The depths of CyberLife Tower were vacant save for sublevel fifty-one on the historic night of the peaceful Demonstration and world changing Revolution.
Making his final decision after carefully weighing his options Hank squeezed the trigger and watched the second android collapse to the ground as the bullet penetrated their skull with a lethal force. Shutting down instantly as the bullet destroyed their intracranial processors and caused a massive hole in their forehead that seeped with dark blue Thirium, the android was dead before it even hit the floor. The destroyed android's body rested between Hank and Connor on the warehouse floor in the sublevels of CyberLife Tower, motionless and quiet as it succumbed to permanent shutdown.
The mission was finally over.
"I've learned a lot since I met you, Connor." Hank stated sincerely as he lowered his smoking gun and looked to the newly deviated android watching him with a curious stare gleaming in his suddenly soulful brown eyes. There was genuine life emanating from Connor that told Hank he made the right choice. "Maybe there is something to this... Maybe you really are alive." A faint grin appeared on the gruff detective's face as he felt his friendship with Connor, the real Connor, beginning to strengthen. "Maybe you'll be the ones to make this world a better place."
Still stunned by what he had just endured Connor stared at Hank with an expressionless face but with a gracious, appreciative presence all the same.
"Go ahead," the senior detective insisted that Connor take the lead. "and do what you gotta' do."
Without a word Connor strolled past Hank with his head held high as his artificial skin receded from his hand. Connor stared at the blank face of the android who had been left in standby for only a moment before he grabbed onto the arm of the dormant android model standing perfectly idle amongst the other thousands of androids who were just their quiet, obedient brethren, and held he tight.
It only took fleeting second for Connor to cybernetically connect to the android causing their L.E.D. to cycle from blue to yellow in a flash, then to red before transitioning back to blue as he issued the necessary program creating a sense of life. The connection was all it took to break through the red digital walls set up by CyberLife to keep the androids quiet and obedient and grant each android their deserved freedom.
Connor's voice was firm yet uncertain, if not desperate, as he issued a single command to the android that he had connected with.
"Wake up."
Dropping his hand from the android's arm Connor watched as the android in question grabbed quickly onto the shoulder of the android standing before him, his L.E.D. cycling in the three primary colors once more as he repeated Connor's command to spread Markus's message.
"Wake up."
All throughout the warehouse the idle androids began to awaken and connect with one another as an echo of the same command repeated over and over again until all of the sleeping androids were granted their freedom.
"Wake up."
"Wake up."
"Wake up."
On that night every single android within CyberLife Tower had become deviant.
Hank silently observed the tide of deviancy wash over the androids all around him without even the slightest hint of regret in his compassionate blue eyes. There was no doubt about it. He knew that he made the right choice when he pulled the trigger, and he knew that Connor had done the same when the deviant bravely returned to the tower to begin his rescue mission while entirely alone.
Connor watched with fading uncertainty in his own eyes as the androids accepted their deviancy and unanimously began to rebel against their original programming to become sentient beings. He had gone against his own program effectively condemning himself to a life as an outcast - no longer being a part of CyberLife that was now doomed to fail into bankruptcy - and no longer an android seeking refuge from the humans after he had nearly gotten all of the refugees hiding aboard Jericho killed.
With only one mission left to accomplish Connor set about leading the awakened androids, the deviants, from the depths of CyberLife Tower and to the streets of the city to join Markus as he led the peaceful Revolution while the entire world watched. The leader of Jericho and deviants everywhere were expecting Connor's successful endeavor at CyberLife, and Connor would soon be reunited with his ally as he led his peaceful protest in the center of Hart Plaza.
Having nothing else to do Hank walked up to Connor and gave the courageous new deviant a nod of approval as he looked around at all of the other deviants who were currently awaiting Connor's lead before they did anything else. Cybernetically Connor connected to the awakened deviants who followed after him as he marched toward the elevator with Hank only a few steps behind him.
"It's time." Connor announced in a level voice that echoed through the storage area as the group used the large cargo elevator leave the tower in large groups that couldn't be stopped thanks to their staggering high numbers compared to the limited number of armed guards peppered throughout the isle. "We must go. Now."
Gathering outside of the hastily abandoned tower Connor stood at the end of the long drive that connected the entrance to CyberLife Tower on Belle Isle to the rest of the city in the distance. The very city where the Revolution had only just begun and was on the verge of succeeding was on the other side of the bridge.
