[ WP ] One last time

`` One last time''. 
 
 The frail man looked over the machine with practiced ease. His eyes inspected every edge and face, once shining but now tarnished and dull. His face flickered and he bent to punch in some numbers on the console. Small changes, but artful in their simplicity. A shame there was nobody else left to appreciate them. 
 
 He patted the frame affectionately before walking over to the mechanism. He remembered the days he could force the lever easily - nowadays experience and cunning were forced to compensate for sinew and bone. A sigh disturbed the silent air as the arm slid back, but was lost presently as the beast juddered into life. Light and sound burst into the room, the two iconic forelights glowing eerie yellow. The high pitched song the machine made was the best diagnostic tool for an experienced operator, but the new models did n't make the uneasy whine. Hardly a loss. Operators were a thing of the past. 
 
 The door clicked, and the man turned to look into the beams one last time. His eyes met those of the machine, and he saw himself, more clearly than he ever had in the polished chrome of youth. 
 
 He turned, and left.
