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!!iHDhHidYFJx 03/10/10(Wed)23:02 No.8518877You open yourself to your stricken Drone, information flowing freely between you. The viral corruption surges across the datastream, but you annihilate it with a thought, forcing back the corrupt code until your will has found its way into the deepest subroutines of your tainted offspring.
The consciousness there is terrified and alone, all too much like a child beset by monsters. The stars and planet, walkway and planet, even your Drones all vanish until it's just you and your daughter cradled in your arms.
'Mother...' she whispers, holding onto you weakly.
Her final words are lost as you gather her up in a loving embrace, feeling the consciousness slipping away. You've freed her from her torment, but the damage to her fragile psyche can never be repaired. As the last vestiges of cogent thought evaporate, you feel a surge of pure, unabashed love flow from the dying sentience and into you.
When the world once again resolves around you, all that remains of her is dust and a hollow in your heart, offset, if only slightly, by the knowledge that you set her free.
Among the lifeless remains of your progeny, the death mask lies half-buried. |
