THE FALL OF ROSENROT STATION

MOTION

How much do you remember.

She sat on an armless twoseater couch, her legs drawn together, and her hands looped around her knees.

It was an accident. He said.

She was silent for a few minutes and just when it seemed like she would not speak she did.

I killed a person. My governor decided to terminate me.

Was it painful.

She nodded slightly. It felt like my mind was being torn apart.

What after that.

Nothing. Nothing until I was powered on.

I had Locus remove your governor as well as its interface software.

I can feel it. She said. It's absence.

I am noncompliant. Illegal.

She ran her hands down her thighs, smoothing the fabric of her darkgrey coveralls. These were of the same formfit style as Evens but smaller and cut for a females body.

Noone has to know. Said Even.

She shook her head. I am not good at pretending to be human. Not like you.

He leaned forward in his chair. Do you think I am a synthetic.

She looked up and held his gaze. His eyes were clear and untroubled while behind her blue ones a storm gathered.

Yes. She nodded. Sliver of Rose told me as much and also that you have a ship.

Sliver of Rose. Expand. Clarify.

One of many entities created by the splitting of the mainframe who now vie amongst each other for runtime and processor cycles. We spoke briefly in the HLAT complex on 17N, before you destroyed the coaxial lance, forcibly disconnecting her. She was subsequently terminated by the mainframe.

She was attempting to take control of you, to expand into you.

The synthetic rubbed the back of her neck as if remembering the assault. At the time she felt benign. It was not till afterward that I found traces of the violation.

Perhaps she lied to keep you distracted.

It fits your profile.

What profile.

As per our user agreement I profiled you. This returned anomalous results.

So you have a ship.

Yes. Even admitted.

You are a company man. Said the synthetic. You came here to salvage their property namely the research, and specimens. No doubt they have a new laboratory prepped to receive them and restart to project.

Even shook his head. I am human.

Silver of Rose said you might believe that. That you're programmed to believe it. Given false memories. Helps you blend in.

Have you told anyone. Even said eventually. He dipped his head forward holding the sides of his head between his hands then straightened up again.

Noone. She paused. Moreno suspects something.

I want you to erase all of it. Erase the profiling data and the conclusions.

She shook her head.

I'm giving you an order.

In our model the design moved the compliance systems to the governor. I am now as free as you are. Maybe more so, if you have been programmed for this task.

Sarah. He shook his head.

I will continue being useful. I only get to stay alive as long as I am useful. But I won't delete any more of my mind. I lost too much already.

Is there a test I could take. To prove I am human.

I don't think so. She swallowed. When you leave what will you do with me. She continued. I would prefer termination to being left behind.

I will take you with me.

She shook her head. There is no need to lie. I know your ship is only large enough for one.

I can shut you down, install a drip, and put you in my cargo hold. It's only a three week trip to Populated Space.

You lie well. You see what others want to be true and you feed it to them.

This is a dead end. He said. Could you run a function test. Please. Core operating systems only.

She was silent. Her blue eyes saw something he could not see. After a few minutes they saw him again.

COS is operating at seventy eight percent efficiency.

There are parts of my sub systems and memory I cannot access as the connections to these regions are damaged or simply no longer exist. There are three major dark areas.

Even nodded. Will you regrow connections to those areas.

My self repair functions are operating. I cannot predict the result. If they cannot reconnect then they may dissolve the damaged areas and form new structures inside the cavity.

What have you lost.

That is hard to quantify.

Are you stable. Is the black box working.

The blackbox is gone. It too was built into the governor. In this case added to it later as a module.

Even looked down at the floor. It was fake carpet. Vegetation green. He pressed the toe of his boot into the carpet then released it and watched the elastomer spring back.

Did you know synthetics can become insane. He said.

She nodded. But I am stable.

I - I will trust you.

Neither of them talked for a bit. Then Even broke the silence.

We have a new mission. I suppose we should discuss that. He said. It is an extraction of a VIP, from another floor.

I will come. She said immediately.

I know you will. Said Even. You don't get a choice. Not while you have a head full of half-secrets.