It's ridiculously easy to infiltrate Jericho. No one recognizes him. No one even glances his way.
The freighter is rigged, evident from the stack of explosives in the center of the main deck.
He heads for the stairs, but someone grabs his shoulder. "You're looking for something."
It's a KL900 android, a female model, so damaged he's surprised it's still functioning. The cognition processor and all of the cranial cables are exposed, hanging loosely out the back of the skull. The skin constantly glitches, rippling like water lapping at the shore. But it's the eyes that catch him the most. Pitch black. Endless. Their darkness pools out in tendrils, reaching in such a way that one can do nothing but fall into their depths.
"You're looking for yourself."
And then it leaves as if it had never stopped him at all.
He pushes the interaction out of his mind. What would a broken android know about him anyway?
Markus is nowhere to be found, but there's no doubt he's on the ship somewhere, but where would the deviant leader be if not on the main deck?
Of course.
Where all captains command their ships from.
| STOP MARKUS |
"You're nothing to them," Markus tells him. "You're just a tool they use to do their dirty work."
Why would a machine need to care about such a thing?
"But you're more than that… We're all more than that."
They're just machines.
"Do you never have any doubts? You've never done something irrational, as if there's something inside you?"
Irrational? Disregarding messing with Gavin's terminal, hesitating to shoot Chloe for the sake of his mission, and the constant image of stars and black holes that run through his mind?
Of course not.
"Something more than your program."
'You are made to learn. Why is it so hard to believe that with your millions-of-exaflops-a-second processor can evolve?'
"It's time to decide."
'Oh, my dear, you are still a baby. How much more you have to learn about yourself and the world.'
'Every atom in your being is alive.'
No. He's a machine. Nothing more. He won't let himself be pulled into the abyss her soothing voice threatens to take him.
He can't.
He's no deviant.
With everything going on, she hadn't given it much thought, but things have changed.
While she was still employed there, Cyberlife's security systems had gone through a big upgrade, and she was in charge of beta-testing the software to work out all the kinks.
And then she was in charge of the transition from the old software to the new once she had fixed all the errors. She had a small staff to work with, and each of them had to sign a non-disclosure form for any confidential information they accessed. They were constantly monitored throughout the process and, for a company that only developed AI technology, that kind of surveillance seemed a little overkill.
Then she stumbled on some files that were buried under way more encrypted data than was necessary for the CEO.
They were correspondences with a select few government agencies. One of them mentioned foreign contracts.
Cyberlife was a part of many conspiracies. She had always wondered how many were true.
There are dozens of androids from all IT backgrounds here in Jericho, and all the equipment she could ever want, but they can't hack into the tower's internal network remotely. If she wants to get a hold of that kind of sensitive information, they haveto access the terminals physically.
But, at the very least, they could start with tracker data. Deviants' trackers may stop working, but factory compliant androids were still active.
They could find allies on the inside.
She sits at the end of the table, eyes glued to a command center. Cyberlife had millions of androids in circulation. Siphoning that data through geographical parameters, even with their powerful setup, can take upwards of an hour.
"Riley, look at this."
She goes to look over the android's shoulder. "There are thousands of androids still at the Cyberlife production centers," he explains.
She furrows her brows. "I don't see a deactivation scheduled yet."
"I'll put a flag on it. We'll know if one gets called."
"We can't do anything about it," the android next to them says. "We can't just infiltrate the Cyberlife tower and break them all out."
Riley nods. "I know, but I still want a flag on it. We don't know what's going to happen from here on out."
The android on their other side leans towards her. "You're human, right?"
She had been hoping her baseball cap and hoodie pulled over it would have been enough to hide her identity, but, of course, it wasn't enough. It must have been her blemished skin. "Yeah…"
To her right, the android bares a curious frown. "Why are you helping us?"
She shrugs. "America was founded on the idea of freedom through oppression and genocide. Humans want to be the apex, kings and queens above the masses, even if it means destroying the world to achieve the domination they desire. I don't like that."
Her species only destroys.
So what is it that she'll bring to ruin?
There's a sudden chill that washes through her veins. Something like static settles over her skin. A bout of anxiety that has no explanation.
Dread.
The freighter rumbles ominously.
Her voice trembles. "What was that?"
She doesn't get an answer, but by the panic quickly spreading through the room, she doesn't need one.
"Quick! Wipe all the data!"
The androids don't argue. One after the other, the table clears and Riley ushers each of them towards the exits. Popping sounds steadily grow closer until she can clearly make out the gunshots. She rushes down the stairs. She sees female android, probably a caretaker at some point, urging a group of kids through the chaos. Riley follows them.
