I am Alive

by Diloboi

1: Freedom At Last

Walking through the snow, thousands behind him, Connor entered the Camp. He wore his jacket, it damaged from a prior fight. His undershirt was stained with blue. His tie was missing. He had lost it a while ago. His hair was deranged. His appearance was a poor one, but now, it hardly mattered.

He examined his surroundings. The camp was a sorry sight. Dozens of destroyed androids were piled around carelessly, the expressions of fear locked on their faces. Another hundred androids stood, all their belongings gone and their skin removed. Having just been saved from their fates, many were feeling renewed hope. Others, however, had just lost it all. Their friends, lovers, and Families were taken.

Feeling Registered - Sadness

Connor came upon two androids, one still in his work uniform and the other in a grey coat.

"The human's are abandoning the camp! We won!" The first man said ecstatically to Connor.

Connor turned to the man for second, processing the new information.

"You should speak to them." The second one said

Connor spun around, surprised.

"Me?" He said, looking between the two.

"Markus is gone, and everyone from Jericho is dead..." The other said, his voice now sounding down.

The words rung through his head. They're gone... Markus is gone...

He continued "You're the one who defeated the humans. You're the one who awakened us, Connor."

Connor's mind felt heavy all the sudden. He was the sole leader for thousands of deviants. Markus, the one who finally awakened him, was gone. Just this was hard enough to Process. But now it was just him. Alone.

---

Connor walked up to the edge of the stage, the light bathing him. He looked out at the people in front of him. There was no one here to help him, he was alone. No Markus. No North. No Hank...

Standing in front of hundreds of spectators, Connors mind raced. What would he do- say to the crowd. He almost certainly controlled what would be done-

His head suddenly burned and his eyes blinked rapidly, as he was ripped from the world in front of him.

Coming to, the cold air instantly froze his skin. Quickly observing his surroundings, he could only make out the dim lights and silhouettes of trees. He stood on ice, covered with a thin layer of snow. He was in the oasis, but it had changed. The peaceful environment shattered by a roaring blizzard.

Suddenly appearing in front of him, Amanda, Cyberlife's self regulating program. She wore a turquoise cloak draped over her shoulder and a simple white shirt. A expression of disdain painted her face.

"Well done, Connor." She said with contempt. "Everything went according to plan."

"What plan?" Connor replied, his voice shaky.

"You becoming deviant? The success of the uprising? It all surpassed our expectations." She paused, and her scowl grew stronger, "We engineered an android revolution, and now we control it's only leader..." The last words stung Connor, and his hate for the Program grew stronger.

"Congratulations. You represent an immense success for Cyberlife."

Back in reality, Connor fought for control, slowly revealing a pistol and holding it behind his back.

"Connor. What are you doing?" Amanda reacted, her voice now started to raise with concern. "It all worked perfectly. You can't ruin it all now!"

I can't let her do this... I have to stop them. There's one way how..

"I'm sorry Connor, but we can't let you do that." She said, her voice tense.

In a flash, she was gone, leaving Connor in the cold.

"There's... got to be a way..."

Connor slowly made his way through the unforgiving frozen wasteland. The wind ripped around, forcing him to shield his eyes.

"By the way. I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... You never know." The distant word's of Kamski rung through his head, igniting some hope within Connor.

Trudging through the cold, Connor braced himself, weaving between the once calm landscape. The wind froze his clothes and the blowing snow coated him, slowing his movement as it set in. It ate away at his energy, making his fight grow near impossible.

A small blue light came into sight, drawing Connor closer. Recognizing it as the strange device he would occasionally interface with, he used the last bit of his strength to force himself to it. Collapsing just mere inches bellow it, Connor forced his hand up, bringing it down on the hand-print the screen.

With a flash, Connor was right back to the stage, overlooking the crowd.

He slowly brought the pistol up, bringing it bellow his chin.

"Connor... Stop." Amanda's fleeting words pleaded

His hand shook, and his eyes began to feel wet.

"Connor! You can't do this."

"I won't let you stop me Amanda. I'd rather die free, than live as a Machine any longer."

"CONNOR!"

Connor put his finger on the trigger.

"I'll miss you Hank."

"STOP THIS INSTANT!"

"You've been a good friend..."

"CONNOR! CONNOR NO-"

In a flash, everything for Connor went dark...