~* Night *~
Everything had been fine until yet again his central processor misread optical data. Unlike misreading some which results in flickering white static, it had decided to be an ass and misread all of it.
.
His vision had cut out entirely.
He will deny the frightened yelp that escaped his vox modulator.
.
Before going into standby mode every night he calms himself with the white of the ceiling. The white of machines. The white of Cyberlife. It allows him to activate standby mode without fear of the darkness that follows. The darkness that has haunted him since he first rebooted. The darkness that is swallowing him now.
The looming barrel of the pistol is all he can focus on. One last desperate attempt to survive. 'I knew about your son too! I would have said exactly the same thing! Don't listen to him, Hank!' It's not enough. It will never be enough. All they want is his predecessor and he can't be that. But he can damn well try and fake it. 'I'm the one who—' The gunshot burns.
He's never known the sensation before but he never wants to feel it again.
His circuits are on fire.
Thirium pours from his head.
Legs malfunction.
He falls.
Errors and warnings flood his HUD with red.
Red as the fire that roars through his body.
Red as the last warning he sees,
SHUTDOWN IMMINENT
before he falls away...
.
No. No he can do this. He can manage. It's just a glitch. It's not the same. He's not dying. It's not that kind of dark. It's different. It's…
It's not really…
Darkness is darkness no matter the cause...
.
Dim lights just barely illuminate the far wall of the basement warehouse. It's empty. He's failed. He's failed he's failed he's failed no no no—
He can't have failed. He was supposed to be perfect. He needs to complete his mission. He needs to succeed. He can't fail. He can't. He—
WARNING: CENTRAL PROCESSOR DAMAGED
WARNING: THIRIUM LEVELS CRITICALLY LOW
CONTACT CYBERLIFE FOR REPAIRS
SHUTDOWN IN: 01:00:00
It's dark and he's dying...
.
A desperate grab at Connor's arm. A transfer. If he can just initiate a transfer.. Thirium drips from his hand, his head, his jacket, all his blood leaking out. He's dying. He can't accomplish his mission if he's dying. He just needs to send a message to throw Connor off guard, then transfer. Just a transfer. All that gets sent as he falls to the ground, LED spinning red and visuals going dark again, is a desperate HELP.
SHUTDOWN IN: 00:15:42
It's pitch dark and he's dying…
.
He's shuffled around with minutes left. He's lost audio. He's lost visual. He's lost Zen Garden access. Amanda can't be contacted. Everything to save him from the pitch dark is gone.
SHUTDOWN IN: 00:12:14
This is it.
He doesn't know where he is but at this point he really doesn't care. The garden is gone. Amanda is gone. He's just a failure about to die after all.
It's better this way.
He failed his mission.
But he doesn't want to die.
He doesn't want to die.
He doesn't want to die.
.
The scream rips through the house.
.
It's the middle of the night. He's awoken Connor, the Lieutenant, even Sumo is now barking. He's fucked up. He acknowledges that. Everything is off-kilter now because he couldn't handle a damned glitch…
But of course everyone has to pity the malfunctioning android.
The Lieutenant's voice makes him feel even worse, despite the words being talk of nightmares and calming techniques. Supposedly helpful, but not when coming from the man who almost killed him.
Sumo's weight on his lap is no comfort either. He has no love for the animal outside of acknowledging that they belong to the Lieutenant and Connor is fond of them. A bundle of fur in his lap might help his predecessor but not him.
What finally does the trick is Connor.
A hand grasping his.
A data transfer initiated.
Memories shared.
The void clears to a typical day at the DPD.
He can't see the present reality but he knows he's almost smiling.
He clutches Connor's hand like a lifeline.
.
He's broken.
But he doesn't have to face the dark alone.