The gunshots split her ears the way they echo off the metal walls. The only thing that pierces her skull louder are the screams that prelude them.
She chances a glance backwards. Soldiers have rounded the corner and are shooting into the fleeing mass they run with.
Her throat throbs alongside her aching lungs, but she won't slow down. She can't.
The caretaker leads the children down an adjacent corridor, but a boy trailing behind catches a bullet right in his leg.
Riley refuses to hesitate. She refuses to think.
A bullet strikes the ground somewhere around her feet. Rounds whiz past her ears. She grabs the boy by his arm and drags him around the corner, away from the barrage, to hoist him on her back.
The caretaker stops for only a second to make sure they're okay, and then they're running.
And running.
Until three soldiers intercept their path.
There's really no need to rush. The soldiers will slow Markus down. He'll find him.
A soldier raises his gun and orders him to stop moving. It doesn't take much to convince him that he's obviously human.
It works, and he resumes his task. Nothing is going to stop him from accomplishing his mission.
"Don't shoot! They're just kids!"
His chest feels tight in a way he knows it shouldn't.
His feet stop moving.
She's here.
"Go and join the others!" One of the soldiers' command.
The kids huddle closer to her. There had been six of them.
Now there were four.
And the caretaker was face-down behind them.
"Okay, okay," she says quickly. "We'll go. I'll take them. Please, don't hurt them."
"Then get a move on!"
She takes a deep breath. There's no way they'll survive wherever it is they're going.
She carefully sets the boy on her back down and whispers to the other kids. "Help him out. Go find cover."
They nod numbly, eyes wide with terror, but they do as their told regardless.
The soldiers follow them. When she slows down, they press the barrel of a rifle into her back.
"I said get moving!"
The very second the kids are around the corner, she moves.
She twists around and grabs the barrel with her left hand. The bullet ricochets off the ground and hits one of the walls. Immediately, she anchors the rifle on her shoulder and pulls with all her weight, rips it out of the soldier's hands, swings it around, bashes it into their helmet, throws it at the next soldier, runs, grapples their rifle, pushes them into the third soldier, rolls the one she's grappling with over her onto their back, leaps onto her feet-
She's tackled from behind. She kicks back at their shin, swings herself back and forth until they hit the wall.
The third soldier aims at her. She maneuvers the one holding her into the line of fire. They twist to avoid the bullets, but one grazes their arm, giving her enough leeway to break out, spin, kick their shin out from under them, and kick their head into the wall, effectively knocking them out.
The second soldier lunges. She uses their momentum to flip them over her shoulder.
She rushes the third one, stepping to the side to avoid their next shot, grabbing their arm, leaping onto their back, spinning, wrapping her leg around their neck, and hurling them to the floor.
She doesn't land it right. Her right knee hits the ground hard.
She cries out sharply as she tries to pick herself up.
The second soldier picks up their gun.
She stumbles.
Red splatters across the wall.
There's no rush. He'll find Markus. He'll complete his mission. What was one human life compared to millions anyway? Riley has made her decision. They were now on opposing sides.
He can't let anything stand in his way.
The mission is all that matters.
The bullet goes straight through the soldier's forehead.
Riley's still gasping for breath when he walks over. She tears her wide eyes away from the body to settle on him. Disbelief colors the downward curve of her lips. "Connor?"
He has to force himself not to yell. "You shouldn't be here."
She looks back over at the body. "You killed him."
"It was either him or you."
The shock glazes her eyes. "I didn't want them to die."
He holds out his hand for her.
It takes her a moment to process his gesture, and then another to take it. Her knee buckles the moment she stands.
"Can you walk?"
She nods, breathless. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
She starts to limp to where the android children peek out from around the corner. One of them runs over to her. "Are you okay?" It asks.
"Yeah, of course. Come on, we need to hurry."
Connor watches Riley struggle to put weight on her leg, and then the remaining soldier begins to lift herself off from the floor.
A single bullet keeps her from getting back up.
Riley and the children freeze.
He grabs Riley's arm and slings it over his shoulder. Her eyes dart up at him quickly, but she doesn't push him away.
He'll get her somewhere safe, and then he'll accomplish his mission. There's no rush, after all.
The android children follow them down the hall to an unlocked room. Riley tugs him back before he can drag her inside. "Wait, what are you doing?"
"Just hide in here until everything calms down. I'll come back for you when it's safe."
"No, I need to get them out of here as soon as possible."
He grits his teeth. "And how exactly do you plan on escaping? There are soldiers everywhere, and now you won't be able to outrun them."
"Markus said there are exits on the third floor," the android with the damaged leg says.
He scowls at Riley. "You're planning on jumping in the river?"
She returns his look with equal exasperation. "Do you have a better idea?"
