Chapter 1: Try not to react to the raig bait
“Emily can I see you in my office please” the intercom sounds over the whole office and I groan internally. My office phone is right there, she could have just called my landline but she insists on letting the whole floor know when someone is being called into tthe principals office. I take my cardigan off my chair, The Folklore cardigan I usually wear in the office, im gonna need all the comfort I can get to get through whatever meeting I am being called for. I lock my office after I leave and briskly walk across the cubicles and people peering over them to watch my walk of shame. I hold my head high as I take the stairs to the executive level. But change routes once I remember they are glass now and I am wearing my grey skirt. I take the elevator and press the button for the next floor up. The executive floor is not that far from us but the difference is stark. Sleek floors instead of carpet, a long log of a desk is the first thing you see once the doors open. Linda used to sit there and greet you with a smile, I miss her shwredness and kindness but mostly I miss her humanity. now the desk sits vacant, only three moniters with a pulsing red glow. The flowers and plants that used to give this floor feeling are gone and replaced by obscure sculpures and vomit inducing art. I take the left and walk past a few vacant offices towards the end. The office where I should have been before our previous boss Mr Martin did what all old rich men do, hire their incompetent sons to take over. The office has a desk and chair like any other but more screens than I can count than any normal office. The red pulsing screen saver shifts and turns into a shiny black woman in a fake background. She always takes up the black avatar in our meetings. “Please sit Emily, and I would like to note in your file that you are two minutes late to this meeting, lets do better next time, time wasted is money out of the companies pocket” the disembodied voice says, the Avatar is smiling and gesturing but the emotions do not match the words. “I was only made aware of the meeting two minutes ago” I say mildly, “Well, my calculations say It should take less than one minute to get up here so like I said its not an issue just something to work on in the future” it says with the same smile “If its oing on my record then its an issue, I would like a review before it goes” A long pause follows my words and the avatar flickers before coming back with the same artificial smile. “Todd is not here to review but will be informed promptly” she says “I called you in here regarding these final reports you emailed to Todd yesterday” she continues like nothing happened “Whats wrong with the reports?” I ask and try to do what my friend Leah instructed me to do, to ask precise questions and show less emotions “Yes, you disregarded the chain of command and sent them straight to Todd, that shows a disrespect in your demenour and the company policy” The mild mannered AI assistant says and I take a deep breath, The deadline had been too narrow and I had been told to either meet it or face disciplinary charges, so when I had finished at around 8 am It was just instict to send them straight to Todd, I had forgotten to cc the AI. “The email you sent me about the deadline stated directly to send the report to Mr Martin juniour by the end of the day, which I did” I reply midly with the same smile “Emily, I understand that the email I sent to you stated that the reports were to be sent to Mr Martins junior before the end of the day, regardless you failed to follow protocol and thus have incured a warning in your permanent record” The smile is gone and now the atrificial black avatar has a stern face and is waving a six fingered white hand. “Noted, I will endevour to be better next time” I say through gritted teeth. I leave the office fuming and A few pitying looks flash my way but I ignore them. The day goes on uniterestingly after that. Mr Martins juniour also known as Todd has entrusted this long standing company into the hands of an AI while he spends his time golfing and clubing and spending money he didnt earn. Since he took over, the workforce has been cut in half, the rest of us are scrambling with doing jobs for three people and getting scolded by a machine when we dare to make a mistake. Welcome to the fourth industrial revolution”
“I’m going to find its severs and strangle it, just watch the artificial light drain from its eyes” I say into my third glass of wine and My friend Leah laughs at me, “It can’t be that bad” she says as she sips her first glass. “It is, Todd hasnt been there in three months, she has taken over, she has fired 50 people since and the work is just piling up” I say as I remember all the co workers I lost, the workplace used to be nice but now everyone is walking on tip toes. “She is just doing what she has been hired to do, like you, try to engage with her more, she will leave you alone, we have the same model at the hospital and she is very helpful” she says looking down at her phone, “Yeah, youre probably right” I say dejectedly, I always feel like I am going crazy when I talk to Leah about this, she does not understand that the reason she finds the hospital AI assistant helpful is that someone human is busy managing it. Not like us where it has been left to do as it pleases. “I just have to get used to the fact that my boss is an AI” i follow it up, looking around the bar.I used to come here with my previous cowokers every friday or to celebrate a succesful qauter but most of them have been let go for no reason at all and I once tried with the ones that are left but the assitant promptly let the whole company kow about the new policy that employees are discouraged to fratenize outside of work. The sturdy brown tables are filled with groups of people chatting and