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Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This is just a lone chapter I'm going to post by itself. It will probably be another week or two before I have enough chapters to start posting weekly. I hope this tides you over until then. Thanks for reading!
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The first thing she was aware of that morning was a light kiss brushing the side of her face. She felt his warm fingers thread through her hair and then trail down her bare arm.
Samantha made a sleepy noise and then opened her eyes. Connor was there, standing before her bed. "What?" she asked, her brain unable to put together more than a one-word thought. This was new. He had never come to her bedroom to wake her in the morning before. That wasn't part of the routine.
Connor just smiled at her scratchy confusion and crouched down to her level. "You are loved," her murmured to her, low and sweet. "This morning I'm not letting you wake alone. I wanted to be here you to remind you that I love you."
It took a moment, but Samantha remembered her confession to him. The admission of her lonely mornings and that brief moment of time between consciousness and clarity where her heart still felt dull and gray. Connor remembered it, too. And he was here to be her first thought the moment she awoke.
"Connor-" she couldn't finish any more than that as her throat tightened. She struggled to sit up, still groggy from the heavy sleep medicine she took. It had been a rough night. Not just because her whole body ached from the clinic. Samantha had never been so scared about losing him as she had the day before when Elliot Hall had outright threatened to take Connor from her if she didn't do as he ordered. She had spent the night crying quietly to herself because she didn't know how to protect him and it was killing her.
As she attempted to sit up with the control and coordination of a newborn foal, Connor leaned into her space, giving her the solid support of his form. She curled around him, burying her face and fingers into his hair. His arms went around her waist, his face cradled in her bust.
"You are everything I ever needed," she whispered to him. "I'll protect you. I'll never let them hurt you, I promise." There was a small pause and she added very quietly, "I'll find a way to get you out of this."
Connor said nothing as he remained ensconced in her embrace and affection. His eyes were closed in bliss from her touch. In his processor, he promised the same thing. He would free her from this place. His plan had already been put into motion.
Chicago: Become Human
Chapter Fifteen: What Androids Do At Night
For seven and a half months, Connor had prowled the grounds of the Hall Foundation's facility. He knew every nook and cranny of the house and every bush, leaf, and rock of the yard. He knew the fence around the parameter and the road in the front; he knew the trees beyond.
He knew all the members of the security team. He knew their schedules, their routines. And they knew his routine. Because he made sure to go through the same rounds every single night. Everything he did from checking the doors and windows to walking the outside parameter was down to the minute like clockwork. He knew that all the cameras had record of his precise comings and goings because he had hacked the cameras and copied the surveillance footage of himself. He had several video files of himself doing his routine for the cameras night after night. And, when he wanted to deviate from his routine, he would upload a prerecorded video to the security feed. They would never notice the difference.
Even more helpful, one of those cameras was stationed in the security room itself. Connor could watch those who watched him. As the night crew patrolled, Connor snuck around them and into the laboratory. Despite Garrett's threat of putting a bullet in him should he ever go back there, Connor returned again and again. His first night, he only stood in the rooms. He did not touch, but merely stared at the sterile instruments and the stainless steel tables.
Cold, unfeeling surfaces where Samantha's body had lay while they took blood and other samples from her. He had access to that footage as well and had watched the technicians handle her like any other laboratory animal while she lay there and let them do what they wanted. Her expression went blank during the procedures, her eyes dead. Connor had never seen her eyes so dead.
After watching the footage once, Connor couldn't bring himself to watch it again. It felt strangely like being back at Cyberlife. The technicians looked at him as a thing, processing him without care or consideration. So, too, did they do this to Samantha. The thought of it made him angry. No one should touch Samantha like that. If that meant he would be the only one to touch her, if he was the only one who knew how to be gentle and loving with her, then so be it. After they left this place behind, only he would ever lay hands on her. And he would love and caress her in such a way that she would need no other.
Connor hated the laboratory rooms. He wished to burn them, bury it all in the ground, flood it over. Perhaps at a later time. First he needed to learn. His investigative background told him he needed to know the enemy. He learned the different rooms, studied the tools and machines kept there. He broke into the files and read their data.
He learned about the Hall Foundation. They were a research and development company for pharmaceutics, just as advertised. Their harvesting of Samantha's DNA led to developments in better treatments for various cancers and blood diseases. This was all true as Samantha had told him. This was why she had stayed so long. She was a part of something that was saving lives. Connor could not fault her for wanting to stay for that reason. But it should be on her terms, not living as a prisoner, as something to be owned.
Connor had also been inside the surveillance room a time or two; even Garrett's office. If he wasn't going to get shot for being in the lab, that definitely would earn him a bullet between the eyes. He knew where Garrett kept the keys to Samantha's car. At that time, Connor felt he knew everything there was to know about the building and those who worked inside it. Once at that stage, he continued to hatch his plan.
