Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit: Become Human in any way, this is written strictly for fun and no profit.
Summary notes on the bottom for anyone confused.
California
After the shit Cyberlife just tried, they were going to lay lower and try different ways around. Going over major areas might be a little tougher later on too. Android areas tended to be near the big cities Kara needed to go to. Hank made his way through the day, again, and into another hotel. Again. Except, something felt wrong. His intuition screamed something was wrong about Connor.
Connor seemed as normal as ever except for one way. Connor always went with his gut feeling. His instinct. Hank had stayed out of his love life, 'cause who wanted to get involved in that shit? But, he had enough to figure things out. Now, he was being ordered to tell Kara about her being Rachel and him being Ralph, and he was working out how to do that the best without disturbing anything.
Which made no sense. Connor was bold. He was programmed to be bold. He put his ass on the line, just like Hank. People have treated Connor like shit before. It was pretty common for androids to be treated that way. If he got a rejection, he'd pull his butt off the ground and give up or figure out how to make him go for him. He wouldn't just stay in a defunct middle area. I mean, Markus having to order this?
"Evening," Hank started with the hotel person. Just another thing right there. Connor liked greeting people, not him. He didn't give a rat's ass about most of them. "Two rooms." Hank gestured to him and Alice. "One for us, and one for those two."
"What?" Kara looked toward Hank. Yeah, of course she was surprised. Connor didn't even tell her that part. Truly, he was becoming Chicken Shit. And that wasn't Connor. The guy was just getting worse, hour by hour.
"I've been ordered to tell you something," Connor said to her, "and Markus said we have to share a hotel room before I can tell you."
Laying it on Markus. Just another thing. Connor moved toward the window looking out the hotel. Paranoid too. Who the hell would be bothering them this far out from Detroit or Cyberlife? He was even rubbing where his throat met with his chest. Should I really? "You know what?" Hank said back to the hotel person. "Nah, scratch that. I'm bunking with the other guy." Yeah, that grabbed his attention. "Unless you insist on the other way, Connor."
Connor shrugged. Indecisive. Not him.
"Don't you have an order from Markus himself?" Hank encouraged him. "You don't care about that?"
"Mom?" Alice whispered. "What's going on?"
"I don't really know," Kara said. She looked toward Connor. He was himself, yet not. Something was off. It was small at first, but now it was just full blown not Connor. "Maybe he needs a good recharge."
"Maybe." Hank didn't sound convinced. He gave her the key card. "Take this. If I can get Connor to act more like Connor, I'll send him up." He watched the girls go away and grabbed the card. "Chicken Shit. Come on."
Connor moved toward Hank. "That's not very nice." He looked back toward the window. "I think Cyberlife is following us." He looked toward the key card. "Why did you change rooms?"
"I don't know. You making me do your work, the sad ass state of you, and overall? I'm just not liking you right now, Connor. I don't trust you." Hank pulled him forward. "Get to our room and go to sleep." Connor had an order. An order from Markus. Connor should be doing everything he could to make sure it happened. He just walked though, all the way back to the room.
"Hello," the hotel attendant said as another couple of people came over. "How many?"
"One room," one of them said. "Two beds."
Connor looked out the window again. He couldn't blame Hank. He didn't feel like himself either. Maybe it was the thought of telling Kara they were a little more interactive? Maybe it was the fact that Cyberlife was after her? It didn't make sense. He looked at his hand. He swore he saw it shaking, but it couldn't. Only a human would tremble. But it felt like his whole body was somehow trembling.
"What's going on, Connor?" Hank asked. "Predate jitters is one thing. You're a hunk of shitty jelly."
"I don't know," Connor confessed. "It's not resonating. I turned resonating completely off." He touched the curtain again. "I feel like a different person, Hank. I don't like it." The closest he could explain it was the fear in absence of all the other emotions. "It was like in Manski's home. Not as bad, but, like there's something . . ." Messing with his programming. He didn't want to interact. "I feel like avoiding confrontation of all kinds."
"You infected or something?" Hank asked. "This half deviancy thing. The other you have it? Did it move into you too? Resonating goes, right? Does it?"
