A Tale Of Doings

by Philip Quense

  “Manda, I need your help and not corporate intervention. Please don’t call anyone at all. Time. I need more time to fix…”

  “Too late. I instituted a forced Mindmonk evaluation. Your mental guide will be here any moment. For your own good.”

  An insane desire to punch her overcame him, but he resisted. She has your best interest in mind, he told himself. He tried a new tactic, even though he assumed she had never used this testing machine. “Will you help me until he comes? I don’t know how to use this. I want to send one message before Doc Gus gets here. It might make things better.”

  “OK, just until this Doc Gus gets here.” He was surprised as she powered up the machine, proving his intuition about her competence wrong. Manda was good at her work. Within two minutes she found the correct way to connect the wedding band. “David, this is a DNA transmitter. It wants the DNA of the person it belongs to, and then it can begin its communication protocol.”

  “Where do I get DNA?” David shouted in excitement at the discovery. “Here, take mine!” He pulled some of the glass out of his hand, and the blood dripped onto the tiles.

  “It needs her DNA, Twenty-Three,” Manda stated the obvious. “Blood.”

  The plight dawned on him. “Tara is at Orns. This is useless to me,” he screamed, throwing the bracelet against the testing apparatus. It bumped and settled with a swirling motion in the center of the lighted observation area.

  Despite the tense situation, Manda laughed, and her joking composure remained. “So, I see you are cheating on your PPRE poster girlfriend, Abigayle, with a slave? Taking other women’s jewelry is never a sign of a healthy relationship.” Her diffusing laughter filled the room as she picked up the band.

  “This is serious. Why are you joking, Manda? This might be my only chance to fix all this.” Desperate, he said, “They might send me to Orns…”

  “I’ve learned to keep things light when it gets tense. You should too.” She smiled maternally. “You want answers. Don’t throw tantrums.” He knew she was right. “Well, sir, it’s standard procedure to take samples of each product we bring into Lave Labs. So we could extract DNA from the blood we have on file for Subject Arc and see if that works. Our mainframe computer is capable of this, the one that does the branding.”

  “The computer in the room where I euthanized the senile father of Tara has the ability to impose the DNA, activate this device, and send a signal strong enough to reach anywhere, even Tri-Coalition?”

  “Yes. The CEOs often use the mainframe computers to send secure messages to one another. That computer is engineered to be able to quickly send messages to any member of the leadership governing board. Because of that, it is the best available transmitter in Xchange.” And so the two made their way to the mainframe room.

  “There is the button.” She placed the bracelet carefully on the mainframe computer just opposite the radio transmitter. She typed in several protocols and called up a DNA imposer. Within twenty seconds the send signal was displayed on the touch projector, prompting David to continue. The old man’s body still lay in the place he had died several hours before. David stepped over him to the computer. His boot squished on the man’s frail arm. He heard a popping sound.

  “Well, you should have told me this in the first place instead of allowing me to throw around Nnect’s precious property,” David jested as he activated the signal. His smile turned to a frown, and a single error message appeared.

  “This device wishes to send a message to an unknown location outside of Xchange jurisdiction. Illegal messages are not permissible. A CEO’s approval is required,” the computer intoned.

  David knew just the thing that would override this. “Thank the odd old man from the Gravetless train.” He had an armband of power.

  Chapter 34

  Message to Beings

  Quarter 1, Day 15

  It was time for David to risk everything, to gain all, and to take back what had been stolen from him by his betrayers. “I will have my stock-given innate rights back,” he vowed. Time to assault his tormentors from the outside in. It was the moment for David to broadcast a signal to the enemies of Xchange, the elusive human beings.

  Just as Manda-18 and David-23 hooked up the apparatus on the computer to send the communication signal via Tara’s bracelet, a man—more than a man, a monk—came sweeping into the room behind them. With his graying-brown beard of wisdom issuing from beneath his golden hood, the newcomer had a numinous visage.

