Chapter 17
Raising a large bottle of Thirium-ized Vodka to his lips, he took large gulps and set the bottle back down on his knee. Despite the large intake of alcohol, which was enough to kill a human adult, his mind was foggy as his glassy disheartened eyes stared out into the water of Riverside Park. He doesn't know how long he's been there, only knows that it was dark – except for a light over him and the moon glistening the water to sparkle majestically.
He would have thought it was beautiful if he didn't feel so numb.
Why was he here in the first place? Everything seemed to become a fog before he bought the liquor from a store nearby. He didn't want to be at a bar right now, he wants to recollect his thoughts about-
Oh yeah.
Hank is dead.
He quickly raised the bottle to his lips again, relishing the thick intoxicating liquid traveling down his throat and settling perfectly into his body. Oh, this was good. No thoughts, no feelings, no nothing. It was only him, his drink, and that mother fucking view up ahead of him! RA9, why didn't he do this more often? This makes his life way easier! Sure, he's going to have a hangover later, but to hell with that! This liquor was doing him more favors than anyone in this RA9 forsaken city has ever done for him.
Fuck everyone.
… Okay, maybe not everyone. Sumo was a good boy, he's okay in his book. But everyone else could go to hell.
Connor looked up at the starry night with narrowed eyes, trying to look past the constellations. Humans mentioned an afterlife – heaven and hell, being decided where you go by what you've done (he's sure that if there's an afterlife for androids, he'll go straight to hell) – so does that mean that Hank is up there? Is Cole there too? Or is it only a bunch of stars and no God or devil exists?
Well, not like he's going to get an answer anytime soon. But he decided to fill the silence and humor himself into believing there was something more.
"Are you up there Hank?" He whispered up to the stars, his speech slurred with the amount of alcohol he drank. But he tried his best to focus on his words. "Are you happy?... Are you not in pain anymore?"
The stars twinkled rhythmically.
"I'm sorry, Hank. I'm so sorry," his voice wavered. "I should have protected you, I should have prevented that! None of this would have happened if I didn't open that stupid door and released Jake!" Rage brewed inside of him, but he pushed the feeling away to focus on the stars. "... Do you know that I went to the crash site, Hank? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but I wanted to bring you something that you wanted."
His hand slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small item. The wood carving had severe water damage but was sustained enough to tell that it was a poorly sculpted dinosaur.
"I remember you told me one time you went camping with Cole," Connor whispered as his thumb caressed the item. "It was a year before the incident, you decided to lift your son's mood after his basketball team lost. So you took him to the woods and set up a perfect trip. You told me that he told you that he wanted to see a dinosaur one day after looking at a lizard, so you told him that while they weren't around anymore, there are still some ways to see the things you want. You told me you carved this for him, the first time you ever shaped wood, and Cole never looked happier. You said that he almost burst in excitement."
A soft chuckle escaped his lips before he took another swig of his drink, preparing himself as he continued.
"When you crashed and Cole died, you said you never saw it again. You never saw anything from your old car again as it was stated impossible to retrieve from the bottom of the lake." His grip on the weak sculpture tightened. "... I was going to bring this to you, Hank! I was going to show you that everything was going to be okay and you were going to be fine! But you WEREN'T!"
His shout echoed through the silent park.
Connor was shaking now – anger, sadness, grief, guilt, and loneliness settled in his head like an overwhelming blanket. His stress levels had been at 100% for a few minutes, but for some reason, nothing occurred. He didn't self-destruct. Strange, but he could have cared less.
Actually, no. He did care. Why can't he just die already?!
Connor finished a quarter of the bottle in a single chug. His world spun, his gyroscope did a 180, and his systems were flashing him with dozens of warnings. But ignored them all.
"I failed you," he slurred. Connor stood up and staggered, seeing everything spinning in circles and making him sick. The deviant felt a groan escape his throat before turning to leave, planning on finding anything more to drown himself in misery (because androids cannot die of intoxication… at least he thinks so), before he saw a figure in the distance walking up to him. Connor sighed dramatically. "Markus! What do you want?!"
"Yeah, I'm not Robo Jesus, kid," the figure stood in front of his wobbling figure. "Christ, you look like shit! I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Connor squinted his eyes, trying to place the familiar voice.
"What? Do I have something on my face? Stop looking at me like that, fuckin' android!" The person snapped. Wait. Vulgar language, easily irritated, gruff vocal pattern… What the fuck.
