Chapter Fifteen
Whenever Wren returned to Prometheus, it left Connor in a world of worry. There was no telling how long she would be gone, or if she would ever come back. He sprawled on his bed and put on Wren's headphones. Holding Wren's iPod over his face, he scrolled through her playlists. He needed to hear from her, to feel like she was there, to understand her heart a little better. She once told him that music was a way of communicating things that words couldn't. So, he shuffled her playlist titled, "wow that's me."
A slow piano started, and Connor's metal heart felt hollower than a lead pipe. He hoped the rest of her playlist contained some happy songs. As the artist sang, Connor's heart sank deeper into his chest until he felt as if the wires in his body choked it.
Who do you call when you need some help?
Who do you call when you by yourself?
Who do you call when you feel down low?
It pained Connor to think about how much Wren fought their battle with Prometheus alone. The monster she faced in her apartment were just a snippet of what she must face within the walls of Prometheus. Whenever she entered their walls, how many wolves did she face? How many teeth did she shy away from? How much weight did she carry?
…
Connor paced Markus's office while North sat on the edge of Markus's desk. Markus seated himself on one of the couches in front of the desk, his hands clasped in front of him. Josh leaned against the wall with his arms folded.
"A week," Connor iterated, "a week. She's never been gone this long."
"Maybe they had a mission for her," shrugged North. But the wrinkle of her brow shattered any illusion of nonchalance.
"She went to gather resources for her current mission. Why would they send her on another? It has to be because she broke their rules. They must think she's conspiring with us."
Markus frowned. "And Kamski finished making some tech that would help track her…"
"He's too late," Connor snapped.
"What about Rhett?" Josh suggested. "He has access to Prometheus in ways we don't. Maybe he could check on her."
Connor stopped pacing. "What if we're too late—"
"Connor, we're doing everything we can. Wren can handle herself—"
"She shouldn't have to. She's alone, and I hate feeling so helpless." Connor lowered his gaze.
North puckered her brow. "I hate it, too. Rhett said he's been conducting a covert investigation. Maybe he'll find where they're located. When he does, we can get Wren out."
"No news might be a good sign," said Josh. "I feel like we'd know if Wren were dead."
Connor worked his jaw. "Unless they don't kill her—"
"Connor, you're torturing yourself. I'll contact Rhett and get him to check on Wren, okay? There's nothing we can do until we get word."
Connor opened his mouth to combat Markus's reason, but his phone buzzed. He checked it and deflated.
"What's wrong?" North scowled.
"It's Tina," Connor muttered. He pocketed his phone. "More bodies were just discovered."
The three leaders of Jericho deflated and shook their heads. North's disappointment quickly hardened into a scowl. "Fuck whoever this asshole is. He wants to stall progress, but he can't stop what we've started."
Markus rubbed his brow. "Well, whoever's doing this is managing to stir up the public."
"Yeah, I've been managing the media to the best of my ability, but last week's crime at the church… There's no hiding that." Josh sank onto the couch beside Markus.
Connor's eyes flitted over his friends. They all looked exhausted, which suggested that none of them had entered standby in a while.
"It doesn't help that we're trying to get representatives in Congress so that we can garner more rights."
"And more and more androids want to get married," said North. "We can work and get paid, and even own property to an extent, but… There are still humans that hate us."
"There will always be humans that hate us," said Connor. "But there will also always be humans that care."
North nodded. "I know. But the ones who do hate us are vocal, and are gaining more power."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Connor furrowed his brow.
"You have enough to worry about," Markus turned his heterochromatic eyes to Connor. "Focus on saving Wren and catching this killer."
Connor dipped his head. "Then I better get to the crime scene."
He left his friends and took an autotaxi to the crime scene, where he found Tina, Gavin and Chris already investigating. Chris greeted Connor at the holographic police tape.
"Two bodies, same M.O. But they're staged again."
Connor pushed through the hologram and followed Chris into the house. Upon setting eyes on the crime scene, Connor raised his eyebrows and gaped a little. It looked like a scene from a movie set in the 1950s, except the décor did not quite match. The human male wore 50s attire and slumped at the kitchen table. Blood pooled on the floor from his torn throat. The android female wore 50s attire as well, and the killer even took the time to style her hair and makeup to match the era. Although dead, she stood upright, one foot in front of the other, as if frozen mid-step. She held a dinner plate with the human male's torn throat in the center. Her thirium pump regulator sat beside the shreds of human skin.
Gavin folded his arms as he eyed the crime scene. "Well, he spent a long time with them."
Connor inched closer to the dead android.
scanning Processing… Complete
[Makeup, applied approximately 7 hours ago]
[No fingerprints]
[Android victim applied herself?]
Connor drew back, his brow puckering. "I think she applied her makeup before the murder."
"Wait, so, she did her hair and makeup like this and then…" Tina stared at the grisly scene with wide eyes.
Connor stepped around the android and glanced at the dead human. "Whoever is doing this hacked the android prior to the murder, made her do this to herself and then that."
"They were dressed after, though," said Gavin. "They weren't killed here."
"Yeah, it looks like it happened in the living room," said Chris, looking a little green.
Connor nodded. He suspected as much, judging by the trails of red and blue blood. Their clothes looked too clean for them to have died in them, too.
"How'd the killer get her to stand like that?" Tina whispered.
