Things were going peachy. Wonderful, even.

I taught Toothless to use his wings and fly, even though we couldn't go very far down here.

Let me tell you something else. Something that haunts me to this day.

My mother. She was taken, years ago, by an AI. I was only a few months old. I remember her screams. I may have been a baby, but I remember them. I remember my father cursing them forever, telling them he would not rest until he killed every single AI on the planet.

And he hasn't forsaken that promise once.

I was heading home after a long session with Toothless. I was rounding a corner just beyond the cave I kept him in. I bumped straight into a figure and fell over. Both of us let out a yelp of surprise. I looked up at the thin, lean figure. Wearing a red tunic and some fancy armor, staring down at me with a disapproving glare, was Richard.

"Skinny! I found you!"

I stood up. I hated that nickname. "Good job." I pushed past him and began to head home.

He stopped me by grabbing the scruff of my shirt.

"Where do you think you're going, skinny? I want answers. Now. Where have you been disappearing to for the last month?"

I winced.

"What do you care, bulky?"

I felt frustration beginning to build.

"I want to know what's going on. Now."

"I'm going for a walk." I lied.

Richard didn't seem impressed. "Yeah, nice try. I want to know what's really going on." He pulled me down and planted a boot on my chest.

I wiggled under his leg. I knew it was hopeless. The only option would be to run.

"Well?" He pulled out a knife, to my horror.

"No! What I do is my private business!"

He held up a piece of paper. One of my plans for an AI. "Oh, really?" He had such a smirk. It made me want to punch him.

I knew I should have hid those schematics better.

My face turned to pure terror. "No." I choked.

His face practically turned into an evil scowl. "You traitorous little..."

I was shaking. "It's not what you think!"

"You're making machines. Just wait till I tell your dad about this."

"No!" I struggled harder, throwing him off balance.

He tipped, and I took my chance to roll to the side. I stood up and tried to take the paper back, only to stop when he points his knife at me.

"You traitor. I should kill you right now. If I had the authority. If it was up to me. I always knew you were trouble. You're going to be in big trouble. I think banishment is too good for you."

I slowly raised my hands. "Let me explain. Please." I was buying time. I knew no explanation could convince him.

He narrowed his eyes. A long silence drew out. I gulped.

He nodded. "This ought to be good."

I took a deep breath. "I create machines, yes. I make them from spare parts from other machines that the guard kills. I create them to be friendly, and I reprogram them to be helpful whenever possible. Can you understand?"

He raised an eyebrow. "And the one that attacked a month ago? The one you grabbed and took back inside?"

I froze. He was holding the schematic for Stormfly.

"The one that looks just like this?" He pointed to the schematic.

"It malfunctioned." I said. "I had no control over that."

He scoffed. "And what about all the others? What if they 'lose control' too? What will you do then?"

I stopped mid word, my jaw half open. The response I had faded. "Uh.."

"Exactly." He gave a smug nod. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

I clenched my fists. "I needed friends somehow." I began to cry.

He seemed to stop.

After a long moment of hesitation, I looked up at him.

"I want to show you something."