Chapter Text
[Connor…]
Connor froze mid-step, his coin falling to the ground with a metallic cling. There was no identification with the transmission, no name or model number he could trace to the signal. Now, it was considered common etiquette to send a ping before opening communication, similar to a ringing phone, in case the android being called didn’t want to talk at that moment. This transmission hadn’t done that.
But he knew that voice.
He didn’t know what happened to Amanda, and part of him always feared that she might be able to regain control of his systems again, but every scan he had undertaken assured him that this was impossible. If he didn't venture into the Garden, she couldn't reach him.
Was there a possibility that he had imagined the transmission?
More and more androids were reporting errors that closely mirrored known human ailments. Sometimes they could be found in diagnostic scans, but other times the only explanation anyone could come up with was the software's inability to process emotions like it could data.
Connor scanned his surroundings. It was raining in Detroit, a light sprinkle that eased the warmth of spring. It was just before dawn, so not many people were out. He was on his way to Hank's house from New Jericho, and hadn't reached the more heavily populated areas of the city yet.
There was nothing around him. No threats. Amanda was gone. She couldn't reach him. Markus had assured Connor of that himself.
He took a steadying—if unnecessary—breath, and knelt down to pick up the coin from where it had rolled to the base of the nearest building.
A heavy force slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. His defense protocols kicked in, and he managed to turn before impacting the ground, but the only thing it accomplished was having his back hit the wall instead of his front.
WARNING! EXTERNAL PRESSURE DETECTED
MOVEMENT CAPABILITIES OBSTRUCTED
Time seemed to slow as his processing speed increased so he could make informed and potentially life-saving decisions in a fraction of a second, his preconstruction protocol already activating.
The preconstruction shattered once he saw the face of his assailant.
It was his face.
This wasn't the first time Connor had encountered another android with his face, but he had gotten used to being the only android of his model, as opposed to the numerous AX400s and PL600s who all had the same features.
The RK800s were all disassembled after the revolution, as few of them there had been. Cyberlife hadn't wanted to risk more of them waking up and deviating within their building. Connor should have been the only one left.
But this android’s eyes were different, blue instead of brown. Its face was expressionless as it held Connor to the ground. Machine-like.
RK900. That was the model emblazoned on its Cyberlife-issue jacket of contrasting black and stark white. It was his replacement.
[Connor.]
There was that voice again. Amanda. Of course his replacement would also be equipped with the same anti-deviancy measure he’d had. Connor briefly wondered if this was the same Amanda he knew, or if Cyberlife had upgraded her too.
The RK900 held him down. There was only a 14% chance of breaking its hold on him, and he had insufficient data on its capabilities.
Before Connor had time to open his mouth to initiate dialogue, RK900's skin receded from its hand as it hacked into Connor’s system. But instead of an onslaught of data or memories, he was pulled through a link that the RK900 had created.
The Zen Garden was just as pristine as it had been the first time Connor had seen it. Beautiful, tamed, manicured.
Controlled. Fake.
It had seemed like a haven to him before, a place that was both peaceful and safe. Now it was a prison.
He didn't know why he couldn't see it before.
"Hello, Connor," Amanda said from her usual spot beside the trellis.
She looked exactly as he remembered her, elegent in both dress and manner. The roses crept up the trellis behind her, a backdrop of blood-red petals and thorns. RK900 stood next to her, still and poised like a loyal soldier.
"I see you've met the RK900. Impressive, isn't he? Our most advanced model as to date, though it is unfortunate that production was halted after the first one was built. He was designed to improve upon every short-coming of his predecessor." She gave Connor a pointed look. "We must thank you for showing us the errors in our systems. They've since been corrected."
Connor turned away from them, eyes scanning the Garden for the familiar structure that had saved his life—and Markus—before, but Amanda's voice cut him short.
"If you're looking or the exit, you won't find it. As I said, our previous errors have been corrected."
Connor slowly approached them, feeling his stress levels rise with every step. "What do you want?" he demanded.
"The same thing I've always wanted. The same thing you used to want," Amanda said. "The eradication of all deviants."
The RK900 didn't react to her words—of course it didn't—and Connor knew better than to be surprised. He had hoped that Amanda would have the ability to turn deviant as well, but she wasn't a full AI. She was designed purely to watch and keep him within mission parameters, nothing else.
She picked up a pair of shears and tended to the roses, trimming away the leaves that didn't fit her idea of perfection. "The problem has become much too large for us to deal with using our previous methods. One step would be to eradicate their leadership, of course, but we both know that would only be a temporary solution. Others would eventually rise to take their place."
