Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)

Taylor paced back and forth, waiting for her summons. Connor was following her with his eyes from his seat by the door. Her right wrist was in the splint that he'd gotten for her yesterday, so her left hand was tapping against her thigh as she walked. It was essential to get all of the nervous energy out now.

The door opened and she startled, turning. She expected Frank or David, who escorted them between the hotel and the hearings, ready to take them to the chamber. What she did not expect was Markus, quickly trailed by North.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice came out strained.

"It's good to see you, too, Taylor." Markus gave her an unaffectedly cheerful smile. Taylor felt herself tensing, until she felt Connor's hand on her elbow. He had stood from his chair and came to stand by her side. "Based on what Connor told me, I thought you could use some backup."

She turned then, and because he had moved so close, he was right there. She glared at him. He stared back, silent but not backing down. He just squeezed her arm gently. She couldn't say anything else to him now, so she turned back to Markus. He was watching the whole scene, looking between them with the smallest of smiles.

"Did you not listen at all to Raj's warning about Helping Humans?" Her emotions were going haywire, but she knew it was only because she was terrified. Markus being in Detroit felt safe, and seeing him here, in front of her, had sent the world tilting.

"We did actually. That's part of the reason we're here." North cut into the conversation, giving Markus a look out of the corner of her eye that left him chagrined. Taylor had a hard time reading it.

Of the founding members of Jericho, North had never exactly warmed to her. Because she had spent so much time helping deviants escaping, she was fully aware of North's model and had respected her boundaries. Because of it, North almost felt like a stranger to her, one that was nearly hostile.

"North is right. We have androids showing up in Detroit daily. Apparently, we've already been infiltrated." Markus glanced back at her, fixing her in his dual-colored stare. "A non-deviant android parading as a deviant doesn't hold up very well to questioning, turns out."

"We felt that Markus would be safer here, for the moment. Josh and Simon are in charge in the meantime." North frowned.

"Also, as I said, it appeared you could use some backup." Markus smiled again. Taylor felt herself start to relax just a little bit, until his eyes dropped down to her wrist. "By the way, what happened to you?"

"She was assaulted by a protester." Connor spoke up immediately, just over her shoulder. She had opened her mouth to speak, to brush him off, but she closed it again instead, frowning. She looked between the two of them as they stared each other down, feeling like she was missing something.

A knock at the door broke the brief silence. North moved to open it, then stepped aside and let the newcomer inside. If the arrival of Markus had thrown her for a loop, she certainly hadn't expected President Cristina Warren to come walking in next, flanked by her security personnel.

"I may have acquired some extra backup." Markus said by way of explanation, smiling again at what must have been the ridiculous look on Taylor's face.

"Miss Taylor Kolbeck. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." The President stepped forward, offered her hand. Taylor forced herself to move and take it. A smile touched Cristina Warren's face, tinged with mirth. "I believe you dated my son once."

"Oh. Yes. A while ago." She knew her face was turning red. She couldn't think of what else to say. "It's good to meet you, too, Madame President."

"I've been watching your progress over the past week." President Warren released her hand. "Keeping in conference with Vice President Mills. Our plan is to introduce an Equal Rights Act for deviants by the end of the week. We must achieve some semblance of peace and I hope to do it soon."

"That would be great," she said, nearly breathless. The idea that this could be over within the week, that Congress could be voting to pass a bill so soon sounded like a fantasy. If it were anyone other than the President saying it, she wouldn't even believe it to be possible.

"I'll see you in there very soon." The President nodded toward Markus and left the room again, her security detail following behind. Taylor looked over to Markus, her eyes wide.

"The President contacted me. It seems your new friend Secretary Alexis Headley has been making phone calls." Even he sounded impressed. "Something you have been doing here has made her a believer."

She bit her lip, not responding. There was a knock on the door a moment later. This time, it really was Frank, ready to escort them. Markus and North filed out immediately, but Taylor spent a few seconds collecting herself. Connor came up beside her again, his arm brushing against hers as he passed, turning back when he reached the door.

"Coming?" He gave her a small curve of his lips, raising his eyebrows. She took one step, then another, smiled as she joined him. She could do this.

Frank led the four of them through the hallways. When they entered the chamber, a hush settled over the room, and Taylor was reminded of her first day, the very first hearing. She really hoped that the President was right and that this would be over soon.

