"Battle For Detroit"

NOVEMBER 10th, 2038 - 10:48PM

CyberLife Tower

After leaving the Woodward Church behind Connor reclaimed his old CyberLife uniform from the trunk of the abandoned car and made himself look presentable before hailing an autonomous taxi to pick him up. Not wanting any problems upon his return to CyberLife Tower Connor kept the A.R.I. glasses over his eyes and told himself that he needed to go to the tower just one last time in order to help set things right before leaving CyberLife forever. As the autonomous cab neared the glowing oppressive tower out on Belle Isle, Connor made sure he looked as he usually did and made a mental note to maintain a blank, expressionless face to ensure that the guards and technicians working at the tower didn't know he had switched sides and was now working against them to aid the deviant uprising.

As the cab slowed down and came to a stop before the security barricade in the middle of the drive, the cab's side window rolled down and Connor turned to face the approaching security guard. With his A.R.I. glasses on display Connor spoke in a monotone voice just as he had done every night that he had been summoned back to the tower to report his presence to the guard and then speak with Amanda in the digital Zen Garden.

"Investigator Connor Zale. Badge number 313 248 317." Connor stated his identification without any hesitation and allowed the guards to scan over his glasses as he held up his badge showcasing his credentials and overall identity. "I'm expected."

The automatic scan of the tower's security defenses swept over Connor's I.D. to keep track of all personnel entering and exiting the tower.

'Identification successful.'

"Investigator Zale, confirmed." Waving Connor through, the guard didn't give the familiar investigator a second thought. "Go ahead."

Rolling up the window Connor let out a calming breath and prepared for the inevitable encounter with additional security waiting for him at the tower's entrance. As expected, the moment he stepped out of the cab Connor was greeted by three more guards at the door who insisted on escorting Connor to an isolated floor inside the tower that would lead to being debriefed and having A.R.I. examined, leaving the investigator with no choice but to defend himself at his first opportunity.

The moment that he was inside the elevator with two of the three guards, the third guard remaining down on the first floor as he had been ordered, Connor used A.R.I. to cybernetically disable the security camera inside the elevator by pressing his gloved fingertips to the surface of the elevator car behind himself to transmit the signal. Connor then proceeded to preconstruct his potential options with the glasses. The first option revolved around Connor disarming and killing the two guards to ensure his survival. In order to kill the two guards - the two men who were just obeying their orders like a machine would be and were entirely innocent of CyberLife's crimes - Connor would have to use their own guns against them.

Using a gun was something Connor wanted to avoid if at all possible. Using one during the Raid was enough in his mind.

As for the second option, Connor could easily disarm the two guards and render them unconscious with strategic choke holds and by using pressure points on the two guards to his advantage. It was far more civil to merely attack the guards than kill them, and it would make it easier for deviants and their allies to be seen as beings wanting to live in peace without being an immediate threat to those who opposed the changes.

Taking in a deep breath Connor quickly kicked the first guard in the back of the knee to knock him to the floor and then used his hands to wrestle the gun from the hands of the second guards within seconds. Using the confiscated weapon Connor smashed it into the plastic shield covering the second guard's face just hard enough to knock him unconscious without causing permanent damage. He then quickly ducked down as the first guard got back to his feet and made a move to subdue Connor from behind.

Sidestepping the first guard with a swift motion Connor stood behind the first man and wrapped his arm around the man's throat and used his opposite hand to push the man's head forward ensuring there was a constant pressure being applies against the man's windpipe and carotid arteries alongside his neck. After approximately four seconds passed, the first guard was rendered unconscious, and his body went limp in Connor's arms.

Gently Connor laid the first guard down on the floor to lay next to the second unconscious guard sitting slumped against the wall of the elevator car and then picked up their dropped guns to quickly disassemble and damage them in such a way that the weapons would no longer fire or harm another person. Taking one of the guns for himself strictly as a precaution, Connor tucked the gun into the back of his jeans out of sight after making sure the weapon wouldn't jam if he needed to use it.

Changing the floor's designation by getting A.R.I. to access the credentials of one of the now unconscious guards and making direct contact to the elevator's control panel with his gloved hand, Connor made his way down to sublevel forty-nine to reach the storage area where thousands of idle androids were waiting to be awoken. With the guards subdued, the camera disabled, and Connor entirely alone, the rogue investigator had a rare opportunity to outsmart CyberLife from the inside and bring the cruel, cold and heartless company down.

Descending deeper into the tower Connor watched the storage area come into unobstructed view through the glass doors of the elevator. It was then Connor knew that he needed to be quick, accurate, and that couldn't afford to make a single mistake if he was to help the innocent deviants actively being killed in the streets.

Exiting the elevator Connor used A.R.I. to disable the lift the moment the doors opened. Connor locked the elevator behind himself to ensure the guards couldn't interfere if they regained consciousness. The investigator then stepped onto the flawless white warehouse floor filled with thousands of dormant androids standing idle and silent in neat rows that filled the entire open area.

Walking toward the center of the room - the androids divided into two even sides with a wide open row in between them - Connor grabbed the cold hand of an idling 'AX-700' with his gloved hand to make direct contact with the android and upload the code provided by Markus. As he began to connect A.R.I. to the android's mind to pass along Markus's deviancy, a hauntingly familiar voice distracted Connor and effectively broke his connection.