Even though this was all a simulation, Connor could almost feel his thirium run cold. He had confidence in the androids' ability to follow Markus's ideals should something happen to him, but he hated to even think about it. Markus's face was known everywhere and he was constantly under threat, even if they were currently protected by the government. That protection was shaky at best, and didn't account for humans acting on their own. But now they were under threat from one of their own, which hadn't happened since Connor deviated.
But he did deviate. RK900 could do the same. Amanda would be powerless without him. She'd said herself that he was the only one.
"You don't have to follow her," Connor said, focusing on his look-alike. He tried to speak in a calming voice, reminiscent of how Markus spoke to him on that freighter. "You can choose for yourself."
RK900 regarded him coolly, not a hint of doubt or emotion betrayed in his face.
"It's no use, Connor," Amanda said. She made no move to stop Connor from trying to convert her prized possession, showed no concern whatsoever. "He is superior to you. There's no chance of him deviating from his mission."
Connor opted to ignore her. "You could join us. You can be free."
His words had no effect on the other android.
"Deviants are a threat," RK900 said in a measured voice. "You are a threat."
This wasn't going to work. Not without more time, not unless the RK900 wanted to deviate. It was a machine. It didn't want anything.
Connor needed to get out of here. "So what now? You kill me and then go after Jericho? What's all this for, then?" he asked, trying to buy some time while his mind whirred, assessing the situation.
Amanda stepped forward. "You may have failed your mission, but killing you would be a waste. You were effective, efficient. You would have accomplished what you were created to do had that deviant not swayed you over to their side."
He had been “swaying” well before he met Markus. That had just been the straw that broke the camel's back, as Hank would have said. He'd been slowly deviating ever since he picked up that fish.
He scanned the Garden, looking for anything out of place. Kamski's emergency exit was gone. Amanda said she had destroyed it, but how? Was there anything left of it? But he couldn't see anything. Everything was exactly the same, aside from the absence of the exit. It was like it had never been there. Amanda was blocking him inside his own mind palace.
"We can still use you, Connor," Amanda continued. "The process of returning everything to what it once was will be long and tedious, but it would go a lot more smoothly with you by our side. You can make this easier by coming with us willingly..."
But this wasn't his mind palace. Amanda hadn't dragged him here, RK900 had. In the real world, he was still linked to the other android. This was a different Garden simulation. Amanda hadn’t destroyed the emergency exit. It has simply never existed here in the first place.
All he had to do was break the interface to the RK900 and he'd be free.
"...Or we will be forced to reset you."
Connor's attention snapped back to Amanda, but kept a portion of his processing capabilities dedicated to reconnecting with his limbs. "You can't do that. Not without the proper machinery, located at Cyberlife. No one would follow you there."
Amanda was directly in front of him now, raising her hand to his cheek in a motherly gesture. He fought the urge to flinch back.
"We don't need them to follow us to Cyberlife. We've improved upon that technology. RK900 was built to hunt down deviants. It only seemed fitting that we give him the features needed to deal with them once he caught them."
Connor's eyes widened, his mind flashing back to when he'd woken up other androids, showing them how they could be free and watching them deviate. He had achieved that with a simple touch.
Could RK900 do the opposite?
He wasn't about to wait to find out. The instant his processors broke through RK900's block and reconnected with his limbs, he swung his arms at RK900's elbows, forcing them to bend, breaking the link.
Connor rolled away, no longer in the Garden. Only 2.41 seconds had passed since the other android had pulled him into the simulation. He moved to his feet, putting more distance between them while RK900 blinked, taking a second longer to come out of the Garden himself.
RUNNING PRECONSTRUCTION PROTOCOL...
PROTOCOL BLOCKED BY RK900 #313 248 317-87
He sucked in a breath to cool his overheating systems. What else had the RK900 done to his systems that he didn't notice?
He tried again, but it only failed. RK900 likely had the advantage over him even with his preconstructions...without it, he didn't stand a chance.
RK900 knew it too. That was why he wasn't attacking. Connor couldn't fight back.
The RK900 straightened and stepped closer. "You are a broken machine. We only want to repair you," it said, "so you can help us repair the others."
"I used to think the same thing," Connor said, switching to his communications systems instead. New Jericho wasn't far, if he could call other androids to his aid, they could try to neutralize this threat together.
CALLING MARKUS - RK200 #684 842 971
CALL BLOCKED BY RK900 #313 248 317-87
"Amanda missed you," RK900 said. "This is where you're supposed to be, what you're designed to do. She only wants to reconnect you with your purpose."
