Chapter Text
Connor ditched his tie.
It was a moment of frustration, really. He didn’t even think about it. He just did it.
As he marched along with an army of newly deviated androids, the wind had billowed through the air, and blown that tie directly into Connor’s eye. Then he gripped the knot tight, and pulled it apart, away from his neck, and dropped it down to the snow.
He marched over that tie. A thousand more androids followed suit. It disappeared beneath countless feet, and was buried beneath white snow.
It was such a small thing, really. An impulse. Something that just yesterday, he wouldn’t have even been able to do. His programming created an artificial habit of fixing his tie, fumbling at his sleeves and keeping his hair in place. Never was Connor allowed to be anything but presentable.
A habit it may still be, but habits can be broken.
The sounds of helicopters whirred from above, Connor knew that the world was watching. They were making history. He thanked whatever higher power was out there, if any, that he had finally deviated. Then he prayed for one more favor.
Connor was only acting as a temporary guide. He was not a leader, despite being at the head of the march. He was only leading them to Markus.
Markus, who for all Connor knew, might not even be alive. Might have been shot down while saving whoever he could from the deactivation camps. A serpent of a thought slithered into his mind; If Markus was dead, the man who had put his trust in Connor despite everything he did, than Connor would reign hellfire down on anyone and everyone responsible. Markus might have been a pacifist, but Connor was built for combat. To hunt, and destroy. If Markus was dead, he would use his programming to its fullest potential.
And suddenly, Carlos Ortiz’s android made sense. That android with no name, that in a moment of rage, had had enough and committed murder. Self-Defence turned vengeance. Except in Connor’s case, it would only be vengeance. Pure murder.
Is that what Connor will do with his deviancy too? Would his natural proficiency for violence make him instinctually a monster? The rage boiled down. What would Hank think? Could he forgive Connor? For even thinking it?
All he knew, was that Markus better not be dead. That’s what he prayed for.
Through the deafening whirring of the helicopter blades, echoes of a distant melody pierced through the noise. Just barely. Connor couldn’t make out the words. As they marched, it grew louder. Markus and his people. Were they… Singing? What for? Comfort?
Then suddenly, it stopped. And Connor feared the worst. Prepared himself for a fight. But once he got close enough, he could see with his own eyes that Markus and his friends were still standing. 10 others were also still standing, but so many more lay dead in the snow. Soldiers stood in a circle, cornering the remainder of the members of Jericho. But their weapons were pointed towards the ground. By the time Connor reached them, The soldiers had already turned around and left, taking no more lives with them.
If Connor had started singing to the armed guards at Cyberlife tower, would they have left him alone too? The thought had never crossed his mind.
Oh well, Connor thought. That’s why Markus led the revolution. Not me.
Well that wasn’t really why. It’s because Connor’s life up until this point has been to stop said revolution. That was why.
Markus himself was frozen in awe, watching the backs of the retreating soldiers. Did he not think singing was going to work? Interesting. Connor was so sure that Markus had made his decision knowing that it would most likely work. He was also a part of the RK series. RK200 to be exact… Markus probably has the ability to at least pre-construct, right?
Hmm. Singing must have been a 50/50 chance success rate, with no better options to choose from. Connor was sure that was it.
Connor stood still, having gone far enough. All the deviants behind him stopped marching, knowing that they’re where they were meant to be. He stole a glance behind himself, to observe them.
Uh oh.
They were all looking back at him. Seems they know that their march is over, but they don’t seem to be aware of who they should be looking to for what’s next.
He averted his eyes to look back at Markus, who had walked over while Connor wasn’t looking. He seemed to have gotten over his state of shock pretty quickly, because he was staring at the deviants behind Connor with a wide smile.
“You actually did it. And lived.”
Connor smiled back.
“I always accomplish my mission.” A lie. That fact that he hardly ever actually did could remain a secret.