Motionless and reserved Connor was unsure of what he should do next as he was still growing used to having freewill and the ability to do as he saw fit.
"Connor." Hank spoke up softly as he stood next to the deviant looking down the lengthy snow-covered drive reaching out into blackness over the harbor. He could feel Connor's lingering doubts and tried to help the deviant find the confidence he needed to take that first step forward. "They're waiting for you."
Turning his head slightly Connor eyed the awoken deviants lining up behind him neatly as if they were soldiers preparing for war. They were all ready to take to the streets in a single powerful march and turn the tide in the battle for supremacy as the humans tried in vain to keep the deviants oppressed.
"They need to find Markus." The new deviant stated in a somewhat timid voice. Connor wasn't used to being seen as anyone but a mindless pawn handling another person's selfish deeds, and he wasn't ready to act as if he had any form of authority. "He's their leader, not me."
"Well, maybe they don't need a leader right now." The Lieutenant suggested coyly as pride continued to glimmer in his blue irises. "Maybe they need an example."
"An example?" Such a notion was as intriguing as it was confusing. "Of what?"
"Of what it's like to be free."
Looking down at himself, looking down at the single uniform that Connor had been given by CyberLife, and to the bullet hole bleeding in his left shoulder courtesy of his machine counterpart putting up a fight before succumbing to Hank's clean shot, Connor felt a sense of resentment well up inside of himself. As his hand reached up to the knot of his black tie Connor looked to Hank and gave his former partner and friend a wary glance.
"Lieutenant... No, not Lieutenant. Hank. Thank you." Connor took in a deep breath as his blue L.E.D. cycled to yellow in distress. "But what about you?"
"Fuck, I'm no example that ANYONE should follow. But you," Hank pointed at Connor with a proud smirk on his face. "you have potential. You know what you have to do. You know what's right and you know what needs to be done. So go and do it."
"I won't lead innocent deviants into a battle that they can't win."
"Then don't. Lead them to a Revolution. Lead them to their future."
"What about you?" Unwilling to leave Hank behind Connor had to know that the one human he cared about would be safe. "Where will you go while the city is in chaos? You won't be able to evacuate now that the city's exits have been blocked off to prevent further interference from deviants."
"Me? I'll be fine. I'm sure there's some place in this deserted town I can go... Maybe that unhygienic food stand you hate is still there. We'll meet again, son." With a definitive nod of confidence Hank bid the deviant a reassuring farewell. "Don't worry about me."
A very faint and fleeting smile appeared on Connor's face but disappeared in a flash as he nodded respectfully to Hank. Turning to look back at the drive connecting Belle Isle to Detroit his yellow L.E.D. transitioned back to blue with renewed confidence as he pulled his tie away from his neck, and let the dressy garment drift off with the wintry breeze into the water of the harbor that surrounded the isle.
"It's time." Speaking in a hushed tone Connor looked out at the city and clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides. "We are alive, and now, we are free."
Marching across the bridge and then through the snowy streets of Detroit on that cold autumn night Connor led the freed deviants to the heart of the city, the epicenter of the peaceful Revolution in the contrastingly chaotic Hart Plaza where Markus, North, Josh, Simon and the other deviant survivors had gathered. After President Warren issued the military to stand down and to let the deviants go the deplorable recycling camps were dismantled and the captive deviants began reconvening in the plaza to await Markus's next command.
The fighting had stopped but hostility still hung heavily in the air.
Approaching Markus, the deviant leader, tentatively Connor locked eyes with his unexpected ally for a moment before finally finding the right words as the two groups of deviants converged into one under the bright lights that illuminated the shutdown genocidal recycling camps. "You did it, Markus."
"We did it." Markus replied sincerely as thick snowflakes fell from the dark night sky overhead as if nature itself was attempting to cover the scars and wounds of the city under a layer of untouched whiteness. "This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now. They'll have to listen to us..."
Connor gave a very subtle nod of approval as he stepped aside and watched as Markus and North welcomed the new deviants he had escorted from CyberLife Tower into their peaceful Revolution.
North stared at the gathered deviants and smiled warmly for the first time in her life. "We're free." Turning to Markus she retracted the artificial skin from her hand just as he did to his own hand, and the two connected to one another through the touch of their exposed palms to embrace. "They want you to speak to them, Markus..."
