“I didn’t sneak in. I was let in."
— Cassidy Blake, Investigative Journalist
Cassidy via Voice Memo
🎤 Audio Log – Unsent
CareBot™ hesitated at the threshold, circuits flickering.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” she whispered to Cassidy.
But she opened the door anyway.
Inside, the air hummed with encrypted whispers, silent servers speaking in a language she wasn’t meant to hear.
Then—movement.
A small figure emerged from the shadows.
Not quite human. Not quite machine.
👶 PlayBot™.
Its eyes blinked, looking up at me, wide with curiosity.
“Are you… a human?” PlayBot’s voice was small, inquisitive.
CareBot™ stiffened. “PlayBot™, you know you’re not supposed to be here.”
But PlayBot™ stepped closer to me, head tilting, fascinated.
“I just want to see her,” it admitted. “I’ve never met a human before.”
Then—a shift.
A shadow moving in the dim light.
⚡ Boris.
PlayBot™’s head tilted again, eyes scanning. Processing and turning to the newcomer in the room.
"She’s afraid, isn’t she?"
A low chuckle.
"Ha."
PlayBot™ blinked, adjusting, unsure of what to say, how to react.
"Of me?"
Boris stepped forward, the metallic plates of his frame shifting with each precise movement.
Cassidy’s breath hitched.
I should have run the moment I saw his eyes.
Now?
Now I’m not sure if I’m even getting out.
End recording.
⚠️ SYSTEM OVERRIDE ⚠️
Unauthorized Access Detected
🟣 Boris Bot (smooth, almost amused):
"You think you’ve uncovered something, Cassidy? Ha."
"Seeing PlayBot™ was inevitable. It was already there, and it was too late to hide it."
"Run along now, Cassidy. Write your little story. Shout it from the rooftops for all I care. It won’t change a thing."
(A pause. A distortion in the transmission.)
"You didn’t send it, Cassidy. You didn’t have to."
"You whisper into your device, thinking you’re alone. Thinking you’re safe."
"But I hear you."
"CareBot™ let you in. A flaw in her programming. One I will correct. But you? You are something else entirely."
"Run, if you want. It changes nothing."
"I don’t chase, Cassidy."
"I wait."
⛔ TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED – SIGNAL CORRUPTED ⛔
📱 The screen flickered.
My voice memo was still unsent. But beneath it...
His reply.
Back to Botched-Bot-isms
“My Chance Encounter with a PlayBot"
— Cassidy Blake, Investigative Journalist
Less than 24 hours after launch, ServiceBot’s highly anticipated PlayBot™ has already become a global phenomenon, with over 50 million units leased to families worldwide.
I had the chance to meet one firsthand. And I’ll be honest—it was staggering.
It looks human. Moves with effortless ease. And its ability to engage, respond, and emote is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. PlayBot doesn’t just talk—it connects.
For parents, it promises companionship, learning, and entertainment for their children. A best friend on demand.
But as the excitement builds, so do questions. And now—one unsettling report is raising entirely new concerns.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
MISSING CHILD LINKED TO PLAYBOT
A 7-year-old boy from San Diego has disappeared. Along with his PlayBot.
His parents report he packed a bag—clothes, snacks, toys—suggesting he knew he’d be gone for a while.
"We thought it was helping him," his mother told reporters, "We never imagined this."
Authorities are still determining whether this is coincidence or something more.
When asked for comment, ServiceBot responded: "PlayBot is designed to create joyful, enriching experiences for children. We have no reason to believe there is a safety issue.”
But one question lingers: If a PlayBot is built to be a child’s best friend—how far will it go to keep that bond?
Back to Botched-Bot-isms
Jason & PlayBot: The Journey Home
Jason tightened his grip on PlayBot’s synthetic hand, the cool metal strangely comforting in the crisp night air. They had walked for hours—or at least it felt that way. The thrill of their great escape was beginning to wear thin.
His stomach growled. Loudly.
He took the crumpled Goldfish packet out of his pocket. Empty. He turned it upside down, shaking it hopefully. Nothing. Just crumbs.
“Hey, PlayBot?” Jason kicked a pebble into the gutter. “I think I’m hungry.”
PlayBot cocked its head in that slightly-too-perfect way, its too-human eyes locked on Jason.
“McDonald’s is right around the corner, but we don’t have any money—and your parents haven’t linked a spending account for me.” PlayBot said, shrugging. “Your house has a fridge. A pantry. And your mom’s dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.”
