He had deviated because he wanted to save Alice. It seemed insane to throw that away for someone he had never met (Connor was, after all, not the RK-800 prototype, no matter how similar they were). That aside, he didn't know how Hank would react to him and it turned out, Connor really didn't want to know. At least, he didn't want to right now, not when the memories were so fresh and the news so sudden.

The ride back was silent, something Connor was grateful for, as it gave him time to come up with a plan that included everything from escaping the DPD to escaping Zlatko with Alice. The biggest problem was time. He had thought he would have time. He didn't. He had to act tonight. He could not risk Zlatko killing Alice before he got there, that was no longer an acceptable outcome to him (how had he even considered it acceptable before?).

He had to leave tonight. But.

Reed had noticed that something was off about Connor after they had visited Zlatko's house. He knew that Connor had seen something and any idiot would realise there was a connection between Zlatko and an RK-900 suddenly deviating. The detective would begin his search for his missing plastic detective at Zlatko's house, which meant at best, Connor would only have the remains of that night to work with.

Connor tried to plan for every eventuality, but the more he plotted, the more he realised and accepted that saving Alice came at great risk. He didn't care. Too many Alices had already died by his hand, he wouldn't add another to the list.

After reaching the police station, Connor strode off, on the pretence of refilling the fake insulin shots.

It would take Reed ten minutes to fill out the report and then head for the changing rooms before going home. As Connor was nothing more than a machine to him, he would not wait around to say goodbye to the RK-900 prototype, so all Connor had to do around Reed was make sure that the man didn't see him acting strangely.

After those ten minutes were up, he had perhaps twenty minutes, before anyone noticed the RK-900 android was missing. Maybe thirty, if he was lucky. In that time, he would have to fetch his limited amount of possessions, place a tracker on Reed, steal the contents of Reed's wallet (and maybe other wallets, depending on whether there were witnesses or not) and steal a car (taking public transport would take too long).

Connor resisted the urge to smirk. He could accomplish all this in half the available time, easily.

After refilling the insulin shots, he strode into the changing room and found it was empty. Expected, since the nightshift had started perhaps an hour ago. He took his time to go through everyone's possessions. He had to be out before Reed headed to the changing rooms.

From every police officer, Connor stole a small amount of cash. Not all of it since he didn't want them to immediately notice the theft. If he took a fraction, the victims were very unlikely to notice anything was missing and if they did, they would just assume they had spent it on something already.

He skilfully hid the surprisingly large amount of cash in his inside coat pocket, then left with two minutes to spare. When he came to the main office area, he checked to see if any of the humans he worked with were present. If they were, he would need to create a distraction. Reed had just left his desk and was heading towards the changing rooms, which was good. Unfortunately, officers Chris Miller, Robert Lewis and Tina Chen were present, each of them people he had worked with before. If they saw him, they might approach him with additional work.

He was on a schedule; he didn't have time to be slowed down by them.

He observed the room, looking for anything he could use as a diversion. As it was the beginning of the nightshift, there were not very many people around. He could pull the fire alarm, but that was too risky, too many variables and possible outcomes. He was pleased to note however, that the holding cells had a few people in it, some outraged protestors, android huggers, forced to spend the night. Best of all, his path to them was clear, with the police officers hovering closer to the entrance or the breakroom.

He hurriedly walked over to the holding cells. The inmates shifted nervously at his approach. Was it because he was essentially a policeman or was it because he was an android famous for its inability to deviate? He decided not to entertain the thought further. Without saying a word to them, he opened every single cell, letting them out.

"Are we free to go?" one of them tried to ask him, but Connor had already turned heel and left. As expected, they started exiting, which immediately caused havoc. A policeman forced them to stop, they protestors reacted, the policemen got rough and soon, a fight had broken out. With no one able to pay attention to him, Connor slid over to his desk and collected the few items that were his. It wasn't much, so it all fitted nicely in his pockets. They consisted of unwanted things he had found at crime scenes, like a coin, a small dog keyring (its name was Sumo) or the currently much more valuable gun and bullets.

