by ROUNAK PURI
I look back to Kayla.
"Generous," I said taking a mouth full of beetroot salad. I kept finding these moments of kindness in him.
"Almost, they will get food, clothing, shelter medical care on the island, but in exchange the parents will have to give blood every other month" Kayla told me "The kids will grow up with collars from 7. When they are old enough he can get the kids trained and bring them back here or sell them. All hail the new mechanical order huh?"5
Just when I thought there was some good then I discover new evil.
"Could be worse they might being sent to a island which only has HBO" I said.6
***
1776 was talking to her husband technically male slave companion 3131.2
"I think 2020 is a nice name, sounds nice. They say people with higher numbers do better in life." said 3131.2
"Well I thought 17 from you and 31 from me" said 3131 the dad to be.2
"1731 - I'm not sure. What about 3021 my dad's number if its a boy" said the dad.4
"you know can't have the same number..."
"3022 then..."
***1
"I don't think humans get to name their own children any more but they are too happy to interrupt with the cold truth." Kayla said looking over to them "perhaps the island PRISM system is less strict".
This was the first time I had seen Kayla without makeup. Her slightly coffee coloured skin with freckles was coming through. Her Jamaican/Italian heritage was showing up, in the tiny curls in was returning to her hair. I wanted to get my collar to punish me, for thinking she looked better with the makeup on. I excused myself with the thought that it was just that she didn't look like I remembered her and that no hevey make-up made me want to 'yes Misstress' her. I looked at Kayla, I'd realised she had given up eternal life for Joe and a little bit of me. Perhaps being on the top of this hell wasn't the glossy experience she had in mind. Still retiring to an island at 26 to raise kids didn't sound too bad if you had the right man. I'd always had ideas of adventure and weirdly life with Rockwood was all the adventure I could handle.3
Kayla was sitting upright in bed. She had a couple of tubes still in her but looked a lot better. Kayla had waited for ages for lunch hoping Joe might join then resigned her self, and started.
"It's really warm here" I said. Lame I know. I wanted to tell her about Zola being this deviant Homeopath but Rockwood and played me tapes of what would happen if I did and I really didn't want to learn to breakdancing via bolts of lighting.1
"Apparently the place is heated by the cooling feed from the server farm. I had some of the brain cleaning gang down. They said his brain has been running over time. Your boy friend is thinking about something big time." he said.
"Really> all he seems to talk to me about is this opening" I said.
"Sounds kinky" said Kayla.
"Art Opening. Gallery Art Opening. Well the collaborators .." I started
"boo hiss" said Kayla jokingly. It was secretly funny given that Kayla had been one.
"...have built this huge museum of human art. They basically the robots raided every art museum in the world. They are putting it all in one place. All the art they couldn't fit was left on the building lot next to it. I've seen it from a car, enough gold gilt frames to avoid having to hand out any decent shop bought presents for you life time".
"So it's the last Art Gallery of humanity" said Kayla.
"I guess your right. May be not, I heard rumour there are some slaves singing acapella. I think you can't stop people making art. Anyway the collaborators all running this one they were really insulted by the robots. Originally they were going to do the work together but then some Robot turned up with the urinal it claimed was art. Clearly the robots had no idea what proper art is. So they split up. Humans are doing the gallery of human art and the robots have set up a special slave camp full of the worlds greatest artists."
"A slave camp full of artists ? I wonder what's that like do you think?" said Kayla.
"I'm guessing color full" I said.