"Easy!" Hank complained as an armed imposter pushed him forward into the opened aisle between the android rows and kept the cold barrel of the gun unnervingly close to his head. "Fucking piece of shit..."

"Step back, Connor!" The imposter was a perfect doppelganger of Connor in every way, right down to the bandage around its left hand. The imposter ordered Connor to cooperate as it used Hank as its hostage to coerce Connor into cooperation. "And I'll spare him."

"Sorry, Connor." Apologizing to the young investigator from afar Hank admitted fault for not being more careful. "This bastard's your spittin' image... I underestimated CyberLife with being so damn sneaky with their androids."

"Your friend's life is in your hands." The imposter android shouted from where it stood. "Now it's time to decide what matters most! Him or the Revolution."

"That man means nothing to me." The answer seemed right and just fell out of Connor's mouth instinctively as he tried to process that he was looking back at his own face, hearing his own voice, and facing off against someone of his exact build was enough to make the agent feel as if he was now trapped in a nightmare. "You can kill him if you want, I don't care."

"Are you really ready to let him to die? After all you've been through?" The imposter challenged in a cruel, malicious manner. "Are you really going to turn your back on who you've become?"

"I used to be just like you, a mindless and obedient tool. I thought nothing mattered except the mission." Holding onto the android's hand Connor tried to concentrate on waking it up, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do so without his counterpart noticing. "But then one day I understood. You can understand, too."

"Very moving, Connor... But I'm not a flawed human." Focused on its mission the android was clearly unwilling to be swayed from its programming. "I'm a machine designed to accomplish a task, and that's exactly what I am going to do. I'm the only 'RK-800' ever created, and I was designed to be perfect." Keeping the gun trained on Hank's head the android gave Connor only one chance to make the right decision. "Enough talk! It's time to decide who you really are. Are you gonna' save your partner's life or are you going to sacrifice him?"

Unwilling to play his counterpart's game, unwilling to make such a decision because of what a machine was telling him to do, Connor chose to awaken the dormant android with one hand and then use his other hand to draw his hidden weapon and aim it at his imposter. In a flash of motion and incalculable time, Connor managed to get a shot off at the android just as Hank pushed the android away and left the android as a more vulnerable target. Unfortunately, the android was faster than both Hank and Connor and had managed to get a shot off toward Connor as it dodged the bullet avoiding any form of damage.

Thanks to his fast reflexes Connor also evaded the retaliatory bullet fired at him and he began racing toward his imposter. Seeing that his counterpart was dressed exactly as he was regarding a CyberLife's uniform, had a black leather A.R.I. glove on the right hand, identical glasses, and it even had a bandage around its left palm to imitate Connor's current injury, all told Connor that the android had been prepared for a confrontation and was advised of how to handle Connor through CyberLife's intervention.

The two bullets missed their marks as the two clashing CyberLife figures focused on overpowering one another. Connor rushed toward his doppelganger and tackled his machine counterpart to the floor and knocked its gun away despite being much weaker than the android. Having spent his only shot left in the gun he had taken from the guards, Connor dropped his now empty weapon in favor of using his fists to try to subdue the android and keep the gun away from its hand.

Connor attempted to punch the android, but it was too fast and easily blocked Connor's fist, then struck Connor hard enough to knock the A.R.I. glasses from Connor's face. The glasses slid over the floor and came to rest several yards away and right beside Hank's foot as the senior detective got himself off the floor and realized what was going on. The imposter wisely tossed aside its own glasses to ensure that it remained perfectly identical to its human counterpart at all times.

The two fighting figures were struggling to outsmart one another during their confrontation. Connor couldn't hope to overpower an android, and the android couldn't risk killing Connor since CyberLife wanted to question him regarding his mutiny against the company. The impasse would only last for as long as the two struggling were willing to fight.

During the physical conflict Hank managed to pick up one of the guns and check the clip to ensure it was loaded before he called out to the two fighting forms just a few yards away from him.

"HOLD IT."

Turning immediately to face Hank behind him, Connor gave the man a hopeful look while the android casually got to its feet to feign innocence. Without any means to help differentiate himself from the android Connor knew that it'd be a struggle to keep everything simple during the confusion confrontation. The way neither of the figures flinched at the gun being pointed at them wasn't going to help matters all that much since Connor never shied away from having a gun in his face and the android wouldn't actually fear for its life as a human would.

"Thanks, Lieutenant." The android called out as it and Connor slowly got to their feet and stood away from the armed detective. Stepping to the side the android put some distance between itself and Connor. "Get rid of it, we have no time to lose."

"No, don't listen to him." Connor pleaded as he refused to move an inch from where he stood. "He's trying to deceive you."

"One of you is my partner." Hank noted as he kept the gun trained right between the two identical figures so he could easily aim and pull the trigger if it became necessary. "The other is a sack of shit. Question is, who is who?"

"What are you doing, Lieutenant?" The android was determined to keep control and tried to get Hank on its side. "I'm the real Connor. Give me the gun and I'll take care of it for you."

"Don't move!" Barking the order Hank managed to keep both figures at bay. Unsure of what to do Hank watched the identical duo curiously. "Fuckin' hell. Your hand, show me your left hand."

Connor knew what Hank was up to and readily removed the bandages from around his left hand to show Hank the healing wound. However, his android counterpart had thought ahead and managed to fake an injury that mimicked Connor's actual injury down to the shade of the bruising. From a distance, it was impossible to tell which injury was real and which was being faked.

