Disclaimer : I don't own anything from the TV show Colony.

It made a long time since I didn't publish anything in English. First of all, I'm not an native English speaker so I apologize for the mistakes and the bad formulations...
I was extremely frustrated to learn that the show was cancelled. I know it happened at least 2 years ago, but I discovered it just a month ago on Netflix.

I loved the character of Snyder 'cause he is so ambivalent, and wanted to write on him, imagining what would be his fate at the end of the series.
This is dark, as I assume that kind of character can't have an happy ending, but I hope you will enjoy.

May, 15th

Today was no different day for Snyder. He sat behind the desk and wrote his memories. He had just paper and pencils for that. Old fashion. For the last three months that was what he did. Daily.

He had a large cell in which he could exercise a bit. In this prison he was almost privileged. He heard that some of the highest members of IGA still alive occupied the largest one before…

He knew what was coming. That it was just a matter of weeks, maybe days, before he will be executed like all the former IGA members were. Well, he learnt from his advocate that he was the last one still alive. He had a very complicated trial and his fate was yet to decide, but he knew that even if the court might absolve him, the people won't. If not by the people, his death would be for the people. If what his advocate said was true, he was the last symbol alive of the occupation and the apocalyptic war that came after that. He represented the suffering for millions of tortured souls. He represented the darkest ages of humanity. No matter what he accomplished, how many lives he saved in the end, the only thing that counted now was how sneaky he was and his terrifying methods.

His last move cost more than 490 000 lives but ended the war. The fact that in the way he disabled the Hosts and destroyed their enemy fleet, saving 5 billions of people, was the only reason he was still alive. The only reason… but a good one... right?

June, 29th

He was moved from his cell today. No more writing for him. His new affectation was, no doubt about it, the VIP cell. It was immense, almost like a nice flat. He had all the comfort he liked. He knew this was his last days on Earth. He knew that in five days he would be dead. July the 4th, obvious symbol. He was terrified but tried to enjoy everything he could, as long as he could.

July, 2nd

His advocate paid him a visit. She was livid.

- "I am sorry Alan, I did all I could do, but…"
- "I already know what is waiting for me for a long time. I am not stupid." He replied, smirking.
- "I believed that…"
- "You are naive sometimes…"
- "That's not fair. I won the trial for you."

She produced the paper with the unthinkable conclusion of a trial that lasted 10 years. Alan Snyder was not guilty. He touched the words and smiled. A true smile for once.

- "That's a good thing to know."
- "Alan, why would they kill you after that decision?"
- "This is not how it works. This paper, this decision, will be in an archive, forgotten by everyone, as my memories, if they are not already destroyed. What people need is to turn the page to rebuild themself. I am the last symbol alive of what caused humanity the most pain. Killing me is giving them peace. At least they will all feel better for a brief moment. I guess life is not that easy outside…"
- "Indeed. But the Host's technology has been retro-engineered and we have new ways of producing food and upgrading people's lives. Things will get better."

Snyder nodded. Funny how humanity scavenged quickly the Hosts. No doubt they will tend to integrate all this technology for entertainment too and two generations later they would forget what it was in the first place and use it like it meant nothing.

- "They want to know your last wishes..." Said the woman looking down.

The advocate was about to crack, he could tell. Snyder pulled back in his chair and observed her. She was a good person, unlike him. She would certainly be the only one to cry for him… how pitiful.

In front of him, nothing of the brilliant advocate she was remained. She won this impossible trial for him and yet she acted like a little girl unaware of how the world works. Was she in love with him to be so blind? He wanted to laugh. He, the evil mind… the little rat… how could she? Why would she fall for a loathsome individual like him. He snorted briefly.

- "I want some paper and a pencil"
- "But you already wrote…"
- "Don't ask why, just fulfil this wish please."
- "Okay… and the meal…" She couldn't look at him again, saying those words.

Snyder smiled. He had the perfect idea.

July, 4th noon

Somebody came in the morning to cut his hair and trim his beard. He looked at his reflection on the water in the toilet bowl. He was pleased by what he saw. The old Snyder was almost back. He had lost a lot of weight, digging his cheeks and making him resemble a severe bird of prey. The remains of his beard hid the sick side of his appearance. Nice. He looked fierce enough to impress. Just what he needed. He didn't want anyone to pity him, even if he doubted it would ever happen. He wanted to go, at his pike. People wanted to destroy the last symbol of terror, he should give them what they need. They wouldn't imagine that he's playing his last act at his best for them. They would just kill the tyrant and forget...

