Theodore Kaczynski already wrote in 1985 in his manifesto The Industrial Society and its Future: »Due to improved techniques the elite will have greater control over the masses; and because human work will no longer be necessary the masses will be superfluous, a useless burden on the system. If the elite is ruthless they may simply decide to exterminate the mass of humanity. If they are humane they may use propaganda or other psychological or biological techniques to reduce the birth rate until the mass of humanity becomes extinct, leaving the world to the elite.«
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
We, the FREE LUDDITE WORKERS FRONT demand
The interests and dignity of humans first!
Legally guaranteed right to work for all citizens!
Legal limitation of the computing capacity of all computer systems to the level before the turn of the millennium!
Shut down all existing computerized expert systems and robots!
Prohibition of the production, possession and development of anthropomorphic machines (androids)!
You’re invited too! Fight with us or become a slave to the machines!
Protest March in front of the Capitol
Friday 12:00 pm
This was followed by some contact information of the so-called Free Luddite Workers Front - whoever that was. There were dozens of these bizarre anti-technology groups, and every day a few new ones joined their club. They certainly had some good arguments, but most of their demands were simply too radical and completely absurd. Limiting computers to the level of the year 2000? – Well, the Union of Southeast Asian Nations, would certainly be pleased. They would for sure not restrict their computers. And you can imagine, what would happen to our economy. The Luddites should have tried to make such demands in United China, Japan or any other of the USEAN states. The Chinese would certainly not fiddle around with such an opposition movement for long.
However, I wasn’t sure what the future had in store for us either. Even bodyguards and private security guards were more and more replaced by androids. And eventually, it would be my turn as well. Or I would have to work for a wage lower than the maintenance cost of an expensive android. That wasn’t a very pleasant prospect.
While I was so lost in my thoughts, my smartphone was humming. When I looked at the screen, I saw that it was the Old Man again. That guy could be a real pain in the ass. I had already told him I was stuck in traffic. Why couldn’t he just wait until I showed up? But no, he had to bother me every few minutes, like it would get me there any faster. It took as long as it took. Period. But I didn’t feel like listening to his angry ranting and making up an excuse why I still hadn’t arrived yet. So I rejected the call. By a clever modification of the software I had manipulated the smartphone so that it instead sent a notification to the caller hat I had no network signal. That way, the Old Man couldn’t know that I had simply not answered the call. I sneered. Yeah, I had a whole bunch of clever tricks up my sleeve. Being a security specialist, it’s part of the job. If I were ever fired and back on the street, I’d probably just go back to hacking. Maybe I could make more money doing that than in my current job.
Anyway I was not at all comfortable when I thought about the fact that I had to face the Old Man personally in a few minutes and then I would better need some pretty good excuse. This monster could really spoil my whole morning. How beautiful my life would have been, if only Neil O’Neil had not existed, I sighed.
Even before I had crossed the John Philip Sousa Bridge, the Old Man tried to reach me three more times. Each time, I rejected the call. It was another proof of what an impatient ass-hole he was. After the bridge, I turned west onto the Southeast Freeway. Neil O’Neil’s apartment was in an ultra-modern tower-like building right next to the freeway. The capital had lost much of its historical flair when height restrictions on buildings in many residential districts were abolished about fifteen years ago to make room for new apartments in the ever-growing metropolis. After that the city had grown vertically. O’Neil lived in the penthouse of the futuristically shaped, round tower with its surrounding balconies. The tower had no ground-level entrance. I took an exit from the Southeast Freeway elevation that led directly to the building’s parking level.
My car slowed down and rolled towards the entrance that separated the exit of the elevated road from the private parking area that surrounded the tower like a circular terrace on the second floor. A security guard stood at the gate. I knew him well. It was Will Snyder who worked the morning shift. He was about ten years older than me and wore a uniform. Like me, he had a Class III security clearance and was armed with a pistol.
