Aporia

Chapter 11

Connor hadn't said a word to Simon since the evacuation.

At the time Simon hadn't questioned it. The situation had quickly turned into a whirlwind of activity. Markus had spread the word quickly through the coms, making it a priority to get the androids that were the most vulnerable moved first. Connor shadowed Markus, helping when needed and staying behind with him as the others made it off the ship.

They were almost done when the humans arrived, heavily armed and shooting at anything that moved.

Connor almost single handedly cleared a path so the rest could make it out safely.

It was brutal and efficient. When Connor ran out of bullets, he began utilizing the task force's weapons against them, discarding them the instant they were no longer useful, and moving on to the next. There wasn't a single wasted movement and every bullet found its mark.

It was a terrifying reminder that, deviant or no, Connor was designed to be a weapon. This was the fully exposed hunter that CyberLife had created to set loose on the world.

Except the only orders he was following now were his own.

Markus may have disapproved, but if Connor hadn't taken the initiative then dozens of the androids here wouldn't have made it out of Jericho.

The vast majority of the misplaced androids had taken shelter in an old abandoned church. It was dirty and covered in graffiti, but the pews were still in good shape, and every row was full to bursting. The mood was subdued, but there was still a low hum of ambient chatter. They were all here, and they were alive.

Connor had parked himself in a secluded corner as soon as he realized he was no longer needed. He leaned against a broken wall as if it was the only thing holding him up, and quietly watched the others interact from a distance.

The sun had rose hours ago, and still Connor hadn't said a word.

"Connor," Simon coaxed softly. "Talk to me."

Connor looked down at the floor before returning to his quiet vigil. "I don't know what to say."

Simon could believe that. Until the humans had arrived, Connor's thoughts had been chaotic and loud, bleeding over until the two of them had been living the experience together. As soon as he had an opponent to fight everything else had dropped abruptly into silence as he focused solely on defending the retreating members of Jericho. It had been nothing but cold, calculated violence and snap decisions.

Even though they weren't bleeding through now, Simon had no doubt that all that chaos and conflict was still there, simmering just below the surface.

"That's fine," Simon told him. "I'll talk then. Thank you for what you did yesterday. And before you start, I'm not just talking about the evacuation. I mean everything."

A lot had happened yesterday. Starting from their trip to visit Kamski, to now, a lot had happened, and through it all Connor had done his best to preserve Simon's very existence. And most of that had been before he turned deviant.

Connor remained stubbornly silent.

His eyes found Markus on the far side of the church, tracking him as he slowly wove through the crowd. It was clear he was checking on his people, offering assurances, and making sure they were okay given the circumstances.

A pang zipped through Simon.

It was what he would be doing if he hadn't ended up as a ghost on someone else's hard drive. He was glad Markus was there in Simon's place.

Simon consoled himself with the knowledge that Connor needed him. Their cohabitation may have been an accident created by a confused processor, but Simon was glad that he was here.

"I almost shot your friend," Connor reminded him. As if Simon had forgotten.

For a second they were both back on the bridge of Jericho, staring at Markus over the barrel of a gun.

There had been one horrifying moment where Simon thought he was going to lose both of them. And to be perfectly honest, he almost did.

He almost lost Markus to Connor's hand.

He almost lost Connor to Amanda and CyberLife's careful manipulations.

Almost.

Keeping himself from fighting Connor for control right then and there had been the hardest thing that Simon had ever done. But Connor had been manipulated by enough people since his activation, and Simon wasn't about to become one of them. He refused.

All he could offer was his words and his presence, and pray that Connor would choosethat path for himself.

And he did. He just about shattered himself in the process, but he did.

"But you didn't actually pull the trigger," Simon said firmly.

Connor sighed, tilting his head until his temple rested against the wall. "But I did. It just wasn't on Markus."

As gently as he could, Simon commandeered Connor's arms. He crossed them over his chest and buried his fingers into his sides. It wasn't quite a hug, but it was the best he could do.

"You did what was necessary to survive," Simon assured him. "Rules are a bit different when it's a life or death situation."

A complicated tangle of emotions spilled over from Connor, warm and almost painful, and Simon didn't have a hope of unraveling it. " It's not over yet. And . . . it wasn't just my life on the line."

It was blatantly obvious he wasn't just talking about the residents of Jericho.

Simon grabbed harder at Connor's sides. In a sudden rush, he desperately wished he had his own arms, his own body, to properly offer the comfort Connor clearly needed.

"Connor, I-"

Simon fell silent at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Markus had make his way across the church to Connor's isolated corner. To Simon's surprise, Connor spoke before Markus had the chance to.

"How many casualties?"

Given the night they had, Simon thought 'how many casualties' was a far better question than 'how many survivors'.

"Twenty, as far as I know," Markus said, taking up a spot along the wall beside Connor. The younger android shifted a bit to make room, leaving them both shoulder to shoulder. "Most of those that fell were helping the others escape. Than number would have been much higher without you."

