Oerther, a landmass once filled with billions of souls now lies dormant, ravaged by monstrous beasts, waiting to be returned to its former splendor. Where there were splendid cities, exotic cultures and leading scientific discoveries, now lay endless spans of forest, jungle and mountain tops covered in pathogenic snow.

Following the peace treaty established after Oerther’s successful invasion of Rasheles, a port city in Ousthur, both sides have eased on their military effort. Oerther was satisfied with accomplishing dominance of the majority of the world, and Ousthur did not wish to challenge the other while at a disadvantage. This lead to several peaceful years during which a statue in honour of Roger’s sacrifice was sculpted out of enhanced marble and upon it, engraved the names of all his crew. The peace, however, was a front for both sides as they toiled to create a more efficient method of wiping each other out.

Ousthur won the race and released a virus onto Oerther through thousands upon thousands of shells fired upon the neighbouring continent. Its purpose was to rapidly spread through the atmosphere, enter the body and begin rapid mutations, inhibiting the host’s body from fighting back in time. Not only would the DNA of each cell be altered, but the virus itself created modified versions of itself with each generation.

Oerther had no time to inspect it, create a working vaccine and deliver it on time. Smaller towns were falling by the day. The major ones began to sustain heavy casualties as people fell ill, their hospitals overflowed and economy began to collapse. The end result was devastating. Ousthur did not let the such an advantage go to waste and began to push onto Oerther, striking key strategic locations.

By the end of the month, it became a battle of attrition. Half of Oerther was under Ousthur’s control, and a battle line was established to push them back. Troops had to wear specialised headgear to avoid breathing in the pathogens. With its back pressed firmly against a vast ocean, Oerther doubled down on the creation of its own virus. One that would remain dormant until hitting a critical mass and then attack the host.

No tests were conducted, not even a second-thought given as military production was halted in favour of the virus. It was released upon the Southern end of Oerther and it did its job perfectly - nearly a million military personnel perished within the first month. And yet it wasn’t enough to prevent Oerther’s fall two months after the release of its own pathogen.

For the first time in 4 millennia, a single super-power controlled the entirety of the world.

National Geographic: The Fall of Oerther.

Dated 2045.

********

???? POV:

‘Another extermination completed...will there ever be an end to this?’ With a rifle slung over my shoulder, I approached the same old checkpoint carved into Marrianne's wall. The guards greeted me with a simple wave or a nod, not one even asked me how it went. A silent groan rang out as the doors began to slide open and I proceeded down the barren tunnel.

It didn’t even lead past the wall, only into a small subsection created for those like me, a service area for repairs and checkups. Simple pipes ran along the wall with storage containers here and there. There was another door with a button to its side, pressing it caused a beep to ring out and I was let through.

“Hey man! Great to see you back in one piece!” Jarrod shouted from his workstation. A table filled with monitors and a combination of computers running in parallel. There were a few other ‘scientists’ that gave him dirty looks but said nothing.

“Please, I didn’t even break a sweat.” I was one of the last models to receive a working, personal voice box complete with tone inflection, and was deeply thankful for that. Jarrod gave a dry chuckle and was about to retort that it wasn’t possible for me to sweat in the first place but I didn’t give him a chance. The beauty I had waited almost a year for enraptured my attention instead.

“Just about ready for you to pick up, a few calibrations left, but this hundred-something pound masterpiece is all ready - just watch.” He went over to the two-metre tall carbo-stoal alloy scythe. The material itself had a natural matte-black surface, and this particular alloy could withstand just about anything short of a direct orbital kinetic strike.

“...moreover, it can be used to pierce with the butt of the shaft by extending a point,” he demonstrated by rotating several segments in the shaft and a three inch spike popped out the bottom. “Or, like an actual slice by performing the same movements backwards,” the spike popped back inside, and sharp edges formed around the scythe’s head.

‘It’s perfect for stabbing, piercing and stunning those damn buggers.’

He turned to me, eyes filled with enthusiasm.

“If I could, I’d marry it - and I don’t think we’re far off from the possibility. Just get it to me by the next mission.” I reached out with my hand, but caught several signs of worry, fear and sadness. Jarrod’s microexpressions that I have recorded before, and have a program running in the back to warn me of them.

‘Something’s not right.’

Jarrod went for the handshake but I forced him into a hug right away, careful to not break anything-

“Aaghh!” Jarrod shouted and dropped to the ground.

‘Shit, did I overdo it?’

The ‘scientists’ around me all looked over in fear, no longer trying to hide their concern. I bent down to help the wheezing man off the ground, “Shit, I’m so sorry-”, only to receive a right hook straight to my face in response. It didn’t hurt, not like I could feel anything anyhow...

“That’s what you get for your horrible joke from before.” Jarrod responded and got back up with my help.

“You know, that wasn’t much better.”

“Perhaps, but who knows when’s the next time we can mess around.” Again, my program detected signs of melancholy in there, something’s definitely off.

“Anyways, it’s time for you to strap in for maintenance.” He pointed to the table with straps to hold me in place where I would power down and let them scan me.

“Yea, let’s get it over quick.” I got in without a worry, I’ve worked with Jarrod for decades even before I got this body, and considered myself lucky. There’s no way in hell he’d let a malfunction or flaw to go by unfixed.

I got on the table as I have done countless times before, and waited for the connections to be established before powering off when a video flashed to life. It was Jarrod, his clothes were a mess and he seemed to be in our old office, ‘how did he even get there?’

[Rylan, listen to me - the fifth mayor wants you dead, to make an example of you.] I minimized the recording but let the audio keep playing.

