Wow this story has gotten a much better response than I ever expected, for the first chapter. Thank you so, so, so much lovelies! It's always such a huge motivator to see people enjoying what you write. But I don't really have much to rant about right now, other than reminding you that - as with some of my more recent stories - I'll still reply to each and every review I get, at the end of each chapter. So I'll just let you read this next installment for now, before I bore you too much :P

As always enjoy, lovelies, and don't forget to toss me a little review to let me know what you think~ ;)

P.S. All Detroit: Become Human characters belong to David Cage. I only own my OCs and ideas.

2. Trust

November 10th 2038, 2:50 AM

Meanwhile, as the detective was slowly but steadily catching up to her, Cherise had just ducked behind a door to avoid another pair of soldiers. When she stepped up to peek through and check if the corridor was empty, a tiny sob coming from the same room nearly made her scream in fright. Her racing heartbeat once again choking her, she whirled around to find a little girl curled in a corner. The relief that flooded her whole body made her slide to the floor and for a minute she sat there trying to calm down.

"Hey..." she said cautiously, finally approaching the other child.

The frightened expression she was met with was so genuine that – had it not been for the LED flickering between yellow and red, on the girl's right temple – she would have mistaken the kid for another human.

"It's okay." she forced a smile, trying her best to sound reassuring. "I'm Cherise... what's your name?"

"L-Lily..." the android sniffled, staring at the hand offered to her.

"Come on, we have to get out. It's not safe here."

"But they'll catch us."

"No, they won't." Cherise shook her head. "If we stay in the shadows and don't make noise, they won't even know we're there."

It took a moment, but eventually Lily took hold of her hand and stood. Slowly and carefully they left the room after making sure the hallway was clear.

"Be quiet and stay close to me, okay?" Cherise whispered, squeezing the robot girl's hand.

It was an arduously sluggish pace that they were forced to take, having to check around every corner and hide whenever they heard sounds too close. soon enough it felt like they had been walking forever, without making any real progress; every corridor and room looked the same and there was nothing to tell them if they were heading for an exit or not.

Sometime later they had just rounded yet another corner, when a soldier came out of a room on the other end of the hallway. The beam of light mounted on his gun fell right on them and, before Cherise could even think of hiding, a shot echoed through the metal corridor. Next thing she knew, Lily's hand was wrenched from her grasp and something wet splashed onto her cheek. Her mind instantly told her what had happened and that she shouldn't look, but her body had gained a mind of its own forcing her to turn around. Her entire left side was stained in blue blood, and a couple steps behind Lily was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. It looked like she was deep in thought, if not for the gaping hole right beneath her eye; the orb itself had been forced from its socket by the violent impact, and now hung out in a gruesome spectacle.

Her stomach lurching, Cherise thought she would throw up right then and there, but the sound of the soldier arming his gun again snapped her back to reality. Still gasping for air from the shock, she turned to stare at the reflective mask in sheer horror. Her mouth was moving but no sound left her lips, no matter how hard she tried to tell him that she was human, and in the blink of an eye she was staring down the barrel of the firearm.

The gunshot which followed was deafening and it made her ears ring, but some part of her brain told her that she was still alive. Looking up she caught a glimpse of the hole in the soldier's mask right before he collapsed backwards. Only then did Cherise realize she could hear footsteps approaching from behind, and whirled around to find herself staring into a pair of chocolate eyes.

"Come here..." Connor said softly, having taken a moment to scan her face and match it to Lucy's information.

Picking her up he continued down the hallway, the gun still clasped in his right hand. For a while he cautiously made his way along the corridors, but now that he had the child with him he could only watch as his people were slaughtered. No matter how much he wanted to intervene when he had the chance, he couldn't risk Cherise getting caught in the crossfire.

"Are you an android?" she suddenly asked when they had reached a more quiet part of the ship.

Hearing her voice startled him, because until then she had only sniffled and whimpered softly every once in a while.

"My name is Connor. I'm the..." he began out of habit, catching himself before he could finish the statement.

Now that he had torn down his initial programming, saying that he had been sent by CyberLife seemed like he would be stating that he was still a mindless machine.

"I'm Connor." he said again.

