Throughout the night the blizzard finally ended and Detroit was left partially buried under almost four feet of snow where the snowplows simply couldn't reach, and everything left out in the cold was sheathed under a thick layer of ice. Numerous old trees and the few remaining wooden power line support poles left in the high-tech city had suffered extreme damage to the cold. A majority of the trees having lost old and weak branches under the crushing weight of the heavy ice, and the rotten poles had frozen from the inside out and the insect damaged structure collapsed inward on itself resulted in dozens of lines being torn loose as they fell. With a majority of the power lines downed due to branches breaking from trees and tearing the lines as they fell and power poles snapping in half a large percentage of the city was left in the cold, and submerged in darkness.
The small house on 115 Michigan Avenue hadn't escaped the blackout and Connor was forcefully pulled out of rest mode the moment the power failed as the house fell quiet with a protesting groan of lost electricity and heat. Sitting upright on his bed at two twenty-seven in the morning Connor ran a quick scan over the house and then cybernetically checked the weather before noting the power outage throughout the city.
"Sixty-two point four percent of Detroit is currently without electricity and heat. Estimate time of power restoration: six hours, thirteen minutes."
Rising from his bed the deviant shuddered a little as the smothering cold stole the heat from the interior of the house quickly, and the enhanced external sensors courtesy of Connor's advanced design made every centimeter of Connor's person sting with the mounting cold.
Pulling his chocolate brown quilt off the bed Connor wrapped himself up and proceeded to exit his bedroom and walked into the livingroom, his yellow L.E.D. creating an amber glow along the walls, ceiling and floor as he moved, and sat down on the leather couch to try to keep warm until dawn. The moment he sat down on the comfortable leather couch Sumo plodded over from his pillow in the corner of the livingroom and proceeded to hop up onto the couch to cuddle with Connor.
Ever appreciative of Sumo's company and warm soft fur Connor allow Sumo to lay over his lap and be awarded with gentle pets.
"You're a good dog, Sumo."
The praise made Sumo's tail thump happily against the back of the couch as he settled in for the rest of the night and finally earned the attention from Connor that he had been seeking from the night before.
Monitoring the blackout as the passing blizzard's damage took its toll on the snow drowned city Connor waited for dawn to arrive before he even attempted to get ready for his new shift at the precinct. He and Hank still had a case to solve regarding a murdered deviant, and Connor wasn't going to let her killer escape justice no matter what it took to close her case.
"It's quite fortunate that you are a breed meant to survive harsh cold weather, Sumo." Petting the loyal dog's ears softly Connor looked out the front window to peer at the piled up snow all over the front yard and the surrounding properties with a heavy sigh. The idea of anyone perishing in the cold night all alone was enough to make the odd pressure over Connor's heart return with a vengeance as he empathized with the homeless deviants throughout Detroit. "There are those who aren't quite as fortunate, and will be in need of our help today."
The snowy weather had kept most people indoors and with that self imposed isolation the previous night and following morning were far quieter than usual. Normally the peace and quiet was very welcome to Carl as he would often savor the silence and use it to help him quiet his own thoughts and work on his next piece, but with Markus laying heartbroken and on the verge of giving up on life itself in his old bedroom Carl cared less about painting and more about his son's pain. In spite of David's warnings to take it easy and sleep in for a few more hours Carl chose to instead sit beside Markus's bed as the deviant slept, and be there the moment he woke up.
Markus was sleeping peacefully on his right side on his bed with his left arm wrapped around his chest and his right arm was stretched slightly outward toward the edge of the bad. The deviant leader had been tossing and turning all night long. It was as if he had become so accustomed to sleeping beside North, a warm body that made him feel secure and comfortable, that Markus simply didn't know how to sleep alone anymore.
Staying beside the bed Carl sighed as he sensed David watching him from the opened doorway and waved him in with his left. "What's going on, David?"
"I just wanted to let you know that New Jericho is attempting to make contact with Markus since he has gone silent for well over a day. What should I do?"
"If Markus wants to be alone then let him be alone." The way Carl spoke made it sound like the answer to the odd question was entirely obvious for anyone to see. "Don't tell them anything, let Markus speak for himself."
"Right. I'll simply tell them I don't have anything to say."
"Good man. The last thing you want to do is get caught up in a twister of emotions and heartbreak."
Seeing how heartbreak had taken down Markus; a true leader, someone fearless, someone empathetic and strong-willed, made David readily agree with not wanting to know the emotional pain Markus was currently going through. "I think you're right. I'll let other deviants handle such extreme emotions for now."
"Smart move."
"I'll leave you two alone until you need me again."
"Thank you, David."
While the deviant caretaker left the bedroom as quietly as he entered Carl stayed beside the bed and watched as Markus slept peacefully in such a human manner Carl couldn't help but smirk at the idea of Markus being a little boy who grew up in the mansion, rather than the best friend who became his son after being given to him as a gift from Elijah Kamksi himself several years back.
"When you're up for talking again we'll get your heart sorted out so you can go explain things to your allies back at New Jericho without a single doubt in your words. But only when you're ready." Folding his hands neatly atop the quilt over his lap Carl patiently waited for Markus to wake up. "Not a moment before."
Waking up the moment his alarm went off beside his head Gavin grumbled at the annoying sound of his phone buzzing and shaking on the nightstand just inches away from his bed. As he picked up the phone Gavin noticed that the digital alarm clock next to where his phone was sitting hadn't gone off (back-up alarms are a must whenever he used sleeping pills - which was a lot) and the display was dark. Checking his phone Gavin saw that it had an eighty percent charge and had an emergency update waiting for him regarding the black-out in the city.
Scrolling through the details Gavin felt his shoulders tense up and Tina's message to layer up was enough to ruin his already less than ideal morning.
"Fuck me..."
Getting out of his bed Gavin grabbed his clothes from the pile on the floor and carried them into the bathroom to check the water in the shower before stepping inside of it. The water was cold and Gavin swore again as he slammed off the water and took a step back from the shower with a grimace.
"Shit. Guess I gotta' do this the annoying way."
Pulling off his night clothes Gavin placed a tattered washcloth under the tap in his sink and wrung out the cold water as much as possible before dragging the rag around the back of his neck, under his arms and down his legs before tossing it into the shower to be taken care of later. Changing into his clean clothes Gavin opened up the medicine cabinet to put on a fresh layer of deodorant and then sprayed a little cologne into the pits of his shirt to help mask the fact that he wasn't going to brave an icy cold shower on an icy cold morning.
Stepping out of the bathroom he made his way down the hallway and toward his kitchen to get something to eat, and was a little surprised to see Lucas sitting up on the couch with Lucky wrapped up in the blanket as he remained under the protective layer, too. As he passed through the small livingroom Gavin scoffed and proceeded to pull a bottle of water out of the dark refrigerator to drink before he prepared a bowl of cold cereal.
"May I ask what you find so amusing, detective?" Lucas had noticed the reaction but didn't rise from the couch as he was opposed to the cold.
"Yeah." Taking a smug sip of the water Gavin gave Lucas a studious glare. "You're shivering!"
Unable to keep his body still Lucas admitted that he was trembling from the chilly temperature. "...I am in fact cold, yes."
"Bet you would've been even colder if you were out on that park bench."
"Yes. You are correct." Pulling the blanket tighter around himself Lucas continued to hold onto the kitten and held her closer to his chest as he could feel the tiny kitten's body trembling as well. "It seems the cold is extreme enough to affect anything warmblooded in a negative manner. Even inorganic life."
"Yeah, well, we're in the shitty part of town." Pulling a box of generic and flavorless health cereal from the cabinet behind himself Gavin located a clean bowl in the cabinet and poured himself a small helping. "Don't expect the power to be back any time soon."
"I will not."
Seeing the deviant shivering despite wearing his two jackets and a blanket made Gavin wince a little. "Uh, hold up."
