<P>The voice slowly grew distinct.
<P>
<P>It was not the same voice.
<P>
<P>This voice was shifting, was robotic, was skipping and fluttering and changing pitch and speed and tune. It sounded electronic. It was babbling incoherently, trying to separate word from word, an odd process, twitchy and inhuman. Like a child learning to speak all at once. It slowly formed a sentence, chattering mechanically, syllables into words.
<P>
<P>"D-D-D-D-Dominic... Bisho-o-p," it sang. The voice fluttered again, the static re-emerged, then was quieted... The voice struggled. Struggled furiously. It almost seemed desperate.
<P>
<P>"Dominic," it said, shaky and uncertain. Then "Dominic," again, in a much lower pitch.
<P>
<P>Bishop stood. Stunned.
<P>
<P>"Dominic Bishop," it said again, now more of a statement than a question.
<P>
<P>"Hello?" was the first thing to slip out of Dom's mouth.
<P>
<P>"I require you to perform a task."
<P>
<P>Silence. It seemed to wait for an answer.
<P>
<P>"What?"
<P>
<P>"I r-require you to perform a task," it repeated, voice glitching, pitch jumping. This was not a human voice.
<P>
<P>"Who are you?"
<P>
<P>"Not important. The task."