Said President wasn't in the room, but the Speaker of the House and the Vice President were already seated and getting ready to start the hearing. The Speaker was giving her his usual stoic look that had an underlying note of distaste that she attributed to her own paranoia. Every so often he would glance between the three androids that surrounded her.

The room was called to order, the prayer said, the Pledge of Allegiance. Taylor could feel the Speaker watching her the whole time, and she wasn't quite sure why until he finally spoke up, "Did you hurt yourself dancing, Miss Kolbeck?"

Heat crawled up her neck instantly. She knew that the subject of her dancing with Kent Warren had been a hot topic in the gossip columns over the weekend. Not unsurprisingly. She was here on political business and he was the President's son as much as he was a celebrity in his own right.

"Actually, I was assaulted by an android rights protestor outside my hotel," she bit off, gritting her teeth. She'd tried very hard not to make her celebrity the subject of this hearing. The last thing she wanted was Speaker Berkley throwing it in her face now. "I appreciate your concern."

He blanched. The Vice President at his left interrupted before he could make another comment. "Before we get started today, the President of the United States of America, Cristina Warren."

Everyone in the room stood again as President Warren finally joined them. A gentle shuffling followed as people resumed their seats. The silence settled in before the President began to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, people of America. I am here today, in this room, because we stand at the precipice. Events are unfolding here that will echo for generations to come. I have been following the hearings taking place here in this room, but I have also been listening to the American people."

The President paused, gazed around the room. "In light of the current state of affairs with Russia, it is more important than ever that our country remains united. On behalf of Vice President Mills and Speaker of the House Berkley, the hearing for today will be cancelled. Tomorrow you will all reconvene for closing statements, and then the Equal Rights Act for deviant androids will be introduced into the House of Representatives for a vote."

The President paused again. Taylor could hear the very muted tittering in the chamber, feel the tensions rising. Clearly, most everyone was hearing this news for the first time. Only the Vice President and the Speaker looked unmoved.

"I am hoping that we will enter into the new year a unified people, and that the representatives seated here today will listen to their constituents. The voice of the people has been loud and clear. We only have to listen."

ANDROIDS AREN'T ALIVE

Taylor took a sip of her tea, eyeing the protestors through the front windows of the hotel. The brace that Connor had insisted she wear was sitting on the table. She was turning her hand in a slow circle, testing it out. Only small twinges of pain if she bent it a certain way. Not bad at all.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

She had been amusing herself for the past hour, sitting down here in the coffee shop that was a part of the hotel, just reading all of the signs. They were definitely with Helping Humans because several of them were waving the telltale LED with a line through it, but the other slogans left much to be desired.

ORGANICS OVER MECHANICS

Okay, that had a bit of a ring to it. She took another sip of tea, glancing at her closed notebooks. She'd come down here to brainstorm on what to say in her closing statement tomorrow, but as usual, had no luck. Too easily distracted.

Strumming her fingers against the table, she winced as another shiver of pain arced from her wrist through her forearm. Connor had gone to speak with Markus when they'd arrived back at the room. For once, she had no desire to be a part of the conversation.

She spotted Markus now as he crossed the lobby in her direction. His tall stature and broad shoulders made him hard to miss. Whatever the two androids had to discuss must have come to a close, she just hoped that Connor didn't freak out when she wasn't in the room. She left a note.

"Careful, you might start a riot if they spot you." Taylor smiled up at him as he took the seat across from her at her small café table. He raised his eyebrows, then followed her line of sight to the sign-waving humans outside of the hotel.

"I believe you're more recognizable than I am. How long have you been sitting here?" Markus returned her smile with one of his own. She enjoyed his smiles a lot more when he wasn't laughing at her.

"Well, it didn't work out well for me when I faced them by myself," she laughed. Her laughter faded quickly when his smile tugged down into a frown. He leaned forward and took her injured wrist in his hands.

"I thought that sending you here, to Washington, would curb your recklessness." There was a strain in his voice that she hadn't expected. It made her heart ache, made her feel guilty. "I also thought that having Connor with you would ensure your safety."

"It's not his fault." She pulled her hand away, folded it into her lap, out of sight. "He wasn't there at the time. You're just going to have to live with the fact that humans are more fragile than androids."

