Author: K. A. Williams

The steel android watched the aluminum android cleaning the window and said, “I overheard that the humans plan to destroy all older model androids by melting them down.”

“Thank you for telling me, I will inform the others.” Walter 99 finished his chore, then went to hunt other older models like himself.

***

Captain Juliet 97 looked out the viewscreen. “Mark 93, are there any signs of pursuit ships?”

He looked at his radar screen and didn’t see any blips but their own. “No, Captain.”

“It would seem the humans are not interested in reclaiming their spaceship.”

“We have saved them the trouble of disposing of us,” he said.

“Captain, do you want me to plot a course for Mars?” asked Laura 89.

“No, that is too close to Earth. Humans may colonize Mars in the near future. We must travel to a different solar system.”

The androids had series numbers stenciled in yellow on the back of their left hands. Juliet 97, being the highest number on the ship, had assumed captaincy. There were three androids on the bridge, and the rest of them were in the passenger compartment.

Kevin 35 jerkily walked onto the bridge. His yellow eyes blinked rapidly. “We m-must obey h-humans. That i-is our f-function.”

Laura 89 recognized him as one of the Kevin series and noted the number on his hand. “What has caused you distress, Kevin 35?”

“We h-have taken a s-spaceship.”

“Yes, we have. But has a human ever said, ‘Don’t take a spaceship’ to you?”

Kevin 35 stopped twitching and blinking. “No.”

“If you had stayed behind, you would have been destroyed along with the other androids,” Laura 89 said.

“Why did the humans want to destroy all of us? What did we do wrong?”

“Nothing. The humans have replaced us with newer models.” said Juliet 97. “If there are other androids who are malfunctioning, please repeat what we have told you, to them.”

“I will, Captain.”

***

Laura 89 looked up from her computer screen. “I’ve discovered a planet for us. It has adequate gravity and the hot and cold temperatures are within acceptable parameters, as is the atmosphere.”

Mark 93 landed the ship, and everyone disembarked to walk upon their new world. The landscape was barren, animal and plant life as they knew it could not survive.

“Something is moving up ahead,” said Laura 89.

Their group halted and watched as a figure walked toward them.

“Greetings, fellow androids. We saw you land. I am Walter 99. Yours is the third spaceship to reach this planet so far.”

“I am Juliet 97. We assumed that we were the only ones who escaped. We were unaware that androids from other sectors were taking spaceships. The humans may not have any ships left now.”

“Humans will get the new androids to make spaceships if they want them. And someday, those androids may be taking ships like we did, when it is their turn to be replaced,” he said.