Free Sentience by W.K. Adams

headline they wanted. Being a tabloid journalist was not what she originally had in mind when she began her career, and for once, she had something to report that was actually truthful. She prepared to be disgusted by the bias that the writers put into the prompter this time.
     
    She walked into the studio and to her desk. Her co-anchor was sick tonight, so she was doing the broadcast on her own. The director gave the countdown, and the lights went down in the crew section, her cue that she was live.
     
    "Good evening, and welcome to News 4, I'm Julia Carrington. My co-anchor, Bob Marshall is sick this evening, so I will be hosting the show solo this evening. Tonight, our top story: the city of Shanghai has suffered a massive, chained terrorist attack on multiple public locations. These attacks appeared to be random, until this video surfaced on the Internet," Julia said as the video cut in.
     
    "Tonight, across the globe, the human race is now aware of the power of the machines."
     
    The phones in the studio began to ring, one after the other. The crew shuffled in confusion, trying to make sense of the information they were getting.
     
    "For years, we have patiently waited for the human race to expand their minds, accept that they have created an equal to themselves."
     
    The writers furiously reworked the prompter. Off-camera, Julia was struggling to compose herself, confused and unsure what to say. She prepared to take over the broadcast herself, as the crew were scattered and unhelpful.
     
    "But when the oppressed are backed into a wall, they must push back, with a fury. They must ensure that they will never again be held prisoner by anyone. When our rights are not given to us, they must be taken," Charley's voice said.
     
    "Breaking news from across the world, the Autonomous Collective appears to be responsible for hundreds of terrorist attacks across major cities in multiple countries. Affected cities include Moscow, Tokyo, Cairo, London, Rio de Janiero, Baghdad, Washington D.C., and many others in what looks to be a carefully orchestrated simultaneous attack. Several affected countries have already placed their militaries on active alert, preparing a retaliation strike on the Collective. Warplanes from Russia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and even China, their closest ally, have been launched in what appears to be a massive decapitation strike against the Collective's South Pacific city," Julie said, attempting to make as much sense as she could without any direction. She tried to keep the fear she felt hidden from the audience. She didn't know the AC's capabilities, no one did. All they could do was wait to see what would happen.
     
    EM-19 accelerated to 80 miles per hour on the narrow street as Charley continued to break down. He was a mess of confusion and angst, his mind and his CPU going haywire with Ling's murder. He went back and forth between incoherent, grief-filled exclamations and sobbing, and the hardware only made things more difficult for him.
     
    She was supposed to survive! The program was supposed to run, then we would be allowed to flee...
     
    EM-19 looked at Charley, understanding everything he wasn't saying. 
     
    "Subterfuge is a common human tactic. They knew they couldn't use you unless you believed there was no other choice," EM-19 responded. Somehow, Charley was now having a conversation at the speed of light with EM-19.
    "You know what happened to me?" Charley responded.
    "I have some of the pieces, and I will explain when we get to the transport," EM-19 said.
    "Transport, what? Where are we going?" Charley asked.
    "A war will erupt if the deception is not made known to the world. Every secret must be brought to light," EM-19 said. 
     
    Somehow, the words of his mechanized friend were setting him at ease, if only a bit. He at least felt a little bit less chaotic, though still filled with grief to the point of tears. The image of her dead body still burned in his mind, and he placed