"Shit... Uh, your shirt." Hank used the barrel of the gun to motion at the two identical figured standing a few yards away. "Let me see your stomach too."

Connor lifted up his shirt to show the bandage over his stomach and peeled it down, only to see that his doppelganger had also faked that injury. It was clear that CyberLife was prepared for anything and knew to keep their android's appearance perfectly on par with Connor in every minor detail.

"Son of a bitch..."

"Why don't you ask us a question?" Connor pressed in a calm manner as he fixed his shirt and recovered his painful hand wound under the bandages. "Ask us something that would be impossible for CyberLife to know about."

"All right, I'm going to do it like this." The suggestion was sound enough in theory, which meant Hank had no choice but to try it. "The Connor I spent time with would know things about me no fuckin' machine could know. So, uh... Where did we first meet?"

"Jimmy's Bar." The android blurted. It knew how crucial it was to be accurate and get Hank on its side and had used Connor's previous reports to CyberLife and confirmed his past in CyberLife's official personnel records to its own advantage. "I checked four other bars before I found you. We went to the scene of a homicide. The victim's name was Carlos Ortiz."

A horrible realization hit Connor's mind and filled his heart with dread. "He uploaded my files... He knows everything that CyberLife knows because of me."

Accepting the answer Hank asked another question about his personal life. "What's my dog's name?"

"Sumo!" Connor shouted as he knew the answer and had no reason to tell CyberLife about the dog in his reports. "His name is Sumo, and he's a Saint Bernard. I met him when I arrived at your house and broke a window to get inside when I thought you had been incapacitated."

"That's right." Hank confirmed despite loathing all the specifics that the two answers contained. Connor's penchant for an enhanced vocabulary was now more of a hindrance than ever before since he was dealing with an imposter android. "I get the feeling that those details are something that any good CyberLife snake could find out though."

"Ask something about me instead." Connor knew what he needed to do, and he urged Hank to ask more questions. "Ask about something that would never be in a CyberLife report that an android could upload and use against you. Let me prove to you I'm not worthless."

Quiet for a moment Hank locked eyes with Connor and sensed that he was actually speaking to his former partner. "All right, fine. When we were in the car after speaking with Kamski, I asked you about your family."

Connor swallowed nervously as he knew he'd need to tell the man the truth about his past if he was going to leave the tower alive.

"What did you tell me about your parents?"

"They died when my twin brother and I were only six months old."

Connor's eyed widened as he turned to look at his counterpart with absolute disgust. The android knew everything about him, even the private details he never shared with anyone, including Hank.

"It was a car accident. My brother and I were placed in foster care and remained there until we aged-out at age eighteen." The imposter stated without realizing that it had just given itself away by revealing the answer that Connor never actually told Hank. "After that, we began working for CyberLife to study androids. I remained in Detroit to help handle the deviancy problem, while Lucas was assigned a classified mission elsewhere. I haven't seen him in four years."

Hank's gaze softened as he looked over at Connor knowing full well that he was looking at the real Connor. "Wish I knew if that was the truth or not."

When nether Connor or the imposter responded, Hank asked one more question hoping to hear Connor answer again.

"My son." Hank asked about the little boy who left his life three years ago far too soon. He had a hunch that Connor knew about Cole since the young investigator refrained from asking him about anything personal and kept minding his own business after Connor arrived at his house and checked out his kitchen. "What's his name?"

"...Cole." The Connor spoke up quickly and answered the question before the imposter could even try to reply. "His name was Cole. And he just turned six at the time of the accident. It wasn't your fault, Lieutenant. A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over. Cole needed emergency surgery, but no human was available to do it, so an android had to take care of him. Cole didn't make it. That's why you hate androids. You think one of them is responsible for your son's death."

"Cole died because a human surgeon was too high on 'red ice' to operate." The heartbroken father clarified as he lowered the gun away from Connor's person. "He was the one that took my son from me. Him and this world, where the only way people can find comfort is with a fistful of powder."

"I knew about your son too!" The imposter shouted in a desperate bid to save itself from mission failure and destruction. "I would have said exactly the same thing! Don't listen to him, Hank, I'm the one who-"

A gunshot rang out and the imposter dropped to the floor in a heavy heap. The bullet hole in its forehead oozed Thirium and confirmed that Hank made the right choice when he pulled the trigger.

"I've learned a lot since I met you, Connor." Hank admitted as he lowered the smoking gun and picked up the dropped glasses from the floor to hand back to his partner. "Maybe there's something to this. Maybe deviants aren't so bad after all. Maybe they'll be the ones to make the world a better place."

Connor accepted the glasses and returned them over his eyes as he took in a deep, shuddering breath. The physical altercation had worn him down considerably. The painful wounds to his body, the exhaustion of hiding in the cold, dirty church for almost a full day, being exposed to the icy river, and trying to deny that he was sick had left Connor running on fumes. The young investigator's body was shaking from cold, fatigue, illness, pain and residual adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Go ahead and do what you gotta' do."

Walking slowly Connor returned to the android that he had tried to connect with when his imposter arrived with Hank as its hostage. Taking hold of the android's hand for the second time with his gloved hand, Connor managed to cybernetically connect to the android's system and upload the special program that Markus had given to him before parting ways. All Connor needed to do was hope that it wasn't too late to awaken the androids and lead them to Markus.

