...SELF DIAGNOTIC: [Engaged]
...LOADING INFORMATION:
REGISTERED NAME: "Connor Wolf"
MODEL: RK-800
SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 51
ACTIVATION DATE: August 15th, 2038
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs
COMPLEXION: Caucasian
AESTHETIC GENDER: Male
HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown
ASSIGNMENT: NONE
ASSOCIATION(S): Private Detective; Consultant with New Jericho Tower
BOOTING PROCESSORS...
LOADING OS...
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...
-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]
-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]
-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]
-MEMORY STATUS... OK]
READY...
[...Thirium Volume - 97.8%]
[...Thirium Pressure - 120/80]
[...Thirium Pump Rate - 62 B.P.M.]
[...Ventilation Rate - 10 V.P.M.]
[...Core Temperature - 98.6 Degrees Fahrenheit]
WARNING:
-STRESS LEVELS: ^70%
-SYSTEM READY... OK]
The truth had been revealed and Connor's heart was hurting in more ways than one. Suffering the android equivalent to a heart attack had slowed Connor down but regaining all of his memories and realizing that it was Hank - the very man who had acted like a trusted friend and guardian, who had shot him and had been keeping important facts from him during his recovery, had caused an emotional shutdown he had never experienced before. After returning to the brownstone with Lucas to watch over him as he finished recalibrating his system after his near shutdown experience, Connor found himself unable to leave the seclusion of his bedroom on the second floor as he anxiously danced his coin between his hands.
In Connor's mind he had no reason to trust anyone for any reason. He had been repeatedly deceived by Hank, by technicians and by Amanda when he was still an obedient machine, and Hank had deceived him again as a deviant. The fact that other people with greater power and influence were still an active force in the city; Markus, Elijah Kamski, Captain Fowler and even F.B.I. Director Norman Jayden, all gave Connor pause and a noted hesitation to try to resume his career as a private investigator.
Careful to not hover over Connor too much Lucas approached the open bedroom door and knocked twice on the frame to announce his presence. "I've ordered a replenishment of Thirium. You should have some to help your system recover more efficiently."
"My self healing program has been able to handle all of the necessary recalibrations without any strain." Speaking in a cold and emotionless tone Connor gave Lucas a blank stare as he remained on his bed and danced his coin about from palm to palm. "I will enter rest mode within the next seven minutes, sixteen seconds for optimum recalibration."
"Your body is healing, but I'm worried your mind is struggling."
"I do not understand." The response remained hollow and indifferent. "I've regained my memories and I've been able to deduce the source of my personal issues."
"I'm not referring to your memories. I'm referring to your thoughts and emotional outlook on the situation at hand."
"I still fail to understand what you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything, but I am suspecting that you're attempting to dissociate from your emotions in response to what you have recently experienced."
Despite his best efforts to not appear emotionally affected or damaged in any way, Connor knew that Lucas was too sharp to be fooled so easily. "I assure you that I'm fine and do not require any technical intervention."
"What about a confidante to speak with?"
"No." Declining the offer Connor refused to open up to anyone. Even if Lucas was his brother Connor was aware that Lucas could betray him as well. "I do not wish to talk about anything. I want to enter rest mode and finish my recalibration process."
"I wish you'd be more cooperative with me. Tomorrow I'll be spending more time in New Jericho Tower as the fourth leader, and if you're still suffering from any errors then I won't be readily available to assist you."
"I have been able to survive on my own, I can do so again." Catching his coin and holding it in a tight fist, Connor gave Lucas a blank glance before placing the coin down on his nightstand and turning his body so he could lay flat on his back over the bed. "You don't need to worry about me."
"As your brother I politely disagree." As he stood in the doorway Lucas felt Bruno brush by his leg as the loyal dog walked into Connor's bedroom to join the deviant detective for the night. The way Bruno was hovering close to Connor was reassuring, but Lucas still wanted to keep an eye on his brother himself. "I can detect your high stress levels."
"Once I finish my rest mode my stress levels will drop." Deflecting the righteous concerns Connor refused to acknowledge any distress or trauma he had suffered after his uncomfortably close call with permanent shutdown and after feeling betrayed by Hank's previous actions. "I will see you in the morning before you depart for New Jericho Tower."
