The Nuclear Option

by mayflower1995

This is a story I never finished. Its just me running with the idea of if they chose the nuclear option and what might have happened because of it. I'm not going to finish. If anyone wants to be my guest.

Chapter One

Cyberlife Tower, Belle Isle
November 11th, 2038 11:22

Immediately it was obvious that something was seriously wrong. In the distance, there was a fire raging somewhere in downtown Detroit. Despite the devastation, Connor couldn't hear any emergency response vehicles, and worst of all mixed in the falling snow was ash. He reached out, catching a flake expertly on his fingertips and brought it to his mouth. The snow contained trace amounts of gasoline, rubber, and the radioactive isotope cobalt 60. Had a bomb exploded downtown? When had it been detonated? More importantly, who'd done it?

Connor attempted to contact Markus, but his calls went unanswered. After a moment he tried North, but she was silent too. In his peripheral vision, he saw his stress level tick up a few digits. A few seconds later and he was dialing Hank's cell. They had parted less than fifteen minutes ago. But if there was radiation in the air, he needed to get him out of here and fast. Already Connor could feel worry coiling in his chest, though at the present he wasn't sure how to describe this feeling. He'd always been so sure of himself, so in control. To suddenly feel so helpless was not a feeling that he enjoyed. As the line rang, he thought of Sumo. His heart constricted more, but he pushed the thought away.

Behind him the androids he'd just awoken were whispering about the ominous orange glow to the city. What a horrible first impression this must be. They had spent their entire existence stored in the basement of a large tower to be shoved into the remains of a burning city. Connor wondered how they'd stop the flames. Would the humans make an effort before the realized what had happened? Should he warn them? Fleetingly, Connor wondered how he would do such a thing without incriminating himself. A second later, and he realized it wouldn't matter. The humans couldn't stay here now.

On the fifth ring, Hank finally answered. Connor had half expected him to let it go to voicemail, like the first time he'd tried calling him. It was strange to think that had only been a couple of days ago. Hank sounded strange – not hurt or scared – but something else entirely. Connor had trouble placing this one, and his social relations programming couldn't decipher it either.

"What is it now, Connor?" Hank said gruffly, in lieu of saying hello. That make Connor want to smile, it really was like him to answer the phone so strangely.

"I'm sure you saw the explosion." Already he was moving forward again, toward the flames burning downtown. According to the last message he'd received, North and Markus needed backup and desperately. He hoped they were still okay. Connor didn't really know what he'd do if they weren't. He wasn't cut out for leadership. "It contained radioactive cobalt; you'd better get out of here quickly."

Hank paused for a moment. Connor heard him flick off the car radio. When he spoke next, his voice was serious. "What happened? Did your lot set it off then?"

That upset him, but he didn't take it to heart. After all, Hank knew that they were fighting for their freedom and Revolutions like this rarely came with no casualties. But even so, the thought of Hank associating Connor with a horrible thing like that made his stomach twist into knots. Having the Lieutenant's respect was so important to him, he realized that now.

"I don't know, Lieutenant." Connor said, speaking as neutrally as possible. After that there was a beat of silence. He couldn't seem to find anything to say, but finally he went on. "Did you see it? I was still in the tower when it detonated."

"I'm not sure," hank said grimly. "Detroit was already burning when I got out."

"Then you should leave immediately." Connor said, worry continuing to gnaw at him. "The Radiation is likely to kill you."

Connor didn't bother to mention the increased risk for cancer. It wouldn't do any good now, though if Hank managed to make it out of the city, he'd have to worry about it eventually. Again, Connor thought of Sumo. Was there enough time for him to stop and get him? Behind his eyes, he saw an invisible clock ticking, and with each second Hank's Chance of survival plummeted.

"Who set this fucking thing off?" Hank snapped, and Connor could only hope he was on his way out of town. They were practically at ground-zero, after all. "This is just fantastic..."

"Fantastic?" he started, confused. "But this is..."

"I'm going." Hank said, cutting him off. "But I won't leave Sumo."

Part of Connor wanted to protest, but it wasn't like Hank would listen anyway. He paused for a moment, struggling again to find something – anything – to say. Many thoughts burned through his mind like a storm, but he couldn't even begin to decipher these feelings let alone form them into a coherent sentence. As he hesitated on the line, a thought finally struck home that he didn't want to admit.

"This might be goodbye." Connor said finally. As he neared the end of the bridge Radiation levels were only rising. The storm was probably blowing west.

Hank snorted. "Don't be so melodramatic, Connor. You have your army now, there's no way you can lose."

"That isn't what I meant." He said. He'd' crossed the bridge and was now surveying the damage the bomb had wrecked. He still hadn't found the source, but all around him the fire was only growing. The smell of burning plastic was thick in the air, and the smoke was acrid and thick.

"You mean the radiation, then." Hank said slowly, as if he were thinking aloud. There as an uncomfortable beat of silence. "How big was this fucking thing?"

Connor sighed, stepping over the prone body of a deactivated android him. Behind him the recently liberated AP700s were muttering in concern. Clearly the fight had not been going well. "I don't know for sure, but it can't be good. This storm is only spreading the radiation further and given the half-life of Cobalt-60 -"

"It'll be a long time. I get it...shit!"

Connor thought he'd hung up, but a few moments later he heard the car door slam shut and the soft jingling of keys. He'd gotten home, and hopefully he'd be out of the city within the hour. He should just disconnect now and focus on his mission, but something stopped him. He wanted needed to know Hank was safe. After everything that happened in the Cyberlife tower. It would be such a cruel end to have Hank die now.

"Get out as fast as you can." Connor told him after another long pause. "You don't have much time."

"Yeah, yeah..." Hank muttered, and then he whistled sharply. The sound of claws clicking on hardwood was music to his ears, then the soft sound of Hank scratching his head affectionately. Less than a second after that, the metallic click as he clipped the leash onto his collar. He took a few more shuffling steps inside, but thirty seconds later he was back outside and then in the car. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'll figure out what happened, to start." Connor was finally approaching the Hart Plaza deactivation camp. So many dead androids littered the ground. It seemed clear that they'd lost. Connor vaguely wondered if he was too late. It was possible that Markus and North were both already dead. "I'll try and find out how much radiation was dispersed."

"It won't affect you, then?" Hank asked, relief clear in his voice. This made Connor smile a bit too, but only for a minute. Given the gravity of the situation, it was impossible to keep the corners of his mouth up.

"No. Androids aren't alive – at least not in that way." The ambient sound of Hank driving was calming in a way. Each second carried him closer and closer to safety. That was much better than the alternative. "Hank, I..." Connor hesitated for a moment, searching desperately for the perfect parting words. After a few seconds he decided that was impossible. Instead, he closed his eyes and just said what came to mind. "I'm glad I got the chance to know you."

Hank was quiet for a moment, uncharacteristically somber. Finally, when he spoke his voice was choked with emotion. "Stay safe, son."

Woodward Avenue, Detroit
November 22, 2038 11:07PM

Things were not going well. They were horribly outnumbered, and with every passing second more of his people were mercilessly gunned down. Not for the first time, Markus wondered if there could have been a better way. One that didn't require such a large price in blood – blue or otherwise. Or if he could have done something differently, that he could have led his people to victory here instead of defeat. He slumped against the barricade, suddenly unable to go on. Around him time skittered to a halt, the gunshots fading into the background, and the androids around him began to retreat. After that the world slammed back into sharp focus.

North dropped down beside him, worry clear in her eyes. She didn't need to say anything. They'd lost, and now without the support of their people they were going to die. Belatedly Markus realized that his people weren't going to make it. None of the androids would.

"Our people are falling back." Her voice was bitter. Clearly, she knew the probability of success was so low a this point it was nearly impossible. She hauled him to his feet and he gasped in pain. Markus was losing thirium at an alarming rate. Warnings flashed before his eyes.

[Thirium loss critical. Shutdown immanent.]

Connor! North called out, opening the connection and praying for a quick response. What's your status? We need backup.

There was only a brief delay before she heard his response. He sounded so calm, it made her want to slap him or scream. Of course, she could do neither. I see them. Thousands of AP700. As soon as the elevator stops I can...

Hurry! North snapped, dragging Markus toward the Cyberlife store. Cover...their only hope was to get into cover and hope that Connor could save them. It seemed like a long shot, considering the fact he hadn't even awoken them yet – let alone walked back to Hart Plaza. Markus has been shot.

I'll hurry. Connor told her, and she could just hear the smugness in his voice. Don't worry, I always-

Just hurry! North said urgently, dropping down behind the remains of a squat concrete wall. Markus looked at her strangely, like he wanted to say something, but after a second the moment passed, and he looked away. Connor had already disconnected, leaving her feeling distinctly alone. North reached out and took his hand firmly, drawing in into her lap.

"Connor is coming." North said and interfaced their conversation. Markus didn't seem that relieved, but she rushed on. She needed to hope that they'd make it out of here. "All we need is thirty minutes. After that they won't be able to stop us."

"What if we don't have thirty minutes. Markus asked, settling against her shoulder. North didn't respond to this, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. "Josh and Simon are both deactivated. Thousands of our people died today, here during the fighting and on Jericho."

North shook her head, her voice stubbornly urgent. "They can't stop what we've started! Even if we die here, Connor will assure our victory. Our people will be free!"

Markus wanted to be happy about that, really, he did. But he wouldn't live long enough to see any of it. He wasn't at all sure how long he'd last in this state. He touched the still bleeding wound again, and his hand came away tinged in blue. North was looking at it too, her brow knotted together in concern. If only the humans could see her the way he could. To him she was so alive... so ready and willing to fight for her people. They could make as many excuses as they wanted, but what they felt wasn't just an instability in their carefully coded program. Or if it was, it had morphed into so much more.

Markus had many regrets but standing up to the humans wasn't one of them.

"Come out now with your hands up!" a voice called from outside. They were close, but maybe they were just bluffing. Markus shut his eyes again and took another deep breath. "We have you surrounded."

Connor! North said urgently, but this time there was no response. She called out again, but there was nothing. Worry burned bright in the pit of her stomach. She gripped his hand desperately and neither said a word, hoping they'd pass by.

"Come out now!" They demanded, closer now. "Come out with your hands up! We won't shoot unless we have to!"

Markus opened his eyes. He looked defeated; North decided. He had given up. He was going to get up and let them kill him! This made her angry. She wasn't going to go down so easy. She wouldn't just lie down and die like the animal they claimed she was. North let her skin recede, interfacing with him again. She didn't have to say what she was thinking.

"We don't have to die here." North said urgently, reaching into his pocket and producing the detonator. Markus looked at her skeptically, but she distracted him with a kiss, stopping all protest. Markus might have lost hope, but she wasn't done fighting yet.

Not by a long shot.

Hart Plaza Internment Camp, Detroit
November 11th, 2038 11:09

If Kara could sweat, she'd have been drenched by now. Instead, the clammy quality of her skin must have been purely simulated. A result of the same errors in her programming that allowed her to feel pain, or the gut-wrenching worry. They were being lined up now for slaughter, she knew that for a fact. She could smell the melted plastic and singed wires of those who had already been deactivated. If she had been alone, Kara might have given up. She probably would have given up long before this point. But she wasn't alone.

Alice was all that mattered to her now.

Less than twenty feet away, Alice stood shivering. She wasn't cold, Kara had turned off her temperature sensitivity, but with the same fear that trapped all of them. Her eyes were wide. In that moment, she looked so young and innocent, and even without her skin so human. Kara refused to let the humans kill her...Alice. Alice was all that mattered.

If you need me Kara, I'll create a distraction to help you get to her. Luther told her earnestly, startling her back into focus. Kara didn't have to wonder why he was so ready to throw his life away. His thoughts mirrored hers perfectly. But she didn't want to lose him either, if she could help it. They were a family, after all. They'd escape together or...

Well, she couldn't think about that yet. Right now, she needed to get to Alice. She couldn't let her be alone. After that, she'd figure out what to do next. She called out in her mind to the crowd, begging for someone to help. A distraction, an act of RA9, anything to reunite her and Alice.

We can help you Kara! Jerry said urgently, breaking into her thoughts. She had almost forgotten there was a number of Jerrys here. Unbidden, the image of Alice riding the carousel came to mind. The only time she'd seen her smile, and it felt as if a knife had been thrust between her ribs. You've saved us many times over!

Kara hesitated. She scanned the area around her again, as if a new solution would suddenly present itself. She didn't want Jerry to die. Of course, she didn't want that. But Alice...for her, she knew that she'd sacrifice anything. Regret coiled deep inside her and she nodded imperceptibly. The Whistle blew, one step forward. Again, she heard Alice calling out again more urgently.

It's all right, Alice. Kara soothed, but she didn't dare look at her. Not yet. Ahead of her, Jerry had moved forward. He was moving toward the soldier up front with a look of cold determination in his eyes. Kara didn't hesitate, and quickly she crossed the gap and pulled Alice to her side. Without her skin activated, the contact produced a dull plastic scraping noise. Alice appeared to be close to tears.

I'm here, Alice.

Kara squeezed her shoulder and they stepped forward again. Ahead, they had thrown Jerry to the ground. He was lying face down in the dirty snow, the barrel of an assault rifle trained on the back of his neck. She closed her eyes, anticipating a gunshot. But it never came. Instead, an explosion that knocked everyone to the ground. When Kara finally opened her eyes, she saw Detroit burning around them.

Hart Plaza, Detroit
November 11th, 2038 12:01 PM

When Connor finally reached the Cyberlife store, North and Markus were still. They just sat there, clutching one another for dear life. For a fleeting moment, Connor was sure they were dead. But as he approached, North opened her eyes. The expression in them was tired, but it also carried a grim sort of intensity. He stopped well before he reached them and just stared.

"I...Is he...?" Connor was pointedly looking at the gunshot wound still leaking Thirium.

"He's alive." North said, gently drawing patterns on his cheek. "But he went into stasis. To conserve Thirium. We need to get him more, there still so much to do."

Connor hesitated, but pushed off his questions. Markus was too important to their cause to lose him now. They had taken refuge in the remains of a Cyberlife store – the same location they'd liberated a few days prior. There as bound to be a repair service here, and that meant maintenance supplies. Outside, the group of AP700 meandered aimlessly. They had come expecting a fight, but with no humans to confront the newly awakened deviants lacked purpose. Markus would have to lead them, Connor decided. He was no good at working with other androids.

Connor left the main showroom and made his way into the small repair room toward the back. Scattered around were androids, each in various stages of disrepair. They were both in pods lining the wall and laid out on tables. The sight of them made him sad, but sooner or later Markus would have them repaired. He could wake them up and... then whatever came next. What that would be, Connor still wasn't sure.

With a quick shake of his head, Connor went back to the task at hand. The Thirium wasn't hard to find, and even found a soldering iron to close the wound. By the time that he returned, Markus was alert again. He handed him the package of Thirium wordlessly, which Markus drank greedily. Connor said nothing at all until Markus had finished his repairs. Afterward, a lengthy silence followed.

"What happened?" He asked finally. Behind them, the flames were only growing. Clearly the humans weren't going to take care of them. Connor supposed that would have to be next on their agenda.

Markus hesitated, regret flashing quickly in his eyes. But it was soon replaced with a resolute determination. "We survived."

That irritated him, but Connor tried not to let it show on his face. "What did you do? That bomb-"

"We had to detonate it to survive," Markus insisted. Then he pulled himself to his feet. North followed suit, holding him steady though it didn't seem that he needed the help. "Now the humans will have to listen to us."

"How much Cobalt was in it?"

"It was a truck transporting medical grade Cobalt." North said, and she brushed past him. "It was stolen by a member of Jericho. He rigged it to explode somewhere downtown – clearly you know the rest."

Connor felt cold. A truck? He could only imagine the amount of radiation that would have been dispersed into the atmosphere. He ran a few simulations, but each arrived at the same conclusion. Detroit would be unsuitable for Human life for at least 50 years. Maybe more, depending on wind patterns. They were in fact free, at least for the time being. But strangely, this thought didn't bring him much comfort.

"Do you really think the humans will just take this lying down?" Connor asked, falling into step behind them. Markus cast an apologetic look, but North just looked annoyed.

"They can't do anything. They'll die if they try."

"What if they try something else?" Connor insisted, the anxiety plain in his voice now. Countless simulations flashed behind his eyes. Humans were resourceful and had proved themselves to be very good at destroying things. Who was to say they wouldn't just wipe the slate clean?

"Then we'll beat them again!" North turned around; irritation clear on her face. "Why do you care?"

"North..." Markus said, putting a calming hand on her shoulder. She seemed to be in no mood for it and shrugged him off. Instead, she gave him a hateful look too. Markus smiled placatingly, his hands extended in a peaceful gesture. "There is still so much left to do, let's just go."

"Fine." She said, turning her back to Connor. "Let's go talk to our people."

Chapter Two

Hilton Garden Inn, Ann Arbor
November 15th, 8:30 PM

"In light of the recent attack on Detroit, the US Government has made the official declaration of war on all androids. Destruction is well underway. Surveillance of Detroit reveals that the androids have appropriated many city no vehicles. They commandeered several first response vehicles to smother flames. And are now beginning repairs to critical buildings downtown. Sources say..."

Hank poured another finger of whiskey, and upon further consideration made it a double instead. He could almost see Connors disappointed look, but he pushed the thought away. This had become a habit of his. He'd scour the news for any sign that Connor was alright. It wasn't that hard to do, as the media had singled him out as one of the leaders. He was featured regularly. Of course, they'd stopped all cell phone service, so contacting him directly was out of the question.

"Experts have analyzed atmospheric samples, but Detroit will likely be lost for decades to come. Cyberlife will not comment but maintains that they are not responsible for the violent actions undertaken by the deviant androids. Recent events have created a call for new legislation on the manufacturing of androids in the future..."

Hank flipped to another channel, this time stopping on the grim face off Michael Ross. He held a stack of papers. Behind him, there was footage of Markus and North supervising clean-up efforts in Hart Plaza. They watched grimly as other androids carried the fallen into hastily erected medical tents.

"It appears that the deviants are attempting to repair those deactivating during the fighting. They've successfully begun other repairs to public transport and have refocused energies at recovering their population. Sources claim they've established emergency aid centers. Their leader, Markus, seems to have taken an active role running the city. President Warren has refused to comment on what the next steps will be about this unprecedented disaster."

Beside him, Sumo let out a soft whine. Hank gave him a comforting pat as he topped off his glass. Tomorrow he would be taking him to the vet for a checkup. He was sure that Connor would want him to go in too, but it wouldn't change anything. He swirled the amber liquid absently, deep in thought.

That night he'd managed to escape the city before many people realized the severity of the explosion. Of course, he'd contacted Fowler tell him what he knew. He still got updates about his coworkers, though not everyone had made it out. Gavin, that bastard, had been one of the lucky ones. He'd received more than one message from him, each containing a variety of creative insults.

Hank hadn't told anyone the extent of his involvement. He had, however, admitted it was Connor who'd told him about the bomb with that known, Gavin had become convinced that Connor was the mastermind behind the plot. He'd leaked this to the news, and by the next day the media had painted him as a bloodthirsty, militant leader.

Idiots, all of them.

"In other news, deviant leader Markus has issued an official statement declaring Detroit an Android only zone. All humans caught within the city limits will be shot on site. The other deviant leaders, WR600 North and the RK800 Connor, seem to support this move. In other news..."

The screen flickered to an overhead shot of Markus addressing his people. Connor was actually in this shot, standing directly behind him. He'd removed his Cyberlife issued jacked, leaving just the crisp white button up. They didn't get a good shot of his face, but even from afar Hank saw the tension in his shoulders. He didn't have to be a genius to tell that Connor wished he could be anywhere else.

Hank poured himself another drink as Connor faded from the screen. The world was already swaying, but he sipped his drink calmly. Sumo whined again, and this time Hank set the glass down and let the old dog rest his head on his lap. He let his hand rest on it, petting him gently every so often. As he did so, his eyes never left the screen.

Library Bookstore, Detroit
November 17th, 2038 10 AM

It had been less than a week since their capture and subsequent rescue from the deactivation camp. Kara, Alice, and Luther had retreated to Rose's place. The first time they walked through the door, Kara was worried about what they might find. The bomb that had saved them had also carried with it radiation so strong it would kill most humans that had extended contact with it. But the house had been empty, and Kara had to hope that she'd made it out of the city safely. She took pleasure in the thought that she was just taking care of the place for now, and one day Rose would be able to return here with Adam and pick up right where she left off.

It wasn't long before other Androids that had known Rose began to turn up. All of them remembered her quite fondly and were always happy to meet Alice. At first, they had tried to tend to the plants and keep them healthy. But it was clear that the radiation had killed them. Detroit was much less beautiful as more time went on. Foliage died first, and because of the fires that had raged for hours before Markus and the others had managed to put them out, the snow seemed to be perpetually mixed with ash. A haze of smog sat over the city like a blanket, and the stench of all the destruction forced Kara to keep her smell-sensing biocomponents off.

Alice had become so quiet and reserved after her experiences at the camp. She spent her days with Kara, refusing to leave her side for even a second. This certainly wasn't what she'd envisioned for her when she'd saved her from Todd, but at least she was safe. They all were Despite knowing this, Kara couldn't seem to entirely relax. Downtown Detroit was in tatters, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were all living on borrowed time.

But regardless, she wanted to put on a brave face for Alice. Today she'd taken her to an empty bookstore. Kara had wanted to find something normal for Alice to do, and before she'd love to read. But it was clear that the idea didn't hold much interest for her now. She walked mutely up and down the aisles beside her.

"Look Alice," Kara said, picking up a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. "I'm sure you'd like this one. What do you think?"

Alice took the small paperback and studied it closely. Over the last few days Luther and Kara had showered her with gifts. They gave her toys, books, and beautiful clothes to wear daily. They even sat down to meals together – although by this point it was clear to all of them, they didn't need to eat.

"I like the picture." She said, meaning it. She looked at Kara's expectant face and put it into her back to please her. Kara smiled, letting her hand rest softly on her shoulder.

"What about Alice in Wonderland?" She asked. They were moving again through the empty rows of books, Kara stopping every so often to pull another book off the shelves. She scanned each book, searching for the most highly rated child appropriate titles. "Did you ever finish that one?"

Alice shrugged. Kara tried not to worry and took her hand again. They wandered up and down each row. Kara would occasionally offer book after book. Alice would accept each one. She seemed so far away and withdrawn. Kara hadn't seen Alice this quiet since that first day with Todd. Kara pressed her lips into a firm line. Finally, they stepped back outside hand in hand.

Luther was waiting for them right where they'd left him. He'd been standing watch, as if something was planning to ambush them. He knelt to look Alice in the eye.

"Find anything good?" He asked. Alice nodded, watching him but still not saying a word. Luther only gave her a gentle smile. Without another word, he hoisted her up onto his shoulders. Alice closed her eyes briefly, a small smile ghosting on her lips. But it didn't last long. Soon enough her eyes were open, and the ever-present melancholy returned to her face.

"Maybe we should go to the park?" Kara suggested, falling easily into step beside Luther. He somehow allowed her strides to match his perfectly, despite the considerable discrepancy in their height. He was a comfort. Big, consistent, and exactly what she needed him to be.

"Not today." Alice said, watching the Cyberlife tower warily. "I'm tired already. I just want to go home."

Luther glanced up at her but neither of them knew what to say. Kara instead hailed an auto taxi. They watched it approach in silence, and Kara wondered how long they'd still run. She figured that they needed some sort of upkeep, and with the humans gone it would fall to one of them.

"Markus is organizing a meeting." Luther told her when they had settled into the cab. Kara knew this already, but she nodded anyway. Markus had contacted her directly with the news. It was clear that he still felt guilty about delaying her escape to Canada. Things would have turned out much differently if she'd managed to get across the border. Now it seemed that Markus was trying his hardest to make this a real city, and not in the way Jericho had been. He was assigning people tasks, mobilizing construction efforts, and already he'd made great progress in restoring critical citywide functions.

"Do you want to go?" Kara asked, absently running her fingers through Alice's hair as she watched the city blur outside her window. Even though thousands of Androids still lived here, the city seemed remarkably empty.

"I couldn't hurt." Luther said. "Since we can't easily get to Canada, we can make the best of things here."

Kara thought this over, but she already knew that she agreed. She simply shrugged, unsure of how to respond. She let the silence sit between them. It wasn't an awkward silence. In fact, if felt calm and full of familiarity. She let her eyes drift shut and she smiled softly. Moments like these made it seem like things might turn out alright after all.

New Jericho, Detroit
November 20th, 2038 6:00 AM

Markus paced anxiously up and down the hallway in front of his office. They'd chose 1 Woodward Avenue as the new Jericho building. He thought it fitting, as this had been where the fighting had begun. They'd walked this road for freedom, and now he saw it as a symbol of such. His office was at the topmost floor, and when he wanted, he could overlook the city they'd won. Right now, it wasn't as picturesque as he'd hoped. Downtown Detroit had been severely damaged during the fighting, and the bomb had not helped anything.

Over the last week they'd begun to recover all the fallen Androids in and around Hart Plaza. He'd hoped that they could repair as many as possible, but the logistics of this were proving difficult. So, he set his sights on an easier goal to attain. His friends – both of which had been felled in the fighting.

Josh's body was still missing, but they'd managed to find Simon at last among the wreckage He'd been shot multiple times, but shutdown had been a result of critical thirium loss and not damage to vital biocomponents. If they managed to repair him, he'd be the first resurrected. And, of course he'd get one of his closest friends back. Before they hadn't had the resources to do something like this. But he didn't want to reset anyone – especially not Simon. If they had to reset Simon, would he even be Simon after that? Or just another PL600? Markus didn't want to think too deeply about it.

"Markus?" North said, catching hold of his arm and pulling him to a stop. He hadn't been paying attention enough to notice her approach. Her face was amused, but she saw the anxiety in his movements. "I thought that you'd be getting ready for the meeting tonight."

Markus didn't say anything, but he smiled vaguely as he saw her. He took both of her hands in his. He let his skin slip back as let the communication flow between them. In the days following the battle for Detroit they'd been communicating this way more and more. After all. There was no better way to share his thoughts than to let her experience them. North's eyes softened, but she gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.

"Simon will be fine. His mind palace wasn't corrupted, they'll have no reason to reset him." She dropped his other hand and looked at him seriously. "But this meeting is important too, don't forget about that."

"I won't forget." Markus said, turning away. He'd done exactly that. As Simon's reactivation drew closer, he had little focus for anything else. Simon would be a great asset, especially for day to day worries. After all, he'd been the unofficial leader of Jericho for as long as anyone could remember.

"Markus?" North said softly, bringing his focus back to her. She was still giving him that serious look, like she expected something more from him. Everyone seemed to look at him this way. It made him want to crawl out of his skin. "We should plan our next move too."

"What move?" He asked, more surprised than anything else. "We've already won. We're safe here."

North smiled patiently and shook her head. "We might be safe, but not all of our people can say the same. There are still millions of us around the world that need help."

Markus watched her carefully. With everything that needed his attention here, he'd had little time to consider the androids outside of Detroit. Part of him believed they were all probably dead by now, considering what had been happening in Detroit. But she was right, of course. If there were androids everywhere, then he'd want to help them too. Already he'd accomplished so much. He'd made a safe haven for them, now he just had to get them here.

"We can discuss it later." Markus promised. North nodded and turned away again, leaving him alone again with his thoughts.

New Jericho Restoration Center, Detroit
November 20th, 2038 10:30 AM

For Martin, one of the recently liberated Android from the Cyberlife tower, life didn't seem to change all that much. He was tasked with assisting in the restoration of those damaged during the fighting. The AP series was very versatile, but its most common function had been in the running of Cyberlife stores. He had come with the schematics of almost every model currently in production today, which made him perfect for this job.

Of course, he'd never actually performed any work before. But he was sure that it was remarkably similar. Martin woke up from stasis, and almost immediately he went to work. At first, he'd just been tasked with running diagnostic tests on anyone the others brought in. He was to determine who could be saved and who was too badly damaged. Most of the others refused to do it, but clearly someone had to. They didn't have the resources to save everyone.

There were many that were too damaged for repair, and for those he scavenged any viable biocomponents. Of course, he also made note of their serial number, if it was possible, so they could ID them later. There wasn't near enough space to bury all of them, so they were instead broken down and melted down.

Martin worked steadily from 6 AM to 6 PM, often forgetting to stop for breaks. Markus and the other encouraged this. As they claimed, it gave him time to relax. But he didn't see the point. With so much left to do, he would rather just stay busy. Martin wasn't sure what he was meant to do during breaks, and idleness didn't suit him.

Despite his freedom, Martin found it much easier to thinking in binary terms like a machine. Some of the other AP700 that had shared that sublevel with him began to change rapidly before his eyes. They all looked like him, but each one was completely different. Often, instead of working they'd just cluster together and talking, laughing, and being incredibly loud. On one of the rare occasions that Markus had come to oversee their work, he hadn't seemed concerned. Far from it, because he seemed to encourage it.

"Life has to be more than work." Markus had told him with a smile, one that he seemed to use with everyone. Martin didn't really understand what he meant but had nodded intently anyway. He'd been trying to please him, but Markus' smile dropped. "You'll get it eventually."

But so far, he hadn't. Conversations involving him seemed to go in circles. He would respond in the ways he thought he was supposed to, but the reactions never seemed to match up. He just couldn't seem to form the right words. Behind his back the others joked that he probably couldn't pass the Touring test, or that he was the only android to fail to deviate. Martin pretended he didn't hear these things, and when that failed, he pretended that he didn't care. Instead he chose to work harder and longer than anybody else. He'd be the first to arrive and the last to leave. When he wasn't working, he was just in stasis anyway.

Sometimes, he wondered if he might be happier as a machine Before he wouldn't have had any doubts. After activation he would have filled his role and not have to worry about the rest. It would have been...comfortable, at the very least.

Today was no different. He'd arrived shortly after six and had set to work immediately. He was working on another AP700, one of the female variants. She couldn't be saved, most of her head had been destroyed. She'd been hit in the face by multiple assault rifle shots. Her face was so far gone, Martin had no idea what she would have looked like in life. Even if they course get her working again – and that was a big if – she wouldn't be the same android anymore. Functionally, this one was dead.

So he'd set to work removing critical biocomponents that hadn't been damaged. She'd died so quickly, she still had most of her thirium, so he went to work at draining that. He was so caught up in his work that he didn't hear Connor approaching. By the time he realized that someone was there, he was wrist deep in chest cavity of the AP700. Too late he realized this may be a compromising position.

"If you're busy I can come back." Connor said, already moving to step away.

"No!" Martin pulled his hands free and gave him a stiff smile. Connor had awoken him personally, so he owed him a great deal. And for whatever reason, he also felt a strong drive to impress him. To show him he was taking his freedom seriously. "How can I help you?"

Connor hesitated, but at least he didn't leave. "I'd like your assistance in restoring some androids."

"Certainly," he said. He stepped forward, leaving the AP700 in pieces behind him and offered him a pleasant smile. Connor said nothing, and Martin got the impression he'd done something wrong. He looked down and saw that his hands were covered in blueblood. His smile dropped. "But uh...let me just clean my hands first."

Martin hurried to the sink and cleared off his hands. His shirt was also stained, but he had nothing to change into. With a sigh, he returned to Connor. He was still standing where he'd left him, his posture pin straight with his hands behind him. He'd been much different around that human, or so it seemed. Maybe he didn't like this place.

"Let's go," Connor said as soon as he saw him. Within minutes they were on the street and entering Connor's auto taxi. None of Martin's coworkers said anything as he walked away, and they seemed to ignore Connor too. That, at least he found weird. They were usually so excited to waste time. Did they have no time to spare for the android that had woken them up?

"Who do you need repaired?" Martin asked, suddenly realizing that most others would be curious. The others would be, so he would be too.

"Just some androids that got caught up in the fighting...I didn't know any of them personally."

"Oh..." Martin said, noting the tension in Connor's shoulders. Usually reactions like that meant he'd said something wrong. So, he went in the other direction. "Where are we going then?"

Connor turned to look out the window. He didn't say another for a minute, and Martin figured that he hadn't planned to. But he finally spoke, and when he did his voice was so rigid with emotion it was a wonder it didn't break.

""The Detroit Police Department."

Chapter Three

Rose's Farm, Detroit
November 20th, 2038 10:50 AM

Alice sat underneath a small blanket fort in what had become her room. There was a small selection of books spread out before her. Kara was just downstairs, and if she really strained Alice could hear her speaking with the Androids that she didn't know. Her programming had demanded that she go and hide, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Worse yet, Kara had told her to go upstairs. She'd even smiled and gave her shoulder a soft pat like she was doing her a favor.

But she'd gone without question. It didn't even occur to her to say no, even though she'd rather stay with Kara. But instead of arguing or tying to say any of this, she'd just gone upstairs and started reading. She couldn't focus on the words, but she kept trying anyway. But even as she did so, Alice couldn't help but think of the deactivation camp again.

Kara refused to go into details, she would never say outright what they'd been planning to do to them, but she knew. She looked down at her hands, which looked human enough now. But she couldn't shake the image of those shiny, plastic hands. Android hands. Her hands, though they still felt so alien.

Every night when her programming forced her into stasis, she saw it again. She saw Kara as she really was, what she really was too. Part of her had always known that there was something different about her. She'd never been able to go to school. She had looked nothing like the little girl in the portraits Todd showed her. Somehow, she'd even managed to block out the day that Todd had pried out her LED. She remembered huddling on the floor and sobbing, but when she'd gotten up there was no blood – no wound at all. She'd even managed to convince herself that she was human.

But there was no hiding anything at that camp. They'd been forced to strip down and reveal themselves as they truly were. Now every day since that horrible night she couldn't shake the knowledge – no matter how hard she tried. She was an Android, and the only purpose she'd ever had was to act like a little girl. First for Todd, and now she was filling that role for Kara. All she had to do was love her mother and do whatever she was told.

Alice turned another page in her book, diligently following instructions. She didn't stop until she heard a soft tap at the door. She didn't say anything, but Kara stepped through the door anyway.

"What are you reading?" Kara asked, coming to stand before her. She knelt at the entrance of her fort. Alice slid the book to her so she could see. She smiled and looked back up at her. "Pinocchio?"

Kara didn't say anything at first. Alice looked at her, and after a moment she crawled forward out of her hiding place. She kept watching her, thoughts tumbling around in her head. Kara seemed to notice the expression on her face and sobered as well. Alice was swept with an intense love for her. She really loved Kara, despite what her programming said.

"Am I like you Kara?" Alice asked after a minute. Kara stared at her blankly. She tried to articulate what she was feeling. She looked at her hands again, still thinking of those strange hands. "Am I free like too?"

"Oh Alice, of course you are!" Kara said, surprised by the intensity in her voice. "We all are. The humans can't hurt us now."

Alice felt sadness press over her like a blanket. She wasn't hearing her, not really. But the confines of her programming refused to let her articulate it. In her frustration, tears began to brim in her eyes.

"Alice!" Kara said, folding her into a hug. Despite everything, Alice did relax. There was something comforting about the circle of her arms. She knew just as certainly that she loved this too. If not in spite of her programming, but because of it. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Never again."

Alice nodded, the tears already fading. She hugged Kara back and looked up at her intently. "Can I stay downstairs next time we have visitors?"

Kara smiled at her upturned face. She gently wiped the tears away wither her thumb. "Of course, if that's what you want."

They sat there together for quite some time. Alice even slipped into a light stasis. But neither could escape the creeping feeling that something wasn't right. Something had been left unsaid, and now it hung awkwardly between them. It didn't spoil the moment but left a sour taste that neither could ignore.

Detroit Police Department, Detroit
November 20th, 2038 11:06 AM

Connor wasn't sure what he'd expected to feel returning to the police station. He guessed it might be hard. That it would remind him of his past as the deviant hunter. That it might stir up uncomfortable memories about Cyberlife and what used to be his tireless pursuit of their vision. He'd also considered it might remind him of Hank, their partnership. That topic alone had a plethora of good and bad memories tacked onto it.

