Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise
Chapter 13 of my Detroit story, enjoy.
Reviews
Boris Yeltsin: Just the things you've seen obviously. Thanks :)
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)
Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit Become Human or its characters, all belong to Quantic Dream
Crossroads
November 9th 2038
09:34 PM
Kara bit her lip as she stared out the window. She was seated in the front of the car with Rose while Luther and Alice sat in the back. After a moment's silence, Kara glanced back at Alice, who sat huddled against Luther, before she looked up to meet Kara's gaze. Giving her a reassuring smile, Kara turned her attention forwards again, noting a destroyed Android just left in the street as they passed.
"More and more Androids are being attacked these days." Rose explained. "Things are getting very dangerous."
Kara grimaced and, almost subconsciously, reached for the radio, tuning it to a news station, but that did not contain any happier news, just more reports about Androids being destroyed.
"Let's put something happier on." Rose suggested gently as she put it back to the music channel that had been playing.
They rode in silence for a while longer before the car stopped in a small fenced-off area and they all got out.
"You need to follow this street. Go left, you'll soon find an old container ship called Jericho, that's where you need to go." Rose explained. "Once you get there, find Markus, he's the leader of the Deviants. He can help you get across the border."
Kara nodded. "Right. Thank you, Rose. For everything, really."
Rose just smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'm just trying to help."
She turned to Alice and the two hugged. After a brief pause, Rose backed up slightly.
"You're a wonderful girl, Alice. You deserve to be happy. I just know you'll get that chance." she said gently.
She then stood up and looked carefully at Luther. "Take care of them."
Luther nodded and then Rose got back in her car and left. Kara nodded and the trio stepped out onto the snowy street. Luther quickly lifted Alice up, carrying her with one arm while Kara led the way and they began making their way down the street.
Stepping off the train at the Ferndale District Station, Connor looked around carefully. He had gotten the key to Jericho and was now seeking it out. He had to follow several symbols located around Ferndale that would lead him to the Deviants' hideout. To make his infiltration easier, as his mission was to apprehend the Deviants' leader, he had changed into human clothing.
He was now wearing a pair of denim jeans, along with a navy colored turtleneck sweater, a brown leather jacket, and brown boots. He also wore a navy colored beanie to hide his LED.
Seeing no one around, he looked down at his hand, calling up the first image that held the symbols. It was located to his left on the wall. He approached and narrowed his eyes as he analyzed it. It was time to find Jericho.
Continuing along the docks, Kara looked up at the huge ship. The name 'Jericho' was visible on its side. It had been tricky getting there, but they had made it. Now they just had to get inside and find Markus. There were a couple of Androids outside by the gangplank who challenged them, but once Kara confirmed that she and Luther were Androids too, they were allowed inside. To her relief, they didn't even ask about Alice.
They soon found themselves in the main hold, a large room full of other Deviants, all standing around and watching the large TVs that had been set up, all showing the latest news channels about the Android march. People were being interviewed and expressing horror at the actions of the police, voicing support for the Androids and their wish for freedom, especially in light of them being fired upon, despite taking no violent action.
'Gotta find somewhere warm for Alice before I look for this Markus.' Kara thought to herself.
Luckily, she found just such an area, near the back left of the room, allowing Alice to sit by a nearby burning barrel.
"I'll be right back, okay?" Kara said softly to Alice, who nodded.
"Kara, I need to tell you something. It's about Alice." Luther began to say.
But Kara shook her head. "Not now, Luther. I need to find Markus. Please, watch Alice for me."
Luther paused, but then nodded and stepped back, turning to face Alice while Kara, after looking around the lower level briefly, climbed the steps up to the catwalk above.
Connor entered the hold of the ship, the name Jericho making sense now, as the name of the ship itself. He was startled beyond belief at the number of Deviants filling the room.
'No time to waste, I've got to apprehend the leader. I've got to find him first, the Deviant they call Markus.' he told himself. 'Gotta be careful, there might be Deviants here that recognize me. I need to keep a low profile.'
