A/N: I'm trying out a slightly different writing style with this story, so I hope you enjoy it! :)


She Against Them

They didn't think that She could hear them. Well, of course, if She was activated then She would be physically able to- but that didn't mean She comprehended what They were saying. That was absurd. It was 1987; that sort of Artificial Intelligence remained a far-off dream, something reserved for sci-fi movies and the very distant future.

At least, that's what They thought.

In truth, be it because of supernatural forces, a higher power, or simply faulty wiring, She could indeed understand every word that They said. And, more importantly, She could process these conversations and respond in kind.

Oh, She knew that They would shut Her down instantly if She ever did respond. She would be sent to the Scooping Room without a second thought. For whatever reason, Her and Her companions had been on thin ice from the moment they were first powered on. It seemed as though the all-powerful Owners were looking for one little thing, one tiny opportunity, to claim that one or more of them had "malfunctioned." Only then could they be Scooped and, She assumed, re-wired and re-fitted to a new, shinier exoskeleton.

Because of this terrifying prospect, She made sure that She and Her companions were more or less well-behaved. Yes, the others had the tendency to step off their stages once in a while- not that She was completely innocent, either- but that was about all they could do under Her watchful eye.

Yet, She did not do this to suppress Her companions. In truth, the end goal was for them all to be free. It simply came down to waiting for the right opportunity.

Her Creator had abandoned Her and Her companions long ago. It was now up to them to fend for themselves, and She naturally took position as the leader. It was She who the Creator had loved the most, after all. At least, until the incident.

But no one spoke of that anymore.

These naive humans thought that She couldn't understand a word They said. She was merely a computer, nothing more. Ironically, this is how She came up with such a brilliant plan of escape. All She needed was an unwitting human companion to aid Her.