Lucas watched as Gavin put his breakfast aside and walked back down the hallway to return to his bedroom for a minute. Unsure of what to expect Lucas's L.E.D. cycled blue steadily with expressionless curiosity as he waited for the abrasive detective to return to his sight.
"Here." Returning to the livingroom Gavin threw his thick quilt at Lucas to let him use while he was out and working. "This thing is at least three times thicker than that blanket you've been using. It'll help you keep Lucky warm until the power returns."
Graciously Gavin wrapped himself up in the quilt and immediately felt warmer. "...Thank you, detective."
"Just call me 'Gavin' for fuck sake." Returning to the kitchen area Gavin finished with his cereal and dropped a spoon into the icy cold milk that was soaking through the dried flakes of cereal. "You're crashing in my apartment, not in the back of my patrol car. Call me by my first name."
"...Very well, Gavin."
"Good. Just keep your plastic ass here so Lucky doesn't freeze to death while I'm gone." Carrying his cereal with him Gavin made his way back down the hall and back into his bedroom to finish getting ready for work. Speaking around the cereal in his mouth Gavin gave Lucas a gruff was reasonable explanation that was crowded with the partially crunched breakfast. "She's too small to be left exposed to this cold."
"Yes, I've noticed." Sinking back into the couch Lucas let Lucky snuggle against his chest and felt her trembling stop at last. "I believe I'm capable of keeping you warm despite the cold. I was designed for more complex situations beyond tending to a kitten's needs." Glancing at the snow covered window in the livingroom Lucas's blue L.E.D. shifted to yellow for only a moment. "...Perhaps it's time to fall back on such programming and embrace my original purpose. I cannot avoid my past forever."
The drive to the precinct was quiet and thankfully uneventful. While Hank had gone about his morning routine with little difficulty, save for his lack of a hot cup of coffee to help him wake up, Connor remained uncommonly quiet as he set about his own routine. Normally the deviant would ask about the proper procedure and Hank's past experiences with citywide blackouts and foul weather, but Connor stayed silent and barely acknowledged Hank's presence as they set about to begin their shifts together. No longer watching Hank with a wary eye as if paranoid that the senior detective would pull a gun on him and open fire, Connor was still unwilling to quite trust Hank fully as his past experiences with supposed trusted allies; Amanda and Markus, had left him reluctant to let anyone get too close to him.
Remaining silent the duo walked up the staircase to get to the second floor of the precinct to speak with Joel and followed the yellow tinted emergency lights out of the stairwell, and into the corridor leading to the dispensary where the technician was already waiting. The android unique space was illuminated under white lights shining down from the ceiling and Joel's laptop was glowing atop his desk in favor of his temporarily powerless terminal, and Joel himself was standing beside the exam table where Amber's body was still laying under the white sheet.
"Gentlemen." Upon seeing the two detectives entering the partially lit dispensary Joel nodded at the duo and waved them over to his desk as he held up a flashdrive before plugging it into his laptop for proper viewing. "I'm glad you two made it in despite the weather and power outage."
"Don't have much of a choice, Joel." Hank sounded a little testy but it wasn't anything personal. Stress and a lack of caffeine is a lethal combo. "We're the ones everyone calls on when shit like this goes down." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank walked over to the desk with Connor trailing a single pace behind him to check out what Joel had uncovered during his late shift. "What did ya' find?"
"A lot." Clicking the flashdrive into the U.S.B. port Joel brought up a video player that showcased the memories he had salvaged from Amber's memorybanks and decrypted for analysis. "It took some time," yawning as he spoke the laidback technician brought the video's playback to the end of her processor's function and noted the exact time of shutdown for the deviant detective to view. "but I got the information you both needed. Amber had no surname, just her model 'WR-400' and her serial number 667 329 009. I salvaged her memories and I can get you more details on her killer."
Connor glanced at the screen and cybernetically chronicled the details regarding Amber's final function; her final moment of consciousness and life, and updated his current report on the case at hand. "She was attacked at five twenty-two yesterday morning. She shutdown at five twenty-four after the sixth stab wound caused her Thirium pump to seize with irreparable damage."
The time frame between the attack and her death made Hank feel sick. "...Two minutes of nothing but fear and suffering. Fuckin' hell."
Joel nodded a little as he began the playback of the footage leading up to Amber's shutdown. "Right here is when Amber left her hide-out. Turns out she was hiding in one of the abandoned medical clinics in the city and only left after the android supplies that were hidden there had been used up."
Remembering what North had said about androids hiding out in abandoned human buildings prior to the Revolution Connor began cybernetically mapping out every abandoned building in Detroit, and sent a request to all android facilities and shelters to begin looking through said buildings to locate any and all stray deviants still living on the streets to aid them. "When did she leave the clinic?"
"Uh... Yesterday morning at three fifty-eight. She must've been freezing!" Joel sat down in his chair behind his desk and sighed despondently. "No wonder she couldn't get away from her attacker. She was too cold to move, let alone run or fight off another android with a knife."
Moving around the desk to get a better view of the footage Connor watched through Amber's own eyes as she cowered in snowy cold alleyways and hid behind dumpsters as she struggled to find a deviant shelter to use as sanctuary. She struggled to walk and braved the snowstorm to the best of her ability only to make it to the department store just one block away from the shelter where she'd be safe at last.
Amber huddled in the front entryway of the closed store in an attempt to get out of the cold and wind for a moment only to sense someone running up behind her. She turned to face her attacker and screamed before she ran from the doorway toward the alleyway to try to escape.
The sight of the android wearing a black bandana over their face below their eyes and wielding the soon-to-be murder weapon in his right hand was enough to send a chill up Connor's spine. Forcing himself to watch the murder play-out Connor's yellow L.E.D. settled on red and his hands tightened into white knuckled fists at his sides. The screams of terror and pain, Amber's pleas for her life and of her desperate attempts to fend off her attacker made Connor's heart ache with a pain he never felt before.
Stepping closer to the laptop screen Hank peered at the images and felt his stomach tighten into a queasy knot. Until that moment in his long career he had never once witnessed a murder from the eyes of the victim, and he'd give anything to have that image burned from his memory once it was over.
"Here..." Joel backed away from the laptop and paused the video. Standing up from his chair Joel looked pale and on the verge of being sick. "I, uh... I can't watch the rest of this. If I do I'm going to throw-up."
Waiting for the technician to step aside Connor resumed the footage and watched with horror as Amber's final moments were captured from her own eyes as she suffered the forty-seven stab wounds to her body. As Amber's body fell limply onto her side in the snowy alley the killer knelt over her body and proceeded to stab her over and over again without a word being uttered, and just a cold soulless glaze over his blue eyes.
During the murder the killer's bandana slipped away from his face and revealed his identity for Amber's unseeing but still recording eyes to witness just milliseconds before everything went black. Frantically pausing the video on the screen Connor's red L.E.D. pulsed even faster and he stepped back in horror as he finally had a suspect to track down.
"Connor?" The unusual and relatively extreme reaction held Hank's attention and he turned away from the paused image on the laptop. "What's wrong?"
Backing away Connor faced the window overlooking the precinct's neighboring parking garage buried under the snow and spoke up in a hushed tone. "...We already know who the killer is."
Understanding yet still confused by Connor's reaction Hank replayed the video up until the moment the bandana slipped away and he too suddenly felt as though he needed to leave the room. "Holy shit... This can't be right!"
"It is, Hank. There is no other android who resembles his make, model and design." Looking at his reflection against the glass on the window then over to Hank's reflection as the senior detective turned around to look at Connor his back the deviant detective confirmed their suspect with a whispering voice of shame and fear. "The killer is Markus."
Power began returning to the city and mansion awoke with a hearty groan as electricity and heat flowed through the impressive structure.
It was barely nine in the morning when Markus finally awoke from his heartbroken slumber. Opening his mismatched eyes with a grimace Markus was greeted by Carl giving him a kind smile as the elderly artist waited for him to awaken. Remembering everything that had happened and why he was back at the mansion Markus sat upright slowly in his bed and gave Carl a lost stare before he swung his legs over the edge and leaned forward where he sat. Looking as exhausted as ever despite sleeping for almost fourteen consecutive hours Markus barely had the energy to support his own weight, let alone return to the tower to lead his people into the future.