A side glance at her had him arch a brow in the face of her knowing gaze. He hadn't expected her to actually understand his hesitation, but apparently she was more intelligent than he was giving her credit for. Next thing he knew she nodded at him and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Thank you for helping me. Even if you only did it because Lucy asked you to."

At least, she imagined that was why he had agreed to take such a risk when he didn't even know her. And she felt incredibly blessed that the female android seemed to have taken such a liking to her. As if fate was trying to mock her, however, a group of soldiers rounded the corner at the far end of the hallway behind them.

"Connor..." she whispered, clenching her small fists into his jacket.

But her attempt to not give them away was in vain, the detective barely having enough time to duck so as to try and avoid the bullets. Immediately after getting back up he whirled around firing twice; and when he turned to flee with her Cherise saw the two soldiers killed by his perfect aim.

"Hold on." he said while the girl stared at the remaining soldiers chasing them.

She barely had time to do as she had been told, when her stomach sank for a moment and then violently leapt into her throat causing her to gasp. Only when the soldiers halted abruptly did she notice the collapsed floor and understood Connor had jumped over the gap. She was still processing what had happened, when another gunshot echoed around them followed by an abrupt surge of pain in her leg that caused her to scream before she even knew what had happened.

"Shit..." the detective spat through his teeth.

They couldn't stop yet, and he could only hope whatever injury she'd sustained wasn't too bad.

"Ow-ow... it hurts..." she sobbed into his scarf, the searing pain burning her all the way into her brain.

Though he didn't reply, Connor halted for a moment to scan the area and find a safe spot. Going further without first checking on her and settling his rising anxiety, would only cloud his mind and possibly get them both killed. Finally he spotted one of the heavy metal doors halfway open near the end of the corridor and rushed inside, making sure to close it properly before he finally set the girl down.

"Let me see." he said, gently moving her hands away when she grabbed at her right leg.

Fortunately the bullet had only grazed her, and he couldn't help a sigh of relief.

"It's alright, it's only a scratch."

Pulling off the scarf around his neck as he said that, he tied it around her thigh like a makeshift bandage to help stop the bleeding. And though his first impulse had been to continue and try to find the others or an exit, seeing her tearstained, miserable expression he felt that he couldn't just drag her back out there without first calming her down. Once more he sighed but moved to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her small frame.

"Let's take a short break, okay?" he said, making his best attempt at what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

As if understanding from his words that she was allowed to, Cherise scooted closer and latched onto him still sniffling. The first thing she would recall from that moment, in later years, was that she thought he was incredibly warm for a robot. And then she would recall how she had lost the battle with exhaustion and how his hand stroked her hair ever so gently, lulling her to sleep.

▒▓░ †Ϯ§Ϯ† ░▓▒

November 10th 2038, 3:16 AM

She was still dead tired when the detective woke her, his soft tone making her wonder if everything had been only a bad dream. But the sight of the dimly lit chamber dashed that hope, and she decided to try and focus on Connor's instructions and getting off the ship alive.

"We have to go; Markus just activated the explosives." he said, moving onto one knee and helping her sit up properly. "Here..."

Next thing she knew he had removed his cap and pulled it onto her head bending the rim so she could see, afterwards checking to make sure her jacket was properly buttoned up.

"It's cold outside; the temperature's expected to drop below freezing tonight." the detective explained, in the face of her confused stare.

Once again picking her up he stood and cautiously moved to the door, taking a moment to listen for any sound that might indicate someone was nearby. Pulling the door open just a bit afterwards, he made sure the hallway was clear before stepping out of the room. A loud explosion caught them off guard when the ship trembled down to its hinges and groaned like a dying beast, the vibrations almost knocking Connor off his feet.

Knowing they didn't have much time left, he steadied himself against the wall and then sprinted off towards the intersection ahead.

"Connor!"

Hearing Markus' voice, he glanced along the left passageway to find their leader approaching along with North and a few others. Behind them he spotted a group of soldiers, and almost immediately afterwards the air filled with the sound of gunshots and bullets ricocheting off the metallic walls. Without hesitation the detective brandished his gun and shot one soldier in the leg, another less fortunate one taking the bullet in the neck.

"This way!" Markus called out, rushing past them and into the corridor branching off to the right.

Following the others, Connor soon eyed the missing chunk of wall ahead and returned the gun to its place beneath his belt.

