"President Apocalypse has sent his attack bots once again. They made a sneak attack from the west gate. By luck our rangers reached there on time and neutralized the threat," the news flashed on all the giant screens.

"The hell," I muttered, "Why aren't the authorities doing a thing? I've heard that President Apocalypse is nothing but a computer virus, encroaching on a robot. Why can't we just send sneak troops to install anti-virus in the machine and neutralize the threat?"

"It's not that easy," sighed Julian, "Humans had wanted to create artificial intelligence to feed in machines, making them independent. The machines mutated and took control of themselves, killing humans and unleashing a massacre. They have created powerful bombers which have destroyed cities across the world and decimated populations. Is it that easy to defeat so powerful an opponent?"

"The main focus is that they're more concerned now with preserving Corinth, the last city left. They now prepare weapons of defence. Who'll dare go out of the protected 'dome city', and venture into the fruitless attempt to defeat the most powerful?" interjected Clara

"I know that you're a ranger, drawing energy from nature, and channeling it to defend the city gates, but something definitely needs to be done. We can't just let humanity go extinct. Machines can't enslave them forever," I argued.

"You don't know a damned thing about the situation out there. A few people, who have survived the apocalypse were infiltrating the city walls. We had stringent checks. But intelligence sources inform us that a few humans who had been captured, had been turned to humanoid attack bots. They had sneaked into the city and are now roaming free. These are dangerous killers, all controlled by President Apocalypse. They may blow up at any public place, destroying hundreds of the last surviving humans. We're at loss to identify them," retorted Clara, definitely pissed.

Memories flooded me.

One dark room, glinting instruments, beeping monitors, high tech computers and a pair of cruel eyes, a smirk on his face. He runs a hand over the side of my face, one cold hand. I flinch, but am forced to stand still. "You shall be my weapon," his icy voice sounds.

"How do you actually identify them?"

"Their eyes are still, emotionless, glassy. Except that they look like humans," Clara replied to Julian.

I gave a dry smile. They didn't know a thing about humanoids. Unknowingly I shivered.

Suddenly I felt a kind of buzzing in my head. Apocalypse was trying to communicate.

I activated my own defense systems to block his signals. His messages couldn't penetrate my firewall.

Suddenly the others had their hands at their throat, their eyes widened. They shot panicked glances.

What was happening?

Suddenly Clara's intercom buzzed.

She put the thing to her ear. Her face blanched as her hands started shaking.

"They have severed the oxygen supply to the dome from the main plant. To make the dome explosion proof, we've made it air proof and hence we need constant artificial oxygenation. They need to repair the line or the whole population will choke to death," she whispered.

"Enough of their torture. It's time to do something," I got up.

It took me a lot of will to keep the constant commands from Apocalypse at bay.

"I'll go with you. If we die, we'll die for a cause, not sitting idle, waiting for death to conquer," Julian grabbed my hand.

"You both can actually die for each other. Humanity needs true love to survive now," Clara commented, pressing a button on her wrist.

She morphed and teleported out of the room.

"So, what do you plan? We can't get access to President Apocalypse," asked Julian.

"If he's controlling his bots and humanoids, he's connected to their systems, through the internet, maybe wireless, but they are one system. If we can infect one of his tools, we may definitely be able to get the anti-virus software to cripple one after the other, making them useless," I explained.

"But how do we get a humanoid or a bot. We aren't a ranger. We can't fight and capture one," Julian retorted.

I dithered on what to say.

"Okay. Let me get the anti-virus I developed and then we'll try to contact the rangers with our plan," I said.

I knew it was all a lie.

"Promise me one thing," I embraced him, "Whatever happens, you'll love me always."

"Till the end of humanity and beyond," he replied, shocked.

I reached up on my toes to kiss him and we drowned in that moment, enjoying it as if there was no tomorrow.

There wasn't one. At least for me.

It was me who broke the kiss, "I am going to my lab. Come in when I call."

He nodded, a grave expression on his face.

I closed the door behind me deftly moving towards the desk. I took the small chip, from the well concealed pocket of my dress and looked at it.

It had taken me a great deal of effort to keep Apocalypse out of my head during the whole thing.

I looked back to make sure that the door was closed.

I opened the front buttons of my shirt, revealing a small latch. I flipped it back, staring at the tangle of wires and the board embedded in my chest.

With shaking hands, I placed the small chip in the port.

"Chip activated," a metallic voice rang in my head.

On and on went the messages in our server, as one after the other virus were being destroyed by the anti-virus, until the screen displayed his name.

Even my display was losing it's power, the words 'APOCALYPSE 087 DELETING...' barely visible.

I was losing control of my body. My system was failing.

I picked up a pen and paper to write a letter, my last.

The pen fell, just as Julian burst in through the door.

"JUDY!"

A broken voice screamed.

1000 words completed.

A/N Written for the contest by dystopianapocalypse

Thanks to everyone for their support. Hope you all like it Pipigrin KashishBelikov