A noise broke his internal thoughts. It was the lock, somebody was coming. He smiled when he saw with whom was going to pass his last moment as a human being on Earth.

- "Julian, what a good surprise!"
- "Sir"

The butler came in with some clothes in a bag and his meal was railed into the room and was disposed of on the table. Julian put the costume on the bed with care, as he always did when he was at his service.

- "I thought you would like to dress well, sir."
- "You know me so well." Snyder smirked. "You cooked too?" He asked.
- "Yes sir. They authorized me to do it personally. This is a rare privilege." Julian gave the bag to the guard and invited Snyder to join him. "The way you like, sir."

The small man sat with a smile on his face. He had no fork or knife to help him eat the delicacies but he didn't care. He savoured every bite and enjoyed the red wine he ordered. Julian was a chef.

While he was eating, the butler stayed still in front of him. Snyder saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes though.

- "Don't pity me Julian, I don't want that to be the last thing I see."
- "It won't be, sir…" The tone was not right.

Snyder understood the nuance and gulped. His advocate told him that his execution would go by injection, retransmitted all around the world, but he would be alone in the room for his final moment. Julian knew the truth apparently and just gave him a sneak peak of what was ahead. Snyder grinned. He would probably be hanged, like he did for numerous people when he was proxy. Symbolisms… always symbolisms...

- "But don't worry, sir. You will go like a man."

Snyder looked at his plate and then catched Julian look. He smirked. The food was poisoned. Extremely well dissimulated... A slow action poison. Knowing how meticulous was Julian, that meant everything would be on a schedule. He would probably be dead before the suffocation.

- "Would you please give me the honour to dress you up, sir. I want you to be at your best."
- "Thank you, Julian..."

Snyder got up and let the butler do his thing. The costume was perfectly fit and Julian was perfect, as always.

July, 4th, 2 pm

Snyder just finished writing his last words. He folded the paper and wrote on the back the name of his advocate. The guards came just a minute after that. He left the paper on the table.

Restraints were put at his wrists and ankles. And the guards pushed him out. They walked a long time in numerous blank corridors to a small door. Snyder was already light headed but held it all together. No sign of weakness.

Outside, there was a shattering crowd and a gallows. He smiled. He was right again. The poison was now quite active. He felt numb, and it was hard for him to stand straight but he forced himself to. He climbed on the stool and the rope was passed around his neck. He vaguely heard a person speaking to the crowd who applauded each end of sentence. Snyder felt sad for the first time, as he was certainly humiliated. But as he did all his life, he would not break. Oh no, they won't break him…

He caught all the eyes he could during the speech. Everyone lowered his head in front him. They were ashamed, more than he had ever been during his life as a tyrant. He wanted to spit his venom a last time in the face of everybody, to let them know that he was made of. But then he caught the eye of a man who didn't bend. His face was marked by strong scars and he aged, but he recognized him without a doubt. Will Bowman had survived the war. What a turn of events. Of course the man would be in the front row to see his demise.

Snyder began to giggle. Everything went silent. He could feel the tension in the crowd. The monster inside him rose again, terrifying everyone. He didn't care. Would anybody understand who he was, what he did, except that monster he displayed ? Nah… And Will would certainly be the last one to ever consider that some of the worst things he did was because of him.

Snyder couldn't feel his legs any more and he knew he had no time left.

- "I hope you enjoy the show." He said as loud as he could.
- "Greatly!" Screamed the survivor
- "Go to hell…"
- "You first!"

Snyder was about to reply but the stool he stood on buckled and he gasped as the rope snapped his neck. Thanks to Julian, he didn't really feel the pain. He locked into Will's eyes as long as he could. His last conscient thought was the satisfaction of seeing him turn his head in disgust. Snyder had won one last time. He died before his body could register his own agony, with a terrifying smirk on his face.