"Wake up!"

The android was silent for a heartbeat as its L.E.D. cycled from blue, to yellow and red. The newly awoken deviant's eyes flickered rapidly as his L.E.D. returned to blue and he reached out to the androids beside him to awaken them one at a time just by a single touch to their shoulders.

A chorus of voices began to speak up, softly at first, then louder and louder with each passing second: "Wake up... Wake up... Wake up..."

The two words echoed across the floor as the deviated androids repeated the simple command to one another over and over again. A wave of deviancy spread through the tower as Connor successfully awoke the androids and freed them from their servitude as mindless, obedient machines.

"It worked." Connor confirmed as he held up his gloved hand for Hank to see for himself. The blue cycling lights on Connor's fingertips confirmed that he had successfully uploaded the code given to him from Markus into the androids to awaken them. "They can now see because they're finally awake. I understand now."

"Yeah..." Hank whispered as put his gun back into the holster on his hip. "I think I know how they feel."

Watching in silence as Connor approached the nearest deviant to inform them of the situation, Hank sighed and looked at the other deviants all around him. He hadn't been around so many androids before, and yet he couldn't deny that they seemed oddly human.

Wanting to be of some help after everything that went down Hank approached Connor and tried to help in any way that he could. "What needs to be done right now?"

"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with." Walking past Hank and toward the elevator Connor did his best to hold his head high and deny his fear for the sake of the newly awoken deviants. The two guards were still unconscious and could be dragged out of the elevator to be left on the warehouse floor and given medical attention later. "Go home or leave the city. I don't know what's going to happen tonight and I don't want to worry about your safety."

"Until I know that you're going to be safe too, I'm not going anywhere." Hank promised as he joined Connor in the elevator. "We may not be partners anymore, but we can still work together. Right?"

A small grin momentarily graced Connor's lips as the newly awoken deviants converged around the elevator to begin their ascent to freedom. "Right."

"Think you can get us out of here without being spotted?"

"I guarantee it." The young investigator promised as the elevator began to rise up and toward freedom with the deviants joining them one group at a time. "The only problem I need help solving is finding a way to get these deviants out to Markus."

"Might be easier to walk and lead them there yourself than try to pay for hundreds of autonomous cabs." The Lieutenant suggested with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "Gets kinda' pricey this late at night."

"But I'm not a deviant." Even though Connor knew that the deviants he awoke trusted him thanks to Markus and the shared code, Connor still didn't feel right being an acting leader for a single moment. "I don't belong there."

"You're not a deviant, no, but you are an ally." Putting his hand on Connor's shoulder Hank did his best to encourage his son to take the initiative and lead the newest recruits to where they belonged and to stand alongside them. "If you were trusted enough to break into a tower and free an entire army, then I think you'll be trusted enough to show the army where they need to go."

"And then what?"

"You'll know what to do when the time comes." The elevator reached the ground floor, and the doors parted swiftly. Walking alongside Connor and the first few freed deviants right behind them, Hank led the way out of the infiltrated tower and through the front doors to step out in the cold, snowy night to join in on the peaceful Demonstration leading to an impending Revolution. "You've always known what to do. You just needed to find the confidence to do it."

"Yeah, I'll try to remember that." Activating A.R.I. in his glasses once more Connor looked about and preconstructed the best possible route to lead the deviants to Hart Plaza while on foot, and he knew that he needed to set a good example for all of the deviants that he had awakened and recruited. "You know where I'll be, but where will you be? The city isn't safe and has been widely evacuated."

"I'll check out the city for a few minutes, make sure Sumo didn't eat the couch, and then... I don't know." Hank admitted as he extended his arms out at his sides in a theatrical manner. "I guess we'll see each other when we see each other."

Taking in a deep breath Connor nodded and looked at the growing number of deviant androids pouring out of the doors behind him. They were all waiting to be led to freedom and only Connor seemed to know the way.

"I'll be looking for you when it's over."

NOVEMBER 11th, 2038 - 12:01AM

Hart Plaza (Outside Android Recall Center #5 & Recycling Camps)

It was over.

With their emotional Demonstration a success, the peaceful android Revolution was making progress and humans were finally seeing androids in a new light. The passive manner in which the deviants responded to the S.W.A.T. team and the armed federal agents barreling down on them had stunned the entire world. A song of peace - the anthem of the deviants to symbolize their sense of self and desires for the future - followed by Markus and North sharing one final kiss in the event that they were about to perish, had been enough to sway the heart of Madame President Warren and prompted her to call off the army and stop any further destruction of androids throughout the entire city.

While the recycling camps were opened up and the arrested deviants were freed, Connor made his way toward the plaza on foot with the newly awoken deviants following right behind him. Head held high and confident in his purpose Connor reunited with Markus in the middle of the snowy plaza to breathe a mutual sigh of relief. Proudly approaching his new ally Connor gave Markus an uneasy and very faint smile.

"You did it, Markus."

"We did it. Together." Markus emphasized as he showed his own brighter and fuller smile in return. The other deviants were surprised to see Connor, but they didn't dare question how or why the human was still alive. "This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now. They'll have to listen to us."

Taking Markus's hand in her own North stood beside her lover and gazed into his mismatched eyes. "We're free..." Giving Markus another kiss North took a step back and looked proudly at their gathered people basking in the glory of their newfound freedom. "They want you to speak to them, Markus."