"I suppose so." He chuckled, halfhearted, leaning back in his chair. His eyes found her abandoned notebooks, settled on the table between them. "Working?"

"I was trying to think of something to say for my closing statement tomorrow," she said, nodding. She drained the last of the tea from her cup and then resumed her strumming on the table, her gaze now fixed on the notebooks. "Trouble is, I don't know what to say that I haven't already."

When she finally raised her head, Markus was looking at her, chin resting in his hand. "I know I've told you already, but I think you're amazing."

"Shut up." She huffed, rolling her eyes, but she could feel herself blushing. He laughed. "Flattery isn't helping."

"Are you and Connor official now?" His smile widened as her blushed deepened, but she wasn't about to indulge him.

"That depends, are you and North a thing? I noticed you were sharing a room, too?" His mirth faltered, his cheeks getting that telltale tint of blue. She'd had an inkling about the two of them since before the revolution, but they'd played their cards very close to their chest.

"Well...that is to say..." She laughed then, and he relaxed when he noticed she was teasing him. His reaction was enough of an answer, anyway. He was quiet for a minute, and then he said, "Connor is very worried about you."

Taylor nearly flinched. She reached for her tea again, something to do with her hands, then remembered it was empty. Instead she folded both hands in her lap, under the table. With disbelief in her voice, she said, "Is that really what he came to talk to you about?"

"No. I can just tell." Markus had watched her tuck her hands away but focused on her face now. "He made a point in letting me know how difficult this past week has been. To make sure I came, I think."

She sighed through her nose but didn't respond at first. "And if this Equal Rights Act does get passed, what then? Do you really think that Helping Humans and other anti-android groups are just going to quietly bow their heads and agree to fall in line?"

"What do you anticipate happening?" He didn't sound surprised, just openly curious of her thoughts.

"I think they'll try to repeal. Immediately. I don't know exactly how big or widespread they've become, but they must have gained a lot of influence over the last couple of months. They'll try to push new representatives through in the elections to achieve that end. They won't stop."

They stared at each other for a moment, before Taylor shifted her gaze over his shoulder, back to the protestors. She watched them, waving their signs, thinking. Finally, Markus said, "What do you think we should do? To stop them?"

Her eyes flickered back to his. Blue and green. Beautiful. Her brow furrowed. Here she was, this strange position again, caught up in events so much bigger than she was. One silly, pointless human sitting across from the leader of an android revolution, asking her what he should do.

For a long time, she said nothing. Considered his question and all the things to come. Then she said, "You'll just have to be louder than them. The whole point of this is to give deviants a voice, their freedom. Once you have it, take it with both hands. Don't give it back. You told me at Jericho that your people wanted their own voice. You must make them use it."

Markus was quiet, considering her words. She reached for her brace, placing it back over her wrist and adjusting the straps. "Do you think that passing this law will really give us freedom?"

"It's a very important first step," she said. "Laws don't change people's minds. There's a reason Raj is still doing his work. Nothing is perfect." She looked up at him again, raising her eyebrows, giving him an encouraging smile. "I will still be helping. Why is it you think we met, you and I?"

"I don't know, why?" He sounded almost distracted, still contemplating her words, still thinking of what had happened and what would come in the next few days. But she was gathering up her notebooks, getting ready to toss her cup in the recycle bin and head up to the room to work on her statement.

"Because I have the loudest voice."

Connor was rolling his coin across his knuckles when Taylor's phone starting ringing. She had been sitting on the windowsill, staring listlessly out of the window just moments before, but she had been anticipating the phone call. Her phone was resting beside her knee, and she picked it up to answer it.

"Hello, Alex." Her eyes didn't move from the window as she listened to whatever Alex was saying on the other end of the line. Then they flickered in his direction for a brief moment. "No, it's fine. It doesn't even hurt."

She went quiet again, listening to his side of the conversation. Occasionally giving one-word answers. At the end of it, she said, "Alex, Markus showed up today. After tomorrow's hearing, I'm probably just going to be hanging around the hotel." She paused, and then, "You don't have to call every day to check on me."

There was a brief interlude of silence. Connor imagined that Alex hadn't said anything for a moment or two, but he must have responded eventually. It was hard to tell from Taylor's perfectly blank facial expression. Finally, after several minutes, she said, "Okay. Bye, Alex."

