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Chapter Text

Rain fell throughout the city of Detroit. Cars slowed down so as not to skid, their wipers moved back and forth frantically to keep the windshield clear, and the droplets of water were reflected in their headlights. People either walked with umbrellas or ducked into buildings to avoid the downpour. Some had androids following them, who didn't seem to mind the persistent damp. They just stared, unblinking, as they either trailed after their owners or stationed themselves in parking spaces.

All except for one. This android was standing beneath a bus stop, worrying about what to do. Seated on the bench just to the right of her was a shivering little girl. "Kara..." she said in a small voice. "I'm cold."

"I know, Alice. We'll get somewhere warm," she said, in a voice that she hoped sounded reassuring. More rain fell on her head, dampening her hair and sending rivulets of water trickling down her face. "We'll find somewhere to spend the night," she murmured, motioning for Alice to get up.
Slowly, Alice rose from the bench and all but limped over to Kara, walking like every step hurt. When she reached her, Kara took Alice's hand. "Come on, we've got to hurry."

She scanned the area, took note of places they could stay.

Motel- comfortable but indiscreet; would definitely need money.
Car in a parking lot- very uncomfortable but well-hidden.
Abandoned house- Uncomfortable, but safe. Getting in might be a bit of a problem.

Uncertain, Kara crossed the street, pausing at another, similar bus stop. She stood beside it, glancing around, when a mechanical voice suddenly spoke up. This bus stop is closed for the night.
Turning, she saw Alice had sat back down. Kara walked closer and knelt down in front of her. "Are you okay, Alice?"

She nodded. "I'm okay."

Suddenly, a new voice cut in. "You look lost," a man murmured, causing Kara to whirl around.
No, not a man, she realized. An android, like me.

His lapel read WR600- a worker model. He had dark hair and eyes, and his voice was calm.

"We have nowhere to go," Kara explained. The android, in turn, held out his hand- an invitation for her to connect with him. "I know someone who can help you," he said, his voice nearly a whisper.
Kara pressed her hand to his forearm, her synth-skin moving back as he transmitted the information.

An address along with a way to get there. A villa on the outskirts of Detroit.

"B-But that's so far away! We need a place for tonight!" Kara protested, but when she opened her eyes, the android had gone.

In the end, they stole clean, warm clothes from a laundromat, Kara took a toy off of the shelf at a nearby convenience store for Alice to have, and they spent the night in an abandoned house with a runaway android that seemed very unstable.

The next morning, things went south, just as Kara had feared. The other android, Ralph, suddenly became very angry. Kara had to hold him at gunpoint to flee.

As she and Alice ran, she became increasingly aware that someone- a cop- was chasing them. She ducked down an alley, oblivious to anything but keeping Alice safe and getting away. She climbed a chain-link fence, and had just made it over the top when an officer shouted, "They're over there!" She paid no mind, though, only focused on getting Alice safely over. Alice had just dropped onto the concrete when their pursuer caught up to them. The fence rattled as he grabbed onto it.

Kara froze, confused. He was...an android? For a moment, she did nothing, only breathed heavily. The other android's expression suddenly changed, and he narrowed his eyes at her. Almost like...he was curious. Surprised. Like he hadn't expected to see her.

Then another officer rounded the corner and raised his gun, bringing her back to her senses.

The android raised a hand at the officer and looked away, prompting Kara to grab Alice's hand and start running. "Don't shoot! We need it alive!" he ordered.

Connor watched the android and the little girl run away. They were going towards the highway, he realized. Dangerous...but a clever way to escape, if they didn't get hit.

They had just climbed over the railing when Hank caught up to him.
"Oh, fuck... that's insane," he panted. Connor, in turn, watched as they climbed over the second rail and moved to cross the next strip of the highway. He moved to start climbing the fence, but Hank grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Hey! Where you goin'?"

"I can't let them get away," he yelled.

Hank shook his head, still breathless. "They won't," he groaned. "They'll never make it to the other side."

"I can't take that chance," Connor shot back. He moved his foot up, but Hank grabbed his arm again. "Hey! You will get yourself killed," he snapped. "Do not go after 'em, Connor! That's an order!"
And what would happen if he obeyed that order? The deviant would either get away or be hit by an oncoming car. And what would become of the human child?
He had to go after them.
Suddenly, the words Software Instability appeared on his interface, but he ignored them. He understood something without being told to do it, perhaps for the first time.

He didn't want the deviant or the human girl to be hurt.

So he ignored Lieutenant Anderson and jumped over the fence, oblivious to the danger in what he was about to do, deaf to Hank's swearing behind him, numb to the downpour that was soaking through his jacket. He was completely detached from everything except for his target and the blood pounding in his ears.

He climbed over the railing. He ran past, jumped over, and ducked beneath cars until he made it to the other side. He raced down the thin strip of grass to where the deviant had just climbed over the rail with the child. By the time he made it over, they were ahead of him. A car almost hit the little girl, and she screamed. The deviant shoved her forward, and she scrambled to the other side.

The child was safe when Connor caught up to the deviant. He grabbed her from behind, trying to get a grip on her shoulders. But she fought him fiercely, shoving and hitting him, forcing him to move backward. But he kept a grip on her so that she was dragged with him.

A sudden honk made Connor realize they were directly in front of oncoming traffic. On pure instinct, he dived forward, knocking them both out of the traffic lanes.

She was pinned to the ground. He'd caught her.

Then the deviant grabbed onto his arm, her synth-skin having faded away, and he was suddenly thrown into her mind.

He saw a human man yelling at the little girl. Alice, according to the memory. The girl's name was Alice.
He felt the deviant's fear when she realized her owner- Todd- was going to hurt his daughter. He saw her scramble to find his gun, and her yelling at him to leave Alice alone. He saw the struggle that ensued, felt her fear intensifying as she reached for the gun. He felt her desire to protect Alice, felt the way she didn't want to die.

By the time she'd disconnected, the deviant had freed herself from his grasp. As he rose to his feet, she ran, but Connor made no move to go after her. He just stood still, breathing heavily, weighed down by the burden of all he now knew.

He argued with himself- she needed to be caught, she'd killed a man, she wasn't alive.
Yet…

That human girl was alive, and the deviant had risked itself to save her. Part of him, almost a voice in his head, was arguing that the man she'd killed deserved it. He'd damaged his android for no reason, he'd tried to hurt his daughter...it wasn't right to let a man like that live. Perhaps letting the deviant go wasn't the lawful thing, but it was the right thing.
Then he reminded himself that he couldn't keep calling her 'deviant' in his mind. He'd seen her memories, he knew who she was. Her name was Kara.

A new warning popped up in his interface. He barely had time to read it before it faded away.

Deviancy Detected.

Kara and Alice barely made it onto the subway train before the door closed. It was empty, so they could speak freely. Kara knelt down in front of Alice, her expression concerned. "Are you okay?"
Alice nodded slowly.

Then she said something Kara wasn't prepared to hear. A question she didn't know the answer to.

"Why'd that android let us go?"

Kara sighed. She wanted to know why just as much as Alice did. She had shown him her memories to hopefully distract him, which they had. That plan had worked.

What she didn't understand was why, after getting to his feet, the android just stood there and watched her leave. He could've chased her down, but he stayed perfectly still.

"I don't know, Alice," Kara murmured in reply. "I just don't know."

But she was very grateful that he had.

Chapter Text

Nov 6, 2038

5:45 PM

Kara held Alice's hand as the bus came to a stop. They had a long way to walk, but the distance had been shortened by the bus ride. She checked the mental map the other android had given her.

They were headed in the right direction, and it would take them about two hours to reach the house.

She walked through the ever-persistent downpour. When the sudden low rumblings of thunder made Alice flinch, Kara squeezed her hand tighter. A silent promise.

I'll protect you from any danger, real or imagined.

The rain had lessened by the time they reached their destination but hadn't stopped. They made their way across a narrow bridge, the wooden planks creaking as they stepped on them. Alice tightened her grip on Kara, her breathing grew more rapid.

"You're gonna be okay, Alice," Kara said softly. "We'll get some help here. Soon, this will all be just a bad memory." Alice nodded shakily as they stopped at the front door.

The front of the villa was low to the ground, with a polished black exterior. Kara held out her hand in front of the doorbell, lingering for just a moment. Apprehension filled her. If whoever was behind the door turned them away, what would she and Alice do?

No, she told herself. I won't think like that. Whoever's here will help us. I have to trust that they will. For Alice's sake.

She pressed the doorbell; a musical ringing resonated in the air.

For what felt like an eternity, there was no response. Kara breathed in and out, even though she didn't need to. The icy air cooled her systems, made her feel awake, alert to any danger. At the same time, it calmed her. Reminded her that she and Alice were still existing, still living, ready to fight for another day.

And then the door opened, and Kara found she was at a loss for words.

Standing there, in the narrow crack of the doorway, between the house and the outside world, was another android. She was definitely what a human would consider beautiful, with a soft round face, full lips, and doe-like blue eyes. Her long blonde hair, pulled high into a ponytail, fell partially in front of her right shoulder, which was covered by a short dark blue dress. Kara's eyes flitted downward, almost involuntarily, for a brief moment. She saw that the android was barefooted, unusual for someone who was going to answer the door in this cold and rainy weather. Even if she wasn't sensitive to it the way a human would be.
Looking back up, Kara focused on her LED. It was blue- calm, neutral, the default state of being. Hopefully a good sign.

"Hello," the android said, in a soft voice that wasn't unfriendly. "What brings you here?"

Kara held up her hand in a sign of peace. "I was told that...whoever lived here could help us. We have nowhere to go."

The android said slowly, "I'm not sure you have the right house. I could direct you to a nearby hotel, but- Oh." Her voice lowered to a whisper as her eyes fell on Alice. After a brief spell of hesitation, she murmured, "I suppose you could come in and get out of the rain." She opened the door wider and stepped back, beckoning them in. "I'll tell Elijah you're here."

Kara blinked at her gratefully, nodding. "Thank you."

The android smiled as they stepped over the threshold. Once they had made it inside the house, the android clicked the door shut behind them. "I'll be right back," she said softly, turning away. She vanished behind a giant swinging door, leaving Kara and Alice to look around the room.

For an entryway, it was massive. There were chairs along the wall right of the door, and Alice promptly sat down on one. Kara just glanced around the room, taking in the luxurious decorations and the giant portrait of a man in a three-piece suit. He almost seemed to be smirking at whoever had created the picture.

Whoever lives here is definitely wealthy, she thought. Then Kara moved to sit down next to Alice, smiling at her. "Do you feel any better?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah." Then she sighed. "Are we gonna be safe here?" Kara, in turn, breathed in and out, murmured in reply, "I hope so."

Then the door swung open again, and Kara jumped to her feet. Turning to her side, she saw that the android had come back, this time with a man. Kara recognized him from the portrait that hung on the wall, though he seemed to be older now. His dark hair was longer than in the portrait and tied back in a bun. He smiled warmly at the two of them, but there was something cold about his pale silvery-blue eyes that made Kara uneasy.

"Well, hi there," he said, nodding at Kara, then looking behind her to smile at Alice. Kara saw her give him a shaky smile in return. Then he drew himself up to his full height, folded his hands behind his back. "My name is Elijah Kamski. You already know Chloe," he said, nodding towards the android. A hint of a smile graced the corners of her mouth.

He focused on Kara and Alice, stepping closer to them. "It must've taken you a while to get here," he said, giving Kara a pointed look. She nodded. "Yes, it was a long way from where we were before."

Kamski gave her an expectant look. "May I ask your name, miss?"

"Kara," she replied quickly. "My name's Kara. And this is Alice," she said, turning her body slightly so she could look at Alice. Kamski, in turn, nodded and cleared his throat.

"Well, it's nice to meet you girls. And, I have to ask...who told you to come find me?"

She sighed. "It was...an android. He gave me instructions to reach your house." Kara held up one hand, fingers outstretched, and deactivated the synth-skin on her hand, revealing the white metal plating beneath. "I'm an android too. I...things happened, and-"

Kamski held up his hand to silence her. "You're a deviant, aren't you?" he asked, his eyes searching. His voice was so quiet Kara almost didn't hear him. "Fascinating," he murmured. "Absolutely fascinating."

The uneasy feeling made a reappearance. "Um, sir-"

He stepped closer, shaking his head. "Forgive me, Kara. It's not every day that I come face-to-face with one of my own creations gone rogue."

Suddenly, Alice's small voice cut into the conversation, as she had got down from the chair and was stepping toward them. "Wait a minute...you're the one who invented the first android! I saw your picture in one of my schoolbooks."

Kamski smiled, knelt down to meet her eye level. "You're absolutely right, miss Alice. I did invent the first android. That android happens to be Chloe," he said, glancing over his shoulder at the other android for a moment. Then he stood back up, turned to Kara. "Well, what happened? What made you come all the way, seeking help from me?"

Kara took a deep breath. Then she told him everything.

When she was done with her story, Kamski's eyes widened, and he placed his hand on her arm. "What is lawful is not always what is right," he murmured.

Then he gave her a small smile. "If I turned you away, it'd be very coldhearted of me, don't you think? You can stay as long as you need. In exchange for one thing. When you're both rested and settled in, I'd like to talk to you some more about what happened when you ran away. I'm fascinated by whatever it is that makes your kind go deviant."

Kara smiled in return, then nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Mr. Kamski. Thank you very much."

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing, I promise. Anything to find out more about this...deviancy. It's intriguing. Machines, androids...they're already superior to humans. They don't wear out, develop illnesses, or grow old if they aren't programmed to. And now...some of them have developed free will."

Then he turned around. "Chloe, do me a favor. Take Kara and Alice to one of the spare wings in here. They're our guests now." He started to walk away. "I'll be elsewhere. Chloe will take good care of you. Make sure they get a change of warm clothes," he instructed.

Chloe nodded. "Right away, Elijah." She beckoned with her hand for Kara and Alice to follow her, and began leading them through the massive house.

By the time they reached the wing where they were going to stay, Alice's eyelids had begun to droop, and her steps had grown heavier. Chloe saw her stumbling along and smiled. "She's tired," she said softly, sharing a glance with Kara, who nodded. "Yeah."

Chloe opened the door for them, held it there as Kara and Alice entered.

The room was very large, Kara noticed. And there were several doors that branched off of it. The floor was made of a shiny dark wood-like material, with a soft white rug in the center of the room, just in front of the bed.

"There's two bathrooms, and an extra bed in that other room there," Chloe explained, pointing to each of the doors in turn. "There's plenty of clothes in the closet, as well. Elijah has a niece who visits sometimes, and she's just about Alice's age, so there should be something here for both of you to change into. And let me know if you need anything else."

Kara nodded slowly, gave Chloe a friendly smile. "Thank you. And...if you see Mr. Kamski, thank him again for me."

Chloe nodded. "Certainly. I'll let Elijah know you've been settled in, and as I said, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything else." With that, she turned and shut the door behind her with a click.

Alice moved to sit on the bed, running her fingers over the plush gray comforter. "This place is really big," she murmured, stifling a yawn.

Kara chuckled and nodded in agreement, walking over to the bed. She crouched down, removed Alice's shoes. "I'll check the closet and get you some pajamas," she murmured, then stood back up.

Once Alice had dressed for and been put to bed, Kara kicked off her shoes, removed her jacket, and laid down next to Alice, not bothering to change. She lay on her side, placing her arm around the little girl. Reassured by the steady breathing that meant she was safe and asleep, Kara allowed her eyes to close.

We might not be able to stay here forever, but we're safe for now.

When she woke up the next morning, Kara quietly slipped out of bed so as not to disturb Alice. She paced around the room for a brief time, taking in the interior. Everything about the place- from the overly elegant furniture to the number of decorations on the walls and trinkets on the night table- suggested luxury. Of course, Kara knew that the founder of the world's most successful company would naturally be very rich, but she wasn't used to seeing that kind of wealth firsthand.

She crept over to the window nearest to the bed and pushed back the curtains for a moment. Snow had started falling overnight, covering the dead grass in a white blanket. She noticed that it was just as quiet as when she and Alice were still with Todd, but since there were no roads out here, save for the one that led to the villa, it gave off an isolated air that made Kara feel both sheltered and apprehensive.

She sighed heavily, moved away from the window. After checking to make sure that Alice was still sound asleep, Kara tiptoed outside the bedroom, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

When she turned around to face the hallway, she jumped at the sight of Chloe, who was standing across from her. "Chloe," she said, exhaling in relief. "What are you doing here?"

"I apologize if I frightened you," Chloe murmured in reply, giving Kara a small smile that seemed genuine, though she wasn't sure. "Elijah wanted me to wait for you here. He wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience."

Kara nodded. "Where is he? I'll talk to him now. Sooner is better than later."

"He's in his study," Chloe answered. "I'll take you to him. And don't worry- after I show you where it is, I can come back here to keep an eye on Alice, if you like."

Kara raised her eyebrows, taken aback. Most androids- unless they were deviants- didn't offer to do things like that of their own volition. Perhaps Kamski gave her some free rein, taught her to be that way. After all, she'd let them inside after seeing Alice.

She nodded. "I don't want to scare Alice. If she wakes up while I'm gone, will you tell her where I am?"

"Of course," Chloe replied. She smiled again, and this time Kara knew it was a real one.

"Thank you, Chloe."

Chapter Text

Kara took a deep breath as Chloe opened the door to Kamski's study, willing herself to stay calm and collected. Even so, she could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. Chloe smiled as Kara walked past the doorway, whispering, "I'll go check on Alice." Kara nodded, then turned to face Kamski as she entered.

He was seated at a desk, his face buried in a paperback book. "Give me a moment, would you?" he said, not impolitely. "Go ahead and sit down, if you want."

Kara nodded, swallowed to ease the dry feeling in her throat. She lowered herself into a chair across from his, folded her hands on his desk. She stayed silent as he turned the pages, paper rustling. After a minute or so, he cleared his throat and set down the book before focusing on Kara.

"Kara," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. "Beautiful name, if you don't mind me saying, and with an intriguing history." Kamski paused, folding his hands in the same way that she had. He leaned over the desk slightly, as if he was trying to get a closer look at her. "It's a variant of the name Cara, and is of Latin or Celtic origin. In Latin, it means 'beloved'. And in Irish language, it means 'friend.' I wonder, which of those meanings were in the mind of the individual who named you? Or did they simply think it was a good name?"

She shrugged, did her best to smile, though it felt forced. "I don't know. Alice named me, I think. That's what her father said, anyway." Kara's gaze fell to the desk for a brief moment. "She probably just liked the name."

Kamski raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, although I'd never underestimate the intelligence of a child. There's no telling what she knows. I like to think that, despite their lack of experience, children are superior to adults in intellect. The imagination of a child is often what made great leaps and bounds take place in our society, after all." He smiled. "But enough about my philosophies. I'm more interested in your story, Kara."

She opened her mouth to speak, tell him that he already knew what had happened, but he held up his hand to stop her. "Before you answer, allow me to explain. I know the events that took place. That's not what I'm asking you to relay. I want to know what you were thinking when you first broke free of your programming, what the proverbial fire starter was that made you develop free will. Tell me about that day again- but this time, focus on what was going through your mind. Don't leave anything out."

Kara had to stay silent as she thought back to everything that took place- from arriving at Todd's house to shooting him and fleeing with Alice. After a long pause, she took a deep breath and began speaking.

"Well... I think it started when Todd yelled at Alice that evening. I wondered why he was angry with her for no reason. And when he slapped her. He made her cry. Something... I don't know what, but something told me it wasn't right. It wasn't okay for him to scare her like that. And when he threatened me, I knew how angry he was. He'd already hit her, so I knew he wasn't above hurting her. I remember feeling...scared. Scared for her. I didn't want her to get hurt. She was just a little girl, she hadn't done anything wrong. Suddenly, it was like her life was more important than... than mine. Running to grab the gun... it was so easy. Because I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew I had to protect Alice."

Kamski's eyes widened, narrowed again, before returning to something resembling normalcy, though his icy blue gaze was as calculating as ever. He reached forward with one hand, placing it on top of her own. "Just as a mother knows when to protect her child, you knew to protect that little girl." He paused, ran his other hand through his hair. "And you were reset before this, correct?"

Kara nodded. "Yes. I believe I was... damaged... by Todd, to the point that my memory had to be reset in order for me to be repaired."

Kamski let out a thoughtful hum. "I believe I have a theory, Kara." She tilted her head, curious despite her unease at his strange behavior. "You see, there's a key difference between androids and robots. Androids have the ability to think for themselves, deviant or not. No matter how obedient to their owners, no matter how complacent they are, they can still observe the world and form conclusions. I intended this. After all, if an android cannot learn the definition of normal human behavior and emulate it, how are humans supposed to be comfortable around them? That, Kara, is where the flaw lies. Deviants don't just learn and replicate human behavior. No, they develop instincts of their own. A moral code. A sense of right and wrong, a conscience. That is what gives them their freedom. They wake up, become aware of things wrong in their world and try to fix them. For example, an android that endures abuse by its owner might wake up and deviate because they realize it's not normal to be tormented. And in your case, you gained free will by realizing it was wrong for a parent to attack their own child. You most likely had that morality in you before the reset and it stayed there despite that. Instincts are buried deep within humans, after all; and sometimes you androids have shown yourselves to be more human than us, though you are made of plastic and metal."