"... H-Hank?" His vision finally cleared enough to see the man standing a few feet in front of him. Hank had his hands stuffed into his pockets and shrugged with a smile. He looked normal! Like the bullet never hit him. Almost most of his drunken state was forgotten as he stared at his best friend in disbelief. "How is this possible? Y-You're dead!"
"Geez, why don't you say how ya really feel?" Hank scoffed. "And to answer your questions: Yes, I am dead, according to you; second, androids can get hallucinations and see ghosts… apparently."
Connor was thrown into a loop. "Ghosts? There is no such thing."
"Then how am I here?" He raised an eyebrow.
He didn't have an answer.
"And what do you mean you're dead 'according to me'?"
Hank didn't answer.
Connor sighed in irritation, shook his head, and continued to walk back home. "Then if this is just a hallucination, then you're useless to me," he retorted. Hank oddly followed. "What do you want, fake Hank? If it's to remind me that you're dead, then news flash, I'm well aware."
"Again, since it is you who can't seem to get it through your head that I'm gone, I'm stuck by your side until you do," Hank explained with a humorless chuckle. "Hey, I guess I'm going to be the poodle now. See how you like it."
"So you are going to be, as humans say, a thorn at my side until who knows how long and others won't even be able to see you?" Connor glared.
"Yup!" The android rolled his eyes and sighed heavily through his nose. "Anyway… do you want to talk about the elephant in the room?"
"Elephant?" Connor almost paused. "There is no elephant and we, or I, am outside."
"You know what I mean, don't act stupid," Hank glared at him. "I mean why are you acting like this? Pushing your friends away when you need them the most-?"
"Isn't that what you did?" Connor interrupted with a snarl as he stopped to face the hallucination. "When Cole died, all you did was push everyone away and drown yourself in a bottle of whiskey. When he died, you wanted nothing more than to end it all. When your fucking son died, you let the hate corrupt you and lash out at everything and everyone around you! So don't act like I'm doing anything wrong because that is exactly what YOU DID!"
A beat.
"... And here I thought you were nice." His comment made the deviant groan before circling back to Hank's home, taking another swig at his drink. "Aren't you going to at least call the kids? They'll be fuckin' worried because you can't seem to get ahold of your emotions."
Connor's L.E.D flashed yellow before returning to red as he stumbles down the sidewalk, crashing into every light post to keep himself standing. Hank winced at every trip but didn't comment. "... Done. Happy? Now, will you leave me alone?"
"You're really stupid if you think I am."
He didn't bother to comment, knowing a snarky remark would be exchanged. Hank seemed more annoying in spiritual/hallucination form. After a few minutes, Connor realized it got awfully quiet. Taking a quick look around, he noticed that he was left alone. Despite wanting to be left in silence, he missed the presence of his best friend, dead or alive. He tried to drink again but realized that the bottle was empty. With a sigh, it slipped out of his fingers and shattered on the floor.
When he reached the house and allowed scents of the man to fill his ventilation systems, reality hit Connor like a semi-truck. Once the door closed, he collapsed on his knees and a loud sob escaped his mouth. Artificial tears streamed out of his eyes as all the pain was released from earlier. At some point, Sumo had come in and comforted the young android.
"I can't do it, Sumo," Connor whimpered after a long hour, who hugged the life out of the dog. "I need Hank. I-I…"
Sumo whimpered in confusion, not understanding why his original master wasn't home yet, but seeing the deviant cry made him upset even more.
"It did this," Connor suddenly gritted out, clenching his fists into the dog's fur. Sadness shifted to fury in less than a second. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "It was the one who killed so many citizens. It was the one who hurt everyone and manipulated them into an alibi. It killed Hank."
Sumo barked loudly. Connor then gently pushed the dog out of the way to stand, furiously wiping the rest of his tears.
"Hank shouldn't go without justice, he deserves to be avenged," Connor declared, with Sumo howling in agreement, his tail wagging rhythmically in joy at seeing his master more like himself. The deviant rummaged through the kitchen, nearly tripping on his feet and slamming into the cabinet before he reached the dog food and gave Sumo a sufficient amount. The Saint Bernard shot over to his bowl and gobbled everything up. "Good boy, Sumo."
INCOMING CALL...
FROM : Markus
ANSWER?... Y/N
"You've got to be kidding me," he grumbled as he pulled a flask out of his coat pocket and took a sip.
"You shouldn't drink that much if I were you."
"Hank!" Connor sputtered, almost getting whiplash when Hank reappeared on his recliner, holding a beer in hand. The deviant sighed heavily and shook his head, taking another sip before putting the alcohol away. "Ever heard of knocking, asshole?"