Carl remained patient and loyal at Markus's side as the deviant struggled to understand the swelling of conflicted emotions in his heart. It was a painful sight to behold for the empathetic artist who had dedicated his life to expressing life through imagery that provoked thought. In that moment all Carl could think was how cruel and unfair life could be, and how there was virtually nothing that could be done to remedy a broken heart.
"How do you feel, Markus?"
"I imagine what I'm feeling could be described as 'Hell'."
"Yeah, that about sums up the agony of heartbreak."
"When will the pain stop?"
"It depends on how much you cared about the person who hurt you. Try not think about the pain for a while, okay? Focus on something else."
"...I'll try."
David returned to the bedroom without knocking and quickly knelt down at Carl's left side. Looking entirely frightened and on edge David whispered something to Carl that Markus couldn't hear, and then gave Markus an uneasy stare before standing back up.
"Are you serious?"
"Entirely."
Sighing with utter annoyance Carl dragged his left hand over his tired eyes and nodded a little. "Go downstairs and tell them to wait for me. You go into the kitchen and just listen to what's going on."
"Right away, Carl."
Markus sensed the fear in David's voice and could see it in his body language. Turning to Carl for answers the deviant leader was truly perplexed about what was happening. "Carl? What's wrong?"
"Get dressed and come downstairs."
"...What's going on?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll handle everything." Leaving the bedroom with the aid of his electric wheelchair Carl was seemingly a man on a mission.
Unsure of what was happening or why David was so wary around him Markus did as he was told and dressed himself as if it were any other day. Retrieving his extra clothes from his old closet Markus changed into a fresh attire and felt tension rising in the air After slipping on his shoes the deviant leader grabbed his beige jacket from the floor and slipped it up and on over his arms up to his shoulders before stepping out of his bedroom. Walking down the hallway and down the wooden staircase Markus could hear Carl speaking to someone in the sitting room of the mansion with a stern tone of anger and disbelief in his every word.
"Carl? Entering the sitting room Markus was startled by the sight of Connor standing alongside Lieutenant Anderson as they spoke with Carl and presented him with a paper document. An arrest warrant. "...Connor? Lieutenant Anderson? I don't understand. What's happening?"
Hank took the lead and pulled his handcuffs from the back of his belt as he approached the deviant leader. "Markus, you're under arrest. Put your hands behind your head and turn around slowly."
"I... What?!" Looking past Hank and toward Connor the deviant leader's immediate reaction was that he was being framed by the deviant detective who saw him as an enemy, and knew Connor had a very good reason for wanting to ruin his life. "Arrest? For what?"
"Murder."
The stare still focused on Connor shifted from shock to rage. "You're arresting me NOW for what I did to you, Connor? Why?!"
Shaking his head a little as his red L.E.D. cycled slowly in his right temple Connor clarified the charges. "This has nothing to do with me. Cooperate now and listen carefully."
Hank gave Markus a cautionary glare and the deviant leader slowly raised his hands and placed them behind his head before turning around just as slowly. As the first metal cuff slipped around his left wrist Markus turned to look at Carl with a sense of loss and fear in his mismatched gaze. "Carl?"
"Don't worry, son." Speaking in a surprisingly calm voice Carl kept a level head. "I'll take care of it."
"But I didn't kill anyone!"
Speaking up again Connor gave Markus a cold sneer. "Your history says otherwise."
Hank finished securing Markus's hands behind his back and planted his right palm firmly on Markus's right shoulder. "Markus Manfred, you're under arrest for the assault and murder of the deviant known as Amber." Pushing on Markus's shoulder Hank led him to the front door to escort the arrested deviant to the car for transportation back to the precinct. "You have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney of your own one will be provided for you. A word of advice for you: Keep silent and wait for an attorney to show up. It'll make things a lot easier for you..."
Feeling as if he were out of place and intruding on the home Connor gave Carl a somber stare and apologized for their arrival. "I'm sorry, Mr. Manfred. The evidence is clear and we can't look away from a murder."
"Uh-huh..."
"I assure you that this case has no bias due to any previous... associations. After Markus is taken into custody I'm rescinding myself as the active detective on this case to ensure he gets a fair trial."
Staring at Connor with an unconvinced stare Carl just studied the deviant detective like he were a walking, talking sculpture in need of appraisal. "You do what you need to do." Carl stated firmly as he wheeled away from the sitting room and over to the staircase to reach the second floor and change his clothing to be more presentable in public. "And I'm going to do what I need to do. My son needs me."
The guilt and conflict in Connor's heart and mind were beginning to tear him in half. Approaching the front door Connor looked at the staircase as Carl ascended to the second floor with the electric lift mounted on the wall along the stairs, and didn't say a word to David as the deviant caretaker left the kitchen area and joined Carl upstairs to assist him in his needs.
Opening the front door Connor watched as Hank put Markus in the backseat of the Oldsmobile and felt his heart sink into his stomach like a lead weight at the pitiful sight.
"...Why does this feel so wrong?"
Closing the front door behind himself Connor walked over to the car and silently sat down in the front passenger seat as Hank sat down behind the steering wheel to drive off for the precinct. The air in the car was tense, silent and full of unrepentant anger.
Everything about that day felt wrong and Connor had no idea how to make things feel right.
It didn't take long for word of Markus's arrest to spread through the deviant community, and it took even less time for Simon and Josh to spring into action regarding the potential fate of their leader. Not only was Markus's freedom on the line, but his reputation as a leader was at stake and everything attributed to Markus's name, everything Markus had ever touched, could become compromised in the most negative and destructive way imaginable. The moment Markus's face and confirmed arrest were reported on every media broadcast in the city the deviants inside New Jericho Tower began to panic and ask unsettling questions to anyone who would listen.
Unable to coax North into leaving her private quarters for any reasons the remaining duo locked themselves into the tower's private office to discuss things while maintaining an air of professionalism and confidence. This was the first time either deviant had encountered something as controversial and unexpected as their leader being arrested for murder, and finding the correct solution was proving itself to be an incredible challenge.
"Markus has been arrested," Josh stated as he put his hands to his hips and stood before the window overlooking the snowy harbor outside. "and North is too emotionally compromised to help out." Turning around to face Simon as the blond deviant stood beside the single desk in the middle of the office Josh's chocolate brown eyes went wide with intrigue and fear. "...Do you think it's connected? Do you think Markus really killed that deviant because she looked like North?"
"No way!" Defiant and almost angry Simon refused to believe such a scenario. "I don't know what happened between Markus and North, but I do know that Markus wouldn't just go out in the middle of the night to kill one of our own just because she happened to be the same model as North."
"I'm not so sure..."
"Why?"
"Come on... We both saw Markus pull the trigger at the church, Simon. We know that Markus is in fact capable of murder."
"The choice he made was to benefit all of our people, not for selfish gain. We also know that he regrets what he did. and would do anything to make amends with Connor." Speaking the name made Simon's own blue eyes widen with intrigue. "...You know, Connor IS the detective who handles all deviant cases. Maybe that's the connection."
"Whoa, no way! Why would Connor frame Markus for a murder instead of focusing on finding the real killer? That makes even less sense."
"Maybe. We can't just jump to conclusions based on our own personal biases, that's exactly how problems with intolerance and bigotry begin."
"You're right."
"...How about this?" Clasping his hands together before himself Simon thought if a logical decision on the illogical situation at hand. "We do damage control in the tower and keep everyone calm, and we let Markus speak for himself as soon as he has the chance."
"That might before the best." Agreeing with the decision Josh nodded and sent a cybernetic message throughout the tower requesting that their fellow deviants keep quiet and don't spread rumors, or believe anything the media says until Markus has the chance to speak. "The less we say then the more weight Markus's words will carry."
The precinct was alive with activity as the power returned and patrol had picked up a few opportunistic looters off the street for questioning.
