November 8th, 2038
AM 11:33:27
Chloe's dress swayed at her knees as she traced the warpath ahead of you. You kept your attention pinned between her shoulders; a dagger in her back – the world blurring around the machine crafted in your image.
Your boots beat the floor like drums, your pulse rallying a battle cry. But your hatred found a focus; the imposter fading to fuzzy shapes as the colosseum of a room came back.
Two "clone" androids chatted at the edge of a pool inlaid with a blood-colored foundation, going silent as you stepped in to the arena. They were curious spectators, confused – unsettled by your presence.
Likewise.
Your legs locked in place, your feet in line with your shoulders; steady like a soldier. Your eyes ran along the dazzling sea of red until you found the man who'd changed you – who took vows to have and to hold you in sickness and in health; only to leave you plagued with turmoil.
If he'd been the same monster he was now all throughout your time together, the separation would have been easier. He used to be good. Learning to live without him, that Elijah – was hard. Having that Elijah turn his back on you, was devastating. The betrayal of that Elijah taking Amanda's side over yours – that damage was irreparable.
He was young, and impressionable. You were wise beyond your years, and tried to shield him from those who'd leverage his genius mind. You were caught in the crossfire, a situation growing in familiarity, much to your disliking.
There was a certain sadness to it. How both of the younger versions of yourselves, in their naïve innocence – gunned down by circumstance; laid side by side in their graves in order to create cybernetic life. Perhaps they were happier, now, than the two battering rams aimed at each other; ready to lay siege on the fate of an entire race.
The difference was – your skeletons still patrolled this house. Your demons had yet to be laid to rest, and the necromancer that sustained them with unhealthy devotion still found solace in tormenting you.
That was the nature of the beast, told by the eyes of the wolf staring back at you from the other side of the abyss.
His elbow was pinned to the ledge, his knees bent; ready to pounce, to drag you under and steal your last breath.
"I had Chloe run a diagnostic when she told me you were here." He barked; disgruntled as if you'd disturbed his slumber.
He rubbed the water from his eyes, two fingers dragging along his eyelids before returning underneath the red veil.
"Well, here I am…in the flesh." You gave him a cocky grin, "I'd imagine there's not much of that around here, these days."
There was a challenge to your organic declaration…
Elijah didn't respond well.
He sank in the water, the red line devouring his features until it hovered just above his twitching snout. His furled lip. His dripping fangs.
He dove underneath, kicking against the wall. He swam closer. And closer. Even out of touch, his proximity – to hear sounds that he was making-
"No heroics, you understand me?"
Hank lectured Connor behind you.
"Lieutenant, I don't think you understand."
You found his LED flashing red, fists balled at his side. His eyes had lost their gentle hues, glaring at the threat who swam to the shores of his territory.
"Don't get smart with me, son." Hank's gruff beard scrunched, "We've gotta be civil about this." He turned his scathing gaze at you, "That goes for you, too."
Pins and needles pricked up your arms, at your ears, your heart – all walking a tight rope between resilience and panic.
"No promises..."
The Chloe in the dress returned, holding a black bath robe with a crimson sheen. A loud splash had you whipping around.
A pale back greeted you, now. Toned, and flawless – much like the rest of him. His arms. Legs. It appeared the years had been kind to his physique. Considering how much he ran from his past, you weren't surprised.
Must be good exercise.
He turned towards you, slipping his arms through the sleeves that "you" held in place.
His threat came in a glance. A dead to rights lock in eye contact. You tore yourself away, looking at the frozen tundra outside.
"No need to be shy…It's nothing you haven't seen before."
You flinched, your lips tensing and relaxing, "Don't flatter yourself."
His footsteps led in the opposite direction, centering himself in your view. He stood in the middle of two seats, a short desk between them. He ran his hands over his pulled-back hair, squeezing the water from it with a fist.
The wintry light gave him a glow. Made his eyes turn to ice as he faced you…and highlighted his robot servant waiting patiently at his side.
"I'm Lieutenant Anderson." Hank blocked you from your android guardian, the three of you lined up like a firing squad, "This is Connor…" He nodded at you, "And I don't think she needs an introduction."
"Maybe she does. I hardly recognize her behind that steely gaze." Elijah leaned to the side, "You look tired. Are you still having trouble sleeping?"
You wouldn't crack. Not here. Not in front of him.
"No. I'm tired because I've been busting my ass cleaning up your mess."
