Extension Envy

I was sitting at the table when my heart slowed. I had to plug in.

I walked to the outlet, barely making it.

I was ninety two when I almost died of a heart attack. That was one hundred years ago.

During the day, the sun would charge my solar implants, but it was dark out now.

I was one of the first to get the transplants. And not just the solar chargers. First it was my heart, then my deteriorating organs, then my lungs. Everything except my brain and skin had been replaced by machines.

It’s true that natural brain chemistry causes the brain to shrink over time, but that’s usually caused by a decrease in natural blood flow. With my new mechanical heart and artificial arteries, even that problem had been fixed, as long as I stayed charged.

I opened up my wrist and plugged in. I was at one percent. The new lightning charger I had was great, I was at one hundred percent in less than a minute.

I had twelve great, great grandchildren now and babysitting them was always fun, but used up my charge fast.

The human population has tripled in the last hundred years since people have been living longer because of the electronic replacements for organs, but we also had space stations scattered throughout the galaxy.

Building them was not a burden on Earths resources either, since we’d exclusively used materials from other planets.

The population was five billion on earth, twenty two billion in space.

“Great Grandma,” Oliver said.

“Yes dear?” I asked.

“Will I get bionic enhancements too? You’re so good at everything, I want to be just like you one day,” Oliver said and smiled.

“Of course, dear. And you already have the Bio-Muscular Enhancement Implant. That’s why your arms are so strong. We must remain stronger then the naturals who work for us. We wouldn’t want those… meat bags…. Controlling everything again. They don’t like the enhanced,” I said and spit.

Then Oliver spit.

“Dumb meat bags,” Oliver repeated.

“Hey, never underestimate the meat bags. The un-enhanced fleshlings are smarter then they look. They invented our tech after all. Our only advantage's are our physical superiority and our ability to think faster. That’s why we have to make sure we are always in the higher position, we wouldn’t want a fleshy uprising,” I said.

“Damn fleshy’s,” Oliver said and spit again.

“Hey, no more spitting. You’re going to ruin the marble. And watch your language, if a fleshy hears you use that word, they might take offense. Then they might try to fight you, and you’d have to beat them to a pulp,” I said.

“So, I can take them! I have enhanced arms, remember?” Oliver said excitedly.

“True, but if you beat all the fleshys to a pulp, who will work for us?” I asked.

“Oh, I see what you mean. You’re so smart grandma. That’s a very good point,” Oliver said. Oliver was only twelve, but he picked things up very fast.

*****

I tucked the other grandkids into bed, and it was just me and Oliver that remained up.

“Time for you to go to bed, Oliver. Until you get the charging upgrade like me, you need sleep too,” I said.

“Do you remember sleeping?” Oliver asked me.

“Of course I do. How old do you think I am?” I asked.

“One hundred ninety two,” Oliver said.

“That’s… correct. But I remember sleeping,” I said and chuckled.

Oliver had laid down in his bed and there was a knocking at the door.

“Who is it?” Oliver asked.

“I’ll go check,” I said. The knocking turned into a banging.

“Who’s there?” I shouted through the door.

“It’s Titus,” the man said.

“The gardener?” I asked.

“Yes. We’re here to talk to you,” Titus said.

“At this late hour? And who’s we?” I asked.

“The gardening crew. And the last of your neighbors without upgrades,” Titus said.

“Crap, they must be here for a revolt,” I mumbled.

“Grandma, what’s going on?” Oliver asked.

I turned around and the other children were up as well, all standing next to him.

“Normally I’d tell you all to go back to bed, but I can use your help, children. The unupgraded are outside, and they want something,” I said.

“Are those the weaklings you were telling me about earlier?” Oliver asked.

“Yes! Good guess, Oliver. I think they’re planning on asking us for greater payment. And if we don’t give in to their every unreasonable demand, they’ll take what we have by force!” I said. The children gasped.

“What do we do, Grandma?” Oliver asked.

