Publication Date: September 16, 2012

In this brilliant dark science fiction story from her collection Unwelcome Bodies, Nebula-nominated Jennifer Pelland confronts the handicap that is normality...

Alice watches the skies with two other saviors of humankind, children who were altered into monsters to save a space colony from an attack like the one that killed Alice's parents. Alice lives in slavery to duty and machines: yet she's content, supported by the love of her minder, Dr. DeVeaux. Marika. 
Then the program is shut down, and Alice is forced to return to normal human functionality. 

Loss of purpose...loss of time...loss of her machines.

And the revulsion of her beloved Marika, at Alice's loss of helplessness.