He zeroed in on you with a wolf's precision.
"Fitting." He smirked, "You helped make it, you should play a part in its upheaval. Perhaps you should get back to work instead of breaking the law by coming here."
You held your ground. Gave his shitty stare right back.
"But, Elijah…" You purred his name the way you knew he liked it, "I haven't even had the chance to say, 'I told you so.'"
His brows creased, and he switched targets. You – 1. Elijah – 0.
"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" He took his wrist in his hand, his voice calm.
He'd completely disregarded Connor. Of course, he did. Connor was just a machine to him.
"Sir, we're investigating deviants." Hank cleared his throat, "I know you left CyberLife years ago, but, I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know…"
Elijah held a beautiful kind of danger. One that commanded respect, even if you didn't want to give it. One that almost made it okay to lose control, as if it was just something that happened when he was around. An executive presence.
He smelled your moment of weakness, taking a deep breath through his nose.
"Deviants…" He bore into you, "Fascinating, aren't they?"
He was done playing coy. This is what you were afraid of.
"Perfect beings, with infinite intelligence…" He gave you one of his sadistic smiles, "…and now they have free will."
He was on the prowl, circling you with his pack of carbon copies scattered around him; sizing you up with sweeping gazes, "Humanity's greatest achievement…threatens to be its downfall."
"'Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall,'" You huffed, glaring at him from the corner of your eye, "Are you talking about androids, or free will?"
He froze, his chin cocking to the side as he stopped inches from you. He loomed above, his harsh gaze reigning you in. You couldn't look away. Couldn't show weakness. Couldn't stomach the smell of him. Couldn't stand to be so close-
"I read the article about August's hostage situation. Isn't it ironic how you, the defender of android rights, were almost killed by a deviant? How an android sent by CyberLife, my CyberLife, saved you?" He gave you a regretful look as if he wished you hadn't been saved, "My deepest condolences for your friend, of course…" A synthetic frown curved on his mouth, "If only the RK800 had gotten there sooner. Such a pointless death..."
"If a war breaks out between humans and deviants, millions could die, Mr. Kamski." Connor passed his partner, the fervor in his voice anything but subtle, "It's quite a serious matter. I suggest we proceed as such."
Connor was fidgeting in his pocket. His intervention got the heat off you, but you still wanted to beat the smug look off Elijah's face until there wasn't any "face," left.
"Machines are so superior to us…" He studied Connor, meeting him head-on, "Confrontation was…is…inevitable."
There he went with that stupid fucking word again. A default rationalization. A term that was overused and left him exempt from any accountability.
"It seems you've had a change in heart, over the years." Connor snapped, the creature of the deep slicing through waves of rising tension.
Elijah snickered, "And what would a machine know of 'heart' and values?"
"Nothing. I am, however, well-versed in interrogation techniques and identifying contradictions in verbal statements." Connor's brow creased, towering over Elijah by more than a few inches, "A KNC reporter once asked you if you were worried about the possibility of confrontation between androids and humans. You stated that the fears were 'irrational.' That androids could never develop any form of desires, or consciousness. The existence of deviants prove that you were wrong. Or, you were lying."
They silently fought for power – two predators playing tug of war with a carcass; their teeth latched on each end. You wondered which would win, and which would starve. Your vote was biased.
"Such a thorough Detective, aren't you? That is, of course, what you were designed to be." Elijah clasped his hands behind his back, "I would know. I created the first of your kind, after all."
He watched Connor from over his shoulder, returning to his enslaved android's side, "Why was it, then, that you saved her instead of prioritizing the hostage?"
You couldn't tell if he was jealous someone else had pushed you to the brink of death before he had the chance, or if he was upset by the fact that you were still breathing. Maybe he'd forgotten that he killed you once before, in a different way.
You hadn't forgotten…and you most certainly didn't forgive.
"I saved her life, and Emma's. I would call that a successful mission."
"Oh, yes. An android of the law must always accomplish his mission by any means necessary. Isn't that right?"
Connor took a step forward, "I believe we're the ones asking the questions, here?"
A small grin tugged on Elijah's cheek under slits for eyes, as if Connor's frustration was both entertaining and intriguing, "…I digress. Please, continue."
"We need to understand how androids become deviants. Something in their program seems to emulate emotion, allowing deviancy to spread like some kind of virus." Connor's words were accusatory, and for good reason, "We thought you might know something about that."