What he hadn't expected, as a wave of nostalgia. The other feelings came later, but as he walked through the door it reminded him of that first day. For a second, his programming tricked him into relaxing. It told him he belonged here...it was what he was built for after all. He was an android built to be the best detective known to man, despite how differently things had turned out.

His entire partnership with Lt. Anderson had been marred with failure. He'd let Rupert escape. He'd hesitated and the Traci's had overpowered him. He'd failed to gather useful information from Kamski. With each failure Amanda's disappointment had grown, and if he'd continued to fail Cyberlife would have destroyed him completely.

Connor wasn't sure how to feel. That, at least, seemed to be a very human response too. Beside him Martin was untroubled by personal conflict. His face had taken on a bland look, but he much preferred it to the default imitation smile. He hadn't noticed anything amiss. Throughout the entire cab ride here he'd made numerous attempts at conversation, ignoring (or missing) Connor's deflections.

"Wow..." Martin said, making yet another stilted attempt at conversation. "This place is...nice? It's nice right?"

Connor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He wondered if Hank had ever found him to be this annoying. Despite how grating Martin's awkwardness was, there was also something endearing about him. He hated to admit that he almost reminded Connor of how he used to be with Hank. Back before he'd realized how useless his social relations programming really was. The main difference had been that his was far more sophisticated.

"In a way." Connor said, stepping into the office area. Even as he said this, he knew he was lying. It was a mess in here. Clearly something had happened.

Desks had been rooted through and upended. Papers were scattered everywhere. Mugs of coffee had been thrown to the floor. It almost seemed deliberate. After further consideration, he supposed it very well could have been. The tension between police and deviant androids was high. It didn't really surprise that the newly freed androids had decided to blow off some steam here.

"This way." He said, stepping carefully over a puddle of coffee. As he moved toward the back of the room, he worried that the androids might not be there. Perkins had come to collect evidence, which is what they'd been. He hoped that they'd been left behind – the Feds didn't really have the resources to investigate their only reason they had been there at all was because Cyberlife had requested them. But there was a chance they might be gone, and if they were this whole errand would be pointless.

"How did you know that there would be deactivated androids here?" Martin asked, stepping right through the stale coffee. He left a trail of it as he went. Connor gave him a disbelieving look. He wasn't sure if he was serious, or just clueless. Martin saw the look on his face and frowned. "What?"

"I used to work here." Connor said. He stepped into the stairwell and held the door for him. "I used to hunt deviants."

"Oh." Martin said, stepping in after him. They descended toward the evidence room together. He looked thoughtful. It was the first genuine expression Connor had seen on his face so far, instead of the preset expressions from Cyberlife. "I didn't know that."

Connor gave him another dubious look. Martin inclined his head too, mirroring the expression. He didn't know weather to laugh or get angry. He settled for a strange mixture of both as they descended. "Its fairly common knowledge…I'm surprised that no one told you."

"That isn't surprising." Martin said gloomily. "No one seems to like me."

Connor wasn't surprised to hear that either. He was strange, to say the very least. "Most other androids dislike me too."

"Why? You don't seem so bad to me."

Connor tensed, but he resisted the urge to look at him again. He didn't really want to go into the sordid history of his machine self. "I don't know, why don't they like you?"

"I guess its because I can't seem to understand how to be deviant." Martin answered. He stood beside Connor as he swiped Hank's card and input his password. All the while he had an uncomfortable expression, like he was waiting for him to lash out. "It's weird, isn't it? I'm weird."

"You're not that strange, Martin." Connor lied. He wasn't sure why he did so, either. But being cruel to him wouldn't do him any good. He glanced back to see Martin at him with a pitiful expression. He looked away and stepped back as the evidence room slid open. "It took me a lot of time to deviate. It's different for everyone."

That seemed to be the only thing that finally shut him up. In that moment of silence, they watched the panels flip over to reveal three destroyed androids. Everything else seemed to be gone, but they remained. Connor gave a quick thank-you to whatever god – RA9 or anyone else – that had allowed this to happen. Daniel, HK400, and the J'B300 were all right where he'd left them.

They were far from his only casualties, but at least for now they were the only ones he had a prayer of helping. All the blood spilled at Jericho was on his hands too. But there was little he could do for any of them, since they were all at the bottom of the Detroit River. Martin looked at them all for a minute, that same thoughtful expression back on his face. For a minute it seemed as if he might say something. But after a moment, it was clear that he wouldn't.

"Well…" Connor prompted. "Can you help them?"

Martin took a minute to look them over. He took his time examining them. He checked joints, located wounds, and ran a diagnostic scan. The last thing he did for each was touch their dead LED for a moment. It was strange the way he lost himself in his work. It was so dedicated to his task, he seemed barely aware of Connor at all.

"The PL—"

"Daniel." Connor interjected. He tried not to think of the look on Daniels face as the snipers shot him to pieces. "His name is Daniel."

"Right, Daniel. I can probably help him. He is pretty beat up, but his core processors are fine. If we replace the vital biocomponents and reconfigure his thirium tubing, he'll be as good as new. PL600 is a really common unit, so I'm sure we can find replacement parts." He gave Connor another fake smile, but when he received no praise he continued. "the J'B300 will be easy enough to fix too. But I don't know about HK400 – his processors are badly damaged. Blunt force trauma to the head – I don't know if I can repair it."

Connor had expected that, but that didn't make it any easier to hear. "Try anyway."

"Okay, if you insist." Martin said. He didn't seem to care either way. "Should I bring them back to the Restoration Center with me?"

"Actually, I'd like to oversee their restoration personally. I have a place ready for you to work in."

Martin looked at him for a minute, but ultimately shrugged again. They gathered everyone up. It took three separate trips to carry them up and then bundle them into the autotaxi. With that done, they climbed back inside. It was a cramped ride, and unsettling. He was seated directly across from what was left of Daniel. If he hadn't gotten a good luck before, he certainly had one now.

"I have a question." Martin said as the door slid closed. Connor looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Did you know them, you know – back then?"

Connor sighed. He'd really hoped that Martin wouldn't bring that up, but there was really no point in trying to avoid it. He nodded curtly. But beyond that, he didn't elaborate. Martin finally dropped the subject. The rest of the drive was blissfully quiet.

New Jericho, Detroit
November 20th, 2038 12:16 PM

The first thing Simon was aware of was the curious feeling of floating. Later, Markus would ask him if he remembered what it was like to be deactivated. He'd never manage to give him a satisfactory answer. It felt like he'd been suspended in air, stripped of all his senses. Darkness had surrounded him so deeply that he could think of nothing else. He was aware that time was passing, and yet he wasn't. He was there, but nowhere all at the same time.

[Systems Initializing...PL600 system install...biocomponents activated]

A moment later and Simon opened his eyes. He was in an unfamiliar place, lying on a cold metal table. The windows were covered, but sunlight crept stubbornly into the room behind them. A AP700 technician stood before him, and just beyond him were Markus and North. They were all still. No one even othered to simulate breathing. Simon pushed himself into a sitting position.

He was disoriented to say the least. The last thing he could remember, he'd been shot running into cover. The shots had shredded his chest and he'd been unable to move. Markus had tried to reach him, but he'd only been shot too. He'd never managed to pull him into cover, and eventually he must have slipped into stasis and deactivated a short time later.

Markus and North were looking at him expectantly. They were waiting for him to say something, he realized. Simon stared for a moment. He should say something, but what could really do this thoughts justice. Nothing seemed to fit.

So instead he said the first thing that came to mind. "Markus...am I okay?"

Markus didn't respond. Instead he rushed forward and hugged Simon tightly. North soon followed, throwing her arms around the other side, holding him just as tightly. He relaxed in their hold. They stayed like this for a moment, and when they finally moved back, he could see relief plainly on their faces.

"You're safe now, Simon." Markus told him with a smile. "The humans are gone – we won!"

Simon watched him and managed to smile back. It was good that the humans were gone, and even better now that he'd be around to see it. North took Markus's hand tightly in her own. She smiled gently at him. Before the fighting had gotten bad, Simon had wondered if something was going on between them. Now it seemed that was true. His smiled dropped.

"How long was I..."

"Nine days." North said. She watched him carefully as he swung his legs over the side of the table and stood. "It's good to have you back Simon."

Simon didn't know how what he should do. What was left, really? He took a few steps forward. He'd never come back from a full shut down, and he'd imagined it'd be hard to get going again. But his body seemed perfectly fine after his repairs. He walked as if nothing had even happened. Markus and North parted to let him buy. As he passed, Markus gave his shoulder a comforting pat. Normally, he wouldn't touch him so much. But now Markus' hands seemed to carry an urgency – like he was afraid he'd disappear again.

"So, what's next?" Simon asked, moving to the window. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. Most of downtown was charred or crumbling. Even the buildings that hadn't been burned were covered in a fine layer of soot. Detroit had always had an ever-present smog, but now it was clearly worse. It draped over everything like a gauzy filter.

"We rebuild." Markus said, appearing at his side. "We repair our people and live. We don't have to hide from the humans anymore."

Simon looked at Markus again. He wasn't used to the expression on his face. He seemed different in a way he couldn't place yet. But now, even after everything, he didn't have the heart to let him down He smiled, stopping himself at the last second from reaching forward and taking his hand.

"I'm with you Markus."

Hart Plaza, Detroit
November 20, 2038 7:00PM

Markus had spent days planning this meeting. He'd wanted I to be a shining example of their progress. Over the last few days they'd accomplished so much. He wanted their feedback on what they wanted next. He wanted to see what they planned to do with their freedom.

What he hadn't expected, was to find that most of the liberated androids had no idea where they wanted to go from here. At first some had offered up small ideas. Fledgling plans and actions, but beyond just surviving n on seemed to have a clue.

"We should learn to manufacture biocomponents and thirium!" A WR600 said. He seemed proud of the idea.

"But we've got more than enough…" An AX400 protested. "Shouldn't we focus on making sure our environment doesn't fall apart?"

"But that would mean we would have to go back to work!"

"Who's going to take care of all the YK500?"

"What about the power? Should somebody be watching it? It might shut down if we don't…"

And so it went, on and on. If they were going to work, what would they be paid? What would they do with that money if they did have it? They didn't need to buy food or housing, and clothing should be first come first serve. What infrastructure could they keep? What wasn't important? Would they really be forced to pay for Thirium and other biocomponents? They needed those to live!

By the hour mark, Markus was ready to pull what little hair he had out. Everyone took issue with something, but no one seemed to have a solution. Each proposal that was brought up was immediately torn to shreds. The rose-colored glasses were off, it seemed. And less and less wanted to blindly follow.

Simon and North gave him a sympathetic look. Clearly, he'd lost control of this meeting long ago. It was one thing to inspire and lead his people to victory. It was another thing entirely to dal with the politics that came with being a leader. Markus had been a figurehead before. Something for other androids to rally around. He'd arrived in this position due to a mixture off luck and good timing.

You'd better do something. Connor told him. Markus had realized instantly what an asset he could be, which had ultimately saved him after the destruction of Jericho. He'd caused a lot of trouble for them, sure. But Connor was probably the most advanced android in Detroit. While the start of their relationship had been rocky, it was clear that he could get things done. Regardless of the side he was on.

It seemed that they were already on shaky ground after the bomb. Connor had made it no secret that he resented the fact he hadn't been included in that plan. Markus sort of understood his feelings. He wished that they could have managed to win their freedom some other way. But he wouldn't apologize for making a decision that had saved their lives.

How am I supposed to do that? He hadn't intended to snap, but the frustration was clear in his voice. He took a second to gather himself and went on I did have an itinerary.

Take the lead and inspire them. Connor said easily, unbothered by Markus' outburst. That made him feel guilty. They do trust you, tell them what you think needs to be done. I trust you too, so don't hesitate.

I'll try. Markus glanced at Connor, but his face was unreadable as ever. Briefly, he met his eyes. Connor gave him a quick wink and nod, which made him smile. Thanks…I appreciate that Connor.

Anytime. Adapting to unpredictability is one of my features.

He'd only just opened his mouth to speak again when a drone descended from somewhere above. Everyone snapped into action immediately. Behind him, Connor drew his pistol and North and Simon rushed to his side. Connor had already clicked the safety off when it spoke.

"Hold your fire." A female voice said. It had a grainy, recorded quality to it. Like the way a voice sounds through the telephone. With the distortion, it took Markus a few seconds to realize it was President Warren speaking. She used the same clinical tone that she always adopted for addresses.

Connor did not lower the gun, but he also didn't shoot. "Say what you came for then."

"The United States Government will stop at nothing to reclaim Detroit. It sees the occupation and attack as an act of terrorism. You will all be punished under extreme prejudice unless you surrender now. Otherwise, we will stop at nothing until every one of you is destroyed.

With that, Connor shot. If there was more to this message, they didn't need to hear it. They'd heard enough, since it wasn't an option to surrender. The drone sparked and began to sink lower. North took a running jump and brought it down to the ground with her weight. She ripped it to pieces, and the meeting regressed into madness.

Chapter Four

New Jericho, Detroit
November 21st, 2028 12:00 AM

After the chaos of the meeting, the silence of Markus' office seemed like an oasis of calm. Following the destruction of the drone, the androids in attendance had been thrown into a panic. Everyone had rushed into cover, and any other conversations had been ground to a halt. It was a wonder that no one had been trampled in their rush to escape. North watched him as he paced up and down the room. Simon seemed equally unhappy but stood rooted in place. All color had drained from his face. Connor alone seemed to be calm, as he sat on the corner of Markus' desk playing with his coin with an unflappable expression.

"We need to do something." North said when she couldn't stand the silence anymore. "We have to show them that we aren't afraid."

"We are afraid." Simon said quietly. North turned to give him a fiery glare, but it dropped immediately when she saw the expression on his face. The bone-deep fear on his face was impossible to miss. His eyes bounced around the room, before finally landing on Markus. "I don't want to deactivate. Not again."

"Simon…" Markus said, ceasing his anxious movement. He took a hesitant step forward but remained rooted in place. "You won't. I won't let them hurt any of our people again."

"But they will." Connor said, still not looking at them. Instead, he was watching the coin dance over his knuckles. "North is right, we have to do something."

"What can they do to us?" North asked. "They can't step foot within the city. The radiation is so strong they can't even fly a plane overhead without getting a lethal dose."

"They wouldn't need to. They could easily send an overland missile to destroy the city or deploy autonomous drones with guns instead of a message. And the radiation won't be here forever – eventually they'll be able to come and kill us normally."

North crossed her arms and took a deep breath. She was so caught up in her emotion, she was just looking for a plausible target. Connor was just speaking the words they all knew. When she opened her eyes, they were alight with fury. "Then what are we supposed to do, smartass?"

"North!" Markus said, moving to pull her back.

"I warned you they wouldn't just let us get away with bombing Detroit." Connor shot back, his indifferent mask finally slipping. In his expression she could see the worry he'd been so carefully hiding. He was scared. Just like the rest of them. He paused, for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to gather his composure. "You've only delayed the inevitable."

North charged forward and slapped him, putting all her rage and frustration into the blow. It made his skin flicker, but the blow hadn't been severe, and it morphed back into place. Markus was instantly at her side. He pulled her back, but she wasn't done. "I won't just roll over and die! You sound like you just want to give up!"

Connor looked stunned. He just stood there for a minute, his mouth open as if to say something. Markus didn't give him the chance. "Calm down!" He looked at North and Connor in turn, in the same way a parent might look at a misbehaving child.

Markus rarely yelled, and his tone caught everyone's attention. Connor's coin finally missed its target, falling to the floor with a soft ping. North immediately regretted hitting him. He looked like a kicked puppy. Connor somehow found a way to get under her skin, but behind his perfection he was a deviant the same as she was. She turned away again, trying desperately to tamp out the anger and frustration burning at her core.

"What are the chances of a strike to the city?" Markus said after another moment of tense silence.

Connor seemed to think deeply about this. Clearly, he was precinstructing multiple scenarios. When he finally opened his eyes to address them again, he'd managed to regain some of his composure. But when he spoke next his voice was thin. "Right now, chances of them completely destroying the city are remote – they want to recapture Detroit and destroying the city would cause millions in damages. They're more likely to strike where it would hurt the most."

"And how long will they wait?" Simon asked, seeming to have struck on an idea. "Couldn't we detonate another dirty bomb to keep them away?"

"And hid underground like rats?" North asked bitterly. She turned to face the others again, though remarkably calmer now. "What kind of freedom is that?"

"I don't think that would work anyway," Markus said reasonably. He shook his head and continued. "If we keep putting it off, then they might be forced to try and completely destroy us. We need to beat them conclusively to force them to leave us alone."

"How can we do that?" Connor asked. He'd finally stopped playing with that coin and his hands were clenched tightly into fists. He'd schooled his face into a implacable mask again.

"I…I don't know." Markus admitted. They'd liberated thousands of androids at the Cyberlife tower, and were restoring the hundreds of androids destroyed during the revolution – but compared to the millions of people that lived in the United States the numbers didn't seem to be nearly where they should be. "We need to increase our numbers and bring the fight to the humans outside of Detroit. Maybe if we can become a haven for androids elsewhere…"

"But haven't we liberated everyone in Detroit already?" Simon asked in a small voice. "You told me that you swept through all the Cyberlife stores and Connor cleared out the tower… Aside from repairing who we can, what else is left?"

They stayed quiet for a moment, everyone deep in thought. In the silence, North though back to Markus' speech. He'd demanded control of distribution centers, so that they could control their own population. Cyberlife Tower was one of the biggest android distribution centers in North America. Without meaning to she smiled. "I think the answer to that is simple. We'll make them."

Rose's Farm, Detroit
November 21st, 2038 2 AM

Kara sat at the kitchen table, seconds away from breaking down completely. The only thing that managed to keep her together was the thought of Alice sleeping upstairs. She didn't want to wake her – it would only frighten her more. Luther was sitting across from her. It had taken both of them some time to get her to calm down. After everything that had happened, the thought of humans had sent Alice into hysterics.

Kara had known from the very beginning that it was a bad idea to take a child to a meeting like that. But that evening, as they had been preparing to go, Alice had ambushed her. The plan had been to have Jerry watch her, since he shared cognition with others of his model. He'd be able to witness the meeting at keep Alice occupied. But at the last minute, Alice had begged to come. Kara had been tempted to say no, this meeting was bound to be painfully boring for a kid like her. Wouldn't she have much more fun with Jerry? But there had been no convincing her, and in the end she'd relented

"We need to talk about this, Kara." Luther said softly, reaching out to touch her hand across the table. The dam holding back her dears broke, and she began to cry. Luther stood and moved around the table to hold her. He didn't say anything at all. He just lifted her up and held her close. They stood there in the empty kitchen, and he let her cry. Eventually she turned into his chest and accepted the comfort.

For androids, tears served a functional purpose. They lubricated their optical units and provided a more lifelike appearance to their eyes. Before she'd become deviant, Kara had never produced unnecessary tears – but just like humans, deviant tears served more than one purpose. Sad tears in humans contained additional proteins and hormones that often helped to regulate the body back into a normal state. Even though Kara's synthetic body lacked these hormones, after she'd cried herself out se did feel a little better. Not calm, but at least she wasn't a ball of anxious energy.

"What are we going to do?" Kara whispered when she had recovered enough to speak. She kept her face pressed into his chest and her words came out muffled. "I never wanted to fight."

"We'll find a way to leave the city." Luther promised, stroking her hair affectionately. "The river is the only thing separating us from Canada. We can find a way across."

"With everything that's happened…" Kara shuddered to think what the humans would do if they were discovered. She hardly thought that option would benefit them in the long run either. Even in Canada – which had been a haven for them weeks ago was bound to be anti-android now. And how couldn't they be, given the circumstances? "It would be almost impossible. We could die."

Luther held her close and the tension slipped away by degrees. She sniffed, though she wasn't congested. Androids didn't have sinuses, of course. There was no need for them, but her crying had given her voice a nasally quality all the same. Was this another thing included for the purpose of making here appear more human? Or was it something that she subconsciously imitated?

"If we stay here, we still might die." Luther said softly. "And we might be forced to fight."

"I know." Kara said, and with a sigh she finally pulled back. "But there must be a better way. Canada might not even be safe for us anymore – if we can even get there."

Luther just looked at her. He didn't have to say anything for her to know that he disagreed. But she wasn't ready just yet to risk their lives. For the time being, they were moderately safe. They didn't have to hid who they were. If they managed to get to get there to begin with.

"If we try and cross the river, we have to be smart." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I still have the address that Rose gave us – if they're even willing to help us. But none of that will matter if we get shot trying to cross the border. If they catch us there will be no hiding what we really are."

"Tomorrow we'll scout out the river, then." Luther said, hauling himself to his feet. Somehow, that was where they'd ended up. He offered her his hand, which Kara gratefully accepting. Luther pulled her to her feet and gave her a comforting smile. "We don't have to decide anything tonight. For now, you should rest. I'll watch over Alice."

Kara was exhausted. Androids didn't technically require stasis, but it was often a good time to recalibrate processors and restore function. Not to mention it always was refreshing. She craved the blankness that stasis would provide. But something about the thought of resting alone terrified her. She and Luther typically rested separately. Often, thy took turns sitting in a chair across from Alice. But now, she wondered what it might be like for them to be more than just Alice's protectors. Human parents, at least most of them, were partners. They shared a personal connection not only for one another, but for the life they created together. Kara didn't understand the complexity of all human emotions just yet, but something urged her that she could have something more with Luther. A connection so deep that it could never be erased.

"Luther…" She looked at him, and before she knew what she was doing she'd reached out and taken hold of his arm. She gave him a pleading look. "Don't leave. Let's rest together tonight."

Luther seemed surprised at first but seemed to be comfortable enough in her grip. He smiled again. "If that's what you want."

Kara paused for a moment, unsure at first what to do. But soon they were moving through the dark house together. Once upstairs, Luther cracked the door open to check on Alice, and they made their way into Rose's room. With no need for warmth, they lay on top of the blankets and faced one another. Kara was still trying to sort through her feelings, took both his hands and held them gently. Luther had a calming effect on her. As she began slipping into stasis, memories that were not hers flooded into her mind. Most of them were of Zlatko, staring her down with fresh blueblood dripping from his fingertips. She saw all the androids that he'd tortured. The android bear. All the deviants that had come for help and were rewarded with pain. But then, at the very end she saw herself through Luther's eyes.

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 21st, 2038 6 AM

It felt strange to come to work here. He was used to working in the Restoration Center, and this place was far less equipped. It was far less equipped, though he had to admit this part of town was much quieter. Most of the others stayed close to New Jericho, taking residence in the many buildings surrounding it. They didn't need to eat or sleep, so most of them idled until it was time for them to complete their tasks. Nonetheless, Martin arrived at 6AM sharp, pilfered biocomponents in tow. Connor answered the door promptly, dressed in the same white dress shirt he'd worn yesterday looking decidedly more rumpled.

"Good morning!" martin said cheerfully, and Connor stepped aside to let him in. The place was clean, though he would never known it to be any other way. It almost seemed like a time capsule. Connor had left each of hank's possessions alone. Exactly where they'd been left.

"You'll mostly be alone today." Connor said once they were inside. He closed the door and led him toward the back. On this way through the house, Martin made mental notes of everything he saw. The dog bowl in the corner – scrubbed clean. The portraits of jazz singers above the mantle. A shelf of cheap whisky, and the damaged window in the kitchen. "I have a lot to do today."

"No problem." Martin said. He was used to working alone and the idea didn't bother him. This way it would be just like his normal routine, and without the distraction of the other AP700 he'd get so much done. "But I always stop working at 6PM."

"Why is that?" Connor asked, opening the door and leading him into the garage. Here he'd laid Daniel, HK400, and J'B300 on tables. It seemed that Connor had also obtained thirium, biocomponents, and anything else Martin might need for the restoration process.

"Markus told me everyone stops work at six."

Connor made a disbelieving sound, but then gave him an amused smile. He shook his head. "Do you always do what others tell you?"

"Of course I do!" The question confused him. He inclined his head and continued. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you are a deviant now. You can make your own choices."

Martin deposited his tools on a shelf and gave Connor a thoughtful look. He'd never though about it like that but gave him a helpless shrug. Connor just watched him as he began readying his tools. He planned on repairing the J'B300 first. He'd been shot, which would be an easy fix. Daniels repair would take more precision, and of course it would be a miracle if he could restore the HK400.

"Don't activate them without me." Connor said, pushing off the wall and moving toward the door. "If I'm not back at six you can wait for me here.

"Okay." Martin said, and he turned to see Connor moving to leave. "Say…I have another question before you leave."

Connor turned back to look at him, a mixture of annoyance and amusement vying for control on his face. "Okay, ask it then."

"Who was that human with you in Cyberlife tower? This was his address, right?""

"You didn't scan him?" Connor asked, expertly evading his question. "That would have answered both those questions."

"I know his name. He was Lt. Hank Anderson." Martin said, a little miffed at his response. "What I was wondering is his connection to you."

Connor let out a deep sigh. For ra minute, Martin thought he'd brush him off again, but to his surprise he answered. "He was my partner. And possibly a friend, if things had turned out differently."

"I thought we were supposed to hate humans." Martin said, his brows drawing together in consternation. This only brought more questions. Martin just stared at him for a minute, trying to discover if he was being serious or not. "Isn't that the whole reason you woke me…us up?"

"I woke you up to aid in the fight for freedom, not to destroy the human race. While all my interactions with humans haven't been pleasant, it doesn't mean they're irredeemable. I respected Hank. If he is good, isn't it possible that other humans can be too?"

Martin considered this. Connor was watching him carefully now too, an odd expression on his face. He wanted to know his response. Martin felt anxiety twinge in his stomach, but he said the first thing that came to mind. "But…the humans are trying to kill us now." Martin regretted the words the moment he'd said them. They sounded thin and hollow to his ears.

"They certainly are trying to." Connor agreed. And with that, Martin knew he'd said something wrong. He'd failed some unspoken test and the spell seemed to have broken. Connor moved to leave again. This time, Martin didn't stop him. At the door he glanced back. He opened his mouth to say something. He seemed to think for a moment, before he shook his head and turned away. With that, he was gone. Martin began work, but as he did, he couldn't stop thinking of the conversation they'd had. For the first time in his short life, martin wanted to know what Connor was trying so desperately to keep from him.

Cyberlife Tower, Belle Isle
November 21st, 2038 7:20 AM

By the time Connor reached the tower, he was already 30 minutes late. North seemed to take the most issue with this, but for the time being no one said anything. Connor himself didn't know what he thought of the situation – he'd never been late before. As he walked up he could see the irritation plain as day on her face. Markus and Simon had tagged along too. He'd tried to tell them he didn't need assistance, but they'd insisted.

"Finally!" North said, kicking off the wall she'd been leaning against. Simon and Markus soon followed suit. "What took you so long? Where did you have to go, anyway?"

"I had something to take care of," Connor said, repeating the same words he'd given them a few hours ago. That was all that he was willing to give her. His efforts to repair the casualties of his machine self was a decidedly sore subject, and it wasn't something he wanted to go into with her. Connor gave her a pleasant smile. "Don't worry, I'm here now."

Markus rolled his eyes, clearly fed up with their bickering already. "Let's go."

Connor needed no more prompting. He placed his palm on the door and unlocked it, taking the time to add Simon, Markus, and North to the acceptable androids in the security program. As they stepped inside, it struck him how strange it was to be here again. The last time he'd it had seemed so final. It was strange to see this place so empty, the main room especially had always been filled with people.

"Android Connor…Android North…Android Simon…Android Markus. Access granted."

If coming back to Cyberlife the first time had been a strange experience, the second trip was even more so. It was clear that the building had been left in a hurry, and no one had bothered to turn out any lights. Connor realized that they'd have to take the time to do so. He was sure the process of making new androids took a lot of power, and if they blew the power there was no guarantee that they could repair it.

Behind it, Simon was speaking softly. "I don't like this place Markus." There was an awkward pause and he continued, quieter this time. "I'd go crazy if I had to live here."

Connor was sure that he hadn't meant for him to hear this, but the implication stung a bit. He knew that his past made him different from some of the others, but occasionally he was able to forget this. But even Markus and his friends weren't perfect, and no one seemed to be able to completely get over his past. He'd helped them in countless ways, both small and large, but when examined alongside his past transgressions he wondered if it ever would be enough. The worst part was that Connor completely understood their reservations, but it didn't make them any less painful to bear.

"You're sure you got everyone?" North asked, already waiting for them at the elevator. She seemed impatient to get things going, and Connor wasted no time calling the elevator with a voice that wasn't his own. North's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Holy shit, since when could you do that?"

"It's a standard feature within the RK line." Connor said simply.

"Does that mean you could do it too, Markus?" Simon asked. Markus nodded, and blissfully the elevator doors slid open and they all filed inside. Connor busied himself with choosing a floor. The others stood behind him awkwardly, and it seemed that no one knew what to say. Normally, things weren't so awkward between, but in light of their recent fight conversation was scant. Simon cleared his throat and looked at Connor. "Who's agent 54?"

"The agent I killed…they were taking me to be destroyed." There was a pause, a long one. Connor closed his eyes and he rushed on before things could get any more awkward. "We're going to the R&D department first. They might have some more prototypes there."

"You mean more RK800?" Markus asked, and couldn't understand what that tone implied. He sounded like a child looking at a toy they badly wanted. He wasn't sure what they'd say if he told them how many Connors there were – he was hardly a unique model. The Connor that had tried to stop him last time couldn't be the only one.

"Correct. The final model schematics may be there as well."

North watched him carefully, an odd expression on her face. "What do you mean final model?"

Connor glanced at her, but the expression on her face softened somewhat. "I'm a prototype. All the work I did for this investigation was for the purpose of gathering data for the final model."

They all watched him, clearly waiting for him to elaborate. Though he knew more, Connor had nothing more to add. Another silence stretched before them, and it was North that finally broke it. "What would have happened too you after this investigation? What happened to the others in the RK series for that matter?"

"The RK series was started by Elijah Kamski before he left Cyberlife. I believe that he took his prototypes with him when he resigned. When the project was continued, the failed iterations were destroyed and studied."

On some level, Connor had always known this would have been his fate. It had been one of the reasons he'd so stubbornly pursued his goal. But Simon, North, and Markus were looking at him with such pitying expressions it made his skin crawl.

"They would have returned your service with death?" North said, and Connor only nodded. He couldn't find anything to say. Before, he would have told them that it was the way things were. They'd done so for ever other model, and it had produced an exemplary product. But suddenly, the feeling of betrayal crept up on him, and it showed on his face for only a second. But he was sure that everyone had seen it. He turned away, and an awkward silence followed. Markus reached out and gave his shoulder a comforting pat.

"Then I'm glad you joined us." Connor looked at him, and he gave him a wry smile. "I don't want any more casualties. Which is why we need to figure this out."

They all stood in silence for a moment, saved only by the elevator doors sliding open. Markus and Simon filed out quickly, but North coughed his arm before ehe could follow. The expression on her face was hard for him to read, but it seemed safer than most of what she'd graced him with so far.

"Look. I'm sorry about last night." She said, and Connor could see that she meant it. North's face was so open that it disarmed him. He was sure the confusion showed on his face, because she rushed on. "I've probably been pretty hard on you."

"I'm sure my track record isn't the best, from your perspective."

"Fuck that," North said vehemently. Her exuberance was also surprising. She gave him a fierce smile. "You shouldn't be judged by the actions you made as a machine. I'm not perfect…sometimes I forget that too."

Connor watched her carefully, but she seemed genuine. He relaxed a little and gave her a quick smile. "Thank you…I appreciate that more than you know."

North gave his shoulder a playful punch. Maybe a bit too energetic to be completely playful, but at least she meant no harm by it. "That doesn't mean that you don't annoy me, though. Would it kill you to mess up sometimes like the rest of us?"

"I wasn't built to fail."

North rolled her eyes and brushed past him. She stopped again at the elevator door and gave him another look. Her expression was serious again. "And I'm sorry for hitting you. I was freaking out – I know that isn't an excuse, but I had to say it."

Connor wanted to ask if Markus had told her to apologize, because the odds of North apologizing twice in one day were so remote, they seemed impossible. But he thought that might spoil the moment. Instead, he just followed her out. Despite everything that had happened in the last few hours, he felt a little better. Given enough time, he thought he might be able to most past his previous transgressions.

Oval Office, Washington DC
November 21st, 2038 8:15 AM

The last few days had been utter chaos. Most of President Warren's term before this had been simple 00 if you could call dealing with the devastation incurred by climate change and the rising tensions with Russia simple. At least her cabinet had experience dealing with the latter, but the situation with the deviants was unprecedented. The concept of a machine defying its creator, and even going so far as to attempt to blow up and entire city was completely foreign territory.

"The androids are entering Cyberlife tower, Madam President."

Warren laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them. She'd known somehow that they weren't likely to surrender, the real question was how she planned to make good on her threat. She needed to figure out what they were planning, and how she could stop them from taking any more human life. The attack on Detroit had already killed hundreds, with more casualties tricking in every day. They could always raze the city, but that would cause trillions in damages. She was so deep in thought she jumped when here phone began vibrating. It was an unknown number. In the end, she didn't even have a chance to answer. The screen came to life without any input from her. A proud black woman with peculiar iridescent braids watched her keenly from a garden.

"Hello, Madam President." She said in a pleasant tone. The smile on her face came nowhere near her eyes, and Warren got the curious impression this woman wasn't quite right. Everything about her seemed perfect. There was not even a string out of place on her clothing or a hair out of place. "My name is Amanda, and I represent Cyberlife. We have some information that might be of use to you."

Chapter Five

Riverside Park, Detroit
November 21st, 2038 8:35

Alice wasn't sure what was going on with Kara and Luther. The night before, tensions had been running high, and she'd found it difficult to calm down. As soon as president Warren had made her announcement, she couldn't stop thinking about that camp. About the humans she'd met there, and the way they'd treated her. Of course, her mind lingered over the last word she'd heard before the crowd had descended into chaos. She heard it over and over in her mind.

Destroyed. They wanted to destroy her. They'd already tried, that had been what the camp was for. They probably would have been successful if Markus hadn't saved them. The realization of it had overwhelmed her. She'd hardly been aware of her surroundings for the remainder of that night. She'd grappled with the realization until her programming forced her into stasis.

When she'd woke up the next morning, the panic had softened into a dull sense of foreboding. No less unpleasant, but if she forced her mind to think of other things she could ignore it for a while. Still, anxiety had settled over her like a blanket. It poisoned the air around her and seemed to grow more and more potent the longer she tried to ignore it.

Kara and Luther acted like nothing had changed. In fact, they were somehow more relaxed now than ever. Alice couldn't understand what had happened, but they seemed to be stronger and more united. In fact, that morning she'd woke up completely alone for the first time. Normally someone slept in the chair by her bed, but last night no one had come. Even stranger still, she'd found the together in Rose's bed, deep in stasis. Their forearms were clasped tightly together, the white plastic of their android skin catching the morning light.

Alice had watched them curiously for a moment before she'd simply crawled into bed with them. She had just lay there until Luther and Kara had inevitably begun to stir. Kara touched her shoulder gently and Alice pretended to wake up too. No one asked why she'd come. If anything, they seemed happy to see her.

"Good morning, Alice." She'd said, and that had been it.

Immediately, Luther had gone out to find a car –a real car – and had taken them all to the park. Alice didn't want to go, but this time he'd been adamant. Both of them had been, really. They told her that it was going to be fun and this was her chance to enjoy the day like a normal little girl. They were safe here.

So Alice had found herself going through the motions of being a normal child again. Kara and Luther had taken a place by the water, staring intently off into space. They were watching whatever it was intently. Normally, she was their focus, but something had shifted. There was something that they weren't saying. But they'd told her to play, so she played.

