An unusual flash of metal in the sky distracts me from navigating the weave of fire. It’s gray and covered in metallicflake that burns off in a glittering shower as it plummets to the surface of Ellipsis.
It bears the torch symbol of rebels.
Hope stirs.
A rebel ship. In pieces? I didn't take it out, which means Solcrue did, which means there's actually a rebel on board!
They’re still out there!
Impact warnings flash red over my vision. I’ve disregarded my trajectory for too long as I arc across the sandy desert between the mountain ranges. When I look back, I see myself approaching a ship too big to punch through. It’s a Solcrue cargo ship, one I had hoped to commandeer. But as I dive underneath it, the Skysprinters’ Fire cuts open the side, and the ship groans and falls toward the nearby hills.
Now’s my chance.
While the scaly Solcrue pull their hands out of their pants in shock that they've cut down their own and will have to face the harsh consequences of their superiors, I deal them one of my own. I arc around the failing cargo ship's aft section and lance through the nearest Skysprinter. Then, the second and third cave to my body, spin out of control, and light little fires in sprays of metal debris across the dunes.
A human registers in my vision near the rebel ship. They rip free of their harness and try another as I instinctively set course for them. A readout scrolls open as they fall from their torn chute.
A human is in danger.
Emergency Rescue Program: Initiated.
Proximity Alert.
Proximity Alert.
Proximity Alert.
The warnings flash everywhere in my vision, but the targeting brackets on the helpless human destined for a desert funeral keep my attention.
I dart away from the next Skysprinter already on my rocket tails and focus on the human. Killing Solcrue might be our objective. But protecting humans is a purpose no CyberTitan can ignore, even now that we are free.
I notice a Skysprinter trying to cut me off as he races up alongside me and cants like he intends a collision. Tucking myself into a ball, I redline the engines on my back and punch through one side of his ship and out the other, tearing wiring and crumpling ailerons.
Unfolding my body, I dart for the human. I catch them, and hold them close, then regret not shutting off my engines sooner. I switch off and close up my core thrusters, arms, and any others near them, but the metal is still scalding hot.
I fly them toward a stand of trees as they cry out in pain, reminding me why I am alone.
I tear my eyes from our surroundings and look down, fearing how much damage I’ve caused. She is the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen. The agony in her eyes nearly breaks me. Engines splutter. My ultromotor stalls.
This is why I do not touch others, not even my Brothers.
Her spacesuit smokes. I promptly land and set her down. She piles up like she’s severely damaged, nearly inoperable. I frantically assess her, then step back when I see the burns my engines have left on her body.
This was a mistake.
No, saving a human never is.
But this? Look at her injuries!
Look at her! She’s…
I wrestle with a new purpose that ignites me in every corner of my body. It's in her eyes, her fight, her perfect curves, humancontours I suddenly want to map with my fingers. I want to breathe her in, taste her soft bronze skin, surround myself with her wild rebel beauty. But it is the misery of what I have done to her while trying to help her that makes me keep my distance. "I'm sorry."
I drop to a knee before her and hang my head. Harming humans even by accident used to render massive punishment via the protocols embedded in us from the manufacturing plant. Leah, our human leader, freed us of them. Yet a sickening guilt slithers through me anyway. “Please forgive me. I was trying to save you.”
The female’s sharp eyes fall on a distant place. She clutches her side, sits up, and moves toward me. My body heats. Engines warm in a slow burn as she closes in.What does she want?
My human programs run erratically. I can’t think through them and close my eyes. It’s only for a second. My belt shifts. I look to see her taking my gun from my holster.
