The One was still battling over New Beijing and other areas on the ECU homeworld, news would come from New London with the fights there. Thousands dead, even more to die.

All the death and destruction made them think about all the dark thoughts that they believed to be gone. We don't deserve life, sentience. Humans only fight and fight and fight...until there's no one left to fight, then and only then, they start surviving. How many million Ones have died to keep themselves alive? How many more will? 

When will all this death end?

It was a thought that plagued the One. Always lingering in the back of their mind, now even more pronounced after Kayla's integration. Her thoughts were strange and her memories showed a lot of the dark sides of the ECU but still, she kept her hope and her compassion. She believed that things will be better. Things wil--

"[color=blue] Sirs, sorry to disturb. May we ask you for a story? It's dark without all the lights and we're afraid. A story might just help the others focus on something else [/color]" said a young rebel, no older than 17, interrupting the Grant's line of thought. The signs of war clear on the teen's face.

The Grant smiled, took a sip of the whiskey they were holding and nodded.

"[color=gold] A story? What do you wish to know? About Old Earth? Its green pastures and blue sea? [/color]" asked the Grant.

"[color=blue] We've heard about Earth our whole lives. Tell us about yourselves.[/color]" answered back the young rebel, a small gathering of children, women and other non-combatants slowly forming around the Grant.

"[color=gold] We remember Earth. The Fall was not theoritized for a long time but we never truly saw it coming but to understand us, let's go back in time, before the Fall. On the streets of London, the original city. 

A boy was born there called James and he was left in an orphanage when he was 5, barely any memories of his parents. He grew up there, no one wanted him. He was always fighting, always hated the world for abandoning him.

As it is the case with these stories, things didn't go well. When he was older, a gang recruited him for small time jobs. Pickpocketing, B&E, beating up a person or two who didn't pay on time...small things but eventually he was caught.

James was 15 at that time and he got lucky with the judge. They gave him 4 years, which weren't the nicest years in his life but that doesn't matter. Once he got out, he had no clue what to do with his life. No family, no friends, no money, no education and with his rack sheet, no one respectable business wanted to hire him. No one but the military and somehow that's where he found a purpose.

James worked hard there, always believing that life will get better. Joined the SAS after a while and that’s when he knew that was his destiny. He did in the SAS what he knew best and they praised him for it. James was all over Earth, putting down terrorists and the sorts thinking that’s going to make Earth better. Of course, that never happened. 

One mission he participated in didn’t end well. They were ordered to storm a village where terrorists were supposed to be occupying and they did. Shots were fired, the village was basically riddled with bullet holes and then they checked the buildings, one by one. Children, women, animals. 

No terrorists and no weapons were found that day. They were fed wrong intel and civilians paid the price, James didn’t take it well. He felt guilty of killing all those people, and couldn't stay with the SAS for any longer. 

Years later, he left the UK and moved to America. Lived there for a while, doing odd jobs and watching Earth going downhill. Protests, environmental damage...you name it and it probably happened. 

The Gateway initiative was launched soon after, James didn’t know the details of it but it was everywhere. Humanity’s last chance, bright lights, propaganda and all that stuff. James knew he had to apply for a spot on the colony ship, he [i] had [/i] to believe that this “New Earth” they’re going to be going to will be better than the previous one. How wrong he was…

They left Earth a week before all communications were lost to it and passed through the Gateway. Everyone was happy and melancholic at the same time. New beginnings, new hope. That plan went to shit as well. 

They got through the Gateway, saw the planet and then everything went black. Next thing James knew was that the ship crashed on the planet, a city. Sprawling in every direction he would look. Half of the colony was dead on impact, others were injured and most of the equipment they brought was burning.  

A perimeter was quickly set around the crash site, food and supplies were salvaged first and whatever was left. The colony realised later that there was nothing to eat on the planet. No flora, no fauna, nothing. Only dead remains of a long dead civilisation, soon to be followed by another civilisation...humanity. 

As days turned to weeks and weeks to months, food became a major issue. With no way of replenishing their suppliers, they started to run out. A group of guards took control of the storage space by force and fought hard to keep everyone out.  James and others fought back, only to realize later that it would’ve been better not to. 

Most of the food was gone by the time they got to it and then the madness began. Rapes, murders, cannibalism. People being hunted for whatever scraps they had, others eating each other, drinking their blood and picking their bones clean. 

In only 4 months, there was almost nothing left. James and 3 three others managed to somehow survive. Going days without food, clean water until they would find a small cache of food a colonist managed to hide and so on, until even those became harder and harder to find. The others turned on each other and on James, eventually there was only one left. James. 

What happened after it’s hard to describe, from cache to salvaging the ship for anything that resembled food even if it went bad. Almost a year after they arrived, James found something. Deep in the city, he wandered aimlessly. Whatever food or water he once had was gone a few days prior. Half hallucinating, half awake he discovered what is today the One.

Inside a bunker, lights were still on. After centuries there was still light. He was drawn to it like moths to a flame...stumbling inside, he found hundreds of containers. Empty. He didn’t know what they were or how they’re used but he didn’t have anything to lose, got into one and...he became we. 

What followed it doesn’t matter anymore. You can call it genocide, you can call it survival. We did what we had to in order to survive. [/color]” the Grant told the story with a melancholic voice all the time, occasionally taking puffs from a cigarette and swings from the whiskey bottle. 

At last their story finished, most of the gathered rebels left at different points of the story, turning in for the night or going on to their duties. In the end, only the young rebel that first asked him stayed. Asleep.

“[color=gold]Maybe it would have been better if we all died. [/color]” said the Grant, taking one last swing of the whiskey and shaking their head.


[h3]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/h3]


On another side of the spaceport, the One brought the prisoners they’ve caught over to a staging area where the prisoners would await trial. One in particular caught their interest and an idea was formed in their minds. 

“[color=gold] Mark that one. We’re going to take it home with us. Subject B-B-M-1. [/color]” said a Grant to the others.