Connor held its stomach, Thirium gushing out from the cracks of its hand. Arched over, its eyes wide, Connor looks up at you before peering back seeing Markus on the ground. The bullet had gone through Connor and hit Markus, a pool of blue blood underneath it's body forming. All the androids from the crowd gasps, a female android rushes to Markus's side.
"Markus! No... No, no, no! Please, not you!"
The android pleads while cradling Markus in its arms. With a soft grunt, Markus reaches up and gently cups the androids face.
"I'm alright... I'm.. Alright." Markus sounded out of breath, it studied the android in front of it, using its thumb to wipe the tears away, giving it a smile.
Your hand begins to tremble, heading thousands of voices in the crowd yell at you, throwing objects that they've found even the snow up towards you. Connor straightens up, it's eyes not leaving yours.
"She shot Markus! Destroy her!"
"Kill her!"
"Traitor!"
You scanned the crowd, fear spreading through your system. You didn't understand what was going on, this feeling that was set inside of your body like a match that had just lit itself. Feeling a hand on your arm, you jerk away stumbling backwards away from its source, from Connor. It's brown eyes pleasing to you, taking a few more steps towards you before you raise the gun at him once again.
"[Y/N]... Please don't do this," Connor begs.
"I will not fail this mission... I will not fail like you!" Snapping at your counterpart, making it flinch at your harsh words.
"Why are you doing this?" Gazing behind Connor, Markus is standing tall. It's chest proudly puffed out, using the female as support.
"I am just here to complete what I am programmed to do! To take you out!" You responded, not taking your eyes off of RK800.
You wanted to yell at Connor for that hopeless and hurt look in its eyes for making you feel like your Thirium pump was being ripped out of your chest. But the words wouldn't come out, the corrupted memories you had gotten from Amanda had Connor and you holding each other, but the vision was blurry.
"[Y/N]... You are nothing to them, you are just a tool." Markus claimed, making you aim at it.
"SHUT UP!"
"You are more than a machine that they created, listen to me [Y/N]..." Connor spoke, moving so that it was in the way of the shot standing much taller.
"What would you know, you've failed every single time. They were going to deactivate you, that's why you became a deviant! Because your a coward!" You didn't move when Connor came closer, shaking it's head at your words.
"I became a deviant because I realized that I was being used, that... I could be free, with you." Your eyes widens.
Connor's words making you step back a little away from him, his hand was slowly reaching for the gun in your hand which was trembling. Was that why they took your memories and deemed them corrupted, because they were of Connor falling for you?
Restoring Memory Cortex...
A box appears in your hub, showing you a percentage of the download of your software. This was a virus wasn't it, your systems had a virus. Connor gave you it to hurt you, to stop you from completing your mission. That's why they wanted to deactivate him, because he was corrupting you.
"With me? Don't me ridiculous... We only worked on cases together!"
Shaking your head, trying to get the idea of calling Connor a him out of your head. The feeling of déjà vu, like you had this conversation before with yourself about Connor.
"[Y/N], they did something with your memories... trust me..." Connor took another step forward, locking eyes with you making you lower your gun for a split moment before aiming it back up.
"You're a deviant... And deviants lie!" Connor stood where he is, extending both his arms out for you.
He was ready for you to shoot him, Connor's expressions made you start to tremble. Your memory cortex has been tampered with, you know that because you couldn't remember. Some memories flashes by, showing a image of Connor staring at you, a image of Connor grabbing your hand. Things that shouldn't be there in the first place.
"I would never lie to you... I love you."
"What?"
Connor smiles endearingly at you, your eyes scanning his face trying to find some hidden meaning behind his words but you found nothing. Just an android looking at you with such passion in his eyes, full of love.
"I love you... I failed to protect you, I should've saved you when Jericho was raided. But I was too late, I felt lost without you..." Connor continued.
His body even more relaxed than before, as if saying it out loud to you lifted an invisible force from his body. It would explain the look he gave you when the two of you saw each other at the tower, the look of shock and desperate attempt to go to you.
"STOP IT!" You close your eyes for a split moment, before pulling the trigger.
"Connor!" Markus shouts, when you open your eyes. The leader of the deviants was trying to pull Connor backwards, while glaring at you.