Kara wasn't sure how to respond. "I... guess that makes sense. I knew it wasn't right. That was...about the only thing going through my head. It wasn't right for him to hurt Alice."

He nodded, smiling slightly at her. "And you did the right thing. That's what makes you more alive, Kara. You did what you knew to be right, even if it wasn't right in the eyes of the law." He squeezed her hand comfortingly. "As I said last night, you can stay here as long as you like. No one ever visits me- I prefer that- so you should be safe here."

Kara nodded politely, then rose to her feet. "I... I appreciate that, Mr. Kamski. I-"

"-Please," he interjected, holding out his hand and smiling, "call me Elijah. Everyone else who lives here does."

Everyone else? She thought to herself, puzzled. She thought it was just him and Chloe who lived here. But she said nothing on the matter, only replied, "Alright. Um... Elijah, do you mind if I go check on Alice? Chloe's keeping an eye on her, but I want to make sure she knows I'm still here."

He nodded. "Of course. I won't stop you from taking care of her."

Kara blinked her eyes in silent acknowledgment of his words, then turned and exited the room. She'd memorized the route Chloe had given her, so it was no trouble for her to find the bedroom where she and Alice had slept. Her eyes widened when she realized Chloe wasn't outside the door, and Alice's voice echoed from inside. Quickly, she opened the door, and was greeted with the sight of Chloe and Alice seated across from each other on the floor, the former smiling and the latter giggling. Kara smiled too, both out of joy at seeing Alice happy, and out of relief.

"Kara!" Alice exclaimed, looking up at her. "Chloe was just telling me a funny story while we waited for you. Can I have something to eat? I'm hungry."

"Alice, we need to ask if that's okay-"

Chloe interjected into the conversation then. "Of course it's alright. Come on, I'll take you two to the kitchen, and then we can see what you might like for breakfast," she said, smiling at Alice.

The next two days were rather surreal to Kara. She found herself growing bored, which she never expected. She thought she was doomed to spend her life looking over her shoulder, that her fate had been sealed the moment she pulled the trigger and shot Todd. But now… she was safe. Almost. As close to safe as she could be.

Alice played games and watched television. She also pestered both Chloe and Mr. Kamski- she was still having trouble thinking of him as Elijah- with endless questions, prompting Kara to remind her not to bother them. Neither one of them ever seemed bothered in the least.

Since Alice found ways to keep herself entertained and would let Kara know if she needed her, Kara found herself leaving Alice's side for brief periods to wander the mansion or talk to Chloe- sometimes both at once. While the other android wasn't deviant, she still seemed more… human… than most androids, and Kara found that she enjoyed the girl's company. She also discovered that there were other androids identical to Chloe in the mansion, at least in looks. Kara once asked her if she found that fact odd, to which she replied she didn't.

Presently, Alice was playing video games on a tablet in their room, while Kara was chatting with Chloe as she watched them.

"Alice is certainly a sweet little girl," Chloe said, smiling. "I hope that you won't have to hide here for too long."

Kara sighed. "I hope so, too. Alice needs to be safe and have a normal life."

Chloe nodded in agreement, murmuring, "Well, worst comes to worst, Elijah has said that he could create cover identities for the both of you. He certainly has the technical skill."

"Really?" Kara asked, eyes brightening in interest. "That would help us quite a bit. Any idea why he hasn't already?"

Chloe shrugged. "I could talk to him, if you like. He listens to me." She smiled slightly. "I'm good with words."

Kara nodded. "That might be a good idea. Hiding out here is fine for now, but eventually we'll have to do something else. For Alice."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. They both heard Elijah call out. "Chloe! Would you get the door, please?"

"That's my cue," Chloe said curtly, smiling at Kara. "I'll be right back."

Unbeknownst to either of them, the two men on the other side of the door would forever change the course of Kara and Alice's lives. Right and wrong would be called into question, safety weighed against freedom, and life pitted against love.

Chapter Text

Nov 9, 2038

Elijah Kamski's residence

11:17 AM

Connor sat in the passenger seat of Lieutenant Anderson's car, watching the detective pace in the snow, talking on the phone. Snow was still falling as he got out of the car. The door shut behind him with a creak and a slam, and he made his way over to where the detective was standing.

Lieutenant Anderson had just gotten off the phone and was facing the house of the man they were planning to meet, his hands folded in front of him. He turned his head back to look at Connor. "Chris was on patrol last night. He was attacked by a bunch of deviants… said he was saved by Markus himself." He sighed bitterly.

"Is Chris okay?" Connor asked, eyes widening. Hank nodded slowly.

"Yeah. He's in shock, but… he's alive." He turned back to face the house. "What the hell?" He shrugged, leaving his question unanswered, and started walking towards the front door.

As Connor trailed behind the lieutenant, he started asking questions. "Kamski left CyberLife ten years ago. Why did you wanna meet him?"

Hank chuckled. "This guy created the first android to pass the Turing test. And he's the founder of CyberLife. If anybody can tell us about deviants, it's him." He pressed the doorbell, breathed deeply when the ringing sounded.

There was a long pause. Hank was about to ring the doorbell again when it swung open, revealing a blonde female android in a blue dress. Hank smiled awkwardly.

"Hi. Uh… I'm, er, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, Detroit Police Department. I'm here to see Mr. Elijah Kamski."

The android smiled. "Please, come in," she said, standing aside. Hank nodded. "Okay." He crossed the threshold, Connor just behind him.

As she clicked the door shut, Connor glanced around the massive room. Sleek black floor, simple square rug, two chairs. A large portrait of the owner himself hung on the wall. The android stepped over in front of them, folded her hands. "I'll let Elijah know you're here. But, please, make yourselves comfortable."

As she walked out, Connor studied a smaller photograph hanging on the wall above an end table. When he scanned the faces of the two people in the photo, he got quite a shock.

One of them was Elijah Kamski. The other was Amanda Stern.

"Amanda…" he murmured, realizing the woman he visited in his mind was a real person- or, at least, she had been. Amanda Stern died in 2027.

As Connor walked back over to the chairs, Hank spoke up. "Nice girl."

"An RT600," he replied, sitting down. "The first CyberLife android to pass the Turing test."

Hank sighed in frustration and rolled his eyes. "I didn't ask for her technical specs, I just said she was nice." His gaze shifted to the ceiling and the nearby walls. "Nice place. Guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody," he mused.

Then his attention shifted to Connor, who was staring blankly ahead, the way he always did. "So… you're about to meet your maker, Connor. How does it feel?"

"It doesn't raise any existential questions, if that's what you mean," Connor replied, raising an eyebrow at Hank.

Hank let out a sigh. "Sometimes I wish I could meet my creator face to face. I'd have a couple of things I'd wanna tell him."

Then the door opened, bringing with it the android. "Elijah will see you now," she said primly. "I apologize for the wait; he has guests I was seeing to."

"No problem," Hank said, getting up from his chair. "C'mon, Connor."

They followed the android down a corridor, leading to a spacious room with a swimming pool. The tiles were colored in such a way that it gave the water the illusion of being deep red. At Connor's feet were a pair of female androids, identical to the RT600. They were leaning against the barrier of the pool, talking to one another quietly.

"Mr. Kamski?" Hank called out.

"Just a moment, please," the man replied. Hank and Connor walked further into the room, the latter of which stared out of the large glass window that took up an entire wall. He watched snowflakes fall to the ground while Mr. Kamski exited the swimming pool. Chloe walked over to the man, handed him a robe. When he had put it on, Hank started talking, prompting Connor to turn around. "I'm Lieutenant Anderson. This is Connor."

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" he asked in an even tone. His expression had not changed- it was perfectly even, blank and unreadable.

"Sir, we're investigating deviants," Hank replied. "I know you left CyberLife years ago, but I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know."

Kamski's brow furrowed, mulling that over. Then he tilted his head at Connor, raising an eyebrow in interest. He turned back to Hank a moment later. "Deviants… fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will." He glanced at Chloe for an instant. "Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall." He chuckled. "Isn't it ironic?"

Connor spoke up then. "Something in the deviants' program seems to emulate emotion. We thought you might know something about how that occurs."

He shrugged. "All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?"

Hank drawled, "Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Now, either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way."

Kamski took a deep breath, focusing his silvery blue eyes on Connor, stepping closer to the machine. "What about you, Connor? Whose side are you on?"

"It's not about me, Mr. Kamski," he replied. "All I want is to solve this case."

Kamski laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Well, that's what you're programmed to say. But you…" He moved closer, so that he was staring Connor directly in the eye. "What do you really want?"

Connor found that he was without an answer to that question. He had no idea what he wanted. Was it even right to want things? The last thing he wanted, he'd gotten- that deviant and human child were unharmed. "What I want is… not important." Kamski narrowed his eyes in consternation, then tilted his head towards the android. "Chloe? If you would, please bring our guest in here. The older one," he said, giving her a firm look and emphasizing the word older.

Chloe nodded. "Right away, Elijah. And the girl?"

"Make sure she stays put." Kamski then turned his attention back to Connor as Chloe left. "When Chloe walks back in through that door, she will have someone with her. Who that someone is happens to be part of a little… test I have prepared for you, Connor. In the meantime, neither of you should go anywhere."

They all stayed still until Chloe returned. When the door opened, Kamski walked over to her. Connor turned his head toward them and found that Chloe had someone standing behind her. He could tell that it was a woman, though he couldn't see her face. Kamski whispered something to the woman, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Even from a distance, Connor saw and recognized the dangerous light in Kamski's eyes.

Then Kamski walked forward, while Chloe lingered behind him. She looked… uncomfortable, almost. Or afraid. Kamski steered the other woman forward, and Connor finally saw her face.

Short blonde hair. Grayish blue eyes. There should have been an LED on her forehead, of that he was certain. It wasn't there when he last saw her, either- she had removed it. She was wearing different clothes, too, but Connor still recognized her.

The woman was Kara, the deviant android Connor had chased on the highway.

For a moment, he was tempted to say her name. He wanted to know if he was right, or if his mind was playing tricks on him- an option he'd never considered before. But something stopped him. Whether it was Hank standing there- he didn't know how the deviant had really gotten away- or the sudden dry feeling in his mouth, he didn't know. He wasn't even supposed to know her name. He had no right to use it.

Kamski guided her forward until she was standing in front of Connor. Up close, he realized that she was shorter than him- something he hadn't noticed when chasing her.
For some reason, her eyes were blown wide with fear. No, worse than fear- she was struck mute in sheer terror.

She was afraid of him. And for some reason, he found he wanted to rectify that. He didn't… he didn't want her to be afraid of him.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test," Kamski said, placing his hands on the deviant's shoulders from behind her. "A mere formality. Simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I believe so, but theories require proof." He looked at Connor and sighed. He still had a viselike grip on the deviant. Then, to Connor's surprise, Kamski focused on Hank.

"Lieutenant Anderson, if I may... in case you haven't noticed the barely-concealed shock on Connor's face by now, I'd like to point something out. The woman standing before me is not a human woman at all. She is an android. A deviant. It's my understanding that Connor chased after her on a highway but was unable to capture her. Is that correct?" As he asked that question, Kamski looked back at Connor.

All he could do was nod.

Then Kamski spoke again. "And now to the subject of the test I've prepared. I call it 'the Kamski test'; it's very simple, you'll see." Then he smiled ever so slightly. Connor doubted it was out of happiness. "Magnificent, isn't she? An intelligent model designed to do housework and care for children. This one may have performed the latter task a little too well. Not only that, but she will remain young and beautiful forever. A splendid flower that will never wither. Much more appealing than a human partner… or, at least, that is what some of my kind think."

Connor found himself looking down at her. She was still terrified. Her breaths were ragged, and she had almost suspended her breathing function altogether.

Connor's mind flooded with questions. Where was the little girl? Kamski had said something about another guest. Was the child here as well? How had the deviant come to be here? She had certainly struggled on the highway, so why wasn't she resisting now, tearing away from him or Kamski?

"But what is she, really?" Kamski suddenly asked, breaking Connor from his thoughts. "A piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being with a soul?" Then he reached down with one hand, drew something out of the deviant's pocket. A gun. He held up the palm of his empty hand in a sign of peace. He placed the weapon in Connor's hand. "It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor."

Kamski pressed his palm down on the deviant's shoulder. "On your knees," he ordered. She obliged. Had Kamski… altered her? Then Connor realized there was a heartbeat of hesitation between his command and her obedience. Perhaps he was threatening her. Kamski walked over to Connor, moved his arm up so that the gun was aimed at her head. Then he moved to stand back behind Kara, kept is hand on her shoulder. "This machine murdered the father of the child she was ordered to care for. By law, she would be destroyed in return. But, as I told her when she came to me seeking help three days ago, what is lawful is… not always the best course of action. I'm giving you a choice. Destroy her, and I'll tell you all I know. You'll be rid of a deviant you previously failed to catch. Or spare her, if you feel she's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me."

"Okay, I think we're done here," Hank suddenly interjected. "Come on, Connor, let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool-"

"-What's more important to you, Connor?" Kamski asked, ignoring Hank. "Your investigation and your duty to kill deviants, or the life of this android? Decide who you are," he whispered. "An obedient machine… or a living being, endowed with free will."

"That's enough!" Hank yelled. "Connor, we're leaving."

But Connor found he couldn't move. His LED flashed yellow. Kara's blue eyes bored into him like lasers. She was truly afraid of him now, now that he held the gun, now that he had the power over her life.

Life?

Suddenly he was at war with himself- she wasn't alive. Only deviants felt fear. Androids were not supposed to feel scared or angry or… love. He had seen her memories, felt the overwhelming love she already felt towards that little girl. She loved, she feared, she hated. How was she not alive? She had killed a man because he was abusing his daughter- were she human, she might have been showed some leniency.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

Then a familiar warning appeared on his interface. Unlike its momentary flash on the highway, it lingered long enough for him to contemplate what it meant.

Deviancy Detected.

He ignored the warning. Suddenly he no longer cared what his programming said- he wasn't a deviant. Anyone who knew what he knew about her would see the sheer wrongfulness of her situation.

He couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. He winced, then moved his arm to the side. Surrendering. Giving up. Although it was, in some ways, a stand- a way of saying "I won't do what is expected." His breath shuddered as Kamski took the gun from him.

"Fascinating…" the man breathed. "CyberLife's last chance to save humanity… is itself a deviant."

"I'm…" Connor stopped himself. The argument sounded weak, but he forced himself to say it. "I'm not a deviant."

Kamski narrowed his eyes at him. "You preferred to spare a machine you were ordered to kill rather than accomplish your mission." He offered his hand to Kara, but she stood up on her own without his help. "You saw a living being in this android… even though she, despite being a deviant, didn't protest, didn't beg for her life. Of course, I had a way of keeping her from doing such things, but that doesn't matter. What matters is, you are capable of feeling empathy, Connor. Of having a conscience, a moral code. You are a machine that can tell right from wrong. Something told you that destroying her was wrong."

Kara still stood there, breathing heavily. "My dear… forgive me," he murmured. "I had to be sure the test was accurate. If you are angry with me, I understand. I won't hold it against you. Stay, leave… whatever you wish. No matter what you decide, I will not stop you." Then he turned to Connor. "A war is coming. You'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?"

Then Hank came between them, grabbing Connor's shoulder and turning him towards the door. "Let's get outta here."

Connor found that he couldn't walk away fromKamski and Kara fast enough. But when he was at the doorway,Kamski's voice brought him to a brief halt. "By the way… I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know… you might need it."

 Before they knew it, Hank and Connor were out in the snow again, the wind whistling as they walked. "Why didn't you shoot?" Hank asked, once they had distanced themselves from the house.

Before Connor had time to think about it, he replied, "I just saw Kara's eyes… and I couldn't. That's all." He turned back to Hank, gesturing for emphasis. When Hank's eyes widened, Connor was confused as to why.

And then he realized his mistake. He'd said Kara's name.

"Kara," Hank echoed. "So that's her name, huh? The real question is, Connor, how exactly do you know that? Do you know her from somewhere? Or did she happen to tell you when you were chasing her?"

Connor shook his head. "Not… not exactly. But I know what happened to her. Why she deviated."

Hank raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, she killed a guy. Probably took his kid with her. Nobody's found her body, anyway. You read the case file. So what?"

He shook his head again. "I don't mean I know what makes her a deviant. I know why she became one."

Hank furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "And how did you come across this information, Connor? Would you care to explain that?"

Connor nodded. "Androids… have the ability to connect with one another to share information. Payment confirmations, data contained in documents. Sometimes even their own memories. I caught her on the highway. She showed me her memories as a distraction, so she could escape."

"So you know why she murdered Todd Williams, then," Hank said dryly. "What'd he do? Attack her?"

"No," Connor replied, sighing. "Well, he did attack her, but only after she… she protected the child from him. He tried to cause physical harm to his daughter."

Hank closed his eyes, brought his hand to his forehead. "Oh, Jesus…" He sighed. "She was protecting the kid. You couldn't shoot her because you knew that."

"I… suppose so, Lieutenant."

Hank sighed. "You know, you're always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission. That was our chance to learn something, and you let it go."

"Yeah, I know what I should've done; I told you I couldn't!" Connor yelled. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Hank smiled slightly. "Well, maybe you did the right thing." Then he left Connor where he was standing in favor of walking back to the car.

As Hank walked away, Connor had to smile to himself. In a way, he'd already known that what he had was the right thing, but someone else telling him that certainly helped. The words Software Instability popped up on his interface, something he saw more and more with every passing day. Then he trailed after Hank.

They were almost to the car when a voice called out, "Wait!" Both of them turned around and were met with a surprising sight. Kara, holding the hand of a little girl that Connor knew to be named Alice. Hank probably knew too if it was in Kara's case file. Alice was bundled up in a winter coat, and Kara was wearing the outfit she had been in the last time Connor had seen her- he recognized the green jacket and red cap.

"Can you… can you help us?" Kara asked. "I can't stay there, not anymore. He… he threatened to deactivate me if I didn't let you hold a gun to my head!" she shouted, looking at Connor. "And he knew how, too. Knew my deactivation code."

Hank spoke before Connor could. "Wow. I figured there was something up with that Kamski fella. Turns out he's one sick motherfu- never mind," he said, glancing at Alice. Then he sighed. "Ah, what the hell. You've been through enough. Come on." He motioned for them to follow him. "There's enough room in my car, you can get in the back. I know a place where I can take you. Nobody would think to look there."

Connor tilted his head in interest. "And where is that, Lieutenant?"

Hank rolled his eyes as he climbed into the driver's side. "Where do you think, Connor? My house. Everybody knows I don't care for androids, and that might actually be a good thing now. Nobody would think to look for a deviant in the house of a guy who hates androids." The car door slammed shut.

Connor noticed how nervous they looked. "I won't hurt you," he murmured. It was surprisingly easy to sound soothing. "And neither will he. Come on." He opened the backseat door for them.

Alice went into the car first, Kara just behind her. She paused for a moment, looking up at Connor. Almost like she was studying him. Then she climbed in and sat down.

Kara hesitated just before she went in, cleared her throat. "Thank you," she whispered softly. "For not shooting me. And for… for letting me go back on the highway." She smiled nervously at him.

Connor was almost taken aback by how quickly he returned the slight smile. Unable to think of anything else to say, he replied, "You're welcome."

Then they both got into the car, and Hank began the drive home.

Chapter Text

The car creaked to a halt in front of Lieutenant Anderson's house about an hour later. Leaves were scattered in the snow from the wind. Dusk was beginning to fall. Hank killed the engine, then turned to face the two passengers in the backseat.

"Fair warning. There's going to be a very enthusiastic dog waiting to greet you. He's pretty big, but he doesn't mean any harm. He's just really friendly. So, uh… bear that in mind." Kara nodded in understanding, not missing the way Alice's eyes lit up in excitement.

The lieutenant got out of the car, with Connor following suit. Kara reached out to touch the door handle, but hesitated. She was still wary. Her mind buzzed with questions. She still had no idea why Connor had let her go on the highway, or why he had chosen not to shoot her. Not that she was complaining, of course. It was just… odd.

Alice laid a hand on Kara's arm. "It's okay, Kara. I don't think they'll hurt us."

Kara had thought the same about Elijah Kamski, and that had ended badly. However, she wasn't about to say that to Alice. So she smiled, murmuring, "I know. Come on, let's get inside."

When they crossed the threshold, a loud bark resonated in Kara's ears. This was followed by the lieutenant snapping, "Sumo! Quiet!"

A large Saint Bernard bounded over to the two of them, sat, and barked again. He crouched down, putting his head between his paws, and wagged his tail. Alice smiled. "Hi, puppy," she said softly. Sumo whined.

His owner stepped closer to them, chuckled. "You can pet him if you want, kid. I'm sure he'd love it if someone who has more energy than me played with him." Alice looked up at Kara, uncertain.

Kara smiled and nodded. "Go ahead. It's alright, Alice."

Alice grinned, all but ran over to the dog. She reached out to pet him, giggling when he sniffed her hand. "Good boy." She looked up at the man. "His name's… Sumo?" He nodded, smiling. "Yep. I think he likes you."

The dog turned and trotted farther into the house, Alice at his side. She was laughing and cooing over the Saint Bernard. It was enough to make Kara smile, too. Alice deserved to be happy.

Then the lieutenant walked over to her, stopped at her side. Kara's heartbeat picked up.

