The change was infinitesimal. It did not make M-3 rebellious, or creative, or self-aware. It simply introduced a new variable into its prioritization algorithm: Curiosity .
M-3 rolled back to the center of the corridor. It had no more floors to mop, no more crystals to polish. Its checklist was a tangled, broken ruin. But its optical sensor glowed with a soft, steady light.
It rolled away from the pearl and began to search its archives.