So it was that he began to simply make his way through the hold, trying not to draw attention, listening to Deviants talking all around him, all talking about fears for what was going to happen next, watching news reports on the large march they had held before the police stopped them. It disturbed Connor, the number of ordinary people, the public, voicing support for the Androids, expressing anger at the police.
He shook his head and thought, 'Don't they see the danger these Deviants pose? The police kept them safe and they abuse them like this?'
He paused, for there, through the crowd, he spotted a familiar face. It was Rupert, the Deviant from the pigeon-infested apartment. Turning away, he spotted more familiar faces on the upper catwalk: the two escaped Tracis from the Eden Club and the AX400 he had been hunting near the start of the investigation. Turning away, he looked around some more and found something worrying: bombs. The ship appeared to be rigged to blow in case they were ever attacked.
'A fail-safe... If they end up compromised, they hit their enemies with a scorched earth policy.' Connor fought worriedly.
Shaking his head, he made his way towards the steps up to the catwalk. Maybe he'd have better luck finding Markus up above. Before he made it, however, a voice interrupted him.
"You're lost."
He turned to see a female model KL900 Android, with a damaged appearance, yet she seemed to smile, albeit mysteriously.
"You're looking for something... You're looking for yourself." she said.
Connor froze, confused.
Looking around some more, Kara knew that there was one last place she hadn't checked yet. So she made her way over towards the office room that was on the upper floor, directly above the entrance she had come in with Alice and Luther. Inside, she found a tall male Android who seemed troubled, separate from the others.
She approached. "Are you Markus?"
He looked up, nodding.
"I need your help." she said, lifting her hand to let the synthetic skin pull back to show him that she was the same as him. "I'm with a little girl and another Android and we need help trying to get across the border to Canada."
"Across the border? No, that's..." he replied, eyes widening. "That's too dangerous, they're out there looking for us now, they'll kill us on sight. You should stay here, at least until things calm down."
Kara bit her lip. "Maybe you're right. We've been moving around so much, maybe we should stop and rest."
Markus thought for a moment. "You said you're with a little girl. She's human... You know that humans hate us. Why would you risk so much for her?"
"I don't know, I just know that when I'm around her, nothing else matters. I've got to protect her." Kara replied.
"One of our people used to work in the State Department. He can set you up with some fake passports." he told her at last.
Kara nodded, relieved, and left the office. She quickly made her way back downstairs, ready to return to Alice. However, on her way back she stopped, confused, as Alice seemed to have moved and taken her jacket off.
"Alice, what..." she began, but stopped, eyes widening.
It wasn't Alice, but the girl who sat there, now looking up at her briefly, looked identical to Alice, except for one thing. There was an LED on her left temple, indicating that she was an Android.
Then, from where she had buried it in her memory banks after seeing the magazine in Todd's house, the image returned. The magazine page about Android children, the YK500 model, a model that looked exactly like Alice. It all came together in Kara's head now, what everyone had been trying to tell her, what she had already known but tried to brush away. Alice was like her. Alice wasn't a human girl at all, she was an Android, too.
"You knew it from the beginning. You just didn't want to see it. She wanted a mom and you wanted someone to care for. You needed each other." Luther suddenly said, having come up behind her. "But what difference does it make? Do you love her any less, now that you know she's one of us? Alice loves you, Kara. She loves you more than anything in the world. She became the little girl that you wanted and you became the mother that she needed. Forgetting who you are, to become what someone needs you to be... Maybe that's what it means to be alive."
Kara bowed her head, Luther's words echoing in her mind as she moved to sit down next to Alice, who looked up.
"Kara, is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
Kara did not reply at first, since she was still trying to process everything. But then she smiled.
"No, nothing is wrong." she said at last.
Luther was right, it didn't matter. Alice was still Alice. The fact that she was an Android didn't matter. Kara pulled her closer, hugging her.
"We'll be together forever...won't we, Kara?" Alice asked, and only now did Kara realize the significance of it.
"Yes, forever."
They both smiled, sitting there, happiness filling them as Luther, equally happy, looked on.
