When the blizzard inside my programming released me into the light snow on the stage behind Markus, I immediately looked down to find a gun in my hand.

"Markus!" A female voice shouted to my right; I looked up barely in time to glimpse North before she tackled me to the ground. She ripped the gun out of my hand and cast it aside—I let her take it. Pinning me down, she swung her fist hard into my face.

My systems immediately protested, and my visuals briefly flashed into static as she swung again.

"North!" Markus barked as he grasped her shoulder, trying to yank her off, "What are you thinking?"

"He was going to shoot you, Markus!" She pointed to the discarded gun furiously.

Markus's eyes flashed with shock and confusion as his focus turned to me while I blinked to clear my visuals. The deviant leader frowned when I did not immediately object to North's accusation, "Is that true, Connor?"

"I—I don't know," I stammered while my LED cycled crimson, "No. My programming was… compromised. But I wasn't going to shoot." My voice was tinged with uncertainty; I knew both North and Markus caught it, so I repeated with more conviction, "I wasn't going to shoot, Markus."

I waited helplessly, refusing to struggle as I ran countless diagnostic tests. My chest felt tight, and not because North was pinning me down. It was panic, I determined, an emotion I had previously been unable to appreciate.

Markus glanced back to the crowd of androids, who were shouting, whispering, or staring in shock. I saw the concern on his face and knew he was praying that the press had truly gone; the androids needed to appear united. If the humans saw me try to assassinate him… The deviant leader shook his head and turned back to me. Like a criminal before a judge, I awaited the verdict.

"North, let him up."

She met Markus's eyes and searched them in disbelief, "We can't trust him."

I could tell Markus switched to his cybernetic voice, speaking only inside North's head. I could only guess what he said. My programming showed me where to strike to shove her off, but I ignored it.

North's eyes followed Markus's to the crowd. Her face twisted into a scowl as she weighed her options, but she reluctantly stood and offered me a hand. Merely for the crowd, I was sure. Not that I could blame her.

Numbly, I accepted and stood. I felt dozens—if not hundreds—of androids trying to speak with me cybernetically, but I staved them off. I soon identified that they were mostly androids I freed from Cyberlife. They were confused, and I could not blame them. They saw the gun in my hand, and they saw North tackle me to the ground. Naturally, they were seeking answers.

But I had none; uncertainty clouded my own mind. I wanted nothing more than to have a moment of solitude to process what had occurred and perhaps run a few more tests. I had to know if I had purged Cyberlife's control from my systems. Yet I understood that Markus needed me on the stage if he had any hopes of recovering the situation.

So I stood blankly, barely listening as Markus reassured the deviants and promised them a better future.

One week later...

The humans had been ordered to evacuate Detroit. A scarce, stubborn few remained. The evacuation left countless apartments vacant; I began renting one nearly a week ago.

It was just past two in the morning. Few lights illuminated the city, allowing the stars to glow faintly through the deep navy canvas of the night sky.

As an android, I had no need to sleep. But I laid atop the bed silently, hands folded upon my chest as I stared at the ceiling. My mind whirred. I could pass the time by entering stasis mode, but ever since the night of the revolution, I felt the need to stay alert and aware.

Absentmindedly, I flicked my quarter into the air. A quick calibration and automatic response caused my hand to grasp the coin without even glancing at it.

All my diagnostics returned nothing out of the ordinary. But Cyberlife created and programmed me—it was like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. I was unsure if Kamski's back door eliminated Cyberlife's overriding capabilities or if it merely provided another obstacle for Cyberlife to overcome.

As another diagnostic test concluded that no anomalies were present, I sighed and sat up, planting my feet on the ground beside my bed as I distractedly scanned over the sparsely furnished room.

My LED flashed yellow as a familiar frequency sought connection. I allowed it through and heard Markus's voice.

Connor? Are you free to talk?

I replied immediately, Yes. Is everything alright?

Everything's fine… well, Markus paused for a moment, I'm outside your apartment. I was hoping we could speak in person?

Of course, I stood and started for the door. A quick scan of the building revealed Markus was at the top of the stairwell, steps weighted as though he was exhausted. I unlocked the door and held it open as Markus appeared in the hallway, acknowledging the deviant leader with a nod as he entered the apartment.