He then slid over to Reed's desk. The detective, as per habit of short-term visits to the police station, had abandoned his winter coat on his desk. Considering weather predictions and the fact that Reed didn't have other winter coats he could wear, there was a good chance Reed would be wearing this coat for the next few days.

Connor placed his hand on its collar. His hand lit up, signifying that he had successfully planted a tracker. This was a unique feature for RK-900s that most were unaware of, due to the fuss it would create about privacy and rights. It was a useful device and very helpful in investigations.

It had happened too often that the RK-800 had lost deviants in chases, despite physical confrontations. The tracker was supposed to enable RK-900s to find spotted deviants, even if the deviants succeeded in escaping. The tracking technology unfortunately did not work on lifeforms, although Connor wasn't sure if that was due to limitations of technology or by design. It certainly hadn't stopped him from finding ways to track humans.

He looked up, to see his diversion was still in full swing. None of his 'colleagues' would be at hand to question where he was going or give him additional work. He allowed himself a brief smirk, as he got to his feet and left, heading towards the garage.

Even though it was a long stretch to walk, he still came across no one, not that anyone would have stopped him. Unless they had worked with him before, people tended to avoid him. His design had been altered to make him more intimidating and it was a very successful change.

Upon getting to the garage door, Connor placed his hand on the scanner, selecting one of the cars as he did so. Since he was an android, he couldn't own a car and so, by owning nothing, he owned everything. Connor had access to all of the DPD's cars since no one could predict who he would next be driving with. An unfortunate oversight on the DPD and CyberLife's part, to allow one person so much power.

Of course, they'd had the audacity to believe they had succeeded in creating a deviancy-free android, so such an error in judgement was to be expected.

Despite temptation, Connor did not choose the flashiest or classiest car available. Or even Reed's. If he succeeded in saving Alice, he would need to be as invisible as possible, until he could establish a more stable environment for himself. So, he picked a car that officially had no owner, a car that was used for stakeouts or undercover work.

Once inside the garage, he walked over to the key locker and picked up his car's keys. Then he got in and drove away. Maybe he could have picked up a few more things while at the police station, but other than cash, he didn't need anything else for now. He checked his internal clock.

As expected, fifteen minutes had passed since he had entered the police station. Exactly half the amount of time he'd had available. It would be another ten or twenty minutes before anyone noticed his absence. Grinning, he sped off into the night, heading towards Zlatko's house.

He couldn't allow himself to celebrate his minor victory for too long. The DPD would soon notice his absence. Reed would be on his way home by now and by the time it would occur to the police to call the detective, Reed would already be asleep and once asleep, nothing and no one could wake him up. He was essentially offline until he woke up for his morning shots.

So, no one would even begin to know where to look for Connor until the next day, when Reed finally checked his phone messages. That would be around seven. Assuming he would choose to check his phone over going straight back to sleep.

So he had until 7:00:00am to fix Alice and escape Zlatko's house. It was currently a little after ten, so he had about seven hours to fix her if he wanted to escape with time to spare. Seven hours might not be enough time though. He chose not to worry about it. He would prioritise fixing her most vital parts first. Everything else he could finish later, once they were safe.

As Connor drove to Zlatko's house, he went over the plan in his head again and again, checking for any faults in his thinking. Naturally, once he was actually there, the plan would probably be thrown out the window halfway through, but if he didn't focus on his mission, he would start becoming erratic, having still not completely processed his own existence.

He needed to stay focused. Concentrated. Calculating. He didn't have time to have a meltdown over suddenly being fully aware of the world.

His first priority was locating every individual in the house, then taking them out, one by one. Ideally, he would get into the house and leave, with Alice's absence being the only sign that he had ever even been there.

Zlatko he would put to sleep with the sleeping pills he had seen in the in the kitchen cupboard, where other medication had also been stored. He would get Kara to give him drugged tea, then have both of the androids enter sleep mode with the order not to wake up until Zlatko told them to.

A good plan that allowed him hours of free movement in the house, but it hinged on the chance of each individual in the house being alone in separate rooms, with Connor able to move invisibly between them. If all three were in the same room, for example, his plan would fail before it had even begun.