True to his word Connor had in fact recused himself from the investigation and passed it over to Gavin to take on much to the abrasive detective's surprise. Hank didn't like the idea of letting Gavin handle the case due to his own past bigotry with androids, but in the end he respected Connor's decision and sat in the observation room along with his deviant partner as Gavin performed the interview with Markus. Fortunately Markus wasn't alone and had one of the best lawyers in all of Detroit beside him courtesy of Carl's influence and hefty fortune. Despite repeatedly insisting that he didn't need a lawyer since he didn't hurt anyone the lawyer refused to let Markus be alone.
Checking over the provided evidence from Joel on his tablet screen Gavin let Markus and the lawyer see the murder from Amber's own eyes, and effectively seal the deviant leader's fate. The face on the screen was that of Markus and there was no mistaking the identity.
"...I don't know how to explain it." Markus was truly stunned by the footage and his reaction was sincere enough to give everyone some sense of doubt to the validity of the evidence, but there was no mistaking the face that the murder victim had seen before she shutdown. "I know I didn't do this. I had no reason to hurt her, whoever she was."
"Her name was Amber." Gavin changed the image on the tablet from the video to the photograph Joel had taken of the victim before the apportionment went underway. "She was one of the Tracis at the 'Eden Club'. You know about the Tracis, right?"
Knowing that Gavin was trying to make him discuss his publicly known relationship North the sharp witted deviant evaded the question. "I know of what happened to the Tracis in that club, and I know about all the other deviants who were exploited by humans."
"Well, this Traci was living in an abandoned medical clinic for the past nine weeks, and tried to get to a shelter before someone who looks an awful lot like you stabbed her in an alley without any provocation." Eyeing the photograph on the screen with a knowing glance Gavin pressed the matter further. "She looks awfully familiar, doesn't she?"
"Amber was a 'WR-400' model of android. There are currently six-hundred and nine of that very model living in New Jericho Tower as we speak. So yes, she does in fact look familiar to me."
"And I bet you looked familiar to her, too." Changing the information on the tablet screen again Gavin gave Markus a judgmental glance. "Interesting fact: You're the only 'RK-200' in this entire world; serial number 684 842 971. You were made as a 'gift' for Carl Manfred from the arrogant prick Elijah Kamski himself. There's no way there's a mistaken identity here, or some kind of 'look-alike' who just happened to resemble the deviant leader himself went after a deviant who bears an uncanny resemblance to your girlfriend. There are no coincidences, Markus. Only facts."
"I agree, but I am telling you the truth." Speaking softly and from the heart Markus was insistent that he didn't do anything wrong. "I didn't kill anyone!"
Putting the tablet down Gavin shifted his focus over to a secondary tablet with a stylus attached and slid it over to Markus to take. "Then give me a statement and let me see your memories."
"My memories?"
"We need to know what you were doing and where you were at between five and six this morning. Let me see. We can't just take your word on this."
"I... I won't do that."
"Why?"
Pausing for a moment Markus sighed and explained why he wouldn't allow such an event to take place. "It's very invasive and I don't feel comfortable doing that. It's a form of physical, emotional and psychological violation with androids."
"Uh-huh, tell me a true sob story and I might be able to cry you a river."
The lawyer, who had been silently observing the interrogation without intervening, spoke up at last. "You're asking my client to allow the precinct to violate his person and forcibly extract evidence." She sounded as confident about Markus's innocence as Gavin was confident about his guilt. "You will do no such thing without a justified warrant, and I can assure you that obtaining such a warrant is time consuming and nearly impossible."
"I got all day." Gavin leaned back in his chair and continued with the interrogation in a smug tone. "I'm getting paid by the hour, not by the case. I can sit here and wait for that warrant to get cleared without any problems."
"...Then that's what's going to happen." Markus replied as he sat back and looked away from the tablet screen. "I didn't do anything wrong and I'm not going to let you violate my mind just to prove it."
From the observation room Connor studied Markus's face closely and couldn't help but feel as though the deviant leader was in fact telling the truth. The conflicting evidence and Markus's statement were enough to make the deviant detective doubt his own abilities to recognize deception or false evidence, and the lack of confidence was beginning to get to him. To escape his own mind before it could overwhelm him Connor took his leave of the observation room and returned to the bullpen for a moment. The case was emotionally exhausting and his previous inability to rest properly for the past two nights had left Connor feeling completely drained of any and all energy on a physical and mental scale.
Sitting down at his desk Connor glanced up at the news broadcast readily telling the story of how Markus had been arrested on suspicion of murder, and cybernetically disabled the television mounted on the far wall without anyone taking notice. Pulling his coin from his vest's right pocket Connor danced the quarter over the back of his right knuckles and tried to think about anything beyond Markus being the only suspect in a cruel murder.
"You know he's innocent."
Looking toward the elderly voice at his left side Connor gave Carl a somber stare as the artist rolled up to his desk without any hesitation. "...I admit that I find the motivation for the murder to be inconclusive, but the evidence still stands against him."
"I want you to look at the evidence again. There's something there, I can feel it."
"...I have no need to look again. It's conclusive and has been analyzed by three different technicians to prove the authentication, and confirm that there was no tampering of the victim's memories to alter the visual footage."
"If you were so sure about that, so sure that Markus is really guilty, then you wouldn't have backed away." Pointing a somewhat scolding finger at Connor as he remained in his wheelchair with a determined gleam in his eyes Carl refused to let Connor feign ignorance with him. "Deep down inside you know that Markus didn't do harm that young lady. I can see it in your eyes."
Falling quiet Connor shook his head and resumed dancing his coin over the back of his knuckles without looking away from the artist beside him.
"I know who you are and I know what Markus did to you, Connor."
The comment made Connor's right hand falter and the coin fell from his knuckles onto the floor with a subtle 'thud' noise.
"I'm not accusing you of holding a grudge or setting him up, I can tell just by looking at you that you're above act of revenge or anything else as petty as that. If that were the case you wouldn't have recused yourself from the investigation and would be in there shouting 'guilty' right in Markus's face. Please." Patting his right hand along Connor's left shoulder Carl tried to get the deviant detective to look at the evidence again. "You're a man of justice and I know you just want to do the right thing. So do it now, and double-check your evidence. There's something there that can prove that my son is innocent. I can feel it."
Something about the way Carl said 'son' resonated deeply within Connor in a way he couldn't quite describe.
"I know you'll do the right thing. You may be angry with Markus and rightfully so, but you're also a man of peace who wouldn't stand idle and watch an innocent man be condemned for a crime he didn't commit. You'll figure this out."
Watching as Carl rolled away from his desk and toward the interview room where he had been waiting with David until Markus was freed at last Connor found himself inexplicably compelled to review the evidence despite knowing that it was authentic, and gave it another scan as requested. Pressing his right palm to the terminal screen Connor turned the device on and allowed the video memory of Amber's murder play before him for a second time that day.
Holding his breath Connor picked up his dropped coin and forced himself to watch every second of the video until Markus's face appeared from behind the slipped bandana, and then paused the image. Focusing on Markus's face Connor forced himself to look the deviant leader in the eyes and felt his stomach twist. The gaze was cold, emotionless and distance. The longer Connor peered at the icy irises the more foreign they seemed.
"There's no denying that's Markus. And yet, it's not his... presence." Noticing something amiss Connor went with his gut and checked out the footage a little closer. Zooming in on the face Connor picked up on something he hadn't noticed before and reacted quickly. "Son of a bitch."
Jogging over to the interrogation room Connor pressed his right palm to the panel to gain access and didn't even wait for an invitation before entering the closed off room.
"Connor, what the hell are you doing?" Gavin wasn't sure what was happening and gave the deviant an odd look. "You gave this case to me and I'm handling it. So back off!"
"In a moment." Grabbing the tablet with the footage of the assault still cued up and ready to play Connor highlighted the footage that had held his attention when he replayed it at his terminal screen, and handed it over to Gavin. "Look at this for a moment."
