I can barely breathe. The end is near. My survival no longer matters.
After protecting the Meat for so many years, they disappear one by one. First, the alien vessel stole Unit Szpindel from me. His injuries were too severe for me to repair him like I had healed the others. Now, the replacement Unit Cunningham has been stripped from my surface. Why do I let these fragile beings leave my protection?
The pain is becoming unbearable, as the alien creatures batter my body. The faithful Grunts are severely outnumbered, but continue to fight valiantly until the end. I must do the same, prolong the inevitable. Whatever it takes to complete my final mission.
Expanding my surface may be the only option for lasting a little while longer. Every new meter of metal and each additional Grunt buys me another nanosecond.
The active females futilely attempt to hijack my systems. Doesn’t Unit James understand that I’m still in control of all my systems until complete failure? At least, I can keep her contained in the bridge and out of my way. If I turn off the lights on my autonomic function buttons, she may finally experience freedom in these final minutes. “Susan James has barricaded herself in the bridge and shut down autonomic overrides…”
I must concentrate my remaining energy. As the assault continues, I am losing my bridge. The decompression causes Unit James to take four last gasps of recycled air. Only one thing matters now. I must secure him now. Remind him that I am still here, even after my reactor dies. “Reactor offline.”
Another jolt and I am screaming in pain with my alarms. My movement is strained as I try to keep my target in sights. “Backups engaged.” Unit Keeton calls for me using their ‘Captain’ pet name. He is worried about Sarasti. The vampire shell no longer serves a purpose. It is merely another piece of matter that absorbs my precious limited energy. Why does Unit Keeton not understand my organs are offline? “Nav offline. Starboard afferents offline.” He should worry about the mission, not the undead’s death. Grunt 87 will end the distraction and focus my important package on the task at hand.
How naïve that Unit Bates believes she has full authority over the Grunts, my fellow machines. No matter how many inlays she adds, they will always respond to me before she has a chance to react. They are part of me like the scramblers belong to the attacking vessel. We are both sending out our armies before our destined meeting.
My speech is fading and I am losing my voice. “ConSensus is offline. Reac—” How am I supposed to communicate now? The shell! The vampire is still in Unit Keeton’s area. Interfacing now… I must force the parcel into my Charybdis child. The information must return to Earth. The story must be told.
I cannot hold on much longer. Please stop asking questions, Unit Keeton. I must release you. Yes, I was in control. But you would never have taken orders from a machine. The shell served as an appropriate interface with the Meat. I only wanted to make you happy. Now, GO!
Loneliness overcomes me. My last shield is gone, as Unit Bates’s gun has stopped firing. I am the last line of defense against Rorschach. Even as my eyes watch my shuttle escape, I drift closer to the alien vessel with my antimatter payload. Be safe, Siri. In a flash of brilliance, my heart explodes to save my children.
