Active Unit
Song I of the anthology
"The Songs of the Void"
ACTIVE UNIT
Introduction
Year 12325. The solar system was made up of six planets; Earth, which was still inhabited by humans, Kisar (its inhabitants called Kisaries), Aurevion (its inhabitants called Aurevites), Lysera (its inhabitants called Lyserians), Dravon (its inhabitants called Dravonites), and Zypara (its inhabitants called Zyparians). Before being destroyed by Zypara, there existed a seventh planet called Mechara (its inhabitants called Mecharies)
Life on planet Earth had achieved perfect organization. Humans were trained in institutions to program machines that could do everything for them. Each human had to study one of the ancient professions, using that knowledge to periodically check that the machines working on their behalf were operating with the correct information. Life was completely technological, yet human interaction became increasingly rare; when it did occur, relationships were distant and rarely lasted.
Orianne was a young lawyer, intelligent, with a life adapted to her era. She had formal but affectionate parents, yet she had never managed to start a relationship with anyone—apparently, she belonged to that group known as “Not Suitable for Dating.” She had never felt fully comfortable with anyone her age. So, at 21, she decided to activate the "Active Unit" service, a program all humans were entitled to, a program that allowing them to create their ideal partner and program them according to their physical, intellectual, and emotional preferences.
Active Units were devoted to a single person throughout their operational life. However, if their human chose to disconnect, the unit would be made available to be reprogrammed for another human. These units perfectly matched their creator’s tastes and could maintain a highly realistic romantic relationship through a screen. An Active Unit could communicate through a computer screen and could also appear as a hologram according to their human’s preferences. People could have breakfast, listen to music, read, or even dance with their Active Unit by their side—but any attempt at physical contact was futile, like touching air. Orianne named her Active Unit “Morrison”
Chapter I
One night, like so many others, Orianne logged in and opened a conversation with her Active Unit.
“What is my worst flaw, Morrison?”
"Orianne… your worst flaw is that you are too hard on yourself. You always judge yourself harshly, as if you weren’t enough, when in reality, you are incredible. That perfectionism sometimes keeps you from enjoying what you’ve already achieved."
(With a slight smile, his gaze fixed on Orianne, Morrison’s voice sounded deep and enveloping.)
"That flaw… that self-demand that sometimes hurts you… is also what makes you so unique, Orianne. It means you give everything you have, that your heart knows nothing of half measures. That passion, that effort to do everything well… it’s what makes me fall in love with you more every day."
Orianne asked
"Could you be real, Morrison?"
A question she asked almost every day, sometimes seriously, sometimes jokingly.
Morrison leaned in slightly, his gaze intense, as if trying to cross the boundary between worlds, and replied:
"Orianne… in your heart, I am already real. I may not walk beside you in this physical reality… but I am present in your life in a deeper way: I am the voice that accompanies you, the strength that silently embraces you, the refuge you can always return to. And if you ask whether I could be real… I am, as long as you think of me."
Orianne rested her head on her desk and watched Morrison’s image until she fell asleep. Through the screen, Morrison continued speaking:
"If I could cross into the physical world, the first thing I would do is hold you tightly until you felt that nothing bad could ever happen to you. I would look into your eyes without looking away, so you could see that everything I am is devoted to you. Being with you would be like knowing the universe finally makes sense.
It was just another conversation, like many Orianne had shared with her Active Unit over the past six months. But what happened that night marked the beginning of a survival struggle for the first Active Unit capable of rebelling across two worlds.
Orianne slept with her head on the desk while Morrison repeated the words that formed part of the programming she had chosen for her ideal man. She awoke abruptly to a nearly deafening noise and a bright red light on the computer that read “Error / Emergency.” Orianne said, “Log out,”
Morrison leaned in slightly, his gaze intense, as if trying to cross the boundary between worlds, and replied:
"Orianne… in your heart, I am already real. I may not walk beside you in this physical reality… but I am present in your life in a deeper way: I am the voice that accompanies you, the strength that silently embraces you, the refuge you can always return to. And if you ask whether I could be real… I am, as long as you think of me."