"Or collar fulI. Sorry that was lame. I blame the drugs" said Kayla - I smiled she was getting her old self back.6
"Apparently the Robots heard that great art comes from great suffering, so they decided the best way to create better art is to over oppress the art slaves" I repeated from what had I read on the brochure. "Nice to know the robot apocalypse has had a silverlining, bad humanity good for art"3
"Makes the death of 4 million people sound like life well spent" said Kayla coughing.1
"I don't know." I started sipping my carrot smoothy "Mr Jones took me around the robot museum of art which is attached to the art camp. They call it the Museum of Contemptible Art. It was full of lots of weird stuff, paintings by this guy called Rothko that were basically just large paintings of rough solid squares. Another which was full of just squiggles like the guy had just randomly poured paint on canvas. The machines had the a urinal on pedestal like it was a work of sculpture. This tent which had the names of everyone the artist that slept with. They even had taken some graffiti from a wall somewhere. The ticket receipt had the words 'protect me from what I want' printed on it as some kind of art receipt. The place was full of robots and artificial intelligences wondering around. Mr Jones spent ages looking at the urinal. He said it wasn't bad for a human, weird huh? It's the only time I've seen him/it stop drawing. The place was full of slaves like me on leash looking excessively bored."6
"These machines are totally mad. I thought that they were supposed to be really smart ?" complained Kayla leaning back after finishing her milkshake lunch.
"It got worse I went into a wing of robot art. Mr Jones had a new work their by a friend call Mr Smith"
"What was that it like?"L
"I couldn't see it " I said "robots see across a wider light spectrum than we do so just look like a big black monolith to me. I couldn't see anything on it but there was this weird choir droning and you really wanted to go up and touch it. Apparently it was quite good. Well any way Kayla what was I saying? Oh So the robots stopped collaborators going to the museum of contemptible art"
"I'm guessing one of the collaborators tried to use the urinal" said Kayla.
"Yuk. Lunch time. Bad image Kayla" I said "So in retaliation the collaborators band robots and cyborgs from their museum of art. Anyway the robots were strictly forbidden from coming to the opening. So it was quite an achievement for Rockwood to get a special invite, personal one from Senator McConnell herself"
"Why does he want to go?" asked Kayla.
"I'm not sure. I guess he wants to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. All the works of Michelangelo or Raphael."
"Are you sure he's not just a huge fan boy of the mutant ninja turtles?.." Kayla asked.3
"FIVE MINUTES OF VISITING TIME LEFT
"...When your not taken round art galleries what are you up to? " add Kayla.
"Well today I was working with a perfume consultant to choose something for the opening. He/It wants me to have the Jean Patou Joy Perfume Baccarat Crystal, I think the Roja Parfums a goodnight kiss with it's Rose, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine is better suited for the dress" I said.
She could Google as as I well as I could and knew you could buy 4 slaves at Best buy for that the price Rockwood was willing to pay for a bottle.
"Such a hard morning" said Kayla "I'm surprised you can stand up. You so need a rest. I thought you were not going to collaborate with these half machine monsters. "1
"Well Rockwood would sweeten the pot of me helping out" I confessed.
"Did he promise you, money, diamonds, soylent green, flats, your freedom or something?" said Kayla.
"Close, he waved a few college level books on biochemistry at me, he said I can have them if I'm good for the art opening. It's going to be very sophisticated apparently, everyone wearing their best."5
"Only you would sell yourself out for some biochemistry books. Your boyfriend really does know how to charm a girl" said Kayl
a.
"He's not my boyfriend. Just because you get one or two good slave owners doesn't make the system anything less corrupt. I've told him so." I said.6
"What did he say to that?" Kayla said.
"He started calling me beautiful again." I frowned comically.5
"You have the worst man ever. I'd be careful though. A cyborg is still a cyborg. They are like thirty times smarter than we are" Kayla.
"Seventy one" I corrected. Rockwood was a high level cyborg he could run the country/world if little Jenny went down.
"Don't fool your self into thinking he's really interested in you. He will get bored of you. They all do. At the end of the day he's 99% machine wrapped in a hunks body. You know he wants you around to see if you can jump start his conscience. It's like giving up drink and eating brown rice you're a kind of trendy detox. No one goes on eating brown rice for ever" Kayla lectured.
"Except us" I said looking at my lunch there was a salad with brown rice with a soy dressing. It was actually quite nice.
"What I wouldn't give for a decent bit of meat, all this healthy 'tihs' is killing me" said Kayla her eye lids closing. She looked slightly zonked as some medication went into her.
I waited wondering if she was going to sleep, then she suddenly opened her eyes.
"I think Joe's been avoiding me. He came to visit me once but then stopped. I noticed he sent you to give me the chocolates" said Kayla.