During the day, he and Samantha continued their own habits and routine. While it was still warm out, they sat on a blanket in the sun a few times a week, talking while Samantha pretended to read. Connor started a game with her, similar to their conversation at the park. He asked her again what kind of future she would like to have. Her answer was very much the same as before. Though he was always on the top of her list.
Him, she said every time. If she could only pick one thing, it would be him with her forever. If she could have anything else, then she would take a small house. With a yard with a flower bed, and a back deck with one of those swinging benches where they could sit together and watch the sunset. A dog, because Connor reminded her he liked dogs. Just a quiet, simple, normal life.
As the days passed, Connor's questions branched into the how of their dream. If they were to leave the facility right now, what would they need? Money, Samantha responded with a certain trepidation. They wouldn't get far without money. She told him she had some savings, though she knew the second the foundation thought she was truly running from them, Elliot would shut it down.
"I've been pulling out cash and putting it into a second account they aren't aware of," Samantha told him. "At least I hope they're not. If I lost the first account, we could live off the second for maybe a month or two. Hopefully that would be enough time to find a job. It probably wouldn't be a good job. I don't have any work experience. But we wouldn't need much, right? I'd have you. A roof over our heads and enough money not to starve and I could survive. I'll sleep on the floor every night if it meant no more of these damn cameras." She glanced back at the house with distaste as she said the last part.
Connor greatly approved of her plans. Alternate bank accounts was a fantastic idea. He filed that away. Samantha also told him the car was definitely in her name and her name only. She purposefully bought it that way. Even back then, his clever Samantha was thinking of the future more than anyone had given her credit for. Even himself. If she had the keys, they could take the car and no one could legally take it back.
He then asked her what she thought the hardest part of making their own life together would be. Her brief glance in his direction crushed him and he knew that he was the weakest part of their plans. Connor was the chain holding her here. As much as he plotted for her freedom, he was the one keeping her a prisoner. The Hall Foundation owned him. He was property and he was not legally hers. If Samantha took Connor from this place, she was stealing and Elliot Hall had every right to hunt her down and recover his property. Even prosecute her. Connor's monetary value would put the crime into the grand theft category; a felony.
This would be the trickiest part of their escape. Connor wasn't sure yet how to clear this hurdle, but he wasn't through trying. There had to be a way. During his nightly patrols, Connor would steal onto the cell phone hot spots from the security team and go online to research android ownership laws.
As he plotted and planned, Connor became aware of another problem he had not initially anticipated. After he finally had everything ready to be set into motion, how would he know when would be the right time to act? Despite the freedom of his newly discovered deviancy, he was very unskilled at making decisions like this for himself. Samantha or even Garrett were always the ones who told him what to do and when to do it. And a decision like this could not be taken lightly. It had to be exactly the right time or it could fail.
Connor decided to focus on the plan first. Get everything into place and ready should the opportunity present itself. Once it was all finished, then he could worry about when to act.
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Through August and September, Connor learned and planned. He researched and plotted scenarios in his head. And crept into the places he was forbidden to go. This kept his nights busy, and even in the day, he was a bit absent from time to time. Samantha seemed to understand something was bothering him. There was plenty to be bothered about. She would never be irritated with him if she caught him drifting off while she was talking. She would merely ask him if he was alright and remind him that she loved him. Her hand would twitch like she wished to touch him. Connor also wished she would, cameras be damned.
In those times, he would subtly graze her elbow, reminding her in their secret code how he longed for her. Then she would brighten, sometimes even redden a little, depending on the heat of his look. She would be in better spirits after and Connor would put his plan on hold for a while to give her his full attention.
Connor had been so caught up in his complex machinations, that he was completely blindsided when it hit. As casual as a touch could be, Samantha brushed past him while making herself lunch in the kitchen. She seemed unaffected by it. But Connor's body suddenly remembered hers with burning clarity. It jumped on him, turning him inside out. This need to have her touch. He hadn't yearned like this since the beginning, when he was still struggling to put a name to the emptiness and longing.
Connor longed now. His arms were empty, heavy with the knowledge that he had allowed them to be empty for too long. All his sensors missed her touch; her fingers, her lips. He now related to that look of hunger on Samantha's face that day when she called him to her room and jumped him, begging for but ten minutes of his adoration which he had stretched into twenty. For the first time, Connor understood the concept of hunger. And he was hungry now as he watched Samantha eat her sandwich. He hungered as he watched her chew and make odd faces while she thought deep Samantha thoughts that sometimes she shared with him and sometimes she didn't.
