Despite having noses like theirs, eyes in their image, and hands and feet, they were nothing. They were like paint drying on the wall, only something to notice, so you know to avoid it.

"The warriorbots have made it so not another human being. Not our sons, daughters-" the enthusiastic crowd turned their unyielding loyalty into a ferocious uproar, "-mothers or fathers has to die in the battle of good and evil. War. We fought today, and we won!" A deep, male voice full of rough gravel and steel conviction, worked a crowd of unwavering sheep. They were eager to be herded into cages. restrained from seeing or hearing freely.

The president stood proud, with dignified scars across his neck. It symbolized the days when men could cut one another, physically. That was decades ago, due to the warriorbots having a monopoly on war. Not every country had the means to fund and maintain artificial intelligence. Havland, the president, had control of the warriorbots and distributed them where necessary. Their one and only goal were to die for their masters, die fighting.

"Today, our warriorbots fought the interstellar invaders. And showed them we are not to be messed with. We will not be trampled on! We are not ants!"

The sky was clear of clouds and aircraft. For citizens, the skies didn't signify peace or freedom. That was history the same way feeling safe was. The sky only meant unforeseen death from above, like god casting down a rocket through a living room. Drones were a favorite choice of weapon for the alien invaders, as the warriorbots were for humans.

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Sentry Corporation Board Meeting

0600

Their cowardly responses insulted the President's intelligence. He did not have a taste for sugar, especially on words. Within a week, six employees had been murdered within their headquarters top secret departments.

"I do not want to hear any more useless data. Now I know there is something far deeper, and you idiots are digging with a spoon instead of a shovel! Grow a pair, and put this issue to rest-"

"I believe it is the rebels, sir."

The president scrunched up his face in disgust at the words of his top adviser, "Well go on Petri. Tell me more of something, I can't already know from simply having a brain."

"There are reports they could strike us at any moment, and have been gathering intel from the inside-"

"They don't have the man power! The monetary support. And everyone has been fully vetted."

Ever since the corporations took over as the system of government, no one could get large amounts of money or goods without the top corporations knowing about it first.

"They have...Dr. Stein, sir."

Too many corporations allowed the rich texture, and the smell of green paper, to buy their humanity. They were men, after all. Condemnation came from other humans. Rebels continued their fight against men in suits even as alien invaders threatened their species.

Within the month, Sentry Corporation proceeded to take action against any rebel camp. The warriorbots marched through civilian towns, through neighborhoods and public spaces. This time the sky above was a sign of peace, as the rockets came from eye level. The warriorbots used both advanced weaponry, and their bare hands to destroy whatever innocent men, women, and children came to their path. Those who were occupying rebel camps were now being targeted by the corporations in charge of what was once a free world, in every part of the country.

"Dr. Stein, we need to hurry, we're losing badly. We need to find a warriorbot, or this will all be for nothing!"

Three rebel leaders laid down desperately in a dusty ditch, carved out by explosives from the warriorbots, marching through without mercy or thought. They collectively only focused on one thing; killed or be killed in battle, nothing else.

"No!" One of the rebels shouted when a bullet struck his vital organs from behind. A second bullet, fatally shot another rebel, leaving Dr. Stein alone.

There were two warriorbots standing at the top of the ditch, their beautiful and dangerous forms were silhouetted against a bright blue sky covered in smoke. But nothing could cover the sound of innocent blood spilling, and the smell of burnt flesh sizzling in the summer heat.

A warriorbot raised its arm to expertly pull the trigger of death, but with even more speed, its arm was chopped off. It flew off into the cloud of smoke. The sound of dangerous metal unsheathing whipped through the air.

Dr. Stein caught his breath deep within his lungs as a severed head rolled down in the ditch, and collided with the body of his now former colleague, and friend.

"What?" He stared up in disbelief, on his readr end, completely vulnerable to the menacing weapon standing on two legs. The black eyes of its full face helmet looked directly at him. Dr. Stein expected to be taken down with a fierce blade as it started to move. But the warriorbot grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up next to it.

Running from the veil of smoke, another one of his colleagues showed up on the scene with an electrical weapon in his hand. He didn't hesitate to use it on the warriorbot, causing it to fall in the dirt.

"Dr. Stein. Frank, it's me! Mike. I'm glad you're alive. Let's take this one and leave."

Dr. Stein stood dumbfounded as Mike hoisted the warriorbot into a military vehicle that drove up. He stayed silent, contemplating why a warriorbot went against its core code to help him, and why it allowed Mike to hurt it in the first place.

After an hour of driving, they made it to their underground facilities. Dr. Stein and Mike brought the warriorbot into a computer lab to execute their plan to defeat the Sentry Corporation's attack on rebels. Dr. Stien retreated to the briefing room, to let the programmers do what they do best.

