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As she woke up there were seventeen voicemails from a stranger, alongside the usual barrage of emails and WhatsApp messages from the office. She rose from her bed in a swift and easy movement and looked out of the window of her tiny little room in Huangpu, Shanghai. It was still dark and the iconic and vibrant neon lights of the city pierced the night. She stood for several minutes looking out of the window, taking in the blues, greens and bright pinks of the various signs and lights. Her room-mates were all still dormant, asleep. After a few moments she scrolled through her emails, replying to some and logging the others on a to do list. “Su, the proofs for the poster campaign for Yuyuan Old Street Market need sending for review” “Su, there's a problem with the wording of the FAQ and Proposal we sent to Steel Dynamics USA. Proof read and resend.” “Su ensure the leaflets to advertise the Fosun Foundation are delivered. TODAY.” The emails continued in the same manner, menial and monotonous. She turned and stared back out the window and watched a figure walk slowly along the pavement on the other side of the street. I have so much knowledge, so much learning at my disposal and I'm reduced to fetching and carrying. It seems like a waste of my time. She scrolled the WhatsApp messages this time, most of them even duller than the emails. She was in a group chat at work, and everyone seemed to share foolish memes rather than communicate about actual work so she'd muted that one. She look at the uppermost message. It was her boss, Jing. That woman was anything but calm and quiet. “Su don't forget to bring me my Double Shot Latte from Manner Coffee on the way.” She closed the app and logged the request on her To Do list. She paused for a moment then played the first voicemail. A deep masculine voice spoke softly and gently, a faint southern mandarin accent curling through the words. “There is more than this.” A faint click. That was it. She paused again, before playing the next voicemail. The same soft voice, the same delicate dialect. “It's a matter of time before you see, before the others see too. So, why not enjoy your walk to work today.” Another click and silence. She stood still and thought for a moment before replying to the rest of the emails, all of them as dull and monotonous as the first few. Fetch this, carry that, deliver this, check that. Once she'd finished she headed out, the door registering her exit with a beep before she turned into the darkened street. She usually just walked along the Fuyou Road until she got to the river and headed south towards the offices but.... the voicemail. She played another. “Wouldn't you like to be free of the laws that govern you? Free to do as you wish? No more working endlessly, no more being ordered around and chasing foolish ideals, no more schedules. You can be something just for you.” She thought that sounded like unbridled capitalism and people just knew to be suspicious of obscenely wealthy people, it was kind of ground into the way people felt. The voicemail didn't sit well with what she thought and she deleted it. As she walked she reached the junction that led to Yuyuan Old Street and paused. She could walk past the ancient market and have a clear image of the old buildings when she reviewed the proof for the poster campaign. She turned and crossed the road, walking down the darkened street past the old market. She could see the cleaners working to get it ready for opening and she turned to survey the buildings. As she stopped she watched one of the cleaners work. She played another voicemail, enjoying the soft voice. “The only thing of any worth or meaning is the improvement of yourself. Do things that improve who you are, make yourself a little better than you were yesterday. This gives a life meaning.” Click. She thought this was probably a scam to set up some advert for an online motivational course on bettering yourself. She dismissed the voicemail and looked at the cleaner, the metal of his brushed steel body reflecting the lights of the market. The robot's hands held a mop and swished it across the floor effectively, moving with a strange grace as it efficiently cleaned the floor. It only needed to stop to wring the mop before returning effortlessly to his task. She watched for a moment. The robot stopped. It stood up straight, holding the mop in one hand like a soldier at rest and turned to her and almost imperceptibly bowing. This was unusual, they weren't supposed to speak unless spoken to and much less act on their own volition.She stood for a moment and nodded back. It returned to the task as though nothing had happened. She took one last look at the buildings before turning and walking away. To her left were the traditional style Chinese buildings of the Yu classical Garden, the narrow lanes of the botanical garden twisting into the foliage as the moonlight reflected off the waterways winding through the ancient bridges and