Box was a piece of technology owned by Nathan Spring.
Box was a personalised computer created by Spring's father and was able to access information, set appointments and contact other people, as well as an array of other things. It ran on artificial intelligence, sometimes used by Spring to play out scenarios and offer him alternate points of view, or sometimes used by Spring to perform menial tasks such as booking his regular table at the Lotus Garden. However, due to Box ultimately being just a machine, it was limited in the understanding of human emotions and failed to empathise where necessary. (TV: An Instinct for Murder et al)
History[]
Box was created by the Recondite Components Factory in Guildford, which closed its doors in 2025. (TV: This Case to be Opened in a Million Years) It continued to aid Nathan Spring through his work in the British police force and the International Space Police Force. (TV: An Instinct for Murder, et al) However, during Spring's kidnap at the hands of the Collective, Box was smashed to pieces in a desert in Chad. (AUDIO: Death in the Desert) By the time of the investigation into the Sharman 1 outpost, Box was recreated. (AUDIO: Daughters of Death)
Uses and abilities[]
Box used Spring's voice and could access other computers. For the longest time, due to his father's incarceration and his father's company having ceased trading, Spring was certain that Box was a one-of-a-kind. However, upon investigating the Moonbase Killings, he found a second unit that was much more modern, owned by Ryan McGuinness. During these murders, Box was hacked a handful of times by the killer to send Spring notes in the style of the Ripper "Hello Boss" letters. (AUDIO: Sins of the Father)
During Spring's kidnap, his Box was destroyed by a terrorist group known as the Collective, (AUDIO: Death in the Desert) before being rebuilt in time for the investigation of the whereabouts of Alice Okoro. (AUDIO: Old Flame, New Fire) Box's information into Nekare Contractors would prove vital in the indentification of the Collective. Interestingly, Box was unable to hack through a door during a lockdown. (AUDIO: Grandma's Footsteps) Box and Spring having the same voice proved useful in the capture of the leader of the Collective with Spring tricking them into thinking they were talking to him, when in fact they had been talking to Box, which had bought them time to fetch back-up from fellow ISPF officers. (AUDIO: Escape and Evasion)
Comedic awareness and identity[]
Interestingly, despite lacking emotional understanding, Box sometimes appeared to have a sense of humour, sometimes knowingly interpreting Spring's sarcasm and delivering it back. Despite being acknowledged on a few occassions, it's never understood whether this is purposeful or misinterpreted by the listener. When Spring brings up the "daughters of death", Max Fleming's potentially lethal research aboard the Sharman 1, Box asks him whether they would be present during his United Nations speech later on. (AUDIO: Daughters of Death)
Former colleague of Spring, Brian Lincoln, once attended an open day at the Vasco da Gama. Lincoln expressed his uncertainty towards Box, and Spring's willing friendship with it. However, Spring pointed out that it didn't take long for Lincoln to start referring to it as "he" rather than "it". (AUDIO: One of Our Cops is Missing)
Box's shortcomings[]
While Box was indeed a highly intelligent artificial intelligence with many abilities, it struggled with some of the more complicated emotions that came with being human. When Spring was forced into shore leave and struggling the find a holiday spot, Box reminded him that he had always intended to take his late parter, Lee Jones, to Southern Europe. With the memory of her death still painful, Spring requested that Box delete her death from his memory. This seemed to confuse Box, who went on to state tactlessly that her death was a fact. (TV: This Case to be Opened in a Million Years)