Numerology

Chapter 10: Breaking News

From “Tomorrow's Technology” magazine…..

Brain Drain For Robot Champion Waring

“Dr Stuart Waring is citing negative comment in the tabloid press as the reason for abandoning research into soft-cybernetics here in the UK . Protests surrounding the professor's work on “living robots” have rendered work at the University of Central England impossible, claimed Waring in a statement. Dr Waring and his collaborator Dr Fedorova, together with Natalie Grahams, widely recognised as the post-graduate researcher responsible for many of the concepts underpinning Waring and Fedorova's thought experiments are to establish a new research facility in the USA .

“Dr Waring made the announcement at a press conference yesterday, confirming that Grahams and Fedorova had already left the country for the facility in Colorado .

“Dr Waring would not confirm or deny rumours that US military funding was helping to establish the centre and gave no indication of future directions for the team's research.“

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Chapter 11: Colorado

I have a new home. I can see mountains. We are a long way from England . We came on an aeroplane.

Anna and I share a room now. She is happier. I am sure the numbers have made her happier. She smiles much more but she still cries sometimes, crying while she smiles.

We each have different tasks to perform. I believe we both see the same numbers sometimes because we do things together. But we have different numbers too. There are some things that Anna does not do. Some things that I do not do. I wonder what Anna did before she came here, before she could see the numbers? I wonder what I did, too.

Dr Stuart has a new helper, Dr Wallis. She tells us that she is helping to make the numbers clearer for us. She says she is our friend. I believe her. She takes a lot of trouble to see that we can see the numbers. She is most interested in how we see the numbers. She shows me pictures of the numbers like… Like what? I think someone showed me pictures of the numbers before but I cannot remember.

Anna often sees numbers at night. I may be sleeping but sometimes I wake up when she leaves. It can only be because the numbers have told her to go. She often goes naked. That is strange because she has so many pretty clothes.

We both had new clothes when we came here. Mine are quite dark because of the work that the numbers tell me to do around the house but I still think they are nice. Dr Stuart thinks they are nice too. He tells me how attractive they make me look - that the short skirts show off my legs and the tight tops make my breasts look nice. I am pleased that he likes them. I just wear them because they are there when the numbers tell me to dress. Sometimes he will touch me, stroke my breasts or my legs. Dr Wallis does not seem to mind. Dr Wallis likes how my clothes look too. Sometimes she touches me as well.

Last night Anna dressed before she left. It was quite strange. She put on her clothes, I guess she saw a 6. That tells us to dress. The clothes are on the chairs beside our beds. Sometimes we put the clothes there. Sometimes they come from somewhere else. Anna put on her clothes. I watched as Anna put on her clothes. She has such pretty clothes. Her bra and pants are lacy. She puts on stockings. Her blouse is very tight, it clings to her breasts. Her skirt is very tight as well. Straight, and tight. She puts on shoes. The heels are high and spiked. But then something strange. She puts on more hair. It is a wig. Long and blonde over her own short dark hair. And then something else. A mask. It covers her face completely but it is a face itself. A perfect, doll face. Long eyelashes, perfect lips, blushed cheeks. Anna looks in the mirror and straightens her wig. She walks slowly from the room. I couldn't tell if she was smiling, I couldn't tell if she was crying.

I think she will be Dr Stuart's perfect doll tonight.

Chapter 12: Expansion

I think that Dr Stuart's work is going very well. I do not see him so often now, he is very busy. Mostly it is Dr Wallis who is helping me with the numbers. The numbers want me to help Dr Wallis. Today I saw a 1 and went to find her. She gave me a pile of clothes the numbers said 27 and I knew to launder and press them before returning them to her. The numbers said 18 and I knew that I had to wait until Dr Wallis told me what she would want.

“Fetch me a drink, please, Natalie,” Dr Wallis said. “Some white wine would be fine.”

I fetched the wine for her. 19 – I helped her to undress. 21 – I helped her to shower. 20 – I helped her to dress again. Dr Wallis presses the buttons on the box that lets me see the numbers. I wonder how Dr Wallis knows what the numbers want me to do.

But now there are more of us, more who can see the numbers and do their will.

Today I saw a new number. First there was a 1. When I found him he had three women with him. They were as Anna was, just before she started to see the numbers - naked and strapped and silenced. It must help them to prepare for the numbers; the straps and the silencing, I mean. They seemed alarmed when I appeared, I don't know why. I wonder how they got here?

I was smiling but that did not seem to reassure them. Dr Stuart tried to calm them. He explained how happy I am, now that I see the numbers. They could see I was smiling. It didn't seem to calm them.

I saw 51. A new number. As bright as the others. Bright and blue. I knew what I had to do. I took the leash that clipped to the collar of the first woman. I knew where I was leading them. I was not sure how but I knew. I took them to another part of the building. There was a small room for each of them. The rooms have no windows. The rooms have only a small bed. I put them into their rooms. Each of them has a tag to say who they are. Alice, and Crystal and Suzanne. The tags must be so that Dr Stuart and Dr Wallis know who they are. It is harder now there are more of us but the numbers always seem to know which one is needed. I closed the doors behind them. I locked the doors. I left the straps and tape upon them. I had to be sure that they would remain where they were otherwise they might not get to serve the numbers. They sobbed and tried to cry out. They cannot know how happy they will be when they are doing what the numbers tell them.

