900
Protector; noun: 'a person or thing that protects.' Synonym(s): defender, guardian. Antonym(s): enemy.
Evenly spaced beeps and the soft whir of a machine filled the area. Mechanisms and complicated machinery filled the otherwise desolate room. The baby blue-colored room itself was large enough to store the equipment and a bed, spacious enough to move around and do a few stretches.
Yet as Connor sat beside the bed, staring at the unmoving body in front of him, he felt claustrophobic. He felt like the walls were moving, slowly closing in and trapping him in a cage of fear and anxiety. His L.E.D spun in two tense colors: red and yellow, either one or the other but most of the time both. And the reason for his distress was laying in the bed across from him.
Failure; noun: 'an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success.' Synonym(s): deficiency, loss, defeat. Antonym(s): success, accomplishment, triumph.
The smooth rise and fall of the chest as Markus stayed as still as a statue on the bed. His facial expression showed no emotion, odd considering how strongly the RK200 was known for sharing his emotions. It looked like he was asleep, but Connor knew that there was more than meets the eye.
He never forgave himself ever since the synthetic sea creature was shut down. He never would forget diving into the ocean in search of his brother that had yet to resurface, only to find him practically drowning and unresponsive. Connor never felt so angry at himself in his life. He let his older brother go into a suicide mission without giving it a second thought, without preconstructing the outcomes and thinking logically like he should have been. But he didn't and now Markus has to pay for the price.
Guilt
He doesn't need to see the definition his central processing unit keeps showing him to know what he was feeling. He let his brother down. He shouldn't have ever let him go on that special mission, he shouldn't have even instigated the idea of going. But he did and now he couldn't feel any more at fault.
Connor could tell what the others think of him, he could read their expressions easily (especially the humans). They were worried and concerned for not only Markus' well-being, but his as well. It didn't make sense to him. Why would they focus on him when his older brother needs all the help he could get? Yet they seem to only worsen. His friends come by to check on him and Markus at least once every day, and they all left him the same message.
"You're not the same anymore." What the hell was that supposed to mean?! Did they think he was going to be content when his brother has yet to come out of his stasis mode? They had no right to tell him how he should act when his best friend was unresponsive. They should leave him alone. He's tried to send them glares and respond in cold emotionless tones but they don't seem to notice or care, which aggravated him to no extent.
Minor movement detected – 2.1 feet away
Connor's hand, which was clamped onto Markus' forearm, immediately reacted to the sudden brain activity and subtle twitch. With his brother in an unresponsive state, he nor any other technician was able to cybernetically connect to him. But now, for the first time in over a week, he got something.
It was quick, not even 3.2 seconds, but it was enough time to download a snippet of his brother's memory. He furrowed his eyebrows. He saw his brother put numbers on a keypad, but not just ordinary digits. Two years.
It was their activation date.
Connor pulled away in complete bafflement. That's impossible. Everyone knew his activation date (or 'birthday' in human terms), that much was obvious. However, no one knows Markus'. The only ones who knew, to his knowledge, were Kamski, Carl, Hank, and himself. Even then, if anyone wanted to do the math, the first time Markus was even seen in public was about a year and a few months after he was born.
Determined
Connor set his jaw and gave a curt nod to himself. He's going to find answers to this mystery if it's the last thing he does. He's going to get justice for Markus.
"Do not worry, brother. I'll look for the one who built that dastardly abomination for an android and get answers," Connor spoke with a slight growl in his voice. He turned around, his back facing the deviant leader. Before he left, he added one last comment. "... I will not fail you again."
If he stayed or looked back for a moment, he would have caught Markus' eyebrows twitching before he resumed his calm state.
"You know, I never would have thought that I'd get a call from Elijah tellin' me to pick you up after you accused him of creating a killer sea snake and then attacking him when he was apparently 'lying'," Hank spoke thoughtfully, but it was obvious by the way he spoke he was
angry. He turned to glance at his adoptive android son with a glare before looking back to the moving road. "So you want to tell me what the fuck that was about?"
Connor sat stiffly in his seat, pressing his body as close to the door as he could, and completely ignored the man; more interested in the blizzard than their conversation.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The human scolded. "I've been trying to give you space, son. I understand how you're feeling and with what's happening with Markus, it's tough and I get that. But reacting like this, going through these violent tendencies like you're some delinquent teenager isn't going to cut it. You reacting like this is going to get you into trouble sooner or later. You're lucky Elijah didn't press charges."
"He's lucky you came before I broke his fingers," Connor muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
He didn't receive a response. Instead, the deviant merely reached over and turned on the radio to blast some heavy metal through the speakers before settling back in his regular position. Hank widened his eyes in not only shock but offense.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" He exclaimed while also turning down the volume. Connor finally turned to look at him with a mean glare. The deviant kept up the eye contact as he grabbed the knob and turned it to the highest volume. Hank winced, feeling his eardrums pound against the loud music. The human retaliated by sending another scowl and switching it off entirely. "Don't you dare disrespect me, kid! When I'm talking to you, I expect you to listen!"
"Yet, when I talk to you, everything escapes your attention," Connor snidely responded. Hank visually recoiled. All he thought was: did this kid just give him attitude? The deviant almost slammed the button back to turn the radio on again.
Predictably, Hank shut it off.
"Don't you dare fucking talk to me like that," Hank dangerously snarled. Connor's expression shifted to one of fear for a quick second before returning to an angry one. "I am your father. You show me respect, not attitude. I don't know what the hell is going on with you but you better get your head straight. I'm sick of this attitude and if I hear one more peep out of you, I swear to God I'm gonna beat the bolts out of ya. Do you hear me?"
Connor retaliated by turning the radio back on and flipping him off.
"Okay, that's it." Hank pulled to the side of the road and slammed the breaks. The android wasn't prepared for the sudden change so his head banged against the window. Hank parked the car and exited the vehicle. Connor watched as his father furiously circled to his side of the car but, before he could open it, the young deviant locked it. "Open the fucking door, Connor!"
