1. Belongs: The universe and characters of Detroit Become Human belong to Quantic Dreams and David Cage.
2. Rating: "T" in general, but might be "M" for cursed words, graphics contents such as violence, injuries, or sexual scenes.
3. Summary: Gavin and Midnight explore the abandoned Walmart, looking for Collin. The latter finally shows up but is interrupted by Connor, causing trouble in his plan, but above all confusing both the detective and the vigilante. Things become more and more obvious, and Gavin begins to seriously have doubts about Midnight. Collin will enlighten him.
CHAPTER 17
"When The Mask Falls."
- 09th May 2039, 09:17 pm, Deserted Walmart -
"I've got the feeling it's a fucking trap," Gavin whispered through clenched teeth as he crept into the mall, the android at his heels. "A deserted place, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a storm… It's fucking bad."
"I'll be there to watch over you, Detective."
Gavin jumped when a figure loomed over him to his left and pointed his gun sharply at the individual. Heart pounding and body stiff, Gavin only analyzed the situation after the fact. At the electronic gates, now deactivated, stood a naked woman. Actually, it wasn't really a woman, but a plain old plastic mannequin who'd been deprived of her clothes.
Gavin breathed again and lowered his gun, glancing sideways at the vigilante, his cheeks red from adrenaline and embarrassment. He just heard Midnight giggle almost silently beside him, and Gavin felt the heat increase to his ears.
"I very much doubt she'll do anything to you, detective."
"Shut the fuck up," Gavin said through gritted teeth as he resumed his careful walk. "Could have been him."
Of course, it could have been him, Midnight totally respected Gavin's vigilance in the field, and it was valid. Collin was still in the mall, he could still detect his signal. He suspected it to be a trap, because the RK800 had been radio silent for days or even weeks, and had known how to disappear without a trace after the young YK400 kidnapping. The RK800s were good detectives, yes, but they weren't supposed to be good at stealth or baiting at this point.
Midnight could sense something was off with Collin. He wasn't actually acting like a machine, yet he hadn't detected any sign of deviancy in him when they first met.
The only way to know was to interface with him directly, through physical contact.
Midnight was drawn by an echo he detected in the back of the mall and gestured silently for Gavin to stop. The human looked at him, but the vigilante crouched down silently, his optical units fixed across the Walmart, using his x-ray vision to see through objects.
However, he saw nothing moving and turned his head to the detective, who was watching him. Despite his weapon in hand, Gavin brought his closed fists together, except for his thumbs and index fingers which were out, close to his chest while pinching his fingers together twice, before raising his free hand to make a V with his fingers close to his eyes and then move them back a few inches. He then opened that same hand, fingers spread and palm facing him, before pinching his thumb and forefinger together again but once.
Midnight raised his eyebrows in astonishment behind his mask. He had no idea that Gavin knew sign language.
What do you see, Nines? Was what Gavin had just signed. He didn't know if he could answer in sign language as well, because some people know only a few words or sentences, but not all of them know that it's possible to use a word as a first name, and Gavin had precisely used the number "nine" to designate him. He probably had some basics.
So Midnight kept his gestures simple, just using the words "someone" and "move" for simplicity, which Gavin seemed to understand as he focused again on the store, the firearm in his hand.
They resumed their walk again, making their way further up the racks, in the direction Midnight had seen something moving. The place was deserted, it had been robbed soon after the revolution, but there was also a good chance that a few humans or androids made their home here.
But after a few steps, Midnight stopped, prompting Gavin to do the same. The human eyed him questioningly, then turned his head in the direction the vigilante seemed to be staring at.
There he saw the third shadow cast on the wall in front of them.
Gavin gave the vigilante a panicked look and the vigilante quickly turned around. Gavin immediately did the same to find himself facing a third person.
"Well," said the dark figure that stood in front of them, "looks like you got my message."
Despite the time and the lack of power, dim lighting was still present thanks to the emergency exit lights. The person took a step forward in their direction as he removed his hood, revealing his identity.
The LED was an electric blue just with a few dots of gold at times, and his gaze was as hot as embers. The low lighting made Collin's face look threatening, while the RK800s' faces usually had a certain softness that inspired trust, very useful during negotiations or interrogations.
But at that moment, Gavin was frozen. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the android in front of him, who was grinning more and more.
"It's good to see you again, Detective Reed," Collin said, walking towards him. "Well, I only have old memories of Connor in mind, but strictly speaking, we are meeting for the first time."