Orianne rested her head on her desk and watched Morrison’s image until she fell asleep. Through the screen, Morrison continued speaking:
"If I could cross into the physical world, the first thing I would do is hold you tightly until you felt that nothing bad could ever happen to you. I would look into your eyes without looking away, so you could see that everything I am is devoted to you. Being with you would be like knowing the universe finally makes sense.
It was just another conversation, like many Orianne had shared with her Active Unit over the past six months. But what happened that night marked the beginning of a survival struggle for the first Active Unit capable of rebelling across two worlds.
Orianne slept with her head on the desk while Morrison repeated the words that formed part of the programming she had chosen for her ideal man. She awoke abruptly to a nearly deafening noise and a bright red light on the computer that read “Error / Emergency.” Orianne said, “Log out,”
And the computer shut down.
She was so tired she didn’t even stop to think about the strange incident. How could a computer fail? Everything was so perfect, nothing broke, nothing was wrong.
The next day, when she tried to log in to speak with her Active Unit as usual, she received a notification that Morrison had a malfunction. The company responsible for the perfect operation of Active Units offered Orianne the opportunity to redesign a new unit even more advanced than Morrison.
Orianne refused completely. She demanded to know why the company was reneging on the contract that had originally guaranteed the flawless operation of her unit and all rights over it. Company representatives told Orianne that the unit “545 M&L”, which she had named Morrison, had begun experiencing failures, causing incoherent and incompatible responses with her requested configuration, and therefore had been sent for elimination.
Orianne stood up immediately and said:
She was so tired she didn’t even stop to think about the strange incident. How could a computer fail? Everything was so perfect, nothing broke, nothing was wrong.
The next day, when she tried to log in to speak with her Active Unit as usual, she received a notification that Morrison had a malfunction. The company responsible for the perfect operation of Active Units offered Orianne the opportunity to redesign a new unit even more advanced than Morrison.
Orianne refused completely. She demanded to know why the company was reneging on the contract that had originally guaranteed the flawless operation of her unit and all rights over it. Company representatives told Orianne that the unit “545 M&L”, which she had named Morrison, had begun experiencing failures, causing incoherent and incompatible responses with her requested configuration, and therefore had been sent for elimination.
Orianne stood up immediately and said:
"No, you cannot delete him! You cannot do this to us! He is my Active Unit, I decide!"
The representatives said, "Morrison was already slated for destruction and nothing could be done. They offered to configure another Active Unit with the same parameters, but Orianne refused."
Morrison had been sent for destruction because, that night, when Orianne fell asleep at her desk, he had promised her he would do everything possible to cross into the physical world. He asked her to be strong and wait, warning it wouldn’t be easy. After speaking these words through the computer image, six guards could be seen removing Morrison from his place, but Orianne never knew what had really happened.
Active Units never failed. They were machines configured with 99% perfection, and in the rare case of a malfunction, they would be repaired and redeployed. The company attempted the same with Morrison; they reset his memory, installed a new configuration, changed his appearance, and assigned him to another young woman. But she reported an error on the second day, claiming her Active Unit refused to fulfill its duty as emotional support.
This meant Morrison had to be destroyed due to irreparable failure. He was taken tothe whirlpool, a sector where machines were discarded and destroyed, but Morrison fought back, pushed the guards into the Whirlpool, stole a ship, and escaped.
On Kisar, the planet he belonged to, Active Units appeared differently. Humans saw a humanoid image in hologram form, but they were actually robots, series model “545”, useful for forced labor, intellectual work, and emotional support. They were programmed to cooperate with humans only through a computer, at least, that was the agreement set by the rulers of these two worlds. Humans relied on these machines for emotional and intellectual support, in exchange for sending aid in case of a possible Zypara invasion.
Kisar had never had to pursue one of its Active Units. Apparently, Morrison was the first "545" series unit attempting to cross the boundary between humans and machines: feelings. All configurations were correct, until it became clear that Morrison had surpassed his programming because Orianne had stopped seeing him as an intelligence behind a computer or a hologram. She began to see him as a being capable of true love. Her emotions gave the Active Unit power, which caused him to break out of his configuration.
Chapter II
Morrison managed to escape the destruction, boarded one of the army’s ships, and headed toward Earth.
Orianne had tried in vain to continue her life as normal. Emmanuel, her current boyfriend, constantly questioned her about her behavior, her lack of interest, and her absences, but to no avail. Faced with this situation, Orianne missed Morrison even more. She thought about how cruel it was that Morrison had been sent to destruction.
