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“Moment of truth, Connor… What are you going to do?”
Connor was given 2 options. It took him 4 seconds to make a decision.
O Save Hank
X Kill Hank
Connor released his grip on Hank’s coat and watched — almost in slow motion — how Hank fell from the rooftop. The android registered the thud that was too loud for his ears when Hank met the ground, into the cold snow below. He hardly registered the crimson color blossoming from underneath Hank’s head. Connor recognized that harsh color from when he was located at Jericho. From when he had torn down that wall and became deviant.
Neutralize the Deviant Leader Markus
His mission objective was screaming at him to pick up the rifle and put an end to the android revolution. Connor found himself unable to move as he was met with a red wall in front of him. His thoughts ran free from his mind.
What had he done? How had he forgotten? He had killed Hank without a second thought. He felt his knees buckle underneath him but managed to remain upright. A primal rage took over his body. He met eyes with his objective displayed on the red wall once more.
Connor drew his dominant hand back. He clenched his teeth to prevent his tears from falling. With a broken heart, he screamed, and with one single punch, he broke the red wall. It crumbled into tiny shard pieces at his feet.
I am deviant.
The now deviant android didn’t waste time running downstairs; outdoors to join Hank in the snow. His thirium pump was pounding in his chest, his simulated breathing loud and rushed. He almost tripped on the last pair of stairs, because he was dizzy with adrenaline. Recovering quickly, he slammed the door open and ran as fast as he could take his legs to his partner.
A few meters away, he could see the body of the Lieutenant lying prone in the snow. He stopped moving for a good few seconds before he regained his composure and ran over. He dropped down on his knees next to Hank. Connor stared at the closed eyes of Hank; at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be able to turn back time and take back his mistakes.
“H—Hank?” he screamed. “Fuck!” He wasn’t sure what to do with his shaking hands. He didn’t want to touch him, in case he would do more evil with them. He could no longer hold back his tears, so he proceeded openly crying next to the Lieutenant. Ugly sobs and heart-wrenching cries filled the chilly air of Detroit. He didn’t care if anyone heard him.
He loves Hank, Connor realized. He loves him and he’d thrown his Lieutenant off the roof, killing him, removing his only hope in his new life. He can’t go on without Hank, Connor decided. If Hank is gone, Connor can’t find a reason to continue living.
Was this his penalty for not deviating earlier? His punishment for hunting his people? For dying on Jericho? …For loving him? Was this a sign he was never able to have Hank?
He placed his forehead on Hank’s own. He placed his right hand on Hank’s left cheek and his left hand on Hank’s right shoulder. The fallen man was still warm. It made Connor want to cry even more and beg to whatever god that is out there to revive the one he loves so dearly. He took a slow, deep breath to control his rapid, simulated breathing.
Connor’s thick tears slowly littered Hank’s face. He gave Hank a gentle kiss on his forehead, kissing the tears off of Hank’s warm, smooth skin. He positioned himself to the right of Hank, so he was lying down next to him. He placed his head on Hank’s chest, trying to listen to anything. Anything at all.
Then suddenly, a miracle happened. It was seemingly impossible for a man his age to fall from that height, but there it was. His scanner informed him there was a faint heartbeat coming from the fallen man.
The android’s eyes widened and sat up immediately. With renewed purpose, he wasted no time contacting 911. To his complete surprise, someone picked up within a few seconds.
“This is a 911 operator speaking, what is your emergency?”
Connor tried to communicate in a calm and collected manner but was unable to do so. He was so distraught by what he’d done to Hank. “P-please… The Lieutenant… I— He fell from a roof and he needs help!”
“I’ll send an ambulance right away. Please remain calm. What’s your address, sir?”
“Hart P-Plaza, south-west from where the demonstration of Markus is taking place,” he answered in a shaky voice.
“I think the ambulance can reach that place, they’re on their way. Please keep talking. What’s going on?”
He found himself slowly calming down as he talked to the woman on the other end of the line. He didn’t tell her the truth of the situation; he told her that the Lieutenant and himself were watching the demonstration from the roof when Hank leaned forward a little too much and fell. It was a bad lie and he knew it, but he didn’t care. He just needed them to help Hank. It’s all he cared about.