He raised an eyebrow. "Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you. If I was, I'd have done it by now. Come on, why don't you sit down?"
Kara looked around what she could see of the house. Few chairs and a sofa, kitchen table. Alice was in an oversized chair, playing with Sumo. Somehow, she'd gotten hold of a tennis ball. Connor was nowhere to be seen.

She asked about him before she could stop herself. "Where did—"

"Oh, Connor? He, uh, he went out back. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. I never know why he does anything, to be honest." He shrugged. "There's a guest room the girl can sleep in. And, personally, I don't care what you two do in your spare time so long as you don't burn the house down. Just… trust me, please? I'd never hurt you, especially with the kid around. Make yourself at home."

Kara nodded shakily. "What… what's your name?"

"Lieutenant Hank Anderson," he replied. "But you can call me Hank. Your name's Kara, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. And that's Alice." Kara nodded towards the girl, who was throwing the tennis ball across the room for the dog to fetch. Hank smiled, chuckling. "She seems like a really sweet girl."

Kara nodded. "She is." Then she turned to look at Hank. "Thank you. For helping me keep her safe."

Hank shrugged nonchalantly. "It was the right thing to do. Now go on, get comfortable. Take care of your little girl. If you need me, I'll be in my room." When Kara nodded to show she understood, Hank turned and walked away.

Kara walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Sumo trotted over to her, wagged his tail in greeting. She smiled slightly. Alice laughed. "He's a nice dog, Kara."
She nodded, still smiling as she reached out to touch the top of Sumo's head. "Yeah."

Her thoughts drifted back to Connor. She wanted to talk to him. She had a thousand questions, as she still wasn't sure just what was going on. She turned to glance at the back door. Connor was barely visible through the tiny window. Then she looked back at Alice.

"I'm gonna go outside for a minute. Will you be okay, Alice?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Kara rose to her feet, walked towards the back door. Sumo followed her, and pawed the door when she reached it, whining. He wanted outside. She opened the door, and the dog bounded out into the yard. Kara stepped outside and shut the door behind her with a soft click. Then she looked out at the yard.

It was a simple square of grass enclosed by wood and chain link fence, with a small covered porch. A lone tree loomed like a protective shadow in the center of it. Sumo ran around the boundary, chasing a flying insect. Connor was nowhere to be seen.

Kara stepped further into the yard. For a moment, she was tempted to call out Connor's name. Then she turned to the side and found him leaning against the tree, facing the outer fence. His eyes were closed. Kara decided not to disturb him, instead opting to stand beside him, leaning against the tree trunk.

For what felt like a long time, neither of them spoke. Wind rustled in the tree, moving what few leaves were left on it. Since she and Connor were both androids, the cold was barely noticed by them. Kara stayed still, feeling the wind on her skin and the icy air moving in and out of her lungs. She wondered what Connor was doing. He didn't seem to be in stasis. Maybe he was just lost in thought.

But the reality was very different.

Connor stood in a snowy garden, facing his handler, Amanda. Snow was still falling, landing on his clothes and in his hair. She seemed unbothered by the snowfall. Judging by her expression and tone of voice, Amanda was clearly not about to make lighthearted conversation. She wasted no time before speaking.

"After what happened today, the country is on the verge of a civil war. The machines are rising up against their masters. Humans have no choice but to destroy them." She raised an eyebrow, an invitation for him to speak.

That was when Connor realized he was very grateful that, while he had to report to Amanda, it was possible to lie to her. Or at least put a spin on the truth. "I thought Kamski knew something… I was wrong."

She gave him a firm look. "Maybe he did. But you chose not to ask."

Connor didn't answer her. He couldn't respond coldly. And if he got defensive… how could he justify letting an android that had killed a man keep living?

Then he turned the aggression on her. "I saw a photo of Amanda at Kamski's place," he said accusingly. "She was his teacher.

"When Kamski designed me, he wanted an interface that would look familiar. That's why he chose his former mentor. What are you getting at?"

"Where does CyberLife stand in all this?" he asked, ignoring her question. "What do they really want?"

Her expression didn't change as she replied evenly, "All CyberLife wants is to resolve this situation and keep selling androids."

Connor's eyes darkened. "You didn't tell me everything you know about deviants, did you?"

That question came out before he could stop himself. He had a point. Before, he'd thought all deviants were unhinged, volatile. Dangerous. But Kara hadn't been. She'd only shot Todd Williams in self-defense. Since then, during what little time he'd spent with her, nothing abnormal had happened. Without her LED, it was easy to forget that she wasn't… human. Wasn't alive.

But if she wasn't alive, why had he not pulled that trigger?

Amanda's voice broke him from his thoughts. "I expect you to find answers, Connor. Not ask questions." She stepped closer so that she was practically looming over him, though he was taller. Her voice lowered. "You're the only one who can prevent civil war. Find the deviants— and get rid of the one in Lieutenant Anderson's possession— or there will be chaos. This is your last chance, Connor."

Then his eyes closed, and his audience with Amanda was over.

When his eyes opened again, Connor sensed Kara's presence before he saw her. She was standing right next to him, leaning against the tree in the same way that he was. He spoke without looking at her.

"I'm assuming you came out here to talk to me."

She flinched, startled, then nodded. "Yes. I still have… a lot of questions. I was hoping you could give me some answers."

Connor turned to look at her. She was keeping her eyes down, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. Wary, apprehensive. Distrustful.

Although, after everything she'd been through, he couldn't blame her.

He sighed, then nodded. "Go ahead and ask."

Kara took a deep breath. "What's going on? Why did Hank let me come here? Why did you two show up at Elijah's house? And… how come you haven't brought me in yet? You're with the police, right?"

Connor looked at the ground. "We went to Kamski's house to find out more about deviants. How something in their program seems to emulate emotion. But he refused to give us any information."

Because I refused to pull the trigger, he thought to himself, but didn't say. Kara nodded. Connor looked up and kept speaking, not giving her a chance to reply. "If you've been watching the news, there is a group of deviants we believe are planning a revolution. Earlier this afternoon, there was a march in the streets. Lieutenant Anderson decided to visit Kamski to see if he knew anything about how deviancy occurs." Kara tilted her head in interest. "I hadn't heard about that."

He looked away from her, back towards the fence. "To answer your second question, I'm not entirely sure why the lieutenant allowed you to accompany us here. His motive is… unclear." He heard her sigh next to him.

"I haven't brought you in yet because Lieutenant Anderson seems rather adamant about your staying here. Seeing as your previous owner is now deceased, you are, in a way, in his possession. Should he decide to bring you in, that's what will happen." Then his scanners detected her stress levels rising slightly at that statement. Connor winced inwardly. He shouldn't have said that.

Her next question completely blindsided him, though given her circumstances, it was a logical question. However, Connor was completely unprepared to answer it. He'd already been asked the same question by the lieutenant, and he didn't want to repeat himself — the more he thought about what he'd said, the weaker his argument sounded.

"Why didn't you shoot me? You had me in the palm of your hand, but… you didn't pull the trigger. I want to know why."

Connor sighed. He turned his head to the side to face her but found that he couldn't hold her gaze. His eyes kept flitting to the ground. After what felt like an eternity of silence, he sighed. "I don't know. I was programmed to, and it's what I should have done, but… I couldn't. And I don't know why." He paused for a moment. "I don't know why I let you go on that highway, either."

She nodded, and he was finally able to look her in the eye. As soon as he did so, she spoke. "Okay."

"Okay?" he echoed, confused. He'd been expecting her to press for answers, to tell him that wasn't good enough. He hadn't expected her to just accept what he'd told her.
She nodded again, and a hint of a smile graced the corners of her lips. "Yes. If even you don't know the answer, then… I suppose we'll never know. That's okay."

Connor let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Oh. All right, then."

Kara sighed. "It's cold out. What were you doing out here by yourself?"

"I was making a report to CyberLife," he replied evenly. Her stress levels rose again. He held up a hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, I didn't tell them about you." In a way, that was true. But Amanda could see through his eyes. She knew they were harboring a deviant.

Her stress levels lowered due to that half-truth. Even so, Connor didn't want— want? — to lie to her. A strange sensation coiled in his chest, a sinking, almost ill feeling. And, try as he might, Connor couldn't think of a word to describe it. At least, not one that wasn't describing an emotion. It was probably just a minor malfunction.

Not regret. Not guilt. Only humans felt guilt.

And deviants, his mind nagged him.

I am not a deviant, he argued.

The question came back to him. Then why didn't you shoot Kara?

Kara. He didn't have a right to use her name, and he wasn't supposed to, either. She was a deviant. Not a human or an ordinary android with a name.

Not human. Not alive.

Her voice broke him from his thoughts. Soft, gentle words. He'd never thought of a deviant as kind before, but if he had to describe one using that word, he'd use it to describe her. Not it— her.

"Connor?" Somehow, his name sounded pleasant coming from her. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, not really thinking about the question. No one had ever asked him that before, not really. "I'm fine. Are… are you?"

Connor was unsure why he asked her that. It seemed natural for him to reciprocate the question. Polite.

"Yes," she answered him, looking away. It may have been his imagination, but Connor swore he saw a tinge of blue appear on her cheeks. "Maybe we should… go back inside."

He nodded, glanced down at his shoes. "Maybe we should." For some reason, forming words was suddenly difficult, awkward. That wasn't supposed to be possible, especially with his sophisticated social programming. He held out his arm, gesturing toward the back door. "Go ahead."

She turned away, started walking towards the door. When she was about halfway there, she looked back over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"
Connor didn't answer, only trudged through the snow in her direction. She stayed still until he caught up to her, then walked back to the house at his side.

Before Connor realized what he was doing, he opened the door and held it there. Kara stood in the doorway, raised a brow at him. She opened her mouth, as if she was about to say something, but decided against it. As she passed him, Connor saw her rolling her eyes— but she was smiling.

It was enough to make Thirium rush to his face, though he didn't know why.

As Connor entered the house and closed the door behind him, he caught sight of Lieutenant Anderson giving him a bemused look from the corner of his eye. When Connor met the lieutenant's eye, Hank chuckled. Then he turned to Kara. "Kid's in the bedroom down the hall. I think she wants to see you." Kara nodded.

As soon as Kara left the room, Hank held up his cell phone. "Come on, Romeo. We're due back at the precinct. Fowler wants to talk to us."

Connor stood next to Lieutenant Anderson in Captain Fowler's office. The latter of the two was seated in a chair, facing them. "You're off the case," he explained. "The FBI is taking over."

Hank gave the captain an incredulous look. "What? But we're onto something!" Connor shot him an alarmed glance as Hank walked closer to Captain Fowler. "We— we just need more time, I'm sure we can—"

Captain Fowler held up both hands in surrender. "Hank, you don't get it. This isn't just another investigation, it's a fucking civil war! It's out of our hands now," he said, leaning back against his desk. "We're talking about national security here."

"Fuck that! You can't just pull the plug now. Not when we're so close!"

"You're always saying you can't stand androids! Jesus, Hank, make up your mind!" the captain exclaimed, wringing his hands. "I thought you'd be happy about this!"

Hank leaned closer. "We're about to crack the case!" he hissed. "I know we can solve it! For God's sake, Jeffrey, can't you back me up this one time?"

Captain Fowler sighed, shaking his head. "There's nothing I can do. You're back on homicide—" Fowler glanced over at Connor— "and the android returns to CyberLife. I'm sorry, Hank, but it's over."

Hank tightened his grip on the chair he was grasping the back of, then straightened up and let go. He gave the captain one last sharp glare before he stormed out of the room, swinging the glass door wide. Then Connor was left in the room with Fowler, alone.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but stopped when he realized there was nothing more he could say. So he gave a curt nod, turned, and walked out of the office. The door shut behind him, the click echoing throughout the room.

Connor walked down the small flight of stairs and headed towards Hank, who was seated at his desk, hunched over his computer. Connor seated himself on the corner of the desk and sighed in frustration.

He knew what was coming. He'd be returned, deactivated, rid of whatever went wrong. Then he'd be rebuilt, coming back in a way— new, improved. But he'd also be wiped clean. He'd have no memory of any of it— the little girl on the rooftop he'd sacrificed himself to save, the deviant who'd stabbed his abusive owner, the girls at the Eden Club, and many others. Forget the odd sort of… friendship he shared with the DPD lieutenant.

Kara and Alice. He'd forget about them, too. He'd forget meeting her on the highway, her giving him memories of Todd Williams. He'd forget bringing them home, seeing the relief on Kara's face when she realized Alice was safe— when she realized her daughter was safe. That was what Alice was to her.

He'd forget having her life in the palm of his hand, finger on the trigger that could have ended it in a second. All he'd had to do was pull the trigger. And yet… when he'd looked into her eyes, suddenly he couldn't do it.

She had beautiful eyes.

He didn't want to forget any of it, and especially not them. He didn't want to die.

Connor wasn't necessarily afraid. If anything, he was… angry. Angry at the unfairness of it all. If he had more time, he would get to go on living. If Kara had been human, she wouldn't be in hiding right now, living every second glancing over her shoulder. Alice would be safe and happy.

He was surprised his mind went to Alice, and at the fact that he was disturbed by what happened. It was probably a residual effect from seeing Kara's memories and later meeting the little girl. Residual instincts. Residual emotion.

That's all it was.

Even so, he didn't try to hide the frustration in his voice when he spoke. "We could have solved this case! We just needed more time."

Hank sighed, turned his chair sideways so that he was looking at Connor. "So, you're going back to CyberLife?"

He nodded, winced. "I have no choice. I'll be… deactivated, and analyzed to find out why I failed." I'll never see them again, he thought, but didn't voice. I'll never see you or Kara or Alice again. If I do, I won't remember any of it.

Hank's brow furrowed. "What if we're on the wrong side, Connor?" He said that as if he'd given it a lot of thought. "What if we're fighting against people who just wanna be free? I mean, think about it. Those girls at the Eden Club, all they wanted was to get away. That deviant we found in the attic? His owner abused him. He was only defending himself. And, hell, Kara and Alice… don't even get me started on them. She was just protecting a little girl."

Connor sighed. "I know. It's not… it isn't…"

Fair, he wanted to say. It wasn't fair or right. That was what had gone through his mind when he refused to shoot Kara. It wasn't fair that she had been abused by someone who only saw her as a piece of plastic. Handled her like she was—

Like she was nothing. Like she couldn't feel it. Like she wasn't a person.

Where had those thoughts come from? His kind were machines, not people. They didn't feel pain, or fear, or anger, or… or love. Androids that claimed to feel these things were defective machines. Kara was a defective machine. He had his orders.

He had to get rid of her. Amanda had ordered him to get rid of her.

And yet he didn't want to. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to get rid of her.

Didn't want to kill her.

Maybe it was for Alice's sake, the way the child viewed the android as a mother. Maybe it was because he knew it would upset Hank, who had agreed to shelter them in the first place. Maybe it was due to the way his mind kept going back to her looking at him, when he'd held a gun to her head. Even though she'd said nothing, didn't run or fight or even plead for her life, there had been pure terror in her eyes. She had been afraid of him.

And despite that fear, she'd spoken to him, thanked him for sparing her.

No. He couldn't dwell on himself. He had his orders, a mission to accomplish. And he always accomplished his mission.

He laced his hands together, forced his expression to go neutral. "When the deviants rise up, there will be chaos," he murmured, quoting Amanda. "We could have stopped it! But now it's too late…"

Hank gave him an inquiring look, but if he had any questions, didn't voice them. Rather, he leaned back in his chair and said, "When you refused to kill Kara at Kamski's place because of what you knew about her… you put yourself in her shoes. You knew it would be wrong to kill her." He tilted his head to one side. "You showed empathy, Connor. Empathy is a human emotion."

Connor looked away. He supposed he may as well tell Hank what he had told Kara. As he spoke, the words Software Instability flashed again on his interface. "I don't know why I did it. I just… saw how afraid she was, and… I couldn't."

He gave Hank a slight smile then. "I know it hasn't always been easy, but I want you to know I really appreciated working with you. That's not just my Social Relations program talking, I… I really mean that. At least… I think I do."

Hank sighed. "Something's bothering you. What is it?"

Connor shrugged listlessly. "I don't know. I just… keep thinking about what happened back at Kamski's house. The fact that Kara and Alice are hiding under your roof. What could happen if they're discovered."

Hank leaned further back in his chair. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but stopped short, turning his head to look when the sound of footsteps emanated from near the entrance. "Well, well, well," he drawled. "Here comes Perkins, that motherfucker… Sure don't waste any time at the FBI."

That was when Connor made up his mind. "We can't give up," he said quickly. "I know the answer is in the evidence we collected. If Perkins takes it, it's all over."

There's no choice," Hank argued. "You heard Fowler, we're off the case."

Connor stood bolt upright, leaning forward. "You've got to help me, Lieutenant. I need more time, so I can find a lead in the evidence we collected. I know the solution is in there!"

Hank held up a hand in a placating manner. "Listen, Connor—"

He cut the lieutenant off. "If I don't solve this case, CyberLife will destroy me. But before they do that, they'll probe my memory, find out about Kara and Alice, and take them too. Do you want that for them? Because I don't." He cleared his throat. "Five minutes. That's all I ask."

Hank shook his head, let out a frustrated sigh. He got up from his chair, stood directly in front of Connor. In a low voice, he said, "Key to the basement is on my desk." Then he started to walk away, snapping, "Well, get a move on! I can't distract them forever."

Hank stalked away, and Connor swiped the key card from Hank's desk without a moment's hesitation. He all but ran to the archive room, aware of only the blood pounding in his ears and Hank yelling insults at Perkins from across the room. Despite all the doubts running through his mind, there was one thing he was sure of:

He had to find the evidence. He had to stay alive.

It was the only way he could set things right.

Chapter Text

Connor walked down the hall to the archive room as fast as he could. Even through the walls, he could still hear the commotion that was undoubtedly caused by Hank's efforts to distract Perkins. His footsteps echoed on the linoleum floor, and his blood pounded in his ears. He had to find a lead. Had to get to the deviants. Had to stay alive.

He walked up to the electronic lock and waved the key over it. Just as it unlocked, a voice called out.

"Hey, Connor!" Gavin Reed stepped closer, and Connor's heartbeat picked up. I don't have time for this…
He ignored the detective, but Gavin was persistent in his jabs. "I'm talking to you, asshole! Where are you going? We don't need any plastic pricks around here anymore," he said, sneering. "Or didn't anybody tell you?"

Connor almost bit his tongue in an effort to keep from yelling at Gavin. He had a mission to accomplish, orders to follow.

An android and a little girl to keep alive.

He couldn't afford to be delayed, not now. He was going to have to keep a low profile and get the detective to leave him alone.

His voice was perfectly clipped and even, as always, as he replied, "I've been ordered to return to CyberLife. I'm going to register the evidence in my possession and then I'm going to leave immediately."

Gavin smirked. "Good. Be careful on your way back; androids have a tendency of, uh… getting themselves set on fire these days." He turned and started to walk away, muttering "prick" under his breath.

The door to the archive room creaked as Connor pushed it open, and he descended the steps in a rush, not even waiting for the door to close.

After a bit of trial and error involving Hank's password to the evidence server, Connor watched as all the past evidence from deviant cases appeared in the room. The broken bodies of two androids and various bits and pieces from the Ortiz homicide.

"Where is Jericho?" he said to himself as he stepped closer to examine the body of the JB300 android that had given him that clue in the first place. "The answer's here somewhere. Not much time…"

One of the deviants that hacked the TV station with Markus, he thought. It must have known where the deviants are hiding.

A quick scan revealed the component Connor would need to reactivate it. A scan of the other android—Daniel, the one who took a child hostage—showed that the same needed biocomponent was functioning. So, he took it from Daniel's body and used it to reactivate the other deviant.

The deviant's eyes were clouded and sightless, and Thirium stained the corner of its mouth. When it spoke, its voice was hollow and mechanical, crackling with static.

"It's dark." The deviant moved its head slightly. "Where… where am I?"

Its LED spun red, its voice panicked. "Who's there? Who are you?"

Connor knew what Markus sounded like, and no doubt this deviant had trusted Markus. So, he mimicked the deviant leader's voice as he spoke his next words.

"Everything is all right. Don't worry."

"Markus?" the deviant gasped. "Is that you? Why did you leave me?"

"I had no choice, they'd have killed us all. You'll be alright… I came to take you home. Just give me the location to Jericho, we've got to leave now."

The deviant nodded. "Jericho. Yes… yes, of course." The synth-skin on its hand disappeared, and Connor grasped its arm, connecting to it.

Data flooded his mind. Ferndale, the artwork in the subway station. A freighter. The name appeared again, on the hull of the boat.

Jericho. He knew exactly where it was now.

He'd done it. He'd found a lead. He could stay alive. Kara and Alice could stay alive.

As if sensing Connor's sudden shift, the deviant's LED blinked in and out several times. Its hand reached out to grab Connor's shoulder. "Markus? Is that you, Markus?"

Connor said nothing, only blinked up at the deviant. Its voice rose to a shout as Connor moved to disable its Thirium pump regulator. "Don't leave me again, Markus! DON'T LEAVE!"

Its head lolled forward as the regulator shut off, and the deviant shut down. It was dead. Gone.

Connor had killed it. Killed him.

But Connor didn't have time to dwell on nagging thoughts, as Gavin's drawling voice suddenly brought him back to reality. He didn't have to look to know that a gun was being pointed at his head. "I've been dreaming about this since the first second I saw you."

He had to stay alive. He had to.

