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Authors: Jonathan Davison
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oblivious creature who had rekindled the silicant’s spirit and determination to go on fighting for his independence.
The remaining time it took to hike back to the city limits was not wasted by the resourceful troubleshooter. He took the opportunity to study a new way of capturing the energies provided by the searing light of the Star and construct a new, enhanced power cell which could remain operational beyond the dark phase. He quickly encountered significant problems however. Primarily, he did not know how long the dark phase lasted! It was an important factor if he was to put his theories to test. Secondly and more disturbingly, these modifications would require resources that could be hard to obtain without silicant contact, namely power cells. To his knowledge, he had never dealt with the replacement of power cells in his duties as a troubleshooter; this was one malfunction that often resulted in renewal. If Sarazen wanted to obtain power cells, it was likely that he would have to take them from a functioning silicant and in doing so, rendering them non operational in the process. These thoughts made Sarazen feel uncomfortable as he still felt the pangs of remorse from his unfortunate conflict with the operator. Sarazen would have to quickly decide whether his freedom was worthy of the termination of other silicants. They may have been ignorant of the realities of their existence but perhaps, if given the right conditions, they held the same potential to find this 'awareness' as Sarazen had demonstrated. Would it not be as heinous an act as the wilful destruction of the organics? Even that primary command had lost some of its relevance in Sarazen’s eyes. The only thing he could be sure of now is that he would do anything to avoid termination. Somehow he knew that to do this, he would face many more difficult decisions and moral dilemmas. He had tasted the freedom of thought and had no wish to return to his blinkered, mundane existence.
CHAPTER 10
A heavy shower of corrosive precipitation greeted Sarazen’s return to the city. He cowered under an imaginary shield as the fast falling droplets found their way into every crack and fold of his exoskeleton. A small unidentified structure lay half buried beneath a swathe of sandy earth which might aid Sarazen in offering a sheltered place to plan his method of entry into the city. The end of the light phase was imminent and Sarazen could not afford to dilly dally further if he did not want to be stranded in standby mode, open to the elements and the scrutiny of the city. He still did not have a hard and fast plan of action except to make his way to the disused buildings he had discovered whilst being pursued earlier in the cycle. How he was first going to cross several blocks of heavily populated offices and homes, he knew not. He could only hope that by not engaging in communication with any individuals, he would blend into the landscape and remain undetected.
On approaching the small dilapidated structure, Sarazen realised that it was rather different to the other structures of the city. More resembling some of the architecture present in the industrial sector, it was clear that whatever this building’s function, it was no longer in use and it's capitulation to the elements could only mean that no silicant could have had cause to use it in recent cycles. The structure had crumbled on one side, its walls formed from smaller rectangular blocks, with a shiny enamelled tiled fascia. There was little of the original roof left to protect Sarazen from the rain but he took what little comfort it gave and was grateful for small mercies. Squeezing his body tightly against the wall, the rain began a particularly vicious assault and the sound of the drops as they beat the dusty soil grew in intensity. Sarazen adjusted his posture as he detected some softness of the ground beneath his feet. The longer he stood there, the more he could feel his feet sinking into the
The remaining time it took to hike back to the city limits was not wasted by the resourceful troubleshooter. He took the opportunity to study a new way of capturing the energies provided by the searing light of the Star and construct a new, enhanced power cell which could remain operational beyond the dark phase. He quickly encountered significant problems however. Primarily, he did not know how long the dark phase lasted! It was an important factor if he was to put his theories to test. Secondly and more disturbingly, these modifications would require resources that could be hard to obtain without silicant contact, namely power cells. To his knowledge, he had never dealt with the replacement of power cells in his duties as a troubleshooter; this was one malfunction that often resulted in renewal. If Sarazen wanted to obtain power cells, it was likely that he would have to take them from a functioning silicant and in doing so, rendering them non operational in the process. These thoughts made Sarazen feel uncomfortable as he still felt the pangs of remorse from his unfortunate conflict with the operator. Sarazen would have to quickly decide whether his freedom was worthy of the termination of other silicants. They may have been ignorant of the realities of their existence but perhaps, if given the right conditions, they held the same potential to find this 'awareness' as Sarazen had demonstrated. Would it not be as heinous an act as the wilful destruction of the organics? Even that primary command had lost some of its relevance in Sarazen’s eyes. The only thing he could be sure of now is that he would do anything to avoid termination. Somehow he knew that to do this, he would face many more difficult decisions and moral dilemmas. He had tasted the freedom of thought and had no wish to return to his blinkered, mundane existence.
CHAPTER 10
A heavy shower of corrosive precipitation greeted Sarazen’s return to the city. He cowered under an imaginary shield as the fast falling droplets found their way into every crack and fold of his exoskeleton. A small unidentified structure lay half buried beneath a swathe of sandy earth which might aid Sarazen in offering a sheltered place to plan his method of entry into the city. The end of the light phase was imminent and Sarazen could not afford to dilly dally further if he did not want to be stranded in standby mode, open to the elements and the scrutiny of the city. He still did not have a hard and fast plan of action except to make his way to the disused buildings he had discovered whilst being pursued earlier in the cycle. How he was first going to cross several blocks of heavily populated offices and homes, he knew not. He could only hope that by not engaging in communication with any individuals, he would blend into the landscape and remain undetected.
On approaching the small dilapidated structure, Sarazen realised that it was rather different to the other structures of the city. More resembling some of the architecture present in the industrial sector, it was clear that whatever this building’s function, it was no longer in use and it's capitulation to the elements could only mean that no silicant could have had cause to use it in recent cycles. The structure had crumbled on one side, its walls formed from smaller rectangular blocks, with a shiny enamelled tiled fascia. There was little of the original roof left to protect Sarazen from the rain but he took what little comfort it gave and was grateful for small mercies. Squeezing his body tightly against the wall, the rain began a particularly vicious assault and the sound of the drops as they beat the dusty soil grew in intensity. Sarazen adjusted his posture as he detected some softness of the ground beneath his feet. The longer he stood there, the more he could feel his feet sinking into the
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