Pepperland - a Beatles fanfiction

Chapter 14: Thelma

The new control panel had way more buttons than the last one, and consequently was a lot more complicated. Finn immediately started fiddling around but was stopped by Roger, who blocked him with his arm.

"Wait." He said. "We need to at least find out what this thing does..." As if in response, there was a buzzing noise from the panel. It seems to be coming from a strange round speaker that was held above the buttons on a metal bar.

It buzzed angrily for a few seconds before a cool, calm female voice came out of it. "Hello." It said. Blue giggled. "It sounds like female Siri!" She said.

Although he didn't get the joke, Roger laughed too and asked the speaker "What is your name?" It replied robotically "Thelma."

Blue actually started laughing uncontrollably. "Thelma? What kind of high tech computer is called Thelma?!"

"Don't judge." It replied "And I'm not just a stupid computer either." Thelma sounded highly offended. "This control panel is designed specifically to help you get directions to certain places; and how to get there. It can actually be pretty helpful." The speaker revolved on the metal pole to face them.

Blue would never have thought a speaker could glare at her, but this one was certainly giving her a dirty look.

"First." Said Thelma "Let's set up your panel." She sounded annoyingly excited about this. "If she's anything like a laptop." Commented Blue "Then they'll be loads of updates that take forever."

"I. Am. Not. Like. A. Computer." Snarled Thelma. "Now then. What voice would you like me to take on?"

"You mean?" Asked Roger "You can have different voices? And accents?"

The speaker nodded slowly.

"Well!" Said Blue "Enough of this creepy lady's voice! Let's have the beautiful language of Liverpudlian please Thelma. Male if you can."

"O' course." Came the wonderful Scouse reply. "So... this good enough for ye Blue?"

Grinning, Blue turned to the others. "Everyone happy with a computer that sounds like George Harrison?" They nodded. Secretly Finn kind of liked the lady's voice that they had had before, but he didn't say anything.

"Wait." Said Blue. "Is Thelma a female or male name? Because if we make you have a male voice and your name is female... would you mind?"

The speaker stayed very very still. Again, Blue was surprised at how well it could show emotions. It looked extremely awkward. But it was just a little speaker on a pole.

"Let's just say." Replied Thelma, still talking male Scouse. "It's a gender neutral name?"

"Okay."