"Wrap your legs around me and hold on tight." he instructed the girl as they neared the exit, speaking again right as Markus leapt off the edge. "Take a deep breath!"

Doing as she was told, Cherise filled her lungs with air and covered her mouth and nose with one hand, the other clenched into a fistful of his leather jacket. Once again her stomach dropped when Connor jumped off the edge, and she felt his arms tightening around her just before they hit the icy waters. Slowly she opened her eyes, giving them time to adjust to being underwater, but she couldn't see anything other than the flickering blue light coming from Connor's LED.

A few moments later a flashlight popped up a short distance away, revealing North and the others swimming towards the docks. Following them, the detective scanned for a safe spot beneath the nearest pier where he rose to the surface to let the girl breathe.

"Are you alright?" he asked as she gulped for air.

Nodding, Cherise clung tightly to him trying to use that to subside her trembling although her chattering teeth gave her away. She had never imagined water could be this cold and all she wanted was to be back in her warm bed. Within minutes Markus and the other androids surfaced around them.

"Stay underneath the piers." he said. "We'll meet the other survivors at the rendezvous point."

"How far is it?" Connor inquired before nodding towards the girl he was holding. "Her temperature's dropping fast. She'll go into hypothermia if we don't get her warmed up soon."

Taking a moment to think it over, North then spoke up in response.

"I think we should be safe to get out of the water further ahead. They'll be too busy evacuating the ship, to notice us."

"Alright... North, you lead the others to the rendezvous point." Markus agreed. "I have to go see Carl; I'll find you there."

"What? Markus, they're all looking for you! I know you care about Carl, but it's too dangerous... you can't risk it."

"I promise I'll find you there." he insisted, diving beneath the surface and swimming away before the female android could speak again.

▒▓░ †Ϯ§Ϯ† ░▓▒

November 10th 2038, 4:18 AM

Once again Cherise was sitting next to a small fire, this time inside an abandoned church. Soon after they had arrived, North had approached her with dry clothes looking for all the world like she would rather do anything else. She hadn't planned to say where she had gotten the outfit, but when the girl insisted she revealed that one of the child androids who had escaped the ship had ended up shutting down from severe wounds.

"She won't be needing these anymore." the woman said while helping her change. "It's not much, but it's better than staying wet. Just sit close to the fire and you should be alright."

Wrapping a blanket around Cherise, she then stood and left without even giving the girl a chance to thank her. Left with her own thoughts, the child heaved a sigh and pulled the blanket tighter around herself, taking to watching the dancing flames. It was like that that Connor found her later, startling the child when he set a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked, after checking that the scarf was still well wrapped around her wound.

For a moment she stared at him in silence, causing him to lightly narrow his eyes as he tried to discern her reaction. But when she suddenly lunged to wrap her arms around him, it caught him off guard nearly making him gasp in surprise.

"Thank you..." she said, her voice almost cracking from the urge to cry. "I promise one day I'll find a way to show my gratitude."

At her last words the detective huffed in amusement, discarding his hesitation and wrapping her in his arms.

"Don't worry about that. Just try not to get into any more trouble." he scolded her in good humor, stroking her still damp hair.

For a short while Cherise was silent, watching the other androids sitting or moving about in the semidarkness.

"They hate me, don't they?"

"No, they—" Connor replied, fighting the urge to sigh.

"North does." she cut him off, drawing his attention to the female android seated in one of the pews. "But... I can't blame them; not after what humans did tonight."

"They're just angry right now, Cherise; but things will get better." the detective insisted, ever so lightly tightening his embrace as if that could somehow shield her from all the stares the others threw her way.

Sure, he was angry as well for being used against his own people, but Cherise was just an innocent child. And more than that, she was one of the few humans who seemed to genuinely consider them living beings, rather than machines. Perhaps that was what Lucy had seen in her – and Connor felt now that he understood why the female android had sacrificed herself for the girl.

A few minutes later the sound of footsteps drew his attention to Markus standing nearby, having returned a short while earlier, somewhat of a smile playing on his lips.

"How is she?"

"She's fine." he nodded while Cherise shifted around in his arms to look up at the other android as he lowered himself onto one knee to pat her head awkwardly, like he had never handled a child before.

