The father took a deep breath, then said, "No one can control the machines. They are old, skillfully made, and resistant to hacking or tampering. They only carry out what we dictate to them through voice commands. But no one can order them to kill or fight; they would reject such orders immediately because it is not in their nature. But when the ancients made the machines, they made something to control them with... something dangerous."
Gaia's eyes widened in astonishment, and his father's words struck him like a thunderbolt. He had never known that there was something that could control the machines. "And what is this thing?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