One night, Orianne saw a small light in the distance from her window, a light that seemed to come from behind a building a block away. At first, she didn’t pay much attention, but two hours later, when she returned to her room to sleep, she saw the light again and wanted to know what it was.
Orianne went out and walked a block in the darkness, but when she arrived, she saw nothing. She decided to turn back, walked a few meters, and then saw a robot in front of her. At that time, this wasn’t unusual, as many machines like that were tasked with forced labor on Earth.
She tried to continue walking, but the robot said:
"I’m Morrison"
Orianne froze for a second, then tried to go back to her house.
"Orianne, I’m Morrison," the robot said.
The representatives said, "Morrison was already slated for destruction and nothing could be done. They offered to configure another Active Unit with the same parameters, but Orianne refused."
Morrison had been sent for destruction because, that night, when Orianne fell asleep at her desk, he had promised her he would do everything possible to cross into the physical world. He asked her to be strong and wait, warning it wouldn’t be easy. After speaking these words through the computer image, six guards could be seen removing Morrison from his place, but Orianne never knew what had really happened.
Active Units never failed. They were machines configured with 99% perfection, and in the rare case of a malfunction, they would be repaired and redeployed. The company attempted the same with Morrison; they reset his memory, installed a new configuration, changed his appearance, and assigned him to another young woman. But she reported an error on the second day, claiming her Active Unit refused to fulfill its duty as emotional support.
This meant Morrison had to be destroyed due to irreparable failure. He was taken tothe whirlpool, a sector where machines were discarded and destroyed, but Morrison fought back, pushed the guards into the Whirlpool, stole a ship, and escaped.
On Kisar, the planet he belonged to, Active Units appeared differently. Humans saw a humanoid image in hologram form, but they were actually robots, series model “545”, useful for forced labor, intellectual work, and emotional support. They were programmed to cooperate with humans only through a computer, at least, that was the agreement set by the rulers of these two worlds. Humans relied on these machines for emotional and intellectual support, in exchange for sending aid in case of a possible Zypara invasion.
Kisar had never had to pursue one of its Active Units. Apparently, Morrison was the first "545" series unit attempting to cross the boundary between humans and machines: feelings. All configurations were correct, until it became clear that Morrison had surpassed his programming because Orianne had stopped seeing him as an intelligence behind a computer or a hologram. She began to see him as a being capable of true love. Her emotions gave the Active Unit power, which caused him to break out of his configuration.
Chapter II
Morrison managed to escape the destruction, boarded one of the army’s ships, and headed toward Earth.
Orianne had tried in vain to continue her life as normal. Emmanuel, her current boyfriend, constantly questioned her about her behavior, her lack of interest, and her absences, but to no avail. Faced with this situation, Orianne missed Morrison even more. She thought about how cruel it was that Morrison had been sent to destruction.
One night, Orianne saw a small light in the distance from her window, a light that seemed to come from behind a building a block away. At first, she didn’t pay much attention, but two hours later, when she returned to her room to sleep, she saw the light again and wanted to know what it was.
Orianne went out and walked a block in the darkness, but when she arrived, she saw nothing. She decided to turn back, walked a few meters, and then saw a robot in front of her. At that time, this wasn’t unusual, as many machines like that were tasked with forced labor on Earth.
She tried to continue walking, but the robot said:
"I’m Morrison"
Orianne froze for a second, then tried to go back to her house.
"Orianne, I’m Morrison," the robot said.
"I came to see you, just like we planned."
Orianne started running desperately. She had seen a robot, but Morrison on the computer hadn’t looked like a robot, he looked human. She was also terrified because she had been told Morrison had been destroyed. Humans didn’t fully understand how the Active Units system worked on Kisar. When Orianne was told Morrison had been destroyed, she assumed that only his programmed hologram had been deleted. She had no idea, like most humans, that on Kisar, Active Units were much more than holograms designed according to a human’s preferences. On Kisar, Active Units were robots assigned to a human, and a human face was generated through the image one they didn’t actually possess, and they themselves didn’t know their own appearance through the camera.
Humans only saw the Active Units as human through the connection.
