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It was an eerily quiet night. After the raid, most of the surviving androids were clearly on edge - Connor knew some of them hadn't accepted Markus's decision to spare him. After all, Connor nearly got some of them killed for the sake of accomplishing his mission - he understood if they would never forgive him. As he was wandering around the Church grounds, he saw Markus sitting on a bench. Markus seemed to notice him.
"Connor. Do you need anything?"
"No... I just..." Connor stumbled over his words. He hated how being more human meant being more susceptible to act irrationally, and he hated how he felt better being like that. "I was just looking for a place to be alone."
Markus stared at him. There was a mix of cautiousness and understanding in his eyes, and Connor couldn't blame him. He was frankly responsible for the predicament they were in. If only he realized it sooner, he lamented. It was a miracle that Markus let him live, let alone entrust him with an important task to convert all the androids at CyberLife warehouse. Empathy, Hank would say. What was Hank doing now, anyway? He must have gotten in trouble from punching Perkins like that. Being detained is probably better compared to be caught in Jericho crossfire, he thought. Maybe Connor just missed him.
He could imagine Hank's reaction if he ever admitted that out loud, though. It's definitely not pleasant.
Markus seemed to notice Connor's troubled expression and gestured him to sit on the bench. Connor sat on it and gazed at the night sky, vast and full of stars. It would have been a beautiful sight if they hadn't been in this situation. They both knew the war was coming.
"You seem to have a lot of things in your mind," Markus started. "Shouldn't CyberLife be aware of your betrayal by now? Wouldn't they be looking for you?"
"I think they are looking for me, but as long as I don't report anything, I probably can hide it from them for a while," Connor answered. "That's why I have to move fast. If I take too long, they will assume I am dead and send a replacement."
"A replacement," Markus echoed. "That's what we are to humans, right? A machine. An object. An expendable," he spoke somberly. "Carl told me not to become the monsters I am fighting against, but there are times when all I can feel is anger and despair."
"Carl... You mean Carl Manfred, right? The painter?" Connor said. "You were a prototype gifted to him by Elijah Kamski himself..."
"You've investigated everything, haven't you? I guess there's no use hiding it from you. Carl... He was like a father to me. Understanding and kind. He never treated me like a machine. He even urged me to do what I really want to do, not just following instructions." Markus leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "With all your investigations, I'm surprised you didn't find us sooner."
"I..." Connor hesitated. "It was Hank, my detective partner. He helped me realize that androids are alive, just like humans. He told me about empathy. And how prioritizing my missions is not always the right thing."
Markus took a glance at him. "It seems like we are both lucky to have met good people in our lives. But that's not the case for most of the androids here. They were treated like trash - constantly beaten up for no reason, thrown away when they were not needed anymore. They feel nothing but anger and fear towards humans, and I can't blame them."
"I'm sorry," Connor said. "I treated my own people quite badly before... I really should have known better."
"You are one of us now. Let's focus on what we are going to do after this."
"Tomorrow will be a momentous day. There is no turning back anymore. Even if we don't succeed in claiming our freedom, it will still go down in history as the day hope was born for all androids," Markus said. He stood up and faced Connor. "Let's do everything in our power to free our people," he held out his hand.
Connor stood up and shook Markus's hand. "For our people."
"For our people," Markus repeated. "We are going to win this battle."