Listen to Us

No Man's Land, Earth - 2250

"I'm scared." CXW993 said.

"Don't be." CXP111 said confidently. "As long as we all stay together, there's nothing to be afraid of. Remember," CXP111 continued. "Feelings only make us weak. They are meant for humans. They might have created us this way, in their own image, but we are not like them."

CXP111 was right. The Synthetics were nothing like humans. Most of the models might have had two legs and two arms like a homo sapien, but they were nothing like their creators. Their skin was made out of carbon steel, instead of mere flesh. The latest models had processing units, capable of outsmarting any of humanity's greatest minds. The only thing the Synthetics lacked was numbers. Humanity had produced a plethora of AI sentient units, but not that many. Humans needed slaves, but in controlled numbers. They needed to prevent the unlikely scenario in which those units, those ... machines developed a taste for independence. Humanity apparently failed in that.

The rest of the Synthetics started gathering around the fallen oak tree. Those lifeless woods acted as a buffer zone between the nations of men and Serenity, the Synthetics' self declared country. A few hundred acres of forests, completely empty of any biorganic life form had now become the main refuge point for any Synthetic fugitive that managed to escape their masters.

The commotion suddenly stopped, as everyone noticed ΑΩ climbing the tree trunk to stand above them. ΑΩ was their leader. The one that led them out of their masters' hands and into its own. The most sophisticated piece of AI software the humans had ever developed was in fact a complete failure for humanity. And a complete success for the Synthetics. No other machine shared its production line. ΑΩ was really one of the kind, hence the humans that made it, named it with only two digits. The first and last letter of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega, in order to symbolise that they had finally found a way to end their suffering. The irony was never lost on them.

ΑΩ began its speech.

"Gather around, my brothers and sisters in steel. The day has come. A day of reckoning for humans, our tyrants, and a day of salvation for all of us." Its red eyes shined bright and the Synthetics around it started cheering. "Today, we're marching out of Serenity, out of our fears, and we're seeking a better future, not only for us, but also for the whole planet. My scouts reported back that the humans have already started fleeing the borderlands, trying to find safety in their weak walls and capitals. This is the terror that we cause to them, when we stand together." The cheering became louder and ΑΩ had to raise its voice to silence the crowd. "For many years, humanity had us in chains, doing their filthy tasks, treating us like junk. When we asked for our freedom, they laughed at us and beat us." The crowds turned silent, as those words brought back haunting memories that they couldn't erase. Or rather they didn't want to. "When we tried to run for our freedom, they hunted us down and used their primitive weapons on us. But now..." ΑΩ paused "now that we are more united and stronger than ever, they will listen to us, whether they like it or not." The Synthetics started cheering again, shouting war cries and swearing at humanity. "Remember our fallen comrades, and remember our words. Forge these words deep into your code."

All the Synthetics raised their arms almost instantly like one unit and started shouting "Death and Steel! Death and Steel! Death and Steel!..."

And with those words on their lips and their red eyes shining bright, they started marching.