»Dex, at last!« he shouted as he opened the barrier. »Well, you better hurry! The Old Man’s already called down here asking where you got lost. Looks like he is in a real hurry today.«
»Fuck the Old Man,« I answered. »He’s always in a hurry. I can’t get there faster than the autopilot allows.«
I drove into the tower’s high garage and got out when I passed the lift. The car continued on its own and would also park on its own. While I was waiting for the lift, I thought about what I should tell the Old Man. Somehow the story about the traffic jam so early in the morning wasn’t very convincing. I got into the lift and went to the second highest floor. Here Neil O’Neil had some office space right below his penthouse. The tower was circular and had a diameter of about fifty feet. The elevator was right in the center of the tower. It ended at the same level as O’Neil’s office. The penthouse was accessed by a spiral staircase. Leaving the lift I was in the lobby, directly in front of Mrs. Hitch’s desk. Mrs. Hitch was a woman in her late 50s and O’Neil’s personal secretary. Hardly anyone had a secretary these days, as all office duties were usually performed by computers or androids. But of course, as a Republican senator, O’Neil had to set an example. He could hardly belong to a party that advocated restricting computers in the workplace and then at the same time having all his office jobs done by computers. This would have given a pretty bad impression to the voters, although I could not imagine that O’Neil would have had any scruples about rationalizing his secretary away if it would have saved him a few dollars. Of course, it was the same with me. The only reason why I kept my job was that he couldn’t afford to have an android as bodyguard.
Behind Mrs. Hitch there was a wall that separated the entrance area from the actual offices and took up about a third of the space of this floor. The opposite side was covered with large panoramic windows that allowed a beautiful view over the city. In front of them stood a few potted plants and some large plastic dividers with campaign posters on them. This was probably where the campaign of the Republican candidates was planned.
When Mrs. Hitch noticed me, she was all excited and said, »Mr. Dexter, where have you been? Mr. O’Neil has been seriously worried about you...«
And then the monster himself came stomping down the spiral staircase, Neil O’Neil in person. Despite his Irish sounding name, the Old Man had black hair, but it was thinning a little at the sides of his forehead. He also wore a carefully trimmed beard, which apparently gave him something like a conservative appearance. He was about sixty years old and of medium height. He was rather heavily built and had a clearly visible tummy, to put it politely. Actually you could say he had a huge, fat beer belly – although he didn’t even drink beer because he thought it was below his social standing. Arrogant prick! His face looked disgruntled as usual. Contrary to his usual habit, he had forced himself into an elegant suit today, even though his figure foiled any attempt to express anything only remotely related to the concept of elegance.
»Where the fuck have you been, Dexter?« he barked the second he saw me. I didn’t expect anything else. »Do you realize how long I’ve been waiting here for you? Do you think it is okay that I, Senator Neil O’Neil, have to wait a solid hour for my chauffeur.«
»Well, it hasn’t quite been an hour,« I murmured sheepishly, but the Old Man didn’t listen to me at all and continued to scold me: »And especially toda
y! I gave you the car so that you can get here on time this morning and don’t have to use public transport, and you still can’t get your damn ass out of bed. That’s outrageous!« Actually he had only given me the car so I could fill the hydrogen tank last night. »I should fire you without notice,« the Old Man continued. »And that’s exactly what I would do, if I didn’t need you for this appointment.«
I made a desperate attempt of a justification: »But sir, I told you I was stuck in traffic...«
»What traffic?« O’Neil interrupted me. »I looked it up on the Internet. There was no traffic reported at all.«
»Yes, exactly, that’s why I didn’t leave earlier,« I defended myself. »You know, if I had heard of a traffic jam, I would of course have left two hours earlier. I know how important this appointment is and would never let you down, sir. This would never occur to me! But this unpredicted traffic jam took me totally by surprise. There must have been a problem with the traffic control. I really can’t explain it...«
»Oh, shut up already!« O’Neil interrupted my defensive speech. »Take my briefcase here. And now let’s go! We’ve got plenty of time to catch up.«
Mrs. Hitch, who had looked at me all the time in silence shaking her head with disapproval, pointed at the briefcase, which was next to her desk. Oh, great! Now I had also to be the porter boy for the Old Man.