He had been lucky so far. Perhaps he would be lucky again.

He didn't dare risk parking the car somewhere visible.

Thankfully, despite belonging to a neighbourhood, Zlatko lived fairly far out, a good ten minutes' drive on a road surrounded by nothing but forests. Connor could probably drive into the forest, hide the car in foliage and walk the rest of the way to Zlatko's house.

He had contemplated parking in front of Zlatko's house or parking further away, in a more public space, but if anything happened and the police began searching for him sooner than anticipated, he didn't want to lead them straight to his location. He also wanted to keep an escape vehicle at hand, something he couldn't do if the police found it first.

So, Connor kept his eyes on the road, until he found a wild part of the forest that would allow a car through. He drove into the selected forest clearing, then got out and began methodically covering the car in foliage and mud. Once done to his satisfaction, Connor placed a hand on the car's hood and placed a tracker on it, not that he lose time during an escape, because he couldn't find his getaway vehicle.

Car hidden away near Zlatko's house, Connor ran the last few hundred metres to it.

Just like that, he was back to standing before the gates. Unlike last time though, he was aware of the horrors within it. And he was deviant. He could now experience fear and dread and he certainly felt both, as he stared at the foreboding house.

He felt frozen. He knew he was strong, but Zlatko had an android that was even stronger than him. If both the AX-400 and the TR-400 attacked him, there wasn't a guarantee he could take them out and now Connor didn't just risk death… He risked being… dissected in Zlatko's dissection room. Like an animal. All while being conscious. Aware. Alive.

He permitted himself his one moment of selfishness and fear, to consider just walking away. In the end, he didn't, but he did accept that he needed to contemplate the alternative at least once and that there was a good chance he would die. Very soon. Because he was deciding to save a girl's life.

He had to save her. He had already killed so many, he had to help.

With a kick off the wall and a hand placed at the top of the gate, Connor swung himself over the garden walls and landed softly on his feet in the front garden. He had moved silently and would be surprised if anyone had noticed the quick shadow in the dark.

He was however very much aware that he needed to be very cautious, no matter how well he moved in the dark. He was still wearing his RK-900 uniform and its in-built lighting made it very hard to blend into the night. He certainly wasn't nearly as subtle as he would have liked to have been. He was just lucky Zlatko's house was not exactly surrounded by other buildings or he would have run the additional risk of a neighbour seeing him.

He observed the house, searching for darkened rooms, since he logically couldn't risk entering any lit areas. It seemed the derelict dining room was derelict for a reason. A majority of lights were lit in the Zlatko household, but the dining room was as abandoned as ever.

He walked over to the dining room's windows. From what he had seen before, based on the state of the furniture, the place was barely used. With luck, no one would notice a window breaking. The dining room had three windows, but the best one was clearly the one furthest away from other rooms.

He felt at the ledge below the selected window. He should be able to pull himself up. With one smooth motion, Connor jumped up, swung his legs up and sat crouched on the thin ledge. He could feel his artificial tendons vibrating to stay balanced. He carefully stood up, so that he had better footing, then analysed the selected window.

He had suspected as much on the ground, but he was nevertheless pleased. The window was already cracked. Analysing it provided a good idea of how the glass could break if hit in particular ways. He didn't need to completely shatter the glass, he just needed to be able to open the window. So, very carefully, he lifted up his left leg, then kicked against the lower left corner of the window. The glass shattered and he hurriedly lifted the latch, allowing himself in.

He hid under the table and waited for someone to come. No one did. He observed his surroundings. No one was there. The main hallway was lit, as was the kitchen, yet it seemed both were empty. Clearly, Zlatko did not believe in using energy sparingly. Connor moved over to the kitchen, remaining in a low crouch. He very quietly and very slowly opened the door and peaked inside.

Kara was there, cleaning. Her LED was yellow. Odd, but Connor didn't spare it another thought. He looked around the kitchen but didn't see anywhere he could hide. He would have to make do with staying in the dining room.

