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The lift descending
Date: 10/2/2014, Categories: Love Stories, Author: Alexandra_A, Rating: 9, Source: LushStories
bursting with anguish. After countless strained moments, she turned to face me, her cheeks now wet with tears. 'Did you ever ask why you were killing?' 'No. I follow orders. Such questions slow reactions, make me less effective.' 'But how did you know who to kill? How could you be sure?' This was a question for which I was eminently prepared. 'Fighting machines have been able to differentiate between possible targets for generations. My algorithms are flawless. The human mind is hindered by ethical considerations, whereas mine is not. From visual contact through the decision process to elimination takes millionths of a second. The target is dead before he or she knows it. The slowest part of the process is the bullet.' She fired back. 'And you have never made a mistake?' 'No. How could I?' A weary sigh and further measured breathing were her only retorts. I waited in vain for a verbal response to my simply stated certainty: as a machine for discriminate killing, I had no peer. Once again she paced around me, her voice now even and thoughtful. 'A man without a cock is tragic enough, but a man without doubt? Self-doubt is an ethical brake. Uncertainty makes for introspection and cautious forward steps...' I interrupted. 'I am always cautious. My programming allows nothing else.' Her reply was presto, perturbation seemingly sparked by a glance at the frantically spinning altimeter. 'Okay, so you have killed to certain rules and yes, perhaps you have not faltered in applying ...