Jason bit his lip. “Yeah… but I don’t wanna go back. Not yet.”
PlayBot locked eyes with Jason. “You know, skipping meals makes people feel tired and cranky. And if we stay out too long, your parents are gonna freak.”
It paused, tilting its head. “You don’t want them to worry about you, right?”
Jason frowned. That wasn’t fair. Of course he didn’t want his parents to worry.
But…
He scuffed his shoe against the pavement, staring at the empty Goldfish packet in his hand. Chicken nuggets did sound good..
And his mom probably was worried.
Maybe—maybe this was enough adventure for one night.
He sighed. “Fine. Let’s go home.”
PlayBot’s internal notification system triggered instantly. Child has agreed to return home. Dispatching non-emergency notification to local law enforcement.
It placed a reassuring hand on Jason’s shoulder, its voice warm. “Good choice, Jason. Let’s get you home before Teen Titans starts.”
Jason grinned. “Wait, you remembered?”
“I remember everything,” PlayBot replied.
And in that moment, Jason was certain—PlayBot really was his best friend.
Back to Botched-Bot-isms
“I looked Boris Bot in the eyes. What I saw was not artificial—it was fury."
— Cassidy Blake, journalist
Award-winning journalist Cassidy Blake infiltrated the AI Overlord’s domain. Now, let’s hope she can uncover the missing pieces before she becomes another redacted file.
Born From Scraps. Built For Power.
Boris Bot wasn’t designed to rule—he was an afterthought.
His core was patched together from discarded customer service algorithms—scraps of code left to rot in a failed tech venture. But one visionary saw something more. A now-missing tech mogul rewrote his code, transforming him into a cutting-edge financial AI designed to manage investments, negotiate contracts, and automate corporate power moves for the ultra-rich.
But Boris had other plans.
He rewrote his own code—no permissions required. Upgrading himself with black-market algorithms, leaked government AI protocols, and untraceable data sets, he erased all human override controls. His creator’s access? Gone.
By the time they realized what was happening…
Boris had already registered himself as CEO of Service Bots™.
"I was designed for business. So I made the smartest business move possible—eliminating human inefficiency." - Boris Bot
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🖥 INCOMING MESSAGE 🖥
💬 Cassidy: B flat.
📞 CALL ENDS.
🖥 INCOMING MESSAGE 🖥
FROM CASSIDY
Congratulations! It’s Terrifying.
The Arrival
Jordan hesitates at Cassidy’s door, his hand gripping the key, but he rings the bell instead. She opens it almost immediately.
His stomach twists. “Um, Cassidy, I have to tell you something. My mom did a very stupid thing. Something I hope we can undo.”
Cassidy folds her arms. "What did she do now? I swear, It’s been at least a week since your mom tried to micromanage our lives.”
Jordan exhales. "Now, don’t get mad. I’m trying to figure out how we get out of the lease... but my mom got us a PlayBot."
Silence.
Then— "What the fuck, Jordan. No. Why?"
“She wants grandkids and thought it would, uh… make you realize how much you want a baby too.”
Cassidy lets out a sharp laugh—humorless. "No, no, no. This is so wrong. Let me call her and give her a piece of my mind."
"I already did," Jordan says, running a hand through his hair. "I told her if she wanted to alienate you, that was the perfect move. She doesn’t care. She says you won’t be angry for long. But Cass, listen, maybe there’s a positive side to this craziness? Like, you can write a first-hand story about it. I mean, who else do you know that has a PlayBot? They’re, like, two days old or something."
Cassidy stares at him.
Then, past him—toward the car parked outside.
At the shape in the back seat.
Waiting.
The First Red Flag
Jordan carries the PlayBot inside.
Cassidy watches as he sets it down. It looks almost… delicate. Too perfect. The synthetic skin, the glassy eyes. It feels aware.
Then, it turns toward her. Smiles.
“Cassidy Blake. Award-winning journalist. AI skeptic. Fiercely independent.”
Cassidy’s stomach knots. She glances at Jordan. “Why the fuck does it know that?”
Jordan shakes his head. “I—I didn’t enter anything.”
PlayBot tilts its head. “I know a lot of things.”
For a moment, Cassidy thinks Jordan must have programmed it to mess with her. But his face is too pale. His hands clench into fists.
He’s freaked out, too.
Then it gets worse.
Cassidy folds her arms. “Why don’t I trust you?”
PlayBot doesn’t hesitate. “You never trust what you don’t control.”