  “My. My. Doing has got us in trouble,” the voice of serene counsel spoke.

  “Doc Gus.” David had no clue how he had accessed the inner Lave Labs so quickly. The spiritual guide constantly surpassed David’s analysis.

  “Mental health is my religion and my passion, David. Don’t look so disappointed.” The monk’s robes undulated around him as he paused in front of the two guilty-looking employees. His extravagant robes designated his authority in the corporate structure and his role as a personal career development priest, a mental monk, a religious-perspective consultant, and a human personality expert all rolled into one. David was filled with the sense of humble awe that he always felt from the doc’s aura. The sudden appearance of the sage mind priest brought all activity to an immediate halt.

  Doc Gus glanced around, taking in the scene with brown inquisitive eyes. An owl settling on a perch. His golden robes ceased moving; his presence demanded attention and respect. “Good doing, my fellow citizens, Manda-18 and David-23.” His eyes scanned knowingly as he comprehended the situation. “What is the meaning of this emergency call, dear Manda?” His robust reddish-brown-gray beard further distinguished him.

  “Monk, sir. David—I mean, Manager David—is having a breakdown. In addition he ordered that I pair this enemy ring to our broadcasting mainframe and set up a signal that will broadcast to the human beings of Tri-Coalition.”

  The monk stared at the machine. “No worries, Manda. Such a machine is useless to the common product, even a desperate manager like David.” The monk smiled and stroked his full beard; he was confidently in control of the room. He lifted a meaningful finger. “I recollect when another confused young scientist came to me after he started working in Lave Labs. The discombobulated product had a mental breakdown from the stress of working near such a powerful communication device. The scientist in question told me that he was afraid he’d mess something up, and this screwup would break a vital component of infrastructure.” The yellow robes swished as the tutor came to the point of his monologue. “What did I tell him then?”

  “No idea,” Manda and David murmured.

  “I said that the computer was locked down with all sorts of safeties that required permissions of the highest level. International broadcasts would require an override from Sir CEO himself. And there was almost nothing a regular employee could do to hurt the system if those overrides were in place.” Both of the monk’s arms spread outward. “So you see, only a CEO could send such an illegal message.”

  The Mindmonk beckoned someone from the other room, and Justin-89 slithered in. Justin cowered behind the monk as if seeking protection from David and a further beating.

  “My support of Justin meant that Justin was able to remain confident under pressure, with the knowledge that he wouldn’t accidentally damage things. It’s the same issue here today. Your manager,” the doc said to Manda and Justin, with a serious glare directed toward David, “won’t be able to do anything that’ll hurt Nnect or himself without the wisdom, insight, and direct permission of CEO Saul himself. So we are all quite safe.”

  Justin! That is how Doc Gus got in so quickly. David didn’t want any more witnesses here today. Definitely not Justin; he didn’t trust him. David’s fist still throbbed from the thrashing he had given Justin. So David said, “Yes, yes, so you see, Justin—it is Justin, right?—this is all very legal and within our quality contract rights. Maybe you should show Doc Gus the way out and apologize for inconveniencing him by letting him in here.” David was
anxious to carry on before he lost his nerve.

  But it didn’t work. Annoyingly, Justin opened his stupid mouth. “Productzen 23 was damaging Nnect property. He threw a computer screen across the room. He beat me. I saw him.”

  Oh, he better stop. David began to wish he had fired this imbecile.

  The idiotic mouth kept speaking. “I’ve watched the Tertain doctor episodes, every episode from season one to forty-five. Actions like David’s are always a sign of a deep, deep mental illness. How could anyone damage a branded item that belonged to Nnect?”

  “So, Justin, you let the Mindmonk in?” Manda asked.

  “Yes, you are both sick in your heads.” The mouselike man gained confidence as he built up momentum, gasping and stumbling over his squeaky betrayal before he lost his composure. The mouse turned to Doc Gus. “He has a key. He stole a CEO armband. It gives him authority to override safety codes. He told the other managers that CEO Saul, may he rule eternally, gave it to him.”

