now where did you get all that from?”

 

“I have access to all your personal data”

 

“Hold on a minute, I didn’t say anything - ”

 

“Hahaha , chuckle, chuckle chuckle - I am not like your girlfriends - or mistresses, as you would prefer to call them - or you call them something worse - a word a dare not repeat... I have a mind of my own and feelings too.”

​

“The moment I finish this meeting - you're going back to the showroom” - Jan thought.

 

“And you can take that stupid idea out of your head now….”

 

Jan turned off the 'inflight robot vocal provision.'