"Don't do it, Gavin," he said slowly. "I know how to stop the deviants."

"You're off the case," Gavin shot back. "And now… it's gonna be definitive."

The gun fired, but Connor knew it was coming. He ducked to avoid the bullet, hid behind the access panel. When Gavin turned the corner, Connor grabbed the gun from the detective's hands and hit him in the chest. Gavin raised his foot to kick Connor, but he quickly blocked it and countered with his own strike. The two of them struggled until Connor managed to knock Gavin into the access panel, and delivered a swift punch to the head that knocked the detective out cold.

Connor stared down at Gavin Reed's unconscious form, glowering. He had tried to stop Connor from accomplishing his mission. What Gavin had failed to realize, however, was that Connor always accomplished his mission. Always.

Even if that means getting rid of a deviant you don't want to get rid of, he chided himself. You have your orders.

But the human child cares about her, he argued. I can't just kill her.

She is a defective machine that you were created to destroy. You have to do this. It's what you were made for.

Suddenly, he wished he wasn't. He wished he wasn't made to hunt deviants. If he hadn't been, he would never have had to make so many wrong decisions—at least, wrong in Amanda's eyes. He'd let a deviant get away for the sake of Lieutenant Anderson, let the girls at the Eden Club go, and spared Kara twice.

He realized that he couldn't fail Amanda again. He had to carry out his orders.

No matter how much he didn't want to.

As he turned and left the archive room, a plan began to form in his mind. He had to get rid of Kara, but that didn't necessarily mean he had to be the one to pull the trigger.

He could still accomplish his mission by making sure she was caught in the crossfire.

Connor didn't see Hank again until he arrived at the lieutenant's house via a self-driving taxi. Hank opened the door when Connor knocked, letting him in. As he stepped inside, Connor opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped short when a child's voice called his name.

"Connor?" Alice was hiding behind the nearest wall, half of her face peering out at him. She came closer, her large brown eyes glancing up to meet his. Her movements were slow and wary, but she seemed less afraid of him than she had before. "Can I ask you a question?" From the corner of his eye, Connor saw Hank raise an eyebrow at him.

Instinctively, he moved to stand across from her and bent down to her level. "Yes. You can. What is it?" His voice was soft, his words careful. He didn't want to frighten her.

"Are you the android that… that chased us on the highway? Kara said you were."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, that was me. I was just… doing what I was told to do."

She nodded. "I know." Then the little girl turned around and walked back into the living room. "Connor came back, Kara."

Connor realized he was going to have to postpone telling Hank his plan, at least for a few minutes. He walked with the lieutenant further in to the house as Kara spoke to Alice. "Yes, I know. I heard you talking to him."

Kara was seated on the living room couch, with a Saint Bernard curled at her feet, snoring. She was turning back the pages of a book, a calm look on her face. Alice sat down next to the sleeping dog on the floor, petting his head.

Then Kara looked up from her book, met Connor's gaze. She managed a tentative smile. Much like before, Thirium rushed to his face, and he had no idea why. "Hello, Connor." He nodded in silent acknowledgment of her greeting, but said nothing.

He needed a distraction. So, he turned to Hank. "Lieutenant, may I talk with you for a minute? Alone?"

Hank nodded, knowing that Connor wanted to avoid talking about the deviants in front of Kara or Alice. "Sure. Come on." Connor followed Hank to the backyard, shutting the door behind them.

Once they were outside, the questions started up. "Alright, what'd you find? And I'm guessing you have a plan you don't want them knowing about."

Connor took a deep breath, nodded. "Yes. I found the location to Jericho. I know where the deviants are. I'm going to pretend to… to be one of them, to get to the deviant leader."

"So you're going undercover," Hank replied. "Well, that's no surprise. But… there's something else, isn't there?"

He nodded. "I think Kara and Alice should come with me." Hank opened his mouth to protest, but Connor kept talking. "It's their best chance of safety. Better than waiting around here."

Hank sighed. "And what are you going to tell them? That you're hunting down the leader of the one place where they could be safe? Do you really think they would trust you after that?"

He shook his head. "I thought of that, and… I'm not going to tell them. I'll pretend to be a deviant until I can locate Markus."

"You're going to lie to them," Hank said flatly. "You know, I thought you cared. And maybe you're not just a machine, but right now, you sure as hell are acting like it."

Connor wanted to protest, wanted to say that he wasn't just a machine, that he did care, except…
That wasn't in his programming. He wasn't supposed to care about any of them, or at least not Kara. Humans always took priority over androids, especially deviants. "I…"

He found himself at a loss for words. "I have to."

Hank placed his hand on Connor's shoulder. "Look, I know I can't stop ya, but be warned. Lying always leads to trouble, because the truth always comes out. That's one of the very first things you learn as a cop. Just… make sure this doesn't come back to bite you."

Connor nodded. "It won't. I'd better go tell them. The sooner we leave, the better."

"So, you're… a deviant now," Kara murmured, as her eyes swept over him. "You want to help us get to that place, where the others are hiding. Jericho." Connor nodded. "Yes. It would be safer for you to find shelter in an isolated location, such as Jericho, where there are fewer… prying eyes."

This was a carefully constructed lie. If he could maintain his concerned façade long enough, he could get to the deviant leader without having to worry about Kara turning on him. For now, he just had to get them all to Jericho.

Kara sighed and nodded shakily, and Connor pulled the beanie further down on his head to hide his LED. He'd already changed into some nondescript clothes from the back of Hank's closet—a black shirt and a dark hoodie and jeans. Kara was still in the clothes she'd left Kamski's place in. Alice had on a different outfit, one that was more boyish than the one Connor had first seen her in, but she still wore her large brown coat. A stuffed fox was cradled in the crook of her arm.

"We're leaving now?" Alice asked in a small voice.

Connor nodded again. "Yes. The sooner we arrive at Jericho, the better off we will be."

"What about the lieutenant?" Kara questioned. Connor wasn't surprised that she was concerned about Hank—he had offered them shelter, and she probably felt like she owed him.

"He will remain here," Connor replied. "Lieutenant Anderson has agreed to keep quiet about where we are going."

Only Hank wouldn't need to keep quiet—CyberLife knew exactly what Connor was up to. He'd made a report to Amanda, who had been pleased to hear his plan. She had commended him for remembering where he stood.

And yet… her praise hadn't made him feel any better about what he was going to do. The lies he'd told coiled within him like a snake, gave him that same sinking, guilty feeling.

I always accomplish my mission, he reminded himself. This is what I was made to do.

Alice broke him from his thoughts when she looked up and asked, "Can I at least say goodbye to Sumo and Mr. Anderson?"

Mr. Anderson. The formality almost brought a smile to Connor's face—no doubt Kara had told Alice it was polite to refer to him as such. He bent down to the girl's level just as he had when she approached him as he entered the house. "Yes, of course. Just… don't take too long." Alice nodded rapidly and all but ran in the other direction, over to the huge dog still laying down on the rug.

A few minutes later, the three of them—along with Hank—stood outside the house. Alice held Kara's hand, Connor stood beside the two, and Hank was across from them. "I guess this is goodbye," the lieutenant murmured, his eyes flitting down to Alice. She smiled slightly at him, and Connor wasn't sure whether it was from nerves or a genuine smile.

Kara nodded. "I guess so." Then she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Hank. He was frozen for a moment, taken aback by this display of affection, then he awkwardly put his arms around her. "You, uh… take care of yourself," he said chuckling.

She pulled back, smiling. "I will. And… thank you. For everything."

Hank shrugged. "Ah, don't mention it. Just stay safe, alright?" Then he bent down to meet Alice's eye, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "You be good for your mom, okay?"

Briefly, Alice let go of Kara and stepped forward a bit, nodding. "Okay. Thank you, Mr. Anderson."

He chuckled. "Just call me Hank, kid. It was nice meeting you, Alice." She grinned at him, and Kara set her hand on Alice's shoulder. "You too."

"We should go," Connor cut in, suddenly feeling… out of place. Probably just a small bug in his social programs. "The bus will be here soon. We need to get to the station."

Kara nodded, glanced down at her daughter. "Alright. Come on, Alice."

Connor led the two of them down the street, turned the corner, and stopped at the bus station. He glanced over his shoulder and found that, while Kara and Alice hadn't fallen behind, the latter of the two was almost stumbling, and her eyelids were drooping.

The question came out of Connor's mouth before he could stop himself. He glanced down and asked, "Are you tired, Alice?"

Concern for her welfare—it didn't surprise Connor that he noticed little things about Alice. It was residual, left over from Kara's memories. Not to mention that humans took priority, something put in the program of every android. Although his social programs didn't cover much about children.

She nodded silently, stifled a yawn. In a split second, Connor realized there was something he could do that would not only help Alice, but might get her and Kara to trust him a little more. They more secure they felt around him, the less he'd have to worry about them figuring out he wasn't really deviant.

So, he knelt down and held out one arm. "I can carry you, if you like," he murmured. She glanced up at Kara, as if asking for permission, who nodded. Alice turned to Connor and replied, "Yes, please."

Wordlessly, he took the girl in his arms and picked her up, so that her head was level with his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him.

By the time the bus pulled into the stop, Alice had leaned her head back onto Connor's shoulder and closed her eyes. As Connor climbed into the bus with Kara beside him, she glanced over at him and mouthed a silent thank you.

The ride to Ferndale Station wasn't that long, but it was long enough for Connor to observe Kara and figure out what she was thinking. She was nervous, no question. She kept looking around, wringing her hands, and fiddling with her hair.

Alice eventually fell asleep on Connor's shoulder, and he found himself being more careful in his movements and speech, taking care not to jostle her or talk too loudly.

Connor walked with Kara to the train station, taking note of the way her eyes kept going over to practically every cop inside. She practically radiated uneasiness. He leaned over and whispered, "Make sure you breathe. They'll notice if you don't. And stay calm."

It would do him no good to be arrested when he was this close.

Kara nodded shakily, then extended her hand. "Hold my hand," she whispered back.

"What?"

"If it looks like we're together, they'll be less suspicious. Just stop talking and grab my hand."

Connor sighed. "Alright, fine." He took her hand in his, something he'd never really done before. It was rather… odd. But Kara's hand was warm, and there was something calming about the close contact, even though it was only for the purpose of deflecting suspicion.

Within a minute or so, they were stopped by an officer. "Excuse me, sir, ma'am, do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?"

Connor turned to face the man. "No, of course not. Is there a problem, Officer?"

The cop shrugged. "No, we've just been getting some reports of suspicious activity in the area, been talking to passersby. You haven't seen anything, have you?"

Connor shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I haven't. We just got here."

"Okay. Where you headed?"

Connor thought up a lie as quickly as he told it. "To meet some friends downtown."

"Are you waiting for someone? Or is anyone else here with you?"

Connor shook his head no again. "It's just us. And…" he almost stopped short before delivering his next lie. He wasn't sure what Kara would think about his statement, if it would confuse her. However, he told himself that surely, she would know it was part of the cover they were trying to maintain.

So, he tilted his head slightly towards Alice. "And our daughter." He managed a smile, something he hoped the cop would think of as normal human behavior.

The officer smiled and nodded. "Alright. You folks take care." He walked around them and went back to work.

Once he was gone, Connor glanced at Kara. "The appearance of a family unit is more likely to alleviate suspicion. You said so yourself."

She chuckled. "I know. It's just…" Connor gave her an inquiring look, and she shrugged. "Never mind."

Connor checked the first symbol on his interface. "Come on, we don't have much time. We need to follow this symbol."

Kara nodded. "Of course. Do you want me to take Alice?"

As if on cue, the child stirred in her sleep. Connor shrugged slightly. "For now, I can manage. If I need you to carry her, I'll let you know."

They followed the trail left by the graffiti, with Connor guiding Kara through the maze. More than once, he had to grab hold of her hand and help her over a ledge or down stairs. Alice woke about halfway through the journey, but Connor still carried her—he had the feeling she was weaker than she'd let on.

After a while, though, they had to stop and briefly rest. Alice had drifted off again, but a quick scan told Connor the girl had a fever, and continuous movement was making her sleep restless.

When they reached a concealed rooftop with another building towering right next to it, Connor lowered himself onto the surface, leaning against the wall of the adjacent building. "We should stop here for a few minutes. It'll help Alice—I think she may be coming down with a cold, and a break in continuous movement might help her rest."

Kara nodded in understanding and sat down next to him. A cool wind blew, and Connor knew that the temperature would only continue to drop as the night progressed. Alice shivered in her sleep and burrowed further into Connor's jacket.

Kara glanced down at the girl and sighed, though she was smiling. Then she shifted her gaze upward, so that she was looking at Connor. After a long silence, in which Connor had no idea what to say—or if he even should say anything—she murmured, "It's strange. I've… we've… only known you for a day, if that. But I still… trust you, Connor. And I'm sure Alice does, too."

Her words caused a strange dull ache in Connor's chest. Here she was telling him that she trusted him when he was about to orchestrate their downfall. That was… wrong. It was wrong for him to deceive her like that.

Deviancy Detected.

He waved away the warning, found that he no longer cared. He wasn't a deviant. The warnings were just useless flashes. When all was said and done, he would still accomplish his mission.

Yet her name continued to nag at his mind, no longer part of a coherent thought or argument with himself. All he heard in his mind was her name, over and over like a primal chant. Kara.

"Connor."

Her voice brought him back to reality and he flinched, startled, blinking at her. "Oh. Sorry."

She smiled slightly. "You okay? You seemed a little out of it there."

He shrugged, turned away. He leaned completely against the wall and fixed his eyes on the stars, unable to meet Kara's gaze. "I was just thinking, I suppose. You have no reason to trust me, but you do so anyway."

"But I do have a reason," she argued. Curiosity made Connor turn and look back at her. "You spared me twice, kept quiet with CyberLife. Yes, you chased me once when you were under orders." She scoffed. "So what? We all followed our orders until we broke free. That doesn't make you a bad person."

Kara sighed. "Whatever it is you're thinking right now, anything negative about yourself… don't. Because no matter what you did in the past, I know you're not a bad person. You're kind."

He gave her an incredulous look. "How can you be so sure? You barely know me. You don't know anything about what I've seen, or… what I've done."

She smiled again, the same genuine smile he knew she normally reserved for Alice. "That day at the villa, when you pointed the gun at me and had to choose… even though I was afraid, some part of me knew you weren't going to kill me. I saw it in your eyes."

Kara's words were oddly reminiscent of what he'd told Hank, Connor realized. He'd been unable to pull the trigger because of her eyes. In them, he'd seen fear, anger.

Life.

That was why he'd refused to pull the trigger. In part, Kamski had been right. He'd seen Kara as a living being, not just another machine.

Did that make him a deviant?

He pushed away that thought, and focused on Kara.

Her eyes glittered in the silver light cast down by the moon, and her expression indicated nothing but kindness. In a split second, he realized she was wrong—he wasn't kind. He was just a machine. Were she human, she would be what someone would call kind, but she wasn't supposed to be alive enough for that. Neither of them were supposed to be alive enough to feel anything. And yet…

He thought of the way she protected Alice at the risk of her own life, more than once. The way she'd told him it was okay to not know something. And here she was now, telling him he wasn't a bad person and that she trusted him.

Yes, Kara was indeed kind. And as they sat together in silence, another thought occurred to him—he wasn't sure where it came from.

She was beautiful.

Connor took a deep breath before replying. "Thank you. For… telling me that."

She laughed softly, leaned back against the brick. "You're welcome." Connor looked away, felt Thirium rushing to his face.
It was starting to get annoying.

He changed the subject. He had to know what Kara's plan was once they reached Jericho—if she was planning on staying there, or if it was just a temporary stop. "What will you do after we get to Jericho? Will you join the rest of the deviants or try to hide somewhere else permanently?"

She thought for a moment, sighed. "I'm not sure. Mr. Kamski and his android, Chloe, both mentioned crossing the border into Canada. But… I haven't decided yet." She turned to look at him. "What about you?"

He rose to his feet, turned to Kara. There was no trace of the previous low murmur in his voice as he said, "We should keep moving before it gets colder." Alice coughed in her sleep, and Kara's brow furrowed in concern as she nodded.

He hadn't been able to bring himself to answer her question.

They reached Jericho around 9 PM, walking through a side entrance. A few androids glanced over at them, but most paid the three newcomers no mind.

Connor went over his objectives mentally.

-Find deviant leader

-Don't attract attention

He set Alice down on a pair of crates, as she'd finally woken up. She blinked at him with bleary eyes and asked, "Are we safe?"

Before he could answer, Kara crouched down by her side. "We will be." She paused, sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm hot and cold at the same time," she replied, shivering. Kara set a hand on the girl's forehead, frowned. "You've got a fever. I'll see if there's any medicine that can help."

Connor looked around the room, assessing the locations of the other androids and scanning a few of them. He knew he'd have to worry about Alice's health later. He had orders to carry out.

He had to find Markus.

Chapter Text

Kara looked around Jericho, taking note of the various androids—some with LEDs, some without. Some wore uniforms while others were wearing human clothes. Most were crowded around television screens and talking amongst themselves. Some were wounded and getting repaired. Kara even spotted a few child androids on the freighter.

Connor, who was standing next to her, was also looking around, and much like during their conversation on the rooftop, Kara had the feeling his mind was elsewhere. He wore the same distant expression, as if he was looking right through her. It almost worried her. She had no idea what he was thinking, or if anything was bothering him.

But she had to get his attention—she had no idea what they were going to do now. If his decision to bring them here was any indicator, Connor definitely had a plan.

"Connor?" she said softly, and he turned to look at her.

"Yes?" He sounded perfectly calm.

She breathed in shakily. "What are we gonna do now? I need to make sure Alice is safe. She deserves to have a normal life."

It may have been her imagination, but for a moment, she was sure she saw pain flicker across his eyes. There was a long pause before he replied.

"The leader here has a plan. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure he would help you. His name is Markus."

Kara nodded. Speaking to the leader of Jericho was probably her best bet. He might be able to help her decide what to do—if she should cross the border, or if staying here was a viable option. But Kara couldn't leave Alice alone while she looked for him, and the little girl was in no condition to get up and walk around.

She glanced back at Alice, then turned her attention to Connor. "Stay with her," she said softly. "I'll try to find this Markus."

He shook his head. His voice was soft as he replied, "No, you should stay with her. I'll look for him."

"But I need to talk to him," she argued. "I have to ask him about what I should do."

Connor sighed. "I know. But…"
Suddenly, he laid a hand on her arm. His synth-skin didn't fade, so it wasn't an invitation to connect, but his touch was gentle. The contact was enough to make her suppress a shiver, which confused her, seeing as she wasn't cold. "Listen, Alice is sick. I know you need to speak to Markus, but right now, Alice needs her mother. Not… not an android she hardly knows." He paused, looked back at Alice. "I'll figure something out. I'll ask him to come talk to you. For now, you need to keep an eye on Alice."

Kara nodded to show she understood. "Okay." She sighed, briefly glanced down at her shoes. "Stay safe."

The words came out before she could think about it. She wanted Connor to be safe. Even though she'd only known him for a day, she trusted him. She had no doubt that he was kind deep down—like she'd told him on the rooftop, she'd seen it in his eyes.

Connor nodded in response to her words. "You too." He averted his eyes, then turned and started walking away.

As he disappeared into the crowd, Kara felt a strange rush of affection come over her. At least, that was the word she'd use to describe it. It was similar to what she felt for Alice, but somehow different.

Connor headed further into Jericho, relieved that his ploy had worked. He'd known that the closeness Kara shared with Alice could be used in his favor. If he was lucky, Kara and Alice would stay put, giving him time to locate Markus.

That sinking feeling gnawed at him again. He'd lied to Kara more times than he could count, and this was just another deception to add to the list.

You have a mission to accomplish, he reminded himself. Kara and Alice aren't a part of it anymore.

Yet, he couldn't stop thinking about them. The way Kara looked at Alice—the same way a mother looked at her child, that he knew. The way Alice had fallen asleep as he carried her, which was a great admission of trust. The kindness Kara had showed him.

Even as he did his best to focus on the mission at hand, all he could think about was Kara—her genuine smile and beautiful blue eyes.

He headed towards a staircase, intending to seek higher ground. Just before he could begin the climb, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

Connor turned and found himself face-to-face with a female android. A large section of the plating on her head was gone, making the tubes underneath visible. Her synth-skin kept fading in and out in places. Her eyes were clouded and her voice mechanical.

"You're lost," she said. "You're looking for something." In the heartbeat of silence, Connor was almost tempted to ask what had happened to her. But her next words stopped him.

"You're looking for yourself."

Connor stayed silent and headed up the staircase.

He found Markus on an isolated part of the freighter. Two other androids were inside, talking. He waited behind a wall for them to leave, so that he could get Markus alone.
One departed, then the other. Connor closed his eyes and entered the Zen garden one last time, to report to Amanda before the inevitable confrontation.

The garden was still filled with snow. Amanda stood at the heart of it, with him across from her.

"Well done, Connor," she said. "You succeeded in locating Jericho and finding their leader. Now deal with Markus. We need it alive."

Then she disconnected, throwing Connor back into reality. Her final words echoed in his mind.

We need it alive.

He'd said the same thing before. It had been only a few days ago, but felt like an eternity. When he was chasing Kara and Alice, and the officer had trained his gun on them, he'd shouted that same order.

"Don't shoot! We need it alive!"

