I didn’t know whether to scream or weep with relief that there was another human alive. In the semi-darkness, a late middle-aged face hung in the corner. His clothes were rumpled and dirty and he looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.

“Are…” the man started, then paused for nearly half a minute. “Are you real?”

I reached out and touched his hand. He jumped, then relaxed.

“The plan…the plan…it wasn’t supposed to go like this…I told them, I did, I did what I – what I could…”

I shushed him calm and helped him to his feet. He was barely able to stand.

“I’m Carter,” I said, tugging his arm around my shoulder to support him.

“You…the Overload. You survived.”

“You call it that too? Yes. As far as I know, everyone else is dead or comatose. How did you survive?”

“The plan…I told them it wouldn’t work; we couldn’t hand that much power to machines, but they didn’t listen. I stayed out of my work node that day. Out of everything. No electronic connection.”

“You were a part of the plan?” I said, shocked.