"Connor, wait!" Markus shouted after him. "Connor, believe me, I had no idea," Markus confessed.
Kamski and Chloe were gone. Good riddance, Connor thought childishly as he hoped that they were not headed on a collision course towards Hank and Reed. Hank hated Kamski, although hate did not seem like a strong enough word. Connor had already received three text messages from Hank asking how much longer they would have to wait. Not much longer now he replied as he headed for the main gates.
"Connor, please," Markus begged, the sound of his voice made Connor freeze. "I'm sorry. I did not know."
"It's not your fault, Markus. I-" Connor stuttered as Markus grabbed his hand.
"You did not do anything wrong." Although he wished that was true, Connor knew it was probably something that he had done that had led to this moment. "Connor, listen to me. Elijah means well, of all the eccentric billionaires I know, he's one of the good ones. Carl wouldn't have befriended him otherwise."
"Markus, people change, I'm sure Kamski was a "good" person before all of this. But now, he has ulterior motives, can't you see that?" Connor looked into Markus's eyes and saw hard it was for him to accept his words as truth. Connor fought years of history and he knew from first-hand experience that it would take some time for him to see the truth.
"I trust Elijah, he's my friend. So, please don't do anything rash. I'll help you as long as we talk things over first." Markus asked, but Connor took a moment to respond. "Connor?"
"Fine, Markus, but I hope you know what you're doing," Connor said, hoping to plant the seed of doubt in Markus's mind.
Markus nodded grimly.
"How long has Kamski been supplying Jericho?" Connor asked in a cold tone.
"For a while now," Markus thought back. "He reached out to me two days after you left. Why?"
The timing was suspiciously convenient, however, even if Connor had a crystal ball he would not have a reason. Kamski always seemed to have a reason for doing and saying things. Connor quickly responded to Hank's latest message stating that he was wrapping up.
"What are you thinking? Why would he go out of his way to repair you despite knowing how you feel about him?" Markus asked defensively.
Connor scrutinized his friend's lack of understanding, but it was his fault for not telling Markus about what happened. He felt sick just thinking about it. He cursed his deviancy for a time, realizing how quiet it had been before he realized that he had been in a deep sleep. A coma of sorts before meeting Hank. Kamski had done terrible things to him, and he was determined to keep those dark events to himself.
"Connor!" Markus called, reaching out to touch him.
"Sorry, Markus," he replied, avoiding Markus's touch. "I have already thanked Kamski." Connor paused. "Just be vigilant. Make sure all the androids are abiding by the curfew," Connor added before leaving Markus.
Connor mentally tuned out Markus' attempts to get him to stay. He needed to think and get away from the voices filling his head. He twitched as he upon the gate. Kamski's presence had ruined what Connor had hoped to accomplish. His expectations might have been too high from the get-go. Whether it was his eagerness to please Amanda, to take down Markus, or befriend Hank. His expectations never lived up to reality. Life was messy like that and unpredictable. The more Connor played back the reel of his encounters with Kamski, the more he noticed that Kamski was more involved than he initially realized.
"Connor," Josh shouted from across the dock. "Are you leaving?"
"Yes, sorry, I am in a hurry today," Connor replied, seeing Hank and Reed lingering outside the gates for him.
"Wait there," Josh ordered.
Connor watched as Hank and Reed impatiently paced back and forth at the gates of the compound. He waved at Hank, who nodded in return. Reed ignored him, but Connor was pleased to see that the dark bags underneath his eyes had faded some.
"That's the deviant hunter," Connor heard an SD300 model mutter behind him.
Josh ran up to Connor with a pleasing look of appreciation. "You look good."
"Likewise," Connor complimented.
"Ignore them. Many of us are glad that the DPD reinstated you." Josh added, gesturing for the SD300 model and its company to leave. "Androids from all over the world are looking to Detroit as an example, I hope the pressure is not getting to you," Josh shrugged.
"Yes and no, I have not given it much thought," Connor concluded. "Too much going on, you know?"
"You and Markus both," Josh stated as Connor looked at him questionably. "Markus didn't tell you that he's been invited to speak at the White House?" Josh asked.
This was news to Connor, perhaps that was what Markus wanted to talk about.
