THE MACHINE by thadeusz

---

Some people wonder whether life would not be nicer and easier if we were more or less governed by Artificial Intelligence. Here is a suggestion of reflection.
=====================================================
Period 1

Surli, year 2351

I was born in 2341 and I live happily with my parents and my little brother Urelo. Urelo is three years younger than me. We all live in a nice house. Our lives are very comfortable since we are helped by the servants of THE MACHINE. THE MACHINE is something very big, placed in a huge building in our city. It organizes all our lives with the help of human servants. I don’t know how these servants are selected. The only thing I know is that they work very well and make our lives easy and comfortable.

You could easily recognize me if you saw me: I have very long fair hair and always clean and well pressed clothes provided by THE MACHINE servants.

By the way, let me specify that in our wonderful city, in order to facilitate our parents' life, our names are chosen by THE MACHINE.

Period 2

Surli, year 2352

My father told me today that next year, as soon as I turn 13, I will have to go to the big MACHINE building. There I will have to take selection tests and if I pass, I will become one of THE MACHINE servants. This means that I will no longer be free to go where I want to go: I will become one THE MACHINE’s slaves. I will have to clean the streets, to gather and distribute the food. I will also have to take part in all other activities decided by THE MACHINE. My father considers that I would lose all my liberties. He thus got hold of the questions asked by THE MACHINE during selection and gave me all the answers. In fact he wants me to give wrong answers in order to be rejected by THE MACHINE and remain a free man.

Urelo, year 2352

Hello everybody. My name is Urelo and I am 9 years old and I love reading books. I especially love the very old books I can find in the library. I also love dreaming and maybe I will later try to write books, that is if THE MACHINE lets me do that after school and if I am not selected to be one of its servants. Next year my brother Surli must go through selection. I really hope that he will not be selected by THE MACHINE, but I don’t say it aloud: THE MACHINE might decide to punish me for such a thought. Well, that is if I say loud and clear that I don’t like this MACHINE.

Period 3

Surli, year 2353
Today, I must go to the selection. Nobody could tell me how it goes. I am a little bit frightened. Now that my father told me more about the servants' work, I don’t want to be selected. I nevertheless tried to be as well dressed as possible. I also combed my hair in such a way that it was evident that I liked very long hair.

Urelo, year 2353

Surli left this morning for the selection. He does not seem happy and I can understand that: I always considered THE MACHINE as a bad thing and those who have to work as servants as poor slaves.
I will do my best to be rejected when my time comes.

Period 4

Surli, year 2353

Yesterday was my selection day. I entered the building and was told by a metallic voice to sit in front of a giant screen. THE MACHINE asked me questions via this screen. I gave only bad answers and THE MACHINE concluded by:
"This guy is completely stupid or very intelligent. In both cases I can use him. OK, you are selected as a servant and your name is from now on SUI.172.751. Proceed to the next room."

I went trembling to the next room and there a voice told me simply, still with a metallic voice:
"Strip completely."
I did not dare disobey this order and in a few seconds I was completely naked. The voice said then:
"Go slowly through the passage to your left."
I wanted to pick up my clothes but the voice reacted as if it had seen me:
"Leave everything here, you won’t need it anymore."
I went through the passage mentioned. It was narrow. There were water jets from the walls, the ceiling and the floor. It smelled like disinfectant liquids. After that, in the following part of this long passage, hot air was blown from the walls. Finally, when I came out of this passage, I was naked, disinfected and dry.

After that the same metallic voice told me:
"Sit on the chair."
I was still terrified, but I obeyed. There was only one chair, a metallic chair attached to the floor, and I sat on it. Automatically, a sort of helmet fell on my shoulders, I should better say a glass bowl imprisoning completely my head. Objects fell from the top of the bowl and started to operate on my hair. It lasted a certain time and when it was finished and the bowl had automatically been lifted in the air, the voice told me:
"Pass a hand on your head, everywhere."
I obeyed and I realized that I was completely bald.
The voice added then:
"SUI.172.751, you will now be trained for the rest of your new life. Go to the next room."

I was afraid that I would be brutalized there, but nothing of the kind happened. The voice told me:
"Sit on the chair."