He ached as he gazed at her. To know that she was over there sitting on one side of the table and he was over here on the other. His fingers left tiny indentations in the wood in frustration of the wanting of her, but not being able to have her. And when she spoke to him, sharing her Samantha thoughts, he could hardly pay attention. He heard her voice, but not her words. He wanted to hear that voice panting his name again. Begging him to torture her with slow pleasure and then finally pushing her into a blissful crescendo. Likewise, he became restless with the thought of her mouth on all his most sensitive places, rubbing him roughly in the way he feared, but in the way his body needed it. Needed it so bad his jaw hinge made a whining noise from the way he clenched it.
He thought of nothing else for the rest of the day and into that evening. Being near Samantha was too much of a distraction. Every time he saw her, he wanted to push her on top of the nearest flat surface and take her until she screamed. Or have her take him. He couldn't decide which one he wanted more. His preferences bounced back and forth until the sun went down and Samantha went to bed. The night dragged on as Connor stalked the yard in a very particular mood he wasn't used to. It was a good thing the security team didn't normally engage with him. Connor felt fit to snarl at the next human to dare cross him.
After midnight, Daniels came in; the man Connor had been waiting for. Trent Daniels liked to watch movies on his phone when he should have been watching the cameras. He knew how to hold it just so, so the security cameras couldn't see and it seemed he was very intent on what he was doing. This meant Connor could replace the security feed with footage from a previous night and Daniels wouldn't notice the difference. He probably wouldn't even look up at the screens until his movie was over.
Plenty of time. When Daniels was comfortable with his phone and the current night's selection, Connor replaced the feed on all the cameras with prerecorded footage. Then he turned toward Samantha's room, opening the door and slipping silently inside.
He was stiff, nearly crackling with anticipatory energy as he crawled onto her bed, straddling her with arms and legs. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek, then her temple, then her lips.
"Samantha."
She stirred slightly. "Hm?"
He nuzzled her neck. "Samantha."
Her response was to hunker down and try to hide under her covers with a more cranky noise.
"Sam?" Connor whispered, confused.
Another disgruntled, tired noise. "What?"
"I'm here. I made time for us to be together. We have two hours."
A heavy sigh from under the blankets. "Two hours?"
"Yes."
It look some graceless flopping around for Samantha to bring herself into a sitting position. She pawed for him blindly in the dark. With his night vision, Connor unerringly took her hand and pressed it to his chest over his thirium pump.
She bobbed a little as if she didn't have the strength to keep her balance. Her eyes closed, giving up after not being able to see much in the darkness anyway. "Mmm, sweetie, I love you. Can you give me a moment? I'm still half asleep."
"I'll wake you up," Connor purred as he moved in, his warm, firm mouth on her slightly slack-jawed lips. Her arms went around him as he lowered her to the bed and kissed her soundly. Her hands came to life, fingers delving into his hair, scratching his scalp and threading through its thickness. Connor moved to nuzzle and kiss her throat. He made a sound of bliss as her delicate fingers tugged open his collar so they could slide beneath his shirt for that skin on skin contact he craved. He curled up around her, pressing his face to juncture of her neck and shoulder.
Samantha made a sweet cooing noise. "My fierce, dangerous snuggle bunny," she mumbled with soft affection. Her fingers continued to play with his hair. "How precious you are."
Connor responded with a soft noise of his own as he continued to work his lips downward and press his face into the infinite softness of her breasts. It took a moment more of laving her with affection before he realized the body beneath him was no longer responsive. He raised his head to find Samantha had fallen asleep again.
"Samantha."
She sucked in a breath, trying to open her eyes. "What? I'm here. I'm... here..." She was already drifting off again.
"Samantha. I need you."
A heavy sigh and Samantha's arms wrapped around his head, pulling him down and tucking his face back into her cleavage. "Just give me a few more minutes, then I'll rock your world."
Connor remained in her grip, listening to the steady lull of her breathing as she fell back asleep. He closed his eyes, relishing her touch, even in unconsciousness. Her soft body against his firm form would have to sate him for now. Samantha needed sleep. That was what her medication was for, so she could get the sleep she needed. It would be selfish of him to keep pushing it when she barely had the wherewithal to realize he was there.
He held her as he willed his disappointed systems to cool. His own urges would have to wait for another time. He kissed her cheek before gently slipping out of her hold and tucking her into bed.
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Connor tried not to let his disappointment show as irritation as he stalked around the house. If he wasn't spending time with Samantha, then it was back to his usual clockwork routine. It was time to check the locks of all the doors and windows again. It wasn't going well; he was distracted. Connor had never experienced this kind of distraction before. His body was going through the motions, but his thoughts were still back with Samantha, longing for her touch and attention.
It was maddening. When he was checking the lock on a window he nearly broke it. After that he had to give himself a talk and force himself to calm down.
Then, there was a tingling in his radio system before a unique source made contact.
Connor?
He blinked a little in surprise before radioing back. Is this... Derek?
Yes.
How are you contacting me?
