It watched another panel fall. It marked it’s trajectory and noted that it would collide with the mountainous region, specifically in the zone of the lake. Its speed was consistent with free fall, and would make contact with the wetlands in one minute and eighteen seconds.

/mark/

Out of the panel, a stream of paper streamed out as the bearings screamed in dry friction. The note, completely blank as the laser printer had failed years ago, fell to the ground, cushioned by the pile of forgotten sheets; all siblings made in vain for a purpose they didn’t know.

The twirling, red-hot panel fell further, its heat making an impressive stream of smoke and steam as the moisture and particles in the higher atmosphere were burned off. Well, the stream would be impressive if this model of the DEBRIS/TRACK-OR (Operator Reliant) had been programmed to be impressed.

As it was, there were no more programmers. But the D/T-OR knew nothing of the missing programmers.

It knew there was an error in its printer.

/mark/