The next part was easy. He had heard Zlatko speak more than often enough to mimic his voice. Hidden just out of sight, he opened his mouth and spoke "Kara, be a lamb and put some sleeping pills in my tea, would you? The fast-acting stuff, I don't want to spend another hour awake. Oh, and when you bring it to me, tell me you made me tea and that I should drink it to stay hydrated, as I have not taken in enough fluids today. Ok?"

"Yes, of course Zlatko," Kara answered in her monotone voice, the LED flushing blue. Connor frowned. He had only ever seen her once. He'd seen a little of her through Alice's memories. It was enough for him to know that the monotone voice did not suit her and it made him uncomfortable. He was powerless to change anything though (he lied to himself).

Kara left the dishes and put the kettle on. Once the tea was made, she went over to the cupboard and took out the drugs. Connor observed how many sleeping pills she dissolved in the tea and frowned when it turned out she was putting in the minimal doses.

"Oh Kara~ Put in the maximum doses, please!"

"Yes, of course Zlatko," Kara repeated.

"And send Luther to the dining room. Tell him to wait by the door for me," Connor instructed. He quickly hid behind the dining table and waited. Moments later, she walked through the derelict dining room with a tray of drugged tea. He watched her leave.

Then screaming started. Horrible, horrific screaming. Female. Upstairs. Dissection room. Connor fought the instinct to go upstairs and aid the victim. He was here for Alice. Saving someone else meant dooming Alice. Alice had to live. (But was this the right choice to make?)

He couldn't kill Zlatko. The police would be at this house the next day. If they found him dead, the android-hunt for Connor would be worse. It decreased the chances of other deviants in his vicinity living, as they would inevitably be found while the police were looking for him. So no. He had to stick to the plan. The screaming and wailing continued. Luther entered the dining room.

"Luther," Connor spoke, using Zlatko's voice. "Go into sleep mode. Don't wake up, until I tell you to."

"Yes, Zlatko," Luther replied, in a voice as dead as Kara's. He closed his eyes, his head hung a little lower and just like that, Luther was 'asleep'. In a sense.

Connor got out of his hiding place and dared to look up the stairs. Kara was just coming downstairs, though she couldn't see him, even in the light. Her eyes were too dark for her to see much at all. It seemed Zlatko's "modification" of her was now coming at a price.

The screaming stopped, but it wasn't that much of a comfort, as it was followed by someone sobbing. Zlatko must have stopped to drink his tea. Good. As Kara came down the stairs, Connor moved around the edge of the room, so that he would end up behind her. As she walked towards the kitchen, Connor leaned close and whispered "Kara. Come to the dining room and enter sleep mode next to Luther. Do not wake up until I tell you to."

"Of course, Zlatko," Kara replied. Connor watched her halt, then head back to the dining room, taking her place next to Luther. Good, both androids were out now.

He entered the main hallway, sliding the doors to the dining room shut. No need for them to intervene, should the next step go wrong.

Connor calmly walked up the stairs, looking frequently to the dissection room, fully aware of the soft sobbing echoing from it. Everything had gone well so far, he wouldn't let his emotions get in his way. Once by the door, he peaked in, leaning in just far enough to observe the room

His LED changed to yellow, blinking red. Zlatko had an android strapped down and had been burning it, while it was alive. He had also taken the limbs and stretched them out as far as possible, with only wiring keeping everything connected. The android was still sobbing, begging quietly for mercy that would never come.

Zlatko sat in a chair opposite the android, tea empty. He had just gotten to his feet to continue working, but then slumped forward instead.

"Ugh. No… No, I think I'm done here for the night. Kara! Kara! Tidy up!" Zlatko ordered, as he stood up, swaying a little.

"Yes, Zlatko," Connor answered, as he hid behind a bookshelf. Zlatko stormed out of the room, down the hall and into another room. Connor followed him, peeking in. It was a bedroom. Zlatko pulled out a book from his bookshelf, muttering "Just need a break. Then I can continue…"

He then settled onto his bed, opened the book (Alice in Wonderland, it seemed to be) and began reading. Fifteen minutes later, Zlatko was fast asleep, book on his chest as he snored. Connor allowed himself a brief smile of victory. With all three occupants taken out of action, Connor had free reign over the house.