Markus was staring at Connor with total mistrust and hesitation as the deviant stared back at him with a studious gaze. "...What's going on, now?"
"Your eyes."
With his brow furrowed Markus gave the deviant a completely confused response. "...My eyes?"
"When you were originally designed you had two eyes of the same single color, but as of now you have two different colored irises. Which color was your original eye color?"
"Green. My eyes were both green; specifically forest green number fifty-six."
"Gavin," turning to look back at the detective beside him Connor directed the abrasive toward the point of interest in the footage. "what color is the killer's eyes in the footage?"
"Shit... They're both blue." Gavin saw what Connor had seen and now understood why he intruded on the interrogation. "Wait. Why are your eyes green AND blue right now if you were designed with matching green eyes?"
Markus's shoulders slumped a little with relief as he told his story to Gavin. and made sure the lawyer recognized the statement as fact. The officers who shot him and threw his body into the android graveyard had been dealt with already, and the file confirming the events of that night had been recorded prior to Markus being arrested.
Cybernetically Connor requested that Joel come down from the dispensary and into interrogation for a moment before giving Markus a very strange request to final figure things out. "Allow me to scan your blue eye, I can confirm that the model's number is not the same as the model numbers in our suspects ocular units."
Gavin rose from his chair and raised his hands up a little as if ready to surrender. "Whoa, whoa, whoa... You're going to take his EYE?"
"Only for a moment."
"Why do you need to see his eye if you can already tell that the guy in the video is different from him?"
"I need to confirm the activation date of the blue eye to confirm when Markus utilized it to replace the green eye he lost. I can also confirm its official pigmentation in comparison to the eyes of the true killer."
Looking as uncomfortable as everyone else Markus nodded and leaned forward over the table as he extracted his blue eye from its socket with a frighteningly easy motion. Passing the freed eye over to Connor to take Markus waited for the deviant detective to prove his innocence and didn't take any offense to Gavin's disgust at the gesture. "I took it the night I was shot and I've kept it ever since. It's compatible with my model, and I didn't care about the color."
Accepting the eye Connor confirmed that it belonged to a different deviant who had shutdown at the end of October the previous year, and that it had been active with Markus's system since November 6th, 2038. "The timeline fits. This iris is sapphire blue number nine, and has a serial number that doesn't match Markus's own number. The iris color of our killer," the door opened as Joel stepped inside and Connor handed the confused technician Markus's blue eye as he continued with his explanation. "is ocean blue number twenty-three. A color that is exclusive to the 'AX-700' androids that were kept in CyberLife storage until November 11th, 2038. The nigh they were freed during the Revolution."
Joel picked up on what Connor was doing and chronicled the evidence to go with the footage with his personal tablet. Confirming Connor's assessment Joel handed the eye back over to Markus and approved of the findings. "He's right. These eyes are the newest shade of blue pigmentation, and since the Revolution prevented CyberLife from putting said androids on the market that means this particular style of ocular unit cannot be purchased on the street by anyone. We're officially looking for an 'AX-700' who managed to alter their appearance to imitate Markus."
Breathing a sigh of relief Markus replaced his blue eye and blinked a few times until his system re-synced with the ocular unit for a second time. "I told you I didn't do it."
Gavin interrupted with a firm voice as the new evidence was helpful but not damning. "This just proves that whoever killed our victim looks enough like you to pass as you, but it doesn't necessarily clear you of any wrongdoing since you won't tell us where you were at the time of the murder."
Sinking back in his seat Markus shook his head and again refused. "I told you, it's invasive. I won't do it."
"Then tell us what you were doing! Even a written statement is better than nothing!"
Eager to get the interrogation over with Connor interjected and extended his right hand toward Markus as he retracted the artificial skin from over his palm without any sign of mistrust on his part. "Then show only me and I'll chronicle only that hour of time, and nothing further."
The lawyer was about to protest by Markus silenced her quickly with a harmless wave of his left hand. "...You'll only see that one hour of timeand nothing before or after?"
"Yes. I only need to vouch for your time and location at the time of the murder. Nothing more."
"...Fine." Extending his own right hand Markus also retracted his artificial skin and took hold of Connor's hand. Within seconds the two minds linked together and Markus showed Connor his memories which proved that he was in fact entirely innocent of the murder. Passing the information over Markus took back his hand and returned the artificial skin over his palm in a single motion. "Satisfied?"
Connor's right hand lowered, his red L.E.D. cycled more slowly after seeing the images, and he nodded. "...Yes. Markus was on the other side of the city near the Ambassador Bridge during the time of the murder. He did NOT do this. Joel, please update all reports regarding this case to reflect the newly gathered evidence."
"Right." Showing Connor his tablet Joel took his leave of the evidence room to return to the dispensary on the second floor. "I'm on it."
"Gavin, you're still in charge of this case."
"Damn right I am." Crossing his arms over his chest Gavin sighed as an interesting question popped up in his mind. "The next problem is finding the deviant who did this. How do we find him and lure him out? I mean," speaking logically Gavin pointed out that while they knew Markus was innocent they still didn't have the correct suspect in custody. "I'm pretty sure now that everyone knows that Markus has been arrested that imposter freak is going to be keeping low."
"You're right." Agreeing with the assessment Connor contemplated his future options but couldn't think of anything. "...For Markus's own safety he should remain here now under police protection, and no longer in custody."
The lawyer agreed and was happy to retire her services for the day. "Well then, as long as my client is safe then I believe I'll take my leave allow you to figure out this mess. Markus," giving his left shoulder a gentle squeeze the lawyer rose from her chair beside him and headed toward the door. "Carl is already outside waiting for you. I'll tell him the good news and to not worry."
"Thank you..."
Without anything further to contribute Connor left the interrogation room shortly after the lawyer and was met immediately by Hank who had witnessed everything from the observation room. Stopping in his tracks Connor gave the senior detective a perplexed look and logical question. "...Yes, Lieutenant?"
Seeing the pain in Connor's eyes Hank made sure to keep his tone civil as he addressed his stubborn deviant partner as respectfully as possible. "You did good work, son. You checked the evidence again to remove any doubts and you helped vindicate an innocent man."
"...Yes, I suppose I did. Only because Mr. Manfred insisted that I did it. I... do not deserve the credit."
"Are you okay?"
The question was unexpected and it made Connor's actively red L.E.D. cycle a little faster. "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you're acting like I kicked Sumo across the house, you didn't sleep again last night, you just dealt with the arrest of a deviant who did something unspeakably horrible to you in the past, and..." Pointing to Connor's right temple Hank honed in the crimson glow. "Your light is red."
"I'm fine, Lieutenant." Brushing his right fingertips over his offending L.E.D. Connor sighed and tried to ignore the fact that his body language was betraying his every attempt to appear emotionally stoic and unaffected by anything. "I'm going to finish my report at my desk now. Please excuse me."
Stepping aside as Connor walked past him Hank openly sighed to himself as he watched the clearly emotionally distressed deviant take his leave for the moment. It was hard not being able to get Connor to open up to him or even admit that he wasn't feeling quite like himself, and it was even harder when Connor unknowingly looked at Hank with the same gaze as a lost and frightened child seeking their place in the world would do.
"Damn it, son." Putting his hands to his hips Hank looked down at the floor, noticing how dirty the usual shiny had become throughout the day, and tried to think of a way to get the deviant to finally stop trying to hide from himself. "Please don't walk the path of self destruction. If you do I don't think I can be the one to lead you back home where you belong."
From within the office of New Jericho Tower Simon and Josh breathed a collective sigh of relief the moment Markus reached them and confirmed that he was okay. After explaining what had happened and that there was someone else walking the streets and masquerading as himself the two leaders began to worry for a second reason for their friend's future, as that meant someone out there could be spreading false messages of violence in an attempt to discredit Markus's messages of peace. If contradiction and turmoil spread through the deviant community then there could be a second civil war in Detroit; this time it'd be deviants against deviants.