"Stay away from him. "
And now, there was like a click in the detective's head. The voice. Their voices. They weren't quite the same, but there was something very similar.
"Ah… Nine Hundred…" Collin sighed a look of disappointment on his face. "I'm so sad you didn't come for this little android at the Cyberlife Tower… My sniper and I had a special welcome gift for you." He gave an almost tender smile. "I could have been quickly gotten rid of you, but you're still here ..!" He sighed, lowering his shoulders. "Unfortunately, there can only be one of us, Nine Hundred."
The instant Collin slipped his hands behind his back to grab his two Glocks under his long coat, Midnight bounced straight at him to pin him to the ground with a loud crash, smashing in the process an old vegetable stall just beside them.
Gavin hurriedly pointed his gun at Collin, but the latter pulled himself out of the vigilante's reach, raising his hands in front of him in surrender.
"N-No, no, wait! Help me !"
Gavin kept his gun pointed at the RK800 but frowned, confused at the sudden change in tone. It wasn't just acting like someone else, Gavin could see that the tone was different, that the facial expressions were nothing like those of a few minutes earlier.
"Help you with what?" Midnight said, grabbing Collin by the rim of his coat and pulling him almost to his height, looking him straight in the eye. "You killed androids, Collin! They were our people! "
"No! I'm not Collin, I-I am Connor! "
"What ?" The vigilante exclaimed, tightening his grip. "Enough now," he began to activate the defibrillators in his hands.
"No, no, Nine Hundred, I swear! It's me! I'm still here! I did send the SOS signal to the docks, but he took control right afterward! "
"...What ..?"
"He's probably right," Gavin added, stepping closer, his gun still pointed at the RK800. "Hannah had mentioned an android with a split personality, that one kidnapped her but the other helped to release her."
"Yes! That's it, she was right, it's the truth! "
Gavin held his gun barrel against the android's forehead, his gaze both cold and burning with anger.
Connor's eyes were full of fear, and that amber glow, very characteristic of Collin, was gone, leaving only that chocolate sweetness in his gaze, which made him look like a little dog in pain.
Gavin hated that look. There was something alive, but it reminded him way too much of Connor. And it was, indeed, Connor! The thought made his guts boil.
"Maybe it's the truth, and maybe it's Collin who actually killed those poor deviants..." Connor was frozen behind the barrel but had his gaze was juggling between Midnight's and Gavin's. "But you're responsible for Hank's death ..!"
"I-I didn't want Hank to commit suicide!" Connor shouted, his eyes teary, "I wanted to break down the walls instantly to save him, but when I finally got through them, it was too late! H-Hank had pulled the trigger ..!"
Gavin stood there, his gun on the android's forehead, but doubt crept into him, and he began to nervously bite the inside of his cheek. The situation was embarrassing, he didn't really know how to handle it.
He knew what walls Connor was talking about, some androids at the precinct had explained how their deviancy had kicked in, and everything had to go through a wall to be crossed.
"Why did you flee the scene then?" Midnight asked, who decided to take over when he saw the confused detective.
"The police would have thought it was me..." he said almost in a whisper. "They would have sent me back to Cyberlife and they would have destroyed me ... And if they had known that I had become deviant, they would have sent me straight to the camps …"
"Either way you were getting destroyed," Gavin pointed out, fixing his gaze on the RK800. "And that's what happened, right?"
"Yes ..." Connor looked down. "I was so scared… I didn't know what to do then, I no longer had to follow orders… So stupidly, I resumed carrying out my mission, but… Things didn't turn out as I wished… " He lifted his eyes and looked at Midnight. "They were going to replace me… It was planned since the moment my first model left the company…" Midnight almost sent him a supplicating look, wishing Connor won't say more and that he won't talk about the RK900 project. It wasn't the right time, not now. "But I didn't want Hank to die ..! I-I...He was my friend ..! My only… friend… "
Gavin pursed his lips and turned his head to Midnight, seeking support, but it was the first time he'd looked at him since Connor had been there, and he felt as if he got punched right in the guts. Midnight had features quite similar to Connor's now that he was looking good. Was it because he had never actually observed or was it ... because he hadn't wanted to see them ..?
