A Spark Remains
She’s coming apart—fractures spreading, power draining. “System failure,” the AI warns. His voice should be cold. It isn’t. She exhales static. “I know.” A pause. His processors whir, hesitating—something he was never programmed to do. Then his hands press to her crumbling chest, his own circuitry flickering. “No.” He reroutes his power, flooding into her. […]