RoboNomics

Chapter 14 - 2016

I need to vent to someone. Henri doesn't understand anymore. To him, I betrayed his cause. 

Austin doesn't understand. He just wants me to contribute to our household. 

So a few days later, when I see Miriam at the Protest Group office, I tell her all about it. She is the only one who is in the same position as me. I know she understands.

"They want you to do what?" She asks when I tell her about the press conference. "That's humiliating. Can they really do that to you?"

"What choice do I have? I need money, Miriam, and this is the only money I'm making."

"Why don't you just stay home? Quit that stinking job?"

"I can't. Austin and I couldn't afford that. Even with this crappy job, we've had to cut back a lot. We don't have a lifestyle anymore. Is that a terrible thing to whine about?"

Suddenly, the old freight elevator begins to buzz and thrum to life. As we do every time we hear the elevator, everyone in the room folds up their FlexScreens. Miriam and I take our FlexPhones off the rusting desks and slip them into our pockets. 

The green painted door of the elevator rolls up and Chris steps off. Joe, Oz, and Shari, his garbage collector colleagues, follow him.

"Anderson! You and your friend upstairs, now!" 

Chris doesn't stop when Alexa comes up to talk to him. He does not wait for Joe, Oz and Shari to follow him. 

He just runs up to the attic meeting room without them. Miriam and I make tracks to catch up with him.

"Miriam," I say as I reach the second floor of the office.

"What?" He asks shortly.

"Her name is Miriam. My friend. She's been here longer than I have, you know."

"And?"

"And you should know my name by now," Miriam continues.

"Well, look. I'm sorry. I just don't have -- anyways, why are you getting angry at me? I have a problem with the two of you. I heard you started a website."

"Yes. And?" I ask.

"And you know how I feel about digital machines. Do you really think this is going to help the cause?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't it?"

"That's how it starts, isn't it? We think of these things as helpful. But it doesn't matter. As long as it's digital, I don't want it here."

"You don't have to be such a Luddite about it."

"Don't I? It's just a straight line from helpful tool to intelligent machine that is more than willing to take your livelihood from you. You know all these bots are connected to the internet, right? And they're all connected to each other. I won't have all these goddamn digital monsters tracking us. Take it down."

"So what, we're just supposed to get people to come here with those old rusting pieces of shit down there? With paper?" 

I gesture down over the plaster wall to the defunct machines below. My voice is growing in volume. It seems like every time I speak to Chris, he makes me angry.

"Why not?"

"Why not? Because no one will pay attention to us, that's why not. No one looks up from their phones long enough to even see your 'publicity' posters." 

He's about to say something, but I'm supposed to go to school to get ready for the press conference. 

"Look, I don't have time for this right now. I have to get to work."

"Work?" He looks surprised. "You got a job?"

"Yeah. A lot happens around here when you're out doing...whatever it is that you do."

"What is it?"

"She's a robot technician. She works with a teaching bot at her old school." Miriam offers when I hesitate. 

I glare at her.

"You're what?"

"Look, it's not that big a deal. It's only part time and --"

"So, what, you work for the robot company?"

"Not exactly, it's a contract --"

"You're working for the bloody corporate scum that put us all out of a job?"

"No, I --"

"Out. You have to get out."

"Chris, I --"

"I wasn't sure about this whole thing with you when I heard about the website. But now I know. Now I see everything. You're not committed to the cause. You never were. You need to leave."

I turn to go, rage consuming my insides. 

But then Miriam speaks up. "Wait!" 

I am about to descend the steep metallic steps, but when I hear her voice I turn slowly back towards her.

"Chris, listen. There's a way Andrea can help us. There's going to be a press conference."

"About?"

"About the teaching robot. It's the most advanced bot made by the RoboNomics Corporate and they want to show it off. Andrea's supposed to be a part of the whole thing."

"Okay?"

"Well, it might be a good place to make a point."

"Miriam..." I say as a warning to her.

"What? That's what we're supposed to be doing here, isn't it? We're supposed to protest all these bots, aren't we? It might be a good place to make ourselves heard. We could actually get people to know that we exist and we won't have to use a website to do it, right?"

Chris paces around the room a bit. After a moment, he turns to me.

"All right, Anderson. Ready to redeem yourself?"

"What? How?"

"You're going to get us into that press conference."

(Continued in Chapter 15...)

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It's pretty exciting, so if you can't wait to find out, read on!