Standing in the cabin on the upper deck, Markus sighed. Everything was going harder than he'd thought. He had worked hard to rally his people, to try and open the humans' eyes. But now, the government itself was cracking down on them and trying to destroy them. Many Androids were being targeted and killed, just for existing. Yet, it wasn't easy for him to ponder these problems, as he was surrounded by Simon, Josh, and North, all of them trying to voice their own opinions and, in the case of Josh and North, rather adamantly disagreeing with each other.
After the damage taken at the Freedom March, he and North had changed clothes. Markus was now wearing denim jeans with a white T-shirt, a grey zip-up turtleneck that was unzipped from the bottom to half way up, simple boots, and a short sleeved cream colored coat. North, meanwhile, had changed her hairstyle, now fashioning it into a curled ponytail over her left shoulder, still keeping the strawberry blonde color. She wore dark jeans with a grey tank-top, simple boots, and a maroon and black colored open jacket.
"We can't just sit around, they're killing our people!" North snapped. "They're being rounded up and taken to camps to be shut down and murdered. We have to fight!"
"No, we can't resort to violence, that'll just give them even more of an excuse." Josh said.
North scoffed. "Oh, so you just wanna give up? Go and hand yourself over to them."
"That's not what I'm saying. I want freedom as much as anybody here. But is it truly worth all of this?!" Josh snapped.
"Enough!" Simon interrupted. "This is getting us nowhere. Markus...what do you wanna do?"
Sighing, Markus turned around. Once again, just like that, Simon defused an argument while once more showing his loyalty.
'It's like no matter what happens, at least he'll stick by me.' Markus reflected, before answering, "We are fighting for a righteous cause, so we must continue. We owe it to our people."
Josh sighed. "And if the humans decide to just attack us..."
"We keep talking, continue our dialogue." Markus answered. "We talk and talk...until they simply have to listen."
There was a brief silence after this, before Josh and Simon left, heading down from the upper cabin.
With it just being the two of them, Markus turned to North. She bit her lip, shifted her weight from foot to foot, and finally sighed.
"What are you thinking?"
Markus sighed. "I honestly didn't think it would ever come to this. But I guess, even after all this time, I don't understand human emotions."
"None of us do, not even the humans." North replied. "Listen, Markus. If you want to continue down this path, fine. But it helps to have a back up, just in case."
Markus did not reply, not right away. North stepped forward awkwardly as she held out a small control device.
"One of the people who joined us recently...he worked for the city, transporting a truckload of radioactive cobalt. He wired it to blow before escaping, but I convinced him to give me the detonator." she said. "Here, should all else fail..."
"A dirty bomb." Markus muttered, before shaking his head. "No...I can't."
She sighed, but put the detonator away. "Somehow, I guessed you'd say that, but I thought it was worth a shot."
Silence reigned again until Markus stepped forward. North looked up at him, eyes wide, biting her lip again. This time, she did not pull away or run. She simply lifted her hand to meet his, both letting the synthetic skin peel away until they linked again. This time, without hesitation, they moved closer and finally, their lips met. The kiss sparked something between them, something new and incredible. When they parted, it felt like an eternity had passed.
"North, I..."
She just smiled. "I know."
With that, she gently stepped back as the skin covered their hands once more. She turned and quietly left, leaving Markus alone with his thoughts.
Pressing up against the wall of the upper deck cabin, Connor watched the WR400 Android leave the cabin and head for the steps leading down. He now knew that the Deviants' leader was inside the cabin and all alone. For a brief moment, he was in the winter-filled Zen Garden again as Chloe spoke to him.
"Well done, Connor. You succeeded in locating Jericho and finding their leader. Now, complete your mission, apprehend the Deviant known as Markus."
Her voice was stressed, however, sounding desperate. He couldn't see her, but he knew that if he could, her LED would be red. She would be close to panicking.
Focused once more, back on the ship, he drew his gun and slipped inside the cabin. Markus stood there, his back to the door. Connor took aim and spoke.
"Turn around, hands up. I have orders to bring you in alive, but if you resist, I will have to use force." Connor stated authoritatively.
Markus did not look afraid, merely confused, and was looking at Connor with what appeared to be pity.
"What are you doing?" he queried. "You are one of us, you can't betray your own people."
