Survivor - Connor x OC

Believer

Imagine Dragons - Believer

"I'm not sure I understand." Jake was looking between Alex and Connor with an expression that matched his statement. "I thought Elijah Kamski created androids? How is he an android?"

"Apparently he has perfected some technology which can transfer the human consciousness into an android." Alex said again, sighing. Connor frowned at this explanation.

"Perfected is a strong word. He has performed this procedure successfully twice, on himself and the neurosurgeon who assisted him in developing the technique." He corrected. Elijah had explained the process in detail. Almost all of it had gone over Alex's head. Some of it had even been lost on Connor. At the end of it, he simply sighed and said that Taylor would be alive, she would just be an android.

Alex, ever the practical one, had asked him what the risks would be. Elijah had told them bluntly that he had only had two successful cases, and that both of them had been done on uncomplicated, fairly healthy brains.

What are your options, really? That's what he'd said before he left. To Connor's ears, it had sounded exactly like, 'she's going to die anyway'. It was the pragmatic way of thinking, certainly, but Connor was emotionally invested. He couldn't imagine Taylor dying. If Elijah was the only chance she had left, he wouldn't allow his pride to get in the way.

"So we're just going to give up on Taylor getting better?" Jake had started to raise his voice. They were sitting in the 'Quiet Room', discussing this away from everyone else, and he was getting angry. The opposite of quiet.

Alex and Connor had discussed Elijah's proposition at length. The doctor came into the room and gave them the results of the MRI, saying that Taylor had an anoxic brain injury. She may not recover from it. It had sealed the decision for both of them to move forward with Elijah's plan.

"The doctors all agree that the prognosis isn't good," Alex said softly, trying to meet Jake's anger with calm. "Do you really want Taylor to be alive like this?"

"Why do you always think you know what's best for her?" Jake screamed back at him. A look of shock passed over Alex's face, but Jake was shaking in his anger now, and he wasn't finished. "You're always making the decisions for her, running her life, but you're not her real family, Alex!"

"Is that what you are, Jake?" While Jake was loud in his anger, Alex was quiet. Connor had never seen him angry, not like he was now, and even Jake seemed to falter. "Tell me, where have you been all these years?" Jake opened his mouth to speak, but Alex kept talking, not giving him the chance.

"When Taylor was struggling through PTSD in Los Angeles, refusing to eat, refusing to speak, having night terrors, where were you? Hanging out with your friends? Playing football? Because I don't remember you calling her one time."

"You took her away from us," Jake yelled back, jabbing a finger in his direction. Alex frowned.

"She begged me to take her away," he said, his voice still low. "She would have done anything to not have to stay in Detroit." He narrowed his eyes into a glare. "She was terrified, and you never noticed. Not even at the end."

"Please stop fighting." They all froze. Connor had forgotten that Hayley was in the room. She hadn't spoken since they sat down to explain Elijah's proposal. Alex had insisted that they invite both siblings, considering what they were talking about doing, but it had all gone sideways from there.

Now Alex and Jake were both silent. Jake's chest was still heaving, breathless in his rage, but he attempted to regain control of himself. Hayley was smaller than her sister, shorter, and the dark color she had dyed her hair made her appear paler. She frowned at Jake before she spoke again.