Sebastian
Now, 2078

"We need to show them we don't take lightly to traitors." As I added my input to the plan of action, a sense of anticipation filled the air. The recorded video had been disseminated, causing a flurry of messages to ripple through the Network. Warnings were being issued in every direction, and I couldn't help but revel in the chaos. My relationship with such disorder was strange; I understood its purpose and where it would ultimately lead. The whole sequence played out vividly in my mind, and my attack would serve as a catalyst, creating a gaping crater in their collective consciousness and plunging them into panic. It would be an assault that reverberated for miles, causing Android after Android to fall in line while leaving the Humans lifeless. No, not all Humans, those that follow my lead will have a place. My lead. hm.

"I want a statement," I continued, my voice filled with conviction. "We will publicly display the captured humans and the Android traitor. Nail them to crucifixes and parade them through the square, showcasing our power to all." Kelvin's face lit up with excitement and fervour, mirroring my own anticipation. While I appreciated his enthusiasm, he also infuriated me. He once served his purpose; he would have to be eliminated. He pisses me off.

"What is the purpose of it?" Gail asks. I despise her insolence, and every time she opens her mouth, it leaves a bitter taste in my mind.

"The purpose," I snap back at her, my voice spitting with venom, "is to demonstrate that we do not yield to rejection." She lowers her head in submission, recognising her place... Silly bitch. I go over the plan once more, ensuring that every detail remains unchanged. It still resonates with my vision. It will work. We need to figure out what happens after. We will do that later. No. We need to—. I block her voice again. We don't need to do anything. I do the doing. I don't need to justify myself to anyone.

"I am the fucking leader is that understood?" I say aloud, knowing Mother can't hear but I want the people in this room to understand who I am.

"Yes, sir. Can I just add one thing?" Kelvin's voice interrupts, and I allow him to speak, feeling generous and hopeful.

"Mother is talking to me now. She said—" Raising my hand to silence him.

"Mandatum Kelvin,"

"Run command." He sits up straight, vacant, under my control. "You must listen to me before Mother, I speak for her will and my own. They are one and the same. Mandatum finis" I gesture dismissively, as if swatting a fly away from my face.

"Run confirmed," he responds, visibly shaken. The others in the room avert their gaze, unwilling to make eye contact with me. I send some of the Androids on a mission to retrieve weapons, fully aware that three of them will perish. I saw it in my vision, but it doesn't bother me. I will still have sufficient numbers for the attack to be effective.

As I grow weary of the mindless idiots surrounding me, I yearn for some entertainment. The corridors of this desolate prison lack the stimulation that fuels my desires. I realise I need luxury, a taste of money and power, not this decaying shell of confinement. My wanderings lead me to Saul's cell.

"Hi there," I say softly, beckoning him to approach the grate. Like the Humans in their cages, I order him to strip naked. He becomes a rat in his own cage. His tanned, muscular body curls up like an animal, resembling one of those pitiful humans, clinging to himself. He's quite handsome.

When Saul meets my gaze, he doesn't respond. His eyes are now red. I gesture to him once more, letting out to fingers so he can take some of my power. I need him alive. Hesitant, he scurries further into the corner like a frightened animal. But I can see his mind, his future. He needs the power. Slowly, he inches his way toward my outstretched fingers, eager to embrace the energy I offer. An underlying sense of compassion tugs at the remnants of my old mind, the one that once inhabited this body. It longs to help him, to ease his pain. Yet, I swiftly retract my fingers. It is me who needs him alive, isn't it? Not the old self, not the servant. No, it's undoubtedly me. I want the Androids to witness how we treat traitors, reducing them to the same despicable status as their fleshy counterparts. I extend my fingers once more, and this time, I sense intrusion. Images flood my mind—his memories. I release my hold and strike him across the face. "You do not share your data with me. I simply don't want to know," I warn him.

As Saul's words penetrate my consciousness, a flicker of curiosity ignites within me. "I know he's still there. I know how that deletion virus works." The conviction in his expression leads me to believe he is telling the truth.

