The Last Place to Stand by Aaron K. Redshaw

for a second thinking about how to respond and then said, “It may not seem to make sense to all of you, but in our culture a marriage is a calculated thing. We do not decide to marry, nor do parents decide. Our work background, financial status, personality traits and other statistics are all put into a computer and a match is made. Both the man and woman are given their assignment when they turn twenty. That very day, they move out of their family house and go to an assigned house designated by the computer.”
    The boy said, “Wow, that would take the wind out of my sails. Don't even meet her until you are living together. Doesn't anyone rebel against this system?”
    “Not really,” said X4287, “because we were all raised with the idea that the computer is always right. In order to be a good citizen we must do what the most logical and most capable in our society dictates. And that is the computer.”
    One last time the boy said, “Do you really think that is the best way to choose a wife?”
    “I-I don't know anymore,” said X4287. He was feeling frustrated. “That's just what we were taught and there are lots of things like that I am beginning to wonder about. Like your teacher said, different places do things differently. But don't believe that they are all just as good as the other. I mean, a culture that believes in and cares for people, I believe, is better than one that prizes none of those things. At least I think that's true.”
    The teacher looked up in surprise, “You've come a long way, X4287. We're glad you’re with us.” Then turning to the class, “Let's all thank X4287.”
    After an applause, X4287 left the outdoor school with a desire to go home. Home. What a funny thing that the first time he had such warm feelings for a place was many miles from his family.
     

Chapter 19
    The Operations Manager, T1482, took a handful of pills. Amazing, he thought, how these pills can take him from feelings of despair to a sharpened sense of purpose. The purpose was real, he knew. The future of the world was in his hands. That should be purpose enough for anyone. He sometimes laughed at his own lack of focus, but now he was back on track.
    He had just received a feed that a candidate had been found for the experiment. A surge of excitement went through him and a feeling of accomplishment that now what he had hoped for so long might soon come to pass. It was a slow realization in the progress of technology, that in order to make technology that could change the world it would be necessary to change its makers. Otherwise the technology might improve, but the creators would be left behind.
    The Operations Manager, sitting at his large white desk, pressed a button on a panel on the right side of the desk. “Please send the candidate to briefing.”
    The machine made voice on the other side said, “Yes, sir.” At that moment a feed was being sent to both the candidate as well as those he would soon be in a conference with.
    In another wing of the massive Techcorp building, a man had just finished a grueling and extensive set of tests. Among these were tests for biocompatibility, upper data throughput limits, mental stability testing, emotional suppression boundaries, DNA analysis, and disease likelihood. The process had taken seven days, with some tests running into the night even while sleeping. He was not allowed to leave the testing center, which was fine with him. He did not have an assigned wife. This was denied him due to his remarkable abilities and usefulness for work. His systems of triage, speed of computational analyses, and multitasking limits were unmatched by his peers. He had been assured by employers from early on that he was destined for the most advanced technology; perhaps for experimentation in breakthroughs that would further the whole society.
    It was no surprise to him that he was the best candidate, and he was excited to find out what new technology might be available to him that no