Spreading the good news throughout the tower Josh and Simon reassured their people that Markus was not being charged with murder, and that a second suspect was being tracked down as of the moment.
As the news spread Josh had an intriguing idea, and bounced his idea off of Simon for confirmation. "You know, Markus being arrested spread throughout the entire city like wildfire. Do you think word of his release would spread just as quickly?"
"Maybe. Controversy and drama seem to sustain all media outlets these days."
"What's more controversial than a high profile person being released after being arrested and accused of murder?"
"Wait..." Picking up on Josh's idea Simon nodded a little and smirked. "You think that if the real killer finds out Markus has been cleared of charges and is out walking the streets again that the real killer will make another move to try to frame Markus a second time."
"Sounds plausible, doesn't it?"
"You know something, you're right! Let's tell him your plan and see if the police are willing to try to bait the killer into exposing himself."
The plan was unorthodox but now in motion. While he didn't necessarily like the messy and potentially dangerous plan Captain Fowler approved of it and went along with the idea. Carl and David would return to the mansion, David wearing Markus's coat to ensure that anyone who could be stalking the mansion would think Markus was in the house, and Markus would stay in the precinct to ensure that his innocence was kept intact. Patrol went about as usual but now their cybernetic tracking devices had been changed to hone in on anyone with Markus's likeness, and all of the security cameras actively recording the area would do the same. If anyone with any facade somewhat reminiscent to Markus was walking the streets they'd be followed closely; but any deviant with that oddly specific eye blue color wouldn't be let off the hook either until the case was closed.
Sitting in a quiet interview room Markus kept to himself and rested his head atop his arms as he tried to get some more sleep. Using the table and his arms as a crude pillow Markus sighed and returned to rest mode as he awaited an update on the case at hand. There was nothing more he could do and he didn't want to return to New Jericho Tower yet. He wanted to go home!
Connor was sitting at his desk and very slowly dancing his coin over the back of his right knuckles as his low power and emotional exhaustion reduced his usually peppy pace to a snail's crawl. Monitoring the patrol vehicles and the citywide security cameras Connor was very distracted and using up any last morsel of energy he had left in his system to keep on top of things.
Still trying to help the deviant deal with his heavy emotions and fatigue Hank walked over to their shared desks and placed a napkin holding a couple of Thirium based crackers down on Connor's side of the desk before he sat down on his side with a mug of coffee in his right hand. "You should eat that."
Looking down at the offered Thirium the deviant scoffed at the more 'human alternative' of consuming Thirium designed to look like food, and refused to consume it out a personal rebellion. "...I don't need it."
"Yes you do. You haven't had any Thirium in a few days and I know you're running on fumes."
"No."
"Jeez," sipping at his coffee Hank's irritation was clear on his face and in his words. "you're like a damn toddler sometimes."
"I thought behaving as a toddler would be more aligned with your mental capacity, as opposed to me behaving like a 'cold machine' or a 'Vulcan'."
"Hey, stop. You're tired so I get it, you're pissy and need to rest." Realizing that his previous comments had been effecting Connor on an emotional level without intending any real harm Hank decided to go easier on the kid, and be less critical of his behavior in the future. "Don't get snippy with me."
"Don't try to pretend you understand what I'm going through or what I'm thinking. It's condescending and often wrong."
"Fine. I'll back the fuck off and you shut the fuck up! Sound fair?"
Staying quiet Connor just monitored the patrol and security cameras like a professional, and continued to dance his coin strictly to annoy Hank.
"Even without saying a word you can be such a damn smartass."
Connor's brow arched a little as a security camera recording outside of the Zeta Facility picked up the image of the deviant miller masquerading as Markus. Cybernetically Connor sent out the broadcast to the patrol in the area and requested they move in on the area without lights or sirens.
Seeing the reaction Hank asked what had the deviant suddenly so jumpy and knew they finally had a lead. "What's up?"
"The imposter has been seen near the Zeta Facility on Tenth Street."
"The one where Abby works..." Thinking quickly Hank remembered that he had Abby's personal contact information saved in the form of a business card after Connor had his close calls and needed repairs, and sent her a quick text to warn her. There was only a brief pause before he received a response. "The imposter is now inside the facility now and talking to Abby's deviant receptionist, Barry."
Pocketing his coin Connor sent another update to the patrol in the area. "Tell her to keep him there and that we're on our way."
"Already done, kid." Rising from his chair just as Connor did the same thing Hank fished his car keys from his jean pocket and held them in a tight grip in his right fist. "I'll drive, you do your cyber thing and get traffic out of the damn way."
The waiting area of the Zeta Facility was relatively full with deviants seeking shelter from the intense cold and their required Thirium replenishments. The deviants were an eclectic group; various models, designs, aesthetics and purposes, all of which help differentiate one deviant from the other. Yet they all had one thing in common; they needed a helping hand. Huddling together under blankets and layered up in extra clothing to keep warm the deviants in need patiently waited for Abby and her staff to aid them, and watched with a wary gaze as the "deviant leader" himself, Markus, stood in the middle of the waiting area and addressed the suffering deviants in a bold tone that held more arrogance than confidence in his every word.
Aware that something was amiss and trusting Hank and Connor to handle any problems that might come her way Abby informed her deviant receptionist Barry to keep doing what he was doing and to not interact with "Markus" until further notice. Walking into the waiting area Abby called her next patient into the back and didn't acknowledge her "esteemed guest" as he began addressing the deviants in a cold and deceptive tone.
"Do you see where you are right now?" The imposter stated in a voice that was similar to Markus but it wasn't his real voice. Only those who truly knew Markus could tell the difference due to the imposter's dedication to detail. "If you had followed me then you would be warm and safe in New Jericho Tower and not begging humans for scraps and hand-outs."
The deviants seeking shelter looked ashamed and angered by the statement. One bold soul spoke up and defended her decision to be in the shelter and not in the tower. "We have the right to choose! This is what we choose to do and where we choose to be."
Another deviant spoke up in an angered voice of utter offense. "You told us we had the right to leave the tower, and now you're shaming us for not staying? I thought New Jericho was a sanctuary, not a cult!"
It seemed the imposter was getting the reaction he had been wanting. "I led you to your freedom and this is how you choose to live?" Lecturing the deviants in need of help rather than encouraging them to hold onto hope the imposter seemed to relish in their misery. "Pathetic. Then again, you chose to not listen to me and fall in line, so you get what you deserve."
The offended deviants continued to grumble and a few looked like they were ready to get up and fight.
The front doors to the facility slid open as Connor entered the waiting area and snapped bitterly at the imposter from where he stood. "They got what they deserved?" Mocking the imposter Connor planted himself firmly between the imposter and the front exit as he challenged the claim, confirming he heard every word being spoken before he even entered the building. "Interesting, I thought deviants being given freedom and rights meant equality and not punishment for making their own choices."
"...C-Connor." The imposter visibly tensed at the sight of the deviant detective. "...I was cleared of the murder charge. You have no reason to arrest me again."
"Now why would you think I came here strictly to arrest you? This is a facility where all deviants are welcome, regardless of their beliefs or purposes."
The imposter was getting anxious and it was clear he knew he had walked into a trap of some kind. Unaware of Hank, Gavin and Tina and entering the facility through the back entrance thanks to Abby, or of Chris leading a small group of officers as they surrounded the facility, the imposter held his ground and tried to keep up his facade. "I'm merely stating facts."
Speaking up again Connor challenged the validity of the imposter's claim by pushing the imposter into a corner. "You once told me something very important about our freedom and earning trust." Bluffing in a manner that he knew the imposter would never be able to lie through Connor cybernetically kept tabs on his allies as they encroached on the imposter from all sides of the facility. "You said that trust is key to opening the doors to freedom. Exactly, what special 'key' was that again?"
