"Sometimes, it's the smallest things that can change everything when you least expect it."

"There is an eight percent chance that the power source has gone critical and will cause an explosion that will level the surrounding area, killing all of us in the process."
"It's not going to explode," Vic told Rambo. "She would never have let us get this far if she thought that was going to happen."
"So I let you think," Nurse Ratched said, a skull appearing on her screen. "You have fallen into my trap. I wanted you to get this far. Prepare for death." The skull disappeared, replaced by DON'T FORGET TO RATE MY SERVICE! I APPRECIATE A 10!
It took Vic longer than he cared to admit to realize she was kidding.

"What is it?" Vic asked.
"I do not know," Nurse Ratched said. "Consider leaving it where it lies. It was discarded for a reason. Malfunction. Corruption. Faulty coding. It has obviously served its purpose."
"You said the same thing about Rambo," Vic said, never looking away from the hand.
"I did. And you did not listen to me then. Look what happened."

"Humanity was lost," Dad said. "And lonely. I don't think they even realized just how lonely they were. And so they began to build again, making machines that looked more and more like them. Even surrounded by so many of their kind, they still searched for a connection. They were like gods, in a way, in the power of their creation. At first it was Hubble. Then Discovery. And Curiosity. Explorer and Endeavor and Spirit. The humans gave them names and sent them away beyond the stars in search of that connection they so desperately wished for."
"Why?" Nurse Ratched asked. "It seems illogical. Why did they not just speak to each other if they were lonely?"
"They did," Dad said. "Or they tried, at least. But they hated as much as they loved. They feared what they didn't understand. Even as they built us, they pushed for more. And the further they went, the less control they had. They accused each other of treachery. They poisoned the earth. They had time to change their ways, but they didn't. And their anger grew until it exploded in fire. Most of them died. But we remained, because our flesh wasn't their flesh. Our bodies were not their bodies. Our minds weren't their minds." He shook his head. "And yet, I love them still." He looked at Vic. "Because for all their faults, they created us. They gave us names. They loved us."

"If we can fix what's broken, we should always try."
"Why?" Rambo asked.
Vic chose his words carefully, trying to find the right ones in the right order. "Because all beings deserve a chance to find out what life could be when they don't have to serve others."

"Victor is extremely intelligent," Nurse Ratched said. "He can fix almost anything. And he decided to fix you, so you should be thankful to your father. Your dad. Your daddy. Error. Error. Do not call people 'daddy.' That is unprofessional."

Later—much later, when it was already too late—Vic would wonder why his father didn't tell them what he knew. But by then, it wouldn't matter. The world had teeth, sharp and fierce, and they were about to sink into Vic's skin.

"Never forget. It has always been you."

"I don't like it," Rambo said. "What if it's a dragon?"
"Dragons do not exist," Nurse Ratched said. "That was a story I told you to scare you. They are not real."
"Are you sure?"
"No," Nurse Ratched said. "You should go first and find out."

The Coachman tilted his head back toward the ceiling as he closed his eyes. "Please, tell me. What is it like? Does it ache? Does it burn? Or does it fill you with joy?"
Hap scowled. "All of it. All at once."

"We can never be you. Instead, we became your ghosts, and we'll haunt this world until there is nothing left." The Coachman smiled gently. "It is not a flaw, Victor. There must be no greater feeling in the world than to know that this isn't forever."

"I don't know you, and you're kind of scary, but I also want to be like you when I get older? It's very confusing."

"Oh. Well. Engaging Empathy Protocol. That was very nice of you to say. You are wonderful. Disengaging Empathy Protocol. Idiot. I am going to sleep now. Do not bother me unless you are on fire. Even then, I will do little to help you."

Be it man or machine, Victor thought, to love something meant loving the ghost inside, to be haunted by it.