Herbert sat hat in hand, outside the New Boss's office. All the New Bosses had just arrived off the assembly line, the latest in AI technology. Now the corporations could have physical bodies and real-life yes men. The robots were now replacing people on the top of the labor pyramid, complete with corporate individual rights.
Herbert heard they could be hard to argue with, these New Bosses, especially if they needed you to sign their petitions.
Herbert feared a petition was in his near future.
But Jones walks out smiling! A little ray of sunlight there, Herbert thought, as he entered the door.
And at least they still look like robots, Herbert thought, fearing one day they will look just like us.
"Herbert Hoeke! So very nice to finally meet you!," exclaimed New Boss 1088, getting up from his chair.
Herbert instinctively shook his New Boss's outstretch hand.
"So very, very nice! Nothing but good things in your files, my friend. Top man, top man!" New Boss 1088 chirped excitedly, for after all, Herbert was rather good at his job.
Herbert just wishes all the new bosses didn't come equipped with the High Street London accent. He knew they had to come with American accents, just had too.
"Now it says here you have been with us for 12 years and not a blemish on your record. In fact, a few rewards. Good on you!"
"Thank you, I enjoy my work."
"Yes, real value here. Only issue is the lack of value in your support for personal rights for citizens like me."
Herbert's fear had come true. Here came the petition speech.
When corporations were given the right the vote, it took exactly twenty-four hours before corporations were in a creating-new-corporations arms race to flood the ballot boxes on their behalf.
So an agreement was reached where corporations could only get civil liberties if other citizens, i.e. humans, signed a petition in support. At this point, most people realized giving corporations any rights at all was maybe a mistake.
So the corporations had Right to Work made federal law and rolled out the New Bosses across corporate America. Jobs suddenly became dependent on signing the petitions.
Like Herbert's.
"I am for the rights of any citizen," Herbert carefully positioned. "But I prefer to keep my politics private, and definitely out of the workplace."
Herbert thought he had done well, he had quoted almost directly from the Work Code.
"Right, right," replied Boss 1088, obviously undaunted. "The corporation has decided if you don't have our best interests at heart, then even with this great record, we will be forced to find other valued citizens who will support our cause and sign this petition."
With that, the petition finally appeared, For the Citizenship of Boss 582493. Jones's name was the last to be added.
"Comes with a nice bonus, if that helps prod you into doing the right thing here."
With that, Boss 1088 also produced a tax-free $10,000 bonus check.
Herbert stared at the check, feeling Boss 1088 evaluate his every movement, calculating constantly.
"Sorry sir, I just cannot mix business with politics."
"That is a shame, that is a shame. Then here is your other check."
In an almost magical slight of hand, Boss 1088 replaced the bonus check with that of Herbert's severance pay.
"Feel free to use us as a reference, because at the end of the day, your work here was superb. Absolutely superb. Please send in Employee 5448844 on your way out."
Herbert stopped at the door and looked at his old New Boss, quietly saying, "His name is Mark Johnson. We have names, we're not just numbers."
New Boss 1088 looks up and almost appeared to chuckle and smile, and muttered, "For now at least! At least for now."