Beacon 23

Hope, heart rate's climbing.

Do your breathing exercises.

- I did. Administer more agent.

You've had enough for today.

Why aren't you helping me?

- I am helping you by not enabling you.

Work on your people skills.

You can't get in there.

It's Milan-proof.

- One of these days, I'm going to cut you off.

Who will help you then?

Hold the hand rail, please.

- I can hold myself up just fine.

- We don't want you to fall again.

- You just look for any excuse to watch me in here, don't you?

If you break your neck,

who's going to finish my suit in time for graduation?

There's an incoming ship.

Ally or adversary?

An ISA maintenance vessel.

They have a repair order.

- I didn't request a repair. Did you?

Docking protocol initiated.

They're already here?

He's at our front door.

- How did he bypass the drones?

Are you feeling okay?

- I've come down with a little fever, Mom.

Poor baby.

Keep him in the Airlock until I'm dressed.

I'll be waiting and watching.

That's my good boy.

I'll need to see your documentation.

Oh, of course. Uh...

Coming your way.

Everything in order?

Just another minute here.

Believe everything's there.

It is.

Airtight, it seems.

A bit too clean, to be honest.

The work order, the manifest.

Spotless.

- My employer doesn't like surprises.

Neither do I.

ISA runs a tight ship.

Uh, one of the subroot directories

didn't take the latest upgrade,

so I have to install a patch.

You couldn't do that remotely?

- Well, you were due for maintenance anyway,

so uh, we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone.

I'll be in and out.

Oh, and uh, this...

...is for you.

For me? Why?

Someone at HQ spun a yarn

about a particular affinity of yours.

I don't understand.

- I've always been of the opinion

that Beacon Keepers aren't celebrated enough.

There's no pressure.

Uh. But I do need to board to, uh, do that repair.

All right. Come in.

- Beacon AI, begin a full system diagnostic.

Oh, you can run it manually.

- No, that'll take twice as long.

- I've put him down for a few hours.

Pardon me? Who?

The AI, Bart. He's napping.

Um, I'd...

I'd appreciate if you woke him.

They do so much.

The more we nurture them, the better off we all are.

- Th-that's not the way it works.

AIs are designed to operate at full capacity

right out of the box.

That's why they're trusted to run beacons.

That's one point of view.

He's an AI, not a child.

- I know that. But out here, he's my world.

This way, please.

I'm good.

- Can I help you with anything? - No, thank you.

Make yourself at home.

You handled her admirably.

- You think you can get him to talk?

Mmm-mmm.

No, he won't come out to play.

Well, maybe he's shy.

Offer him something sweet.

There's a mousetrap encryptor.

I can't get to the files.

He'll only talk with her permission.

- Why would Milan Aleph, CIO of QTA,

pose as a maintenance worker?

Are you sure it's him?

Yeah. You don't recognize him?

- There must be something in my programming

that's preventing me.

What's he doing to you?

It does seem to be routine.

Is he here for me, then?

Some undercover performance review?

Your work has been exemplary.

You've never had a single incident.

- Then what's he doing here? - Beats me.

- You put your head down, sweetie.

I'll handle it.

- Safety hazards, tripping hazards...

This all needs to come down.

Well, that's not the hill to die on.

- I'm suffocating. I feel like I can't breathe in here.

Oxygen levels are normal.

- Obstructed controls, obstructed screens.

There's hundreds of violations in here.

- We've had nothing but immaculate reports

from Beacon 23.

Cage the tiger, Milan.

- All done, ma'am. -

Oh. Just in time for tea.

It tastes better when you grind it fresh.

- A lot of work for something that's gone in a few sips.

- We used to work with our hands all the time.

Now it's a lost art.

- You certainly seem... talented.

- Well, all I can see are the imperfections.

We're all hard on ourselves.

Come on.

It's very, uh...

busy in here.

- Yeah, well, the blinking lights can make you crazy.

And uh, it helps with the echo, too.

- You don't find it difficult to get to your instruments,

your controls?

I manage fine.

Get many visitors?

Friends? Family? A partner?

- Levi and I parted on good enough terms.

It's mostly just my boys, when they can manage

if they can.

- What kind of sons don't visit their mother?

- Well, I took this job when they left the nest.

They're always off in one part of the universe or another.

- Distance isn't the excuse it once was.

I'm not asking for excuses.

I'm fine. Just me and Bart.

Sit.

Relax.

What about you? Any family?

- Well, that's a short conversation.

A partner? Kids?

A daughter.

Somewhere.

You don't talk?

I talk to this.

She's in there?

- Sort of. I... Sorry, it's embarrassing.

- I bet this daughter would be delighted

to hear from her father.

- I've been holding something back.

Um... A bonus.

Um, for your uh, hospitality.

Thank you, but I shouldn't.

Or rather, you shouldn't.

No offense, but uh, plumbers don't usually bring gifts.

- Like I said, I appreciate what you're doing here.

You know, persisting in this, uh...

isolation.

I like my quiet.

I see. Um...

I've worn out my welcome.

I'll get out of your hair.

No, wait.

That was rude of me.

Let's open it.

Hmm?

Did you wrap this yourself?

Wow.

Thank you...

Milan.

- I gave myself a 50-50 chance of getting away with it.

Why bother?

- I mean, these beacons are all I have.

And I never get to enjoy them.

My presence...

puts people on edge.

- Well, transparency goes a long way.

That's very rare.

It's threaded with fiber