Healthy Breakfast

Clueless

I think that when it’s all over, it just comes back to you. You don’t know what happened until after it’s all over. It’s like a kaleidoscope of memories. You flashback to when it all started.  I think part of me knew the second I saw him smile that my life would change forever.

When I was first dropped off at Kiwi Corp on June 16, 2263, I was amazed. Everything was so clean and polished! A man with dark brown hair whizzed up to me. He wore an unwrinkled turquoise shirt with a brown jacket, no buttons. He also wore blue jeans and black shoes.

“Smart clothes, of course,” I thought in awe. “Hi.” he said, skidding to a stop on his hoverboard. “I’m Steve.”

He picked a board from a nearby rack and handed it to me. “Here.”

I looked at it, stunned. It was beautiful, silver with a glowing kiwi. I tilted it and green sparkles like disco lights flashed across the surface.

Shocked, I blurted, “You ride hoverboards at work? What does the boss say?” Steve threw back his head and laughed. “I am the boss!” With that, he got on his board and whooshed away, beckoning me to follow.

I wasn’t like most people nowadays. Today, people are born with their brains advanced to the optimal level. Smarter people make for a better workplace and economy, the advertisements say. My parents never chose to have me enhanced. They wanted me to learn by myself. I was angry at first, having to compete with the superiors. Applying for Government scholarships to study. Learning coding the old fashioned way.

“You can do anything if you put your mind to it,” my mom and dad would tell me. “Believe in yourself. Believe.”

Turns out, I am a pretty good programmer!  Only 2 of 10 naturals to ever get a chance to work at Kiwi Corp. But, was I good enough? I was always letting my emotions get in the way. “Too much feeling,” my BioScan read.

There were over 10,000 people in the one 12-floor office building. The entrance hall was all glass and open to the sky. A mini-city. The smells from the five main restaurants mixed together into an enticing aroma of BBQ chicken with Asian and Indian spices. The ice cream and candy shop was bursting at the seams, and Mooncents was full of employees looking for their morning caffeine boost. I heard the voice of the gym trainer, urging her students on, and the faint slap of the swimmers.  There was a library and dry cleaners. And, a schoolcare for worker’s younger children, complete with all the latest technology for cerebral advancement. The medical enhancement office in the corner connected to the neuro-pharmacy. In case someone needed a boost in neurofilines to optimize work output. And screens everywhere, flashing the latest news to keep everyone informed. The lot had a constant flow of people and you could see the vibrantly colored self-drive pods zooming around on the hoverwalks.

    As we moved through the lobby, robo-stations offered us refreshments, Earpods with the hipest musical downloads, or the latest gadget on which to check email, schedule, social media status or just check-in.

    As I looked up to the floors circling us above, I saw no cubicles at all! The upper floors were filled with big, clear glass work Pods, complete with assorted chairs, couches, C-chairs, and other comfortable places to lounge. Everybody was relaxed, but clearly hard at work. A large workgroup of about 5-13 people in each Pod were doing some sort of building project. The group nearest us looked like they were building a refillable chocolate bar.

    “Should we go to your workspace?” Steve asked.

“Absolutely!” I replied with anticipation. Steve pointed up. We each pressed a button on our hoverboards and we rose higher and higher until we were whizzing at breakneck speed through the wide “Hoverboard Passage Channel.”

    We reached a door with the sign, “Team Ted.” Steve pressed his hand into the thermo scanner, and when it beeped I did the same. “Name?” it inquired.

“Sofia Zerkurjat, No. 44682 Brand X4,” I replied.

“Retinal scanner ready,” it chimed. I pressed my face into the side of the door so it could scan my eyes. “Permission granted,” I heard, and finally, the doors opened.

“Well! This is it!” Grinning, Steve walked into a side room. His office. Now, go into the Pod and get to work!” Steve exclaimed. “If you need anything, you know where to find me. And, remember, we’re a team here,” he winked. “So welcoming, and kind,” I thought. I heard the door close. The personal profile scanner buzzed momentarily, scanning Steve’s vitals, and the window of his room turned a hazy purple.

I turned around, excited and confused, looking into the empty room in front of me. All to myself...and my team? Steve told me I would be working with a team of seven. But where were they? I went to get a drink of water, then entered my work Pod.  “Buzz,” went the scanner. “I am going to have to get used to this,” I thought, and the room got really cool and comfortable. Classical music played in the background.  My body relaxed into a comfy down blue chair and I inhaled, “Lavender.”