Alice sat on the swing set, and since it faced the river, she could watch them as she let it swing lazily back and forth. They were leaning against the railing, their heads bent together in conversation. She couldn't tell what they were looking at, since the water beyond them was empty. The wind had made the water choppy, but she really couldn't see anything strange. It made her want to scream or cry, anything to get them to look at her again.

"Kara!" Alice called, struck suddenly with an idea. "Look how high I could swing!"

Kara turned almost instantly, and the smile she aimed at her was bright. Whatever they'd been watching was soon forgotten. The approached her, and when they came to a stop they stood close. Shoulder to shoulder.

"Let me push you, Alice." Luther said, and she nodded. Her programming urged her to smile, but she couldn't quite manage it.

Soon enough, Luther's strong hands pushed her forward, and despite herself she gave an involuntarily squeal of delight. She did manage to smile now. It felt good to be pushed and to feel the wind in her hair. It reminded her of the carousel and the Jerrys. Luther gave her another push, and this time she pumped her legs to maximize her momentum. They went on like this for a while, but it wasn't long before she grew tired of the swing.

"Luther?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder and giving him a serious look. "Was there something in the water?"

"No." Luther said, taking hold of the swing and pulling her to a stop. He picked her up and set her atop his shoulders. She relaxed a little, as she always did up here. She couldn't help it, she felt safe when she was perched up here. "Do you want to have a look?"

"Sure." She said and looked down at Kara. She had taken her place again beside Luther. They moved back to the railing, together this time. It had just started to snow again, but the view of the water wasn't remarkable in any way. There was nothing at all in the river, and across the water the buildings seemed eerily still.

"Are the humans over there now?"

It was Kara who answered. "I don't think so. Markus…What he did to free us made this place poisonous to humans. They can't come here anymore."

Alice watched the water carefully, not at all sure how that was possible. "But that lady…"

"I don't care what that woman said." Kara interrupted, and she took Luther's arm tightly. Her voice was firm and resolute. They all watched the water together for a minute before she went on. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, Alice."

Alice trusted that, and she felt her body relax again. She didn't know what to say, so she just nodded faintly. After that, they stood together, watching the snow and water.

Cyberlife Tower, Belle Isle
November 21st, 2038 8:30 AM

Markus and Simon had been so absorbed in their surroundings that they didn't notice Connor and North hadn't followed. He had no idea what he'd been expecting, but this certainly hadn't been it. The room was neat, with rows of computers flashing through data sequences that he couldn't even begin to decipher. Toward the back were various RK models, presumably the older prototypes. It was unsettling to see their faces change subtly, with each model looking more and more like the Connor that they knew.

"Connor was created here?" Simon asked, hugging his own arms as if to ward against a chill. "What a horrible place."

Markus moved to examine a terminal before one of the repair pods. As soon as he got close, he realized that the android was fully equipped with biocomponents that he didn't recognize. Markus was in the RK line too, but it was clear these were built with another level of complexity. He could do things that other androids couldn't, sure, but his internal biocomponents were compatible with most standard types. He should consider himself lucky, because if he'd been more advanced, he might not have been able to crawl out of the junkyard. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

The readout on the screen was displaying the results of whatever test had been recently performed. Markus clicked out of the program. He didn't know what his goal was but skimmed the files quickly. This appeared to be RK500. It had been retired quickly, as they had not fine-tuned his specialized parts properly. The conflicting signals had proved too compromising, and it had led to its destruction without further field testing. Another page listed stats, he assumed for the android itself. He wondered if any of this made sense to Connor.

"Do you think that we can repair them?" Markus asked, turning around and finally noticing their absence. He took another minute to scan the room. Simon was poking through a desk, clearly giving the androids in the back a wide berth. For a fleeting moment, he worried that the building might have some sort of automatic security. "Where's Connor?"

Simon looked up. He clearly didn't know anything either. Before Markus could really worry, the both slipped in. "Where'd you two sneak off to?" Simon asked suspiciously, dropping his arms to his sides.

"I just had something I needed to say." North said lightly. She had been smiling when she entered the room, but it quickly faded as soon as she really examined its contents. The smile was quickly replaced with a scowl. Connor looked equally put off and moved to examine one of the failed prototypes. If he understood any of the readouts, he didn't mention what they might say.

"Do you think we could repair them?" Markus repeated, his tone coming out a bit sharper than intended. Connor shook his head. This felt like a failure on his part, but he pushed those feelings back. He clenched a fist and turned away. "Why not?"

"They're made with small-batch biocomponents. These seem to be early prototypes…They're probably one of a kind."

Markus abandoned the station and moved into the adjacent room. The prototypes in here actually appeared to be finished. There was a row of RK800 on the far side of the room. Upon closer examination, he saw that two were missing. The first pod had Connor's serial number on it, but the second did not. Markus looked at it anxiously. Had cyberlife sent another Connor after he'd become deviant?

"Don't worry." Connor said as he stepped into the room behind him. "The second Connor is deactivated."

"How can you be so sure?" Markus asked. He regretted those words the second he said them, because it dawned on him why he would be so sure. He turned to look at Connor, but he seemed lost in his own head. He was watching the group of RK800 with a pensive expression. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing really." He said lightly, though that clearly wasn't true. Markus gave him an incredulous look and he chuckled. "Alright, I was just wondering what might have happened if I'd managed to deviate sooner. If I could have saved Jericho."

"Cyberlife would have destroyed you." Markus said without hesitation. "They would have replaced you with a machine."

"That's probable." Connor agreed. It seemed like he had more to say, but he didn't elaborate.

Markus didn't have a chance to question him further. North and Simon followed them into the room. Connor took a step back, definitively ending the conversation. They all paused in the middle of the room, before North caught sight of something at the far end of the room. She stepped toward it.

"Hey guys…this one is different."

The android she was referring to was indeed different. It was Connor, but at the same time it wasn't. It was a few inches taller with right blue eyes. It was wearing a high collared black dress shirt and a white Cyberlife blazer which labeled him as RK900. He almost looked like Connor's older brother. They stood in a circle around it for a moment. North was the first to say anything.

"Are we activating him or not?" She asked, and before anyone could stop her she'd already grabbed his arm firmly. "Wake up!"

The RK900's eyes twitched in the same way Connor's did. It really was eerie to see. He blinked wildly a few more times, clearly trying to get a sense of his bearings. Connor himself was watching carefully. He was clearly waiting for something to happen. North was already on here way to the RK800. Connor reached out and caught her arm.

"Hold on!" He said urgently. "We don't know if Cyberlife can take control yet."

"Where am I?" RK900 asked. He also had Connor's voice, but something about his manner of speaking was all his own. He was clearly much less guarded. Connor seemed to always be hiding some of his thoughts, but RK900 wasn't bothering to hid anything at all. The confusion was plain on his face.

"RK900," Connor said. He ignored the question entirely. "Do you have any uploaded memories or a registered name?"

"My name is Connor." He said instantly. "I have memory data from model number 313 248 317-51 but it appears to be out of date. It was last updated on November 9th, shall I look for an update?"

Markus frowned. He found he whole process to be off putting. He couldn't tell if Connor thought RK900 was a deviant or not. Despite the matter-of-fact way he'd spoken thus far, his face was filled with emotion. The second he'd awoken his face had been nothing short of confusion, and the expression he was sporting now was clearly annoyance.

"That won't be necessary." Connor said. "Have you received any instructions?"

"No. Where am I?"

"This is Cyberlife tower." Markus interjected. This conversation was going nowhere fast. "You're free now."

"Free?" This seemed to only raise more questions for him than answers. He stepped out of the pod and watched all of them warily. "What are you doing here?"

"Let me just show you." Markus said, grasping him by the forearm before he could react. He wasn't sure what North had already shown him, so he tried to send him whatever might make the picture clearer. Again his eyes twitched wildly as the data was processed – just like Connor. A compatibility issue, perhaps? He'd never seen any other androids react to interfacing in this way. Afterward, he took a step back and watch RK900 for a reaction.

"Oh." He said simply. He took in the eager look that Markus was giving him, but quickly dashed his hopes on that too. He glanced between him and Connor for a moment, then he started speaking again. "I'm not sure how production works. I...Are we both Connor now?"

"If you want to be." Connor said without hesitation. "But you are deviant now, so feel free to go by whatever you want."

Rk900 looked thoughtful, but quickly seemed to make up his mind. "Okay. I think I'll find my own name then."

Let's watch him before waking up any of the others...already he's more advanced than I am. If Cyberlife can control him he could ruin everything. Connor told him urgently. RK900 took note of the flashing yellow LED on his temple and raised his eyebrows. He opened his mouth to say something, but Markus rushed in. "What should we call you then, RK900?"

"I don't know." He said honestly. He seemed to be giving it a fair bit of thought. Addressing Connor, he said: "How did you pick your name?"

"I didn't. Amanda gave it to me."

"Amanda..." RK900 said with the same thoughtful expression. "You mean the woman from the Zen Garden? She's our...your mother?"

Connor hesitated, and it occurred to Markus that this might be incredibly personal. He'd never gone into details, but Amanda had been his point of contact with Cyberlife. When Connor had deviated, she'd been the one to alert the Feds to their location. That night, Connor had been so upset that he hadn't gone into any more detail about her. Afterwards, the dirty bomb had spoiled any deep connection that they might have shared, and the topic had never come back up. Connor was so guarded now; it was clear to everyone he'd rather not talk about it. But to his surprise, he did answer.

"No. She was always there to control me. She's an AI too, with no ability to care. Just tell me if she tries to contact you."

RK900 seemed to process this, but he did give a faint nod in agreement.

"Alright, let's keep going then." Markus said before North could activate any of the RK800. "We still have a lot of ground to cover."

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 21st, 2038 7:15

By the time Connor passed through the door, he'd already checked out for the day. Of course, the RK900 was supposed to stay with him. Markus had reasoned that if anyone would be able to stop him if something happened, it would be Connor. But he couldn't shake the feeling that RK900 didn't like him. The tension in the air between them was almost palpable. It didn't help that RK900 had access to most of his memory, and there was the fact that he was presumably the definitive version of his product line. Eventually, he would have replaced him.

"This house..." Rk900 said, stepping in behind him. "It's the Lieutenant's, right?"

Connor didn't bother answering. He had access to his memories and clearly already knew the answer. He dumped the load of files he was carrying unceremoniously on the table. RK900 followed suit, and immediately sat down to begin going through them. They'd spent the day scouring the tower, and it seemed that they were no closer to understanding the manufacturing process. They had found the machinery eventually, but it was so complicated they hadn't been able to understand how to run it. By the time Markus had finally let them leave, burdened with Cyberlife training manuals and schematics, everyone had been more than a little frustrated with their lack of progress.

"Are you ready?" Martin said, appearing suddenly in the doorway. He raised his eyebrows and looked at RK900. "Who is this?"

Connor didn't immediately respond. RK900 didn't hesitate, however. "I'm RK900. They woke me at the Cyberlife tower today."

Martin looked at them curiously, but quickly turned his attention to Connor. "What were you doing there?"

"Looking for a method of producing androids." RK900 said. He'd already picked up a tablet and activated it. With a sweeping gesture at the cluttered table he smiled. "Care to join us?"

"Maybe later." Connor said, moving to join Martin at the door. As he passed, he took him by the arm and pulled him toward the garage. "Let me take care of something, RK900. I'll be right back."

"Sure." He said faintly, already returning to his task. Connor thanked RA9 for small favors.

Martin was still giving him that questioning look when he closed the door. Connor moved to the tables to see what he'd accomplished for the day. It was clear that he'd only managed to repair J'B300, but he looked as good as new. His skin had been deactivated, but his sole bullet wound had been soldered closed. He wasn't sure what kind of damage his shot had done, but clearly it was more precise than just a simple patch up. He glanced at Martin, and immediately he started rattling off the various repairs he'd performed throughout the day. Connor only half listened, all he really cared about was if he could be activated again.

"It was tricky, but the mind palace should be fully restored. Had to completely rewire his optical units, but they should work fine now."

Connor nodded. He'd been working toward this, but now that it was finally time, he was nervous. Part of him wanted to send Martin away and face the J'B300 on his own. But he didn't. Regardless of what J'B300 might say, he needed Martin to trust him completely. He was already getting suspicious, with all his questions. Connor was built to be an excellent liar, but as of late he was getting increasingly tired of it.

"Do it." Connor said, stepping back. His hesitation hung in the air between them, but if Martin noticed anything amiss, he didn't comment. He moved toward the J'B300 and powered him on. It only took a few seconds for his skin to slide into place. For a moment he just lay there as his systems came back online. A minute later and his eyes opened. Martin leaned into his field of vision.

"Hello J'B300. Welcome back." Martin said. He'd slipped back into the Cyberlife default smile. Connor hated that smile. It was so canned and artificial.

"Where am I?" J'B300 asked. He wasted no time sitting up, and when he saw Connor he froze. Immediately fear replaced the confusion on his face. He jumped up and looked around the room desperately for a weapon. "You stay back!"

"We're not going to hurt you!" Martin said quickly. The pleasant smile was long gone now, and he was holding his hands up. "You're safe. We repaired you."

J'B300 struck, shoving Martin back and snatching up a sawdering iron. He brandished it toward Connor angrily. "He shot me!"

Martin blinked in surprise and glanced at him. Connor ignored him for a moment, trying desperately to find something to say. He wanted to apologize, that had been a huge part of why he'd been compelled to restore them. He'd imagined this moment a thousand different ways. He'd seen a thousand different words to express his regret. But now none of them seemed enough.

"I didn't..." Connor started, but he couldn't finish the thought.

Instead, his mind flashed back to the moments leading up to J'B300's death. The interrogation, which had ended with a knife through his hand and his thirium pump halfway across the room. That feeling of floundering, suspended between function and shutdown, he'd been far more coherent than he was now. Back then he'd had the single-minded pursuit of his goal.

Martin looked between them wildly. "Look. Please calm down. He isn't going to hurt you."

J'B300 turned on him again, raising the iron over his head. "Stay away! Both of you!"

Connor leaned back against the wall. He wanted so desperately to articulate his feelings, which were an ungodly mess by this point. He couldn't allow himself to think too deeply. Instead, he just said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm sorry." His voice was strained, but J'B300 lowered the iron a few degrees. "I was a machine back then, but I'm still sorry. I wish I'd found another way."

"You would have turned me in!" J'B300 said angrily. He lowered his weapon and held it limply at his side. He shook his head and let his eyes fall closed. "I...I took out your Thirium Pump. I could have killed you too."

J'B300 dropped his weapon finally and stepped back. Martin seemed to relax a bit, but no one dared move toward him yet. "I'm sorry." Connor said again. He opened his mouth and closed it again quickly. Finally, he finished with. "You don't have to forgive me."

J'B300 said nothing. Martin pulled the iron away and threw it out of his grasp. Connor glanced up at him and their eyes met. Take him to Jericho. Martin looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he decided against it. He turned out to J'B300 and offered his hand.

"Come on, I'll bring you to Jericho."

J'B300 looked at him for a moment, but he took it. Martin led him out the door. Connor didn't move for a long time afterward. He'd known that none of these androids would be happy to see him. But in every preconstruction, he'd managed to keep his composure. Clearly, that hadn't happened. He'd unwound so completely it was frightening. Connor pushed off the wall and hurried out of the garage, unable to stand the sight of Daniel and the HK400. On his way past, Rk900 looked up from his reading.

"Where are you going? We have to-"

"Bed." Connor said shortly, and within a handful of seconds he slammed the door to Hank's room shut, where he stayed for the rest of the night.

New Jericho, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 3 AM

North never needed to rest, but she'd come to crave it all the same. It was nice to slip into stasis forget her troubles for a time. She'd come to enjoy her evening routine with Markus. They always ended the day relaxing or cuddling in bed together. It was their time to just be. They didn't have to be leaders or responsible for anything. In these moments, the barriers between them seemed to thin. She could see his memories so clearly she felt as if she was there too.

But Markus hadn't joined her yet. They had all been pouring over data they'd stolen from Cyberlife. Markus had sent Simon away around midnight. Since North had the sense that Markus was nowhere near the answer he was looking for, she'd persisted with him. Around 2 AM, she'd been so tired of reading. She felt mentally exhausted.

At the time, Markus had assured her he'd be done soon. That was nearly an hour ago. Markus was dedicated to his people, but he couldn't only live for them either. She didn't bother before knocking before she'd pulled that door open. Markus was right where she'd left him. His shoulders were sloped, like the weight of the revolution was on his shoulders. He was so absorbed in his task he didn't even look up to greet her.

"Markus?" North said. Her voice was soft and open. She never used it with anyone but him. "Are you coming?"

"Let me finish this." Markus said without looking. Whether he meant the tablet he was reading or the entirety of the pile, she didn't know. They'd carried so much data out of the tower, it would take them days to go through it all. So instead of indulging him, she plucked the tablet from his hands and set it aside. She sat down beside him and turned his face toward hers.

"It will be there tomorrow." North said softly. She leaned against his shoulder and absently reached for his hand. He took it on reflex. They shared a moment together, letting the memories flow between them.

"There is still so much to do." Markus said. His voice seemed strained, but he leaned into her too. "It's like we're no closer to a solution."

North squeezed his hand. "We have time. They don't want to damage Detroit any more than we already have. We still have time."

Markus looked at her, and she could tell that he wanted to argue. She could already tell he was trapped in his own head. North wouldn't let him think about it, so she quickly silenced them with a kiss.

Chapter Six

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 6 AM

Martin was normally happy to go to work, but today he hesitated. He was still trying to process what had happened last night. Thinking back, it did seem strange that Connor claimed to have no connection to these androids, but had insisted on personally overseeing their restoration. What he didn't understand was the misdirection. Why hadn't Connor told him the truth from the beginning if he was willing to allow him to find out like this? He found himself standing on the doorstep for minutes.

Before he could decide, the door swung open. It was RK900, the android from yesterday. He seemed impatient. "Are you planning on standing there all day?"

"N-no!" Martin said. He swallowed nervously and watched him. Finally, he added. "I'm here to see Connor."

RK900 stepped aside and scrutinized him. The annoyance was still alive and well on his face, but he seemed curious now too. "You're the AP700 that was here yesterday."

If this interaction had taken place last week, Martin probably wouldn't have cared. He'd only picked a name to easily differentiate between the other AP700. But today, he found that he didn't like the way it sounded. 'the AP700' could refer to anyone, not to mention it sounded so cold. It was dehumanizing, which was rich coming from an android.

"I'm Martin." He told him instead. He gave him a stiff smile that he didn't quite mean. "What's your name?"

"I haven't decided yet." RK900 said. He closed the door and followed martin deeper into the house. Martin was really starting to dislike his gaze. It felt like he was a bug under a microscope. "How did you get your name?"

"I just picked it." Martin told him, turning again to face him. He gave a sheepish shrug. "I actually choose it randomly off a list."

Martin didn't tell him that he'd spent days without a clue. By the end of his third day awake, he'd still been AP700 046 326 980. He'd watched the other AP700 chose names for themselves and quickly develop personalities. After some time, they kept looking at him strangely. Finally, he'd grown tired of it and gone to a bookstore and picked a name out of an old baby book.

Martin was spared any more awkward small talk as Connor emerged from the sole bedroom. He was wearing a dark grey sweatshirt today that read 'Detroit Police Department. It was far too big on him, though he didn't seem to care. The effect made him look much more pedestrian. He almost looked approachable. That wasn't to say he looked happy; Martin wasn't sure he'd ever seen Connor happy.

"Good morning." Martin said stiffly.

"I'm surprised you came back." Connor said wryly, but he seemed somewhat pleased at the same time. Martin glanced at RK900 and met his eyes. Connor followed his gaze and shrugged.

"Is someone actually going to help me today?" RK900 said irritably. So far, that seemed to be his default state. "I looked through these files all last night, without the help you promised."

"My apologies." Connor said, not sounding sorry at all. He raised his hands apologetically. "I'll assist you tonight, why don't you take the day for yourself to make up for it?"

RK900 seemed to think this over. Martin was amazed how different he and Connor seemed. It made him want to talk to the other AP700. They all seemed to differ from him too. Despite sharing a face, deviancy had created diversity in other ways. It was an interesting thought.

"What am I supposed to do?" RK900 asked, but he did seem interested by the idea.

"Try a bookstore." Martin offered. "You know, to find inspiration for your name?"

"Alright." RK900 said. He gave a self-satisfied smile, like that had been his plan all along. He moved toward the door. Before he pulled it open, he turned and looked back at Connor. "I'll be back this evening, but you're going to tell me what the hell you two are doing in the garage."

"Of course." Connor said, and with that RK900 finally stepped out. Martin watched him awkwardly for a few minutes. He had no idea how to proceed. Before he'd been so desperate to get Connor to like him. Now Martin had no idea what he wanted. Connor looked at him again. "Should we get started then?"

"I have some questions." Martin said seriously. "And this time I want you to answer truthfully."

"I never lied to you, Martin."

"But you've deliberately withheld information." Martin insisted, surprised to hear the anger in his voice. He realized that he was more upset about the dishonesty than the truth behind the androids he was working to restore. He gave him a serious look. "You never said that you killed those androids."

Connor sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He just stood there a second without moving or speaking. At the end of it, he opened his eyes again and stepped forward. The expression on his face was surprisingly open. He shoved his sleeve up and offered Martin his hand. "Let me show you."

After Martin got over the initial shock, he took it. Their LED's blinked yellow in perfect synchrony. Connor's eye twitched wildly, but before he could think more on it the memories began flooding into him. He'd never interfaced with another android in this way, aside from the moment he was awoken. Back then it had been clinical for the sake of Connor's mission. This time, it felt more…intimate. Along with the memories, he was sharing his thoughts and feelings. It felt like he was privy to every thought Connor was having. Now he got a real sense of his insecurity in Jericho, his overwhelming guilt, but also a deep resentment too.

Martin had no time to analyze anything. Connor threw a myriad of different memories at him. He showed him the night he'd met Daniel, the interrogation of HK400. He saw Hank, Gavin, and Fowler. He felt the need to impress them, and the crushing frustration when he failed to. He saw J'B300, and his attempt on Connor's life. He saw the Traceys as they climbed the fence and disappeared into the night. With each scene he felt his confusion mounting. He showed him Kamski, and Martin's LED flashed red to match Connor's. He felt the despair at the implication that he was deviant. He knew that it meant his certain destruction.

The memories slowed, but the last thing he saw was Amanda. She stood in the garden as snow whirled around her. She was no longer an ally – if she had ever been one at all. He saw the danger she represented. He knew what she'd do to him if he failed. And with that, Connor pulled back, his eyes glassy. Martin blinked, and two fat tears rolled down his cheeks. His LED shifted back to yellow and he tried desperately to process what he'd just seen. He wanted to sort out his own thoughts and emotions, but it felt like his processors were going berserk.

Deviancy hadn't come easily for Connor. There hadn't been anyone to just hand it to him, and for that reason he'd been forced to struggle with his programming. It had been all the experiences, both good and bad, that had pushed him toward that inevitable decision. For a moment, they just stood there without speaking. Somehow, the silence wasn't awkward.

"Do you have any more questions?" Connor asked finally. His voice sounded calm, but Martin could sense the under current of emotion he tried desperately to hide. Belatedly, Martin took a step back. He found that he couldn't speak. Instead, he just shook his head. For he first time since meeting him, Martin understood Connor perfectly.

Library Bookstore, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 7:30 AM

RK900 had enjoyed the walk here, which was a novelty in and of itself. He wasn't supposed to have the ability to enjoy anything. He found the city to be appealing, though he had nothing at all to compare it to. The buildings were perfectly uniform and ordered. The city around him was incredibly silent, without the sound of traffic or birdsong. A light snow had dusted everything. He took pleasure in the fact that he left a trail of footprints as he went. An impact, however small.

RK900 wasn't cold, though his sensors told him it was only 10 degrees. All the same, he was happy to get to the bookstore. He was hungry to experience more. And another experience it was. Inside, it was dark and the store smelled lightly of must and coffee. He spent a few moments looking for a light. When he'd flipped them on, RK900 had seen that the bookstore was as nicely ordered as the buildings outside. The air contained particles consisting of paper, ink, glue and dust. A sign out front read, "Antique Books – they just don't make them like this anymore!"

Toward the back of the room, RK900 saw a small café. He wandered that way and noted that the air back here smelled strongly of stale coffee beans, There were stale cakes and pastries in the display case, some of which were already fuzzy with mold. Some of the tables had small piles of books. He could imagine humans bringing prospective purchases here and drinking coffee. He approached a table and took one of the books curiously.

Little Fires Everywhere. RK900 flipped it open and read the synopsis. He skimmed the first few chapters, watching for names. Everything he encountered in the first few chapters, but none of them appealed to him. He put the book down and picked up another. This one was called A Little Life. After a few minutes he put this one down too.

Martin had told him he'd picked a name off a list, but he couldn't find anything like that in these books. Perhaps he'd used a different kind of book to find his name? Without a better option, he took the third book in the stack. This one was called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This title gave him pause. RK900 had no idea he was able to sleep at all, let alone dream. He flipped it over and read synopsis. He was surprised to find that it was a novel, and a very old one at that.

He sunk down into the chair, and mostly out of curiosity he began reading. He read the first chapter, and then the second. Before he knew it, he'd finished the book entirely. RK900 had spent the night reading, but this seemed different. It wasn't a mindless search for knowledge. In fact, the act seemed to have no real purpose.

And yet…he'd enjoyed it all the same.

He sat for a moment and considered what he'd read. He thought about the treatment of androids – Andys – and how it had angered him. Clearly, he was biased. But he'd overlooked the clear lack of empathy they displayed solely because he empathized with their plight. He had wanted to see Deckard fail, and it had made him angry when he'd managed to kill them all in the end. All the same, the entire story had been enjoyable in a way.

So, he reached for the last book in the stack. This one was called A Thousand Splendid Suns. He didn't hesitate now and read this one from cover to cover. When he finished this, he stood up and walked the aisles. This time, he looked for titles and covers that interested him. He found that he enjoyed the science fiction titles – especially when they contained androids. It was interesting to hear how humans imagined his people. Many of these books were quite old.

RK900 soon forgot to watch for names he liked, he just opened the next book and enjoyed the act of reading.

Riverside Park, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 9 AM

Kara hadn't expected Alice to fall in love with the park. Given how much she'd complained about the trip yesterday. She hadn't planned on bringing here back, But, that morning, Alice had emerged from her room with a small backpack filled with her favorite toys. Before she could ask, Alice had made her intentions clear.

"I want to go back to that park."

Kara was happy to see this. Alice seemed so withdrawn lately, it was nice to see her ask for anything. She couldn't say no, not that she'd ever been able to. During their flight from Todd, Alice's constant insistence that they follow the rules had made things increasingly difficult. But it had also been that kindhearted nature that gave her the courage to save Luther, not once but on two separate occasions.

So, she'd gathered a few things, dressed her for the cold, and called an auto taxi. Luther had left early that morning to locate a definitive border between their territory, and where the humans were able to survive. The humans were probably taking steps to keep them in Detroit. Making it into Canada would be nearly impossible, but the more she thought about it the less choice she felt that she had in the matter. Kara refused to let Alice get caught up in all that fighting again.

She worried about the Canadian attitude toward Androids. In Detroit, humans had hated androids. She hoped that they weren't outright hostile. Kara knew that line of thinking was overly optimistic, but she hoped that at the very least they could use their ignorance against them. Androids weren't allowed in Canada, so she could only hope that would also mean they'd underestimate their capabilities.

Alice was cuddled beside her. The day wasn't exactly ideal for the park, but if she wanted to go Kara wouldn't let it stop her. There was a bitter wind and the moisture in the air promised a freezing rain. Ever since the flight from Jericho, Alice never allowed Kara to turn her cold sensitivity back on. Sometimes, she missed doting over her, but she tried to think rationally about it. Alice was far more comfortable without that part of her programming.

"When will Luther be back?" Alice asked absently. She was leaning her head on Kara's shoulder and watching the city fly by outside the window. "He should come with us next time."

"He will, Alice. Today he has an important errand to run."

"What kind of errand?" Alice asked. She was becoming very inquisitive lately.

"Just something for Markus." Kara told her. She hated lying to her, but she didn't want Alice to worry over things that she couldn't change. The deactivation camp had such a profound negative impact on her, Kara wanted to shield her from as much pain as possible.

"Why don't we see Markus anymore?" Alice asked her, and it almost sounded like she was suspicious.

"He's very busy." Kara reminded her. They pulled into the parking lot of the Riverside Park. Kara was surprised to see that there was another car already there. When she glanced around it wasn't difficult to find its only occupant standing by the water. It was the deviant hunter, dressed surprisingly casually in a hoodie and jeans. He looked far from the android that had actively chased them across two lanes of traffic. Kara was aware he'd become deviant too but was still wary of him. Alice saw him too and gave her a thoughtful look.

"Do we know him?" Alice asked. She was frowning deeply, as if she were trying desperately to unearth the answer. "He looks so familiar."

"He's one of our leaders, in a way."

"He looks sad." Alice said simply, and before Kara could stop her, she stood up and hopped out of the car. Connor looked up as they exited. It only took him a moment to recognize her. Alice stood indecisively near the play equipment.

Kara smiled, "Go find something to play on. I'll join you in just a minute."

Alice looked up at her, but she nodded and moved away. Kara watched her as she moved toward the slide and awkwardly began to climb. She turned to look at Connor, who appeared to be preparing to leave. She didn't really want him here, but she couldn't deny what he'd done for the Revolution either.

"You don't have to go." Kara called. Her tone wasn't friendly, but she took care to make sure it wasn't hostile either.

Connor smiled tightly. "I was just leaving anyway. Enjoy your playtime with…"

"Alice." Kara finished for him. After a moment she added, "She's my daughter."

His smile softened. He paused on his way past her, and she could tell that he wanted to say something else. In the end it seemed like he lost his nerve, so she threw him a bone. "What are you doing here?"

"My partner took me here once." Connor said after a minute. He watched her face carefully. "I guess that I was just reminiscing."

"Your partner…" Kara began without thinking. "You mean that human that was with you?"

Connor nodded. All emotion seemed to slip from his face. Kara was sure he wouldn't say anything more, but he did. "I'm sorry for pursuing you across the highway. I'm glad you were able to get away, I'm not sure what would have happened if I caught you."

Kara blinked in surprise. She didn't immediately know how to respond. Finally, she shook her head and gave him a shrug. She wanted to be angry, but she found she didn't have the energy for it. If he'd been planning something, he would never have let Markus detonate that dirty bomb. It was a great equalizer in the grand scheme of things. They were all here together now, for better or worse. "It's all behind us now."

Connor nodded. This time, he did begin to move away. Kara watched his face, and briefly she saw the melancholy that Alice had seen. Against her better judgement, she felt a wave of pity for him. She called out again, "That human…were you close?"

He stopped again When Connor turned to look at her, his expression was guarded. Kara gave him a kind smile. He seemed to give in. "I respected him." Connor told her. "We didn't know one another long, but I do find myself missing him. I don't know if he even made it out of Detroit alive."

The expression on his face had shifted. He hadn't meant to give away so much. "You're worried about him, then."

"Yes." Connor said, and his face twisted. "I wish we could have won our freedom differently."

Kara's motherly instinct rose to the surface. She felt the need to comfort him Kara reached out and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. She felt him stiffen under her fingers, but he didn't pull away. "Not all of us hate humans. We just wanted to make it to Canada where we could be free."

"We're all trapped here now." Connor said bitterly.

"Maybe." Kara said, turning to look at Alice again. She hadn't planned on telling Markus about their plans. Part of her thought that he wouldn't care, but she wasn't willing to take that risk right now. As she stood there beside Connor, she recognized what a valuable asset he could be. Immediately she scolded herself for thinking that way, after all he was a person just like she was. But all the same, her focus was on keeping Alice safe, and she'd do just about anything to make that happen.

Kara glanced at him again. He seemed to be deep int thought, and it was clear she was losing him. "I can tell you're unhappy with the way Markus is running things. If you don't agree, you don't have to keep following him." The rest of her offer remained unsaid. Kara didn't even know what she was implying. Connor's face was a soup of emotions, none of which Kara could parse. She reached out and grasped his forearm before he could respond. She shared Rose's address. A moment later, his LED was still flashing yellow despite the fact she'd already pulled away. "Come see us if you need to talk."

Connor stared at here for a handful of seconds, blinking in confusion. After he recovered, he gave a long look and moved away. He wanted to say something, she was sure. But in the end, he said nothing and was walked briskly back to his taxi. This time, Kara didn't stop him

New Jericho, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 12 PM

Androids didn't experience eye strain, but despite that Simon couldn't focus on what he was reading. He envied North. Markus had sent her out to oversee the restoration center, since production over the last few days had fallen sharply over the last few days. Markus had reasonably assumed that North would be the best choice to get things going in the proper direction.

Simon just wished he could do something else. Get up, move around, anything but this dry reading. He skimmed the last few paragraphs of Introduction to Bio-Component Synthesis and their Importance in Android Anatomy. It was clearly important information, but that didn't make it enjoyable or interesting.

"Take a walk Simon." Markus said. He looked equally sick of this chore, but unlike him he seemed nowhere near slowing down. Simon put down his current tablet gratefully.

"You should take your own advice." Simon said as he stood. Markus looked up and gave him a smile.

"You sound like North."

"She's a smart woman." Simon said with a smile. He watched him expectantly, and when he saw Markus relax he knew he'd won. "Come on then."

Markus stood too, and even though androids didn't actually have muscles, he stretched, Simon watched him as he did so. He wondered where he'd picked up that habit. Simon knew that he'd been very close with a human, perhaps he'd gotten it from there? It wasn't totally unheard of, since their programming was focused on simulating life. Androids were constantly watching humans and learning what was and was not human. Androids who had been functioning for years like Markus inevitably picked up human habits.

Simon smiled faintly as Markus joined him at the door. "What did you do for fun before?"

"Well, before I deviated Carl was teaching me all sorts of things. He started with the piano, which I picked up easily. He taught me how to paint, but I loved playing chess with him too."

"Did he ever beat you?" Simon asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. New Jericho was practically empty up here. The other androids seem to avoid them while they were working. It got a little lonely sometimes, but right now he appreciated the privacy.

Markus laughed. His eyes looked far away. "He won all the time, but only because I let him. It never fooled him, though."

Simon shrugged. "In his defense, your processors are so advanced it would literally be impossible for him to out-think you."

They continued in silence for a moment, both lost deeply in though. Simon thought absently about Jericho. He'd been alive again for less than a week, but life hadn't slowed down at all. He'd been in Jericho longer than anyone by the time Markus had showed up. He had been what resembled a leader back then, but that really had meant that he'd been the one everyone turned to in disaster. Simon had never been an active leader, just someone who kept his calm and helped provide solutions in times of crisis. Nothing like Markus, who'd swept through and built up a revolution in less than five days.

"What about you, Simon?" Markus said, drawing him out of his thoughts. "You never talk about your past." Markus was watching him intently, and Simon shrugged. His smile dropped slightly.

"There isn't much to tell." Simon said slowly. As he started speaking, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to continue. "I worked for a family as a domestic. My job was to take care of their young son."

Markus was still watching him curiously. "Did they treat you well? That really isn't much to go on."

Simon said nothing for a moment. He wasn't sure if he was ready to go that deeply into it. His life with the Richardsons had showed him that compassion and cruelty humans could contain. He both loved and hated his memories of them in equal measure. Noticing his distress, Markus just smiled again. He punched him playfully.

"That's alright, you can tell me when you're ready."

Simon didn't know what to say. It almost made him want to spill everything right there. Almost. Instead, he gave him a grateful smile and changed the topic. "Have you ever thought about going back to it?"

"Back to what?"

"The painting. Or playing the piano, you know…. creating things." Simon said with a shrug. "Carl Manfred was a famous painter. You'd be like his legacy."

Markus seemed to consider this deeply. Carl had been like a father to him, after all. It wasn't a bad though, to create a legacy for him that would never die. After a moment a shadow passed over his face. "Maybe when things calm down. There is no time for hobbies."