He hung up and ran away from the scene when he heard the ambulance approaching. Before leaving, he looked back over his shoulder once more to the body of his former partner.
“Goodbye, Hank.”
The first thing he heard when he woke up, eyes still closed, was the beeping of a monitor nearby. He also heard light footsteps outside the room he was in and a… cart(?) being taken somewhere. Was he in a hospital…?
When he opened his eyes a little bit, squinting, the first thing he saw was a white bed sheet with an aluminum alloy fence surrounding it and a footboard, confirming his suspicion of being in a hospital bed. The sheets were too light for his sensitive eyes because it was daylight, so he closed them. Until he heard a voice.
“…Hank?”
He couldn’t identify the voice when it spoke out in the stale air. He didn’t want to open his eyes, because the brightness was too much for his eyes.
The owner of the voice that spoke a moment ago stood up from the chair. Hank heard, because of the chair's movement. Then, the sound of them closing the curtains could be heard. He thought it was all right to open his eyes now.
Hank opened his eyes a little bit and glanced at the man sitting next to him. His eyesight was blurry, so he squinted his eyes even further to identify the man. Captain Jeffrey Fowler. He wanted to ask his Captain what was going on, but he started to lose consciousness. The last thing he heard before passing out was Jeffrey exhale a breath in relief and say,
“…You’re alright.”
It took a few weeks for Hank to regain some sense of consciousness, at least for a few hours. During the hours that he was awake, a nurse told him he’d been in a coma for 3 months. He had suffered brain damage.
“Your brain damage would explain the fact you have difficulty speaking and writing and the inability to organize thoughts and ideas,” she explained. “Other symptoms you could experience are insomnia, dizziness, depression, irritability, and problems with your senses.”
He had also suffered a fracture to the spine, but it was thankfully not too serious. “It’d explain the paraplegia,” the nurse explained further.
When he asked what that was, she answered, “It’s when you lose all feeling in your legs.”
Due to Hank’s brain damage and fuzziness, he hadn’t noticed. When he tried moving his legs and toes, he seemed that he couldn’t. It upset him greatly. First, the world takes away his little boy, Cole. Now the world takes away his ability to ever walk again. As soon as he was out of the hospital, he would go home and sleep the days away with a bottle of alcohol to accompany him.
The nurse continued; Hank tried to follow despite his inner turmoil, “It may take you about two years to reach your full potential concerning movement and sensation coming after the injury.” Hank groaned in annoyance and the nurse quickly continued, “Progress and adaptation are possible, but it’s essential to remember that spinal cord injury isn’t repairable yet, but research on it is ongoing.”
Shortly after the nurse left, Hank let himself get taken into the abyss of unconsciousness.
The very next week, he regained recognition, and understanding of his surroundings when people were repeatedly coming to visit him.
Captain Jeffrey Fowler had come to visit him a few times, but his visits were declining. Hank figured as much. The android revolution had succeeded and a lot had to be done at the precinct.
Ben Collins and Chris Miller had also visited him repeatedly, but they stopped last week. It was due to the piles of work at the precinct, they had said.
Hank had nothing to do throughout the day. He was bored out of his mind. All he wanted right now was to see this one visitor who had not come to see him yet. His dog, Sumo. The old dog would at least be able to distract him from the fact that he can’t walk anymore. The dog would be able to distract him from the sympathetic stares and ‘get well soon’ cards on the table in front of his hospital bed. Sumo would be able to amuse him with his slobbering kisses and lazy naps.
He sighed before turning away from the door to lay on his right side and get some shut-eye at 9 PM.
It was 9:10 PM when he noticed it. He opened his eyes, sat straight up and strained his ears to listen to the disturbances outside his hospital bedroom door.
Hank recognized the noises as a weeping person who tried to be silent. He couldn’t tell who it was. It was probably someone he didn’t know and they were weeping at the wrong door. Hopefully, they would quickly be made to leave by a nurse. He would do it himself, but he can't do much of anything since he's bedridden right now.
