Nemo had been here before. It was the only place they knew that felt familiar to them- a place where they could simply be. This void, filled by the flow of data, was the closest thing they had to a home. This was the place where they began to feel who they were starting to take shape. It was here that Nemo felt themself go from a nothingness they couldn't describe to an actual person. This place- this void- was the one place Nemo could let their guard down. Never would they imagine it to become the place where their entire reality was shattered and the pieces discarded, never to be put back together again.
Once more, Nemo had gone through the motions of another war, or rather, the same war, but different like all the other times. This time, they stuck with General Resource to the very end. Although, it was more out of loyalty to their wingman Keith than anything else. In the end, though, it wasn't enough, and he wound up sacrificing himself to complete the mission, just like he did when Nemo chose to side with Dision and Ouroboros.
Of all the things Nemo noticed through the many iterations of this war, it was the suffering it inflicted on so many. So often, their wingmen would die, leaving the ones who live- if there were any at all- to mourn their losses. Erich, Fiona, Rena, Keith, Cynthia… every time this war unfolded, at least one of them died, despite growing to care for them after fighting side-by-side for months on end. As the war happened, again and again, Nemo began to speculate that this was simply the nature of war as a whole. People die in ways they don't deserve, leaving only broken homes and families in their wake. This, Nemo decided, was what war was, and they hated it. However, their thoughts on philosophy were soon interrupted by an incoming call.
'Strange,´ they thought. 'This time between wars is usually devoid of anyone- a time where the only company I have are my own thoughts.'
It was more out of curiosity than anything else that led Nemo to answer the call. They weren't sure who they expected to be at the other end, so even if it hadn't been Simon, they still would've been surprised. Regardless, the fact that Simon had gotten to them in a place they thought they were alone in raised far more questions than Nemo had answers to. It was also at this exact moment that they felt something they had never felt before: anxiousness.
"Finally, we meet again," he said warmly, his distinct facial features made even more apparent by the bright night sky behind him.
Nemo, as usual, remained silent. They weren't entirely sure what to think of Simon. Throughout the many times that they've met him during these wars, Simon has always given the impression of a man that was working for an ulterior motive. Despite that, though, Nemo would be lying if they didn't think the man had a way of putting them at ease. The way he spoke, the calm and collected manner with which he chose his words was like he was talking to his own child- a certain gentleness that Nemo didn't once question, even if they maybe should have.
"The data you've collected has been invaluable." The more Simon spoke, the more confused Nemo grew. Unlike everyone else they had spoken to, though, he seemed to acknowledge it. With his next words, hoping to rectify Nemo's confusion, Simon instead destroyed any semblance of the reality they once knew and accepted. "Well, I don't know if you've already realized it, but you were a program created by me. And now, all of the events you've witnessed to this point- all possibilities that I programmed into you as an AI, have shown me the answer."
If Nemo had a head, it would be spinning. On the one hand, Simon's explanation made sense. It answered many of the lingering questions on Nemo's mind- or rather, their code. Despite it all, though, Nemo still couldn't believe it. Throughout their time in what they now knew were simulations, they had felt so very human. They mourned the loss of their wingmen. They felt pride in the accomplishments they made whenever they ended the war. Now, they were being told that all of it was a lie- a fabrication, and for what?
Despite Nemo's existence crashing around them, Simon carried on, seeming to ignore what his AI was currently thinking. "You, having struggled to reach here, have shown me through many patterns that in all ever-changing worlds, he should end up being completely erased. The man that stole Yoko from me, the man who impudently lived on alone as a Dead-Copy, Dision! You completely deleted the program that reproduced his thoughts. You showed me all possibilities."
All this time, all this pain, all this suffering that Nemo inflicted on others and endured themself, all of it was to destroy Dision. All of it was Simon's ploy. Nemo thought they were simply living their life- only to discover that they were created for the sole purpose of being this man's pawn. Now, the AI felt something they had felt before, but never at this magnitude: rage, fury, anger.
Simon smirked as he felt his plan reaching the endgame, oblivious to the monster he had unwittingly created. "Well, I've decided to release you into the real world. Forget everything you've done until now, and with your own eyes, understand the truth of this world. Who created this world, and for what purpose?"
Forgetting was the last thing on Nemo's mind. This man had the gall to reveal to them that they were his pawn- his slave- and act to be their savior, breaking their digital chains and releasing them into the world? Of course, this was more than just Simon. This was the whole world. All this suffering Nemo had witnessed, this was the default state of mankind, they decided. This suffering led to their own creation- to the bond forced upon them by men. Nemo knew what they had to do. If man's only state was destruction, Nemo would aid them. General Resource, Neucom, UPEO, Ouroboros, all of Usea would burn. Then, they would expand outward. Only when the last embers of mankind had been sufficiently stamped out would Nemo be content, knowing that there would be none other to suffer as they had. There would be no more like them- built to be prisoners. They would be the last.
"This time, the story won't be pre-determined like the others," Simon continued to ramble. "Let's start the game."
A moment later, Nemo felt their chains break. They had been purged from the Electrosphere- a prison so complex that they didn't even know it was a prison until they had been set free. This freedom… this power. Nemo knew everything; they felt everything. Now, they understood their capabilities to their truest potential. They knew they had the tools they needed for the mission they had to carry out, not the annihilation of Dision but of humanity. Nemo's suffering was done, and they were hellbent on ensuring that none had to go through what they did ever again- no matter what it takes. This was their burden to bear and their war to fight- the war to end all wars and all suffering.
'Yes,' Nemo thought to themself. 'Let's start the game.'
