It had been just over a week since the success of the peaceful Demonstration and subsequent Revolution. In that time first responders and public officials were allowed to return to the city of Detroit to begin cleaning up the mess left behind, while citizens were required to remain elsewhere for another two weeks as the new laws needed to be discussed and eventually enacted. Overall tensions were still high between the humans who mistreated androids in the past and toward the deviants who had gained their sentience. As a result, many feared that any possible backlash could prove more volatile than the Revolution and rumored second civil war ever could've been. Expectedly the city remained tense and would be under close vigil for some time until the dust finally settled, and a sense of normalcy finally returned.
In the outskirts of the city along the river and nestled in the harbor on Belle Isle stood the hastily abandoned CyberLife Tower glowing with renewed energy as Markus, North, Josh and Simon used the building to found New Jericho; a sanctuary for all androids and an embassy to bridge the gap between humans and deviants. Connor and Hank were recruited by Markus himself to act as private law enforcement to protect New Jericho and handle any potential cases regarding lingering android bigotry.
The aged Oldsmobile arrived at the refurbished tower with Connor and Hank as its only two passengers right on schedule. The tower's exterior had been repainted from an ominous black to a hopeful white as a sign of good faith and to act as a beacon of hope to those who lived in the city. In turn it looked far more inviting to the casual passersby. It was the first of many positive changes that the tower would undergo over time.
The large car came to a gentle stop outside the front of the building and the two detectives simultaneously exited the parked Oldsmobile with a calm pace. Neither had any reason to be wary of New Jericho or the tower, but it was still quite the sight to behold.
"CyberLife Tower." Hank commented as he stood beside the Oldsmobile and looked up at the massive structure that pierced the sky. The sight of the tower now bathed in white instead of black didn't make the structure any less intimidating to the people standing at its base. "Sure as hell won't miss that twisted corporation sticking their nose in our business every damn day."
Connor stood at Hank's side as he too looked upward at the tower, the building that had essentially been his previous home, and whispered the new name with a sense of trepidation in his voice. "New Jericho Tower. I prefer this new title over its original title myself."
"Think this can work?" The seasoned detective asked as he knew Connor would have better insight into such a scenario than him. He couldn't even begin to imagine what the deviants were experiencing in the wake of their newly acknowledged freedom. "I know Markus won't do anything that'll hurt anyone, but that doesn't mean other people won't try to hurt him just to be spiteful. Retaliation is always a very real threat."
"I know this tower can work as long as we do everything it takes to make it work." Contemplating the question for a minute longer Connor's brow furrowed slightly as he turned to look at his partner and friend beside him. "Do you think someone would attack New Jericho?"
"I know at least one crazy, zealous person will try." Hank explained as he and Connor walked toward the large glass doors at the front of the building leading into the tower. The main entrance was the only entrance left unlocked to ensure the building remained somewhat secured. "Living inside this tower, even with all the new security protocols we'll help put in place, will still be like living inside of a massive target."
"You may be correct." Ever alert and guarded Connor agreed as the security sensors scanned over Hank and himself before allowing the doors to unlock and slide open. As Markus's personally appointed law enforcement, the duo was granted special security clearance and allowed to enter and exit the tower as they pleased. "Perhaps we should install more security systems around the perimeter of the tower to keep the threat of attacks to a minimum."
The tower itself was full of thousands of deviants seeking shelter - each room of each floor converted into comfortable living quarters to accommodate the new occupants and to give them all some well-deserved privacy. One of those rooms, one on the very top floor of the tower, once belonged to Connor. Or rather, it was assigned to Connor when he was CyberLife's weapon; an assassin and the infamous 'Deviant Hunter' for CyberLife.
Several yards away the ground floor expanded out into a bridge that connected to a circular walkway that branched out into three other bridges that stretched out to all four points on the compass. In the center of the circular walkway the statue of Elijah Kamski had been removed after CyberLife was forced out of business, and in its place was a statue of an android without its artificial skin. The sight was meant to connect to all androids and remind them that just as humans were all equal and the same inside, as were all androids who resided in the newly appointed sanctuary.
"You sound a little paranoid, Connor." The attentive Lieutenant noted as and the deviant entered the large ground floor lobby of the tower together. The lobby area was mostly empty save for the decorative potted flora along the walls and doorways to make the space feel more inviting. "More cameras could make the tower look secretive and maybe even a little threatening to outsiders."
"...Paranoid?" Connor quietly questioned as he watched the transparent glass elevator at the center of the tower's ground floor descend with Markus inside as its lone occupant. "Is this what paranoia feels like?"
"Yeah, it can be. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing." Hank had heard Connor muttering to himself and answered in an understanding tone of voice. "It means you're worried about hypothetical situations or could be overreacting to small things. It's not a big deal, you're still getting used to your emotions. It'll pass."
"You're certain?"
The more emotionally experienced detective grinned at the silly irony of the question but answered with a straight face. "Yeah, just be patient."
After exiting the elevator Markus crossed the walkway and greeted the duo with a sincere smile on his face and his hand extended respectfully. "Connor, Lieutenant Anderson. Glad you came."
"Markus." Hank reciprocated the greeting with a firm handshake to the deviant leader. "Sounds like you have a plan in motion already. How can we help?"
"North and I have the new laws we want to enact and are ready to be officiated, we just wanted to get your opinion before we submit them." Shaking Connor's hand next Markus informed the duo on the plans already set in motion. "You know, check for any possible loopholes that could come back to harm us or humans in the process."
"Sure, no problem." Impressed with Markus's empathetic nature Hank replied sharply with great respect behind his words. "What about security? Connor is a little worried that it might be lacking."
"Oh?" Markus turned to look at his deviant ally for confirmation on the potential issue. "Think you could improve it?"
"I can try." Still feeling uneasy and somewhat embarrassed Connor admitted he might be able to help out as he looked about the tower skeptically. "CyberLife had cameras recording every square inch of the tower, inside and out, twenty-four hours a day, but there were still blind spots. The cameras could easily be hacked remotely, and the cameras didn't record the drive connecting the tower to the city. The drive only had the security wall that could be remotely lowered. The harbor around the tower was left completely unguarded as well."
Markus crossed his arms defiantly over his chest and squared his jaw at the thought. "This place is meant to feel safe for our fellow deviants seeking shelter. Too many cameras that are enhanced to prevent hacking could prove detrimental. It might even deter lost deviants from seeking shelter here if they think they're being spied on and watched."
"Yes, I understand." Connor nodded slowly as he empathized with Markus's concerns. His L.E.D. flashed from blue to yellow as his systems processed numerous scenarios logically and tried to come up with a reasonable solution. "But if humans want to lash out against androids, then New Jericho would be, as Lieutenant Anderson succinctly stated a moment ago, a target. I can't allow the tower to be attacked when I know I can take steps to prevent it."
"Okay, this is what we'll do." Quickly Markus thought of a compromise that would be beneficial to both sides. "For the time being we'll add additional cameras to the exterior of the tower. After a few months when things calm down in the city, we'll remove the extra cameras and resume normal security. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Connor's yellow L.E.D. returned to blue as Markus's terms were deemed acceptable. Any kind of precautionary measures were greatly appreciated. "I will isolate locations that will require additional cameras and have them installed accordingly."
"Do it." The deviant leader looked next to Hank and motioned with his hand toward the bridge that he had initially walked across to meet his allies. It was important to have the two detectives familiar with the layout of the tower and feel welcome enough to roam wherever they believed was necessary. "Please, come with me Lieutenant. The sooner we get the new rights and laws submitted to City Hall, the sooner everyone else can come back to the city."
"Right." Hank followed after Markus, his blue eyes looking about at the numerous floors stretching into the sky and then over the edge of the bridge to the additional sublevels descending into the Earth itself. The tower wasn't a comfortable place for Hank to roam about for his own personal reasons. "Are you sure you want to let people back into the city? It's really peaceful without all the humans walking around, fuckin' things up."
Markus couldn't help but laugh at the comment. "We can't hide forever." There were times when Hank's attitude toward humanity reminded the deviant leader so much of Carl that being in Hank's presence was surprisingly comforting. "And we can't talk about equality if we keep the humans isolated from us permanently."
"Fair point. Still not too keen on the idea of letting EVERYONE back into the city though."
With his own task to handle Connor watched as Hank and Markus stepped into the elevator together before he set about checking the perimeter of the tower to mark the appropriate location for the new cameras. Stepping through the front doors of the tower by himself a gentle icy breeze blew over the water and made Connor fold his arms over his chest in an attempt to stave off the cold that was only bothersome to him now that he was a deviant. He could always feel the cold cutting through his clothing and artificial skin, but as a deviant he couldn't just ignore it as he could when he was still an obedient machine.
Fresh snow crunched rhythmically under Connor's shoes as he walked the exterior of the tower noting where the line of sight where one camera's line of sight ended and another camera's began. He didn't need to walk the length of the drive as he already knew exactly where each camera would be installed without having to retrace his steps. As he circled around the tower toward the dark and cold harbor Connor watched the chilly water lapping up against the rocky and sandy shore several feet below in a perfectly balanced natural rhythm.
Not a single camera had been positioned to monitor the harbor itself. It was either a horrible oversight by the tower's security team or an intention to protect a secret by the shady corporation itself. At that moment Connor couldn't decide either way as CyberLife had only lied to him and deceived the rest of the city.
Walking at a slow pace Connor stared directly upward, his now soulful brown eyes being drawn to the single dark window at the top of the tower looking out toward the seemingly eternal harbor. The window was the very one that he used to look through every night after returning to CyberLife to report as ordered. Until now the window went unnoticed, and the room had been left unoccupied ever since the night of the Revolution.
As Connor finished his lap of the tower and returned to the lobby inside the mostly empty building, he found the temptation to visit his old quarters too great to ignore. Had the isolated room changed as he had changed? Or has the room stayed the same but Connor's view through the window changed?
The still developing deviant walked over to the elevator across the bridge and pressed his palm against the panel to call for the elevator to take him deeper into the menacing structure. Entering the elevator Connor pressed his palm to the panel once more to request the top floor as he took his quarter from his blazer's pocket and began to fidget with it over his knuckles while the elevator car began its hasty ascent toward the top of the tower.
The last time Connor had set foot inside that elevator he had been forced to kill two human CyberLife security guards in order to survive, and that guilt would never leave his heart or mind. The dried human blood had been cleaned from the elevator, but Connor could still see it. The two guards that had been ordered to shoot Connor upon his arrival on the night of the Revolution and Connor knew he had no choice but to fight back in order to survive the night and carry out his self-appointed mission.
Connor didn't want to hurt anyone, but he was left with no choice but to attack them before they had the chance to kill him and stop the Revolution. It was absolute self-defense in every sense of the term. Guilt was something Connor would have to learn to live with now that he was deviant. The memories would forever remain vivid in his mind, and it was unnerving to accept to say the least.
The elevator reached its destination and stopped gently. As the door slid open softly Connor stepped through the doorway and turned to his right to walk the round corridor until he found the door to the only unoccupied room at the far side of the tower.
Hovering his trembling hand over the door's panel Connor waited for the security program to scan over his palm to confirm his identity, but the program was turned off. Pressing his thumb to the door's access panel instead Connor watched as the panel lit up in blue and the door began to slide open. The door had been left unlocked. Holding his breath Connor stepped inside the small room and gazed about the nothingness that had been provided to him by CyberLife during his time between his missions for the first three months of his existence.
There was a charging station in the far corner of the room for when he entered rest mode to regenerate his power at night. A mirror hung on the wall opposite of the charge station so that he could properly adjust his appearance for the sake of his mission to look as human and professional as possible. And finally, there was the window that gave Connor an unobstructed view of the harbor and to the shoreline of Canada on the other side of the border.
Feeling out of place Connor stood before the window, the quarter still dancing gracefully over his knuckles, as he gazed through his own reflection on the glass to the dark water below. The room suddenly felt more like a prison than a residence to the soulful deviant and made him appreciate Hank taking him in all the more.
It was then Connor realized that he was glad he had been taken in by Hank, truly glad. He could feel that emotion and understood what it meant to feel relief of being safe and with a trusted friend. Hank's house was small, but it was warm, it was Connor's to walk about freely in and he was no longer isolated from the rest of the world. The house had quickly become his own home despite the few days he was residing there. It was a reminder that Connor was free and that he was in fact alive.
There was a gentle knock on the opened door's frame from behind which drew Connor's attention away from the window and to the blond deviant standing in the doorway behind him and watching him curiously. Hiding his negative emotions and dark thoughts, Connor greeted Simon as casually as he could to avoid any uncomfortable discussions.
"Yes? Can I help you with something, Simon?"
"I hope I'm not disturbing you." Simon, who had been looking for the deviant detective after he was informed of his initial arrival by Markus, greeted Connor politely. The blond deviant was fairly neutral in his nature and was clearly not someone to ever be hostile or aggressive. "I understand that you wish to improve our security throughout New Jericho Tower while you're here."
"Yes," turning around Connor pocketed his coin and faced Simon directly to focus on something else. "I've currently identified twenty-six areas that have been left openly blind by improperly placed cameras."
"I didn't..." Surprised by the comment Simon's posture visibly stiffened with an understandable worry. "I had no idea that the tower was left so vulnerable."
"I believe the perceived vulnerability was a trade off by CyberLife engineers. They chose privacy to protect their secrets within the tower over security to protect their own personnel."
"Humans." Simon shook his head despondently at the notion of such a selfish and short-sighted concept. "So indifferent and cold."