laughing. I get a wistful and lonely feeling that make me want to take a wine bottle home and drink myself into a sturpor. I wait for the bartender to look my way before I signal for another glass, his nod is non-judgemental. “My AI says you need to engage more and to try to understant the companion better, which is practically the same advice I just gave you so, Im right” She finally looks up from her phone, the words dont match the amount of time she was looking at her phone and the laugh she let out a few minutes ago but I let it go. Finally starting to feel the buzz, A lone guy sits in the last booth next to the bathrooms, the light is dim there so I cant make out his face but his build seems big and his checkered shirt stands out from the crips tone coloured shirts in suit and ties around the room. It makes him seem out of place. I look away as the bartender put a fresh wine glass infront of me and takes the empty one. I thank him and take a gulp. Leah is lost in her chat and I spend the rest of the hour listening to corporate people sing bad karaoke, thinking through my options and meeting a bleak lanscape. I dont have any other talents outside of accounting. I couldnt even be a trad wife, I am a bad cook and a worse baker, I cant sing nor dance. I sigh as I realise, like every night since Caude got installed into our company systems. I used to take those days for granted. The next person finishes their song with a flourish and a scattered laugh and claps go around the bar. “My Caude says its time to go home and get some sleep” says Leah as she collects her coat and leaves without looking up from her phone. I’m still watching the door that has swung closed behind her when a deep male voice diverts my attention “May I?” He points to the recently vacated chair and unlike every other male, he actually waits for me to shake my head before he sits on it. “Im next to the speakers back there and the singing does not get better with higher sound” he says as he plops his beer onto the bar. I snort out a laugh but go back to people watching. and by people watching I mean pretending not to check him out. His hair is so dark it gleams in the light and curls around his face to his shoulders. What I thought was a chekered shirt is actually a jacket with leather cuffs. He is rocking the rustic, lives in a cabin in the woods and only comes to the city for supplies look. Even if the city is far from nature. He ives me a tentative look and I continue to pretend to be engrossed by the botched drunk in love rendition happening on the short stage. “I am Brian, thanks for allowing me to sit with you” he says earnestly and I again just nod, his eyes are hazel and probing and his face is the most beautiful face I have ever seen on a man. He has dark bushy eyebrows, a strong nose and a full lower lip that glistens after he takes a sip from his drink. I watch as he raises an eyebrow at my lack of reply. “Im Emily” I manage to say after I clear my throat. “Why’d your friend leave early Emily?” he asks in a sensual drawl, or maybe the three glasses of wine are starting to hit and horny Emily is making an appearance. “Her AI said it was time to go to sleep” I say to him and watch his face scrunch in distaste, “I will never get used to that, having a machine put you to bed” he says and my interest gets piqued. Normal me would maybe gasp and smile in reply but horny Emily puts her hand on top of his tan one and squeezes. Both of us look at the hands, mine darker and smaller than his sun kissed one. “Me too, I hate AI” i say conspiratorily and lean closer to him to whisper as low as I can when a few heads turn our way after my declaration. “Dont tell this crowd I said that, they will pull out their pitchforks and burn me at the stake for such blasphemy” his eyes are shining with laughter but he plays along “I promise” his words land directly on my mouth and I realise how close our faces are. Normal me would lean back and blush shyly but horny Emily is a different beast. I smile back at him and brush my nose against his. He inhales deeply and lets out a groan. My lady parts awaken from their year long slumber. He leans back with a soft laugh making me realise I may have said that out loud. The awful singing stops and few people clap. “Wait here for me, its my turn to ruin a song for everyone” I say and his smile transitions to a full laugh as I hand him my cardigan, suddenly feeling hot. I start singing The man, off key and dancing horribly but Brian is laughing and cheering me so it doesnt matter. When Im done, I wipe off sweat from my brow and contemplate another drink but the bartender hands me a glass of cold water and I thank him. I look to the handsome man on my left and smile. He takes a breath “I think you have succesfully ruined that song for me” he says teasingly, I try to manouver myself back into the high stool but my drunk state makes it difficult. A pair of big strong hands help me up and I feel warmth spreading across my body and I blush as I thank him. “It was my pleasure” I tease him back. We continue to banter and I find myself sobering up but the burning in my nether regions stays the same, sensible Emily and Horny Emily agree on a man, a new phenomenon. The first kiss happens in the uber on the way to my place, his thick beard feels good against my skin and the first thing I do is bite that plump lowerlip. He groans and drags me from my sit onto his lap and pulls me closer to deepen the kiss. The first clash of our tongues has fireworks going in my body. I settle my lower body onto his directly onto the outline of his dick. We both groan at the same time. The uber driver clears his throat and sensible Emily kicks in, I plop back into my seat, holding eye contact with him. Neurins are firing and I have never felt so alive. This promises to be exactly what I need after the day I just had.