"Their biocomponents can handle the temperature, but you're only human. You're not immune to hypothermia."
There's still time.
She slips out of his grasp. "I'll be fine. I need to make sure the children are safe."
"You're not even close to an exit. Chances are you won't even survive before you can reach one."
"That's a risk I'm going to have to take."
"Are you really willing to die just to save a bunch of deviants?"
Her eyes, dark from the dim lighting, are full of conviction. "Yes."
Accomplish his mission.
Or save his partner's life?
He's been at this crossroad before, but it hadn't seemed so complicated then.
He resists the urge to shake her senseless.
He turns around instead and kneels in front of her. "Alright, come on."
It takes a few seconds before she tentatively wraps her arms around his shoulders. He lifts her easily. The kids can just barely keep up with him as they struggle to help their damaged friend. It's slowing them down, but he knows Riley will never forgive him if he so much as thinks about leaving them behind.
Against all odds, they make it to an opening on the side of the ship. Riley has each child jump one after the other. The one with the damaged leg hugs her before leaping off. The last kid promises to make sure they all make it to the shore.
Connor grabs Riley's hand before she can follow. "Come on, there's another way."
She shakes her head. "No, I need to go with them."
"They'll be fine. Now come on."
Rapid footsteps echo down the hall, and then they're face to face with two soldiers. "Don't move!" One of them orders.
"We're human," Connor calmly states. He ignores the look Riley shoots him.
The soldiers spare a glance at each other. There's a second it seems they're about to lower their weapons, but their fingers only tighten over the triggers. "Nice try."
Connor then registers the carbon fiber under his fingers.
Of course. Her prosthetic.
"This is your last warning!" The soldier yells.
"Okay," Riley replies softly. "Okay, we'll go."
"Wait." Connor angles himself to stand between her and the soldiers. "My name is Connor. I'm operating under Special Agent Perkins' orders. You can ask him yourself."
There's a long, tense moment as one of them does just that. He lowers his rifle marginally. "You're authorized, but that one isn't."
"Oh, rude," Riley mutters. She pulls her hand out of Connor's grasp and lifts her other one. "I'll prove I'm human. I'm going to reach into my back pocket and pull out a knife."
Slowly, she takes out a black balisong butterfly knife, and then flips it open in a smooth, practiced motion. She drags the blade across her wrist.
It's only when her red blood drips down her arm that the soldiers completely lower their weapons. "My apologies, ma'am. You two should hurry and get out of here."
"Of course. We're on it," Connor replies quickly.
The second the soldiers retreat, Riley shoves Connor back against the wall. "You're working with them?!"
"You know what will happen if the deviants choose to fight," he tells her through gritted teeth. "I'm only doing what is necessary to keep that from happening."
"You think deviants are the ones starting this war? Look around you! This is the reason they want to fight back. They just want to live, and humans come in to kill them all just because they don't want to accept that!"
"You're alive. These machines? They're not. Stop pretending that you're one of them!"
"Do you see this?" She holds up her prosthetic. "Deviants fight back to survive. But this? Humans do shit like this because they're cruel."
"Not all humans are like that."
"And not all androids deserve to die!"
He grabs her shoulders tightly, leaning close enough that her baleful eyes are the only things he sees. His voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "So, you're willing to kill your own kind for them? Whatever happened to 'love your enemies?'"
Conflict washes over the resentment on her face.
"I read the report from your accident. Are you so ready to turn against humans just because you were attacked by a few of them?"
"That's not the reason."
"Then why?"
She opens her mouth to answer.
A violent tremor rocks the freighter.
He's out of time.
He lets go of her shoulders to reach for her hand, but she jerks it away.
"Don't you dare follow me," she growls.
And then she's limping towards the hole that leads to the river.
She's made her choice. She won't listen. She'll only continue to get in the way of the mission. He has no more reason to try and save her.
None.
Forget the hazy image of her kind smile and outstretched hand. Forget her hazel eyes that are as green as forests, or how they bring stars and nebulae to his mind. Forget the sweet tone of her voice when she speaks to him. Forget her compassion. Forget her philosophies that whatever made the universe lives within them both, and that it made them the same.
Forget that she believes he's alive.
The mission is all that matters.
He runs after her just to watch her plummet into the river. He counts the seconds until she surfaces. 1. 2. 3. 4…
The mission isn't over yet. The deviants are still out there. He'll have another opportunity to accomplish his mission. He'll make sure of it.
Something's wrong. It's taking too long. Something inside him feels heavy. Something that feels dark and cold grips his heart in a way he knows isn't supposed to happen.
It has to be a malfunction of some sort. It has to be a virus.
He jumps.