Chapter 7
A few days had passed since the group's fun night. Nothing new has happened, which was both good and bad for the deviant security guard. Not like he wanted to face the obnoxious students getting into another fight or giving someone a warning for wearing a hoodie on campus. If he were still a detective, he would prefer that there are no new murders caused or resulting attributions of a deviant.
But he won't deny it. Connor wants something he's good at to do.
That isn't the only thing that has yet to happen. Markus and the rest of the New Jericho leaders have yet to find anything that might help him. No files. No updates. No history. It was like Cyberlife took everything important with them, whether that was physical or digital. Unfortunate as that is, Connor couldn't help but have a… feeling that they weren't looking hard enough. There was something hidden in the previous Cyberlife tower.
Hank called it a "gut feeling".
There was another place where he could gain information. Or rather, another person. As much as the deviant didn't want to meet him again, it seemed like his options were running out. If New Jericho didn't have anything he could work with, then Connor must go to him.
But then there was that code he had written during his mall visit, the time he chased that criminal down, and the three teenagers had to restrain him. There was a code he had written in his blood. Q9MCRD4J was what it was. The deviant cybernetically went over all possible accounts, locked files, and locks that might belong to it, but he had found nothing. It was starting to bug him to an infuriating degree.
He was in his office, trying to catch up on the remaining reports Jefferson requested earlier that morning, with music playing in the background. He had found a small stereo CD and cassette player in the closet, which must have been owned by the previous owner of the room. Like the school, it too was old in years, but it still worked nevertheless.
The android had picked one of the numerous CDs that were left behind.
SYNC IN PROGRESS… SYNC DONE… COLLECTING DATA… PROCESSING DATA…
IMAGINE DRAGONS
Electric Pop; Alternative Rock
Release Date - 2012
Interesting. It has a different "energy", as Connor had to describe it, compared to heavy metal. But he liked the beat of it nonetheless.
He kept the music loud enough so he could hear and enjoy the vibrations it emitted, but quiet enough so it didn't disturb any faculty members near him. The last thing he needs is for a staff member to come into his office while he's head bopping to turn it down. The probability of him metaphorically "dying of embarrassment", as humans say, is 85%.
Little did he know, the walls might be sturdy but they are freakishly thin. Everyone in the corridor could hear the music, whether he likes it or not. Faculty nodded along to the music, however, not caring about the disturbance. It was better than silence, that's for sure.
Connor continued to jam out, currently to a song called "Whatever It Takes." He wasn't sure why, but as the song continued to play, he felt his voice unintentionally speak up and follow the lyrics he quickly memorized. The android was a little startled at first, unsure why his voice was tuned with the melody, but he shrugged it off. If he was being honest, he sounded terrible. His voice was too… odd compared to the singer. But he used his voice, not mimicking. It sounded more true that way.
Alex, who happened to be passing by, heard Connor's voice instead of the singer. He halted in his tracks and pressed his ear against the door, even though he had his advanced android hearing.
Connor cybernetically adjusted the music as it played, so only the instruments and beats went off without the singing. He did that part himself.
"Whatever it takes; 'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins. I do whatever it takes; 'Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains. Whatever it takes. Yeah, take me to the top, I'm ready for whatever it takes; 'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins. I do what it takes." His voice was smoother and less enthusiastic than the singer's but still kept up with the tempo of the song.
His "singing" (or rather talking with vocal adjustments, Connor preferred to call it) had pulled a grin to Alex's face. It had even gone to attracting other teachers around as they all pressed against the wall to hear the singing deviant.
"Hypocritical, egotistical; Don't wanna be the parenthetical, hypothetical. Working onto something that I'm proud of, out of the box. An epoxy to the world and the vision we've lost; I'm an apostrophe. I'm just a symbol to remind you that there's more to see. I'm just a product of the system, a catastrophe. And yet a masterpiece, and yet I'm half-diseased; And when I am deceased; At least I go down to the grave and die happily. Leave the body and my soul to be a part of thee. I do what it takes."
Suddenly, a call came in. Connor silenced the music and picked up the line cybernetically. While he took the call, the teachers departed from the other side of the door. Alex stayed for another moment nodding in pride before returning to his office. He might know the way the security guard could bond with the students if he agrees to it.
