Bellinda Gummer looked at the calendar and clock in her brain chip. She then stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t feel forty-five, but that’s what the fireworks in her chip meant. After exiting the bathroom, she tried to get dressed without being noticeable. Didn’t happen.

“Good morning and happy––” Roger Gummer started with his eyes still shut.

“Don’t say it, hon’,” she nearly pleaded.

“Of course. You ‘celebrate existence everyday,’” he repeated what she said every year for the fifteen years they had been married.

“Yes, it’s going to blow your mind,” he mentioned.

“It’ll have to wait. My desk is calling me and it has no clue what day it is. My last one did and I had it replaced by an old oak one. Enjoy your day, my darling.”

“Thanks.” She checked the weather and made sure her maroon and gold blouse and blue jeans and black stilettos would be enough for this spring weather. Her brain chip suggested that the umbrella in the vehicle would suffice due to light rain in the forecast later in the day.

On the ride over to the SuperSynth headquarters, Bellinda felt waves of emotion. They crashed against her consciousness and made her feel light. She simply wanted to get to work.

When she arrived, she walked past a gaggle of workers who knew better than to wish her a happy birthday. They had invested their time and efforts into crafting a better learning machine and stopped briefly. Almost in a salute, they just stopped briefly and stood tall as Bellinda passed them. A small smile crossed her face as she headed to her office.

Upon opening the door, she saw balloons and a designer bag waiting for her.

Dr. Keija Frampton sat in a chair in the corner of the office and just about sent Bellinda into a fright. She wore black jeans, stilettos, and a black and white houndstooth blouse.

“What is this, Keija? You know I don’t––”

“Consider it a reward and not a gift. I just thought the balloons would be a nice, ironic touch,” Dr. Frampton smiled. She got up from her chair and hugged her friend.

“Thank you,” Bellinda spoke with a simple air.

“We’ve grown in the past two quarters. This is the prize you receive for all your smart work.”

“Now, we’re going to get to it. We get busy.”

Bellinda let out a laugh so pure and full of mirth that it warmed Dr. Frampton.

“We have to find a way to get those machines to do backflips. It may seem trivial, but to anyone who purchases from us, they’re going to want to see a bit of fun,” Bellinda observed.

“That’s right, the synths have a program for that as well. My engineers are working on that as we speak,” Dr. Frampton replied. “Did you notice how no one said anything about today?”

“I did.” Bellinda held the bag in her hand. The one card in it held a single Smartycoin in it. Attached to it was a digital card which read two billion coins.

“I might be richer than Vestin, now….” she sniggered. 

“Yes. That’ll satisfy you for now.” Bellinda placed the bag on the seat and walked around to her desk.

“What we have to do is figure out a way for the learned machines to continue to coexist with the synths. That is the goal, too,” Bellinda mentioned.

“Of course. That’s been the plan since the jump, but it factors in heavily now that we have gained a higher position.” Dr. Frampton looked at Bellinda, anticipating a response. 

“Yes,” she replied. “Sorry, I was just reading the card. I almost forgot you studied calligraphy.”

“We know we don’t celebrate birthdays. It’s not anything to be ashamed of at all. Some of the Smartys have caught our wave and have implemented it into our daily lives. Most people say, ‘oh, this is the day to be selfish.’ Well, we have a better plan. That is to take us into new territory. We’re selfish every day, all the time.”

Bellinda looked like she was praying or meditating or both. “Absolutely, Keij. Absolutely.”

“I’m going to go down to the floor and get word from extremely capable folks. Like any other day, enjoy it.”

“Thanks, Keij’,” Bellinda whispered.

Once Dr. Frampton left, nearly all of her apps had popped up on her brain chip encouraging her to celebrate this day. She sighed and tried to find a way for her to not have those pop ups appear on her brain chip. They all knew this day and offered coupons and discounts of all sorts. She whisked them away with her hands like a magician or an alchemist from the Middle Ages.

The work called her. She set in place her schedule for the day which included double-checking forms and ensuring her learned machines could be improved.

As she sat filling out digital copies of the work orders that needed to be shipped from all over the globe, she felt a twinge of pain. It didn’t feel like a piercing, just a little glitch in her body’s system. She powered through it, nevertheless. During a digital meeting with executives under the Super Machines umbrella, everyone looked kind of fidgety. They knew in advance not to wish her a happy birthday. Still, someone usually would slip in some kind of innuendo or hint as to what this day meant.

“Alright, everyone’s here. We can start with the old business….” Bellinda began but she still felt the slight pang. It didn’t impede her, just let her know that she could still sense something. 

“Bellinda, we’re so glad to see you,” Poppy Usher mentioned with her red sweatshirt that read “Exquisite Hustle.” 

“I know,” Forrester Vine championed Poppy’s sentiment. “We’re just so happy to see you today.”

“Okay, I get it. Everybody say it to get it out of your systems….”

“Alright, alright. Thank you. This day is like any other. We have to get to the bottom of the ACA incident and still be mission ready for anything that could happen like that, again.”

