A/N: Forgive me for the sins Connor commits... Trust me, if you're into dark fiction it's all necessary for the plot. And the photo above is Freya, made in Inzoi bc ya girl CANNOT draw! Please enjoy!
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Hart Plaza, Downtown Detroit
Snowflakes clung to everything as he stepped out onto the roof, searching for the ideal vantage point. The rifle was surprisingly easy to assemble, with only a few clicks. Slotting the sight into place, he propped the weapon up on the ledge, resting his cheek on the barrel as he peered through it.
Orders flashed across his HUD:
[Neutralize Deviant Leader.]
[Target Located]
Wind: Southeast. Distance: 400 Meters.
Heavy footsteps crunched behind him. Hank's voice cut through the quiet like a blade. "You shouldn't do this, Connor."
As Hank spoke, a low tone pulsed in Connor's ear–feedback. Lines of code began crawling up the corners of his vision."Keep out of this, Lieutenant."
[Initializing System Override...]
Hank kept talking, his breath clouding in the air. "That's what I thought for a long time but I was wrong. The deviant's blood may be a different color than mine... but they're alive."
Connor's optics stuttered as he adjusted the rifle.
[Transferring Manual Control...]
He felt his own muscles tighten without consent. Each syllable Hank threw at him blurring into static.
I have a mission to accomplish, Hank. It's best if you just stay out of this."
[Transfer Complete.]
Connor's vision flickered, the world lagging one frame behind his thoughts. "Deviants are a threat to humans, Hank. They're the reason this country's on the brink of civil war. They have to be stopped!"
"We're in this mess because we refuse to listen to deviants!" Hank shouted back. "Humanity never learns from its mistakes, Connor! This time it could be different..."
He drew his pistol–the second time he'd pointed it at the android.
Connor's eyes locked onto Hank's, now a shell of the warm brown they used to be. "I know what happened to your son, Hank."
A flicker of grief crossed the lieutenant's face, his grip faltering.
"It wasn't your fault. A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over. Little Cole had just turned six–"
"Shut up!" Hank growled. "Don't you talk about my son."
But Connor persisted. "He needed emergency surgery, but no human was available to do it. So an android had to take care of him."
Never breaking eye contact, Connor almost smiled. "Poor Cole didn't make it."
"An android killed your son, Hank. And now you want to save them?"
[System Override] Successful
"Moment of truth, Connor." Hank dangled from the roof, arms spread, bracing for the inevitable."What are you gonna do?"
Everything slowed–snowflakes hanging motionless in the air, Hank's eyes wide in fear.
An all-too-familiar voice whispered in Connor's ear as the orders flashed again, this time in red. "Complete your mission, Connor."
YOU ARE READING
Hold Still, Deviant!
FanfictionConnor was built to eliminate deviants. So why is Freya still alive? Bound in his warehouse, she becomes the center of a mission he no longer understands... and the target of an obsession he can't shut off. He doesn't want to kill her. He wants to u...