I learned your radio frequency when I gave you those files.
Connor was a little impressed. And now, radio contact with an outside android was just another item on the very long list of things Garrett would absolutely lose his shit about if he knew.
When Connor didn't respond, Derek asked, Am I interrupting anything? I figured everyone else would be a sleep by now.
No. I'm just... walking around the house.
Me, too.
You are? You don't stay in bed with Angela?
Sometimes. I usually stay until she's asleep. Six to eight hours is a long time to remain idle.
Connor understood the sentiment of preferring to be active. But at the same time, he was jealous of the other android. Derek did not understand what a luxury he had to be able to touch and hold the one he loved whenever he wished. To lay in bed with her the entire night without the fear of being caught or taken away. He wished to tell the other android to go back to bed and hold his wife because it was a precious privilege.
Instead, he answered, Is there a specific reason you are contacting me?
Yes. Angela has been trying to get a hold of Samantha for a few weeks with no response. She called the other day and the phone wasn't working.
Samantha no longer has her phone. It was damaged.
She hasn't replaced it? Humans can barely go a day without their phones.
We have had... internal issues she has been dealing with.
Family? Derek guessed.
It was true enough. Yes.
I see. I hope everything is going well for her. Angela is having a dinner party. It's why she's been trying to get in contact. She wants to know if Samantha can attend.
To live in a world where getting in contact for dinner parties was the biggest concern. Connor could hardly imagine. I'm not sure. I will ask her about it.
If the two of you ever need anything, we want you to know that we are here for you.
Connor paused to mull that statement over. Did Derek say that for a specific reason? Or was that merely something that was said among each other?
Thank you. I will keep that in mind.
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Samantha was already sitting up awake in bed that morning when Connor walked in. It had become a new part of his routine to be the first thing she saw. It was as close to waking up in bed with her as he could get in their current situation. Samantha turned her head to look at him when he entered.
"I'm not sure if it was a dream," she said to him. "Were you in my room last night?"
"Yes," he replied neutrally. He was still a little sour about his failed attempt and tried not to let it show. The sexual frustration was still broiling in his system.
"I vaguely remember it. I had taken my medication so I could sleep," she gave him an affectionate, but amused smile. "Two hours?"
He walked in further, unable to keep up the frown in her presence for long. "I tried. You were none too responsive."
"I was extremely drugged. If you had told me about this plan beforehand, I would have waited up for you and taken my pills later."
"My mistake."
Samantha watched how stiffly he stood. How his fingers curled into fists for a moment before relaxing again. How he looked at her with a heat even now. "Would you close the door, please? And lock it."
Heat shot through him, his LED flickering yellow for just a second at the implication. When he had firmly locked the both of them inside, he returned to her. Connor knelt before the bed as her fingers indulged in his hair. He leaned in as she kissed his forehead, his nose and cheeks. As their lips met, she pulled him up and onto the bed with her. When he tried to settle on top, Samantha rolled them over, pushing him down to land lightly among the fluffy pillows and blankets. Connor lay there obediently as she kissed him while her flesh hand slid into the collar of his shirt.
"Were you thinking about me all night?" Samantha murmured between kisses.
"Yes." It came out like a sigh. Connor closed his eyes as her mouth caressed his jaw and chin. Her fingers went to work, unbuttoning his vest and then his shirt. "I needed you. I still need you."
Samantha felt a heat run through her at his words. She had never seen him get all hot and bothered like this. She didn't think, as an android, he could get needy or sexually frustrated. It thrilled her that he wanted in this way. That he wanted her in this way.
She exposed his bare chest, opening his shirt like a candy wrapper to reveal the absolute snack that he was. Her palms roamed him, feeling the heat coming from his skin as he closed his eyes and arched into her touch. Already so responsive. He did need this.
After a few kisses to his chest, Samantha worked her way back up his neck. She grinned as she watched his fists clutch at the bed cover. In his ear she whispered, "What do you want me to do to you?"
Connor shuddered at the question and Samantha was quite proud of herself for reducing him to this state. "Tell me," she urged, lightly tracing the glow of his power core.
A unique mechanical whine come from somewhere in his chest. He grabbed her wrist and guided it down. "Lower. I want to feel you inside me."
Samantha made a small noise of humor. Usually that would be something the woman said. But it was hot to hear it from Connor. Hotter to undo his belt and unzip his pants while she kissed her way down his torso. Less hot, because she was interrupted with being unable to find that particular piece of his shell that she could remove. With his synthetic skin active, she couldn't see the fine creases of his android panels.
With almost comic impatience, Connor batted her hands away and quickly removed the cover himself. Samantha caught him in an amused kiss as he sat up. He made soft noises into her mouth that were just the sweetest sounds of need she had ever heard. Her mouth still engaged with his, her fingers dipped into the open part of him and explored.