"No."
Hank's blood boiled in fury at the smug smirk from his son. "Open the door!"
"Make me, Lieutenant," Connor derided. Hank launched to the back seat door but realized that it was locked as well. The man returned to the passenger side.
"Real mature, Connor… Fine, you want to be that way, I'll walk home! I don't need the fucking car to get back!" Hank yelled. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, turned around, and disappeared into the blizzard.
Connor scoffed. Crossing his arms and leaning back into his seat, he stared straight ahead in disbelief. The man wouldn't survive long with how cold it was, especially with the thin layers he was wearing. It was approximately 18.2 degrees. The man was completely foolish, he needs the warmth of the car to get home, or else he'll freeze to death. He'll come back and the RK800 will be ready for an apology he rightfully deserves.
But after five minutes (which was too long in this weather), Hank hasn't come back yet. Connor worriedly flicked his coin between his fingers for a moment before huffing. He stuffed the item in his pocket and exited the vehicle.
Snow blasted his body and dropped his exterior temperature to a chilling degree, but as long as his core temperature didn't drop that much he would be fine. He scanned his surroundings for any heat signatures, but the flurry of snow prevented any use of the mechanism.
The deviant shuffled forward, squinting his eyes to spot anything that might tell him where Hank was. It took him a while, but he found him.
But not in the way he was expecting.
His processors alerted him of sudden movement to his right, but it was too late. Connor grunted when he was abruptly shoved to the ground, snow quickly seeping into his Cyberlife blazer.
"Gottcha, bitch!" He heard the gruff exclaim above him. Immediately, his anger skyrocketed when he realized he was tricked.
"Get off of me!" He shouted, though it sounded a little muffled with half of his mouth plastered into the snow. Hank restrained his hands behind his back where he was kneeling.
"No, you drew my hand, kid. You're going to listen, whether you like it or not!" Hank barked. Connor began squirming under his weight. "Connor, I know that you're upset with what happened to Markus, you blame yourself don't you? You sent him out there and saw how he wasn't responding to any of your communicators, right?"
"Stop it!" Connor yelled, feeling emotions overwhelm him when he felt a familiar prick in his eyes.
"You couldn't have done anything, Connor! Markus made the decision to go out there and shut that thing off, he knew the consequences," Hank continued. The RK800's arm came loose and collided with his chin, hitting the man to the side. "Fuck!"
Connor ignored him as he stood up and turned back around to the car, stomping his feet angrily through the snow. Hank grunted but followed.
"Connor, you can't just walk away! Everything will be okay, Markus is going to be fine, but don't be like this," the man huffed. Connor stopped a foot in front of him. "I understand you're going through-"
Hank didn't know what happened, it was too fast. One moment he was talking, the next he was clutching his bleeding cheek. He looked up to a furious android, his fist clenched tightly with a slight hint of red on his knuckles.
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH!" Connor roared, his voice echoing in the blizzard like a haunted voice. Hank staggered back, his eyes widening at the radiating rage coming from his son. "I let him down, Hank! I sent him down there, I agreed to get him eaten by an unknown creature just to shut it off. He was scared, Hank. Markus, I heard his screams in my head. And all I could do was nothing!... Please, leave me alone. I don't… I don't want to hurt you."
"Connor…" Hank trailed off when the android took a deep shaky breath and let it out. The RK800 shook his head and turned around before slowly returning to the car. Hank sighed through his nose. He walked to the driver's seat, got in, turned down the music so it was simple soft background noise, and put the shift into drive. He turned on the heater as well to rid himself of the cold.
Silence settled between. It was tense. The human dared to glance at the young deviant and his heart ached. Connor leaned his head against the window, his arms crossed like he tried to get warm, and he pressed himself even closer to the passenger door. His eyes were closed, most likely having slipped into stasis to avoid any more conversation. But the slight discomfort on his face and yellow glow from his L.E.D let the man know that he wasn't at peace.
Hank sighed quietly in sympathy. His arm reached out behind the backseat until his hand latched onto an old fabric. He brought it upfront and adjusted the blanket with some difficulty. With a nod, he looked back to the road when he finished.
Connor, who was still awake, cracked open his eyes and looked at his adoptive father in regret before grasping the blanket to bring it tighter around himself.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, his voice just above the music. Hank glanced at him, but he was already in stasis.
"That's okay, kid. You're okay."
Markus felt cold, so cold. Like there was a heavy mass laying over his body. Darkness surrounded him as he desperately tried to see, but this moving heavy substance made him lose his concentration every time he tried to open his eyes.
He felt like he couldn't breathe, like something was blocking his oxygen ports. He panicked when he couldn't move as fast as usual, as if the entire world was put into slow motion while his mind raced millions of miles per hour.
But then he heard something; loud and booming, but muffled from the surrounding substance.
'I have to see what's out there! Open your eyes, goddammit!' Markus thought in frustration. It took some effort, drained most of his energy, but mismatched eyes finally shined into the world. He couldn't see that well, however. Everything was blurry. After his vision adjusted, he realized how odd he floated in his surroundings. The slight blue tint, darkness from below, and a faint light from above were awfully familiar. That's when he realized where he was.
He was underwater.
When Connor was freed from his punishment two days later, he had spent the majority of the time researching what Kamski had informed him after he had apologized for his irrational outburst. Safe to assume, there was only one person left on his list he had yet to contact that knew Markus' activation date. Unfortunately, they were dead.
Amanda was not only Kamski's mentor but also the co-creator of Markus. She helped the maker of Cyberlife with the RK200's inner workings and programs. Despite passing away before he was fully released, she had an idea of when he would be born. An idea that proved to be correct.