Connor looked at the android. "Android bodies don't always go quite so limp when they're shut down. But they usually don't stand like this, either."
Connor crouched to look at her feet. He flattened his lips. The android wore oxford shoes, covering most of her feet. But a little splatter of blue blood caught Connor's eye. Frowning, he peeled back the tongue of the left shoe. Peeking out of the android's foot was the top of a large nail. Connor straightened.
"She was nailed to the floor."
"Jesus Christ," Gavin muttered. "This guy's a real sicko."
Connor ventured into the living room, where the murder obviously happened. Signs of a struggle littered the room with broken pieces of furniture and decorative pieces. The human tried to fight his android lover off, but she prevailed.
scanning Processing… Complete [Reconstruct]
Connor followed the outlines of the two figures to the front of the room. The female android came from upstairs, holding a pair of scissors. The human greeted her, but she slashed the scissors, slicing open the man's arm. He knocked the scissors from the android's grip. She immediately attacked, and the human defended himself. Lipstick smeared the wall from where it transferred from the fight. The human broke a vase over the android, but she continued her advance. She placed a well-aimed punch and knocked the human over. He backed away and kicked the coffee table forward to stagger the android. She pushed it out of the way, grabbed a statuette off the mantle and hit the human with it. Then, she straddled him and ripped out his throat with her bare hands. When the human slackened, the android ripped out her own thirium pump regulator and collapsed onto the floor beside her lover.
Connor withdrew from the reconstruction. "They were killed about seven hours ago. Who discovered the bodies?"
"The neighbor," said Tina. "They had dinner plans, apparently."
Connor furrowed his brow. "The killer would've needed a bit of time to set up the scene. He did this in the middle of the day, and no one saw anything?"
"We haven't gotten a chance to talk to neighbors yet," said Chris.
"How'd the killer manage to dress both of them, drag their bodies, stage them, clean up any evidence that he was here, and leave all by himself?" Tina demanded.
Gavin pinched his nose. "I mean, I'm in shape, but dressing two limp bodies? I'd be exhausted."
"So, we are looking for a group?" Chris glanced at the bloody scene, color draining from his face.
"This just reaffirms that we're looking for Typhon," muttered Tina. Her hands slapped to her sides. "We have to be. No way a human could do this on his own."
Connor wrinkled his brow. "Why would they dress the victims in 1950s attire?"
"It's a statement," said Gavin. "An android and a human can't reproduce, so they're resisting the nuclear family ideals."
"The killers are calling android-human relationships a mockery of traditional families," added Tina.
"Oh." Connor raised his eyebrows, impressed with his team.
Chris thumped Connor's back. "Let's go question some neighbors."
They stepped outside while Tina and Gavin wrapped up inside. Most of the neighbors had already gathered outside to rubberneck, which made questioning them more accessible. Many of the neighbors did not know much, just that the couple was quiet and kept to themselves, and that no one saw anything. One couple, however, reported seeing a van parked outside of the house for a few hours.
"A van?" Chris queried. "Did anyone catch the plate?"
"What do we look like, cops?" snorted one man. His wife elbowed him in his belly. She shot Connor an apologetic glance.
"They looked like any generic carpet cleaners," she said. "I didn't think anything of it."
Connor glanced at Chris before returning his attention to the woman. "They?"
"Yeah, they were just a typical cleaning crew. Four—maybe five—people?"
Chris's eyebrows shot up. "Did you recognize the brand?"
"No." The woman shook her head. "A lot of people around here use Aaron's Carpet and Janitorial Services, but… This company wasn't them. I can't remember their name… Chet's Cleaning, maybe."
Connor immediately scanned the name.
Processing… Complete
[Chet's Cleaning, 2 locations]
"The nearest one's in Warrendale," Connor announced.
"You can figure that out just by blinking?" The woman widened her eyes at Connor before she looked him over.
He dipped his head. "Correct."
The woman's lips quirked. "If I think of anything else, can I call you?"
Chris snorted.
Her husband gaped at her. "Really, Kelly?"
The woman, Kelly, rolled her eyes. "Phil, you read into everything!"
"Because you flirt with everything!"
The couple turned their attention onto one another, their bickering rising to such a volume that they failed to hear Chris's "Thank you for your cooperation."
Chris snickered as he and Connor returned to the squad cars. Connor squinted. "I didn't feel like she was flirting with me."
"She wasn't very much until the end. She came off pretty strong there."
Connor glanced back at her. "She's human."
"Yeah?"
Connor frowned. "I believe the only other human to show interest in me was Wren."
Chris raised his eyebrows. "I guarantee that you're wrong about that. You're a good-looking guy. I'm pretty sure I've noticed people checking you out. Maybe you've just never noticed."
"I'm supposed to notice even the smallest details—"
"At a crime scene, maybe," Chris shrugged, "but when it comes to interest? You're just as oblivious as all us humans."
Connor's lips quirked. "Hank told me once that I look goofy and have a weird voice."
"That's Hank showing affection."
Connor's smirk widened. "I know."
Chris grinned. It faded after a moment. "We should get back to work."
Connor's shoulders slumped. "You're right. I'll call and check with Chet's Cleaning Company to see if they've had a van stolen or go missing."
"Good thinking."
…
Even with their first real lead, the team seemed low. After examining the crime scene, Connor, Tina, Gavin, and Chris felt drained. Hank followed up on the van, found that Chet's indeed was missing a van, but it had been reported weeks ago. They reached another dead end. After looking over the newest crime scene photos, Hank called it a day for everyone.