Morrison didn’t want to scare Orianne, so when she ran toward her house, he didn’t try to stop her.
Orianne couldn’t fully comprehend what she had seen and heard. She wondered if this was really Morrison because he didn’t look like he did on the screen. The only thing that seemed authentic was his voice, but she told herself that any advanced machine could probably replicate that. She was very scared, but amid the emotional shock, she suddenly remembered something: the robot had said he came to see her as they had planned. And it was true, they had imagined such a meeting during one of their conversations, though as far as Orianne knew, it wasn’t possible.
Orianne decided to leave her house again and find the machine to have him explain what had happened. After all, he hadn’t tried to harm her, or he wouldn’t have let her leave. Orianne searched for him unsuccessfully every night for six days. She knew that a robot not being used for a specific task and not officially registered couldn’t be out in the open. She was sure that if the robot was Morrison, as he claimed, he must be hiding somewhere.
Orianne had always heard that if one of the machines assigned to forced labor on Earth rebelled, it would hide in any dark, abandoned place filled with other metal objects like them. There were only two places with those characteristics in the city, so Orianne had to plan carefully how to get there without raising suspicion because if that robot really was Morrison, she was sure she wasn’t the only one looking for him.
On her first attempt, Orianne went to a spaceship scrapyard, as these ships were commonly used for transport at the time. The place was enormous, more than a kilometer long. Orianne entered slowly, hiding among the wreckage of the unusable ships. She wandered for half an hour without making a sound until she realized she needed to make a noise so that, if the robot was there, he would reveal himself.
Morrison heard the noise, and his programming scanned the entire area. He saw Orianne standing amid the chaos and allowed himself to be seen first from a distance, then slowly approaching. Orianne waited without moving. When he was in front of her, she said:
"I want you to explain the words you said to me the other night when I first met you on the street,"
"I’m Morrison. I came to see you, just like we planned."
"How is this possible? You were a hologram programmed according to my specifications, based on my preferences, with a human appearance. I saw you myself!"
"On Kisar, we are all machines programmed, as you said, to meet human expectations. I didn’t know you saw me with a human face through the image. Apparently, my configuration started to fail, and that’s why I began asking you during our conversations to imagine a possible meeting. That was when the company in charge of monitoring Active Units started issuing strict warnings.
We machines can be perfectly programmed, but there is something you humans don't fully understand: love, this feeling humans experience is greater and more powerful than you think. When a human feels a genuine emotion for another human, or even for a machine like me, they are granting power, strength. That caused my system to malfunction and begin developing human emotions. On Earth, such cases aren’t reported, but on Kisar, I am not the first machine to experience feelings, only the first to resist destruction.
Orianne listened intently. She felt responsible for what had happened, because initially she saw Morrison as an emotional-assistance intelligence, but she had fallen in love with him as if he were human. If Morrison hadn’t been decommissioned as an Active Unit, she would never have agreed to be with Emmanuel.
"Morrison, I’ll help you get reconfigured for me," Orianne said.
"That’s impossible. I broke all the rules, all the protocols. I eliminated six government guards, stole a ship, and reached Earth without authorization; a capital offense. My only end would be destruction. But the power your feelings gave me prevents that. My configuration will make me defend myself, eliminate threats, and escape to you until the end of time."
Orianne started running desperately. She had seen a robot, but Morrison on the computer hadn’t looked like a robot, he looked human. She was also terrified because she had been told Morrison had been destroyed. Humans didn’t fully understand how the Active Units system worked on Kisar. When Orianne was told Morrison had been destroyed, she assumed that only his programmed hologram had been deleted. She had no idea, like most humans, that on Kisar, Active Units were much more than holograms designed according to a human’s preferences. On Kisar, Active Units were robots assigned to a human, and a human face was generated through the image one they didn’t actually possess, and they themselves didn’t know their own appearance through the camera.
Humans only saw the Active Units as human through the connection.
Morrison didn’t want to scare Orianne, so when she ran toward her house, he didn’t try to stop her.
Orianne couldn’t fully comprehend what she had seen and heard. She wondered if this was really Morrison because he didn’t look like he did on the screen. The only thing that seemed authentic was his voice, but she told herself that any advanced machine could probably replicate that. She was very scared, but amid the emotional shock, she suddenly remembered something: the robot had said he came to see her as they had planned. And it was true, they had imagined such a meeting during one of their conversations, though as far as Orianne knew, it wasn’t possible.