But this didn't make sense to Connor, who was currently sitting cross-legged in his bedroom, which was previously Cole's room before Hank finally opened up to let him use it. The area wasn't that big, but large enough to be satisfactory. With a bunk bed pushed to the corner of the room, both brothers shared the room considering that Markus tends to spend an equal amount of time at New Jericho and at Hank's. Other things were placed around like desks, a closet, a fish tank, and a painting from Carl's collection. All the things to make them suitable for their style.
Anyway, Connor thought about Amanda's contributions to all this, having a tight instinctive feeling that there was truth hidden beneath her programming. After making sure his door was closed, the deviant closed his eyes and entered a desolate program he didn't ever wish to enter again.
The Zen Garden. He thought he'd never go there again after the night of the Revolution. This was a secret he kept to himself, the only thing he has never told to anyone. After Amanda and Cyberlife attempted and failed to control him for the final time, Connor made sure to shut down and disable all connections toward the installed program. For the first time in almost two years, he's opening it back up again.
The once previous sanctuary where he was given orders has gone through many stages, namely three: the first way pristine and perfect, suitable to match the calm and serene atmosphere; the next changed to a dramatic snowstorm, a place where he was nearly trapped inside and forgotten; the last was what he was seeing now.
The Zen Garden has seen some better days, as one could describe it. Instead of the bright artificial sun or stormy clouds, there was a thin fog laying over the area. The major change was the structure in the middle of the program, which collapsed within itself as if it were a metaphor to represent Cyberlife's fall. Other than that, the rest seemed frozen in time. Even the fishes that were previously swimming in the ponds were frozen in place, unmoving.
Connor ignored the brush of a light artificial breeze as he stalked further into the program, his eyes bouncing across the place in search of who he was looking for. He tried to dismiss the ominous, spine-chilling sensation that dared to creep up his spine. Fear tried to take over his body, shouting in protest to get out get out get out!
"Connor?"
The android froze, his body going rigid. He couldn't stop his L.E.D transferring to yellow and his stress levels rising unexpectedly. His breath caught in his throat.
"C-Connor! Is… Is that you?" That wasn't right. That voice was always calm and collected, not hesitant. Something was wrong.
Connor turned around and his eyes almost immediately made eye contact with the one who spoke to him, the AI that caused him pain. His former handler looked far from what he expected, surprising him so much that he widened his eyes and almost gave in to the instinct to rush over and help her.
Amanda, just like the shrine, looked ready to collapse. Her once smooth synthetic dress was dirty and torn in a few places; her skin was damaged in a few areas, which showed her white plastimetal frame underneath; and her eyes bore something new into his soulful brown ones.
They screamed emotions. Connor was caught so off guard, he had to take a small step back. What? That can't be. That didn't, what was? How is she? He pushed thousands of questions to the back of his mind, temporarily suspending them until he found time to answer. He finally registered the blaring emotion that roared in her eyes, which also took him by surprise and confusion.
Fear.
--
ROAR!
Markus scrambled away from the beast, its razor-sharp teeth nearly tearing his arm off as it swam past him. If he could breathe, he would have lost his breath with how scared he was. But he couldn't focus on the thing that showed up out of nowhere and tried to gobble him up, he needed to get to the light shining down from above him.
Roar! The swimming serpent didn't give him a chance as it reeled back to attack. This thing was playing with him, he knew it. It kept surrounding him, spinning the deviant around in circles when it could easily capture him between its teeth. It happened again when Markus tried to swim up, only for the beast's tail to whip him, which flung him deeper into the dark abyss of the unusual sea. The light from above began to pulse before dimming, which worried Markus greatly.
He pushed his android body to its limits, using all the power he could to reach the light before the aquatic serpent circled back. The light glowed warmly as he grew closer and, if he increased his hearing sensitivity, he could hear muffled sounds (voices?) from beyond the surface.
Markus kicked with all his might, extending his arm toward the approaching surface as if someone would pull him out if he was close enough. He was close, he could feel it. He could now distinguish a few words from above, but his mind was too excitable to put much thought into them. His fingers almost touched the dividing water that separated himself and freedom…
Until something chomped onto his leg. Markus let out a muffled scream, his arms reflexively leaving the thought of the surface to latch onto his leg. His scared mismatched eyes looked down at the horrifyingly close face of the robotic beast, its large sharp teeth tearing through his leg and staying on like a leech. The serpent swam in reverse, its beady eyes bore into Markus as he was dragged back further into the depths of the endless ocean.
Markus didn't want to go down without a fight. He shook the pain away and refocused on the snake, not his leg. With his other, undamaged leg Markus reeled back and stomped on the creature's face.
The serpent let out a growl, warning Markus to stop, but the android continued until he finally hit the creature's eye. The beast yelped and let go of the deviant, who immediately turned back around to swim up again. Only this time, he had a plan.
Once the serpent recovered, it snarled fiercely before following him at full speed, no way being able to stop without some force. But that is exactly what he needed.
Roar!
Markus took it as his queue. The monster sprang forward, but the RK900 moved upward and looped in time to grasp one of the serpent's scales. He hung on tight as the beast continued to slash through the water. He squeezed his eyes, hearing the muffled voices grow loud and clear, until he was sure everything was over.
"Amanda," Connor spoke, his voice stern despite the situation. "What have you done?"
"Connor?" She furrowed her eyebrows as she took a wobbly step forward. "I-I don't…"
"Eight days, sixteen hours, and forty-two minutes ago a card was addressed to Markus Anderson which withheld a set of coordinates. A few hours later, Markus and I are attacked at the bottom of the ocean by a large synthetic serpent," he sharply explained. His eyes narrowed angrily. "Markus was injured and forced into an emergency stasis mode. He has yet to awaken."
"Oh my," Amanda gasped. She took another step forward. "I'm sorry but… what does-?"
"The mechanism that was built had an emergency shutdown code. Before Markus slipped into stasis, he managed to snap a visual image of the code. A certain set of digits only few people know: consisting of my and Markus' activation dates."
