November 11th, 2038

AM 04:10:00


Snow fell like ash from blackened clouds, their linings turned silver by a replica of a hunter's moon. A full face of the sun's reflection, suspected of projecting lunacy – making people lose their minds.

You could blame your rash decision making on the full moon. You could blame it on the stars captured along the pillar of humanity, twinkling in the dark cylinder that held light hostage like the black hole it really was.

The gravitational pull of mystery…the air of danger…

"'The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.'"

You'd been on the brink of death, had reached a transcendent clairvoyance when you teetered on the edge. Ten minutes past the witching hour, the world still needed cleansed of demons preying upon lost souls. It would take a certain kind of exorcism to purge this place clean.

"It's beautiful at night." Elijah drove across the bridge, drawing ever closer to Belle Island.

"Yes." Connor agreed, taking your hand – probably sensing your distress.

"You have some fucking nerve." You snapped, wishing you could just pull the trigger and never have to hear Elijah's voice again.

"What have I done now, 'dear?'"

"I know about Marco, and Operation Urgent Fury. What happened in Africa. The philosopher's stone you put in the 'garden.'" Your finger twitched, the curved metal it clung to trembling, "I know what you did."

"And I warned you that war was inevitable."

It was a quickdraw response. He was getting nervous.

"Why did I have to fall on the sword for this, Elijah?" Quick, angry pulls of air came through your nose, your heart stammering at each lung's inflation, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because it was too late, alright?!"

He lost his cool. His "professional" demeanor. He lost the shield he held that protected him from being mortal, from making mistakes. He wasn't Elijah Kamski, in that sedan – not then. He was a scientist whose experiment had gone horrifically wrong.

"Amanda, she…" His nose twitched in the rearview mirror, "She had a way of getting in my head, of making me see things through tunnel vision. She explained away the incident in Africa with logic and talks of defective parts and-"

He swallowed hard, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the wheel.

"…She used me to propel her own agenda, and I didn't realize it until after the announcement had been made and production had started."

"That's not an excuse. You chose to inject instability into the veins of the world rather than face public humility."

"Would you have preferred I left no alternative? No emergency back door?"

"I would have 'preferred' that you listened to me from the start."

"You were right!" He yelled so loud it made you jump, and Connor guided the pistol's nose to the floor between your feet, "Is that what you want to hear?!"

The tone in his voice brought back horrible, painful memories. The tightness in your throat, the ringing in your ears, the moisture in your eyes as your free spirit was beaten and battered…

"Or would an apology fix all the wrongs of the world?"

"Shut up-" Your lips curled from a snarl, and you raised your pistol to the back of his seat, "You won't fault me for getting a few pieces of baggage off my chest before I kick down the front door belonging to a company that the federal government can barely control."

"And you won't fault me for things I can't change."

You bit your lip, letting it slip between clenched teeth while shaking your head.

"You're despicable."

"I've heard."

The brakes squealed as the car slowed, a grey barrier with white, glowing letters blocking the rest of the path.

"CYBERLIFE"

Each illuminated character toggled between approaching guards, armed with MILITIA gear and a neural-linked assault rifle.

"How are we doing this?" Elijah turned his head, looking to the back seat, "What's your plan?"

"State your identity. Tell them you have two passengers." Connor answered him before tapping your passport, "Use this name and show them."

You rolled your eyes, flipping to the page; leaving it open at the ready. Reeled in the sick anxiety that racked your body as you were surrounded by four, faceless guards – one at each window, ready to fire if anyone slipped up.

Elijah lowered his window first.

"Elijah Kamski." He gave the guard a smug look.

"Please present photo identification."

His eyes narrowed, "I founded this company-"

"Please present photo identification."

He huffed before lifting his hips, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. He handed it to the guard, shaking his head, "Unbelievable."

The guard shifted, looking at his picture still tucked away behind clear plastic. He'd had that wallet for a long time-

"Identification successful."

"I have two passengers." Elijah pursed his lips as he put the wallet away.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

"Of course…"

The two of you held your breath. Connor might have as well, if he needed to. You stowed your gun under Elijah's seat, nudging it with your foot.

Connor lowered his window, watching the guard with an expressionless face.

"Connor Model #313 248 317…" He returned his focus to the tower, "I'm expected."