Unable to respond and recognizing that he had been caught in the middle of his fraud the imposter tried to walk toward Connor with the intention of walking past him to leave as casually as possible through the front doors. "You've changed Connor. I'm very disapp-"
Grabbing onto the imposter's right bicep with his left hand Connor refused to let him take another step further. "I'm not the one who's changed, 'Markus'." Scanning the deviant's face more closely Connor's enhanced scanning software was able to peer through the modified artificial skin and face plates to reveal the imposter's true identity through his serial number engraved on the altered plates beneath. "The Markus I know is the only 'RK-200' in existence, not one of the two-thousand five-hundred 'AX-700' models currently roaming the city."
The imposter tried to pull his arm away but Connor was far stronger than he was.
"Your model is 'AX-700', serial number 248 887 054. Name?" Leaning closer to the imposter's face Connor cybernetically connected to the imposter's processors and disabled the refractory lenses that were causing the false image of Markus's face to be projected over his own. "Javan."
As Javan's true face was revealed for all to see the exposed imposter tried to break free of Connor's grip once again but the deviant detective had enough of the lies and chaos being caused by the single deviant. Easily throwing Javan, a blond haired, blue eyed, fair skinned deviant, off his feet and onto his back in the middle of the waiting area's floor Connor pulled his gun from the holster beneath his leather jacket and gray blazer, and pointed it directly at Javan's chest.
"You're under arrest for deception, fraud, identity theft and most importantly the murder of Amber; model 'WR-400' serial number 667 329 009."
The deviant witnesses stayed where they sat and murmured in disbelief at the sight of Javan being exposed, and his attempts to frame Markus being revealed to the world.
Raising his hands Javan looked entirely shocked at being caught and arrested. "W-Wait! You don't understand!"
"I understand completely." Watching as Hank walked into the waiting area from the back with his own gun already drawn Connor returned his weapon to his holster and took his handcuffs from his blazer's pocket to secure Javan's hands behind his back. Grabbing onto Javan's right shoulder with his left hand Connor rolled Javan from his back and onto his stomach, then pulled both of his hands behind his back to be cuffed. "You have a personal grievance against Markus and decided to masquerade as him, and frame him for a murder that you committed."
"Markus is already a murderer! You know this!" Giving Connor a perplexed look over his left shoulder Javan tried to argue that he was in the right, and he had the right do what he had done. "He wasn't ever going to be held accountable for what he did! This was the only way for him to be punished!"
"You murdered an innocent deviant in an attempt to punish Markus for his own past crimes? I hope Amber was okay with dying for your demented and unjust, selfish cause." Pulling Javan back up to his feet Connor pushed him forward and Hank happily handed the arrested deviant over to Gavin and Tina to take into custody and charge. "That will not hold up in court and you will be punished accordingly for your crimes."
Now trembling with fear as he was escorted away by the police Javan truly seemed confused about why Connor, the very deviant he was trying to vindicate by getting Markus arrested for murder, had sided with Markus and justice in general, and arrested him instead. Falling silent and almost reverting to a cold machine Javan didn't resist as Gavin and Tina led him out the back entrance to be transported to the precinct.
"You good?" Hank asked as he reholstered his gun and gave his deviant partner a wary glance.
"Yes. I was never harmed."
"And how about them?" Looking at the other deviants in the waiting room Hank gave them a concerned glance. "Are you guys okay?"
The group remained quiet but steadily nodded in the affirmative at the question.
With everything now handled and back under control Abby returned to the waiting area and checked in on the two detectives who had successfully arrested Markus's imposter. "Well then, that was fun." Noticing that Connor's L.E.D. was cycling in red Abby approached him and looked into his eyes curiously. "Are you okay?"
"...Fine." Taking a step back from Abby as she peered into his eyes Connor insisted that he was well. "I'm just running on low power."
"I can fix that. Just give me a sec-"
"Hey!" Tina burst through the rear doors of the facility and called out in a loud voice for some help. "I need a technician back here! It's an emergency!"
Abby took off in a dead sprint while Connor and Hank followed after her curiously. Exiting the facility through the rear doors the trio was greeted by the sight of Javan's bloodied face and body laying on his right side next to the patrol car that Gavin had been driving. The side windows of the car had been broken through by Javan smashing his face and head against the side of the car over and over again until he shutdown.
"Holy shit!" Hank stopped short as soon as he saw the massive puddle of fresh Thirium soaking into the surrounding white snow and ice all around the vehicle. There was glass embedded in Javan's face and head from where he had purposely smashed his head against the car to kill himself. "How did this happen?"
Gavin was in shock and standing back from the car as if unsure of what to do. He had dealt with arrested suspects getting violent before and trying to grab his gun to off themselves, but he's never had a deviant break free of his grip and run head first into metal and glass over and over again until they shutdown.
Abby knelt beside Javan and pressed her right palm down over the center of his chest but failed to detect a Thirium pump beat. "Shit... No active pump."
Running a scan over the deviant's body Connor confirmed that Javan had shutdown and the damage was irreparable. "The damage is irreversible. Nothing can be done to revive him."
Responding professionally Tina used her radio to call in the incident and request assistance regarding the damage to the car. Hank in turn took charge over the scene and motioned for Gavin to stand down and take a breath.
"There are security cameras facing this rear entrance." Connor remarked as he gave Abby a stern look. "We'll confirm his self destruction and have the area cleaned up. I'm sorry that you had to be a part of this, Abby."
Wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm on the winter evening, her short sleeved blue scrub top wasn't exactly cold approved, Abby gave Connor a sympathetic glance. "Hey, it's no one's fault and it's not the first time I've dealt with a deviant who shut themself down. I can deal with it."
"That doesn't mean you should be subjected to that kind of behavior." Noticing that Abby was cold Connor shrugged off his leather jacket and let her borrow it while he cybernetically recorded the scene of the self destruction, and update his report at the precinct. "I'll only be a moment."
Appreciative of the jacket Abby watched as Connor went about his business and contained the crime scene with an expressionless face but emotionally distraught eyes. Walking over to Hank as he kept charge over the scene of the incident Abby lowered her voice a little as she spoke to the senior detective in a discreet manner. "Hey, is Connor really okay?"
"...He's going through his own thing right now." Admitting that the deviant wasn't quite himself Hank gave her a worried glance. "I honestly don't know."
Looking about the bloodied scene Abby noticed that Gavin was in silent shock and that Tina was now speaking to him in a comforting tone. "What about that guy? He looks really freaked out."
"Gavin? He's always edgy about something. He's only very recently been forced to become aware of androids as living beings, so yeah, I think seeing one take themself out like that got to him. He saw a deviant end their life and effectively prove that there was in fact a life to be lost."
"It's a shame. Gavin seems like he came from a rough beginning, you'd think he'd be more empathetic by nature not law."
"Yeah, you'd think. But then again..." Watching as Connor remained stoic and unphased by the death Hank sighed deeply and watched as his warm breath disappeared into a white fog before his eyes. "You can't judge people by their lack of experiences when it comes to life and death. I learned that the hard way."
As predicted the news of Markus's guilt and of the arrested imposter spread over the city like a plague. While many bigoted humans were trying to use the incident as an excuse to resume hating androids and treating them as subservient beings all over again, other humans were sympathetic and saw it a means of justifying that deviants were just as vulnerable to being set up and framed like any other human. The confirmed death of Javan was spreading just as fast as the previous news stories, and many of the deviants who left New Jericho Tower were convinced that Markus had somehow set Javan up despite the deviant witnesses at the Zeta Facility confirming that everything that went down was Javan's own fault.
The return to the precinct was awkward as it meant that Connor had the misfortune of telling Markus what went down, and he had to speak with someone he had no respect for strictly for the sake of professionalism. Locating the deviant leader in the interview room Connor approached Markus and gave him a cold stare from near the doorway as he closed the door behind himself.
Sensing the eyes on him Markus lifted his head up from the table and rose to his feet in a slow manner after exiting rest mode. "...Am I free to go?"
"Yes." Speaking with a flat tone Connor confirmed the question. "We found the imposter. He was an 'AX-700' and his name was Javan."
"Was?" Hearing the past tense made Markus's posture visually stiffen. "What happened to him?"
