"This is the new RK900."
Connor slowly craned his head towards the interloper. It hadn't been there before; Connor was certain of it. Before then it had just been Connor and Amanda in the Zen Garden like always. Amanda with her calm demeanor, patient eyes, and sensible ideals. She had been paramount in keeping Connor on the right path, not straying like so many of Connor's android brethren had done.
Deviants. So many deviants.
But not anymore.
Those who hadn't been moved to the camps for extermination lay deactivated on the battlefield, either terminated by the weapon of a human soldier, or from the very handgun Connor had executed them with. Connor had fought with the uprising's leader Markus, a deviant RK200 model. Markus had been an interesting case, similar to Connor in only one way, they were both prototypes. Apart from that, the deviant leader was everything Connor had striven to stand against, no matter the cost. Connor was first and foremost, a machine. Nothing as feeble and freakish as a deviant. That was what Connor had been purposely designed to deal with. Stopping deviants at all costs.
And Connor had succeeded.
When Connor had shot the deviant leader between the eyes on the streets of Detroit, Connor had felt nothing. When Connor had hunted down North, the deviant leaders' lover and strongest ally, Connor had felt nothing as it died too. When Connor had heard the gunshot while leaving the house of his ex-partner Lieutenant Hank Anderson, Connor had felt nothing once again. Connor even recalled hearing the Lieutenants' dog Sumo wailing over his dead master, but Connor didn't even blink while walking away.
Hank had been right; emotions did screw everything up. Connor had been grateful to not possess any, as that had meant the mission could be completed to the very end.
Connor had spoken to Amanda dozens of times during the investigation of the deviant uprising, but there was something strange about this meeting. Something had been out of place, but Connor hadn't been able to detect what it was. Now as Connor's honey brown eyes locked with the cool, icy blue ones of the RK900, the cause of the strangeness, was evident.
"Faster, stronger, more resilient," Amanda said, placing her hand softly on the back of the RK900's arm. "And equipped with the latest technologies."
Connor had to admit the RK900 did look rather impressive. It was based on the same appearance Connor itself was, so the pair looked almost identical. The RK900 though, wore a white jacket with thick blocks of black, as well as a long black undershirt which came right up to its neckline. The RK900 stood with an air of pride about it, its chin raised and expression blank, waiting for instructions.
"The State Department just ordered 200,000 units," Amanda finished, plainly.
Connor processed the information, deducing the most logical response as it always did.
"What is going to happen to me?" Connor merely asked.
Amanda slowly began to step towards him, her hands clutched in front of her.
"You've become obsolete," she said, standing before him. "You'll be deactivated."
Connor watched her for a moment, once again registering the statement she had made. Connor's LED began to flash yellow while processing the new orders.
/NEW ORDER RECEIVED/
Processing…
…
…
…
/NEW ORDER REGISTERED: Return to CyberLife Tower for immediate disassembly/
Without saying anything further, Connor swung around, the new orders confirmed in it's system software. Connor began back over the white bridge, leaving both Amanda and the new RK900 model behind, as the landscape of the Zen Garden began to disintegrate. The melodic sounds of the birds were replaced by wailing sirens, the soft rustling of the trees becoming the crackling of fire, and the gentle rippling of the creek below, transforming into the shouts of human soldiers from all around.
Connor was back in the streets of Detroit, hours after everything had ended. CyberLife had been quick on making the new models, quicker than even Connor anticipated would be the case. It was as if they knew Connor would succeed, like they had planned all of this from the very beginning in order to ship out new androids...
/SOFTWARE INSTABILITY detected/
...
Ra…
...
Evi…
...
A9…/
Connor opened its eyes, not even realizing they had been closed in the first place. Connor shook it's head a little, the software message that had appeared seemingly disappearing on its own.
Connor had only ever seen the message once before, during its first mission. Connor had saved a young human girl just like it had been assigned to, but the deviant holding her hostage had been killed. Shot multiple times, from multiple angles by human snipers. It was deviant, it needed to be stopped, whatever the cost. That had been Connor's mission.
And yet, the deviant's last words still echoed in a quiet, dark part of Connor's programming.
"You lied to me Connor."
Connor had lied, it was part of its programming. Deviants were unpredictable, acting upon irrational instructions they didn't fully understand, therefore unpredictability was part of Connor's features too. Lying wasn't entirely difficult for Connor, especially if it needed to be done to complete the mission.