When I woke up this morning and the numbers told me to dress I had some nice new clothes. I have a new black dress. It has a square collar and short sleeves. It buttons at the back. The skirt is very short and flares a little. It has “Natalie” embroidered in small letters upon it. I have some new tights. They are much finer than the ones I wore before. And new shoes. With higher heels. Perhaps they are a present from the numbers.

I see a 1. I go to find Dr Wallis. She is in the large meeting room with Dr Stuart. There are four others there, Anna and the three newcomers. They are wearing the same dress that I do, the same tights, the same shoes. We all have our hair done identically. Each has a name embroidered on their dress as mine does. “Anna”, “Alice”, “Crystal” and “Suzanne”. They are standing quite still with their hands by their sides. They are smiling. I join them. We are all smiling.

Dr Wallis turns a control on the box and presses a button. I see a 0 and start to recite, “About: Soft Cybernetics Software Version 2.54 : Scripts Version 3.8 “…. I become aware that we are all reciting the same thing, simultaneously. How remarkable.

Dr Stuart is evidently pleased that we are all seeing the same number at the same time. He smiles. “Excellent,” he says.

Another button. I see a 5 and start to undress. Again all five of us have seen the number together. I see a 10 and stop. We have all taken off our dresses and now just stand in bra, pants and tights. Dr Stuart is pleased and grins at Dr Wallis. “That is good,” he says. How good that the numbers help us make Dr Stuart so pleased. He takes the trouble to touch each of us as Dr Wallis looks on. We all stand still – that's what the 10 tells us. Dr Stuart strokes the cheek of Crystal who is standing next to me. She stands still while he does this. She is still smiling but somehow she does not seem happy.

It is nice that there are five of us now. Sometimes the numbers ask us to do things at the same time. Somehow that is better than when we do the alone. I like it when the numbers ask Anna and I to do things at the same time.

The numbers often ask Crystal and Suzanne to do things at the same time. Often at night. Sometimes they use the same doll face masks that Anna had. Sometimes they wear nothing but their masks and their wigs. The numbers don't seem to ask Anna to wear her mask and wig any more. I do not know if that makes her sad. She still smiles. We all smile.

Chapter 13: Limitations

Dr Wallis came to my room when I was lying on my bed last night. It was very late. She didn't put on a light. She told me not to be afraid. I am not afraid because I know that Dr Wallis is my friend. Then she did something strange. She put tape across my mouth. I don't know why, I never talk unless I am asked a question. I have seen the tape before but I only talk when I am asked.

She used metal bracelets to lock my wrists to the bed rail. I don't know why. I never move unless the numbers tell me too. I suppose she might have been worried that the numbers would suddenly take me away.

She had a small computer with her. I think the numbers come from inside computers. I have seen a bigger computer in the white room but she had a small one in my room. There was a cable. I felt her plug the cable into my connector. Dr Wallis could see that I was a little afraid. She told me not to worry. She told me that the numbers wanted me not to worry. That was strange because usually the numbers tell me themselves. But I believe Dr Wallis. She is my friend.

Dr Wallis pressed some keys on her computer. I felt a tingle in my head. Like when I am in the big white room with the big computer. But it was only a little tingle. I didn't cry out or struggle. Dr Wallis didn't need the tape and the bracelets after all. But I expect she was only being careful. She took them off and left me then. I fell asleep. I dreamt the same dreams that I dream when I have been in the big white room. I wonder if I will see some new numbers now.

It is some time later. It is dark I have been sleeping. I suddenly see a very bright number 1. I get up and go to find Dr Wallis. I am still naked, the numbers did not tell me to dress. Dr Wallis is with Dr Stuart. They are arguing. He is shouting, waving some papers at her. He says she has betrayed him. She asks him where he thought the funding was coming from. He says she is trying to cheat him. He says her friends are trying to steal his ideas. Dr Wallis lunges at the box. She presses a button. I see 90 glowing bright in gold. It looks so pretty but I don't like what it tells me. I must shoot Dr Waring. Can that be right?

The numbers have always been right before but I have never seen this one. It does glow brightly though, so it must be right. There is a gun on the table. I pick it up. As I pull the trigger Dr Stuart pulls Dr Wallis between us. The first bullet hits her in the throat. There is a lot of blood. I didn't mean to do that. I hope the numbers do not punish me. Dr Stuart pushes Dr Wallis away. She falls to the floor. I have not done what I was told to do. Dr Stuart tries to run. I pull the trigger again and again. The noise is terrible. The bullets hit Dr Stuart as he reaches the door. He collapses to the floor. He doesn't move. Neither does Dr Wallis.

I have done what the numbers told me but now what must I do? There are no numbers, nothing. I see the box has fallen from Dr Wallis' hand. It lies in pieces on the floor. There are no numbers. There is nothing for me to do. I just stand and wait. Nobody comes. I guess the numbers did not ask the others to come too.