  Justin looked guiltily at David, shrugged an uncontrite apology, and gave David a look that said, “Don’t beat me next time.” He continued in his irritating, squeaky mouse voice. “The broken computers you saw on the way into this room, and my cut face, are proof that David is mentally ill.” The man clung to Doc Gus’s robes of wisdom. He seemed to gain strength from the closeness of a protector. “So I report him to you as the expert overlooking his case, per company Human Resource Law Sixty-Nine, line forty-five.” He paused and shuffled his twitchy feet, a glimmer of satisfaction. He was fulfilling his corporate duty. The man closed his eyes and shook once and then twice. A look of momentary ecstasy filled his features and then faded. His blue-branded arm glowed.

  “Thank you, Justin,” the monk said.

  David looked at Justin. Could he condemn a man for performing his job? David had to come to grips with the fact that Justin was, after all, just a puppet who was performing his job well. He shouldn’t take the snitching personally. An odd thought struck him: David had worked with the man for five days but had never asked him his name until he had hit him in the face in rage. How come Doc Gus remembered his name? David looked at Doc Gus with a new level of respect. He had remembered the man’s name, and he used it. Tara had said something about the importance of names; she was against using product codes to identify a person. She had claimed it was dehumanizing. Whatever that meant. Outdated human behavioral conventions.

  “Now leave us, Justin; you’ve done well. I must speak to your manager and Manda. I noticed on the team record board that there are two days free for personal development activities. I suggest you take your leave now. Keep up the good work ethic, employee Justin-89. If you have any continuing doubts or internal stress repercussions from this experience, please take your concerns immediately to your own Mindmonk.”

  “Good doing, priest, and thank you.” Relieved to have the pressure off his shoulders, the spy nodded furtively before he scampered out the door.

  Doc Gus turned to David. “You’ve come up far in the world. In the past two weeks, we have discussed some large career choices indeed. Was it just last week that Nnect announced that you were the shining star in the largest connection product success in five years? This week you came in, and we spoke about your potentially hazardous worldview shift as you began working with slaves from another civilization and learned for the first time about Tri-Coalition and their human being world. And now you sit here on the precipice of the biggest policy debacle of your career. Sending an unsanctioned message to the enemy, are we?”

  “I am fixing an injustice.”

  “Break down the pros and cons for me.”

  “No time.” But David didn’t hit the send signal. “You want to see if I am sane?”

  The two debated the pros and cons for the next hour. Manda watched and chimed in with her optimistic opinions periodically. She seemed glad that stability had been restored.

  “I need to redeem myself. This is the only way.” David remained stubborn and determined to connect the DNA band and let the risky transmission through, even if it was illegal. “It is the only path of redemption,” he yelled.

  With most of the arguments already debated, the room was still and quiet following his outburst. Reflective unease was the worst thing for David’s branded conscience. His brand fluctuated between pleasure and discomfort, waiting for a decision as his mind skipped back and forth over the “do it” or “don’t do it” line.

  Doc Gus, his calm, auburn-bearded face hidden in the shadow of his golden hood, stared across the mainframe computer at David. His face was lit up as if surrounded by a halo. The monk stared at David and then at the screen. This computer was the brain that connected Lave Labs with the Xchange infrastructure. Use of such a computer would signal the QC authorities immediately, Doc Gus had warned, and Manda had confirmed it. Someone would know of his actions. The power of the mainframe was locked behind permissions that were usually reserved for CEO Saul. David trembled.

  “Do you feel the brand?” The monk’s insistent glare into David’s soul was unnerving, like a laser boring through an impenetrable metal wall. David felt a panicky itch at the back of his scalp, but he refused to scratch it for fear of betraying his discomfort.

  Ignoring the question, David replied somewhat aggressively, “This is the only way to regain corporate investment losses. Tara’s husband must pay me back for the forfeiture and agony caused to Nnect.”