"Correction, Josh," Markus interrupted, joining them. "We were invited to speak at the White House." He stated meeting Connor's gaze. "I tried to tell you before you shut me out? How did you do that by the way?"
News of the invitation had not gone public yet. He would have to tell Hank soon to avoid him finding out on his own. There was no way he was going to D.C., not until RK900 had been subdued. Connor did not even feel the need to think about it.
Suddenly, Connor replayed Markus' words. "Shut out, Markus? How?" Connor thought to himself, realizing that he had not heard the voices of Markus, Josh, or the androids gathering to get a look at him. He checked his network connection, and he had disconnected himself in his mental HUB. Something he did not know he was capable of doing. Was this a side effect of Ivan touching him?
"Did I?" Connor questioned out loud.
Markus and Josh looked at each other perplexed.
"Are you okay?" Josh asked.
"Ivan?" Connor realized. "Did you try to connect with Ivan via the communications network?" Connor asked in haste.
"Yes, we tried, but he never responded," Josh admitted."
And with that information, Connor had one piece of the puzzle. Connor ran to Hank and Reed, adding this vital piece of information to the recordings and sending it off to everyone.
Hank grabbed Reed and threw him in the back seat as Connor scaled the gates of Jericho impatiently. Hank already knew where he was going as Connor climbed into the car. He hit the gas the moment Connor's butt hit the seat.
"What the hell is going on?" Reed shouted, pulling out his phone.
"Connor got a lead," Hank answered as Connor's eyes sputtered as he ran a self-diagnostic test.
Self-diagnostic test failed. Connor ran it again. Self-diagnostic test failed. System update required. He tried again, but it yielded the same results. He was completely isolated from the CyberLife neural network.
"Connor!" Hank yelled. "Update?" He demanded.
"RK900 isn't attached to the CyberLife networks, none of them are. That's why there's no data-trace." Reed groaned as Connor continued. "CyberLife must have created a new neural network for the reverted androids." Connor paused. "I think Kamski might have suspected as much."
"Kamski?" Hank's voice croaked as he pressed down hard on the gas pedal.
"Who's Kamski?" Reed asked.
"Seriously, Gavin? He created androids, dingus. Don't you read." Hank retorted with a smug grin.
"Fuck you, Hank," Reed replied, pulling out his phone to do research.
"When did you speak with Kamski?" Hank's voice was withered with concern. "How is Kamski involved?"
"He...he was with Markus. I didn't know he'd be there." Connor replied genuinely as Hank rolled into the CyberLife demolition site.
They exited the car in unison, the sun peeked through the clouds as Connor caught a glimpse of his reflection in the car window. He saw it for himself this time as he ticked. It was not a sight he liked. It was an uncontrollable thing that he wanted to hide.
"Lieutenant and detectives, we were not expecting you today," Carla said coming to unlock the gate for them.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to go down," Hank informed her.
It took the crew a minute to get everything set up for their descent. After last time, they were more cautious about ensuring that Reed, Hank, and Connor did not go down unattended. Carla sent a drone down first to clear the area.
"All clear," Carla said, signaling for them to proceed. "Be careful, my team isn't done exploring the areas."
"No problem," Reed replied.
"So, are you gonna tell how Kamski's involved in all this?" Hank folded his arms and dawned his best I'm-serious-work-face.
"It's just a hunch," Connor whispered as they climbed onto the platform elevator.
A TW400 model joined them and operated the elevator.
"Go on," Hank ordered.
"Think about it, Hank. If anyone seeks to gain anything it's Kamski, his idea, his androids, his program, his code, and his blue blood formula. I don't believe Kamski wanted to retire early, I think he was forced to." Connor spoke softly as the evaluator descended.
"Why?" Hank and Reed asked.
"I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with Amanda," Connor hypothesized.
"Hmph," Hank shrugged.
"You're talking about bringing down the founder of CyberLife," Reed interjected with his arms crossed. "We can barely track down one crazed android. How do you expect to bring the creator himself down too?"
"Jesus, Gavin, will you at least act like a detective, please?" Hank groaned.
"I'm the only one acting like a detective here, your plastic pet wants to take down the fucking cheese based on a fucking hunch. At least with CyberLife the public and president backed you. We're talking about a reclusive billionaire who hasn't had ties to CyberLife in a decade. This isn't Scooby-Doo." Reed shouted, pumping the breaks on our descent.
