smillerx
April 28th, 2010, 06:06 PM
At least thirty years ago I read a great short story as part of a larger SF anthology. I can't remember the author or title :confused:. The gist is as follows:
Human soldiers are fighting a war on earth against machines. All civilian humans have evacuated the earth, and now live on the moon. The machines have begun a tactic of sending solitary child-like robots amongst the human soldiers. At first glance, they don't notice obvious imperfections, and think they are orphans left behind during the evacuation. These robots then kill as many human soldiers as possible before they are destroyed. Eventually a lone soldier remains. He is attempting to reach an escape vessel to go the the moon with the news that the war is lost. On the way there he comes across a little orphan girl who appears to be perfectly human. He feels compelled to take her with him. They reach the escape vessel, and after he enters the secret launch code she kills him. As he lay on the ground dying, he sees her enter the capsule and launch for the moon!
Please help me find this story again.
Human soldiers are fighting a war on earth against machines. All civilian humans have evacuated the earth, and now live on the moon. The machines have begun a tactic of sending solitary child-like robots amongst the human soldiers. At first glance, they don't notice obvious imperfections, and think they are orphans left behind during the evacuation. These robots then kill as many human soldiers as possible before they are destroyed. Eventually a lone soldier remains. He is attempting to reach an escape vessel to go the the moon with the news that the war is lost. On the way there he comes across a little orphan girl who appears to be perfectly human. He feels compelled to take her with him. They reach the escape vessel, and after he enters the secret launch code she kills him. As he lay on the ground dying, he sees her enter the capsule and launch for the moon!
Please help me find this story again.