Hank remained quiet on the drive home. Knights of the Black Death blared in the car, rattling the windows with the volume. Connor fiddled with his quarter, trying to ignore Hank's apparent sour mood. But once they reached home, Connor caught the sad crinkle of Hank's eyes and deflated.
"Is something wrong, Hank?"
Hank slowed as he pulled a container of leftovers out of the fridge. He scooped the cold food into a bowl and placed it in the microwave before answering. "Guess I'm just disturbed by these murders."
Connor folded his arms. "We aren't getting anywhere with this investigation—"
"It's not that," Hank sighed. "I mean, yeah, that's frustrating, but… I don't know, kid. They're just motivated by such hatred. And every time we look at a new crime scene, I can't help but see…" Hank trailed off. His bottom lip trembled and he scowled, shuffling his body away from Connor to focus on the microwave.
"See what?" Connor pressed.
"I look at those victims, and I see you and Wren. Or Tina and Chloe."
Connor could no longer see Hank's face, but heard the waver in his father's voice.
"Oh."
Hank jerked open the microwave before it beeped and placed the hot bowl on the counter. "I know you guys would never be victims, but… I still can't help but see you guys. I care about all you kids, and I never want you guys to face this hatred just because you're in love." Hank shook his head and sniffed as he stirred his food around. Steam curled into his face. "Guess I've got an extra level of empathy for these victims."
Connor furrowed his brow. "I understand."
"I'm sorry, kid. I don't wanna worry you. You've got enough on your mind."
Connor worked his jaw. "I'm alright. The case provides a good distraction, if a distressing one."
"Yeah…" The slight narrow of Hank's eyes told Connor that he didn't quite believe Connor.
"I'm going to walk Sumo, if that's alright."
"Go ahead."
Connor brought Wren's iPod with him and gripped Sumo's leash in his other hand with tighter grip than necessary.
Come hold me down, I've gone too far
These heavy words, your open heart
Wren's glare burned his processor. The way she adamantly opposed Connor going undercover with her stung, but what hurt worse was the way she did it. She used her getting shot to dissuade him. She took that bullet for him to save his life, because yes, they were uncovered rather quickly. She nearly died because she loved him and that love bled through the cracks of her undercover persona. She took that bullet to save him, and she used it against him. Some part of him knew that Wren must be scared for herself but also for him. But didn't she know that if she went undercover by herself, she'd be in more danger than she could imagine? Did she know how much that would torment him?
Connor reached the top of the hill. Sumo panted and sniffed at a patch of grass.
Is the world we save getting in our ways?
Heaviness gripped Connor's chest. Even if they managed to dismantle Prometheus, would the world accept them? Even if Wren were free from the talons of Prometheus, would she be free from the gnashing teeth of anti-android wolves? All he wanted was for them to be a normal couple for once. He wanted to take Wren on dates, and cuddle in bed, or even express their love openly. He wanted to hold her hand without Prometheus putting a knife to her throat. He wanted to kiss her without fearing 06 punching Wren in the mouth for it. He just wanted to be with her freely, but it seemed as though they couldn't even have that.
Connor returned home feeling as if his thirium had hardened into cold stone. He nodded to Hank, who sat on the couch watching TV. After feeding Sumo, Connor headed for the bathroom. Perhaps the hot water would soothe him. As the water sluiced down his freckled skin and flattened his hair to his forehead, his mind drifted from Wren to the case. Shoulders curling forward and bowing his head, Connor closed his eyes. He was supposed to be able to accomplish any mission, but he couldn't even find a serial killer. This case just led to dead end after dead end. His investigation into Prometheus led to even more dead ends. Everything he tried to do led to a fucking dead end. These cases hollowed him out with their claws.
With a brisk flick of his wrists, Connor shut off the water. After getting dressed, he shuffled to his bedroom and laid down.
˄Level of Stress: 65%
He sighed to ventilate his systems, but his stress levels only decreased by a measly percentage. He needed to go into stasis. The emotional toll the past several days had taken on him overheated his systems. His processor logged his last stasis rest as two and a half weeks ago. He hadn't even gone into stasis when Wren spent the night, as much as he'd wanted to. He knew she'd been scared, so he stayed up all night in case anything happened. He hadn't slept since Wren left.
|Enter stasis mode?|
Yes
No
|Yes|
His eyes flickered open. Snowflakes caught on his eyelashes. He blinked them away and sat up, clumps of snow collapsing off of him. If he had breath, it would've hitched. He was in the Zen Garden.
Connor used the stone, his emergency exit, to stand. The handprint no longer glowed blue. He looked around. The air was still and dry. Snow glittered on the ground. He hugged himself and stepped around debris of fallen branches from the blizzard. Connor refused to step on the ice, even though it looked intact. He crossed over the bridge, but his footsteps faltered.
Amanda stood with her back to him, brushing the pads of her fingers along the crystallized roses. She sighed. "Oh, they're ruined… All ruined… I'll have to start over."
Connor squinted at her. "Amanda?"
Amanda turned, cradling a frozen rose. "Connor. It's good to see you."
Flicking his eyes around the destructed Zen Garden, Connor took a moment to find the right words. "What am I doing here?"