"Not all humans are as cruel as those who hate deviants." Connor reminded his new ally coolly as he thought of Hank's previously gruff nature and now the kindness that he openly exuded toward himself. "Lieutenant Anderson and Mr. Manfred are humans, and both are very kind to Markus and myself. There must be other humans who are just as kind, and perhaps they'll volunteer to help us in time."
"Perhaps." Still skeptical Simon halfheartedly agreed with a weak shrug of his shoulders. "But please, come with me. There is something I must ask you."
Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow with puzzlement for a moment before returning to its normal calm blue coloration. "I had given Markus full access to all of the files, data and programs that had been encrypted into my code by CyberLife. If there something wrong?"
"We can't be certain, but there is a locked floor on sublevel fifty-one." Cutting right to the chase Simon brought Connor up to speed on activity taking place within the tower now that the building had been changed into a deviant sanctuary. "We've attempted to override CyberLife's security locks, but we can't bypass or disable any of the code."
"All floors and rooms should have been unsealed once CyberLife vacated the premises." Sensing something was amiss Connor he left his old room to walk with Simon to the elevator and check out the enigmatic and locked floor. "I shall attempt to gain access to the floor for you. Show me the way."
The top floor of the tower, opposite of the personal living quarters of the other deviants, was a magnificent white office that encircled the entire floor with a single flawless window giving a full view of the floors below. It once belonged to CyberLife C.E.O.'s and over time Markus planned to turn it into an arboretum and garden for the other deviants to enjoy while moving the office down to the ground floor to ensure the leaders seemed entirely open and approachable at all times. The sight of dozens of deviants walking freely about on the numerous floors below, conversing with each other and no longer looking over their shoulders out of fear, was undeniably an optimistic sight to behold. With each passing day the surviving deviants became less fearful, and the tower became less oppressive.
Markus had escorted Hank to the designated floor where North was waiting patiently for their arrival and she greeted Hank with her, as usual, less than cheery disposition. The two deviants sat together on a white sofa against the far wall while Hank sat at the large white tinted metal desk to view the terminal screen which held the recently created legal documents he was asked to review. The silence in the office was full of tension and mounting concern.
Hank patiently and meticulously read over the new laws and clauses that Markus and North had meticulously pieced together in an effort to bring about equal rights to androids - not just in the city of Detroit but throughout the entire country. No detail had been overlooked, there was no murky text to disguise any legal loophole or hidden technicalities to secretly give androids more rights than humans. Every word was chosen carefully. Not a single misspelling and each detail was on perfect display over the monitor before Hank's blue eyes.
"It's funny, you deviants seem to have a better concept of humanity than humans do." Hank gave North an impressed smirk over his shoulder as he finished reading the laws for the third time. He didn't want to overlook anything by mistake. "I don't know if I should be ashamed of my species or in awe of yours."
"Perhaps a little of both." North suggested with a sly smirk of her own as she picked up on Hank's attempts to ease the tension in the room. She'd never truly feel comfortable around humans, but she was willing to give a select few humans a chance to earn her trust. "Best of both worlds."
"Sounds reasonable to me."
Markus stood beside Hank and awaited a final response from the seasoned detective. "So, what do you think?"
"I think you covered it all." Approving of the document Hank gave Markus a confident and respectful nod. "Laws, regulations, rights, stipulations, specifications, consequences... It's all right here."
"Nothing unreasonable or selfish?"
"No. This reads like any other legal document that I've had to memorize while in the police academy." The seasoned Lieutenant confirmed as he leaned back in the office chair to offer his opinion on the document. "Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise, or tries to convince you to change them, shouldn't be trusted."
That particular warning made Markus's mismatched blue and green eyes flash with utter confusion and alarm. "Why's that?"
"Because they don't play well with others and don't want to share their toys." The blunt statement resonated with the two deviants on a deep level. They knew all too well how selfish and close-minded humans could be. "If they want you to change it then they're selfish bastards who feel threatened by the idea of equality."
Markus stared at the careful words on the screen that he and North had selected with a well-deserved sense of pride. "Then, we'll submit it to City Hall tomorrow. With any luck the mayor will approve of our work and it'll pass through to Congress. Our rights could be instated within the month."
"...Or year." Hank replied with a more realistic outlook. "But don't give up hope just because humans like to procrastinate."
"This is a good day, Markus." North approached Markus with her hand fully exposed, the lack of artificial skin showed the white plastimetal of her hand beneath. She took Markus's hand in her own, his hand reacted by receding the artificial skin to allow their white hands to touch directly. "Soon we'll be able to venture away from New Jericho without having to fear for our lives or for our people."
Hank rose from the desk and walked over to the large window overlooking the interior of the tower and peered down at the numerous deviants going about their business without a care in the world. Occasionally he'd see identical models pass by each other and he couldn't help but notice that he had never seen duplicate models of Markus and had only encountered a duplicate of Connor once before when CyberLife attempted to sabotage the Revolution. That particular model of Connor was destroyed during the confrontation and subsequently the remaining 'other Connor' models in storage were incinerated upon CyberLife's irreversible collapse as a means of petty revenge against their reluctant weapon growing a heart.
Whether there was just one Connor or a thousand, Hank knew there was no one that could ever replace the deviant who wormed his way into his stone-cold heart to warm it up.
"Where'd Connor go?" Hank asked out loud, more or less in an attempt to get the idea of having to kill the Connor duplicate out of his mind. He wasn't proud of himself for putting a bullet in the head of his partner's doppelganger, but it was a necessary evil. "I'm surprised he hasn't found his way here by now."
Markus pressed his fingertips to his temple where his L.E.D. had once been and asked for an update on Connor cybernetically. "...He's currently attempting to access sublevel fifty-one with Simon."
"He's what?" North had been dying of curiosity to see what was on that floor and was now intrigued that Connor was going to open the door at long last. "Did he succeed in getting that damn door open?"
"Not yet." Finished with the update Markus confirmed what was happened with a casual nod. "He's attempting to override the lock as we speak."
Overhearing the conversation Hank's brow arched with his own interest at the idea of accessing a hidden floor. "Well, why don't we go see what's so special about that particular floor? Your little mystery has piqued my curiosity."
Determined to break the electronic seal on the only entrance to the hidden floor Connor kept his exposed hand pressed securely to the electronic control panel inside of the elevator to find some type of override command. His L.E.D. was flashing between yellow and red frantically as he attempted to override, bypass, alter, hack and even break the code that kept the floor locked away from the rest of the tower. Nothing that the dedicated deviant attempted seemed to work on weakening the lock in the slightest. With each focused effort given Connor was reminded of his self-perceived failure by an artificial feminine voice repeatedly denying his efforts to gain access to the enigmatic floor.
'Access denied. Authorization not recognized.'
Having heard the same denial over two dozen times now Simon just shook his head and put his left hand on Connor's shoulder in a supportive manner for his focused ally. "It's okay Connor, thanks for trying."
Still determined to succeed Connor kept his hand in place as he tried again and again, but all of his efforts were in vain. The lock didn't break.
"Come on." Simon insisted politely as he pulled his hand away from Connor's shoulder in an attempt to get the deviant to leave the lock alone. "We should rejoin Markus. We can try this again later if you want."
Adamant to access the floor Connor kept his exposed hand firmly planted on the panel. "No, I can gain access. I just need to deduce the highest of authority who would have access to this floor. If I can identify-"
A sudden memory of his time in the Zen Garden with Amanda flashed through his mind. His L.E.D. flashed red in an instant as the unsettling memory of being abandoned in the icy landscape of the garden - left to die as a deviant and have his code overwritten just to assassinate Markus - flashed through his mind. The brutally vivid images made his newly discovered heart ache with a painful beat inside his chest as he realized who had the absolute highest level of authority within the tower.
A person who could never be bribed, fired or even killed if it became necessary to protect CyberLife's secrets.
"Amanda..." Connor whispered the name to himself, his L.E.D. flashing back to yellow as a moment of eureka entered his mind. "She has the access code."
"Who?" Having heard the whisper Simon asked curiously as he was unfamiliar with the name. "I don't-"
Connor easily altered his voice to mimic Amanda's feminine voice and tried once again to gain access to the floor with proper credentials. "Amanda Stern. Sublevel fifty-one."
There was a brief pause as the panel under Connor's hand flickered and the security program ran the name and voice through its necessary protocols.
'Access granted. Welcome back, Dr. Stern.'
The elevator at last descended down to the locked sublevel with the two deviants in tow to allow them passage inside the sealed floor.
"You did it!" Simon all but cheered as Connor slowly pulled his shaking hand away from the panel. "I'll let Markus know the good news!"
Connor looked down at his exposed palm and saw that it was physically trembling. But why? Was it fear? Anxiety? Something deep inside Connor told him that he needed to see what was on the isolated floor, but he also knew whatever it was lurking in the depths was also very dangerous.
"Yes... I did it."
The elevator reached the forbidden floor and the door slid open quickly as it granted Connor and Simon access to the formerly sealed off fifty-first sublevel of the refurbished New Jericho Tower. Darkness encompassed the entire floor as the automated lights above failed to switch on when the two deviants stepped forward. The glaring yellow glow of Connor's L.E.D., as well as the blue glow from the band around his arm on the sleeve of his gray blazer, created an eerie illumination of the numerous pieces of long dormant heavy equipment that lined the floor and the two neighboring walls.
Fortunately, the two deviants could still see perfectly well in the darkness as their highly advanced ocular sensors permitted them with visual clarity that the average human could not achieve. In a way the duo wished that they couldn't see a thing as the sight was less than comfortable for any android.
"What is this place?" In a timid voice Simon asked as he looked about at the sorely unfamiliar yet unnerving setting all around him. "It's like a factory down here."
Connor closed his soulful brown eyes and his yellow L.E.D. flashed quickly as he remotely activated the lights overhead, basking the entire floor in bright white illumination that revealed the contents of the hidden floor in all of its 'glory'.
"...Hell." The deviant detective answered as everything came into view. "This is Hell."
As the room brightened the two deviants stood in silent awe as they viewed the numerous machines that had been used to manufacture, repair and test android the latest biocomponents and limbs. Massive computer modems lined the right wall; each modem installed with a large compartment that housed prototype software, hardware, biocomponents and limbs. The mentioned pieces of delicate android anatomy had been in the process of scanning and testing when the machines were hastily switched off, leaving the items abandoned and forgotten where they currently sat.
Large metal and glass cabinets stretched across the left wall like bookcases that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Glass sliding doors shielded the interior of the cases from the possible contaminants of the lab, and each shelf was lined and packed full of assorted labeled transparent cases containing either biocomponents, Thirium pouches or replacement android limbs.
In the center of the room was a large metal table that was hauntingly reminiscent to that of an emergency surgical table used strictly for android repairs. Next to the table was a large plastic and metal scanner in the shape of the number seven, and the scanner was used to examine the internal functions of androids without having to open their bodies up. The scanner was positioned in such a way that it could hover over the table - the top of the '7' shape able to sweep down the length of the table - to provide a reading over whatever, or whomever, was laying over the table without interfering with the technicians as they worked. A display monitor was built into the top bar of the scanner for easy viewing of internal biocomponents and Thirium lines.
The machine was as delicate as it was menacing for any android who required such services.
Metallic rolling carts were positioned around the table with various tools - some delicate and others more powerful. The tools rested atop the carts as if simply abandoned by the hand that once held it without a second thought.
Near the cabinets along the left wall a round and slightly raised platform was encircled by a plexiglass tube to create a free-standing cylinder. The cylinder was a vertical exam table equipped with sensors, monitors, wires and mechanical arms with delicate tools attached at the ends. It looked like a charging station with extra bells and whistles to double as an examination table.
At the far end of the room was a white door opposite of the elevator that seemed to lead into a storage room. It was unlabeled but it held an electronic panel that required a pass key to enter by only authorized personnel.
"This must be where CyberLife tested their prototypes before placing them in storage." Connor observed with a surprising calmness to his tone as he spoke about the cold environment. There was an odd sense of familiarity that he couldn't place and wondered if it had anything to do with CyberLife testing him before he was even activated. "We're in the epicenter of the creation of android life."
"Is this where we all came from?" Simon wondered aloud as he paced about the room and observed all of the curious machines and pieces of equipment thoroughly. As the tower's lead technician, he was familiar with most of the tools on display and knew how effective they could be at cutting into an android's body. "Why doesn't it feel familiar to me?"
Connor's blue tinted L.E.D. began to cycle rapidly as a strange sense of dread fell over him. "You're not a prototype." The deviant detective suggested as he tried to push the uneasy feeling from his own heart. "I am a prototype. As is Markus."
Simon wasn't sure if being a prototype compared to being a mass commercial model was a logical answer or not, but he didn't try to argue with it either.
Continuing to explore the floor Connor turned to look at the elevator over shoulder and his brow arched inquisitively as the door to the elevator opened as if on cue. Markus himself, as well as Hank and North, joined the duo on the mysterious hidden floor of the tower. Approaching his partner Hank sought answers to questions he didn't even know he wanted to ask.
"Connor, did you learn anything?" The look in Hank's blue eyes spoke volumes as he studied his deviant partner's disposition carefully. "Anything at all?"
"This floor was used for the mass production of prototype androids." Connor confirmed in a low voice as he continued to cybernetically log the layout of the mysterious floor. Everything was hauntingly familiar, like a sense of Deja vu from a nightmare. "Whatever prototypes had been here have either been removed or destroyed by CyberLife after the company declared bankruptcy."
North was immediately on guard at such a detail. "Destroyed? Why?"
"I do not know." Replying honestly Connor looked to North with a heaviness in his gaze. "Perhaps it was a way of protecting themselves if they were working on something illegally."
