The letter I received was short and sweet. Darlene Carter asked me to be a member of her television crew for the weather program, Wake Up, Earth!. I was very excited. It was my dream job. It was exactly why I majored in television and minored in weather maps. So I left my tiny town in New York for the bright lights of Tallahassee, Florida.

Darlene was a strikingly beautiful woman with legs that would kill if they could. I could tell right away that sooner or later I would like to meet with Darlene on a casual basis and discuss non-work-related topics.

She showed me around the building. It was a very sterile place. Every wall was white, as was the carpet; very sterile. I didn’t think that I would ever be able to learn my way around.

Darlene took me into the main studio where they were broadcasting some breaking weather news. She turned to me and asked if I could get her and myself some coffee.

“I promise you this day is not nearly over.” She said, “You’re going to need some coffee. You remember where the break room is right?”

“Certainly.” I said, even though I had no idea. I thought I remembered a break room of some sort down the hall. I opened the third door on my right about half an inch before a man on the other side stopped me. He told me that I didn’t have clearance to get into the room, but he sounded very worried. He had a desperation in his voice that made me want to know more.

“What’s in that room?” I yelled through the door. “What the hell is in that room?!”

I kicked the door open. It was just what I’d feared: it was the control room. But its horror did not lay in what kind of room it was. The real horror was something more horrible than I would have ever imagined.

“Oh the horror,” I screamed, “the God-forsaken horror!”

Chained to the chairs and workstations were hundreds of robots that were being forced to run the station. I ran back to the studio to beg Darlene for an answer.

“How the hell could you let this happen, Darlene?”

“It’s business.” She calmly replied.

“But it’s the year 2097, Darlene! Robots are our equals now. They are no longer our slaves!”

“To you they may be equal. To me they will always be slaves. I will not change. And if you start to feel the same as I do, then I see a future in your future. You and I, we could rule all of cable weather if you stay and do not tell. Otherwise, you should turn around now and go. But be warned: you will not live long.”

I knew what I had to do.

If I choose to turn and run, go to page 89.
If I choose to confront Darlene, go to page 103.
If I choose to join Darlene, go to page 42.

***