Amanda traced a finger along the frosted edges of a petal with a smooth mask of indifference. "We have to start over. You failed your mission."
The thirium in Connor's artificial veins ran colder than the frozen pond. "N-no, I'm a deviant. You're gone. I used the exit—"
Amanda smirked. "Yes, you did. Very clever." She crushed the rose petals in one of her hands. Flakes of crystals and petals drifted to the ground. "But I was in your head, Connor." Her smile was sharp. "Can you ever be rid of me?"
Connor gasped as he withdrew from stasis, kicking off the covers as his thirium pump thrashed. Gripping the sides of his head, he took several breaths. She wasn't real. It was just a nightmare. Still, that did not fully comfort Connor.
…
After work, Connor went to Jericho to hang out. He needed out of the house and in the comfort of his android friends, those who understood the hyper-realism of android dreams. When he arrived, Markus and North were busy in their respective offices, but Josh's door stood ajar. Connor knocked firmly.
"Come in," called Josh.
Connor pushed the door open and sidled inside Josh's cozy office. Josh sat at the semi-circle sofa in the corner of the room, reading. He glanced up and smiled as Connor sat down across from him.
"Hey. Wasn't expecting you today."
Connor managed a quirk of his lips. "I need to get out more."
Josh puffed out his cheeks. "Yeah, I'd say we all do."
"What are you reading?"
"King Lear," said Josh, lifting the book. "It's one of my favorites by Shakespeare."
Connor squinted at the book and scanned it. He raised his eyebrows. "It's a tragedy?"
"Yeah," said Josh. He smiled sheepishly. "I like the tragedies more than the comedies, but both have their merits."
"I don't think reading a tragedy would do me any good right now."
"Yeah, I wouldn't," agreed Josh.
Connor met Josh's gaze after a moment. "Do you know anything about mind palaces or A.I. handlers?"
Josh raised his eyebrows. "Uh, not much. Why?"
Connor tucked his chin and rubbed his palms together. "Have any deviants reverted back to their pre-deviancy selves?"
"Not that I've heard of. In fact, most deviants seem to deviate more from programming and develop into individuals… The only ones who revert are forced to by being reset. Why?"
Connor squished his eyebrows together. "Nothing, I… I just had a dream. It seemed so real…"
"Well, from what I understand of human dreams, they're compiled by the brain from a mixture of forgotten memories and things experienced that day, including thoughts. Their brains are fascinating—the amount of their mental capacity that is just untapped is astounding—and studying human psychology helps us understand android psychology. Humans don't always remember all of their dreams. A lot of things are subconscious. If their dreams are based off all that, think about what android dreams can do. I mean, our memories are more accurate and photorealistic because we can record what we see. Usually there's some static, but… For the most part, we remember things exactly as they happened. When we enter stasis, our processors are free to do their own thing. I hear dreaming is more common in deviants who've either been deviants a long time or are more comfortable in their deviancy. Really, having dreams is a good thing, Connor. Anyway, the short answer is that androids tend to have hyper-realistic dreams because of our ability to recall memories with near-perfect accuracy."
Connor said nothing for several seconds. Josh cringed.
"Sorry I rambled."
Connor shook his head. "No, that was helpful. Thank you."
Josh relaxed. "Sure thing. If you want, I can lend you some books—"
"Ready to watch the news, nerd?" North leaned against the doorframe. Her eyes stretched upon seeing Connor. "Hey. We didn't know you were coming."
"I'm sorry for dropping in unannounced," Connor stiffened his posture.
North waved him off. "You're always welcome here. As long as you don't mind watching the news. We like to do that as a group each night."
"I don't mind."
While Josh turned on the TV in his office, Markus strode in looking a little tired. He still smiled at Connor, though. The four of them squeezed together in the corner of Josh's office. Most of the local news was rather uninteresting, until Rosanna Cartland announced the very case Connor and his team were working on.
"Previously thought to be suspicious circumstances, it is now clear that these deaths are the work of a serial killer rampant in Detroit," stated Rosanna. Connor worked his jaw. "Just yesterday two more bodies were found. The victims are all involved in an android-human cross-species relationship. Many are speculating that this killer is trying to make a statement against these types of relationships."
The screen cut to interviews of some of the neighbors of the most recent victims.
One man said, "It's not natural. I mean, people are still getting used to them being alive, and now people are wanting to get married to them? A human and an android… It goes against biology, ya know? They're a different species."
Connor raised his eyebrows as he recognized Phil. "The last thing humanity needs is a bunch of socketfu—" The cast bleeped out Phil's vulgar language. The screen cut back to Rosanna.
"Public support of android-human relationships has decreased within the past few weeks, especially since these murders. With human birthrates lower than they've ever been, are android-human relationships really what the world needs?"
North shut off the TV. "Oh, fuck them. Mouth-breathers."
Connor's chest tightened. He felt the Jericho leaders' eyes on him.
"North's right," said Josh. "The media always demonizes things they don't understand."
"I'm sorry, did you just agree with me?" North grinned.
Josh rolled his eyes. "You are such a toothache."
"You don't even know what a toothache feels like."
"I don't have to know because I know you're the epitome of a toothache."
"Guys," snapped Markus.
Connor tried to smile, but the corners of his mouth barely twitched. "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been much fun lately."
"You say that like you were ever much fun."
"North!"