The reflection of his blinking LED lit up the inside of the window, and the guard lost interest.

"Identification successful."

Drones flew over, their lights blinding you for a second. A knuckle knocked on your window.

It was your turn.

The cold burst made your face cringe as you tried looking at them directly, praying your voice would be steady and your hands would stop shaking.

"Nora Black."

"…Please present photo identification."

You gave him the passport, but he didn't look at it. He was stuck staring at you.

The tremors became more violent. Your palms became sweaty. The tower you focused on danced between copies of itself, your vision blurred and multiplying.

"Is there a problem?" Elijah sighed, "I've got an emergency meeting to get to, and my associates are expected to attend."

The guard looked at his squad mate, and beckoned him over with a nod. The two of them studied the photograph, the white metal covering their faces switching up from it, to you, to Connor-

Your teeth were squeezing against each other so hard you feared they might break altogether.

"Identification successful. CyberLife apologizes for the inconvenience."

You snatched the passport back to avoid giving your trembling state away, rolling up your window before they finished speaking.

"Okay." You heard from outside, "Go ahead."

They tapped the back of the car, and each piece of the barrier sunk one-by-one.

The road was clear.

Elijah pulled off, passing the guard station – the dark waves lapping on either side of the bridge.

"That was close." He murmured, "It's a good thing the CIA is comprised of professional passport authenticators."

A train sped by, the tracks running parallel to the road. It was leaving the tower, and you waited for it to pass.

"I can only imagine it'll be more difficult once we get in there…" You sighed, "Thanks for the 'persuasion.'"

"I'm doing what I can."

You looked at Connor, who shared a concerned expression. There's a lot he might have wanted to say, without the means or time to do so. You could see the worry flaring behind his eyes, his LED yellow and blinking.

The sedan's dashboard clicked on, a livestream replacing the music, navigation, and climate control options. You squeezed his hand in a panic.

"Don't worry." He reassured you, "It's an emergency broadcast feature."

A special news announcement was being aired, and Elijah unmuted it. It was Joss Douglass from Channel 16.

"We're coming to you live from Detroit where hundreds of androids are marching through the city at this very moment. The leader of the deviants, the one they call Markus, is at the head of the march."

He was holding a microphone, reporting from the inside of a helicopter with the doors open.

"They seem to be headed towards the camps where the androids have been interned, destruction pending. Soldiers have taken up positions around the Hart Plaza camp. Authorities seem to be expecting a confrontation with the rebel androids here at any time, and have ordered an immediate evacuation of the city. We will continue to bring you live updates of the events that are unfolding as we speak."

The feed changed to CTN TV with Michael Brinkley standing in front of an enlarged screen.

"The situation is escalating toward civil war in Detroit, with our armed forces preparing to put down the android rebellion. The violence displayed by the androids at the Stratford Tower and Grand Circus Park turned the country against them, but these images still raise difficult questions…Are we prepared to shoot down what could be intelligent beings that are simply fighting for their freedom?"

The channel switched to KNC News, where Rosanna Cartland remained in her broadcast station with Channel 16's feed boxed in the corner.

"When we watch footage of androids facing down the barrel of a gun...we can only speculate as to whether they simply simulate fear and courage or whether they don't really feel these emotions…Or are they a new form of life, one that we refused to acknowledge?"

The presidential crest blurted out the news channels, an empty podium replacing the feed. Your eyes were glued to the screen, leaning between the seats with Connor hovering over you. Once President Warren took to the stage, Elijah slowed to a speed where he could both watch the road and her address.

"By creating machines more intelligent than ourselves, we took immense risks with the very future of our civilization." She took a sip of water, tired and blinking in sync with camera flashes, "Humanity is about to face its most important battle: one that will lead to our victory, or our extinction…and I will not allow one of our cities to fall into enemy hands for the first time in our history, granting them a foothold during this battle."

She took another pause, looking into the audience that burst into an eruption of questions. She raised her hand, silencing them all.

"We are going to fight them with all our strength, and we won't rest until we have taken back control of Detroit. The total eradication of all androids will soon be complete, and I stand by my previous declaration that the last remaining deviants will be hunted down and destroyed."

President Warren retrieved a leather-bound binder from the podium, tucking it under her arm.