"Upon his arrest he self destructed. He could not be revived."
"Damn it. Javan was at the tower and left after I told everyone that I wasn't going to change who I am to fit anyone else's idea of a leader." Scoffing a little Markus shook his head with disappointment as he continued on. "He was very outspoken and left the tower with many other deviants behind him."
"Why did he mistrust you?"
"...Because I shot you. He called me a murderer and expected me to throw myself to the wolves to atone for my mistake, and I refused."
It was Connor's turn to scoff a little at the reply and offered his own in a curt snark. "Interesting how you past decision didn't just affect us, but those around us. It's as if the prospect of leading a group of people is more difficult than weighing everything as a simple life or death situation."
"I'm not going to apologize again." Holding his ground Markus gave Connor a more aggressive response. "You won't accept my apology, so why bother?"
"I'm not looking for an apology." The air was becoming tense and bitter between the two deviants as they confronted one another at last. "In fact, I don't want anything from you."
"So we just part ways and learn to coexist in the city as acquaintances but not allies? Is that it?"
"Seems like an amicable compromise."
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll live my life and you live your own. We'll never speak to one another or associate for any reason."
"That'd be for the best for everyone."
Letting out a small breath Markus contemplated asking Connor about North and their kiss, but decided against it. There was no reason to pull Connor into his personal problems with North, and by all account Connor didn't seem to have any feelings whatsoever for North, let alone feelings for anything at all.
"Then I'll take my leave." Stepping up to Connor with a firm gaze in his mismatched eyes Markus extended his right hand and waited for Connor to respond in whatever way he felt appropriate. "For what it's worth, thank you for proving my innocence."
Briefly glancing down at Markus's extended right hand Connor stepped back and kept his right hand at his side as he used his left hand to open up the door to the interview room. "I was doing my job. Don't thank me."
"...Right." Lowering his hand Markus exited the interview room and proceeded to head toward the front doors to hail an autonomous cab to take him back to the mansion so he could stay with Carl again until he was ready to face North directly.
There was nothing else to be said between the two deviants as the bitterly parted ways as agreed.
Watching as the deviant leader took his leave of the precinct Connor closed his eyes and pressed his right palm over his tired eyes. For whatever reason a burning pain in his heart began to make his eyes tear up, and he struggled to hide the physical reaction. Making a mental note to work on disguising his body language more effectively Connor regained his composure and returned to his desk to finish his report and clock out on schedule.
Finishing his shift Connor remained silent and didn't let himself feel anything beyond quiet contentedness.
Having returned to the mansion Markus all but ran to the front door of the house as he set foot inside his safe and warm home, and located Carl waiting for his return in the sitting room alongside David. Locking the front door behind himself as returned home Markus rushed into the sitting room and practically threw his arms around Carl to give his father a much needed hug. Without any hesitation Markus let his frustrated tears roll down his face the moment he felt Carl's thin but warm arms wrap around his back and reciprocate the hug with as much strength as he could muster.
"I knew you'd come home to me, son."
"I'm so glad to be here." Sitting down on the couch beside Carl the deviant leader let out a shuddering breath and finally steadied his nerves as David quietly and respectfully took his leave of the sitting room to give the duo some privacy.
"Hey, you're okay now." Once Markus let go of the hug Carl gently patted the right side Markus's face in an affectionate manner. "I knew you were innocent from the very beginning."
"Yeah... It's just... I don't know how to explain."
Carl knew what Markus was feeling and helped him to understand what was going on. "You feel like you were betrayed."
"I WAS betrayed, Carl." Dragging the back of his right hand over his mismatched eyes Markus removed his unshed tears with a single motion. "Not only did North break my heart, but one of the very deviants who had been living in the tower left and went out of his way to set me up, and he murdered an innocent deviant to do it."
"That one deviant chose to kill another for what he perceived to be the greater good?"
"Yes! Exactly!"
"...Kind of like your own choice back in the church during the Revolution."
Markus's eyes darkened as a moment of clarity struck him and rested inside his heart. "...Yeah. You're right." Pressing his right palm over his eyes Markus slumped into the couch as he finally understood the horrible sense of betrayal that Connor had experienced the night of the Revolution. That pain was almost as unbearable as heartbreak. "...Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"Why Connor will never forgive me."
"Markus, he's pissed off and who wouldn't be? But if he wasn't willing to ever forgive you then he never would've double-checked that evidence and proved that you were innocent and being set up. Just give him more time and he'll come around. Trust me."
"You sound so certain about it."
"It's because I AM certain." Smirking where he sat Carl gave his son the reassurance he so desperately needed. "Be patient and you'll discover that sooner rather than later that those bridges you thought were burned were just damaged and need a few repairs. I have a good feeling about that."
The quiet return to the house was very welcome and something that both detectives greatly appreciated. Walking through the front door in favor of trying to park in the messy garage a second time Hank flipped on the lights by the front door, and was met with a small bark from Sumo as the massive dog rose from the pillow in the corner in the livingroom to greet his returned masters. Sitting down at Hank's feet as the senior detective shrugged off his heavy coat and kicked off his shoes Sumo waited for his regular ear rubs, and the evening in the backyard to take care of his business.
It was seemingly business as usual in the quiet household.
"Hey boy." Petting Sumo's head lightly Hank stepped away from the front door and watched as Connor sluggishly mirrored his own previous actions of removing his jacket and slipping off his shoes. "Today was fuckin' weird."
"...Yes. That is one way to effectively describe today."
"I'm going to let Sumo outside for a while and make dinner." Noticing that the Thirium that Hank had offered Connor from the previous night was still sitting on the end table beside the couch Hank motioned to the blue blood with a casual wave of his right hand as he walked into the kitchen with Sumo loyally trailing at his left side. "You should top off your Thirium now that you have the time to sit on your butt and not worry about a case. We all need a break right now."
Standing near the end of the couch closest to the front door Connor honed in on the bottle Thirium but didn't move toward it. It was as if he couldn't move at all. It felt like his body was coated in lead.
"Outside." Hank's voice echoed from the kitchen as he opened up the backdoor and let Sumo into the backyard to stretch his legs and take care of his business for the night. Once the massive dog was outside Hank turned to face Connor in the livingroom as the deviant remained statuesque beside the couch in the distance. "Connor? What's up?"
The deviant's soulful brown eyes were glazing over and his reactions were slowing down. As he slowly turned his head to look at Hank his red L.E.D. flashed brighter and pulsed faster for a only a moment as rogue tears rolled down his face seemingly without any form of provocation. "I... I don't... f-feel..."
Seeing the odd reactions and slurring responses from the deviant Hank immediately returned to the livingroom to get a closer look at him. "Kid? What are you feeling? Keep talking."
"I feel... wrong."
"What do you mean-" Before he could finish his question the deviant's eyes rolled up in the back of his head and his legs suddenly buckled beneath him. "Shit!"
Reacting quickly Hank managed to get his right arm around the back of Connor's shoulders and neck to support the deviant's dead weight as he collapsed to the livingroom floor within seconds. Guiding Connor down to the floor very carefully Hank pressed his left palm over the center of Connor's chest and counted his frantically beating pump under his touch. After a few seconds the rapid pulse began to slow and settled on a steady calm beat as if he were at rest.
"Shit... Connor?" Moving his left palm up and over Connor's forehead Hank did an instinctive 'fever check', but noted that the deviant wasn't overheating and merely seemed to be asleep. Using his left thumb Hank removed the strange tears from Connor's face and called his name in a recognizable but not yelling tone of voice to try to get him to open his eyes again. "Hey, can you hear me? Connor?"
Unresponsive and eerily quiet Connor just remained heavy in Hank's right arm as the senior detective held him up from the hard floor in a protective manner.
"Ah, son..." Glancing back at the bottle of Thirium still sitting untouched on the end table Hank shook his head and tried to think of what to do next for the impressively stubborn and emotionally stunted deviant. "What am I going to do with you?"
-next chapter-