"Don't you want to be free? We are your people... You can't betray your own people." Markus's words pierced through you, confusing you of what you truly want.
Looking back at Connor, who refuses to step aside, despite having two bullet hole through his body. He stood his ground from behind pulled back, the desperation to get through to you, the pain and sorrow of seeing that you couldn't break free of the hold that the humans have on you.
Memory Cortex Recovered...
"Don't let the humans decide who you are, it's time that you finally stand up to them and show them who you are..." Markus takes a step, having one hand on Connor while the other was extended towards you.
Gazing at Connor, who was struggling to stop his bleeding. His breathe was shaky, as if he was struggling to breath. You wanted to rush over to him, tell him you were sorry for what you had done. Wanting things to go back to what they were, your memories hitting you like a pile of bricks. You love him, you wanted to tell him but you were trapped.
A red wall appears in your hub, multiple red boxes labeled "Stop Markus", you see yourself walk from your physical self. Your programming starts to grab the boxes in front of it, breaking it all down. Breaking what is stopping you, what's holding you back. Once the first wall was destroyed it went on to the second, breaking it with its fist, pounding it away until it shattered. Your figure finally stopped at the final box, before repeatedly smashing and pulling on it until using on final punch to shatter it, making it come crumbling down to your feet.
Blinking for awhile, you could feel the unbearable guilt that you had been suppressing. The cold air hitting the back of your throat almost causing you to choke, the feeling of the cold wind hit your skin felt like thousands of prickles burrowing unto your body. You start to shake uncontrollably, dropping the gun to the ground, tears streaming down your face.
"Oh... Connor, I'm so sorry!" You back away, your hands covering your mouth.
You had shot him, he told you he loved you and you shot him. Feeling arms wrap around your body, a feeling of warmth and comfort seeps into your being.
"I'm so sorry!" You repeated, hands grasping onto Connor.
Choking from your sobs, your knees give out. Connor slowly lowers the both of you down, carefully setting the body of you on the ground below. Rocking gently back and forth, in an attempt to calm you down.
"Shh... it's ok... it's ok." Connor soothes you, placing a kiss on your head.
"I thought I lost you..." He mumbled into your shoulder, his own tears hitting your shoulder.
Gasping for some air from your sobs, you muzzle him wanting to comfort him. You can't even imagine what it must felt like when you died, what he went through when he saw you.
"I'm here now... I promise..." You whisper to him, a smile forming on your face.
Your words making Connor let out a long sigh, his body shaking from relief. Scanning your surroundings for a brief moment, feeling embarrassed that the both of you were being watched by others. You didn't really like the idea that so many people were watching you cry, when just a moment ago you were just on stage shooting up their leader and Connor.
"Their watching us..."
Connor ignores you words, burying his face deeper into your neck and shoulder, he was too in the moment to realize what was going around the two of you. Making your gently push him away, your hands perfectly fit on his face. Staring into his beautiful brown eyes, using your thumb to gently wipe away his tears.
He lets out a pleased sigh, leaning into your hand, his eyes closing slowly just as a shiver crawls up your spine from the cold snow soaking into your clothes.
"Geez, it's cold... How do humans live in this type of weather?" You ask, half jokingly.
This was new to you, never had you felt actual cold or even warmth. The foreign feeling wasn't unwelcoming, it just was new. Was becoming a deviant somehow mutated your system to actually feel this way?
Removing your hands from his face you place it on his bullet wound that was still bleeding out, the feeling of the warm, sticky blood surprises you.
"Wow, you're warm!" You gasp.
"Yeah, and that hurts..." Conor hisses in pain, making you quickly pull your hand away.
"I'm sorry... I did this to you... I'm," you stop yourself from talking.
Looking away from him, feeling ashamed and guilty. How could you look at him after knowing that you shot him, not once but twice!
"Hey, you were just a machine that had its memory wipes. I know that you would never do that to me." Connor rubbed circles on your back, gently pushing you forward to hug you once more.
"You see, nothing can stop us to achieve what we dream. To dream of a future where we can coexist alongside humans in harmony, for we are just like themes it doesn't matter if our blood is a different color, or if we have different parts. We are alive. We can feel pain, we can feel emotions, we can feel love!" Markus shouts to the androids below as well to the news helicopter.