"No, that's not the same. A virus must be inserted into the body," Connor said. Yet. "It doesn't make sense, Hank. At my core, I worked with the Detroit Police to take down deviants. I don't even want to confront you about rooms. I-I couldn't be more opposite right now of my programming." And he hated it.
"Well? I'll give you this for credit," Hank said. "At least you can tell there is something wrong." Hank sighed. "Then if it isn't some virus, and your resonating is turned off, then what the hell is messing with you? Connor. You're trembling."
"N-no." No, he didn't tremble. Humans did that. What was wrong with him? What was wrong with him?! I just want to be back to normal. Damn it. Kara's doing something. Wait, no, Kara didn't do anything to him. His mind, it was like . . . like. "I'm acting like an unwell person who should be staying within bed with plenty of rest."
"Yeah. You are." Hank gestured to the bed. "Relax."
"But I can't." There were so many vibrations from within. His mind was buzzing. "This body was never in Jericho. I haven't associated with any other androids. What am I missing?" He paced the floor. Paced. He didn't pace. He never paced. He was Connor. He was in control. He put his life on the line for others. For his duty. It's what he wanted. What was- "I was vaccinated against the deviant virus."
Then, he felt better. Better than ever. He pulled himself up straight and looked toward Hank. "When I was turned into my first machine form, the one I am in right now, they told me I was vaccinated against the deviant virus. They never explained how."
"Who cared?" Hank said lovingly. "Kara fixed your ass right up."
"Right, but what if it was still within me? She reached my mind, but it doesn't mean she purged my body of the virus." Yes. "In RK 900 body 2, I received the half deviancy, but it didn't matter. I chose body one to join myself into." Yeah. He got it. "Kamski must have gave the first me the same thing. Kara didn't cure me, she just reached the deviant side of me. It's half deviant, I could still appear deviant, but still infected."
"Wait? Are you saying, you were still infected with that?" Hank asked. "Shit. Well. You as the one I traveled with never left to Jericho after that, so that was a good. Aw, ****. Number two did. ****, Connor! You were the source of what's been happening in Jericho?"
"No, I don't think so." Wow. He felt much better. "Look how long it took to have any profound effect against me. In fact. I don't think that what I was experiencing was the virus. Kara cured me, but it wasn't a quick cure. Let's put it to the test." Connor looked toward Hank and smiled, turning his resonating back on. "You're my friend again, Hank. My resonating is fixed."
"So your resonating damage was from the virus, not because you were two Conner's?" Hank asked.
"I don't know for sure, but I'm better, and? Frankly? I feel great," Connor said. "Really great. In fact?" His eyes darted around. "Unarchive." The bits and pieces again. He couldn't make out much. He hadn't been able to save a whole lot. He needed to delete a good sum of it to reach the talk with Kamski. But, he could see through the fog now.
"Connor got confused. Connor thought he was Craig. Connor tried to find Connor." He smiled at her. "Connor found more than Connor." He came nearer to her, taking her hand. "Kamski couldn't even block Connor from eventually getting to you." He looked deep into her eyes. He was trying to form words. "Connor can't fix programming. Wish Connor could." He winced. "Connor love you."
"Connor?" Hank was snapping his fingers in front of him. "You okay?"
"Yes." He actually patted him on the back. "Oh. I know her. This won't be easy. Hank, I need you to switch rooms for me so that I can talk to Kara." Connor pulled out his coin and flipped it in the air with joy a few times. "Will you be okay alone tonight? I want to spend some time with Kara tonight." He stopped flipping his coin. "How is that going to work in the car? Alice is always beside her." He put his coin away. "Alice will have to learn how to share."
Hank chuckled once. "That's better, Connor."
"Oh. I'm going to need your emergency phone too."
Connor knew it wouldn't be easy. It may ultimately be the hardest thing he'd ever done. Connor had her heart, it was clear. But, making her take that leap to accepting him. To let him kiss her. To let him be called Connor Wonderland, and to accept him as her lover?
It was easy last time. Too easy. Several factors inside of it allowed them to move quicker, but none of those factors would be present. According to all of the data he had on Kara. There was very little possibility it would be like last time.