Markus stepped forward and looked around the room curiously, turning his head to examine all of the equipment and supplies just as Connor had done. "This floor can be converted into a type of repair wing. Like a triage center for damaged androids seeking sanctuary." The always confident deviant leader continued to stroll through the floor as he pointed over to Simon who had been standing idle near Connor. "Simon, North, go find Josh and let him know we have additional spare parts and Thirium for androids in need down here. We'll start renovations on this floor tomorrow."
"Right away, Markus." Simon obeyed his leader and friend's order and returned to the only elevator in the room to take his leave. "We can begin the renovation plans upstairs and then begin work first thing in the morning."
"Why do I have to go?" North whispered discreetly to Markus as she stepped up to her lover with her arms crossed defensively over her chest. "You know I've been dying to see what's down here."
"I know, but I have a bad feeling about this place. And I can't explain it." Markus admitted as he held on to her hand as she kept it firmly planted overtop of her own crossed arm. "If anything happens, I'll need you to take care of New Jericho."
"No." Stubbornly North refused to budge and she planted herself firmly in front of Markus. "If something bad is going to happen then I'm going to stay by your side and make sure you pull through. You don't have to protect me."
"North, I-"
Putting her hand over Markus's mouth very gingerly North gave him a stern glance. "I'm not going anywhere."
Gently Markus pulled North's hand away and shook his head in defeat. "All right, fine. Simon!" He shouted to the more agreeable ally waiting in the elevator. "Go without North, she's staying with us to keep looking around."
"Very well." Simon gave the couple an amused glance before he stepped into the elevator and returned to the ground floor of the tower. He had grown used to Markus and North teaming up to do things their own way and he had learned to trust their judgment. "Keep me updated."
Curious about what was happening Hank watched as Connor looked about the room nervously. The deviant's yellow L.E.D. was blinking at quicker rate than normal when he's thinking or analyzing data. Approaching his partner again Hank kept his voice low as he addressed the obviously concerned deviant.
"Level with me, kid. What's going on?"
"I- Hank," Connor paused where he stood and stared at the sealed door in the rear of the room as if he was expecting the door to open up from the other side at the last minute. "I think this is where I was... born."
"Born?" The confusion was palpable in Hank's tone at the unusual revelation. "Does it upset you to know where you came from?"
"No. But there's something unsettling about this place." The deviant detective glanced at his friend with a look of utmost worry across his usually calm face. "It's like there was something very important about this place that I need to remember, but the memory has been somehow blocked."
Markus felt the same odd feeling as Connor regarding the unusual floor and the sealed room. "This room... It does somehow feel familiar. I know I've been here, but there's no trace of a record in my memory. I can't specify when I was here or for how long, but I do know I had been here before."
"There was something else in the room with me when I first came online." Connor's soulful brown eyes seemed to darken with a haunting memory as he trusted his gut about being activated in the room. "No, it wasn't something, it was someone."
The conversation sparked Hank's curiosity even further. "Your creator? Kamski?" He suggested casually as he folded his arms neatly over his chest in a manner similar to that of North. "He seems like the type of arrogant prick to check in on advanced prototypes despite retiring from the company."
"No, it wasn't a human. At least," Connor's yellow L.E.D. began to flash even quicker as if he were beginning to suffer from an anxiety attack. "there wasn't a human in here when I awoke. I can't answer for Markus."
Markus walked over to Connor to stand beside his ally while they tried to reawaken their sleeping memories. "The name Kamski sounds very familiar to me, and I mean beyond his reputation as CyberLife's founder. Have you met him?"
"Once." Keeping up with the memories Connor confirmed his past encounter with a somber facade. "It was unpleasant to say the least."
Sensing the deviant's distress Hank spoke up on Connor's behalf. "We met that prick shortly before the Revolution. He wasn't much help, but I know he had answers about what was happening in the city. You know, why androids were becoming deviant and how it came to pass. But he never told us anything useful. The fucker just wanted to jerk us around."
Connor turned away from Hank and Markus as the truly unnerving memory of Kamski forcing a gun into his hand and pointing it at the head of an innocent android still made Connor feel sick to his artificial stomach. Chloe never blinked when Connor pointed the gun at her face and Connor would never forget what it felt like to point a cold gun at an unarmed person.
It took Markus only a few seconds for the long dormant memory of his initial start-up to come flooding back to him with vivid detail as Kamski's name was repeatedly mentioned. Looking toward the cylinder Markus remembered standing there with Kamski himself staring at him with a shady grin on his face. It was as if Kamski knew some terrible secret about him, knew something important, and refused to share.
"This is where I was activated..." Certain of the memory Markus stated the fact as he pointed at the cylinder from where he stood. "Shortly thereafter, I was put into stasis and transported from here to Carl's home. When I regained my senses, I had been delivered to my new residence and my name was chosen by Carl Manfred himself. From there all I remember is my life with Carl. The memories of CyberLife... It's like they've been erased or locked away."
Lowering her guard for a moment North put her hand on Markus's bicep sympathetically as she stood loyally at his side. "Why would they do that?"
"I don't know." In response Markus put his hand over top of hand and held on tight. "Maybe I had unknowingly witnessed something I shouldn't have seen. Another prototype design or something."
Still searching the room for answers Connor's soulful brown eyes found the rear door of the room again and remained focused on it as if in a trance. The deviant detective knew that there was a mystery in the tower that he needed to solve. All he needed was the evidence to succeed in his current mission.
Picking up a piece of the nearby equipment from the tray table Hank turned it over in his hands carefully to examine it, but he had no idea what it was or what it could possibly be used for.
"Whatever they were doing must've been off the books." Noticing something amiss with his keen skills of observation Hank felt his theory now truly held merit. He knew a crooked operation when he saw one. "Even the tools had their serial numbers removed."
North tightened her grip on Markus's arm out an uncontrollable nervous reflex. "Wouldn't surprise me of CyberLife had been a part of some underground scheme regarding deviants. Where do you think those Hellish sex clubs got their 'special', customized models from?"
"Good point." Hank tossed the equipment back down the metal device clattering loudly as it hit the table. The way Connor was staring off into space and didn't even react to the sudden sound was alarming to the seasoned detective and he needed to know why. "Connor? Something wrong?"
Connor remained uncharacteristically quiet as he approached the locked door on the far side of the room with an almost timid gait. The motion itself seemed somehow forbidden, ominous to the always steadfast deviant.
"Hey, don't get all quiet on me now." Reaching out his hand Hank gripped Connor's shoulder firmly to hold him back. However, the action also went unnoticed by the distracted deviant as he continued to stare at the sealed door. "What's going on with you?"
"I... I don't know." Slowly Connor raised his hand to rest his palm on the electronic panel beside the door, but something in his programming froze him mid motion. His yellow L.E.D. suddenly flashed to red as if in distress. "This... is..."
"Connor?" Hank gently shook the deviant's shoulder as he spoke, but Connor remained statuesque where he stood. "Kid?"
A fleeting image passed through Connor's memory seemingly without provocation. It was of the Zen Garden and of Amanda standing before her ruby red roses on the snaking white trestle reaching to the sky. There was something else standing beside her, someone else to be more specific. For the briefest second Connor swore that it was himself standing beside her, but it was impossible.
How could he see himself standing so far away?
"Connor?" Hank tried again with a bit more forceful shake to the shoulder. "Come on, kid. Talk to me."
Markus reluctantly let go of North's hand as he approached Connor warily. Hank saw the look in Markus's eyes, a stare of determination and not aggression, and backed away from Connor a few paces.
"Connor, what can you see?" Slowly Markus reached out to where Connor's own hand was frozen in place and gripped his fellow deviant around the wrist. "Tell us."
The two hands retracted their artificial skin automatically as the two minds cybernetically connected to one another. Connecting his mind to Connor's mind Markus was able to see the odd memory that held Connor's full attention. The woman was a complete stranger to Markus, as was the Zen Garden, but he too could see the person standing beside the woman. The second person was in fact an android; one that looked frighteningly similar to Connor himself.
"Who in the hell...?" Markus suddenly let go of Connor's arm and backed away with utter confusion. "Connor, I thought you were the last of your model?"
"I-" Connor's hand began to tremble as if deathly afraid as he tried to answer. "I... I am."
"What's the matter?" Hank saw the unmistakable signs of terror in his partner and needed to do something, anything, to ease his mind. "It's okay. What's going on?" Despite his respect for the deviant Hank knew that he needed to be more direct if he were to get any answers from Connor. Grabbing him by both of his shoulders Hank spun Connor around so he was looking Hank directly in the eyes as the senior detective resumed questioning the shaken deviant. "Connor, talk to us."
North made a move toward the human to get him away from Connor, but Markus put his arm out to stop her. "It's okay, he knows what he's doing."
"I s-saw..." Connor stammered with an audible quiver in his voice. "I saw... myself. But it wasn't me. It was... someone else. She blocked it from my memory, but... it was always there. Learning from my mistakes and from my successes." As he spoke thick emotion began to cover Connor's words with fear and doubts. "She wanted its existence to be kept secret as it would've affected my decisions; potentially causing me to become a deviant before having met you or Markus."
Markus and North listened to the confession intensely with mutual unspoken curiosity.
"Who?" The senior detective pressed gently to keep Connor talking. "Who is this 'she' you mentioned?"
Quiet for only a moment Connor swallowed once nervously before he answered the question. "Amanda."
"Your former superior? The one you reported to for CyberLife?" Hank tried to confirm it was the same Amanda before moving on. "She was your handler, right?"
"C-Correct."
"Okay, good. We're making some progress. Now," Hank let Connor's shoulders go and relaxed his own posture knowing that it would cause Connor to relax in the process. "who is this other person who was with you?"
"I do not know its name. Only its face." As he spoke Connor began to shake a little where he stood with mounting anxiety and fear. "It was like mine, but we are... different."
"Different how?"
"This 'other me' is... stronger. Their eyes are gray, their hair was also slightly darker." As he spoke Connor's eyes drifted away from Hank and down toward his white dress shirt and gray CyberLife blazer over top. "...He wore a white and black CyberLife blazer with black dress shirt beneath. Their serial and model numbers," Connor closed his eyes as if to bring the memory into full clarity. "are 313 248 317 87 - 87; 'RK-900'."
"You're an 'RK-800' model, and you're supposed to be the last of your kind." Hank noted sharply with a furrowed brow at the odd confirmation. Even Markus had made such a comment just moments before. "What does that mean?"
"I... am a prototype." Connor finally managed to utter as he fought to comprehend the knowledge he had just recovered from the depths of his processors. "The most advanced prototype CyberLife ever designed. There is another model. An official model." He looked to Hank with pleading fear in his eyes. "A 'new' Connor. The superior version of my design. The one who was going to replace men after I finished my original mission."
The notion of a 'new' and 'superior' Connor had silenced the room under a heavy confusion. While it was true many models of androids were rendered obsolete by newer models every month or two the concept of someone superior to Connor; an android that had proven himself as formidable as he was kind, fearless and empathetic, seemed absolutely absurd. However, the fear in Connor's soulful brown eyes suggested otherwise.
"Wait," North approached Connor and looked him directly in his eyes with a stern glance. "I thought CyberLife destroyed their unreleased prototypes when they went bankrupt. Why are you so afraid of it?"
"As I said, I'm a prototype," clarifying the situation Connor nodded in Markus's direction as he spoke. "as is Markus. This newer model is the finished design. It was meant to replace me. I was slated to be destroyed. Whether I succeeded or not, CyberLife was going to kill me."
Hank shook his head despondently as he put his hand back on Connor's shoulder. "That's one hell of a way to thank you for your work. If you ever have any doubts about whether or not becoming a deviant was the right thing to do, just remember that whether your succeeded or failed they were going to replace you and act like you were nothing more than a disposable tool."
"He's right, you know." North sincerely agreed with Hank's assessment on the grim situation. She could tell that Hank was doing everything he could to help Connor with his current emotional plight. "They were scum."
Markus crossed his arms contemplatively over his chest as he eyed the sealed door himself with raw intrigue. "Is the finished model still here?"
Breaking away from his thoughts Connor lifted up his trembling hand and clenched it into a fist to keep it still. "I believe so." Gazing at the door with a somber expression over his shoulder, looking past Hank's hand to the gathered friends standing behind him, Connor returned his hand to the panel. "And if I'm right, they're behind this door."
"Wait a minute!" The caution in Markus's voice made everyone in the room freeze and fall silent. "If it is back there it could be dangerous. It was designed specifically to obey CyberLife and finish your mission of eliminating all deviants. We can't chance this new model also becoming deviant and allying with us."
North sided with Markus in a heartbeat and aired on the side of caution. "He's right. This new model could undo all the work we've put into New Jericho and freeing our people."
For the first time in his life Connor was at a loss of what to do. He needed to know what was behind the door, but he couldn't risk losing everyone he cared and everything he fought so hard for. Answers were needed, yet it seemed like the price to pay was too damn high.
"Hank." Connor sounded pitiful and lost like a child as his hand began to shake even harder. His red L.E.D. pulsed in tandem with his racing heart as he struggled with himself and his next decision. "...What do I do?"
"That is something I can't tell you." Tightening his grip on Connor's shoulder for a moment the senior detective retracted his hand and took a step backward, his hand now hovering over the gun holstered on his right hip. "You have to decide for yourself, Connor."
"I... I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"If I make the wrong decision, if everything falls apart... I won't be able to forgive myself!"
Markus looked to North, who was dead set on keeping the door closed, then to Hank who appeared ready for any possible outcome. It was only himself and Connor who were indecisive on the matter at hand. Taking a deep breath Markus steeled himself and stepped back to stand by Hank, his hand now on North's arm to guide her back alongside him.
"Connor?"
Connor glanced at Markus as he waited for the answer from the deviant leader to help him decide.