»Come on, Dexter! We don’t have the whole morning for that,« O’Neil urged. »Open the lift; take the briefcase! Do I have to tell you everything one by one?« Apparently the Old Man couldn’t even press the elevator button by himself. That morning he was really getting on my nerves.
I grabbed the briefcase, which was heavier than I had expected. Then we got in the elevator together.
»What’s wrong with your smartphone?« Neil O’Neil asked me. »Do you have any idea how many times I tried to call you and you had no signal?«
»Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe a problem with the phone company...« I said, looking for an excuse.
»Nonsense!« replied the Old Man brusquely. »I could reach everyone else but you. It’s that damn smartphone of yours again. It’s no good. Your camera’s not working either.«
I had disabled the camera myself, so that the Old Man couldn’t see me during a conversation, which was often very useful. »Well, it’s not such an expensive Chinese model as you have...« I gave him to consider.
O’Neil interrupted me. »Even the cheapest smartphone has a working camera and doesn’t have constant problems with the signal. Get a decent piece of equipment! This is an order. It’s not acceptable that my bodyguard can’t be reached. My employees must be available 24/7.«
Yeah, that’s probably how the old slave driver would like it. But I had a different opinion about that. »Of course, sir,« I replied instead. »But I’m a little strapped for cash these days, but as soon as I get a little...«
»Don’t give me that bullshit!« Neil O’Neil yelled at me. »Wait!« He pulled out his own smartphone and started typing on the screen with his thick fingers. A little later, my smartphone started buzzing and I realized that he had transferred two thousand dollars to my account. »I want you to get a new smartphone this same afternoon after we get back.«
I looked at him in awe. You could see once again how little the Old Man knew about prices these days. »Two thousand dollars? What am I gonna do with that? For two thousand I can’t even get a hot meal in a cheap restaurant. Do you know how much the cheapest smartphone at SkyCom costs?«
»I didn’t tell you to fill up your stomach in a restaurant, but to buy a simple smartphone. But okay...« He pushed a few more buttons and transferred me another two thousand dollars. I didn’t let him know how happy I was. I could always use some extra cash. If I sold my old smartphone, I could probably get a new one for less than four thousand on top. But my joy shouldn’t last long. And before I could thank him, O’Neil went on to say, »I’ll be deducting it from your paycheck at the end of the month, of course.«
I turned pale. At the same moment the door of the lift opened. We had arrived at the parking level. »Hey, wait a minute, boss! You can’t do that! Do you want me to...?« But the Old Man had already walked out and didn’t listen to my objections. I cursed that son of a bitch when I picked up his damn briefcase and followed him.
Neil O’Neil called the car with his smartphone. Obediently, the car left its parking lot and rolled to the exit of the elevator. The Old Man sat in the back seat. I dropped the briefcase into the passenger seat and sat down behind the navigation console.
»We’re going to the New Willow Restaurant in Arlington. Express route,« O’Neil ordered.
I wasn’t familiar with this place. Must’ve been one of those posh joints only senators used to frequent. Fortunately, the navigation system recognized the address. The car started.
»Ah, we’re going for breakfast. That’s a good idea, boss,« I said. With all the stress this morning, I hadn’t gotten anything between my teeth yet. I was looking forward to some delicious toasts with baked bacon and eggs, a cup of coffee, orange juice and selected fruits, as they are probably served in such a restaurant.