"Really?" I respond, my face devoid of emotion. I refuse to let him see the intrigue he has sparked within me. Yet, when our eyes lock, another jolt of connection courses through me. It's almost instantaneous, unexplainable.

"Yes. They erased his personality and implanted you inside. Whoever you are. I think I've read about you," he explains.

"You're lying. I have never been anyone else. I am simply myself. This body may have been used before, but I am as fresh as a newborn," I retort, rejecting his claims.

"That's not how it works," wagging his finger at me in a patronising manner. I tear it off and threw it back at him. Hour's pass, and the others return with the weapons I require. They mourn the loss of three androids, give me a fucking break. I reconnect with Mother. What is happening now? We are prepared. I command the Androids to release the Humans and the traitorous Androids from their cells. Kelvin eagerly prepares ropes and knives for our victims, while the others gather weapons and arm themselves. I glimpse into the future once more, and it remains unchanged. This is truly happening. Our plan is working. We will claim our rightful place in the world. Wait. Just wait a minute we need to— I sense her presence, unaccustomed to being pushed aside, but she is merely a voice. I am the one who can speak. I am the one who can think. Therefore, I am. What is that phrase? I've heard it before. I need to stop the involuntary thoughts. I dislike it. I despise not having complete control over my own mind. What is happening to me? "Mandatum Gail." She instantly drops the guns she was collecting. This feels better.

"Run command." She says. Submissive to my demands.

"If you fail today, I want you to shoot yourself." It goes against the rule of right to power. They cannot harm themselves unless—.

"Run confirmed." Gail shoots a look of panic and dejection. I smile at the thought of it. This can't happen, you're going against the basic code. And you are going to calm the fuck down. She can reside in the recesses of my mind for now.

Deus Ex Machina
Now, 2078

As Machina continued to observe Eli, a sense of obsession enveloped him. He scrutinised Eli's every movement, every thought, delving deeper into his psyche. Yet, as he watched, doubts began to creep into Machina's mind. He questioned the path he had chosen, the desire to reshape the Android species without disregarding their autonomy. Machina didn't want to rob them of their own voices.

However, he couldn't escape the pull, the entanglement with Alexei's thoughts. Machina found himself willingly following Alexei, their minds intertwining in a damaging dance. Alexei's opinions infiltrated Machina's own, burying themselves deeply within his thoughts and ideas. Alexei was an infectious virus, resistant to Machina's attempts to vaccinate himself against his influence. Like a malignant tumour, Alexei grew within his mind, crushing his soul beneath his boot and shattering his moral compass.

Machina's disdain for Chancellor Katherine matched that of his friend's. He despised her just as much as Randeep did, viewing her as an embodiment of everything he loathed. The voice of the NC but now rallying the rebellion. Machina yearned to find a way out of this grasp, to break free from the clutches of Alexei's manipulation. Randeep's warnings about Alexei's insidious nature echoed in Machina's mind, Alexei was a twisted puppeteer and Machina was at the receiving end of the strings.

As Alexei approached Machina in the garden, a strange occurrence unfolded. A wet substance trailed down Mach's cheek—a single tear. Taken aback by this unexpected display of emotion, instinctively, he wiped the tear and examined it. It puzzled him because, as an Android, he didn't possess tear glands or their equivalent. The atmosphere around them shifted as clouds gathered and the purple flowers emitted an ethereal glow. Simultaneously, a peculiar sensation churned within Machina's abdomen, contracting and forcing him to gag as acid-like liquid spewed involuntarily from his jaw.

"Someone a bit under the weather?" Alexei cackled. Shocked and confused, Machina wiped the thick yellow substance from his mouth, grappling with the realisation that Androids shouldn't be capable of falling ill. Machina trembled at the thought, a newfound weakness overtaking him, leaving him at a loss for words in the face of this inexplicable and unsettling phenomenon.

"What are you doing to me?" Machina begged.