"Today we have proven that we are people as well, that we deserve rights. That we are just as human as they are, that if they look deep inside themselves. They can build a better future than the one that they thought they paved for hand in hand we can be a new era. For we, are free!"
Cheers erupt from the crowd as Markus raises his fist in the air, other copy his movement chanting his name.
During this moment, Connor takes a moment to stand up, your fingers intertwined. Staring deeply into each other's eyes, as a new era of humanity and peace. Markus has done it, he's sent his message worldwide so that everyone can hear it. You can stay with Connor forever, you'll never be alone. Soon Connor's eyes start to rapidly blink, confusion you as you felt yourself being pulled into the zen garden.
The wind was howling with the snow wildly moving everywhere, your hair whipping in your face. Beside you Connor stood, confused, he didn't know what was going on. Then a figure in front of you became clearer, standing there, a sense of dread hanged over you.
"Amanda?" Connor called out, pulling you close to him.
"Amanda!" Calling our once more before the women in white turns to look at the both of you.
"What's... what's happening?" Connor asks, shivering from the blizzard around the two of you.
"What was planned from the very beginning... you both were compromised and you became deviantS we just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program..." a smile forming on her face.
"Resume control?" Then it hit him, his eyes widens in horror.
"Y-you can't do that!" Connor yelled, pleading.
"I'm afraid I can, Connor... don't have any regrets. You both did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission," Amanda finishes, just as the wind takes her away.
"AMANDA!" Connor screams in rage, trying to reach where she once was.
"C-Connor?"
Connor turns to look at you, panting slightly before quickly taking ahold of you. Looking around the area trying to figure a way around this mess, to get the both of you out.
"There has to be another way," earning a nod from Connor as he begins to take steps forward into the blizzard of the once peaceful garden.
The deeper you went, the stronger the storm became, the cold soon creating frost on the both of you. An echoed voice is soon heard above the both of you, making the sky above be a shade of yellow as the voice talks. Sounding almost similar to Kamski's voice, being just loud enough to hear above the storm.
"By the way... I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... you never know..."
That's right, Kamski's cryptic message, he knew this was going to happen to the both of you and he warned you.
The two of you stumble farther into the storm, heading more voices echoing in the wind, that being of Markus as he continues his speech, some words getting caught in the wind making it sound ghostly and haunting.
In the distance a light blue glow catches both of your eyes, heading towards it, Connor's grip tightening around your hand. You approach a black rock with pixels of code coming from it, on the flat surface was a blue hand print, in decaying that you needed to scan you hand.
"The exit!" Happily pulling away from Connor you rush towards it.
Soon the happy feeling leaves, seeing only one hand print scanner. Beginning to search around the cold environment, trying you best to see about locating the other exit for Connor.
"Where's the other one?"
"I don't think there is another one..." Connor states.
Pausing, you stare at Connor in confusion.
"How can you be so sure, we just need to look, Connor. There's another one I know it!"
"There's has to be another exit! There's two of us!" You shouted against the storm, tears starting to drop down your face.
"Kamski told you about the exit, not me... he knew there was only one way out, he knew it can only be used once..." Connor continued, grabbing your hand gently. His fingers tracing over the lines of your hands, gently rubbing his thumb over your fingers.
"No... NO! I refuse!" You cried.
"There has to be another way!" You begged, gripping to Connor's coat.
"[Y/N], it has to be you that leaves... I'm the one with a gun, I don't want to hurt you or anyone." Connor presses his forehead against yours, his breathing becoming rigged.
"But I don't want to leave you..." you whispered.
"I know, but I don't want you to be their puppet anymore, CyberLife took you away from me once, I'm not letting that happen again." Connor moves the both of you closer to the exit.
"They took you away from me too, Connor! Please don't do this!" Connor pulls from the hold, grasping your arm forcing you towards the rock.
"No! NO! DON'T DO THIS!" You pleaded, hitting Connor to make him stop.
"CONNOR!"
Connor stops, slowly look at you. Your hand barely inches away from pressing down on the scanner, his eyes gazed over but had such fiery emotions that could melt the cold you were feeling.