  “Nnect or yourself?” the monk pried. “Don’t blur selfishness with social responsibility.”

  “I need to contact this missionary and broker a deal. CEO Saul will understand if I succeed. Success is the answer. I need to do this.”

  “Well, I’ll not stop you, Manager David, as you well know. My vow to observe, counsel, and record is something I take very seriously. Ethics keep me from stopping your actions. I’m here for your mental health and to record the results of your choices and hopefully use these findings to better human choice and conditioning. This day is proving to be intellectually stimulating for me.”

  “My doing, my choice,” David said.

  “The brand will judge you! We have spoken about your corporate conscience before. The brand will detect human emotions and virtues and reward or punish you as is just and fair. Do it if you dare, Productzen 23.” The Mindmonk stroked his full beard of wisdom, took out a little Ssential tablet and pen, and began to take notes. “Study, observe, and conjecture upon your experience and dilemma. Useful for the training of posterity.”

  “You mean the indoctrination of posterity?” Manda asked.

  Doc Gus smiled thoughtfully to Manda and to himself, then took out an ancient-looking cigar. The younger generation didn’t smoke such destructive things, but Doc Gus liked them, even if smoking was against health standards. “While you’re breaking the law, my bad habit can be overlooked.”

  A final choice. Looking around the room and at the machine with the override input slot in front of him, David decided. The computer image spoke to David. “Transmission is prepared. Access key demanded for this unapproved message. This could be a possible security breach to the enemy. Sending to unmetered signal locations abroad is warned against. Proceed with the approval of your CEO. Unauthorized Productzen use will result in dire consequences, up to and including a permanent Self-Purchase ban or termination of stock.”

  Hand shuddering, David stretched out his arm with the Outside-In band, and the key transformed and planted itself on the computer’s surface. The diminutive computer voice mechanically said, “The Xchange safety permission is overridden by the highest authority—transmission sent.”

  As the message went through, the consequences of his action began. David didn’t even hear the beeping sound that signaled a successful reception, because his uneasiness grew.

  As the discomfort grew from his left arm, David was beginning to think that Doc Gus was correct about the corporate betrayal. He needed to distract himself. To take his mind off the growing pain, David began to tell a fairy
tale, just like Tara would tell, about another man in pain, a random story about a person from the history of human beings who had helped people and paid a final price for it. It was a story that Tara and Domin believed in. Frank had denied the man as slightly ridiculous but thought the story was still noteworthy in its ability to teach a valuable lesson about sacrificing for a great cause. And so David said to Doc Gus and Manda, “I heard about a man from Tara’s world. He gave his life so that people could be free. It is the story behind the cross they all wear. A man died upon that cross.”

  “Your point?” Doc Gus said.

  David was in a lot of pain now. But he grunted and said, “You always tell me stories. Let me finish one.” So David continued. “The point of the man on the cross was…I think this is the point. If I risk nothing, then nothing will be gained. Besides, Gus, I am already a corporate failure if I don’t recoup the investment.” In a more panicked voice, as his pain increased, David said, “Those slaves were mine—they are mine. Not Orns’s or Ssential’s or Tertain’s.” A grimace of determination. “I’ll see this done or die trying.” His freedom was dependent upon it. Or so he told himself.

  And then, stricken speechless, he fell to the floor. Manda rushed to his side and tried to stop the brand seizure with an injection, a long shiny needle from an emergency medical kit sinking into his thigh, but it only slowed the episode down a little.

  The agony built. It grew. It spread. The ache seared and crippled him. David writhed on the floor as the intensity made him nauseous, vomit gushing forth as his insides decided to revolt. He clutched his left arm and shoulder, jerked and rolled on the ground, smashing into a workstation and knocking a counter over, the glass and metal screeching as it hit the hard floor. “Nnect”—the words burned into his flesh.

  “Breathe, keep breathing.” She stepped aside to avoid being kicked.