“You children might be young, but you have your upgrades. Oliver, you have your enhanced arms. The muscle upgrades mean you can throw punches a lot harder then they can. Cindy, Judy, you have your legs. The rest of you have throat and lung upgrades you can use to blow them away with. You can also scream so loud it will burst their eardrums. If I don’t open this door soon, they’ll kick it down and try and take what they want. So here’s the plan. I open the door, and you help me fight them. If they surrender, put them back in the basement where they belong. If they don’t, kill them,” I said.

“But Grandma, isn’t that murder?” Oliver asked. The children looked scared.

“Not if it’s self defense. We have a right to protect ourselves, young man,” I explained.

“What if we don’t want to hurt anyone?” Cindy asked.

“Yah, hitting is bad,” Judy agreed.

“Then they’ll hurt you. They’ll hurt you bad. And all because you have technology inside of you. It’s Technophobia. That’s all this is, a case of technological discrimination,” I said.

“We have to fight for our right to be upgraded,” Oliver said. I smiled and nodded.

“We can here you talking. We know you’re still home,” Titus said.

“What do you want?” I shouted.

“Look, all we want is a pay raise. We think you’re not paying us a fair amount because you think we’re weak. This is a case of natural existence discrimination. You’re scared of us because our blood is organic and free of technology, your Organophobic. Give us a raise, ma'am, and this can all go away,” Titus said.

“I’ve told you before, Titus, you’re not getting a raise, you technophobic weakling. Neither is your crew. And why did you invite the neighbors, they don’t work for me,” I shouted.

“They’re pure bloods too. They support us. You have until the count of three to open the door, or we’re coming in,” Titus said.

“See, children, they’re trying to steal from us. Are you ready to defend our home?” I asked. They nodded.

“One, two…” Titus counted. I opened the door.

The children ran out ahead of me. I grabbed Titus, who appeared to be leading the revolt, and slammed him against the wall, knocking the air out of him.

“Weakling,” I hissed at him.

I slammed Titus to the ground and held him down while the children attacked everyone else.

By the time the fighting was over, everyone except for the pureblood children and Titus had been killed.

“Good job Oliver and the rest of you. Lock the children in the basement. Well train them to be our servants. This time, the organics won’t get a dime. That will teach them to revolt against us. There’s no place for technophobia in todays world,” I said and mechanically smiled.

“Yes, grandma. What will you do with Titus?”

“Don’t worry about Titus. He will be enhanced. I’ve made a few obedience chips, just in case this day ever came,” I said and continued to smile.

“Obedience chips? You can’t be serious. You can’t legally do that! I’m entitled to my free…”

I put my hand on Titus mouth, interrupting his speech.

I waited for my grandchildren to take the organic children to the basement. There was about to be a lot of screaming from Titus. Unlike when the doctors gave me my upgrades, I didn’t have any anesthesia for Titus for when I gave him his. And after wasting my time with his revolt, I didn’t really feel like going out of my way to get any.

Despite being in the basement at the time, Oliver still heard Titus screaming as I installed the obedience chip. He told me after he locked the organic children in their basement cages.

“Why did Titus scream so much? It’s just one chip? I didn’t have any anesthesia when my muscle chips were installed,” Oliver asked.

“Your chips went into your arms. I had to insert Titus’s obedience chip into his nostril and go all the way up into his brain,” I said.

“Ouch. Sorry Titus,” Oliver said and shrugged.

“Don’t apologize to him. Never apologize to a weakling. They hate us. They must be taught we’re superior,” I said.

“Yes, grandma,” Oliver said.

“Don’t look so sad, Oliver. Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Oh man, am I hungry. I haven’t eaten all night,” Oliver said.

“Titus, go make us a snack,” I demanded.

“I will not…” Titus started to say. The chip in his brain sent a a long electric shock through Titus’s body, causing him to convulse.

“Titus. Snack. Now. I won’t ask again,” I said.

“Ok, no more. I’ll obey. I’ll make a snack for Oliver,” Titus said.

“Eggs Benedict. And use the vegan ham,” Oliver said and smiled.

“Yes, sir,” Titus said and frowned.

He started to make the Eggs Benedict and Oliver said, “you should smile while your making it. That would make me happy.”

“Yes, please smile Titus. After your little revolt, you’re lucky to be alive, let alone still working for my family,” I said.

Titus forced himself to smile as he plated the Eggs Benedict and served them to Oliver.