"Do you always curse when you're drunk?" Hank narrowed his eyes. Connor rolled his own exhausted eyes. "Plus this is my house and I am in your mind. I can come and go when I please bitch."
"We'll see about that," he muttered.
ANSWER?... NO
"Pushing people away I see, great work, that sure is going to help you out," the old detective sarcastically remarked. "Why don't you just own your problems like a man? Instead of hiding and running away like a coward!"
"I'm not a coward," Connor snarled, throwing his sudden glare at the man before returning to rearrange his items. "And I'm not running away. I'm doing this for you. So you can get avenged and for Jake to pay the price of its misdeeds-"
"But I don't want to be avenged, kid!" Hank shouted in exasperation. Connor paused at the doorway, backpack hanging by his shoulder. "Listen to me, you are only digging a deeper hole and you won't be able to pull yourself out! I don't want someone even as bad as Jake to be harmed. Jake is already paying the price in prison, that is enough…"
The android stayed silent.
"Son, the only one that wants revenge is you, no matter who's the one on the other end of that line," the man whispered. "Don't do this, please."
"... I'm not your son," Connor softly growled before slamming the door shut behind him. Hank frowned with a sigh before disappearing from the living room, once again leaving Sumo all alone.
THREE WEEKS LATER…
Markus smiled warmly, looking down the tower and seeing the three human teenagers return from school as scheduled. He cybernetically paid for the autonomous vehicle before it drove off. The deviant leader knew for a fact that the children would head up to their rooms, do their homework (which he'll view later) then leave to chat around with the other androids. Deviants around New Jericho had been a little reserved and wary around the humans when they first arrived three weeks ago, but now everyone has accepted them into the community – well, except for a few who have anger issues. Markus made sure to keep them away from the teens.
Other than that, the Android Revolution anniversary festival was in two days and everything was ready. For entertainment, the Mayor hopped in and hired some acrobats and fire breathers, much to Markus' chagrin. The deviant leader is usually pleased with such talents, but he knew that the chances of something bad happening to the entertainment were high. So he chose to listen to a few songs Hank had mentioned before everything.
To his surprise, Markus analyzed the singing and matched it with Connor's. He, or anyone, didn't know he could sing. When Markus asked the teens, they mentioned that they were in a band. Stage performances might still be new to them, but Markus put them under consideration. Overall, he was feeling confident about the event.
But there still was a problem – that being a certain RK800. It made his smile fade.
All that was left of Connor was a package in front of New Jericho addressed to him. When Markus opened it, he found a note and a ruined wooden dinosaur. The paper merely requested for the three human teenagers to stay at the tower and that it was a waste of time if they tried to look for him then at the bottom was Connor's signature.
And Connor was right because after he had read the note, Markus searched high and low for the deviant. He even tried using Anthony's hacking skills to track his location like last time, but nothing popped up on the radar.
It was like Connor disappeared off of the face of the earth and he made sure to keep it that way.
Today, however, was going to be different. Markus had a plan to track the RK800 down and he wasn't going to quit until he found him. His friends had warned him to leave the matter alone, his lover advised him to leave it with the police – but Markus refused to listen. He was like Connor's older brother and was his best friend, he couldn't live with himself if he let the younger android stay buried in his pain.
So later that evening after he finished the daily duties he needed to attend to, Markus took an autonomous cab to the other end of Belle-Isle. When he had arrived, it had begun snowing but he paid little attention to the ominous effect.
It gave Markus the chills, seeing the familiar mansion sitting a few feet from him. He vaguely remembers being here at the very beginning of his existence all those years ago when Elijah Kamski designed and gave him to Carl Manfred. It was the first-ever day he opened his eyes and awakened, even if he was still a machine back then.
"Markus?" A voice brought him out of his nostalgia. The deviant leader turned to his creator, who was out admiring the lake and snow. "It certainly has been a while. I heard about Carl, I'm sorry for your loss."
"His memory will be remembered," Markus nodded as he stuffed his hands into his trench coat. "What are you doing out here?"
"I like to get some fresh air when I have a lot on my mind," Kamski smiled softly. "It has been a long few weeks."
"Oh?" The human just shook his head and didn't answer.
"So what brings you by? I assume it's more than a friendly visit to your creator," Elijah asked. Ignoring the egotistical comment, the RK200 sighed heavily before explaining.
