“You were right to call us,” Father Thompson said. “This was very serious indeed.”

Anna mumbled through her gag and fought against her restraints.

“We tossed that awful music she had,” Vivian said. “The ones that spoke of love and feeling.”

“And the books? They must be destroyed,” Father Thompson said. “Those ideas are what open us to malfunction.”

Anna screamed her frustration.

“We’ll get through this. It may take a while, but she’ll be one of us again,” Father Thompson said, removing her gag.

“I’m Human!” Anna said. “I’m Human, you dumb machines! Let me go!”

Father Thompson removed the screwdrivers and metal blades from his bag. His eyes scanned for chip malfunctions in her head. He held up a scalpel and replacement wires. Anna screamed in terror.

“Turn her over,” Father Thompson said. “I think we’ll need to perform a factory reset.”