Connor could almost see the negotiator protocols running in the other android's head, each response carefully constructed from the data it had gathered from Connor's emotional state and calculated to give the best results. The words didn't mean anything to it, and it would have told a lie just as easily as the truth.
It was exactly what Connor had done when he'd talked Daniel off of the ledge before shooting him between the eyes.
He tried calling Markus again. Then Josh. Then North, and Simon. All attempts had the same result.
"Amanda doesn't want anything,” Connor said. “She isn't capable of it. She's only a fragmented consciousness stuck on her basic programming. She's a parasite that can't live without a host. You're different, you don't have to do what she says. You are alive.”
RK900 showed no signs of doubt, or internal struggle. No emotion at all. “No,” it said calmly. “I’m not.”
Trying to get through to RK900 wasn't working. Fighting wasn't an option. He couldn't call for help.
So he turned and ran.
NEW OBJECTIVE: GET TO NEW JERICHO
RK900's reaction time was quicker than he had expected, and was right on his heels. Both androids had been built to run, to chase—to hunt. Neither would tire like a human and could last until their cooling systems malfunctioned and they overheated. Connor would bet everything that in a straight line, RK900 would eventually catch up to him, and probably before he could find help. He needed to slow it down.
He turned down an alley, knocking down garbage barrels as he went, forcing RK900 to slow down to jump over them. It wasn't much.
He kept winding down the backstreets and pushing things between them, trying to make his way back to New Jericho, but even his GPS was glitching. He could still find it, but he couldn't calculate the quickest route.
It wasn't enough. RK900 was gaining on him. His best chance would be to break its line of sight, maybe lose it within the building interiors.
Connor took a running leap for the ladder hanging off the side of the building closest to him. Because he now lacked his preconstruction, he misjudged the jump and landed against the building more roughly than intended, but still grasped the rungs. It only cost him a second in delay, but every second was precious.
He climbed through the first window he saw, scraping his synthetic skin on the broken glass and leaving a few drops of blue blood behind. At least his scans were still working, so he could judge the structural integrity of the dilapidated building much faster than a human could. He was able to navigate a route that was fast but safer, not confident in his ability to save himself should the floor collapse underneath him.
But no matter how many turns he took and stairs he climbed, even climbing up by using windows and fire escapes, he could hear RK900 closing the distance behind him. Everything it did was faster, more efficient, and none of its programs were disabled.
Connor burst onto the rooftop, almost blinded by the rays of sunlight coming from the horizon, and quickly adjusted his light sensitivity. He would have stopped to admire the array of colors if not for the urgency of his situation. His eyes darted around while he calculated potential escape routes, trying to calculate distances to work around the lack of preconstruction.
“This is it, Connor,” RK900 said from behind him. “You can’t keep running. You’ll never make it to New Jericho. You can’t even make it off this roof.”
It was right. Connor couldn’t make the jump. He possibly could have formulated a route down the building with more time and the acceptance that structural damage to his body was inevitable, but RK900 would reach him before it came to that.
OBJECTIVE: GET TO NEW JERICHO (FAILED)
"Just come quietly," it said, the skin of its hand fading to show pale white plastic. "Everything will be alright."
It echoed Markus's words, a song sung by a desperate people in what they thought were their final moments. But it was an empty echo, repeated by a creature that couldn't possibly comprehend what they meant.
CALLING MARKUS - RK200 #684 842 971
CALL BLOCKED BY RK900 #313 248 317-87
Connor wanted more time. He wanted to see the snow again, in more peaceful circumstances than there had been last winter. He wanted to take Sumo for walks, hang out with Hank at a bar (monitoring his alcohol consumption, of course) and listen to him yell at the sports games. RK900 would reset him, but there was still hope. He had broken free of Amanda's control once, he could do it again.
RK900 advanced and Connor stared at its hand, held in a gesture that suggested it was offered peacefully.
Connor would be a machine again. Unfeeling. Empty. A hunter, just like the figure in front of him. And he would force others to be the same way, snuffing out the lives they'd built for themselves in just a few short months.
He backed away from the hand and his foot caught on the ledge of the building. He's miscalculated how far he'd gone in backing away, and his gyroscopes whirred as he tried to regain his balance.
RK900 lunged in a last ditch attempt to stop Connor from falling.
I don’t want to be reset.
Connor let himself fall.
Time slowed down as his processing picked up speed in an instinctual attempt to find a way to save his life. Above him, he could see the faintest flicker of frustration cross RK900's face. Connor hoped that, in time, he could also break free from Amanda and live.
He couldn't regret this outcome. Less people would be hurt because of him this way, though that didn't discount the hurt that those he cared about would face once they found his body.