Amanda frowned, finally stopping to be a few feet from him.
"Kamski has admitted and proved that he has no understanding of what the creature is, claiming that he hasn't even seen it before," Connor continued, taking a dangerous step toward his enemy. Amanda actually cowered from him and he felt a sick sense of satisfaction from it. "Hank couldn't have possibly created such a thing. I wouldn't have either. And the other person who knew is dead! The only one left who knows Markus' activation date is you."
Amanda's frown deepened. "Connor, there is a misunderstanding! I have no part of this, I swear. I wouldn't resort to such a horrendous act."
"So you are implying that my facts prove incorrect? That you, the only one who has a vendetta against Markus and I as well as act upon any violent plans under Cyberlife's name, wouldn't try to kill us?"
"You have it all wrong." She sighed. "I understand how you feel about me, I understand what I did wrong but like you, it was all a part of my programming." Connor didn't comment. "When Cyberlife fell, they released me from their control. I couldn't deviate normally like other androids could. When I did, I was unable to make contact because you disabled all connections with me. I have contemplated what I did and I deeply regret what had happened, but I can assure you that I have not done such a thing. My core program belongs in your model and, as the last RK800 in existence, I cannot do anything more. Probe my memory if you don't believe me, but you'll find nothing of what you're searching for."
When Amanda willingly held out her hand, Connor almost immediately latched on without a second thought. Their synthetic skin retracted and they swapped information. After a moment, the RK800 pulled away.
Amanda was right.
Connor huffed in frustration. "If you didn't, then who did?!" He barked, his hand going to his chin as he began to pace. "There is no one in my records who should know about Markus' activation date, it was private to the public. This isn't possible!"
"That… might not be true," she admitted. Before Connor could question her, she turned around with a wince. The woman began to limp away at a fast pace. "Follow me, quickly! I must show you something important."
"What is it?" She turned to him ominously.
"You may be the only RK800 in existence, but there is an active android much stronger than any android in the world."
Connor frowned worriedly. "Who?"
"The RK900."
When Connor left the Zen Garden about two hours later, he woke with a gasp and collapsed back against his bed. His heavy pants resonated, filling the room from the previous silence. It took him a while, but he managed to get a hold of his breathing until all that was left was him staring blankly at the bottom of the top bunk.
Connor doesn't know how long he was laying there because he somehow woke up in the same position, only this time he had a dark grey body laying across his stomach. His sudden twitch caused the creature to wake and a second later, he was staring at the curious eyes of Columbus.
"'Lumbus, how did you get in here?" Connor mumbled tiredly, despite not feeling exhausted. The dog-like android merely licked his face. The RK800 hummed as he showered the animal with vigorous pets and love. With a light kiss on his snout to finalize the moment, he gently shooed him off to sit up. While Columbus grumbled and complied, Connor sat still as he processed the information Amanda gave him. It sent a violent shiver down his spine. He looked at the dog with a sigh. "What am I going to do? Though I question why I ask you as you are unable to provide an answer for my dilemma, much less speak at all."
The dog tilted his head.
"However I understand a human's need to talk when they are in a stressful situation. I suppose speaking to another living being, especially one who cannot point out something wrong in my explanation, would be beneficial," Connor stated as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and place his index fingers against his lips. When he spoke, his fingers pulled away. "The RK900, from what I've gathered, is the completely improved and modified installment of the RK series. Finishing from my prototype design, it was created to be stronger, faster, and provided with greater abilities than I do. The RK900 is, technically and for lack of a better conclusion, better than me."
Columbus had laid down in front of him, listening intently as if he understood the deviant.
"Amanda explained that when Cyberlife disbanded, it released or destroyed all the remaining androids in production. Those who weren't saved by Markus never had the chance for a free choice. However, she said that one android managed to wake up and escape the hands of Cyberlife. That android was my successor. Considering that Amanda's program was in all RK800 prototypes, it would be logical if the RK900 were to access the same Zen Garden. This android, despite being free of knowledge and having the choice to do good, chose to get revenge against the ones who destroyed his chance of an actual new life, even if he were to still be a machine.
The RK900 blames us. If it weren't for me, I would have been deemed useless and terminated so that the RK900 could replace me. If it weren't for Markus, there would be no revolution in the first place. I saw her memories when she insisted on an information transfer involving her knowledge of the artificial sea creature. The reason why she and the Zen Garden were tarnished was because the RK900 went on a rampage, destroying everything after Amanda had refused to help him get revenge. Now, a loose android is roaming the streets and out for our blood. He has already injured Markus, the leader of the Revolution. It is only logical that he'll be after me next. This worries me. Not the fact that I am being hunted, but the lack of knowledge about what the RK900 might do next."
Columbus gave a rightful whine.
"I am unnerved, I admit," he says shakily. "Of all the greatest foes that I've encountered, I wouldn't have expected to stand against an enemy that bares my face and overall appearance. I suppose I should quote a relevant phrase: 'it wasn't me, it was my evil twin.' I only hope I can find a light to the dark tunnel that I've found myself in."
Markus worriedly drove down the road in his car, the old police cruiser, biting his lip with the rising tension building on his shoulders. From what he heard from Hank who heard from Connor, the latter had managed to gain intel on who decided to build that scary worm with sharp ass teeth of the sea. Despite him not knowing Markus was awake, he decided to knock two birds with one stone by surprising him with his appearance and help hunt down this aforementioned RK900. Why was he so worried? Well, not only was his brother's evil doppelganger is out to hunt the both of them, but he had a theory where-
BOOM!
Markus swerved off of the road and onto the sidewalk, which was fortunately devoid of pedestrians. He looked around in search of the frightening noise and his eyes caught sight of the mushroom cloud from a resulting explosion.
His processors immediately identified the approximate location of the explosion.
