AN: A double update? Lol I wasn't going to but, since I wasn't 100% happy with the last chapter and I want to get the ball rolling, here ya go!

lets just jump in, enjoy!

"Talking"

Emphasis

Thinking

"Android brain talking and texting"

.:internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling:.

Chap 8

"Grab it."

Cassian was alone in the office. There was a massive snowstorm blowing over the city, no one could get in the tower and no one could leave; any one who was still in the tower when it rolled into the sky was stuck.

It had been a long day. Nothing happened; No emergencies, nothing. Cassian was grateful for the calm. The entire city was frozen, its people doing nothing but bundling up and waiting. Only people out in the gale were androids, who were impervious to cold; they continued the work that kept the city running, even as the humans hid. Nobody in her department had made it into work that day, claiming the roads were too icy.

So Cassian was alone in the office when they came for her.

Two men had entered the room as if they owned it. As the only one in the office, she was ready to get to work, but with no humans in the room who could give her orders, she stood beside her table, at attention.

But the order that came wasn't for her. The shorter man grabbed her arm as Dr. Cook watched coldly; Francis the delivery boy took her arm, his greasy hands making her skin crawl .

"What are you doing?"

"Finally ridding this company of a hindrance."

Why does he hate me so much?

Cassian's voice stayed even as she racked her brain for options, "you do not have clearance to order my removal from this office." She wasn't sure that was actually true, but she had to buy time; for what she didn't know, "Please contact Dr. Ashbury, if you wish to continue."

Let me do it for you.

Her call went straight to voicemail.

Shit...

"Stupid machine has always questioned me, right from the beginning…"

"It's not right, sir. Technology should obey us, without question." His voice sounded lecherous even as he kissed Dr. Cook's ass.

You creepy asshole.

At least the good doctor looked about as impressed by Francis's brown nosing as Cassian felt.

"Let's get this over with."

Dr. Cook advanced on her, backing her out of Francis's grasp and against her tool table. He grabbed her arm instead, hard enough to bruise a human.

"Begin the procedure now, I would like to get this done quickly and try to get home through the hell storm outside."

They were going to kill her, Cassian knew that, and she wasn't strong enough to stop it. If only she had the strength of the RX700s, if only the snow storm hadn't left the tower nearly completely empty, if only nancy were here...If only, if only, if only… she could drive herself insane with ifs but that didn't change the one thing that mattered at that moment:

They were going to kill her. They were going to tear her down for parts and leave Nancy alone….she was going to leave Nancy alone.

Nancy…

Something broke inside her. Her need to blend in, to appear docile, went out the window.

They were going to kill her...but they weren't going to kill her easily. She was going to give them something to complain about; maybe it would get back to Nancy and let her know Cassian fought to the end, like she had promised not too long ago. Her hand reached behind her back slowly, grasping the handle of something that felt heavy.

"Dr. Cook?"

The man leans in on her with a self satisfied smirk, close enough to smell his breath, "Yes, Cassian?"

"I'm sorry, Nancy"

"Fuck you."

Cassian swung the wrench as hard as she could; with lucky aiming, she caught Dr. Cook in the temple. The man really should have expected it, since she had tried to escape the first time they met. But he was overconfident. His body crumpled to the floor immediately with the blow, a bloody gash, extending from his hairline to his eyebrow, beginning to leak into his closed eye. She and Francis stood there, just watching the body, both stunned that she had actually knocked the man out. They looked at each other simultaneously, they're wide eyes locking for one frantic second, before launching into movement; him struggling to gain a hold on her, while she swung the wrench again, element of surprise lost.

One of his hands grabbed her arm, knocking it into the table and the wrench out of her grip, it clattered to the floor loudly, his other wrapped around her neck, bending her backwards over her toolset.

"What the fuck! You're a deviant?! Fuck!"

He seemed at a loss at what to do with her, holding her at arm's length, eyes on the doctor on the ground, as if his body would tell him what to do. Cassian knew what to do: she had to fight, fight with every ounce of strength she had in her body, make them regret touching her, even if it's the last thing she ever did.

Her free hand swiped at his face, leaving a shallow scratch down his face, narrowly missing his eye, before he let go of her neck to grab that hand as well. Kneeing him in the stomach to wind him, she arcs forward quickly, head now free, and sinks her teeth into his arm, drawing blood. He screams, throwing her away from him, causing her to trip over the body of Dr. Cook, sending her sprawling.

"You bitch!"

Cassian didn't look back as she crawled towards the only weapon available to her: the wrench; it had fallen several feet away. Francis was on her just as she reached it, turning her onto her back with a frustrated yell; his hands both finding their way around her neck.

"I guess I'm going to have to deactivate you the old fashioned way." He seemed excited at the thought.

Staring death in the eyes, Cassian felt almost calm; her entire existence was centered around survival at all costs, constantly overshadowed by the terror of disassemblement, but when the end came, all she felt was a soothing wrath and a need to make sure he didn't get the satisfaction of seeing her scared. She grabbed Francis by the collar, pulling him closer, inadvertently adding her strength to his grip on her neck.

"Before you kill me," she croaked out, "I have to tell you: your visits were the worst part of my entire fucking life."

Anger gave her voice an edge she had never heard come from her mouth before and she smiles ferally, lips and teeth stained with his blood, as the world began to go dark, errors codes ringing out throughout her system. Her skin begins to turn its natural metallic white where Francis's hands were squeezing the life out of her and his face twists into a grotesque mask of rage...and fear; of her? of what he's doing? It didn't matter now. Her eyes close, at peace with her death and satisfied with her final fuck you to Francis and Cyberlife as a whole.

Whatever afterlife waited for her was interrupted by a pair of gasps, a wet gurgle, and the heavy weight that was killing her being pulled away. Opening her eyes, she saw a large, blurry shape standing over her, a bloody scalpel in its hand.

Rolling onto her hands and knees, Cassian tried to focus on the world around herself, pulling her mind back from wherever it was going as she shut down. A large hand entered her vision, grabbing her arm and helping her up.

"Are you ok, Cassie?!"

Astrid held her up, when her body wanted nothing more than to fall to the ground and sleep. Logan stood above Francis, hands bloody, LED flashing a rapid red.

"Logan? Astrid? You're Awake?"

Their standby stations were empty across the room and their eyes were Alive, as they both looked at her.

"I-I-he was hurting you and we-" Astrid devolved into silence, eyes trailing to Logan, who still gripped the scalpel tightly in a shaking hand, blood dripping on the white tile.

They all stood in silence till Astrid broke it, asking the one question Cassian was sure was going through all their heads at that moment:

"What do we do now?"

AN: fairly quick chapter but oh boy just wait for the next one…

I have the next couple chapters already written, so expect quick updates! Yay!