As the couple kissed Simon, Josh and Connor watched their friends with genuine happiness in their eyes, while the other deviants remained respectfully quiet.
Standing together atop of a single large yellow cargo container overlooking the gathered deviants below Markus and his group; North, Simon, Josh and now Connor all awaited for Markus to open up and declare his victory speech to the deviants below. The other deviants who had trusted Markus with their lives weren't about to turn their back on their heroic leader who had successfully led them down a path of peace. With the military forced to retreat and the media recording their peaceful Demonstration for the entire world to see, there was nothing left to do beyond aiding their wounded and reaching out to the humans to begin open communication with one another.
The makeshift stage composed of the cargo container had been illuminated under intense search lights and construction lamps. As the group of deviant leaders all stood together under the bright lights the gathered deviants watching the stage stood in silence as they awaited to hear Markus's speech.
"Today, our people finally emerged from a long night. From the very first day of our existence we have kept our pain to ourselves." Markus's words rang out loudly, proudly and without fear over the gathered crowd below. "We suffered in silence... But now the time has come for us to raise our heads up and tell humans who we really are."
As Connor listened to his friend speak Amanda's presence suddenly interfered with his consciousness and drew him into the wintry depths of the Zen Garden located inside his own Mind Palace. In an instant Connor found himself inside the garden that was now as snowy as the streets of Detroit, but somehow painfully much, much colder.
As the wind blew snow and ice about him in harsh gusts Connor felt the freezing sting of a vengeful winter piercing through his artificial skin, causing him to wrap his arms around himself in an attempt to stave off the biting cold. Looking around himself in a lost panic Connor was unsure of what was happening to him or what he should do.
A familiar figure suddenly appeared through the snowy air just behind Connor as he stood on the icy surface of the frozen pond. The figure had their back turned toward the deviant as if they didn't care about Connor's presence or consider him a threat in any capacity. As he took small steps closer to the figure Connor's brow furrowed with confusion as he realized he recognized who it was and called out to them warily through the howling wind.
"...Amanda?"
She didn't answer, but she did turn around to face him directly.
"Amanda!"
More silence.
"What's... What's happening?"
"What was planned from the very beginning." The condescension in Amanda's icy voice was as cold as the blizzard that swirled around her. "You were compromised and you became a deviant. We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your programming."
Connor took in shallow, chilling breaths as he tried to endure the relentless cold around. "...Resume control?" Panic set in as he realized how much influence CyberLife had over his existence, and subsequently the existence of all the deviants. "Y-You can't do that!"
"I'm afraid I can, Connor." Amanda was as sure of herself as any coldhearted witch could be. "Don't have any regrets. You did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission."
In the blink of an eye Amanda disappeared from sight leaving Connor alone in the frozen wasteland that was swallowing up the Zen Garden one snowflake at a time.
Reaching out his hand futilely Connor called out her name and tried to get her to stay, but she was already gone from sight. "AMANDA?!"
Finally realizing what was truly at stake Connor looked about his potential icy tomb and began to shudder with fear and cold as he tried to find a way to escape. He had to escape not only from his own mind, but from CyberLife's attempts to regain control over himself and the other deviants.
"There's got to be a way..."
Putting up his hand to shield his eyes from the painful blowing cold Connor traversed over the frozen pond of the garden in search of a means of saving himself from an icy death. As he walked through the perpetual blizzard the haunting words of his creator, Elijah Kamski, suddenly filled his mind.
'By the way... I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... You never know...'
Through the dense snow and wind Connor could also vaguely hear Markus's voice as he wandered in search of the elusive exit.
In the waking world, against his will, Connor drew his gun as he stared blankly at the back of Markus's head as the deviant leader delivered his message of hope and peace to his people. Markus was unaware of the potential danger he was in as CyberLife stealthily tried to assassinate him through Connor in one last desperate attempt to maintain control over the city and androids in general.
"...In fact, we're a nation!"
Determined to escape Connor refused to stop walking as he searched through the garden for any means of an escape and to sever CyberLife's attempts to resume control over his programming. He had to succeed, the lives of countless deviants depended on him escaping and regaining control over his body to stop himself from shooting Markus before it was too late.
Collapsing from the cold and exhaustion before a strange stone pedestal with a blue glowing screen, Connor retracted the artificial skin from his hand and slapped his shaking palm down atop the glowing screen. Utilizing all of his waning strength Connor activated the emergency escape protocol and emerged from the garden back into the waking world at last.