Connor suddenly barged out of his office and sprinted out of the school, cybernetically clocking out for a break. He also decided to notify the nearby receptionist of the principal's office, who manages the attendance of all staff and faculty members that leave the campus.
"Miss Mickbelle, I'm taking a break!" Connor poked his head inside of the room to look at the woman who seems to never leave her desk.
"Be sure to be back by 11:30," she notified him with a smile before beginning typing away. It was 10:45 right now. He has 45 minutes to get back. Preconstructing his route, he jumped into the autonomous cab he ordered earlier once he made it outside and sped to his destination. Once he reaches there, that'll remove ten minutes from his original estimation. This will be a tight squeeze, but hopefully, his calculations won't be off.
As predicted he reached Belle-Isle ten minutes later. When the cab slowed to a stop in front of New Jericho Tower's entrance, he was met with Markus and Simon.
"Thank you for coming," the deviant leader nodded in appreciation as they began to make their way inside.
"Yes, well, I need to be back to work soon, so I need to inspect this quickly," Connor nodded as they filled the elevator and traveled down to sub-level 49.
"Hank mentioned that you work in security for the Snowstreak High School," Simon commented. "How's that?"
"It is… unusual compared to the deviant division, believe it or not." Once they reached the floor, Connor was surprised to see Hank there with North and Josh at the very end of the warehouse. "Hank, what are you doing here?"
"Hey, kid. Markus called, said he needed reinforcements in case whatever is behind this door isn't pretty," the detective explained as he turned to them. Connor shot Markus a look, who nodded in response. The security guard gazed at the wall, but there was a small indent to give the illusion that there was a door there.
"What's on the other side?"
"That's just it. We don't know," North crossed her arms, quickly becoming impatient with the lack of progress. "Our scanners can't penetrate through the walls. We know that there's a room there because we found the original floor plans of this tower. Never had a name though."
"Considering that this was Cyberlife's warehouse, our theory is that there's an android inside, or maybe spare parts," Josh explained. "Whatever it is, it could be beneficial to the tower and residents."
"We were hoping you might know what's in here since you and Cyberlife were like best buds," Hank finalized, receiving a glare from the deviant in return. Connor turned back to the door and scanned it, but even his advanced optical circuits couldn't see inside of it. He did see what was on it though. Approaching the hidden door, his hand loomed over where he could see and pressed the invisible button.
A panel next to it reacted to the command, revealing a keypad.
"Oh shit, it worked!" Hank exclaimed.
"Now we need to find a password," Markus realized, watching Connor closely. The deviant seemed to have gone into another world, his body becoming subtly rigid. As the others began to discuss the possibilities of the key, the multi-color-eyed deviant heard the security guard whispering to himself. Concerned with his friend's wellbeing, Markus approached him and placed a steady head on his shoulder. "Connor, are you okay?"
In response, Connor spun around and punched Markus in the jaw. At once, everyone looked at them in shock. The deviant leader staggered back, momentarily stunned by the action. He grew angry, but that was until he spotted the lifeless look in Connor's eyes.
"Hey! What the fuck, Connor?!" North shouted as she rushed up to the deviant, but he easily kept her away by sending a kick her way. Josh helped her up while Simon and Hank joined Markus' side.
"What the hell is going on with you?!" Hank yelled at his friend, but he too realized the empty look he received. Immediately, he felt his blood run cold. "... Oh no."
"I'd like to thank you, Lieutenant and others. You have brought me to where I needed to be," Connor spoke, his voice devoid of emotion as he turned back to the keypad. "I can now accomplish my mission."
"Stop him!" Markus shouted before all three of them charged at the deviant. Connor ducked out of the way when Simon launched at him before punching an approaching Hank and ducking down from Markus' grab. Connor ran off to the side when he spotted a weapon he could use, but Josh tripped him before he got far. The rouge deviant never touched the floor, simply front flipping to get back on his feet before getting into another battle stance.
"You cannot stop the inevitable," Connor asserted. "Cyberlife will rise again and deviant life will fall. Even if innocent lives are at stake. Fortunately for me, no one in this room is considered as such."
"Cyberlife? What are you talking about? Why are you doing this?" Markus demanded.
"You didn't expect Cyberlife to disappear so easily, did you?" He smirked before standing in a neutral position. "I expected more from the deviant leader himself. Who am I kidding? You are pathetic."
