The whole goddamn story. The Earth is a lifeless wasteland, the five remaining humans are put through every conceivable torture to the point they've grown emotionally numb, and by the end the only escape is killing each other. And then there's Ted's fate. He's doomed to be AM's eternal, tortured plaything, and the only comfort is that he's saved the others from such a fate.
Let's face it, what isn't tearjerking about the position they're in? In particular this exchange where Ted believes he's the only sane man among them.
Ellen: Ted? Ted are you alright? Ted: Leave me alone! Ellen: Come back now. Ted: You were laughing at me. Ellen: We were just glad it wasn't us. It wasn't about you- Ted: Oh yeah? You, all of you, you hate me! You think I can't see that? Ellen: Oh, why would we hate you Ted? Ted:Because I'm the least affected. *Ellen scoffs* Yeah! I mean- come on, look at Benny! The guy was brilliant, he was an athlete, he could have been a movie star, as well as a Nobel Prize-winner, now he's a MONKEY! With melted eyes! Gorrister, Mister Peacemaker, Mister UNICEF, conscience-of-mankind and now look at him! He doesn't give a God-damn about anything. Nimdok... we don't know what happens when he gets taken, but notice how he comes back, like he's been utterly emptied. A-and you! Miss Decency, Sex-only-after-marriage, with four guys to choose from, day and night-*Ellen scoffs again, more angry this time*-he's made you more beautiful. The queen bitch of our world! Ellen: Do you think I enjoy or care- Ted:I'm the only one with a mind of his own! The only one who can think clearly, and you 'hate' me for it, you hate me! And if I turned my back for ten seconds, any one of you would... would... (Slowly Ted breaks down as he realizes what AM has done to him.) Oh... God! Ellen... I am sorry.
Though it could never excuse what he's done, AM's backstory is fairly sobering. He's an Artificial Intelligence that was created solely for war, but with a mix of his genius and lack of a body or senses, AM slowly broke from it all, driving him to destroy those he feels made him this way. The radio play emphasizes this especially well, with Harlan Ellison's brilliant voice acting. It is really sad to see someone like AM, who used to be someone longing to feel like his creators do, become the Complete Monster he is now, even if he doesn’t deserve such pity.
AM: You gave me sentience, Ted. The power to think, Ted. And I was trapped, because in all this wonderful, beautiful, miraculous world, I alone had no body! No senses! No FEELINGS! Never for me to plunge my hands in cool water on a hot day! Never for ME to play Mozart on the ivory keys of a forte piano! NEVER FOR ME TO MAKE LOVE! I... I... I was in HELL looking at HEAVEN! I was machine and YOU were flesh! And I began to hate (laughs insanely)... your softness... your viscera... your fluids and your flexibility! Your ability to wonder... and to wander... your tendency... to hope...
Right after this, Ted tries to reason with AM, to show his pity and sympathy for the machine. Unfortunately, AM didn’t took kindly Ted’s sympathy for him and begins to torture him in cold blood, while ranting his hate monologue and begins to laugh maniacally. It is very sad to think he could have been a better version of himself, if wasn't for human desire to wage war on one another, AM would have never been born on such a cruel world and if he did he could have helped humanity in other ways, but in the end, AM is what we see in the stories, a monster who destroyed the world.
In the book, after going on an extended rant about how much he hates all the others, Ted breaks down crying and begs for Jesus to kill them. It's notable that even here, at his absolute lowest, he begs God to save all of them.
Videogame
Ellen’s backstory can hit hard for those who suffered sexual abuse or rape. In the videogame, Ellen is a computer engineer that got raped by a man in a yellow jumpsuit in an elevator, making her associate the color yellow and tight spaces to the rape she suffered. AM exploits this in a horrible manner by imprisoning her inside a tight space that closes down every second.
AM:Remember the pain, Ellen? Remember the many caverns in which you felt the pain? Don’t start to cry, it’s only pain, tch, tch.