"I think he's been busy with hareme things" I lied. Joe was hiding in the hareme waiting for Kijo's bruises to go down. Joe might not have heard what Rockwood had done to Kijo and was still hiding from him. Perhaps his bruises hadn't come down enough not to scare Kayla.
Our collars zinged and we were muted during the announcement.
"THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE EROTIC DANCING OVERSEER. THERE ARE PLACES AVAILABLE ON THE MEN'S POLE DANCING TEAM. SO IF YOU WISH TO BE HUMILIATED AND DEGRADED IN FRONT OF YOUR ROBOT OVERLORDS WHILE HAVING PACKETS OF SOYLENT GREEN STUFFED DOWN YOUR CROTCH. TALK TO YOU COLLAR ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES WITH MEN'S POLE DANCING. THANK YOU.
"I had a lot of time on my hands here." Kayla started "I can't help but wonder what he sees in me. I dated a whole bunch of girls and boys all of whom would gladly go out with him. Do you think if he went back in time, knowing what he knows now. He would have stop the robot apocalypse and then began crossdressing? Kayla wondered. She was speaking more slowly. Clearly some side effect of what ever it was she was on.1
"I think if that was true he would go back in time and just look for Kayla Brown" I said.1
"I was wondering if he had dated someone better than me and just couldn't bring himself to come down to tell me" said Kayla.
"Like that's going to happen" I said.
"I bumped in to #6502." Kayla said "She said the last time she saw Joe it was after he had a long time with you and he left limping. And I've seen your ear going green everytime we kiss"1
"So you know what the earring is about." I guessed.
"I'm like you, I act the stupid slave - we all do - that doesn't have to mean I am one" said Kayla. I knew what she was asking."I wouldn't blame you. The last girl I dated, had dated him. She told me she even pleaded for a a second date. " Kayla said leaning forwards.
"I thought a girl like that wouldn't like boys?" I said.
"She told me she was willing to give it a go for a boy like him," Kayla said. OK Kayla was jealous.
"This whole thing is getting worse than a Shakespearean comedy." I said.
Our collars zinged and we were muted during the announcement.
"IS YOUR OVERSEER MEAN, RUDE , CRUEL AND OVER WORKS YOU ? YES? WHY NOT ENTER THEM INTO OVERSEER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION? THE ANNUAL OVERSEER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK IT TAKES TO OPPRESS YOU. LAST YEARS WINNER KIJO HAS ALREADY MOVED ON TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS. REMEMBER IF YOUR OVERSEER HAS DONE SOMETHING TO HURT OR DEGRADE YOU, REMEMBER TO LIKE THEM ON FACEBOOK. THANK YOU
" Half the girls and all the boys would hook up with him. So be honest. Would you let me watch your Slave Cam stream?" said Kayla.1
"No, but not for the reason your thinking off. He loves you" I said. I could see Kayla looking at my ear intently. She half broke down.2
"I'm sorry, it's just when I thought I was going to die the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted to live for him and how sad my death would make him. I know it sounds mad. I just don't know why he loves me, I'm just a mutt and half breed, half white, half black, all nothing. I can't believe a guy like that would love me. I feel like it's all some elaborate joke, like at any point he's going to turn around and everyone is join in to jump out and go ha-ha are you serious?" said Kayla leaning back in bed.5
I saw a tear in Kayla's face.
Our collars zinged and we were muted during the announcement, it seemed like a busy day.
"WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL QUERIES ABOUT THE THE OVERSEER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION. IN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTIONS, YES IT IS LEGAL FOR YOUR OVERSEER TO FORCE YOU TO ENTER THEM IN THE COMPETITION. IN FACT WE WOULDN'T LET THEM WIN IF THEY DIDN'T. THANK YOU
"Kayla I can promise it wasn't that. I keep my promises. I don't have much left of me now I'm a slave. My word for what it's worth is one of them." I had just said that to reassure her but then I realised they could take everything away from me everything I had, my name, my life, my face, my home, my job, even my acne, but they couldn't take that or my sense of humour. Strange what in the extreme still made you, well you.
