A Diary of Plants

by Greg Ellis

debate among the upper class. Technology makes our lives so much easier and better yet they seem happier without it. How could that be? How?

  Do you ever get the feeling that something is horribly wrong but you just can't put your finger on it? I don't know why but I have this nagging feeling that there is something is deeply wrong. It's not the first time it has happened. Every once in a while I get it. Somehow it seems stronger today. I would love to know why it happens. Maybe it's my subconscious trying to tell me something or maybe it's just as irrelevant as Déjà vu. Either way I wish it would go away. It's making me paranoid trying to find out what's wrong. I know our society isn't perfect but it's the best of a bad situation.

  Sure the implants shouldn't be forced as much on people as much as they are and the slummer muggings are tragic but there's not a whole lot I can do about that. I'm just one man, one person, how can I do anything?

  Another day of monotonous monotone work passed. I went to the borders again. What is it that they have? They seem fine without technology. Through all the poorness and depravity they seem to have something that the upper class doesn't: happiness.

  I wanted to walk into the slums. I wanted to cross the border. I couldn't though. It's like my legs were suddenly paralyzed. I walk to the borders pretty much everyday trying to find whatever it is that they have yet never being able to actually go in there.

  Today was going to be different. I was going to cross the line. One foot in front of the other and I would have made it. Unfortunately they didn't move and I fell on my face. I had crossed the line though. I started to crawl. When my nerve had built up I started to walk then run.

  Wood held up with nails was all I saw. Occasionally there was plywood and stone but still very primitive structures. I eventually came up on a bar or at least some semblance of a bar. There was a large assemblage of people around a building drinking drinks. There were crates that had various drink labels on them and stands filled with various drinks.

  "What do you want plant?" I heard a million times as I walked around. "I just simply want a drink." I walked around trying to find the proprietor. Instead I found the two slummers who I saw use the EMP on upgrade man. They shouted, "Get him," and I was unconscious a few seconds later.

  I woke up in a dark room and was tied to a chair very tightly. A single candle lit the room. I could see the shadows of the EMP gun but only blobs of the two other people in the room. "You're a troublesome little plant. I'm one and he's 2," the taller blob said. "Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Now tell us what you're really doing here plant." "I I I was just curious. It's a part of my daily routine to walk to the border and just gaze on the slums. Today I decided to check them out." "Why do you come to the border?" one asked. "I don't know. I've kind of always had this feeling that there's something wrong with the world and I don't think it's perfectly normal paranoia."

  "Plant let me tell you something. I've had that feeling my entire life. From the way I've lived in poverty my whole life to the way you plants try to remove every human element until you're nothing more than walking machines. There is something wrong with the world and yet people like you do nothing!" One was breathing deeply.

  "Don't be bitter! It's like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. I've donated money to help the poor. I give a decent amount." "Have you ever actually helped the poor though? Have you handed out food, aided in construction of houses, aided in medicine? Have you done anything outside of give a little money? While throwing money at a problem can help, but eventually there need to be people willing to do something with that money for any change to occur. Those people who aren't disinterested but are willing to stand up and help the less fortunate. Any and everyone who is able should help yet few do."

  "What do you guys think is so bad about implants? What is so bad about being so connected and interconnected to computers and machines?" It was two's turn this time. "It removes every human component from you and you begin to think like a computer. Tell me when was the last time a truly inspiring program or book was made? I not talking about junk to keep the masses occupied but deep awe inspiring literature like Shakespeare or any other of a myriad of people before we hit the modern age? It is very rare. Your society has begun to think completely in ones and zeros but humans are meant to think and to feel. We are supposed to have emotion yet your society and the implants strip you of that. Also the implants are fake. Plastic surgery and the like used to be looked down upon but the moment it became common your society thought hey what else could we do to our bodies to 'improve' ourselves. If you’re about to die and an implant can save your life you should by all means take the implant, but to remove a perfectly good arm just to better, stronger, faster is not good. Would you rather feel flesh or plastic when you touch someone?"

  "Flesh any day." The two of them came into the light and exchanged a glance. "Then help us," they both said almost simultaneously. "No I can't. What can one person do?" "If everyone said that there would be no armies and no one to fight. It all begins with one person willing to turn the tide and say yes to a cause hoping others will follow." "No No I'll be killed. I'll be ridiku-"

  Suddenly a flash of ones and zeroes clouded my vision. It didn't scare me because it was reported to be a common error with the cranial implant. It had never happened to me before but I had heard of a few coworkers who had seen it. Anyways that event gave me a few seconds to think. What was going on was wrong, no doubt, but should I fight back? Yes I thought in a sudden burst of courage.

  "Look I work for the Omni Project at a local server station. Each station holds the most common data that is accessed by a cranial implant and regulates the implants. If something is not found on that server the user is then routed to Athena. Taking out a server station won't do you much long term good unless you can take out Athena were all the information is stored and all servers regulated."

  "Can you get access to Athena," two asked. "Not likely. I am due for a promotion but I'd never get assigned to Athena. While I have the skills I'm not the best of the best and that's who they recruit to work on Athena. I will try however. How should I contact you again?"

  "If you get assigned to the Athena come to the bar again and order an IK. We will then arrange a meeting to discuss this more thoroughly." "We can get through outer security," two fingered the EMP, "but you are going to have to get us into Athena so we can destroy her. An EMP should do it, right?" "From what I know yes. Her chamber is protected on the outside from an EMP pulse but no one ever thought anyone would be able to detonate one inside the chamber." "Good. We're going to have to knock you out again but remember if you get assigned act as naturally as possible."

  I woke up at the border. I felt like I had signed my own death sentence. There was no way this would work; it was a suicide mission.

  I had it in my mind I was going to ask my boss about it. Yet at the same time it felt like another part of me didn't want too. I again saw the ones and zeroes for a split second. All right just one step in front of the other and soon I'll be knocking at the door. It took awhile but I got there just as it opened.

  "Oh Bob. What do you want?" I cleared my throat. "I have worked hard these past few years. I am extremely over-skilled for the job I am at. I think it would be very advantageous if I-" "were to be assigned to the Athena department? I was going to surprise you but apparently some of the higher ups have seen your work here and were impressed. You will, effective tomorrow, be working on Athena. Congrats. There's a going away party at 1500 in the cafeteria but don't tell anyone I told you!" "Thank you! Thank you! Oh um wait. I want to check up on one last thing before I leave. Has anyone reported seeing binary flashes? I saw one last night and then today so I thought something might be up with our server." "That is why you're getting promoted: always working. No one has reported any but you should check it out all the same."

  I did exactly that but didn't find anything wrong. Maybe it was a glitch or someone had already fixed it is what I thought. Anyways the party turned out to be very
fun. The whole time I had one question in my mind, "How is this happening?” It was like fate was smiling on me for the first time in my life. After some good cake and drinks I headed for the border.

  Once there I stopped for a moment. I looked left. There was dazzling skyscrapers, tons of vehicles, and tons of technology. I turned left and saw the slums. Why won't the plants help the slums I thought. How can they just ignore this? Then I realized the hypocrisy of that statement. I myself had many times done exactly that. This must be done. I walked to the bar still receiving strange looks from the locals. It was easier to spot the proprietor this time because he was behind a table that had a box on it and you could see money sticking out. "IK on the rocks please." The proprietor gave me a strange look then handed me a glass bottle with a yellow liquid inside.

  I didn't know whether or not to trust him. This could be an elaborate scheme to play a prank on a plant or- I