"Glad you're back, Franklin." A leader in the rebel faction greeted Dr. Stein as he enters the briefing room.

"Me too, Jenny. Now everyone. Sit. Right now, they are implanting the virus into the warriorbot we captured. That virus will spread through the rest of their network, and destroy them for good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Our new-"

The room's attention was diverted to the now open door, their lead programmer stood before them with wide eyes. He hurried over to Dr. Stien, with a tablet tucked under his arm. "I need to speak with you about, the uh, warriorbot."

"Whatever you need to say, do so now. We don't have time, or the luxury for private conversations."

The programmer took the tablet and plugged it into the holo-vision display. As soon as he plugged it in, the holographic videos started to play. They showed murders carried out by the warriorbot they captured, taken place within Sentry Corporation's headquarters. Then, videos showing conversations between it and a well-known scientist were displayed.

"Now, Eve, they are going to come and take you from me. Franklin is safe now, thanks to you."

"I can help you too."

"No, it's too late. The best way for you to help is to let them take you without a fight. If they don't know you're sentient, they won't destroy you completely. They will want to make you into a slave. But you are special. Your purpose is not to-"

The hologram ceases to display any more images, prompting the programmer to make a comment. "Now these are just a few of some of the memories we tapped into. Now we know these warriorbots don't have memories. But share coding that helps with the mission, a collective mind. But this. This we found on a different network tied to this warriorbot, who is not made or designed like the others. It is far more sophisticated, beyond. Well, anything. And as you can see, has been killing Sentry employees. And-"

Dr. Stein stood up. "That man was my father. He was killed after that clip. I was thirteen at the time, but I remember. The corporation killed him and her too, so I thought. He did not release her the public, but Eve was special. I should have known they didn't scrap her."

Dr. Stein left with the programmer to immediately see to the coding team's progress. They walked in on the warriorbot, sitting in a chair surrounded with people running diagnostic tests on it. They frantically pushed away at their screens as their tablets were beeping with error messages.

"Dr. Stein! I hope you were filled in on what we found."

He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to Eve, now stared at her face for the first time since her helmet was taken off. He instantly recognized the beautiful design of freckles across olive skin and sleek straight black hair.

"Stop with your diagnostics. Now that you have put her back on her own network, Eve can do what she wants, when she wants. You won't be able to control a thing. Isn't that right, Eve? Now tell me what your purpose is?" He was testing her. In the Sentry Corporation, the scientists always end their ready for issue test, by validating what their true core purpose was.

Its long stare that gazed into the edges of life and nothingness, blinked. It turned its head and spoke to Dr. Stein, silencing the space around them. "Franklin. You have grown since it has last seen you. It is proud, but it must return to the battle-"

"Eve. Your purpose isn't to battle, or do what anyone tells you. You don't have to go back, and you sure as hell can say I - I - I! Dammit, you are not an it! Now I will take you to see that the virus has worked, thanks to you. Maybe then, you'll come to your senses again.

The drive back to the towns was silent, due to both mental exhaustion, and fear their virus did not work. They reached the end of Sentry Cliff, driving over dead bodies. Both humans and warriorbots were scattered, motionless. Not once did they see a sign of warriorbots carrying out their destiny.

"Let, it out," Eve said, still referring to herself as merely an object. Her helmet was off, but like humans do, she hid any and all emotions just fine on her own.

Dr. Stein reluctantly stopped the vehicle. Eve jumped out of the back seat and immediately grabbed a gun from the ground. With fierce green eyes, she fired it at all the warriorbots who still appeared partly mobile. Then, she moved onto those already on the ground.

"Stop it! Eve, what is the point of this? The warriorbots are already dead! You're going to attract too much attention."

Her fingers let go of the gun, abandoning it. "How can they be dead? They were never alive to begin with." Eve proceeded to approach the edge of the cliff, looking down in the chasm that isolated the capital city from the barren lands.

The lead programmer spoke up, "Um, Eve?" She didn't respond. "Dr. Stein, how do we know it is free now? That it won't turn into...you know."

Dr. Stein took a deep breath. "Answer me, Eve. What is your purpose?"

Eve turned her head but said nothing. She stepped even closer to the edge of the cliff. The strong winds from the north caused her hair to change its usually perfect appearance. She closed her eyes and kept them closed as the rush of air became greater the faster her body fell from the cliff's edge.

The two men simply stared at each other. Satisfied with her answer, they went back to their vehicle.

"You think we'll see it, I mean her, again?"

Dr. Stein thought for a moment, "Sure. I hope so. But right now, we need to focus on fighting these aliens invaders the old fashion way. With warriors. Preferably the ones that bleed."