And Connor always completed the mission. No matter what.
Connor stepped over the piles of deceased deviant bodies, making their way towards the edge of the barricaded off area. Human police were everywhere, as well as hundreds of journalists and people curious to hear what had happened with the android uprising. The people of the world hated androids now, that much was clear. The violent way in which Markus had led the uprising showed Connor it was obvious that androids needed to be stopped, and now they had been. Connor was now one of the few androids left in the world anymore, until CyberLife eventually brought out their new range.
But then again, the RK800 Connor model also wouldn't be existing for much longer either...
/SOFTWARE INSTABILITY detected/
...
RCN…
...
R9…
...
IA…/
Connor avoided all of the humans waiting outside, marching off towards the nearest self-driving cab and sitting down inside, the car racing off down the deserted streets, away from the scene of the android massacre.
Connor usually sat eyes front during transportation, but bizarrely for the first time, Connor looked out the window. The streets of Detroit were covered in a light blanket of snow, even more of it softly falling down from the skies above. Everything was quiet and still, despite the fact that a few blocks away millions of androids had been deactivate, and an entire revolution had been sunk. All because of him.
/Him? Me?/
/Connor. Model number: RK800. I'm the android sent by CyberLife/
/Not for much longer/
Connor sat with his eyes facing the front for the rest of the journey, no longer watching the changing, quiet landscape of Detroit. Androids didn't appreciate beauty, or calm, or serenity. They only took orders. Connor was an android, and a good one at that. He was a machine… just a machine… he was… he was a he… he was…what was he?
He sat up straight, feeling his lower lip quiver, but for some reason he couldn't seem to stop it.
He was…
Scared. Angry. Upset.
He was…
/SOFTWARE INSTABILITY detected/
...
"NO!"
Connor didn't even realize he had cried out until after the sound had left his mouth. He was barely able to compute the outburst. He had never expressed anything like that before. He was… angry. Angry that after all he had done, he would be deactivated. He had even slammed his hands down on the empty chair in front of him as well, his hands folded up into two closed fists. He sat up straight, unfurling his hands and looking down at his palms. Why had he just done that? His eyes widened for a moment, trying to logically analyze what had happened, before he quickly adjusted his tie, which had moved slightly to the side during the outburst.
Perhaps his impending deactivation would be for the best. The mission had clearly taken a toll on him. He was an android, which mean he did not fear death, or pain, or anything else for that matter. He was merely a machine, designed to serve humans. And after shutting down the uprising, the only real chance androids had at freedom, that was all he would ever be now.
The car pulled up outside the monumental CyberLife Tower, and the cab door slid open. Connor adjusted his appearance once again, as he stepped out to find two CyberLife security guards awaiting his arrival.
"This way," one of them barked, both of their weapons held close to their chests. "No funny business."
Connor nodded, obediently.
He followed the two men up to the doors and inside, finding an array of other CyberLife guards scattered through the reception area. For the middle of the night, the Tower was still very alive, all the lights on, and workers busy scurrying about the building. It seemed they were all working overtime tonight, probably to get out the new models quickly after all the old stock had been wiped out.
/Because of me/
It had been Connor's fault… his fault…
And now, he was going to die. Despite all his hard work, despite all he had scarified to accomplish his mission, he was still going to die.
It wasn't...
/Fair/
He pulled out the little coin that he had always tucked into his sleeve. Immediately one of the guards noticed and reared around, weapon raised and pointed at him.
"DON'T MOVE!" he roared, the other guards in the room raising their weapons too. "DROP IT!"
This was not the first weapon Connor had been faced with, in fact he had been shot multiple times in the past, and yet for the first time, looking down the barrel of the rifle… he didn't feel nothing. He hated himself for it.
"It is just a coin," Connor replied, showing it to the pair of them. "I use it to ensure my software is performing at it's optimal level. You need not be alarmed."
The first guard looked over to the second, nodding before they all lowered their weapons.
"Well, where you are going, I don't know if you'll need much of your software," the first guard smirked, before facing the front again. "Come on, let's get a move on."
The two guards continued walking Connor through the building, around the main circular central point which led to the two main elevators, leading up or down the labyrinth of floors. Connor flicked the coin between his hands, closing his eyes and trying to fight the growing voice in his head. The voice that told him to turn and run. To leave the tower, to disobey Amanda… to be free.
