After each round, while the contests are in the waiting rooms of the clinics, a classic break is taken during which the public is moved back into their working stations. But to not leave them empty handed, the management allows the streams to broadcast specials, collages, reels, scrutinized stories on each contestant and other topics related to R.O.C. This year, though, they slid in something special that took priority and they made sure it was advertised on all platforms.

-“Special interview with three previous patients airing tonight. You can also watch reruns afterward on all Brands’ primary channels”, said the banner, which spread like wildfire among the citizens on every level. All non and minimal-essential working stations were even granted special breaks so that everyone could follow the material.

Robert, who by this point was made aware of Samuel’s and Milla’s plan, accepted to become the spokesperson for the interviews and the voice for all the Brands:

Somewhat surprisingly, the avatar he chose to present himself under was his original one, given  to him by the miracle of birth. The man was surprisingly thin looking for a man of his great height, and once they saw his face, some of the spectators started to take bets if he shared any characteristics with the hacker, Syna. The thin lips and ear lobes inclined at a 90 degree angle had the best chances of giving them any win. The bowl haircut was not a dominant trait, though. 

-” Hello, hello”, started the number 3 Ceo. “ Hi there, our County, how are you doing? Have you enjoyed the R.O.C so far?” after which he waited a few seconds to check a graph, which could have been automated at this point, to reach a 90% approval rating. “Good, good. So, let’s address the giant wort in the room, yeah?” with a picture of Syna showing up on everyone’s screen.

Robert, CEO 3 -“So, as the presumed father of the contestant who started these rumors, I chose to stand before you and explain concisely. We…are sorry. Indeed, we never considered how not updating you about the status of our previous participants could be seen as inconsiderate. Up until today, we kept them out of the public’s eye so that they could live their lives as productive, happy workers, but”, he waited with a finger raised firmly up -” three of them generously agreed to speak for you, and to us. We apologize again for our mistake and the Brands would like to thank these three hard workers for all their time.”

The first one to be interviewed was a girl, fully transformed by her cybernetics into something more machine than man, akin to a washer with members and a head, presented as the winner of the competition from three years ago. She complained how before she had a tough life as a construction tester and translator for the lower levels, but: 

– “I’m happier now that I have these parts. I know that my appearance isn’t a stylish one, and I do have to take them to five customer centers for check-ups and such, but still; my jobs became so much more enjoyable and easier, especially since the risk of accidents dropped by 15%. Imagine that, a drop from 60 to 45%? Some people would kill for that kind of security.” They talked for another 15 minutes about other small stuff.

—

An old man, who passed through the contest last year, was sitting alone, on his small balcony, on the 34th floor of a commune building. He appeared content, even though he was wheelchair-bound and missing half of his body. “I sold some of the parts, and look at me now. I finally managed to buy out, not rent or sub-rent, but buy a 3 by 3 living quarter with its own balcony.”, he proudly proclaimed with arms wide open, while turning around like an excited child. “ Listen, it was a hard decision to make, I’ll give you that, but I don’t regret it. I worked hard for those robotic legs, it was my call on what to do with them.” The old man continued to ramble on for 30 minutes.

—

Last, but not least, was a short man, with puffed-out hair and, and tired eyes, surrounded at his desk by tools and spare parts. He presented himself as Diaz Cid, a man of few words, but highly praised by his colleagues, staff, and managers especially, for his leadership skills and dedication to fixing mechanics. “ After I somehow won the contest 25 years ago, I returned to my job as an engineer, but something changed. I could see, uhm, better I think? I could understand faster how each piece worked in conjunction with another, why a nut was needed here and there, you know?”, he said while holding a short smile.

Everyone around him considered him talented before the R.O.C, but something in him changed after he came back with the augmentations. He was more confident in himself and his work, which in addition to his results, raised him to the position of middle team leader of his team.

At the end of the special, Robert took the stage again and promised everyone that they would return with such a segment next year, another in two years, and so forth. He finished off his speech with a simple, solemn message- “ We do remember them, be assured of that.”