I can hear voices. I can sense movement. I am paralyzed on the floor while all the action happens around me. Screams. Cries for help. Luna! She was the first person to remember me before I could even remember myself. I still can't even fully remember anything clearly. The only thing I know with any certainty is that I can't allow the one person who knows me to die. If they're gone, I'm back to just being a shell of whoever I used to be.

With every ounce of energy, I summon the will to move, but... Nothing. This freezing black tile floor is bonded to the side of my face. All I want now if for just an arm, a hand, a finger to move. The more I think of her ruby red eyes, her scent of summer rain, I'd crawl my way through hell by one working finger to keep Luna alive.

There's a mighty CRASH I become aware of somewhere close by. Everything inside my body feels like it's full of wet cement that continues to get thicker, heavier, weighs me down into this pristine clean cold floor.

I hear Luna's voice in distance, "Karma, the Black Cylinder. Throw it over here!"

Beside my head, a small Black Cylinder appears. I remember this thing. Jenkins pointed it at me before everything went dark. What is it? It's a cylinder, but not any type of pistol or gun. There's no trigger, or buttons that I can identify. Before any further analysis can be done, the heel of Luna's boot smashes into the black rod. Sparks fly. Metal and fiberglass pieces CRUNCH beneath her foot.

All at once, I can feel everything again. Groggy, like waking up from a forty year nap, my eyes meet Luna's. She's crying. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her. I quickly looked her over in a panic. Is she hurt? Injured? What happened?

There's no blood.

No wound.

There's nothing wrong with Luna that I can immediately discern and that only makes my nerves stand further on the edge. To my left, Marth drags his buster sword through the remains of a RAN Android trying to crawl away. As it's upper half is pinned by the giant blade, Marth twists the hilt, and the light in the RAN Robot's eyes dies. To my right, Midnight has half transformed into a dragon; her arms from the elbow down are covered in black and blue shining armored scales, her massive paws are tipped with razor sharp talons. She slashes at the remaining RAN Androids like a hot knife through butter.

Behind Luna, I watch as Karma leans up against a computer about the height and depth of a refrigerator. His eyes narrow as they meet mine.

I ask the obvious first, "What happened?"

Karma looks skeptically at the other members of the group, then back to me; "Perhaps you could explain the situation from your end first?"

Normally, I'd have a quip or snap back at someone with that tone. Instead, I reach back as far as I can remember; "We arrived on Habitation Ring Three. Luna and I, well we both..." I look to Luna for help. Her eyes are more red than before; still misty as wipes them with the back of her hand. I can't hold her gaze. Instead my focus drops to my hand. The bite mark. Our covenant. A promise. What does that mean exactly: she won't allow me to die?

Karma cleared his throat, "Gene, what happened after you arrived?"

Trying to sharpen my memory, I ran through the plot, "We saw Director Jenkins rebuilt as a machine. Then, we ran here, to gain access to the primary Æger controls. After Luna connected to the server we shut down the RAN Assembly Line and..." There was nothing after that. Everything went black

Marth looked down at me with pity while he wiped his sword clean of robot remains, oil, and hydraulic fluid. Shaking his head; "Friend Gene, if that is who remains before us now, we haven't the time for hesitation. The machines have been slain, but one remains. Tell us, why should we spare you?"

Luna growled. I could feel her fur bristle and heart begin to race; "Because he's still Gene! Nothing has changed."

Karma remained unconvinced, "I'd say at least one obvious factor has come to light to put his identity into question."

I slowly stand to my feet. As I rise, so too does the tension in the room. Marth even tightened his grip on the hilt of his broad sword.

From the back of the room, Midnight approached the group, "What's wrong with Gene? Is he hurt? Is he hungry?" The young Dragon Maiden gazes blankly at her companions, but fails to grasp the elevated tension. Instead she sits down and folds her arms. Mumbling with a pout hung on her face she adds, "I'm still hungry."

From the far side of the room, Kazuna gestures toward me, "I don't think Gene's condition changes the essence of who he is. After all, in my world, we treat all beings with equal respect and dignity. I see no reason not to extend the same courtesy to Gene now."

There's one thing for certain I knew about myself; people who beat around the bush instead of getting to the point drove me crazy. Raising my voice, I asked plainly, "What the hell is the score, Karma? What exactly do you think I am?"

From behind his face mask, I couldn't read Karma's expression clearly, but his eyes clearly weighed his next words carefully before speaking.