    Suddenly, a robot arm extended from the wall holding out a pair of funky glasses. After a moment of hesitation, I put them on. Seven holographic images of people appeared, obviously waiting. Nervously, I got up in front of them and introduced myself. That’s how I met the crew.

    Ben. Engineer, in Argentina. Pro-phone ball champion. Nyx. Teenage coding phenom from England. Dane. The moneyman. Korean, of course. Vega Two kids, worked from home. Ajax. Strong. Greek. Lugged all heavy supplies. Nova. Designer extraordinaire. Evalyn? OMG! The famous designer of Koshka’s World; it made $1.68 million in its 3D gaming debut!

          

***

    Working at Kiwi is exhilarating and tough.  My team is creating a robot named Ted, so sophisticated it is nearly human. Artificial intelligence is all the rage. Every day I arrive at the office at 5:00a.m., and work until midnight, sometimes staying the night. Holomeetings are the highlight for me, as we come together from all over the world.  And, work and work and work.

    “These superiors don’t need as much sleep as I do,” I yawn as I snuggle under a thermal blanket in the Virtual Slumber Chamber.

    “Wha..” I awake to the sound of Ajax pushing a hovercart filled with triquetrum, trapezium and other minerals from the Andromeda galaxy that scientists said performed miracles. He waved as he passed me. “The designers finally decided on the optimal body design,” he yelled.

“Great!” I smiled, “It only took 197 days.”

But, the coding for Ted has problems. I could use the time. I look at my notes: He can’t cook or eat. Throws food all over the room and screams. Not sympathetic. Not interested in conversation. No manners whatsoever.  It’s taking longer than expected.

    By 3pm, I’ve made some improvements, but Ted is too proper. He acts like a butler. “Code him so he can have fun, I plead with myself.

“Let’s improve functionality so he doesn’t need to go pee immediately after drinking or sound like a strangled rat when inhaling,” smirked Evalyn.

    But, by midnight, our tests still don’t seem to work. My coding is always the cause. I hope they don’t realize how clueless I am. Superiors always think that naturals are clueless.

***

It’s been 364 days. Our deadline is approaching, and we are not ready.  “You write code like a 21st century programmer,” Dane snaps at me. “Naturals have no place here. Get out. You’re clueless, you always mess everything up!”

I stood up. “ Well, your designs are disgusting. You’re just some “little boy” who thinks he knows how to draw. You want a reaction from me, I will give you one. I am a natural thank the gods because otherwise I would end up like you. I. Am. Done.” I left the team with shocked faces. Usually I just passed their comments with a shrug. But Hey, there's only so much abuse a girl can take!

I stomped to Steve’s office to tell him. On the verge of tears, I let loose my worries in a flood of sniffles and sorries.

    He listened. I stopped talking. “Great, he’s going to fire me,” I thought. Too much emotion.

    “Do you know why I picked you?” he said. “No,” I whimpered. “It’s because you are a natural, and not genetically programmed like a robot, you are human. All these years, emotion has been bred out of us. To be able to recognize your feelings and the feelings of others, to be able to use emotional information to guide behavior. That’s special.” “Oh?” I stammered. “Yes,” he replied. “You can do this because you have the gift of having emotions. And, I can help you. Because I am a natural too. I’ve just been waiting for you to ask.”

    What matters most is friendship, then courage, then, perseverance. I learned that today.

***

12 ½ weeks later…..

“Hand me tube 3, electric blue,” I shouted excitedly. “Solid, turns to liquid. Perfect for molding human-like muscle for body. Tube 6, osteoblasts make real bone. Tube 99 eyes, color brown. Tube 100, turpentine and mercury mix. Artificial Blood. Tube 54, foamy material that turns to slime. Great imitation for cartilage. Hixon wiring perfect for nerves, as it conducts electricity.”

    “OK, now let’s hear what Ted has to say,” Steve ordered, with a wink.  I flipped the switch. Nothing…

I manage a lopsided smile. The team pushed random buttons and switches, but nothing works. Frustrated, I give the malfunctioning robot a swift kick.

With a whoosh and a click. Ted opened his eyes and blinked. He held out his hand and smiled, “Hi, I’m Ted! ” Maybe being a Natural is useful after all!

The End!

Word count =1669