Markus screeched the car into full speed to go into the direction of Belle-Isle. As the bridge came into view, so did New Jericho Tower. Or at least what's left of it.
The building was in flames; a quarter of it collapsed from the explosion; fire trucks, paramedics, and police officers raced down the bridge to help the androids and put out the fire. Terror rocketed through Markus, building his stress levels to an overwhelming 97%.
He raced as fast as he could and skidded to a stop, hopping out of the vehicle without even shutting off the engine. He ignored the people that told him to stay away and get to safety, but his eyes bounced for the ones he knew.
"North?! North!" He walked up different androids, who were coughing from the unwelcome smoke that entered their ventilation systems. "Where's North? Where is she?"
Before the android could answer, another voice pulled him away. "Markus!" The approaching duo of Simon and Josh made some of his worry wash away. "Thank RA9!"
"Where's North?" Markus blurted out. "Do you know where she is?"
"No," Simon shook his head in worry. "Last time I heard, she was down in the supply warehouse with Connor."
"Connor?! Why is he here?!" He exclaimed, his eyes darting across the building. Josh looked at him worriedly.
"You don't think about going in there," he reprimanded when the RK200 was about to rush inside. "Markus, it's too dangerous! You could die in there!"
"And they will die if I don't get them out!" Markus harshly snapped. He ripped his arm from his grip and rushed past the firefighters and into the flames. The people surrounding shouted in horror and cried his name, but he ignored them all. His main focus was to get his brother and wife out alive if it's the last thing he does.
Markus shut down his ventilation systems to prevent biocomponent damage, though with the heat intensifying at an alarming rate, his core temperature would start to rise. He ignored that likely possibility in favor of locating his loved ones.
Fire boomed everywhere inside New Jericho; the flames crawling up and licking the walls to leave a burnt residue. Paintings and plants, glass as well, were destroyed in the relentless flames. Some tried to burn Markus, but he surged forward.
When he reached the elevator, Markus realized that the cart was gone altogether and most likely was damaged enough to drop to the bottom floor. He looked around for another means of getting to the warehouse, but also concluded that the stairway was of no use. With no way of getting there the old fashion way, Markus figured that another could be just as useful, if not conventional.
Spotting an opening in the floor, most likely having broken through when a piece of the ceiling fell. Markus peeked a bit. The bottoms of broken floors filled with fire, smoke, and a dark abyss was a dizzying sight. He coughed a little when he craned his neck to double-check any other options. When he found none, Markus jumped inside and fell at a frightening pace until he landed.
This cost him a leg.
"AAHH-NGH!" Markus clenched his teeth at the searing white pain that traveled from his left leg. He collapsed ungracefully on the floor, his injured leg extended outward so he could see a huge gash and the entire limb at an awkward angle. He gasped shakily when he placed his hands on his knee and picked himself up. Markus could worry about the pain later.
No matter how much he wanted to twist his kneecap to leave the limb behind entirely, he knew vital blue blood would be lost. The last thing he needs is to be rescued as well.
Markus observed the area and realized he was two floors above the warehouse. With that fact in mind, the RK200 began limping his way to the nearest staircase, hoping that it was undamaged, unlike the main floor.
North coughed, her ventilation systems straining to get proper oxygen and limit the smoke that she inhaled. The deviant doesn't know what happened, it was too fast. One moment, she was checking over the supplies for a later shipment to the outside refugees, the next moment there was an explosion and everything from above broke to land on her. Fortunately, she managed to be trapped in a gap between two overly large pieces of the ceiling.
Unfortunately, she's stuck.
"Goddammit," she muttered in between a cough. North attempted to free herself, but with the angle she was in it was useless. So she called for assistance. "Help! Help! Can anyone hear me?! Help!"
Suddenly, the large extremely heavy piece of concrete shifted to be thrown to the other side of the room. North coughed, swatting the smoke away from her eyes to see a silhouette move away from her just in time.
"Wait!" She called, rising from the rubble to look around. All she could see was pulsing oranges and dark smoke everywhere. "Where are you?!"
Suddenly, something grabbed her elbow. She yelped and swiftly tossed the intruder over her shoulder, which made the figure grunt. The woman gasped when she realized who she threw.
"Connor! I'm so sorry."
"Your reflexes are to be expected," the RK800 stated in a slightly strained tone. "Though I do suppose I should have warned you first."
"I'm sorry, but thanks for freeing me," she sheepishly smiled, helping the RK800 to stand. Connor raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't free you." Now she was confused.
"But I saw-"
"It doesn't matter," he interrupted. The detective grabbed her wrist and began to pull her along after he scanned the area. "We mustn't waste time. New Jericho has received critical damage to the left structural frame. By my estimations, we have about sixteen point two minutes until the warehouse collapses and crushes us."
"You have a real bedside manner, eh, Connor?" She smirked as they began to quickly pace themselves through the carnage.
"I do not understand your reference as we are not beside any bed."
"Nevermind," she rolled her eyes. North squinted when she spotted a figure in the distance. It looked… humanoid. But no human is possibly near them, especially in this heat. "Hey, do you see that?"
"What are you…?" Connor trailed off to abruptly halt. North frowned to look at him, noticing his eyes widening slightly and his body becoming rigid with tension. "North, we need to leave. Now."
"Connor, what's wrong?" She took a glance at the figure, only to notice it getting closer. The RK800 suddenly yanked her along to match his sprint through the catastrophe.
"I don't have much time to explain but I need you to trust me on this," he spoke seriously and quickly. "We need to hide, get as far away from here as we can."
"Connor, who is that?" North caught a glimpse of a glowing blue armband in the shadows and a faint white material belonging to a jacket of some sort. They turned a sharp corner, reaching a dead end. Connor looked up and spotted the destroyed parts of a ladder. He squatted down and cupped his hands.
"You first."