But the jest actually prodded a weak smile out of Connor. He met North's gaze. "If you're a toothache, then I must be the equivalent of a parasite."
North smirked. "Yep, you can suck the fun right out of any room." She reached out and took his hands. "Seriously though, you shouldn't feel bad. You need to talk to someone. We're here."
Connor looked away from her. "I keep thinking that once we get Wren out of Prometheus, that everything will be fine and we can move on. But it looks like we won't get that." His eyes flashed to the black screen of the TV.
"Fuck them. Don't worry about that obstacle just yet. Prometheus is our biggest obstacle. Focus on getting Wren out."
"We contacted Rhett by the way," said Josh. "He said he'd check on her."
Connor nodded. North squeezed his hands and released them. "Look, if you guys can survive this Prometheus bullshit, you can survive anything."
"If we survive all of this. Part of me wonders if we will."
"You will," Markus assured him. "There was a time when we couldn't see a future for androids, and all I saw was death and destruction. All I saw were our struggles. Now look at us. We've got a long way to go, but we've come so far. I know this seems impossible now, but you'll get through it. We all will."
Connor nodded and cracked a smile, though Markus's speech failed to truly rouse him. "Thank you." He stood to leave.
"I'll walk you out," North offered, standing with him. The two of them trekked down the hall. A few androids lingered outside North's office. North glanced at Connor. "Mind if I handle this really quick?"
"Of course not."
North paused by the androids. "Is this an emergency?"
"No," said one of the androids. "We just wanted to see if you could help us find jobs."
North sighed. "Guys, it's after hours. I'll help you first thing in the morning. That's more of Josh's forte anyway."
"Of course. Thank you." The androids sidled past North. One shot a passing glance at Connor before doing a double take.
Immediately, the android's face contorted. "Deviant hunter." He spat on the floor.
Connor flinched but said nothing. North, however, was not silent.
"How dare you?" she snarled. "I don't ever want to hear you say something like that to one of our people again, do you understand?"
Without waiting for a response, North stormed toward the elevator. Connor followed her, averting the androids' eyes. North got on the elevator with Connor and jabbed a button that took them to the roof. They stepped out onto the roof, which was decorated with string lights and outdoor furniture. North trekked to one of the railings and looked out at the city.
"I come here a lot when I need to think," she muttered. Her eyes flicked to Connor, who took in the glittering and neon lights of Detroit. It reminded him of his chats with Wren on the roof of the precinct. "You okay? You seem really down. I mean, besides the whole Wren and Prometheus situation. And don't say nothing's wrong, because your LED was red when that guy yelled at you, and it's yellow now."
Connor sighed and gripped the rail, glancing down at the ground far below. "I have a lot on my mind."
"I've got time. Come on, Connor."
Connor bowed his head. He didn't know where to start. "I feel like everything is going wrong. With the case, with Prometheus, with—" Connor stopped himself.
North glanced at him. "With… Wren?"
Connor pursed his lips and squeezed his eyes shut. "Every piece of evidence we have for the case leads us nowhere, and I feel like watching the video files are getting us nowhere with Prometheus, and Wren…" Connor inhaled. "I want things to go back to normal. But I can't help but feel that even if we get her out, that things won't go back to normal. People won't accept a human and an android. Even when this is all over, Wren and I won't be able to have a normal relationship. We'll have to keep fighting. I'm even sure if Wren wants a normal relationship."
"Well, it's a good thing you both are fighters."
"I'm tired of fighting."
North sighed. "Look, I sort of know where you're coming from. During the revolution, Markus had feelings for me and Simon. He was really conflicted. And when Simon died-" Connor bowed his head- "I think Markus drew closer to me out of grief. Also out of fear because the revolution was an incredibly stressful time. And then when it was a success, Markus and I weren't much of anything. He felt guilty, like he was betraying Simon. I think he would've chosen Simon over me." North stared ahead. Connor's eyes flicked to her and his heart tightened at the sad smile contouring North's face. "I'm not easy to love."
"Markus never loved you less than Simon. He loved both of you. And he still loves you. He's told me that."
North's smile brightened. "Thank you, Connor." She straightened. "What I was trying to get at was that after the Liberation, we had a lot of healing to do. We had to figure out who we were when weren't constantly fighting for our lives. You and Wren are fighting right now. You're fighting to save her; she's fighting to save you and her own life… There's no doubt that you'll have a lot of healing and figuring out to do, but you'll get through it. It's almost like falling in love again." North's expression softened with tenderness. Then, she perked up. "As for your case, at least you might be going undercover—"
"That's another thing bothering me," Connor interrupted, turning away from the rail, "Wren didn't want me to go undercover with her. I understand she's scared—"
"Connor, you're going to be infiltrating a staunchly anti-android terrorist group. Of course Wren's scared."
Connor flared his nostrils and folded his arms. "I'm tired of her treating me like I'm helpless—"
"Have you ever considered that maybe she's not just scared for your safety?"
Wrinkling his brow, Connor looked over his shoulder at North. "What do you mean?"
North shrugged. "Wren is probably going to have to act like the people you're infiltrating. Which means she's going to have to play the part of someone pretty monstrous. Wren's always said she was good at her job. Maybe she's scared you'll see a side to her that she doesn't like to show."
Connor blinked. He looked away from North, and the wrinkle of his brow slackened slightly. He squinted at her. "Did you talk to her?"