“Why isn’t he powering off?”

“I’m afraid he won’t be-”

[You need to grab the scythe and run, I will do my best keep the door open for you. Watch the rest of the recording later- but just trust me.]

Jarrod pulled out a pistol and aimed at one of the ‘scientists’. His hands were shaking.

“Jarrod, you don’t need to do this, I’m sure it’s a misunderstand-” A gunshot penetrated my words and cut me off. The body collapsed and the pristine white lab coat started soaking in blood.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please forgive m-” Another gunshot rang out, Jarrod’s face was covered in tears and snot.

‘Jarrod, why!? What the hell happened to make you do this!?’

He aimed at the final target who managed to slam on the emergency button before being put down. Jarrod typed away at the keyboard and my straps released. I rushed towards him, to put an end to this madness but he raised the gun to his head, his face devoid of all colour. Only his eyes were trained on me, as if he was saying ‘sorry.’

“Do-don’t, j-jus-t” he stopped to take a deep breath, “just ru-run. Please, I ow-owe you this much.”

With the emergency button pressed, guards would be streaming in here within moments. I placed all my faith in Jarrod, grabbed the scythe and blitzed through the empty corridor. Halfway through a message came in, [Thank you], before a final gunshot and silence. I skidded to a stop, my feet grinding against the ground.

Even despite the artificial brain, there was only confusion and a blind fury with no target to aim at. ‘We worked for DECADES to help humanity! How dare they push him to this!?’

A part of me clinged onto the hope that there was some reason for Jarrod’s behaviour, but the manned barricade just outside the exit put that notion to rest.

“Lay down your weapons and power off, we do not wish for violence.” A speaker rang out from behind the lines of infantry.

‘The only way they can put me down is missiles or powerful jammer, meaning I have to act first!’

My hands moved through muscle memory, which I practised in my spare time, as I twisted the scythe’s shaft to activate the pulse, it should knock anything within 15 metres including any equipment meant to do the same.

“What in the-”, “Shit he got our stuff.” “I told you they were traitors!”

Shouts and insults rang out in surprise as the guards shuffled back into their ranks.

“Jarrod, a friend most dear to me, a man who gave his entire life to help all of you was forced to kill himself!” My shout temporarily silenced everyone.

“A man who would feed an anthill for a week straight if he stepped on one by accident! He has a family, children and he left all of that behind!

“Now I want to know-” I gripped the scythe and approached them with measured strides. “What in the world you bastards did to make him do that.” My voice came out as a low, deathly grumble by the end.

“That’s not what we were told.” “We saw him shoot the others!” “Shush, he can still hear you.”

Whispers streamed through the ranks, but it was clear that Jarrod did not just lose it.

“Open fire.” A commanding tone rang out from behind the soldiers. Before they could even ready their weapons, I brought my scythe over myself and threw it with all the force my body could muster. It flew straight through the air as the soldiers watched it for a moment before shooting at me as I rushed towards their lines. Most jumped out of the way and those who didn’t were sliced open . A single captain officer remained in front of me. He stared up at me down with his pudgy face and shouted with all the courage he had left, “I order you to stand down!”

“With my friend’s death, the last of the fucks I give died with him.” I grabbed him by the arm, making sure to crush any bones in his pathetic limb and threw him down onto the ground. With my foot over his chest, I pulled on his arm as his cries overwhelmed the gunfire. I didn’t stop. His arm stretched on, longer and longer until his skin snapped, ruptured as a fountain of blood pooled all around him. The limb in my arm no longer struggled as it tore off from the main body. The captain howled in pain as I squeezed his own limb and drained the blood on his face. The soldiers continued to rain down bullets on me but most just ricocheted off. While some of the better aimed ones pierced and dealt damage, it no longer mattered.

“Help me!!” He just had enough strength to shout his parting words before the blunt head of my scythe obliterated his head. With the gore covering me and the surroundings, the gunfire ceased. They just stood silent, appalled, awed but best of all-

Horrified.

“You will let me leave now, or after I repeat this to every. Last. One. Of. You.” The mere threat was enough to break them as they ran back to the safety of the wall. It took a bit of effort to tear the scythe back from the ground, it dug deep. I would have been impressed and praised Jarrod for his work, but only emptiness remained inside of me as my friend was no longer.

I opened up the recording Jarrod left and let it continue as I trekked forward, leaving this place for good.

[I can only assume I did what I had to, oh God, how I wish I hadn’t.] He took a moment and looked away from the camera.

[Either way, the scythe is fully completed, and loaded with all the programs I could think off, those would have been integrated into you when you came in for your final visit. It even has a small storage of prototype nanorobots, barely functional, but I wasn’t about to cut corners.]

[No, the most important part is that I hope you can bring me back. I know, crazy right?]

[But hear me out, a small fraction of every robot they produce will have a minute, random packet of ‘me’. That scythe you carry, has the ability to connect to a robot, wired of course, and scan for it, before retrieving it and storing.]

[It can only hold a twentieth at a time, so you’ll need to figure out a way to back it up somewhere...else, but with all of them together, you can insert me into a body just like anyone else.]

[I know this must be hard to take all in, but I’ve never repaid you, you sacrificed even more than I did by going into that body. You gave me years of enjoyment and I don’t have much more left in me anyway - now it’s my turn. Good luck.]

Jarrod reached in to turn off the recording and it went dark. ‘I swear I’ll bring you back, just you wait.’ I looked at the scythe in my hands, Jarrod’s legacy was still there, with me.