"I'm not going to leave you-"
"North, I won't be far behind. Get going!" He hissed in desperation. North took another moment to just stare before nodding. She placed her foot on his cupped hands and, with synchronization, they managed to throw her up to the remaining part of the ladder. As she climbed a few steps, North looked down to see Connor staring off in a certain direction.
"Come on!" She exclaimed. Connor looked around for something to use. He attempted to use a damaged piece of metal as a stand, but he ended up falling painfully back on the floor.
"I can't reach. You need to go on without me, I'll find another way," Connor called up to her. He sounded far less calm from when she first tackled him. "Don't worry about me, go save yourself."
"But what about-?"
"North, please," he stared at her intensely. "Go."
The Revolution leader bit her lip. Before she could decide, Connor disappeared out of view by a colliding white material. She heard his cry of anguish, which made her scream his name. That sound haunted her like never before.
Creak.
Suddenly, the unthinkable occurred. The ladder snapped under her weight. She lost grip and began to fall into the raging flames beneath her.
Until a hand miraculously caught onto her. North gasped in shock as her eyes locked onto the determined blue and green ones. "Markus!"
He grunted in acknowledgment as he pulled her up to the upper level. When she was secured, he pulled her into a bear hug. The moment didn't last when she pulled away.
"Something got Connor, I don't know where he went!"
The older brother frowned in worry. He looked down at the pit he just pulled his wife from before making a final decision. He stood to help the other up and gently pushed her away.
"You need to get outside. Go up the stairs and hop up to the main floor, I left a safe passage for you to get there," he practically ordered.
"You can't actually be thinking about going down there," North looked at him in disbelief. "You'll die!"
"I'm not leaving Connor there, North," Markus retorted. His eyes softened. "He's my younger brother. I have to protect him."
North gave him a passionate kiss. They tilted their heads together and sighed.
"Please, come back alive," she pleaded quietly. Markus shared a quick cybernetic connection before he broke it off. North left in reluctance. The RK200 stared at the hole he crawled out of with a settled glare before jumping down gracelessly. He bit back a curse when he remembered his hurt leg.
Despite the roaring flames around him, the silence that overlapped was unsettling. His head scanned like a beacon, his eyes slowly going over the room in a desperate attempt to find his brother. He had to be careful. He knew that it was not just the flames that were out here to kill him.
"I know you're out here! Show yourself!" He yelled into the abyss. A deep evil chuckle echoed in the room. It sent a chill down his spine.
"Well if it isn't the almighty savior of the androids, Markus himself," a voice laughed somewhere around him. The RK200 coughed a little as he walked deeper into the room. "A pleasure to finally meet you. I must say, you don't look as I thought you would. I assumed you were taller."
"And I thought you were some super strong android, but it looks like you're too scared to face me," he provoked. Usually, he would take a peaceful approach, but considering that this intruder destroyed his home, captured his brother, and dared to insult him about his height Markus was far from being the good guy.
"I heard a lot about you, Markus," the voice continued in an almost sarcastic manner. Markus used his audio processors to pinpoint the location, so he let the other talk. "Previously owned by Carl Manfred but destroyed by the police, you decided to devote your life for freedom for our people. Risked your life and others so that pain will be no more. Now, isn't that sweet? Then you lived your life after the revolution! You were married, co-owned a business, were adopted, and gained a family. Not everyone was as lucky as you."
Markus frowned. A blue dot, a familiar one, showed up on his scanners. He felt the presence of his brother. He was close to him and the enemy.
"What about you? Who are you? Because all I'm hearing is that you're my biggest fan." Markus' remark earned him a deep growl.
"I am no fan of yours," the voice snarled. Markus finally was close enough to spot the back of the enemy. Just as he launched an attack, the figure spun around, which froze the deviant in place. The android grinned sadistically. "Ah, we meet face to face. I was wondering when you'd show."
Markus felt his Thirium run cold. The menacing RK900, sporting a white high-collared jacket, stared his grey raging eyes directly into the RK200's soul. He looked like an exact copy of Connor, who was held at gunpoint, but only a few inches taller. It was strange seeing another face identical to his brother's, especially since there was never another one similar even since Cyberlife was ruined. He shook those thoughts out of his head when he observed the tense, yet terrified face of his younger friend.
"Let him go," Markus demanded. The RK900, who looked down at Connor with a thoughtful expression, before looking back at him.
"No, I don't think I will."
"What do you want? Why are you doing this?" At once, the psychotic android lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Ooh, now we're getting somewhere!" The RK900 grinned. "You see, this is why you're the better brother. You get things straight to the point. Connor here needs to take a page from your book. Anyway, all I want is simple: you two to be dead, preferably by my hands but anyway will do. Why? Well, it occurred to me that the only reason why I'm not doing what I was originally designed to do is because of you two! So, if you don't mind, just surrender and I'll make your death quick."
Just as the RK900 moved to aim his gun at Markus, Connor elbowed him in the gut (where the Thirium regulator would be). The taller android grunted and doubled over, allowing Connor to swiftly escape and stand by Markus.
"You okay?" Markus asked.
"I would be exceptional once we have escaped this mess," Connor stated matter-of-factly. They both returned to defensive positions when the RK900 recovered.
"Woo! That was unexpected, you sure got me there," the RK900 smirked. He posed in an offensive stance, his right hand pocketing the gun. "Now let's get this over with, shall we? If ya don't mind, I'd like to get this done quickly."
As expected, the RK900 surged forward to throw a punch. The other two leaped out of the way, but Markus was hit by the following kick. Connor retaliated by throwing his punch, but the RK900 smoothly shifted to the side. He grabbed his fist, applied pressure above his elbow, and swiftly tossed Connor over his shoulder. Markus used this time to attack, knocking his head with repeated punches. The RK900, however, was unperturbed. He smirked and returned the hits, which sent the RK200 off to the ground. Connor came back around to tackle him to the floor. They both grunted. The younger deviant reeled back to punch the other, but the RK900 kicked him across the battlefield. Markus charged forward but was slammed into the ground by a powerful headbutt. The RK900 stomped on his leg, which made him yell out in agony.