"Connor has gone missing. He's been gone for three weeks and I fear that he's not in his right mind," Markus admitted. "Ever since what happened to Hank, he's gone for the worse. I wish to believe that nothing will happen, but I know my friend. And if I were in his shoes, I would hunt those responsible and make sure they paid the price."
"Connor is going after the RK900," Kamski guessed with a nod. The deviant leader looked surprised to hear the answer, and the man decided to supply further information. "Your friend visited me a few days ago, mentioning the RK900 known as Jacob and requested a few more… alterations to his programming."
"Such as?"
There was a small pause as Kamski thought about his next words. "... Well, you see, Connor before had small upgrades integrated into his body to stand a fighting chance against the RK900. However, in simple terms, Connor has submitted himself to all new areas of programs and softwares that weren't ever meant for the RK800 model or any existing android design – these series of programs were only experimental but he insisted on using them."
Markus stayed silent, pondering the words with growing despair.
"So, as far as programming goes, Connor is the most powerful android in the world," Kamski continued, his tone becoming serious. "Markus, I must warn you, that system is extremely sensitive – anything mildly corrupted in his system, whether it's a small glitch or virus I didn't spot, could permanently damage his central processing unit. He won't know who he is or who you are, only the initial objective listed. If he follows through, he'll become unstoppable."
"Why would you give him such a thing? If you knew how dangerous this could affect not only but those around him, why continue the upgrades?" Markus demanded.
For the first time, Elijah Kamski looked nervous. He opened and closed his mouth a few times while Markus tracked his rising stress levels. After a few seconds, his expression turned stiff. "You mentioned that Connor was not in a healthy mental and emotional state… Well, I guess you could say I handled that train wreck first hand." To prove his point, he revealed his right hand, which was hidden beneath his sweater, and showed the limb in a cast.
Markus widened his eyes and a small gasp escaped his mouth. His eyebrows furrowed before he nodded to himself. "Did he tell you where he was going? Can you track him somehow?"
"He didn't," Kamski frowned, sticking his hand back into hiding. With his other hand, he pulled out a small tablet and handed it over to the deviant leader. "But I might have installed a locating chip into him before he left. I had a feeling someone was going to show and ask about him."
"Thank you, Mr. Kamski!" Markus hastily snatched his hand onto the tablet and peeled back his synthetic skin to transfer the information into his systems. Now having got what he wanted, the RK200 spun around and rushed to the waiting cab.
"One last thing." Markus paused. "Connor seemed to act a little… odd. Not just his violent tendencies, but rather when I mentioned his eyewear, he seemed strict on leaving them on."
Markus glanced at him in confusion, wanting to ask him more, but Kamski was already heading back to his mansion. The deviant leader frowned once more before turning to leave.
Later on that afternoon, Markus desperately walked into a room in New Jericho Tower, in search of some guidance in his time of confusion and worry. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself before turning the corner.
"Hello, I'm not disturbing you, am I?" He asked softly, making sure to not look unsettled as he stopped beside the bed. The figure dropped the book they were holding and rolled their eyes.
"Quit sounding like you're talking to a scared child, Markus. You didn't disturb me, was jus' reading some stuff."
"I can see you're doing a lot better." There was a small pause as the figure in bed gazed at the deviant leader in contemplation.
"What's wrong, Markus?" The RK200 refrained from flinching when he remembered Carl used to ask him the same question. He still had a grimace he couldn't hide. So the person tapped the bed and invited the android to sit, which he awkwardly took.
"I know where he is," Markus admitted.
Another beat, this one filled with more tension.
"I visited Kamski. Connor has already been there and expressed violent tendencies toward him," the deviant explained with a frown as he stared off into space. "From what I gathered, he has put himself into more danger than what we originally concurred. Furthermore, he's gone after Jake as we predicted but how he is going to manage to break into a highly guarded facility and remove one of its prisoners is unknown."
"Where's the kid now?" The other grumbled out a reply. Markus hesitated before answering.
"... East from here, about 7 hours away."
"Okay. Let's get a move on," the person strained as they began getting out of bed. They winced, however, when their head throbbed painfully. Markus immediately pushed them down, forcing the figure back into bed. "I can go-"
"No, not in your condition," he reprimanded. His expression softened as he pulled his hand away and stood from the bed. "Leave Connor to me, I can handle him. You, however, need to focus on healing."
"But-"
"I will bring him back," Markus looked back at his place in the doorway. "I promise."
The figure watched him leave before sighing, then he turned out of the window. With a pause and a change of demeanor, the person began to get out of bed again with newfound determination. "No one is going to keep me from my kid, stupid bullet to the head or not."
TBC...