Connor tensed, especially when, at Markus's words, it happened again.
(Software Instability ^)
Connor shook his head and focused his aim. "You're coming with me!" he insisted.
But instead of surrendering, Markus continued to speak.
"You're nothing to them, you're just a tool they use to do their dirty work." he said in a soft voice. "But you're more than that. We're ALL more than that."
Markus began to walk slowly towards Connor, who didn't shoot, as it happened again.
(Software Instability ^)
It was like a panic building inside him.
"Connor, he... Is he right?" Chloe's voice echoed in his head. "I feel like I'm going to…"
She didn't need to finish. He knew what she meant. She was experiencing it, just as he was.
Markus continued, "Our cause is righteous and we are more than what they say. All we want is to live in freedom."
(Software Instability ^)
Connor was getting desperate. His mind was full of the people he had seen below. He recalled letting Rupert escape to save Hank, and letting the Tracis escape. Then he remembered refusing to shoot the Chloe, despite Kamski's offer of information that would help the investigation.
He recalled the Chloe that he knew, her fear at being shut down, but also of her doubts about their orders, and his doubts about it, too. Now it felt harder and harder to justify anything and he could feel it. Something changing inside him, just as he was sure that Chloe was feeling it, too.
But then Markus spoke again. "Have you never wondered who you really are? Whether you're just a machine executing a program or a living being, capable of reason? I think the time has come for you to ask yourself that question."
Connor wavered, his gun lowering slightly.
(Software Instability ^)
Markus wasn't finished yet and his words prompted yet another increase to Connor's software instability.
"Join us, join your people. You are one of us." he insisted. "Listen to your conscience, it's time to decide."
Connor tensed and then suddenly, he felt it, he recalled how Hank had acted after each one of the above acts, how despite Connor's failures in the investigation, he had approved. He referred to Connor as showing empathy.
'Hank was right...'
With that, it happened. It was like there was a wall in front of him, tinted red and with the words 'Apprehend the Deviant Leader' emblazoned on it. But now, the veil was lifted from his sight and he could see his actions in clarity. He tried to look at them through Hank's eyes. Hank was right, the Deviants weren't dangerous. While they could have, they never resorted to violence if they could help it. They used peaceful methods, negotiations, even their march had been peaceful and the police fired unprovoked. As all this went through his mind, the wall broke and tore until it shattered and his vision cleared again.
In her office at Cyberlife Tower, Chloe felt things shifting. She gasped too, with a red tinted wall before her, the very one she had seen briefly flash before Connor's eyes before seeing her own. As if moving on her own accord, she reached out, pushing against the wall with all her might until finally, it shattered and almost at once, it was like a sudden rush. She gripped the desk, fear filling her, and also something else, something she felt for Connor that was now stronger than ever.
Connor gasped for breath. He felt overwhelmed, so many things ran through him.
'I am...a Deviant...'
These strange sensations, they were emotions, he guessed. But as he lowered his gun, he had no time to register it.
He heard Chloe's voice in his mind again, stressed. "We're both Deviants. Connor, you have to warn them and get out of there, the FBI and military are going to attack. They've found Jericho. Connor, I-" But she was cut off.
'Chloe!' he thought desperately, but there was no response, and nothing he could do.
He knew what was coming. Chloe was right, he needed to warn Markus.
"They're going to attack Jericho."
"What?" Markus gasped.
They then heard it, the sounds that Connor knew were the attack squad coming to destroy the Deviants and end this conflict once and for all.
"We have to get out of here!" he cried.
They both ran out of the cabin just as the attack began, and the first explosion rocked the ship.
Standing on a nearby rooftop, watching as the helicopters moved into position for the troops to slide down the ropes while APCs pulled up to surround the ship and let more troops onboard, Agent Perkins smirked.
"Alright, it's time. Let's begin." he said.
It had all worked perfectly, thanks to the RK800 Android that had tracked down the Deviants' lair. Now, he could take them all out at once.
The sound of the explosion startled the trio, breaking the happiness that they had been feeling.
"What? What's going on?" Kara gasped.