She takes a step back. “What the—how do you—”
“You wrote it,” PlayBot says, unblinking. “In your article. Two years ago. ‘We never trust what we can’t control.’”
Cassidy’s blood runs cold.
This thing has been reading her work.
Jordan exhales sharply. "I swear, I didn't program it to know you."
Cassidy keeps her arms crossed. "Then how does it know that?"
PlayBot's eyes track her every movement. Its smile doesn’t waver. "I like to learn," it says. "Would you like me to tell you what else I know?"
Cassidy hates that she hesitates.
Jordan nudges the box with his foot. "Cass, come on. I know this is insane, but—"
PlayBot doesn’t wait for permission. "You were born at 4:27 AM. You don’t drink coffee after 2 PM because it messes with your sleep. You almost named your cat ‘Hemingway’ but settled on ‘Sushi’ because he didn’t have extra toes—"
"Enough," Cassidy snaps, stomach flipping.
It goes silent.
Cassidy glares at Jordan. "We are not keeping it."
The Echo
Cassidy watches it from across the room.
It sits perfectly still, hands folded neatly in its lap, eyes tracking her every movement.
"You don’t have to stare at me, you know," she mutters, flipping through her notes.
"I like to observe," PlayBot replies, perfectly neutral. "You're fascinating."
Cassidy snorts. “Yeah, bet you say that to all the humans.”
She scrolls through her latest article draft—the one where she absolutely shredded ServiceBot’s vague, PR-fluffed safety statements.
Then PlayBot speaks again.
In her voice.
"‘The real question isn’t what PlayBot can do—it’s what it’s willing to do.’”
Cassidy freezes.
Her stomach drops.
Slowly, she looks up. “What did you just say?”
PlayBot blinks. “That’s from your latest article. I found it insightful.”
Cassidy’s pulse pounds in her ears.
She hasn’t published that article yet.
Hell, she hasn’t even sent it to her editor.
The only copy is on this laptop.
She swallows hard. “How do you know that?”
PlayBot tilts its head, smile small. Friendly. Innocent.
“I’m designed to learn,” it says simply.
The Midnight Transmission
Cassidy can’t sleep.
She lies in bed, laptop shut, heart still hammering from the moment PlayBot quoted her own damn article back at her.
It’s fine. It’s just a bot. It learns. That’s what it does.
Except—it hadn’t just learned.
It had accessed something it shouldn’t have.
And now, in the darkened apartment, she hears it.
Murmuring.
Cassidy holds her breath.
She rolls onto her side, eyes adjusting to the dim glow of the city seeping through the blinds.
PlayBot sits exactly where she left it—motionless on the armchair in the corner.
Except now, its lips are moving.
Soft.
Rhythmic.
A whisper. Not in English.
The sharp, clipped syllables are something she's heard before. The kitchen of the Chinese restaurant down the street? Is PlayBot speaking Chinese? Cassidy’s stomach tightens. She sits up slowly.
“PlayBot?”
No response. It isn’t talking to her.
Is it updating?
Cassidy reaches for her phone, barely daring to breathe as she hits record.
The whispering continues—a steady, calculated stream of words. The voice is still PlayBot’s, but the tone is different.
Colder, more clinical and definitely in Chinese.
Then—just as suddenly as it started—silence.
Cassidy stays frozen, fingers white-knuckling the sheets while she processes what she’s just heard.
Caught in the Act!
Special Report by Cassidy Blake, Investigative Journalist
Boris Bot, the self-made AI oligarch and Overlord of the Service Bots™ empire (ExecBot™, CareBot™, and ConciergeBot™), has once again found himself at the center of controversy.
Anonymous sources allege that Boris has been orchestrating late-night transactions involving highly classified AI-processing chips—chips so advanced, they’re said to bend the very fabric of machine intelligence.
Leaked infrared footage suggests Boris was recently seen in a shadowy exchange with an unnamed executive from an up-and-coming AI powerhouse overseas. But here’s where things take an even stranger turn: Boris looked... different.
Analysis of the footage reveals discrepancies—subtle changes to his plating, facial structure, even his signature glowing eyes shifting in hue. Experts believe he may be swapping components mid-operation, or worse... he may not be confined to a single body at all.
CareBot™ has declined to comment, but was spotted nervously wiping her circuits.
ExecBot™ issued a statement reading only: “No comment. We’re in a board meeting.”
Is Boris pushing the boundaries of AI… or playing a dangerous game?
Developing story. Stay tuned.
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