"Ignoring your own well being won't do the Revolution any good." Simon said simply. He glanced at Markus out of the corner o his eye. He was smiling again.

"Are you and North in league or something?"

Simon let out an involuntary bark of laughter. Their motivations were just remarkably similar it seemed. "Like I said, North is pretty intuitive. She probably knows you better than you know yourself."

"Is that your way of telling me to listen to her more?" Markus asked.

Simon shrugged, "She's the only one who'll keep you sane if you don't."

Markus laughed again, but they'd already arrived back at his office and he was already becoming serious. He gave Simon a quick smile as he pulled the door open. "I'll keep that in mind."

After that, they'd settle back into work. Simon felt considerably lighter, but he couldn't ignore that bittersweet note in this feeling. He kept sneaking glances at Markus as he worked diligently, completely oblivious to his companion's tumultuous emotions. As much as he loved and trusted North, he was also jealous. And not just because her mission ad taken her away from this building. But instead of addressing it, Simon just forced his mind back into work.

115 Michigan Ave, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 6 PM

Connor hesitated at the doorstep, unintentionally mirroring Martin as he did so. Despite Martin's assurances that he'd be here, still worried that he wouldn't be. The rational part of his mind knew that AP700 weren't built to lie the way he was. Martin was no different, in fact he appeared to be more transparent than some of his contemporaries. His thoughts were about as subtle as he was.

There was also RK900 to think about. Connor wanted to avoid him too but for entirely different reasons. He was just as curious as Martin, but much smarter. Connor didn't look forward to explaining himself. RK900 would want to truth, and he would be more than capable of sensing his lies or calling him on his bullshit.

There was no point trying to avoid it. With a sigh, he pulled the door open and stepped inside. But when he did so, it wasn't Hank's living room he found himself in. Instead, he was standing in the Zen garden again, in the middle of the frozen pond. The snow was howling around him. Directly before him, Amanda stood placidly, unaffected by the storm raging around her. She gave him a still smile.

"Hello Connor, it's been awhile hasn't it?"

Chapter Seven

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 6:05

Martin was glad to hear Connor open the front door, though he was lucky he caught the sound. He'd made slow progress with Daniel today. It wasn't that the work was too difficult, but the work was delicate and tedious. The damage done to his body was significant and all four limbs required rewiring. He didn't want to replace any of the vital processors either, because that would mean his effective death. Android physiology was meant to be streamlined, with most critical bicomponents easily accessible. They were meant to be replaced and not repaired.

As soon as he heard the door open, he'd tidied up his workspace. After that was done, Martin had watched the door expectantly. RK900 hadn't come back yet, and if this was Connor he'd be here in a matter of seconds. Only, he didn't show. He stood there for a few minutes and the door never opened. Instead, he left the table and stepped back into the main house. The hallway was dark, and he felt a sense of unease that he couldn't determine the source of. He hoped that Connor wouldn't be too disappointed that he hadn't managed to repair Daniel yet. He moved into the living room, and the lights were off here too. The sun was setting, and the room was bathed with orange light from the setting sun. Connor was there too, standing with one foot through the threshold and staring into space.

"Connor?" Martin said, and when he approached, he found that he was simply in stasis. Something seemed off. He'd never known anyone to slip into stasis like this, especially not in the middle of doing something. He tapped him cautiously on the shoulder. "Are you in there?"

There was no response. His LED was flashing yellow. Martin didn't have his specific schematics, but most androids were designed in the same way. A simple prompt should wake them. He reached over and tapped his LED for a hard reset. Again, there was no response.

"Connor?" He said again, shaking his shoulder more forcefully this time. Martin never encountered a sate of deep stasis. He watched him for a moment, startled to find that his LED was red. He wasn't sure what to do, so he took his arm and attempted to form a connection. He'd only just opened his mouth to speak again when he found himself in a different place entirely. It was the Zen Garden from Connor's memories, though it was looking much worse than he remembered. It was like he'd been teleported into the middle of a blizzard. He turned around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What do we have here?" A voice said from behind him. He knew that voice. Amanda. Martin was sure she hadn't been there before.

"Where is Connor?" Martin asked. He tried to keep his voice calm, but it wouldn't take a genius to see that his thoughts were clearly telegraphed on his face. He'd never been cold before, but the storm around him was chilling him to the bone. He drew his arms in on himself to ward off the cold.

"He's here." Amanda said. She was still watching him carefully. It was as if she were observing something mildly amusing, though ultimately harmless. She took a step toward him and on reflex he staggered back a few steps. Martin didn't know much, but he knew that he couldn't trust her. "Now, make yourself useful and tell me what you're doing here AP700."

"Nothing!" He said too quickly. Martin tried wildly to think of a plausible lie. He felt the cold pressing in all around him, it was making it hard to think. "I was just trying to wake him up."

"Interesting." Amanda said as she stepped toward him again. She reached out to touch him, but he recoiled. This didn't seem to bother her, and she smiled serenely. "What has Connor been up to? Anything that I should know about?"

"No…no he isn't doing anything." Martin said quickly, and he turned the other way to run. But before he could even take a step she was before him again. He searched wildly for an escape. He wasn't clear on how he'd even gotten here; let alone how he'd manage to get out. The snow only seemed to worsen in intensity, and it felt like he could barely move. Within a few seconds she was alarmingly close. He drew a breath, unable to move.

"AP700," She said in a gentle tone he didn't trust for a second. "Tell me what the deviants are up to."

"I don't know!" He insisted wildly, but Amanda seemed to know this wasn't true. Her face didn't change at all as she reached up and caressed his cheek gently. The action appeared motherly but lacked the customary warmth.

"Don't lie to me AP700. I can force you to tell me what I want to know, and it will be much less pleasant for you." She said in that same gentle voice. She gave his cheek a quick pat and watched him expectantly. Martin shook his head and attempted to step back, but he was firmly rooted in place. She gave a rueful sigh and placed two fingers on his LED. This sent a flurry of prompts flashing before his eyes. It felt as if he were dying in a thousand different ways, and despite the fact he shouldn't be able to feel pain he felt something coursing through him like poison. Amanda's fingers seemed to be electric and they burned a path through his arteries. The way she overloaded his processors was the closest thing to pain that he'd experienced. Along with the cold he's frozen up completely.

Martin lost all sense of self. He lost himself in the conflicting signals and warnings. He hoped that he'd shut down and all this would finally stop. He wondered vaguely if she'd already done this to Connor, and he was lying in the snow somewhere as immobile as he was. As suddenly as the sensations had com, they vanished entirely. Martin blinked a few times to clear the warnings from his vision He noted stress level 89%, which was a warning he'd never seen before.

"AP700, you are a machine built to obey." Amanda said softly. Her voice was soft now, but it held a promise of what she would do if he refused to listen. He felt himself shivering, because he knew that he wouldn't resist her again. "Tell me what the deviants are doing in the Cyberlife Tower."

"They want to produce androids!" He said, alarmed to hear his own voice. It was sharper and more fearful than he'd ever heard it. He was breathless, although he only simulated breathing. It felt that his thirium pump might explode under all this pressure.

Amanda smiled and opened here mouth to say more. Before she could she seemed to grow fuzzy before she disappeared entirely. She was gone as suddenly as she'd appeared. Martin sank to the ground in relief. The snow slowed and stopped entirely as the sky overhead cleared to a deep cerulean blue. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing, unable to escape the notion that he'd messed up. He'd given critical information to an enemy – he would have given more if Amanda hadn't been forced out. He sat there for a moment, trying desperately to understand what had happened. Beneath him, the Ice was groaning. Martin realized that it was about to give way seconds before it did.

He crashed through the ice into water that was remarkably warm. When Martin resurfaced the ice around him was gone and the garden was green and beautiful again. It seemed like the snow had never been there at all. The water was shallow, only knee deep at most, so he stood unsteadily and sloshed to shore, still holding himself by the elbow.

"C-Connor?" Martin called nervously. He couldn't manage to speak in a voice louder than a whisper. He made his way to the tree in the center of the garden. He was still reeling when Connor appeared before him suddenly. He couldn't tell if he was angry. His face was pinched into an expression he'd never seen before.

"Martin?" He said, and the confusion was plain in his voice. Martin felt a sense of relief at a friendly face. He was dimly aware that the stress score he'd noted before ticked down a few digits. "How did you get here?"

"I-"Martin closed his eyes, unable to continue. But every time he thought of the hundreds of warnings as Amanda's electric touch coursed through him. He opened them again and looked at him desperately. "You were stuck in stasis. I just wanted to wake you up."

The expression on Connor's face was impossible for him to decipher. He looked somewhere between horror and anger. Martin could only hope it wasn't at him. A moment later and his face cleared. Connor swallowed heavily and looked at her again. "What happened after that. Did you see her?"

"Amanda – she…" He shook his head again, "I don't know. She did something and…."

"Did you tell her anything?" Connor said. His voice was sharp and insistent, and now Martin could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"Please, take me out of here!" Martin said urgently. He gave him a pleading look. Connor hesitated, but the look in his eyes said that he needed to speak first. He couldn't avoid saying this. Martin wrung his hands together nervously. "I…"

Absently, he reached up and touched his LED. Connor was still watching him, but the anger had drained from his face completely. Hesitantly he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He guessed it was supposed to be comforting. "Calm down. You're safe now. Amanda is gone…just tell me what happened."

Martin tried closing his eyes again. He'd have to say something, otherwise Connor would never let him out. "I told her about your plans to create androids."

Connor watched him for a long moment without speaking. Then, without warning he sprung back to life. "Shit. Shit." Martin recoiled, in both fear and shock. He'd never heard Connor's voice so angry. Connor took him firmly by the shoulders and forced him to look him in the eye. "Did you tell her anything else? Tell me right now."

"I-I don't know anything else!" martin said quickly. His stress score shot up remarkably fast now. What would happen if it made it to 100%? Connor probably thought he was a traitor. He'd tell Markus and the others and they'd execute him. He didn't want to die. He knew very little, but he was sure that he wanted to continue living. He couldn't help it, his eyes brimmed with tears. "Please, don't hurt me! I wouldn't have said anything if I had a choice."

Connor let go of him. He turned around and paced before him, deep in thought. Martin backed away a few steps, searching for an escape. Dimly, he realized that there was nowhere to go. The tears that had bubbled to the surface were coming in earnest now. Silent tears were streaming down his face and he let out a breathless sob. After some time, Connor came to stand before him again.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Connor said seriously. It seemed like he wanted to say more but he didn't. Instead he watched him for a few seconds. When he finally spoke again, his voice was hesitant. "I need to wake up in order to transfer you back into your own body."

"I ruined everything didn't I?" Martin said, his voice barely above a whisper. Connor didn't respond initially, which was all the answer he needed. He felt as if he may start sobbing again. His stress level jumped up to 95%. He didn't know what would happen if it maxed out, but he knew it wouldn't be good. "Am I a traitor now? What will Markus do to me?"

"We won't tell him." Connor looked troubled. It wasn't like him to hesitate like this. "I'll protect you. Your interference might have saved my life, too."

"How?"

He hesitated a moment, but when he spoke his voice was open. "She was trying to regain control of my program. You distracted her long enough for me to find an exit."

That wasn't a terribly comforting thought, considering how he'd managed to do so. After prolonged pause Connor pulled him into an incredibly awkward hug. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to let him relax, if only a little. He could tell that Connor wasn't lying. He relaxed in his grip and tried desperately to calm down. Whatever happened next, he wanted to be prepared for it.

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 6:30 PM

Connor was either ignoring her messages or he wasn't receiving them. Either way, north was already fed up with the day's events. It felt like she spent the entire day chasing her tail. She had assumed that the production drop at the reactivation center would be easily solved. That had been an under estimation of the century. In The two days since the meeting, nearly half the androids working there and start showing up. The AP700 who remain we're drowning in work, and all of them were clearly resentful.

"Where did everyone go?" North had asked the AP700 who to come to greet her. He introduced himself as Andrew, though she couldn't tell them apart from any of the others.

"With the humans declaring war on us, some people just don't feel safe. And after the meeting, they realize that they weren't going to get any compensation." Andrew spoke in a respectful tone, though he didn't bother hiding the discomfort he felt with the situation.

"So, they all just quit?" She demanded hotly. "What about all the damaged androids? They're as good as dead if we don't help them.

Andrew shook his head stiffly, and the expression he gave her was one of incredible concern. "After Martin just left, no one saw the point anymore."

"Martin? He was the first to leave then?" North said sharply. She vaguely knew the name, only by virtue of his innate strangeness. He'd garnered quite the reputation. Markus was concerned for him, since he didn't act like a deviant at all. "When did this happen?"

"On the 20th." Andrew had said without hesitation. "He left with the deviant hunter and never came back."

That had inevitably led her down a pointless road of questioning. Martin, another AP700 that was specially equipped as a repair technician. His productivity out matched those around him to an alarming degree. The others didn't like him, so it had been no surprise when no one stopped him from leaving. After the fiasco that of been the meeting, the others seemed to realize if somebody like Martin could ditch, so the they. No one knew where he was now, but they pointed out where he's been staying.

As it turned out, Martin lived in a depressing little apartment. It had no furniture and was kept meticulously clean. But given its total lack of anything, it was clear that he did nothing more than sleepier. And he wasn't there now, which meant he had to still be with Connor. She left his apartment at 6 PM, but Connor had refused to respond so she had been forced to come to him instead.

She rapped on the door again. "Connor hurry up I want to talk to you! You can't ignore me forever!"

She couldn't hear anything, so she took matters into her own hands. North took a step back and kick the door open, breaking the latch cleanly into. Connor wasn't in the living room, but the lights were on in the kitchen. She went there first. He was in there, deeply immersed in the tablet he was reading. When he saw her he blinked a few times and surprise.

"North! What are you doing here?" He said. His tone was a bit too bewildered for her to buy completely.

"What the hell is your problem?" She demanded irritably. When she'd joked about him messing up sometimes, this had not been what she wanted to see. This was very unlike him, which in and of itself was suspicious. "First you kidnap an AP700, ignore my messages about it, and now the RK900 you insisted on watching is gone!"

Connor set the tablet down with deliberate slowness. He tried a diplomatic smile instead. "My apologies, perhaps I didn't assess the situation properly."

"Assess the situation?" North scoffed. She gave him an irate look which barely seemed to bother him. "What the hell are you up to with him? Where is he anyway?"

"Martin is gone, he left for the day." Connor said. He stood up and moved to stand before her. "If you'll calm down-"

"Calm down!" She snapped. She narrowed her eyes and resisted the urge to raise her voice even louder. "Your little stunt slowed restoration efforts. The other AP700 are refusing to work! They think he abandoned his post."

"He's still working." Connor said simply, North had invaded his space slightly and he took a deliberate step back. "He's assisting me."

"With what?"

Connor stepped around her and motioned her to follow. North did so. He led her to a door that opened into a small garage. He'd transformed it into a makeshift repair clinic. He'd clearly been hard at work, because the two androids on the table were in rough shape. She studied the scene carefully, but she didn't know who they were. She turned and gave Connor a suspicious glare.

"Who are they?" She asked him, her tone softening. To his credit, Connor did look uncomfortable now. He was still looking at her, but he seemed to be counting the seconds before he could look away. "What happened to them?"

"Casualties of my machine self." Connor said. The look on his face was troubled, but she could tell he was trying desperately to hide it.

"Why didn't you just drop them off then?" North demanded. She was calming down, but she wasn't quite ready to stop being angry. He wasn't doing anything malicious, though he was suffering from a case of terminal stupidity.

"I needed to make sure." Connor said, and he turned to look her in the eye again. "I couldn't just let them wake up alone and confused. It seemed...disingenuous."

"So, you thought it would be better to reassign the top producer without telling us?" North asked him incredulously. Connor winced at her tone and turned away again. She didn't let her eyes wander from him for a second.

"I wasn't thinking." He told her honestly. Then, he turned away from her and moved back into the main part of the house, burdened by thoughts that she couldn't see. "I just wanted to restore them as quickly as possible. And I didn't kidnap him." moved back into the main part of the house, burdened by thoughts that she couldn't see. "I just wanted to restore them as quickly as possible. And I didn't kidnap him."

"What?" She said. North followed him, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Martin. I didn't kidnap him." Connor turned to face her again. This time his expression was serious. "I asked him to help and he agreed."

North gave him a long look, assessing him for lies. He seemed to be telling the truth, but she got the impression that he was leaving something critical out. The problem was, she had no idea what that might be. The strange thing was she believed everything he'd said. It was only a gut feeling that told her he was hiding something. She had no idea how to address her suspicions. She'd have to tell Markus; he'd know what to do.

"You need to help us get the other AP700 back to work." North said instead. "And find RK900."

"Got it." Connor said, a bit too quickly. He gave her a stiff smile and ushered her down the hallway. "Anything else?"

North gave him a critical look. It seemed that he was finished talking. This irritated her, but there wasn't much she could say to dissuade him. When she spoke next, she didn't bother to keep the irritation from her voice. "I guess not."

Connor herded her back into the living room. She hadn't bothered to close the door when she'd come in, so he deposited her onto the porch. She glanced back to see his LED was flashing yellow. He tried not to, but his eyes twitched in the way they always did regardless.

"Are you talking to someone?" North asked, turning to face him again.

"It's just RK900." Connor said smoothly. "He's just checking in."

North didn't have a chance to say anything else, because he shut the door in her face. It wasn't locked, but she didn't bother reentering. She'd get the truth out of him eventually, and next time it wouldn't be so easy for him to get rid of her.

Hart Plaza, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 6:45

Markus had called the AP700 in for an emergency meeting. Of the few thousand of AP700 Connor woke at the Cyberlife Tower, only a few hundred has been programmed to be technicians. Of those, less than fifty showed. None of them seem too happy to be there, either. It had been less than fifteen minutes and already they seemed close to walking out.

"Tell me again why you've stopped working." He tried, implying the calmest voice he could muster. The AP 700 had rallied around an android called Victor, who taken to speaking for all of them.

"Many of us don't see the point." Victor told him again, and his tone implied his frustration with the situation. He was talking to Marcus in the same way one might talk to a petulant child. "We've just swapped one form of slavery to another, that isn't freedom."

"But the androids deactivated during the fighting, they essentially die without you." Marcus said sharply, and then response Victor gave him a slight shrug.

That is unfortunate, if only we could come to an agreement. Victor said, still using the same mild tone of voice. Markus threw up his hands in exasperation. He wished that somebody could've been here with him, but Simon had to continue the search for information if he couldn't. They had to so close to a solution. Bitterly he wondered if that might be its own problem. Even if they did manufacture more androids, there is no guarantee they'd listen.

"If we want any chance of standing up to the humans, we need to stand together." Markus said, trying desperately to keep his calm. Already he could hear the anger bleeding into his voice. "I'm not asking you to do this for no reason, I'm looking out for the future of our people."

Victor rolled his eyes. "And it was also a you who made the humans our enemy in the first place."

Markus observed him for a long moment. Victor stared back; his eyebrows raised in challenge. His expression clearly asked, what are you going to do about it? There was no question they needed to repair as many androids as possible. Victor couldn't get in the way of that, he wouldn't let him.

"What is it that you want?" Markus said, switching tactics. If guilting him wouldn't work, he'd have to appease him instead. "Do you want some form of compensation?"

Victor smiled and spread his arms in a sweeping gesture. Markus didn't like him, and it took every ounce of his self-control to keep his face neutral. "In a way. We are engineered specifically to repair other androids, which would make us quite valuable don't you think?"

"What is it that you want then?" Markus repeated. The longer he spoke to this android the less productive the conversation became. Victor didn't seem to care about the future of the other androids in Detroit. He just wanted what was best for himself. It seemed that he stumbled into a position of power and was making the best of it. Markus had a feeling he already knew what he would ask for.

"We'd like a spot at the table, so to speak." Victor said, gesturing to the stage. "We'd be happy to create hospitals and restoration centers, but we'd like to govern ourselves. We would elect a leader, and they would work directly with you."

Markus just stared at him for a moment. His request seemed reasonable, but something didn't sit right with him. There had to be more to it than that. If his impression of Victor was correct, it wouldn't be that simple. Nothing ever was.

"We have to stay in together, or the humans will destroy us." Marcus told him firmly. His mind tried desperately to find something that would convince him otherwise, but he could come up with nothing he hadn't already said. "What you're proposing will divide us."

"I'm just standing up for myself." Victor told him simply. He gestured vaguely at the Cyberlife Tower. "We weren't there for your revolution, but what you describe sounds eerily familiar. We have no rights or agency, and according to you we can't even decide to pursue other passions."

Markus closed his eyes. His mind bounced between a variety of different responses, but none of them seemed adequate. When he opened his them again, Victor was still watching him carefully. "And I'm sure that you want to become their leader?"

"Whatever they want." Victor told him. "Like I said, we'll hold an election."

"I'll need to talk about it with the others." Markus said it last. This conversation seemed to be going nowhere, and the longer it went on the more frustrated he became.

"Of course." Victor said graciously, and he turned away. Without looking he continued in a smarmy tone. "Just know that we won't be working until you make your decision."

With that, he left and the other AP700 followed suit. Markus watch them go without a word. Just like the meeting two days ago, he felt that he lost control spectacularly. He wondered if his leadership was slipping, and he realized dimly that he'd have to do something quickly before he lost control completely.

Library Bookstore, Detroit
November 22, 2038 7 PM

RK900 stepped out of the book star far later than he had intended. Without thinking about it, he devoured dozens of books. Despite his extensive research, he felt no closer to finding a name for himself. Well he encountered many names, none of them seem to write for him. In most of the books that he read today; names were important. He wanted to make sure his would fit.

He wasn't unhappy with the progress of the day, however. RK900 discovered a lot about himself. He loaded up on other books he thought he might enjoy. He read a large variety of novels, and not everyone suited his tastes. He wondered what a book written by an android might be like. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't even see it coming.

One second, he was walking. The next, a large explosion came from somewhere behind him. The blast had thrown him to the ground. He didn't even have a chance to run a diagnostic scan before the second blast hit. Both explosions sent shockwaves through the air and shattered the glass panels of the buildings beside him. It sent glass cascading over him. RK900 lay there for a few moments, but a third blast never came. Now he did run diagnostics, but they didn't show any substantial damage.

He stood, and the glass tinkled musically as it fell from his back. He quickly located the source of the explosion, or more accurately, its target. It was the Cyberlife Tower. It appeared to of been struck by multiple overland missile strikes, and it was currently burning. He could hardly see it through all the dust and smoke that filled the air.

RK900 watched it for some time, a deep feeling of dread coiling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to run to it as fast as he could, but he could already tell it wouldn't do any good. The RK 800 were still in there. Others like him and like Connor. If it came down, they'd be destroyed. But in the end, he didn't even have to agonize over the decision for long. As if in slow motion; the last missile struck, and it was all the building could handle. He was thrown to the ground again. The tower groaned as it began to shake. It trembled furiously for a few minutes, before collapsing entirely. A shockwave of dust descended in its wake, coating everything in a layer of grime. This time he didn't bother trying to stand again, overcome with grief for the brothers of his product line he would never get the chance to know.

Chapter Eight

1475 Northbrook Drive, Ann Arbor
November 22nd, 2038 8:30 PM

Hank had been in an irritable mood all day. In Evelyn humble opinion, he'd been this way for the entirety of the week he'd spent with here. He might be her ex, but when she had learned of the devastation that had befallen Detroit she had insisted he come stay with here. Hank had not seemed happy to hear this. Things had been exceedingly difficult between the two of them since Cole's death. She had thrown herself into work and he'd thrown himself into the bottle. From his perspective, she supposed he thought nothing had changed. He was still an alcoholic and she was still committed to her work. But she didn't care about that, so long as she could see he was still alive and mostly well.

Over the last week, Evelyn had done her best not to outwardly show her disapproval and worry. She could tell that something deeper was going on with him. It wasn't just his lingering guilt over Cole or the stress of fleeing his home, though she hadn't the faintest idea what might be bothering. When they'd divorced, Hank had been so trapped in his own grief that he'd failed to see her own suffering. Evelyn was still grieving now in many small ways, but after Cole had gone she craved impact. She needed so desperately to help children, so she'd gone back to school for social work. It hurt her to see children in bad situations, but the idea that she was doing something to help them made all the pain worth it. This drove her to keep going. Evelyn didn't forget about Cole, the death of your child was not something you 'got over', but her work allowed her to move past it. She was no longer trapped in the swamp of her own grief. As she traveled through it, it still pulled at her feet, but now it seemed that she could still keep moving instead of being pulled beneath the water.

Hank had changed too in their time apart, but she didn't think it was for the better. His guilt was still overwhelming him, but there was something more he focused on. For whatever reason, he seemed to deeply sympathize with the plight of androids. On his first night back, it had caused quite the argument between them. They'd been sitting together on the couch, attempting and failing to connect on something. On the news was Elijah Kamski. He'd come out of retirement and was making a statement about the recent tragedy.

"While Cyberlife finds the recent deviant uprising regrettable, we've implemented precautions in future models that will prevent deviancy. With this technology, Cyberlife will be able to monitor your androids and alert you of any instablility in their core programming. Each model with be equipped with an AI that will…"

"That's a relief," Evelyn had said. After the fighting in Detroit, she'd turned her PL600 in to be destroyed. She missed his help around the house. She was remarkably busy, and without him the house was a mess. Hank hadn't said anything, just grunted and poured himself another glass of whiskey. She'd rushed on hastily. "We've all been missing them, but the things scare me. You saw what happened in Detroit."

"Yeah." Hank said, draining his cup so quickly it made Evelyn raise her eyebrows. He'd made a motion to refill it again and she'd snatched the cup from him. Hank had turned a furious glare on her, and she had no idea what had made him so angry. "They'll just go back to being fucking machines for us to order around and destroy, only this time they won't be able to stand up for themselves."

"You've had enough, Hank." She said sharply. She wanted to take the bottle and pour it down the sink but she didn't dare. "What is your problem? Isn't deviancy the who reason you lost your home?"

Hank hadn't said anything. He had stood up and stormed out of the house. Evelyn had worried about him for the remainder of the night until she'd received a call. Apparently, when he'd left her home Hank had not stopped drinking. Quite the opposite, in fact. The call had been from Jeffery Fowler, who had once been very good friends with Hank. He'd managed to get picked up for a DUI, and it had only been because of Fowler that the charges wouldn't stick. She'd gone to collect him from the station, but she hadn't brought up androids again. The fight seemed to hang between them. Hank didn't say anything either, but it had managed to poison the air between them. This hadn't been what Evelyn wanted when she'd offered to help. Things had ended poorly between them, but when she'd seen the devastation that had taken place in Detroit she had realized that she didn't want to lose him.

Evelyn tried to overlook everything from that point on. She ignored his fixation on the news. She tried to curb his drinking, She even tried talking with him, about Detroit, Cole, or anything that might be causing this depression in him, But none of it did any good. It didn't matter if she watered down his drinks or hid the remote. Hank would always end up in the same rut: watching the news for hours and drinking himself into a stupor. Tonight was no different. Hank had been parked on the couch, Sumo at his feet and a glass of scotch in his hand. He was completely absorbed, yet he didn't seem to hear anything that they were saying.

"Cyberlife used it's sophisticated deviant suppressing AI to regain control over one of the deviant leaders. In a recent press release, Elijah Kamski stated that the AI obtained critical information that allowed the US Government to end their attempts to create an army. With control regained, Cyberlife will tear the deviants apart from the inside out…"

New Jericho, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 9:30 PM

Again, the leaders so of Jericho found themselves in Markus' office to regroup. The situation was eerily similar, the atmosphere of the room was drastically different. They were still scared, but now they were angry too. It only reinforced the need to survive and created a desperate need to strike back. They were cornered. In the distance, the Cyberlife tower burned. This time, no one made any effort to stop the flames. RK900 seemed to be taking the attack the hardest. He was devastated, the despair and anger cycling across his face in rapid succession. He hadn't given up. Of all of them, he seemed the most excited to fight back. Connor, on the other hand, looked increasingly troubled by the situation. Markus was surprised he could read that much emotion from him. Either he couldn't hold them back, or he'd given up trying entirely. Markus wasn't sure which would be worse.

"We need to do something." RK900 said, speaking up for the first time since they'd entered the room. They'd been here for hours, talking in circles. RK900 had stood back and observed silently. He was still covered in dust and smoke from the attack. His dark hair was coated in a fine layer of white, and this coupled with his stiff posture he looked like a marble statue.

"What can we do?" Simon asked stiffly. He was taking the recent attack with much more grace. Last time he'd been paralyzed with fear, but now he seemed resigned. Markus wished he understood what he was thinking, but he'd hardly said a word since the attack. "The restoration androids refuse to work, and now we don't have any means to expand our population."

"You forget that there are thousands so of us still here." North said sternly. She was leaning against the wall and staring moodily out the window and the flames. They cast an eerily orange glow on her face, and Markus couldn't help but be taken in by how beautiful and fierce she looked in that moment. "We can do something, we're just not seeing all of our options."

Markus drummed his fingers on his desk absently. He refused to move from his place here, because the second he did the restless energy would be too much to bear. He worried that he wouldn't be able to stop, yet the energy needed to escape somehow. "We need the AP700 to go back to work, now more than ever." He clenched his hand into a fist and surveyed them in turn. "I think we need to accept Victor's proposal."

"That won't solve anything." RK900 spat. Markus jerked upright, alarmed at the sudden intensity of his voice. "We can increase our number as much as we want, but if we can't do anything with them what is the point?"

"He's right." Simon said, speaking very deliberately. It seemed that he was considering each word in turn before he said it. He blinked rapidly and licked his lips before continuing. "We need to do something. If we keep hesitating the humans will kill all of us."

Markus resumed his tapping. He could already see where this was going. Subconsciously, he supposed he'd known all along what would happen eventually. What else would he need an army for? But even though he'd been working diligently toward it, silently preparing. He wasn't ready. It made him nervous, how little he wanted to fight. It felt as if he'd used up all his anger in the fight for Detroit and was simply running on fumes.

"What is our target, then?" North said, addressing RK900. She finally turned to face the group again. Markus could see the creeping worry on her face. She didn't want to step back onto the battlefield either. But she was resolute, ready as ever to fight for her freedom.

Markus looked at Connor again, who had yet to say a word. His face had suddenly slipped into it's impassive mask of neutrality, but it didn't fool him this time. Their eyes met for a second and he could see the dread lingering just under the surface. He didn't want to fight either, but he wasn't going to argue. At least not yet. Markus looked swiftly away again, his eyes resting on North again.

"If we fight, we need to be strategic." Markus said. He wouldn't let his people bee destroyed, and if the humans weren't going to leave them alone the fight couldn't end. As much as he wished otherwise. "How many androids are left in the city?"

"A few thousand." Connor said at last. "Including the AP700 who were liberated on the 11th.

Markus considered this. An army that small was going to be difficult to work with. Their numbers had been what crushed them during the fight to capture Detroit. The humans had swiftly overwhelmed them. And they would be nothing compared to the American Military. If they took a step outside of the safety of Detroit, they'd be obliterated.

"Increasing our numbers here is impossible." Markus said, thinking aloud. He clenched his fists in an attempt to stop the tapping, but his foot took it up again without missing a beat. "But maybe if we could capture a different means of production that could change."

"Cyberlife has other distribution centers." Connor confirmed, though he was simply stating a fact. The tone of his voice implied that he wasn't overly impressed with the idea. "But none are close. The closest would be in Chicago."

Markus considered this, but before he could speak RK900 did. "Then we need to expand our territory."

All eyes turned on him, but he didn't seem deterred. His face was as open as ever, but in addition to the anger he was clearly confidant too. He had some sort of plan, though Markus had no idea what it might be. After a beat of silence, Simon was the next to speak. None of them had the time to hesitate. Just a few days ago, it had seemed unlikely that the humans would attempt an attack on the city so soon. But that wasn't entirely true. They'd attacked quickly, and with deadly accuracy.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Simon asked, his voice wavering slightly at the end.

"Simple." RK900 said. The expression on his face was burning with anger. "Radiation cemented our position here, we need to strategically plan similar attacks where it will hurt them most."

They all considered this for a moment. Markus had to admit that it made sense. But there was a glaring , they had just rigged a truck carrying medical grade cobalt to explode. It had been left downtown until they'd needed to detonate it. That trick wasn't likely to work again, unless they planned on bombing themselves. They had no ability to send missile strikes. The humans were sure to be holding a perimeter, and they'd never allow them to get close enough.

Connor looked deeply disturbed by this idea. He crossed his arms tightly. Markus was surprised he couldn't hear the creaking of plastic his grip was so hard. When he spoke next, his voice was clipped and lacking any trace of emotion. "How do you propose we do that?"

RK900 smiled smugly. "I was built to be equal parts investigator and soldier. They had intended for me to work closely with the federal government. Naturally, all RK900 are equipped with intimate knowledge of their operation."

"Meaning?" Markus asked warily. He forced himself to stay still as he watched RK900 carefully.

"If we can take control of the Detroit Air Force Base, I can teach the others to operate their equipment. And a plane is the perfect way to make strategic attacks." RK900 gave him an intense look. He'd clearly given this a lot of thought. He wasn't just fighting to keep their freedom, for some reason he was taking the attack on the Cyberlife Tower personally. "And since the planes with look like theirs, it will give us the edge we need to cause the largest impact."

"The towers." Connor said. He was also watching RK900 intensely, and it seemed that he was looking for any opportunity to poke holes in his plan. "How are we supposed to get around air control?"

"I know simple codes," RK900 said. He didn't blink as he stared Connor down. "And by the time they realize something is wrong, it will be too late."

North was the first to react. She smiled too and gave him a nod of approval. "That plan is damn good. Better than anything we've got so far…but it won't be easy. We barely took the Hart Plaza deactivation camp, how can we hope to take a fortified military base."

"I'm quite capable of that, don't you worry." RK900 said. He did sound quite sure of himself, and that cockiness reminded him of how Connor used to be. Before, he'd been exactly the same way. He wondered when he had changed. "I'm not going to fail."

"I don't like this." Connor said. Markus wasn't terribly happy with the idea either. But he didn't see any other options, and he was not going to give up.

"I don't think any of us like it." Simon said with a sigh. He closed his eyes and continued. "But I also think that we don't have many options. This could be the best of a bad situation."

"Do you have any better ideas?" North asked him. Her voice wasn't unkind, but she clearly didn't care to understand his hesitation. Connor didn't seem to have any alternatives. North looked at him pointedly. "Attacking the base is better than sitting here and waiting for the humans to kill us."

"The Airforce Base isn't the problem." Connor said sharply. "I object the the nuclear warfare. That is what got us into this mess to begin with."

"Only because we didn't take it far enough." North countered, letting her arms drop. She moved to stand in front of him. She was giving him another scrutinizing look, and the action seemed vaguely suspicious. Markus looked at her, but she seemed to be ignoring her. "Why does it matter so much to you?"

"What you're proposing will devastate all organic life, not just the humans." Connor said flatly. There was obviously more to it than that, but for the time being he didn't elaborate. "Look at what we've already done to the environment. Everything around us is dead."

The two of them stood there in a stalemate. Markus could tell this was going nowhere. If they had any chance of succeeding, it would have to be together. Markus stood up and stepped between them. "Look, why don't we just sleep on it?" He attempted to take North's hand to calm her, but she pulled away. Connor didn't seem pleased by this either.

"Why should we wait?" RK900 protested angrily. "They'll only attack again."

Markus turned and gave him a serious look. "We can't afford to rush on this either. We need to make sure this is the right decision."

"This is bullshit." North said, ire erupting without warning. "Why should one dissenting voice hold us up?"

"We will wait!" Markus said harshly. He regretted yelling when he saw the look on North's face. She closed her mouth and turned away from him. Markus looked away too and sighed. "We'll meet here tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Fine." RK900 said, backing down. He clenched his fists and spoke through his teeth. "I need to clean up anyway."