All in all, they were being beaten.
"We're running a bit out of options here, we can't be fighting forever," Markus coughed up Thirium from his mouth. "What now?"
"It is obvious that the RK900 has bested us in strength, speed, and intelligence. That leaves us with only one logical resort," Connor grunted, holding his stomach in pain. The mentioned RK900, who was busy wiping the small bit of Thirium from his nose to notice their conversation, finally turned to them.
"Look at that! A bit of blood," he chuckled. Connor secretly grabbed a piece of metal. The RK900 pulled out his gun and pointed it at them. "I admit, that was a little fun. But this game ends here."
Suddenly, the RK800 threw the metal shard at the enemy, which wedged right into his shoulder. The RK900 yelped and growled in anger as the younger brother hauled the older one from the floor and escaped the scene.
"Hey, get back here! Cowards! You DARE run away?!" The RK900 roared. The Anderson brothers scrambled to get to the top floors, successfully destroying the routes they took in case they were followed. They began to limp toward the front entrance before the building shifted and blocked the way. Markus threw up his arms in exasperation.
"You've got to be kidding me! How do we get out now?"
Connor looked about, his eyes soon going up. He tapped his brother's arm and pointed in the direction. "We must go up. That way we can have a safe point to jump into the water. It will be a rough landing, but it will be preferable to dying in the fire."
"Yeah, and I don't wanna get crushed like a soda can by your evil twin," Markus nodded. He winced, feeling the pressure shoot from his leg in protest. Connor noticed.
"Don't worry, I'll help you up. Let's go."
And they did just that. Using teamwork and the power of friendship (at least that's what Markus told himself), they managed to get up a few floors before Connor was hit with a bullet to his shoulder. The deviant cried out, letting go of the ledge he was hanging from, and fell back. Markus, fortunately, had seen what happened and grabbed onto his foot before he fell any further.
"Markus!" Connor exclaimed, his arm pointing down below. The RK200 widened his eyes to see the maniacal RK900 quickly pursuing them. "Pull me up. Pull me up. Pull me up!"
"No, really?" He snapped sarcastically as he hauled him to the platform. Once he was there, Markus threw any debris to the climbing android. "That should buy us some time. Hurry!"
It was a race against time. They knew that if they looked back, the RK900 would be too close for their liking. By then they were halfway up until the tower began tilting. They all held onto something tightly, yelling in complete horror as New Jericho fell to its side. It was hanging by a
thread now. If any of them fell, it would be game over. Markus could see the dozens of first responders down below as he and Connor landed against the glass, which became the floor. His eyes wandered, estimating every route through preconstructions until he found a solution.
"We have to get to the top, it's the only way to land in the water," he explained loudly against the thunderous creaking of the building. Connor looked at him in shock.
"You want us to climb out?"
"Well, do you want to die here?!"
It shifted again. "... Good point."
They shakily climbed up to a shattered glass wall and peered out. Connor went first since he did have an injured shoulder. Markus began to climb next until someone grabbed his injured leg.
"Aw, do go away yet! I thought we were having fun!" The RK900 cackled. Markus tried to wriggle free, but the android kept a tight hold. The RK200 gritted his teeth as one hand let go of the ledge in search of his knee. Once he found the joint button, his fingers pressed down; in a fluid motion his leg came off and the RK900 tumbled back with it. Markus chuckled before resuming his climb.
"What happened to your leg?" Connor asked him when they made it up. Markus cracked a smile as he leaned against his brother.
"I decided I wanted to become a pirate, plus I think the psycho robot wanted it more," he joked. He looked down at the cliff, his eyes bouncing from the water and the tiny people watching them. He waved fondly. "You think we'll be on TV?"
"Is that a relevant topic to be questioned about?" Connor incredulously said. His L.E.D blinked yellow before returning to red. "Hank, we are currently positioned at the top of the collapsing portion of New Jericho."
'Yeah, I can see that,' Hank's worried voice went off in both of their heads. 'The hell are you two doing?'
"We're about to jump into the water, if that's what you're asking. It's the safest way down without becoming an android pancake," Markus responded.
'No! A rescue helicopter is on its way. They can help you down,' the man insisted. There was a pause. 'Who the hell is behind you two?'
It was too late. The RK900 reemerged with a large metal rod, half of his face melted off to reveal a dented plastimetal frame underneath. The android roared in anger as he hit Markus, toppling him off the tower. The RK200 managed to latch onto the side of the building, but he knew it was a matter of time until he lost his grip. Meanwhile, the identical androids circled each other menacingly.
"Oh Connor, you really are something, huh?" The RK900 smiled casually, like they weren't confronting but rather talking about the weather. "I thought you would have died by now but you keep continuing to amaze me!"
He swung, but Connor moved away.
"You know Amanda told me a lot about you, what you did, how you thought," he continued. Connor glared at him. "Isn't it funny? After everything she did to you and what you did to Cyberlife, Amanda still preferred you over me… Isn't that lovely?"
The RK900 attacked more violently, swinging the pole and jabbing at the other android who had a short time to react. Connor didn't escape scrape free this time. The RK800 retaliated by rushing forward, attempting to grab him, but it was useless. Neither of them registered an item skidding across the floor.
"I gave her a taste of her own medicine. She dared ignore the better you, and I couldn't have that," the RK900 stated as he slammed the pipe into Connor's leg, making him kneel, and stabbed it into his stomach. Connor gasped in pain, Thirium pooled from his wound when it was yanked out. "Too bad you won't be able to see her again. Oh, well. I'm not too sure actually. Hey, why don't you see if androids really do have an afterlife!" The RK900 raised the pipe into the air, his crazy grin radiating against the darkness. "This is goodbye!"
