Free Android Paradox by Michael La Ronn

“What are you trying to say?” He stepped closer to X and pointed at him angrily. “You’re blaming me for this?”
    Fahrens threw himself between X and Dr. Brockway and the doctor stumbled backward, his anger dissipating as fast as it had come. The doctor banged the table and sobbed.
    Fahrens picked up the black box. “Dr. Brockway, I know this is hard for you, but we need to decode this box.”
    “Why? Couldn’t you get into the firewall?”
    “No. Someone changed it.”
    Dr. Brockway wrinkled his brow. “That’s not possible.” He took the box and held it in front of his face as his lenses activated. “Hmm. It doesn’t look the same.” He pulled up a stool and sat down. “I’ll need a few minutes, guys.”
    Shortcut paced around the table, humming. X sat on the table and stared at Dr. Brockway, studying his face as he reviewed the code.
    Someone tapped Shortcut on the shoulder. Shortcut turned, and his face went long. “Crandall.”
    Crandall, plumper and sloppier in person, straightened his shoulders and adjusted his sweater vest and tie. “We ought to have a little chat about you disconnecting on me earlier.”
    “I didn’t have a choice,” Shortcut lied. “Sorry about that.”
    “I’m your new boss now,” Crandall said.
    “Really? I guess I didn’t know that. Thanks for the update, boss.”
    “I don’t care if you like me or not. You’ll obey my orders. You don’t report to Fahrens. You report to me. And speaking of reports, speak. Now.”
    “Okay.”
    “Speak!”
    “I just did. I said okay, Crandall.”
    “Tell me about your mission, smarty-pants.”
    “Like hell I’m telling you. Read the dossier. I just gave a report to the Council.”
    “Give me a report of everything you did. This is very important.”
    “I’m not going to participate in this bureaucratic redundancy.”
    “You went to the Council without reporting to me first,” Crandall said, scowling. “That’s not right. I don’t care if Fahrens is the commander. You go through me first.”
    “Yeah, like I would have disobeyed a direct order from the Council to give you an update.”
    “You were in the Council limo. You could have called.”
    “So you’re monitoring my every move now? What kind of espionage techniques are you using?”
    “That’s not appropriate.”
    “Really? And you spying on me is appropriate? You asked me a question you already knew the answer to. Don’t try that crap with me, Crandall. I don’t care who you are, boss or not.”
    “You’re going to pay for your insubordination.”
    “Write me up, then.”
    Crandall fumed as he stomped off.
    Shortcut shook his head and elbowed X. “Can you believe that guy?”
    “New boss?” X asked. “He looks like he can hardly take care of himself.”
    “Don’t ask,” Shortcut said.
    “You should have been more tactful,” X said. “Ineffectual or not, he can damage your career.”
    Shortcut looked at X, hurt. “Let him. At the end of the day, he’ll know that I’m the best freaking hacker in the UEA. At least I don’t sit around and watch robotic cat videos every day.” He flushed as he spoke, and he cracked open a can of strawberry soda and took a big gulp. He crumpled the can, cutting his palm on one of the sharp edges as he tossed it into a nearby trash can. Groaning at the small cut in his hand, he reached for a tissue. “I’m going to file a worker's comp claim for this cut—just to screw up Crandall’s safety record.”
    “A little respect, Shortcut,” Fahrens said. His voice was stern and final. He was looking over Dr. Brockway’s shoulder.
    “That was respectful,” Shortcut whispered to X. “I didn’t bring up the cat videos to Crandall’s face.”
    Dr. Brockway motioned to Fahrens. “I found a way around the door.”
    “What can you tell us?” Fahrens asked. “Was it a hacker?”
    “The coding is quite simple,” Dr. Brockway said. “Someone definitely hijacked this box. But the weird thing is that there’s