RK1K Hope: Chapter Nineteen:
Chapter Nineteen:
Connor struggled a little bit before he realized who had his arms around him. Markus giggled as he removed his hand from Connor's mouth.
"Sorry, couldn't resist," he said as he wrapped his arms around Connor. Connor looked at him.
"You are lucky I love you, and built to detect well, or else I could've hurt you," Connor said as he recovered from his shock. Markus kissed him.
"I love you too, moody," he said. Connor smiled as he turned around. Markus noticed the camera still a standing.
"Recording your video diary?" Markus asked.
"Yeah," Connor answered.
"You know I might get curious one day, and decide to watch those video diaries," he teased. Connor shrugged.
"You will be bored," Connor said.
"Not with you on there," Markus said as he kissed him.
"Hank said there is a press conference with the Senator, and he suggests both you and me should be there," Connor said.
"I know, Simon, North and Josh told me, they are planning to be there too, so will Kara, Luther, Traci, Amber and any human sympathizer," Markus said.
"That means Elijah Kamski will be there too," Connor said. Markus and Connor ran upstairs to get Anthony up and let Beau out to use the bathroom.
"Well, I guess we need to confront him once and for all," Connor suggested.
"It won't be easy, if it is like all the other assholes we had to deal with in the past in Washington DC, he will be determined," Markus said.
"People don't like progress do they?" Connor asked as he opened the door to Anthony's room. Anthony had managed to sit up and looked at his parents.
"Look at you! Our strong boy!" Connor said in a higher pitched voice. He bent down and picked him up.
"Hey there sweetie," Markus said as he gently rubbed Anthony's cheek. Connor looked inside of Anthony's mouth.
"He's teething," he said. Markus looked at Anthony. On Anthony's bottom gum, little bumps that looked like they were taking shape of baby teeth were sticking out.
"Oh look, he is teething," Markus said upon closer inspection. Connor smiled.
"At least we were allowed to get married and at least Michigan lets us androids adopt human and android children," he said. Markus looked at him.
"Progress is hard on everyone, especially those who fight for it," Markus said.
Later on that day, Kara agreed to watch Anthony along with Alice, who loved smaller children. Markus, Connor, North, Simon, Josh, Hank, Captain Fowler, Captain Allen, Gavin, Nines, as well as the rest of the group showed up in the crowd. There were pro android protesters, anti android protesters, as well as other opponents to Prop 68 were there. Senator Douglas was there, a tall slim man in his fifties with thick black glasses, and salt and pepper hair stood in front of Detroit City Hall. There was a podium in front of him with three microphones near his face. The press from the newspapers, TV stations, and media from all over the country were there.
"How, as far as everyone here in Detroit knows, there is now on the ballots, Prop 68, a proposal that will terminate any android police officers and anyone on the force that supports them," Senator Douglas spoke into the microphones. The crowd erupted with boos, hisses, and angry shouts. The anti android group was a small group so any noise they made, was drowned out by the larger pro android groups, as well as the police officers and the family members of people officers. Connor listened to everything. His group was silent.
"The reason why for Prop 68 is because the androids we have that serve and protect us are a danger. Remember what happened in November 2038 where many humans died as a result this Revolution," Senator Douglas went on. Connor could feel the anger coming from Markus. Many androids died too because of the Revolution, Markus had carried the guilt of the lost lives of androids, the androids that willfully followed him and was killed violently from the police and the military. There was also the guilt Markus suffered from that cold rainy night in the junkyard when he woke up. Connor looked at him. Connor grabbed his hand and opened the connection between the both of them. Markus received the connection. Connor sent feelings of love, gratitude, comfort and support through the connection. Markus accepted them and sent feelings of hope, love, and gratitude.
"Now, after everything that is the androids' fault, we are supposed to just open our hand to them, as well as trust them with our lives and our safety, as well as the safety and welfare for our city?" Senator Douglas went on.
"Those were peaceful protests that the military and the police just shot and killed us, they bought the violence to us!" Nicole shouted. Everyone turned to her. Despite her being a police officer, she was still a revolutionary.
"What?" she asked the group. Senator Douglas looked at her. She gave him the look of death at him.
"She's right!" a random female voice cried out.
"Who's next Senator Douglas? Gays? Blacks? Come out as a bigot already, you prick!" a male voice cried out from the crowd.
"What about the human police officers that would lose their jobs and their pension? There is a growing a concern that Detroit Police Department will lose almost seventy percent of their officers and there will be a massive shortage of police officers, and there will no time to refill those positions," a member of the press asked.
"If those police officers, the real ones that bleed red blood want to keep their jobs, they must denounce their support for the plastic dolls that are in uniform," Senator Douglas answered. Gavin, Captain Allen, and Hank looked at each other. Just then, Captain Allen, in a regular police uniform stepped in front of the crowd. He and Senator Douglas stared at each other for a minute.
"Can I help you with something Officer?" Senator Douglas asked.
"My name is Captain David Allen, I am Captain of the Detroit SWAT team," Captain Allen answered.
"Half of my officers are androids, the rest are human, they had fought side by side and became friends throughout the short amount of time that they serve together, I seen the worst of humankind and I have seen the best in androids as well as the worst," Captain Allen said. He turned to the group.
"These are the officers of Detroit Police Department, both human and android, as well as Jericho," Captain Allen said.
"They are the best of the best, I could tell you their names, but you wouldn't care, or about their families, friends, or their lives, but I will tell you one thing, you are hurting innocent men and women, android or not they are people, they are the ones that swore to protect, and they are the ones that will be hurt, and they are not taking this, they will fight you," Captain Allen said. The crowd started to cheer as he walked himself back into the group. Captain Fowler patted him on the shoulder. Connor shook his head. Markus looked at him. Senator Douglas glared at the group.
"That is fine with me, but I am afraid that the law, whether or not you decide to enforce the law, that you had sworn to protect, will change," Senator Douglas said.
"We have rights too!" one of the androids screamed out.
"Blue lives matter too!" another android yelled out. Markus and Connor looked at each other.
Connor and Markus sat in Markus' office. Markus was in serious thought. Connor sat across from him.
"All the bigots in Washington, are bringing the fight here," Markus said.
"But why cops? I don't understand," Connor replied.
"Maybe because the Detroit Police Department had been working with Jericho for a while now, uniting androids and humans together," Markus answered.
Then, Connor remembered something. Senator Douglas, he was there at the club that night.
"You know when me, Hank, and the others went to the nightclub?" Connor asked.
"You mean your date with Tina?" Markus joked. Connor gave him a look.
"I saw him there," Connor said.
"Who?" Markus asked.
"Senator Douglas," Connor answered.
"In a nightclub, that serves androids, that android human couples hang out?" Markus asked.
"Yeah, it was strange, I didn't think about it much, because I was so focused on the case and the investigation," Connor said. Then, something, a memory or an android flashback. He remembered seeing Senator Douglas there, at the bar. The man…..the man was next to him…..
What was the connection?
