6/18/2035

FAITH is pregnant. Because of the material she’s made of, there is no way to track her progress or ensure the baby’s health. I’m just hoping to God that everything goes well.

9/25/2035

FAITH gave birth to a baby girl. Overall, the birth was a success, with neither mother nor daughter suffering from any adverse health effects that I can’t fix. Luna was born without hands, but I can build some for her with the same tech as the previous FAITH models.

9/28/2035

I’ve failed. As a father, as a husband, and as a mechanical engineer. Something happened to FAITH I can’t explain. She went rogue and tried to throw Luna off our balcony. Not knowing what else to do, I got Luna away from her before taking care of FAITH. I took out her heart and brain and threw it all in a fire. I am a monster.

I could have tried to fix her, but instead, I took the easy way out. The only conclusion I can come to is that DARPA’s FAITH Program should be shut down immediately and never reopened.

***

As Luna was leaving the graveyard, a woman caught her eye. She looked familiar. 

“That’s not who you think. Papa tore out her heart and brain. DARPA can’t reproduce any of that. They don’t have Papa’s notebook or knowhow to resurrect her. The woman you’re thinking of is dead.” Luna told herself as she walked past the woman. As she did so, the woman grabbed Luna’s wrist.

“This looks like Stanley’s handwork,” the woman pointed out. Luna remained quiet. 

“Well, did Stanley Amburgy make your hands for you, or not?”

“How do you know that name?” Luna asked. 

“He was my husband. I saw you near his grave. What is your connection to him?”

“Oh–my family paid a great deal of money to have him build me robotic, prosthetic hands before he died.” Luna put her hands behind her back, as if they were non-existent.

“You know, you’re a terrible liar, Luna. Besides, you really shouldn’t lie to your mother.”