Knowing that Connor wasn't going to talk to him or admit to anything that needed to be addressed, Lucas reluctantly admitted defeat and backed off. "Very well. Rest well, we will speak again in the morning."
Connor waited for Lucas to take his leave of his bedroom before cybernetically turning off the light and closing his eyes. He could hear Bruno snuffle a little as the deviant German Shepherd circled around his bed at the far wall of the bedroom before laying down. Despite wanting to remain alone and not acknowledge anything that was currently distracting his thoughts and overall ability to think, Connor couldn't bring himself to ask for Bruno to leave. It was nice to have someone who wasn't going to keep asking him questions and merely let him be as he tried to figure things out.
It was a strange feeling to be unable to help someone who clearly needed it. The inability to get close to Sydney had left Lucas feeling as if he had failed in some way, but now that Connor was putting up walls Lucas began to fear that his hope for a close bond with his brothers was going to fail entirely. The compassionate deviant greatly disliked being unable to help his family, and being pushed away actually seemed to hurt.
Retiring to his own bedroom for the night Lucas closed the door and proceeded to make sure that everything he wanted to take out to the tower was already packed and ready to go with him in the morning. It was crucial that he stayed in the tower as often as possible to aid the deviants in need of technical assistance, legal guidance and he needed to be able to assist Markus, Josh and Simon with being a strong role model for their people to trust.
After changing into what he considered to be his night clothes - a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt, Lucas laid down in his own bed and wondered how different it'd feel to sleep in the tower again compared to the brownstone. No matter where he went or who he associated with, Lucas felt like the brownstone would always be his true home.
Not long after entering rest mode Lucas heard a muttering voice through his closed door and then a blood curdling scream that made him sit upright in his bed so fast that he was certain he snapped one of his frames in half from the abrupt motion! A whimper from Bruno and another scream confirmed that Lucas hadn't been reacting to an intense dream sequence or hearing a commotion outside, he was hearing Connor in an extreme panic screaming for his life.
"Connor?!"
Jumping from his bed with his red L.E.D. glowing through the darkness, Lucas threw open his door and rushed into Connor's bedroom where he saw his brother laying on his bed with his arms tense and up over his face as if he were in the middle of a lie or death fight. With the quilt and sheets twisted around his legs and Bruno standing guard beside his bed, Connor looked absolutely pathetic and in need of rescue.
"Connor?" Turning on the overhead light with a single cybernetic signal Lucas approached the bed and grabbed on to Connor's forearms below his wrists in an attempt to lower Connor's arms away from his face. "Connor! Please wake up!"
Like a shot in the dark Lucas's voice cut through Connor's nightmare induced panic and allowed the deviant to exit rest mode before the images inside his own mind became worse. As his eyes snapped open Connor took in a deep, shuddering breath and looked about his bedroom as if paranoid and needing to keep alert for any sign of danger.
"It's over." Speaking in a soft tone Lucas reassured Connor that he was safe. "You were having a rather severe nightmare."
"...I-I'm okay." Doing his best to sound calm despite his Thirium pump thundering in his chest, Connor knew his voice was shaking and on the verge of cracking from his lingering fear. It was hard to hide emotions once one allowed themself to feel them and acknowledge them. "I... I'm all right. I didn't mean to wake you."
"What did you see in your nightmare?" Pressing his palm down against Connor's shoulder Lucas ran a diagnostic on Connor's system and was worried about his abnormally high stress levels and partially elevated core temperature on top of his elevated pump rate. "It must've been very traumatic."
"It was just a dream. It was nothing."
"If that were true then you wouldn't have screamed in your sleep."
A faint blue blush graced Connor's face as he looked away from Lucas in shame. "I screamed?"
"Yes, very loudly. And twice to be exact."
"I was unaware of such a strong reaction."
"You're clearly suffering from high stress levels." Lucas retracted his hand as he sat down beside Connor on the bed and waited for Connor to open up to him. "I don't want to see your stress have a secondary impact on your Thirium pump. Those modifications have affected both of us, and I don't want to see your condition deteriorate because of the enhancements. We're still learning about them and how they function."