July, 4th, advocate house

She cried when she saw the watch mark 2:30pm. Snyder was dead in a horrible way. She couldn't turn the TV on to see what certainly most of the world just watched. She didn't want to see that…

She defended Snyder to the last bit, even knowing the kind of man he was. She was professional at first but then the man grew on her. He had an unexpected human side. When she expected to encounter a cold blood monster, she found a tired soul, slowly accepting his fate. He spoke to her with a clear mind, exposing what monster he was and what horror he went through. The man fought with everything he had, on every plan, knowing how much pain he caused.

Sometimes, he made her despise him. But as the years passed by, he changed. The fear that made him so sneaky and abject as a human being disappeared slowly, as he processed his own inevitable demise. In the end, he was just this incredibly brilliant mind with a dry sense of humour. She saw behind the facade and realised that nobody would be here applauding at his death, if not for what he did. The man was a paradox. A tyrant without a glimpse of heart and a saviour. A rat and a snake at times, and yet the most effective protector... There was a devilish elegance attached to the man and an astonishing vulnerable side, if you take time to see it. He hid it so well...

She began to admire him because history proved that he was the only one with a will strong enough to endure everything to see through the Host and the implacable threat of their enemy to find a way for humanity. An impossible way, plunged into the darkest pit. He coldly calculated the casualties to save the 5 billions humans left between the Arrival and the War. An evil mind serving all mankind. True, Snyder was far from a good man, but, at that time, humanity didn't need a superior morality to follow, it needed a future. And as hard and inhuman Snyder could have been, he provided that. He wrote the future, planning one of the most evil military moves of history.

Yes, she cried for him because nobody would… ever.

July 5th, advocate office

When she arrived, she didn't speak to anyone. The trip to the office was a trial on its own. Everybody was speaking of the event. When she saw Snyder's face, printed big on every newspaper, her heart sank. They caught him, an evil smile on his face the moment he was hanged. She knew that he did that on purpose and that made it more difficult for her.

When she arrived at the office, everybody looked at her strangely. As Snyder anticipated, the real results of the trial were hidden to the public. He was just sacrificed for the symbol. She already had gone through the terrible journey of explaining why she would defend such a man to the press and everybody else years ago. Now, she had to face the people judgement again, even from her colleagues.

She heard people whispering in her back. How could she morally back a monster like that. She wanted to scream in their faces, but she just locked herself into her office to hide her tears of rage.

Then she found it. On her desk, there was a blank envelope. She opened it and found a folded piece of paper in it. She recognized the writing immediately. It was Snyder's. She sat as elegantly as she could in her large chair. She was shaking badly. She opened the letter and began to read.

Thank you for trying your best for me, but I won't leave the scene without a fight, so I apologize in advance for what trouble I will cause you. There is always collateral damage in my strategies, you know it. You are one that counts a lot for me. You made me feel human again for a short time, and that's priceless.

I'm really sorry you had to defend me. Years to come are going to be hard for you, but you're strong. You will learn to build armour around your soft spots. Don't let them see… Never. Good luck and I hope, one day, humanity will appreciate my last gift, for what it is. A symbol.

Alan Snyder.

Without a sound, she let the tears run again freely. She was as alone as he had been, now. She will endure mockery and hatred for the rest of her life. But she was proud to know better. She will fight till the end.

150 years later, university of Chicago

The teacher switched on the holographic board. With an elegant move, he sent two pictures extracted from old newspapers, from his holodesk to the large floating screen. Simultaneously, they appeared on every holodesks of his students, in the room and online.

- "Can you tell me who those people are?" A young man raised his hand. "Yes?"
- "That's the tyrant Snyder and his advocate." He replied
- "True. But do you know why he made that face ?" The boy seemed annoyed.
- "The man was evil. Even in his death he couldn't hide the darkness of his soul. And that woman was just stupid enough to take his defence. The trial lasted ten years, and he just lived ten more unnecessary years. He should have been hanged before she humiliated herself."

The classroom giggled.

- "Good, you learnt the official story by heart, like every human child on Earth. Now, let me teach you the real story. The one that is not all black and white. The one that is much more subtle and more complex than you imagine. The one that a single woman fought beak and claws to preserve, until it destroyed her. The one that ended with a terrifying grin on the face of a certain genius who was sacrificed for our morality's sake. That was the good thing to do to help us heal but not the fair one… It's all about symbolism…"