Three Fingers
This story is fiction. It deals with subjects that are considered ‘adult’. Be aware of this before you read on.
CHAPTER 7 — Ervin Banks Shows Off Unit 8
Once Mr. Banks finished his work for the morning he closed his laptop with a sigh. He decided to eat out and went for the door. A maid opened it for him and Unit 8, which now followed him wherever he went, tagged along behind. He walked to the elevator and wondered how he managed outside where he usually had to wait for them. Here the elevator door was held open for him and Unit 8 when they arrived and they ascended to the Hidden Eye. On entering, all eyes were on him, or rather, on Unit 8 following him. Unit 8 was a very imposing robot and people could easily be intimidated by its presence. Billionaires often descended to the millionaires’ areas in order to do deals and generally mingle, especially with the up and coming ones who would soon be billionaires. It was always preferable to form alliances early on.
But on this occasion, Ervin Banks just wanted to boast. He had Unit 8 and no-one else did. Not even any billionaire. This would enhance his reputation, which was already strong. He was generally regarded as an up and coming billionaire and someone to watch.
All eyes were on him and Unit 8 as they went to an empty table he liked. No maid explained it was reserved so he sat down. The table was standard and was complete with under-the-table maids and chair maids. Unit 8 objected to Mr. Banks’ chair maid so it picked her up by grasping the maid’s biceps then placed her away from the chair. Unit 8 took that position. Mr. Banks was more than pleased when the maid tried to reclaim her position but Unit 8 was having none of it. The maid couldn’t even budge Unit 8 even after she tried to forcefully shove it away. Unit 8 simply swiped her with one arm and she tumbled to the floor. Another maid quickly came and ordered the chair maid away, then she apologized to Mr. Banks. Mr. Banks took the opportunity to order his food which the maid accepted without notes. Mr. Banks was not interested in the under-the-table maids so they just stayed there in their ready positions.
As Mr. Banks ate his meal, some of the other diners started to ask questions of their maids. Questions concerning Unit 8. Not one of the maids could answer the questions, which caused consternation in the maids’ ranks. The diners didn’t bother about that. Let the maids sort themselves out. What on earth were they being paid for if they couldn’t even answer such simple questions? So, Mrs. Valentina-Smith’s telephone was suddenly swamped with millionaires and billionaires asking questions about Unit 8. Specifically, when could they get one? They did not like someone that wasn’t them with such a cool toy.
Mrs. Valentina-Smith coped in her usual efficient way and took all calls then answered the questions on a conference call. “No, Unit 8 was not their property. No, it was not possible to guarantee Unit 8 to anyone else at this time. Unit 8 belonged to another organization and was here as a gesture of goodwill. The Three Fingers could not possibly book her without additional contract negotiations. However, Mrs. Valentina-Smith was quite willing to get those contract negotiations underway for anyone who requested it, but there was no guarantee of a successful outcome.”
Ervin Banks left Hidden Eye replete and happy with the stir he had caused. He also left behind many frustrated clients of the hotel who were now unsatisfied. Mrs. Valentina-Smith offloaded all the promises she made to her staff. She also called Mr. Paloka and gave him the problem of obtaining a sufficient number of robots for themselves, based on Unit 8.
She did not like Mr. Paloka’s answer.