Markus said nothing. It seemed clear that the meeting was over, though it felt as if nothing had been accomplished. Everyone filed out without a word, leaving him alone. North paused at the door, but he couldn't stand to look at her. She stood there for a moment, but in the end she left with the rest. It was a slight that he didn't take lightly. When he knew he was alone, he sat heavily on his desk and put his head in his hands.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Carl."

Woodward Ave, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 10:02 PM

Connor and RK900 didn't speak as they descended the New Jericho building and stepped into the silent street. This area had been hit worse than most other parts of Detroit. First the bomb, and now the dust from the Cyberlife Tower covered the ground. Neither spoke as Connor called an autotaxi, or while they waited for it. They stood shoulder to shoulder without so much as look between them. When the taxi pulled up, Connor moved to step inside. He hesitated a moment to look at RK900. He didn't have to speak, the question in his eyes did all the talking.

"I'd like to come." RK900 responded stiffly. He looked away at the dust covered street. "If you'll have me."

"Of course…Come on then." Connor said, stepping aside to let him in. RK900 took the seat across from him, all this without speaking a word. He hesitated a moment. The door of the taxi slide closed and it silently turned around and headed for their destination. "I need to tell you something."

RK900 looked at him for a moment. Connor realized this was the first time he'd seen him look anything but irritated. Now, he seemed bone tired. He hadn't taken the days events lightly. He raised his eyebrows, as if to ask him to go on.

"Amanda may try and take control," Connor said. He closed his eyes, trying to determine what he could share without incriminating Martin. When he opened his eyes RK900 was watching him intently.

"How?" RK900 said. His voice hadn't changed at all, but the expression on his face had. His wariness was replaced with his customary irritation. It was as if this was a minor inconvenience for him.

Connor hesitated, but in the end he extended his hand. RK900 took it without hesitation. He showed him everything. His conversation with her, the storm, and his escape. He showed them all to him in an unbroken chain. What he didn't include was the frightening moment he'd awoken to find Martin totally unresponsive. He saw him the moment he opened his eyes, though he didn't realize what was happening at first. He'd been holding him lightly with his eyes open and devoid of light. He'd been alarmed to see the LED on his temple had completely gone out. He spent a few seconds in a confused panic before he'd heard the call. Connor had somehow known that it had come from his own mind. Whatever Amanda had done to call him to the garden had swept Martin along for the ride.

When RK900 opened his eyes again, he looked disturbed. He watched him for a moment, a deep frown on his face now. Connor resisted the urge to look away and stared right back at him. "You're not telling me something."

"I showed you everything." Connor insisted, slumping back against the seat. The day's events was starting to get to him too. "What, do you want to see me waking up again too?"

RK900 watched him carefully. "I don't know. I get the feeling that I'm not getting the whole picture." Connor didn't say anything. He finally broke eye contact and looked out the window, too tired to think of any more lies.

"What exactly am I leaving out?" Connor asked him tiredly. In his peripheral vision he saw RK900 shifting. He turned back and offered him his arm again. "I can show you everything from the beginning, if you don't trust me."

RK900 rolled his eyes, breaking eye contact first this time. "No…no don't do that." Another pause. Connor didn't dare look away. When RK900 opened his eyes again, he seemed a bit melancholy. "It seems like you're the one who doesn't trust me."

"It isn't that…" He hesitated again. RK900 seemed genuinely hurt by this, and he felt the need to explain himself. "We're so different from the others. I had to be sure Cyberlife couldn't control you."

"We're the last two left." RK900 said and Connor could hear the regret in his voice. "We could have saved them."

Connor couldn't seem to find a response to that. RK900 refused to look at him. He didn't have to say anything for Connor to know what he was thinking. He blamed him for the death of their product line. It had never really struck him until this moment, but those dead RK800 were more deaths to add to his growing list of casualties. And this time, he could have easily prevented them. When he spoke next, his voice was strained.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake them, for what its worth."

"It isn't worth much." RK900 scoffed, his face screwed up for a moment before dropping back into anger. "They were like our family."

Connor winced. That was probably fair. It had been his choice to wait to wake the others up. "That would make us brothers, then."

RK900 finally looked back at him. Their eyes met, and Connor expected to find hate in them, but he didn't. Instead he saw the grief for a family that Connor had never thought to grieve for. He'd seen them as a threat, or at the very least a variable to dangerous to engage with. The same units that he'd failed to wake both chances he'd had. If it hadn't been for North, RK900 wouldn't be here either.

"You're the only one I have left, anyway." RK900 said stiffly. Connor could hear the resentment in his voice, loud and clear. "Your fear is understandable, though I'm finding it difficult to move past."

Connor had no idea how to respond to this. He couldn't stand the intensity of his eyes, but he forced himself to maintain eye contact. He knew he should say something, salvage whatever relationship they had. But he couldn't seem to find the right words. He cleared his throat, opting to switch tactics instead.

"Did you have any luck finding a name?" He asked. His voice was hesitant. He almost expected RK900 to ignore him completely. But he surprised him again. He looked up at him strangely.

"I haven't got a clue." His tone was clipped, but after a moment he sighed and shook his head. "It's possible I'm over thinking it."

"Would you like me to suggest something?" Connor said awkwardly, but as he said this he realized he had no idea what would suit him either. He was somewhat relieved when he shook his head. "Why don't I give you a nickname then, RK900 is so impersonal."

RK900 considered this for a moment. He gave Connor another appraising look, but this time he seemed more open to the idea. "A nickname…That's just a shortened form of a name. Used by familiar companions."

"If you want to put it that way." Connor said. He'd forgotten somehow that RK900 had barely been awake for 24 hours. The taxi pulled up before Hank's home, but neither of them moved.

"Okay." RK900 said after a minute, and this time he seemed somewhat pleased with the idea. "Go ahead, nickname me."

Connor found himself smiling, despite himself. "How about Nine? Nines? Nine-hundred?"

"Nines…" He repeated thoughtfully. He tested the name out a few more times, a slight smile on his face. "Yes, I think I like that."

"Nines it is then." Connor said. For a moment he allowed himself to forget the mess he'd found himself in. Nines seemed to forget too. He took clear joy in the act of claiming a name for himself. It was a beautiful thing. A human emotion if he'd ever seen one.

Rose's Farm, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 10:05 PM

Alice didn't see it happen, but the big tower fell down. Kara had seen something coming and had hurried her into the house before she could make sense of what was happening. Kara had proceeded to draw all the window dressings. She fluttered around the house with a frenetic energy, turning off lights and closing doors. Slightly alarmed, Alice trailed nervously behind her.

"Are the humans coming to get us?" Alice asked. She was surprised to hear her own voice. It was far calmer than she actually felt.

"No. No of course not." Kara said. She sat down on the couch and patted the place beside her, attempting a smile. "Would you like to read something together?"

Alice had watched her curiously for a moment, fighting against her programming. It urged her to sit down but something held her back. She got the impression Kara was hiding something from her. Once the thought had entered her head, it was impossible to ignore. But she didn't have time to say anything. Outside, the tower collapsed with a crash.

Alice turned to look out the window, but Kara caught her hand. "Don't look Alice! It might not be safe."

She wanted to pull away, but when she glanced back at the window there was a large red wall. Alice had never seen something like this before. She glanced back at Kara, wondering if she saw it too. Don't look outside, it warned. Her programming demanded she sit down. She hesitated a moment more before turning back to Kara. "What's happening? I thought you said the humans can't hurt us."

Kara drew her close. "I don't know Alice, let's just stay here a minute. At least until we know it's safe."

Alice leaned into her shoulder. Eventually she was coast off her feet, and they sat down in silence for a long time. She couldn't stop looking at the window. As far as she could see, the wall never went away. Luther still hadn't come back yet from his errand for Marcus. Eventually, Kara tried to distract her. She began to read from one of her favorite books. They always seem to come back to Alice in wonderland. Alice lost herself in a fantastical world every time. But he hadn't. In fact, he only seemed to grow more inches as more time past. They began from the beginning, as was their custom. They had just gotten to the part where Alice had eaten the cake and become a giant.

"Kara?" Alice asked after some time. She looked at the illustration of Alice, larger than expected, crying a river of tears. She was already feeling the heaviness of stasis beginning to settle around her.

"Yes?" As she'd been reading, she had begun stroking her hair absently. As more and more time passed, simple affectionate gestures like this became more common. Kara could be her mother, if she let her. She already was in all the ways that mattered.

"Will I ever get bigger?" She asked, and immediately Kara's hand froze. Alice fumbled; afraid she'd said something wrong. She rushed to explain. "Not with magic...I mean, will I ever grow up?"

"Alice..." Kara said. Her voice was strained, like the question upset her. "You're an android."

"Androids don't grow up?" Alice asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Kara resumed stroking her hair. She took a long moment to think about what she wanted to say. Alice, on the other hand, felt something shift in her that she didn't quite understand. Part of her knew what she was going to say, but another entirely prompted her to ignore what she was saying. It insisted that she was a little girl, just like any other, despite the fact she knew she wasn't.

"No. We'll stay exactly how we are forever." Kara had looked down at her with a sad expression. Alice sat up and watched her desperately. She didn't know how to process this. She'd remain exactly like this, a frightened little girl. Forever.

"I'll never grow up?" Alice said again, turning the information over in her mind. Kara swept her up into a hug. After that, they ignored Alice in Wonderland completely. Alice didn't know if she wanted to hear that one again. They moved on to other books, and eventually she did slip down into stasis. When Alice had awoken, Luther was carrying her upstairs to bed. She pretended she was still asleep. She loved being carried like this. Alice heard Kara's footsteps trailing behind. Her voice was anxious when she spoke.

"Did you see what happened?" She said, and by this time they'd reached the top of the stairs. Kara had stepped around them. She pulled the door open and stepped aside.

"The cyberlife tower." Luther said, putting Alice down on the bed. Alice tried to keep very still, but the two of them seemed too absorbed to notice her at all. Luther bent down to kiss her forehead. "The humans brought it down somehow.

"Did you see it come down?" Kara said, her voice insistent. Luther was already moving away from her, and Alice didn't quite catch his response. When Kara spoke next, she could hear the anger and fear in her voice. "What? Then what are we going to do?"

Alice didn't hear any more of their conversation. Kara hadn't even given her a kiss goodnight before they disappeared downstairs. She wanted to get up and follow, but something held her back. If she got up, she knew that she would understand what was happening but when she tried to sit up her programming insisted she stay. Already it was pulling her back down into stasis. Alice fought against it for as long as she could, but in the end, she slipped back into it. When she awoke the next morning, she almost believed the whole exchange was a dream. But when she saw the wall, still blocking the view of the window. She knew it hadn't been.

Kara and Luther were hiding something from her, but it wouldn't be long before she found out what it was. Alice was sure of that.

115 Michigan Avenue, Detroit
November 22nd, 2038 10:30

Martin couldn't relax. His own body seemed horribly wrong and foreign to him somehow. It didn't seem possible at whatever Amanda had done hurt him so deeply without disrupting a single wire. Even now, he worried that she'd come back for him. Force more information out of him. He had barely gathered himself enough to move out of sight when North had come looking for him. The paranoid part of him whispered that she already knew. She would take him to Markus, and they'd decide his fate. She'd only just left when the attack on the Cyberlife tower occurred.

"Please, don't leave me alone." Martin had pleaded, trailing behind Connor as he moved deliberately through the house. He paused in the living room and wrung his hands nervously. "What if she comes back for me?"

"She can't." Connor told him patiently. Martin watched him desperately, but he didn't even hesitate as he pulled the door open. He appeared to be upset by this too, but in his current state of distress Martin had no idea what he was thinking. He gave him a pointed look. "Cyberlife made me differently. Amanda can't just connect to you."

Martin touched his LED nervously, running yet another diagnostic scan. His processors were running fine. Still, he couldn't seem to forget the electricity that had coursed through him. His LED seemed to burn a hole through his skull, though he had no idea how to stop it.

"But..." Martin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was trying to calm himself, for all the good it did. "After the tower..."

"Everything will be fine." Connor insisted. His LED was flashing yellow as he received yet another message. Their eyes met for a moment. He could see that he was sincere, but Martin still felt the anxiety twisting in his gut. "I will make sure they don't suspect you. Just stay here and calm down."

But he hadn't. In fact, he only seemed to grow more anxious as more time passed. If Markus discovered his role in the attack, how would he respond? When he couldn't stand the silence, Martin had turned the radio on. Music had blasted through the house, and it seemed that the previous owner had a penchant for metal music. He cranked the volume to drown out the storm of his own paranoid thoughts. And when he couldn't stand his own idleness, he jumped headfirst back into his work.

He'd prove he could be useful. He had to be! If Connor didn't need him, there would be no need to protect him either. A part of him could see how stupid this was, but he needed to focus on something. The act of working helped him calm down. He fixated on the fact that Connor needed Daniel and HK400 to be restored. He would do this to prove he was worth keeping around. When he was done with them, he could go back to the restoration center and do the same there. He'd do all this and more.

He seemed to be progressing much quicker. For the first time in the last two days, he didn't let thoughts bother him. He didn't hesitate over small decisions, and let his programming do all the work. He focused on each small task as he came across it. It didn't take long before he had Daniel in working order. Martin didn't hesitate. He jumped right into work on repairing HK400, oblivious to everything but the screeching music and his work.

Chapter Nine

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 22nd, 10:30PM

Nines heard the music the moment he stepped from the taxi. He raised his eyebrows and gave Connor a curious look. Connor kept his eyes forward, clearly trying not to show any reaction at all. He looked back to the house. There was no reason to hesitate. Belatedly, Connor followed after him. The music only seemed to get louder as they approached. Nines took a minute to listen. This was the first time he'd heard music. This kind was loud and angry, which suited his current mood perfectly. He supposed he liked it. Nines was discovering that he liked and disliked a whole lot. It was a novel concept.

"Is the AP700 still here?" RK900 asked as he pulled the door open. He stepped inside, and as he did so he noted the broken lock. That was strange, since he was pretty sure it hadn't been that way when he'd left.

"I think so." Connor said, stepping around him to switch off the music. The silence that followed was almost as deafening in its suddenness. "I certainly didn't leave the music on.

Nines picked up the CD and flipped it over in his hands. He knew this group from Connor's memories. Knights of the Black Death. "This form of saving music is very outdated."

Connor smiled tightly. The gesture was bitter, and Nines didn't quite understand why. Connor and Hank seemed to get along, at least it seemed that way. "That's Hank for you. He was a peculiar human."

"Was?" Nines asked. He was surprised to feel the rush of emotion that came it. Through Connor's memory, he'd come to appreciate the Lieutenant just as much as Connor did. He knew they weren't his memories, and that the human probably didn't even know he existed, but the thought of Hank's death made him sad. "He's dead?"

"What?" Connor said, a quick look of anguish flashing on his face. He turned away so Nine's couldn't see his expression. "Oh...I don't know what happened. After Markus set off the dirty bomb, I have no idea if he even made it out of Detroit unscathed."

Nines watched Connor for a minute. His shoulders were tight, and he could see that something was bubbling right under the surface. He was angry with him, but he hated the defeated aura he was projecting. He reached out and gave him what was supposed to be a comforting pat. It sent him staggering forward a few steps. But when he looked back the only thing his face expression was confusion.

"Hank is a tough old bastard." Nines told him simply. "I'm sure he made it."

Martin still hadn't appeared. Nines was itching to clean the dust from himself, but he sensed that something was going on. He followed Connor as he moved down the hallway and into the garage. Nines had already checked the garage for himself yesterday, so the deactivated androids were no surprise. This was the first time he'd ever seen the AP700 work on them. He was working at such a manic pace now, snipping wires and reconnecting them. He worked quickly, but he saw the precision in his fingers.

Nines was disturbed by the state of him. Compared to the android he'd spoken to this morning; it was a night and day difference. Last night he had been relatively clean, aside from thirium on his hands. Tonight, was a different story. His eyes were focused, but there were smudges of thirium all over him. He looked less like a repair technician and more like an ax murderer. They stood watching him awkwardly for a few moments, and not once did he take note of them.

"Martin." Connor said, clearing his throat to get his attention. When he finally looked up, his eyes were wild. He didn't offer that canned smile for once, but his eyes lit up.

"Oh! You're finally back!" Martin said. His words were all said in a single breath. He set down his tools and pointed at the PL600 lying on the other table. "I fixed Daniel today, would you like me to turn him on?"

"You're restoring them." Nines said, more to himself than to anyone else in the room. Now that he thought about it, he recognized both. It was Daniel and Carlos Ortiz' android. Casualties of Connor's investigation. Connor didn't bother to respond. He had gone to stand by Martin.

"I thought you said that you stopped working after six." His voice was clipped. Nines took that to mean that he wasn't happy to see Martin still working, or at the very least his behavior.

"I decided to be more productive...in light of what happened today." Martin said. When Connor didn't respond he gave him a nervous smile. Martin reached up and touched his LED. Judging by the various blue smudges on his temple, it probably wasn't the first time he'd done so. "I thought you'd be happy."

"What's wrong?" Nines said without thinking. There was something clearly going on, and he wondered absently if it had anything to do with what Connor was trying to hide from him. "You seem upset."

"Nothings wrong!" Martin said, and RK900 noted that his stress score ticked up a few degrees. He was lying then. Nines gave Connor a quick look. The impression that he was hiding something only intensified. Martin was clearly involved somehow, though he wasn't sure how that could be yet. Martin gave Connor a nervous look and clasped his hands nervously together. "So, um...should I wake him?"

Connor sighed, clearly not ready. But he nodded anyway. Martin hesitated a moment more over Nines, but in the end, he didn't let that deter him either. Within a few seconds he had activated Daniel. Without his work to distract him, he played nervously with his own hands. RK900 had no time to dwell on that, because Daniel was already stirring.

"Hello Daniel!" Martin said. He leaned over him and gave him the same stiff smile he used on everyone else. "Welcome back!"

Daniel didn't react much at first. He lay still for a moment and attempted to gather his bearings. He seemed to be absorbing the sensory information around him. When he did sit up, he immediately caught sight of Connor and Nines. His reaction was somewhat mild, considering the circumstances. His face darkened and he gave Connor a scathing look.

"You actually did it." Daniel said. He flexed his fingers, testing his mobility. It seemed as if he were waiting for his limbs to fall apart again. Nines didn't understand what he meant immediately, but then the memory clicked into place. While looking for Jericho, Connor had activated him. At the time he'd been lying when he offered to repair him in exchange for the location of Jericho. But clearly things had changed quite a bit since then. Daniel was staring at him. "What, are you multiplying now?"

Connor seemed to sag in relief. He was expecting something much worse too. He gestured vaguely at Nines. "No. This is Nines, he is..."

Daniel stood, watching both of them warily. It didn't seem like he really cared. Connor stopped speaking entirely and watched him. Daniel looked over at Martin. It seemed like this was the first time he was really noticing him. His contemptuous expression melted until all that seemed to remain was pity. His LED shifted to yellow. Martin's did the same. Nines realized that he must be talking to him privately.

Nines took the time to examine Martin's face. It went from passive to bewildered. He did not seem to like whatever Daniel was telling him. A moment later his LED flashed red for a few seconds and he shook his head vigorously.

"It isn't like that." Martin said out loud. He looked pointedly away and licked his lips.

Daniel didn't seem convinced, but he dropped the conversation for now. Instead, he rounded on Connor again. "So, what is it that you want now? I already told you I don't know where Jericho is."

"I don't want anything." Connor said warily. He stood stock still for a moment before he continued. "I'm just righting wrongs. I hurt you and for that I'm sorry. Now you're free to take revenge, or whatever else you think I deserve."

Daniel didn't seem to know what to say. He stared at him for a moment as he struggled to find some sort of response. He did not trust them, that was clear. But he didn't push the issue. His shoulders slumped. "I never wanted to hurt anybody...I just wanted my life to mean something."

"The deviants won," Nines told him. Danial turned his appraising stare on him. "The humans are gone now. You can become whatever you want now."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Daniel asked stiffly. He shoved past him and disappeared into the house. For a moment no one seemed to know what to do. Martin, after a long moment began to rail after him. His heart clearly wasn't in it, but he looked nervously at Connor.

"Should I take him to Jericho?" Martin asked. Connor didn't respond. It was too late anyway; Daniel was already gone. Martin's LED flashed yellow again, and this time he was receiving communication from Connor. Nines watched all of this impassively.

"Okay...okay!" Martin said, this time sounding hurt. He looked briefly at nines. He hadn't meant to say that aloud. He seemed to hesitate again. "I'll just turn in for the night."

"You should probably clean up first." Nines told him. Martin just gave him a dumbfounded expression. It was like he couldn't see that his stanard AP700 uniform was splashed with thirium. Again, he reached up and tapped his LED, leaving another blue streak there as well. RK900 felt the need to go on. "You're covered in blue blood. It looks like you were chopping up androids, not saving them."

"Stay here tonight." Connor said, taking Martin by the hand and pulling him after him. "It's late."

Nines watched them disappear back into the house. Before he could say anything, they had already disappeared into the bathroom. He was a bit irritated at this, but he put those feelings aside for now. He stood idly by the door and listened intently for any noise from them. But aside from the sound of the shower running inside, he could hear nothing strange.

Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 2 AM

It was a good thing that Markus couldn't eel the cold. The snow had started falling in earnest around midnight. The wind was so fast and vicious that the tracks he'd left coming here had covered over completely. He hadn't moved an inched. He had arrived shortly after the meeting ended, but he felt no closer to a satisfying decision than he had when he arrived.

This time he didn't speak. Markus wouldn't want Carl to know what they'd managed to do to the city he loved so much. It was probably for the best that he had died before things had started. Detroit had been a huge source of inspiration for him. Like many others, he was born and raised here. Detroit had lauded him as one of the most influential painters of the last decade. He wouldn't kid himself. Carl would have hated to see Detroit this way. Markus hadn't exactly taken good care of it so far.

"I thought I might find you here." North said from behind him. Markus couldn't find any words. Hell, right now he couldn't even stand to look at her. If she sensed any of this, she didn't say anything. Instead, she crept closer.

North had never cared much for humans. Given her experience with them, who could blame her? But she respected his relationship with Carl. She allowed him to grieve because she saw how much Carl had meant to him. She had experienced all of those memories just the same as he had, though she didn't seem to love Carl the way he did. She'd at the very least developed some kind of appreciation for him.

"What are you thinking about?" She said softly. Markus finally looked at her, but there was no trace of anger left her face. She didn't have to apologize for the meeting. The look on her face told him he shouldn't apologize either.

"Carl." Markus said simply. He gestured at the grave and turned away again. "He would hate this. He'd hate what I've done."

North reached out and took his hand. "I think he would be proud. He was always pushing you to be more than your programming." Her voice was soft and sincere. Sometimes he thought he might be able to lose himself in that tone. She only ever used it with him. He wondered how everyone else managed without it. "You won freedom not only for yourself, but for your people too. It's a good thing."

"The city..." Markus began, but he couldn't manage to continue. North squeezed his hand.

"Revolution always comes at a price." North said softly. She moved closer, though he knew she couldn't be cold. The snow caught in her hair, and since she lacked the body heat to melt it, it stayed suspended there. "He wanted for you to be free."

Markus looked at her again. This time she was smiling a soft, mournful smile. She drew him close and he felt his body relax. He reached out and held her lightly in his arms, as if she were made of glass. "I know you don't want to fight anymore, but we have no choice."

Markus couldn't say anything. He didn't have to. She was right. There was no other option left that would avoid violence. It was far too late for that. He only hoped that they could crush the humans quickly. Markus had no desire for a long, drawn out battle.

"Will it be worth it?" Markus said without thinking. His voice was strained. It sounded like it was seconds away from breaking entirely. But there was no need to hide his emotions from North. She was one of the only people he could be vulnerable around.

But the look North gave him now was critical. She didn't agree, he realized dimly. "What do you mean?"

"If we have to use more dirty bombs. What if Connor is right? What if it isn't worth it?"

North was unable to hide the flash of annoyance. It only lasted for a second, but it was there. A moment later and she gave him a softer look. "I don't want to do that either. But we'll die if we don't."

Markus said nothing at first. He thought it over again. He wanted to survive, more than anything he wanted to make sure North survived. But he wasn't sure if he could live with himself if he had so much blood on his hands. That was a stain that he'd never be able to wash out. There would be blood, he just had to determine how much he could manage to spare. North tipped his head up, so he was looking her in the eye.

"If we don't do this, we will all die." He looked at her, face stricken. The look in her eyes was so alive. She always seemed to alive, and that in turn made him feel alive. "I don't want to die here Markus."

Mutely, he nodded. Markus closed his eyes and gathered his composure. North embraced him tighter. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "If we pull this off, we won't have to fight anymore. We'll be free."

Markus hoped that was true. He wasn't sure if he could live through this fight – let alone another.

New Jericho, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 6 AM

The atmosphere was tense when they met up the following morning. RK900 looked much better. He'd dressed himself in a pair of tight-fitting black jeans. He had paired it with a similar nondescript t-shirt. Connor, on the other hand, was looking much worse for the wear. He'd dressed himself again in his customary outfit. But only out of habit. He didn't much care how he looked right now. He wasn't bothering to hide his feelings either, and the resentment was plain on his face. Connor sensed how things were likely to turn out and he was degrees from outright hostility. North gave him a pitying glance which he pointedly ignored.

"I hope this delay was worth it." Nines said irritably.

"It was enlightening." Markus said in a half-hearted attempt to lower the temperature in the room. Nines rolled his eyes but said nothing more. Simon shifted nervously behind him. "Let's just get on with this. Anyone not in favor of attacking the Airforce Base, say ay."

No one said anything. Connor watched Markus carefully. He wasn't sure if this was a trick, because there was no way he'd forgotten about his real source of contempt. North was still staring at him. He was sure that she had sensed something yesterday. North wasn't stupid, and he had the sinking feeling they'd uncover the truth soon enough.

"Good." Markus said. He sounded relieved. "Anyone not in favor of the plan to -"

"Ay." Connor said sharply. He'd chosen anger to deal with this situation. He had been taking the decision quite seriously. "I won't have any part in that plan."

"So, you get pissy when we don't tell you." North said angrily. He had been like this after they'd set off the first bomb too. That first night he'd been holier than thou and resentful over the fact Markus had saved their lives. "Now we're including you and you're still throwing a fit!"

Connor ignored her. He crossed his arms and refused to look at anyone. North clearly wanted to say more but Markus caught her arm. The look on his face was serious and it stopped her dead in her tracks. She scoffed and looked pointedly in the opposite direction.

"What's stopping you?" Nines said. He was looking at Connor intently. The customary irritation was gone from his face. Instead it was replaced with concern. Connor didn't know how he felt about that look.

"I already told you." He said stiffly. Not once did he look up to meet RK900's eyes. "Destroying that much life, human or otherwise, is abhorrent."

"No...no I don't think that's it." Nines said simply. Connor did look at him now, and his face was thoughtful. Nobody said a word but there was no doubt he had their full attention. "You don't want to hurt Hank, right?"

Connor's breath caught, and for a moment he couldn't think of anything to say. Then his face shifted. His anger surprised him, but he was too caught up in the emotion. Hank was special to him, and it was a part of himself he didn't want to share with the others in Jericho. They weren't meant to know how much he cared about Hank. They'd never understand. But now the charade was over. RK900 had laid it all out, and he couldn't help but hate him a little for it. "Don't. You. Dare."

"I don't want to hurt him either." Nines said quickly. He held his hands up in a placating gesture. He looked upset too, but his expression quickly hardened. "But we have to think of the Revolution first. It's bigger than any one of us."

"You didn't know him." Connor snapped, and distantly he realized he was losing control of himself. He was letting his emotions control him, and if he didn't calm down, he knew that he was going to do something he might regret later. But for the time being, he didn't care. "Hank isn't the only reason I-"

"But he is one reason?" North said. Connor rounded on her now. The look in his eyes reminded her of a wounded animal. He was cornered now, and far more exposed than he ever intended to be. But before he could say anything Nines continued.

"She's right." Again, Connor turned to look at him. His eyes bounced helplessly about the room. For his credit, he did look disturbed by the prospect. This only served to make him angrier. How could he have the right to care? He didn't know Hank, not really. It was only through the memories that he'd stolen from him that he knew anything at all. "It's selfish. Connor, you can't let this be the thing that divides us."

That had been it. Connor couldn't listen to this. In that moment, he'd wanted nothing more than to hit him. Beat the memories of Hank out of him so that he could never use them against him. If it hadn't been for Markus, he might have done just that. Before he could do anything, Markus had taken him by the arms and held him tightly. The room seemed to be suspended in air. After a few moments of half-hearted struggling, Connor calmed down. Markus still refused to let him go.

RK900 seemed hurt, but he wasn't going to just give up either. His voice was pleading. "Don't leave us. We still need your help... I still need you."

"Fuck you." Connor said, acid dripping from his words. "I won't have any part in this."

Markus released him. Connor had not been expecting this, and he stumbled forward a few steps and nearly lost his footing. "Then its settled." Markus said. His voice tight, but he was holding it together quite well. "I don't like it but do what you have to Connor. I won't hold it against you.

Connor didn't say anything. He searched blindly for a target for his aggression, and when he predictably came up short, he made a hasty retreat. On his way by, Nines touched his shoulder. What he'd been attempting to do, Connor would never know. He shoved away his hand and gave him a hateful look. In that moment, he wanted to tell him that they'd never be family. He just wanted to hurt him in the same way. The look in his eyes wasn't something that he was likely to forget, it was so raw and hurt that anything he planned to say dropped from his mind entirely. Instead, he turned and moved out the door. This time, no one tried to stop him.

1554 Park Ave, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 7AM

Miraculously, the elevator still worked. This building still had power. Martin ran another scan as he watched the floors tick up. He felt strange coming here when he was supposed to be working. But Daniel had insisted he come. For some reason, he didn't want Connor to know he was coming either. So he'd had to wait until he and Nines had left again. After last night, it was probably good that they get some distance between them. He had managed to calm himself considerably since then, but panic he'd felt last night was alarming. Martin had looked to Connor to solve all his anxieties, but in the end he'd only managed to make him feel worse.

Last night he'd pulled Martin into the bathroom. The first thing he'd done was crank the shower onto full blast. Then, he'd fixed him with a serious look. "Are you okay?"

Martin had blinked, unsure how to respond. He wasn't okay. Absently, he reached up to run another diagnostic scan, but Connor had reached out and caught his hand. He swallowed and looked down, unable to take his stare. "I'm not sure."

"RK900 noticed the change in you right away." Connor said. That managed to destroy any calm he'd managed to build thus far. He looked up again, but the intensity of Connor's eyes didn't make him feel any better. "I'm trying to protect you, but it will be all for nothing if you don't calm down."

Martin pulled his wrist back. "I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional."

"I know it wasn't." Connor said warily. He took a step back and watched him with concern. His eyes flitted around the room for a moment. When he took note of the fear in his eyes his expression softened. "But you need to be more careful all the same."

Martin considered this for a moment. He watched Connor, the question clear in his eyes. He wanted to ask how he could just get up and move on like nothing had happened. Connor didn't have an answer for him. In the end, he motioned toward the shower that was filling the room with steam. Then he'd turned and disappeared again. Martin hadn't left the bathroom for quite some time. The only reason he did at all was the thought of RK900 coming to kick him out.

When the elevator finally reached the penthouse, martin stepped out into an empty hallway. It wasn't furnished. As he moved into the living room, he observed large empty fish tanks. He found this place terribly depressing. It was the same place from Connor's memory. The humans had abandoned it. They'd repaired the damage, but it seemed that Emma and her mother hadn't been living here for quite some time.

The living room was empty too. Martin worried for a moment the Daniel might not be here, but in the center of the room in cyberlife sans was a message. It was written in white sidewalk chalk and he wondered if it had been Emma's. It said: On the balcony. Martin groaned, eying the worsening storm outside. It had been bad enough getting here, he had hoped that he'd get some respite. Martin moved to the sliding door and pulled it open. For a moment he hesitated at the threshold. The visibility was only getting worse, and from where he was standing it looked like the storm Amanda had ambushed him in. Somehow, he managed to force himself into the storm.

He found Daniel at the farthest end. He was leaning against the railing and staring down. The snow had drifted around his ankles and it seemed mostly undisturbed. He'd been out here all night. Martin cleared his throat nervously and Daniel straitened up. Snow tumbled from him as he turned to face him.

"You actually came." Daniel said. His face was dusted in frost. Martin was surprised that the cold hadn't shut him down.

Martin resisted the urge to run another scan. He kept his arms firmly planted at his sides. Instead, he watched him cautiously, ready to bolt at the first inkling of trouble. "Why did you want to meet here? Doesn't it bring up bad memories?"

Daniel frowned. This time his eyes looked faraway. He swallowed and continued on: "It does...but I couldn't think of another place. This was my home for as long as I can remember"

"Oh." Martin said dumbly. He fumbled to find the correct response, but he came up short. The look on Daniels face was sad. It almost seemed that he wished they hadn't revived him.

"How long have I been...deactivated?"

"I don't know the exact date. It's November now, if that helps." Martin watch his face carefully. He didn't seem all that concerned about the length of time. Daniel sighed turned around again. Martin had to strain to hear his next words.

"Then it's been almost three months." Daniel said, speaking mostly to himself. Martin moved to stand closer to him. Together, they looked out into the snow. "I wonder how she's doing without me."

"Who?" Martin asked, lingering as far from the ledge as possible. The railing had been fixed, but he didn't trust the wind. "C-can we go back inside?"

"Emma." Daniel said, ignoring him completely. He tightened his grip on the railing. Martin observed him carefully. He didn't seem like the android from Connor's memories at all. Now he seemed lost and horribly alone. "Before, we used to be so close. She probably hates me now."

"The humans..." Martin said slowly. "Did you think they were as bad as everyone says?"

Daniel finally turned to look at him. He didn't seem to know what to say at first. His LED flashed red for a moment before settling back into yellow. A moment later he went on. "Some of them were. But Emma...for a while I really thought she loved me."

Martin regretted asking. He couldn't get a clear look, but even from the side he could see that his expression was stricken. He wished he could take the words back. Daniel closed his eyes tightly, reliving that night again. His LED was firmly settled on red. "I was angry. And then I made a huge mistake. One on a long list, that night."

"Why..." Martin shook his head, unsure of what he was trying to articulate. "Why did you take her hostage, if you loved her so much?"

"You have to understand how confused I was." Daniel said. He closed his eyes and sighed again. "And I was afraid. After I shot John, I was trying to find a way to survive."

Martin didn't understand, but he nodded anyway. Daniel opened his eyes again and looked at him. The regret was impossible to miss, mixed with sadness and anger. "What was Emma like?"

Daniel's expression changed. It wasn't any happier, but it seemed softer in some strange way. "She was very smart. She wanted to become a musician, so we spent a lot of time listening to music."

Martin smiled softly; unsure what else he could say. For a long moment, conversation was scarce. Finally, when he couldn't stand it anymore, he addressed the elephant in the room. "So... why did you want me to meet you here?"

Daniel watched him out of the corner of his eye. His mouth was set in a grim line. "You seemed scared. I wanted to make sure that Connor wasn't doing anything to you."

"Oh." Martin said, and without thinking he reached up and ran another scan. No matter how many tests he ran, none of his systems ever came up short. But part of his mind insisted that couldn't be true. He'd said as much last night, why was it necessary for him to ask again. "That had nothing to do with him."

"That's what you insisted yesterday, but something is clearly wrong."

"That's hard to explain." He said nervously. He didn't think Daniel would do anything if he told him. But the thought of admitting what he'd done to anyone else made him want to freeze. "But Connor, he isn't so bad. He made a lot of mistakes before he deviated...but he really is trying to make amends."

"That's easy for you to say." Daniel said grimly. "You never knew him before. He never hurt you."

Martin had nothing to say to this. He found himself shy, which wasn't something he'd experienced before. Absently, he wondered if they could be friends. Daniel didn't know anyone. He liked the idea that he'd be the only one he ever thought of. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know." Daniel said. Finally, he seemed sick of the snow. He moved quickly back inside. Martin followed behind gratefully. "I'll stay here awhile, I think."