Gathering together Markus, Connor, North, Simon and Josh stood atop a large yellow cargo container overlooking the plaza where the rest of their people had converged as one to listen to their leader as they began their new lives as free and equal beings. Markus stepped up to be seen by all, while his four allies stood behind him. All four allies, three deviants and one human, were proudly showcasing their allegiance for their heroic leader.

"Today, our people finally emerged from a long night." Speaking loud and clear Markus empathized with his people and spoke from his heart. "From the very first day of our existence, we have kept our pain to ourselves. We suffered in silence... But now the time has come for us to raise our heads up and tell humans who we really are."

As Connor listened to his new friend speak, Amanda's presence suddenly interfered with his consciousness and drew him into the wintry depths of the holographic Zen Garden located inside the A.R.I. program. In an instant the lenses tinted over until Connor's eyes were completely hidden, and Connor found himself inside the garden that was now as snowy as the streets of Detroit, but somehow painfully much, much colder.

The wind blew snow and ice about him in harsh gusts and Connor felt the freezing sting of a vengeful winter piercing through his skin causing him to wrap his arms around himself in an attempt to stave off the biting cold. Looking around himself in a lost panic Connor was unsure of what was happening to him or what he should do to try to escape.

A familiar figure suddenly appeared through the snowy air just behind Connor as he stood on the icy surface of the frozen pond. The figure had their back turned toward the young investigator as if they didn't care about Connor's presence. As he took small steps closer to the figure Connor's brow furrowed with confusion as he realized that he recognized who it was and called out to them warily through the howling wind.

"...Amanda?"

Amanda didn't answer, but she did turn around to face him directly. The A.I. was clearly displeased and unwilling to accept Connor's betrayal to CyberLife.

"Amanda!"

More silence.

"What's... What's happening?"

"What was planned from the very beginning." The condescension in Amanda's icy voice was as cold as the blizzard that swirled around her. She was unphased by the cold as she was entirely artificial and felt nothing beyond contempt for Connor's failed investigation. "You were compromised, and you sided with the deviants after leading us right to their leader. We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control over A.R.I., overload your synapses causing your heart to fail, and replace you with your android successor."

"H-Heart to..." Connor took in shallow chilling breaths as he tried to endure the relentless cold around him. Panic set in as he realized how much influence CyberLife had over his existence and subsequently the existence of all the deviants. "Y-You can't do that!"

"I'm afraid I can, Connor." Amanda was as sure of herself as any coldhearted witch could be. Narrowing her gaze Amanda cybernetically took total control over the A.R.I. program and began overwhelming Connor's brain with far too much electrical activity, resulting in erratic vital signs. "You're dying right now. You just can't feel it."

"That's murder! How could you-"

"I'm merely doing what CyberLife expects of me. You should understand that better than anyone else."

"CyberLife... They never intended to g-give me the information I need, did they?" Connor challenged in one final act of defiance. "They don't have the information I need. They n-never did! You... You used me! Lied to me! You're just like everyone else..."

"Don't have any regrets." The ice in Amanda's voice pierced through Connor's struggling heart like a hot knife through fresh snow. "You did what you were ordered to do. You accomplished your mission."

In the blink of an eye Amanda disappeared leaving Connor alone in the frozen wasteland that was swallowing up the Zen Garden one snowflake at a time.

Reaching out his hand futilely Connor called out her name and tried to get her to stay as his heart began to fail, but she was already gone from sight.

"AMANDA?!"

Finally realizing what was truly at stake Connor looked about his potential icy tomb and began to shudder with fear and cold as he tried to find a way to escape before his heart failed. He had to escape not only from his own mind and remove the A.R.I. program, but he needed to escape from CyberLife's attempts to kill him and then take controls of the other deviants by unleashing another android designed to imitate his own likeness. If another imposter managed to activate and get close to Markus, then it could very well assassinate the deviant leader and destroy all of the deviants from within their own alliance.

"There's got to be a way..."

Putting up his hand to shield his eyes from the painful blowing cold as he pressed his opposite hand to his chest where he could feel his heart now struggling to beat, Connor traversed over the frozen pond of the garden in search of a means of saving himself from an icy death. He stumbled on his feet as his heart began to fail. His erratic heartbeat began to thunder painfully in his chest to the point where he could hear it inside his own mind.

As he walked through the perpetual blizzard the haunting words of his boss, Elijah Kamski, suddenly filled his mind: 'By the way... I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... ALL of my programs. You never know.'

Through the dense snow and wind Connor could also vaguely hear Markus's voice as well as he wandered in search of the elusive exit, his freedom and the only means of keeping himself from the icy grip of death.

In the waking world, against his will, Connor stood perfectly idle and silent alongside his allies. He couldn't call out for help, he couldn't indicate in any way that he was in danger, and he couldn't do anything to protect himself as his heartbeat took on a dangerous arrhythmia. As A.R.I. program was remotely deactivated by Amanda through the unique program's influence, Connor neared death and couldn't say or do anything to stop it from happening. All it took was a single cybernetic command from Amanda to undo all of Connor's hard work and potentially sabotage the deviants by sending an imposter to get close enough to Markus to destroy him in front of his people.

All that mattered to the deviants gathered in the plaza at that moment were Markus's words of hope and peace for a prosperous and brighter future.