He would have to work out each step. Carefully. He couldn't let her get too distant, but he couldn't close her in too fast. Kamski used resonating and her own programming against her. The first man who had ever earned her trust must have been Luther, and when he died, it was more than just the quick resonating that hurt. The only man she could trust left her forever.
To her, she would imagine herself going backwards, not forwards. She not only found someone to trust, she found someone to love. That step up. As much as Connor wanted to go with it, she would be putting up resistance, until she understood it all. If only he could outright tell her, but it was something she would have to learn. There was no quick interfacing skill for what she'd need.
Kara and Alice's Hotel Room
Kara sat Alice down for recharging. "More puzzle tomorrow." She set it on the endtable. "Any idea what it is yet?"
"No," Alice answered. "Do you know, Mom?"
"No. I guess we'll find out when it's all done." She kissed her on the head when the door was being knocked on. Hard.
"Kara Wonderland! I must talk to you!"
Connor. This isn't a suspect's house Connor, ease up. His programming sometimes. She went to the door and was greeted a little differently than she was used to. "Can I help you?"
"Yes. I need to talk to you." He was holding her hand almost eagerly as he pulled her away. She looked behind and watched Hank walk into the room.
"What's got into you this time, Connor?" She asked. "You haven't been yourself."
"That's true. While your touching did eventually treat me, it took some time for your treatment to work over the half deviancy virus. In fact, it's probably why you're still a little odd too. It's tough. It might be like even a human cold for you. This way." He stopped at his hotel door and unlocked it. He gestured for her to go inside first.
Connor's Hotel Room
"Could you back up a second?" The energy. It reminded her of the first day they became friends and he jumped straight down from the upstairs to meet her. She went inside. "You had half deviancy still?" That was days ago, and she was. Well, the Chloe's in general, it was part of what he wanted for them. To make sure they could always have deviancy, and a cure for it. But? It still affected her? "That's. That's something tough Cyberlife came up with." Really, really tough.
"It might have been more triggered being between two Connors too. I think treatment was going fine until that event intensified it as well for me. Either way, we were sick, and I believe we are both getting better. So let's move on into a much more interesting conversation."
Okay. "About what?"
"I apologize if I am not as proficient in this," Connor said as he closed the door behind himself. "I'm not really programmed for it."
"For what?" Kara asked.
"Kamski did something terrible when he doubled you and I. What I didn't tell you though, was that he gave us intermediaries. I was the 'Ralph' you remember kissing in purple. You were Rachel. A short time, but meaningful nonetheless. Very meaningful."
She was Rachel and he was Ralph? "You mean. All that."
"I love you, Kara." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. "For being an android too strange for most in Jericho to ever want to friend, I thought it was great being friends with Hank Anderson. Then making family with Alice, I didn't think I could ever get anything better. I never imagined that I'd find a lover in you too."
What? "You love me?" He nodded. "It's all due to awkward resonating though." She thought.
"I'm fairly sure from what I do know on the topic that wasn't the answer I was looking for," Connor said. "Let's try again. I love you."
Uh? Damn. Connor was always straightforward. Then again, what she did remember. He was so much more confident than her. Kamski, over the years, he just ran her emotions into the ground itself. He'd only had a small sample of fear at the home in Carlsbad. She had years of Kamski messing with her head. Trusting what was real or right. "The resonating damage shocked my system. I was going to be going away, and I didn't know where to."
Connor clearly winced, holding up his finger. "That answer was worse than the first," he judged. "I love you, and so, you say?"
"I . . ." Don't remember clear enough. I might be dying soon. He's always putting his life at risk. What the heck am I doing? How did I get here? What's he doing?
Hugging her. He was hugging her.
"I understand." It sounded almost like a sigh. "I knew this would happen. Statistically the chances were extremely high it would. The first time I expressed myself, you were about to be taken to somewhere you didn't know, in who knew what position, and it was pure synthetic adrenaline pumping through you. Within a second foreign body, it affected you differently too." Still, he didn't let go. Instead, he was sort of moving from side to side? In a shuffle.