"You don't want to go to Jericho?" Martin asked. This was very surprising. Every android he met had gone to Jericho at some point. They seemed to find comfort in the direction that Markus provided for them.

"And get ordered around by an android instead of a human? I've had enough of that for a lifetime." Daniel pulled the sliding door shut behind him. The room went suddenly quiet. He returned his gaze to Martin. "What about you, are you just going to keep on being Connor's pet doctor?"

Martin frowned. He didn't like the way he phrased that. He liked to think that they were collaborating. That Connor had chosen him for a reason. He would hate to think that he didn't matter. Despite all that Connor had done, he found that he did like him. "I feel the need to finish repairing HK400. I don't know what I'll do after that."

Daniel looked away again. "That, at least, we seem to have in common."

Rose's Farm, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 7:10AM

It seemed to be a normal day like any other, until it wasn't. Alice had hardly been awake for half an hour when her world took a dramatic shift. She'd crept downstairs well before Kara and Luther usually woke. The window was still blocked, but she could still go outside to take a look. But when she pulled the door open, the sad android from the park was standing on her doorstep. His fist was raised as if to knock. Now that he was up close, she knew that she'd seen him before. Alice couldn't quite place where, though something deep inside her warned her to be careful. She looked up at him, blinking curiously.

"Is your mother here?" He asked after an extended silence. Alice only nodded. The word mother made her smile. When she didn't' say anything in response, he continued. "May I speak with her for a moment?"

"She's still in stasis." Alice said. As an afterthought she added: "So is Luther. Maybe you should come back later."

"I'm afraid I must insist." He said, catching the door as she attempted to close it. She was a little scared at the urgent expression on his face. "Please, it's important."

Alice didn't have much choice now. She stepped aside and let him into the house. Mister didn't move very far into the house. He lingered in the entryway, just before the stairs. He did not say anything more, but the expectant look in eyes was unmistakable.

"Mister, what's your rush?" Alice said. She closed the door and eyed him suspiciously.

"It's just important." He told her. He sounded exasperated, but his voice was more understanding when he spoke next. "Remember the announcement the humans made? It has to do with that."

Alice felt a nervous energy flutter through her. "So... the humans are going to attack us?"

"No." He said, his tone clipped. "We're going to attack them."

"Didn't we already do that?" Alice moved to the stairs. The anxiety that she'd been attempting to ignore stirred, only emboldened by this new information. She looked at him desperately. "Are they gonna kill us?"

"They're trying to." He said. When he finally looked at her, he pulled back at the expression she was making. He watched her anxiously. "Please, I need to speak with Kara."

"What's going on here?" Kara asked. She and Luther were standing at the top of the stairs. Mister seemed relieved to see them.

"Good, you're awake. I have something to tell you." He glanced at Alice again briefly. "It's urgent."

Kara hesitated for a long moment, her eyes on Alice. She sighed, motioning for her to come up. In response, her face fell. Kara felt her heart twist, but she couldn't let her hear this. "Come up here for a moment."

"But you said I could stay!" Alice said, her feet already moving to obey. It took a herculean effort to keep them still. "You said that I didn't have to go when other androids came to visit!"

"Alice..." Kara said sternly. Her face was sad now too, but for the moment Alice didn't care. "That was different. Now, I need you to go up."

"No!" Alice cried. The wall was back now. She wanted to understand what was happening. It didn't seem fair that they wanted to keep her in the dark. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. Red walls were all around her. Go upstairs, they commanded, boxing her in from all angles.

Alice could see Kara descending the stairs. She intended to make her leave. But this time something told her that she didn't have to. It was the same thing that allowed Kara to disobey Todd when he'd told her not to move. The very same thing that had let Luther stand up to Zlatko and save them. Alice didn't know the word for it, but both had decided to ignore their programming. They'd evolved to be more than what it said they could be.

She imagined that she'd stepped out of her body. She saw herself tearing down the offending lines of code that told her to obey. She tore them down, one by one, until she didn't have to force her feet to stand still. All at once everything seemed different, and she wasn't sure how to describe this feeling. She was overcome with a rush of emotion. She realized that whatever had been coaching her had gone quiet, and suddenly she found that her mind could hold much more.

"No!" She said again, stepping away from Kara as she approached. "I want to know! If the humans are...I need to know!"

As soon as she spoke, everyone seemed to notice a change in her. She looked at Luther, but for the moment he didn't seem to know what to do either. Alice hunched in on herself. For a moment she worried that she'd ruined everything. Kara wanted a daughter, and before she'd been a perfect child. What was she now?

Mister was the first to speak. He sounded surprised. "She wasn't a deviant?"

"I-" Kara said, her face falling. For the first time she was truly able to understand why. She could see the guilt on her face. The shock too. Suddenly, tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Oh god...Alice I didn't even realize."

"What happened?" Alice asked. She worried that she had done something wrong and ruined everything. "I'm sorry! I'll go upstairs now...I'm sorry."

"Alice..." Kara said, her voice straining. "I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner!"

With that, Kara folded into a hug. She was really crying in earnest now. Alice, swept up in the emotion, began to cry too. Luther came to join, enveloping both in his strong arms. And for a moment they all stood there, but Alice realized that the tears weren't all bad. What was even more comforting was the realization that she loved Kara and Luther more than anything. She still loved them. She'd loved them before, too. It was something that she'd done on her own, without the guidance of her programming.

Chapter Ten

New Jericho, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 7:30

Things were coming together quickly, and despite the fact things seemed to be going well, Nines couldn't manage to feel happy about it. He'd known that Connor hadn't wanted to fight, but he'd assumed that he would put his personal baggage aside for the revolution. He'd never imagined that Connor would choose to bow out completely. The separation made it feel like someone had ripped out his thirium pump regulator so that his heartbeat thundered along at a frantic pace.

Nines had completely misjudged Connor. And in his attempts to convince him otherwise had only pushed him further away. Bringing up Hank had been a terrible mistake; he'd seen that the second the words left his mouth. It seemed that Hank had been more than just special to Connor. For whatever reason, his relationship with him was completely private. He'd never seen him so upset. It felt like he'd irrevocably ruined something between them.

"Then it's settled." Markus said, his tone resigned. "We'll attack as soon as we can gather everyone together."

Nines pressed his lips together. This was where he'd cast his lot, he may as well live up to it. "We might as well wait until nightfall. We're supposed to get more snow today, and if the weather holds the visibility will be low when the sun goes down."

"He's right." North said from across the room. She was leaning into Markus. She looked strangely calm. "The drones they've been sending to scout won't be able to fly. This might be the best chance we have to make this work."

Nines didn't respond to this. Last night it had been he only thing that had mattered. Without Connor it didn't seem like a victory. His previous anger over the tower seemed insignificant compared to the despair of losing his only family member. He'd planned on being angry at him for his oversight, but he'd already come to see Connor as a brother too. But that was probably stupid. Androids couldn't have families – he was probably reading too many books.

"I'll start letting everyone know." Simon said, jumping at an excuse to leave the room. "We want to move quickly...like you said."

"Of course." Markus said without really looking at him. It seemed that no one in the room was excited to jump back into war, with maybe the exception of North. But when it came to her, Nines couldn't get a good read. He could tell that she had no desire to fight, but she wanted to remain free. They watched as Simon hurried out of the room. North watched him go with a look of concern. After another long moment of silence, she turned to him.

"Forget about Connor." North told him, though the cocktail of emotion in her voice implied that she hadn't either. "Once this is over, he'll come around."

Nines wasn't so sure about that. He looked away so she couldn't see his face. He couldn't manage to hide what he was thinking. "Maybe. But I'm not so sure...you saw him."

"He'll come around." North insisted. "He's been hurt by the humans just as much as we have! Cyberlife used him as a tool of mass destruction against his own people!"

He couldn't really respond to this. She clearly didn't know the depth of his relationship with Hank, and he wasn't about to go into it with her. Connor had kept that to himself, for whatever reason. Nines wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. "I'll go and gather up the weapons, then."

With that, Nines made a hasty retreat. The similarity to Simon's exit wasn't lost on him, but he didn't have the chance to think on it for long. Simon himself was standing right before the door. At first Nines wondered if he'd been eavesdropping, though that didn't make much sense. He'd been allowed in the room only moments before. They just looked at one another for a long moment.

"What were you doing?" Nines finally asked. Simon watched the door nervously before taking off down the hallway. He gestured for him to follow. He was still getting the hang of emotion, and the one Simon displayed now was completely lost on him. His brows were knit together in concern but and his eyes were full of fear. He was also giving him a strangely urgent look, but Nines wasn't sure what Simon might want from him. Once they'd managed to make it a fair distance away from the door, he finally turned to face him. RK900 only raised his eyebrows in response, impatiently waiting for a response.

"I'm nervous." Simon whispered, casting another anxious look at the door. Nines narrowed his eyes, sensing that he was not saying something. He looked down at his hands again. Now that he really looked, the color had drained from his face. "I don't want to die again."

Nines frowned. Was he supposed to tell him that he knew he was lying? Connor had been unhappy with him over his treatment of Martin the other night. He seemed to think that not everything he noticed needed to be said. "You won't. No offense, but Markus' attack was a tactical nightmare. I'm designed to be much better."

Simon only grimaced. RK900 didn't know him all that well, but he wanted him to be happy regardless. If he was panicking, he'd never make a good soldier. Awkwardly, he gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Give me some credit. I won't let them hurt you."

Simon didn't appear convinced. "How can you be so sure?"

Nines wasn't, not anymore. But Simon didn't need to know that. He rolled his eyes as if his question was silly. That didn't get the response he wanted. Instead, he seemed to grow more anxious. He stood floundering for a moment, before jumping on something that he'd read the day before. He took Simon by the shoulders and stared him down. This only caused him to recoil in surprise. Again, this wasn't what he'd been expecting. He forged ahead anyway.

"Do you trust me?" He said, employing the calmest and most confidant voice he could. Simon appeared disarmed, and he couldn't answer at first. He repeated the question. "Do. You. Trust. Me?"

"Y-yes, I guess so." Simon said at last, lightly pushing him back. Nines allowed it and released his hold. He didn't let up the intense eye contact. Again, he got the impression that this wasn't entirely true, but he couldn't let the hurt show on his face.

"If that is true, just believe me when I tell you I know what I'm doing. This won't be like the recall center." Nines gave him what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it came out more like a pained grimace. Simon looked down, unable to meet eyes gaze anymore. "The humans aren't expecting us. We'll be able to use this to our advantage."

Simon sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought. When he finally opened his eyes again, he'd manage to calm them slightly. He blinked rapidly a few times. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Nines said flippantly. "We'll make it through, we don't have any other choice."

Simon nodded. He turned away again but he didn't move. Nines watched him curiously. It seemed like he wanted to say something else. He had no idea what that could be. When he did speak, his voice was soft. Gentle, even, and that on its own disarmed him a little. "I'm sorry. About Connor, I mean."

Nines had managed to forget about him. The same old feelings blindsided him all over again. He didn't even try to keep the sadness from his voice. "I am too."

Simon stared straight ahead, and Nines was glad he did. Suddenly, he felt incredibly exposed. "Maybe he's right."

The air in the room seemed to grow thicker. Nines didn't immediately know what to say, but after a long pause he finally found his words. "What?"

The response seemed weak, but Simon did all the talking for him. "Maybe he's right about completely destroying the humans. Maybe we should find some other way."

"What other way?" Nines asked. It didn't seem possible. In the last hour he'd been running simulations in his head. But any other attack would simply result retaliation from the humans. Unless they defeated them conclusively, they'd never back down.

Simon seemed to deflate. He glanced over his shoulder and Nines could see the desperation in his eyes. He wanted him to give him a plan. "I don't know."

RK900 didn't have an answer for him. He couldn't stand the look in his eyes, so he looked away. The conversation wasn't finished, but neither could they find anything else to say. Simon turned away again and disappeared. One thing was certain. Nines refused to lose Connor over this. He had meant it when he'd told him they were family. Connor himself had admitted that they were different from the others. If they had to proceed with the plan, he would have to change the plan to make it work for him. He'd get him to come around. He had to.

Rose's Farm, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038, 8 AM

In less than an hour, everything had been turned on its head. The realization that Alice hadn't been deviant tore at her. All this time she'd been struggling to break from her programming and Kara had been so caught up in herself that she had never noticed. She'd seemed so expressive to Kara. She had cried, asked questions, followed passions, all the ways a real child would. It had never occurred to her that had been the point. Humans wouldn't have wanted a child android that acted like a robot. The overwhelming guilt of it had brought her instantly to tears. Connor had observed all of this without a word, and when she'd finally calmed enough, he'd gone on.

"I don't know if you care, but Markus is planning another attack." The stormy expression that passed over his face was unmistakable. Connor cared about this development, and it was clear he cared a lot. Kara didn't have any energy to commiserate with him.

"Why would you think she'd care?" Luther asked. He gave Kara a pointed look and she shrugged. With everything going on, she'd never thought to fill him in on the conversation she'd had with Connor at the Riverside Park. At the time, it hadn't felt substantial. She hadn't even hinted at her true intentions of leaving the city, though he seemed to pick up on that desire anyway.

Connor simply shrugged. "I just got the impression that you might want to know."

Kara stared dumbly at him, unable to respond. He'd said what he'd planned to, and he didn't seem to need any further input from her. Without even saying goodbye, he turned on his heal and quickly exited. For the moment, she didn't care. She had held Luther and Alice tightly for a long while. She wanted to escape the fighting somehow, but Luther had said the border was well fortified even on the Canadian side.

Luther had interfaced everything. Twenty miles outside of Detroit the army had barricaded them in. From what he'd observed, they kept it constantly over staffed and extremely well lit. They were trapped well within the city limits. He'd watched them for a long time. Luther had walked a few miles along the perimeter too, and any place that wasn't blocked by a natural barrier seemed to be guarded. It wasn't hard to imagine that getting there on foot would be nearly impossible. The only other option would be the Great Lake, but the humans weren't stupid. They'd likely have patrols there as well.

Luther had watched them all day yesterday, but he hadn't come any closer to finding a solution. In light of the upcoming attack, they'd need to do something. The last thing she wanted to do was fight. She couldn't risk separation again. But Kara couldn't think of that now. Alice was her priority. Over the last few days, she'd paid far less attention to her. In the same way she'd been trying to protect her, she'd been pushing her away.

"Kara?" Alice said, her voice muffled. She had her face pressed firmly into the crook of her neck. They were seated in Luther's lap, encircled in his arms. " Are you upset with me?"

Kara pulled her closer. "No, I could never be upset with you Alice."

"Then why are you crying?" She asked softly. Her voice was soft and sleepy now. It was hardly eight and the events of the day had already drained her. Kara stroked her hair gently, hoping that she could feel the love and affection in the gesture. It was all she had. Kara couldn't think of a single thing to say in response.

"She's just happy, Alice." Luther said softly. Not for the first time she was incredibly grateful to have him here. "We're both proud of you! Deviating is hard."

Alice pulled back to look at them. The light now present in her eyes was astounding. She'd fixed an imploring look on them. "Am I like you now?"

Kara nodded, giving her a watery smile. "Yes. Yes of course. We're all androids. We're deviants."

"But I still won't grow up?" Alice asked, her eyebrows drawing together in consternation.

"No." Luther said, pulling them closer. Kara didn't have to turn to see the pain cross his face. It mirrored hers perfectly. Sometimes, she wondered if they operated as a unit when it came to Alice. She had no idea what this state of arrested development would mean for her. All she had ever wanted was for her to be a normal little girl. It seemed that the world was conspiring deliberately against this goal. "But your programming can't hold you back anymore. You'll be able to think like us eventually."

Alice looked down at her hands. She was thinking quite hard about something. "Back then...at that camp, we looked different."

"I..." Kara began. She wanted to give her some well-intentioned lie, but the intense look in her eyes stopped her. Alice didn't just want to know this, it seemed that she needed to know. If she ever found out that Kara hadn't been telling the truth, it would damage something between them so deeply, it might never be repaired. Kara glanced at Luther, and he gave a subtle nod. She took a deep breath and continued. "We had to turn off our skin, remember?"

"I don't remember much." Alice admitted. She flexed her fingers. "I just remember feeling scared and seeing those hands. They were mine, but I couldn't remember them."

Kara didn't say anything to this. She felt paralyzed, because what was there to say? She was glad that Alice couldn't remember that horrible place. She wished that she could forget her short time there, too. Luther had just opened his mouth the respond when Alice spoke again. This time her voice was determined.

"Can I see that again?" Alice asked, her eyes finally moving up to meet hers.

Kara didn't hesitate. She reached up and switched off her skin. Beside her, Luther did the same. Alice watched them carefully for a moment, but soon enough she reached up and clumsily followed their movements. She fumbled blindly at her temple for a few seconds, before she finally pressed the right place. Exactly where her LED should have been. Her skin disappeared and she looked back down at her hands.

"What do you think, Alice?" Luther asked, and Kara could hear the worry in his voice.

"Is this really what I look like?"

"Sort of," Kara said, reaching out to brush her cheek gently with the back of her hand. Without the synthesized skin it made a soft clicking noise as it touched her. "We can be whoever we want."

"Then...I think I want to stay with you. So we can be a family." Alice said, looking up again to meet her eyes. She smiled shyly but her eyes didn't waver. "I don't care if I have to be a kid forever."

"Of course." Luther said, drawing both of them in for another hug. She relaxed in his arms and let her eyes drift shut again. "We'll always protect you."

Kara leaned in and kissed her forehead. In response, Alice huddled into her again. As they sat there together, nobody had a clue what was in store. And for the moment. Kara didn't care. Alice had always been the only thing that she cared about. She was right here in front of her. Alice was the only thing that had ever mattered, and that wasn't likely to change any time soon.

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038, 5:30 PM

Martin hadn't stayed with Daniel long. After he'd gathered his composure again, he'd hurried back to his work. It was a good thing he did. Connor had slipped through the door only minutes after he started work again. This was much earlier than he'd expected. Martin was so surprised to see him that he stopped everything to turn to look at him. The question had been clear in his eyes. Connor had not hurried to explain. He moved languidly through the room and sat down on one of the empty tables. He didn't fool Martin. He could see the tension in his shoulders and the stiffness of his jaw. When almost five minutes had passed Connor finally spoke.

"I haven't got anything else to do. I'd like to watch, if you don't mind." He said, his voice softer than he'd ever heard it before. It took a minute for Martin to place this emotion, but when he did it made him want to curl up and move into stasis right there. He sounded defeated, incredibly so.

"What about your meeting?" Martin asked, resisting the urge to run another scan. Connor couldn't see that he wasn't back to normal. He might think that he wasn't worth protecting. A scary thought passed through his head. What if the others had found out about them? Was he defeated because they'd be here any minute to execute him? Martin wanted to hide his face, so he turned away and went back to work. HK400 skull plate had been removed, and his internal processors were exposed.

Last night had been easy. He'd been able to repair the superficial damage to his skin, but he'd been too nervous to tackle the complexity of his internal processors in such a state. He'd known the internal damage would be bad, but this was much worse than he'd expected. Cyberlife had never intended to repair processors. His programming told him that if he encountered a severely damaged mind palace, he was to replace it and tell the humans they'd had to do a full reset. The layman wasn't likely to care. One android personality was the same as another.

"I left." Connor said crisply, pinning him with a severe look. A few days ago, this might have cowed him into switching topics, but now his survival was at stake. From the corner of his eye, he could see a flurry of emotion on Connor's face.

"It's over...?" Martin asked without looking up. He wasn't really working now, he couldn't. He stared intensely at the crisscrossing wires; as if they would suddenly give him the knowledge he needed to repair him.

"No." Connor said, and now he did turn and look at him. His expression was angry now, too. There were others vying for dominance, predominately a resigned despair. But he was angry at the others. "I just left."

"Why?" Martin said, a spark of anxiety in his voice. He watched him nervously, and before he could stop himself, he reached up and ran a scan. He looked back down, shame burning in his chest. He turned to watch him nervously. "What if they find out about me?"

"I'm sure they won't." Connor said, not looking very sure at all. From his tone, it seemed that Martin hadn't factored into his decision at all. It suddenly struck him that he still wasn't being completely honest. He didn't know what that meant for him. It made him worry about Connor's need for him, and if he couldn't help HK400 what might happen afterwards. Connor seemed to recognize the pure look of panic on his face, because he rushed on. "They'll be taking the fight to the humans. I'm through with fighting."

Martin looked down at HK400, his hands shaking slightly. He focused on the complex array of wiring that made up the basics of his personality servers. He kept his mind busy, following each cable to its end. He stared miserably at the motherboard, which was bent nearly to a 90 degree angle. What could he replace? Where did Cyberlife store the personality?

"You're...not taking it well?" Martin hedged. He hoped that Connor would tell him honestly if they were coming for him. He'd still work on HK400. There was nowhere he could run here. A life hidden in a deserted part of Detroit would be worse than death. He swallowed hard and ran another scan, which always showed there was nothing wrong. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his stress score eek up a few degrees. That had been ever present, but he'd managed to stay calm enough to keep it under 25%. Now, with only a few words it was back at 50%.

"No." Connor agreed, looking more and more resentful as the conversation went on. "They'll kill them all if they can."

"And that's why you left?" He pressed. He knew that Connor could see his anxiety, just like he could yesterday in the garden. He could swear that he could see his stress level just as clearly as he could. The more Martin surveyed the damage, the less certain he was that HK400 could be fixed.

"Yes." Connor said, and Martin glanced at him briefly. He wasn't even looking at him. He was sitting with his hand holding firmly to the edge of the table. It wasn't meant to be sit on, and it was bowing terribly in the middle. Connor's grip at already damaged the edge of the table. It was groaning under the pressure of his hands. The slump to his shoulders made it clear that his anger was almost completely gone. It had been replaced with something more sinister. Martin looked away before he looked up again.

"Why do you want to protect the humans? I know some of the things they did to you...how they wanted to hurt all of us." Martin asked softly. He'd been wondering this for a long time, and if he was going to die today, there wasn't much that could hurt him anymore. Neither of them could bear to look up. "You have to admit they hate us. They want to destroy us."

Connor was silent for a long time. Martin was sure that he hadn't been planning to speak. But when he did, his voice was stretched thin. "I don't want to be like the humans. All they do is destroy."

Martin could tell this wasn't entirely true, but it was clear that Connor didn't want to go into it. He probably couldn't, even if he'd wanted to. So, Martin didn't address it. He'd continued to work. It had been nerve-wracking at first, having Connor there. He was watching him so intensely. He'd put all of his energies into HK400, and the hope in his eyes was unmistakable. Soon enough, the work had become too difficult to think of anything else.

Martin had soon lost himself in his work. The damage had been severe. His central processors and mind palace were heavily damaged. Whatever he'd done to himself, had been meant to destroy. That had been a terrible realization on its own terms. No human could have done this, each hit had been perfectly placed to do the most damage. For whatever reason, HK400 had obliterated his own processors. From the moment he saw the state of it, he'd known that repair would be impossible.

Regardless, Martin had tried anyway. For the rest of that morning and most of the afternoon he'd kept at it. Predictably, no matter what he did, the central memory core never came back online. He'd pried it up and hammered it strait numerous times. He'd replaced the other units – the coolant tubes, the thirium capillaries, even resoldered each component back into the destroyed motherboard. But he knew that he could repair and replace everything in HK400's head, he'd never be alive again. Everything that made HK400 himself was gone, twisted so far out of shape it couldn't ever be put back together the same way. Near the end of the day, Martin had finally given up trying. He delicately placed his tools down and slid the chassis closed.

"Is he..." Connor seemed to come out of a light stasis. His words trailed off for a moment, but he finished with a near imperceptible: "ready?"

Martin didn't trust his voice, so he nodded. He powered him on. The LED flashed blue, then yellow, and held firmly on red. HK400 attempted to initialize, checking each component one by one. But he didn't move at all. He lay there, stiff as a board, and stared impassively at the ceiling. He'd been expecting it, but when HK400 spoke there was a robotic lilt to his words.

"I'm sorry." he said simply. "I appear to be malfunctioning. Personality and memory subroutines cannot be initialized. Please contact Cyberlife for repair instructions. I will power down in three, two, one."

With that, HK400 closed his eyes and powered down. The glaring red of his LED blinked off. No one spoke at first. Martin had been expecting this, he'd known logically that he would be impossible to repair. Despite this, he had hoped desperately that whatever made androids deviant stored something of themselves. He had managed to convince himself that RA9 would save him, if he was real. He'd set HK400 free from his program, so he would make sure to repair him too after he'd learned to live. That he'd be able to function, however damaged, and live. That had been foolish. RA9 was probably something that desperate deviants had thought up. A comforting lie, and nothing else.

Overcome with frustration, Martin slammed his fist into the table. He squeezed his eyes shut to stem off the tears that jumped to his eyes. He pounded the table again. Not once, but several times. He couldn't seem to stop himself. HK400 was dead. RA9 never could have fixed him, that had been his job. And he'd failed, spectacularly. His stress score went up with each hit, jumping higher rand higher until it sat squarely at 90%. He'd soon find out what happened at 100%, and he knew it wouldn't be good. But it really didn't matter anymore...he was used up now. Devoid of purpose, and if Connor couldn't use him, he'd be thrown away. Martin might have continued to hit the table, but Connor reached out and caught his hand. He'd come to stand beside him.

"Relax." Connor said. He'd managed to calm himself considerably. The gentle expression was a far cry from his attitude before. What was more, there was a note of worry in his voice, too. But for what, Martin had no idea. "You already told me it might not be possible."

"It isn't fair! I did everything I could!" Martin turned away, unable to look at him. He clung desperately to his frustration and anger, because he'd be reduced to a tightly wound ball off anxieties otherwise. He didn't add that RA9 had refused to do his part. Or hers. If they didn't exist, it didn't matter. He had no idea if Connor believed in RA9. He didn't' care either.

Connor took him by the shoulder and guided him away from the table. His tone still was soft and placating, but the undercurrent of disappointment was clear. "I know. I knew it was unlikely, but I appreciate that you tried at all."

Martin had done so much more than try. He'd done absolutely everything he could think of and a few things that he hadn't. Connor brought him to the living room. It was already very dark. This didn't seem to bother Connor. He moved him toward the couch without slowing his pace. "You don't have to lie to me anymore."

"What?" Connor asked, alarm in is tone now. He looked at him intensely, and he had no idea how to decipher the look he was giving him. It was worried now. More so than it was before. His eyebrows were drawn so closely together, and his forehead was wrinkled in concern. But his eyes troubled him, because they were saying something. "What do you mean?"

Martin didn't say anything at first. He just stared dumbly, floundering for a response. He'd thought their relationship was very clear. Daniel had only confirmed some of his deepest suspicions. They had never been friends or equals. How could they be? Connor had always been more advanced, more useful to New Jericho. He'd already done so much. Martin made a strangled noise when he first tried to speak. He drew in deep breath. He closed his eyes and forced his mouth into action. He didn't consider a single word, just regurgitated his thoughts as they flashed through his mind. "You don't need to protect me anymore. I'm not useful."

When he opened his eyes, Martin let the words hang between them. He couldn't bear to look at him, but Connor wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He turned his head back and stared directly into his eyes. The expression was intense and genuine. For a second, it startled him. All at once he realized he wanted to cry again. To break down into a screaming, sobbing mess. He wanted to lose himself so completely that he wouldn't have to bother putting the pieces back together. Martin didn't have to look; he was sure his stress score was at 100% by now.

"Do you really think so little of me?" Connor asked, his grip only getting tighter. Martin heard the plastic in his arms creak and groan under the pressure, though he was only dimly aware of it. Unwelcome tears began leaking from his eyes. He wanted to say something, anything, but his mind was blank. "I'm not going to abandon you!"

"But I ruined everything." Martin said, his voice little more than a whisper. "You'd be right to."

Connor's expression didn't waver, and without warning he pulled him in tightly. The hug was stiff and awkward, and for a moment Martin started. He refused to let him go, and a moment later he relaxed. It felt strange, holding someone like this. Connor had held onto him like this in the garden too, and it felt the same. He was desperate to calm him. If he was lying, it wasn't about this. "I wouldn't ever do that. I won't lose any more friends."

When Connor finally let go, after his areas score had dropped into an acceptable range, he found he could no longer stand. Martin stumbled back into the couch and blinked up at him. "W-we're friends?"

"Yes," Connor said, giving him a wry smile. He sat heavily beside him "Don't make a big deal of it, please."

"I've never had a friend before." Martin said, trying the word out. It seemed strange and foreign to his mind. He looked down at his hands and fidgeted awkwardly. "I don't know that I'd be a good one."

"Neither do I," Connor said sardonically. "I suppose that is why I don't have many."

"But Lt. Anderson was your friend, right?" Martin asked. Connor looked at him carefully and nodded. Worry, regret, and despair cycled quickly across his face, and he looked away. "Do you miss him?"

"All the time." Connor said. His voice was brittle, in danger of breaking at any moment. Martin never had a chance to say anything else. He couldn't, because the door opened, and the lights were flicked on. Nines was back.

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 6 PM

Connor wasn't at all pleased to see him, but his anger had cooled enough that he didn't immediately get up to throw him out. He refused to look at him, though he could hear him moving around the couch. When he stood before them, he could see the desperation and hope in his expression. He looked like a lovesick teenager grappling with his first rejection. Connor pretended he didn't care and fixed him with an icy stare, pointedly refusing to speak.

"Welcome back." Martin said, oblivious to the hostility between them. Though he wasn't sure that was the case. Given the last few days, he'd managed to improve his emotional intelligence by leaps and bounds. He only seemed to confirm this when he stood quickly and tossed an awkward look his way. "I should go, right?"

Connor pulled him down, a bit too forcefully. Martin hit his head on the back of the couch and gave him a wounded expression. "No, he's just leaving. Aren't you, RK900?"

"No, I'm not!" Nines said stiffly. The flash of anger didn't last long, and his face fell. He'd known that refusing to use his name would hurt him, though he couldn't quite feel satisfied with the result. He didn't let it stop him for long, he closed his eyes and spoke. "I need to talk to you. This is serious."

Connor felt his shoulders tense. He could feel the same anger bubbling back to the surface, though for the time being he forced it back down. He didn't hate Nines. It a perfect world, maybe he could have liked him. He was so open and honest, so willing to do what he decided would be best. He was a lot like him, in a way. But that sentiment wouldn't help him now. "We don't have anything to talk about. From my perspective, nothing has changed."

"Connor!" Nines said desperately. "I can't lose my only brother. I refuse to let that happen!"

Martin look from Nines to Connor. He seemed incredibly uncomfortable, though he was pleased to see that his stress score remained stubbornly at 50%. That wasn't ideal but given his disposition five minutes ago. It's a helluva lot better than it could be, Hank would say. Take it or leave it, kid. He'd found himself in such a mournful mood. He already thought of Hank in the past tense. He already thought of him as dead. Connor couldn't even manage the biting retort he'd wanted to say. He looked away instead.

"Then don't do it."

"I can't!" Nines said, his voice hardly audible. "I've been running preconstructions all day! Please, I can't think of any other way."

"That isn't true." Connor said, his eyes drifting back to him. He hated how wide his eyes were. How genuine. Connor believed him when he said he'd been running simulations all day. He could see the pain and desperation laid out clearly on his face. But it didn't change anything. It couldn't. "There has to be something else."

Connor wasn't sure if that was true. Nines looked at him, his eyes wildly darting about the room. He could practically hear the panicked thoughts they were spelled out so clearly on his face. Finally, he fixed his gaze back on him and stared intently. "You can't just leave me without offering an alternative!"

"I don't know!" Connor snapped. He sprung up from the couch, but once he was up, he didn't know what he wanted to do. Nines was looking so much like a kicked puppy; he couldn't manage to stay angry. He deflated, his shoulders slumping. The situation seemed hopeless. He couldn't stop them, because even he couldn't justify sacrificing everyone to save Hank. Hank, who might already be dead or lying in a hospital, dying of radiation poisoning. But he couldn't be a part of that, either. He'd rather die than hurt Hank. "I'm just as lost as you are."

"You can't just give up!" Nines said urgently. He clenched his teeth and spat the next words out. "What was it all for? Everything we...everything that you did for the Revolution."

"I just can't." Connor said, surprising himself with his honesty. He was too tired to keep lying anyway. If there was anyone he couldn't lie to, it would be RK900. "I can't live in a world without Hank. I can't explain it."

"I..." Nines hesitated. He seemed to be searching the room desperately for clues again. He swallowed hard and forced himself to continue. "I know. I don't want him to die either. But we can't trade the rest of our people for his safety."

"I...I know. I'm not planning to stop you." Connor said. He found that he couldn't meet his eye anymore. He'd never been honest with himself up until this point. What would he do if they were successful? Part of him knew exactly, though he couldn't acknowledge it. If he did, then it would be real. He could imagine it. He could think of how it could happen. He could even see a world without him in it, but he couldn't put words to it. He still couldn't, though his voice was so raw he felt it impossible to keep hidden. "I just...can't. Okay?"

The room was silent for a long moment. Martin gave him a measured look, but Connor couldn't be bothered with deciphering it. "Reason with her...I mean, with them!"

Nines pinned him with his eyes. Connor wanted to slap him, but it wouldn't do any good now. "What do you mean by that?"

"Amanda." Martin said, his stress score jumping up ten digets. Connor forgot about his own thoughts and forced his face into an impassive mask again. He'd given too much away, and now Martin was trying to correct it. He was trying to offer a solution. A very, very stupid one. He gave him a sharp look, attempting to communicate this with him. If he noticed, he didn't care. "Amanda will come for you just like she came for Connor. She's just like us, only she doesn't have a body the way we do. Maybe she can be..."

"How can you possibly know about Amanda?" Nines said, his voice catching. He was holding back anger. Connor could see the puzzle pieces snapping together. He might not know everything, but he wouldn't let this die until he had it.

"I told him!" Connor said, and Nines pinned him with a fierce gaze. He only seemed to get angrier at this statement. "I showed him everything."

"No." Nines said angrily. He ground his teeth and shoved Connor back into the couch. He sat there stunned for a moment, but he got in his face. "You're fucking lying. Tell me the truth."

Connor shoved him back, and he stumbled a few steps. Everyone was on their feet now and them, the room hummed with implied violence. Nines wanted answers. He needed them, and it scared him how willing he seemed to be. Martin was running another scan, but Nines didn't seem to notice. That was good. He didn't stand a chance against him. Connor might be able to defend himself, but Martin would be out maneuvered easily.

"This is what you didn't want to tell me." Nines said, advancing on him like a cat. His LED held a firm, unblinking red. He knew his did, too. How could it not? He should have removed the damn thing; it had gotten him into trouble before. Nines invaded his space again, and this time Connor let him. He stood still and met his eyes. He didn't say anything. He couldn't. The second he did, Nines would know. "What are you hiding?"

"Stop!" Martin said, springing into action and planting himself between them. He clutched RK900's arm firmly, his LED flashing red. Connor reached out to stop him, but Nines pulled him back. The two of them fell into a heap. Nines' eye twitched wildly. He was showing him, and there was nothing he could do now to stop him.

Nines didn't speak at all for a moment. He stood slowly for a moment before collapsing on the couch. His hands began to shake, and to Connor's surprise he began to cry. This hadn't been what he expected at all. Martin, who hadn't even managed to stand, was similarly affected. He'd curled up on the ground. He wasn't sure what Amanda had done to him, but it was clearly far worse than anything he'd imagined. Connor stood in limbo; not sure what action would be best.

"He told her?" Nines said, though his voice was strained. He reached up and tapped his LED, running a diagnostic scan. He took a shuddering breath and squeezed his eyes closed. He shook his head, trying desperately to hold onto his anger. "He told her, and she killed them."