The digital room grew cold at Bellinda’s words. They knew she meant she wanted to get down and scrap with the best minds in the land. The chief technical officer, Toliver Prince looked at her askance and she noticed his gaze.

“Toliver, what did you have planned for the machines to resist the onslaught of various factions who may attempt to poison or disrupt day-to-day functions?”

Toliver wore a navy blue button down shirt. “We’ve implemented all kinds of different ways to make ourselves aware of the threats posed by outsiders. Specifically, we have placed sensors and a quick dial up function that will alert the cops and stop anyone who makes the poor choice in trying to tear down this business.”

Bellinda didn’t show it, but she felt a surge of energy instead of brief pain at his words.

“I think we should also consider the union of synth and machine, the way those synths aided the police that day was remarkable,” Chief financial officer Beverly Sand added. She wore a pleated white shirt with little cherries on it. She looked like a sundae.

“Yes, that’s right,” Toliver opined. 

“What plans do we have in the way of creating more affordable machines without sacrificing quality?” Bellinda asked. Just then, she could see flickers of sparks in the distance from her glass enclosed office. Bottles of champagne with sparklers and candles with sparklers on a cake approached her and the faint sound of singing fell upon her ear.

“One moment,” she paused the session and her C-suite looked at each other and grinned like a fox with a hen in its mouth. Bellinda got up from her seat.

“No, no, no. I’m in a meeting right now,” she said to herself and greeted them all at the door. The sparks from the candles and bottle tops, she noticed first.

She swung open the door and the chorus burst through to her. They sang the Stevie Wonder version of the “Happy Birthday to You” song. Synths and learned machines gathered around her. Bellinda looked severe and their smiles dropped. Just as they were about to set the cake on her desk, a spark ignited the ceiling. Flames tore through the spacious office. The engineers quickly engaged the machines and the synths got to work to put out the fire.

In moments, smoke and debris filled the place. One of the synths enabled a camera and sent footage to the private fire department. 

“Everyone on the ground, now!” Bellinda ordered. She was like a general leading her troops into a chaotic scene of carnage. Down low, she could barely make out the way to the single exit in the office. More machines with water cannons doused the flames from above, producing more smoke. 

“Is everyone okay?” Bellinda asked. Some coughing and a spoiled cake remained the only outcome. No serious injuries or anything more had been reported. The flames had turned to embers. The smoldering prompted synths with fire extinguishers to complete the job. 

The whole office appeared to be in shambles. Everything was covered in water or the product of the extinguishers. 

“Now, do you see why I don’t celebrate my birthday?” Bellinda mentioned with a snort.

Everyone looked drenched and almost depleted. In moments, the private fire department took over the scene. Fire Chief Omar Canterly approached Bellinda. He wore a starch white shirt and his silver stars glistened in the lights that flashed the alarm. Down below, a crowd had started to form. 

“Mrs. Gummer, we are truly sorry for this happening to you on what I understand is your birthday….”

“Think nothing of it, Chief. I just want to make sure everybody’s safe.”

“That’s my job, Mrs. Gummer.” She offered a small smile. Two other first responders helped her to her feet. Completely drenched, a synth offered her a towel. Her hair looked a mess. She didn’t care. She checked to see if all of her engineers had sought safety.

“I think that was the most selfless act of yours,” Canterly mentioned.

“In a place like Smartystan, you have the prerogative to think and say as you wish. This was the most rationally self-interested thing I could possibly do,” Bellinda countered. Canterly looked at her as if to know what she was talking about but also reminding himself that the days of unselfishness had perished at the opening of the ebony and ivory gates. He walked away with his unit and the synths came in and started to take everything that was still hot out of the office or dampen it more with extinguishers. 

Dr. Frampton came rushing to the office and worry painted her face.

“I just got back from a site, I saw this on the chip. Is everyone alright?” she asked Bellinda.

“If you are up to it, don’t worry about today. Take off the rest of the day,” Dr. Frampton suggested.

“No, I stand with my shipmates. I stand with you. We’re not going to let this ruin this day of business. Whatever happenstance that could be with my day of birth is just that. I have to command along with you. I will not forsake anyone on those terms.”

As a boss talking to a boss, the two ladies found themselves finding meaning in each other’s words. The paused session had resumed once again. Their faces looked concerned. They had watched all of the footage on the news on their chips. Bellinda walked down the hallway. She got busy again.

“Okay, I know everyone wants to know if everyone is okay, they are. I’ll have to design a new office and we will pick this meeting up again some time tomorrow. Talk about a happy birthday.”

Chintan Jani

Smartystan

Existence

Bellinda Gummer looked at the calendar and clock in her brain chip. She then stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t feel forty-five, but that’s what the fireworks in her chip meant. After exiting the bathroom, she tried to get dressed without being noticeable. Didn’t happen.



Smartystan

Existence

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Businesswoman Chapter 351

Smartystan

Existence

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Businesswoman Chapter 351

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