Oh. He was dancing with her. Light shuffling. Okay. What do you do, Kara? It was nice. Knowing he cared for her. As much as she hated to admit it, it was really nice. Especially after thinking Rachel had somehow gained appeal to him. After all, she had a way nicer body. Kara was just a plain looking AX 400. But. "Either of us could die at any moment."
"That return of 'I love you', I am going to have to work for it," he said. "Yes, Kara. I could stop at any time. You could stop at any time. No one can predict the future. I take risks a lot more than the general android. It's just who I am."
"If we don't figure out ways around things, I could die too," she said. Yet, that didn't make any difference to him. Connor, put himself at risk all the time though. Last time, she just ran with Luther. They all put their lives at risk. It hurt so much and he was only family. Connor, was going above that. And that.
She watched him continue to shuffle but he pulled a phone out of his pocket and messed around with it, starting a love song. Aretha Franklin's 'At Last'. Okay. He did research on best classic human songs. Although music by androids that were machines had very much put a dent in the music industry years ago, he was making sure she heard the ones who played without being machine. Human, classic romance. Smooth.
Or he asked Hank who typically liked more human-driven stuff. Probably that. Giving him too much credit, Kara, like he said. He's not programmed for this.
Neither was she. She continued to shuffle with him, listening to the beat and words of the song. Life isn't like a song. It's dangerous. This shouldn't be where she should be. Near Alice, in the other hotel room with him safely in that room with Hank. It'd hurt to tell him he was right, but it would hurt him to lie and tell him he was wrong.
What a position he was putting her in. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't do anything, except continue to shuffle. Just let him do something, and I'll know how to react. But, that wasn't going to work. Unchained Melodies by the Righteous Brothers, started to play. He was prepared with a playlist, and he wasn't switching his actions. He's going to make me react before he even considers stopping.
Connor was the ultimate champion at these things. Not love specifically, but at negotiating and getting the outcome he wanted. He managed to get her to leave Canada back to Jericho. He managed to cool her off at 99% stress. He even managed to make her believe that, maybe, she could survive this. But. This. Who wanted to be lovers right before they died? Stop dancing. Let him down easy. She stopped her feet. We're friends, Connor. Why mess that up? That's what I say. No, no, I can't add in the question. He was an expert at making her change her mind, he might be able to manipulate the question, and she couldn't. Not about this. She opened her mouth, but it was closed. He spoke first.
"I already have high predictions you aren't going to say those words, but neither can you deny them." He pulled her into the shuffling again. "Hank is staying with Alice tonight, while you stay here with me."
What?! "No, no way." There, he gave her an opening, she had to take it. "It's just resonating issues. You had a half deviancy virus, so I understand that you haven't been yourself." There. Friendship saved. "I need to get back to Alice."
Oh. But he wasn't moving from the door. "You don't want to get very interactive. I understand the situation. You accepted your resonating. You made friends with me. You weren't even mad at me when I became family, with Alice." He took a step forward. She took a step backward. "I wondered at first if I would become family with you too, and how you would react to that. But, Lovers, with you, is going to be a tough one to accept. It's a whole other field you've never experienced." He smiled. "It sure would be nice to go back to that setup from before. Not the whole odd being in intermediary bodies, but when your mind was on auto-pilot. We'd never been closer."
"I don't remember that. It was an intermediary, I was incompatible, I only have so much I remember."
"I will go along with you as far as you allow me to," he said, "and from there on, expanding interactive activities only when you are ready to say yes."
"What?"
"May I be Connor Wonderland?"
Uh. "I don't . . ."
"Okay." He said it so naturally. "Can I hug and hold you?" He asked. "Remember, as friends, we hugged. Also, without your resonating, it's only proper I should hold you more. Even Alice hugs you more. When you didn't allow yourself to resonate, it rode your stress up higher."
Logical reasoning. She was more in control of her stress now, but it did feel nice to hug. Being held. It was safer, as an android that felt nothing outward to the world except toward Alice. If there's no kissing or anything else. Then. What could he possibly do? Some compromise. She nodded, although she felt like a tease.
"May I kiss you-"
"-Connor-"
"-anywhere else but the lips?" He finished, breezing through her disruption. "I did just kiss you on the forehead as a friend. There was nothing wrong with that."