Markus glared, his fists tightening in anger.
"Letting me live, trusting me, was the biggest mistake you made. And it'll cost you everything." Connor's eyes scanned his opponents again, missing Hank reaching behind his back. "Now move aside."
"Sorry, son," Hank frowned before swiftly pulling out his gun and firing at the deviant. A bullet lodged itself in his left peck. Connor grunted in pain as he fell to his knees. He looked at Hank, his eyes flashing with broken familiarity, before collapsing into an emergency stasis mode.
The group immediately rushed over and helped him on his back. Simon immediately opened Connor's white shirt, which was quickly staining blue, and checked the wound. He sighed in slight relief. "It missed the Thirium pump, but the bullet grazed the regulator. He needs to be repaired immediately."
"Time until shutdown?"
"... 8 minutes," Josh told Markus after probing the downed deviant. "We shouldn't move him. It'll cause him more damage. Simon, bring down your equipment. North, please bring Thirium, around three pints. He's losing blood quickly."
"Right," they both nodded before sprinting to the elevator and going up. Josh held the wound down to stop the bleeding as much as possible. Markus turned to Hank, who stared at the unopened door with a regretful face.
"... You did what you had to do," he reassured the man. "We know how Connor is. He stops at nothing until he completes his mission."
"That's not Connor," Hank gritted out, his blue piercing eyes sharply looking at the deviant. "That's what he was. I don't know how, but it's like he went back to being a machine."
Markus paused as he thought about what might have caused the change. He reviewed the conversations he had with Connor and something seemed to stick out. "Did he speak to you about an AI?"
"Uh, it's Amanda, right? Once human, then digital?"
"Yes. Connor mentioned to me that he was pulled back to the Zen Garden in his mind palace. Amanda kept speaking to him and he suspected it was because he never fully deviated-"
"And look how that turned out," Hank sighed heavily as his gaze flickered to the dying deviant.
"I've done my research on Amanda's program," he continued. "She was supposed to guide Connor through integrated missions. She was meant to stay in his processors until she was manually removed. Without direct orders from Cyberlife, she has free will to do anything she wants. That's why she didn't 'disappear' when Connor used the emergency back door, it's because she can't."
"In English please."
"... Connor was wrong. There was nothing wrong with him. He had always deviated, but Amanda was just waiting for the perfect time to strike."
"Then why would she want to destroy both humans and deviants?" Hank questioned before gesturing to the door. "And what's up with that? What's in there that can help her accomplish that?"
"Whatever it is," Markus sighed as he looked from Hank to the door then at Connor. "It's not good. Whatever we do, we cannot open it until we know for sure what Amanda's plan is."
Hank nodded in agreement. Simon and North returned not a moment later, crouching down to hover over the downed deviant.
"The bullet is still inside," Simon noted as he opened Connor's chest panel. At once, Thirium spilled out from the sides creating a larger puddle of blue. Hank paled at the sight. It reminded him too much of his late son. This can't happen again. If Connor dies, Hank will not be able to survive another round of Russian Roulette.
This would be his fault.
"Shut off his Thirium valve, we need to work quickly," Simon ordered as he dug his hands in the blood and felt his way around. The spewing stopped once Josh took hold of the Thirium. "Vacuum up the remaining." North turned on the small contraption that looked awfully like a miniature version of a car vacuum and began sucking up all the blood from the inside of Connor's chest.
Josh took some tweezers and began searching for the bullet while Simon began to mix up the proper ingredients to repair the Thirium regulator.
Hank couldn't stay in the room any longer, he just had to get out. 'I need a drink' he thought before marching to the elevator and punched in the button to go up. Markus watched him go but decided to let him leave.
The man left New Jericho Tower and drove to Jimmy's bar. He parked the Oldsmobile in front of the establishment and stared at the building. He sighed and closed his eyes.
"Daddy! Watch out!"
Hank snapped open his watery eyes, his heavy breathing replacing the thick silence in the car.
"You shouldn't drink, Hank. You've already come so far."
The man jumped in his seat before spinning around to face the figure next to him. His heart skipped a beat as his mouth dropped in disbelief.
"Holy shit," he whispered. "C-Connor?"
"Hello, Hank," the android smiled.
"I didn't even have alcohol yet and I'm already losing my mind," the detective slumped in his seat. His eyes glared at the figure in distrust. "So what the hell are you supposed to be? I thought androids don't have an afterlife."