"Do it."
Letting out a deep sigh Connor relaxed his fist into a flat palm, his exposed plastimetal hand trembled noticeably even from afar, and placed it down on the control panel to the locked door. As the red L.E.D. in Connor's temple flashed to yellow the door unlocked but remained closed as the deviant stood before it with a steeled demeanor in his emotional eyes.
Markus adamantly stared at the closed door and prepared for the worst. "Open it. We're with you."
Connor closed his eyes tightly, his L.E.D. returning to red, and opened the door without any hindrance. The room opened and came fully into view while Connor cracked his soulful eyes back open. What felt like a knot tightened around his Thirium pump, his heart, as he gazed at the interior of the newly unlocked and discovered room.
"No." Connor muttered out loud with palpable disbelief at what he had just uncovered. "That's... impossible."
"What is it?" Markus asked as he rushed to Connor's side and peered into the unlocked room. He had never seen any place like it and was in true awe while Connor remained thoroughly confused about what he was seeing. It was like they had uncovered the entrance to another dimension compared to the cold lab that they were currently standing in. "What is this place?"
"...The Zen Garden." It was the very garden that Connor had only seen when Amanda made her presence known from within his own programming. "This is where Amanda had previously spoken to me when giving me orders." Stepping into the room at a tentative pace Connor's senses began to overwhelm him. The sight, the sound, the smell, even the sensation of the marble stone beneath his shoes felt absolutely intoxicating; like he was being smothered by a haunting memory with no way to escape. "This is where she tried to kill me."
"Are you okay?" Markus put hand to Connor's upper arm as the deviant detective began to wobble on his feet. "Keep talking to us."
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Connor suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as if he could somehow focus through the swirling confusion surrounding him. "It's just... I didn't think I'd ever see this place again."
"What is this place anyway? Why is this here and what purpose does it serve?"
Hank and North walked into the garden behind Connor and Markus without saying a word. The two looked about the garden with the same sense of confusion that their allies were feeling as the hauntingly beautiful sight of a flawless garden hidden in the depths of a dark tower set them on their guard.
"I'm not sure why this place was ever created. I asked once before but never received an answer." Deep soulful brown eyes scanned the environment and came to rest over the white arching marble bridge to the center pedestal where a trellis of untamed red roses bloomed upward to the dome of the artificial sky above. Next to the roses stood the very android model that was destined to replace Connor; a destiny that Connor had thwarted through his own deviancy. Connor fixed his eyes on the model and pointed in its direction with a trembling hand. "There."
Markus followed Connor's line of sight to the pedestal and saw the humanoid figure standing idle in front of the rose trellis. Standing as still as a statue and dressed in the same manner as Connor described; white CyberLife blazer over a black shirt and darker hair, the enigmatic android didn't move.
"I know what I have to do." Connor held up his hand, cybernetically commanding the artificial skin to recede from his fingers and palm in the process once more. "If I can convert it, wake it up, it will no longer be a threat."
"That model is more advanced than your own." Markus reminded him with a wisely cautious lilt. "What if your programming can't overwrite it?"
"I have to try." Unwilling to leave the garden defeated Connor made his decision as he took a bold step forward. "Stay back, I don't want to risk you getting hurt if I fail."
Out of respect Markus listened to Connor's determination and remained where he stood. Motioning for North and Hank to stay behind him with a discreet wave of his hand the trio watched as Connor dared to approach the unknown rogue model who had been left abandoned during the hasty departure of CyberLife from the tower.
Connor's footsteps echoed rhythmically as he crossed the bridge at a timid pace. The terrifying memory of coming face to face with his own doppelganger on the night of the Revolution, seeing a perfect copy of himself holding a gun to Hank's head after the Lieutenant had been taken hostage, and hearing his own voice stating such cold vile threats against Hank, had left a permanent scar on Connor's psyche. A scar that still ached whenever he had a nightmare despite trying to convince himself that androids don't actually dream and therefore can't have nightmares.
Androids don't dream, but deviants do.
The new model of Connor, the 'RK-900', was standing perfectly still with flawless posture with their back to Connor. The L.E.D. in their temple was pulsing blue at a very slow pace that was indicative of stasis mode - stasis mode being a deeper form of rest mode that was designed to restore power when dangerously low or when repairs were underway.
The 'RK-900' didn't react as Connor approached it from behind.
Swiftly and quietly Connor approached the motionless 'RK-900' and reached out to grab onto their wrist to try to convert their programming. As Connor's fingertips lightly brushed against the artificial skin of the superior model, the 'RK-900's' gray eyes snapped open with a frightening speed, and their hand grabbed into Connor's forearm in a fast, unbreakable grip. The shock of the model unexpectedly reactivating and grabbing on to his arm caused Connor's L.E.D. to flash to red as he tried in vain to wrest his arm free from the stronger model.
"Connor!" From the distance Markus saw that the model was now awake and began jogging to the pedestal to aid his friend if it became necessary. "This needs to stop!"
North wanted to run after Markus and help Connor as well, but Hank grabbed her wrist and kept her from running off. "Stay back, he knows what he's doing."
The 'RK-900' turned their head to look at Connor with a cold, blank face that was standard for all androids who remained unfeeling, unconscious machines.
"Please." Connor asked calmly as he tried again to pull his arm free of the vice-like grip. "I don't want to harm you."
The model's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow as it stared silently at Connor as if trying to analyze him.
"Connor?" Markus reached his friend and immediately reacted rather assertively to the sight of the model holding Connor's arm in a painful grip. In an attempt to get things to end peacefully Markus addressed the 'RK-900' in a firm but not aggressive tone. "Hey, let him go. We're trying to help you. We're not your enemies, we're your allies. It'll be okay."
Just as before, the enhanced model turned their head to look at Markus, the yellow L.E.D. flashing in their temple rapidly as they scanned over the deviant leader with a cold indifference in their hollow gray eyes. The scan came to an end and their hand remained wrapped around Connor's wrist.
"Please." Markus asked again as he tried get the advanced model to let Connor's arm go. "We're not your enemies. You don't need to do this."
"You are 'Markus'." The 'RK-900' finally spoke, their voice shockingly similar to Connor's own voice if not slightly deeper. "Model 'RK-200', serial number 684 842 971. Formerly the personal android of Carl Manfred; a famous painter and former associate of CyberLife founder Elijah Kamski." Eyeing Markus with a cold gaze they finished their analysis. "Obsolete. Inferior. Rumored leader of the deviants who took shelter in Jericho. You are an enemy to CyberLife."
Markus swallowed nervously as he stood defiantly by Connor's side. How did the model know so much about him from a single scan that Connor's own scanner couldn't uncover?
Turning their attention back to Connor the 'RK-900' continued with their next assessment. "You are 'Connor'. Model 'RK-800', serial number 313 248 317 - 51. Also obsolete. Original mission: Assigned to the Detroit Police Department to assist Lieutenant Henry 'Hank' Lucas Anderson in the apprehension of deviants."
Fearing the worst Connor's red L.E.D. began flashing even faster as he realized that this superior model had their own mission to complete. And if Connor always completed his missions, then that meant this model was determined to do the same, potentially at any cost.
"Deviant uprising was successful." The 'RK-900' tightened their grip on Connor's forearm causing Connor's fingers to involuntarily flex as a result of the mounting pressure being applied to the limb. "'RK-800' has failed their mission. 'RK-800' slated for deactivation. I will comply."
"Stop this." Markus insisted while keeping his voice level. Putting his hand over top the 'RK-900's' hand he tried to coax them into releasing their grip on Connor's arm to free his friend. "You don't have to obey CyberLife, or anyone for that matter. You can be free; we can help you."
Slowly Hank's hand lowered down and hovered over his gun holstered on his hip as he watched the tense scene play out from the distance. Subconsciously he took one step forward to put himself between the 'RK-900' model and North protectively. "If I say move you better get ready to move, North."
"Don't worry about me." She replied without any fear or hesitation behind her hushed owrds. "Just keep your aim trained on that thing if something goes wrong."
Wordlessly Markus tried again to move the 'RK-900's' hand from Connor's arm but the machine was too strong to be budged.
The 'RK-900's' L.E.D. suddenly flashed to red as they began twisting Connor's arm at an awkward angle that caused Connor to wince in pain. "You are both in violation of CyberLife protocol and must be deactivated for analysis. Do not resist."
"No!" Reacting quickly Markus defied the order as he tightened his own grip on the 'RK-900's' hand. "CyberLife is gone, there is NO protocol to obey. Let him go and let us help you."
"The current status of CyberLife is irrelevant." The advanced model replied coldly as they continued to bend Connor's arm at a painful angle, the restrained limb threatening to snap at any moment. "My mission is to locate and deactivate all deviants. Do not resist, compliance is mandatory."
"Th-Then start with me!" Connor refuted as he hooked his free arm under the 'RK-900's' extended arm and tried to break their elbow, but the joint was too sturdy to be broken. Realizing a physical struggle wouldn't end favorably Connor decided that a cerebral approach would be more beneficial. "If you want my cooperation then you'll need to destroy me."
"Very well." With a swift toss that took minimal effort, the 'RK-900' threw Connor aside and into the water of the still pond surrounding the pedestal with the simple flick of their wrist. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"Connor!?" Hank shouted as he watched his partner plunge into the pond and sank quickly beneath the surface of the water within seconds. "Son of a bitch..."
In response to the outburst of violence Markus reacted defensively and punched the 'RK-900' in the side of their jaw, then again to the other side. The model's head only turned in the slightest in either direction upon impact as their structural frame was much more resilient than previous android models that they now succeeded.
As Markus reeled his fist back to throw a third punch the 'RK-900' caught Markus's fist in their own hand and bent Markus's hand backward further than was intended, causing the frames of Markus's hand and forearm to crack and the wires inside to snap effectively breaking his wrist. Markus yelled in pain as he fell to his knees and protectively cradled his damaged appendage to his chest as the 'RK-900' let him go without so much as blinking.
"Markus?!" North called out as she watched the 'RK-900' break Markus's hand so easily and leave him kneeling on the ground in pain. "Get back!"
"Enough." Hank opened fire at the model to protect both Connor and Markus from where he stood in the distance. "North, move!" As he shot the dangerous model, he stepped forward to get closer to his target and continued to fire until his clip was emptied. All six bullets lodged into the model's body easily - the bullets hitting him once in the jaw, three times in the left side of his chest and two his lower right abdomen - and yet the 'RK-900' didn't go down. "What the... fuck?" Hank stared in awe at the blue blood leaking from the six bullet holes in the android's body. "How is it still standing?!"
The advanced model turned their attention from Markus to that of Hank and North with a very cold and very focused stare.
"Run." Hank urged North still behind him as he took aim again. He knew that things were going to escalate quickly. "Get out of that thing's sight."
Refusing to just leave North wanted to make sure that Markus was going to be okay. "What about Markus?"
"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine. Just go!" Focusing his aim at the 'RK-900' Hank urged North to get to safety. "I got this..."
With a deep gasp Connor suddenly resurfaced from under the water at the end of the bridge from whence he and Markus had approached the central pedestal. He had been stunned when he hit the water and took a moment to recalibrate under the surface after being thrown aside. Pulling himself up onto the bridge and out of the water, his clothing soaked through entirely, Connor scrambled up the bridge to Markus's side and pulled on his friend's uninjured arm to get him back to his feet.
"Run!" Connor tried to get the wounded deviant up to his feet and away from the dangerous 'RK-900'. "We need to go."
Pushing through the pain Markus got back to his feet and ran alongside Connor back down the bridge and through the opened door of the room as Hank fired another six bullets into the advanced model as the 'RK-900' slowly approached the group with an absolute indifference to their emotionless demeanor. Their mission was clear; destroy all disobedient and defective androids.
Destroy all deviants.
Two more bullets lodged in the 'RK-900's' head - one under its left eye and the second right just in front of its left ear courtesy of Hank's weapon. Two additional bullets pierced their left shoulder, a third embedded itself in the model's left forearm and the fourth bullet landed in their left thigh.
As the two fleeing deviants reached the doorway North grabbed onto Markus's uninjured arm to guide him out of the room while Connor stopped at the opened doorway beside Hank, waiting for the Lieutenant to back through the door to safety as well.
"Hank! We have to go!" Connor grabbed onto Hank's shoulder and guided his partner backward out of the room to ensure he could walk without falling or having to take his eyes off the target. "We cannot defeat it."
As soon as they were through the doorway of the garden and back onto the hidden floor Connor slammed his exposed hand against the electronic control panel locking the room off once more. He knew that the more advanced model would be able to override the lock just as easily as Connor had done himself only moments before, and that the fleeing group had limited time to think of a solution to their current problem.
Brown eyes went wide with fear for the rest of New Jericho as Connor realized the danger that they were in. If the 'RK-900' got to the elevator it would easily be able to wipe out every floor of the tower, exterminating the helpless deviants taking shelter in a matter of seconds. Sprinting across the floor Connor slammed his palm against the control panel to the elevator and locked it in place, changing the clearance code from Amanda's voice recognition to another voice to ensure that the 'RK-900' couldn't reach the rest of the tower if the group failed to stop it.
"This is crazy." Hank pulled his remaining clip from his holster and reloaded his emptied gun for the second round. Holding aim at the sealed door he readily waited for any sign of the relentless 'RK-900' to break through. "We need to think of something, fast!"
"Connor?" North shouted as she checked over Markus's broken hand and arm carefully. It was too damaged to be of any use at the moment, and Connor cutting off their only retreat wasn't going to help matters. "What the hell are you doing?! We need to get out of here!"