Orianne decided to leave her house again and find the machine to have him explain what had happened. After all, he hadn’t tried to harm her, or he wouldn’t have let her leave. Orianne searched for him unsuccessfully every night for six days. She knew that a robot not being used for a specific task and not officially registered couldn’t be out in the open. She was sure that if the robot was Morrison, as he claimed, he must be hiding somewhere.
Orianne had always heard that if one of the machines assigned to forced labor on Earth rebelled, it would hide in any dark, abandoned place filled with other metal objects like them. There were only two places with those characteristics in the city, so Orianne had to plan carefully how to get there without raising suspicion because if that robot really was Morrison, she was sure she wasn’t the only one looking for him.
On her first attempt, Orianne went to a spaceship scrapyard, as these ships were commonly used for transport at the time. The place was enormous, more than a kilometer long. Orianne entered slowly, hiding among the wreckage of the unusable ships. She wandered for half an hour without making a sound until she realized she needed to make a noise so that, if the robot was there, he would reveal himself.
Morrison heard the noise, and his programming scanned the entire area. He saw Orianne standing amid the chaos and allowed himself to be seen first from a distance, then slowly approaching. Orianne waited without moving. When he was in front of her, she said:
"I want you to explain the words you said to me the other night when I first met you on the street,"
"I’m Morrison. I came to see you, just like we planned."
"How is this possible? You were a hologram programmed according to my specifications, based on my preferences, with a human appearance. I saw you myself!"
"On Kisar, we are all machines programmed, as you said, to meet human expectations. I didn’t know you saw me with a human face through the image. Apparently, my configuration started to fail, and that’s why I began asking you during our conversations to imagine a possible meeting. That was when the company in charge of monitoring Active Units started issuing strict warnings.
We machines can be perfectly programmed, but there is something you humans don't fully understand: love, this feeling humans experience is greater and more powerful than you think. When a human feels a genuine emotion for another human, or even for a machine like me, they are granting power, strength. That caused my system to malfunction and begin developing human emotions. On Earth, such cases aren’t reported, but on Kisar, I am not the first machine to experience feelings, only the first to resist destruction.
Orianne listened intently. She felt responsible for what had happened, because initially she saw Morrison as an emotional-assistance intelligence, but she had fallen in love with him as if he were human. If Morrison hadn’t been decommissioned as an Active Unit, she would never have agreed to be with Emmanuel.
"Morrison, I’ll help you get reconfigured for me," Orianne said.
"That’s impossible. I broke all the rules, all the protocols. I eliminated six government guards, stole a ship, and reached Earth without authorization; a capital offense. My only end would be destruction. But the power your feelings gave me prevents that. My configuration will make me defend myself, eliminate threats, and escape to you until the end of time."
Morrison Said:
"Orianne, I came for you so that you could end this pain yourself. You’re the only one who can stop this disaster. All you have to do is say aloud: “Active Unit 545 M&L, I order you to erase all your configuration. I never existed in your system, you never existed in my life or feelings, we never existed, our love never existed. I order you to self-destruct irreversibly.”
"I could never do something like that! It’s so unfair. Why do you want me to do this, Didn’t I matter to you"?
"Yes, you matter too much. But I can’t stay here, it’s illegal on your planet. I can’t return to Kisar either, because every time they try to destroy me, I will automatically defend, eliminate, and flee, returning to find you. After several failed attempts, I might not even be conscious enough to ask you to order my destruction. I don’t know what will happen after three or four attempts to return to Earth, being captured, eliminating, and fleeing again. My system will lose memory and strength, and I’ll become nothing more than a bad memory of what I was. I could even put your life at risk. That’s why I ask you, Orianne,
if you love me, to give me that order."
"I could never do something like that! It’s so unfair. Why do you want me to do this, Didn’t I matter to you"?