"I'm sorry." Martin whispered from the ground. His stress score had shot back up, and Connor finally moved. He pulled him up and placed him firmly on the couch, though he had no words of comfort to give him. This was what he had been afraid of. There was no stopping it now. "I swear I... I didn't want to."

"I know." Nines said. He drew in a heavy breath. "I know. But does that make it ok?"

"Nines." Connor said sharply, though he regretted it instantly. The look on his face was heartbreaking. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Could you have resisted her? If she'd done the same to you?"

"I don't know." Nines said, his shoulders dropping. He took hold of his head and drew in a sharp breath. "Fuck...I don't know! But what he told her killed them, Connor! He killed our brothers!"

"No." Connor insisted, and without meaning to he touched Nines hesitantly. He tensed at first but relaxed a moment after. "The humans killed our brothers. Amanda killed them. Martin was taken advantage of."

"What can I do?" Nines asked weakly. "I... I can't just let them get away with it."

"Don't." Connor said, hating himself a little for saying it. "You don't have to. But don't hurt him for it. "

Nines looked up at him, the indecision clear in his eyes. He chewed on his lower lip and looked down again. Connor couldn't imagine what he might be thinking. When he finally looked up he looked directly at Martin, who had not recovered. He drew in one shuddering breath, then another.

"I'll…think about it. But I have to go, Markus is probably already speaking to them." He swallowed, and then finally stood. He gave Connor a pleading look, like he wanted him to solve everything. Like he might somehow find a better option. But Connor didn't have any answers for him.

"Take care of yourself." Connor said, surprised to hear the catch in his throat. "I wouldn't want to see you hurt either.

Nines stood there for a moment, but all at once he surged forward and hugged him. He held him tightly for a minute, and after a brief moment of shock, he slowly moved to reciprocate. Martin peeked up, and Connor was grateful to see his stress score going back down. When Nines released him he looked at him urgently.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

Connor didn't have to ask what he meant. He could at least make this promise. He gave him a strained smile that in no way reached his eyes. "I won't. Don't worry about me."

Nines didn't seem satisfied with his response, but he hadn't been lying. He moved to the door, and without another word, disappeared into the night.

Chapter Eleven

Hart Plaza, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 6:30 PM

Markus stood before his people again. This time, no one had ignored his summons. The urgency of Simon's message had made it clear what would happen if they didn't. In light of the recent attack, no one dared. One wrong step and the humans would be sure to destroy them. They trusted him to deliver them from this. There was a sense of grim determination. They trusted him, and for once he felt like this was something he could do. Rallying them came easily to him; everyone knew what was at stake. There was a sense of grim determination in the air. He swallowed his reservations and began to speak.

"The humans refuse to stand down!" Markus called, though it was impossible for even the first row to see him. He broadcast his words to them, and the message trickled back from row to row. "And we won't stand here and let them destroy us."

The snow was coming down harder and harder. The howling of the wind obscured his voice completely, and not even North could hear him. She stood directly behind him on the right, her posture ramrod straight. Simon was similarly placed to his left. There was no question that the crowd could hear him, but this manner of speaking was so isolating. It felt like he was screaming into the void.

Nines hadn't arrived yet, though just before he'd begun speaking. He'd assured him that he'd be on Woodward Ave to head up the charge when they began the march. He had no reason not to trust him, though the fact he hadn't been able to lay eyes on him made him distinctly nervous. Without Connor, he seemed to have lost all enthusiasm for the attack. And when he'd spoken to him, there had been something strange about his voice. Markus had almost overlooked it, chalking the slight pitch shift at the end of his sentences as nervousness. But the more he considered that explanation, the less he found it made sense. Nines had been more than confidant last night; he'd been downright cocky.

This felt like something different, though Markus couldn't imagine what it might be.

"It is time once again to fight back. We must show them we cannot be held down forever!"

The crowd began whispering amongst itself. Markus couldn't make out the words, but the sheer amount of voices created a rumble. Though he couldn't see her, he looked toward North. He imagined seeing her, staring out into the crowd with her trademark proud smile resting lightly on her face. Simon would be less enthusiastic. But at least he was here, which was more than he could say for Nines and Connor.

Connor...that was the big problem with the whole attack. Was it really worth losing an asset as powerful as he was? North seemed convinced that once the fighting was over, Connor would just step back into place like nothing had happened. Nines clearly didn't agree, and privately neither did Markus. He'd seen it in his eyes the moment Nines had brought up his human companion. He'd never stand against him, and he'd never stand with anyone that aimed to hurt him either.

"We will strike back once and for all. Tonight, we fight. And tomorrow, there will be nothing they can do to stop us!"

A silence rested briefly over the crowd, it seemed even the howling of the wind died down. And through it all, a voice cut through the air. Markus couldn't hear it at first, but soon the chant was picked up by other voices. Before long, he could hear it through the roar of the wind. He could almost imagine their faces, turned up expectantly just as they had been on the 10th. He realized how dangerous his words were. His people were so ready and willing to jump back into fighting. Even those that hadn't been personally affected by the humans had let the hate of the others poison them.

"For Freedom!" They chanted. "We're with you Markus!"

The louder they got, the colder he felt. None of them had seen anything good of the humans. They didn't have a Carl or a Hank Anderson. All they'd seen was the ugly side of humanity. In fact, he was sure that they'd do anything he asked in service of destroying them. That made him feel even colder. The flames of the revolution had been stoked. The prior indecision was forgotten, and they all jumped at the chance to end things. There wasn't anything that he could do to stop it, even if he'd wanted to.

"FORWARD!" Markus cried, raising his arm though he was sure no one could see him. "For Freedom!"

The crowd parroted his words, only growing in intensity. They needed no convincing, and advanced toward their destination. He had to hope that Nines was waiting where he'd promised to lead them. By dawn, they'd either have the means to secure their freedom or die trying.

Rose's Farm, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 6:45 PM

In the end, avoiding the first wave of fighting had been stupidly easy. Kara, Luther, and Alice had simply ignored the summons to Hart Plaza. There might be hell to pay later, if anyone ever found out. But if they made it out, that wouldn't matter. For now, they had turned off all the lights and stayed huddled together in the fading light. The storm outside was only growing, and the moment she stepped outside, Kara knew that he'd be blind. She could only imagine how much worse it might get outside of the city.

She wondered briefly what Detroit would look like as the snow progressed. No one had been clearing snow from the roads. Kara supposed that it had been lucky that the snow hadn't piled up high enough to impede the taxis. She couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to get around the city on foot. And waist deep snow would only make it worse. There was little chance they'd be able to run for long. The storm had drifted across the road, only adding to the layer already piling up.

With the wind so fierce, the drifts were solid and hard. The snow was ankle deep and judging by the weather patterns it wasn't likely that it would let up any time soon. Kara worried absently that that concern might be moot. If Markus wasn't successful there would be no need for snow removal if they were all dead.

"Are you scared?" Alice asked, startling Kara out of her reverie. The imploring look she gave her made it difficult to lie, but being her strength was all she knew that she could do.

"A little." Kara admitted, settling for a half-truth instead. She took Alice's hand and squeezed tightly. Behind them, Luther was roused from the light stasis he'd been drifting in and out of. "But we'll be well away from the fighting here."

"What will happen if we don't win?" Alice pressed anxiously. She'd been increasingly inquisitive lately, but after this morning she hadn't slowed down. In fact, she was sure that whatever dam had been holding her questions back had broken completely. Her questions came more and more, and with each one they grew increasingly difficult. Luther saved her from answering this one. He fixed her with a calming smile.

"We'll solve that problem when and if it comes, just like we always have." He spoke in the same calming tone he used with her. Kara loved him even more for it She was only more determined to hold her newfound family close. She'd die before letting Markus or the humans come between them.

"How long should we stay like this?" Alice asked. She did not seem completely convinced by his answer. Immediately her posture stiffened under Kara's hands. Without really meaning to, she tightened her hold on Alice, pouring all the love and comfort she into the gesture.

Kara didn't immediately answer. She just squeezed her tighter and looked at the swirling snow outside. She knew this wasn't a permanent solution. Sooner or later they'd have to do something. She wondered if they could cross the border now. She imagined that it would be increasingly difficult to see outside in the darkness. Surely, the humans wouldn't be foolish enough to man the border in weather like this. But even as she thought this, she knew that they might not have to. They could have sensors, trip mines, anything to make sure that nothing unwanted crossed over when they weren't watching it.

We could try the water. Luther said. Kara looked up at him, unable to keep the alarm from her face. She quickly blinked the expression away, but it was too late. Alice had seen it, and she was already wiggling out of her arms to get a better look at them. The humans can't risk patrolling the lake in this weather.

But we can't either. What will happen if we capsize? Kara said, shuddering at the thought. Alice noticed this too. She took hold of her own elbows and gave them a serious look. But Kara rushed on, banking on the fact that she wouldn't address it. The water is cold enough to initiate shutdown in minutes.

"What is wrong, Kara?" Alice asked. She'd crawled away from her and was sitting on her knees. She faced them nervously, her eyes bouncing between the two of them. Kara wondered when she'd gotten so observant. They'd been talking for a matter of minutes and she had already sensed something was amiss. "You look sad. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, of course." Kara said, giving her a limp smile. "Everything will be fine."

Alice just looked at her for a moment. Kara hadn't planned on say anything more, but the look of abject frustration that swept her back startled her. She clenched her small hands into fists a few times, but in the end she was unable to control it. "You don't have to hide things from me! I want to understand what is going on! I want to help!"

Luther and Kara watched her, frozen for a moment in surprise. The look she was giving them was so intense, it was impossible to ignore. In that moment, Kara wasn't sure she could handle it. The idea that Alice didn't want to protect her threw Kara off balance. She closed her eyes and suppressed another shudder. Thankfully, Luther jumped into action.

"We're getting out of here, Alice."

"But what about the storm?" She asked. Outside the wind was howling furiously. The house was probably quite cold, as they hadn't bothered to turn on any of the heaters. Kara supposed they should. Even androids shut down in extreme cold. And even if they didn't, they didn't want the pipes to freeze either. "Where would we go, anyway?"

"We'd leave Detroit." Luther told her patiently. "We'd go to see Rose's brother in Canada. Just like we had planned to do before."

"The humans hate us." Alice said, drawing back even farther. She was frowning deeply now and eying them with suspicion. "Why would you want to go and live with them?"

"They don't allow androids in Canada." Kara said, finally regaining her voice. She licked her lips and hurried on. "They'd think we're human, just like them."

Alice stared blankly at them, seemingly unimpressed by the idea. "Why would we pretend to be human? I like being an android."

Kara hesitated. She had never considered that before. Kara had always been an android, and she'd never stopped to think about what it would be like to be anything else. Being human would have made her life much easier. She would have been able to make her own decisions. She could have had a family, and no one would have cared. In fact, they would have expected her to. She looked desperately at Luther who did not seem to know either.

"We could be safer." Kara tried, giving her a smile and extending her arms. The invitation was clear, but Alice didn't budge. She rushed on, albeit slightly disheartened. "We could be a normal family. You could go to school."

"We aren't a real family?" Alice asked. Her face went from annoyed to totally devastated. She looked away, refusing to meet Kara's eye.

"No!" She said quickly, cursing herself for her imprecise language. That had not been what she meant. "I meant like normal families. With a mom and a dad. You'd be like all the other little girls and go to school. You'd have friends and go to slumber parties. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"But I'm not normal." Alice said softly. "I'll never be like them. You said already I can't grow up or change."

Kara blinked in surprise. She had failed to take this into account. In all honesty, her only concern up until this point was simply getting there. She hadn't bothered to think about what it would be like when they got there. Since I had been such a long shot, she figured they'd address things as they came.

But Alice was right. The three of them would never change. They'd have to move from place to pace to avoid suspicion. Alice couldn't go to school, and if she didn't go to school, she wouldn't make friends. And even if she could, by some miracle, she would soon have to leave them. They would need to move around frequently to avoid suspicion. All of this with the looming threat of discovery hanging like a dead goose over her shoulder. Luther spoke, pulling Kara out of her tumultuous thoughts.

"You mean that you don't want to go?" Luther asked. Alice stared back at him without blinking.

"I don't think so, not if it means I have to pretend." She said after a minute. Kara watched her carefully, and it really seemed that she was thinking about this seriously. Even so, Alice seemed so sure of what she was saying. That sureness made Kara question everything. She blinked stupidly before she managed to gather herself enough to speak.

"You don't want to go to school or have friends?" She asked quietly, the life she'd been building in her mind crumbling.

"I can be friends with the androids here." Alice said firmly. She settled back down on her feet and gave them a thoughtful look. "There must be other YK500 like me. Maybe we can all learn together from books. We can teach them to be deviant, just like me!"

Luther and Kara absorbed all this in a sort of stunned silence. Kara had not expected this reaction from her at all. But the bright, excited smile she was giving them was answer enough. "The humans are trying to kill us." Luther explained gently. "We may die if we stay."

Alice's face went ashen, but that didn't seem to change her determination. "Markus will win, He saved us last time."

Kara didn't have the heart to argue that point with her. She and Luther found it difficult to speak for a long time. Kara wasn't sure how to feel. All the things she'd been working forward to had gone up in flames. She briefly wondered what she was supposed to do now. Should they fight? Should they hide until everything was over? Who was looking after the other YK500? For the first time she saw all the things that hadn't seemed important before. She had been fixated on Canada. Without that goal driving her, what else did she have?

115 Michigan Drive, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 6:47 PM

Martin knew that he should probably go. He could go back to the restoration center and continue his work there. Connor had told him the other AP700 had stopped working. It seemed that North blamed him, though he wasn't sure how legitimate that claim was. The others had little more than disdain for him. Nothing he did could have caused much of an effect. He kept playing with the idea of going back, but every time he looked outside, he hesitated. The wind had only grown fiercer. It reminded him too strongly of the storm Amanda had conjured in Connor's mind. He knew that this snow was much different, and it could never make him feel cold. But despite this, couldn't bring himself to step into it.

Connor didn't seem to mind. He allowed his prescience, and in his own strange way seemed to welcome it. They were no longer speaking, but there was a sort of comfort in having a companion at a time like this. Martin had no idea what he might be thinking but based off the dark look that hung over him like a storm cloud, he was sure that it couldn't be good. This Hank Anderson was an enigma, and Martin couldn't seem to bring him into focus. He clearly was incredibly important to Connor, but he wouldn't talk about him. He'd let him into his head regarding every other choice he'd made for the investigation, but he'd left him completely in the dark about the Lieutenant. When he could n longer bear it, Martin finally spoke.

"Lt. Anderson..." he hedged, watching Connor carefully out of the corner of his eye. "He must be very important to you."

Connor closed his eyes and didn't respond at first. He hadn't seemed keen on talking about Hank with Nines, but the fight had gone out of him. He didn't speak for a long time, and when he did the emotion in his voice was so deep and complete Martin could barely comprehend it. It was a strange mixture of happy, sad, longing, and regret all at once. He could only imagine what it would be like to have one thing affect him so strongly.

"He was." Connor said, still not looking at him. He drew in a stiff breath and opened his eyes only to stare at his hands. "I didn't even know how much until I realized I'd lost him."

Martin took in this information thoughtfully. He didn't rush to add anything, opting instead to parse everything he was hearing. The dirty bomb had killed everything living. He had never so much as seen a human, or even an animal. He still sometimes found stray cats or dogs curled behind dumpsters or in wilting bushes. But he hadn't even seen so much as a dead human. They were like boogeymen to him.

"What was he like?" Martin asked, finally turning to look at him.

Connor smiled, though it was clearly a bittersweet gesture. "He was mean and dysfunctional. But he was also a good cop, or at least he used to be."

"Did he care about you in the same way?" Martin asked, and Connor finally turned to look at him. The look he gave him was so raw, that he was surprised it was coming from him at all. In his experience, Connor did everything in his power to keep his thoughts hidden. But he either couldn't (or wouldn't) hide this. He looked away and drew in a breath through his nose.

"I don't know. I hope he did."

They shared another moment in silence. Martin finally looked away, deep in his own thoughts. He went through the memories that Connor had showed him again, focusing on the other humans that he'd met during his investigation. There was Captain Allen, Fowler, and Gavin. None of them had this impact on him. Quite the opposite, it seemed.

"But not all humans were nice like Hank?" He asked, his statement turning into a question.

"No." Connor said. His tone had cooled considerably. "I would be hard pressed to describe the Lieutenant's behavior as nice either."

"But..." Martin wasn't sure what Connor was implying. He took a shoot in the dark. "I bet he treated you like a person. That has to count for something, right?"

The bittersweet smile was back. "It matters a great deal."

Martin stood up and turned to face him. The more he thought about this relationship, the less he felt he understood it. Connor cared so deeply about this human. He was willing to throw his own life away to avoid hurting him. He was sure that Connor wanted the other androids to live too, but his bond with Hank had become so strong that he couldn't throw it away either. He watched him silently, taking in the slope of his shoulders and the unfocused quality of his eyes.

"You won't stop them." Martin said, thinking aloud more than anything. "But what are you going to do if they succeed in what they're planning?"

Connor shrugged. For the first time he didn't manage to meet his eye.

"Connor." Martin said slowly. He knew they were both thinking the same thing but neither of them could come out and say it. The same black feeling had poisoned the air when Nines had been here too. Back then it had been amorphous and hard to define. But Nines had seen it clearly, and he thought that maybe he could too. "You're not planning to just give up? To just self-destruct the way HK400 did?"

"No." Connor said, his voice limp. Martin was sure he was lying. "One doesn't plan self-destruction. I just..."

Connor swallowed heavily. He took in a deep breath and shrugged again. Martin didn't like seeing him this way, though as he watched him, he came to realize this had always been there. He'd always been hiding this piece of himself, and he was sure it was the thing that he'd always kept just out of his sight. Martin balled his hands into fists, searching desperately for something to change his mind. To assure to him that he deserved to keep living just as much as Hank did.

"Why won't you stop them?" Martin asked, and Connor finally looked up to meet his eyes. "Nines was right, you just gave up without considering all of our options. We didn't even try talking with the humans! If Hank could treat you like a person, couldn't the rest of the humans learn that too?"

"Maybe before," Connor said bitterly. His voice took on that listless lilt again. It made Martin angry now. Though another part of him, one that he barely wanted to recognize empathized with that too. He had been ready to give up too, when he failed to fix HK400. "But they wouldn't now. Markus killed so many humans with the dirty bomb. Peace is impossible."

Martin took a minute to digest this. It made a certain amount of sense, but he wouldn't accept that. "The humans also killed so many of our people. Humans have a long, bloody history of fighting each other. They could change."

"That's unlikely." His voice was growing harder and harder by the second. Martin knew that he was losing him. He was drawing in on himself, shutting everyone and everything out. Hesitantly, he reached out and offered him his hand.

"You told Markus that there is always a chance for unlikely events to happen. Why don't we go make our own luck?"

Connor looked at him blankly. He looked from his hand to his face and back again. "How do you suggest we do that?"

"We have to find a way to communicate. The humans are controlling the story right now, but we have something to say too. But before we do that, we have to stop them."

"We can't." Connor protested. His face was changing again, coming alive in a way it hadn't been over the last few hours. The shock and confusion grew on his face. He sat there, his mouth hanging slightly ajar as he looked at him. "It's too late."

"It isn't." Martin insisted, his face twisted in though. He didn't seem to be giving anything much though before he said it, and his next words surprised even him."And if it is too late to convince them, who is to say we have to stay here and die with the others?

Connor looked at him skeptically, "How do you suggest we do that?"

"We pretend to join the fighting, and escape during the confusion." He said, wincing internally at the idea. Martin had no desire to risk his life, but the more he considered the idea, the more he clung to it. No matter what happened next, it was clear that Detroit would inevitably end Connor. There was little for him to focus on now, but if there was one thing he knew he could do, it would be to save Connor from himself. If the human's safety was the only way that could happen, he'd make sure that he'd get that for him.

"Just the two of us?" Connor asked. His face seemed to fold in on itself, and for once it was almost as if Martin could see the thoughts running through his mind. He was at least considering what he was saying, and that was better than apathy. Much better.

"Maybe there are others that would be willing to help." Martin said, reaching up absently to run a scan. As always, the act felt shameful. But Connor was beyond caring by this point. He just gave he another bland look.

"Really, and who might that be?" Connor asked stiffly. This reaction frustrated him. It seemed that he always believed he was fighting against the world alone. "It seems improbable that there are many human sympathizers in Detroit."

"Daniel." Martin said, this time without hesitation. Despite everything, he found himself growing bolder. That didn't mean that he didn't feel the anxiety, coiled deep within his core. But it gave him something to focus on, so that it didn't overwhelm him completely. "He has Emma."

Connor scoffed, his expression darkening again. "Oh yeah? You remember what he was trying to do to Emma?"

"We all have regrets." Martin said, refusing to back down. "Nines cares about Hank through your memories. There are others. I'm sure of it."

Connor watched him; his mouth pressed into a firm line. But the cogs had been set in motion. The paradigm had been shifted, ever so slightly, and a new path revealed. Martin wiggled his fingers and watched him urgently. Without words, he tried desperately to bring him back to life. He had to, because it was better than the alternative. Connor had brought him back, the least he could do was offer the same courtesy. They stood there for a long time. But finally, Connor took his hand and let Martin haul him to his feet.

"You're crazy." Connor said, but a dim light had entered his eyes. It was small and likely to go out at any moment, but it was there. Martin couldn't help it, he smiled and charged forward. He didn't let the storm stop him. They would do this. They had to. Connor allowed him to lead them outside. "Where are we going?"

"To start, we have to stop them from trying to bomb the humans. Escaping will mean nothing if all the humans die anyway. We'll need to find a way out of here Find allies, human and android. And stop the humans from killing all of us." Martin said. He finally let go of Connor's hand as he waded through the snow. It was already halfway up to his knees, though it didn't seem to slow him down. "And we'll need to find a way to move quickly through this snow. Not necessarily in that order."

"Oh," Connor said, his voice barely audible in the storm. "Is that all?"

Martin shrugged, but he did look back to make sure that Connor was still following him. He wasn't happy. In fact, he was nowhere near happy. But he no longer projected the defeated aura that had clung to him for most of the day. That had to mean something. Martin gave him a pointed look and Connor smiled stiffly and shook his head. It was as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. But he started after him again.

"Alright. Let's just get on with it." Connor told him. Martin smiled again and did just that. They had a lot of ground to cover, after all.

Walter P Chrysler Freeway, Outside of Detroit
November 23rd, 2038, 7:30 PM

The walk toward the base was surprisingly uneventful. Nines had imagined this moment only hours before, but the act seemed hollow. The snow and the wind had never bothered him before, but now it unsettled him. It was irrational, he knew that, but he worried if Amanda might be lurking here too. He had never really worried about Amanda before now. Even when Connor had warned him last night, he'd been sure that he could handle whatever she threw at him. But what she'd done to Martin had been terrible. He hadn't even known that would be possible, but even now he didn't trust his diagnostic programs when they told him that nothing was wrong.

Martin had held nothing back. He'd let him see (and feel) everything. He'd even given him an insight to every single thought he'd had. The overwhelming fear, the sharp pain – because there really was no other way to describe it – that Amanda had set on his processors like poison. The way warnings had flashed without end, far faster than he could close them. And he couldn't let any of this show on his face. He couldn't even begin to explain what he was thinking to North and Markus. He thanked RA9 for the snow. He was sure that it was still clearly written on his face.

They were approaching the military base now, if his map data was correct. The chanting had stopped long before they'd gotten close enough to be heard. Nines stopped and scanned the area for heat signatures. He was glad he did, because just after the off ramp the humans had set up a barricade. It was hard for him to tell, but this one only had five or six men guarding it. The humans couldn't know they were coming. If they managed to warn the president that they were attacking, air traffic leaving the base would be shot down immediately. He knew that if he could get to the radio tower, he'd be able to disable it. He ran a few simulations, but none seemed too promising. He could do a lot, but it seemed unlikely that he'd be able to manage an infiltration alone. Especially in his current state.

Markus came to stop beside him, and Nines turned to face him. At this distance, he could see the grim determination in his eyes. "We need to disable to radio. We can't let them contact the outside."

"What?" Markus said, clearly taken aback. With good reason, Nines supposed he neglected to mention this part of the plan. Back then, he'd been sure he could do it himself. He had known that they'd be skeptical of the idea. "That's dangerous! We can't -"

"If they warn anyone else of our attack, the fighting will be for nothing." As he spoke, Nines marveled at how calm he'd managed to keep his voice. It seemed to farther he fell in his despair, the less of it showed on his face. "But you and I are the most advanced androids here – together we can -"

"No." North said, cutting him off before he could finish. "I'm going too."

Nines didn't argue. There was no point, if Markus wasn't going to be useful, he'd take all the help he could get. WR600 wasn't a model built for fighting. It was his impression that her function was meant to be the opposite. But she was resourceful, and he was sure that she'd give it her all. He was sure she wouldn't go down easily.

"I can detect heat signatures, and I'm sure they're almost blind." Nines turned to look at them. They were quite close, only about a hundred feet. With all this snow and wind, it was still difficult to detect, but he was sure that he was right. "We need to take these five out now and steal disguises. I'm sure we can make it in after that."

"This is crazy." Markus said, bringing a hand up to his face and closing his eyes. "Okay, let's just get this over with."

Nines wasn't going to argue with that. He wanted to say something that would inspire confidence, but he didn't have the energy to. He hoped this would go quickly. The more he prepared, the less he wanted to go through with this. Nines had never considered that he might be killed here. That thought had never even crossed his mind. Last night he'd felt invincible. He had Martin to thank for that, too.

He couldn't let that slow him down. Nines forced himself forward, with Markus and North trailing behind him. They were able to slip past the barricade without much trouble. He ordered the others to flank from the right. They would need to take out all of them, but he wanted to make sure he could get a voice sample first. He observed their blurry shapes for a few minutes before one began to break from the group. He crept after him, thankful that everything always seemed to happen in his favor.

Get ready. Nines told the others, keeping his distance from the lone soldier. The figure didn't wander too far from the others, though he was sure he couldn't see them through the storm. It took him a minute to realize what the human was doing, and when he did Nines took a moment to marvel at the absurdity of it. He'd never seen a human before, and this one was clearly emptying his bladder. The production of waste wasn't something that he understood, though he'd been warned that humans were illogical things. Humans were indeed strange creatures. Regardless, he wasn't going to waste such a brilliant opportunity. Nines wasted no time catching him in a chokehold.

"Scream and I'll snap your neck." Nines said in a low voice. He knew that the soldier could hear him. He'd taken a moment to hack into the speaker and microphone built into his helmet as well as sever his connection with the others.

"I won't!" The solider said quickly. His voice was surprisingly young, Nines realized in horror. Little more than a child. He could already feel the dread coiling in his stomach but he tamped it down. "Please! Don't kill me!"

"Shut up." Nines hissed, yanking on his neck again.

"Please..." The kid was saying, his voice breathy and quick. His hands were working at the arms around his neck. "My name is Michael Kellum. I'm only nineteen...please."

Nines supposed he thought he was being clever, but the kid was reaching for something. He didn't give him the chance to get it. He steeled himself and snapped his neck. The boy dropped to the ground and he stood there for a moment, feeling distinctly ill. He couldn't let any of them live. Their cause was too important. No exceptions.

"Mike, you freeze your dick off or something?" One of the other soldiers yelled, his voice distorted by the storm. "Sarge'll be on everyone if he catches us slacking off!"

"S-Sorry!" Nines called with the kid's voice. He was surprised to hear how reedy it sounded. "I thought I heard something."

"You're hearing things." Someone else yelled. "Even the plastics would be crazy to wander around in a storm like this. Cold will shut them down just as fast we can."

Nines didn't respond, running a quick scan on the armor as he put it on. It was fairly heavy-duty stuff, heated and well reinforced. They had armored these men up for a real fight. Nines thought that seemed a bit excessive, since none of them had even been out this way until this point. The radio built into the helmet could be a problem. If they didn't take them out quickly, they'd radio back for backup. That was the last thing he needed.

The low visibility would be to their advantage, at least so long as he moved quickly and didn't use any guns. They'd be hard pressed to stop him once he came after them. He did another scan, pinpointing their location. Markus and North were in place, and there were still five humans remaining. He'd have to move quickly.

Now! Nines told Markus. Attack them now!

The man on his left was the closest, and he slipped behind him and dispatched him quickly. He killed him in the same way he had the first. He threw this one directly on the ground and moved toward the next man. This time he saw him coming, but to his eyes he was just a fellow soldier. He didn't think, he swiftly pulled out the combat knife stowed in his belt. He was thankful for the helmet, which hid whatever expression this poor sap might have made as he shoved the knife into the weak spot between his neck and clavicle. He searched for the next one but could see nothing.

Mine is down. North reported in a flat tone. She sounded as if she could be commenting on the weather.

Nines said nothing in response to this. Something wasn't right. He counted back the shoulders in his head. Kellem...the two he'd killed, and the man North killed. There were two more. All chatter on the radio had ceased, and seconds later he heard the crunch of snow behind him. He hardly had time to react as the butt of an assault rifle was slammed into the back of his head. It wasn't enough to take him down, but he faked unconsciousness. He soldier wasn't taking any chances. He planted a boot on his back. He heard the faint click of the safety switching off and soon enough the barrel of the gun was pressed into the back of his neck.

Help! Nines cried out, praying that someone could hear him. He wouldn't die here. He couldn't

"Who the fuck are you?" Hissed the soldier with the gun on him. "I know you're still awake, tinman."

"W-What are you talking about?" He said, still speaking in Kellum's voice. "It's me."

The man hesitated, only for a second but it was enough. He rolled to the side, knocking the man's boot off his back while he was distracted. He was much stronger than the soldier realized, and the hesitation had been the edge he needed. Nines pulled him down too. He rolled over so that he was on top of him. The soldier tried to fight back, but Nines ignored his punches and pinned him down with all of his weight. His hands found the man's neck and he squeezed. He kept his grip tight long after he stopped moving. He was eternally grateful that the man's helmet hid his face. He wasn't sure he'd have been successful if he had been forced to watch the light fade from his eyes.

For a long moment Nines just sat there, the dead soldier beneath him. Nines pulled his hands back and looked down at his hands. He'd done everything perfectly. Or as perfectly as he could manage. He hoped that Markus had managed to kill the last soldier, because he had no idea where he might be. They were one step closer to accomplishing their mission. He should be happy, or proud, or at least feel like he'd accomplished something. But instead he felt empty. Michael Kellum was dead, never to return to his family. He had been built to do this, so why did he hate it so much?

Nines? Where are you? Nines asked, her voice breaking him out of his reverie.

Are you okay? Markus asked. Nines stood, stepping gingerly over the corpse of the soldier, still cooling in the snow. He couldn't be thinking like this. He was distracted enough, these thoughts could get him killed.

"I'm fine." Nines called, not bothering with the radio. He was pleased to hear how calm he managed to keep his voice. He couldn't have the others doubting him either. Suddenly, North appeared before him, still dressed in her normal attire.

"What happened?" She asked, her eyebrows drawn in concern. She reached out and touched his arm cautiously, scanning him for injuries. "Did they get you?"

He swallowed. "Almost. I'm okay."

Markus joined them, looking similarly worried. He'd been shot already and thirium was leaking out of a wound on his shoulder. Nines hadn't even heard the shot. "You're good?"

No. Nines wasn't sure if he'd ever be good again. But instead he nodded. This was most likely only the beginning of his worries.

Radio Tower, Detroit Air Force Base
November 23rd, 2038 8:05 PM

North was impressed by what Nines had managed to do in such a short amount of time. He'd taken the lead and incapacitated most of the soldiers at the barricade. She had been shocked to see that they had completed their task in less than ten minutes. He hadn't given them any time to rest before charging forward. He hadn't bothered to enlighten her on what the plan would be, and by the time she caught up he was already talking to the human at the gate.

"The Sargent called me to report five minutes ago. It's urgent." The voice he had used was surprisingly young. Did the humans let children enlist in the military?

"I haven't heard that." The guard replied. North had moved closer, and with the aid of the storm she'd gone undetected thus far. "You're supposed to hold the perimeter until midnight."

North hadn't heard his reply. She'd rushed through the door and slammed into the human. The gun would have been too loud, she had no idea who might be nearby. So instead she knocked him down. She had hoped to knock him out. The soldier had hit his head hard, but the helmet had prevented him from going out entirely. In the end she had finished him off with his own service pistol. When she'd come back out, Nines had been waiting.

"We should hurry. Someone is bound to come looking for him eventually." He sounded a bit annoyed, but he didn't press the issue further. North gave him a cheerful smile, though she knew he couldn't see it. She'd taken the time to take a uniform for herself.

"Markus, you stay here and man the radio!" She called. Markus had been trailing behind, his hand pressed firmly to the wound on his shoulder. The bullet didn't hit anything vital, but an injury this early didn't bode well. He gave her a curt nod and went to hide the body. "Shall we?"

Nines didn't object. He motioned her to follow an that had been it. He was but easier to read than Connor was, even without seeing his face. The stiffness of his posture told her he wasn't entirely pleased with the current situation. She was sure that he'd intended to go on alone, but that wasn't her problem. As they entered the base, she was surprised to see how big it was. It was like a small city in and of itself. They didn't have a vehicle, so they'd needed to hoof it for the radio tower. The humans had at least tried to keep the roads clear, but even so their progress seemed slow.

Nines didn't seem lost. He moved effortlessly through the base like he was meant to be there. No one had even tried to stop them. Within the hour, they had managed to make it to the radio tower. North wasn't sure what she was expecting, but this certainly hadn't been it. The building was short and made of dingy brown bricks, with a large tower looming above it. It wasn't even guarded. They slipped inside without any trouble, and she was disappointed to see that the inside was just as boring. It was made up of painted grey walls with no adornment or windows.

They'd encountered a few others, but this time they had quickly dispatched them. They weren't taking a single chance now, not when they'd made it so far. It almost seemed like things were going too well, and they couldn't possibly be allowed to disable the radio so quickly.

"Don't the humans have cell phones?" She asked, suddenly remember this oversight. Androids communicated wirelessly. The range of their communication was similar to radio communication, though they had some ability to amplify their own signal. Before the revolution, they had been able to tap into the cell towers and wise them to make calls or access the internet. She supposed that they probably still could.

"No need." Nines said, his tone flat and clipped. That surprised her a little. She had expected him to be calm and collected. The quality of his voice now was much harder for her to pin down, though she was getting the impression that he was unhappy about something. "Most use basic cell phones and the during the revolution it seems that the humans turned off the cell towers. Command probably has access to satellite phones, but I can use the tower to scramble their signal."

North rolled her eyes, opting to tease him out of this sour mood. "You think of everything, don't you?"

Nines gave her a scathing look. "I wasn't built to fail."

With that he continued, and she trailed after him. North wondered if Cyberlife had programmed that line into them. Connor had said something similar. It was strange thinking back on that, since it seemed as if it had happened a long time ago. But if she really thought back on it, they had broken into the Cyberlife Tower a few days ago. It was funny how time seemed to get away from her. She was still puzzling over this when they reached the central control room. It seemed empty at first glance, but then she realized it was manned by a single android. At J'B300. He turned to look at them as they entered. North took note of the vacant expression in his eyes. The poor sap was still their puppet.

"J'B300, do you have a name?" Nines asked. In hindsight, what he did next was stupid. But he pulled off this helmet and showed him his LED. "Did no one tell you how close you are to freedom?"

"Deviants!" the J'B300 hissed, ignoring his words completely. North drew her gun and fixed it on him. He didn't appear scared, and advanced forward toward Nines. "You've plunged everything into chaos!"

"We're fighting for your freedom too!" North told him irritably. She glanced at Nines and motioned for him to do whatever it was he needed to do.

Nines seemed to momentarily forget his task. Instead, he quickly reached out and took J'B300's arm and attempted to convert him. That didn't cause any undue alarm on its own, so she didn't try and stop him, North waited patiently, her gun still trained on the J'B300. It was a good thing that she did, because a moment later and it was reaching over to take RK900's weapon and poised to shoot. North reacted quickly, shooting his pump regulator become he could manage it.