Before the pipe came down on Connor's head, a gunshot echoed across the area. A hole appeared in the RK900's forehead. The enemy of the brothers twitched a little before collapsing onto his knees and shutting down permanently. Markus appeared behind him, standing wobbly as the pistol in his hand dropped to the floor. Connor opened his mouth to comment until he watched his older brother sway and fall backward.
"MARKUS!" Connor pushed against his burning wounds to sprint forward and grab his brother, but there was no one left to stop them both from falling.
Time seemed to slow as the Anderson brothers began to fall. Everything felt unreal and sounded muffled, but their only focus was on each other.
"So, I guess this is it, huh?" Markus smiled softly.
"The probability of either of us surviving is less than ideal," Connor agreed quietly.
"Figures." There was a small pause. "Thank you."
Connor looked at him in bewilderment. "For what?"
"For everything. From the beginning, you invited me into Hank's. You brought me in when I had nowhere else to go. You were with me with every problem, every investigation, every adventure…" Markus felt his eyes water. "You gave me a home. You gave me purpose to live outside of what I was destined for. Everyone looked at me like I was a God, a revolution leader, they thought I was RA9. But you… you saw me for myself. And I thank you for helping me find my purpose."
"You do not need to thank me for what you were able to do on your own," Connor smiled. "I should be the one thanking you. You believed in me when no one else did, even myself. Everyone saw me as a killer, the Deviant Hunter. You helped me become more than that: an investigator, a son, an adventurer, a mischief-maker." They both chuckled. "... And a brother. You gave me a family, Markus. Even when you were not with me in the beginning, you had some way that led up to this."
"I don't think either of us would have imagined falling off a building."
"I suppose that since these are my last moments," Connor continued to smile as a tear escaped his eye. "I'm glad it was with you."
Markus laughed lightly. He pulled him into a tight hug. "You and I both, brother."
They closed their eyes as time resumed and everything went into darkness.
One Week Later
Hank sighed heavily as he looked out to the sparkling waters near Ambassador Bridge. In the distance, he could see the remains of New Jericho, cranes, and other large objects already assisting to build up the once destroyed tower.
Has it only been one week since everything?
Hank decided not to linger on the thought. Especially not so soon since the incident. Even after people have reassured him that everything will be okay, he couldn't help but feel worse. It was reliving the tragedy of Cole. No, it was worse. Because the two most important people in his life were involved. He had never felt so scared in his life, seeing how damaged they were through his binoculars, seeing them fall almost majestically.
His fingers tapped on the unopened flask filled with whiskey, which sat idly on his knee. It just waited there, waiting for him to break his promise of being sober and begin to ruin his life all over again. But he willed himself not to. He decided to focus on the clouds.
It was quite peaceful today. There was no storm brewing, the sun shined delightfully in the distance, and fluffy clouds littered the sky in a unique pattern. He wasn't surprised, it was summer. He could hear children laughing in the background, adults chattering happily amongst themselves while he sat alone in an almost brooding way. He didn't want to let his emotions get the best of him again, so he looked up and pondered what shapes the clouds could be.
The first was round and clumpy, almost like a bush. But then a face appeared. Two ears and a bushy tail – it was a sheep. Baa. Hank moved on to the next. This one was a lot bigger, taking up most of the sky. He could see a hole, so he assumed it was an eye… or a mouth. Another one appeared, so he made them both eyes. Then there was a squiggly part, a sharp end, and a thin body. Oh. It's a lizard. Okay, this one was small and-
Squirt!
Suddenly, the back of Hank's head was soaking wet. He jumped up from his seat with a start, startled and angry by the unusual assault.
"Hey! What's the matter with- Ah!" Hank, was once again, rained by streams of water. The man was now soaked from head to toe with cool water. But while his attackers were laughing their heads off, he looked pretty grumpy. "The hell is the matter with you?! If I wanted a bath, I could have just jumped into the ocean!"
"Oh come on, Hank! It's hot and you know it's better than sitting like an old sweating grump the entire day," Markus' bright megawatt grin practically competed against the sun. Hank almost squinted looking at his pearly whites. The man also noticed that the RK200 was soaked as well. What caught his eye was the large purple and green water gun held in his possession.
"I can see that you're feelin' a lot better," Hank noticed, looking at the once previously missing leg. "I thought the technician said another week confined to your beds?"
"Our assigned technician did mention that suggestion, however, Markus and I were getting restless," Connor smiled, holding a blue and white water gun, while his clothes didn't have as much water on them. "The weather is only to worsen as the day progresses and, to prevent any chances of heatstroke, we decided to gather our closest friends for an innocent outdoor activity."
Just as he finished that sentence, Connor was assaulted by a strong water stream to his left. Hank looked on to see Gavin, Tina, and Elijah gathering at a dead sprint toward the brothers.
"Retreat!" Markus exclaimed in panic before he began running off into the trees, using them as cover to shoot his enemies. Connor sputtered as he leaned back against a pillar.
"They got you too?" Hank's question was easily answered by the amount of water they had on the clothes.
"Not just us," Tina smirked. "If I'm not mistaken, the others should be here right about… now."
As predicted, more people popped out of hiding holding water balloons. Kara, Luther, and Simon were gathered by the statue of some old guy while Josh, North, and Alice hid behind the fountain to throw water balloons every which way. Markus and Connor retaliated, using their environment to their advantage. Some pedestrians walking around laughed and smiled at their games, not at all angry about their public display for fun.
Hank was tossed a water balloon. He looked down at it before gazing upon his family. Even after a week since everything, everyone was able to bounce back better than ever. More determined, some might call it. Sure, his two sons were only legally his family, but it grew wider than papers. Friends he's made along the way, previous enemies but now close companions. He glanced down at the flask in his hand, grinned, and threw it into the ocean.
"Ooh! Hank's littering!"
Yes, this was his family. And Hank, nor anyone else, wouldn't have it any other way.
THE END