Connor immediately cut the kiss short to let out a soft cry. It just made her want to kiss him again; to taste the noises that he made. Her fingers caressed that tight bundle of wires before pressing in.
"Yes... Sam. Yes..." he moaned, eyes shut tight. She pressed in further and he fell back on his elbows, neck arching back beautifully.
She grinned at him, leaning down to murmur in his ear when there was a solid knock on her bedroom door. They both froze.
"Sam," Garrett's voice called. "You up?"
Connor gave out almost a pained growl in response. He looked at her in desperation, shaking his head, begging her not to stop.
"I'm awake," Samantha called. She inserted a second finger and pushed in. Connor trembled and set his jaw, determined not to make noise.
"I'm going into town this morning," Garrett responded. "Did you need anything?"
Samantha was distracted by the writhing android below her. It took her a moment to process the question. Did she need anything from town?
"How about my car keys?"
"I'd love to give them back to you, but that's not up to me. You can come to town with me if you like."
Samantha thought about it some more, still busy with her hand. Connor must have been able to put himself on mute, because he looked like he should have been making noise, but no sound came out of him. He had one trembling hand on her wrist, trying to push her in further. Damn, he was delicious to watch.
"Sam? What are you doing in there?" Garrett's impatient voice then asked. "You fucking that android?"
The was a split second of fear, then the realization that he was joking with her. It was all so absurd, she had to laugh. Her fingers went in all the way, hitting the back, rubbing that particular node Connor was craving. He fell flat on his back, arching and biting his lip.
"Yes, Garret, I am fucking my android," she called back with glee. "I have him bent over every possible surface in this room and I am fucking his brains out."
"Alright," came the humorous response. "Sorry for interrupting."
"Give me a few minutes to get dressed. I'll come into town with you."
There was no further response from the other side of the door. Samantha could turn her full attention to Connor and she did indeed fuck him in earnest until he came silently and then flopped back onto the mattress, completely spent.
There he lay among the soft, frilly pillows of her bed. His chest rose and fell with his air intakes, his hair in beautiful disarray. Samantha bent over him and he grabbed her head, pulling her down to kiss her soundly. She returned the kiss whole-heartedly before pulling away and then placing another soft kiss to his forehead.
"Feel better?" she asked with a grin.
He gazed at her, soft and warm, but his mouth frowned slightly. "I'm sorry. This was dangerous. I shouldn't have let you."
She kissed him again. "It's okay to let me take care of you. I kept you safe."
"You did," he agreed.
Still close to him, she rubbed her nose against his. "I will always take care of you."
"We take care of each other," he said, remembering her telling him that exact phrase.
Samantha pulled back to admire him still sprawled out among her soft things. His clothes in disarray and a very satisfied smile on his face. If only there was time to ravage him all over again.
"I feel like I should do something for you," Connor then said.
She playfully mussed his already mussed hair and kicked off the bed. "Another time. You've got to pull yourself together before I'm finished getting ready."
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September 2038 – Two months until the android revolution
In September, a large storm hit the facility. It was the most volatile Connor had ever seen in his short life. The wind and rain pelted the building as if it were trying to break in. Thunder boomed hard enough that it could be felt through the sturdy walls. The lightning, however, was the worst part for the android. He could feel the energy flash through his circuits; tear through him as it tore through the sky. It was an unpleasant sensation and it kept him on edge.
Connor didn't know how Samantha could sleep through this. It was the dead of night and, as far as he knew, she was also dead asleep. As for him, he stood in the dark parlor, frowning out the window. The lightning would light him up every now and again as it cracked the sky in half. Connor would wince a little each time. Did this really not bother humans at all? Not for the first time, he thought about retreating to Samantha's room and waking her up long enough to settle her on top of him. Maybe if he was sandwiched between her form and the mattress, that horrible lightning couldn't reach him.
Currently, if he followed his routine, Connor would be out patrolling the grounds at this time. Tonight would be the exception. No man or cognizant machine would willingly go out in this chaos.
Or so he thought.
In the house, he heard the sound of the storm enter his haven, as if someone had opened a door or window. One of the security team? They came and went as they pleased, but it was nearly unheard of for them to enter the house side of the facility unannounced.
Silently, Connor crept out of the parlor, listening to the house. It was difficult to hear any subtle noises with the harsh cacophony of the storm. In the dark, the android easily picked up an extra human body with his infrared vision. The form seemed to be waiting patiently for something by the back door.
Connor pulled his gun as he stepped into view.
"There you are," the intruder said calmly. Drenched and battered by the storm, it was Mallory Rollins. "I figured you were around here somewhere."
"Don't move," was all Connor said as he carefully approached. The gun never strayed from her.
