Chief Prompter Jameson “Wodko” Aguardento sloppily dragged and even more sloppily dropped the pdf file into the designated interface and clicked the SEND button.

The detective on the other side of the screen started thinking and analyzing and reasoning on the file containing the report from the crime scene, while a rotating circle kept rotating on the screen.

Agentic policing they now call it. Can you believe this shit?, thought Aguardento, where “you” was still himself, or the imaginary listener that he usually impersonated during his workdays. The only partner he got left. The silent, patient custodian of all his secrets and complaints.

When he finished digesting the file the detective asked:

How can I help you today, Chief? 

For Christ’s sake, thought Aguardento, since you’re so smart, can’t you just figure it out?

He sighed, he shook his head, he asked himself if he could believe this shit and then he went back to work.

, he prompted.

A rotating icon appeared on the screen and Aguardento was once again staring at that.

Looks like you got yourself a murder, Chief. Do you want me to solve it for you?

, said the detective.

, typed Aguardento.

But then he didn’t send.

You never know with this machines, he thought. Maybe they’re just chips and cables or maybe one day they come alive with a long list of names and a burning desire to cross them off. Or maybe check a box next to each name after they killed the name’s owner, because they might have even learned to check boxes by then.

, he typed.

That’s more than enough. You think I’m gonna beg you for help? One letter is all I’m giving you and just because the department won’t allow me to solve my murders myself, like I used to do back in the day, cracking heads and shouting threats and connecting them bloody dots until a signature was shakily written at the bottom of a full confession. Back in the day. When the days were still days and not these long, meaningless sequence of minutes spent waiting for a rotating circle to fucking stop rotating.

The primary suspect is a Sigmarillo Ramyrez, 29, male. Last know address [71.6465107, -48.0133489].
Do you want me to elaborate on the motive of the murder?

, asked the detective.

, answered Aguardento, diverting his eyes from the screen to not look at that rotating circle while the report was being written.

The icon of a pdf file appeared on the screen, ready to be clicked and downloaded.

Here's an accurate and detailed report of the murder investigation.
Do you need further assistance, Chief?

Accurate my ass, thought Aguardento, but again he didn’t type it.

He downloaded the report instead, didn’t read it, and sent it to whatever other damn machine was eager to receive it and generate some consequences about it.