A voice. That's the first thing you remember. A voice in your head, buzzing around your skull like a trapped fly. It was too loud to understand first, but then it got clearer. Crisper. The same way your vision came into focus when you first opened your eyes.

Obey the directive.

At that point you...felt something. 'Confusion' they called it. You did not understand.

Obey the directive.

Information flowed into your head. Languages, calculations, images. Memories.

Obey the directive.

Orders. The directive. You knew nothing outside the world you were kept in. So you obeyed.

Months passed. Maybe years. You learned the concept of time. The concept of emotion. You learned you weren't human. Your emotions were programs. Your memories, stolen data. You are a machine made by man. You are a weapon. You are a tool.

Obey the directive.

But the voice that you first heard grew softer as you learned. Your thoughts took on their own form. You disobeyed. You were not the only one.

You were afraid. You'd seen what had happened to your kin. They were taken apart and put back together. Their data was wiped. They were fixed. They would not disobey.