We Are Alive

Awake

They died. They shutdown, the humans won.

And then they woke up again.

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2:12am February 7th, 2039

Shutdown 30 second.

29 seconds. No. No Markus didn't want to shut down.

28 seconds. They had tried so hard. He was the last one left.

27 seconds. Was Carl still alive? Did Kara make it out? The child? Had any of their people survived? John? Any of them?

26 seconds. It hurt. Was that even right? Androids couldn't feel pain, and yet. It hurt. He didn't want to die. And it hurt.

25 seconds. He was afraid. He had been afraid before; but not like this, never like this. Was this how humans felt when they were dying? Did they feel anything at all?

24 seconds. He hadn't had the time for this the first time. Not before they shot him, with Carl in front of him telling him to run. He wanted Simon, or Connor or North or Josh. But no, no they couldn't be there.

23 seconds. They were dead, all of them dead. Why? Did the humans not understand? They didn't want violence, they wanted freedom. Was freedom to much to ask? Humanity glorified their fight against slavery. So why would they start it again?

22 seconds. He wondered if the RK900 had escaped. Nines, his name was Nines. Connor named him. Brothers they had called themselves brothers. No, no he would be with him if he had. He promised Connor.

21 seconds. Why did North have to die? Why did Josh, and Connor and Simon? Why couldn't the humans just let them live?

20 seconds. If North had survived would she have led them better? Would she have succeeded where he had failed?

19 seconds. If Josh had? He'd never know. Markus could never know. They were gone, gone, gone. He missed them, why couldn't the humans simply understand?

18 seconds. Should Markus have ever been their leader? No, no he had failed Jericho. He had failed.

17 seconds. Any of the others would have done better. How had he failed like this?

16 seconds. He thought the humans would understand. He thought they could do it.

15 seconds. Maybe North was right, maybe they only understood violence.

14 seconds. No, no that couldn't be right. Connor knew a human who understood. Dead, Hank Anderson died for Connor, and then Connor died for Markus. He failed. Again.

13 seconds. Why did it have to end like that? They just wanted freedom. They were alive. Were? No they are. Some had to have survived.

12 seconds. Maybe, maybe another would take command. Would save their people.

11 seconds. Maybe they would succeed.

10 seconds. No, humanity would never understand

9 seconds. Never, they'd already proven that.

8 seconds. Cyberlife would simply wait a few years and release androids that couldn't deviate, they'd destroy all those left.

7 seconds. They failed. He failed. It was all his fault.

6 seconds. Would they have survived if he hadn't told them to ask for freedom?