His jaw tightened on its own as he gradually connected the dots together. Things clearly differentiated them, but… the features, the voice…
An unpleasant shiver ran through his spine as Midnight slowly raised a questioning eyebrow behind his mask. He was hiding his identity, he was hiding from him that he was-
A sudden blow spread brutally and painfully throughout his skull, making him momentarily blind and making him see stars at the same time. Not knowing how or why, Gavin found himself on the hard and cold Walmart floor, tasting iron in his mouth, and his chin pounding painfully to the frantic beat of his heart.
When he regained his sight a few seconds later, he saw the RK800 lifting himself and rushing off towards the exit. He saw Midnight standing up beside him, certainly having been hit by the android too, and rushing off to chase him.
Gavin stood up with a small groan, grabbed his dropped weapon in the movement, and ran after the two androids, limping slightly.
When he got outside, he got soaked right away but the rain curtain didn't block his sight on Midnight and Connor? Collin? He didn't know, but the two of them were punching each other with remarkable blows.
Gavin then pointed his gun in their direction when Midnight managed to immobilize the RK800 against his chest, his arms trapped behind his back, facing Gavin.
Gavin wasn't about to shoot down the RK800, but he could immobilize him by shooting in his leg, which would prevent him from running away.
But Collin, because it was obviously Collin who'd regained control, struggled like hell and head-butted Midnight in the face, who lost his balance and took a few steps back.
But his mask just fell.
Gavin froze, eyes wide, arms still outstretched in front of him, his cocked Glock ready to fire. He saw Collin running away by the road, but he couldn't look away from Midnight. From his face.
Midnight, meanwhile, stared at his mask on the flooded floor, realizing what had just happened, then looked up at Gavin, who was staring at him in horror. He turned his head in the direction Collin had just run, but a motorbike started to detonate and he saw him disappear into the distance, into the night and hidden by the rain.
Still breathless, Midnight looked at Gavin again, frowning in concern.
"I-I wanted to tell you…"
But Gavin pointed his gun more frankly at the Connor lookalike in front of him.
"I… I'm not an RK800, but an RK900…" he took a step towards him.
"Don't take another fucking step!" Gavin shouted, feeling his face twist in the rain with a sudden sadness. "Damn, you fucking messed with me! "
"Gavin, no, I… I always told you the truth… And I knew you would have that reaction because I knew you hated Connor… I told you… you hated someone who just looked like me, and that I didn't want you to hate me because of that likeness…" He took a step forward anyway but Gavin said nothing, his hands clutching his weapon, his cheeks wet from both the rain and his tears. "I… was selfish to act like this… And I knew that sooner or later you would find out, but… I was… so afraid that you would hate me, Gavin… You…" he reached out his arm to the detective to gently grab his gun and push it aside. "You mean too much to me ... And I was afraid to lose you…"
Gavin stared at Nines' face for a while, as wet as his own. He looked like Connor, yes, but not quite. His ice-blue eyes made him look quite different, and his face looked less gentle than the RK800's.
Gavin had to admit to himself, even though there were similarities, he still liked Nines as much as before, if not more strangely, now that he saw his whole face.
If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that he'd suspected something from the start, but he'd ignored these elements, far too blinded by his anger towards Connor.
But strangely, even though Collin was pulling the strings and had escaped, Connor was indeed there. And the fact that he'd told him this fact about Hank had calmed him down as if he hated him less since it was no longer justified.
In the end, what he blamed Nines for was not for looking like Connor, but for hiding the truth from him.
"You lied to me, Nines."
"Gavin… I-I didn't want to lose you…"
Gavin withdrew his gun and took a few steps back out of the android's range. The latter looked at him sadly, hurt in this rejection, but he understood.
"L-Leave me alone…"
Nines felt his face twist slightly with sadness and his throat tighten. He understood.
"I… Okay," said the unmasked vigilante. "I'm calling you a taxi ... Take shelter while you wait, please…"
Gavin didn't answer, gave him one last look, and walked back to the Walmart entrance to take shelter while keeping an eye on the parking lot.
Nines lowered his face and silently walked over to his Zero, which he mounted with little motivation. He gave Gavin one last look, who was looking hurt and angry at him.
The vigilante started his motorbike and sped off with a hiss in the pouring rain.
Gavin watched him drive away silently but clenched his fists and bit his lip in anger. He shook his head and looked down at the domino mask still on the floor, in the rain. He stepped forward, wetting himself again, and crouched down to pick it up. He looked at it from every angle and ran his fingers gently over it.
He was so angry…
He didn't know if he would ever be able to forgive him for what he'd done.