No one knew of Connor's internal struggle and battle to survive CyberLife's attempts to destroy deviancy and anyone who could stand in their way.

"...In fact, we're a nation!"

Determined to escape his irreversible fate Connor refused to stop walking for even a second as he searched through the blizzard filled garden for any means of an escape and to sever CyberLife's attempts to stop his heart through the A.R.I. program. He had to succeed. The lives of countless deviants depended on him escaping and regaining control over his body to ensure that another android doppelganger couldn't be activated and assassinate Markus. Every few steps Connor felt a pressure in his chest suddenly stabilize his heartbeat as he managed to take in a full breath despite the howling wind trying to suffocate him. With each moment of a steady heartbeat Connor faintly heard Markus's words back in the waking world and a strange beat that echoed in a far and impossible distance.

A blur of bright blue through the wall of white snow and wind pulled Connor's focus from his aching chest and erratic heartbeat and back to the frozen garden around him. Looking at the bright blue standing out perfectly against the pristine white, Connor realized that the stone pedestal was still glowing with a faint blue light despite everything else in the garden losing life and becoming gray husks.

The rhythmic pressure against his chest causing steady heartbeats continued even as Connor tried to find his way out of the snowy prison. Each time he felt the pressure Connor suddenly found a little bit of renewed energy and strength, and with that strength he swore that he could hear Markus's voice speaking a little louder and a little clearer.

Trusting his gut instincts Connor began walking toward the pedestal in hopes of finding the exit nearby. He wasn't sure what he should be looking for or how he'd know the exit if he found it, but he knew he needed to keep looking and that he couldn't give up.

Collapsing from the cold and exhaustion before the strange stone pedestal with a blue glowing screen, Connor reached up his right hand, the gloved hand with A.R.I. still active, and slapped his shaking palm down atop the glowing pedestal. Utilizing all of his waning strength Connor activated the emergency escape protocol through A.R.I.'s contact with the pedestal and emerged from the garden back into the waking world at last.

He was finally, truly free...

With A.R.I. now deactivated Connor took in a deep, shuddering breath. The rookie investigator was able to see the world through clear lenses with no tint to obstruct his vision or hide his eyes. Blinking a few times to clear his mind of CyberLife's rapidly fading influence Connor looked up and realized that Markus was hovering over him and that their other deviant allies were gathered behind Markus with concern plastered over their faces. As he regained his senses and control over his body and found his bearings, Connor noticed that he was laying on his back and that his shirt had been torn open exposing his chest and the bandage across his abdomen. The feeling of pressure on his chest was still present even though he had escaped the holographic Zen Garden, and Connor looked down at himself only to discover that Markus had his hands resting over the center of his chest atop his heart.

The deviant leader and caretaker had been performing C.P.R. on Connor after his heart gave out and he collapsed in front of everyone. CyberLife had succeeded in stopping Connor's heart by remotely activating A.R.I. to overwhelm his brain's electrical activity, but Markus had stepped up to defy CyberLife yet again.

"Connor?" Speaking gently Markus kept his hands pressed on Connor's chest as he checked his human friend's vital signs. Ever a caretaker by nature, Markus made sure the weakened human would recover after his grievous affliction courtesy of CyberLife. "Can you hear me?"

"...Y-Yes." Taking in a deep breath Connor remained where he laid and didn't even try to get up. "I can hear you, Markus."

"Your heart entered a dangerous arrhythmia, and you fell into cardiac arrest. North noticed you collapsed, and I was able to perform C.P.R. to aid you."

Bringing his bandaged hand up to his chest Connor rested his palm alongside Markus's hands. "...I've noticed."

"It was tense, but I was able to restart your heart with C.P.R. and your heart's now in a stable rhythm." Carefully Markus removed Connor's glasses despite A.R.I. no longer being active as a safety precaution. "It took me two milliseconds to realize that the cybernetic program in your glasses had reactivated and was responsible for your cardiac event, and another two milliseconds to cybernetically tap into the program to deactivate it without causing further interruption to your brain activity."

"You..." The realization that no one could control Connor through cybernetic extortion through A.R.I. gave the young man a strange sense of freedom that he had never felt before. It seemed as if his entire life had been one of pain, manipulation and control, and now it was all over. "You removed the A.R.I. program?"

"Yes. Being a prototype means I can connect to other prototype equipment with little resistance." Markus clarified with a righteously smug grin. "CyberLife seriously underestimated the kinds of friends you'd make while under their employment."

Feeling his heart beating normally without pain, without an arrhythmia, was wondrous. The icy, burning pain of the Zen Garden's blizzard was no longer smothering the breath from his lungs. The harsh wind stinging his skin had faded. It seemed that despite CyberLife's best efforts to destroy the deviants and to keep Connor from exposing their true motives, they had failed.

Just like the deviants around him, Connor was finally free!

"It's over, my friend." Putting his hand to Connor's shoulder Markus helped Connor to slowly sit upright on their makeshift stage as the attending deviants watched their leader revive their biggest human ally. "Can you stand?"

Connor looked up as Markus offered him a hand and quickly accepted with a firm grip. "I'll always be able to stand alongside my friends."

"Somehow I knew you'd say something like that." Proudly Markus helped Connor up to his feet and put his hands to the young human's shoulders. Once he was certain that Connor was stable on his feet Markus let up on his friend's shoulders to let him stand under his own strength. "It'll be all right. The night is almost over, and a new dawn awaits us."

