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The path Connor had been on since that first deviant case had been jumbled and confusing. All he wanted to do was continue with his programmed orders, to be a good deviant hunter and try to stop the spread of deviancy. He was supposed to be a machine. He had no human blood, no human heart. He wasn’t human.
And yet...
There had been something within him, stirring deep inside. Something that kept him from doing what he should have done as a CyberLife agent. He let that android and the child escape across a busy highway. He chose to save Hank instead of chasing after another deviant. When those Eden androids attacked, he had a chance to shoot, and he didn’t. And even with Kamski, he had the chance to gain some information.
But looking in Chloe’s eyes as she stared up at him, he had felt that stirring in him again. There was something behind those clear blue eyes, and he couldn’t stomach the idea of killing her just for knowledge.
But every time Amanda pulled him into the Zen Garden for updates, she became more and more cold, more and more angry with him. He tried to explain, tried to ask for better guidance, but she continuously shut him down. Their last conversation before the deviants’ first march that cold night had Amanda glaring at him with distant eyes.
“Your orders,” she said, “are to kill the leader, Markus. He’s the main one who has the loyalty of the crowd. Once he’s taken out of the picture, the rest of them will disband, making it easier for us to catch and deactivate them.”
As she stepped forward, Connor had involuntarily stepped back, LED turning a bit red in alarm, something like...fear...filling him at the utter contempt in her eyes.
“If you fail this one simple mission, Connor, then we will have no choice but to deactivate you as well. Do not disappointment us.”
“Amanda,” Connor said, his voice weak, “please, there has to be--”
“There is no other way,” she snapped. “You will follow this one order, Connor. Understand? Or you will be destroyed.”
Two nights later, as the deviants held their rally, Connor found himself on the roof of a building a few miles away, putting together the sniper rifle CyberLife had given him. He was going through the motions, really, with dread sitting heavily in his chest. He couldn’t explain it, couldn’t really put a finger as to why he felt this way, but he knew one thing: hesitation would mean missing his chance. And if he failed, then he would die.
Call him selfish, but he didn’t want to die.
Adjusting the rifle against the railing, he looked through the scope, finding Markus on the makeshift stage, giving an passionate speech as the crowd cheered him on. With numb fingers, Connor rested his index finger on the trigger.
“Don’t even think about it, Connor.”
The voice startled him, LED flashing yellow, but he couldn’t look away.
“Lieutenant,” he said instead, struggling to keep his voice steady. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to stop you from making a big mistake.” Connor could hear the cock of a gun behind him, and he knew Hank was aiming for his back. “You know this isn’t right, Connor. These deviants... All they want is their freedom.”
“They are a danger,” Connor said, though his voice betrayed his doubts.
“Only if they’re being abused. You remember that deviant from the Ortiz case. He was gettin’ beat to Hell every which way to Sunday. He killed to defend himself. Didn’t even try to run away from the house afterwards.” Hank sighed. “Our blood might not share the same color, but these androids aren’t hardly androids anymore. They’re alive, Connor. And they want to live their lives on their own terms. You know I’m right.”
Connor’s finger twitched slightly, but his LED remained yellow, and he knew that Hank could tell he was being truthful. “I-I have my orders,” he said, a bit hesitantly. “I have to obey, Lieutenant. This is what I was created for. This is what my program is made of. I...I have to stop them.”
“You’re not just a machine, Connor! I know you’re not. That test at Kamski’s, you couldn’t shoot that girl. I saw it in your eyes, son. You showed empathy towards her. That’s a human emotion. You’re practically human.”
“I-I’m not human!” Connor protested, getting to his feet and turning to stare at Hank in desperation. “I was never human, I’ll never be human! I’m not a deviant either!”
Hank stared him down steadily, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” he asked doubtfully. “Since getting to know you, Connor, you’ve started acting more and more human every day. That doesn’t sound like a regular android taking orders.”
He nodded over Connor’s shoulder then, at the crowd still rallying to Markus on his stage. “In fact, it’s starting to look to me that you’re acting more like them. If you were down there in the crowd instead of up here at a distance, could you really look Markus in the eye and shoot him the way Kamski wanted you to shoot Chloe?”
Connor tightened his grip on the gun in a defensive posture, but he wasn’t pointing it at Hank. “I--”
“And those androids from the Eden club. You didn’t shoot them either. In fact, I have not once seen you actively try to harm any of the deviants we went after. You even let one go to save my life.” Hank studied the android for a long moment. “Does that sound like something a simple machine would do? A machine just following orders?”
“I have no choice!” Connor yelled. “If I don’t follow my orders tonight Hank, they’re going to kill me! I-I’ve tried everything, nothing has worked! If I don’t kill Markus, CyberLife is going to destroy me! I don’t have a choice!”
“You always have a choice, Connor. You don’t have to follow CyberLife’s orders anymore. You can choose your own path.” Hank finally lowered his gun. “In fact, I think you chose it a long time ago. You just didn’t realize it.”
Connor blinked, unaware of the tears that slid free, and Hank moved a little closer. “Give me the gun, Connor,” he said quietly. “Face your own choice.”
Connor inhaled, and for a moment it was like the entire world stood still, a bright red grid standing in front of his eyes, KILL MARKUS in red letters. As if from a secondary point of view, he watched a shadowy figure tear at the grid as if like a wild animal, until one by one the grid shattered to pieces, and as he exhaled, he was standing on the rooftop again, shivering in reaction to a cold gust of wind he barely even felt.
No longer a tool for Amanda to control, Connor handed over the gun, and Hank set it down, before pulling the android into a hug, and Connor finally sobbed.
“It’s alright,” Hank said gently. “I won’t let them touch you, son. I’ll make sure you stay safe.” He smiled a little. “After all, not every day a deviant hunter turns into a deviant himself.”