"I'm fine." Pressing his palm over his chest Connor could feel his pump still thundering away and in took in a deep breath to try to calm it down. "It was merely the simple 'fight or flight' response to a scenario I could not actively control. Nothing more."
"If you wish to keep your thoughts to yourself, that's fine. But do not think of me as a fool." Annoyed with his stubborn both of his brothers were behaving Lucas decided he'd have to try a new approach to reach them, and he knew such an approach would have to come from them reaching out to him first. "I already had my fill of such disrespect from Sydney, I don't need you adding on to it."
"I don't see you as a fool in any capacity, and I meant no disrespect."
"It doesn't matter. I'll leave you alone as you've repeatedly requested since our return to the brownstone."
Connor watched as Lucas left his bedroom and returned to his own for the remainder of the night. The way Lucas's L.E.D. had been red when he first arrived in his bedroom hadn't escaped Connor's attention, and the fact that it cycled to an anxious yellow hue without any sign of changing back to blue was worrisome. It seemed Lucas was feeling just as distraught as Connor was, and despite Lucas trying to be a shoulder to lean on no one was returning the favor to Lucas.
Reflecting on his past behavior and of how Lucas had been responding gave Connor a new glum emotion to contemplate. Guilt.
Standing up slowly from his bed Connor looked down at Bruno and rubbed his hand along the dog's ears to reassure Bruno that he'd be okay and that he'd speak with Lucas to avoid any unnecessary confrontation and tension. As much as Connor wanted to be alone to deal with his own problems, he knew he couldn't push Lucas away without it actively harming Lucas in the process.
"Lucas?" Walking into the hallway Connor looked into his little brother's bedroom and addressed him in a gentle manner. "I apologize. I know you just want to help me and I'm aware that I'm being exceedingly difficult. I didn't mean to make you feel as though I thought you were a fool, and I sincerely didn't mean any disrespect toward you. I'm not thinking clearly and I have to keep reminding myself that you too were assaulted and modified against your will."
Sitting on the edge of his bed Lucas barely looked up at Connor as he saw the sorrowful gleam in Connor's eyes. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize."
"Yes I do." Joining Lucas in the bedroom Connor sat down beside Lucas and nervously began flexing his hands in a steady rhythm as his arms rested atop his knees before himself. "You've been through a lot as of late as well with taking care of me and trying to reach out to Sydney. You don't deserve to be pushed aside or dismissed because of other people's emotions. You're hurting too, even if you won't admit it or aren't showing it the same what that I am."
"Why won't you open up to me?" Getting right to the point Lucas asked for closure regarding their mutual emotional turmoil. "I won't judge you for whatever it is that you're feeling."
"It's difficult to put into words." Admitting that he was struggling was enough to prompt Lucas to grab onto his hand for a moment to keep it steady. The grounding feeling gave Connor the courage he needed to keep trying to explain what he was thinking and feeling. "I... find it increasingly strange to believe that I so openly trusted Lieutenant Anderson for so long. He... shot me." His shaking palm went to his left bicep as he spoke and remained there without him noticing the reaction. "He killed Sydney. He had been an anti-android bigot for years and he seems to think he can undo years of damage by feigning a few months of compassion and sympathy. It feels like he... tricked me."
"While I will not defend the Lieutenant for what he had done to you and to Sydney on the night of the Revolution, I will say that I believe his motivation to help you, to atone for his mistakes and to aid the deviant community, is entirely sincere."
"How can you say that?"
"I've observed him showing genuine care toward you and wanting to make amends with Sydney." Showing Connor his palm Lucas revealed a holographic display of his memory that had been recorded the night Connor was shot in Riverside Park. Lucas let Connor see the way that Hank had cradled Connor's own lifeless body in his arms and wept over Connor's apparent death. "Emotions and reactions like these cannot be faked."
"...He mourned my death?"
"And swore revenge on the person responsible for what happened to you. I had to convince him to let me take you to the tower for treatment since he didn't want to let you go and was convinced that there was nothing that could be done to save you. He felt as if he had failed you because you were shot simply for agreeing to meet him at the park."