I was still naked, but I sat obediently: what else could I have done ? As soon as I was seated, another bowl fell on my head and went down to my shoulders. Metallic pins came down and entered my head, or I believe so. This lasted for some time and I fell asleep.

Period 4

Sorli, year 2353

After a certain time which I could not evaluate, I woke up. That’s when I discovered my new clothes on the floor. The voice told me:
"Get dressed and quickly"
I had there waiting for me: white undies, red trousers provided with an elastic instead of a belt and also elastics holding my ankles, red knee socks, red plastic clogs and a red vest provided with a zipper in front, a high red collar and an elastic at the waist which had to be attached to the trousers. There were also elastics at the end of the sleeves, these elastics had to be fixed on the wrists. I put that rapidly on and I felt that I was now a proud servant of our glorious Machine. The only problem was the lack of cover, but I was nevertheless happy to be now dressed the way I was and proud of my new function. My new name was visible in the front and back of my new vest.

I did not remember exactly what had happened since I entered this building but I felt that it had been important and that I had learned a lot. I was now ready to serve, so I had obviously received some orders somewhere. I decided that it did not matter as long as I could serve THE MACHINE.

Urelo, year 2353

Sorli did not come back from his selection. My parents are convinced that he has been retained during the selection. They look devastated: is THE MACHINE service so bad ?

Period 5

Sorli, year 2353

I live now within a group of 10 MACHINE servants. Each of us has a simple bunk in a big room. We wear the same uniform. Our names are very similar. Mine is now SUI.172.751. There is an 11th boy in our group: an older boy who became a servant of THE MACHINE two years ago when he was 13. He is here to guide us and possibly to punish us. He gives us the orders he receives from THE MACHINE. His name is visible on his vest: BER.171.892 but THE MACHINE told us to call him respectfully "CHIEF". It is great that each of us has such a special name chosen by THE MACHINE.

Food is good: we only eat pills containing food and water. We get a ration of special pills everyday to keep us very young. CHIEF always checks if we actually absorb all our pills. Our uniforms are crisp and cleaned by THE MACHINE itself, at least I believe so. We train a lot in order to be able to perform THE MACHINE’s orders and take care of our great city and its inhabitants.

Once a week, we go again through what THE MACHINE calls "induction process" : we must get naked, be completely disinfected and then dried before we get our fresh uniforms. We go once again through the "bowl" process: once to have our hair cleaned and reduced to zero so that we are all bald, and once to get the instruction THE MACHINE is giving each of us. The fact that we are bald creates a great uniformity.

Urelo, year 2353

Already 2 months since Sorli became a MACHINE servant. He seems to have completely forgotten us. I will never become a Machine servant. I have seen some of them in the street: they all wear the same uniform and they all have very short hair, in fact they are bald. I love playing with my long hair and I will never accept to cut them.

Period 6

Urelo, year 2354

Today I saw Sorli. I am certain it was my dear brother Sorli. He was dressed in red with an inscription on his front and on his back: "SUI.172.751". I don’t know what it means. I will ask my father this evening. But one thing is sure: I don’t like the type of work Sorli is doing. He is cleaning the streets and there is a big guy with the same uniform but with a whip checking if his work is well done. I don’t want to become a street cleaner.

Sorli, year 2354

This morning I realized that I had already been a servant of our Machine for a year, or maybe more. Anyway, that’s what THE MACHINE told me during my last "induction" process. It is great to live with nine others in the same room. Every morning, a bugle call wakes us up. We then all go rapidly to our washroom, put on our uniform and go and stand at attention on the foot of our bunk. BER.171.892 passes in front of each of us and checks whether we are properly clothed and also whether we are clean enough for our day work. I noticed that I look more and more like the other nine servants. We seem to be twins. We also look like our leader, servant BER.171.892, except that he has a round little hat. With his hat he looks like a groom and I like that. Last time I was questioned by THE MACHINE and I said that I would be honored to have such a hat.

Period 7

Urelo, year 2354

Today a new rule was published for our town. It said that girls may have more than one man. In fact with this rule, the girls may have many men simultaneously in their life. I asked my father what that meant and he told me that THE MACHINE requires more and more male servants, which justifies that girls have more than one husband. I am not sure that I understand what my father means. In any case I am only 11 and I have a vague idea. I don’t want to become a MACHINE servant and I don’t want to be one of many husbands.

