The days were slow while Hank was at work. After a morning walk with Sumo, Connor typically did some housework and then spent his time consuming history and world news reports. Today, though, he was watching Markus on Hank's television. A televised meeting between the android leader and the mayor of Detroit was currently airing live, with the topics being discussed written in small print on the screen. Currently, it was on the topic of Haven, and whether or not the androids had a right to set up camp there.
"You haven't applied for any permits, your housing is structurally unsound and unfit for human habitation for long periods of time, and your presence makes people so uncomfortable that a once busy intersection in Detroit is now no man's land. Surely there are better places for your… erm, settlement," Mayor Davidson said.
Markus, seeming larger than life even while sitting at a table across from the mayor, had his hands clasped as if in prayer, a patient expression on his face.
"Well, it's not for humans, now is it? My people have utilized the resources we have to make Haven hospital for androids, which was quite a feat considering the camp's original purpose. I see no reason to uproot them again. When it comes to android survival or human comfort, I will choose my people every time."
"Yes, but surely there are better places to…"
"If humans didn't want androids there," Markus said, eyes glinting hard in the camera lights, "then they shouldn't have put them there."
"That's not what this is about, you can't bring that up for every point," Davidson huffed.
"With all due respect, Mayor Davidson, you weren't worried about the location when Hart Plaza was a death camp. Our people died by the millions, and we're still trying to calculate a final number. The last thing humans get to decide for us is when we can be angry about attempted genocide. The ground Haven stands on has been claimed by the blood of thousands of my people. We will not abandon the only home we have for the sake of compromise."
Markus' voice didn't waver once, although it didn't seem possible for someone to carry that much emotion without their voice breaking. His anguish was a tangible thing in the room, laid on the table for dissection in his place, but the process was no less violating.
"Let's move on. Cyberlife has all but gone bankrupt, and has declined commenting for months on any android issues. Seeing as they had been the backbone of our city for so long, in both employment and production, this is worrying. Has a representative from Cyberlife contacted you, or have you had any word from them?"
Markus sucked in a harsh breath, fingers clenching involuntarily. Feeling as though he was sitting in the same room, Connor flicked his eyes down to his wrist, where his sleeve had ridden up his forearm.
PROPERTY OF CYBERLIFE
"I have no comment on that at this moment," Markus said quietly, eyes glued to his own wrist. Connor wondered if he was seeing Cyberlife's "message" too, as though it were written on his own skin.
The conference droned on for an hour, where both Markus and Davidson detailed their plans for bringing humans back into the city and including androids in the rebuilding that was going to happen over the next decade.
Markus was in the middle of making his closing remarks when the doorbell rang, and Connor had to drag himself out from underneath Sumo.
A quick peek through the window revealed only a small head with golden curls sticking out of a blue winter hat, and equally blue eyes looking up shyly at the door.
"Yes?" Connor asked, opening the door to find a little boy, probably only 8 years old, standing on their stoop.
"Are you RK800?" the boy asked, eyes wide.
Connor froze, scanning the child automatically and realizing quickly that he was another android, one of the controversial child models he'd seen very few of. Somehow, this knowledge didn't make him feel any more at ease.
"Yes, and you are?"
"I'm Aiden. Please, you gotta help! My sister is trapped and they're gonna hurt her!"
The child grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the house before Connor had time to grab his coat or winter wear. He barely had the chance to shut the door before they were running into the street.
"Where are we going? Who is going to hurt your sister?" Connor called as they ran, feeling the boy's hand tightened on his own.
"We have to hurry!" Aiden cried, pulling him faster, clutching his hand as if the feel of Cyberlife's message didn't bother him at all.
The boy led him to a park a few blocks from Hank's house, his pace growing more frantic with every step. As they neared, it was easy for Connor to see what the rush was. Despite their hurry, though, he could already see they were too late. A small body swung from the swing set, connected only by a rope around the figure's neck.
"No!" Aiden screamed, dropping Connor's hand and dashing up to his sister's side, feet splashing in the puddle of thirium dripping from her fingertips.
It was a gruesome sight. The little girl, another android of the same model as Aiden- the same model as Alice, his brain reminded him- had been strung up before they'd killed her. Slowly, if the carefully-selected cuts on her throat, arms, and face indicated correctly.
"Katie!"
Connor tried putting an arm around the boy's shoulder, and turning him away from the display, but the child jumped back like he'd been burned.
"It was supposed to be you! She said it would be you! This is all your fault!"
The thirium in Connor's veins seemed to drop in temperature, his whole body freezing on the spot.
"Who said that?"
"The woman! The woman in the garden!" Aiden shouted, pawing at the tears cascading down his face.
"The woman? Amanda? You saw Amanda? What did she want?" Connor demanded, trying to keep his voice level but knowing he wouldn't succeed.
Aiden turned back to his sister, looking up at her swaying body in horror for one moment before leaning over to yank something out of her hand.
"Here, take it! That's what she wanted! She wanted me to give this to you! Now make her bring her back! Bring my sister back!"
He thrust a single flower in Connor's direction, a perfect red rose that gleamed like a ruby in the child's thirium-stained fingers.
For a minute, only a minute, Connor found himself immobile. He couldn't move to take the flower, to cut down the little girl, to comfort the boy he'd wanted to help. All he could do was stare in terror, frozen on his knees in front of the child.
Something clicked. For a second, Connor thought it was just his shoulder as he brought his hand forward to clasp the stem of the flower, eyes fastened on the terrified gaze of the little boy before him.