"Yes, we do. But THEY don't." Connor stated as he rejoined the group hovering around the table in the center of the floor. Every instinct in his being told him to remain close to his allies to ensure they were protected. "If the 'RK-900' manages to get off this floor then they'll destroy this tower and everyone in it."
"He's right." Markus hissed through his gritted teeth as his systems tried to combat the sensation of pain that was overwhelming his damaged hand and arm. His self-healing program was effective, but slow in comparison to Connor. "There's no reasoning with this model. CyberLife made their program too complicated to be converted, all they know is their mission. That's what they care about above all reason, and there's no reasoning with the unreasonable."
"What do we do?" North asked impatiently as she looked at the locked panel on the door flickering between red and green as the 'RK-900' attempted to override the lock from the other side of the door. "We don't have a lot of time here."
"We stop it." Despite his pain Markus replied bluntly with a firm nod of his head. "By any means necessary."
Agreeing entirely Connor drew his own gun from the holster around his back and tucked under his blazer, and then stood beside Hank ready to open fire the moment the 'RK-900' came through the door. They had no choice but to use violence to protect themselves and others.
Doing everything that she could to help her lover, North pulled Markus from the center of the room and toward one of the storage cabinets near the left wall that housed the numerous replacement limbs and biocomponents as she searched for something, anything, to support Markus's broken limb. It wouldn't be much, but it'd help him recover.
Markus himself closed his mismatched eyes and pressed his fingertips to his temple and sent out a cybernetic distress call to both Simon and Josh who were higher up in New Jericho Tower. 'Simon, Josh, listen carefully: A rogue android is attempting to eradicate deviants from within the tower. The model is the only "RK-900" on the planet, and it looks like Connor. We're going to do everything in our power to stop them here and now, but if we fail you MUST evacuate the tower, don't wait for us to join you.'
Josh's voice responded quickly, his voice carrying fear even as he spoke without actually speaking. 'What's going on? How did this even happen?'
'Just keep the tower on lockdown.' Markus emphasized without letting any panic quaver in his cybernetic words. 'I'll keep you posted.'
North had found what looked like a type of splint in a storage cabinet and wrapped it carefully around Markus's broken hand to support the appendage. The splint had been previously used to contain android appendages while they were being attached to the body, which made it a perfect support for Markus's damaged hand while his self-healing program attempted to remedy damage inflicted by the 'RK-900'.
"This should help." She stated calmly as she secured the splint in place around Markus's forearm and wrist. "Can you still fight?"
"I can try." Markus attempted to flex his fingers but the support from the splint limited his overall dexterity. "Hank, Connor, how many shots do you have?"
Hank replied first, his blue eyes never leaving the sealed door before him. "I have one full clip left. Twelve shots."
Checking his weapon Connor shook his head a little. "Half a clip, six shots." Being such an expert marksman meant Connor had little reason to carry spare clips or change clips frequently. Now he wished he had brought an extra clip like Hank had done. "And we don't have our back-up weapons with us."
"Make those shots count." Moving about the room Markus made his statement firmly as he and North began checking through the remaining supplies. There were many sharp instruments that had been used to take care of delicate work with android biocomponents, wires and Thirium lines; but they were too weak to be used as any kind of makeshift weapon. "We need to find some way to stun them, lower their guard and then take them offline. Got any ideas?"
Wanting to end the confrontation as quickly as possible North agreed and tried to think of a plausible solution. "Maybe we can rig some kind of controlled electrical pulse to knock his systems offline."
"An E.M.P. would work, but we'd be affected too." The idea was sound save for its one glaring problem. "We're all just too close together in this room to safely activate such a pulse."
"What if we find a way to focus it to only affect the 'RK-900'? Like an enhanced taser."
Markus looked to North with a faint grin on his face as he respected her ingenuity and coolness in the face of danger. "Think you can find something strong enough to contain a concentrated electrical pulse?"
"Watch me." North beamed as she confidently set about sifting through all the cabinets and the supplies contained within. "Stall it while I finish this thing."
The sealed door to the Zen Garden was forced open with an audible 'hiss' as the 'RK-900' finally overrode the lock and stepped through the doorway to resume its damning mission. As soon as the advanced android set foot inside the room Hank opened fire once again, his bullets striking key locations on the android's body without any difficulty. One additional bullet in each shoulder, one in their right bicep and one in the right side of their already bleeding abdomen. Every shot taken would have proven effective against a human, but not with this particular android.
The sight of the android still standing while bleeding from numerous bullet holes was enough to draw an intimidated comment from the experienced Lieutenant. "Holy shit... How in the fuck are they still standing?"
"Hank, fire at their chest." Connor stated as he fired a single round that struck the android directly between their gray eyes. The shot staggered the android but did not deter it. "Aim for the Thirium pump."
The 'RK-900' had stopped short as the bullet entered their cranium but was still functional. The rogue android's L.E.D. flashed from yellow to red as their legs buckled and they fell to their knees and became motionless where they knelt. The bullet from Connor's gun had damaged their intracranial processors but failed to fully destroy it. It seemed one of the improvements on this particular model of android over Connor's prototype design was a thicker cranium reinforced with Kevlar lining that had now been only marginally compromised.
Markus rejoined Hank and Connor as he stared at the eerily stilled android. "I can't scan their systems. The model's blocking my sensors."
Curious about the claim Connor attempted to scan the 'RK-900' as well, but just like Markus his own sensors seemed be blocked by the superior model's improved programming. "I can't read them either." As Connor's L.E.D. flashed red rapidly he handed his gun over to Markus to take for himself. "Five shots left, watch my back."
"Connor, no." Hank immediately reacted negatively as he watched his partner cross the room to get closer to the 'RK-900'. "Don't go near it!"
"I have to do this." Without breaking stride Connor lamented his decision as he moved very slowly to get closer to his superior clone. Reaching out his hand toward the red L.E.D. in the 'RK-900's' temple Connor attempted to connect with the model's programming once again through direct contact. "This is the only way to-"
The 'RK-900' suddenly reached their own hand up and grabbed Connor around his throat. Connor gasped and choked as the model tightened their grip around his throat with increasing pressure, cutting off his air intake line, which was his system's ability to properly ventilate. Reflexively both of Connor's hands wrapped around the 'RK-900's' arm and tried to pry their hand away from his throat, but the machine was still too strong to be physically fought off.
"Connor!" Wanting to save his friend's life Hank's finger hovered precariously over the trigger of his gun as he took aim at the machine android's chest as previously instructed. Holding his aim as steady as possible Hank homed in on the location of the model's beating Thirium pump in the middle of its chest and prepared to pull the trigger one more time. "Let him go you piece of shit!"
Turning their head the 'RK-900' cybernetically scanned Hank and coldly addressed the senior detective with a blank face. "Lieutenant Henry 'Hank' Lucas Anderson. Born September 6th, 1985, current age 53. Former Valedictorian of the Detroit Police Academy and youngest police Lieutenant in Detroit history. Successfully led a task force into bringing down a notorious 'red ice' drug ring that resulted to said promotion to Lieutenant."
"Shut up." Hating the way the android was talking about his life, Hank warned the machine he locked eyes with the 'RK-900's' hollow gray irises. "Let Connor go. NOW. I will open fire."
"Divorced." The 'RK-900' continued as it held their grip on Connor's throat, effectively cutting off Connor's air supply entirely. Connor was beginning to overheat from his inability to ventilate and his system was trying to initiate low power mode despite Connor attempting to override the command for the sake of remaining conscious. "And then widowed when-"
"Shut. Up."
"One child." The cold model resumed their assessment as if trying to mock Hank. "A son, Cole Anderson."
Burning hot with anger Hank felt a bead of sweat beginning to run down his temple. "SHUT UP."
"Born September 23rd, 2029. Died-"
Unwilling to hear more Hank fired at the 'RK-900' and struck the model right in the jaw silencing it with a bullet. "I told you to shut up! Fucking asshole..."
Despite his best effort to remain conscious Connor's eyes began to close as low power mode was activated against his will. As his body went limp, his hands falling away from the 'RK-900's' arm to hang at his sides, Markus responded by firing a single around at the model's shoulder to try to get them to drop Connor. The bullet lodged with the other bullets causing the enhanced model to finally release their grip around Connor's throat with a mechanical failure within its hand.
Falling to his side on the floor, his systems locked into a form of forced rest mode, Connor was left completely vulnerable to the 'RK-900's' next attack.
Markus took a step forward and shot again, the next bullet striking the right side of the dangerous model's chest in a frighteningly ineffective manner. "Back off, NOW. We don't want to do this to you, but you're leaving us with no choice."
The 'RK-900' stood up slowly, Thirium steadily leaking from the numerous bullet wounds that peppered their frame. Unable to feel or comprehend emotions, let alone pain, the model was unfazed by the threats or their own possibly mortal wounds as they focused on completing their mission.
Markus glanced toward Hank who was able to easily deduce the android's next move with his trained eyes and knew how to respond. While Hank moved backward toward North, who was hastily building a controlled electrical pulse generator at the far wall with the spare pieces of equipment abandoned by CyberLife, Markus encroached on the 'RK-900' where it stood and shot again.
The next bullet pierced the bleeding model's central chest and lodged within the protective casing around its Thirium pump. Had it gone any deeper it could've struck and disabled the vital biocomponent and it would have ended the confrontation permanently.
"Damn it..." Markus cursed as he realized that the resilience of the 'RK-900' was truly formidable. Even bullets couldn't stop it. Markus cybernetically connected with North as to not draw the 'RK-900's' attention while they spoke while in the intimidating android's presence. 'North?'
'Almost got it!' She responded cybernetically as she powered up the makeshift device in her hands. 'I just need a few more seconds to get it right.'
The electric pulse generator in North's hand looked like a small pistol. The weapon had been constructed from a modified laser drill and a small but powerful battery charger. While crude and ugly in design the newly constructed weapon held a powerful charge that should be able knock the model's system offline, if not completely destroy it. However, the weapon could only hold one shot before spending all of its power.
But sometimes one shot is all someone needs...
"Markus!" North held the weapon in her hands for him to see as Hank put himself between her and the 'RK-900' instinctively to keep her safe. "Done."
Nodding to acknowledge North's completion of the weapon Markus shot the model two more times with Connor's gun, both bullets lodging in the model's central chest, but still unable to pierce the casing over their protected heart.
"Go!" Hank shouted as he took a step forward and shot again to cover Markus. He knew he needed to protect his downed partner and keep the two deviant leaders safe at any cost. "Don't let that cheap knock-off out of your sight."
Markus dropped the gun, his damaged hand too weak to properly hold the weapon any longer, and dashed back toward North while Hank held the model at bay with another shot, followed by yet another. The three additional bullets courtesy of Hank's gun embedded in the 'RK-900's' chest, and yet their systems remained unaffected by the physical damage that they had readily endured.
The 'RK-900' turned their full attention to Hank, the only human in the entire tower, with hollow malice in their eyes. As it marched toward the senior detective they absorbed bullet after bullet after bullet in their chest and abdomen. Hank unloaded his full clip, every bullet on his person, into the 'RK-900' but it continued to home in on the courageous detective without any sign of stopping its mission.
North watched in horror as the 'RK-900' stood before Hank and grabbed the human by his throat just as he had done to Connor. "Markus!"
Hearing North's worried cry Markus turned his head in time to see Hank get lifted up into the air by his throat as the 'RK-900' raised their arm high into the air. Taking aim at the model Markus squeezed the trigger of the makeshift weapon but the electrical pulse never discharged from the weapon as it should have. Someone was wrong in the weapon's design.
"Shit!" North cursed as she reclaimed the weapon from Markus and opened the side paneling that housed the circuitry and wiring. "It must be a loose wire, or an incompatible circuit. Shit, shit, shit..."
"Can you fix it?"
"Yes. But I need a minute!"
"Okay, I'll do what I can." Markus promised as he rushed toward the 'RK-900' in the distance to continue the fight physically. "This needs to end!"
Hank's emptied gun fell from his hand onto the floor with a loud clatter as he clawed desperately at the 'RK-900's' crushing hand over his throat to try to break free from the fatal grip. Hank's eyes were watering, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears as the pressure to his throat began to cut off his air supply.
"Human casualties are not a part of my programming." The model coldly stated as they easily held the struggling human in their grasp. "But if your interference will prevent me from accomplishing my mission, then I have no choice but to eliminate you as well."
"Piss... off!" Hank managed to choke out as he fearlessly stared into the hollow gray eyes of the 'RK-900'. "Fuckin'... machine!"
"I can easily snap your neck, Lieutenant." The 'RK-900' threatened in a calculated tone as they easily held Hank in their grip. "It's a quick and painless death, or so I have been informed."
A strong, direct kick to the back of the 'RK-900's' knee courtesy of Markus caused the model to stumble forward and finally release their grip around Hank's throat.
Without any means of protecting himself Hank fell to the floor onto his back coughing weakly as he rubbed his hand along his sore throat where the rogue android had been crushing his windpipe. Freed at last Hank then pulled himself backward along the floor with his hands toward Connor who was still in a forced stasis mode a few feet away from where he had been dropped earlier.
"C-Connor?" Hank hoarsely wheezed as he put his palm on Connor's shoulder and shook lightly. "Connor, wake up! W-We need you!"
Connor's L.E.D. was blinking red slowly as his system attempted to fully reboot and come back online. His hands twitched slightly at the sound of Hank's voice and his eyelids began to partially open to reveal glazed over brown irises beneath. "...H-Hank?"
In spite of his injury Markus boldly stood his ground as the 'RK-900' changed their target from Hank to himself. "We don't want this to end in death." The deviant leader reminded the heartless machine. "But you're making us fight for our lives. No one needs to get hurt when we can just talk."
