"Freeman, in my office," the voice came from the lieutenant in charge of my patrol sector.

"Yeah lew," I said as I closed th door.

"How's the new partner?"

"She's okay," I replied cautiously.

"She? I knew you had given it a name. Are you two having sex as well?" It was his idea of a joke

"Well Lew, she has been where she needs to be, and done what she needs to do, so no she ain't screwed me yet."

"So, she is going to work out?"

"Lew, it's been a week how the hell can I answer that."

"Well Edgar I'm going to tell the radio room to have you take all the emergency calls in your sector, if you are free, and to back up on all others city wide, if you aren't tied up. I want to see what it can do."

"Is it that, or do you want to get me killed?" The lieutenant and I did not always get along. It would be a good excuse to get rid of me and Annie.

"Some gifts just keep on giving," he replied.

I left the room not at all happy. Most cops go 'hands on' no more than a couple of times a year. I did it a little more often than most. I enjoyed bullying bad guys and I had a high threshold for pain, so I was the right man for the sector I worked. In my sector there was a park and that park was in the center of two different gang areas. Lots of smaller gangs hung out in the park as well. The park became indian country with the setting of the sun, most civilians stayed out of the park after dark.

. Since the lieutenant wanted to test Annie, I decided to do it on my own terms. I figured it was time for a walk through indian country.

I ate a light meal just after sunset. It was hard for me to eat with the almost pretty Annie sitting at the table just looking around. "I understand that you don't eat, but what is with the constant looking around while I eat."

"I'm in learning mode now. I am processing all the information I can take in."

"Oh and what have you learned in the last ten minutes." I figured that was the approximate time we had been inside the restaurant.

"Well the blonde in the booth behind you hates to give head. She told that to the woman with her, then she said, 'I will be happy when she is married so I can stop.'" Annie had been somewhere else while she recited it to me. She obviously was in playback mode. She suddenly turned to me very serious and asked, "What is giving head?"

"Oh shit Annie, have they taught you nothing at the lab?"

"I think they have taught me most things but I can't possible know every slang term in use today. If you will define it, I might know it by another name."

"I don't know the fancy name for it but it's when a woman performs oral sex on a man." I said as calmly as possible.

"And why did your ears turn red when you said that?"

"I have no idea. Let me eat in peace. Go back to your learning curve."

After dinner we took a stroll through the park. I left the car ready for the worst. Most nights when I walked through the park, I was semi suicidal but not that night. That night I just wanted to see what Annie would do. I knew she had courage built in so she wouldn't run for sure, but her first command was to never harm a human. It was in her code or so I had always heard.

According to Dr. Brent, her handler, she had been modified to do the least amount of harm possible while keeping me and the city safe. I had my doubts because it was a close thing between watching someone kick the crap out of me and stopping them. At least I didn't have to worry about her having partner hate or envy. She didn't have those in her program.

There were six of them but two didn't count they were gang banger chicks. "Don't worry about the girls they are just the cheerleaders. The other four could be a problem just hang back and follow my lead." I whispered it while we were still out of hearing.

"Well officer what brings you to my turf?" the obvious leader asked.

"You got that wrong cowboy, this turf belongs to the mayor and she is tired you hanging out and not paying tribute so move out of the park."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'm going to search you and I am going to find a weapon or drugs on you. You and I both know it. So move out of the park or you are going to jail."

"So you and your cop whore are going to arrest us?" He turned to his friends and smiled.

"Yep, that's the plan." I tried to stare him down.

It was at that moment that the cheerleaders stepped up to the plate. "You ain't gonna'' let him talk to you like that are you?"

"Of course he is cause he knows I'll kick his ass." I said it with a smile. He took a step back and reached into his pocket. He came out with a knife but before he got it open he was on the ground shaking like a man having an epileptic seizure. Annie my partner had tazered him.

Before I could do anything the rest of them ran away. I waited for Annie to kill the juice before I pulled him up to search him. He had the knife and a big wad of cash. He also had what appeared to be a couple of rocks in a plastic bag.

"Was that the correct thing to do?" Annie asked.

"Right by the book, you sure know how to take the fun out of the job." I could see the writing on the wall. Too bad I had five more years before I could retire.