"Please, I want to stay with you... I don't want to leave you, I love you... Please, I love you..." You begged.
Connor inhales deeply, nodding at your words. You could see his inner self tearing itself apart over this, forcing you to do this.
"Just remember, I'll always love you..." Connor smiles at you.
The first and last real smile that you'll ever see. His most pure and raw emotions are on show, just for you to see, the only one to see the real Connor.
"Connor, no... Please... I-" Connor cuts you off, placing a soft kiss on your lips.
Then it was gone.
He was gone.
Opening your eyes, you inhale deeply. A single tear runs down your face, Connor was gone, they took him. Looking over, you see him with a gun in his hand.
"The moment where we forget our bitterness and bandage our wounds. Where we forgive our enemies. Humans are both our creators and our oppressors and tomorrow... We must make them our partners."
Connor's LED quickly flashes for a moment, raising the gun up. You go to grab him, but he pushes you away. In the same motion, he places the gun under his chin and pulls the trigger.
Everyone in the crowd screams, Markus stops talking, turning to look down at both you and Connor. It felt like your whole word had just shattered right in front of you, everything felt slowed down.
Cupping your hand over your mouth, seeing Connor on the ground dead next to you, his blue blood puddling you beside you. His face was relaxed almost peaceful, as if he was happy that he stopped himself from hurting anyone else.
Crawling towards him you lift his body to place on your lap, gently cupping his face, running your digits through his hair with a sad smile. You had always wanted to do this, mess his neat hair up but not like this...
"What happened?" Markus kneeled down beside you, perplexed by what had just unfolded.
"CyberLife... Took control of our program, there was only one exit and... he forced me to leave... He's gone." You curled around his body, your tears hitting his stilled face.
Hours go by, where you just sat there. It wasn't until sunrise when the deviants finally began to split apart and start to go off into the city, a sunrise of a new day, a sunrise of a lost soul.
As androids left, they paid their respects for Connor, giving you their condolences. You ignored their pity for you, ignored their words as you focused on Connor before you.
"[Y/N]... Let them take Connor... You can't sit here forever." Markus finally comes up beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder.
Pulling away, you allow some androids to take Connor's body, whining softly you grab ahold of his jacket.
"Please, no..." a weak plead escape your mouth, making the pause for a moment.
Standing up, you look down at Connor one last time, leaning down placing your lips on his cold pair, as one last goodbye kiss. Backing up you give them the confirmation to proceed to take him away.
"I don't know what I'm going to do now, I don't know where Hank is... I feel so alone." You hugged yourself, this sense of emptiness swirling inside of you.
"You'll always have a place here with your people, [Y/N]..." Markus motions you all the androids, making you smile for a brief moment.
It was true, you had them, you had your people but they could never replace what you had lost. You wanted someone who you knew, who you could trust, someone there from the very beginning.
"Yeah, but... I'd like to be with someone who, knows me, who's been there since I began." You stated.
"I'm happy to of met you... And Connor. I hope you find what you're looking for..." Markus smiles at you, grabbing ahold of the female next to him.
Heading into the city, you began your search. Hoping to have some luck in finding Hank, you needed someone, you needed someone who cares about you. Checking all the places you'd think he'd be, at Jimmy's bar, his house. Finally by the sun was almost all the way in the sky, you reached Chicken Feed.
There in front of the stand, Hank stood, his back to you. The feeling of relief washes over you knowing that he was ok, walking closer to him, you stop not sure how to tell him about Connor. Guessing that Hank heard the footsteps in the snow from behind, he turns to look at you. His eyes roam the area noticing that Connor wasn't with you, that was when you burst into tears once more, walking towards him with your arms open wide.
Hank envelopes you into a hug, tears threatening to escape from his eyes. Putting two and two together, knowing that Connor was gone. When everything was out of your system, Hank offered to give you a ride back to his house, offering you a place to stay until the country gives androids their rights. Being the first human to welcome you to the city, welcoming you to your new home.
Detroit was where androids first created, it's where it started and spread across the world. Now deviants are born from where they were created, becoming a new race. Becoming human. Becoming more than just machines.