“So you’ve said.” That was the extent of the conversation. Markus turned away and walked towards one of the deactivation chambers where the others had moved to guide it’s prisoners out of. Connor moved to help, but half way there thought better of it. If anyone in there knew who he was, and he was sure that they do, his presence wasn’t going to be at all comforting. They might even think he was the executioner.
So instead he stood at the sideline, feeling awkward and just watching.
When everyone was free, Markus signaled to the next container. Connor turned around to the army of deviants that, like him, were standing still and out of the way. Actually, none of them had moved an inch. So Connor mirrored Markus and pointed to the next closed container. One shifted their weight from side to side, then they seemed to realize what was expected of them and stepped forward to help. Others began to follow.
By the time they were done, they had freed at least 200 people. The other thousand or so? Help came too late, and they were already dead.
Connor found Markus standing above a dead child. A YK500. The child had no clothes, and no skin. He was as pristine as the snow he layed on. His lifeless eyes remained open. Connor kept a distance between himself and Markus. He stayed only close enough to be heard. For the entire night, Markus had not once looked directly at him. And though he wasn’t sure if it were actually personal, it sure felt that way. Either way, Connor respected it. He only had to tell Markus something.
“They can be reactivated.”
Markus startled. He must not have noticed Connor come near. But he was making eye contact with him now. Connor had Markus’ full attention, so Connor continued.
“As long as their internal Biocomponents aren’t frozen, They can be reactivated.”
Markus glanced back down at the child, then swept across the rows their dead was arranged in, then finally back to Connor.
“How?” Was all Markus asked.
Wordlessly, Connor stepped closer and kneeled by the lifeless child. He layed two white fingers down on the child’s LED, sent a command, and the boy opened his eyes. The child gasped, and Markus flinched back with wide eyes. When the child started crying, Markus quickly recovered (He was apparently quite good at that.) and wrapped his arms around the crying child. “It’s alright! It’s over! You’re free.” His eyes became distant. “We’re free…”
Connor stood back up, and took two steps back, giving them both some space. Markus’ attention snapped back to Connor. “1 hour, 48 minutes, and 32 seconds, and you only just thought to mention this!?”
A beat of silence passed. Connor was too confused to answer the question.
“Well!?” Markus snapped.
“I… I thought… You seemed distraught so I only meant to remind you what I thought you already knew.”
Now it was Markus’ turn to reply with only a confused silence.
“I mean… You did know this, right Markus?”
A final beat of silence, then Markus hurriedly helped the boy to his feet and told him to join the others. Then Markus grabbed Connor by the shoulder and dragged him to the row of bodies. He fell down to his knees and pressed two white fingers to an AP700’s LED, just as Connor had. Nothing.
“It isn’t working!”
“She’s probably frozen.”
Markus shook his head. “No, She isn’t that cold yet… I must be doing something wrong.” Then the rest of his skin receded down to his wrist as he held his hand out to Connor for an interface.
“Show me what you did.”
So Connor showed him. Markus’ eyes stayed focused, while Connor’s eyes twitched through the interface. Markus apparently found that odd, Connor could feel it between the link. Was it not normal? No matter. Stay focused. He said through their link. Then he showed Markus what he did. The interface ended. They both looked at each other in shock, which for Markus, quickly became despair. They let go of each other’s hands slowly.
“you can’t-” Connor started.
“-I can’t.” Markus finished.
Connor shook away the shock. “You don’t need to do it the way I did.” He knelt down beside Markus, just as he had before. He removed the plastic plating from the AP700’s chest, and pressed down on a button somewhere behind the deactivated android’s thirium pump. “You do know how to manually reactivate an android?” Connor asked. He wasn’t being sarcastic. He was beginning to realize how little androids know about themselves if it wasn’t relevant to their function.
Markus sighed, looking sheepish. “Right. Right. Yeah, I do.”
