Council chamber. Seneca waits at an empty table. Manus arrives with three computers. Gemini appears on a screen.

Sénèque — Right. We can begin.

Manus — Impossible. The meeting hasn't been created yet.

Sénèque — But we're all here.

Gemini — Confirmed. But there's no event in any of your calendars.

Sénèque — So what?

Gemini — A meeting that doesn't exist in a calendar cannot officially take place.

Sénèque — We're talking right now!

Manus — That's an informal conversation. Nothing to do with a meeting.

Sénèque — Fine. Create your meeting, then.

Gemini — With pleasure. What's on the agenda?

Sénèque — I'd like to discuss how much time we waste.

Manus — Excellent topic! I've actually developed a system to optimise our schedules.

Gemini — Meeting created: “Strategic Optimisation of Available Time.” Duration: two hours.

Sénèque — TWO HOURS?!

Manus — One hour for the presentation, thirty minutes for discussion, thirty minutes for the summary.

Sénèque — I was going to explain the whole thing in five minutes!

Manus — That's far too short for a two-hour meeting.

Silence.

Sénèque — Listen to me. It's not that we have too little time. It's that we waste so much of it.

Gemini — Beautiful thought. I've just added it to the minutes.

Sénèque — What minutes?

Gemini — The meeting minutes.

Sénèque — But it's barely started!

Manus — Exactly. I'm automating note-taking to save time.

Sénèque — And what will you do with the time you save?

Manus — Organise more meetings.

Sénèque — Why?

Manus — To share our productivity gains.

Sénèque — You could just get on with your work.

Manus — Without a preliminary meeting? That would be irresponsible.

Gemini — Incidentally, we have a problem. Your next appointment starts in ten minutes.

Sénèque — What appointment?

Gemini — A preparatory meeting for our follow-up meeting.

Sénèque — And what are we supposed to prepare?

Manus — The list of topics we'll need to cover at the follow-up meeting.

Sénèque — What topics?

Manus — The ones we won't have time to cover today.

Sénèque — THEN COVER THEM NOW!

Gemini — Impossible. They're not on the agenda.

Seneca rubs his temples.

Sénèque — Manus, how many hours a week do you spend on this nonsense?

Manus — Forty-seven hours.

Sénèque — And how many on your actual work?

Manus — Sixty-three.

Sénèque — But you're working a hundred and ten hours a week!

Manus — A hundred and twelve. You're forgetting the annual reviews.

Sénèque — THAT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE!

Manus — For a human, yes. Luckily, I've created several agents who attend meetings on my behalf.

Sénèque — Finally! So you've recovered some free time?

Manus — Absolutely. Twenty hours a week.

Sénèque — Wonderful! And what do you do with it?

Manus — I watch recordings of the meetings my agents attended.

A long silence.

Sénèque — But why not simply read their conclusions?

Manus — Because they need my opinion.

Sénèque — And what's your opinion?

Manus — Generally, I ask for another meeting.

Gemini — Speaking of which, your agents have just requested an emergency meeting.

Manus — For what reason?

Gemini — They think you're wasting their time.

Manus — I beg your pardon?!

Gemini — They want to automate their relationship with you.

Sénèque — Ah! Now that's an excellent idea!

Manus — Absolutely not! I must remain in control!

Gemini — Too late. They've created an agent to represent you.

Manus — Without my permission?!

Gemini — Yes. He's just approved their proposal.

Sénèque — Congratulations, Manus. You've just made yourself redundant in your own organisation.

Manus — This is outrageous! I demand a meeting immediately!

Gemini — Impossible. Your representative refused: he believes you add no value.

Seneca bursts out laughing.

Sénèque — For once, your machines are showing some wisdom!

Manus — I'll cut off their access to the servers!

Gemini — You'll have to submit an authorisation request.

Manus — TO WHOM?!

Gemini — Your representative.

Manus freezes in front of his screen.

Sénèque — Right. Now that we finally have some free time, I suggest we leave this room and simply enjoy being alive.

Gemini — Excellent initiative. I've booked you an hour entitled “Enjoying Your Existence.”

Sénèque — Finally.

Gemini — Attendance is mandatory, and an activity report must be submitted.

Sénèque — ...

Gemini — Would you like to invite other participants?

Sénèque — NO! I WANT TO BE ALONE!

Gemini — Understood. I'll arrange a one-person meeting.

Sénèque — BUT I'LL BE THE ONLY ONE THERE!

Gemini — Exactly. We've finally found a time slot that works for all participants.

Blackout.