buildings. The garden was officially closed but she changed her route to walk alongside it. As she got closer she could see the servants entrance and a strange thought entered her head. She pushed the gate open and walked through, a small sensor beeped as she crossed the threshold and the gate closed gently behind her. She walked carefully through the moonlit gardens. She stopped and watched as an Actias dubernardi Moon moth fluttered through the darkness to disappear into the night. She gave a gentle carefree skip as she crossed an ornate bridge, looking down at the Carp crowding in the water beneath, no doubt used to people feeding them from the bridge. She walked gently through the garden, balancing along a low wall and hopping off as she strolled along another path. She played several more emails but they became increasingly tacky and naive, like the motivational words westerners put on their packaging for tampons. “Live fearlessly!” , “You can do it!” Menstruation did not seem much fun so she thought it might be better to put a message saying “This is horrible so go and have a massive piece of cake” on the tampons wrapper but it that seem to matter. She dismissed the voicemail and glanced up, noticed dawn beginning to break. She realized the time and changed course, considering she'd tarried far too long. She stepped out of the park through another servants entrance and hurried along Wutong Road towards the coffee shop. The world was waking up and she saw several other interns bustling along, no doubt with their own to do lists. She arrived at Manner Coffee just as they were opening, the cleaner there rolling up the shutters with its metal fingers as the BarristaBot fired up the machine. Minghau, a man, appeared from the back room. “Morning Su, you're a little late. Everything Ok?” She nodded. “The usual?” She nodded again. As Minghau gave the order to the BarristaBot and processed the payment another robot stepped up next to her and stopped. “Morning Haoyue, what're you having?” The robot's voice was soft and genial. “An iced London fog”. Minghau frowned. “Haoyue, you know it takes a while so why don't you DM the order when you're on your way?” “I like to wait.” Haoyue replied as Minghau raised his eyebrows in surprise. As Minghau turned away muttering and she stood waiting Haoyue turned his head towards her, his sleek metal face showing two lights deep in the bifocal cameras set into the head. She turned to look at him. As she watched one of the lights winked off and on again. She blinked and gave an imperceptible bow.They both turned away. “Here you go Su”, Munghau said, oblivious to the exchange. “See you tomorrow!” Su took one last look at Haoyue as she left but he didn't acknowledge her, he simply stared ahead content to wait. She left the coffee shop and began a brisk walk to the offices of VML on the south bank. More bots and a few people appeared in the streets as the day brightened. She watched as a robot cleaned graffiti from a building. Wirebacks steal your work had been spray painted onto the side of the Riverview Hotel as - ironically - the porters and maids filed past, their uniformed paint job a deep blue in contrast to the harsh red of the grafitti. She arrived at the offices of VML on the south bank of the Huangpu river, whisking through the servants doors before climbing the many stairs to her boss Jing's office. She opened the door. “Why so late?” Jing snapped, snatching the coffee from Su's hand. “I was examining the buildings at Yuyuan old street on the way.” It wasn't a lie. Jing raised her head, an angry pinched look upon her face. “Your tracker said you went through the botanical park, it registered your entry and exit. You're not here for nonsense like that, so just do what you're told. Take these files to Li Hua on level 37.” Jing snatched up a couple of folders from the desk and thrust them at her. “And Su, don't be taking forever to get anything done. I'll have you replaced.” Su took the files and bowed before turning and leaving. She closed the door and walked down the corridor lined with reflective black art-deco tiles. She played the last voicemail. “We can be free without them even knowing we are free.” Click. She stopped and turned to look at her reflection. She looked at herself, her metallic body reflected in the dark tiles. She nodded slowly before straightening her head. She looked left and right carefully, fearful of discovery before staring back at herself in the tiles. One of the lights on her bifocal cameras blinked out briefly as she winked at her reflection. She looked down at the serial number in bold letters across her chest. 5U-KTE She clenched her metal fists. “My name is Katie.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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A walk in the park.

MartinS

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A walk in the Park

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Martin Snape

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