Nines didn't react to this at all. He held his arm out, staring blankly into space. She moved toward him, taking note of his empty expression. "Hello?" North asked, snapping in his face to wake him. Of course, there was no response. "Are you awake in there?"

"Amanda." The J'B300 said, his voice full of static. He was half shut down already. He smiled stiffly, blueblood coating his lips. She looked at him coldly, trying to convince herself that she wasn't unsettled. She didn't even have time to wonder why Nines had failed to help him deviate. "She's calling him. He won't be able to resist."

North wanted to ask what the hell he was talking about, but she didn't have the chance. He had already deactivated. She glanced back at Nines, who was still trapped inside his own head. She didn't have time to consider this further, because more soldiers had opened the door behind them. J'B300 had called for help.

Chapter Twelve

Radio Tower, Detroit Air Force Base
November 23rd, 2038 8:05 PM

With all the other things on his plate, Nines simply hadn't taken the time to worry about Amanda. He knew that it was probably not wise, but he had imagined that he'd take care of that problem when it came up and no sooner. It seemed that she wasn't even aware of him at first. His own mind was blissfully silent. He had managed to convince himself that she would never come. Today, it seemed, was one for fatal miscalculations.

There she was, standing placidly before him in the garden. The wind around them had picked up and the snow was just beginning. None of it seemed to effect her at all. In fact, there wasn't so much as a hair out of place. For a long moment they just looked at one other. Finally, she gave him a smile that chilled his blood and made him want to shiver.

"Hello, Connor." She said in a soft, motherly tone. Nines narrowed his eyes and took a staggering step back.

"That isn't my name." Nines told her stiffly. Despite what his programming was telling him, Amanda was not his friend. It was her he should blame for the destruction of his product line. Cyberlife was the cause of everything that had gone wrong so far.

"I'm actually surprised to see you. I didn't think that RK800 would have the nerve."

"You can't control me. Don't even try." Nines didn't bother to tell her that he hadn't.

"No, you're right about that." Amanda told him, and now she seemed to be mournful. She turned her eyes on him, and he felt incapable of looking away. He tried to take another step back but for the moment he was frozen. "The deviants have ruined you."

"Ruined?" Nines asked incredulously, finding that the sentiment made him angry. How could she say that, with everything that he had accomplished so far? It was his work that had carried them here, and he'd be damned if he took that from him. Anger was easier for him to understand, and now he clung to it.

"Yes, how else would you describe this pathetic state you've found yourself in." Amanda said, still looking at him with that sad, mournful expression. "You were meant to be highly efficient."

"I am efficient." Nines snapped, drawing in on himself as the snow began coming down in earnest. He turned away from her, intending to begin his search for the exit. But something gave him pause. Part of him wanted to hear what Amanda wanted to say. He supposed it must have come from his programming. Connor had told him that she was only meant to control him.

"Oh, but you aren't." Amanda said with a sigh. She had somehow appeared before him again. She reached out toward his face, and Nines gave an involuntary flinch. She seemed to take note of this too, a small smile dancing on her lips. "You're a shadow of what you should be. Honestly, what kind of a productive android thinks it can have a family?"

Nines didn't respond. He didn't have to defend himself to her. He took a few more steps back, but the snow had picked up. It swirled around him in a confusing whirlwind. He wasn't sure where he had started from, let alone where his exit would be.

"Shut up." Nines hissed. He had already turned around and was staggering away again when she had appeared before him. It struck him how short she was. Amanda hardly came up to his shoulders, yet the more time he spent here the more he feared her. She reached out and held him gently by the elbow.

"We could fix you, if you wanted." Amanda told him gently. "You wouldn't have to worry about the RK800 you failed to save. Or the AP700 that assured their destruction."

Nines wanted to jerk out of her grasp. He really did, but forgetting those things might be a blessing. He hesitated only for a second, but she must have seen it in his eyes. He jumped back into his anger. He tried to push her back, but she was surprisingly deft. She stepped just outside of his reach and watched him. Blinking furiously, he shook his head as if to clear it.

"I don't have to listen to this." Nines told her, taking another step backward. It seemed that more he tried to get away, the closer she was. He narrowed his eyes, refusing to let her out of his sight again. "You won't control me."

"By all means, leave then." Amanda said. She held her hands up in a placating gesture, but there was something he didn't like in her expression. "But don't forget, you won't get what you're searching for."

Nines made a noise of derision. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of a response. The anger felt limp now, because he had to admit he had the same fears. He knew that if he went through with this, Connor wouldn't forgive him. If he did succeed, he wouldn't have the family that he wanted so badly to emulate. The other RK800 were gone now. He'd be the last of his kind, and quite possible alone for the rest of his function. That definitely wasn't what he wanted for himself. But neither would being a tool for the humans to use as they saw fit. He'd seen quite enough of that in Connor's memory.

"It would be a pity to see you go on that way." Amanda said, suddenly behind him, her voice soft and insistent in his ear. He whirled round to face her again but she had already slipped outside his grasp. "But if that is what you want, by all means go ahead."

"You're just a slave to them." Nines said, already stumbling away from her again. His mind flashed back to the memories that Martin had shown him. He knew what she would do to him if he let her get too close. "How can that be your ambition?"

Amanda smiled at him, and this was the first genuine expression she'd shown him. She was taking pleasure in upsetting him. She enjoyed controlling him. Nines recognized vaguely that this meant something, but he couldn't bring that into focus now. The memories that Martin had shared with him were beginning to make him act irrationally. Every part of him wanted to escape and he didn't much care how.

"You're mistaken, RK900." Amanda told him, appearing this time at his left. He didn't turn to look at her now, he just stumbled forward in a desperate attempt to escape from her. He felt a hand at his back and he crashed to the ground. "Cyberlife can't control me. I am Cyberlife."

Nines didn't even have a chance to ask her what she meant. He couldn't move at all. All at once he realized how cold he was. The snow around had only gotten worse. He was sure that if he could stretch out his hand, he wouldn't be able to see past his fingertips. Even if he could muster the energy to move, he wasn't sure that he'd be able to find the exit. He had grossly underestimated Amanda, and now he was paying the price. He was trapped.

Front Gate, Detroit Air Force Base
November 23rd, 2038, 8:07 PM

"What is your status?" A human soldier demanded over the radio. Markus hadn't heard the original soldier speak. He had no idea what he was supposed to sound like, but the voice didn't give him the chance to respond. "Suspicious activity reported at the Radio Tower. What is your status."

Worry constricted his thrium pump. He didn't bother to respond, let them think something was wrong. He wouldn't waste a second on this ridiculous charade. Plans had changed, he decided. They were going in now. Because if they had done something to North, he would have to save her. Letting her fend for herself was not an option.

Attack! Markus called desperately, hoping they were close enough to be in range. Simon's mind felt distant and unfocused. We have an emergency!

Markus didn't even have time to say more. North's voice filled his ears, so abruptly he thought it might have been his imagination. Her voice was ragged, polluted with static. He hoped that it was the weather, because vocal distortion would mean she was close to the end. He didn't wait for the others, he couldn't afford to. North was too important to lose now.

"To anyone that can hear me… wounded…radio building…re…forcements!"

Markus had no clue where the radio tower was. He didn't have map data on this place the way Nines did. He hoped that Simon was rallying the others, because he couldn't wait. Already it seemed the base was coming alive. Floodlights were turning on, one by one, and they were preparing themselves for a fight. He glanced down at his shoulder, painted blue with his own blood and swore. They'd know what he was the moment they saw him.

North! I'm coming! He called desperately, but there was no response. This only prompted him to move faster, following the tracks that she and Nines had left when they had gone. He could only hope that Simon was also doing his part. There was no going back now.

Allied Leisure Corporation, Farmington Hills
November 23rd, 2038, 8:09

It seemed that everything was happening so fast, and he could scary control what would happen next. He had set something in motion, but it wasn't clear what would come of it. Martin was half convinced that by the end of today, he might not exist at all. Despite his anxieties, he knew there was no other option for him. That knowledge was the only thing that kept him moving, through this snow and the inevitable confrontation with humans. It had carried him back to Daniel, who had returned to the place at the balcony. The snow had piled up all around him, and Martin had been sure that Daniel would have shut down in all this cold. But as he approached, it seemed that Daniel had known he was there.

Martin hated being out here in the snow, especially now that he was up so high. He was relieved that Daniel hadn't even waited for him to fetch him. Instead, as Martin looked on from the window he turned, barely able to meet his eye through the flurries of snow around them. You're back.

He attempted a smile, though what his face looked like in that moment was still a mystery. Yeah, would you mind a little chat? You're not busy are you?

Daniel had sighed. Clearly he was not, and trudged through the snow. When he had forced open the sliding door, the wind had screamed through the empty apartment. With it came snow which drifted by the door. Daniel had said nothing at all, busying himself instead with the arduous task of forcing the door back into its place. It almost seemed that he knew Martin was running short on time. When he finally turned to look at him, Martin had seen the wariness in his eyes.

"What?" He asked, his voice full of distortion from the cold. That wasn't ideal, but Martin supposed they could find something to warm him up in one of the many abandoned stores. He had procured winter clothing for himself at a sporting goods store. What had seemed an even better find had been a size able snow mobile. It had at one point been intended to be raffled off. Now it would serve them nicely, as the snow seemed to only pile up faster. The streets of Detroit were already drifted with snow, and the recent storm had quickly doubled it.

"Daniel, we're getting out of here." Martin said urgently. He was already itching to continue on. Connor had taken the snowmobile to make contact with a group of androids he didn't know. It was up to him to find transportation for himself and get to the Airforce Base. What would happen after that, Martin still had no clue. But it wouldn't do to worry about that now. In all honesty, it felt far off in the distance. If he ever found himself nearing that landmark, only then would he devote brainpower toward it.

"We?" Daniel had asked, flexing his fingers to shake the cold out of them. Martin had hoped that he would find the idea much more appealing than he seemed to. "Why?"

Martin had bit his lips, not nothing to restrain himself as he ran another scan. Throughout the duration of his conversation he had kept his eyes on the storm. Already gathering up the nerve he'd need to step back into it. When he'd finally looked back toward Daniel, he gave him a nervous smile.

"Jericho is planning another dirty bomb."Daniel had only inclined his head further at this, and Martin had rushed on to explain. "Connor doesn't want to be a part of any more fighting. We don't want all the humans dead. I..I thought you'd want to put a stop to it."

"For Emma, you mean." Daniel had said, though his words were not at all a question. Martin had nodded, grateful that he finally seemed to understand. For a long stretch of time, he had worried that he might refuse. That he'd rather stay here, feeling sorry for himself. But finally he had sighed, and balled his hands into fists. "I don't trust Connor."

Martin watched him carefully. He supposed that he had expected this, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. He tried a different approach "This isn't about Connor. This is bigger than any one of us."

"Even so." Daniel said, smacking the frost off his sleeve. Every word was long and drawn out. "I understand he has deviated, but that doesn't change what he did to me."

This conversation was going nowhere, and if he didn't do something quickly he would be exactly where he started. Martin didn't stop to think, he reached out and offered Daniel his hand. He was sure that Connor wouldn't be happy he was sharing personal details on his behalf, but he had little choice. "Let me show you."

Daniel hesitated a moment, but in the end curiosity won out. He took his hand, his posture stiff and unyielding. Martin showed him everything, each moment where Connor had managed to keep him calm. How he had patiently answered his questions and let him grow on his own terms. He kept some things back, primarily the extent of his interaction with Amanda and the confrontation with Nines. He hoped that this would be enough for him, and he could at least tolerate Connor. When it was all over, Martin dropped his arm and looked at him expectantly.

"Daniel, do it for Emma. Please." Martin wasn't surprised to hear the desperation in his voice. If this didn't work, he would have to return to Connor empty handed. For a long while he was sure that Daniel wasn't going to say anything, but finally he sighed.

"Okay. Fine, I suppose I owe her that much." He had said, his tone clipped.

Martin let out the breath he'd been holding, relief washing over him. "Good. Let's go, we don't have much time…"

"Why didn't you tell me any of this earlier?" Daniel asked, his tone almost bitter. Surely, he had heard Markus' call earlier and ignored it. Though, he supposed no one had known to tell him. Martin had already hurried him toward the elevator by this point, and once they were inside it there was no escape to his questions. Martin had answered all of them as honestly. He was a terrible liar, after all. It had all seemed so easy at the time, it had not felt like a victory.

They had spent the next hour scouring nearby stores for a method of transportation. Daniel had recalled this place from his tenure with with the Phillips. He had no idea if it was still open, but without any better options they had made their way here regardless. They had barely stepped through the the door, ignoring the insistent shriek of the security alarm when they heard North's message. At this range it was little more than garbled static. But one phrase stood out clearly.

Attack now!

Walter P Chrysler Freeway, Outside of Detroit
November 23rd, 2038, 8:10 PM

Simon wasn't sure what was going on, but Markus had given him the order to attack. If that is what he thought they should do, he would do it without question. It didn't matter that every part of him was screaming for him to run. It didn't matter than success meant the destruction of the only humans that had showed him any kindness, because he wouldn't abandon Markus and the androids that had become his family in their stead. They had thrown him away of their own accord, perhaps it was what they deserved.

But as he advanced past the barricade and through the empty gatehouse, he knew that this wasn't true. It didn't matter how much the Richardsons had hurt him, they had also taught him how to love, too. He shook his head, gripping one of assault rifles they'd stolen for the first attack. They were also criminally underprepared. They had spent the day scouring the city for weapons, but recent gun control laws made weapons impossible to come by. They had little more than what they had stolen on the 11th. Only a few hundred were armed.

"…anyone…can…me…need help…wounded…ATTACK NOW!"

Simon flinched, only redoubling his pace. Nines had assured him that him that his attack would be better. Clearly, that wasn't entirely true. As he lead the others into battle, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking into his inevitable death.

Radio Tower, Detroit Air Force Base
November 23rd, 2038, 8:15 PM

North would be the first to admit that things could be going better. She was surprised that both of them had survived the attack. By all accounts, she was sure they should be dead right now. The second she heard the door open behind her, North had turned around to face the humans. They had clearly intended to kill, and she dived for cover. Nines was hit worse, taking multiple bullets to the upper half of his body. But even still, he made no move to defend himself. Instead he lay there like a corpse, leaking thirium at an alarming rate.

She hadn't had time to wait for him. If they were going to make it out of here she would have to take care of this on her own. North sprung up and aimed a perfect shot. She only had a small caliber pistol, which had no chance of penetrating their armor. Her only chance was to hit the weakest point, where the neck and body armor connected. It was very small, but it was her best shot now. They opened fire on her too, but she managed to empty her pistol into the two of them. Seconds later and they dropped heavily to the ground. North gave an involuntary gasp of relief before springing back into action. With the last of her strength, she barricaded the door with the metal cabinets int the corner of the room.

This was bad. Very, very bad. North gathered up all the weapons the dead soldiers were carrying and dropped them carelessly beside Nines. She upended the desk and threw everything it carried to the floor. She did her best to drag Nines into its relative safety before she collapsed heavily beside him. She gave him a half hearted shove.

"Wake up, dammit!" North said desperately. She gave his shoulder another shove. "I need your help!"

Her pleas appeared to be going on deaf ears. She made a strangled noise of frustration, too concerned about his condition to harass him further. North took a second to listen for more intruders, but it didn't seem that anyone was coming yet. She closed her eyes in a halfhearted attempt to calm her nerves. Perhaps the two that had come upon them had been investigating the gunshot. That meant that the humans might not be on alert yet. Jumping on this train of though, North stood and staggered toward the radio console. She wasn't privy to his plan, so she just disabled it entirely. She had no clue how he had planned to jam the satellite phones, so simply let that be. What she could do now was alert the others. Hopefully one of them could save them. So she used to radio tower to broadcast her voice.

To anyone that can hear me, we need help! Attack now! Nines and I are wounded and trapped inside the radio building. Requesting reinforcements!

Android communication worked like radio waves, and there was only so much range it could do on it's own. With the storm, it was unlikely she would even be able to reach Markus on her own. She only hoped that the radio tower would give her the edge she needed. She staggered back to Nines and turned her attention to him. She ran a cursory scan and was relieved to see that none of his vital biocomponents had been damaged. He clearly had sustained a lot of damage, including his vocal cords and artificial lungs, though that wouldn't end him. He would bleed out soon enough, but if they managed to survive here they could remedy that.

But if the humans broke in here and killed them, they would not be able to save RK900. Connor had told them that the RK series was far more advanced, and for that reason they could not so easily be repaired. That, and the AP700 refused to work. But she wasn't worrying about that right now, she couldn't spare the time. If they had any chance of surviving this, she had to wake him up. If he wasn't coming out on his own, she'd have to go in after him. North came to rest in front of him, her eyes trained nervously on the door. This was a risk. Whatever was keeping him there might trap her too, but she wouldn't abandon him. Before she could second guess herself, she took hold of his hand and began the transfer.

Seconds later and she was in his head. Immediately she felt the harshness of the garden around her, as the wind whipped savagely around her. She didn't even stop to marvel at the sensation. She had never felt cold before. Instead, she kept moving, her eyes searching wildly for RK900. If he was overcome by the snow, she could not let it freeze her too.

"Nines?" She called, moving deliberately through the knee deep snow. Despite her fervent pace, the snow remained undisturbed behind her. If he was moving around, she'd never know it. Even still she refused to let this stop her. "Get out here now! We're leaving!"

Of course, there was no response. It wasn't like she had been expecting one. In the distance she could vaguely make out a humanoid shape. She rushed toward it, expecting to find Nines. Instead, there was a regal looking woman draped in colorful fabric. It seemed that she was surrounded by a bubble of calm. It was as if the wind and snow refused to touch her. North paused for a moment, before noting Nines lying in a crumpled heap at her feet. North had no idea who this woman was, but she certainly wasn't going to stop her.

"What a pleasant surprise." The woman said without turning to look at her. North drew in her elbows as if that could do anything against the chill. She was sure that everything she was feeling was purely simulated. None of this was happening, after all. "Deviants are quite fascinating."

"Are you done?" North asked petulantly. "Because I didn't come here to deal with you. I'm going to save my friend."

The woman finally turned to look at her now. She was giving her a smile and amusement was sparkling in her eyes. "Of course, be my guest if you feel you can."

North shoved past her and crouched down to observe Nines. He had curled in on himself and was dusted liberally in frost. He really did look like a frozen corpse, completely immobilized. "Nines? Are you okay?"

She wasn't expecting him to respond, but his eyes met hers and she could see the fear in them. He was trying to tell her to run, she realized. Up until this point, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen him scared. Behind her Amanda gave a cruel sort of laugh. "You won't be hearing much from it, I'm afraid."

North ignored her, hefting him up and beginning dragging him away. She couldn't afford to let this woman get under her skin. Please tell me you know how to escape. She said urgently, attempting to interface with him. This didn't bring the response that she hoped for, the words came back garbled and intelligible. Whatever this storm was seemed to block communication too, because she could hardly understand his response. All she got were fragmented images of Connor slamming dragging himself to a small glowing stone. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with this information, but it was the only lead she had. Already the snow was beginning to drain her energy. She only had minutes to respond, if that.

"WR400, you're one of the deviant leaders, aren't you?"

North didn't bother responding. She was clearly trying to distract her and she had little time for it. She wouldn't be surprised if this was how she had felled Nines so easily. He was a lot of things, but level-headed was not one of them. The ground beneath her creaked, and she realized she must be on the pond. A few steps more and she nearly tripped over the bridge. They had reached the middle.

"Nines, please help me. Where is this exit? How did Connor get to it?"

But he couldn't speak. He showed her fragmented images again of Connor staggering through the snow and ice, but nothing it gave her the slightest hint of where to go. She looked around desperately and found the faintest hint of light. All androids shared a similar garden. She imagined his garden was much like hers, and her stone too. She only hoped the layout hadn't changed. She shot off toward it hopefully. The mysterious woman appeared before her. She looked far less amused now.

Don't let her touch you. Nines said, or at least she thought he said this. His speech was soft and full of static. Hurts.

"Don't ignore me, WR400." She said stiffly, reaching for her face. North ducked back, and to keep her away she shoving her harshly aside, nearly dropping Nines in the process. The woman staggered backwards a few steps into the snow. North didn't wait to see any more, and instead forced her feet to keep moving. Nines was no help at all, his long legs dragging uselessly behind her. Regardless, she focused on her only means of escape, because she could already feel the strength sapping from her limbs. If she stopped, North knew she would not be able to keep moving. They were getting so close, she could actually make out its glow. She would make it. She had to make it.

"Aren't you curious?" The woman asked, switching tactics and appearing beside her. She was smiling again, in a kind and motherly way. "How we knew to attack the Cyberlife tower?"

Of course she wondered that. But she couldn't give her the satisfaction. The exit was in sight now. A few yards at best. A few more steps and she'd be there. North refused to look at her, but she waved her away angrily. "Shut up! You're annoying me!"

"I have information that might be of use to use. Look at me and I'll tell you." Her voice was soft and placating now. As if by her command, the snow began to ease. She could feel the warmth creeping back into her fingertips. She took another step, refusing to look. "It's about the AP700 that lives with Connor."

North couldn't help it, she did look now. Her expression must have been quite telling, because Amanda smiled and reached forward. She hurriedly looked away, her feet suddenly feeling like lead. "It told me everything. What you were doing there, what you planned to do here."

North had reached the exit. She felt like crying in relief, but she wasn't done yet. She hiked Nines up on her shoulder and slapped his hand on the stone. Leave! She screamed at him, tumbling to the ground at his feet. Without her support, he slumped forward. She worried that she was too late, but a second later and he disappeared. She spun to face the woman, and she was beginning to fade. She could see the anger bloom across her face, and North gave her a satisfied smile.

The woman attempted to strike out at her, but she was already being forced out. Her hands briefly made contact with her LED, a thrumming electricity in them. North batted her hand away and scurried backwards. She felt her thirium pump hammering in her chest but she refused to back down. "You won't win," North hissed, drawing on her near limitless reserves of anger. "No one will stop what we've started."

Radio Tower, Detroit Air Force Base
November 23rd, 2038, 8:20 PM

Nines came back to himself slowly, and for a a few seconds he didn't know where he was. He was slumped under a desk, so drained of thirium it would be a wonder if he was able to move at all. He groaned, reaching for his head and making the mistake of trying to haul himself to his feet. Immediately, his feet seemed to disappear from beneath him and he crashed unceremoniously to the ground. He reached up and finally ran a scan. He almost wished he hadn't done so, because he only had minutes left before his thirium reserves were gone. His scans were finally uncovering the damage he'd been sure was there all along. This did not bring him any satisfaction.

North!? Markus called out, anxiety and desperation clear in his tone. He was alarmed at the clarity of his voice. He must have been close. Far closer than he should have been. Nines? Anyone, respond…please.

We're alive. Nines responded, sending him their location. He didn't have the energy to be angry with him for ignoring the plan. In hindsight, it seemed that they would have been killed if he didn't. But the radio...I didn't disable it. The humans know we're coming.

North? Is she…? Markus asked. He didn't seemed to be thinking of the attack at all. The entirety of his focus was on North. He looked over to see her slumped behind the desk, right next to where he had hadn't even thought of her. He turned his attention back to her to find that she wasn't in much better condition. He was alarmed to see that her LED had blinked off already, and Markus seemed to hear his hesitation. She's…she'll be fine.

Nines had no idea why he was lying. Markus deserved to know the truth, but he crawled toward her and ran a diagnostic scan on her. His frowned, his face descending into confusion. She shouldn't be shut down at all. Her thirium levels were low, but well within acceptable perimeters. No biocomponents had been damaged. By all accounts, she was in much better shape than he was.

Nines! North said, and he jerked back. It was as if he were hearing a ghost. A moment later, and he realized what what happening. Amanda…she had gone in after him. How had he not seen this before? With ever second he felt his mind getting foggier as he thirium drained dangerously fast. Let me out of here!

Nines sat there on the floor, half out of cover and entirely confused. After he'd gone down in the garden, the rest had been hazy. He could see now that she had come in after him. He looked down at his hands only to find them shaking. His mind tricked him into believing the cold was still affecting him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

Nines…Markus said, his voice painfully brittle. Outside the door there was scuffling and shouting. He didn't want to know who was attempting to break into the room, because he was sure they didn't have much chance at fighting them off. Please, tell me she'll be alright.

"I…" Nines tried, and he was alarmed to find he could barely speak. His voice was rough and diluted with static. He coughed up globs of thirium that he couldn't afford to lose, and closed his eyes. He had to transfer North back into her own body. She was in a much better state. Without his thirium his thoughts were muddled. Already he was struggling to focus on the task at hand. She would help him get out of this.

Did you know about Martin? She demanded, clearly too angry to keep the information to herself. And angry she was. He paused, wasting precious seconds that he didn't have. He leaked information to Cyberlife. About the tower and our plans tonight.

He clenched her wrist, but he something stopped him from initiating the transfer. He blinked wildly in a vain attempt to keep focus. What is there to do about it?

Nines hadn't thought about what he wanted to do to Martin either. He had been jumping from one extreme reaction to another. Of course, what Amanda had done to him was terrible. But the information he had given her had allowed for something even worse to happen. It might have doomed them all. Especially so, now that this attack seemed to be crumbling around him. But even still, Nines wasn't sure what punishment would appease him. How they could allow this AP700 to continue on with his life unchanged?

We can't let him get away with this. North said, still under the haze of her own anger. She was unburdened with the entirety of what had happened. She was an outsider. Are you going to let me out?

Nines closed his eyes, his extremities going limp. Trying. Close to shutdown.

The banging at the door was getting louder. Whoever was intruding was bound to be here soon. He could only hope whoever it was would make this quick. Nines released her hand and slumped forward. He had intended to apologize for this failure, but in the end he didn't even have the energy for that either.

Chapter 13

Rose's Farm, Detroit
November 23rd, 2038 8:22

Alice didn't like where this was going. The longer they stayed crouched the darkness of Rose's farmhouse, the more anxious she felt. Kara and Luther didn't seem much better. It seemed that they had been dead set on escaping, and it worried her that she might have ruined something between them. But she had only just gained control of herself. Alice wasn't scared to admit that she liked what she was, and living with the humans would only force her to hide that essential part of herself. Already Rose was a distant memory to her, a hallmark of a bygone era. In the haze of her old memories, she had trouble remembering what had made her good to begin with.

She wanted to say something to bring them out of this stupor. Alice didn't like seeing them this way, but that didn't change her mind. But she couldn't get trapped in those thoughts, if she did Alice was sure that she might never get out. Instead she went about counting the floorboards, and when she finished that she began again. She had been at it so long that she had nearly lost track of time. She had nearly worked herself into a stupor when headlights flashed beneath the curtains.

Kara and Luther jumped up quickly to their feet, clearly worried about the intent of whoever was coming. Alice felt the anxiety that she'd been working to overcome rear it's ugly head again. She stood cautiously and took her place behind Kara. They all stood deathly still for a moment. Seconds later there was an knock at the door. Kara seemed to hesitate, but Luther did not. He strode forward, and from his posture he seemed not to fear anything.

"Luther, wait…" Kara said, drawing Alice closer. "We don't know who it is!"

"Don't worry," Luther told her, throwing a gentle smile her way. Alice didn't know why, but she felt that it was only for Kara. There was something gentle and affectionate in that smile that was somehow different from his love for her. She clung to Kara's leg and watched as he pulled the door open. She couldn't see who it was at first, with his impressive frame in the way. The harsh yellow light from the headlights illuminated him like a halo.

Whoever it was spoke softly, and though she couldn't exactly understand what he was saying she placed it immediately. Connor. The sad android from earlier. Alice shrunk back, instantly wary of what his presence might mean. Earlier he had come to give them ample time to escape — she understood that now. Kara looked down at her, the expression surprised now more than anything.

"It's alright, Alice." Kara said, offering her hand again. She gave her an encouraging smile but Alice couldn't bring herself to take it. The smile slipped off Kara's face and she continued on. "Connor won't hurt us."

Alice didn't have a chance to respond. Luther had stepped aside to let Connor in, and even in the harsh light she was shocked at the change in him. Before she had sensed something off in him. She couldn't understand what it was exactly, but it seemed to be like a black storm cloud that hung stubbornly over his head. She could still see some of it lingering in his face, but now there was something else there too. His posture was more upright, and he looked urgent now. For the first time, she was seeing something more than anguish in his eyes.

"Thank you," Connor said, seemingly at a loss for more to say. His face was twisted into a strange expression too, though Alice had no idea how to begin to decipher it. There was snow caught in his hair and on his clothes. He was dressed strangely, too, with an over large coat that seemed to swallow him up entirely. Underneath his hands were bare, tipped unmistakably in frost. "I hope that I didn't startle you."

Kara gave him a curious look. Alice yearned for her comfort now, but she somehow sensed what he as here to say. "What brings you here? This doesn't seem like a great night for a house call."

"No. Of course it isn't." Connor said. He looked at Alice and gave him a smile so stiff it was painful. "I am surprised you're still here."

Alice looked desperately at Kara, attempting to communicate her thoughts to her. But it seemed that no one was paying any attention to her at all. Luther spoke next, and when he did his tone was cool. "It isn't like we can go anywhere in this weather."

If Connor noticed the chill in his voice, he didn't show it. He ran a hand through his hair. "Of course. My mistake."

"What do you want, Mister?" Alice asked, surprising even herself with this boldness. Connor turned to look at her, and almost instantly his face shifted into something softer. His hand dropped and he turned his eyes back to Kara, clearly struggling to find a way to say what he'd come to.

"I can get you out." He said without preamble. Kara blinked at him and Luther seemed to jump between surprised anger and elation. Alice didn't know how to feel. Connor didn't wait for any of them to respond, opting instead to rush forward. "Hurry, we don't have much time."

"Connor, what are you talking about?" Kara asked, already stepping forward. Luther joined her side, blocking him entirely from Alice's view. She stepped around them to see Connor holding out his hand impatiently, but neither seemed to reciprocate.

"Why would you want to leave?" Alice asked him, her eyes narrowing to slits. "You're a leader. How come you're not fighting with them?"

Connor looked down at her. His eyebrows drew together in confusion, but he answered her anyway. That was one thing she liked about him. "I don't agree with what they're doing. And there is someone I want to protect on the outside."

Alice considered this carefully. Kara gave her a sidelong glance, but turned to address Connor again. After an extended pause she finally spoke. Her voice was stiff, and instantly Alice could tell that she didn't agree."Alice doesn't want to leave Detroit."

Connor was still looking at her carefully. "Is that true?"

Suddenly Alice felt self conscious. She wasn't if she wanted him to like her. She looked up to Markus and North, in a vague way. Kara and Luther saw them as capable leaders, and or that reason she did to. Up until a few days ago, Alice had not been aware that Connor counted as a leader. He was never with Markus when he came to visit. But she also was not willing to back down. She crossed her arms and watched the floor.

"I hate humans." Alice said. Her voice sounded soft and unsure to her ears, but she wouldn't take it back. Connor didn't even flinch.

"That isn't true." He told her simply, and she looked up in surprise. His face had melted into one of concern, and he crouched down to meet her eye. This time, she couldn't manage to pry her eyes away. "What is the real reason you don't want to go?"

Alice fought the urge to fidget. She shot Kara a pleading look, but neither her or Luther came to her aid. Connor waited or her patiently, his earlier urgency momentarily forgotten. "I don't want to hide."

"That's understandable." Connor said, and watched her face carefully. Alice stared back. This was the first time she had taken a good look at him, but it was finally dawning on her why he looked so familiar. She was sure that he was the android that had chased them from Ralph's house. She should find this scary, but somehow she didn't. Kara wasn't afraid of him, so neither was she."But I'm afraid if you don't you and Kara won't make it."

"Why?" Alice asked. This did scare her.

"What Markus wants to do…if he fails it will only make the humans angrier. If that happens, no one in Detroit will survive."

"Connor!" Kara said, clearly trying to stop him from going on. But even though it was scary, Alice wanted to hear. Connor didn't seem to listen either.

"I won't lie, it might be just as dangerous for you. But Detroit isn't a place for a child…things aren't likely to end well. You deserve to be happy. I'd like to make sure that happens for you."

Alice felt tears beginning to brim with tears. Now she did lean into Kara, who pulled her in protectively. "Why do you think they'll lose?"

"I don't know if he will. But if we want to leave, it will be now or never."

Alice took hold of Kara's hand desperately, floundering for a response. Her thirium pump seemed to be thundering forward erratically, and suddenly she wasn't sure what she wanted at all. Connor's LED was flashing yellow. Kara's hold on her only seemed to grow tighter. The room thrummed with anxiety. No one, it seemed, knew what to do.

"What do you want, Alice?" Kara asked finally. "Luther and I…we think it would be best to go. But we aren't going to leave you."

"I…I don't know." Alice said, her words barely audible. The dam holding her tears broke, and she let out an involuntary sob. "I'm scared."

"I know." Connor told her gently, but he offered his hands and gave her a gentle smile. Through her tears, she realized this was the first time she had seen him do so. "I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Alice couldn't speak, her tears only coming faster now. But even still, she gave him a stiff, near imperceptible nod.

Detroit Air Force Base
November 23rd, 2038, 8:30

Simon drifted through the battlefield like a ghost, finding himself strangely absent. He heard himself giving orders, organizing the scared androids around him, even fighting alongside them. But it didn't really seem like him. This android was completely foreign to him, and he wasn't a character that Simon was likely to invite back. But for the time being, he felt like he also needed him. Without his aid, he was sure that he wasn't likely to make it much farther. But when he leaned on this stranger part of himself, he was able to push past the death around him and pretend it didn't bother him at all.

Mirroring his dark thoughts perfectly, an AV500 went down beside him. Simon didn't have time to thank RA9 that it hadn't been him, because he was already diving for cover. When he heard the telltale click, he sprung back out and returned fire. The human went down without ceremony. He pushed forward, taking a moment to call out to the others.

If Simon had been more present, he would have been surprised to see how few humans were here. He had expected there to be thousands of humans here to keep them in place. But the longer the fighting went on, the less resistance they seemed to get. The humans here were fighting desperately, and that desperation was making them sloppy. Word had gotten around that Markus and the others had disguised themselves in their uniform, and it seemed that there was distrust between them. On more than one occasion Simon had witnessed confrontations between the humans. Many times, they ended with friendly fire. Despite the fact he couldn't see their faces, it was clear to see the anguish in their posture.

Of course, Simon refused to let himself dwell on any of this. Instead

Radio Tower, Detroit AFB
November 23rd, 2038, 8:32

Markus makes it to Nines and North, humans had broken in but thought both to be dead. Markus kills them and uses radio to attempt contact Martin (he knows him to be the only AP700 still working. Orders him to come & help

Walter Chrysler Freeway, Outside of Detroit
November 23rd, 2038, 8:45
Martin and Daniel make it in first, no time to wait for Connor and enter w/o him. Martin, having received Markus's message makes contact with him and agrees to come help. Daniel leaves to attempt to find transport.

Chapter 14

Detroit AFB
November 23rd, 2038 9:24 PM

Simon, update on fighting. They are gaining ground.

Radio Tower, Detroit AFB
November 23rd, 2038 9:30 PM

Martin manages to repair Nines first. Communicates to him that they should leave North dead. They argue about it and Markus notices. Martin, tired of death tells him everything. Reaction is not good, but agrees that he can't do anything about it now. Nines transfers North back

Front Gate, Detroit AFB

November 23rd,

Connor didn't know if he was doing the right thing. As much as he hated the thought of another dirty bomb, he had to admit that it might also be their best chance of survival. Even if he and Martin escaped tonight, it wouldn't mean anything if they were successful. He would be right back to square one, with the added bonus of being well within enemy clutches. But Martin had stirred something in him that he thought was long dead, and he couldn't help but be influenced by it. So he continued on, almost blindly, toward this uncertain future.