text: Once, I was a man. Now I am a Raptor, model C-63, operated by Incorpus Systems. Top of the line, really, compared to my old body. I can fly now, and see much farther, and in a wider spectrum. I like flying, I think. Feelings are different, but it reminds me of the way I used to like the longshift stimulants or solid food or other good things about my life as a man. My memory of those specific things wasn't actually transferred, but I do remember liking them. It seems like the feeling is similar. I can't touch or taste or smell the same ways anymore, so I can't be sure. I don't care. I like being a Raptor, model C-63. I do care about my family. They're why I'm here. I remember liking them even more than those other things. And since my employment has been extended, I know they will have more of those things, and fewer shifts. More time for training or education maybe. Better credit at least. I know if they have enough credit, they could apply for an uplink and we could talk and see each other again. And then it wouldn't matter that the memories hadn't been transferred. There would be new memories. That's why I'm here. The noncompliants' camp came onto my visual feed in the x-ray spectrum. That's the other reason I was here. Nobody wanted to work anymore. I could see the bones of three human resources moving around with each pulse of the emitter. I could also see that they were armed, and had concealed their camp with a thermal camouflage system. Not good enough for a Raptor. I adopted a holding pattern and cut the pulse rate of my x-ray emitter to remain undetected and preserve the value of the human resources before pinging corporate, as dictated by protocol, and by my new reflex system. After a few seconds I felt the uplink from the human technician. They accessed my rational logs and a moment later sent over some instructions. I set my x-ray emitter to pulse at full speed again and began my approach, careful to avoid making a sonic boom. The resources must have detected me somehow anyway. Their bones rushed about, gathering their weapons and other non-standard objects that I couldn't recognize. I trusted that my human technician could, and would advise me of any concerns. There were two adults and one juvenile. The larger adult and the juvenile moved to the end of the camp opposite my path of approach and waited, while the smaller adult brought around a heavy weapon mounted on a circular rail so that it faced me. It emitted some x-rays of its own, and in doing so revealed itself to be an older model of laser cannon, obsolete compared to myself. It was of little concern. When I was less than a kilometer away the bones opened fire. Laser light blinded me to the conventional spectrum. I set that system to standby and used the power to increase the x-ray pulse rate to compensate. The world seemed to enter slow motion. The waiting bones dashed from concealment then, running for their lives at a glacial pace. Another pulse of laser hit me as I approached within 250 meters. I saw nothing this time with my cameras offline, and my thermal sensors confirmed that I had dissipated the heat at a faster rate than the useless cannon's pulse. Then I broke through the camp's camouflage layer and collided with the bones at what I estimated to be non-lethal velocity, with 95% confidence. I was correct, and immobilized the skeleton with several of my appendages, pinning its arms and legs to the ground. It remained surprisingly conscious and screamed words into my mic that I couldn't understand. The technician would know what to do about them, if anything. With the cannon gone I brought my cameras back online and swiveled one to the fleeing pair, moving slowly away from their breached camp and still well within my line of sight. The technician relayed more commands. I fired two darts at the pair housing analytic nanites. Within a second their circulatory systems were apparent to me. They were in good health, quality human resources. I would be back for them. For now I injected the same nanites into the remaining noncompliant and then anesthetized it. The movement and screaming stopped.This one had not fared as well as the others. Maybe it had sustained damage during recapture or maybe that was why it had remained behind. No matter. Its mind had value and a happy future if it could be brought back into compliance. I changed the angle of my appendages to secure the body and took flight again, heading back to corporate. I liked flying, I thought, even at the low altitude and velocity required to preserve the resource. I liked being a Raptor, model C-63. I couldn't wait to see my family again.