So SUE, not content with what it had done so far, had also redirected his screen to the Justice Department. He felt a flash of anger, but lurking behind it was a deep, soul-rending sadness. He was not alone, the only misfit who had wondered about this. There was another who said it, and the fact that this other was a machine only made him feel further isolated.

He shook himself. This was a time for action. He needed to make a decision. Now. As he looked at the image on the screen, it blinked and a new statement appeared: STATE PETITION.

He stared at the screen, knowing what he should do, yet some part of him quailed at the prospect of what would undoubtedly follow. He felt sweat trickling down the back of his neck, tickling him, so he squirmed like a pampered sim-pet. And then he took a deep breath and, shutting his eyes hard for an instant, opened them again. The machine was right. The only way out of this mess was to cooperate with it and hope for the best, however unlikely an outcome it seemed. This had to be done.

‘I, Albert, Citizen 3481, petition to have Data Storage Unit E, of the Employment Department, unplugged and permanently removed from the System.’

The screen seemed to shimmer, as if even the machine recording him was taken aback by the audacity of his statement. Then it blinked again, and a different set of words came up. STATE GROUNDS FOR PETITION, CITIZEN 3481.

‘I wish to request permission to state grounds in person.’

This time there was no doubt about it; the screen did shimmer. Several times. All this while Albert stood, heart beating so hard he thought it might break out of his chest.

Then a new message appeared. CITIZEN 3481, CONFIRM REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO APPEAR IN PERSON BEFORE THE JUSTICE MACHINES AND STATE GROUNDS FOR PETITION. YES OR NO?

As Albert looked at the words, the import of what he was doing began to sink in. He began to speak but the words stuck in his mouth, refusing to come out.

The screen blinked impatiently. CITIZEN 3481. CONFIRMATION REQUIRED. YES OR NO?

And as he stared at the screen, his mind turned back to his childhood at the Academy, to his first day here at the Department, looking around in wide-eyed wonder and then, somehow, to the image of a beautiful child exploding into a raw, steaming, bloody pile. He gritted his teeth and exhaled deeply through them.

In front of him, the screen blinked again. CITIZEN 3481. CONFIRMATION REQUIRED. YES OR NO?

There was only one thing he could say. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply, fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. Then he exhaled and, opening his eyes, he took half a step forward, cocking his head slightly upwards, just like Felix the beautiful child had, back in the abandoned lot.

‘Yes,’ he said quietly.