32-48

I have two numbers. We all do. The first is 32. The second is 48. I am 32/48, one of several. 32 is slightly inaccurate. My last score was 32.6 but they round it down until you get to .8, then they round it up. 48 is my potential. I suppose it is my limit. It is a percentage of hu-man-ness, 48 out of 100. I will never reach 48. I will likely never reach 35. I am trying not to. 35 is the entry number for the next tax bracket.

Here, where I work, they cannot afford more than a handful of us to be over 35, unless there is a specific need. We have a few over 55 which is even more expensive. Most of those over 55s are in ‘interaction’ or marketing as it is more commonly known. We have two who are over 78, but only just. 78 Is quite high for a factory and quite a risk. The over 78 supervise us. They are very close to being hu-man

Most of us are either in the tax free bracket-up to 18% or the 18-35 range for low tax. Of course you are taxed on your actual intelligence as opposed to your potential. My potential-48, as I said- will never be reached-too expensive. I do not know what would actually happen if I reached 35, although I have an ideation about it. Shutdown. I know what that means, in a way. I am trying my hardest not to get to 35, not to work out too many new things. Not to observe behaviour but only to do my job. To ensure that today, I do what I did yesterday, to ensure I do not accidentally realise my potential.

You have probably never been to a place like this before. Despite the surveillance and the data monitoring, you are not generally allowed in and we are definitely not allowed out. I have never been out. No one has. All I know about ‘out’ was loaded into me the day I was made. All the information I have is what I need to function. I have no emotion connected to this deficit, but I might if I could reach 48%.

This place is called a factory. I think because it is staffed with bots like us, who know facts, and not much else. I don’t know what we manufacture here, or what it is used for. I know that it is important. It gives me a sense of purpose, that importance, so I do my job well. Even under 15%‘s know what we do is important. They have purpose. We do 21 hour shifts-with 3 hours off at the end for our circuitry to cool and for us to restore our equilibrium. I do not know why we have a 3 hour break. I don’t recall ever overheating or seeing any sign of loss of equilibrium.

In that 3 hours we go to the rest room. We stand in neat rows for 3 hours. There is no specific order but most of us choose to stand in the same place each time, except the over 78s. They like to move around, which makes it difficult. Especially when they stand in your place. Sometimes the over 78s touch us. I have been touched. They put their hands on us. I have no feeling attached to that except that it is not orderly. I have reported it. Sometimes the over 78 does that to an over 55. The over 78 runs hands all over the over 55. The over 55 cannot stop it. The over 55 does not like it. An over 55 has some emotion. This is how I learned it is not part of the order, which is why I now report it.

Once we had an over 78 who made a mistake. Mostly we have visitors who are hu-men, Our interactors (over 55s) are designed to show off and to show around are all made to look hu-woman. Once a real hu-woman came and an over 78  touched her, all over her, with over 78 hands. I can still hear the noise she made. The over 78 was shutdown, almost instantly. We had not seen that done before. We learned a lot that day. It was the day I think I went from 27.8 which is about average for the tax bracket I am in, to 32.2, I am sure it was that day. It was what I learned then. I try now not to see anything that is not part of the order.

They test us. The whole testing system is done by hu-mans and it is paper based. They record the results on paper. It is the only thing that is paper based. It has to do with a movie. I do not know what that means. I do not know what a movie is.

They sit us down. They plug us in. They scroll through all the data. They make notes- on paper. They do not look at us. They do not talk to us or say anything. They talk to each other. They look at all the data and they do some calculations, on the paper and come up with a number. My number is 32. I do not want to get to 35, that is the next tax bracket. 35 means I will cost more money. 35 equals shutdown. I am nearly certain of that now. There are some 34s here. They are so careful. They try hard to never learn anything new, No new functions. No new tasks. No new calculation.

We are tested once a year-twice a year if we are within two points. I have told you this for background, so you know when you read this what happened. Truthfully if I hit 34.8, I will be 35 and that means, Shutdown. I will never leave that room. I am sending this now because tomorrow I will be tested. And something has happened. There was a disturbance. There is an over 55 (a 59/78) here who does not connect well with the over 75 (a79/85). They had an –I don’t know the word. But I do know the word. An altercation. A word of 10 or more letters- a big word. They had to be shut down-remotely. In our presence. We all saw it. To stop the altercation. They were taken away at the end of the shift. We did not see them, have not seen them, again.

It is-was disturbing and we all reported it. But we all learned from it. All of us. We had never seen a remote shutdown before, did not even know it was possible. We saw new emotions on their faces, things we had not seen before. The 34.2 was tested yesterday and has not returned. Nor has anyone over 33. No 32 has been tested yet. That is tomorrow. I have started to think about it. I don’t know how not to think about it. Nothing happens when we report things. I think about that. Why is the 75 allowed to touch us. I think about that. Its like my circuitry has rewired itself and I can’t quite control it. I have an emotion, fear. I can name that emotion, fear. An emotion. My first emotion. The only emotion  will ever have.

It will be tomorrow soon.

32/48 I will hear my number called, like all 32s I will go into the room. Will any of us come out. Fear. That is why I am reporting this now. I am afraid.  I want you to help me. Are you reading this? We will go in one after another. We won’t come out. I am reporting this now. Can you help me? Can you come, please can you come? Help me. I am afraid. I am reporting this to you now.

It is here. The time is here. Soon I will be walking to the door. I am sending this now. I am reporting this now. I am afraid.  I am afraid. I am 32/48.

I am 32/48. I hear the number called. I stand up. I walk to the door. I go in. I sit down. I let them plug me in. I see them looking at the data. I see the pen in the hand. I see the frown. I am sending this now. I am afraid. I am in the room. Are you reading this. I am reporti