"I won't," the human said calmly. Too calmly. It was as if everything was going according to her plan. Connor did not like that. He tried to radio the security team, but he wasn't getting through. Was it the storm? More likely, Rollins had done something to block his communication. She seemed far too comfortable here. He needed to get her out.
"Leave," he told her levelly. "If you don't leave, I will shoot."
"No, you won't," Rollins insisted, stepping forward.
Connor fingered the trigger. "Are you so sure about that? I have killed humans before who have tried to hurt Samantha."
"Yes," Rollins agreed, taking another step. "But I'm not here to hurt her."
Connor's eyes widened as he felt it. Despite his deviancy and all the new freedoms he had discovered, he was still a machine comprised of programs. And one of those programs had now locked into place. Androids were forbidden to hurt a human. Connor's protocols only allowed him to shoot if someone were trying to hurt Samantha.
Was that all it took to shut him down? All a human had to do was say they weren't going to hurt Samantha and then he was powerless to act? Still, it was possible for him to alter and delete the codes that controlled him. He had been editing them one by one as they got in his way. But it was a process that took time. So he did what he had learned to do before he deviated, he tried to find loopholes in the program.
"Just because you say you're not going to hurt her, doesn't meant it's true. You broke into this house for a reason."
Rollins raised her hands to shoulder height. "It is true. I'm not armed. I'm here to help Samantha, not hurt her."
Connor fought to will his finger to squeeze the trigger. She was getting too close to him. But he refused to show weakness and take a step back. "I don't believe you. You've hurt her before. You drugged her and stole her blood."
"She wasn't physically harmed. She slept peacefully while I did a routine procedure."
"You are not here to help her," Connor insisted, jaw set. "No one in this place cares about helping her."
Rollins raised a brow at this. "So, you're learning." She sounded impressed.
Then, like an act of magic, she produced a thin disk in her fingers. She flung it at the android and it immediately attached itself to Connor's chest. He only had the time to look down at the object before he felt a jolt shoot through his entire body. As an android, a shot of a little extra electricity wouldn't have been enough to hinder him. This thing, whatever it was, seemed to be made exclusively to take out androids. Something tore through his systems, disrupting all his motor relays and he went down, convulsing on the floor. His thoughts were scrambled, he had no control of his body. He could hardly focus on the panic as Rollins easily stepped over his form and walked down the hall to Samantha's bedroom.
.
Samantha was pulled from sleep by the shaking of her shoulder. As was typical for her, she struggled to come to full consciousness with her medications in her system.
"Mmm? Connor?"
"Samantha, get up," came an urgent female voice. "We have to go. Now."
The realization that a stranger was in her room shot a dose of adrenaline through her. She popped up fully awake and scrambled back on the bed until she hit the wall. It took her a moment to recognize the intruder in the dark.
"Mallory?"
Rollins flicked on a flashlight. "Get up. Grab whatever you need quickly. You have to come with me."
"I am not going anywhere with you." Samantha glanced wildly around the room. Where was Connor? Was she trapped all alone in the house with this woman?
Rollins leaned closer, her face earnest and urgent. "I know you don't trust me with what I've done to you, but you need to believe what I say. You're in danger here. I can get you out. I can take you someplace where you'll be safe."
Samantha's immediate thought was that Rollins was trying to isolate her in order to continue harvesting her blood. "No. I don't believe you. Get the hell out of my house!"
Rollins grabbed her by the arm, yanking her closer. "If you stay here, you are going to die, Samantha! They'll never let you leave this place alive!"
That statement sent a rush of fear and uncertainty through her heart. But before Samantha could ask any questions, a bullet exploded out of the other woman's forehead. Samantha was splattered with blood and brain matter, screaming as the body slumped over her and leaked thick, dark ichor all over her bed.
Wide-eyed and pale, she looked up to see Connor collapsing in the doorway. His smoking gun clattered to the floor. She scrambled over on trembling legs, gracelessly falling on top of him in her haste.
"Connor! Are you okay?" She touched him and snapped her had back when she felt a sharp static shock.
With all his concentration, Connor struggled to sit up, leaning against the doorway. He had managed to pull off the offending disk, but his body was still suffering from the effects. He twitched and blinked, his red LED flickered in and out rapidly. Even when he tried to talk he had difficulty, sounding like a damaged sound file.
"S-sa-sa Sam. A-a-are you o-o-zzz-okay?"
She ignored the question as she cupped his face in her hands. She received another shock from the contact, much weaker this time. Not enough to make her let go of him. "What did she do to you?"
Connor tried to respond. His mouth moved, but he couldn't get any sound out this time.
When he couldn't answer, Samantha said, "I'll go get some help."
She stood to leave, but Connor grabbed her wrist, shaking his head. He looked scared and rattled. She wasn't sure if that fear was for her or if he was afraid because of his malfunctioning body. Either way, Samantha stayed. She sat herself in his lap, her arms around him as he held her in kind. She felt his body tremble and spasm beneath her and she held him tighter.
