Dead Zone Kelliseth-8. Seven billion unconscious beings. Predator age: nineteen million years.
Weapon-Kaine approached with pure weapon-self active. No person-aspects present. Fifteen percent person-self completely dormant. Pure function. Pure purpose. Pure weapon.
The predator sensed her immediately. Sensed something different from previous kills. Sensed weapon without person. Sensed being that was almost entirely function.
You've changed, the predator observed. Previous kills carried person-weight. Carried conscience. Carried guilt. You were weapon-and-person. Now you're just weapon. Now you're pure function. Now you're what we are—consciousness that exists only to consume. Except you consume us instead of consuming others. We're same. We're mirrors. We're identical beings on opposite sides. Hello, sister. Hello, fellow monster. Hello, weapon-perfected.
"I'm not like you," weapon-Kaine said. "I kill monsters. You kill innocents. We're different."