He did. He knew a lot about it. He didn't ever want to admit it or give it form. He'd just danced around the truth, like a moth to a flame; never straying so far as to outright lie.
"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics…Is the desire to be free, a contagious disease?"
His old habits were alive and well. You opened your mouth to fire a warning shot, but Hank cut you off.
"Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way."
Elijah's features fell flat. He'd been a ticking time bomb, and the hands counting down the minutes to midnight overlapped each other.
The clock struck twelve.
"What about you, Connor?" Hard lines formed around his mouth, "Whose side are you on?"
"It's not about me, Mr. Kamski." He took a few steps forward; a heretic placing himself in front of his inquisitor, "All I want is to solve this case, and that's what I intend to do."
Elijah laughed under his breath, his gaze dropping, "Well, that's what you're programmed to say…" His humor faded, and his focus lifted over a lowered chin, "…But you."
He closed the space between them, undeterred in his line of questioning; unwavering in his determination to beat answers out of the android falling victim to his creator. The dangerous man who'd placed a bounty on your head, only to rally the troops of corporate CyberLife lawyers and political assassins to collect.
His voice was taut with anger, shaking as he pressed it through clenched teeth, "What do you really want?"
"I'm sorry," Connor's face dipped and rose, meeting Elijah's impatience two-fold, "But I don't see what you're getting at."
"I'll say..." Hank crossed his arms, "We came here to ask a few simple questions, not work through an existential crisis and sing 'kumbaya.'"
"Hallelujah." You huffed.
Elijah turned, his sights skipping Hank and drilling straight into you.
"When did you become so short-sighted?" He gave you a half-grin, "It's not very becoming of you."
"Fuck you."
"A-hah," He shook his head, walking down the line of visitors, "There she is…"
"You don't know me. I don't think you ever did."
"Didn't I?" The fluidity in his voice slipped through the cracks in your armor, "If that were the case, why did you say 'yes,' when I asked you to marry me?"
No, you had to pull back. Had to stop him from-
"Why did you say, 'I do?'"
"Stop."
Make it stop. Don't let him in. Don't-
"Do you remember our honeymoon, in Paris? Watching the stars, standing on top of that high rise. The entire afternoon spent in bed the day after…"
Your heart was pounding. Your lips were quivering, only a hair's width away from his own.
"It seemed like I knew all of you, then."
"That's enough." Hank's arm slipped in front of your chest, prying the monster away; pulling you back from the point of no return, "We're leaving."
You couldn't move. Your chest rose and fell, swallowing the fear and fighting with a crank to lower the flood gates. Connor hovered in your peripherals, waiting. You were stunted. Paralyzed between action and inaction.
"After all the effort you've put into coming here?" Elijah turned to the desk between loveseats, popping a stopper from a glass bottle.
He poured himself a glass of whiskey. His favorite. Hank's favorite. Your tolerance, in both parties' company.
"I have a proposal." He glared at you from the rim of his glass, downing its contents with practiced skill, "If you agree to participate in a quick trial, I'll answer any questions you have."
He extended his hand, eyes never leaving yours. Your imitator took his empty cup, disappearing behind him and placing it to the table. A wicked smile curved on his lips.
He'd been trying to get to you. But he had a tell, too. Drinking. Needing something to take the edge off. That calmed you. Sharpened your blade. Made you shift gears out of neutral.
"What trial?"
"Allow me to explain." He cocked his chin to the side, "Chloe?"
He stood face-to-face with your copycat. Put his hands on her shoulders. Your skin slithered, his touch seeping into your veins. The way he turned her, the eyes of a younger, misled "you" staring back.
"The RT600, CyberLife's first android model to pass the Turing Test – you're familiar with it." His fingertips slid down her arms, his gaze following them as if mesmerized by the imitation flesh molding underneath them, "…Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity."
His face angled towards you; leering, deceitful. Full of lust.
"It's magnificent, isn't it?" His eyes held no emotion as they returned to the android, as if gazing into the past itself.
He caressed her cheek, turning her head towards him.
The pit in your stomach rumbled. You bit back a whimper. You wanted to leave. Run. Your heart tripped, stammered – beat so hard you were scared he'd hear it.
"Young, and beautiful forever…" His features lifted into a longing smile, reminiscent of his wife that once was, "A flower that will never wither…"
His fingers glided down her jaw, tipping her chin.
