I'm a Cyborg's Pet (girl X cyborg)

Chapter 13/Friends

A/N Picture above of early prototype of 3D Printed slave dress. Video of more on dress printing

Jenny's POV

I was quite over dinner, the machines had given us crispy vegetable pakoras and Indian Eggplant - Bhurtha. They kept feeding us different, healthy, meat-free crap. Kalya said she hadn't seen a pizza in three months. OK, what they fed us was very tasty, but you kept having to try different types of food all the time. I would killed for a loaf of soft white bread. Strange what you miss...

I had sneaked behind the kitchen doors, looking for weaknesses in the perimeter. I saw the red line on the floor and my collar had given me my first warning. While I was there, I glimpsed all the food printing machines churning away. They could cook anything and we all got the same thing every day. The machines didn't trust humans even to cook for ourselves, we were that surplus to requirements. I looked up from the three ring binder, reading the Terms and Conditions I was trying to memorise. 

"Well, this food is lean and fat free," said Kayla. 

"So is a tyre but I wouldn't eat that," said Joe, "what day of the week is it?"

"The robots don't have days of the week, " said Kayla.

"So we don't get a break? Ever? Man!" said Joe.

"Do you remember that day we spent in class looking at videos of people running backwards and forwards?" asked Kayla. Joe and I nodded. "That was the robot attempting to do something 'slave-relaxing', like watching The Super Bowl. I don't think they have understood the subtleties of human sports yet.".

"What? I thought it was some kind of new torture punishment being demo-ed," I said.

"Class," added Joe.

"I'm angry at myself," I told Joe and Kayla, eating another mouthful. "The machines have taken over once already, but now I was letting them run my social life too. I know where this leads, but I'm still falling into the same trap. I'm trying to do too much and I'm giving control of my life over to them, again, to keep up with it," I explained.

"Do you think they are trying to help us? I mean... yes... like you said, it's controlling, but do you think their motives are evil or are they trying to be helpful and just getting it wrong?" Joe wondered.

"Well, given the past 20 years of computing from Silicon Valley, I think they are trying to be helpful. Just kcufing it up, like Uber," said Kayla. "I'm with you. I rely on the collar so much now, I can't remember people's names. I mean their real names. You see 80-80 over there, his name was David or Damien or something. Naturally the collar doesn't let me keep that bit of useful information about him, so I've forgotten. Now I'm just too embarrassed to ask."

"God, '66, you're right! It's like not remembering your own phone number all over again," said Joe. Kayla and I stopped and stared at him crossly.

"Did I say '66? Sorry. Kayla. I meant Kayla," said Joe apologetically.

"Look, from now on I'm just going to look after my friends. My real friends - you guys. Together, we'll work this out," I said. Then I grabbed my three ring binder, to leave.

"Hi '42!" said 17-50, passing through the classroom door.

"Hi 17-50! Congratulations on passing the 100 bitcoin barrier," I said, after Cortona suggested it, then I cursed myself for my own weakness.

*****

A/N Nice short one today! Please vote or just add to a collection or leave a comment. It's good to know your out there!