After I closed the door and flipped the lock, Markus turned to me, looking drained. The deviant forced a smile anyway, "It's good to see you, Connor."

"It's good to see you too, Markus." I responded kindly, but unease tugged at my biocomponents.

"I haven't seen you since the night of the revolution," Markus commented, glancing to me as he sat on the rarely used sofa.

"How are negotiations?" I leaned against the wall across from the couch, avoiding Markus's pointed observation.

The deviant leader seemed to sink into the cushions, as though his duty added a physical weight, "They're… not going as well as I had hoped. We have the public's support, and they know it. But it's like guerrilla warfare getting them to agree to even a single term." He shook his head, "They're still tentative about accepting androids as another form of intelligent life. I can't even get them to broach equal rights."

"It's only been a week," I tried to sound optimistic, but found it difficult.

"I know," Markus sighed, leaning forward as he rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands in front of his face, "I can't help but wonder if they're going to change their mind. They could bomb the city, wipe us out."

I had considered the possibility several times. The androids had no aerial defense. The humans of Detroit had already been ordered to evacuate. Human casualties would be minor, and the attack would annihilate most of the deviants. There would be no need for enduring days or weeks of negotiations and compromises. There would be no struggle to restructure a government to accommodate another form of life.

If the deviants had chosen to revolt violently, I frankly believed the government would have bombed the city within days, if not hours.

"We have the public's favor," I crossed my arms, "And there are still humans in the city. If the president chooses to bomb Detroit, she'll be committing political suicide."

Markus nodded—he had been assuring himself with the same logic for days, but still wrestled with doubt. He forced himself to lean back, "I'm sorry, Connor, I didn't come here to despair. I have news—good news." I tilted my head slightly as Markus continued, "The Detroit Police are to resume operations tomorrow. You'll be allowed to return as Lieutenant Anderson's partner." He shook his head incredulously, "It took about five hours to convince them of that much."

I straightened, surprised by the news, "I don't know how to thank you, Markus."

He chuckled, "Lieutenant Anderson was the one who convinced the police captain to let you return. Besides, we'll need deviants in law enforcement in case… tensions begin to rise."

The deviant leader's eyes began to roam around the space, before they found me once again, "You know, a lot of deviants are staying downtown in Hart Plaza. You're welcome to join us."

I smiled, "Thank you, Markus, but I'm fine."

After a brief pause, Markus searched my face and frowned, "You're not isolating yourself because of what happened on that stage… right?"

For a few seconds, I considered lying. But instead, I stayed silent as my LED flashed yellow.

"Connor, you're free. You broke free of Cyberlife's programming."

"We don't know that," I protested, "I don't want to give Cyberlife an opportunity."

Markus scowled, "If they could still control you, why haven't they done it? They could kill me here, without any witnesses."

"That's why they won't," I argued, "It would be optimal to have a deviant massacre other androids in public; the people's support would drop drastically as a result. Killing you in private might delay negotiations, but it would only make you a martyr." I chose not to add that I had discarded my gun; the only one in the apartment was the one in Markus's trench coat.

Markus clearly followed my logic, but he only sighed, "Cyberlife had their chance, and you overcame their programming. You didn't shoot me, Connor. So stop acting like you did."

My LED cycled yellow as I weighed Markus's words. The deviant leader stood and offered me a soft smile, "I should get back. But I'd feel better if you joined us."

"I'll… consider it," I conceded, following Markus to the door.

"Good luck tomorrow," Markus clasped a hand on my shoulder, giving me a nod before he stepped into the hallway.

"Good luck to you too, Markus."

The deviant leader disappeared into the stairwell and I shut and latched the door. Almost immediately, I resumed my diagnostic tests to see if anything changed after my interaction with Markus.

As I made my way back to the bedroom, the tests returned with familiar results. When I laid back on the bed, I smiled slightly as I thought of returning to the precinct the following day. Perhaps resuming work would keep my mind off Cyberlife.

Three o'clock struck and I resigned myself to close my eyes, daring to enter stasis mode. With something of an internal sigh, I finally allowed the world to blink out.