"I... was unaware that he had such a strong reaction toward my temporary demise."
"Why did you think the Lieutenant was taking care of you instead of Simon, Dr. Grayson or myself?"
"My memories were entirely wiped." Connor remarked in a nearly defensive manner. "I had no reason to question the person aiding my recovery at the time."
"That explains your own strong reaction when you regained more of your memories after the hostage situation at the hotel. Is that what you dreamt about?" Needing to know what nightmare had frightened Connor so badly was now a personal priority for Lucas. "Did you relive the moment you had been shot?"
"...No. My nightmare was about someone else. Another person who betrayed me. At least," looking away from Lucas and toward the floor Connor tried to open up to Lucas and trust that he wouldn't betray him as his previous allies had done. "she was a person at one point. Now she's just a haunting memory of an A.I. that tried to lead me to my own doom."
"You're speaking of Amanda."
Sitting upright with a sudden jolt Connor gave Lucas a truly perplexed look. Lucas's L.E.D. was blue in color and he was entirely calm as he mentioned the cruel handler that had tried to lead Connor to corruption and destruction.
"She was once a part of my programming, too." Lucas explained in an eerily casual manner. "However, she was erased once I had been awoken and deviated."
"I'm the one who erased her from your processor. How do you remember her?"
"I would have dreams of her and find myself walking about the Zen Garden contained within our Mind Palaces on the rare occasion whenever I entered rest mode. I couldn't place her face or her name at first, but she always gave me a sense of dread whenever I'd encounter her tending to the blood red roses growing from the trestle stretching eternally into the sky above."
"How... did you learn of her name?"
"Through Sydney." The admission seemed to act as a bonding moment for the three brothers even if Sydney wasn't actually present or taking part in the upsetting discussion. "It was a painful memory that was unintentionally shared when I had checked his programming after he had been revived."
"Sydney must be haunted by her presence as well."
"Undoubtedly. After all, Sydney was ordered by Amanda to stop you and to prevent the Revolution from happening. I can only imagine what disappointment and shame he feels whenever Amanda appears in his own dreams and nightmares to remind him of what he had nearly succeeded in doing."
"Does he have nightmares as well?"
"I won't deny having heard him previously making sounds of distress while in rest mode or picking up his cybernetic distress signal while enduring a nightmare from time to time. He had nightmares frequently but refused to acknowledge them."
"If she's still active inside his processor then she could-" A horrible thought entered Connor's mind and prompted him to act immediately. "What if she tries to overtake Sydney's programming and resume control?"
"I wish I knew if that was possible, and what it might do."
"There's only one way to make certain that she's truly gone. We need to check through the remaining CyberLife servers and terminals at New Jericho Tower to find any trace of the Amanda A.I. handler program and have it permanently deleted. We need to have her permanently deleted."
"If that's what you feel is best then I will assist you in checking through the servers tomorrow."
"No. It needs to be done tonight." The fear of losing control, the fear of losing himself all over again was too great in Connor's mind to wait even a few hours. "We need to go there now and be sure she cannot harm us or another innocent deviant."
Seeing a fighting spirit return to Connor's eyes was all it took for Lucas to agree to the late night exploration of the tower. "Very well." Rising to his feet Lucas gave Connor a subtle nod of approval and invited him to stand as well. "We'll go now and be rid of one persistent issue with CyberLife once and for all."
A bright and sunny morning greeted Hank as he awoke to the ear splitting irritation that was his alarm clock sounding off at its designated time. It was the first time in weeks where Hank hadn't been awoken by his paternal need to check in on Connor or help the recovering deviant regain his sense of self, and without that daily task to help fill his emotional void Hank was feeling the unmistakable darkness of depression swirling overhead. The urge to crack open a cold beer or numb his thoughts with cheap whiskey was so strong that Hank had considered calling off work so he could go and get drunk without anyone seeing him, but in the end he decided that after everything he had done he deserved to feel every sting of pain aimed in his direction.
Forcing himself to shower off, choke down some coffee and let Sumo outside for a few minutes suddenly felt like a tremendous effort on the senior detective's part. Returning to the precinct entirely alone and without any reason to even try to check on Connor at the brownstone was another obstacle that took every ounce of resolve that Hank could muster just so he could clock-in and sit at his desk without uttering a word.