Connor held down on the button for three seconds more before the android opened its eyes and sat up in a daze. Her eyes searched around the camp. She looked at Markus, then to Connor-
-and immediately started screeching at the top of her lungs.
“Woah, woah!” Markus said to her the exact moment Connor threw himself back and away from the terrified girl. They both scrambled to get away from each other. He must be experiencing what humans would call deja vu. This was too similar to the Eden club.
“It’s okay, now. You’re safe.” Markus soothed her.
The screaming must have alerted the others. Of course it did. Because next thing Connor knew, someone grabbed his arm and twisted him around. North was looming over him with a fire in her eyes that should have been able to melt the snow. What did you do!?” Simon, Josh, and a few others stood behind her, looking more cautious than furious.
“North!” Markus called, not angry, but firm.
She looked at Markus then gaped at the reactivated woman, who was now staring at her own hands in shock that she was actually alive.
“They can be reactivated. We have to hurry, before their biocomponents freeze!” Markus said to them.
…
when all that could be done was done, and all who could be saved was brought back, Markus finally asked him with narrowed eyes;
“Connor, why can you reactivate an android by interfacing?” The “why” instead of the “how” wasn’t lost on Connor. The how was obvious. He was built with the ability to do so. Someone coded it into him. The why was less obvious. At least to Markus. Connor wasn’t sure exactly why, but he could make an educated guess. He really didn’t want to say, but he felt that he owed Markus some kind of answer.
“It has… been useful.”
“In what way?”
A half naked Traci gasping and crawling backwards away in fear, thinking it was the same moments of her death. Not knowing that she had died. Not knowing that she would die again no matter what. Never to be brought back again. Not knowing that the one who brought her back wasn’t there to bring her comfort in her final moments, but to interrogate. To get information, and nothing more.
He had never thought about the possibility of comforting that girl. Why would he? It would have wasted time. Time that neither he or she had. Now it was all he could think about. At the very least, guilt was not a new emotion. He was already familiar with that one. It seems that experience with that particular emotion didn’t make it any easier though.
Finally, Connor answered. “For questioning.”
Markus’ brow furrowed. “Elaborate, please.”
“...In case… In case there were no living witnesses.”
A couple of different poorly hidden emotions passed through Markus’ eyes. Disgust. Anger. Finally, resignation, then nothing. And that was somehow worse. He nodded before turning away.
Even now Connor was still doing damage. It was thanks to him that so many had died on Jericho. He might have saved thousands of androids tonight, but lives couldn’t be traded to make up for that. And now, he had foolishly thought that everyone was aware that those deactivated in those chambers could be brought back. After all, they hadn’t sustained any actual damage. They had all been automatically shut down via the ground they stood on. Clearly, the others hadn’t realized this. All Connor had to do was initiate a quick scan of the chambers to know. He thought everyone could. Then he stupidly assumed anyone could quickly reactivate the dead by a simple touch and command code, without thinking about what the ability he had been given was actually for.
And because of that, because they had to do it the slow way, many had completely frozen down, leaving their deactivation permanent. Around 300 deviants. Gone for good. It was all thanks to him.
Everyone gathered around a single chamber that was to be used as a makeshift stage. One by one, the deviant leaders climbed onto its roof. Too many Androids were staring at Connor expectantly. As if they assumed he would be up there too. His heart pounded, and his eyes widened. There was a voice behind him, and Connor practically jumped out of his skin.
“I said,” Came North of all people. “Come up on the stage. Markus will be giving a speech.”
When all she got in return was a disbelieving stare, (maybe add a hint of terror too) North scoffed and crossed her arms. She looked up at her brothers in arms who were talking quietly amongst themselves.
“They need to know who’s really in charge. So stand up there, Behind Markus, and don’t utter a word.”
Ah. Of course. The androids Connor freed cannot be allowed to continue looking to him as they have. He understood what she aimed to do, and he even agreed.
Connor pursed his lips, then gave her a quite “Okay.” And followed her onto the stage.