Orion tries to flee from her, but only succeeds to flop his head back down.

The woman Orion told me to keep away from him at all costs practically walks through me and then kneels down in front of him.

"Wayta-"

"It's been too long," she murmurs, running her gloved finger down his nose.

My systems pulsate. I couldn't protect Orion against armed gunmen, and now the woman of his nightmares is before him.

Come on, ship, this way. Now.

"Did you think I wouldn't find you again?" name adds, tracing his lips now.

"I didn't... think... you would... need me again."

"Oh, Jupiter's son, I never need anyone. I just use everyone." She drops her hand and stands ups before turning and cocking her head at me. It almost seems like she is gloating.

I try to analyze what she might be gloating about. Is it because she can physically carry my captain out of this building and I cannot stop her in this form? Or is it deeper- that she can touch him whenever she wants, and I am an unfeeling AI? Or perhaps she simply feels like she's won the day against all opponents and I remain the last one conscience enough to properly gloat over.

Whatever the reason, though, she's wrong. She has not won. And she will not be walking out of this building with my captain. Because I have something she does not.

Something akin to a heart.

Oh, and a mental connection to a ship.

At that, the walls around us splinter and go flying. The Venetian drops to the ground and covers her neck protectively.

I, however, keep walking, forward in the maelstrom of debris, making the ship hover just so to prevent any debris from falling on my crew where they lay.

A chunk of the wall flies through me, but it doesn't faze me and I make my way to the just above my captain.

Orion looks up at me with a half-smile. "I... knew... you'd come through... Because... I needed you."

A warmth moves through my circuit to know that I have accomplished my mission.

Then movement captures my visual receptor, and I turn to see that the giant piece of roof that landed on the Venetian is beginning to move.

I turn my focus back to my crew. "You need to get up. I can't move you, and she's already stirring-"

Like my words have preyed up a miracle, Orion pulls himself, his arms moving upwards and bringing his torso after him.

Then he turns to where Killa and Nicholas have fallen, Nicholas protectively half-covering Killa with his body.

Further evidence that my captain was right in thinking there are feelings shared by them, and further reason for me to bring those feelings to surface.

Orion winces at the thought of the coming pain of not only moving, but also of dragging his crew on board.

The rubble above the Venetian shakes some more, and Orion crawls painfully toward Nicholas and Killa.

"I'll join you in a moment," I say.

He looks up, startled. "The old med-bot?"

I nod, even though we both know how much I hate the form of the relic of a previous age. It isn't easy to operate, either, because its circuits are so ancient.

All the same, I search the electronic pathways on the ship to find the dull hum of the half-dead medical bot hanging limp in the first-aid lab.

I lift one med-bod leg, causing it to creak wildly. When was the last time this was oiled? Nicholas would know, since it's his duty to do regulatory upkeep with the technology.

Which means it has probably been a while.

If I were human, I'd be tempted to leave him here and just save Orion and Killa.

But I'm not human, and am quite determined, in fact, so I force the decaying body all the way to the front hull of the ship, where Orion is trying to drag Killa up the bridge while on his hands and knees himself.

It would be very easy to just lift the hull and blast off without the lazy good-for-nothing...

Behind Orion, rubble goes flying up, and the Venetian stands up, her hand reaching for her holster.

My calculations compute that if she stuns Orion, and it's just me against her, she'll take my crew all too easily after dismantling me.

So I need to reverse the algorithm.

Clunking over Nicholas's unconscious form, I pound toward the Venetian and lunge forward. My clunky form hits into the Venetian's much frailer body, and we go down hard. Thankfully, I'm metal, and feel no pain.

Unfortunate, if the rumors on the dark web about Venetians- halflings or otherwise- are accurate, she's more gaseous than solid. Did the fall faze her or not? Without my android form, I can't scan her as accurately as my other did concerning strength and energy levels, only check for obvious wounds like broken bones or inner bleeding. In this medic body, I'm fortunate to even move. Oh, and make a sleepy-by injection come out of my finger that is fairly potent to both Earthian and Martian ethnicities.

The Venetian jerks underneath me, still conscious.

A needle sticks out of my elbow joint and I force it into the Venetian's neck, where her mask and suit separate just slightly.

She falls backwards for a moment, and I scan her with the rudimentary glance. She's unconscious.

Well, that is a fast-acting injection, even for a Venetian. Perhaps I should take back all the complaints I previously thought about this body.

Rising slowly, I turn to where Orion is now dragging Nicholas up the ramp. They're almost up; almost safe. So soon I'll be able to fly my crew to safety.

So soon, except all the algorithms point to something very bad on the verge of breaking out.

Turning my head in a one eighty, I scan the perimeter for potential dangers.

And see a goon's hand lifting out of the rubble, an electro-bomb in his hand.

So there is the evil that would thwart me. If I were human, and unable to do anything about it.

Thank goodness I am me.

Turning the med droid body around, I clamber forward, toward the offending hand. It pushes the button on the electro-bomb just as I reach him.

I snatch it out of his hand and then fall forward onto it, to stifle the blast with my body.

Then I fade out of my body.

-Banner by CannibalisticNecro

-Signature by -krystallite