RoboNomics

Chapter 15 - 2016

The hallways echo with a feverish pace of activity, but I sit quietly in my classroom. I am supposed to work with the damned I.I.U. to program tiny, flexible electronic name tags. They'll hang around the necks of press conference invitees. 

We're at the small, round group worktable in the corner of the room. We sit across from each other. But I'm not working. 

I stare at the multi-colored reading carpet that starts at the leg of my chair. She -- it -- doesn't really need any help. She uploads the list of names from her memory onto the little devices with smooth, quick automation.

"Look, I need a break. I'll be back," I say to the machine after a couple of minutes. 

I rise out of my seat.

"All right. Ms. Anderson. I will see you in approximately two minutes?"

I don't respond. I just turn and walk out of the classroom. I head down the hall, towards the staff washroom.

None of the students are at Crescent Street Public School today, but the long brick building is full of people. Jay and Principal Goodman agreed that the best day for the press conference would be the last Friday of school before the Christmas holidays. 

This last week before the students are let out of school is never a productive time for learning, and the day before the conference has been declared a holiday for the kids. 

But the teachers, Jay and I are all here to help out. Besides us, there's a bunch of RoboNomics employees here: RoboNomics Canada liaisons and RoboNomics International representatives who bustle around the school in coordinating pant suits.

Henri and Mr. Cabrera stand down at the end of the primary classrooms. They wear red Christmas sweaters with embroidered appliques of snowmen and Santa Claus. 

They are near the school's main entrance and talk with suited folks who are obviously RoboNomics employees. Mr. Cabrera points down the hallway and Henri laughs. 

The corporate types move away and Henri mounts a short stepladder. Mr. Cabrera hands him an electronic sign that points the way towards the school library.

I walk under Henri on the stepladder. Mr. Cabrera, who holds the ladder's legs, spots me and smiles kindly, as if I'm part of whatever stupid joke they shared with the RoboNomics employees. 

"How it going with Teacher?"

"It's fine," I say shortly. 

Henri pauses in his work. I can feel his eyes on me but I don't look up at him. I duck into the washroom without talking to him. 

What would I say to him? It's been a while since our fight back in September, but how can I explain to him now that I think he was right? 

I hate my job. Every day that I work at this contract is another day that I despise myself. But what other choice do I have? What other job could I take?

When Chris first said that I should get him into the press conference, of course I didn't want to. For a long time now, I've always done what's right. I've followed the rules. I've been very careful not to step outside of what is appropriate, what is expected of me, and what is legal. 

So when he told me I had to help him sneak into the press conference, I flat out denied him.

"Are you crazy?" I said at the time. "There's no way I'm putting my job at risk."

"The way I see it, Anderson, you can either help us or you can leave. It's your choice."

I was about to leave when it occurred to me: how else would we get the people to pay attention to us? How else would they see that I needed my job back? 

If I could get Chris into the press conference, where there were cameras and reporters and the people who would decide the fate of the I.I.U. project, maybe we could say something to change their minds. 

Maybe I could tell them how terrible she is with the children. Maybe we could even convince the school district to shut down the entire project.

"All right. I'm in." 

It was all I had to say to him to put the plan in motion.

I don't really need a washroom break like I told the I.I.U. I emerge from the staff bathroom to find out who else is in the hall. Henri and Cabrera are gone and I don't see anyone else. 

I don't have long now. I'm going to have to reprogram her as quickly as I can. 

I turn the corner into the primary classroom hallway. Mrs. Khan, one of the older teachers, is quickly trotting down the hall. 

She smiles when she passes me but disappears around the corner. The corridor is quiet and empty. 

If I don't do it now, I might not get another chance.

I get back into my class and as quietly as I can, I close the door behind me. I don't want to alert the robot that there is anything happening that's different than what she expects.

The plan is simple: I'm going to make up a name card for Shari, who will trade her ratty jeans and flannel button down for a suit. She'll pose as a reporter from an obscure Toronto news website and once the press conference starts she'll slip out and let Chris, Joe and Oz into the school. 

The four of them plan to interrupt the proceedings to make some statements of their own to the gathered press. It will be easy to accomplish as long as I do my part.

''What is next?" 

The machine looks up at me. Her long, gawky limbs are still squeezed awkwardly into a child-sized chair.

''Hang on, a second, will you?"

I walk over to the teacher's desk and access her programming. I just have to find the right lines and then she'll automatically think she's missed a name tag and make one for Shari.

''What is that you are doing?"

''Nothing."

''If you are certain, Ms. Anderson. I'm sure you know best."

When I access her programming, I see that she's recording my behavior as an anomaly. I quickly erase all record of my actions. 

It's not that anyone at the school with be able to pick it out of her millions of lines of code. But I don't want her to go report it the staff. 

I need to be an anonymous actor in this. I quickly add Shari's name to the list of press conference attendees that have been uploaded to her memory.

I'm just about to log out of the coding screen when Henri strolls into the room. 

"Whatcha up to?" He asks amicably. 

His voice echoing in the empty classroom startles me.

(Find out whether Henri finds out about Andrea's plan in Chapter 16...)

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In particular, do you think Andrea and Chris' plan will work?! Let me know and then find out by reading more!!