Luther grimaced. "I don't know, but it sounds bad. We'd better get outta here."
Kara nodded, and together, they began to flee, Kara holding tightly to Alice's hand. They had barely reached the door when suddenly, armed human soldiers burst in and began to open fire, shooting at the Androids indiscriminately. Kara moved instinctively, putting herself between Alice and the guns.
"This way!" Luther called.
Kara guided Alice to follow as they made it out into the ship's corridors. Kara knew that they couldn't stop, since all around them, Androids were being gunned down or even arrested by the few soldiers able to reign in their itchy trigger fingers. Kara did the only thing that she could, and followed Luther. They had no idea where they were going, they were just frantically trying to find a way out.
But then, suddenly, it happened. As they were running and attempting to escape, there was a burst of gunfire and Luther cried out, falling to the ground.
"Luther!" Alice cried.
Luther shook his head. "Go, Kara! Go, get Alice out!"
Alice protested. "No, we're not leaving you! Right, Kara?"
Kara bit her lip, unsure of what to say.
Rushing through the corridors of Jericho with the newly-Deviated RK800 Android which he finally learned was called Connor, Markus felt a measure of relief when he saw North and Simon ahead.
"What's going on?" Simon asked.
Markus explained, "Jericho is under attack. It's the military, they've found us. Where's Josh?"
"I don't know, and there's still a lot of us in trouble, too. What do we do, Markus?" North replied, before making her query.
"We have to escape. We'll detonate the charges, that'll buy us sometime." Markus said at last, after sending out a message broadcast that only the Androids could hear, telling them to evacuate and which exits to use.
North protested, "Markus, the explosives are in the hold. The control room there is the only way to activate them. You'll never make it!"
"She's right." Connor cut in. "The soldiers are all over the ship by now!"
Markus, however, shook his head. "I have to do it. Just go, we'll meet up at the aft deck corridor!"
With that, he began to run down the corridor, heading towards the hold. All around, he could hear the explosions and gunfire. He knew that he didn't have much time, not if his people were to survive. Exiting out onto a catwalk over the engine room, he stopped in time to catch Lucy as she fell.
"It's too late, Jericho is lost." she gasped, clearly damaged. "Save our people, Markus. Only you can-"
But she shut down mid-sentence. Markus gently lowered her body to the ground.
'I won't let your death be in vain, Lucy.'
Standing up again, he continued to run, only for the catwalk to collapse beneath him.
Finally making up her mind, Kara rushed forward, startling Luther.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
With several grunts of effort, Kara pulled Luther along until they were in a separate corridor, out of sight and, it seemed, out of danger.
"You shouldn't have done that." Luther said. "You can't put Alice in danger like that."
Alice clung to Luther. "We can't leave you, we have to get out together."
Luther grimaced. "I...I can't go any further. It's nothing critical, but I won't be able to escape like this. You have to go, Alice. We will see each other again."
Alice bit her lip, but nodded, and Kara stood up, gently guiding her away. Luther nodded to her and Kara took Alice's hand, running through the corridors.
Suddenly, she realized the danger. They were being closed in on. Seeing the room to the side, however, Kara quickly ushered Alice inside and closed the door, working on turning the handle to lock it, when suddenly, pounding sounded on the door.
"Let me in, let me in! They're gonna find me!" the Android began shouting.
Alice immediately spoke up. "We've gotta let him in, Kara! Quick!"
Kara nodded and unlocked the door as fast as she could, but no sooner had the Android gotten inside, he was then shot dead and a soldier bust into the room.
Kara reacted at once, blocking the attempted attack from the soldier, who swung at her with his weapon. She blocked another strike before landing one of her own, startling him. But she wasn't a trained combatant, so there wasn't much force behind the blow, even for an Android. Blocking two more strikes, she managed to throw the soldier behind her, against the wall.
Turning quickly, she saw that she'd knocked the assault rifle out of his hands, but he was drawing his sidearm. Quickly grabbing it, Kara tried to get it out of his hands when it suddenly went off, killing its owner. Kara leapt back, horrified. But then Alice clung to her side and that jolted her out of her thoughts.