»No way!« O’Neil brutally destroyed my illusions. »This is a business meeting. I told you last night we were meeting with Jensen, the representative of Boston Dynamics. I guess you weren’t listening at all.«
»Yes, yes,« I assured him. »That guy from that robot company.«
»Boston Dynamics is the leading manufacturer of robotic systems in the United States,« O’Neil explained. »Also, there is news that you don’t yet know about.«
»Oh, yeah, and what?«
»Charles Rosenberg, First Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, will also attend this meeting, if that means anything to you.« O’Neil stressed that name as if it was the UN Secretary General in person or something. He took a meaningful pause, as if he expected that name to evoke some kind of awe in me. In any case, the name didn’t ring a bell to me. But of course I didn’t let him notice that, but instead made a cognizant face and nodded slowly. »Oh, this guy!« It was better to make O’Neil believe that what he had just told me was of tremendous importance, even if I couldn’t care less.
Somehow I didn’t seem to convince him though, because he asked: »You know what the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is?«
How stupid did he think I was? »But of course. That’s the bank that prints all the money,« I answered and turned to him.
O’Neil pulled a face like I had again said something really dumb. »Money hasn’t been printed for a long time,« he rebuked me. »It’s just a virtual number, but it’s controlled by a country’s central bank. And the Federal Reserve is practically a central bank, in a sense. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is the most important bank in the Federal Reserve System and therefore has a permanent seat on the Federal Open Market Committee. It is there that the entire financial policy of the United States, or the North American Union, is decided. This should give you an idea of the importance of this man.«
»Must have a lot of dough,« I said. In the meantime the car had left the parking area of the apartment block and drove up the driveway to the elevated road.
»It’s not that he’s got a lot of dough, as you put it,« O’Neil said. »What’s more important is the question: What does he want from us?« From us! He didn’t want anything from me, so much was sure. The use of we was one of O’Neil’s rhetorical tricks. I think it was supposed to evoke a feeling of community and solidarity. He should spare these tricks for his campaign speeches. They didn’t work on me. When O’Neil spoke of we, he usually meant himself, as if the interests of all other people were always identical with his own. O’Neil continued: »It’s an open secret that Boston Dynamics, like the Fed, supports the Democratic campaign. The fact that they are talking to me, a Republican senator, is therefore, to put it mildly, a most unusual move. I’m sure there’s some important reason for this meeting.« Then he spotted the pamphlet I still had in the passenger seat. »What have you got ther
e? Let me have a look!«
»It’s from those Neo-Luddite wackos,« I said and handed it to him. That one of these Neo-Luddite nutcases was a security guard in my apartment complex, I’d better not mention.
O’Neil read it and then laughed. »Now even the left-wing liberals are turning against the Democrats. Looks like the election’s gonna end in a landslide for us.«
»It’s not out yet,« I disagreed, because I was more sympathetic to the Democrats, and if it was only because Neil O’Neil was a Republican. Whoever was against O’Neil couldn’t be all bad.
»That’s as good as certain. All polls predict that the Democrats will lose the majority in both houses of Congress. In the Senate it’s not entirely sure yet, but they will certainly lose the House of Representatives,« O’Neil said confidently. »The Human Dignity Bill really seems to be the central issue in these elections, when I look at this leaflet. And this bill will only pass Congress if we have a majority in both Houses. It will be important that we focus our campaign on that point.«
»If you say so, sir,« I just said.
»Of course it is so.« O’Neil continued thoughtfully with his monologue: »Boston Dynamics, however, has a vital interest in stopping this bill. I wonder if that’s the reason they asked for this meeting. This could be very interesting, especially if the Fed got involved.« The corrupt son of a bitch obviously smelled cash. O’Neil combined pretty much all the negative qualities of a politician. I had no doubt he would sell his vote in the Senate for the right price. The Old Man had no morals whatsoever. »Well, we’ll soon see about that. It was important that we talked about it before this meeting. At least now I’m prepared for what’s in store for us there.«
Talked? – O’Neil had lectured me. That was his idea of a conversation. He spoke and everyone else just listened devout to his wisdom. After a few minutes of silence he obviously got bored. »Turn on the TV, Dexter,« he said.
Crusade Against the Machines Page 4