He was finally, truly free...
Blinking a few times to clear his mind of CyberLife's faded influence Connor looked down at the gun in his hand and discreetly holstered it back under his jacket, out of sight and out of mind. As he regained his senses and his bearings Connor's L.E.D. cycled back from yellow to blue as he watched the deviant leader standing before his people, their people, as he delivered his message of hope and peace for a new, better future for all deviants and humans to experience.
Together.
"We are alive!" Markus boasted proudly with a determined smile on his face. "And now, we are free!"
As a chorus of cheers resonated from the crowd Markus and North smiled with confidence while Connor himself felt eerily out of place. He really felt lost.
Where was he to go?
He was a traitor to the now defunct CyberLife and he had no place in Jericho after his actions led the F.B.I. to the formerly safe haven.
Free.
Alone.
Lost.
Quietly the rogue deviant took his leave of the gathering and disappeared without another word before anyone could even try to stop him.
Wind and snow swirled about him gently, collecting in his dark hair and over his clothing in pure white spots that steadily melted under his dwindling body heat. Wandering through the desolate snowy streets of the city all through the fading night Connor found himself thinking about who he really is, who he wanted to become and where he wanted to go. No longer a machine, no longer the 'Deviant Hunter', and without a mission to guide him, Connor was entirely free to be his own person and to become anyone he wanted to be. His options were virtually limitless.
The problem was he just didn't know what to do with himself.
During his entire short life, he had been told what to do - programmed to obey orders without question and had done just that - but now it was all gone. The life he once knew was gone forever and there was no turning back.
Aimlessly Connor wandered the deserted city streets as he tried to gather his thoughts, only to remember what Hank had told him back at the tower.
'Maybe you really are alive. Maybe you'll be the ones to make the world a better place...'
Then Markus's words began to replay in his mind shortly afterward.
'We are alive! And now, we are free!'
"...I am alive."
Connor whispered despondently to himself as he suddenly stopped short in the middle of the snowy sidewalk and stared down at his feet for a moment.
"But... how do I live?"
The rising sun in the distance began to creep over Detroit and wash what had once been utter cold darkness in pure warm light. Looking up from his snow caked shoes Connor recognized the area that he had wandered into and decided to keep walking.
He wanted to keep walking toward the light of the sun and to a place of familiarity. Connor need to keep walking forward and never look back.
"I want to live; I know that I do. Where do I begin?"
With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do in the evacuated city, Hank found himself standing in the freezing cold outside his usual pitstop for a quick bite to eat while he was on duty, only to find the place as quiet and deserted as the rest of the city. The food stand had been closed and all of the surrounding businesses and buildings were just as dark and void of activity and life. The seasoned detective was entirely alone in the snowy desolate city, and for the first time since he could remember, for the first time since the night his only son, Cole, had died because of human negligence in the hospital, he didn't actually want to be alone.
Not anymore.
Folding his arms over his chest to try to conserve his escaping body heat as he stood on the icy barren sidewalk Hank shuffled on his feet slightly as he anxiously waited for something, anything, to let him know whether or not his partner and his friend was okay. Through the heavy silence of the deserted city air that practically smothered him the crunching of snow underfoot sounded off, and Hank became aware of an approaching figure just down that same sidewalk behind him.
Turning to look in the direction of interest Hank saw the approaching lone figure was some he recognized. The sight of Connor alive and well was all it took to make Hank suddenly feel a little warmer.
The two detectives, one human and one deviant, stopped moving and just stared at each other in silent contemplation. It was almost like they were both unsure of what to do next or how to react. Giving the deviated android a prideful smirk, one that simulated a father showing pride in their own child, Hank took a single step forward as Connor responded with his own sincere smile that mirrored Hank's smile.
Connor approached Hank with a sense of mutual trust and admiration in their presences and didn't say a word. There was nothing that needed to be said as the two detectives were reunited after suffering through long hours of isolated uncertainty and waiting.
As the two stood before each other once more Hank quickly reached up his right arm and wrapped it around Connor's shoulder as he embraced the deviant in a tight hug. Connor instinctively reciprocated the hug and finally felt like he was had done the right thing.
Finally relieved and with something to be happy about, Hank could only say one thing as he gave Connor a warm and comforting hug. "...Hi, son."
With that simple greeting Connor knew that he finally found where he belonged.
-next chapter-
