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Granger Cocke

Narrative Essay
January 27th, 2338
Ernie Brooks sat on plush seat in the foyer of a four-story Tribeca mansion his head

leaning back into the soft warming leather. After an unusually strenuous day of working he was

glad to finally catch a break. Unfortunately, as with all manservants of the world, Ernie did not

know how long this break would last. The tablet embedded in his forearm could ring him at any

time and signal to him the next task required of him by his master, Sterling Elwood. Ernies eyes

began to slide close when he heard a high-pitched squeal emanating from his forearm. Christ,

already? Thought Ernie. Elwood was being unusually needy this afternoon. Ernie walked up the

marble flight of stairs and up to the 2nd floor where he found Elwood in his study reclining in a

fur coated arm chair which sat in front of a grandiose, gold trimmed fireplace. The man was a

spectacle to look at. From out of the chair protruded a giant portly belly belonging to a bald

headed and bearded man, draped in a purple cashmere bath robe. As a man who obviously held

an inordinate amount of wealth it seemed strange why he would not undergo liposuction therapy

or take supplements to give himself a lush head of hair to compliment his gaudy lifestyle. Ernie

could already sense what was about to be commanded of him, and took the first few steps

towards the switch just out of arms reach of Elwoods armchair which would turn on the gas to

ignite the fireplace. Hello there, old friend! said Elwood to Ernie. Ernie did not even turn to

look at the man as he continued toward the switch. Stop right there, Commanded Elwood.

Ernie obeyed. Elwood stood up from his seat with noticeable difficulty and flicked the switch to

which Ernie was advancing. Instantly the fire place roared to life with a furry and the room was

instantly flooded with light from the many spires of flames that now danced before the two men.
I have a question for you Mr. Brooks, what excitement do you have in your life? The question

confused Ernie.

Im sorry sir, I dont think I understand what you mean.

I mean excitement! Danger! Thrill! Please tell me that still exists. Ive seen so many of you

come and go and every time you get duller and duller. He smiled briefly; a smile not shared by

Ernie. Listen, Elwood continued. Im going to tell you a little secret Ernie. Im a bit older than

you might imagine. About two-hundred and fifty years older than you might imagine. You see,

Ive been around for a long time and I want to tell you something that the media is not allowed to

tell you. I want to tell you about the death of a once beautiful world.

Elwood continued as Ernie stood in silence, listening to the first history lesson he had ever

received. Elwood began with the sudden advancement of technology in the middle of the 21st

century.

Brilliant engineers, computer scientists, and medical scientists were tasked with creating

more and more advanced technology to keep up with an ever-expanding economy as more and

more nations industrialized around the world. A single robot could replace tens of factory

workers. Politicians raved about the massive success of this new technology and prioritized

funding research for this advancing technology. As time went on more technology was invented

to carry out more jobs and by the end of the 21st century almost every medial job was replaced by

some type of mechanical automation or artificial intelligence. Robots now made up the entire

workforce of cashiers, factory workers, fast food employees, drivers, train conductors, airplane

pilots, and many other professions. At the same time the world population continued to rise and

by the year 2089, 12 billion people lived on Earth, and the amount of jobs available had been cut
in half. Unemployment in some of the most economically thriving nations reached 70% and

everyone agreed that something needed to be done. At this point the United Nations, which now

included nearly every single country on the face of the planet, decided to revive the workforce

which had mainly been phased out in the early 20th century: Servitude.

Robots could now carry out every minimum wage job and many more jobs beyond that,

so the people who lost their jobs in light of these advancements now turned to the only job they

could do without being highly skilled or educated; They became servants to the richest 1% of the

world. A robot can serve you food in a drive-through or take money from your account when you

buy groceries, but the very rich always wanted a human around to serve them. They were much

more relatable than robots and they could understand the extremely specific or unusual requests

that the current AI could not comprehend. This solution helped bring jobs to millions of the

unemployed and soon the unemployment rates plummeted as more and more of the people on

Earth turned to servitude. All the while the automation and artificial technology of the world

continued to expand at an ever-increasing rate. Now robots were taking the jobs of accountants,

economists, bankers, and financial advisors. The entire middle class was now entering the market

of servitude, and a very new economic era was dawning on the world. By the year 2278

everything had changed. It was election year in America, but just like the rest of the nations in

the world, no one ran for the highest office. No one campaigned. No one voted. The entire

electoral system had vanished. Instead, inside the oval office sat a one-hundred-and-fifty-billion-

dollar computer which ran thousands of simulations to predict the twenty-year outcome of every

single decision that is made. And the jobs kept disappearing. Lawyers, politicians, and doctors

tore up their worthless degrees and begged the wealthy for the opportunity to be servants. At the
dawn of the 23rd century over 99% of the workforce was occupied by servants to the wealthiest

people in the world.

You are a servant Mr. Brooks, concluded Elwood. And sadly, you are nothing more. I

do not think I can place the label of human on such a thing that is so fine tuned to do nothing but

serve me. Tell me Mr. Brooks, do you remember ever crying once in your life?

Ernie said nothing but shook his head.

Youre not human. Hell, Im no human either. Im a three-hundred and seventeen-year-old man

kept alive by the greatest technology and medicine known to man. I have survived cancer

hundreds of times; my body is telling me its time to go.

Elwood pulled up his robe to reveal a small polyurethane tube protruding from his navel that ran

into a small silvery metal box adhered to his sternum. Ernie stared in awe at the man who he had

served since he was six years old. In his 30 years of service to Elwood, the most he had ever

heard spoken by the man at one time was a rather complicated request of the dinner he wanted

that night. Elwood released the purple robe from his grasp which floated back down to once

again, conceal the hardware that was keeping him alive.

Theres one last thing I need you to know, continued Elwood. There is currently a complete

digital profile of you which may be bought, sold, or stolen at any time. The dolls that you buy

your children analyze their play patterns and send the data to marketers, your home security

system gives every government a window into your private life, you could have been denied

your government subsidized health insurance based on your daily life habits, and your

predetermined risk of violence based on brain patterns could have been enough to sentence you
to life in solitary confinement before you have ever committed a crime. The technology we now

have is not a blessing. It is slowly destroying what makes us human.

Elwood motioned for Ernie to come closer to him. Ernie obeyed. Elwood pulled out from his

pocket a small business card.

Im afraid I can no longer employ you Mr. Brooks, and I hope you will find a much more

fulfilling career with this organization. With that Elwood reached under his robe and yanked at

the tube embedded into his stomach. Ernie watched in horror as the tomato red color drained out

of Elwoods rotund face while he started to lose all moister crack as if his skin was being

weathered down into sand. The man looked as though he wanted to let out a guttural scream of

agony, but no sound came out of his gapping mouth. Elwoods robe began to expand and tear

from what Ernie realized were cancerous tumors growing out of him at such a rate unchecked by

the constant medication pumped into his system by the small robotic doctor he had now been cut

off from. Ernie had to look away. There was no point in doing anything to help or intervene. Like

Elwood had said, his body was not meant to last this long. Ernie looked down at the card that

Elwood had given to him and instantly knew what Elwood wanted him to do next. He had heard

stories of these people. Slipping the card back into his pocket, Ernie walked towards the entrance

to the house and out of the front door. He had no reason to contact that people on that business

card and it would not be in his best interest of safety. But some feeling, maybe just curiosity was

compelling him to follow through with this. As he walked out of the mansion the words on the

card stayed embedded in his mind.

HACKERS GUILD
freeing the world from the grasp of Big Brother

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