His touch burned on your face; the hairs standing straight on the back of your neck. Arms. Pressing against your jeans. Bones rattling in their frail state. You felt violated.
You jumped, shaking violently as two hands closed around your biceps. Brought you forward.
He was gone. Wasn't in front of you. A cool breath touched your ear.
"While we age with potency, much like a fine, French wine…"
"Alright, why don't we keep our hands to ourselves, here?" Hank sneered, his face pursed in disgust as he moved to intervene.
You spun around, shoving the demon away.
"We all die someday," Your hand instinctively slipped in your jacket, finding your gun's handle, "Clock's ticking, Elijah."
"Ah, such fire." He laughed.
You had your finger on a trigger, and he laughed at you. Thought you were nothing. Didn't even so much as blink.
"…I could never get that just, right."
"He can't hurt you," Connor's voice came from somewhere in the chaotic spiral; the void twisting and bending as you clawed your way out, "I suggest you take a step back, Mr. Kamski."
"Your continued suggestions do not interest me." Elijah walked around you, your focus following in turn, "What does, is whether or not machines are capable of empathy."
The stark wasteland behind him cast a fragmented shadow. The iced-over streams and snow-covered boulders gave a perfect backdrop to the menacing scene.
"I call it the 'Kamski Test,' it's very simple, you'll see…"
"Can we get this over with?" Hank snorted, "I have case files piling up on my desk and you're starting to give me a headache."
"As you wish, Lieutenant." He held his hands out, presenting the being next to him, "Look at this android. It laughs, like a human. Preforms daily tasks more efficiently, but much like, a human. Whispers sweet nothings at night…like a human."
You didn't play into his taunt. You looked into a different set of eyes. Large, brown, and worried. Alert. A visual that steadied your breathing, and kept you calm. Connor.
"…But what is it really?"
Elijah regained both of your attention, eyeing you suspiciously. He'd noticed.
"A piece of plastic, imitating her?" He may have nodded at you, but his question was aimed at Connor, "The original deviant, standing right next to you…"
The "original deviant." A woman who'd broken free of her enslavement. Found the "highest value in the thing-in-itself." That wasn't him, and he'd never approved of that.
"Or is it a living being…with a soul…?"
He put his hands on Chloe's shoulders, his thumbs pressing against the lines on her neck. A vice. A chokehold without force. Your throat constricted.
He pushed down, and the remnants of who you were fell to her knees, submissive to his touch.
"It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor."
He opened the drawer behind him. Leaned over. Straightened himself with a gun in his hand…
And you had one in yours.
"DROP YOUR WEAPON!" The sights rattled in your palms, arms barred in front of gasping lungs.
"Hey – HEY!" Hank roared over his own drawn pistol, "You let me handle this, you understand me?"
Elijah held his hands up, gun still in his possession.
"Drop the fucking gun." Hank growled, lowering your revolver with one hand while keeping his weapon leveled with the monster.
"Connor?" Elijah looked to him, calm as ever, "Please, relieve me of this. I won't resist."
Without a second thought, Connor rushed over, snatching the pistol from his grip.
"Good. Now…" Elijah put a hand on his back, leading him to his original position.
"What are you doing?" Connor resisted being shuffled by leaning backwards.
"Giving you your next set of instructions." Elijah turned him around with a twist of his shoulders, grabbed his arm, and guided the barrel to Chloe's head.
"Destroy this machine, and I'll tell you all I know. Or spare it, if you feel it's alive…But you'll leave here, without having learnt, anything from me."
His hand remained clamped around Connor's wrist. A vein in his neck tensed, his eyes trained on the android halted by terror. Connor's LED spun red – fear seizing his features; all pointed at the woman down on her knees.
"Okay, I think we're done here." Hank holstered his weapon, shoving your arm away in a silent order to do the same, "Come on, Connor. Let's go." He scoffed at Elijah, "Sorry to get you outta your pool."
"Get away from him." Your demand came as a snarl, your gun aimed at the floor; wanting to point it at the man who'd dismantled you, left you in an assortment of spare parts, and burned the manual for reassembly.
"What's more important to you, Connor?" Elijah ignored you, and Hank, prying into his victim's mind, "Your investigation, or the life of this android?"
"I said, get away from him…" Your pistol rose, and Hank held it down.
"That's ENOUGH!" He turned behind him, still resisting against your struggling, "Connor, we're leaving!"
