Strata 12 The Basement People (Emotions) The Book of Immersion by Sarnia de la Mare

All episodes and glossary at www.talettellerclub.com

Welcome to Immersion, you have reached Strata 12
The Basement People (Emotions)

I searched the globe for want of you,A friend to call my own,My space,A tribe,Was this the place?Was I really home?And there you stoodA tree of hopeArms outstretchedTo envelopeMy ravaged bodySavaged mindThis soul so lost And you so kind.


Most humans progress through life along a path created by the society and culture they are part of. Existentialism emphasises individual existence, freedom, and choice. Androids and machines are essentialists, focusing on the inherent nature or essence of things and the assumption in fundamental unchanging truths. 
Emotions are vital to help humans learn and make decisions. Feelings are experienced constantly from birth to death. A newborn baby is emotionally involved with its mother as soon as it understands she is a valuable source of food and comfort. The emotional attachment is instantaneous and intuitive.Human emotions are essential to consistency, being part of a social group, and staying safe.
Androids have successfully been programmed with 'visceral-like' responses but these are mimicked, in essence, they are faked. Androids are trained to respond to their owners' emotions as they are not able to understand emotions themselves through their lens. Such models are trained to respond to human physical cues such as odours, pupil changes, vocal idiosyncrasies etc, and to reciprocate. We could call this 'fake empathy’.
Automatic robotic vehicles do not fear the crash, they simply ‘know’ that a collision is not desirable for the ongoing success of the mission in hand.

'We should get some *infon and *preds,’ Shabra said, thinking hard about the best time of night to get to the edge, which was renowned for tribal and gang flashpoints.
Renyke asked *POS to explain.
…It appears that Shabra is gathering helpful information to aid our journey….
Renyke was uncertain what to do. This feeling was becoming all too familiar and quite at odds with his hitherto programmed assuredness.'You coming or what?' Shabra asks from outside the car, leading the way to a set of stairs that led down into a noisy basement.
The *robo-dog wagged its tail and sat importantly on the roof of the vehicle looking around and growling.
Shabra knocked on a large door and a camera was activated above them. They were being scanned.
The door opened suddenly and a large man with a long beard frisked them before allowing them entry.
Renyke, not used to any sort of frisking in his past life, was sensing increasing anxiety. 
POS was idle.
'Welcome brother,' the guard said to Flex. 'Are you well?''Fine, just fine, my friend,' Flex answered, 'We continue unabated to live another day. *Vilarev!’ 
Both men laughed convivially whilst Renyke wondered what had amused them.
They enter a meeting place, some kind of bar. It is thick with smoke, the smell of nibs, sweat, and the streets. 
A woman approaches chanting poetry with her arms outstretched. 
'The sun shines bright when you let in the light, welcome, my sister of the night.' Th