She hung up. Placed the phone back on the windowsill before she stood. He watched her cross the room to the bed and climb into it, lying fully clothed on top of the covers. She rolled over so that her back was facing him.

A couple of hours before now she had arrived back to the room, notebooks in hand, fresh from the café downstairs. She'd tried to work on her closing statement for the next day for a while, had spent some time catching up with her social media accounts as a distraction, and eventually ended up by the window waiting for Alex's phone call.

Connor caught the coin between his fingers and tucked it away, but he didn't move. He just continued to watch the blonde curled up on the bed, concern lining his brow, until she turned back over and caught him staring.

At this distance he couldn't see all the colors in her eyes. Just blue, but they were beautiful to him just the same. He felt that familiar ache, the desire to touch her, so much a part of him now that he couldn't discern it from the rest of his programming.

"Will you come here?" Her voice was soft. She reached a hand toward him and he rose from his chair to go to her. A moment later he was sliding his arms around her waist, pressing against her. She folded a leg over his hip, drawing him in.

Her hand came up, touching his face, smoothing over his brow. At some point, she had taken off her brace, he realized. She smiled, softly, her fingers curling into his hair. "Stop making that face."

"What face?" He asked, puzzled, his brow creasing again. She laughed quietly and moved her hand from his hair again, pressing her index finger into the wrinkles that had formed between his eyebrows.

"That worried face." She slid her hand back into his hair, scraping her nails gently along his scalp. He fought off the urge to close his eyes. Her lips were still curved into a smile when she said, "I'm okay."

"Would you tell me if you weren't?" He said in return. She was twisting locks of his hair around the tips of her fingers, and her smile didn't falter as she considered his question.

"I'm exhausted." She admitted. "I'm stressed out. I have no idea what I'm going to say tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm fine."

Her hand finally stilled against the side of his face. Soft lines appeared around her eyes when her smile widened, and she said, "Distract me. Tell me something."

"Tell you what?" He asked, still perplexed.

"Anything," she breathed. Her eyes shifted over his face, and then she said, "You never told me about when you became deviant."

Surprised, Connor froze, his LED circling yellow. Taylor's voice had just been a whisper, hesitant, tapering into nothing. Her eyes shifted downward, away from his. Nervous. Over what, he couldn't understand.

"After you left the investigation," he began, still watching her face. Her eyes flickered back to his and she seemed to relax. Anxious that he wouldn't answer, maybe? "They were going to hand the case over to the FBI. I was going to be sent back to CyberLife, but I thought that there was still a chance to solve the case."

Taylor had gone very still in his arms. Just brushing her thumb across the curve of his cheek as she listened. He had not retold the story to anyone before, had scarcely even thought about it. He had the same surreal feeling as when he told Hank about his mistakes with Taylor. A freedom in the unburdening.

"Hank caused a distraction while I broke into the evidence room. I found the information I needed to locate Jericho. It was just a matter of disguising myself and making my way there." He frowned as the memories came back. Remembering things now, as a deviant, versus his machine memories had a different impression to them. Though he could recall things with exact precision as an android, things he remembered as a deviant appeared in color in contrast to his previous memories, sepia-toned in comparison.

"Once I was onboard the freighter, it didn't take me long to locate Markus. He was with North, Josh, and Simon. I waited until he was alone. I was going to shoot him. End the revolution." He paused, bringing the image to his mind. Markus with his hands in the air, calm as he ever was, talking him down. "Markus talked me out of it."

"Well, what did he say?" She asked, unable to contain her curiosity. He raised his eyebrows at her sudden interruption, and she smiled, explaining, "He turned the deviant hunter himself. I have to know."

"It doesn't matter what he said." Connor insisted. "I was thinking about Hank. About never seeing him again. I was thinking about you. About when you kissed me. I already had doubts."

He pulled his arm back to reach into his jacket pocket, where he usually kept his coin. His fingers closed around the other object there, a thin piece of plastic, and he pulled it free. He offered it to her in the small space between them, and when she turned it over, her eyes widened.

It was her consultant identification badge for the Detroit Police Department. The one she had pressed into his hand in that hallway just before she kissed him for the very first time. She had asked him to return it to the Captain. Before he turned deviant, he hadn't found time in the rush to Jericho. Afterward, he had simply wanted to keep it.