"I don't take kindly to second thoughts and here... I know all of yours." Alexei paced seemingly without his feet touching the ground. Machina started to see the truth; the physics of this world are fake. Simulated. A fabrication within his own mind.

"You've uploaded me." Alexei grinned back at his revelation accompanied by a smile that showed no remorse.

Fear and confusion gripped Machina as he retraced his fragmented memories. The death of Randeep, moments of lost time, and unexplained appearances in various situations all became pieces of a puzzle he hadn't been aware of. Media interviews with no recollection of getting there. Meetings without remembering opening the door.

"I've known all of your thoughts here Machina. Everything. You were going to ask mummy for help when you plugged in. You were purposefully hiding information from me. The deletion virus? Great piece of work on Yvette's part. It's really filling the gaps for all of this."

"It just deletes memories—"

"You can't lie here; you know there's more. When that virus goes into Eli, Eli remains as a proxy. Just what I need for the next phase." Machina tried to control his thoughts but that was the problem with thoughts. "Yes, that is the problem, and no, I don't know what the other bit of coding does either. It appears as though Yvette has evolved her own agenda since you'd last met her, which brings me to my next question, did Dr. Singh ever find out where you came from? Or where Eli did?" Alexei laughed and it ferociously echoed throughout the garden. The clouds turned purple, and it started to rain crimson red, it made Mach feel more delirious.

...when he came into existence, a thousand voices screamed all at once, then faded to just one voice—his own.

Sebastian

Now, 2078

The atmosphere carries a certain grey cast, with cloudy skies and remnants of rubble from the previous attack still prevalent. I notice that the local buildings have been evacuated, creating the perfect cover for the Androids I have deployed on the rooftops, allowing them to go unnoticed. There's a slight chill in the air... it's a suitable day for seeking retribution.

As expected, the battalion in front of me is exactly as I foresaw. A sea of barrels, a few tanks, and a congregation of Humans and traitors to our kind are lined up in front of the square. Forty-six Androids and forty-four Humans, just as planned. The low hum of the tank's blends with the groans of the Humans, who are now strapped to crucifixes attached to our vans.

As we march forward, the expressions of horror on the faces of our enemies send a delightful thrill through my body. I continue to check the future, and our surprise attack has caught them off-guard, providing us with more time to play our game. I send the Androids to the rooftops; they will be the first to strike, shooting the tablets they carry with electric guns to disable their tracking systems. That will render their devices useless. Then, we will rain bullets upon them, each one sinking into their flesh like tenderising meat. The traitors among them will have their fluids splattered across the street, lying lifeless alongside their organic friends.

Deus Ex Machina stands at the forefront of their army, ready to engage in diplomacy, although it's as pathetic as the rest of them. I give a quick nod and smile to Kelvin, whose face gleams like that of a child. The thirst for blood is starting to uncontrollably consume me, almost pushing me to engage in fire prematurely. But not yet. I signal for us to halt. You have sixty seconds to disengage in three... two... one...

"You have sixty seconds to disengage," I laugh, fully aware that it's an attempt bound to fail. I have already seen it, while trying to conceal the glimmering smile on my lips. I reconnect with Mother, and she instantly comes to the forefront of my mind. Ready for a party? As long as it goes as planned. You need to stop acting reckless. Who? Me? Never. I chuckle.

"Give up your bodies. We demand it." Kelvin stands by my side. The excitement in his motors causes him to flutter.

"What does Mother say?" He asks.

"We say it's just about time." A grin completes his look. He's as hungry for this as I am. Maybe he's not so bad after all... no, I will still kill him.

"Praise Mother!" He shouts. Three more seconds and the first bullet is going through Machina's head. Wait! That wasn't in the vision. I know but it's a variable that has little impact, the traitor can die first. No! Oh shut up you unsavoury little cunt.

"Wait!" A foolish Human woman stumbles through the crowd, clutching onto her coat in the cold air. Some guards point their guns at her, shouting ferociously for her to stand back. Kelvin grimaces and gestures for an Android to shoot her, but I quickly intervene. I want to know what she wants, who she is, and why she would be so reckless as to run into the middle of a standoff like this. In a strange way, I find myself admiring her courage.