Those eyes, far too blue for any human, widened when a hiss emitted from the red flower in their hands.
There was nothing else Connor could do but open his mouth, intent on shouting a warning, when the rose exploded.
Markus was on his way back from his meeting with the mayor when North's call came through, and he answered immediately. If she couldn't wait the twenty minutes for his cab to make it back to Haven, then something was truly wrong.
North, what happened?
Markus, it's Connor! There's been an attack!
Markus had time for one gasp, one small moment of panic, before he launched himself into action.
Where?
North sent him coordinates, which he immediately fed into the autocab's GPS, noting with a small breath of relief that it was only four minutes away from their current destination.
I'm on my way. Did someone alert Hank?
I left a message at his desk number, but I don't know his cell! He won't know until he gets back to the station.
How did you find out what happened?
Turn to channel 63!
North disconnected without a goodbye, no doubt calling her own autocab to take her to Connor's location. Too frantic to turn on the cab's television, Markus instead searched Channel 63 News himself, finding a brief article from a few minutes ago.
Explosion in Lafayette Greens Park
An explosion of unknown origins rocked wartorn Detroit today, in a small public park on the playground where children normally play. No humans were hurt in the blast, but three androids are in critical condition. The target of the attack is unknown. More details to come.
The cab rounded the corner to the park just as Markus pulled his eyes to the window, watching a tendril of smoke curl into the sky above a row of trees. He was out the door before the cab even stopped, rushing over the fence and around the slide to find the source of the smoke.
The sight before him was grotesque, and nothing short of horrific. One little girl was hung from the swing set, eyes open and frozen on the two bodies at her feet. Not one of them moved. Another child android, a little boy by the looks of it, lay with his head pillowed in a pool of thirium, blue blood dripping from his eyes. Halfway on top of the child, having taken the brunt of the blast, lay Connor.
PROPERTY OF CYBER-
Markus dismissed the translation as soon as it appeared, and disabled notifications all together. Connor's shirt was rags over his scorched arms, and the small part of his torso that was not pressed against the ground or the little boy. From the outstretched arms and position of the bodies, it was obvious Connor had tried to shield the child. But only one body showed signs of life when Markus scanned them, and he didn't know how to feel about the fact that Connor was the only survivor.
If he could call him that.
Carefully, so carefully, Markus pulled Connor away from the small bodies and laid the hunter in his lap, stroking his singed hair away from his face with gentle hands.
Connor's whole front was blackened in the exposed places, with his shirt melting into the plasteel of his arms, and thirium flowed steadily from a tear in the back of his head, a wire dangling from the hole, little white sparks shooting from its tip like a flag of surrender.
"Oh Connor," Markus choked, stroking his thumb along his cheek, smearing the thirium there like paint.
Sirens exploded in his skull as squad cars rolled into the streets around them, one grey-haired man running ahead of the crowd.
"Connor!"
Hank was there in seconds, hands frozen in the air above the detective, eyes cataloguing the damage. His assessment wouldn't be as accurate as Markus', but it was enough to have Hank sink onto his knees beside them.
"He's alive," Markus hurried to reassure him.
Hank only nodded, taking one of Connor's singed hands into his own, motionless until a voice sounded on the radio at his belt.
"Hank, give the all clear so we can get this over with, I'm freezing out here."
"Shut up, Reed," Hank growled into the radio, eyes never leaving Connor, "Unless you want your damn head blown off, you want me to do this by the book. Now back off and let me do my job!"
He dropped the radio into his lap, not bothering to lift it so they could hear the response. Reed responded something that didn't sound flattering, but with his voice muffled by Hank's thigh, Markus couldn't be sure.
"Shit, okay, shit!"
"He needs medical attention," Markus said, his hand still brushing through Connor's hair.
"He's gonna need a lot more than that if Reed sees him! CyberLife has been up our ass about 'stolen property' ever since he went missing. If he gets caught, the first place he is gonna go is back to those sons of bitches. We need to get him somewhere safe."
Hank looked up at Markus, his hand tightening on Connor's, but voice full of resolve.
"Markus, you gotta get him out of here, take him somewhere safe!"
Markus nodded, taking his coat off and draping it over Connor's exposed limbs, hiding him from the accusing gaze of the girl on the swings.
"I'll take him to…."
"No," Hank cut him off, "Don't tell me! Just get him out of here, and make sure you aren't followed. It was no accident he was out here today. I don't know what the hell is going on, but I don't like it. The less I know about where he is, the better."
He gave Connor one last look before he was on his feet, turning his back on them with obvious effort, and pulling the radio from his belt.
Markus gripped Connor tighter, and shifted him into a bridal hold that was becoming worryingly familiar.
North, how far are you? We need to get Connor away from here.
I'm two blocks away, southeast.
Stay there, I'll come to you. Make sure no one sees you.
As quickly as he could, Markus took off at a sprint towards North's cab, ducking into alleyways between houses to avoid the cops and curious residents from seeing him. Somehow, thankfully, they managed to avoid detection.
North threw open the door as soon as she saw them, and didn't complain in the slightest when Markus all but shoved Connor's upper body into her lap in his hurry to get inside.
To her credit, North didn't gasp or make any sounds of disbelief at Connor's state. She simply tucked the jacket around him tighter, and took Markus' hand in her own, interface opening automatically.
Where are you going to take him?
Markus programmed the cab with a single thought, and clutched her hand like a lifeline, his other taking Connor's less damaged hand and brushing a thumb across the stained knuckles, feeling every ridge and bump of the binary code etched there.
Jericho.