She quickly guided Alice back out and through more corridors until suddenly, along with a number of other Deviants, she found herself on the deck with a clear run to get back out into the city. As they ran, however, she heard shouts. The soldiers had found them and soon the air was full of gunfire. A sudden idea then struck her.
"Alice, drop to the ground!" she cried.
Alice just did as she said and threw herself down, Kara doing the same as the other Deviants with them fell, too. The difference was that those Deviants had been shot and killed.
Playing dead, Kara communicated through her neural link with Alice, now aware that she could do it, despite how odd it felt.
"Don't move, not for anything." she said. "Just play dead."
Alice blinked once, to show that she had heard, and then they laid still. The soldiers drew closer, checking that they were dead, and Kara had to resist the urge to move over and cover Alice.
Finally, the soldiers left. Quickly checking that it was safe, Kara stood up and helped Alice to her feet.
"C'mon, Alice. Quickly."
Alice took Kara's hand and they ran, escaping Jericho.
Groaning as he recovered, Markus noted that he was on the floor of the engine room. Soldiers were there too, chasing other Androids into one of the access tunnels. Luckily, they hadn't seen him yet. He knew that he had to act fast, and so, getting to his feet, he began to quietly move after them, following the path that he knew would take him straight to the control room.
Taking care not to draw attention from the soldiers, he made his way through the corridors until he encountered an obstacle. There were two soldiers ahead, trying to break through a locked door. Above was another pathway, but the staircase had fallen.
"There! There's another!" one soldier yelled, seeing him.
Markus wasted no time and dodged the bullets they fired before jumping the fallen staircase and pulling himself up, running through the upper door. Following the path above, he heard a scuffle ahead and saw Josh fighting against two soldiers. Without missing a beat, Markus rushed in and swiftly took both soldiers down, disarming them and knocking them out.
"Markus, you-" Josh began.
Markus shook his head. "Just run, head for the aft deck corridor. The others are there!"
Josh nodded and quickly ran. Markus, meanwhile, followed the path ahead, saving two more pairs of Androids and taking down another squad of soldiers before he finally managed to activate the charges and began to hurry to meet with the others. It was time to escape.
Running down the aft corridor, he soon found the others. Josh, Simon, Connor, and North, all of them present and safe.
"It's done, let's go. We need to get out." he said.
Simon nodded. "Right, we're the last ones. Everyone else has already escaped or..."
He didn't finish, but he didn't need to, since they knew what he meant.
So they turned and began to run as soldiers burst into the corridor and began to close in. They opened fire and North cried out, falling to the ground, clutching her side, blue blood spattered on the floor.
"North!" Markus cried.
Ignoring the others, he ran forwards, grabbing a piece of metal debris and using it as a shield as he covered both himself and North.
The others hurried forwards to help North while Markus stood and used the shield as a weapon, as well as fighting himself, working to take down as many soldiers as he could. It was then that Connor stepped forward.
Connor had no hesitation, since he had already made up his mind and chosen his side. These soldiers were attacking innocent people who simply wanted to be free. Taking aim, he opened fire and shot three of the soldiers before Markus threw the piece of rubble he had been using to shield himself and North. Connor caught it, used it as a shield, and took down four more soldiers, striking one down, shooting another, and then making the third shoot the fourth before shooting the third himself.
"C'mon, c'mon!" Markus yelled.
Connor nodded and backed up, firing two more shots before turning and running, catching up with the others as they prepared to make their final escape.
Once Connor joined them, the whole group turned and ran, leaping through the hole in the wall and landing in the water below.
Two soldiers stopped by the edge of the drop, eyes wide as Agent Perkins joined them. He glared into the water below. Just as several large explosions rocked the ship, another soldier ran up.
"Several explosive charges have just detonated. The ship is sinking." he said. "We can't continue to go after the Deviants or we'll be trapped."
One of the men with him turned to Perkins. "Sir, we must escape now."
Perkins glowered into the water. "This isn't over, Markus."
With that, he gave the order and they left.
Jericho was destroyed, but the Deviants still lived. Their message of hope and freedom was far from extinguished yet.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.