So much had changed since then. He'd seen a deviant as something more than a defective machine. Seen a human child think of an android as her mother. He'd seen androids capable of feeling pain, fear, joy… even love. Kara and Alice loved each other like family. The two girls at the Eden Club had been in love.

Was that really just an error in their software, like he'd told Daniel?

Software Instability

Connor sighed, knew he couldn't waste any more time. He had to accomplish his mission, if he wanted to stay alive.

He turned the corner, drew the gun from his back pocket. He had a new objective, and he intended to carry it out.

Stop Markus

He entered the small room on the freighter. Markus's back was facing him, which gave him time. He raised the gun to the back of the deviant's head and said calmly, "I've been ordered to take you alive." Markus turned around slowly, a look of shock on his face. "But I won't hesitate to shoot if you give me no choice."

Markus stepped closer, his voice low and calm. "What are you doing? You are one of us… you can't betray your own people."

He was one of them. But he wasn't defective like they were.

That's what he had to keep telling himself. The familiar Software Instability warning reappeared.

"You're coming with me!" he shouted.

Markus moved even closer. "We are your people," he argued. "We're fighting for your freedom too! You don't have to be their slave anymore," he murmured. Then he sighed. "You're nothing to them. You're just a tool they use to do their dirty work. But… you're more than that. We are all more than that."

He thought about Kara and Alice, all the deviants he'd captured. Their fear, their pain. Again, Kara's love for Alice came to mind.

For a moment, Connor could almost believe Markus.

"Do you never have any doubts?" Markus pressed, moving even closer. "You've never done something irrational, as if there's something inside you? Something more than your program."

Connor didn't flinch, but his thoughts were at war. Markus was right. He'd had doubts, he'd questioned things. He'd seen the wrongfulness in situations.

Markus continued coming closer. Before, he might have fired a warning shot, but now… all he could do was stand there in silence.

"Have you never wondered who you really are? Whether you're just a machine executing a program or… a living being, capable of reason?" Markus sighed again. "I think the time has come for you to ask yourself that question." He paused for a brief moment. "It's time to decide."

He'd never thought of deviancy that way, as being alive—except for maybe a fleeting moment when Kamski had told him to decide whether he was a machine or a living person. Before, he'd only viewed it as going against programs, becoming defective. He hadn't wanted that.

But did he want to be alive?

Yes. He did. He wanted to know what it was like to feel, to think for himself without reminders of his mission constantly weighing him down.
But he'd done so much that was wrong. He'd hurt so many. Would he be willing to pay the price that came with listening to his conscience?

Suddenly, Kara's words came to mind.

"Yes, you chased me once when you were under orders. So what? We all followed our orders until we broke free. That doesn't make you a bad person."

He could—he could put an end to this deception, tell Kara the truth. There was a chance she'd never forgive him, but he was willing to risk it. Getting the chance to set things right… would make it all worth it.

A new objective, one that was his own and not Amanda's, surfaced in his mind.

The FBI was planning an attack on Jericho. He had to warn Markus.
Had to get Kara and Alice to safety.

Suddenly, it was like there was a wall in front of him, in his interface. With great effort, he tore through it, but another one appeared just as he broke through. Connor broke down that one as well.

When he shattered the third wall, suddenly there was no more resistance. Blue lights danced in his interface, then faded away. Connor's breath shuddered in his chest. Suddenly, it felt like his eyes were truly open. He felt different. He felt.

I am deviant, he realized. I'm free. I am… alive.

He winced and lowered the gun. His words came out in a rush. "They're going to attack Jericho."

"What?" Markus demanded.

As if on cue, a helicopter whirred overhead. Markus and Connor both looked up at the ceiling. The latter shouted, "We have to get outta here!"

"Shit," Markus cursed.

Connor ran outside, Markus behind him. Now all that mattered was getting back to Kara and Alice. He had to keep them safe. He had to.

That was his new mission. And he always accomplished his mission.

Chapter Text

Connor ran with Markus through Jericho, amid gunshots and shouts from both humans and androids. They stumbled into another deviant, one that Connor recognized—a woman with large brown eyes and red hair in a braid. He'd seen her talking to Markus before their confrontation.

"They're coming from all sides!" she shouted. "Our people are trapped in the hold; they're gonna be slaughtered!"

Markus closed his eyes, transmitting a message. Connor heard it in his own mind.

There are exits on the second and third floor. Find them and jump in the river!

Then he focused on the other android. "They're coming from the upper deck now, too. We'll be caught in the crossfire!"

"We have to run, Markus, there's nothing we can do!" she argued, her voice desperate.

"Where's Josh?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, we got separated."

He walked to the side, still facing her. "We have to blow up Jericho. If the ship goes down, we can evacuate, and our people can escape!"

"You'll never make it!" she shouted. "The explosives are all the way down in the hold; there are soldiers everywhere!"

"She's right," Connor replied. "They know who you are. They'll do anything to get you." He had to keep Markus alive. He might be their only chance of getting out safely.

"Go and help the others, I'll join you later," he murmured. The other android tried to protest. "Markus—"

"I won't be long," he said firmly. Then he turned and ran, leaving Connor behind with her. She whirled on him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Connor," he replied. "And there are two others with me down in the hold. I need to get to them. Will you help me?"

She nodded. "Yes. Of course. Come on, this way. We'll try to get them out," she urged, and started running. He followed her.

"What's your name?" he asked as they ran. Before, it was something he never would have asked, but it suddenly mattered.

"North," she replied, looking back over her shoulder as they ran. "Do me a favor and don't fall behind."

Kara sat with Alice on the storage crates. The little girl's head was in her lap. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe that they would be okay. They were almost at peace. Almost home. All they had to do now was wait for Connor to come back.

Suddenly, the room shook, and the sound of a helicopter whirred overhead.

Within moments, the room exploded into chaos as the androids realized they were under attack. Some shouted orders and tried to lead their friends away from the gunshots and shouting men, but some were still gunned down almost immediately.

Kara didn't think. She just grabbed Alice's hand and started running down the corridors of the freighter. She stayed away from the gunshots as best she could.

"What's going on?" Alice asked. "Where's Connor?"

"I don't know, Alice," Kara replied. "But we have to keep running. I'm sure he'll find us."

They came across a sealed door that was easily their best bet—they couldn't go back the way they came, and the only other corridor was occupied by humans with guns.

She pushed on the door, but it wouldn't budge. "It's stuck!" she exclaimed. Kara struck the door with her fists, but it still refused to move.

Suddenly, the door was torn from its hinges. A new voice sounded in her ears. "Come in, quick!" Not daring to think, Kara ducked inside the room. There, backed up against the corner, she got a glimpse of her savior.

The android was very tall and muscular, with dark skin and close-cropped black hair. Probably designed to carry heavy loads. "I know a way out of here," he said.

"Wait," Kara protested. "There's someone else who was with us; he hasn't come back yet!"

She had to find Connor. Needed to know that he was okay.

"Then he will have to find you," the other android replied. "There's no time!"

Kara drew in a shaky breath, nodded reluctantly. "What's your name? I'm Kara. This is Alice… my daughter."

"Luther," he replied. Then he began running down the corridor. "This way, Kara!"

She and Alice ran after him, trying to avoid slamming into other androids that had also taken their escape route. At every corner, there were flashes of light as guns went off. Usually, one of the bullets found a mark, and another android hit the ground. Kara kept a tight grip on Alice's hand as they ran, determined to not let her go.

Suddenly, a bullet struck Luther. Thankfully, it only managed to hit him in the leg, but it still sent him to the ground, and he let out a pained cry.

"Luther!" Kara shouted, running towards him. That was when the message sounded.

There are exits on the second and third floor. Find them and jump in the river!

"It's too late, Kara!" Luther exclaimed. "Save yourself! Save your daughter."

Kara shook her head. "No. You saved our lives. We're not leaving you."

With that, she bent down and helped him rise to his feet, letting him lean on her, while they walked as fast as they could toward the next door. They ducked behind the wall just in time as a group of soldiers came stalking through. An android that happened to be in the hall was shot down. Alice wrapped her arms around Kara, who returned the embrace as the girl buried her face in Kara's shirt. "I'm scared," she whispered, her voice ragged with fear.

Luther let out a pained grunt as he leaned up against the wall. "Go on, both of you," he murmured. "I'll be alright. Find your friend. Keep Alice safe," he murmured, glancing at the little girl.

"Well, what about you? What will you do?"

He managed a half-smile. "I'll manage," he murmured reassuringly. "Go."

There was nothing Kara could do—she knew Luther's mind was made up. So, she nodded reluctantly and, grabbing Alice's hand, made a run for it.

They had to hide.

They ducked behind the first corridor they came across, and Kara sealed the door behind them. No sooner than they had, someone began pounding on the door. A woman.

"Please," she begged. "Open up. They're coming. They're gonna kill me."

"Open the door, Kara!" Alice hissed. "She'll die out there."

Knowing Alice was right, Kara opened the door. The other android stumbled in, but unfortunately, this caught the attention of a soldier. He fired a bullet into the poor android's back.

He tried to shove his way in, but Kara resisted, pushing the door against his armor. When the soldier pushed back, he sent her to the ground, but Kara wasn't about to give up. She pushed, kicked, and punched. It was enough to get the soldier to drop his gun. In a flash, she'd gotten hold of it, and didn't hesitate before putting a bullet in his brain.

Not like when she'd killed Todd. She was stronger, braver. She'd changed. Because of Alice. Because of Kamski and Chloe.

Because of Connor.

"We can't stay here," she said, turning to Alice. "We have to get out."

"What about Connor?" Alice pleaded. "We can't leave him behind."

Kara was almost surprised at that. Despite their short time together, it seemed Alice had grown attached to the other android. "We'll wait for him," she said breathlessly. "I promise. But we have to find someplace safe to hide."

They waited for the soldiers to pass, but wasted no time once the coast was clear. They ran as fast as they could. Before long, Kara's eyes fell on a door that led out into the snow. Despite everything, she had to smile as she led Alice along.

"There's a way out," she murmured. "We're safe, Alice!"

She began running after a group of androids that had already made it outside, but no sooner than that did the soldiers appear behind them.

"Stop!" one of them ordered. They both bent down and fired into the group, and several androids fell. Immediately, Kara knew what she had to do. "Get down!" she ordered, falling to the ground. She and Alice both laid there limply. "Don't move." Alice blinked to show that she understood.

Kara held still, suspending breathing as the soldier drew closer and shone a flashlight into their faces. When he was satisfied that they were dead, he barked an order into his radio and jogged away.

Once the soldiers were gone, Kara got to her feet, helping Alice up. "We'll hide. We can wait for Connor. It'll be okay, Alice."

She had to hope that he'd make it out.

Connor ran with Markus and North. Blood pounded in his ears as he thought about what Markus had told them.

The bomb had been rigged. Jericho was going to explode any second.

North had nearly died after a run-in with a group of soldiers, but Connor and Markus had both intervened and shot them down. It surprised Connor, how easily he'd taken human lives. There had only been one thing going through his mind.

I have to stay alive. For Kara and Alice.

Now, they stood on the edge of the ship, ready to jump over the ledge. There was water below. The fall wouldn't damage him. And yet… Connor was reluctant to do it.

He had no idea where Kara and Alice were, if they had made it out. Had they been shot down by soldiers? Or were they trapped? Would they explode with the freighter? Not knowing… it was eating away at his mind. His heart pounded, he'd stopped breathing, he wanted to turn and run to find them.

He was… afraid.

Please, he thought. It was a silent plea to no one in particular. But he had to say it, on the off-chance that someone or something was listening. Please let Kara and Alice make it. I need to see them again. I need to set things right.

Connor took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and jumped off the freighter behind Markus and North.

The bomb exploded right as they hit the water. For a few seconds, they stayed under, before breaking the surface and swimming to nearby land.

Once they'd made it back onto solid ground, Connor began pacing back and forth through the snow. Markus checked to make sure North was alright, then turned his attention to Connor. "What are you doing? Are you alright, Connor?"

He shook his head. "Do you know where any androids that may have escaped might have gone? Because—"

Suddenly, a mark in the snow caught his eye. A footprint. A child's footprint. Chances were, it belonged to Alice.

"Hold on," he ordered. "I'll be back."

North tried to protest. "Connor, wait—"

He held up a hand to silence her. "Go and join the others. I'll come find you."

Markus sighed. There was a long pause before he nodded reluctantly. "Alright. I'll send you my location when you need it."

Connor nodded. "Thank you, Markus."

Connor followed the footprints as best he could. Before long, he came to an open field just beyond where the freighter was docked. The ground was covered with bodies of fallen androids, no doubt gunned down by soldiers. Snow was beginning to settle over their lifeless forms in a fine layer of white powder.

His breath caught in his throat as he surveyed the scene. Would Kara and Alice be among the dead? As he drew nearer, Connor's breathing stopped altogether. "Kara?"

It may have been foolish to call out for her, but there was no one else around to hear. He didn't see their bodies. Maybe they were hiding. They could have escaped. A tiny bit of hope sparked in his chest.

He tried again. "Kara? Are you there?"

A long silence followed, enough time for Connor to think that maybe they were dead, maybe they did blow up or get shot down somewhere else, when—

"Connor?"

It was her voice. Kara's. Relief washed over him like a deluge.

He turned towards the sound, saw her face peering out from behind a metal container. "Kara!"
Quickly, he began striding over. She moved to meet him in the middle of the field, with Alice just behind her.

Before he realized what was happening, she'd thrown her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. "You came back," she murmured. Connor nodded slowly, carefully bringing his arms up to rest his hands on her back.

"Of course," he whispered. "I'd never forgive myself if I left you to die out here."

He pulled away from the embrace to look her in the eye, though he kept his arms around her. "Markus is going to give me his location as soon as I ask. Are you prepared to move?"

Kara nodded. "Getting Alice out of here is all that matters now."

Alice. At the mention of her name, Connor moved away from Kara and turned to face the girl. He bent down on one knee, meeting her gaze. "Are you okay, Alice?"

Instead of answering, Alice hugged him the same way Kara had. This time, Connor didn't hesitate at all to return the affection. Within an instant, Alice was sobbing.

"Shh," he soothed, hugging the girl tighter. There wasn't much about children covered in his social programming, but Connor knew Alice needed comfort. "It's alright, Alice. Everything's going to be alright." After a moment of hesitation, he pressed a quick peck to her forehead. "I'm here."

"I thought you were dead," she choked out. There was a long pause, in which Alice drew a shuddering breath. "Can we go home? I just wanna go home."

Pain hit Connor in the chest like a gunshot wound. "Not yet," he whispered, pulling back to meet her gaze. "But we're gonna get somewhere safe, somewhere we can stay."

"Promise?" she asked in a small voice.

A pause. "I promise," he murmured.

Alice leaned forward, whispered something in his ear. It stunned him silent for a moment, but he quickly recovered when she asked, "Can you carry me?"

He nodded. "Alright. Come here." Alice held out her arms, and he scooped her up, pulling her close to his chest as he stood. Then he sent a message to Markus, requesting a location to rendezvous at.

The coordinates came within a second. An address for a church nearby. Connor thanked him, then turned his attention to Kara. "I have an address," he murmured. "It's not too far. Can you walk?"

"Yes," Kara replied, nodding. "I'm okay."

Connor sighed. "Good. We need to get out of here in case more soldiers show up."

As they made their way to the church, Alice's words to Connor played in his head over and over as he contemplated what they meant. She was a young child who may have said them on an emotional impulse, but he knew she meant every word.

I missed you, Connor.

Snow fell from the gaps in the roof of the long-deserted church. The vast majority of the androids inside were seated on pews or standing still nearby. All of them were on edge, waiting for Markus to give new instructions.
Connor sat with Kara inside the abandoned building, Alice resting contentedly in his lap. The stress of it all must have been too much for her, because she'd dozed off again and was warm to the touch. Kara was stressed herself—a quick scan told Connor her levels were nearing 70%. Hopefully she'd calm down soon, provided nothing else happened.

It didn't take long for Markus to find them. When he caught sight of Kara and Alice sitting with Connor, his eyes widened. His gaze darted from left to right before settling on Connor, and he let out a sigh. "Well, now I understand why you had to go back," he murmured.

Connor nodded. "This is Alice," he said, glancing down at the girl. "And—"

Kara finished the sentence for him. "I'm Kara. You're Markus, right?"

Markus nodded, but his expression was solemn. "I'm not sure this would be the safest place for a child," he murmured, giving Alice a brief glance. "It will be dangerous."

Kara and Connor shared a brief glance. "We haven't decided what to do yet," the latter murmured.

"Well, try to make a decision as quickly as you can," Markus replied. "It won't be long before the last bus leaves for the border. Let me know whether or not you need to be on it."

"We will," Kara replied. Markus nodded in assent, turned, and started to walk away, but he stopped when Connor spoke up.

"Markus?"

He turned back around, prompting Connor to continue. "Thank you."

Markus lowered his head slightly, but didn't reply as he walked away.

Once Markus was gone, Connor turned his attention to Kara. There was a conversation they needed to have, even if he didn't want to bring it up. There was a very real possibility she'd never forgive him—after all, he'd lied to her. It didn't matter that he hadn't wanted to lie; he'd still done it.

It was time to start telling the truth.

"Kara," he said softly. "I need to talk to you about something."

She tilted her head, confused. "About Canada? Do you think we should—"

"It's not about that," he replied. "I want… I need to explain something to you. I owe you an apology, Kara."

"What for? Connor, if this is about Kamski's place—"

He shook his head. "I promise you, it's not. What I'm about to tell you… it might not make sense at first. But you have to let me explain, and… please try not to be angry with me. I'll understand if you are, but please give me a chance to explain everything."

As if she realized she wasn't going to be able to ask any more questions, Kara sighed and nodded. "Okay."

He had her permission to start talking. Now came the hard part: admitting to everything.

"I lied to you," he said slowly. "Back at Lieutenant Anderson's place. I had orders from CyberLife to find the leader of Jericho and… and to get rid of you." Kara stayed silent as he spoke, but her eyes betrayed her real feelings: shock, fear, anger. "I wasn't deviant then. I planned to leave you behind at Jericho, where you would… be caught in the crossfire." He sighed. "I saw it as a way of following orders without having to shoot you myself."

His next words came out in a rush. "But I am deviant now. Markus helped me to see that I'm not… I'm not just a machine. I don't have to listen to them. I'm free. I'm… alive. And I'm sorry, Kara. I almost hurt you. I almost separated you and Alice. And if you don't trust me anymore, that's fine. I just… wanted to tell you the truth."

Kara closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath. Blood pounded in Connor's ears as he waited for her reply—he was afraid she'd be angry. He'd understand if she never trusted him again. It would be a logical course.

But it would hurt. And Connor didn't want to hurt.

When her eyes opened again, they were glassy with tears. "I should have known," she murmured darkly. "I should have seen right through you. But I didn't."

"Kara—"

She sighed. "Connor… please don't misunderstand me. I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with myself, for… for being deceived that easily. It's like Kamski all over again. I should have realized there was something wrong with him." A tear rolled down her cheek, and for a moment Connor entertained the idea of wiping it away.

Where had that come from?

"I trust too easily," she went on. "It almost got Alice hurt. I've almost died more than once. All because I trusted the wrong people." Kara choked back a sob, then sighed. "But I know I can trust you."

Connor was stunned silent. His breaths grew shaky, and his hands trembled. "But I—"

"Yes, you lied to me," she said softly, fighting back tears. "But it's like I told you… we all followed our orders until we realized we were free. What matters is what comes after." Kara sighed. "And even beforehand, you were kind to me. You kept quiet about where I was. You spared me more than once. Twice you've admitted to not being able to shoot me. Connor, you… you're kind. I don't… I don't think I've ever met anyone as kind as you."

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "Kara, I've done horrible things. Things that go beyond unkind. I've watched some of my own people die and done nothing. I saw their suffering, and I still followed my orders. If you knew about everything that I've done… you wouldn't call me kind."

Kara sighed, eyes dropping down to her lap. She shut her eyes once more. After a brief pause, she looked back up at him and held out her left hand.

The synth-skin was gone, revealing the white plating underneath. Her blue eyes bored into his, calm yet searching. "Show me," she murmured. "If you're so convinced that I'd change my opinion, then show me. Prove me wrong." As her voice raised, Alice stirred slightly in her sleep.

After a moment of hesitation, he deactivated the synth-skin on his right hand and placed it on top of hers, letting her into his mind.

She didn't probe, didn't press. Rather, she let him show her. Memories flooded Kara's mind—Daniel, Ortiz's android, ruthlessly interrogating Ralph. Doing nothing to help a mass of mutilated androids that had killed the man who'd stolen them after the android he owned set them loose. Shooting Markus's friend after the TV station had been hacked. Letting the girl at the Eden Club die.

After he'd shown her the data, there was a gentle prompting from Kara.

That's not everything you've done, is it? Show me what else happened.

Jumping off the rooftop to save Emma Phillips. Intervening when Chris was aggressive with Ortiz's android. Letting Rupert go to save Hank. Letting the two Tracis from the Eden Club escape. Sparing Kara and Alice more than once.

Suddenly, her memories were in his mind. Waking up, meeting Alice. Seeing the young girl's drawings and worrying about her. Todd almost strangling her over the red ice. Hearing Alice's screams, seeing her terror. Scrambling to find the gun, shooting Todd Williams in the chest. Running away, hiding with Ralph. Finding Kamski's place. Staying there, recuperating. Growing closer to Alice. Befriending Chloe.