"See, reading works," Hank jested.
Connor was not laughing because he found himself agreeing with Reed, "Our focus is the RK900 first, Kamski can wait. However, we can't rule out the possibility that he plays a larger role in this than we initially thought."
Reed conceded, gesturing for the TW400 model to continue.
Reed sighed, "Guess if we're going to go big, might as well poach the biggest god damn fish of them all."
"Believe me I'm not thrilled about going after Kamski either, but I trust Connor's intuition," Hank said, squeezing Connor's shoulder.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Reed asked.
"We're looking for any signs of a new server room," Connor said without being sure of himself. "Or a passageway, Simon told me that North has missed curfew. Without authorization to leave, she must be using some underground system. I'm not tying her to this just yet, but if she found a way around the drones, I'm sure RK900 is doing the same."
"Do you really think North is the accomplice?" Hank whispered.
"I'm not going to rule it out," Connor replied, looking over Reed's shoulder at the TW400, who was watching him.
"That sex android with attitude?" Reed spat. "What motive would she have?"
"Besides the fact that she fucking hates humans and blames Markus and Connor for the lack human blood flooding the streets of Detroit. No motive that comes to mind," Hank replied.
"Fuck you, Hank," Reed said flipping Hank the bird. "I thought getting some dick would make you less of an asshole."
Hank snapped his head towards Connor, assuming that he had told Reed details about their relations. Connor shrugged with a sly grin he could not help but let grace his face.
"Gavin, so help me God, I'll kill you myself if you don't shut your fucking mouth," Hank grumbled.
"Death would be a fucking vacation from this hellhole," Reed replied before muttering to himself.
Connor shrugged casually, he was not trying to hide the intimacy of their relationship. Everyone seemed to have assumed as much either.
"Let's keep it cordial." Connor smiled. "If North was able to leave without being detected, then it's likely that others can too."
"There are submarine drones that patrol the waters, and they're all interfaced with the DPD. Do you think that could be the reason the RK900 snuck into the station?"
Connor gripped his chin as filtered through what
"To cover up any evidence of North that we might have had?" Hank added with an aggressive nod.
Reed signaled for the android to continue as he read through Connor's notes on his phone. "No, shit. Those lower levels might go on miles, but that does not explain the neural network you mentioned here." Reed pointed out.
"You said you disconnected yourself," Hank started. "How?"
"I don't know," Connor replied, avoiding Hank and Reed's inquisitive gaze. "It all suddenly stopped. Like I had flipped a switch." Connor had said too much.
Hank had stepped toward him as concern mixed with a hint of fear wrinkled his face.
"What did they say to you?" Hank asked in a throaty voice.
"Not now, Hank," Connor replied softly, forcing a smile.
Hank grunted, Connor took it as a warning. He just needed time. Time to think as he tried to put himself in the RK900's shoes.
"Okay, who could have access to the CyberLife network and have knowledge of the security drone routes?" Hank asked with a sour look on his face."
"The drones are set to a schedule but that schedule is rerouted every 30 minutes or so," Reed stated. "Even if someone had been surveilling the area, the drones would change course."
"RK900 might have been at this for months," Hank injected. "Those drones are not perfect, they are zoned to the area and only make slight adjustments. If someone was to scope out the area for long periods of time. They could easily predict the routes."
"RK900 has had nothing but time," Reed commented, looking as though he remembered something.
"What is it?" Connor asked as Reed began sifting through his phone.
"I think North might know something."
"What makes you say that?" Hank asked.
"Look," Reed held out his tablet and pointed to one of the areas Tina had pinpointed on the map. "This was one of the very first campsites the military constructed. I patrolled it with officer Piers twice after things got out of hand. It was stocked with mostly sex androids."
"Why didn't you tell us that yesterday?" Hank asked.
"Didn't see how it was relevant until now," Reed gestured to Connor. "It's not like I saw her there."
"Thanks," Connor said to the TW400 model, who seemed oddly silent as he watched him, specifically, exit the platform.
Two TW400 models were waiting for them at an entry point just off the main pit where the disposed of androids had been just days ago. It was now a large empty hole in the ground.