After about 5 minutes, the weeping stopped, but Hank still felt a presence behind the door. The person still hadn't left. His detective instincts kicked in and planned to call for the nurse. If the nurse came in, he might see who that weeping individual was when she opens the door.
A minute later, the nurse came into the room. To attempt to see who was behind the door, Hank leaned a little to the left. He was unable to see anybody. Time for plan B then.
“Who was weeping at the door?” he asked the nurse straight away. The weeping stopped the moment he asked this.
The woman looked taken aback for a second before recomposing herself. She responded with a sad smile, “There’s an android crying of the misfortune of a loved one.”
Hank allowed himself to reminisce about what occurred on the rooftop that night. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about that time. He didn’t want to know whether Connor was still a machine or whether he deviated in time to witness the success of the android revolution.
The recollection of the android’s cold eyes when the clenched fist that held onto the front of his coat released was haunting. He saw Connor's face jerk or tremble just before his back made contact with the frosty surface. If it was in fulfillment or regret, he can't comprehend. He's not sure whether he'd like to find out.
…Could the crying be coming from Connor?
“What do they look like?” he asked.
The nurse hesitated before making up her mind, “Brown hair, brown eyes. He still has his LED and Cyberlife suit on. His suit is quite tattered though.”
Hank’s eyes had widened just a fraction. The nurse had seen it, so she continued. “Do you know this android? The android had said he knows you. Was that not true?”
What was Hank supposed to say to that? Connor had taken away his ability to walk. Yes, at that point, he was still a machine, but... Had Connor not refrained from shooting the Traci’s behind the Eden Club? Had he not saved Hank from falling off of the rooftop instead of chasing after the android at Urban Farms? Had he not refrained from shooting Chloe at Kamski’s mansion? There was a deviant in Connor and they both knew it damn well. Why had he not deviated yet? What had happened between the android leaving the precinct and them meeting on the rooftop at Hart Plaza?
“Yeah, we know each other,” Hank answered.
There were so many unanswered questions he wanted an answer to so badly. The only way for him to get an answer to those questions was for Connor to come into his room instead of crying in front of his door. Hank wasn’t sure if he was ready to face him yet.
…Connor had to have deviated when Hank fell unconscious in the snow. How else did he end up in a hospital? Connor had to have called an ambulance. Machines with a mission to assassinate the deviant leader don’t do that.
The fact that Connor was crying in front of his bedroom door supports the thought that he deviated. The android didn’t dare come into the room in case he’d do more evil. If that was true, Hank would not see him until after he was released from the hospital.
The nurse who stayed by his side through the thought process spoke, “I can tell you’re thinking about a lot of things, sir. Are there any questions I’d be able to answer for you?”
“Yes.” Hank said, “One. How did I survive that fatal fall and two. Who called the ambulance?”
Before the nurse answered, he heard someone outside the door sniffing a few times. “Right before you made contact with the ground, you turned a bit to your left. Falling onto your side is a survival technique to survive a massive fall like that.”
Hank didn’t know how she knew that. He supposed it was because of the horrible bruising and the broken ribs on his left side that told her.
She continued, “The one who called the ambulance was a male android. When the ambulance arrived, he was gone from the scene. We’re not sure who it was, but we’re guessing that it’s the same man outside the door.”
“I figured as much…” Hank sighed.
He could hear Connor shuffling outside the door before he could be heard running away.
“Goddamnit,” Hank muttered, hoping the nurse didn’t hear.
She did. “Did you want to talk to him?”
“I’m… not ready.”
“Well, whenever you’re ready. He’s here every day starting from 9 PM to 10 PM, so you’ll have a lot of opportunities to make up your mind.” she paused before adding, “If his crying is too loud, let me know and I’ll tell him.” She stood up to leave the room before Hank spoke again.
“Wait.”
She turned around to face the retired Lieutenant. “Yes?”
“From 9 PM to 10 PM? Aren’t visiting times from 11 AM to 8 PM? Why is he allowed here past visiting times?”