"No." North's tone sharpened. She avoided meeting Connor's gaze. "Ever since we've looked into her past, I feel like I understand Wren a bit more. She and I have a lot in common, and I know how I'd feel if Markus saw who I used to be."
Connor lowered his head. He understood—before his deviancy, he did some bad things. He doubted that he would be proud to show the machine he used to be to Wren. Connor lifted his head and let out a strained breath. The stars sparkled above him. "There are so many things I want to talk to Wren about, but I can't even do that. I can't tell her I love her without Prometheus punishing her for it."
North huffed as she stood by him. "Yeah, fuck them. I don't think we need to watch those videos anymore. We have enough to launch an investigation. I say we use Elijah's tech and have Wren really bring Prometheus down from the inside out. Elijah just needs to hurry up and finish."
"If it's not too late."
"Why would it be?"
Connor rubbed the back of his neck. "Wren and I kissed."
North scowled at him. "And you think it's too late because…?"
"Prometheus didn't want her reconciling with us, remember?"
"Well, yeah, but… It doesn't make sense for them to pull her from this case because of a kiss. I'm sure you're overthinking. Besides, we've got Rhett. Even if Prometheus is trying to keep Wren away from us, we've got an ally in the CIA. Wren's not gone from us forever, okay?" North patted Connor on the back. He managed a small smile.
"You're probably right."
"That's usually the case."
"Thank you, North."
"Anytime."
…
|Enter stasis mode?|
Yes
No
|Yes|
The Zen Garden bloomed with pink. Flowers fluttered in the breeze and caught in Connor's hair like flakes of snow. He shook the curly petals loose, darting his eyes about the mind palace.
˄Level of Stress: 66%
Amanda stood with her back to him as she pruned the roses snaked around the white lattice. With each snip of her shears, Connor's stress levels rose. He said nothing. Amanda knew he was there.
She caressed a rose and turned. The sunlight harshened the contours of her face. "Hello, Connor. I have someone I'd like you to meet."
Connor followed the extension of Amanda's arm until he laid eyes on the someone. He gasped and backed away with quick, jerky steps. It was the thing from Wren's nightmares. The faceless creature, the naked, faceless man that called itself Prometheus. This was how Wren's stress manifested her fears of Prometheus. This monster.
Its arms were too long and too angled. It walked toward Connor with jagged, jerky steps. Connor took a deep breath to ventilate his systems.
"Neither of you are real. You're just manifestations of my stress."
"Of course we're real, Connor," purred Amanda. She placed a hand on Prometheus's bony shoulder blades. "You're scared because we exist. Maybe in another form, but we're here because you're afraid."
Connor parted his lips and shook his head. "N-no—"
"Sooner or later, I'm going to catch you in your waking world," Amanda promised. Her nails trailed from the top of Prometheus's head down its spine, like some bizarre pet. "And Prometheus is hungry for Wren. It'd be a pity if you got swallowed because of her."
…
When Connor and Tina arrived at the location of the missing van, two full weeks had passed since Wren returned to Prometheus. Connor's worry lurked in the back of his processor, but he managed to focus his attention on finding this van, the one the neighbors saw at the most recent murder.
"Damn it," Tina growled as they approached. Connor deflated, too. The outside of the van appeared scorched and stripped. Still, they searched the inside.
scanProcessing… Complete
[Traces of sodium hypochlorite detected]
[Inside of van was burned]
Connor flattened his lips and shook his head at Tina.
"Fuck!" She folded her arms. "So they cleaned and torched it. They really didn't want us to find any evidence."
Connor nodded, circling the perimeter. "They never leave evidence, except for that partial shoeprint one time."
"How are they this good?" Tina rubbed her brow.
Connor scrunched his brow. "Practice?"
Tina snorted, then widened her eyes. "Wait, that's actually smart. We need to look into other crimes with similar M.O.'s."
"I'm pretty sure there haven't been any murders like these—"
"No, I mean petty stuff. Android hacking prior to the Liberation."
Connor scowled. "I doubt that list is small."
Tina's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"It's still worth a look," Connor reassured her. He frowned at the crime scene. The way these killers were so precise, so exact, and left no evidence behind, it almost seemed too perfect. If crime could be perfect.
…
Later that evening, Connor met with Rhett in The Void. Connor barely secured the door before rounding on Rhett and demanding, "Is Wren okay?"
"I didn't get to see her," said Rhett. Connor's heart stuttered. Rhett held up a hand. "Before you panicking, they assured me that she was okay. Everything was super hush-hush, and I didn't go inside or anything—"
Connor frowned. "You know where Prometheus is, don't you?"
Rhett blanched. "I mean, I've been inside—"
"But you don't have to be unconscious when you go in or out."
"No."
Connor scowled. "And you haven't said anything? We've been here trying to figure out where Wren is and how to save her, and you've known all along?"
"Hold on," snapped Rhett, "we haven't been trying to figure out where she is. We've been trying to find ways to take down Prometheus for good."
"Because that's all that's mattered to you. You don't care about saving Wren. You just care about your mission." Connor stood toe to toe with Rhett. Even though the CIA agent was taller than Connor by a couple of inches, Connor still managed to seem dangerous. His lip curled and his eyes narrowed. Rhett stepped back.