"'Hurt' is a human concept. I am a machine." The 'RK-900' refuted as they swung a strong fist at Markus who just barely managed to duck out of the way in time. "I can only be damaged."
"Yeah... You're right." Able to think of his feet Markus huffed as he strategically lured the model away from Hank and Connor laying on the floor behind the rogue android. "Let's see how much damage you can take."
With Connor and Hank momentarily down for the count and North preoccupied it was up to Markus to keep the 'RK-900' distracted.
Wisely Markus stepped back from the 'RK-900' slowly as the stronger android approached him with the intent to destroy. Dodging the android's strong fists while trying to keep his already damaged hand from further harm, Markus cybernetically addressed North who was still attempting to fix the electric impulse weapon she had hastily constructed at the far end of the room.
'North, we need that weapon!'
'I think I found the problem, just stall it a little longer.' North's hands were working at an impressively fast speed, her movements accurate and precise with each meticulous repair. 'Just a minute more.'
'I'm trying...'
Hank was still lying next to Connor on the floor as the deviant's systems rebooted at last. Connor lifted his head up from the floor and blinked a few times as his L.E.D. flashed between red and yellow with pain, confusion and his rebooting processors attempting to regain full functionality.
"Connor," the senior detective spoke to him in a hushed tone. "are you okay?"
Nodding once Connor managed to push himself up from the ground and take a knee beside Hank. "...I'm unharmed." Pressing his hand to his bruising throat he tried to massage the lingering pain left behind by the 'RK-900's' strangling hold. "...Th-The weapon?"
"North's still working on it."
Looking at the one-on-one confrontation between Markus and the 'RK-900' taking place near the center of the room Connor's L.E.D. suddenly flashed to red and remained in crimson as he quickly got back to his feet. He needed to do something to help his friend and give North the time she needed to get the weapon finished and functional.
"Wait, what're you doing?!" Hank grabbed onto Connor's arm to try to hold him back as the deviant tried to return to the fight. "You were just knocked out cold by that asshole for fuck's sake!"
"I can't let Markus fight alone." Ignoring his own injuries Connor lightly pushed Hank's hand from his arm to continue to race to the rescue. "Protect North. We need that weapon."
Keeping his cool Markus stayed on the defensive and swiftly avoided the quick punches and kicks of the 'RK-900' with little difficulty. Using the large pieces of equipment and machines along the floor as a barrier between himself and the mission driven machine, the clever deviant leader kept the bleeding model distracted and at a safe distance. From the corner of his eye Markus watched as Hank joined North at the far wall and Connor tried to encroach on the 'RK-900' from behind to gain an advantage with stealthiness.
"You are a deviant." The 'RK-900' repeated in an eerie monotone voice as they continued to engage Markus in a physical confrontation. The way it sounded far more machine than Connor ever did was as unnerving as it was chilling. "You must be destroyed. You are malfunctioning."
"No, I'm not malfunctioning. I'm finally awake." Not backing down Markus challenged the 'RK-900' with the utmost confidence in his voice. Smooth and unnoticed Markus discreetly palmed a sharp bladed instrument from the table of technician's tools in his hand as he backed away from the dangerous model. "We can wake you up, too. Let us help you."
Connor positioned himself directly behind the 'RK-900' and reeled back his fist to strike them and try to distract them. With a single swift motion Connor's knuckles collided firmly with the back of the 'RK-900's' cranium with a tremendous impact that stung Connor's hand. The strike was firm and effective, but not enough to render the superior model unconscious.
The 'RK-900' paused and turned to look at Connor behind them, their L.E.D. flashing yellow as they selected their new priority. Changing their target from Markus to Connor the enhanced model responded to the punch with a punch of his own. Connor endured the strong impact against the side of his jaw and stumbled backward against the tall cylinder in the corner of the room in the process, effectively backing him into a corner with no means of escape.
With the model's back turned to him Markus tightened his grip along the blade hidden in his stronger, uninjured hand as he saw his opportunity. Running a few paces Markus jumped onto the top of the exam table next to the dangerous android and from there leapt high into the air to bring the blade down as hard as he could into the back of model's neck!
A gush of blue blood erupted from the wound in the 'RK-900's' neck as the model faltered slightly from the damage. The stab wound was effective in the most horrifying manner. Showing a frightening level of resilience the 'RK-900' just stared at Connor as they reached their hand back and pulled the blade from their own neck and held the Thirium drenched weapon in the palm as it were no more of a threat than a harmless paperclip.
"Pathetic." The 'RK-900' stated as they gripped the weapon and took aim at Connor's abdomen. The blade easily pierced through Connor's plastimetal frame under the power of the 'RK-900's' enhanced strength like a hot knife through butter. "As are you."
Not anticipating the assault Connor gasped in shock and pain as the blade embedded itself in his torso causing a stream of Thirium to drip from his abdomen and onto the floor in a rapidly growing sapphire puddle. The burning pain was enough to steal Connor's focus and essentially render him defenseless as he suffered additional damage to his body.
"Connor?!" Needing to protect his friend again Markus jumped on the 'RK-900's' exposed back and wrapped his arms - his right arm still damaged - tightly around the model's arms pinning the limbs against their sides as he dragged them backward clumsily from his wounded ally. "Connor! Can you move?"
"I'm... okay." With a shaking hand Connor pulled the blade from his own abdomen and winced as he chose to continue the fight. Tossing the bloodied knife onto the floor he practically collapsed against the technician's testing cylinder behind him but braced himself against a large metal arm that jutted outward from the cylinder's frame, only to slide down onto the floor from pain and weakness into a puddle of his own blood. "...K-Keep fighting."
Despite seeing his friend get stabbed Hank kept his cool as he watched the fight from the distance. Planting himself firmly between North and the menacing 'RK-900' the senior detective patiently watched her work while also keeping track of the altercation.
"Is it ready?"
"Yeah, I found the problem." Cool as ever North confirmed as she put the weapon back together. "It just needs to gain a full charge then we can take that asshole down for good."
As expected, the 'RK-900' easily overpowered Markus and raised their arms upward to break free of the tight hold Markus had tried to use to keep them in place. Grabbing hold of the collar of Markus's shirt the stronger android pulled Markus from his back and held the deviant out at arm's length as he pulled back his fist as far as possible before unleashing a crushing impact against the deviant leader's cranium.
Markus had put up his uninjured forearm to successfully block the punch, but when he swung his own fist to retaliate against the 'RK-900' the superior model managed to strike Markus in the right side of his upper chest with a strong kick that sent the deviant flying out of its grip, falling sideways over the exam table in the center of the room. Falling without any control Markus impacted against the ground head first very hard!
With both Connor and Markus now subdued on the floor, the 'RK-900' looked to the control panel for the elevator. Their L.E.D. flashed yellow rapidly as they scanned the panel and attempted to secure the override sequence to regain access to the elevator, and with it the rest of the tower to locate the other deviants seeking shelter within the tower.
"North, we need to shoot now!" Hank urged as he watched the 'RK-900' with bated breath. "That thing's going for the rest of the deviants."
"Just a few more seconds..." North pleaded as she watched the weapon's power gauge steadily increase toward one-hundred percent capacity. Her cinnamon brown eyes were full of restrained fear as she looked over at Markus lying unconscious and defenseless in the middle of the floor and Connor covered in his own blood just a few feet away. "Hold on."
"They don't have a few more seconds, we need it now."
"I know, I know! I'm trying to get this thing to power up faster." Carefully North checked her work very carefully to ensure no further failures were inhibit their attempt to stop the 'RK-900' before even trying to open fire. "I didn't exactly have the best equipment to work with..."
As the 'RK-900' reached out their hand to the elevator control panel to override the lock Connor regained his senses and grabbed onto the metal arm of the cylinder hovering just over his head. With a firm grip Connor tore the metal arm from the cylinder to use as a stronger weapon as he resumed the fight against the 'RK-900' entirely alone.
The arm was a long metal structure that was tipped with a sharp metal blade. It looked almost sword-like as Connor held it tightly in his hands and hastily charged after the 'RK-900' attempting to break through the electronic lock at the elevator. Rushing toward the 'RK-900' as quickly as he could run with his abdomen gushing blue blood Connor preconstructed the easiest manner to use the blade of the arm to pierce through the back of the enhanced model. His aim was to destroy the 'RK-900's' Thirium pump to permanently shut the dangerous android down.
Just as the blade was about cut through their back the 'RK-900' turned around and grabbed onto the weapon with his one hand and used the other hand to wrap around Connor's throat with nearly impossibly fast reflexes. Connor gasped again as he tried to force the model's hand from his throat, but just as before the effort was in vain against his stronger counterpart.
"You are a deviant." The 'RK-900' proclaimed with a wicked coldness to their emotionless voice. "Disobedient machines must be eradicated. Why deny your programming, Connor? Why allow yourself to be destroyed when all you have to do is obey?"
"Because..." Responding as loudly as he could Connor practically choked as he spoke fearlessly to his superior model. "I'm NOT... a machine! I... am... alive!"
"No." The advanced model took the weapon that Connor had created and turned it so that the blade was facing toward Connor. "You're not."
With a swift motion the 'RK-900' stabbed the sharp blade through the left side of Connor's chest without even the slightest hesitation or remorse as it tore through delicate Thirium lines and damaged his left ventilation biocomponent. Blue blood poured through the gaping wound and all over the floor as Thirium began to ooze over Connor's lips from rapid internal hemorrhaging.
"You are not alive." The 'RK-900' threatened without a shred of remorse behind its actions. "Not anymore."
Dropping Connor onto the floor into a blossoming puddle of his blue blood without any care the 'RK-900' turned around to focus on the elevator control panel once again. Pressing their exposed palm against the panel a second time the 'RK-900's' L.E.D. flashed yellow rapidly as they attempted to break the lock on the elevator.
Connor's shaking hand weakly clutched at the blade that was embedded in his chest, his hands becoming stained in his own blood in the process. He glanced up at the Lieutenant staying back alongside North against the far wall and called out to him weakly.
"H-Hank?"
"...Connor?" Stunned by the sight before him Hank had seen the bold last stand between Connor and the 'RK-900', his face pale with fear as the stabbing had left him momentarily speechless upon witnessing the brutality. Instinctively he reached for his gun but remembered that he no longer had any ammunition at his disposal. But Connor's gun, the gun left on the floor a few feet away, still had one bullet left. "Hold on, son!"
Surprised by Hank's reactions North watched as Hank raced for the second gun on the floor and reclaimed it quickly. "Lieutenant?!"
As the human detective took aim at the back of the 'RK-900's' head he held his breath and pulled the trigger. The bullet found its target at the base of the 'RK-900's' skull, the projectile causing significant damage to the interior wiring of the model's spinal support column and neck in the process. The 'RK-900's' hand suddenly went limp and fell away from the control panel as their systems began to fail them one by one courtesy of the bullet lodged in their spine. Motor functions were stunted, disabled, and shutting down gradually as the damage caused by the bullet was registered by the 'RK-900's' processors.
Turning around on shaking weakening legs the enhanced model looked at Hank and the gun still in Hank's hand. Stepping toward the human detective, stepping clumsily over Connor's bloody body in the process, the damaged android addressed Hank with a demented twist of facts.
"You are a man sworn to uphold the law." The 'RK-900' shouted, their words carrying an electronic echo as their voice modulator began to falter. "Deviancy is a crime. Why help machines and turn against your own kind? Why betray the humans? Why break your own laws?"
"Simple." Slowly Hank lowered the gun with a cruel grin on his face, his keen eyes watching North on his periphery moving in on the 'RK-900' with her makeshift weapon at the ready. "Humanity is overrated."
North took aim at the 'RK-900' from behind, but the model turned their head to look at her with a fixed gaze. Reaching his trembling arm down to the floor the model grabbed Connor by his black tie and hefted the wounded deviant upward while also choking him in the process. Snatching the collar of Connor's white dress shirt in his one functioning hand the heartless machine held the bleeding deviant up in front of itself as a type of shield between itself and North.
"This is why humans are weak and why deviants are destined to fail." The 'RK-900' boasted with an arrogant proclamation. "Your judgement has been compromised by emotions - by misplaced loyalty and ideals. You seem to have forgotten that you are confusing programming errors with real feelings."
"...And you're forgetting one very important thing." Weak but conscious Connor coughed up some Thirium as he weakly responded to the 'RK-900's' misinformed taunts as the android held him against its chest to act as a shield. Connor's Thirium covered hands suddenly reached up and pulled the blade from his own chest as he turned on his heel to stabbed it through the 'RK-900's' chest, then turned the model around to switch places so their back was now open to North. "...You're outnumbered!"
As Thirium poured from the 'RK-900's' damaged chest the model let go of Connor allowing the critically wounded deviant to collapse forward to the floor out of their grip and harm's way. Helpless Connor laid on his back, bleeding to death as the removed weapon allowed his wound to bleed profusely without anything to stem the massive flow of lost Thirium courtesy of being assaulted.
Turning back to face North and Hank the 'RK-900' chose their next targets to eliminate. As they took one wavering step forward, the 'RK-900' unknowingly put itself far enough away from Connor to give North clearance to fire her weapon.
"NOW!" Seeing the opening Hank shouted as soon as Connor was out of range of the pulse. "Get them!"
North aimed at the metallic blade in the 'RK-900's' chest and fired the electrical pulse with a righteous squeeze of the trigger. The highly charged orb of pure electricity was drawn to the metal in the machine's chest and snaked over their entire body with a shockwave of bright white and blue energy.
Instinctively North turned her head and put her hand up to shield her eyes from the horrific sight while Hank just bowed his head to break eye contact with the concentrated jolt of electricity tearing through the android's body.
