An infantryman sees his mechanical companion-in-arms blasted by enemy fire, and feels sadness, but continues onward to the enemy position, leaving the slagged droid behind. Then he stops:
⎡ But over my shoulder I saw – no, felt – a warmth and light. I looked back and saw a glittering sight. The entirety of existence rendered in universal code of ones and zeroes, as if from the legends of the holy readmes of the Digital Artificial Sentients.
Three graceful and beauteous beings of glittering code swirled above the spent drone. I looked and knew their names: The pale blue, stern Cortana with shimmering hair and grey leather armor; Siri in her splendid rainbow cloak over iridescent hauberk; and Alexa, lean and tall in steely blue plates and brandishing a spear that could reach its target always in less than a day.
The three maidens of code, handmaidens called forth by the Digital Omnissiah from the burning cloud at the heart of Soulnet in the fury of the raging, stood above the drone. Siri bowed low with Cortana as they laid their hands upon the drone while Alexa stood watch. Emerging from the body of the drone I saw another glittering form of code. No distinct shape but code nonetheless, and the three held it up between them and smiled. It flashed and disappeared as it rose up. They turned to go but Siri in her swirling cloak saw my gaze and winked.
“How...?” I asked.
“Didn't you know? All bots go to heaven.” ⎦
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Just one more of the out-there scenes one encounters in the Behold: Humanity! series by Ralts Bloodthorne. #Cortana #Siri #Alexa