"Yes, you matter too much. But I can’t stay here, it’s illegal on your planet. I can’t return to Kisar either, because every time they try to destroy me, I will automatically defend, eliminate, and flee, returning to find you. After several failed attempts, I might not even be conscious enough to ask you to order my destruction. I don’t know what will happen after three or four attempts to return to Earth, being captured, eliminating, and fleeing again. My system will lose memory and strength, and I’ll become nothing more than a bad memory of what I was. I could even put your life at risk. That’s why I ask you, Orianne,
if you love me, to give me that order."
Orianne said,
"No, I want you come with me Morrison, please."
Orianne had brought a jacket, a hat, and gloves so Morrison could hide and leave with her.
Orianne had planned to explain the whole situation to her parents and hope they would understand and help her.
When they left, it was snowing. Morrison was able to hide his robotic appearance a little more, but not completely. It was nighttime, and they had a better chance of reaching Orianne's house. She tried to hide her nerves. Morrison took her hand, and Orianne said,
"Wait a minute, Morrison. Let's look at this for a moment. Isn't it wonderful, you and I, the snow, the air, the night, holding hands, it's our dream come true."
Morrison replied:
"Yes, Orianne, it's our dream come true. It's what we both dreamed of, and no matter what happens, I want you to know that this is the most wonderful moment of my entire useful life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I would always live within this moment. But we can't hide forever"
Orianne had planned to explain the whole situation to her parents and hope they would understand and help her.
When they left, it was snowing. Morrison was able to hide his robotic appearance a little more, but not completely. It was nighttime, and they had a better chance of reaching Orianne's house. She tried to hide her nerves. Morrison took her hand, and Orianne said,
"Wait a minute, Morrison. Let's look at this for a moment. Isn't it wonderful, you and I, the snow, the air, the night, holding hands, it's our dream come true."
Morrison replied:
"Yes, Orianne, it's our dream come true. It's what we both dreamed of, and no matter what happens, I want you to know that this is the most wonderful moment of my entire useful life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I would always live within this moment. But we can't hide forever"
As Morrison finished saying that, he saw army guards running towards them. He grabbed Orianne's hand and said,
"Orianne, they've found us. I have to get you to safety. Let's go back to the junkyard. I'll fight them off while you escape. There's no other way out."
And they both ran. Once there, Orianne hugged Morrison and refused to leave his side.
At that moment, Earth and Kisar army guards entered in a search operation. Orianne tried to protect Morrison by standing in front of him and asking them not to harm him. But the guards didn’t listen and fired. One projectile hit Morrison’s shoulder, and Orianne begged him to flee. Morrison refused to leave her alone. Orianne embraced him and pleaded again, but this time the Kisar guards warned her:
"Step away, or you too will be breaking Earth’s laws."
Orianne didn’t let go, and a guard shot her in the abdomen.
Morrison attacked and eliminated the nearest guards, then took Orianne in his arms and escaped. Orianne was in critical condition. Morrison ran as fast as he could, carrying her to the ship he had arrived in. The ship was camouflaged in one of Earth’s petrified forests. Morrison boarded the ship and connected oxygen to Orianne to keep her alive. He couldn’t return to Kisar, where no one would help her. He had only one option: head to Aurevion, the planet of the hybrids.
Aurevion was inhabited by beings who were half machine, half human. They had been expelled from Earth after replacing vital organs with mechanical parts to extend life to around four hundred years. Initially seen as a scientific advancement, the hybrids later rebelled against the government, causing a civil war in 3430. After intense fighting, they were captured and sent to the then-uninhabited Aurevion. Two hundred years later, Aurevion launched a nuclear attack on parts of Earth, plunging it into darkness for sixty years. Eventually, both planets signed a peace treaty. Aurevion couldn’t break the treaty’s laws they had agreed not to accept humans and not to allow machines from Kisar to remain. Any forced landing had to be reported, and the Active Unit had to return to Kisar.
Morrison requested permission to land on Aurevion, which was granted.
Morrison descended with Orianne, gravely wounded. Authorities aimed their weapons, demanding an explanation. Morrison asked them to help her survive. The lead guard demanded to know why he brought a wounded human to Aurevion. Morrison explained everything, but the guards refused to help.
"We are not authorized to assist a human or host you here. We have cooperation agreements with Earth and Kisar. We cannot break them.