Reed stepped off first; Connor would have preferred to lead for safety reasons. Connor was damageable, but his partners were skin and bones. He could at least withstand a few bullets. A truth that did not apply to his companions. Connor decided to ignore their persistence and outwalk them. Reed and Hank followed close behind.
The area was now well lit, and most of the androids had been removed. Three TW400 models were accompanying them this time, they were deviant but must have been in good standing with Carla. Otherwise, they would not have been able to venture down here. The elevator operator TW400 model put him slightly on edge. He wanted to ask him his name, but it felt weird. Connor did not converse with many androids outside of Markus, Simon, and Josh. A human conversation he could handle, but this...asking a random android if he had a name. He could not wrap his head around it. Additionally, they were trying to communicate with him, there were no voices in his head. They did not appear to be reverted either, something about their eyes told him that.
"Have you come across anything strange since the start of the excavation?" Connor asked.
The TW400 model that had been staring at him stepped forward and spoke. "The deeper we go the more find. Offices that look to have been abandoned years ago and others that look brand new."
"For fuck's sake," Reed complained.
"Let's stay close," Connor ordered as they walked the hallways.
Hank hovered over his phone screen keeping up with the cell signal as they explored the ruins. Connor had been keeping track of the layout of the area they had covered. The TW400 model was right, besides the strange inconsistency of what was new and old, there was not much else to the lower levels. There were several hundred prison-like Turing labs for androids that made Connor uncomfortable. Flashbacks of memories he could barely make sense of made him crave the kiss of daylight. Hank and Reed rummaged through documents and attempted to revive several of the abandoned computers, but nothing worked; which seemed intentional. There was a distinct lack of footsteps amongst the debris, which seemed odd if there had been a sense of panic; surely there would be signs of human presence. At one point, Hank ordered him to gather fingerprints, he was not as surprised as his colleagues, when Connor admitted that there had been none. Not a single identifying mark remained. Not even a blade of hair, Connor pouted.
"This is ridiculous," Hank moaned as they came upon another repetitious room.
Reed did not even bother entering this time, instead, he wandered off; backtracking his way through the debris. Connor signaled for Hank to continue as he followed Reed. Despite his own personal prejudices, Connor asked for the TW400 models to stick to Hank. So far, Connor felt as though he had nothing to fear, but that did not mean he was not still worried. At least the TW400s had given him some peace of mind. And he checked regularly to make sure it was not him shutting them out like he had done with Markus before. Hank would be safe, he had a little faith in the 98.7% probability scan.
Besides Reed's likelihood of survival was only 85.6%, although he disliked Reed, or so he assumed. He did not want to see him get killed. Connor had seen enough death for the time being.
"Hey, plastic!" Reed called. "Look at this."
Connor was shocked that Reed had discovered yet another hole. "I should call you hole-hunter." Connor jested.
"Sounds like a goddamn porn name, no thanks," he replied with a thematic tone.
Reed even smiled a bit as Connor peered over his shoulder. He liked that. It might have been on edge but for once Connor could not tell.
"Hank, over here!" Reed shouted.
"Can you see what's down there, tin can?" Reed asked.
Connor was already in the process of performing a deep scan when his system glitched. He twitched briefly as he warded off his malfunction. A quick 10 seconds was all he needed to reboot his systems, thankfully just as Hank entered the room, he was able to perform the action without coming off suspiciously.
"It's deep, well beyond my scanning capabilities at the present."
Hank and the TW400 stood over the opening peering down into its depths.
"This area is zoned for a fill-in." The TW400 informed them.
"Who authorized that without investigating it?" Hank asked, pulling out his phone.
"Hey, prick, get down there," Reed ordered.
"Not a chance," Hank intervened as Connor calculated his chances for survival. "Stop it, Connor. No way in hell you're going down there alone."
"How else do you expect us to gather intel?" Connor responded.
"Send in a drone," Hank offered.
"It's too narrow," Connor replied, removing his jacket. "I'll take the drone with me if you'd like."
"Let him go, Hank," Reed insisted, lighting up the pit with his flashlight.
"Shut the hell up, Gavin," Hank barked, rubbing the back of his neck.
Connor would have listened to Hank had it not been for the circumstances at hand. If RK900 was hiding out here, maybe this was the lead they needed. He could not pass up the opportunity to learn something.
