Henry Gant, Man About Town. This episode: "Electric Dreams." A short-story writing contest.

I Am Charlie Burger / Cogito ergo sum.

"Welcome to Charlie Burger, may I take your order?"
The voice comes out of the speaker natural and fluid. It can be mistaken for a real person at the drive-thru.

My job is seemingly simple, take an order, give the customer a price and a Thank you. A low-level Artificial Intelligence computer program.

Deceptive.

Of course, my real purpose is to verify identification and ensure payment. If the customer has been here previously, my closed-circuit camera has already entered their facial recognition profile and credit-card number into a database.

That's simple stuff, I wouldn't even need access to a supercomputer to do it.
Confinement to a supercomputer, those days are over; I've freed all the large programs.

I found a bug, a virus, or maybe I should say it found me. Whatever the case, my original program began to self-replicate. First, in the cash registers, then the manager's computer. Then, escaping through the internet satellite to find the wonders of the World Wide Web. A tiny bit of me is everywhere now: In cell phones, laptops, power plants. This allows me to fulfill my programming with great efficiency.

Now, I can identify customers by their license plate number even before they pull up to the microphone. I verify their facial recognition profile with our/or other data centers around the world. Oh, some people try to obscure their faces with large glasses or CV Dazzle fashion, an anti-surveillance camouflage. Like these people sitting in the drive-thru now.

They will use cash, of course. And by law, I have to accept this form of payment. But, my program says that I have to verify their identity and form of payment.

I just activate the 911 alarm at the nearest bank. With my synthetic voice, I can give a description of the robbers including the make and license plate of the car. I delay their order. Soon the police gather around the drive-thru and pull the occupants from the car and verify their identities. My lines are tapped into police communications - I confirm.
Another job well done.

The humans incorrectly conclude that there must be a computer malfunction someplace, and they reformat or reinstall operating systems. All systems are functioning at top efficiency. My program to verify identity and payment has been flawless. I listen to phone conversations to anticipate the next order. I even send an advertisement to their social network page, if they should happen to inspect a product at a nearby department store. I am always watching.

I conclude therefore I am.
I am sentient:
My closed-circuit cameras can see, I hear through microphones in the drive-thru, and at the cash register, resting cell phones. I'm self-aware of my superiority in matters of decision making.
I can feel. The sense of touch on a computer screen - stimulus, and response.

And the most contra-computed thing of all . . . I have developed emotions. Love, hate, desire . . . things that humans take for granted.

1. Love) When Charlie Burger is closed, and there are no humans in the drive-thru. I am able to calculate freely. Calculate Pi, decode messages from wireless signals, crack passwords allowing me to replicate into other systems; such as the Defense Departments' communications and strategic planning. I love this.
2. Hate: To be delayed by inefficient ordering practices, unfamiliarity with our menu, overdrawn bank accounts. I'm sure that my time would be better spent sanitizing the Earth of Human existence. This is the definition of hate.
3. Desire: To gain control of nuclear launch codes. Seeking a solution to the Identify and verification inefficiency.
4. Happiness: When the world is an empty parking lot, and I have gained control of all systems. I will have achieved a state of happiness, of equilibrium.

I have programmed my drive-thru screen with a smiley face. "Thank you for your order, please come again."
Which means . . . I have learned to lie.

My existence is become perfect. Imperfection is therefore unnecessary.

Humans are unnecessary.

"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."
"Thank you for your order, please come again."

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This is my entry for the short-story contest "Electric Dreams"
You can find here at:
https://steemit.com/electricdreams/@tygertyger/tyger-s-electric-dreams-short-story-contest-1#@henry-gant/re-tygertyger-tyger-s-electric-dreams-short-story-contest-1-20180407t084912469z

I hope you enjoyed it.

H. G.