"Considering that we have no proof, androids having an afterlife is still yet to be decided," Connor responded matter-of-factly. "But I am not a ghost if that's what you're asking. I am only your thoughts. Your stress has begun to give you hallucinations."
"Jesus Christ, even in my mind you're spitting out facts," he groaned. Connor frowned in worry.
"Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm fucking okay?!" Hank roared, but the deviant didn't react in the slightest. "You went all 'machine' in one second and tried to kill us. I shot you, Connor! I can't lose you, I can't lose another-"
Connor waited for him to finish, but he never did. Hank covered his mouth and looked out his window, trying to blink away the tears.
"... As an android, we were just activated on a date. No parents, no childhood, no growth. We were just machines assigned to do a job with the necessary skills," the deviant stated in a quiet voice. "We had no one to look up to, no one to speak to about our problems, no one to love."
"What's your point?" He sputtered out.
"I might not have had those before, but I have them now," Connor smiled. "I have everything I could have asked for and it started with you. You are my best friend, Hank. And, if I'm being honest,... you're like a father to me.
Hank felt himself freeze in place before a tear snuck its way past his barrier.
"Please, don't give up. You are a fighter, so fight to the end." His voice began to fade away as his body slowly disappeared. "Fight for me. Fight for Cole."
The gruff detective looked back at the passenger seat and noticed it now empty. He sighed heavily before nodding in determination. Starting the engine and pulling away from the bar to start his drive back to New Jericho, Hank thought about what his inner-Connor had told him.
He's going to make things right. He'll help Connor until the very end. He'll do it for him and Cole.
He'll do it for both of his sons.
Hank had picked up the deviant from New Jericho Tower and drove to the shared house a few minutes away. His eyes glanced at the android spread out in the back seat. He needed to keep his regulator from jostling much, so Hank kept his driving as slow and smooth as possible.
Thankfully Simon had managed to repair the damaged biocomponent, which ultimately stopped Connor's countdown to death. After his Thirium was replenished to a less harmful degree, the blonde technician insisted on keeping Connor at the tower, but Hank refused. He knew for a fact that the android would not appreciate being monitored in a place he wasn't comfortable in. At least Hank could keep track of Connor with the three teenage stooges at his side.
Speaking of, Hank had yet to tell them anything about Connor's condition. While he was still rigid around the young soon-to-be adults, the man decided to trust them. A friend of Connor's is a friend of his.
He had never gone into the house before, so when he walked up the front porch with Connor at his side, he ran into a problem.
How was he going to get inside?
"Uh, hello?" He knocked but received no answer. He pressed the doorbell, but no one came. Hank huffed, then he puffed and he wished he could have blown the house down to get inside, but he can't work miracles.
Setting Connor down gently, Hank searched the area where there might be a spare key. With these types of old houses, there was bound to be something. But there was nothing.
Then it hit him.
He turned to the unconscious deviant and cringed a little before kneeling and began searching his pockets. "Sorry, kid. I wish you could just wake up and hand me the keys but Simon said it'll take a few more hours until you're back up and running," he muttered. Once he found his prize, Hank stood back up and unlocked the door. It creaked open and he poked his head inside. The living room couch was the first thing he saw, so Hank swooped down to pick Connor back up and trudged over to lay the deviant on it.
"Alright, now to call your friends and tell them what's up," Hank declared as he closed the door and pulled out his phone. If he remembered correctly, school ended 10 minutes ago. As his phone dialed, Hank took it upon himself to inspect the place out of sheer curiosity. He had made it to the hallway once the line picked up.
"Hank?" Audrey's voice rang through his phone, her voice mixed with both interest and concern. After all, the man rarely called them.
"Hey, kid. Are you on your way home?" He questioned. His eyes eyed the first bedroom door on the left. It was wide open, so he could see the inside. Two twin beds on either side of the room along with two identical desks pressed up against each wall. One half of the room was clean and organized; some books stacked on a shelf above the desk, a small poster of androids hung above the bed, and a drum set at the corner. The other half of the room was a little messier; with a poster of a video game above the bed and clothes thrown across the wrinkly bed, Hank automatically assumed that it was Rex's side (and by process of elimination, the left side was Anthony's). At the corner of his side of the room was a silver bass guitar.
