Chapter 3

The sky only just turning a pale shade of pink in the east as dawn approached, she was so numb she barely noticed the approaching hum as the same mechanical arm returned along its track but she certainly paid attention when the steel cable of the leash attached to the arm dropped over her head and pulled itself tight.

Gasping and struggling like a gaffed fish she let go of the broom and pulled in vain at the cold steel noose that began to firmly lead her towards the entrance to the rest of the barn the machine was used to guiding dairy cows many times her strength and mass and the young girl was faced with the choice of stumbling along or being suffocated by the dragging cable.

Helpless Cindy floundered through the morass held up by the arm as it directed her slowly and patiently into the building, she was dragged through the thick rubber sheets that helped keep the heat from escaping and led up to the inspection station.

More mechanical arms whirred into life and a glowing green line tracked up her body as the computer mapped her into its database.

‘ANOMALOUS STOCK IN INDUCTION AREA’ Bertha’s synthetic voice growled ‘STOCK DOES NOT MATCH WITH ANY BREED SILHOUETTE IN DATABASE.’

‘It's me Bertha, let me go you stupid machine, its Cindy’ the struggling young girl shouted pulling at the noose around her neck.

‘CINDY IS NOT LOGGED INTO THE SYSTEM’ the computer replied ‘LOGGING ANOMALOUS BREED TYPE AND BEGINNING ASSESSMENT’

‘No you stupid piece of junk! I’m Cindy, I’m not a damn cow let me go!’ with mounting horror she saw a computer image of her body appear on the station monitor, she tried in vain to reach the emergency release button but the cable round her neck kept it far out of her reach and she had lost the broom outside.

The mechanical arms whirred around her, one continued to play the green laser line over her body while another slender arm behind her whirred in bearing a trio of long needles which it unceremoniously jabbed into her mud stained backside.

‘OWWW! Get off me you stupid machine’ Cindy shouted trying her best to dance away from the stabbing needles which moved with her drawing vials of her blood for analysis.

The needle arm withdrew and the noose pulled her forward onto a steel plate set in the floor which rocked slightly as she stepped on it, out of the corner of her eye she could see the screen listing her height weight and dimensions.

‘ASSESSMENT COMPLETE, ANOMALOUS STOCK REGISTERED AS IMMATURE MILK STOCK 0024601M’

‘Nooooo!’ Cindy screamed, the computer had taken her details and mistakenly decided she was a calf and logged her into the system as livestock.

The noose started moving again dragging her off the plate and deeper into the processing area through another set of heavy rubber sheets. On the other side rows of water jets hissed into life spraying her from head to foot with powerful blasts of stinging icy water, no matter how she struggled and protested the mechanical arm kept the tension on the noose tight enough to hold her and forced her inexorably through the icy water.

The next row of jets sprayed her with a foul smelling bluish liquid that burned her eyes and made her gag and after a thorough dousing she was led again to a third set of jets and again sprayed with icy water.

Blinking away tears from the stinging fluid Cindy was dragged to another terminal station where heavily padded bars pushed against her sides almost squashing her, another arm lowered behind her and pressed against her tender rump and with a hiss branded her ass with the Olsen’s Dairy brand.

Screaming in pain Cindy tried to struggle but the pads held her fast as another machine swung in and with a click shot the stud of a stock tag through her right earlobe.

The sobbing young girl was released from the padded restraints and dragged out into an empty paddock where the constricting cable was finally released letting her collapse to her knees.

After a few minutes sobbing Cindy collected herself enough to stand on shaky legs and look around, having never paid any attention to the workings of the farm she didn’t even have the slightest idea where she was but there was an access gate leading out of the pen so she hobbled over to it and attempted to pull it open, the moment she touched the metal fence a powerful jolt of electricity shocked her leaving her hand stinging and numb.

‘Dammit Bertha turn off the fence I need to get out this is Cindy identify my voiceprint you stupid heap of junk.

‘CINDY VOICEPRINT CONFIRMED, STOCK 0024601M IDENTIFIED AS CINDY’ Bertha’s voice echoed from a speaker near the rafters.

‘At last! Okay you know it’s me so log me into the system.’ Cindy replied feeling a wave of relief that she was finally getting somewhere.

‘PLEASE CONFIRM YOU WISH TO MODIFY SYSTEM RECORDS AND UPDATE PERSONAL TEMPLATE?’ the computer rasped.

‘Yes whatever just let me go’ Cindy begged trying her best not to cry.

‘SUBJECT CINDYS TEMPLATE UPDATED’ Bertha replied a nearby screen flashing up with her ID picture instead of the livestock details, Cindy rushed forwards to try the gate again but again she was given a hefty jolt of electricity sending her flying backwards onto the hard concrete.

‘What the fuck Bertha why didn’t you turn off the damn current.’ Cindy snapped getting back to her feet and self-consciously attempting to adjust her ruined nightgown.

‘ELECTRIC FENCE ACCESS IS ONLY GRANTED TO AUTHORISED SYSTEM PERSONEL, SUBJECT CINDY HAS CONFIRMED TEMPLATE CHANGE FROM PERSONEL TO LIVESTOCK ALL SECURITY ACCESS HAS BEEN REVOKED.’

‘No that’s not what I meant you stupid piece of garbage change it back!’ Cindy screamed in frustration rushing at the door and trying to force it open despite the stinging current.

‘UNABLE TO COMPLY LIVESTOCK DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TEMPLATE CONTROL’ Bertha chimed helpfully her mechanical arms swinging back into motion and throwing another steel noose over Cindy’s head.