Browser City

Chapter 8: Pixel

"I want to keep it, Dad!" Zita exclaimed with joy and glowing eyes while clutching her flying skateboard in her small hands. "Please, please, please! Please say 'yes', Daddy!"

She couldn't help being excited about it. A dog was all she had ever wanted. Aethelred was trying to hide the fact that a dog was the last thing he wanted to take care of right then. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Ragna simply giggled at his reaction.

The reaction from the rest of the team was unanimously homey – everybody's but for Ajax's. He didn't feel such a warm environment had anything to do with him or his job there. He was visibly uncomfortable with his spread, tense legs and crossed arms over his broad chest. Only Shannon and Bea, standing side by side, noticed his awkwardness, though.

"It's not safe to keep it with us," Ajax commented in a low, growl-like tone of voice. They had just run a scan on the dog to see whether there were any traces of malignant code that might compromise the Core's safety. There was nothing to worry about. "It might've saved us, and it might not have malignant code, but only the Developer knows whether it's defective. Without a chip on its collar, he's not loyal to anybody."

"Let's give the dog a chip, then," Shannon replied, absolutely carefree. Her current joy sprang only from the satisfaction of pissing Ajax off.

That comment made Ajax silently rage, frown, and clench his teeth with annoyance. Shannon caught him looking meanly at her – and she smirked back at him in a childish attitude. The subsequent fiery look in his eyes was priceless.

"Come on, my cookie," Ragna gently begged her husband, who was still hesitating. "Let's give it a chip. It won't become a burden. Zita can take care of it, right?"

"Yes, I'm old enough, Daddy!" Zita replied excitedly with bright eyes and a hopeful expression on her face. "I promise I'll take really good care of it!"

"I can help Zita to take care of it," Shannon happily intervened, making Ajax glare at her once more, "in case you're worried she won't, brother. We can do it together! I really like this dog... for some reason," she added with naughtiness.

That last comment made Ajax roll his eyes with exasperation. The funny reactions of both Shannon and Ajax had not gone unnoticed by Aethelred, who was staring at both of them with an intrigued look on his face.

"Come on! It's so cute, Daddy! Can we keep it? Please, please, pretty please?" Zita insisted.

"Okay, fine!" He gave in with a loud sigh. "Thank the Developer it's got no malignant code. We'll give it a chip and a home. But you need to take care of it, Zita."

"YES! I'm gonna name it... Algo!" Zita said then, petting it over and over. The dog welcomed her open display of love with a soft, pleasing grunt and flawless doe eyes.

"Algo. From algorithm. Cool, and it makes sense," Shannon replied with satisfaction.

Ajax simply chuckled with incredulity in a low volume as he kept staring at Shannon. The obsessive way his eyes were attached to her was as intense as Bea's eyes on him at that moment. She still felt pulled by his ruthless magnetism despite what had happened before. He had not noticed Bea staring then, though. He was too busy focusing on Shannon while she was petting Algo right beside little Zita.

Out of the blue, Amser noticed a notification on the screen over the control panel. It was an invitation to a call meeting from someone called Dominic Eageleye.

"An incoming call. Ajax, this is for you, I guess," Amser called his attention. He turned his head to her in amazement. "This Dominic Eagleye sounds like a relative of yours."