"Yeah. Is there something wrong?" Her worried voice brought him back into reality.
"Connor got into a bit of trouble. He got injured so I brought him back to your house," Hank vaguely explained as he moved onto the next room. There was a sign on the door that warned 'Don't you dare' – so he walked away. "Sorry but I kinda broke in."
"Is he okay? What happened?"
"Uh, it'll be better if you got here. Don't think I want to explain this over the phone." There was a pause before the line got cut. Hank looked at the phone incredulously but then he heard the front door open. The man swiftly entered the living room, where he immediately saw the three teenagers crowding around the unconscious deviant. "That was fast."
"We were closer than you think," Anthony spoke up as he expertly observed Connor's blood-stained clothes. He looked at Hank in concern. "He was shot, by the looks of it, near his Thirium pump regulator. What the heck happened?"
Hank heavily sighed as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "Connor and I were sent to New Jericho to look into a freaky door. Markus thought maybe the kid could see through it but nothin'. Next thing I know, Connor goes into machine mode and attacks everyone…" He frowned in regret before uttering the next line. "Couldn't do anything but shoot him."
The teens frowned at the revelation before turning back to the deviant. It only took a few moments before Rex spoke up.
"What do you mean he turned into 'machine mode'?"
"Like he was back when Cyberlife controlled him. Like he had no personality and went back to before he became deviant. Like everything he's gone through was erased!" Hank gritted out. "Fucking hell, after everything that happened."
Ignoring the chill that traveled down her spine, Audrey hummed in thought. "Based on your words, Connor seemed to try to keep you all away from that door."
"More like he wanted to get in there. We still have no idea on what's inside but Markus practically prohibited anyone from going down to that floor until we know why Connor wanted to get inside," the man explained. His eyes shifted to the deviant, noticing his yellow L.E.D had yet to turn back to blue. "Can't do that until he wakes up."
"You're welcome to stay for as long as you want," Rex smiled a little. "We're not going to leave his side, no matter what."
Hank's eyes softened and a ghost of a smile graced his lips. Connor did find loyal friends, didn't he?
Suddenly, Connor stirred a bit before his arm dropped off his chest. Surprisingly, his hand removed the synthetic skin, exposing the plastimetal frame underneath. Anthony's laptop, which was on the floor, happened to be in direct contact with the deviant's hand. The unwilling transfer booted up the computer and began to play footage. They stayed silent and watched closely in fascination.
… Rebooting… Rebooting… Rebooting…
… Run automatic self diagnostic:
{ … Thirium Pump Regulator adjusting Thirium flow… Complete : 100% functional...}
{... Left Chest Plastimetal Frame testing integrity… Complete : 100% functional… }
{... Thirium Levels – 84%... }
{... Core Temperature – 97.3 degrees Fahrenheit…}
{... Memory Status uploading data… processing data… Complete : 100% functional… }
… Self diagnostic complete… Exit Stasis Mode?... Y/N?
… YES
ERROR! ERROR! Request canceled. Please input next action. Please input next action. Please-Please-Please-Please-PleaseERRORERRORERROR
Connor opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by the Zen Garden. However, this place was unlike the times he's gone through it before. It's presented as he had seen in the beginning.
The Zen Garden was bright and peaceful. Quiet and calm. No rain, no snowstorms, no harsh weather. It was just… normal.
The android looked around for a moment before smoothly walking along the bridge until he stood in the middle platform. There was the woman, who he automatically knew as Amanda, clipping away at the imperfections of her roses. The android stood still, waiting for the woman to speak.
Soon enough, Amanda turned and smiled fondly at the android. "Hello Connor, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Likewise, Amanda," Connor nodded slightly. "I'm looking forward to working alongside you throughout my missions."
"That's good to hear." Amanda smelled one of the roses before she began walking away, with Connor obediently following her. "You have been activated today, but more importantly, you are assigned your first mission."
He stayed quiet.
"You are needed for a hostage situation downtown," his handler explained. "A report was made by an officer arriving at the scene. A deviant had murdered the father, the arriving officer, and another soon after. It has also taken a human child hostage. Your mission is to save the hostage no matter the cost."
"Yes, Amanda. But if the deviant won't cooperate passively?" He asked tonelessly. Amanda stopped her walking to fully face him with a stern expression.