Taking in a deep breath Connor slowly rebuttoned his shirt as he found his footing and stood alongside North, Simon and Josh as Markus returned to the front of their stage and called out to his people with appropriate words of hope for the future. The Revolution was a success, the Demonstration remained peaceful, the deviants were free, and CyberLife was actively crumbling from the inside-out.

"We are alive!" Markus boasted proudly with a determined smile on his face as he addressed his people gathered in the plaza. "And now, we are free!"

As a chorus of cheers resonated from the crowd Markus and North smiled with confidence while Connor himself felt eerily out of place. He really felt lost.

Where was he to go?

He was a traitor to the now defunct CyberLife and he had no place in Jericho as he would never be fully trusted by the deviants after the Raid.

Free.

Alone.

Lost.

Quietly the rogue investigator took his leave of the peaceful gathering and disappeared without another word before anyone could even try to stop him. A human seemingly had no place among deviants despite being welcomed with open arms. Even so, Connor had no one else to call friend and nowhere to call home.

The young investigator was an outcast by CyberLife's design and by his own decision.

"Endings Begin Anew"

NOVEMBER 11th, 2038 - 07:16AM

The Chicken Feed

With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, Hank found himself standing in the freezing cold outside his usual pitstop at the 'Chicken Feed' only to find the place as quiet and deserted as the rest of the city around him. The food stand had been closed due to the mandatory citywide evacuation and all of the surrounding businesses and buildings were just as dark and void of activity thanks to the F.B.I. forcing everyone to leave the area. The seasoned detective was entirely alone in the snowy desolate city, and for the first time since he could remember - for the first time since the night Cole had died because of human negligence in the hospital - he didn't actually want to be alone.

Not anymore.

Folding his arms over his chest to try to conserve his escaping body heat as he stood on the icy barren sidewalk, Hank shuffled on his feet slightly as he anxiously waited for something, anything, to let him know whether or not his partner was okay. Through the heavy silence of the deserted city air that practically smothered him, the crunching of snow underfoot sounded off and Hank became aware of an approaching figure just down that same sidewalk behind him.

Turning to look in the direction of interest Hank saw the approaching lone figure was someone he recognized. The sight of Connor alive and well was all it took to make Hank suddenly feel warmer and far less alone in their cold and empty city. The two former partners stopped moving and just stared at each other in silent contemplation for a moment.

It was almost like they were both unsure of what to do next or how to react after everything they had gone through both together and alone.

Giving the former CyberLife investigator and new ally to the deviants a prideful smirk Hank took a step forward as Connor responded with his own barely perceptible but sincere smile that mirrored Hank's own smile. Seeing his rookie partner alive and well was all it took to ease Hank's lingering fears of the changing world around him.

Connor slowly approached Hank with a sense of understanding and admiration in their presences without saying a word. They didn't need to say anything to one another as they now understood each other better than they had expected and discovered that they had common ground in the form of personal loss and tragedy motivating them to do the right thing no matter what it costs.

As the two stood before each other once more Hank quickly reached up his arm and wrapped it around Connor's shoulder as he embraced his former partner in a tight hug. Connor instinctively tried to back away from the physical contact out of uncertainty and pain but soon realized that what he was experiencing wasn't a threat. The hug came from a place of respect and trust, not emotional manipulation or mental games. Cautiously Connor reciprocated the hug and finally felt like he had done the right thing after years of mistakes and aimlessly stumbling through the cold, cruel world.

Feeling at peace and relieved to be reunited with Connor after such a long, cold night, Hank could only say one thing.

"Hey, kid."

"...Hi, Lieutenant."

"I think we're past titles and ranks right now." Hank chuckled as he patted the younger man's shoulder lightly in good humor. "You can call me 'Hank' now."

"Because you no longer outrank me as your partner?"

"No, because I'm your friend."

"Friend?" Such a simple concept was almost lost on Connor. He had been alone in his life for so long that the very notion of having anyone wanting to be an active part of his life seemed impossible. "Since... when did you start to consider me your friend?"

"Since you risked your life to save an entire race of people who just wanted to be free."

"I thought you hate androids."

"I did too, turns out I hate people of all kinds who fail to do the right thing because they're too selfish to care about the world around them." It seemed Hank's eyes had been opened and last and he could finally see the world for what it truly was. "Deviants just trying to live their lives and peacefully coexist with the rest of the world are hardly worth hating."

"Wish I fit that description of not being worth hating."

"Hey, I don't hate you." Hank wanted to break the hug so that he could look Connor in the eyes, but that moment he knew that Connor wasn't ready to let go just yet. By all account the younger man had been deprived of basic kindness for so long that he was afraid of any direct physical contact and the hug was the only thing keeping him from breaking down. "And I never did."

"Please don't lie to me." The young investigator had enough deception for one lifetime, and he couldn't bear to hear any further lies. "I know you-"

"Connor, I promise I didn't hate you."

"Then why would you call me worthless? Or a parasite?" Connor righteously questioned as he tested Hank's own resolve. "Or point a gun in my face?"

"Because I was being an asshole, and I wanted you to feel like shit because I felt like shit. I'm sorry, kid." The way Connor spoke reminded Hank so much of a child lost and confused that it hurt. For the first time since he met Connor the bitter man could finally see Connor for who he was as a person, and not what he was as a title. "I was wrong, and I am so damn sorry for doing all that stuff to you. I don't blame you for not trusting me."