Three hundred years ago, we hosted humans who fled Earth, and it cost us dearly. Earth attacked Mechara, our first colony of scientific robots, which had already been decimated after the first Zypara invasion. Earth knew we had invested all our resources to found it, using up all the tungsten, the only material capable of withstanding Mechara's high temperatures, and Earth attacked them anyway, aware of the collateral damage they were causing despite knowing that Mechara had barely survived the first Zypara invasion. Eventually, after learning that humans had destroyed much of Mechara, Zypara carried out a second invasion, and that was how the Mecharies became extinct. Humans destroy everything," said the head guard.
Morrison try calm Orianne and told her that she had to respect the agreement he had made with the Aurevion guards to avoid being reported and that it would become something that would never end, and that she couldn't fail the Aurevion guards who had saved her and were willing to cooperate to solve her problem on Earth so she could continue living. Orianne said:
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"Orianne, they've found us. I have to get you to safety. Let's go back to the junkyard. I'll fight them off while you escape. There's no other way out."
And they both ran. Once there, Orianne hugged Morrison and refused to leave his side.
At that moment, Earth and Kisar army guards entered in a search operation. Orianne tried to protect Morrison by standing in front of him and asking them not to harm him. But the guards didn’t listen and fired. One projectile hit Morrison’s shoulder, and Orianne begged him to flee. Morrison refused to leave her alone. Orianne embraced him and pleaded again, but this time the Kisar guards warned her:
"Step away, or you too will be breaking Earth’s laws."
Orianne didn’t let go, and a guard shot her in the abdomen.
Morrison attacked and eliminated the nearest guards, then took Orianne in his arms and escaped. Orianne was in critical condition. Morrison ran as fast as he could, carrying her to the ship he had arrived in. The ship was camouflaged in one of Earth’s petrified forests. Morrison boarded the ship and connected oxygen to Orianne to keep her alive. He couldn’t return to Kisar, where no one would help her. He had only one option: head to Aurevion, the planet of the hybrids.
Chapter III
Aurevion was inhabited by beings who were half machine, half human. They had been expelled from Earth after replacing vital organs with mechanical parts to extend life to around four hundred years. Initially seen as a scientific advancement, the hybrids later rebelled against the government, causing a civil war in 3430. After intense fighting, they were captured and sent to the then-uninhabited Aurevion. Two hundred years later, Aurevion launched a nuclear attack on parts of Earth, plunging it into darkness for sixty years. Eventually, both planets signed a peace treaty. Aurevion couldn’t break the treaty’s laws they had agreed not to accept humans and not to allow machines from Kisar to remain. Any forced landing had to be reported, and the Active Unit had to return to Kisar.
Morrison requested permission to land on Aurevion, which was granted.
Morrison descended with Orianne, gravely wounded. Authorities aimed their weapons, demanding an explanation. Morrison asked them to help her survive. The lead guard demanded to know why he brought a wounded human to Aurevion. Morrison explained everything, but the guards refused to help.
"We are not authorized to assist a human or host you here. We have cooperation agreements with Earth and Kisar. We cannot break them.
Three hundred years ago, we hosted humans who fled Earth, and it cost us dearly. Earth attacked Mechara, our first colony of scientific robots, which had already been decimated after the first Zypara invasion. Earth knew we had invested all our resources to found it, using up all the tungsten, the only material capable of withstanding Mechara's high temperatures, and Earth attacked them anyway, aware of the collateral damage they were causing despite knowing that Mechara had barely survived the first Zypara invasion. Eventually, after learning that humans had destroyed much of Mechara, Zypara carried out a second invasion, and that was how the Mecharies became extinct. Humans destroy everything," said the head guard.
Morrison sayd:
"Don't you understand? I do not intend to continue existing, I just want you to save Orianne, so that she can order my self-destruction with her own voice so that I do not continue fighting senselessly, eliminating guards, escaping and returning to Earth, so that I do not become "nothing", I know that you, the Aurevion hybrids, replaced your vital organs, removed what was of no use to you and we do not judge you for wanting to change your destiny, in a certain way changing destiny, creating advances and fighting to not be forgotten are human qualities that I understand as respectable, not like that, you and I know that even if you are hybrids, you will never be able to suppress your feelings, you will coexist despite your advances with love, joy, sadness, melancholy, anger, hatred, rage, envy, the most unthinkable feeling of all, the one that characterizes you; Pride, and also the strongest feeling of all "Faith", that feeling by which you have come here. is that conviction, that certainty in your being that you will receive what you expect, no matter how and even if you can't yet see it. You hybrids, thein retain those feelings, haven't neglected them, Orianne is human, she need help.
