CARL COULDN’T BELIEVE what he was about to do. It seemed impossible, but Lee had seemed convinced it would work, and it made sense, yet... He surveyed the defense units that remained on the ship, standing in a row in their storage room in the half-light. What if they ignored his command? Or worse, what if they attacked him? He was conscious of the soft warmth of Flux’s body against his chest. He’d tried to persuade the animal to return to his cabin for safety, but he’d refused. There was no reasoning with him when he was in a sulk.
Carl took a breath. He could do this. “Defense units...” His voice petered out as the huge, identical heads turned to him with blank stares. The androids had always given him the willies. The only thing human about them, in his experience, was the way they look