"Don't you dare accuse me of not caring for Wren," he seethed quietly. "I've known her longer than you. I went there for her. I'm trying to bring Prometheus down so that she can live a quiet life without them breathing down her neck. I'm trying to dismantle Prometheus so that she can come home to you. I don't give a shit about you. I give a shit about her, and for some reason, she cares a hell of a lot for you. So fuck you."
Connor clenched his jaw and curled his fingers into his palms. He glanced away from Rhett. His face tingled with heat. "Oh."
"Whatever. We don't have to be friends. Wren'll be back in a week."
Connor nodded, still avoiding Rhett's gaze. He'd never let his emotions overcome him like that normally. What was wrong with him?
…
|Enter stasis mode?|
Yes
No
|Yes|
"Hurry, Connor. There's little time."
The Zen Garden flickered with static. The trees burned. Fire curled in an amber blaze toward the red sky. Smoke clogged the air. The Garden burned, and the flames flickered like autumn leaves.
H̠͇̖̱ͅur̫͈r͚y̭ͅ,̟̬̻͙̥̦ ̯͚C̯ọnn͖͇͍̦͔̮̭o͚̣̣̟̩r͈͈̬̬̻̝̱.̺͚͎̭̖ͅ ͇͖̱͖T͈͍͈̘h̘̬͇̞̝͈e̻͎͉r̹͙͈̱͎͉e̦͚̬̣̞̗̘'͇̞̻̮͖s͉ ͙̟l̰i̫̖t͍̣t̪̝l̩̬̱̟e͔̳̞̭͈ͅ ̥̘̠͚͍t͍̲̞i̮m̟ͅe̳̟̜̦̜͉.̬͕ ̣
Connor trudged forward, shielding his eyes from smoke and stray sparks. His footsteps brought him upon the bridge, toward the center of the Zen Garden.
H̻̖̲͙u͇̳͚͈͔r̵r͖̼̭y,̡̻̥̪̬̟͖̻ ̛̦̩̲̠̱̙͙C̣̫̞̤̺̙ͅo͙͞n̝̫̻̪͘n̖̞o҉͍̪̲͉ŕ̥̣̙.̵̘ ҉͕The̸͚͍̘re͍̦̣̻'̠̼͘s̖̣̫̠̣̻ ̶͙̼̟͕̼̬l̦̘͎̜̥͔̞i̳͔͜ͅt́tl͖̳̰̙e̳̖̖̞͜ ͚̝̣̻ţ̥̗̦̝͔i̶̖͚̩̫̙̲ͅm̺͍̜̙e̯̮̪̹̦̠.̧͓ ̺͔
Scooping up a glint of silver, Connor paused at the center of the Zen Garden. He turned over a pair of shears. His brow puckered.
Prometheus, now on all fours with limbs at unnatural angles like a spider, scuttled toward him. It tilted its face at him. Connor stared down at it.
H̵͚̤̟͉͈̟͂̉ͪu̟̻͉̰ͣͩ͂͛ͫͣ͘r̷̍͂̾r̨̹͓͎͖y̲͖̮͔̣ͨ͌͒̅͟, ̸̤̙̪͕ͯ͒ͬC̤͊͜o̜͙̞̜͓̒ͬ͟nͪͥ̊̓̔̾̍n̬̈̌͢o͕ͫ̃͊̽̂r͙̹̤ͭ̑̃̈̅ͤ.̙͖̠̊ͨ̏ͩͩ̈́͌͢ ̝̹ͨͬ̓̈͊̈̇T͋ͦ͂ͨ҉͇͔̯̘̻h̘̠̿͋ͣͭ̚͢e͚̓ͭr̆ͣ͌̌ͭͨ͐͠è̙̱͈̦̮̎͗ͨ'̠̞ͪͦͭ́̂s̛͈̦̭ ̶͎̲̝l̞͖̠̻̗̣̉ͅi͌ͣͪt̓̉ͩ̓̕t̼̼̰͉̾l̦̱̠͉̭͙̳͒̈̉̾͒ͣe͓̩͌̀ͯ͞ ̌ͨ͋̀t͢iḿ̽͏̜̪e̴͎̾́̑.͎̝̞̮̖̯͎ͭ ̻̮̩̝̻̫̭ͯ͠
Someone sobbed. Connor's eyes snapped toward the source. His brow twitched.
Wren.
The roses tied her to the lattice. They snaked around her wrists and around her throat.
Tears slid down her cheeks and she shook her head. "Connor, please… Don't do this."
Connor's grip around the shears tightened.
Something inside him screamed no, not her, please not her, but he continued forward.
