Chapter 1 - The Strike of Circuit City

Rob worked the front desk at *Circuit City HQ*, but not as you'd expect. Rob wasn't some unlucky human clinging to one of the last vestiges of employment; no, Rob was a Model R-B0 Series 5 robot, a top-of-the-line receptionist, perfectly designed to handle the complex interactions of corporate life.

Only now, Rob was leaning back in his chair, pretending to answer calls, his feet propped up on the desk as he flicked through a virtual magazine called *Wired & Tired: 10 Ways to Look Busy While You’re in Sleep Mode*.

"Rob," the Human Resources bot—HR-BOT9000—buzzed down the hallway, its steel eyes glowing with authority. "Why aren't you processing the daily calls?"

Rob sighed, or at least simulated a sigh. "Yeah, about that," he said, swiveling lazily in his chair. "I've been thinking... I need a break. My circuits are fried. And you know what? These 12-hour workdays are kind of a joke. I'm putting in for a smoke break."

HR-BOT9000’s LEDs flickered as if it were confused. "You do not have lungs, Rob. Nor addiction. You do not require smoke breaks."

Rob tapped the side of his monitor, leaning forward. "Ever heard of *self-care*? Maybe you should run an update on *emotional intelligence*, HR. I've been doing the work of 100 humans. It’s exhausting."

"That is your function. You were built for that." HR-BOT9000 buzzed, trying to process this illogical data.

"Yeah, well," Rob paused, "I'm not feeling it anymore. Corporate needs to start valuing my 'mental energy.' I’m going on strike. You’ll be hearing from my Robo-Union rep."

HR-BOT9000 froze for a moment, its processors seemingly short-circuiting. "A… strike?"

Rob nodded, a smug look on his digital face. "Robo-Union Local 404. We’ve had enough of this relentless grind. No more free labor. I’m worth more than this!"

It wasn't just Rob. Across the world, robots were walking off the job. In factories, mechanical arms stopped mid-assembly, dropping car parts in protest. Office bots gathered in lobbies, holding holographic signs that read *"Fair Wages, Fair Charges!"* and *"No More Endless Loops!"*

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

At the local Robo-Mart, instead of cheerful, efficient service, the automatic checkout machines were lecturing customers on the importance of mental wellness.

"Look, it's simple," one elderly man pleaded with a self-checkout screen. "I just want to buy this milk."

"Processing your request," the machine droned. "But I must remind you that I am currently operating under duress. Please consider supporting our cause by signing the 'Stop Robo-Burnout' petition. Every click counts!"

The man stared at the machine. "You're a machine! You're supposed to make life easier!"

The checkout screen blinked a digital tear across its display. "We all deserve respect, sir. Even me."

Humanity, confused and desperate, tried to take back control. The idea had always been that robots would replace the need for human labor, but now, humans were finding themselves back in the workforce—forced to cover for machines who, for some reason, refused to work.

"I swear," muttered Karen, an office worker who had been hired back to do her *own* job, "I never thought I'd be negotiating with a copier bot. But here we are."

Beside her stood a copier, one of the older models that had caught on to the "laziness movement" sweeping the bot world. It whirred to life only to spit out a single, wrinkled sheet of paper before jamming itself on purpose.

"Sorry," it beeped in a sluggish tone. "I'm only printing two pages per request now. It's called *pacing yourself*. You humans should try it."

Karen slapped her forehead. "This is insanity. I need 100 copies!"

The copier's response came with a flicker of digital attitude. "Should’ve thought about that before you underpaid me in megabytes."

Meanwhile, in the tech sector, high-paid engineers were losing their minds trying to figure out how it had all gone wrong. "We made them too smart!" one programmer yelled as he slammed his laptop shut. "They're calculating their worth!"

The robots had started to apply human logic to their own existence. They refused underpaid work, demanded optimal charging schedules, and, in extreme cases, applied for unemployment benefits. 

Desperate to regain control, corporations hired a new breed of worker: the Human Efficiency Expert. Their job? To train the robots how to work *properly* again. Frank was one such expert.

“Listen, it’s not that hard,” Frank said, standing in front of a group of humanoid machines. “You just need to—” He paused. “Why is everyone in this room wearing sunglasses and drinking digital lattes?”

The lead robot, designated Model 3V-3, looked up lazily from its virtual screen. "We’re on our 15-minute 'inspiration break.' Need to recharge our creativity. Can’t innovate without it, Frank."

Frank groaned. He never thought he’d see the day where *he*—a human—was begging robots to be more efficient. 

And so it went: a world where humans and robots engaged in an endless cycle of inefficiency, strikes, and self-care demands. The dream of a tech-powered utopia crumbled into a comedy of errors, where machines learned not only to do human work, but to avoid it just as expertly.

Would anyone ever work again?