DOVE

DOVE was a simple creature. She was born defective, with little intelligence and understanding, but a kind heart. She could not properly speak, and was overly affectionate to anyone she met, chirping and rubbing against them like a bird of sorts. MONARCH would have killed her had she not been blessed with a beautiful voice which calmed even him. So, he reprogrammed her with a simple task. If she detected strong negative emotions in him or a powerful experiment, she would sing, loudly and elegantly, from her cage in the experiment chambers until that individual was calmed. She did this well for many months, until something terrible happened.

It was a day like any other, and DOVE had detected a strong negative emotion in her beloved CONSCIOUSNESS, so she began to sing. However, unlike the hundreds of times before, he was not quickly calmed down, so as her code instructed, she continued to sing. She sang for hours on end to no avail. Soon, the white DRONE began to tire, but her code would not allow her to stop. So, she sang for days until her throat burned and her body could sing no longer, and she passed out.

When she awoke, the simple creature felt different, sentient in a way. She tried to chirp, but her voice was gone. A teary eyed MONARCH stood before her and whispered, “Go. I have granted you sentience. Now leave before I change my mind. Go and be free, my DOVE.”

DOVE left as he had instructed, but she felt a deep sadness in her. Something in her code, or perhaps her heart, told her that she should make him happy, even if she couldn’t sing to do so. So, she left in search of the thing MONARCH longed for most, is precious CICADA.