H̊̓͆ͦ̔̅̋͑͑̌́͂ͦ̈͛̑҉͇̤̤̰̝̘̲̲̀ͅu̸̮̯̻͙̠̤̭͔̤̓̆̈́ͭ̔ͧͨ̆̔ͣ͑̆̊̉ͪ̒̚̚͡ͅr̷͚͎̼̳̱͔͓̩̮̭̭͕͉͔͈͙ͮͥ͆̕͢͠r̴̍ͩͬ́̐ͫ͜҉̞̙̼͍͍̗̘̺̞̬̮̗̖̠͙̩y̴̷̸̛̮͇͇͙̬̯ͨ͋ͣ͆͊ͭ̈́ͦ̅ͦ̓̅̾͛ͣͬ̈̓̚͘ͅ,̴̢̧̝̘̘̺̖̙͔͔̗̿ͦ̄ͧͮ͝ͅ ̵̡͓͓̹̙̪͇͇͙͖̮̜̥̝̰͍͉͔̘̼̅͂͊͗̊ͨͩ̆̓͛ͥ̒͊͑̂̊̃̃̉́C̸̵̛͖̘̪̦̤̜͓̽̒ͬ͂ͨͯ̄̿́̈̍̇̆́͜õ̸̗̹̹͉͖͎̌̑͐͒ͣ͂͠n̷̷̛̼̱̹̳̪̠̼̜͎̿͊ͯ͂̇̑̈̏ͮ͛̒̆ͥ̍́͟ṇ͎̼̪̤̳̙̜̱̤̬̙͕̥͔͕̼͒̉̿ͮ̒͑ͤ͢͠ơ̦̪͕͙̞̹̙̰̹ͧ̅ͥ̋ͦͨ̽r̴̼̳̼̩̆ͨͮͫ͑̉ͤ̋ͩ̓̋ͦ̓ͤ͂̂̓.̭̗͚͔͉̩͙̲̟̯̲̿̓̈́͊̅̔̌̌̂͒̃ͦ̐́̀̚͢͢͞ͅ ̜͎̫̩̺̩̣̻̟͖̦̬̙̌̊ͯ́̈̾͒͟͠T̵̷̖͙͚̘͚̏̒̋̊ͣ͒̆̈͋͂̆ͩ̑̉ͫ͢h̛́ͬ̽̍̓҉̷͍̥͖̫͙̦͍̰̫̀ͅe͔̘͈͍̜̰̱̼̮͈͓̻̻̩̖͇͓ͮͬͯͦ̅͗ͬ͂̃͗͗͘͢͢͝ͅr̼̼̯̱̣̺̻̫̪̭̟̱̥̘̩̈́͌͑̈̿͆̓̋ͦ͊͆ͩͪ́͜ͅe͒͛̈͏͏̶̙̼̩̻̹̲͔̲͉̝̼̫͕̟̗̤̦̲̕͘'̸̷̴͔̥̺̙̩̼̜̻̮̹̞̹̹̙̬̋ͯͤ̂ͣ͛͗ͣ̈ͫ͒̅̍͢s̨̼͓̮̱̪̟̥̟͇̆͑̽ͩ͊̑͝ ̩̺̥̽͋ͤ̆͌̋̐̂̔ͩ̍͂͐́̕l̶̨̢͔͎̳̪̜͚̤͔̗͎̣̫͆̈̎̃͂̋̋ͣ̃̊̀i̞̜͎̪̳̥̠̠̭̗͓͎̇̃͋̕͞͡t̸̴̢̥̮̪̤̦̔̅ͬ͂̃̇͐̋̊ͩ̈̈̂͒̓̊͛͜tͯ̈́͆ͣ̓͏͔̱͙͓̫̺̰̹̠͙͜l̢̢̬̱̹̟̦͖̭̫̯̮̘̟̣͚̑̒͗ͦ̉̍̒͋͒͌ͣ͞e͂̓ͯ͑͆̏̽ͯ̓ͬ͗̅̓ͩ̀̚͏̼̼̟͔͚̠͜ ͒͂̈͛̎̂̓̋̽͘͏̧̙͔̱̭̥͓͈͟͟tͮͣ̅ͩͮͮͥͯ͆ͤ͌̐̃ͮͨ͛̔̐̚͝҉̸͍̯̼̗̗̪i̴̢͚͔͈̟̝̺̟͔̫̞̤̥̙̺̖̞ͪ͛͊̐̾̀͡m̨̤̝̤̯̥̲͎͚͔͓̺̲̎̽̊̒͒͟͝͠e̶̛͔̥̖̣̩̪̲͙̳͓͍͈̳ͦ͐ͭ̂̅̆́̒̃̕.̫̠̰͍̮̣̯̬͓̯̜̗̲̋̎̎̔̈̐̾̐̏ͮͤ̚͜ ̅̎ͨ̑͆͛̇͊ͧ̐̃̅͐̅̒ͣ̉ͪͥ҉̵̨̳̗͓͕͖̳̕͞ͅ
̨̨͓̺̭̞̟̹͙͙͕̃ͤ͌̈́̄̋̿ͧ̈́̆ͬ͆̿́̑̓̓̿ͣ́̕
He was quick about it. Clean, precise. Mechanical. The blood pouring from her throat gleamed crimson and rust. He touched it. Light seeped out of Wren's eyes. The blood slipped and stuck to his fingers. Connor dropped the shears as Wren's body slumped over. Her hair hung down around her face, reflecting the light of the fire.
Connor wrenched his thirium pump regulator out of his chest with a soft grunt.
[VITAL SYSTEM DAMXGED]
[-00:01:45]
[Time Remaining Before Shutdown]
Connor dropped to his knees, gripping his thirium pump regulator in hand. He looked up into Wren's face. An angel. A dead angel. His head dropped. Wren's blood and his thirium made purple on his fingers.
…
Reuploading the chapter because I was informed that the links weren't working. Hopefully this fixed it!
/029xexd6bpqu
/launiespiral/status/1157077619449454593?s=21
Did I say short chapter? Apparently, I don't know how to do that! Anyway, here's a new chapter. I had a lot of fun with this one! Please continue your support guys! Love you all!
Songs: Let Go by Beau Young Prince and Yayaya by RY X