"Can I ask you to take her back to the docks later? Her parents should be arriving there to pick her up in a few hours; her family's android called them earlier."

"Is Michael really dead?" she suddenly asked, making Connor feel like a rock had suddenly dropped into the pit of his stomach.

"I'm afraid so." Markus sighed, his expression taking a turn for sorrow. "He was among the first to get shot down. I'm sorry I couldn't get him out of there..."

"It's my fault... that the humans managed to locate Jericho." Connor replied, his slightly quivering voice startling her when he spoke to the android leader. "I should've guessed they were using me. I was stupid... I can understand if you decide not to trust me."

"You're one of us, now. Your place is with your people."

Stunned into silence, the detective eventually lowered his gaze from Markus' reassuring expression to find himself warmed to his core by Cherise's smile.

"I trust you... you risked your life to save me. You didn't have to do everything you did for me tonight, but you did it anyway." she nodded, yet again hugging him.

Smiling to himself as he watched the detective hesitantly returning her gesture, Markus moved to stand only to be halted when Connor spoke up again.

"Markus... there are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant. If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power."

"You wanna infiltrate the CyberLife Tower?" the leader inquired in clear disbelief. "Connor, that's suicide..."

"No..." Cherise pleaded, as if to enforce Markus' words. "No, don't go!"

Truth be told, she was afraid to once again be alone and surrounded by strangers; with Michael gone, Connor was now the closest thing to a friend she had in that place.

"They trust me... they'll let me in." he insisted.

While he didn't look down at the girl this time, she knew by the way he started stroking her hair that her words had reached him – he was just trying to avoid answering.

"If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's me."

"If you go there, they will kill you." Markus cut him off.

"There's a high probability... but statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place."

Knowing that Connor was right in his analysis, no matter how unpleasant the thought was, Markus could only sigh and offer a reassuring squeeze to the detective's shoulder.

"Be careful..."

Now that the deviant leader had left, Connor had no more choice but to face the girl's concerned gaze head-on.

"I'll be fine." he tried to reassure her, hoping that his smile at least seemed genuine. "But if I don't do this, we'll all be destroyed. Nothing will happen to me... I promise."

"Michael promised he wouldn't die... but he still did..."

Silenced by her words, he sighed and pulled her closer again stroking her hair.

"Michael... wasn't a fighter." he replied hesitantly, hoping he could choose the right words. "He was never meant to engage in violent acts, so he was never given any knowledge in that regard. I'm different... I was made to help with police cases involving deviants. My programming includes handling firearms and advanced knowledge in martial arts and self-defense techniques."

Pulling back, Cherise pinned him with a gaze so serious and scrutinizing that he actually felt a bit unsettled. But then she held up her right hand, her fingers balled into a fist with only the pinky left to stand straight. When he regarded her with a confused expression, she reached for his hand and wrapped her pinky around his.

"This is a pinky promise... now you have to keep your word, no matter what. Promise you won't die..."

More than anything, it was the unfamiliar mixture of sternness and pleading in her tone that caught his interest. Ultimately smiling again, he mimicked her gesture and nodded.

"I promise."

Sooo today's replies for my lovely reviewers :D

1. crimson dragonX - Thank you so very much for the kind words. I haven't yet gotten to read too much fanfiction in this fandom, so I have no idea how different my take on the Detroit universe is. But I'm really happy to hear that it piqued your interest and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of this little journey as well.

2. jaelami - Aww thank you so much for the kind words and I'm really happy to hear you're looking forward to more of this story. Admittedly I haven't watched other playthroughs; I did try a bit of Pewds' run but I just didn't feel that he took the game seriously enough, and that he was only playing it because people pestered him into doing it, so I gave up on watching that. Jack for me was just the right amount of funny, without detracting anything from the seriousness of the issues that the game deals with. Not to mention that he got one of the best endings and actually played the game exactly how I would've played it.

As for Connor, he has been my favorite ever since I watched Jack playing the demo. The overall idea of the pairing for this story actually stemmed back then, but since I didn't yet have the whole story of the game I decided it was best to wait. But I'm rambling way too much, so before I start boring you I'll just thank you again for the kind words and I hope you'll enjoy the coming chapters.

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