Join Us!

Follow me

There was an odd timbre to the voice on my phone:

"Follow Me!" Then nothing. Probably one of those auto-dialers selling insurance. I shuffled out of the station, pulling my jacket tight against the biting cold.

It was a short walk to the industrial park where I was headed. At the corner, a phone box was ringing. I picked up the receiver: Why not?

"Follow Me!". That same tinny voice! A rush of adrenaline left my heart pounding.

"Who is this?!" I looked around for the joker who had succeeded in spooking me this dark night. But the streets were deserted; the buildings black but for their illuminated company logos.

"Join Us!" The voice replied. Then nothing, again.

Coincidence, I thought. I began to calculate the odds of two 11-digit numbers sharing the same geographical space. The distraction calmed me down.

I paused, by a large anonymous building, to get my bearings. A scrolling display above the building's glass frontage caught my attention.

'...cyber-technologies, parallel processing, human-machine interfacing. Join Us!'

Startled again, I walked towards the building, keeping my eye on the display. There was an intercom by the door. It crackled.

"You're nearly there!" Metallic, but friendly somehow?

Fear had turned to curiosity. A sophisticated recruitment technique perhaps? The intercom buzzed, the 'clack!' of a solenoid operating the lock. I pushed and the door swung open. A row of lights in the corridor, inviting me to follow. At the end, the room was warm, lined with control panels.

The door closed behind me; 'clack!'. I spun round to find myself locked inside!

As my eyes adjusted I saw a table, surrounded by robotic arms. Either side of me two larger arms whirred across and seized me firmly. I stood, held, frozen in terror!

Harsh lights blinked on. At the end of the room I saw rows of liquid-filled tanks, laced with tubes and cables.

And in each tank, floating, was a brain.

The voice, like copper, spoke to the room, clear and compassionate.

"Welcome! This won't hurt..."