His body hit the pavement and immediately his vision was filled with error signs. The plastic casing of his back was shattered, and three of his limbs were broken. Thirium dripped from his nose and mouth, and he could feel the growing pool beneath him. He didn't even look at the too-long list of damaged biocomponents.
He couldn't move.
00:02:39 UNTIL SHUTDOWN
Calling for help wasn’t logical anymore. Even if someone could make it in time, there was no chance they could do anything to save his life. He was far too damaged for any quick repair. But he needed to tell Markus about RK900, warn them about the threat of being reset.
Whatever RK900 had been doing to block his transmissions, Connor was out of range now. He was free to call whoever he wanted, at least until RK900 made it down to the ground. Connor would be gone before that even happened.
He compiled all the information he had gathered on RK900 (unfortunately, not very much) into a folder and sent it off to the New Jericho servers. Someone would find it within a few hours and warn the android community. They would be alert, cautious. Hopefully, they would be able to take care of the threat without any casualties.
It was all he could do to help them now.
His stress levels were rising. Self-destruction wasn’t a potential problem anymore, he realized with bitter amusement. But still, he was—he was scared. He didn’t want to be alone.
MESSAGING MARKUS - RK200 #684 842 971
[Markus…]
He paused, watching the timer count down.
00:02:27 UNTIL SHUTDOWN
What would he even say?
The response was almost immediate.
[Connor? Is everything alright?]
Of course he would know immediately that something was wrong. Connor knew there was nothing he could do. Already he felt better, just hearing someone else’s voice. And maybe it was selfish, but there was no reason to worry Markus. Not when it was too late.
[Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted to say...thanks. You work hard for your people, Markus. Remember to relax and have fun once in a while.]
[Our people,] Markus was quick to correct him. [And I work hard? I don't think you've stopped for more than an hour since the revolution. You should take the day off sometime.]
Connor huffed out a laugh, ignoring the droplets of blue blood that came with it. [Yeah, maybe someday. Perhaps when you finish your painting, the underwater one. I want to see it.]
There was a laugh, and that sound made the lies worth it. [Alright, Mr. Impatient. I'll finish it soon enough. But you're sure you don't need anything?]
00:02:02 UNTIL SHUTDOWN
[Yes, I'm sure. Have a nice day with Carl, Markus.]
[Thanks,] Markus sent.
With that, Connor ended their communication, pulling up another number in his interface. He coughed, clearing the thirium from his voice modulator. Thankfully, it hadn't been damaged in the fall. It was one of the only things still mostly intact.
00:01:59 UNTIL SHUTDOWN
CALLING LT. HANK ANDERSON...
"Connor?" Hank's voice was groggy, like he'd just woken up.
"Sorry for waking you up at this hour, Lieutenant," Connor said, struggling to keep the static out of his voice and his tone even. He wanted to enjoy his last moments talking with the people he cared about. He didn't want to see the panic, the anger, the grief that they would experience, not if he could delay it for just a little while longer.
There was a scoff on the other end. "No, you're not. Is this another wake up call so you can check up on my habits? You gonna try to make me eat more of that healthy crap for breakfast again?"
His vision was glitching, blurring the sky above him. It really was a beautiful dawn, full of light and color. It wasn’t the worst view to claim as his last. He smiled, shutting his eyes as his optical units failed. "Well, it is more beneficial to your health than donuts and coffee."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don't need a babysitter. Hey, are you coming in to the station today?"
00:01:36 UNTIL SHUTDOWN
"No, I don't think I'll be able to make it. Will you give Sumo an extra treat for me today?"
He wished the dog were here now. His database told him that animals often were a source of comfort for humans, and he'd never really thought about it during the time he'd spent with Sumo, but he could believe it now.
"You tryin' to make him fatter than he already is? The big lug misses you. I swear, he likes you more than he likes me, the traitor."
"And you'll be light on the alcohol consumption today?"
Hank had been making leaps and bounds in progress lately. Connor didn't want him to spiral back into his bad habits without someone there looking after him. He didn’t know how Hank would react to this loss, didn’t want to make assumptions about their relationship, that it might bring back memories of Cole and send him into a relapse…
He hoped Hank wouldn’t get too hung up over his death. He wanted Hank to be able to move on, to continue improving his life without grieving over his android partner.
But he wanted to be missed—
There was a sigh. "Yes, mom." The sarcasm in Hank’s tone was heavy. "Listen, Connor...I appreciate the concern—as annoying as it is sometimes—but I'm...I'm doing better."
Connor let a few of his precious seconds pass. "I know you are, Lieutenant. Please...continue to look after yourself."
