A Flash Fiction Story
(Note: This was originally published in 2013 in a compilation of stories I released under my old pen name. It’s no longer available. I’m slowly updating and re-publishing these stories here periodically. For a while, I was obsessed with writing flash fiction. I’ve always been obsessed with writing about robots, so… here we are!)
“So, you’re telling me that’s it?”
Unit 397b stared at the human looking back at him from across the table. That he noticed every little detail was irrelevant. She had blonde hair, but it could as easily been brown. She was an adult, but could as easily been a child. That her dress was a deep shade of blue was irrelevant. None of these details would ever make it to his long-term memory banks.
This was one limit of Unit 397b’s programming. One that forced him to write an algorithm on the fly, an algorithm that itself would not even be committed to long-term memory.
“Even with a compression ratio of 128 to 1, my memory banks are full,” said Unit 397b evenly. “I have data on all three thousand four hundred and twenty-nine individuals I have encountered during my existence. I have granted each precious space in my long-term memory bank.
“The algorithm I created to determine whether any of that data can be replaced with this new encounter has returned a negative result.”
The human, whose name Unit 397b removed from short-term memory once he calculated it was irrelevant, developed a wetness around her eyes. She was crying.
“Simply put,” he stated, “there is no room for you.”