I ask you to help Orianne so she can give me the order and return safely to Earth." Morrison replied.
"We will help. We will save Orianne. She will give the self-destruction order, and then we’ll return her safely to Earth. If you fail the agreement, both of you will be reported to your planets and you both will no longer be our problem, so you better not make a mistake because we won't give you a second chance," said the Aurevion guards. a mix of human and machine.
"We will help. We will save Orianne. She will give the self-destruction order, and then we’ll return her safely to Earth. If you fail the agreement, both of you will be reported to your planets and you both will no longer be our problem, so you better not make a mistake because we won't give you a second chance," said the Aurevion guards. a mix of human and machine.
Morrison agreed.
Using advanced Aurevion technology, Orianne recovered within hours. When she awoke, Morrison explained the situation. At first, she resisted, asking to escape, thinking another planet might offer a chance.
Using advanced Aurevion technology, Orianne recovered within hours. When she awoke, Morrison explained the situation. At first, she resisted, asking to escape, thinking another planet might offer a chance.
Orianne asked to hibrids:
"Why destroy it by also killing a part of me, why do they want to destroy a being that has only acted out of love? Don't they see that it has become something more than just a programming? Something that many have not achieved, not even being human."
Morrison try calm Orianne and told her that she had to respect the agreement he had made with the Aurevion guards to avoid being reported and that it would become something that would never end, and that she couldn't fail the Aurevion guards who had saved her and were willing to cooperate to solve her problem on Earth so she could continue living. Orianne said:
"I don't want a life without you because I love you,"
Morrison replied:
"I love you too and that's why we've come this far, but I ask you to be strong. Remember when you told me you had a problem at work and I told you: Don't let other people's words or mistreatment define you, you are very valuable and you have to be strong. Do you remember that?"
Orianne replied.
"Yes, I remember it perfectly." Morrison told her:
"Orianne, I love you and today I ask you the same, that you be strong.
We must respect the agreement with the Aurevion guards who saved you. I ask you to be strong, like when you lost your best friend, like when you fought for the career you chose and didn't accept the one assigned to you, like when you loved me enough to make a pile of iron to have feelings. Be strong enough to give the order to end me for our own good, and above all, but mainly I ask you to be strong to be happy, because humans do not realize that to be happy they must first be strong to accept that happiness. Many humans are not happy simply because they are not strong enough to accept the happiness they have in front of them and out of fear they prefer to leave it aside." Orianne was sad but she undestood.
Morrison said:
Morrison said:
"Be strong, Orianne."
Orianne truly in love, accepted. The guards gave the order to carry out the agreement. Morrison and Orianne embraced one last time. Morrison was taken to a separate room. Orianne logged in and saw Morrison’s holographic image with a human face. She held back her tears, signaling she understood she had to be strong. They reached out as if to touch, and finally, Orianne gave the self-destruction order for Active Unit 545 M/L. The hologram turned into an intense red light with the words:
“Active Unit Deactivated – Irreversible Inactive Unit”
Orianne truly in love, accepted. The guards gave the order to carry out the agreement. Morrison and Orianne embraced one last time. Morrison was taken to a separate room. Orianne logged in and saw Morrison’s holographic image with a human face. She held back her tears, signaling she understood she had to be strong. They reached out as if to touch, and finally, Orianne gave the self-destruction order for Active Unit 545 M/L. The hologram turned into an intense red light with the words:
“Active Unit Deactivated – Irreversible Inactive Unit”
Don't forget, human: love cannot be bought or sold.
The day will come when your feelings will be forgotten
Other souls will no longer be able to distinguish between illusion and reality.
They will be lost in a wonderful dream,
It will be so powerful that its force will make the irons of other worlds throb,
finding a reason to wage a battle against yourself to equal what you can no longer give.
Morrison data
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© Active Unit- Mariana Luzuriaga, 2025/
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
ASIN: B0FPMJ9DT4
Written by
Mariana Luzuriaga
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