Tzadi said nothing.
"What did you try to do for me?"
The man to the right of Tzadi said, "He tried to save your life. He'll be dismantled for that. It's a sad thing, of course, him being one of the original hundred, but most have been dismantled anyway."
"Dismantled," Derrence said, the fear was immense now.
"You mean you don't know? You didn't guess anything, and Tzadi didn't tell you?"
Derrence raised his eyes from Tzadi. "Dismantled?"
"Yes. Taken apart. Destroyed. Killed. He lasted longer than most of the original hundred by each year. You understand? He was one of the first hundred made by the Original himself. That's why he had defects—stilted speech, squat construction and, most serious, a tendency to romanticize humanity. Even among the latest models, there are a few who feel that way, but once the last human is gone that problem...."
Derrence was calm now; the calmness beyond shock, beyond horror. "I'm the last human?"
"So we believe. There might be another in India—we're still checking. One more in Sweden is a possibility. But for the records, Derrence Cale was the last human being."
"Was the last human being," Derrence whispered.