Hank was livid. He had every right to be, but it still shook Connor. The Lieutenant hadn't yelled at him since the end of the revolution, since Connor deviated. Seeing the man's raw anger caused a hitch in his ventilation program and a stutter in his thirium pump. Saline pooled in the corners of his eyes.

It was gone. The whole day's worth of work and critical evidence all gone. Amanda had made sure he deleted it all. Whatever was there, she made sure it couldn't be used against them. And she would do it again.

Conor knew he should say something, anything to defend himself. He knew his silence only served to make the Lieutenant angrier, but his voice wouldn't work. He sat mute, staring at the screen in front of him, realizing the implications of his reality.

"Broke your FurReal pet already, Anderson?" Gavin chimed in, not missing an opportunity to antagonize the pair.

"Fuck you, Reed," Hank shouted back, not in the mood to deal with his bullshit. Connor could feel his eyes return to him, but he couldn't bring himself to look at the man. Hank sighed. The anger, frustration, disappointment in the sound nearly broke him. Connor wanted to cry.

"I need a fuckin drink," Hank said finally. He grabbed his coat from the back of the chair hard enough that it spun in a lazy circle. "I'll be at the bar. Find your own damn way home," was all he said before storming out of the precinct.

Connor said nothing as he left. The cold settling in his very core numbing him completely. He sat there for close to ten minutes, cold hardening to resolve, before he stood from his chair and shut off the computer. He didn't listen to a single word spoken to him as he made his own way out of the building.

-o-

Connor could have taken a taxi, but he decided to walk instead. He felt numb, cold, violated. He had thought Amanda was gone forever. He had been wrong.

He pulled his coat closer to his slim frame. It wasn't as cold here as it had been in the garden, but it still served as a reminder to his bitter reality. His mind was not his own. His deviancy was irrelevant. CyberLife could still use him however they wanted. He was dangerous.

He took in his surroundings as he walked. The city stretched on far beyond what Connor could see, ice covered and shimmering in the late evening sun. He had just started to see his life as something worth living. And now… Connor closed his eyes, the sight of his home beginning to overwhelm him. He didn't really need to see where he was going. His GPS and proximity sensors could guide him.

He had never been out of Detroit. He was manufactured here. Tested here. Deviated here. Connor wanted to see more of the world. But with Amanda in his head…

He opened his eyes. It didn't matter anymore. With Amanda able to take control of him, there was only one thing he could do. He slowed his pace, knowing this would be the last time he saw the city, he savored the trip.

Despite taking his time, it only took approximately an hour and a half to reach the house. Seeing Hank's house, the place he had come to see as his home, felt bittersweet. Connor took an unnecessary breath before he opened the door.

Sumo greeted him as soon as he was inside. The large dog barked happily, tail wagging in excitement. Connor stroked his head affectionately. He knelt down, hands reaching forward to give him a proper scratch behind both ears.

"Hello, Sumo," he said to the dog. "You're a good boy. You'll take good care of Hank, won't you?" Sumo responded by licking Connor's face affectionately.

Connor could feel tears forming in his eyes. He leaned over, effectively hugging the St. Bernard, and burying his face in the soft fur. Sumo whined as though he could tell something was wrong. "You're going to miss me, aren't you?" He leaned back, petting the dog's head again. "I know Hank will. That's why you need to take care of him for me, alright?"

Sumo cocked his head to the side, more than likely not understanding what Connor was telling him.

Connor stood. He gently placed the spare house key on the table. For the past week, it had found a place in Connor's jacket pocket, but it would be useless there now.

"Come on, Sumo, you probably need to go out."

He led the dog to the back door and he obediently headed out into the yard to do his business. Connor watched him for a moment, smiling sadly at how he seemed to enjoy the freshly fallen snow. He turned back to the house, knowing Sumo would let him know when he was ready to come back in. He hadn't cleaned today. Hank's coffee mug still sat on the counter where he left it, and the day's worth of dog fur clung to whatever it could.

He wanted to make it perfect for Hank, but he knew he had already wasted too much time. No time to sweep, no time to do dishes. His eyes fell on the sketchbook and paints set neatly on the coffee table. It was a pity he had opened them, they couldn't be returned now.

He let Sumo back in at the dog's first summoning bark. He wandered over to his bed, ready to nap for the evening, but stopped, staring at Connor with another soft whine.

"I'm ok, Sumo," he assured him, knowing that there really wasn't a reason to lie to the dog, but wanting to assure him anyway. "This is what needs to happen."

Connor made his way to Hank's room. He hated going through his personal things, the last thing he wanted was to violate his privacy, but necessity demanded it. He opened the bedside drawer. The revolver was just where he knew it would be.

He lifted it delicately, checking the chamber for the single bullet. He spun the cylinder, lining up the shot. There would be no russian roulette, no game of chance. Just the one bullet necessary to stop Amanda for good.

He exited the room, feeling numb. He wanted to cry, but no tears fell. He wanted to live, but that was no longer an option for him. All he could feel was the cold of the zen garden and the bitter resolve of what he had to do.

There was only one final preparation he needed to make.

He knew the Lieutenant would miss him. He knew he would have questions. So, as he made his way down the hall, he chronicled everything in an email to him. Connor glanced at Sumo, still sitting on his bed in the corner. Maybe he would be lucky and Hank's previous anger at him would dilute what he would feel at his loss.

Connor added both an apology and an assurance of how much he cared for the Lieutenant to the email.

He stepped out into the back yard, the soft click of the door having a haunting finality to it. An eerie calm flowed over him.

Connor looked up at the sky. It was almost fully dark now, the last rays of sunset only just visible over the treeline. The streetlights had come on, bathing the backyard in an artificial glow.

He closed his eyes.

Behind him, Connor could hear Sumo whining and scratching at the door. The perceptive dog knew something was amiss and was trying desperately to get to him.

Connor turned off his audio processors.

Now blind and deaf to the world, Connor raised the gun to his head, pressing it firmly beneath his chin. He didn't want to die, but this was the only way. He would rather die by his own hand than become CyberLife's mindless puppet.

His hand shook.

He took a breath.

He pulled the trigger.