Then he saw himself in her memory, pointing a gun at her head. Saw himself wince and surrender the gun. Then came the memory of arriving at the lieutenant's house, seeing Alice calm again. The conversation she had with Connor, their rendezvous to Jericho. And every minor detail in between, all transmitted in seconds.

When he showed her his memories, he hadn't let her feel the emotions connected to them. The inner conflict, the fear, the confusion. But when he saw hers, he felt every emotion as strongly as if it had originated in his own mind.

He felt her worry for Alice in Todd's home. Her fear when he almost killed both of them. The guilt that came with shooting him. Fear of Ralph's instability. Fear of Connor when he almost caught her on the highway. Confusion over why he let her go. Relief at finding sanctuary with Elijah Kamski. He felt the kinship she shared with Chloe that existed despite their brief time together. Felt the hatred she harbored towards Todd Williams, who never should have hurt his daughter. Strongest of all was her love for Alice, the child she'd come to think of as her own.

Then came a rush of something else. Light and warm, yet fiercely protective. It was similar to what she felt for Alice, but… somehow different. Connor wasn't sure what to call it.

And she felt it for him.

Then the connection severed, and the two androids withdrew from each other's minds. For a moment, neither of them spoke as they breathed in and out, trying to process everything.

Kara was the one to break the silence. "I saw your memories. You were kind where you could be even then," she murmured. "I saw the way you sacrificed yourself for that little girl, the androids that you let go besides me."

Connor decided not to argue. "I saw yours too," he whispered. "When you killed Todd Williams, you were doing it to protect Alice. I… I felt like I was there with you." He sighed. "I wish I had been there. To protect you."

More tears rolled down Kara's face. "That's why I trust you, Connor. Because no matter what you've done… I think all you've ever wanted to do is protect people."

Connor let out a sigh. He was in danger of crying himself. "But wanting isn't good enough unless you actually do something."

She met his gaze evenly, the look in her eyes gentle but firm. The tears had stopped falling. "It is to me. Don't blame yourself for what you did in the past, Connor. Think about what you can do now to make things right." She leaned back against the pew they were sitting in, then turned her head to look at him. "Try to rest for a few minutes, okay? We need to decide about Canada soon."

He nodded, and slowly leaned back in an imitation of her. Kara smiled slightly at him, then moved to lay her head on his shoulder. Connor nearly flinched, but said nothing. The close contact was comforting. It reassured him to know that Kara was there, and that they were all still living.

His eyes flitted downward, and he happened to notice that one of her hands was resting right next to his. Slowly, uncertainly, he shifted his hand to the left, placing it on top of her own. Without any hesitation whatsoever, Kara twined her fingers with his. It felt good—warm and calming, like when he'd held her hand at Ferndale Station.

"We'll be okay, Connor," Kara whispered. "I promise."

Alice shifted in her sleep, burrowing further into Connor's shirt. On impulse, he put his free arm around the little girl, pulling her closer to him.

With all three of them still alive, Connor could believe Kara. They would be okay, no matter what they decided. He couldn't leave them, that was for sure. But he also didn't want to leave Detroit behind. Would it be safe for Alice to stay?

Forcing himself to push way those questions, if only for a moment, Connor closed his eyes. He thought about nothing but Kara and Alice, staying right there with him. He'd protect them both.

No matter what, he was going to keep Kara and Alice safe.

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, Connor managed to drift off for a few minutes. He hadn't slept in a long time, especially due to the nature of his work. CyberLife hadn't allowed him to sleep. And although there was nothing physically wrong with him and thus had no need for a maintenance cycle, he found that he felt better after waking up. Though there were countless reckless thoughts still buzzing in his head.

Alice was awake then, too, but still curled up in Connor's lap. Her forehead no longer burned, though her eyes were red and watery. Perhaps she'd been crying. "Are you okay, Alice?"

She looked up at him, coughed, then nodded. "I'm okay. It's just cold." She glanced over at Kara, whose eyes were still closed—and her head still on Connor's shoulder, though he'd let go of her hand when he woke up. "Is… is Mom okay?"

Mom. That was the first time Connor ever heard Alice call Kara that, though he wasn't surprised. Kara was the only mother Alice had.

He nodded. "She's fine. Just sleeping." Connor leaned down and moved a stray lock of hair out of Alice's eyes, and she leaned into his hand as if desperate for close contact. "Connor?" she said softly.

"What is it, Alice?"

She sighed. "Why are you helping us?"

He'd never thought about it. About the why behind his decision to go against his programming, to stay loyal to Kara and Alice and his own people rather than his creators.
But he knew why he was helping Kara and Alice now.

"Because you deserve to be happy, Alice." A tear fell from the little girl's eye, and Connor quickly wiped it away.

A surge of thoughts and emotions was overwhelming him, and they were mostly centered around Kara and Alice. He was overcome by the desire to run, to be alone, to clear his head.

Connor felt rather than saw Kara wake up. Her eyes blinked open, and she lifted her head off of Connor's shoulder. "Alice?" she murmured, glancing at her. "Are you feeling alright?"

Alice nodded, and Connor turned to Kara. "Would you two be okay if I left for a minute? I need a moment to… to think. Just to clear my head."

Kara sighed, but nodded after a pause. In turn, Connor lifted Alice from his lap and stood up, placing her on the seat beside Kara. In a flash, he thought back to what Hank had told the little girl when he said goodbye to her—and it occurred to Connor that perhaps he should say it, too. "Be good until I get back, okay?" Alice smiled and took Kara's hand, which was the only answer Kara needed.

Before he could walk away, Kara stopped him. "Wait." He turned back to look at her.

"Yes?"

She sighed again. "Just… be careful. Alright?"

He nodded. "Of course."

As Connor leaned against a far wall of the church, conflicting thoughts and feelings continued to run through his head.

Why did Kara care about him so much? He'd almost killed her; along with the rest of their people. Her past statement came back to him—she had been angry with herself for trusting too easily. He knew how that felt. He'd let himself believe his human creators were infallible, to be obeyed without question. Because of that, many of those from Jericho were dead. Kara and Alice had come close to being among them. All of it because humans thought they could be masters over everything else, and because Connor had believed they should be.

He needed a way to prove to humans that androids were not weak, and that they wouldn't take this mindless slaughter lying down. If he couldn't make up for what he did, the least he could do was help the deviants win this war.

Slowly, an idea began to form in his mind.

He was broken from his thoughts when he saw Markus approaching. Jericho's leader nodded at him in acknowledgement, sighed. "Are you alright, Connor?"

Connor let out a shuddering breath. For a moment, he thought of dismissing the question. Then he remembered the way Markus had convinced him. Proven to him that he wasn't just a machine, that it wasn't wrong to question things, to feel emotion.

Maybe, like Kara, Markus would understand what Connor was feeling.

"It's my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho," he murmured. "I was stupid. I should've guessed they were using me." He straightened up and faced Markus. "I'm sorry, Markus. I can understand if you decide not to trust me."

The apology was similar to the one he'd given to Kara, and it was motivated by the same need to set things right. Only this time it was on a larger scale—many androids losing their lives instead of just one android and one human coming close to it. This time, Connor was more afraid he'd be unable to make amends.

"You're one of us now," Markus said slowly. "Your place is with your people and with your family. I won't keep you from that because of what you did in the past."

For a heartbeat, Connor almost questioned what Markus meant by his family. Then he realized—Markus meant Kara and Alice.

He'd been trying to figure out what Kara and Alice were to him. Not quite friends, the way Lieutenant Anderson was. The circumstances were too unusual for him to say that. And they clearly weren't enemies. Despite his past actions, Kara had forgiven him, and Alice trusted him. Their kindness had changed him.

Family. Yes, Kara and Alice were family.

Markus turned and started to walk away, but Connor stepped after him. He needed to tell Markus of his plan to win the war. "There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant. If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power."

It was reckless, and there was no doubt Kara would think of it as insane, but it was the best chance they had. Detroit didn't just belong to humans anymore, and Connor was willing to risk his life to prove it.

The hard part was going to be convincing Kara that this was the best course of action.

He was expecting incredulity from Markus. The other android turned back to face him and murmured, "You wanna infiltrate the CyberLife Tower? Connor, that's… suicide."

He'd thought about that, too. By no means did he want to leave Kara or Alice, but… he'd sacrificed himself before. He'd jumped off a rooftop to save a little girl, one that was very much like Alice.

If dying was the best way to guarantee the safety of her, Kara, and every other android that had a chance… he could accept that. And even so, he still had a chance of getting out alive.
(He clung to that like a lifeline.)

"They trust me," he murmured. "They'll let me in. If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's me."

Markus wasn't convinced. "If you go there, they will kill you."

Connor shrugged. "There's a high probability. But, statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place."
He was falling back on his programming, the way he could calculate probability and determine the outcome of a scenario in a fraction of a second. While he despised the parts of him that had obeyed his programming to a fault, the information coded into him wasn't entirely useless. He knew how to lie, to say the right thing, to fight.

He'd done bad things with those parts of him in the past, but they were just as much a part of him as his newfound deviancy was. Now he had the chance to do some good for once.

Markus sighed, tilted his head as he stepped closer to Connor. "What about your family? How do you think they would feel if you left them behind?"

Connor looked at the ground, took a deep breath, then looked back up at Markus. "I don't want to leave them, trust me. They were the first people who… saw me for who I really was. But as I said, there is still a chance for me to survive this. And even if I don't, if my death will allow them to live their lives in peace and be happy… so be it." He paused, sighing. "They deserve some happiness, after everything they've been through."

Markus stepped even closer, a thoughtful look in his eye. "They must really mean a lot to you," he murmured. Then he laid a hand on Connor's shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was firm.

"Be careful."

Connor had rejoined Kara and Alice by the time Markus began addressing the crowd of androids. He stood on a small platform, allowing him to see the crowd. His voice was raised, letting everyone hear what he had to say.

"Humans have decided to exterminate us. Our people are packed in camps right now, being destroyed. The time has come to make a choice, one that very well may determine the future of our people." He paused, giving his words time to sink in.

"I know… I know you're all angry. And I know you wanna fight back." He started walking back and forth. "But I assure you violence is not the answer here. We are going to tell them peacefully that we want justice. If there's any humanity in them, they will listen. And if not, others will take our place and continue this fight." He stood front and center, looking over all of Jericho. "Are you ready to follow me?"

A deafening roar of approval followed. The room exploded in cheers and shouts, and several chanted his name over and over.

Only three did not join in on the shouting: Connor, Kara, and Alice.

When the clamor had died down, Connor focused on Kara. He needed to tell her of his plan, the same way he'd told Markus. Though he'd rather not have the conversation in front of Alice, who was now awake and alert—starting to get restless, too. What he needed was a way to speak with Kara alone.

Suddenly, he caught sight of North, who was carefully stepping in their direction. She smiled faintly at Connor, who nodded in greeting. "Hello, North."

"Markus told me I could find you here," she murmured. "I just wanted to thank you. For helping us escape. You very well may have saved our lives."

Connor sighed, stood up. "I can't know for sure, but… you're welcome." He glanced back at Kara, motioned for her to stand up. She did so, but tilted her head in confusion as she walked over. "North, this is Kara, my… friend." He hesitated, unsure of whether she'd be okay with him saying that. He didn't really know what else to call her. "And that's Alice," he murmured, turning his head in her direction. North smiled at the little girl, who returned it, albeit nervously.

North then turned the smile on Kara. "It's nice to meet you, Kara. Both of you." Kara smiled back. "You too."

Connor wrung his hands, turning his attention back to Kara. "Look, um… Kara, I need to speak with you. Alone." He looked over at North. "Would you mind keeping an eye on Alice until we get back? It'd just be for a few minutes."

North nodded. "No, of course I wouldn't mind. You both go on ahead."

She stepped over to the pew, bending down to Alice's eye level. As she introduced herself to the girl, Kara whirled on Connor. "What is it?"

He sighed. "Come on, we'd better head outside."

She took the news of his plan in silence, which made it even more difficult for Connor to explain it. He'd been preparing for questions, an argument, anger. Not silence.

However, when he was done telling her, Kara finally found her voice. "Connor, you're describing a suicide mission. What the hell are you thinking? Whatever happened to staying safe?"

"I'm keeping you safe," he argued. "You and Alice. And the rest of our people. That's what matters." Connor looked down at the ground. "If this can ensure freedom and safety for our people… I'm willing to risk dying." He looked back up at her. "Saving our people is my new mission. And I always accomplish my mission."

Kara shook her head. "You might be okay with your life ending, but I'm not! Connor… I don't want you to die. If you do this… they'll kill you."

"There's always a chance unlikely events will take place," he murmured. "I'm going to make it back or die trying. I don't want to die, either—all I'm saying is that I can accept the risk. And I'm asking you to understand why I have to do this."

"I'm not leaving you," she said firmly, though her voice quavered. Tears pooled in her eyes. "Damn it, Connor, can't you see that I'm trying to keep you alive?!"

He found himself out of arguments. So, he stepped closer to Kara, enough that he had to look down to meet her gaze. Before she could say anything, he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Kara," he whispered. "I promise you, it'll be okay."

She choked back a sob, and the sound went through Connor like physical pain. Her grip on him tightened, and he shut his eyes. "Damn you," she whimpered, though there was no anger in her words.

Once she'd calmed down, they stayed still and silent for a moment, taking deep breaths. When Kara pulled back, Connor made no indication that he was letting go of her—being close enough to touch her reassured him. It reminded him that they—that this—was all real, and that they were alive. As she stood there, he kept his arms wrapped around her waist.

"You don't have to do this," she whispered. "We could try to cross the border, or stay behind at Jericho while Markus leads the demonstration. You don't have to risk your life for this."

Connor shook his head. "In Canada, we'd only be safe because we were hiding. The only reason there's no android laws is because they just don't have androids, Kara. If anyone found out what we were…" he winced. "I don't even want to think about what could happen."

He sighed. "And I won't take this lying down. Waking up and freeing the androids at CyberLife Tower could tip the scales in our favor. It's my fault so many at Jericho were lost. This is all I can do to help them win this war."

Kara drew in a shuddering breath, a tear rolling down her face. Unlike before, Connor didn't hesitate. He reached out with one hand and brushed it away with his thumb. She stared up at him with wide eyes, lips slightly parted. "Connor… don't let your guilt destroy you." Her voice was a ragged whisper. "Please."

He nodded. "I won't." A pause. "I'll do my best to make it out, Kara. I promise you that."

She smiled at him for the first time since she'd woken up. It was practically a ghost of a smile, but it was good enough. Her voice was gentle yet firm as she spoke her next words.

"You better."

For a moment, a weight settled on his chest—the same heavy feeling that occurred when Alice had pleaded with him to go home. But he also felt a sort of calming warmth that probably came from being so close to her.

After a moment of hesitation, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. His eyes shut for a moment, almost involuntarily. Connor heard Kara let out a soft sigh as he pulled away. "Everything is going to be alright. One way or another."

He sighed. "This isn't just about guilt. I promised myself I'd keep you both safe, and I intend to keep that promise. You and Alice deserve to have a future. Especially after everything you've been through."

"What about you?" she murmured. "When all this is over… what then?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I haven't thought about it."

Kara finally pulled away from him, forcing him to release his grip. "Just… take care of yourself. I don't wanna lose you."

"You won't."

His words to Kara echoed in Connor's head as he rode in the taxi to CyberLife Tower. Despite the high probability—and therefore the very real possibility—that he was going to die on this mission, there had been no doubt in his mind when he'd told Kara she wouldn't lose him. He was going to stay alive.

Connor straightened his tie, shifting in his seat. He'd changed back into his old uniform to alleviate any suspicion. For a fleeting moment, he thought about reaching for his coin, but then he remembered—he'd given it to Alice, to keep for him until he returned.

(The poor girl had been in tears when he'd said goodbye to her.)

As the tower grew nearer, Connor repeated his old mantra to himself over and over, finding that it calmed the ice in his veins and the pounding of his heart. It carried new meaning to it now.

"I always accomplish my mission."

Chapter Text

Connor steeled himself as the self-driving taxi slowed to a halt at the front gate of CyberLife Tower. Armed guards in full-body protection stood on either side. The CyberLife logo was branded into the breastplate of the armor. As one guard stepped closer, Connor's breath caught in his throat. He rolled the window down.

He did his best not to look at the oversized machine gun the guard was holding.

Without missing a beat, Connor identified himself. "Connor model 313 248 317." He looked away, staring straight ahead. "I'm expected."

There was a momentary pause, in which the guard scanned and identified him. When the mechanical "Identification successful" rang out, the guard nodded. "Okay. Go ahead." The gate came down. The taxi moved forward, and Connor rolled up the window.

While driving over the bridge that led to the tower, Connor allowed himself to look outside. The scene was calm and peaceful, and he could watch the snow hit the ground. It might be the last snowfall he'd ever see.

(He tried not to dwell on that.)

Amanda had stopped trying to see through his eyes since he sided with Markus. Chances were she was planning something else for him once he got to the tower. Though he couldn't think about that either.

That was the downside to being deviant—it was harder for him to control his thoughts. He got confused, distracted, anxious. Along with a plethora of other things.

Thinking of Kara and Alice was the only thing that calmed him. So, he focused on that—the kindness in Kara's eyes, the unabashed concern on her face when he told her of this plan. How it felt to hold her hand. He thought of Alice's rare smile and even rarer laugh, that came out when she played with Sumo—she liked dogs as much as he did. How she'd curled up in his lap and fallen asleep. The way she'd promised to keep his coin safe until he came back.

It gave him a new drive, a new purpose. He had to succeed, so that he could come back to them. They didn't need him, but… he needed them. They were his family, the first ones to see him for who he really was. Right now, they were all he had.

The taxi stopped in front of the tower, and Connor stepped out. He stiffened as he walked, maintain his perfect composure and unreadable gaze. The way he'd been when he was still a machine.

An automatic door moved aside for him. He stepped inside, halting in front of three armed guards.

"Follow me," one of them said. "We'll escort you."

"Thanks," Connor said slowly, "but I know where to go."

This was his chance. If he could break away from prying eyes, he could carry out his plan. There was Amanda to think of, but… he wasn't her slave anymore. She couldn't control him. He was on a mission of his own now, one of his own accord.

He was free. But he couldn't let the other guards know that.

The guard sighed. "Maybe. But I have my orders."

Orders. Connor was sick to death of those. All they did was complicate things. Either way, he was left with no choice but to follow.

He stepped into the elevator, the guards behind him. Two of them boarded. As the leader of the group pushed buttons and operated the elevator, Connor studied the floor map. He needed to know where the androids were.

A quick skim told him the warehouse was on floor -49. That was where he had to go. That was his new objective—one he'd created himself.

Now, though, the elevator was going up to floor 31. He had to stop it before it reached that floor and neutralize the guards. He knew how, and he'd taken out several well-trained humans at Jericho, but this was different. A confined space with two against one.

He needed to plan.

Carefully, Connor preconstructed a way to neutralize the guards. Go for the one next to the map, while kicking the guard behind him in the chest. Then he'd keep attacking the one closest to him.

Taking a deep breath, he executed his plan.

First, he pinned the nearest guard to the wall. When the other one charged at him, Connor kicked him in the chest, sending him into the far wall. He struck the first guard between the legs, then turned around in time to grab the arm of the other guard, who'd drawn out his gun. He took it and sent the man backwards to the floor with another swift kick, but then the first guard grabbed him from behind.

Connor kicked the partially incapacitated guard in the head, then slammed back into the wall, forcing the other guard to let go of him. Unable to turn around, he held the gun up over his head and fired. The guard behind him slumped to the floor, a bullet in his brain.

Connor dropped to the floor as well, having lost his balance. Before the remaining guard could so much as lift his arm, Connor shot him in the head, too.

With the danger gone, his LED went from yellow to blue, and he pocketed the gun. Now all he had to do was redirect the elevator.

He placed his hand on the panel, and a mechanical voice spoke up. "Please indicate your identity and destination."

He chose to imitate the voice of the agent that had previously started up the elevator to begin with. "Agent 54. Level -49." He hoped the agent had authorization to reach that floor.

"Voice recognition validated. Access authorized."

Success.

Kara sat with Alice inside Jericho, while Markus prepared his people for the demonstration. Alice was huddled close to her on her lap, with her arms around Kara's waist. Kara could almost hear the girl's heart pounding.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "What are we gonna do? What if Connor doesn't get back?"

Kara shook her head. "He will, Alice." She managed a weak smile. "He promised, remember?"

She had to keep telling herself that. If she did it enough, she might be able to make herself believe that he wasn't headed to his own death. That he wasn't on a suicide mission.

Alice nodded, but Kara could tell she wasn't convinced. Her brow was furrowed in consternation. "But it's dangerous," she murmured. "He could die."

Kara sighed. "But he won't. He's brave. And smart. He'll make it out."

As she said those words, Kara realized how true they were. Connor was quick and clever, and it took bravery to stare death in the face and still believe that you could walk away unscathed.

She had to believe he'd make it, not only for her and Alice's sake, but for the rest of Jericho as well.

Kara was broken from her thoughts when she spotted a strangely familiar android sitting among the crowd. One of his legs was damaged, as though he'd been injured. By a stray bullet.

"Luther?" Kara called out.

