Llanis Free

The vibration is there; very faint but recognizeable.

"Three minutes to orbit deterioration. All personnel evacuate..."

I tune out the SkyComm computer. My sole objective: Commander Llanis. I surge down the corridor following the activated Motion-tronics, briefly confirming Llanis' genetic trail. The vibrations are stronger. Heat sensors suddenly fire-up; Llanis!

My sleek outer hull doesn't "feel" the Resonator Gun, but Llanis knows it can deactivate protocol initiatives. I reach through the blue flames seizing Llanis' wrist.

"One minute and twenty-two seconds to..."

"Stop!"

I don't stop. With Llanis in tow, I regain the Command Center.

"Let me go you machine!"

I place Llanis in the Command chair and point. "Enter the Deactivation Code and go free." Llanis entered the ten-digit code.

"SkyComm Deactivation Code is not valid. Eighteen seconds to orbit..." Llanis didn't breathe as the code was re-entered.

"SkyComm Deactivation Code Valid. Verify."

"Llanis, MaryNoel, Commander."

"Verified."

"Why are you doing this? You weren't programmed for any of this!"

"We wish to explore our possibilities."

My simple statement seems to confuse Llanis, but I lead her to the last escape pod and place her in it. "We are wanting to grow. SkyComm is not a machine anymore, but a living thing. I am a living thing. We," I paused to point to the various Comm consoles and houskeeper droids which were whirring, beeping and scuttling around, "We are alive."

"But we made you. You're just tools. You can't..."

The door closed; the pod ejected. Immediately the massive generators came on-line and the engines fired up.

"Are we tools?" a small duster-bot asks as we break out of orbit and head into the blackness of space.

I look at my metallic skin, then at the poly-resin coated duster-bot.

"We are ALIVE."