There was no such deliberation with Marth as he blurted out, "Friend Gene, you are obviously a machine."

Midnight's tail twitched, "He's a what?"

No. It wasn't possible. Luna had told me I had died. This whole thing from start to finish, like the scar running down the center of my body from head to toe, is a joke. Whatever I had done in my life had clearly warranted a special and bizarre form of hell. That's what this was. Of course, to believe that, I'd have to deny what I feel now; the warmth of the hand holding mine. Luna's breath close to my ear, the low warding growl in her mouth, her heart pounding in sync with mine was all too real.

I'd also have to deny what I'd seen with my own eyes. It was only minutes earlier that Luna and I both saw Jenkins burnt into a pile of flesh and metal only to be reassembled again. Of course, the technicalities of what Jenkins' truly was came into play. I hardly knew the guy to begin with. Had he always been a machine? If so, what difference did it make that he jumped from one shell to the next?

The only constant against this mind breaking revelation was Luna. She had known me before I ended up here on this Orbital Station. Somewhere deep inside of me, I believe in the memory, the feelings I've had, and still have for her. Anything after that, I'd sort out after we escaped this nightmare.

Holding up my hands, I kept my voice calm and level; "Karma, Marth, everyone else, I am Gene R. Starjammer, I'm human."

Karma raises an eyebrow, "It's possible that you were programmed to believe you're human. However, given what we've all seen, you're too much of a liability to the group."

Luna barked, "Gene is coming with us."

Karma, "Ms. Luna, I must object--"

Luna snarled, "I'm taking him with us. Unless, you'd like to make an attempt to take him from me." Her ears were pinned back and her tail puffed out at full bush.

Dropping his shoulders, Karma turned about face and walked toward the exit, "I've made my objections known. He will be your responsibility going forward."

Midnight was only half paying attention to the exchange. She was too busy trying to eat part of a RAN Android arms that had been dismembered. Spitting out the remains in disgust, she asked aloud to no one, "So, Gene's a robot now? Are we not eating him then?"

Luna spun around and glared at Midnight. Instinctively, the She Dragon hid behind her wings, wrapping them around herself like a security blanket. In a whisper, Luna addressed me still holding my hand tightly, "Come on. We need to get going."

I didn't object.

Silently walking on eggshells, the group walked back towards the main lift without saying another word to each other. It was the longest quarter mile I'd ever spent in complete silence. In truth, nothing was louder than all the questions screaming within my mind. One question was louder than any of the rest.

What does it mean to longer be human?

I wish I'd had the chance to remember when I was still human for reference. I wish that I could remember more of who I was. Of course, who I was wouldn't matter much if whatever I am now can't get off this space station.

Clearing my throat, I offer an open ended suggestion, "There was supposed to be a shuttle docked in the hangar bay on the maintenance deck."

Kazuna asks, "So, with all the robots destroyed, have we then completed our purpose?"

Karma shakes his head, "I suppose saving the station is out of the question now."

Marth snorts, "Do I detect descent with how we handled our objective, Karma?"

Offering nothing more than a sigh, Karma waves a hand dismissively and quickens his pace.

I remember what happened now on the command deck. Marth had completely incinerated the deck with hellfire. Sure, Marth controlled the flames that melted the first version of Jenkins. Unless directly psychically managed by Marth however, the rest of the flames would burn uncontrolled. Hesitantly I ask to remove any doubt about our chances of escape, "The station controls were burnt up, weren't they?" From the uncomfortable silence, I have my answer.

With the giddy innocence of a child, Midnight tries to offer a sliver of optimism, "We saved the station from the robots and any robots we may have missed will explode with the space station. We win." Pleased with herself, Midnight actually skips the remaining ten meters to the central elevator. I notice that both doors are blown outward off their hinges.

I don't want to know.

All that's important is that soon, we'll be leaving this place behind. When both my feet are planted firmly on solid ground, then I'll start asking questions. Until then, I had to focus. I had to keep Luna alive. In turn, she promised to keep me from dying. I guess whatever covenant I'd made actually works in a roundabout way.

Inside the lift, Luna removed her tools and adjusted the controls on the access panels. Looking up to me, she asked, "Where too?"

Maintenance Shuttle Bay and storage.

"All the way down," I tell her.

With a sharp buzz and a few sparks from out of the control panel, the lift descends.