"It's a 45-foot drop with a 657-degree slope. My survival rate is 90.6%." Connor admitted, tossing his jacket to Reed. "Do you have a rope?" Connor asked the TW400.
"Yes," one of them replied, handing him a reel of 75-foot metal twined rope.
"Connor, be careful," Hank said in a low grumbly voice. "And take a radio drone with you."
Connor nodded as he got into position.
"This should be good," Reed remarked, leaning against the wall to watch.
Connor took one last look at Hank, whose BP was elevated, then at Reed, who was enjoying this a little too much. Something about Connor descending into a pitch black hole possibly to his doom had Reed tickled. Hank's forehead was covered in a glossy layer of sweat as Connor lowered himself into the hole.
"Radio in every minute," Hank ordered, handing off the radio drone.
It was a small drone fitted with a camera. They were great for quick arrest, vehicle stops, and other small events, but they were also new and had been reported to be buggy. Connor took it before disappearing into the hole. The ride down was unpleasant. Rocks and metal ripped through Connor's clothes like a blade. His CyberLife attire would have been better suited for the job. It was more durable than normal clothing. He'd have to remember that moving forward.
Connor landed perfectly on his feet. A puff of dust settled beside him as he looked around and performed a deep scan. He was alone. That was good. As he turned on the drone, Hank called him over his internal radio.
"Connor, status?" Hank asked.
"All's clear," Connor replied as the drone mummed to life.
Hank and Reed could see what he saw. It was a dark space, not suited for anything. In front of him, there was a long hallway dimly lit by what looked to be outdated lanterns. Connor pointed the drone to the end of the hallway.
"What the hell?" Connor overheard Hank moan.
Connor's deep scan revealed that there was a small room up ahead and another tunnel that went on for miles. Then, it branched out for miles and miles. It went well beyond Connor's scanning capabilities.
"Clear," Reed called out over the radio.
Connor followed the drone down the narrow pathway that led to the room. There was no telling what he would find down here, but he was eager to gain some insight into this RK900. But as Connor entered the room, audible shock broke the eerily silence.
"God," Hank exclaimed.
In the room, a small bright white light lit up the tattered walls of the makeshift dwelling. Connor was suddenly overwhelmed with flashbacks of his investigations of deviant androids. RA9 had been perfectly written out on the walls, next it Connor's name and serial number. Digital screens of android models with detailed information about each were attached.
Along one side of the room were pictures of all the officers employed by the DPD. Disturbingly, Hank, Reed, Chris, Tina, and Fowler's pictures were all circled in red. Their personal information was highlighted above the others. That was not the most disturbing thing he saw. Next to Hank's profile was Kairi's picture and information.
"Fucking Christ," Hank and Gavin said in unison.
Sitting on an organized pile of clothes were a laptop and cellphone. Neither item was registered to a human or android and did not seem to be working properly from what Connor could gather. Each item was missing a component to work.
"Connor," Hank called out.
But something in Connor broke, and without a word, he began destroying everything he could get his hands on. In the background, Connor could hear Hank yelling for him to stop, but he could not bring himself to do it. Rage radiated throughout his body like a wildfire.
"Connor stop!" Hank shouted repeatedly over the radio, but it was too late.
By the time, Connor came to his senses, the room resembled a post-apocalyptic shack. Hank was still trying to gain Connor's attention, but he was not listening. He grabbed one of the lanterns and tossed it onto the pile of clothes, before snatching the drone and turning it off.
Connor had acted on impulse, his circuits still sizzled as he turned to leave. Fuck this RK900 for toying with the people Connor cared about. The people who contributed to making him feel more alive. It was sick.
A small fire began to bloom behind Connor. As he stood something felt off, but he quickly realized that he did not need to scan to know who was radiating such poor energy. As Connor looked up, his eyes met with RK900. Everything about his replacement was wrong and yet somehow perfect. He was taller with a body frame similar to that of a TW400 model. With the exception of his more rounded shoulders and triangle body frame. Easily more pleasing to look at, if Connor said so himself. RK900 also had a thicker jawline and seemed to be in favor of his traditional CyberLife jacket; which was white instead of black. His eyes were characteristically cold and empty as he smiled down casually at Connor.
"Nice to finally meet you, RK800, or perhaps you prefer more human terms, big brother."