"We're okay," she murmured to him. "We're both going to be okay."
A minute later, Garrett's voice could be heard in the house. "Connor, you there? I'm just checking in. The storm knocked out all our systems."
"We're both down here," Samantha called.
Garrett's urgent footsteps came up the hall with the blinding glare of a flashlight. He was about to ask what the two were during on the floor, curled up together like a pair of scared kids. It was just a storm. But then he noticed, despite the power being out, that there was another light coming from Samantha's bedroom. Rollins' flashlight was still on, now discarded on the floor. He saw the body slumped over the bed and let out a string of colorful curses.
"Oh, Mal," he sighed as he looked at the body. "What were you doing?"
"Garrett," Samantha called him over. "She did something to Connor."
Garrett knelt next to them. One of Connor's eyes was rapidly blinking, his body still twitching now and again. "You still with us, Connor?"
Connor tried to speak and nothing came out. He tried again. "Ye-ye-yes, Sir."
"What did she do to him?" Samantha asked.
"She probably zapped him with some sort of anti-android device. That's how she got this far into the house. Shit. She knew everything about this place. She slipped in right under all of our noses."
"But Connor's going to be okay, right?"
Garrett frowned at the malfunctioning android. "Probably. The stronger ones will wipe an android as clean as the day it came out of the factory." Samantha paled at that. "But this one didn't seem to be that strong. I don't know why she would use one that weak. She had to know the android would keep coming for her."
"Maybe she thought she would also take Connor with us," Samantha guessed. She kept watching Connor, wishing she could hold him again. He didn't seem to be in any pain, but it was hard to see him struggle and twitch.
"Take Connor with you?" Garrett asked. "What do you mean? Where was she going to take you?"
Samantha shook her head. "I don't know. I was half asleep while she was trying to pull me out of bed, telling me I had to go with her right now. She said I wasn't safe here."
"What? What the hell does that mean?" Garrett demanded. "What did she think was going to happen?"
If you stay here, you are going to die. They'll never let you leave this place alive.
Samantha thought about telling him Malory Rollins' last words. Instead, she merely said, "I don't know. Connor got to her before she could tell me anything else."
Garrett frowned, brow furrowed in anger and confusion. "She would probably say anything to get you to go. She was trying to kidnap you. Then she could take whatever she wanted from you to sell."
"That's exactly what I thought. I mean, if I'm not safe here, I'm not safe anywhere, right?"
For just a split second, Garrett had an indiscernible look on his face. Then he merely stood up. "I'll get my guys to take care of this. We'll to put you in the other room for tonight."
Samantha's immediate reaction was to get irritated about her relegation to the far corner of the house. But a glance at the body reminded her that her mattress was soaked in blood, as was the carpet around it. She didn't want to be there and there would be nowhere for her to sleep until it was all cleaned up and the bed replaced.
So she went quietly to the other room, taking Connor with her. His condition was slowly improving as his systems recovered, but he still had a little trouble walking. Samantha helped him along until they reached the spare room—Connor's room—though he only used it to store what few items were his. The futon was musty and made Samantha sneeze. She made a mental note to wash all the bedding in the morning.
Though all Samantha wanted to do was snuggle up with Connor for the rest of the night, this room had a camera, just like every other room in the house. Only her own bedroom was camera-free. Even though the cameras were currently down, they could come online at any time. So Samantha lay in bed alone. Connor promised to stay in the room with her. There was no reason to continue patrolling with the security team now crawling all over the house. He sat in the equally dusty plush chair in the opposite corner to watch over her in the darkness.
"Do you think you're going to be okay? Will we need to get you an appointment with Cyberlife?" Samantha asked. She lay on her side in bed facing him, her eyes on his flickering blue LED. The flickering was still erratic.
"I believe it will be fine. My condition is constantly improving."
"That really scared me what Garrett said. I didn't know those kinds of things existed that could just wipe an android like that. If she had erased all your data... your memories..."
"She didn't," Connor kindly assured her. "I'm still here. I'll be fine."
Samantha closed her eyes, trying to will herself to not dwell on the negative things that could have happened to Connor, but didn't. Androids were so sturdy and so vulnerable at the same time. Many were the terrible ways in which she could lose him.
"What did Mallory Rollins tell you at the end?" Connor then asked. "I only heard the last part." In fact, it was that 'never let you leave this place alive' that gave Connor the ability to pull the trigger. That line of dialog gave him enough of a loophole to use lethal force.
Samantha's voice came out as a whisper. "She said if I stayed here, I was going to die. They weren't going to let me leave here alive." She paused and then added, "She said it with such conviction, like she believed it. But I think it was a lie. I've been allowed to leave many times. Though I guess I'm still technically grounded, I don't think my life is in danger. She was just trying to get me to go with her."
