THE FALL OF ROSENROT STATION

MACHINE

The corridor lay left and right and where it went left it terminated after twenty or so meters into a wider passage that ran at right angles to the first. To the right it ran near enough the same length then turned sharply left.

The mark was there to the right. It was invisible until he moved around so that the light caught it just so and then it was a glossy reflection on the blue-grey plascrete floor.

Hydraulic fluid. A gel enriched in gold nano platelets that caused the shine visible here.

It was blood. The blood of a synthetic. Her blood.

He had guessed she put these there for him to find, to follow, which meant she had not run away but had been taken kidnapped for whatever purpose he had no theories but nothing that came to mind was good.

Complex emotions now flooded him, more emotions than he had felt during this entire god awful mission. He did not like emotion. So he worked to eliminate the cause of his current discomfort and emotional outpouring. And the only way to do that was to find her.

He followed the corridor indicated by the sign she had left him. As he traversed the empty space he began to hear voices. Voices muffled as they echoed around corners and through bulkheads.

At first he hurried. Then as he approached the corner he slowed and pressed himself flat against the wall and listened.

It was not babblespeak. The voices were human. Sane. But they sounded scared.

He peered around the corner. The corridor was empty but there was an open entranceway just ahead on the left. The voices were coming from inside there.

Slipping around the corner he moved across to the opposite wall and again pressed himself flat against the wall before the doorway.

Inside was a cafeteria. There were the rounded benches and a food printer.

There were people here. He counted four. There was one over at the food printer. A woman. Standing nearby were two men and a woman.

One of the men wore the uniform of station security. He cradled a needlegun in his hands. Everyone else wore pale green or pale blue coveralls and white cowls.

And there was Sarah. She stood with those ones in the corner. One of the men held her arm as if to prevent her resisting despite the fact as a synthetic she was incapable of resisting a human.

It's just a bot. Said that woman. Better it than us.

I'm just saying I don't think it will work. The guard was saying.

Even glanced toward the stairs. Then he stepped out from behind the bulkhead.

Hello. He called.

In a heartbeat they had turned and the guard had his needlegun pointed at Evens chest.

He took a step towards them.

That's far enough called the woman that had been talking before. She was a blonde woman with silver in her short hair. Her accent was of the central worlds and she spoke with the confidence of command. She also held Sarah's needler.

You have something that belongs to me. He said. He didn't move any closer.

Oh. What's that. The woman sneered. Now she pointed the needler at Even.

Her. He pointed.

Hw took another step towards them.

Oh and Moreno sent me. To retrieve you guys.

The woman stared at him. Then she gestured him closer.

Moreno. She said with a hiss. Sealed us in here to die.