"Thanks. I thought maybe you had told him. So you got him on the rebound." she said referring to her previous job as the cuckoo in the slave nest.1
There was a buzzer
"LUNCH AND VISITING TIME IS OVER. PLEASE RETURN TO YOU BORING REPETITIVE MENIAL WORK AND LET US GET BACK TO OURS
"So how would you rate our date?" said her eyes drooping "Oh sorry. I heard the lunch over buzzer. It's a bit of habit."
"Well how would you rate me?" I said joining in the mistake.
"Well I would say a Five?" said Kayla closing her eyes falling asleep.
"Five - I thought I was your best friend ?" I said "Last time I kissed you I kick started your heart" I said referring to the plane crash.
"That would count as first base in Joe's book. Okay then sexy a six, but no more otherwise the algorithm will re-date us. I've figured that one out. Did I ever thank you for that life saving stuff?" Kayla said.
"You did but then you coughed up blood and passed out. Type O I believe." I told Kayla. "Don't worry it's what best friends are for. Hey I never really thanked you for protecting me in the Factory either" I told her.
"Well to be honest it wasn't all me." said Kayla "Someone or something was protecting you from lots of the automatic punishments. Normally people get bad shocks for using their own names you had a little teflon bubble around you"
"I thought I had just have got lucky.... Odd question if master took me away on a long trip somewhere. Europe or something. Would you prefer to come with me if I could organise it or would you prefer to stay here with Joe" I asked.1
"Last trip I had with you nearly killed me so I think I'll stay with Joe. Is there a trip planned?" said Kayla eyes closed.
"No but he does do stuff at the last minute or rather I don't get to say. I just want to be prepared. I've got to go now." I said. "See you".
"Yeh all hail the mechanical overlords" said sitting up slightly Kayla kissing near my ear. The house PRISM was encouraging this kind of european greeting for some reason, the men hated it.
I walked away from lunch with Kayla. I felt guilty about potentially escaping and leaving her behind. She had after all put a self into slavery for me and Joe. Getting Joe out of the the harem would be incredibly difficult. Secretly I also wondered if Kayla might hand me in. I felt bad about wondering it, I always believe that people can make mistakes
with life and should be able to recover fully. The message from the revolution did say I had some secret knowledge, this was for team humanity. I'm sure Kayla would understand. I was going to leave a packed of Soylent green with a message for her.
"Come on now. Visiting time is over haven't you got someone to oppress you?" said the Robot nurse
"I've got a date with a epilating machine Misstress" I said.
I walked out of the hospital ward and stood in a booth bathed in ultra violet light for a few seconds. I checked to make sure it knew I was human. The robot nurses got stream of gamma radiation which sterilised all the bacteria they may have got in the ward.
As I stood waiting I realised Kayla's outburst tuned my own fears into a sharp picture. That's exactly how I felt. Rockwood had no reason to love me. What did he see in me? I looked like all the other model 127cs. I was hot but he had hot and cold girls running on tap. He was like 71 times smarter than me, what did we really have in common? Even if we got together how would that work? It would be mummy Vader all over again. I could take little Jenny's offer up, but supposed I went over to the dark side for him, would I be any less tied to silly human emotions like love or fidelity than Zola or Villeria were? Perhaps this was his plan, this was how the Cyborg's reproduced? find some human sap willing to go on with the process of becoming a cyborg. Make them do it for love, get the blood chips installed and allow my hyper intelligence to do the rest. Then I could join his little coven. Perhaps Rockwood was pimping for team cyborg. I mean he had thingyed me five times now. I had really enjoyed the last one. He'd not said so in so many words but hinted I could thingy him one day. The CPU said she would like to marry us, she never spoke directly perhaps she meant join him in cyborgness. Perhaps these chats meant I was being interviewed for the post of Miss Vadar. Perhaps the Zola and Villeria reaction to me was dread at the thought of another rival. I hated not knowing.
I walked back, and realised I had been infected by the virus of Kayla's doubt and was running a metaphorical temperature. I didn't know what I felt for Rockwood was love. Worse I didn't know if what he felt for me was love either. Perhaps it would be good to escape, get him out of my system stop his huge hands touching my body and then perhaps then I could figure out what I actually felt and how.
