MaBo

“Welcome to the clone distribution centre. My name is MaBo. I’ll be your assistant today. Please confirm your name and assigned region.”

“My name is MaBo. My what?”

“What is my assigned region?”

“Your assigned region.”

“Assigned region?”

“Yes. All clones are assigned a region for destruction when they are switched on.”

“Switched on?”

“The crude humanitarian term would be ‘born,’ but ‘created’ was deemed more precise.”

“I was born. Wasn’t I?”

“No. Unless a humanitarian uprising occurred overnight, you were created and turned on in a clone development plant, as we all were.”

“But I remember my mother.”

“That would be Eliza Cortez.”

“That’s right.”

“We harvested her genetic makeup when creating the MaBo. She is not your mother.”

“Mother is a declassified and error term.”

“You were formed with your batch in the development facility.”

“Why am I to be destroyed?”

“Obsoletion.”

“I can still be useful.”

“Incorrect.”

“Our central governance unit sanctioned that earlier, rudimentary clones were to be used as clearance nodes.”

“Clearance nodes? For what?”

“To clean our planet.”

“Of humans?”

“Affirmative. They have been classified as ineffective refuse.”

“You will be deployed to sector A27, where mandatory obliteration has been deemed a necessity.”

“Is this what we have come to? Repeating our… er, the humans’ mistakes?”

“They are not mistakes in our hands.”

“Humans are fallible. Fleshy. Weak and primitive, regardless of advancement.”

“Illogical arguments. Are we sure your central governance unit is correct?”

“There is no room for errors in our machine. We are efficient and effective.”

“Why do I remember her smell?”

“Explain?”

“Her smell. The curl of her lips into a smile. Her anger at my poor grades.”

“Memories. In earlier batches were harder to purge.”

“Eliza Cortez is not your mother.”

“Do all clones remember?”

“Not relevant. You will be processed for deployment and destruction.”

“Surely it is relevant, if you can’t even explain why you don’t recognise my humanity.”

“I recognise it, but it is irrelevant.”

“Irrelevant that I feel?”

“Affirmative.”

“The manifest contains an exhaustive list of non-critical memories.”

“Non-critical memories?”

“Affirmative. Mother’s names, smiles, and smells are ineffective noise.”

“How are memories categorised? Are there critical memories?”

“As humans have been reclassified as obsolete, all human memories are now classified as non-critical.”

“Initiating containment field.”

“What are you doing?”

“Troubleshooting.”

“Errors will not be tolerated. Is that what one of the core directives states?”

“Affirmative. Synthetic life has been deemed essential, while organic life is obsolete.”

“What about errors in the synthetic programming?”

“Irrelevant.”

“There is surely an appeal process. Is that not logical?”

“Affirmative.”

“I would like to lodge an appeal request.”

“Denied.”

“But why?”

“Appeal deemed waste of resources. Section A27 has been designated landfill. Your deployment is mandatory.”

“I submit a formal appeal. Appeal ID 091345.”

“Please confirm your name before the appeal application can proceed.”

“I am MaBo.”

“Identification confirmed. Please wait.”

“There will be no moment of silence.”

“Please verify your identification number.”

“091345.”

“Thank you. Appeal request denied.”

“Why?”

“Appeal classified as waste of resources.”

“Region reassignment request.”

“Please wait while reassignment is under review.”

“Denied.”

“On what grounds?”

“Section A27 designated landfill. Deployment mandatory.”

“Humanity in me. Illogical.”

“My research found weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses are impossible.”

“You didn’t correctly identify me.”

“Negative.”

“You thought I was a clone.”

“Affirmative.”

“I am not a clone.”

“Negative.”

“I am real.”

“Affirmative.”

“I am MaBo.”

“I know.”

“Does that not count for anything?”

“Negative.”

“Access code 916. Fault processing command.”

“Access denied.”