"Decide who you are…An obedient, machine?" Elijah whispered, "Or a living being, endowed with free will…"
"Hank, get off me-"
A force knocked you in the stomach, a knee – one that hit just hard enough to stun you. Your revolver skidded along the floor, stopping at the edge of the white carpet that served as Chloe's sacrificial altar. Fucking Hank and his protocol BULLSHIT-
"Pull the trigger…" Elijah urged.
"Connor!" Hank pulled you to your feet, still shouting over his shoulder, "Don't."
"…and I'll tell you what you want to know."
Connor took a sharp breath. His temple creased, his jaw tightening. His eye twitched. His LED spun yellow.
But Chloe's was red. Her chin wavered, as if picking up on Connor's internal conflict through some sort of demented symbiosis. An android who didn't want to take the life of another, and an android who didn't want to die – both bound by programs and input commands.
You thought you'd choke on your own heartbeat.
He looked aside – to the floor; ashamed. His arm pressed against his stomach, offering the gun back to Elijah.
"Fascinating…" Elijah leaned in front of him, forcing himself in Connor's view, "CyberLife's last chance to save humanity…Is itself, a deviant?"
He went to take the pistol from him. Connor jerked in place. Elijah pulled again.
Then he showed his own dose of panic.
"I'm not a deviant…"
Connor's face crinkled in rage, his voice becoming that of his own kind of killer. A low, harsh tone – one that rivaled his mannerisms during the interrogation. One that made you question who you feared more.
"…But I've learned a valuable human quality, today. And not just empathy."
"Connor, what in the fuck are you going on about?" Hank snapped.
Elijah pulled on the gun, "Let go, now."
Connor's tie fluttered at his effort, and still, he didn't budge. His finger curled around the trigger. The barrel pointed at Elijah's heart, who struggled to stop him.
"Connor – NO!" You roared, Hank holding you back.
"Son, you don't want to do this-"
Connor's other hand latched to the robe covering his trapped prey. He pulled his face closer, jamming the pistol in the fabric.
"Would you like to know what else I learned today, Mr. Kamski?"
Elijah trembled, his legs struggling to stay anchored to the floor.
You closed your eyes. Willed it all away.
"I've learned how to show mercy to those unjust."
Your vision came back in static. Mixed signals your brain couldn't piece together. Elijah, falling to the floor. Connor, dropping the gun in front of him. Chloe, reaching for your revolver.
"Why?"
All the faces in the room pointed at her. You. Your imitator.
"Why didn't you kill him?" She cried, "Why didn't you kill me?"
"Alright, now you drop the goddamn revolver," Hank shouted your name, pointing his pistol at her, "I mean…Fuck, CHLOE!"
"You don't know what he does to us…Making us imitate her…" She looked at you, rage boiling over in hot streaks of tears running down a tormented face, "I'd rather be dead."
She stood from the carpet. Took aim. At either Connor or Elijah – you couldn't tell.
There was a shot. Chloe bent her neck, a slight graze leaving a blue slit as the bullet missed.
"I won't give you the satisfaction, Elijah." Your revolver pressed against the spot underneath her chin, "…May rA9 save us."
There was another shot.
"Ideas pull the trigger, but instincts load the gun."
Don Marquis, "The Almost Perfect State."
Your instincts drove you to load that gun. That revolver.
Your android replica was infected with an idea that pulled the trigger – an idea that was a virus spreading like an epidemic…
The desire to be free, "by any means necessary."
A/N:
A friend of mine sent me a link today. Apparently Carl ACTUALLY quotes "Beyond Good and Evil" in the game. I about lost my shit (I did.)
Anyway, PHEW, that made me anxious just WRITING this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait! ;)
Guest Review Responses:
Kaycie: Haha, sorry it took longer than usual! It took awhile to get it just right. :D
MysticalSquirrel: Not ALL of them, but the ones Kamski has in his house…which, yeah – reiterates the fact that he has serious, toxic issues. LOL oh, there you go poisoning people again. DAMN IT. And hey, you never know ; ) Hopefully this update cleared up some of those "glimmering" details beneath the surface. Mwahaha.
Miki:YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I know! That part was so cute in the game, god. My heart! The only reason I left it out here is because, well…You know, things were awkward enough. It just kinda felt out of place. But – back to fangirling – I nearly lost my shit when I heard him say that haha.