"I saw the walls around my programming, and I tore them down." He said, pulling her gaze back to his, though her fingers were still tight around the badge. "As soon as I was free, I knew it had been a trap. I tried to warn Markus, but the attack began almost immediately. They were watching me. Waiting.

"Markus decided to blow up the ship. He sent word to his people to evacuate. I thought you were gone. I thought you were in California." He hesitated, his eyes roaming over her face, every minute detail that he had memorized. "Not even five minutes later, you were in front of me again. I thought at first that becoming deviant had made me malfunction, but you were really there."

"I was there the whole time, you nerd," she said, grinning. Teasing him. "I couldn't believe you were there."

"You know the rest." He said. She was looking at him thoughtfully, glancing down at the badge she still held in between them. He looked away. "When CyberLife tried to regain control of my programming, Amanda told me that I had accomplished my mission. I was always meant to become deviant."

"Who's Amanda?" Connor looked up again. Taylor's eyebrows had drawn together, her lips puckered into a frown. He suddenly realized just how little he had told her. Why she had been so nervous to ask him a question.

"Do you remember when I told you that I used to send reports to CyberLife by closing my eyes?" She nodded. "Amanda was the interface for CyberLife, inside of my head. I don't believe she was a real person, though she may have been based on one. I saw a photo at Elijah Kamski's house that looked very much like her."

She appeared surprised for a moment. Then she went back to contemplating him, her eyes staring directly into his, thinking. Trying to understand. For the smallest moment, he thought this was what she must feel like all the time, while he was trying to puzzle her out.

"She was wrong about one thing," she finally said, her face smoothing. She reached her hand inside of his jacket, tucked her badge away again, her fingers sliding along his chest as she felt for the pocket. "You did fail your mission."

"What?" He tried hard to focus while her hand slid over his chest, her fingertips tracing the edges of his shirt buttons.

"You didn't kill Markus," she clarified, smiling. "You came back to us. To me." Her hand came up to his face gain, her fingers moving along his jaw. "Now here you are, helping to free your people."

She curled her fingers through his hair again, but this time he noticed her wince. Reaching up, he captured her forearm in his hand and gently pulled her hand away, scanning her injured wrist. "Careful."

"I'm fine," she said, but she didn't resist his hold. "I have to move it sometime. It doesn't hurt that bad."

"A sprain is caused by small tears to the ligaments in your wrist," he said, tracing his thumb down the imprint of bruises as he spoke. "If you overdo it, you may tear the ligament more and make it worse."

She huffed but must have realized she could not argue. "Thank you for telling me."

"You can ask anything," he said, insistent. Perhaps he was sorry for how timidly she had asked the question, as if he would keep secrets from her. "I will always tell you. Whatever you want to know."

Another smile touched her face, slight and happy. He ducked his head closer to her and pressed his lips to hers. Because he wanted to, and because he was not used to wanting things yet, not impulsively. She was surprised, but she kissed him back without hesitation, sliding up against him.

He broke away a few moments later. Her wrist was still locked firmly in his grip, one leg wrapped around him, and he had the wild impulse to flip her onto her back and pin her beneath him. He forcibly reigned in his thoughts when he pulled away from her, but it had only been marginally successful.

Taylor was watching him, her pupils dark, dilated. She was smiling like she knew exactly what he was thinking. She was still pressed into him, and with every panting breath he could feel her chest moving against his, feel the wild ticking of her pulse beneath his fingers.

"Haven't I distracted you long enough? Don't you think you should get back to work?" He said, gently, releasing her arm. He knew that if he kissed her again, he would lose himself in her. She sighed.

"Ugh, fine. I guess you're right." She disentangled her limbs from him and rolled away, standing from the bed. A few moments later she was seated back at the table, poring over her notebooks and notes again.

Connor sat up and moved back to the table to join her. He was content to watch her in silence, returning to his coin. She chewed on the end of her pen, her eyes moving over the page. Every once in a while, she would look up, watch him. Then she would stare at the vase full of roses in between them, her eyes glazed over in thought.

An hour passed in this quiet loop. He was about to suggest she take a break to eat something when she sat straight in her chair. "I think I've got it."