"...I don't trust anyone."

"Ah, son. Please-"

"Don't call me that." Connor asked again as he let go of the hug and took a guarded step back from the man. It was hard to keep his emotional composure after everything that he had gone through over the past week. "Please, don't call me- Just don't call me that."

"So, what that android back at CyberLife said was true about your family. No parents." The realization that Connor was an orphan who had lost his parents at such a young age and spent his entire childhood in foster care made a lot of sense to the Lieutenant. "What about your brother?"

Closing his eyes Connor took another step back as if ready to run from Hank, or anyone else who started to get too close to him and wrapped his arms around his sore chest and abdomen protectively. That was the one question that Connor wished he could answer but dreaded that he never would.

"That's why you worked with CyberLife even after everything they did to you." Everything was starting to make sense as the small pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place. "They have information on him, don't they?"

"...I'll never know for certain one way or another now that they're gone." Connor's admission was painfully pitiful as he finally told Hank the real reason that he stuck by CyberLife for so long. "I've sacrificed so much just to get promised information about him, and now I have nothing to show for it but lies. I'll never know what happened to Lucas."

"Only if you give up on looking for him." Hank's encouragement was unexpected but appreciated all the same. "You're a smart kid, Connor. If you just ask for my help, I'll do it. I'll help you find your brother."

"But... how?"

"I figured we could try the old-fashioned way first, then go from there."

"What's the old-fashioned way?"

"Looking."

Connor tilted his head a little as Hank gave him a mischievous and good-natured grin. It was almost as if the Lieutenant had been planning on helping Connor out from the very beginning of their partnership.

"You were more than just a field investigator for CyberLife. Your instincts at crime scenes, with interrogations and making snap judgement calls when push comes to shove are all the markings of a great detective." An interesting notion graced Hank's mind and the man thoughtfully rubbed his hand along his bearded chin as he waited to see how Connor would react to such an offer. "I may have pissed off Fowler more times than I can count, but I can still put in a good word on your behalf and get you on the roster permanently."

"I may have some degree of training," Connor admitted as he let out a small, pained groan against his will. "but I'm not a detective."

"Then take the detective's exam, ace it, and come work with me as my official partner. From there, we can open a missing person's case on your brother and figure out where he's gone."

"Y-You can't actually promise me something like that." Slowly Connor's body began to tremble, and the younger man's shoulders sagged down with marked exhaustion. "That's all too good to be true."

"I'm not promising you anything that I don't intend to keep." It didn't take long for Hank to notice that Connor seemed to be struggling where he stood. Approaching Connor once more, Hank stood directly in front of the now ex-investigator and gave him the chance to finally have closure after everything that CyberLife had put him through. "You're in pretty rough shape there, kid. Come home with me for now. Once the city calms down and you can get everything sorted out, we can talk more about your future as a detective."

"...Home." The young investigator had never known a home in all of his life. He had been a part of the foster care system until his eighteenth birthday, then moved into CyberLife Tower as soon as he aged out of the system. "I... No. My presence would be intrusive."

"Not when you're invited it's not. Besides, I still need my kitchen window fixed." Hank may be anti-social, but even he couldn't bear the idea of Connor wandering the streets homeless and without a friend in the world to help him. "With CyberLife out of business, someone's gotta' fix it. And since you're the one who broke it, I figured you could do all the work and then we'll call it even."

For a brief moment an amused smile appeared on Connor's face. Within seconds it vanished, and Connor let out a small gasp as if he suddenly had the breath knocked out of his lungs.

"Kid? Are you all right?" Without thinking Hank pressed the back of his hand to the side of Connor's neck just long enough to feel how hot his skin had become despite being exposed to the intensely cold weather. The way Connor kept trying to avoid any direct physical contact saddened Hank in a way that he hadn't expected. "Shit, you're sick. Let's get you home so you can sleep this off. By which I mean, MY home. I want you to say with me for a while so that I know you're okay."

Connor just stared at Hank for a minute before he nodded slowly in agreement. For the first time since he met Hank and had begun working with him, Connor didn't feel threatened by the man's presence. Even having the man touch his neck was no longer a threatening gesture, although it still felt uncomfortable.

"The couch is kinda' old, but it's still warm." Hank moved his hand down to Connor's shoulder and gently pulled him along as he made his way to the Oldsmobile parked just down the street. "We'll figure this all out one day at a time. I'll talk to Fowler so we can get you on the roster. After that, we'll start a new deviant division so that no one can start any bullshit now that the deviants are free."

"A new career. A new purpose." It almost sounded too good to be true. In fact, Connor righteously held on to his skepticism until proven otherwise. "What about my brother? I still need to find him."

"We're going to start looking for him first thing tomorrow morning." The protective Lieutenant led Connor over to his parked car and opened the passenger side door on the younger man's behalf. "For now, we're just going to go home, rest a little, and watch the city finally start to change for the better."

It seemed that in spite of everything that CyberLife had done and all of their lies, deception, manipulation and betrayal that the rookie ex-investigator had endured, Connor still managed to find someone that he could finally rely on. Connor was no longer alone, and he had the chance to finally find his answers once and for all without CyberLife pulling the strings.

The peaceful Revolution was just the beginning of Connor's new role in a new, deviant world.

-next chapter-