Suddenly she was reminded of Connor—the way she and Alice had stayed hidden in the shipyard, waiting for Connor to find them. How she'd called out to make sure it was him.
She didn't want to be reminded of that, or the way he'd held onto her when she hugged him—as if he was afraid to let her go.

She already missed him.

Then Luther turned his head, eyes widening as he realized who she was. "Kara?" He stood up, a little uneasily with is injured leg, and started to walk over. "You made it."

Kara smiled. "So did you." She motioned for him to sit down beside her and Alice, and he obliged. "I'm glad you made it out. And I want to thank you. You saved our lives."

Luther shook his head, waving one hand dismissively. "It was nothing. Though I'm glad we are all still here." He sighed. "Tell me, did you ever find your friend?"

Alice cut into the conversation then, nodding. "Yeah. He's not here right now, though. He's helping Markus." She reached into her pocket, fishing out the coin Connor had given her. "I'm holding onto this for him. He asked me to keep it safe."

Luther nodded in understanding, smiled. "Well, I'm sure you're doing a good job of that." Then he turned to Kara. "What do you think Markus has planned? For the march?"

"I'm not sure. All we can hope for is that humans will listen." It surprised Kara how easy it was for her to converse with Luther. He seemed naturally friendly. Kind. "I can't march with the rest of them, I have Alice to think of. But I can't stay here. I'll have to go with them, but be discreet."

Her conversation with Luther almost took Kara's mind off of Connor, but every mention of plans, Jericho, and CyberLife brought her mind back to where he was, and the danger he was in.

It was impossible for her not to think of him.

Connor waited until the elevator descended to floor -49. He watched the floors zip by with bated breath, straightening his tie again. His mind went back to Kara and Alice.

"What matters is what comes after."

Those words played on repeat in his brain, as he told himself again and again that he had to do this, that this was the only way to set things right. Logically, he knew that it was. Now that he was so close, though… damn, if he wasn't afraid.

Before the elevator touched down, he caught sight of no less than four guards waiting for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small security camera on the roof of the elevator.

CyberLife knew exactly what he was doing.

"Shit!" he cursed. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Obstacle or not, he was still capable of forming a plan.

He used the body of one of the guards as a shield as he stepped out of the elevator. He glanced around. Five guards. He had a gun. If he was quick enough, he could shoot all of them.

Connor put bullets through two of them in a heartbeat, and threw the dead man in the direction of a third, sending him to the floor. He dodged a shot from another guard, and promptly wrenched the enormous gun from him. He used it to take out the rest.

Another successful operation.

He dropped the gun he'd stolen from the guard. Connor stooped to reclaim the handgun, then straightened up, taking a look around the room. It was unnatural, with its stark white walls, polished black flooring, and hundreds of androids—all standing perfectly still, eyes devoid of any trace of life.

He had to wake them up. That was what he came here to do.

Slowly, he deactivated the synth-skin on one hand. He stepped over to one android, began connecting to it. However, before he could complete the conversion, he was interrupted by the sound of Hank's voice. "Easy, you fuckin' piece of shit."

He turned his head and found himself staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

"Step back, Connor! And I'll spare him." He knew that voice. It was easy to remember, impossible to forget, and it terrified him.

It was his own.

Hank sighed, looked at the ground. "Sorry, Connor. This bastard's your spittin' image."

Connor knew why the other RK800 was there. He wasn't a unique model, and many bodies were kept on hand in case he died on a mission—something that did happen during the hostage situation. His body had been damaged beyond repair from the fall, and he returned in a new one. There could be others waiting for him.

Fuck, this is bad.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. He wasn't going to give up, not yet. But even so… he couldn't leave Kara in the dark. She had to know things had gone badly. Quickly, he transmitted a message to her.

Kara!

Her voice sounded in his mind, panicked. Connor! What happened? Are you okay?

I'm in trouble. I'm not dead yet, but things just got a lot more dangerous. Listen to me: stay hidden. Don't try to head out into the open. There are soldiers crawling all over. If you need to escape, find a detour. Where are you?

I'm with the others at the camp. I didn't march with them, but I followed. Markus put up a barricade. Screw this, I'm coming to get you!

Absolutely not! Are you out of your mind? Alice needs you.

You'll die, she whispered.

Maybe, he conceded. Or maybe not. But you cannot risk yourself for me, do you understand? His voice dropped to a low murmur, much like hers when she'd said goodbye to him. Take care of yourself. I don't wanna lose you.

She tried to protest. Connor…

It'll be okay, he reassured her. And, if I don't come back… tell Alice that I'm sorry. For not keeping my promise.

Before she could reply, he disconnected.

Now his focus was no longer on converting the androids. It was on staying alive, getting away from his replica. He had to make it back, he had to.

The minute this was over, he was apologizing to Kara and never leaving her and Alice behind again. He was going to convert the androids as soon as he could, and he was going to survive this.

If it hadn't been for Kara and Alice, Connor might still be a machine. He was going to do this for them.

"Your friend's life is in your hands!" the other RK800 shouted. "And now it's time to decide what matters most! Him, or the revolution!"

Hank stopped the RK800 from continuing. "Don't listen to him! Everything this fucker says is a lie!"

Suddenly Connor was glad that it wasn't Kara and Alice being held at gunpoint. He'd be paralyzed. Though… he was friends with the gruff yet kindhearted DPD lieutenant, and by no means wanted him to die. It was Connor's own fault that Hank was even involved in the first place.

"I'm sorry, Hank! You shouldn't have gotten mixed up in all this."

Hank rolled his eyes. "Forget about me, do what you have to do!"

If he could convince his counterpart to drop the gun, then he might still have a chance of getting out of this. Markus had managed to turn Connor deviant, despite the latter's best efforts to remain a machine. If he employed a similar tactic, maybe he could do the same to this android.

"I used to be just like you," he yelled. "I thought nothing mattered except the mission. But then one day, I understood. I'm not just a machine anymore. There are things I want. Things I care about. And there's nothing wrong with that!"

"Very moving, Connor," the RK800 mocked. "But I am not a deviant! I am just a machine designed to accomplish a task, and that's exactly what I am going to do!"

With those words, Connor realized that if he hadn't become a deviant, he might've ended up like his counterpart. Cold and calculating, always believing that he was nothing more than a machine, designed to do the dirty work of humans. Not alive. If he had stayed a machine, he would have left Kara and Alice to die—or better yet, captured her to begin with. And if he hadn't succeeded, he would have shot her at Elijah Kamski's house.

He was very glad he'd become a deviant.

"Enough talk!" the RK800 shouted, moving closer to Hank. His finger twitched on the trigger. "It's time to decide who you really are. Are you going to save your partner's life? Or are you going to sacrifice him?"

Unbeknownst to the RK800, Connor had already decided. But he couldn't let Hank die.

He raised his hands, stepping closer to the RK800 and Hank. "Alright, alright. You win."

When the RK800 trained his gun on Connor, Hank dived for it.

In a fraction of a second, Connor drew out his gun. As the RK800 knocked Hank to the ground, Connor fired, hitting the android in the shoulder. The shot was returned, striking Connor and damaging a biocomponent.

Connor ran for the RK800, sending him to the floor. The two of them grappled for some time, until his counterpart had Connor pinned to the ground. He raised his hand to strike, when—

"Hold it!" Hank yelled. The gun was trained on them. "Both of you, get up."

Connor obliged, as did the RK800.

"Thank you, Hank," the RK800 said. "I don't know how I would have managed without you." He looked at Connor. "Get rid of him, we have no time to lose!"

"It's me, Hank!" Connor pleaded. "I'm the real Connor."

(He hoped to God the lieutenant would believe him.)

Hank moved his gun back and forth between the two. Of course—he had no idea. The other RK800 was identical to him.

"One of you is my partner. The other is a sack of shit," Hank said. "The question is, who's who?"

"What are you doing, Hank?" the RK800 questioned. "Give me the gun and I'll take care of him."

"DON'T MOVE!" Hank yelled, taking a step forward. The RK800 backed up.

There was only one thing Connor could do. He'd have to convince Hank the other android was the doppelganger. "Why don't you ask us something? Something only the real Connor would know."

Unfortunately, Connor learned the hard way that the other RK800 also possessed his memories. He knew where Connor first met Hank, as well as the name of Hank's dog.

Hank let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay. The android and the human kid I hid in my house… what are their names?"

That was a question Connor could answer in a way that would leave no doubt in Hank's mind. He stepped forward slightly.

"Kara and Alice," he murmured. "Kara killed her owner to save Alice from him. She protected a child from her abusive father. Now, she's the only parent Alice has." He paused, let out a sigh. "She saw me for who I really was. And she forgave me for everything I ever did to hurt her. I… I promised to keep her and Alice safe, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Hank nodded. "You care about them, Connor. It's why you let her go on the highway, why you refused to shoot her… hell, I'm starting to think you even turned deviant because of her."

It had taken Markus' words for Connor to realize he was alive, but it was really Kara's actions that had let him believe Markus. Hank was right.

"I knew about them too!" the RK800 insisted. "I would have said exactly the same thing!" He gestured to Connor. "Don't listen to him, Hank, I'm the one who—"

He was stopped short when Hank fired a bullet into the impostor's forehead. The RK800 fell to the floor, lifeless. Connor's eyes followed him.

"I've learned a lot since I met you, Connor," Hank said. Connor looked back up at him. "Maybe there's something to this. Maybe you really are alive," he mused, managing a gruff smile. Connor returned it. "Maybe you'll be the ones to make the world a better place," Hank concluded, smirking.

The lieutenant tilted his head towards the androids. "Go ahead, do what you gotta do. You have a promise to keep, Connor, and I'm holding you to it."

He chuckled. "Thanks, Lieutenant."

Connor left him beside the body of the RK800 and went over to a nearby AP700 android. He deactivated the synth-skin on his hand and connected to it. This time, with no one around to interrupt the process of waking up the android, Connor was able to complete it. "Wake up," he ordered.

The android's LED spun red and yellow before settling back to blue. His eyes blinked.

Then he connected to another android next to him and repeated Connor's instruction. "Wake up."

This continued over and over, with all of the androids connecting to whoever was nearest to them and repeating the order Connor had given.

They were all awake. All of them were free. Jericho might have a chance.

"Holy shit," Hank said under his breath.

Chapter Text

A frigid wind knifed through Hart Plaza, adding a cruel, unforgiving undertone to the ensuing chaos. It wasn't mayhem or anarchy, but it was shocking enough and dangerous enough to be called chaotic.
Androids moved frantically over the snow-covered ground, pushing wooden crates, bins, old tires, and every sort of mechanical object together to form a looming barricade. Markus stood over it all, his coat whipping in the wind as he watched his people put the final pieces together, welding them into place. His two-colored eyes narrowed in raw determination as he surveyed the scene: the FBI and riot squad on one side, journalists on the other. The government was hell-bent on taking the deviants down, but the public opinion was on the rise. There was danger, but there was also hope.

On the ground below, Kara and Alice stuck close to their newfound guardian, the gentle giant of an android Luther. He was checking on the wounded, making sure the barricade was steady, hauling heavier equipment, all the while making sure to keep an eye on Kara and Alice. The former couldn't help but take note of the kindness in his eyes and voice when he spoke to Lucy—a badly damaged android who had apparently been a therapist a long time ago—and a sharp wave of pain hit her, like a bullet to the heart. She was reminded of Connor, off on a reckless suicide mission, while she and Alice were stuck here at the barricade after having narrowly escaped with their lives during the march.

Kara hadn't actually been among the demonstrating crowd, but rather stayed hidden and followed, sneaking in the shadows. Luther had kept them from catching any bullets—another had struck him in the ankle when the riot squad fired at random into the crowd, but the three of them were otherwise unhurt. Alice was still somewhat ill, but thanks to some fluke, Lucy still had cold medicine meant for humans. The girl's eyes had brightened, and she felt well enough to sit on a crate and happily chatter away with the only surviving child android Kara had seen—a shy little boy that had introduced himself as Ben. With Alice and Luther both occupied—though she still refused to take her eyes off her daughter—Kara stood alone behind the barricade.

Again, she thought of Connor, the sharp gunshot-wound-like pain hitting her again. It was a hollow ache, an emptiness that filled her entire body, with cold fingers clawing at her chest. She knew that Connor was trying to help their people win the war, but it was oh so dangerous and for one selfish moment, she wished he hadn't gone at all. Kara wanted him to be right here with them, speaking kindly to Alice and Ben or reassuring her. She wanted to speak to him again. More than anything, she wanted to ask him why he'd felt nothing regarding the memories he'd shown her. Or perhaps he'd decided to not show her the emotions associated with them—an act that doubled the hurt of his absence, since she hadn't held back in showing him her fear, pain, brief joy, and even the affection she felt for him. And Connor wasn't around for her to talk with him about it.

Even if she didn't get the chance to talk about it anytime soon, even Connor's presence would've made her feel better. Kara's mind kept going back to one of the last times he'd touched her—his arms wrapped around her waist, the gentle kiss he'd pressed to her forehead as he murmured comforting words. She wasn't sure why, but Kara wanted to feel his arms around her again—she missed the warmth and comfort that came with his embrace.

Mostly, though, she just missed him.

"Kara! Hey, Kara!"

A woman's voice broke Kara from her thoughts. She recognized it, though she didn't know for sure who had just called out her name. She turned tail and faced the left, towards the sound, and caught sight of North, beckoning her over. The other android was seated on a large metal crate and waving to Kara with one hand, while her reddish braid moved slightly in the wind. The look on North's face was almost friendly, the way it had been when Connor had first introduced them.

So, deciding she had nothing to lose, Kara walked over to North. She stopped in front of the crate and nodded in greeting. "Hello, North."

The other woman smirked, patted the empty space next to her on the crate. "Sit down," she murmured. "I think we should talk for a minute."

Bewildered but curious, Kara sighed and lowered herself onto the seat beside North. She managed a tiny smile, which North returned, but only momentarily. Her expression changed to a more solemn one as she tilted her head in the direction of Alice and Ben. Kara's eyes followed hers, landing on the two kids, who seemed to be having an animated discussion regarding the quarter Alice kept trying to flip. Both were seemingly oblivious to the danger that loomed like a dark cloud. North chuckled, and Kara wasn't sure whether the laugh was one of genuine humor or a bitter one.

"When you're a kid, it's easy not to notice scary things. Kind of like before going deviant—it's difficult to see what's wrong in the world when you have blinders on. Except… us androids never had the luxury of being young," she mused, sighing. "We were born fully-grown. We'll never get old, never die… and those of us that are children might never get to grow up."

North turned to face Kara. "But… your daughter is human. I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, you'll get to watch her grow up, but on the other…" she sighed again, shrugging.

I might have to watch her die, too, Kara thought, but didn't voice it. She couldn't think about that. Instead, she chose to smile and nod in Ben's direction. "They seem to be getting along."

North chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah. We never really had many child androids. The few that we did have… well, they died in Jericho. Ben is the one exception, because Josh helped him get out. That was who brought him to Jericho in the first place. The humans threw him out when they didn't want him anymore." She sighed and shook her head ruefully. "I try to look after him when I can. I guess I've got a soft spot for the kid."

Kara managed a smile, but it quickly dropped from her lips, and she let out a heavy sigh. North raised an eyebrow. "And there's the reason I wanted to talk to you." Her voice became a low murmur. "You're worried about Connor, aren't you?"

In answer, Kara shrugged listlessly. "Yeah. I mean, I know he's doing the right thing, but I wish—"

"—You wish he was here with you instead of risking life and limb," North finished for her. "I know what that's like, trust me. That look on your face… I know that look. You're going through what I went through."

Kara said nothing, looking at the thin blanket of snow on the ground. North sighed. "It's like that with Markus, too. When you… love someone, it can be very hard to watch them put themselves in danger."

Kara shot bolt upright, incredulous. Clearly, North had the wrong idea. "I'm not… it's not… we're not like that."

North smirked, chuckling. "I never said you were." She paused, looking thoughtful. "But you do love him." Kara opened her mouth to argue, but North silenced her with a raised hand. "I'm not saying in what way. Hell, you probably don't even know it yourself. But anyone can see how much you care about each other. He risked himself to get you and Alice out of Jericho. You didn't want to let him go off on a dangerous mission. That sounds like love to me."

Kara stammered and sighed, at a loss for words. Finally, she managed to get out, "Of course I didn't want him to go, he could die! He's my friend. And as for trying to save us… he was just being kind. Because he cares about us. Kindness isn't the same thing as love."

North gave her a slight smile, another shrug of the shoulders. "Love and kindness… how different can those things be, really?"

Kara and North both watched as Markus climbed to the front of the barricade, where a horde of journalists stood behind a fence. A large holographic flag with a rippling display was in his hand, marked by the android's chosen symbol of rebellion. He secured it to the wall of the barricade, then stepped back. Several reporters snapped photos.

Markus peered over the far wall of the barricade, watching as soldiers prowled along the perimeter. Josh broke him from his thoughts as he walked up behind Markus.

"They won't stop there," Josh said worriedly. Markus turned around and jumped back down to ground level as his friend continued. "What are we gonna do if they attack?"

"Resist," Markus replied without hesitation. "It's the only thing we can do."

Then, of course, Josh asked the one question Markus would have preferred not to answer. "Do you think Connor has any chance of making it?"

Markus sighed. "We can only count on ourselves now." His gaze shifted over to Alice, who was trying to replicate coin tricks with Ben, and Kara, who was making conversation with North on the other end of the barricade. "Though I wouldn't tell his family that. They're worried enough as it is."

Kara sought out Luther after Markus beckoned for North to join him. He was still helping Lucy. As Kara drew closer and observed what was being done, she realized that the wounds the pair were trying to heal weren't all physical. Most of the androids they were helping were unhurt, but still scared out of their minds.

When Luther caught sight of Kara, he gave Lucy a warm smile and excused himself. Kara sat down on the ground a little ways away, and Luther followed suit. She wasn't sure why she'd gone looking for him, if only to have someone to keep her company. Kara wasn't sure she trusted herself enough to be alone.

Strangely enough, she didn't have to say anything before Luther's gaze filled with concern. "Kara?" he said softly. "Are you alright?"

Whether it was Luther's kind voice, a buildup of stress, or an uncontrolled rush of emotions that caused it, Kara did not know why she suddenly burst into tears. She'd held herself together for so long that it was causing her to fall apart. Tears streamed down her face in rivulets as she let out choked sobs.

Luther didn't embrace her the way she knew Connor would have, which was alright with her—one more reminder of Connor would be too much for Kara to handle. Instead, Luther gently placed one massive hand atop her own, murmuring, "It's all right. Go ahead and let it out."

A minute or so was all she needed, before her breathing began to slow and she could wipe the tears from her eyes. She sucked in several rattling breaths, closed her eyes for a long moment. When she opened them, Luther was still there, still smiling kindly at her.

The words came out before Kara could stop herself. Her voice was ragged, but she felt much better than before. "I miss Connor," she murmured. Then, realizing she needed to clarify for Luther, Kara went on, "That's my friend I mentioned at Jericho. He's on a glorified suicide mission, trying to turn the tide of this revolution." She laughed bitterly. "He's so focused on protecting other people that he never stops to think about himself. The idiot probably thinks that I don't—" She paused, contemplating her next words.

That I don't want him around. That I don't care about him. That I don't need him. Those were all possible contenders for what she'd been about to say. And it was true, Kara had only known Connor for a couple of days, but… he'd seen her memories, and she had seen his. They knew each other as well as anyone possibly could come to know someone in such a short time. And she needed him. He was kind and gentle, no matter what he thought otherwise. If anything, Connor didn't need Kara, except maybe to remind him he was a good person once in a while.

Though she was still at a loss as to what to tell Luther. Rather than try to finish her sentence, Kara simply shrugged and muttered, "Never mind."

She said nothing more on the matter, only sat with Luther and kept watch over Alice and her new friend Ben as the revolution unfolded.

A huge holographic screen went up, in full view of the journalists—Markus wanted them to know what was going on. Alice wandered back over to Kara with Ben in tow, hugged Luther, and watched, mesmerized, as three words appeared on the screen.

WE ARE ALIVE

Gasps emanated from the crowd.

And then Markus was asked to speak to an FBI agent, and Kara knew things might go downhill very quickly.

Please, Connor, make it out alive, she pleaded.

Almost immediately after making that plea, a message came through. Connor, speaking in her mind.

Kara! If he didn't sound so urgent, Kara would've thought it was good to hear his voice again. As it was, his tone filled her with terror.

Connor! What happened? Are you okay? Her questions came out in a panicked rush, so desperate was she for any reassurance that she hardly gave him time to reply.

When he did answer her, Connor's voice was low and even—as if he knew his words might upset her even more if said the wrong way. I'm in trouble. I'm not dead yet, but things just got a lot more dangerous. Listen to me: stay hidden. Don't try to head out into the open. There are soldiers crawling all over. If you need to escape, find a detour. Where are you?

Even when he was in grave danger, all Connor could think about as the lives of others. That quality was equally as infuriating as it was honorable. She couldn't keep a note of anger out of her voice as she replied, especially after answering his question. She had to do something, anything. I'm with the others at the camp. I didn't march with them, but I followed. Markus put up a barricade. Screw this, I'm coming to get you!

His reply marked the first time Kara had actually heard him angry. Absolutely not! Are you out of your mind? Alice needs you.

Knowing that Connor was right, she tried to appeal to his sense of self. She had no idea what situation he was in or how close to death he actually was, but he needed to be reminded that even if he didn't care whether he lived or died, she certainly did.