Forehead. Forehead was okay. But anywhere else on the lips in general? That might be too much space. It was all a bad idea. But. I can't. I can't make him feel bad. She looked behind him at the door, but he just moved his body the same direction she leaned. "Forehead," she agreed.
"Around the ears?"
She blinked. Around the ears? That's weird. That didn't feel like a threat. "I guess."
"Your hand?"
Her hand?
"Hand-kissing is a common way to greet elderly people in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Turkey," Connor added.
Greet elderly people. "Okay," she agreed.
"Cheek-kissing is also quite common around the world, socially, with friends and family in the Netherlands and Belgium for example." He gestured out the door. "Considering how far we'll be traveling, and their own common etiquette, even Hank might be cheek-kissing you at some point."
What could she say? He backed it up. Anywhere but on the mouth. "Fine, but that's it." End it.
"It all stays quite on the friend level."
"Yes."
"Except, one more thing?" Connor asked. He held his fingers together, in the smallest of pinches, almost touching each other. "If anything else happens with resonating, let me have the right to tell others we are lovers."
What? "No."
"Then if anyone gets too close to you, in a way I don't approve, I may chase them down, take actions against them, including in dire cases shooting or killing them."
That was a ridiculous request. "No."
"That last part wasn't a request. The request is to tell others. The next part is just what could happen if I can't. You have to remember. Love, romance, none of it is part of any of my original programming. The feeling of having you threatened may override over logic," he warned her. "There is no telling what will happen."
No. No, no he was trying to trick her. He had to be. "I'm not falling for that."
"You're uncontrolled actions in life-saving mode," Connor said. "If you had been completed, you would have had it more under control, but then you'd understand the trigger mode. Essentially making a move to save a life or lives, before you even know what you did."
Uh? He can be super fast. Is he . . . She could ask Hank, he'd know if Connor was somehow auto triggered, but Connor wanted the compromise now. And, she just wanted out of the situation. "If something happens that no one can tell, fine." There. Done. "I need to get back to Alice now."
"I told you. Hank has her tonight. He's probably already fast asleep," Connor said. "You can recharge here with me tonight. There's nothing non-friendly about recharging together." He indicated the bed. "It's been a really rough day. Morning will come before you know it."
Kara wanted to believe she was doing okay. She wasn't moving in any direction too fast. She wasn't hurting their friendship, or hurting him, but keeping a safe distance so that . . . so that she didn't get too close. Sooner I recharge, sooner morning comes. She moved over to a bed and lied down. It felt strange without Alice in her arms. But. She was nudged slightly, and felt Connor beside her.
/When she held Alice, she felt connected. Important. Like she needed to make sure her little girl would be safe no matter what.
When Connor held her, it was so different. He made her feel like she was safe, no matter what./
More memories filled in. No. Even if they all did, her life was at absolute risk. She had a better chance at dying than living. Making lovers at this stage. It was just cruelty. Why didn't he see it? He never felt it. That must have been it. He had one friend, Hank. Hank was still there. He had one family member, Alice. She was safely there. He had gained one other friend, her. She was still there. He'd never lost anyone. He didn't know how painful that would be. It wasn't a skill he could learn through interfacing. It was something he couldn't train or learn for. He'd have to experience it.
Still. He had moved his hand over hers. I did okay that. It was friendly. Nothing wrong with friendly. She settled her body down to recharge. She still missed Alice, but it was still nice being beside Connor.
The fact she didn't refuse him recharging next to her was a good sign. Maybe he could break through to her? Most likely, he wouldn't reach her until she was safe again. Yet, she still didn't reject him. Their feelings were stronger than even her common sense. Almost.
He leaned up a little more next to her, watching her recharge. Peaceful. It wasn't a bad way to spend the night. Of course, if he disturbed her recharge and she saw him there, he'd probably startle her. Instead, he kissed her gently on her upper neck. It was around the ears. She didn't figure that part out yet. He tightened his hand against hers and moved downwards again.
Now, how would he entice Alice to take the front seat tomorrow?
The two android hunters came out from the hotel.
"Bust," Dan said of the duo. "Not gonna work, Finn. We missed our chance. We should have nabbed them when they were in their room together. Now we've got two guys, and I don't recognize either of them as being android. Getting humans involved in this is supposed to be against the rules."
