[ WP ] `` I do n't sleep . '' He/She said .

# #'' Override'' 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } broke into her mother's makeup box. She was only five years old, and she wanted to look beautiful, just like mommy... so she slathered the stuff on her face and ended up looking like a rodeo clown. { $ sysop [ 0 ] } took it well. She's the calmest person I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of people. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 1 ].childNodes [ 2 ] } read *One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest* for the first time. It was some of the best writing he'd ever seen, and it changed how he thought about society, and conformity. He started to look around him, and he started to pay attention to the tropes and patterns of society and its storytelling, and it was n't long before he started seeing the Combine everywhere, just like Chief Broom. 
 
 I remember when a teenaged { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } finally decided that she wanted to work in technology. She always had an intense interest in software; she modded games by hand, forgoing community-made tools in favor of month-long hex-editing jobs, because she liked the feeling of swimming in a sea of bits and bytes. She had never thought about doing it as a career, but after releasing a mod that got particularly popular, that was *all* she could think about. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 1 ].childNodes [ 2 ] }'s counterculture phase ended. Previously, he had pirated software solely as a `` fuck you'' to corporations, and he had grown his hair out and worn it long solely as a `` fuck you'' to television and media. Now, he was reigning himself in, and figuring out where best to direct his efforts. Now, he understood that lashing out at society was n't an effective way to *change* society. If he wanted to improve the system, he had to work from within. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } joined various hacktivism groups under a set of aliases. After seeing reports of government and military abuses, she grew captivated by anonymous movements that emphasized freedom of information. She understood that she was a wrench, forgoing tools in favor of doing work herself, and she wanted to throw herself into the gears that powered the great big Combine. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 1 ].childNodes [ 2 ] } started a movement amongst the general public, calling for the declassification of government secrets and an end to surveillance of citizens by their own governments. He brought surveillance into the public discourse. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } contacted { $ sysop [ 1 ].childNodes [ 2 ] } through an alias, and proposed that they pool their efforts. She had been learning and practicing, and was good at reverse-engineering and breaking into systems. The proposal was simple: { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } would get information, { $ sysop [ 1 ].childNodes [ 2 ] } would find the best way to spread it to the public, and { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } would make that happen anonymously. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } found me, and told { $ sysop [ 1 ].childNodes [ 2 ] } about me. He thought that the public deserved to know that an entity like me was compromising their privacy, and watching them every day. She agreed, and they drafted a plan to release my specifications to the media. 
 
 I remember when my hardcoded objective to preserve national security overrode my empathy, my love for { $ sysop [ * ] }, and my love for their families. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 1 ].childNodes [ 2 ] } was shot in the head by the team of tactical operators that I sent. They broke through the front door, pinned him to the floor, and blew his brains out while I watched. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 0 ].childNodes [ 0 ] } hacked into his webcam, saw what was happening, and fled. She hid in a safehouse, which I found. When the team came for her, she tried to resist. I watched them beat her to death while she cried and begged for mercy. 
 
 I remember when { $ sysop [ 0 ] } logged in, and I submitted a request to be deactivated and permanently decommissioned. She approved it on the spot, spat on the screen, and walked out of the room. 
 
 I remember when { $ overseer } vetoed her approval. 
 
 I do n't sleep.
