I take the ticket the ghostly female machine voice offers me.

"We are followed by a crowd of diverse vessels," the machine voice replied.

It was also muttering in a machine voice.

The voice was practically identical to the machine voice at the first bank I'd called.

"Five seconds to insertion," said the machine voice in Hansen's mind.

The flatness of its machine voice made his flesh crawl.

"Very well," the machine voice replied after a long moment's silence.

"I'm being silly," she said in a machine voice.

The machine voice said: "The facts have been integrated.

Medically restrained, said a machine voice in second hearing.