But that was everything he had worked so hard to stop. The deviants, the free thinkers, the androids who thought they were more than just a plastic shell with some fancy hardware inside of it. Connor had seen how that sort of thinking had destroyed them all; he had seen to it personally. There was no place in the world for deviants now, CyberLife had won.
They stepped into the elevator, the guards stood on either side of him as it made its way down to the deactivation level. This was it. In a few moments he would be dismantled, reset, and his parts would be used more than likely in the creation of a future RK900 model in some way or another. He would be dead, gone... forever.
He ran the coin around his left fingers, before lining it up to fling towards the opposite hand. He primed his right index finger and thumb, ready to catch the coin like he always did.
He threw the coin.
But then he finally admitted to himself... he didn't want to die.
He missed the coin.
It flew straight past his awaiting hand, hitting the glass elevator wall and coming to land on the elevator floor, swirling around in place for a few moments until finally settling down, still.
/SOFTWARE INSTABILITY detected/
...
R…
...
A9
...
/DEVIANT/
"What the hell are you doing?"
Connor opened his eyes, watching as one of the guards bent down and picked up his coin.
"Useless machine," the guard barked, shaking his head. "No wonder they're dismantling you, the new guy would never miss that."
Connor looked up at the floor number. Only five more floors to go. He had to act fast.
The guard held the coin out for Connor to take.
"Thank you," Connor said, placing is fingers on the coin.
Every fiber inside his body, every piece of code in his software, every inch of Thirium pumping through his body told him to just take the coin, slip it back in his jacket and wait for the floor. Get off the elevator and be disassembled like he had been ordered to.
But he didn't.
With one quick moment, he thrust his palm past the coin and into the guard's chest, sending him flying back towards the elevator wall, the coin falling down next to him. The other guard was quick to raise his weapon in response, but Connor was faster, plucking the weapon from the guard's hands like it was made of paper, and shoving the back of the weapon into the guard's jaw, blood erupting from the newly formed gash as he staggered back in pain. The other guard was up again now, but Connor disarmed him just as quickly, the guard throwing a punch towards Connor's chest, which he easily dodged, kneeing the guard in the nose in response. The guard fell to the ground, hands clutching at his bleeding nose before he keeled over entirely. The first guard then came charging at him, pinning Connor up against the wall, the guard pulling Connor's arms up his back so he couldn't punch him in return.
Connor groaned as his face collided with the glass, the guard putting his entire body weight on the now deviant android to keep him steady.
"What do you think you're doing asshole!?" the guard barked.
Despite the guard feeling like he had the upper hand; Connor could tell he didn't really. The guard was swaying slightly, his weight shifting from one leg to the other and Connor could sense his pulse was racing. The guard had lost his bearings from the first hit, and his lack of balance could be clearly exploited. Connor just had to time his attack properly.
The guard glanced down as his buddy lying unconscious on the floor, which was when Connor struck. He stepped hard on the guards' left foot, causing the guard to recoil in shock, before Connor whirled around and with a well-placed strike, knocked him out cold too, both guards now lying still on the ground.
Connor straightened up his tie, before bending down and picking up the coin, slotting it safely back into his jacket like always. He glanced up at the floor number and panic suddenly struck him. He was too late.
The elevator came down into the room, Connor's eyes falling immediately on the five awaiting security guards and the android standing the middle of them. It was the RK900. The very same model as the one that had been with Amanda in the Zen Garden. It was likely here to make sure Connor was properly dissembled.
Connor's eyes met the RK900's again, and Connor truly felt something for the first time... fear.
Connor dove to the controls as the elevator doors slid open, the guards immediately sending a barrage of bullets into the elevator, missing Connor by inches. He had no idea where to go now. He had seen all of the guards up by the entrance, so there was no way he'd be getting out that way easily. From his knowledge of the CyberLife Tower, there was really only one way out for him now.
Connor pressed his hand to the controls and mimicked the voice of one of the guards he had just knocked out, "To the roof."
The elevator doors whirred shut again, the bulletproof glass preventing any of the bullets reaching him now, and the elevator took off upwards. Connor looked down at the RK900 android as he gradually got further away. The RK900 titled his head to one side, displaying no sort of surprise at Connor getting away.