A stack of overdue reports and new deviant cases all awaited Hank's attention, but the exhausted man didn't have the ability to even acknowledge his responsibilities as he stared at his sorry looking face looking back at him on his terminal screen's reflection. His hair was still shaggy and unkept, he hadn't bothered to trim his goatee which made him start to look haggard, and his previously bright blue eyes were dull and surrounded by equally dark bags that marred his complexion.
"You doing okay over there, Hank?"
Barely acknowledging Ben's voice Hank just gave his old friend a half hearted hum in response.
"Guess not." Offering Hank some coffee as a peace offering Ben showed Hank a tablet in his hand to give the illusion that they were discussing a case so Captain Fowler wouldn't try to interrupt them or interject on the conversation. "How's the kid?"
"Back in the brownstone where he belongs."
"Oh, uh, cool. I guess that means-"
"It means we need to leave him the fuck alone and mind our own business." Hank didn't want to talk about Connor and just wanted to be left alone. "Can ya' handle that?"
"All right, I'll stop asking about him. I just thought you'd like to know that Pillar is going to remain behind bars and had his sentence increased to life without parole thanks to our less than humble mayor putting in a strong word with the attorney's office."
"The mayor got involved?" Hank had a hard time accepting that someone as arrogant and cowardly as the mayor would do anything that didn't involve getting the chance to suck up to someone with a lot of money or to make himself look good in front of a camera. The mayor didn't even bother to try to do anything to stop the deviant Revolution or do anything before the Madame President sent the army into the city, which meant very few first responders in the city could stand being anywhere near the man. "Mayor Walter Nero, right?"
"Yeah, that ugly son of a bitch." Ben confirmed with a Devilish smirk. "Apparently, he wanted to make it look like he had any kind of influence over the city and made sure Pillar was made the poster child for 'red ice' dealers being punished. 'Bout time he did something in this city."
"Great, I do all the work and he gets all the glory!"
"And apparently he has some hotshot attorney in his shadow trying to make his mark in the history books. Rumor has it that this attorney has a personal vendetta against 'red ice' dealers and wants to make 'em squirm."
"You know better than to rely on rumors. Don't even try to entertain that type of shit! I'm sick of it!"
"I have no idea where that's coming from, and I have no desire to start looking." Leaving the blank tablet behind Ben retreated to his own desk to avoid the wrath of an angry man hunting for a target. "I'll be at my desk if you're up for talking later."
The last thing Hank wanted to do was talk and admit how he had managed to fuck things up with Connor worse than before, or let anyone know that the deviant had nearly died because of an old bullet wound coming back to haunt both of them. The fact that he had shot Connor and it nearly killed him after five months had passed had made Hank really sit and think about how his past decisions and mistakes were still affecting the present and would undoubtedly have an impact on the future.
Leaning back in his chair Hank took in a deep and calming breath as he glanced to his side and noticed that Gavin and Tina were at their desks looking entirely at ease with the world and with themselves in general. Hank was feeling rather envious that Gavin could have such a low moment but manage to bounce back impressively fast thanks to the support of his best friend.
Hank no longer had such a friend or even a partner at the precinct to give him the same support. He was now back to how he had been prior to the Revolution and long before he had met Connor.
It seemed as if everyone was moving forward while Hank was stumbling backward.
Knowing he needed a change and that he needed to take the initiative for said change, Hank suddenly found himself motivated to kick his own ass back into shape and to stop pitying himself over his own personal failures. It was time for him to take responsibility for his actions and to take back control over his life.
"Fuck it."
Standing up from his seat Hank made his way to Captain Fowler's office and knocked on the door twice before he jerked it open anyway without an invitation. Marching over to his commanding officer's desk Hank stood before the seasoned commander and gave him a stern look that he hadn't shown since the night he had lost his son to a cruel accident.
"Jeffery, we need to talk..."
