DATE: 17th July 2374 SUBJECT: Jezebel Cheblik ID: J2HE_SNK_DW878 I suppose it was bound to happen sooner than later. Sooner is today. My companion's silicon finally gave out. He felt so very confident about my soldering skill. "It's fine, Jez, I trust you." Well, he shouldn't have. Maybe my hand slipped, maybe it was meant to be. Suppose it's selfishness on my part, but his death only means one thing - he's left me here alone. This old cave, a place of holy pilgrimage to the wandering machines, is now his grave, but what about myself? I gutted him. I'm not proud about it. Working bits are hard to come by. Frankly, we never really talked about 'what ifs' and 'what whens'. I guess he thought, he'd be here forever, keeping me on my toes with his magnetic tongue and inappropriate machine humor. Now he's one with the machine and I'm still here. A few more hours of mindless bereavement, before I venture back out there. No sense holing up here. Not on my own. Deep down I wish it was me. Not because I miss him, or because I feel guilty for sending him to the beyond. No. I envy him. ~jz /\