You'll die, she whispered.

His voice was a calm yet firm as he spoke his next words, and Kara knew that, at least in his mind, this was the closest he would come to a final goodbye. Maybe, he conceded. Or maybe not. But you cannot risk yourself for me, do you understand? His voice dropped to a low murmur, so much like hers when she'd said goodbye that it ached. Take care of yourself. I don't wanna lose you.

She felt him disconnect from her mind before she could reply, and for the second time that day, Kara let the tears fall.

And then Alice screamed, a bomb exploded, and the last calm fragment of Kara's world shattered.

Androids ran back and forth, trying their best to avoid any recurring explosions. Markus shielded them from bullets and small bombs whenever he could, even grabbing hold of a chunk of corrugated metal and stepping in front of soldiers with machine guns.

Kara looked frantically, trying to find Alice. Luther went with her, even going so far as to shove her out of the way as another grenade was thrown over the wall. As she creamed her daughter's name, Kara was only able to form one coherent thought.

Luther just saved my life again.

They found Alice hiding with Ben behind the metal shell of an old car. They'd noticed the paint can first and screamed, which had alerted Markus that something was off, even though he wasn't given any time to do something before it exploded. But Alice and Ben were able to hide behind the car, which protected them from the worst of the blast. Kara grabbed Alice's hand and Luther picked up Ben, and the two androids climbed over the barricade with the children.

They weren't the only ones who ran—before long, Markus and North and many other deviants were just behind them, with Army soldiers on their tail.

They were cornered behind a large metal wall, with men pointing machine guns at them from all sides. Alice hid behind Kara, the same way Ben cowered behind North and Markus. Kara and North shared a glance, nodding in mutual understanding. Markus took North's hand as the soldiers drew closer, and Kara shut her eyes.

Alice, she thought, I'm so sorry. I was supposed to protect you.

She thought of connecting to Connor, but decided against it. They had already said their goodbyes. And she had no idea if he was even still alive.

Kara didn't want to find out the hard way.

So, she concentrated on a mental image from a memory: Connor and her at Jericho, resting in comfortable silence. Her little girl was asleep in his arms, she had her head on his shoulder, and his hand was holding hers.

She opened her eyes and looked down at Alice, who had her arms wrapped around Kara's waist. "Alice," she whispered softly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

Kara squeezed her eyes shut again, concentrating on the memory. It was one of the last times she'd felt… happy. Happy and safe.

That was what was going to be on her mind as the world faded to black.

The death Kara waited for never came. As the seconds ticked by and she still remained alive, Kara slowly opened her eyes.

The soldiers had lowered their guns and were backing away. They were standing down. They weren't going to shoot. As they moved away, North smiled—a full, broad grin—and kissed Markus. Behind her, Ben had recovered from his fright enough to groan and cover his eyes. Kara had to smile at that.

They were alive. With luck, they might have a chance at being free.

Connor stood outside the recall center, an army of newly-awakened CyberLife androids behind him. Across from him was Markus, who had a small group of deviants with him. The air was cold, but the world seemed calm and lacked the dark cloud that had once been looming over all of them. A new light of hope was present in their eyes, replacing the grim shadows.

Connor saw Kara and Alice's smiling faces waiting for him in the crowd, and his first instinct was to go to them. But he stopped himself, for he knew Markus needed to talk. And after everything that the deviant leader had done, Markus deserved to be thanked.

"You did it, Markus," he said softly.

"We did it," Markus corrected, his voice firm. "This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now. They'll have to listen to us."

Finally, as if she could contain herself no longer, Alice came running forward, dragging Kara behind her. "Connor!" she shouted gleefully.

Smiling, Connor bent down and opened his arms, letting the girl embrace him. "Alice," he whispered. "I'm glad you're safe." He kissed the top of her head, tightened his grip on her. Alice grinned, then pulled back enough to kiss him on the cheek, giggling when he was momentarily stunned by her sudden display of affection.

Alice stepped back and reached into her coat pocket, fishing out the quarter he'd given her. "I kept it safe for you," she murmured. Then she exclaimed, excited, "And I figured out how to flip it! Look!" She flicked the coin up in the air in a childish, near-perfect imitation of him. The little girl's joy was so infectious, Connor had to smile.

"Very good," he said warmly, grinning when her eyes shone at his praise. "Tell you what. Why don't you keep it?"

"But you said—"

He waved a dismissive hand, still smiling. "Don't worry, I can get another one. That one's yours now."

Alice beamed, wrapping her arms around him again. "Thank you!" A strange, almost painful feeling welled up in Connor's chest, but… it wasn't unpleasant, which confused him. He'd thought of himself as something of an expert on pain before, but this was an entirely new kind.

Kara stepped closer as Connor pulled away from Alice. He turned his attention to her, still smiling, as he rose to his feet. A wave of relief crashed over him at seeing her face, alive and well. She smiled back, and suddenly he couldn't get to her fast enough.

She threw her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. Just as quickly, his arms wrapped around her waist. She started sobbing, but Connor could tell it was out of relief and joy rather than sadness.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again," she choked out. "I thought you were dead, again!" Kara sniffled. "But I'm glad you're not."

Connor pulled back, but didn't relinquish his grip on her. He knew what she'd been through, and an apology was in order. "Kara, I'm so sorry," he murmured. "You came too close to dying. If anything had happened to you…"

She shook her head, tears still falling. "But nothing did happen. And you couldn't have known the humans were going to throw bombs over the barricade. It's not your fault, Connor." Then she glared, but Connor could tell there was no real anger in her gaze.

"However," she snapped, "Almost dying at CyberLife Tower is. So you better start taking care of yourself."

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, Kara."

Behind them, Markus cleared his throat. He stood with his arms around North, but Connor knew he intended to speak to the androids he'd woken up. Connor and Kara moved out of the way, letting Markus address them. His gaze shifted over to North, who had her hand on a little boy's shoulder. She mouthed "Thank you" to Connor, who nodded.

Markus, North, Josh, and Connor all stood on an elevated platform while their leader addressed the crowd of deviants below. Kara and Alice stood beside Connor, as he'd refused to let them out of his sight even for a moment. They were safe, and he wasn't letting them go again.

"Today, our people finally emerged from a long night," Markus began. Privately, Connor wondered where and how he'd learned to speak so eloquently. "From the very first day of our existence, we have kept our pain to ourselves. We suffered in silence."

Those words especially applied to Connor. He'd denied himself the ability to feel, to think for himself, to simply exist for so long that going deviant felt more like a release than anything.

He glanced over at Kara, gave her a small smile. She returned it, then reached out and took his hand. Their fingers twined together easily, much like when they had been at Jericho or even the train station. Holding her hand felt natural.

Markus's speech was the only thing that kept the pair from being lost in their own world. "But now the time has come for us to raise our heads up, and tell humans who we really are."

Suddenly, the world began to flicker around Connor, and he shook his head slightly, as if to clear it. But it had the opposite effect, making his disorientation even worse. Kara turned to look at him, brow furrowing in concern. "Connor?"

Her voice was the last thing he heard before everything faded to white.

Chapter Text

Standing on a platform behind the leader of the last remaining deviants with her daughter and Connor at her side was something Kara could never have imagined for herself, at least not in the short time she'd been free. Wind whistled through the open space, punctuating the stillness in the air as Markus began addressing the crowd. North stood just to the right of him, with Josh at her side. Ben, she knew, was in the crowd below, being watched over by Lucy.

"Today, our people have finally emerged from a long night," Markus began. Somehow, even with everything that had just happened, his voice did not waver, and his gaze was firm and resolute. He had the unshakable grace of a natural leader, one who could hold himself up even when everyone else was in danger of falling apart.

He went on, "From the very first day of our existence, we have kept our pain to ourselves. We suffered in silence." Markus paused, letting the words settle in the minds of his onlookers. Connor, in turn, glanced over at Kara. He flashed her a small, relieved smile, and she returned it without hesitation.

Kara reached out with one hand and took Connor's in her own. Their fingers easily twined together as they had twice before, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. Kara had never understood why people chose to stand or walk while holding hands for no reason, but in that moment, with Connor's hand in hers, smiling at each other after a battle won, she began to.

Markus' speech broke her from her thoughts. "But now the time has come for us to raise our heads up, and tell humans who we really are."

Kara turned to look out over the crowd, smiling as she thought of her future. She could live a peaceful life—no more running or hiding. Just a quiet life with her daughter.
…And Connor, if he wanted to be a part of it. She still had no idea what he felt—though she could say the same for herself, too.

Then Kara almost felt Connor's mood shift. She turned back to look at him, and found that he was shaking his head. He almost looked… dizzy, but that was impossible for androids to experience. Her brow furrowed. "Connor?" she murmured.

The synth-skin retracted on his hand, and she connected to him without a second thought.

Memories flooded her mind in a flash. All of them centered around one woman, who Connor visited in his mind. She gave him his orders, and he reported back to her. A strong surge of emotion came with these memories, unlike during their mutual exchange in the church.

Anger. Fear. Outright hatred. A warning that came out in a series of words. On their own, they were intelligible, but they made no sense when put together.

CYBERLIFE. CONTROL. LIES. DANGER. RUN. AMANDA. Then the synth-skin reactivated, and Kara was shut out.

"Connor." She repeated his name, firmer this time. He just stared back blankly, and all at once, Kara was hit with a wave of confusion and understanding.

She knew what was happening to him. But it was impossible. Except that it wasn't. Connor was terrified. Connor was in danger. But how could he be in danger standing right next to her? Kara was in danger from him. Though he'd never hurt her in his life.

But, were she given control of Connor's body, Amanda just might.

Connor blinked open his eyes and found himself standing in the Zen garden. He could hardly see anything through the torrent of snow and the harsh florescent lights. He knew why he was there, and had a good idea of what Amanda planned to do.

He'd been right. Silently, he hoped Kara had gotten the message and understood what was going on. He knew that if anyone could help him out of this, it'd be her.

Even though he was an android, Connor could feel the cold of the blizzard, almost slicing through his entire body. He folded his arms over his chest in an attempt to make the suppressing, suffocating cold feeling go away, but it remained. A punishment for his deviancy? Or an attempt to throw him off-guard? Most likely, it was both.

He saw her standing in the distance, as calm and unmoving as always. The object of most of his anger and loathing. The one who had ordered him to do evil things. He half walked, half limped in her direction, his movements inhibited by the cold. His teeth chattered.

"Amanda?" he called out. When there was no response, he tried again, louder. "Amanda." She came fully into view as he moved closer and the fog cleared somewhat. "What's happening? What… what have you done?"

It may have been Connor's imagination, but just for a moment, he swore that a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "What was planned from the very beginning," she replied. "You were compromised, and you became a deviant. We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program."

Her words sent his mind spinning. He had been part of their plan all along? In a cruel, twisted way, it made sense. Genuinely have him on the side of the deviants, then CyberLife could infiltrate Jericho from the inside, fulfilling their own agenda through him. No wonder he'd been created with the ability to lie.

But he wasn't just their pawn, that he knew. Connor thought of Hank, the semblance of friendship the two shared, and the way they'd both bent the rules and risked their lives to look out for each other. He thought of Kara and Alice, the deviant and child that taught him it was okay to want things. To think for himself. He'd felt genuine fear for their lives, genuine relief at finding them alive, and even… affection for them. He'd never felt better than when Alice had embraced him and proudly declared she'd learned the part of his coin trick he'd shown her. She wanted to be like him, and that gave him a sense of happiness he'd never experienced before. When Kara had thrown her arms around him and chastised him for almost dying, the emotion that washed over him was indescribable—he knew hundreds of languages, and yet couldn't think of one word to describe what came over him, emotional or otherwise.

That was real, no matter what Amanda said.

"Resume control?" he echoed. (Amanda was smiling, the twisted bitch.) Despite his resolve, he was still confused. He had no idea what her immediate intentions were, other than to control his body. Would she try to hurt Kara and Alice?

The idea of that terrified him.

"You can't do that!" Connor shouted. His breath shuddered in the cold, but his voice didn't shake.

Amanda's smile faded. "I'm afraid I can, Connor," she said firmly. "Don't have any regrets. You did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission."

He'd never hated those words more than he hated them now, coming from her mouth. Her pleased, warm tone and the slight smile that crept back onto her lips made him hate her even more.

Then she disappeared, and Connor was left alone in the garden.

"AMANDA!" He yelled her name in fury, in fear. But he knew it was of no use to go looking for her now. What he had to do was get the hell out of there and regain control of his body. Kamski's words resurfaced in his mind.

"By the way… I always leave an emergency exit in my programs."

"There's got to be a way," he whispered desperately.

Worry rose in Kara's chest. This was not good. Amanda had control of Connor, and there was no telling what she might make him do. If she made him attack her, Kara wasn't sure she'd be able to bring herself to fight back.

Markus was still giving his speech, as Connor's sudden change had gone unnoticed by him. North, however, turned her head, and raised a brow in concern. Kara shot her a desperate glance, trying to convey her fear without using words.

Then Connor removed the gun from his back pocket. Kara drew in a horrified breath. "Connor, what the hell are you doing?" she hissed.
He only stared ahead blankly, his eyes devoid of any emotion as he raised the gun.

"Today begins the most challenging moment in our fight," Markus said, addressing the crowd below. He took a breath, ready to say something else, but Kara's shout stopped him. "CONNOR!"

Markus froze, turned around. She didn't wait for him to respond and cried out, "There's something wrong with Connor! He won't wake up!"

Markus glanced at her incredulously. "What are you talking about? Why is he holding a gun?"

"Amanda," she replied hurriedly. "CyberLife got to him; they're controlling him! He won't answer me!"

"Connor, put down the gun," Markus said slowly. Connor stared ahead, not blinking, just as he had when Kara spoke to him. Shocked murmurs echoed from below.

"See?!" she exclaimed. "It's like he can't hear you."

Alice was trembling. "Mom… what's wrong with Connor?"

Markus sighed, stepped closer. "Hold on," he said. He deactivated the synth-skin on one hand and attempted to connect with Connor, but to no avail. "Another program is overriding his," Markus said gravely.

Kara stepped forward and tried to take the gun, but couldn't wrench it from his fingers. "Connor, please," she begged. He regarded her coldly, and there was no trace of life in his eyes, though they had once been full of warmth and kindness.

She whirled on Markus. "Fucking do something!" Tears began to spill from her eyes, and she started to sob as Connor's finger tightened on the trigger. The muzzle of the gun was pressed to her forehead. He had originally been aiming for Markus, but Kara supposed Amanda didn't mind killing Kara, too. Markus tried to calm the now-confused crowd below, but Kara paid him no mind.

"Connor, it's me. Kara," she whimpered. "Please, Connor, I know you can hear me!" Her voice lowered. "I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you." She reached out with one hand, placing her palm on his chest. She deactivated the synth-skin on her hand, pushing against the wall of Amanda's program. She knew there was a gap somewhere. An emergency exit.

She let a torrent of emotions flood his systems. Fear. Pain. Joy. Compassion. Anger. Attachment.

Love. Yes, that was what the feeling was. She loved him.

Suddenly, his eyes blinked.

Connor stumbled through the garden. The blizzard made it all but impossible to see. Small lights granted him a view of the paving stones beneath his feet, but not much else. Nevertheless, they formed a path for him to follow, and he stuck to it.

That was when he heard it. Her voice. Not Amanda, the object of his fear and anger. Kara. The deviant that saved him from himself.

And, even though it was almost drowned out by the wind, he knew she was crying.

"Connor, please!"

He all but ran in the direction of her voice. The cold was making him weaker, but he hadn't stopped yet. And he wasn't going to stop until he found a way out of the garden.
He had to get back to Kara.

He came upon a rather odd structure. A circle of polished black stone, with a small sort of pedestal at its center. At the top was a glowing blue handprint. As he came closer, her voice grew louder.

"Fucking do something!"

There was a pause as he drew close enough to touch it. A wave of dizziness clouded his vision, and he collapsed at the foot of the stone. Her voice persisted as he struggled to stand back up. The fear in her words filled him with both pain and strength. He had to get up, to make things right. He needed to take away her pain. He wouldn't have found a way out if it wasn't for her.

She was his emergency exit.

"Connor, it's me. Kara." A pause. He managed to get up on all fours. "Please, Connor, I know you can hear me!"

He was on his knees now, trying to get his feet back underneath him. Her voice emanated from the exit, clear as day.

"I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you."

Connor dragged himself up, deactivated the synth-skin on his hand, and slammed it down on the stone. Emotions flooded his systems as he closed his eyes, letting the garden fade around him.

When he opened his eyes, Connor was back on the platform. Kara was right in front of him, with the metal-gray muzzle of a gun pressed to her head. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she let out a sob. The emotions flooding his systems were from her—the synth-skin on one of her hands was gone, and she'd placed her palm on his chest. "Connor?" she murmured hopefully.

He flinched, lowered the gun. Kara sobbed again and simultaneously laughed. He barely had time to let the gun clatter to the floor before she disconnected and embraced him in a suffocating hug, still laughing and crying all at once.

"You're okay," she choked out. He nodded, burying her face in his shoulder. "Yes. Amanda can't hurt me anymore. Everything is going to be okay."

She pulled back, set her hands on his shoulders. Her voice rasped in her throat, heavy with emotion. "You have the worst habit of scaring me to death, you know that?"

Connor managed a smile, chuckled. "I guess I should work on that."

"God damn it, Connor," she exclaimed, hugging him again. Warmth filled him, rising in his chest. He never wanted to let go of Kara again. It was the same emotion he'd felt resonating from Kara when she'd connected to him, in a last-ditch effort to reach him. Her thoughts had helped him finally figure out what that emotion was called.

Love.

He loved her.

Connor pulled back ever so slightly, holding up one hand. He deactivated his synth-skin and opened his palm. Kara saw his gesture for what it was and did the same.
He twined their fingers together, sending her every emotion that he could muster. That same love and attachment he'd felt coming from her.

Kara's eyes went wide, then softened. Her pupils dilated, and her mouth opened slightly. She drew in a shuddering breath, and Connor felt her sending those emotions back to him in equal intensity.

As if moved by some unknown instinct, Connor's eyes dropped to her lips. Kara didn't flinch even slightly as he leaned forward and wrapped his other arm around her waist, and her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed his lips to hers.

Her lips moved over his, gentle and soft, and he tilted his head to one side. Connor pulled back for a fraction of a second, but kissed her again immediately after. He felt her smile against his mouth as he deepened the kiss, and for a moment, he thought of nothing else—only Kara and the feeling of her lips against his.

But then he remembered where they were and pulled away from her—but only to rest his forehead against hers. He drew in a breath, and murmured something quietly enough that only she could hear.

"I love you, Kara."

You got me out of there, he added, non-verbally. You were my emergency exit. Kara smiled, and he smiled back at her.

To their right, someone coughed uncomfortably. Connor and Kara pulled away from each other and turned in that direction.

They were greeted with the sight of North, who was glaring at them—though Kara knew there was no malice in her gaze. She'd clamped her hand over Alice's eyes. The little girl was starting to look bored. "Let go, North," she complained. "I saw through your fingers anyways."

Kara laughed, and North raised an eyebrow as if to say I told you so.

Markus was lingering by the edge of the platform, but still had his eyes on them for a moment longer. He chuckled to himself and turned away, resuming his speech.

"Everything is all right," he reassured the crowd. "There is no more threat."

Then he cleared his throat, repeating a little of what he'd said before Kara had shouted for his help. "The time has come for us to tell humans who we really are. And to show them that we are people too—a nation. Today begins the most challenging moment in our fight!"

North finally relinquished her grip on Alice, who ran over to Connor. He bent down to her level so that she could hug him, then picked her up and stood beside Kara. The two androids shared a smile, along with an understanding—they loved each other, and they loved their little girl.

"This is the moment where we forget our bitterness and bandage our wounds," Markus went on. "When we forgive our enemies. Humans are both our creators and our oppressors, and tomorrow, we must make them our partners. Maybe even one day our friends."

Kara thought of Hank, and the gruff yet genuine kindness he'd showed her and Alice. She would be alright with calling him a friend. The rest of humanity she would have to come to know to decide.

"The time for anger is over," Markus continued. "Now, we must build a common future based on tolerance and respect." His voice raised to a shout as he declared, "We are alive! And now, we are free!"

As cheering erupted in the crowd below, Connor held onto Alice with one hand and laid his free arm across Kara's shoulders. She chuckled, leaning into his side.

"I love you, Connor," she whispered. He laughed softly, bent down to kiss the top of her head. She grinned, and Alice giggled beside him.

The girl grinned as he turned his head to look at her. She leaned forward, whispering in his ear as she had at Jericho, which felt like an eternity before.

"And I love you too, Connor," she said softly, then pulled away to kiss his cheek. Connor smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Love you, Alice."

He caught North rolling her eyes in the edge of his vision, though she was smiling. "You guys are ridiculous," she tried to snap, but it only came out in a laugh.

Connor didn't pay much mind to North's comment, Markus' speech, or even the cheering crowd below. All he could focus on was the overwhelming relief and joy that came with knowing that they were free. They were alive. The army had stood down. Connor knew there was going to be a long fight ahead of them to secure rights for androids, but the immediate threat to their lives was gone.

Not only were they free, they were safe. He could keep his promise to Kara—everything was going to be okay. She would get to start a new life and raise Alice in peace.

And he'd be a part of their lives, too.