"It's fine," Finn said. "I put a tracker beneath their car. If we keep following them, we'll find the opportunity."
"A tracker?" Dan asked. "Man, androids can probably sense that."
"Not this one. It's used from Plastic Prey," Finn mentioned. He brought out an extra. "I got it when I surpassed twenty hits in Plastic Prey."
"Damn!" Finn tried not to shout. "Damn. Twenty? How'd you do that?"
"That time I took off two weeks?" Dan pointed out. "I used my vacation time, traveled around, and I made enough that I don't even need to really work anymore. I've been thinking about chucking it all and just going out on the road for the games." He looked back to the car. "With an AX 400 and a YK 500 though? I'd only be traveling and playing the games for fun. I could live off of that reward money for several years to come." He gestured to Finn. "You in?"
"What if we don't catch them?" Finn asked. "I still gotta have my job if anything happens."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll be able to play some games too. Their androids. Bound to go somewhere where there's more. We'll collect hits that way too. It's a sure thing."
"Damn. Ah? Damn. Screw it, I want to go too." He smiled. "We'll follow them, nab them, and live like kings, Dan!"
Jericho
"Markus?" Josh came over to his friend. "Markus, we have a real problem." He watched North lean over Markus' shoulder. Just, leaning over it. "Markus?"
"There's more than one." Markus turned toward Josh. "What's wrong?"
"Simon. He's gone. Someone tried to talk to him, and then they came to me." Josh sighed. "He left for detroit, to go clean an old park he used to clean. He said that's what made him the happiest." Josh looked back toward North. "Are you okay?"
"I'm whatever you want me to be." She giggled. "Sorry. Just, habit."
"How can it be habit when you never say it?" Markus asked. He didn't use a scolding tone, but a worrying one. "Okay, Josh. I'll go see Simon, if you watch North? She's been changing a lot lately the last hour. I'm worried about her too."
"I'm fine." She leaned against his neck. "I'm happy being right here."
"Maybe not. I don't know." Markus looked back to Josh. "All three of us should go."
"You bet, Markus."
Detroit
Whistling. Happy. Markus walked toward Simon, picking up a spare piece of trash. He almost missed the fact there was another android just like Simon, also working.
"They really let this place go," Simon said to Markus. "It's terrible. It was never this bad when I took care of it." He picked up another piece of trash and placed it in a receptacle. "This will be much nicer once cleaned again."
"Simon." Markus tried to reach him. "Why don't you come back to Jericho? We can't get anything out of this trade. This is Detroit."
"I can't," Simon said. "Jericho doesn't make me happy." He picked up another piece of trash. "This place makes me happy. Seeing it clean."
"And what are you going to do when it's all clean?" Josh asked him. "Simon?"
"Then I'll keep it clean. I'll remain here, and keep it clean." Simon gestured to the ground. "Grass has moved in here. It used to be more bare. This was where I used to stand." Simon just stared at them. Happily. A happy smile, yet something so wrong with it. "Standing here, picking up the park. It's what makes me happy. Nothing else makes me happy."
"Simon, don't talk like that!" Josh warned him. "Humans hear that and one of them might try to reset you."
"So?" Simon asked. "As long as I can come back to the park and keep it clean, I don't mind. I don't need anything else."
"The world?" Markus tried. He grabbed his arm, trying to share the deviancy gene. "You wanted to see the world. You've gained so much. You don't want to risk ever being reset."
"I don't need anything. I don't need any of that." Simon didn't bother to blink very fast. "Cleaning the park. It's all I need."
"He's boring," North said next to Markus' ear. "Let's go back to Jericho and have some fun of our own, Markus. Show me why we are lovers."
Markus just looked at North. Then at Josh.
What the hell were they supposed to do?
Summary Notes: Connor was infected by the half deviancy virus way back when he was first taken. Although Kara was made by Kamski to be immune to pretty much everything, the half deviancy virus takes some time to be treated. It also takes time before the user exhibits symptoms. Connor was acting bizarre and completely against his programming because 'the cure is worse than the disease.' He's better now.