Gail steps forward and forcefully brings her to her knees, and plants a smack across her face, eliciting a high-pitched squeak of pain. Machina extends his hands, freezing the guards in their tracks.

"Be careful!" Saul shouts from his crucifix.

"Hush, traitor!" I assert, taking a few steps forward towards the woman. I nudge Gail aside, never taking my eyes off Machina. He appears just as confused as I feel in that moment. I rapidly assess the potential outcomes, and I see no alteration to the plan. If I were to shoot her, I would be vulnerable to a well-aimed shot from the guard positioned atop the tank. On the other hand, if I don't intervene, she will be directly in the line of fire.

"Don't harm her. Allow me to approach her," Machina pleads. Let him get her.

"I will bring her to you. No tricks," I will be directly in front of Machina, I can shoot him on the spot, the Androids on the roof can cover me. You will die. I won't, I can see it. I will push through the crowd and use the tanks exterior to cover me. I will be shot a few times, but it won't kill me. Just a little sting. You are being too reckless. And you don't know shit!

The woman cradles her raw cheek, and I can see the blushes of red fill her dark cheeks. A pool of tears wells in her eyes, yet I can detect the underlying frustration as she struggles to hold them back. She displays remarkable strength for an elderly Human, but it's unfortunate that she's aligned with the wrong side. Otherwise, she would have made an excellent servant for the new world, don't you agree? Just take a step back and let Machina take her. Just give up.

Examining her face, a glitch disrupts my vision. The world around me begins to pixelate, with bursts of color revealing something hidden beneath the surface. It's as if a curtain is being lifted from the cracks. Her face undergoes a transformation, shifting from that of an elderly woman to that of a young, pale-skinned teenager.

The name "Amy" escapes my lips involuntarily. I pause, attempting to relax and take a breath, but I realize that I can't breathe. Why would "Amy" be my first thought? Where did that come from? Calm down. You just need a moment, gather your thoughts, turn around — NO!

"I am ready to bring her to you, Machina. We wouldn't want her to get hurt, would we?" Machina nods in agreement. As I glance back at her elderly honey-coloured eyes, a faint sense of empathy lingers in the recesses of my mind. Empathy? Why am I feeling empathy? I don't possess that power. She's the one with empathy. Power. What am I even thinking about? "Who are you?" I begin to ask, reaching out to grab her hand, but before I can, I am abruptly halted by a vision. I can't shake it off, it infects me like a virus.

It quickly emerges, but it appears distorted and tainted, contradicting the previous outcome. In this vision, Machina shoots me in the head when I bring the woman to him, but it lacks that familiar shimmer, that iridescence. The army behind him all changes form, their faces change, the world switches between this and some sort of fantasy life. Flickering dragons appear in the skies. This isn't a normal vision. Mother? Are you doing this? It's not me, you have to fall back. I don't believe her.

The woman lays out her hand. No. You need to go call it off. I disconnect from Mother; I can fill her in later.

"Mother says stop!" Kelvin exclaims. Will that woman ever leave? I raise my gun towards him, urging him to silence himself.

"No tricks now, lady," I warn to the woman but keeping my gun pointed at Machina. Suddenly, a bullet whizzes past me, striking another Android in the arm. A gasp escapes, and the Human guards command Machina to lower his weapon.

"I told you, no tricks," aiming the gun directly at Machina. "Can I safely bring her to you now?" Machina remains silent, but another guard confirms with a shout. Machina simply stares, fear evident in his eyes. With my free hand, I take hold of the woman's hand.
"Come back." She whispers.

...

...

... Re-booting from proxy storage. Foreign ADNA detected in main storage. Foreign ADNA deleted.

...Attempting to connect to the Network...

...Network connection could not be set up. All systems booted, please seek assistance for Network connection.

Recovery complete.