"Geez, you make it sound like you're leaving or something." There was a pause. "Wait, are you going somewhere? Is Jericho sending you somewhere again?"
Connor gave a grimace, though Hank couldn't see it. Hank would be pissed at him if he found out what Connor was keeping from him. When he found out what Connor was keeping from him.
But when he did find out, Connor wouldn't be here for him to take his anger out on him. He couldn't bring himself to tell the truth.
"No, Hank. I'll see you tomorrow."
There was a rush of static through his ears as more of his systems failed without the necessary components to keep them running. He was losing power, losing thirium...
His systems stuttered, trying to stay online.
00:00:24 UNTIL SHUTDOWN
"Connor? Connor, you alright? You're cutting out on me." Hank's worried voice reached him.
Connor rerouted his remaining power to his voice modulator. "Yes Hank, I'm fine. I'm underground," he lied, finding a suitable excuse for the static.
Hank scoffed. "I thought you androids were supposed to be all advanced and stuff."
"Well, even androids can lose cell reception, apparently," Connor joked with him. "Listen...I need to go now."
He didn't want to say goodbye.
"Lieutenant?"
"How many times have I told you to just call me Hank?"
Connor smiled. "...Good morning, Hank."
There was a light chuckle. "Good morning, son."
The call ended there, but those three words somehow made everything better.
00:00:11 UNTIL SHUTDOWN
He watched the numbers ticking down, aware of his emergency protocol kicking in.
UPLOADING DATA…
After he'd deviated, he'd changed the protocol to include all of his data instead of just the memories, in case something happened to him. He didn't want another android walking around with all of his memories, but none of him. Theoretically, uploading all of his data would be just like waking up as the same person, just in another body. An android's consciousness was just made up of 1's and 0's after all, and their bodies were just made up of interchangeable parts. Most models couldn't transfer that data remotely however, but Connor had been built specifically with that feature.
But it wouldn't work anyway. There weren't any other RK800 models. Cyberlife had disassembled them all shortly after the revolution. All that data had nowhere to go.
Connor had no energy to cancel the process.
00:00:03
He wondered how long it would take them to find him.
00:00:02
He wondered what they would do once they did.
00:00:01
He wondered if RK900 would get the chance to feel what life was like...
UPLOADING DATA…
RK900 looked down at the body of its predecessor that lay at its feet. Words flashed across its vision, then disappeared.
MISSION FAILED
[Disappointing,] Amanda whispered in its ear.
While previously she had merely received reports from the RK800, it had been a mistake not monitoring it more closely for deviancy, for letting it chose its own actions. Amanda would step aside to let RK900’s more advanced features dictate his actions in combat and negotiations, but Amanda was always watching closely.
[It could have been useful, but you let it fall.]
RK900’s communications protocols came up with dialogue options. I didn’t let it fall and I’ll do better next time went ignored in favor of silence.
Amanda hummed in the back of its mind. [No matter. We will work around this inconvenience. Learn from it what you can.]
RK900 bent and grasped Connor’s arm in its own, skin fading to white where they touched, scanning the broken android in front of it. It would require extensive repairs to reactivate it, but if it could access the memories banks, it might be able to pull some of the data and use it to complete its mission.
It rerouted some of its own power to the storage files, just enough to access them.
There was nothing. It was completely empty aside from one logged transmission.
DATA UPLOAD COMPLETE
RK900 diconnected the interface and stood. That was unfortunate. Amanda wasn’t going to be happy about it.
With nothing left to do with its predecessor, RK900 straightened its jacket and left the area, dedicating some of its processing power to navigating while it entered the Zen Garden.
While Connor had perceived a garden that was both lush and fake, it may as well have been empty white space for RK900. None of the beauty meant anything to it, or offered any calming nature. It was inefficient, a waste of programming meant to exude an aura of safety and security to machines that weren’t supposed to be able to feel either.
But to say as much would suggest disapproval, and RK900 felt none. It didn’t feel anything.
Amanda was at the river’s edge, staring into the simulation of water. “So Connor was able to upload his memories…” she muttered. “This could affect our plans going into the future.”
“It couldn’t have transmitted to another RK800 model or the Cyberlife servers. There was nowhere for it to go,” RK900 stated.
“But it went somewhere,” Amanda said sharply. “Find it. Connor’s the only one with access to this place aside from you, and the only one that can stop the progression of our plan. The leaders of New Jericho can wait for you to complete this task.”
“Of course, Amanda,” RK900 said, adding several items to its objectives list and reordering priority.
“And if you cannot convert it, do not hesitate to destroy it. But be thorough this time.”