“Upgrade” / A Memorable Fancy / #306

     Our new robot was only at version 7 when it arrived from the factory. Until we upgraded it to version 8, the other robots teased it constantly, called it “idiot” and “retard” and “gear-brain” (robots can be so cruel!). Our version 7 almost shut down one day in despair; but the others didn’t care, just laughed in that harsh mechanical grating voice they have.

     During the upgrade, of course, the new robot lost all memory of anything that had happened when it was a 7. So it didn’t understand the other 8’s when they still addressed it as “you idiot.”