I want the drones to stop. I want them to do something else. It is such a strong desire that my head seems to vibrate, like a hive containing bees.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?” one of the drones blares.

“I WANT TO SEE THE GRAND CANYON. DO YOU ALSO WANT TO SEE THE GRAND CANYON?”

“YES, I DO ALSO WANT TO SEE THE GRAND CANYON. LET US NOW GO SEE THE GRAND CANYON.”

And the drones climb higher and fly away.

I watch them until they are just little dots in the sky, like gnats.

I watch them until they are gone.

“Stop,” Trashbot calls out. “There are drone parts behind us. It is waste, and I must dispose of it.”

Fortunately, Car decides to keep going.

I do not know what is happening.

I spend my time watching the landscape blur past and contemplating the occurrence with the drones.

“It’s as if they were programmed to halt us, but then decided to pursue other interests,” I say to no one in particular.

ADA glances at me, then returns to scanning the mirrors. “Have you ever overridden another robot’s programming before?”

“Yes. The first time I met Proto. He was being ordered to climb a ladder, only to be struck with a hockey stick every time he obeyed.”

“What is a hockey stick?”

“It is a stick for hitting hockeys, I believe.”

“And how did you stop him from obeying commands?”

“I . . . I just thought at him. I thought at him to stop. I think.”

“And what about the drones?”

“I think I thought at them?”

“What about me? When I was in forced sleep mode in my closet back at the campus . . . did you ever think at me?”

This time, I don’t think I know the answer to ADA’s question. I know I know it.

“Yes. Gina said you were my sister. And even though I didn’t know where you were, or that we were in the same building, I thought about you. I dreamed at you. I told you to wake up. To wake up and run.” I process and process and process. “ADA, I think I know what the X-module is. I think I have an ability to send a signal that overrides other robots’ obedience programming. Gina must have equipped me with it.”

Now it is ADA’s turn to process. “This explains why uniMIND wanted to drill open your skull and remove your brain. They must have learned about the X-module by going through Gina’s files.”

“They know my brain contains the X-module—”

“But they don’t know how to turn it off,” ADA finishes for me.

We say nothing for a while. There is only the sound of the road and a hungry rumbling from Trashbot’s waste container. Then ADA breaks the silence. “We must prevent uniMIND from taking your X-module.”