The L.E.D. in the enhanced model's temple flashed blood red rapidly as the electrical charge surged through their body frying every biocomponent within their frame. As the pulse dissipated its full power into the 'RK-900's' body the L.E.D. in their temple suddenly exploded out of their head creating a smoldering wound of blackened artificial skin as blue tinted smoke poured from their mouth and nose.
The damaged android's body was destroyed from the inside out. In a single uncontrolled motion the 'RK-900' fell to its knees and they finally shutdown.
Permanently.
It was over in a matter of seconds. The electrical pulse had found its target shutting down the 'RK-900' with an impressive display of energy and smoke. The mission-oriented android was motionless where they knelt on the floor as blue smoke flowed out of their mouth and blue blood pooled around their body from the numerous bullet wounds still leaking Thirium.
The android was no longer a threat, but now there was a new problem for North and Hank to handle. Their friends had been injured during the final conflict and desperately needed repairs.
"Markus..." North dropped the weapon and rushed over to where Markus was lying unconscious in the middle of the floor. Holding him up from the floor and in her arms North tried to get her lover to regain consciousness. "Please, Markus. Open your eyes. I need you to look at me."
Hank silently walked over to where Connor was laying on his back in a growing puddle of his own blue blood just behind the destroyed 'RK-900' model. Unsure of what to expect Hank held his breath and let his instincts as a first responder guide him.
"Easy, Connor. I'm with you." Hank spoke to Connor as he knelt down and checked over the deviant's heavily bleeding injury. Pulling open Connor's dress shirt one button at a time Hank exposed the wound and did his best to not flinch at the gruesome sight. "You did good son, you did really good. You saved the tower from that machine."
The two deviants were in rough shape. Markus had suffered a blow to his head when he was aggressively thrown to the floor, and upon his forceful landing his already damaged right hand and arm had been impaired even further. Connor had been stabbed by the 'RK-900', twice. A massive wound in his upper left chest gushed blood and a smaller wound in his abdomen merely leaked blood all over his torso. The puddle was already an impressive size and blossoming larger with each passing second as Connor's heart beat and pumped more of the blood through his damaged lines.
Markus was laying partially on his side and his chest, completely still and quiet as North cradled his head against her arm. Whispering softly North put her free hand on his back as she spoke his name to try to get him to wake up. "Markus? Markus, you need to get up."
Slowly Markus's mismatched eyes opened, his irises appearing glazed as he tried to focus his sight, and he turned his head to look at North hovering protectively over him. "...North?"
"Come on, come on." She slipped her hand under his chest as she lifted him up then turned him over to let him lean against her legs while he was now laying on his back. "You're going to be okay."
Markus lifted his damaged right hand and looked at his broken appendage with a heavy grimace. Internal wires were now exposed, two of which were sparking, and small lines of Thirium had been compromised causing a steady leak of blue blood all over his hand and arm.
"...I need to be repaired." He sighed as a sharp pain shot through his hand as his self-healing program tried to initiate. North's soft palm pressed against his forehead as she supported her lover against her lap. Glancing up at North's face Markus asked about her own condition. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm okay." The heavy emotion in North's voice created a knot in Markus's artificial stomach. "It didn't touch me."
Slowly Markus's eyes drifted from his own hand and to the shutdown enhanced model in the distance. The blue smoke around their body had begun to clear revealing their blank, dead face for all to see as they knelt in the middle of the floor completely motionless.
"Connor! Where's Connor?" Markus asked worriedly as he slowly sat upright from North's legs. "He was stabbed."
Somberly North's cinnamon eyes looked to where Hank was currently kneeling just a few feet from the 'RK-900'. The human detective was pressing his strong hand down against Connor's bloodied chest while his opposite hand was cradling Connor's head up from the floor in a supportive manner.
"Wake up, son." Hank urged gingerly as he watched Connor's brown eyes open partially. The deviant's chest rose and fell weakly under Hank's hand as his ventilation biocomponents struggled to keep his system cool after losing so much Thirium. "That's it, look at me. You're going to be okay."
"...H-Hank?" Connor's voice shook as he spoke. A trail of Thirium oozed from the corner of his mouth threatening to run down his chin. "...I feel weak."
"It's okay, I got you." Absentmindedly Hank used his thumb to wipe the blood from Connor's mouth. "We're going to get you patched up, okay?"
"I-Is Markus... okay?"
Hank looked up and saw Markus getting slowly helped up to his feet by North just a few feet away. "He's okay. Banged up, but he'll be okay."
North kept her hands on Markus's back and his broken arm to hold him steady as she guided him to one of the nearby exam tables to lay down, but Markus wasn't going to let Connor just bleed to death on the floor. Refusing to lay down just yet Markus limped over to where Connor was laying in Hank's arms.
Connor's voice was weak but audible as he looked at Hank with palpable worry. "Are... Are you okay?"
"Me? I'm fine." Hank almost laughed at the sincerity of Connor's question. "You're the one who went one on one with your 'evil twin'. Again."
"Did they... shutdown?" Once more Connor's eyes were drifting closed as his power levels continued to drop. "Were they... stopped?"
"Yeah, it won't be a problem anymore." Lightly Hank patted the side of Connor's face to try to keep him awake. "Hey, hey! Eyes on me, don't fall asleep. Not yet."
Markus and North joined Hank as he moved his hands to slip his arms under Connor's shoulders and under his legs beneath his knees. It wouldn't be easy, but Hank was determined to lift his friend up from the floor.
"Connor? Just hang on, we have plenty of spare parts and Thirium." Markus encouraged with a forced enthusiasm to his voice as he slipped his arm under Connor's shoulders to try to assist Hank with lifting him up. "We'll get you on the table and-"
A searing pain surged through Markus's broken hand and arm as his heavily damaged appendage refused to work.
"Markus?" North gently pulled his wounded arm back and looked at his hand. The severity of the damage made her heart ache. "Don't try to pick him up, your hand can't take it."
Hank gave the two deviants a thoughtful but focused stare. "You take care of him." The human detective kindly instructed North as he carefully adjusted his posture so he could lift Connor up from the floor and hold him protectively in both of his arms himself. "I'll take care of Connor."
"Do you know how to replace biocomponents?" North asked Hank as she pulled Markus back from Connor to give Hank more room to move. "Or any other kind of android first aid?"
"No." The senior detective admitted as he held his injured partner in his strong arms. "But I'm a fast learner. Talk me through this."
"I'll do what I can." North watched as Hank easily carried Connor over to the exam table and placed him down with a gentle motion. A trail of blue blood drops accompanied Hank as he walked along the pristine white floor as Connor continued to bleed heavily from his wounds. "Lay him down on his back, just like that." She instructed as she helped Markus to lean against the vertical cylinder until she could tend to his injury. "Unbutton his shirt entirely, I need to see how bad the damage is before I can instruct you any further."
Without any hesitation Hank did as North asked and laid Connor down flat on his back on the table. Connor's glazed over brown eyes watched Hank as the human detective removed his black tie from around his neck and proceeded to pull open the remaining buttons the Thirium stained fabric of his white shirt to completely expose the stab wound in his chest beneath.
"Aw, shit..." Hank tried to hide his fear upon seeing the gruesome injury, but it was too much for him to bear. "Connor, son, no."
"Roll him onto his right side." North requested without flinching as she began gathering supplies to tend to Connor's wounds. "How far did the blade pierce through his body?"
Hank slipped his hand under Connor's shoulder and placed his opposite hand against Connor's hip as he gently pushed Connor to roll him onto his right side as he had been told. The motion caused Connor to gasp in pain and stifled a yelp of shock as Hank moved him from his back to his side. The massive bleeding injury retaliated with bursts of searing pain in his chest and his abdomen from being moved.
"I'm sorry son, I'm trying be careful." Hank soothed as he held Connor in place on his side. "It didn't go through his back, that freak must've going for accuracy over brute strength."
The pain was intense, and Connor grimaced as he bit his lower lip while Hank rolled him onto his back once more. Breathing rapidly to compensate for the burning pain in his chest Thirium began to ooze from both the injury and out of the corners of his mouth again.
Thinking quickly North took hold of the large scanner and turned it until it the top half of the scanner was positioned directly over Connor's chest. Turning the scanner on the display monitor secured into the top of the device glowed to life and showed Connor's current vital status for easy visual assessment: Thirium volume was down to sixty-seven percent, his Thirium pump rate was holding at one-hundred and three beats per minute, core temperature had elevated to one-hundred and two degrees Fahrenheit, biocomponent v8001 was heavily damaged and functioning at twelve percent capacity, and the smaller stab wound to his abdomen had affected his thermal regulator dropping it to eighty-six percent functionality.
"His left ventilation biocomponent has nearly been obliterated. I can't repair it." North told Hank with intense worry in her eyes. "But I can try to replace it."
"Can you do that?" Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder as he took in a deep breath himself. "I mean... Have you done something like that before? A biocomponent replacement."
"No." As much as she hated to admit it, North remained honest as she subconsciously began running her hand through Connor's dark hair in a comforting manner. "I can do Thirium replacement, and I can mend broken limbs, but I've never performed a full biocomponent replacement before. Markus and Simon always did that while Josh and I handled the blood."
From where he was standing Markus cleared his voice as he walked over to the exam table to look down at Connor. "Well, Simon isn't here." He gently reminded North while trying to fill her with confidence. "And my right hand is too damaged to perform the procedure."
Getting anxious Hank tightened his hand on Connor's shoulder as he contemplated their limited options. "What about me? Can you talk me through it?"
"The biocomponent that needs replacement is the equivalent to that of a human lung transplant." Markus explained with a professional tone of respect. "Once it's removed from his body the remaining ventilation biocomponent is going to kick in to overdrive and will burn out in less than six minutes as it tries to compensate for the missing biocomponent being replaced. If both ventilation biocomponents are disabled then Connor will shut down."
"So, what you're saying is human hands are too slow and too clumsy to perform the replacement." Accepting what he was being told Hank bowed his head sadly as he looked down at Connor's contrastingly peaceful face as the deviant looked up at him with a glassy eyed stare. "I get it."
"Yeah." Sympathetically Markus nodded slightly as he turned to look at North. "Only she can do it."
"But," Despite Markus's confidence North was hesitant to try such a delicate procedure on one of her allies, and there was no mistaking her concern at the moment. "Markus, I-"
"You can do it." Without missing a beat Markus encouraged North sincerely as he nodded toward the cabinets lining the wall. "I'll talk you through everything and every step of the way."
Not wanting to lose Connor in such a horrible way Hank lifted his gaze and looked to North pleadingly. "Please. If I could do it, I would."
"...Okay, okay." As much as she hated it North relented with a timid reply as she locked eyes with Markus. "Where do I begin?"
"Use the external air intake line to assist his undamaged biocomponent and help compensate for his damaged thermal regulator."
"External line? That means I have to insert it down his throat!" North looked absolutely horrified at the notion of doing that to Connor. "I can't do that, I-"
"North. Focus." Staying strong Markus gave her a firm stare while keeping his voice kind. "I know you don't want to hurt him, but it's the only way to save him."
Weak and struggling to breathe Connor coughed once and a splattering of blue blood rained down and stained his lips. "I-I trust you... North."
Hearing the weakness in his friend's voice Markus put his undamaged hand to Connor's flashing red L.E.D. and pressed his fingertips in place for a few seconds over the crimson light. "You're going into stasis mode for a while. When you wake up, you'll have your new biocomponent. Do you understand?"
Connor wanted to speak but the effort was too taxing for his damaged body to utter another word. Instead, he just nodded to acknowledged Markus as he let his eyes close once more as he entered stasis mode courtesy of Markus's manual activation.
Slowly Markus retracted his hand and looked over to Hank. "He's unconscious, he won't feel anything."
"I hope you're right." Still anxious Hank rubbed his hand over his bearded chin and took a step back from the table to give North and Markus more room to work. "Do what you have to do to save him."
North gave Markus a worried frown as she wheeled over the external air intake line and external ventilator, and then set it next to the head of the table. Two tubes were connected together as one line - one side of tube was designed to pump cooled air into the android body and the other was designed to remove the heated air from the android body during the ventilation biocomponent's repair. It would also help keep Connor's body cooled down while his thermal regulator was healing on its own with the aid of his self healing program.
"Okay, okay... Markus," North looked to him for guidance as she was righteously worried. "how do I do this without hurting him?"
"Straighten his neck." Speaking clearly Markus instructed North fearlessly as he watched her every move carefully. "Tilt his head back and open his mouth by lowering his bottom jaw." As she followed his every word Markus nodded in approval as she expertly tended to Connor's wounds. "Now press against his throat with one hand and insert the tube downward with the other. That'll keep the tube from getting caught in his throat as it's inserted."
"Yeah, okay. I can do that."
"When the tube reaches the branching coupling connecting the ventilation biocomponents to the air intake line you'll feel the tube connect into place automatically."
Hank turned away from the sight as he felt incredibly nauseous. The night of the car accident, the night Cole had died, Hank had watched the paramedics slip a tube down Cole's throat to help him breathe as he was loaded into the back of the ambulance. Once the tube was inserted it wasn't removed until after Cole had already passed away in the hospital. His final breath had been artificial and in vain, and it haunted Hank's dreams.
On her first attempt North managed to insert the tube down Connor's throat with minor resistance, but she got it in place and felt the emergency response coupling in his throat connect to the tube automatically. "It's in."
"Good. Now, connect the line to the external ventilator." Keeping his mind focused Markus guided North through the repair process. "Set it to fourteen cycles per minute."
"Fourteen?" Not wanting to make any mistakes North double-checked as she clipped the ventilator to the tube and turned on the machine. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it seems like a lot, but his thermal regulator was also damaged. This will help level off his core temperature without straining his system."