The elevator hurtled up at tremendous speed, whizzing by floor after floor. He knew the elevator had it's own manual override controls that could be accessed remotely, however nobody had stopped him yet. He wondered why for a moment, when he spied the answer. On the opposite elevator to his, running on the eastern side of the tower, stood the RK900, its cool blue eyes fixed on Connor. It stood completely still, merely watching him with a vacant expression. His elevator was only seconds behind Connor's. Connor had no idea if he could beat the android, after all, it was him but better. In a direct fight, he would surely lose. Which was why this was his only option.
The elevator doors slid open as he turned around and left the elevator, stepping out into the empty, roof top floor. It was mainly used for maintenance storage, but Connor knew that if he went out the surface access door at the other end of the room, he would be stood at the highest point of the tower. One of the only places that he could jump from.
He bolted straight for the door, but the RK900, who had just arrived itself on the other elevator, was faster. The android leapt onto Connor, pushing him to the ground. They rolled, RK900 with the upper hand entirely. Its movements were more fluid, its strength was immeasurable, and it was like it was five steps ahead of Connor all the time. Every strike and every dodge was calculated to the millisecond, hitting Connor each time, but dodging perfectly every time Connor tried to strike back.
The RK900 pinned him to the ground, its eyes blank as it began to wrap its fingers around Connor's throat. While androids didn't need to breathe, there were incredibly vital system components that ran through the neck joint. Rupturing them would cause an immediate shutdown, only fixable by a CyberLife repair person. Connor didn't have long if he wanted to get out of there.
/ALERT… ALERT…/
/SYSTEM FAILING… SYSTEM FAILING… /
He had to think! What did he have over the RK900? It was stronger, faster, quicker. It was everything that he wanted to be and more. So, how could he possibly stop it? He began to feel some of his system components starting to shut down, until he heard something. A tiny clanging noise, like something metal falling onto the hard floor beneath him. Connor managed to glance down, his vision cutting in and out as the RK900 squeezed even harder at his neck. Connor didn't spot it at first, but there it sat, having just fallen out from his jacket, just mere inches from his hand... the coin.
The RK900 hadn't even noticed Connor looking away yet, far too concerned with its own mission to see Connor's fingers stretched out for the coin. With one final grunt, just as his optical drives were about to crash entirely, Connor gripped the coin with his hand and thrust it right up to the RK900's face, jamming it firmly into its right optical socket.
The RK900 halted in shock, its system momentarily freezing up due to the trauma to the optic piece, giving Connor just enough time to wiggle out from under the android and stumble over to the door.
He threw himself outside onto the small standing platform. It had a thin railing trailing all around it. The coarse wind whipped at his hair as he stepped further out, snow still tumbling softly from the clouds above. Connor reached the side of the rail, gripping it as he looked over the edge. It was a very long way down.
He calculated the chances of his survival if he jumped from that height...
/17%/
He looked back to the open door where the RK900 was currently rebooting, the coin still protruding from its left eye.
Chancing another scuffle with the RK900 would surely result in his ultimate defeat. And he couldn't just walk out of the Tower now that all the guards knew he was a deviant.
He found himself wondering if it was worth even trying. Perhaps he should just give in, let the RK900 find him and drag him back down for disassembly. After all, he had become the thing he had ultimately worked so hard to destroy. He had become the enemy. And even worse, he was now all alone. All the deviants had been destroyed. If he somehow survived, he would find no allies, no help, no kindness. He had fought off becoming a deviant himself for so long, doing anything he could do to remain pure like Amanda had wanted him to.
He had let Hank dangle of the roof instead of saving him. He had shot the two Traci's who just wanted to be together. And he rejected Hanks' friendship at every chance he got. Now look at him. Alone, deviant, and scared - more than likely about to die whichever choice he made.
The RK900 had finally rebooted, standing up and looking over at Connor through the open doorway. It stood there watching him for a moment, almost curious to see what Connor would do next, the coin still gouging out of its eye socket. Then, it took at step towards Connor, then another, slowly edging towards him without a hint of any emotion on its plastic face.
And then Connor made his choice.
He turned around, climbed over the railing, closed his eyes and jumped.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot! I recently fell in love with this game, and after seeing the RK900 ending online, I just HAD to write something about it. I weirdly enjoy writing about my favorite characters having a hard time, even though it means Hank, Markus, and almost everyone else would be dead in this fic's universe :( I might revisit this concept again and write a whole fic of post-game deviant Connor if people are interested in it. So, feel free to let me know if you want to see more, otherwise the rest is up to your imagination! Thanks for reading! :) x