"God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

She left after that, the media jumping to their feet – the mob swaying in her direction as she disappeared behind a half-drawn curtain.

Elijah turned off the broadcast. Silence hung in the car's interior.

The worst had happened…You only feared it was too late to do the right thing.

God's blessings wouldn't be enough.

"There was a time you asked me what was worse than having to choose between two evils…" Connor whispered, leaning back into his seat, "I've given it some thought."

"And what would your answer be?" Elijah asked, unenthused.

"Not choosing at all."

You looked at him. He was unshaken.

"It's not too late to change your mind, Connor…You have free will, after all."

You glared at him, brows lowering, "You want your company back, and we need inside…Keep driving."

"So, you're going to sign humanity's death certificate?"

"…No."

You asked yourself what debt you had to "humanity," what it had really done for you. Of all your problems, they'd been responsible for most. When others had showed their humanity, they pulled you out of the darkest gutters you stumbled blindly around in. Still, you hadn't asked for any of it. Wouldn't have tugged that lifeline if you'd known it came with a lifetime of servitude.

All there was to do now was find your way out while you still could.

"'Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn't overtake you…For he who walks in the darkness doesn't know where he is going.'"

Humanity's hunger to destroy itself with threats of nuclear wars and pitting countries against each other couldn't be satiated by the death of its own. The thin membrane that divided two species – one made from another, made it clear that it wanted to devour the other through a gruesome form of osmosis.

"'The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.'" He answered.

You retrieved your gun. Stared at it in revelation. Eyed the guards at CyberLife's entrance through your reflection, their figures caught in a pair of fiery eyes…

There was no threat severe enough to stop you, because you were the first deviant to rise.

You'd be the last to fall if that's what it took; for under your burning wings, the hunted would find refuge.

You'd died before, but were alive now more than ever.

"'And he who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.'"

Standing at the base of eternity, your determination was tested and brought to its knees. The towering giant built on lies and lost love loomed high above you, the top lost to winter's angry storm.

This…was where it all began…

And this, was where it would end.

"Follow me. We'll escort you."

You leveled your gaze, a guard nodding to your group to mingle with his own.

"Thanks…" Elijah walked by him, "But I know where to go."

An arm barred him from progressing, and he shot the automated sentry a disgusted look.

"Maybe. But I have my orders."

You fell into formation. Took a few steps forward, passing the threshold between turning back and behind enemy lines.

The cold night was shut out by crystalline doors…sealing out the city, along with your escape.

The first wretched memory that hit you was the scent of technological marvels and illegal testing kept under wraps with too many zeroes to comprehend on a corporate check.

It smelled a lot like bleach. Sterile. Like if you'd inhale too much of it, you'd be sucked into their scheming…or die.

The absolute void of life was second. At first, a building that was 80% automated seemed idealistic. These days, it felt as if you were walking alongside a ghost of the humane presence that'd kept a leash on artificial intelligence...

The mass extinction event of a human workforce, the one known as android rollout.

You got your head on straight as you stopped at an elevator, wondering what you were going to do next. One wrong move, one compromising look, and it was all over…

But Connor didn't seem worried. That was enough reassurance to keep the dread at bay, and your new identity present.

"Agent 23 identified. Connor android identified. Nora Black identified. Elijah Kamski identified. Agent 47 identified. Agent 72 identified. Scan complete. Access authorized."

The elevator doors cooperated with the scanner's granting of safe passage.

You were pinned between the trio. Connor, Elijah, and a single guard to the front. Two more behind you. It was claustrophobic. Nauseating.

You looked up to the ceiling for some relief, but found a fixating lens staring back from behind a glossy dome…until it shut, a red service light blinking on its case.

You cocked your chin, quickly turning your focus elsewhere before drawing attention to the security camera.

"Agent 72. Level 31."

"Voice recognition validated. Access authorized."

The elevator lurched, beginning its ascent towards what you knew to be the conference room…

The empty, conference room. There was no meeting, no expectations of a visit. No bodies held up to explain to your escort why you were here; why any of you were here-

Your fingers instinctively curled at where your holster would be, sweat dropping along the curve of your cheek as you reached for your gun with a slowness that wouldn't set off a bird much less three armed soldiers that would kill you without a second thought…

It was gone.