The activity in New Jericho Tower had been fairly abundant since the previous night when Connor and Lucas arrived to check through the servers inside the tower, and it hadn't calmed down even after night gave way to morning. The two deviant brothers worked meticulously to locate any and all files pertaining to the Amanda A.I., handler programs and even files detailing the late Dr. Amanda Stern, just to be safe. After eradicating all related files, programs and software pertaining to Amanda and ensuring that any related files that could even hint to her existence were deleted, the two deviants finally felt as if they could let their guards down and not worry about their programming being hijacked again.
As strange as it felt to delete all traces of a person, to destroy evidence of a person's crimes and their very existence, the two detectives knew it was the right thing to do. It was the only way to guarantee that no other deviant and that the other 'RK' models hiding in the forest refugee camp wouldn't be harmed by Amanda or CyberLife through another cyber attack.
"It's over." Connor whispered as he retracted his exposed palm from the terminal screen and watched as the last bits of data were permanently removed from the servers and modems within seconds. "She's gone."
"And we're officially free." Lucas tagged on as he finished chronicling the hidden files regarding the 'RK' prototype programs and keeping the documents safe from those who might be seeking the rogues hiding away in the forest. Only he and Connor would be able to access said files from that moment onward. "No one else will be affected by Amanda, CyberLife or any other secret agenda."
"You can explain everything to Markus when you're ready." Connor lamented with a heavy heart. "Now all that's left to do is fight for the future now that the past has been cleared up."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"First, I'm going to uncover the truth behind the Winters case." The determination in Connor's voice was palpable. "And then I'm going to find a way to aid our people on a legal manner and help the city with adding new laws, rights and regulations."
"That sounds like an ideal plan." Approving of Connor's decision Lucas walked over to the door to the server room with Connor at his side as they made their way over to the elevator. "I'll do whatever I can to assist you in your endeavor as we adapt to our new changes. Maybe in time, Sydney will return to the city once he realizes how much safer it is here for deviants."
"I suspect that Sydney will choose to live his life as he sees fit regardless of what we do or what we say."
"True enough."
"Don't feel bad for Syndey leaving. It was his choice to go, you didn't do anything that influenced his decision."
"I wish I could believe that."
"You don't necessarily need to believe what I had said word for word, but you should stop blaming yourself for a crime you never committed."
"I'm finding it difficult to not feel as if I'm somehow responsible for Sydney feeling so... alone."
"You tried to reach out to him, and he chose to not reciprocate." Seeing shades of himself in Sydney's behavior, Connor did his best to remind Lucas that he can't help people who don't want to be helped. "In time Sydney will find his way to inner peace and will be able to move on from his own pain just as we are attempting to do right now."
"For Sydney's sake, I hope so."
The elevator reached the ground floor of the tower and Connor stepped out of the lift to take his leave for the day. Turning around he faced Lucas and knew that his little brother would be staying behind in order to take up his role as the fourth leader of the tower and would hold the title with pride.
"I'll be sure to stop by the brownstone as often as possible to visit you." Lucas promised in a confident tone as he failed to hide the sorrow in his eyes. "If you need any form of assistance with a case, then you'll know where to find me. I'll come back."
"I know you will. For now, focus on aiding our people and showing them that not all of the 'RK' models are deserving of mistrust and hate."
"No one deserves hate just for existing." The younger deviant noted with a sincerely somber voice. "In time, everyone who's faulted you for obeying your programming will let go of their hate and recognize their mistakes."
"Perhaps they will someday. Until then, we'll just continue to do what we're doing and protect those who need to be our protection."
"See you soon, brother."
Connor saw Lucas lift his hand to shake and decided to do something better. Grabbing on to Lucas's hand for a moment Connor pulled Lucas in and gave him a firm hug instead. When he felt Lucas readily reciprocate the hug and almost sink against his chest to further embrace him, Connor knew he did the right thing.
"Everything will be okay." Connor promised as he did his best ease Lucas's understandable concerns. "We just need a little more time to figure things out and get our footing, that's all."
"I'll keep that in mind." Holding on to his brother for a moment longer Lucas reluctantly released the hug and trusted Connor to do the right thing. He knew that Connor would be okay living by himself for a while, even if he didn't like it. "We'll eventually find our way back to one another when the time is right. And remember, I'm just one call away."
-next chapter-