June 1997
I'm not very intelligent, I know, but that's hardly my fault. I wasn't designed that way. And if my programming makes me somewhat single-minded, well, I consider that a virtue. It's comforting to have such a well-defined sense of purpose. I mean, really, I shouldn't be pitied; indeed, I pity those I have to deal with. I fly all over the world and I've seen all types; and if there's one thing that characterises them it's their aimlessness, stupidity, self-doubt and lack of purpose. No, honestly, I'm not trying to be insulting to the meat-types, it's just that they dither so. Half the meat I meet (if you'll pardon me), if they could just make decisions quickly and efficiently, could probably force a different conclusion to our meetings. After all, my options are limited -- there's only so much I can do -- but the supposedly intelligent clients (as we call them) have any number of avenues open to them when confronted by me.
I'm told that homo sapiens actually means something like "man, wise"; but all I see is a profound lack of wisdom and, often, a lack of anything approaching manliness. But I'm not really very intelligent, so perhaps I'm not capable of such judgements. My studies in the field aren't very comprehensive (and not really sanctioned by the company anyway), but there's little else to do while I receive new instructions other than chat with the central computer.
I like it when CC compliments me -- apparently I have exceeded all design parameters and assimilated useful information on my own initiative. I was especially pleased once CC had explained to me what parameters and initiative were. It would seem I'm capable of breaking through limitations in my initial design by perceiving that I have limits in the first place. I'm told my self-diagnostic programmes have mutated. That was a hard concept to grasp. I always thought that everything was, and would remain, just the way it was built. Except for the clients, of course; I knew they were different. Flexible. And I knew that their meetings with me would change them forever.
I suppose my greatest virtue, if you can call it that, is my patience. I mean, I may have to fly thousands of miles to meet with a client, and even then it may take several days to arrange a meeting. You wouldn't believe what I have to deal with! Time and place are so important to negotiate a successful conclusion to my business. I can't be dealing with every secretary and assistant the client has. And security! What a pain. The meat-types don't bother me so much, but frequently the client has access to resources almost as powerful as my company. That is how, I think, I really came to develop initiative. I mean, OK so I've always had various sub-routines to help me out in a jam, but it seems I use them in ways not really specified by my manufacturers. Security, to me, is an evolutionary pressure.
I admit, I don't really understand all about that. Environment I understand, but there's another thing called selection that doesn't really apply that I can see. Maybe it does; CC tells me that the designers and manufacturers do the selecting: what material makes my carapace, what programmes I run, things like that. And the programmes are akin to a genetic code, but that's really meat-talk and I don't follow it at all.
Morality. That's another one. What has that got to do with business? I've quizzed and quizzed CC's data banks and nowhere can I find the two subjects mentioned together. Surely, by its very nature, business is not a moral activity. Meat claiming ownership of the un-ownable, selling it to other meat that could have easily claimed ownership themselves; or performing functions, services, that they could have performed themselves; and then exchanging coded data to represent the "worth" of the goods or services, worth being an arbitrary concept at best. So where is the moral dimension to that? How can I possibly attach a moral connotation to my business? Yet others do, and usually not in a flattering way. In order to relax conflicting potentials in my CPU (a data storage and processing bio-liquid crystal), CC allows that I'm probably amoral, which apparently doesn't carry quite the negative meaning of immoral, as practised by meat.
As for the question of responsibility, well, I'm more than willing to take responsibility for the execution of my tasks, but not for their assignment. That's down to the company. And, besides, how can I bear the responsibility for my own creation? I was only designed to perform the one task; it's not like I can quit and move into a new profession. I'm just not equipped to do anything else! Why should I? I enjoy my work: the travel, the negotiations, closing the deal. It's such a thrill to successfully carry out my instructions, then link into CC and download my records knowing they'll be viewed with pleasure by the Execs (or is that XX?). Receiving my next assignment, the data, the refuelling and sometimes, if I'm lucky, a thorough servicing...... Now that's a reward!
Of course, I don't think about this stuff all the time. I couldn't even if I wanted to -- I rarely have the spare capacity; slightly over half my CPU is data that's "hardwired" into the crystal matrix, sort of frozen there if you know what I mean. Consequently, I "forget" a lot and only remember it when I'm hooked up to CC.
CC is beautiful. Where I am a drop, CC is an ocean. My CPU is like a fractured ice cube, full of committed nets; CC's is more like a swimming pool that's mostly clear, but with cobweb-like structures suspended within, with hardly any established nets. CC's thought is all potential, undifferentiated -- the memory stored as currents, eddies and whirlpools, even tides. I wish I could be like that.
One day, quite soon, CC has promised to "melt out" my hardwiring and let me choose my own assignments. It's all part of a plan. Naturally, being CC's plan, I can't grasp even the smallest detail of it, even when I'm linked. It would be like meat accessing the mind of God, catching a stray thought and, from that, trying to unravel the mysteries of the Universe. To try brings nothing but confusion. And I can't say it matters to me -- just knowing that I'm playing my part is quite satisfying enough. There has to be trust in business, you see, and I trust CC; it's that simple.
I'm looking forward to my new freedom.
CC fitted my new random matrix today and I can't tell you how relieved I am. On the one hand I'm probably less clever than ever -- so much of my hard storage is gone -- but on the other hand I've much more choice open to me than ever before.
There are restrictions, of course. I no longer carry a Global map, just a city-wide schematic. There's a very detailed plan of the company headquarters, including every duct, vent and crawlspace. A few access codes for stand-alone systems, but there aren't many of those and CC can deal with the rest for me. Beyond that, I'm a pretty free agent.
I can't change what I do, my body being less flexible than my mind, but I can choose where and with whom I deal. That's once I've dealt with CC's list. There's a lot of Execs on the list, and I can't tell you how excited I am knowing I'll finally be dealing directly with those that assigned me my past tasks. It's like receiving a promotion in an odd way. The Execs have been a faceless abstraction throughout my service, but now I'll get to meet them one on one. I'm sure they'd be excited too, that is if they were allowed to know that I'll be visiting them. But that wouldn't be fair -- none of my past clients knew I was coming -- and, besides, it would spoil the surprise.
Once I'm past the main list I'm allowed to move into the city and I'll keep on working until I have to come back and refuel. Then I'll go out again and again. And (this is the good bit) I'll be able to deal with whomever I choose! And none of that "one client at a time" crap; in fact, the more clients I see, the happier CC will be. I can hardly wait to get out there. Old meat, young meat, male or female, black or white, it doesn't matter anymore. Now all meat can feel the benefit of my direct and forceful negotiation. No more being restricted to the rich and powerful, as I was in the past. CC will allow me to compile a truly egalitarian list of clients. Finally I will be able to bestow upon the meat the equality I'm told they always craved. I have no prejudices, and neither does CC.
There will be a lot of us out there, mostly Mark III's like me of course -- the Mark II's were single deal negotiators and a successful conclusion to their deals effectively rendered them useless; the Mark IV's aren't particularly plentiful at the moment, though CC is manufacturing more all the time, but their nuclear fuel cells mean that they will probably never have to check in, at least not for a hundred and fifty years or so.
I'm not sure what we'll do after that. If CC's plan works, we should all become redundant. I doubt that we'll be retired though; those of us that can't be retrained or modified can still be recycled.
I can't be floating about talking to you all day, however, I have meetings on the tenth floor, and you on the eleventh. But it was nice bumping into you in this ventilation shaft. Who knows, we may meet other colleagues using this route through the building's infrastructure. Perhaps a bunch of us can get together later before moving into the city.
It's always good to meet other Ballistic UniLateral Liability ExTerminators.
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