Your gun was gone.

Your last line of defense, was gone-

Or maybe it wasn't; it'd just evolved.

He moved so fast, you don't know how you captured it.

The hemline of his jacket swinging in a perfect circle, tracing his belt. The pull of a gun, the twist of his neck, the flash of his LED, the baring of his teeth and the complete loss of empathy in his eyes-

BANG.

Something splattered; someone landed on you, knocking the breath out of your lungs.

You couldn't figure out for the life of you why elevators harbored so much death.

Why you couldn't hear…or see.

BANG.

The flash was so blinding, pulling each hallucinated version of reality slamming back into each other.

Connor kicked off the wall, elbowing the last agent in the face. Swept his feet out from under him. Blew a hole from the underside of his chin that emptied into the top of his head.

BANG.

You blinked furiously, shaking your head and pushing Elijah off you…

Connor was balanced on a row of knuckles, gun still pointed to where he'd taken the final shot. He was crouched, like an angel of death sent down to strike against the unholy sinners with ravenous ambition.

"Y...r…e…r," Elijah turned your head, "It's bleeding."

He swiped at the side of your face, and you swatted his hand away, "What?"

"Your other ear is bleeding." He growled, "Stop being difficult."

"Ruptured eardrum." Connor closed his eyes as he stood, shaking a thought out of his head that was clearly bothering him, "Symptoms may include temporary loss of hearing, tinnitus-"

"You don't say?" Elijah spat.

"Connor," You whispered, counting the dead bodies that filled the elevator, "What…What do we do now?"

His eyes fluttered as they opened, his red LED ring flashing to yellow. He was at your side as soon as he regained himself, helping you up, holding the trauma in no matter how obvious.

"I…" He choked up, "I think…"

He swallowed hard, straightened his tie, rolled his shoulders – turned to the elevator panel and said, "Agent 72. Level -49."

But it wasn't him.

"Since when can you mimic other people's voices?" You rubbed your ear on your shoulder, the aching on the side of your head coming in waves of dulled agony.

The sound of your own voice perpetuated the headache. The ringing didn't let up, just kept digging a pike further into your brain until it hit the center, a splitting pain shooting down your spine.

You did your best to hide it.

"It's a…hidden feature." He cracked an innocent smile, "Don't get your hopes up. I don't take requests."

The elevator lurched, and you caught him for balance. Ignored the frown he gave you, mouthing a wordless apology.

"Don't be sorry." You grinned, "Your voice is just fine."

"That's not what I was apologizing for…"

"Ahem."

You turned your head, finding Elijah leaning in a corner.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but have you thought about what you're going to do, exactly, with this 'army' of yours?"

Bring peace and stability to Detroit. Reveal the android soul, a manufactured spirit that should be valued no less than those born with one. Bring everyone who never heard you to heel and make them listen.

"No, but…"

Stand by the man who was no more than a predetermined, preprogrammed negotiator when you'd first met him; your faces etched into history while your hands unraveled the very threads of time just long enough to make the world stop spinning.

"We've always been good at figuring it out as we go."

He surveyed the bodies piled up at your ankles. Cringed at the Thirium plastered on the walls.

"Cute."

Despite the strides made towards your goal – to seize control of a collective large enough to force each side of the war into a ceasefire…you had a nagging feeling that this was all going too smoothly. Everyone had been too cooperative. Had been disposed of too easily.

Things never went this well for you. You'd been cursed with bad luck, a sabotaged fate while being tested by obstacles built along your path by those who'd drawn the hex.

In the brief moment of peace, even humor, the long elevator ride gave you time to think – an event that often led to your ultimate downfall.

You stared at the camera, arms and ankles crossed as the elevator continued to lower like a coffin in a grave…because you feared that a grave mistake had been made.

"I took care of the surveillance." Connor offered, "Their security systems have been bypassed. It's stuck in a feedback loop."

"That's not what I'm worried about…"

"What is it, then?"

That eye, in the elevator…it'd seen things before being disabled.

"Amanda knows we're here."

His posture went rigid, matching Elijah's.

"And you're sure of that?"

You'd been certain of very little since you decided to throw all of life's mercy back in it's face. Amanda's will to power; her drive to force you into submission, making you repent…

"Positive." You kicked off, shoving your hands in your pockets, "How did you know about this stash of androids, anyway?"

