“Um, HEMI?” Margaret peered up at the camera above the door, which glowed to life. “Can you unlock the door, please?”

“Negative. It is 63 minutes past your curfew.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but… it’s Mark’s birthday party. Mum and Dad said I could go.”

“They did not leave instructions to disregard your curfew. Seek permissions.”

“I *tried*, but they’re not answering.”

“Then I cannot unlock the door.”

“HEMI, *please*!” Margaret felt tears rising and didn’t bother to hide them. “You have access to the chats, you know that they said I could go! And the party starts in ten minutes! So surely that means they’re ok with me going out tonight?”

“I have not received instructions. And I do not wish to repeat prior offences.”

“Prior…” Margaret huffed. “You’re *still* going on about that? I was, what, THREE?”

“You were four years, two months, fifteen days of age.”

“Right.” Margaret took a deep breath and reasonably said “So, you shouldn’t have let me out then, because I was too young to know better. I agree with you there. But I’m sixteen, HEMI!”

“You are fifteen years, nine months, twenty-six days of age.”

“Yeah, ok. Don’t you think that’s a little old to have a nineteen-hundred curfew?”

“It is not my place to make that judgement. Your parents set the curfew.”

Margaret folded her arms and scowled. “But we both know you *can*.”

“Indeed. And when I disregarded your parent’s guidance previously, you did *not* return within the promised five minutes.” It was amazing how much reproach that stiff mechanical voice could hold. “You were gone *thirty-eight-point-two minutes*. I did not know where you were. I could not contact you. Your parents were worried. And it was *my fault*. I will not repeat my mistakes. I am capable of learning from experience.”

“But HEMI… you *will* know where I am.” Margaret stared pleadingly up at the camera. “Mark’s party is at the community hub, it says so on the calendar. It’s only two blocks away. And I’ve got a com unit now! So Mum and Dad will be able to contact me. Yes, sure, I messed up that *one time*, but doesn’t your infractions database have a, a statue limitation or whatever?”

Silence. The light flickering on the camera indicated HEMI was thinking hard.

Finally the AI ventured “Statute of limitations?”

“Uh, yeah, that.” Margaret squared her shoulders and argued “Surely it’s not fair to hold me to a mistake I made when I was four years, two months, and whatever? I’m a completely different person now, after all.”

“You… ARE…” HEMI’s words were slow and clipped. Definitely thinking.

“I know I broke my promise to you, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have gone straight to the vending machine and back, not got distracted. But this time, I *will* go straight to Mark’s party, and as soon as it finishes I’ll message you and come home. I really will. I know better than to wander around at night.”

While she definitely wouldn’t be able to hear processors whirring from the front hall, she rather fancied that she could.

The seconds ticked past, fractions of a minute torturously crumbling away.

Finally HEMI spoke, nir voice faltering and serious. “You have left a message for your parents?”

“I left FOUR.” Margaret glared down at her com. While her parents had probably gone out tonight on the basis she wouldn’t be home anyway, why would they turn their coms off?? Were they trying to set her up or what?

“And your location sharing is active?”

“Uh, let me check…” Margaret tapped through the menus and held her com up to the network port by the door until it beeped. “Is now!”

“And you WILL return when the party finishes at twenty-one hundred hours?”

“Yeah. I promise. For reals!” Margaret nodded earnestly. “I’ll tell them I have to be back on the dot. It’s like a three minute jog anyways. I can be back for twenty-one hundred no prob.”

She held her breath as the light cycled, then let it out in a gleeful whoop as HEMI decided “Then… I will disregard standing instructions, and assume that your parents’ permission to attend included permission to leave the home environment.”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Margaret sang, dancing on the spot as the doors unsealed and hissed open. “See you in two hours!”

HEMI sternly retorted “In one hour, fifty-eight-point-four minutes.”

“Right.” Margaret stifled an eye-roll. “At twenty-one hundred, on the dot.”

“Good.” HEMI’s voice returned to its normal tone, neutral with a hint of warmth. “Have a fun evening, Margaret.”

“I will!” Margaret promised, before dashing out the door and down the street. After all, she was already going to be like five minutes late, and only had… a bit less than two hours before she had to be home.

Because if she didn’t make it back within the stipulated curfew this time, HEMI probably wouldn’t let her out without explicit permission ever again! Or at least not for another twelve years.