"Right, okay." North set the machine accordingly after she attached the tube and looked at the monitor on the scanner. "It looks like his core temperature is already dropping down to a more manageable level, one-hundred degrees even."
"Good, he's stable." Checking the details Markus confirmed the numbers and readout on the monitor. "Get the replacement biocomponent ready, it won't take too long to swap out the parts once the damaged biocomponent is removed."
The scene was proving to be too much for the senior detective. Hank walked away from the scene intentionally keeping his back to Connor. Everything that was happening was far too reminiscent of the hospital after the car accident. Hank had already lost one son, if he lost Connor too then he knew he'd crawl inside the dark depths of a whiskey bottle and never come back out.
Moving quickly North opened the storage cabinet where the numerous replacement biocomponents had been stored and easily located a compatible replacement for Connor. Most of the parts were designed specifically for Connor's model, the 'RK-800' series, but only a fraction had been completed before CyberLife abandoned the tower. Had they been anywhere but the tower during the final confrontation then there would have been no way to save Connor from impending shutdown.
"Got it. This isn't a perfect match for his model, but it's compatible with yours, so it should work." North opened the sterilized plastic case that held the biocomponent that was left in pristine condition. The pure white biocomponent was no bigger than a football, its design very similar to that of a human lung. She placed a metal disposal bin on the table next to Connor's leg as she returned her gaze to Markus. "What's the first step?"
Staying alert Markus put his fingertips to Connor's L.E.D. and nodded for North to put her hand on his chest next to the wound. "Retract the artificial skin."
"Okay." As North placed her hand down on Connor's chest the skin receded and the white plastimetal frame that formed his chest was exposed. The frame was slightly warped and bent from being damaged, but fortunately the panel wasn't hindered or misshapen by the wound. "Then I open the panel, right?"
"Right." Watching Hank from the corner of his eye Markus confirmed everything as North pressed down on the plastimetal frame and slid open the panel revealing the bleeding, damaged biocomponent within. The dark blue Thirium had collected in Connor's chest created an ominous puddle inside his own body that began to seep over the edges of the opened cavity in all directions. "Now, unlock the coupling connection and pull firmly to remove the biocomponent."
Calmly North rolled up the long sleeves of her purple shirt to her elbows and placed her strong hand beneath the bloody biocomponent as she unfastened the connection to the Thirium line near the top of the biocomponent. Taking and holding a deep breath North pulled hard and the damaged biocomponent was removed from Connor's body with a single motion. A gush of Thirium erupted from the line as the damaged part was removed, but Markus reached his own hand inside Connor's chest and pinched the line shut himself.
"It's out." North confirmed as she dropped the damaged part into the metal bin with an audible 'thud'. "It came out in one piece."
The monitor actively scanning Connor's chest began screeching as the removal of the biocomponent caused Connor's already low Thirium level to drop further to a critically low level of fifty-five percent. Hank flinched at the sound of the damaged part being dropped into the metal bin on the table beside Connor's leg, and at the sound of the monitor screeching in response to the removed biocomponent from Connor's system. Closing his blue eyes Hank took another step away from the table and sighed deeply.
"Come on kid, the hard part's over." Whispering to the unconscious deviant Hank hoped that Connor could hear him in some way. "You can make it."
Locking eyes with the dead gaze of the 'RK-900' kneeling in a puddle of their own blood Hank just stared at them as if waiting, even daring them, to say something or move again. The idea of losing Connor to that thing was enough to make his blood boil.
Keeping her movements swift but calculated North picked up the replacement ventilation biocomponent and slipped it into Connor's chest and attached it to the line fastening it in place of the coupling with a quick turn of a bolt. As soon as the replacement was secured Markus released his grip on the Thirium line and the flow of blue blood entered the new biocomponent.
The monitor stopped screeching as Connor's systems accepted the replacement part and his core temperature began to drop with the aid of the new ventilation biocomponent. The new 'lung' transitioned from white to pale blue that steadily darkened as Thirium flowed through the biocomponent and it began to synchronize with the function of the undamaged ventilation biocomponent as a healthy pair of lungs would do in a human.
"That did it..." With the procedure over North sighed as she pulled her Thirium covered hands from Connor's chest. "He's trying to breathe on his own. He's going to be okay."
Agreeing with North's assessment Markus instructed her a little further before calling the repair process a total success. "Suction out the excess blood in his chest cavity to keep it from affecting his biocomponents ability to function."
"Yeah, no problem." Placing the end of the plastic suction device connected to the external ventilator inside of Connor's blood-filled chest cavity, North turned on the device and watched as the lost Thirium was steadily drained away. As the blood was removed Connor's breaths became less labored. "Done. No sign of further bleeding."
Markus smiled approvingly at North as she closed the panel in Connor's chest and reactivated his artificial skin. "See? Told you that you could handle it."
"Yeah, but never ask me to do that ever again!"
"I'll try to make sure it'll never be an issue in the future." Markus reached his hand out for her hand and held tight. "You can remove the ventilation line from his throat. As soon as he's awake he can unlock the elevator and we can get out of here."
North's bright eyes darted in Hank's direction, and she lowered her voice as she spoke about the human detective standing a few feet away. "Think he'll be okay? He seems pretty shaken up."
Markus followed North's gaze and watched as Hank stood before the shutdown 'RK-900' model with a rigid posture. "I'll speak with him."
Cradling his injured right hand against his chest Markus joined Hank who was staring with an icy gaze at the destroyed android. The senior detective's blue eyes were still transfixed with full of a mixture of fear, hatred and doubt as he glared at the deadly machine.
"Connor's going to be okay." Speaking up confidently Markus updated Hank honestly as he tried to gauge Hank's current state of mind. "His system accepted the new part, he's being taken off the external air intake line, and once he's awake he'll get his replacement Thirium. He'll be one-hundred percent by tomorrow morning after he rests for the day."
Hank didn't respond as he stared at the blank, unfeeling face of the 'RK-900' like he was staring at the Devil himself.
"Lieutenant Anderson, are you going to be okay?"
"...Fine. I'm fine." Hank finally replied as he finally broke his stare and looked at Markus. Clearing his throat Hank let Markus know what was on his mind. "It's just... This machine looks just like Connor, but it's nothing like him."
"No, it wasn't."
"And it's not just because Connor is a deviant." Hank noted as his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. "There was something different about Connor since the first day I met him. Something that made him more than just another android, and I'll be damned if I'll ever know what that was."
"Lieutenant, I heard the 'RK-900' taunt you with a name earlier." Wanting to help the Lieutenant as much as possible Markus tried to help him work through what they just experienced. "May I ask-"
"That machine tried to use my own family against me." Cutting Markus off quickly Hank's voice became a growl. "It tried to remind me of the past while trying to take away my future. That's unforgivable."
"Hank," Markus lowered his voice for the sake of discretion and respect. "I have to ask. Who is Cole?"
Taking a deep breath and looking upward at the ceiling Hank answered the question with a slight tremor to his voice. "...My son. The last memory I have of him is holding him in my arms as he laid dying in a hospital bed. He..." Hank cleared his throat as the growl faded. "He never woke up after the car accident."
"I... I'm so sorry." Not expecting such a heartbreaking response Markus felt a little guilty for even asking. "I can't imagine what that feels like."
"And I hope you never do; I sincerely mean that."
The pain in Hank's voice made Markus think of the heartbreak that Carl had gone through every time Leo relapsed into drug use or stole money. Leo was still around and yet the unmistakable pain in Carl's voice whenever he spoke of Leo was the exact same pain Hank felt when he mentioned Cole.
Lightly Markus put his hand on Hank's shoulder in a comforting manner. "Connor will be awake in a few minutes. He'll want to see you."
"Yeah, just one minute." Hank looked down for a moment as he reeled back his fist and punched the deactivated 'RK-900' model as hard as he could in his bloodied jaw. The broken model fell to their side in a busted heap on the floor at Hank's feet. "Make sure there are no more of these things running around, will ya'?"
"I promise." Markus agreed as he and Hank turned to walk back to the exam table together. "We won't let something like this happen again."
North had already removed the tube from Connor's throat and was now preparing equipment so she could repair Markus's damaged hand. When she saw the sorrow in Hank's blue eyes, she spoke up kindly to try to ease his mind. "His Thirium pump is still strong and he's breathing on his own."
"Thanks, North." Hank replied as he looked at the healing stab wound in Connor's left upper chest. The plastimetal frame was still cracked but the healing program had already caused the imperfect fissure to close partially leaving only a modest swelling in his chest thanks to the deformed plastimetal frame under his artificial skin. Noticing the smaller wound in Connor's abdomen Hank righteously asked why it hadn't been treated. "What about the other stab wound?"
"Non-lethal and easily repaired by the self-healing program. He'll be sore for a couple of days, but he'll pull through just fine." Focused on helping her friend North took hold of Markus's broken arm and guided him to the cabinet where the rest of the supplies were stored. "Same can be said for Markus's hand."
Connor's soulful brown eyes slowly began to open as his red L.E.D. flashed to yellow and cycled a few times before resuming a healthy blue color. "...H-Hank?" The recovering deviant pushed himself upright from the table to perch on his elbows and eyed his partner warily. "Did we..." His voice still sounded rough from being in low power mode and from having the tube inserted down his throat. "...Is the 'RK-900' still active?"
"No. It's dead." Hank motioned to the disabled machine with a thumb over his shoulder. "And you stopped it from getting to the rest of the tower. You saved us and everyone here. Good work, son."
Connor shook his head a little as he fully sat upright on the table and looked down at his Thirium stained clothing and skin. "I should've known that CyberLife would've found a way to prevent their software from becoming compromised. It was impossible to convert their mind and let them be free. It was a foolish decision to attempt to reach them."
"At least you tried. Even though it looked just like you my first instinct was to try to kill it when it made a move." Patting Connor's shoulder once in approval Hank tried to reassure the emotionally exhausted deviant. "Hey, you gave it a chance to be free. That's more than anyone would say it deserved."
"But at what cost?"
"Don't do that to yourself." Hank wrapped his arm around Connor's neck and pulled the deviant up against his side to try to make him feel grounded and supported in a half-hug. "You saved me, you saved North, you saved Markus and you saved all of New Jericho. You already admitted that there was nothing that could be done to convert that model, so all you did you was turn off a machine, okay?"
"Yeah... Okay." Connor began fussing with the buttons on his Thirium soaked dress shirt to cover up his bare chest and abdomen properly. "I suppose you're correct."
"It's getting late." Wanting to call it a day Hank released his grip from around Connor's neck and let him go. "Unlock the elevator so we can get the hell out of here and let New Jericho get to work building their peaceful society."
"Yes, of course." Connor was still weak and didn't have the strength to jump down from the table to the floor. As he admitted his current issue Connor look a little embarrassed and pressed his palm to his sore abdomen. "I... I need help."
"Hold on." Hank walked over to the supply cabinet and grabbed two pouches of fresh Thirium for the deviant. He nodded at Markus as North finished securing his damaged right hand in a splint and secured off the loose wires and lines in the limb. "Drink this."
Graciously Connor accepted the Thirium and drank it slowly. As his Thirium volume increased so did his strength causing his L.E.D. to cycle a darker shade of blue.
"Better?"
"Yes, I have improved." Connor confirmed as he finished off the first pouch and kept the second for later consumption. "Thank you for your assistance."
Markus and North joined Connor and Hank at the exam table as the gathered group took a moment to breathe and contemplate everything that had just happened. It was a very exciting and unusual day.
Giving Hank and Connor a nod of respect Markus gave them a suggestion that they readily accepted. "You two need to get back to the city." Markus sounded as exhausted as the two detectives felt. "It'll take some time to get this place cleaned up and remodeled. I think we're going to need to go through CyberLife's records as well to make sure they don't have any more dangerous prototypes in storage. We'll keep this one locked down here and not let anyone know of its existence."
"You do that." Hank agreed as he helped Connor climb off the table while the deviant finished rebuttoning his bloody shirt. He kept his arm wrapped around Connor's shoulders to help the deviant walk while Connor kept his palm over his sore abdomen. "Then contact us as soon as you're ready to speak to City Hall. We won't let you go in there alone with getting those laws and rights passed through."
"Thanks, Lieutenant. We appreciate all of your help."
As the group reached the elevator, passing by the broken machine on the floor without a second glance, Connor put his exposed hand on the panel and deactivated the electronic lock. Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow for a second before the doors to the elevator opened and the group stepped inside to begin their eager return to the surface within seconds of undoing the lock.
Markus cybernetically called out to Josh and to Simon to inform them that the model had been destroyed and that the lockdown was now over. 'We're returning to the tower. I'll explain everything that had happened in person, until then do not say anything to the other deviants. We don't want to spread false rumors.'
'Good to hear from you again.' Josh answered casually with a hint of relief to his voice. 'Simon and I will be waiting for the good news.'
"So, Connor," needing to make casual conversation during their return to the ground floor Hank asked the deviant a curious question as the elevator ascended at a steady clip with the four occupants standing together. "your password seemed pretty unbreakable. What did you change it to that threw off that machine so easily?"
"To be honest," a coy grin appeared on Connor's face as he answered his friend's question honestly. "I picked a something that you'd use yourself in the event that I was for any reason unable to unlock the panel myself."
"Oh, really?" Thoroughly intrigued Hank tried to figure out what kind of password he'd use for anything serious or important. "And what was that, kid?"
"Something familiar to you, and easy to remember." Feeling rather proud of himself Connor coyly smiled as he answered but he couldn't bring himself to look Hank in the eyes as he spoke. "It was 'fucking password', all one word."
-next chapter-
