RoboNomics

Chapter 35 - 2016

He looks at me without speaking. His grey eyes widen but their expression becomes distant. The smile in his eyes completely disappears. 

"Then I would tell you that this meeting is over." 

He removes the cloth napkin from his lap and tosses it on the table besides his half-eaten meal.

"Please," I say, surprised by his statement. "Hear me out. I'm from the union. I think we can help each other."

"I'm not sure that's true, Ms. Anderson," Garrett scrutinizes my face carefully. "This is highly inappropriate."

"Yes, we can," I say quietly. "The union may be embroiled in this lawsuit but that doesn't mean that we're down and out. We still have ways to progress your career."

I hold my breath. Garrett scratches the top of one hand with the other as he holds them over his wide chest. 

"Go on."

"The election is coming up in the fall. You know as well as I do that the candidate that the teachers' unions back is the one who wins. The one who keeps the Education Minister appointment. We could do that for you."

His expression doesn't change. 

"And in return?"

"A promise that you'll vote this down. The land use bill."

"What does a land use bill have to do with you?" 

I wonder if his innocence is sincere.

"The abolition of unions amendment. You have to quash it."

"I see. Is that all?"

I bristle. "I don't think it's unreasonable for people to want to hold onto their livelihoods."

"It's an interesting proposal. And in latter days it would have worked. But I'm afraid the unions miscalculated when they sent you, Ms. Anderson." 

He taps the table and a white screen appears, displaying the bill. I fumble with my FlexScreen a moment before the Minister says, "Please, allow me." 

His eyes linger on my clothes. He produces a FlexPhone from his inside breast pocket and prods it a few times. The bill shows that it's paid before disappearing back into the wood grain of the table's smooth surface.

"The thing about it, Ms. Anderson," Garrett explains as he leaves his seat. "Is that I have other backers now. Yes, I can't deny it. The unions have made smart investments over the years. They are bloated with finances. But those will soon disappear. Payouts to teachers who are still on the payroll, their lawyers' bills and all their creditors will soon suck them dry. There are some important players who don't have that problem." 

He buttons up his long wool coat as I wonder who he's referring to. 

"Good day, Ms. Anderson." 

He avoids looking into my eyes while he shakes my hand. Instead he looks at a point behind me, as if I'm not even here.

He walks past me towards the exit. I spin around in my chair. 

"Wait." He stops when he hears my voice. "Who are they?" I ask. "Your backers?"

He nods at a point over my shoulder. I follow the gesture with my gaze and see the android waiter replace a patron's wine glass. The silver crest iTronics logo stands out on its shoulder.

I turn back to the Minister and rise, but he is already at the door. Brushing the Minister's shoulder as they pass in the doorway is Chris.

#

"Look, I had to do something," I shout. 

We're out on the street, hustling through March slush back towards the Group's headquarters. 

"I couldn't just let this protest go on without trying everything. I had to do it because you wouldn't. I had no other choice."

"It doesn't look like you were successful, were you?" Chris says. "You went behind my back. You lied, and for what? We're not any closer to changing the outcome of the vote, are we?"

I look into his eyes as they flicker with an angry light. 

"Wait a second, how did you even find me?"

"Oh, what, you think you can just constantly duck out and no one notices? Henri said you had an appointment. I had Joe follow you."

"Joe?" I say, more to myself than to him. 

I've always been fond of Joe. He doesn't talk much but he is the one who convinced Chris that the Group needed me. Needed the teachers.

"I can't believe..." 

The traffic light changes and we walk across the street. I can't deny that he's right. We're no closer to reversing the rise of automated labor than we were six months ago. The bill will go through the House in a month and there's no reason to believe that it won't pass.

"So what do we do now?" I ask anxiously.

"What do you think?" He answers, his voice still raised. "We hold the protest."

(Continued in Chapter 36...)

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Hey, thanks for reading this chapter! If you like it, don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT letting me know if you would have done what Andrea just did.

Also, don't miss out on the next few chapters. Starting with Chapter 36, there's a bunch of them that are downright firecrackers (if I do say so myself)!