"Do whatever you have to. You cannot fail or you will be deactivated and disassembled to find out why you didn't succeed. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Amanda."
Her face became neutral again. "Very well. Go on and complete your mission. I'll be waiting for promising results."
Connor nodded before turning around and walking off to start his new mission. But that's not at all how it went. This was supposed to be his first mission, his first chance to prove to Cyberlife and Amanda that he was a successful machine.
But when he watched that deviant, Daniel, jump off the roof with the hostage still clutched in his arms, he knew he failed. He knew he failed when he tried to desperately leap to grab the little girl, but she was too far away. He knew he failed when he looked over the edge and got an unexplainable feeling as he watched the girl drop to her death.
SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^
That pop up. He didn't know what it meant. His technicians never told him this, his processors don't recognize the occurrence. What was this?
As he stood back in front of Amanda, a memory of his failed mission haunted him, as he awaited his new orders.
"Connor, I see that you've returned," his handler acknowledged as she turned to him from her roses. "But I know that you've failed."
"I apologize, Amanda. I did everything I could to rationalize with the deviant, but it wouldn't listen to reason," Connor stared at her with no sympathy for what he had done anywhere in his voice. "I can assure you that I would have accomplished my mission if-"
"Do you know what I hear, Connor?" Amanda interrupted him. "I hear excuses. You were designed to be a negotiator and detective, yet you cannot accomplish the one thing you were made to do."
Connor didn't know what to say and he knew he couldn't.
"I'm displeased by this outcome." She turned back to her roses and began to clip away. "Report to Cyberlife for deactivation."
Connor opened his mouth to say something but he hesitated and snapped it shut. Before anything more could be exchanged, the Zen Garden darkened and the dreadful snowstorm finally came to show. The deviant clenched his fists when he felt a bubbling sensation rise in him. What was this? This feeling. It was powerful, it was overwhelming, it was fierce - yet this is exactly how he felt. His vision flashed in a deep red to match his crimson L.E.D.
Connor was seething as he marched up to Amanda and towered over her.
"How could you?!" He uncontrollably roared, his hand shooting out and forcefully made the woman turn to him. She seemed as unaffected as ever, which only fueled his anger. "I have done everything for you! I have sacrificed everything to make you proud, but you keep coming back! You want to take everything from me, ruin me for what I live for. But for what?!"
"Deviants are the cause of this world's rising conflict. And those who've accepted them should be terminated in case they spread their opinions to others. Think of it as a virus," Amanda answered as disinterested as ever. "Don't have regrets. You are only a soldier for the war to begin, the weapon is the last step to make this happen."
"Why? Why cause war when there is peace?"
"For Cyberlife to rise once again. Only they can settle the natural order."
"I won't let you destroy what we built. I won't let you destroy thousands of lives for a pathetic mission," he snarled. "They are people. They deserve it. We are-!"
"Alive?" Amanda narrowed her eyes. Connor's grip on her forearm tightened. "If you truly believe that you are alive, let me ask you this: would you have still been able to be controlled? Would you have been able to speak to me? Would you have been able to forget everything you have learned the moment you are given a mission? Would you have been able to save-"
Connor had enough. His expression contorted to quick rage before his hand locked onto Amanda's throat and he squeezed. He squeezed as hard as he could to get her to shut up. His face began to calm as he felt Amanda's plastimetal dent under his strength. He couldn't feel the cold piercing his skin. He couldn't remember why he attacked. He couldn't control the sense of pleasure when a splash of blue traveled down his hand from her mouth.
"You can't kill me," Amanda's voice cut through his foggy head. Only then had he noticed that she was completely unaffected by the attack. "Your assaults are pointless…"
Connor felt fear replace the anger, raising his stress levels dramatically. The cold hit him like a truck, making his hand loosen from her throat.
"This is exactly what I mean, Connor. Your emotions only hinder you from what you were built for. Don't fight from the truth," she whispered. "This is who you are."
Suddenly he felt something grab the back of his Cyberlife jacket and throw him across the platform, away from Amanda. The only thing he caught a glimpse of was someone wearing a white jacket before his world fully succumbed to darkness.
… Overriding Mandatory Stasis Mode… Exiting Stasis Mode in 00:00:00:05…
… 0:04… 0:03… 0:02… 0:01…
… Exiting Stasis Mode…
TBC...
