Politely, the house's electronic brain waited for a reply. There was none. "Goodbye," the house said.
It felt a key in the front door. It was not like their key. It did not fit snugly. This key wasn't meant for its front door. It hurt slightly but it opened the door.
The intruders stepped into the foyer.
Three infra-red scanners peered at the two strangers.
One was a woman. Long, blond hair. Gray eyes. Small pointed nose. Blue dress and blue, high-heel shoes. The house evaluated her, discarded the word "beautiful" and decided on the words "curvaceous" and "sexy." Yes, it would use those words to describe her to its owners when they returned. It wondered briefly if they were relatives of its masters.
The man was short, stocky. Dark hair, brown eyes. The house searched its files but could not find any complimentary adjectives. It spoke. "No one is home. Would you care to leave a message?" It wished it could inquire as to what they wanted, but there were no circuits for that.
"Shut up," the man said.
"Beg pardon?"
"Shut up! Keep quiet!"
"Yes, sir," the house responded. It was constructed to obey orders, but that order was an unfamiliar one which it didn't like.