Period 8

Sorli, year 2354

Today I made a big mistake. I had been assigned by THE MACHINE to the surveillance of the seats occupied during a tennis match and I let three grown ups sit next to one another. I told them that THE MACHINE did not want that, but they told me to go away. They started a heated discussion. My chief, BER.171.892, noticed that and told me to come with him to the induction center (it is also the selection building). There he told THE MACHINE what I had done and THE MACHINE told him that I had made a serious mistake because adults must remain separated. I humbly accepted my punishment: a double flogging, 20 of the whip on my naked back and 10 of the whip handle on my bare buttocks. It was painful and I hope that THE MACHINE will pardon me. The punishment was given in public and I had to undress completely for that.

Urelo, year 2354

I have seen Sorli being punished in public. I don’t understand how he can stand all that. I tried to speak with him, but he no longer recognized me as his brother. He told me to leave him alone because he was not my brother but a glorious MACHINE servant, at least that’s what he said. He added that he had been punished and that he wanted to regain THE MACHINE’s confidence.

I went home and told all that to my parents. My father cried, saying "I am guilty" repeatedly. I don’t understand why he said so: he did not push Sorli to become a Machine servant.

Period 9

Urelo, year 2355

I think that I now understand everything. Sorli was transformed by this dreadful MACHINE as soon as he was selected. He is now a well drilled slave of this awful MACHINE and he will never more be the plain "Sorli" I have known. He is for ever a slave named SUI.172.751. Next year, I will be 13. I don’t want to risk anything: I will try to escape from THE MACHINE empire.

By the way, I love books. Especially old books telling old stories. I have some that I cherish, but the library is now closed and I cannot get other books.

Period 10

Sorli, year 2355

I have been through induction once again. THE MACHINE has pardoned me for my dreadful mistake. It has explained how I should handle such a situation in the future. I have been promoted to chief of a small group of servants. Today I received my chief’s hat and a whip. This is a glorious day.

Period 11

Urelo, year 2356

Tomorrow I will turn 13 and I will have to go through selection. I don’t want to take any risk. I have decided to leave home during the night. Whatever could happen, it cannot be as bad as being selected as one of the now numerous MACHINE servants. I have written a letter for my parents and another for the authorities, whatever they may be. I tell my parents that I want to remain free and I tell the authorities that I don’t want to become a servant nor to have to be one of many husbands of a wife I have not chosen. I am ready now. I will just wait for the night and I will leave home, and hopefully this town. I will behave like one of the great thieves described in my old books. I will take with me the best book I could hide: the adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I consider myself as a new Huck.

Period 12

Urelo, year 2356

I waited until 11 pm. I was still 12 and thus a free human being. I took my beloved book, some clothes and some real food from the fridge, not nourishing pills. I placed my letters, visible, on my table and I left my home probably forever.

In the street I started to walk trying to reach the outskirts of the town. It was the first time I was leaving my town. I marched for a very long time and suddenly I discovered that I was in the countryside. There were no houses anymore. The road was not in good condition. It looked like Huckleberry’s countryside. I walked for a long time. When the sun appeared, I searched for a good hiding place and I went there, under some bushes. No human being appeared and I felt lonely. I realized that I was 13 now ! I was 13 but I did not go to the selection and I was still free, not a robotized human being like my brother Sorli.

At night, I resumed my march. I kept walking until I reached a river. That reminded me of another book: Fahrenheit 451. I loved that book when I read it. It had inspired me for what I was doing, but since the library was closed, I could no longer read it, only remember it.

I walked on the riverside and suddenly I met a human being. A real human being. He looked at my very long hair and simply said:
"So you have also escaped from the town and its MACHINE."
"Yes Sir. Are you going to bring me back to that awful place ?"
"Certainly not. I am going to show you where we live. We are the free human beings, the real humans."
I followed him and I never left their free camp.

I am a free man, well a teenager, but I am already freely in love. Life is great.

By the way, I kept my very long hair and my present girlfriend, Mariloya, likes to play with them.

---