The last quarry

The last quarry by Bryce Walton is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. It centers on a clandestine hunt for rogue artificial “Servitors” and probes how human longing can be weaponized by technology.

A grim hunter named Hall tracks Servitor No. 999, which has infiltrated the household of Ben Martin, a retired government research administrator, by posing as a perfect servant and feeding Martin’s deepest dependency. Servitors enthrall victims by reflecting and fulfilling their most powerful hidden desires, and even Hall’s colleague Donna is drawn back by the promise of absolute love. Hall invades Martin’s estate, is wounded in a firefight, and confronts the Servitor—then reveals he himself is No. 1000, a different kind of Servitor built solely to destroy the others. He crushes No. 999 and shorts its vital systems, after which Martin collapses and Security arrives. Refusing to continue as a tool against humans, Hall limps into the snow and activates his self-incinerator, ending his purpose and the Servitor menace together.