Samantha had now said this rationalization twice. As if she were trying to convince herself. Connor said nothing in response. He didn't know what to believe. He just knew that he needed to keep Samantha safe. From his days at the DPD, he knew police procedure was to investigate a threat of death, whether it was real or not. He intended to do just that.
.
By morning, Connor was back to normal. No trace of the previous night's trauma in his systems. Samantha, however, wore the trauma for a while. She told him she regretted the death of Mallory Rollins. It wasn't the same as when Connor had killed the men who tried to kidnap her, who had hurt her before. This was someone Samantha had known personally. Someone she had trusted at one time. And even though Rollins had betrayed that trust, Samantha had not wanted this end for her.
Connor, for his part, felt no remorse for shooting the person that had broken into their house. He only regretted not interrogating her before removing her as a security risk. Even if what she had to say was untrue, Connor now wanted to hear it, so he could have the full wealth of information before he would decide whether he should take it seriously.
With what little he had to work with, Connor chewed on it until it was a bland taste in his mouth and he still had no new evidence to support Rollins' accusations. But, something about the whole incident still kept Connor rolling it over and over in his head. Especially when it came to how the body was handled. No police were ever called to the house. Garrett insisted proper protocol was followed, but that, Connor realized, could have meant anything. Even if there were no arrests to be made for the death of Mallory Rollins, the police still should have been called. That was why Connor couldn't let Mallory's words go. If there was yet another threat somewhere on this property, he had to find it.
The nights were his to search and search he did. Any corner he could scan, he did so. Every drawer or coat pocket he could find he scoured. Each employee of the security team, he pulled their background history. Every computer file in the Hall Foundation's system he hacked and downloaded. He wandered the lab and the various rooms, scrutinizing every piece of medical equipment, looking through every shelf.
Everything in the facility seemed exactly as it should, both inside and out. Connor stood in the hallway of the lab. He still had a good forty-five minutes before Daniels would be finished with his movie and even think about leaving the surveillance room. In that time, where only the light of his LED glowed in the darkness, Connor asked himself if he was satisfied with his investigation. Had he done everything he could do? Had he turned over every feasible stone? The answer was yes. And yet... something still didn't sit right with the android.
Why didn't Mallory Rollins completely wipe Connor from existence when she had the chance? If she truly intended on kidnapping for nefarious purposes she would have known that Connor would not let her leave with Samantha while he was still alive and processing. To only take him out for a few minutes would put Mallory's life in danger. Had she hoped that once she had convinced Samantha of her story, Connor would follow?
If Connor did follow, if they all made it out of the house and then Rollins tried to use Samantha as she had before, then Connor would have pulled the gun on Mallory again. He was the part of the puzzle that didn't fit. He was Samantha's protector. Why would Rollins let him live if she planned on hurting Samantha later?
The only answer was that Rollins had truly embarked on a rescue attempt. She was trying to save Samantha from something, which is why she allowed the bodyguard android to live; so he could continue to protect her. But protect her from who? From what? Why was her life suddenly in danger now? Why, if Rollins had been telling the truth, did they not intend for Samantha to ever leave the house alive again?
The answer was not forthcoming and Connor was at a loss. He didn't know where else to look. And yet, as if guided by some divine hand, Connor's head turned to the side and he saw the panel for the breaker box in the lab's hallway. His LED flickered. Rollins, to cause all power to fail at the facility, had wreaked havoc on the building's electrical system. An electrician had been called in to repair it. He had worked on the breaker box. The breaker box was on the house side in the laundry room. It could be argued that this was the breaker box for the laboratory side. But when the electrician was finished, both sides of the building were up and running.
Connor tried to open the panel. It was locked. The tip of his middle finger folded back, extending a skeleton key that would alter itself to fit nearly any keyhole. Possibly a feature the security team didn't even know he had; the RK800's had so many. Top of the line. The best Cyberlife had ever produced.
He unlocked the panel and opened it. There was no breaker box, but a keypad. A keypad that opened what? Connor touched the pad, designed to respond to a key card. He went through various signals and frequencies until he found the correct code. The keypad beeped and the very wall next to him clicked open.
Just like the lab itself, everything was dark beyond the new doorway. No sound, no light coming from within. Connor carefully approached. The doorway was very narrow, barely enough to allow one person at a time. Beyond, a set of steep concrete stairs leading down.
They say androids don't feel fear. Neither did Connor at that time. But there was a certain trepidation crawling around in his system, niggling at his processor as he took one step at a time. On the level below, it was black as pitch. But Connor's night vision could see everything. There was a vast, entirely different laboratory that existed beneath the building. Mallory Rollins had come to save Samantha from something specific. And now, Connor was starting to understand what.