Detrix Plus 1000 -

Leon Marchetti stood alone in the silence. The Detrix Plus 1000 hummed, ready for its next command. A spoon, perhaps. Or a paperclip.

The chamber door slid open.

He sat with her on the cold concrete floor of his lab for three hours. He talked to her. He told her about his day, about the clogged drain in the guest bathroom, about the price of eggs. He sang the lullaby she used to sing. "Hush, little baby, don't say a word..." detrix plus 1000