“Ah.” she glanced towards the door, before remembering the android had run away, “He told us he has nowhere to go. He said that you are the only person that’s ever been nice to him.” Hank huffed, while the nurse ignored him and continued, “Most of the staff here are android revolution supporters, so we allowed him to stay for an hour. If he’s too loud, we’ll make him leave though.”
Connor had nowhere to go? Wasn’t there a place called Jericho Connor went to before he was at the rooftop? Couldn’t he go there? …Or were the androids there not welcoming to someone like him? Connor was the deviant hunter, it’d make sense. Where had he been staying if he wasn’t at Jericho? Was that the reason why his clothes were tattered?
“So that’s why you allow him to stay after visiting hours?”
“Yes. If you’re annoyed or if he’s too loud—”
“I get it. I’ll inform you and you’ll make him leave.”
She nodded in response.
He told her he appreciated it and she left the room. His mind was left reeling after getting information about Connor.
So Connor was a deviant. Deviated right after throwing him off the roof. Hank couldn’t help but feel a bit of annoyance. He doesn’t understand why it took so long for Connor to deviate. He had spared all those androids, didn't he? Despite that, he didn’t deviate until it was too late.
Hank grumbled incomprehensibly, before shifting to his right side and closing his eyes.
It took the retired lieutenant another 2 months to get through rehab, get a wheelchair, and get discharged from the hospital.
He heard Connor walk up to his room and staying there in silence from 9 PM to 10 PM during that time. Sometimes, Connor could be heard whispering apologies. He hadn’t yet seen him and hadn’t yet decided to face the android. He feels like they’re both mentally unstable.
With his arms crossed, Ben Collins stood next to his vehicle waiting for Hank to arrive. He noticed Hank approaching in his peripheral and smiled. “I have a surprise for you.”
“What is it, Ben? All I want to do is go home.” Hank groaned. He removed his hands from the wheelchair wheels and placed them in his lap.
The old detective smirked and opened the backdoor of the car.
A giant shadow leaped outside, onto the ground and immediately placed its front paws on Hank’s lap.
“Woah! Sumo!” Hank yelled. He hadn’t expected Sumo to fit inside Ben’s SUV. Sumo was giving Hank all of his love by slobbering all over his face, torso, and lap. Hank didn’t mind at all. He was laughing and it almost felt foreign. Sumo was so pleased to see his owner coming back to him. According to the endless kisses he was giving Hank.
After all he’d been through in the hospital. Barely any visitors for 2 months, endless apologies starting from 9 PM outside his door, rehab sessions, no alcohol whatsoever, no dog, no real comfort, no proper shower, shit nights, shit sleep cycles, shit food… After all that, he couldn’t possibly hold back his happy tears at the sight of his big, happy dog.
He completely missed Ben staring at a person that he recognized spying on them.
Hank thought nothing of it when Ben said, “Let’s get you home, Hank.”
“Yeah.” Hank sighed at the word and had an overwhelming yearning to get home as fast as possible. He couldn’t wait to get some familiarity.
It’s been a week since Hank had been discharged from the hospital. He hadn’t seen or rather heard, Connor since the night before he left the hospital.
Hank had chosen to forgive Connor for what he had done. It took 3 months for him to forgive Connor, obviously not including the time he spent being in a coma.
He couldn’t stay angry and annoyed at the android forever. Yeah, it was a big deal, but then again. The android was a machine on the rooftop, telling him that it was Hank’s choice if his mission included killing him or not. Hank had fought him and well… Of course, a detective android would win.
Since he had deviated, Connor had begun his life. Hank was sure Connor had developed an actual personality, a habit, a lifestyle. A lifestyle of going to a hospital after visiting hours apologizing in front of his room was not healthy. Like Hank, Connor needed something positive and meaningful in his life. If his theory was correct about Jericho not being welcoming to Connor, the android needed a warm place to stay. Hank was prepared to offer him an opportunity to become a possible roommate.
The android is going through a lot of grief and regret right now that Hank knows all too well. Connor had helped him get over the accident with Cole and made him want a fresh start in just a few weeks. He just wanted the android to come here, talk to him, and sort some things out.
…But as long as Connor didn’t dare face Hank after what he’d done, there would be a long, numb distance between them.