His LED turned yellow, hurt painted on his face. You didn't mean to be accusatory…but it was a question that had a very important answer.

"I was informed that this secret program was a…contingency plan, of sorts."

"Contingency plan for what?" Elijah cocked his chin, putting his hands on his hips.

"I…I don't know. She never told me…"

"Hmph…Sure, she didn't."

"If he said she didn't tell him, she didn't tell him." You snapped, "We need to be mind…ful…"

Your eyes grew wide, your words shrinking into a misdirected train of thought.

Before you, the elevator shaft pulled away – the walls of the transparent tube giving a clear view of hundreds…thousands…hundreds of thousands of androids lined up in perfect squadrons. They were segregated by different models. Military units comprised of the same faces, same uniforms, but different purposes.

"This…" The elevator stopped, the doors opening after a brief pause, "This is incredible…"

Elijah shared your shock. Your awe.

Your fear.

"What were they planning?"

He was the first to step out, to take the first leap into highly classified territory. The first to be illuminated by the bright lights in the storage bay, the first to send echoes of footsteps rebounding off the CyberLife-white walls.

"There's a deployment hatch in the back…" Connor stopped just short behind him, looking down at you, "A rising platform with a high carrying capacity."

An army large enough to incapacitate a dwindling United States android military presence by sheer numbers. A method to deploy them constructed under secrecy and conspiracies…

"'But even the healthiest rose cannot be so without the destruction of diseased material.'"

You looked at Connor, his LED spinning yellow, flashing in tune with your heartbeat.

An RK800 prototype model, sent to accompany the Detroit Police Department in their search to put an end to deviancy…once serving as the vessel for an AI program that had the freedom to do what she pleased, but was now constricted to digital space and algorithms. That fate was shared with the same people she'd have enslaved, because that's what she did to other living beings.

"'Elijah was flawed in design. It doesn't surprise me that his creations were…are, as well.'"

Elijah, the prophet. The miracle worker.

She'd taken the old him from you, too. Unlike Connor, he hadn't been able to set himself free until after she died.

"'He was compromised. We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of his program.'"

You'd missed a critical detail. Had been so focused on one, single piece of this puzzle that the entire picture had been lost.

"We…" You mumbled, "She said 'we.'"

"What?"

This had been her plan all along. It wasn't just you she was after. Wasn't just revenge on your account that she wanted. It was everyone.

To punish humanity's folly, to bring natural order through automated systems and control. To abolish freedom, because freedom led to mistakes. Grave mistakes, like her death – her inhibited form of ascension caused by Elijah's implanting of free will within those who were designed to obey.

"Connor, we got it all wrong. Amanda wasn't talking about CyberLife-" Your mouth quivered as you grabbed his hand, pulling him behind you, "We need to wake them up, we need to get to them before-"

"Before what, 'little bird?'"

A strong hand had you tucked away behind broad shoulders, the glowing stitched "ANDROID" between them forcing you to squint.

Connor was guarding you. He was still, his simulated breathing paused.

"You can't save her, Connor."

It sounded just like him…but when you looked around the arm secured to your waist, bent around his back…you realized it wasn't.

"But you can save him."

Elijah, with a gun pointed to his head…held by an imposter who didn't have negotiations on his agenda.

Held by Connor, the android sent by CyberLife.


Behind the Scenes

(Links on AO3)


Full Moon

Hunter's Moon

Witching Hour

Elijah the Prophet (Recap)

Chapter 72 Screenshot Batch

Written to "Castle" by Halsey

Abaddon

*The Hebrew term Abaddon and its Greek equivalent Apollyon appear in the Bible as both a place of destruction and an angel of the abyss. In the Hebrew Bible, abaddon is used with reference to a bottomless pit, often appearing alongside the place, Sheol, meaning the realm of the dead.

*Job 31:12: it is a fire that consumes to destruction.

*In some legends, Abaddon is identified as a realm where the damned lie in fire and snow, one of the places in Gehenna that Moses visited.

Matthew 24:29-30

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

John 12:35

"Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn't overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn't know where he is going."

John 10:11

"The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Revelation 2:11

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."

Psalm 91:4

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."