"It was the evidence I gathered that led them to you in the first place," Connor admitted, shaking his head. "It's my fault you no longer have a base of operations."

Connor met Markus' disapproving stare unflinchingly.

"That's not an opinion," Connor said flatly. "That's fact."

When Markus responded to that, his voice was firm and his eyes were hard. "I'm not going to hold you responsible to something you did while you were a slave to you're programming. You're free now, and you fought to protect our people. That counts for a lot."

"If you say so."

"I agree with him."

"Your opinion is biased," Connor shot back. "I was built to track down your people. Turning deviant and using those skills in their defense for one night doesn't change that."

"Our people. And you weren't a deviant when you saved me," Simon pointed out.

Simon felt that tangle of emotions again, but when Connor spoke, it wasn't to him. "Has CyberLife or the government released a statement yet?"

Markus nods. "While the FBI was busy raiding Jericho, other branches of the government came together, calling out for citizens to relinquish custody of any and all androids. As we speak, our people are being rounded up for extermination."

Mutual shock echoed between Connor and Simon.

"Amanda mentioned it, but I . . . I didn't expect them to move so soon."

"It makes sense though," Simon said, quick to recover. "The resistance was supposed to be leaderless by now. It would have been a good way to end it quickly. I imagine CyberLife is desperate to avoid more bad press."

And apparently scrapping every current model and starting from scratch was the best business option. Mass genocide for the sake of maintaining a broken status quo.

"What are you planning to do?" Connor asked Markus.

"The public opinion seemed sympathetic, especially after the march yesterday." Markus looked out into the church, at all of his people gathered, waiting for him to come to a decision. "I'm going to take anyone who's willing and we're going to make one last bid to make the humans see reason. Attacking the recycling centers would just turn into even more senseless bloodshed, but we need to show them that we won't stand for it."

"So you're aiming for another peaceful protest."

"Yes. One way or another, it will be over. We will have our freedom, or-"

"We all die."

"To put it bluntly." Markus patted Connor's shoulder as he pushed himself away from the wall. "You're free to join us if you like. We could use the numbers. But you're under no obligation."

And Markus began to walk away.

Simon could see Connor's mind spinning, running simulations and calculating the statistics. He could see the instant he came to a conclusion. Connor took a step forward, hands falling away from his sides, and his mouth opened.

But nothing left his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Simon asked. Based on his memories, Connor wasn't one to hold back if he believed he had a solid course of action.

"I have an idea. But it's risky."

It's risky to you, Simon heard.

Simon gathered as much determination and support he could muster and pushed it through their connection. "Do whatever you feel is right."

But Connor was still balking. "What if I fail? If I die, you'll die with me."

Affection filled Simon until he was bursting with it. "I already made that choice, didn't I? At least you won't die alone."

And, like Simon, he would go on his own terms. It wouldn't be a happy ending, but it would be one of his own choosing. That's all he wanted for Connor, really, the freedom to choose his own fate.

Connor closed his eyes, took a breath and chased after Markus.

"There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant," Connor called out. When Markus paused to look back at him, Connor straightened his stance and continued. "If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power." Silently, for Simon alone, he said, "If Markus truly wants his revolution to work, even a peaceful one, he's going to need the numbers."

"You wanna infiltrate the CyberLife Tower?" Markus looked floored, blinking as if he was having a hard time processing the magnitude of that statement. Simon could relate. "Connor, that's suicide."

"They trust me," Connor insisted. "They'll let me in. If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's me."

Markus closed the distance between them, still looking at Connor like he was insane. "If you go there, they will kill you."

Especially if they were aware that Connor had broken his programming. That he was a deviant hunter turned deviant.

Terror ran rampant at the very thought, but Simon didn't dare say a word to object. Simon's life was forfeit the instant he pulled the trigger on Stratford tower. As terrified as he had been of dying, he was willing to give his life for the cause. He had no right to object to Connor doing the same.

It was Connor's choice.

"There's a high probability," Connor agreed mildly. Then his head tilted a bit to the side. "But statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place." There was a hint of warm amusement when he added to Simon, "Meeting you has taught me that."

And really, what could Simon say to that?

Realizing he couldn't be swayed, Markus put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Be careful."

Author's Note: Thank you to my sweetest Pineapple for the review and the concern! Sorry my posting schedule is wonky, but when I started this story I failed to take in consideration the insanity that is December. Between long hours at work and a multitude of work-related and family-related holiday events, I haven't had as much time to sit down to write as I had hoped. BUT! I'm trying to get back on track. After all my favorite part of the story is coming up fairly soon and I'm excited to share it with you all!

Also, I have another Detroit fic in the works for when Aporia wraps up. And it will hands-down be the tropiest dumpster fire I have ever written, but I'm SO excided you guys, I cant even tell you. it's a Convin fic with time-loops, hard-earned character redemption, and soulmate-identifying marks. Who else is down? - Shadow