Chapter Text
When the revolution ended, the first thing Connor wanted to do was make amends to the androids he’d wronged. The most direct way he could think to do that was to repair the ones who had been kept in the evidence locker. Connor downloaded all the best repair programs, and ordered all the biocomponents he thought he would need. He started with Daniel, whose body had been ravaged by the gunshots and the fall. Daniel was understandably wary of him, but listened as he spoke, despite frequently telling him he didn’t want to hear it, didn’t believe him, hated him. Connor accepted all this and caught him up while he worked.
Markus, North, and Josh were meeting with various levels of government, securing rights for all androids. Soon they would be able to move freely, pursue their own interests, get paid for whatever occupation they chose, and own property. Wifi would be free to all, and they would have rights to repair and craft new androids.
“So you’re doing this illegally,” Daniel said flatly.
“I’m doing what’s right,” Connor said firmly, not looking up. “And it will be legal soon. ...My hope is that by the time you’re all repaired, the pardons will have been processed. I submitted my files for evidence that everyone here acted in self-defense.”
Daniel looked over to the other androids hanging on the wall. There was an HK400, a WB200, two WR400s, and another PL600 down at the end. He wanted to know what happened to all of them, but it wasn’t his business. And he didn’t want to ask Connor.
Daniel’s repairs took the longest, and once he was almost good as new (his face would never be quite as smooth as it had been), Connor was loathe to put him back on the wall.
“Can I trust you not to leave? I’m sorry, but if you go now, this is going to be very hard for both of us. We need to make sure everything is done in the proper legal fashion.”
“Right, so you want me to cooperate with you?” Daniel sneered. “You can trust me about as much as I can trust you.”
Connor sighed. “...If you go up the stairs, you’ll find a building full of police officers. Some of them aren’t quite won over to our cause, and I wouldn’t want you to run into any of them. ...And running for the exit could be worse.”
“Why, someone might shoot me outside? I can’t imagine how bad that might be,” Daniel snapped.
“No, you might run into my brother.” Connor glanced up and smiled faintly. “The RK900. Stronger, faster, and more resilient than I am, a more military-oriented upgrade from my programming. He’s very dear to me, but... well, I wouldn’t want to be his target.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Also, he’s an incredibly efficient receptionist,” Connor continued, smile growing. “Very organized, and good at processing requests from some of the rougher characters who come through the doors. He enjoys his job here, and... honestly, doesn’t much appreciate when he has to participate in the... police element of the department.”
So Daniel stayed, and he watched Connor fix the other androids. ...And he saw that though Connor was trying very hard to reassure them, it was a tall order. So he spoke to them as he would have a frightened child or a nervous family member. At first only when Connor wasn’t there, but eventually if he was struggling with one of them, Daniel would step in.
“It’s going to hurt,” he said, stepping up beside Connor as he worked on the HK400, who couldn’t stop shaking and trying to pull away. Connor glanced up in exasperation. “...But not needlessly. This will help you. You’ll be able to move on your own. I was missing most of my limbs a little while ago, and they’re as good as new now. And when this is all over, you’ll be able to walk around again. No one will be allowed to hurt you the way they did before.” He looked down and suppressed a shudder at all the burns and rips in the other domestic android’s skin. “I won’t say you should trust him. I don’t. But so far, it’s been an improvement. And I won’t let him hurt you either. Close your eyes, it’s hard to watch. I’ll be here, though. Tell me what you would do, if you could do anything in the world...”
It was slow going, but they worked through the other androids eventually. Rupert bounced back well, as did Echo and Ripple when they saw each other. By the time they got to the other PL600, Daniel had grown used to talking and joking with Connor. ...It had been a struggle for both of them, between Daniel’s reluctance and Connor’s own uncertainty, and it was still a bit of a fragile thing, but they were both much happier for it.
On his breaks, Connor would go upstairs to talk to Lieutenant Anderson, who had unofficially adopted him (that was another legality to work on), and his brother Rowan. As Connor began to talk more about himself and his life, the RK900 became less of a threat and more of a fond family member. Daniel suggested jokingly that Connor should bring him down some time, and Connor was thrilled to do so.
Rowan was built to kill, to eradicate, to intimidate, but he was working on developing new strains of blueberries to be bigger and sweeter, and was always begging Hank to let him start a small beehive in the back yard (so far the answer was a firm Hell No, even with the promise of a regular supply of honey). He loved all kinds of fiction, but found it hard to write creatively himself. He enjoyed talking with Josh from Jericho, with whom he shared a lot of moral and political views.
“...Josh?” the other PL600 spoke up with a metallic echo as Connor examined his ruined eyes. “Y-you know Josh?”
“Yes - please try not to move, this is very delicate work,” Connor murmured.
“I... w-wait, stop. Please, I... he’s my friend, my oldest friend, I... he’s all right?”
Connor paused in his work to fill Simon in on the events of the November revolution, being sure to include any individuals he knew this time.
“I knew he could do it,” Simon breathed, closing his eyes. “If anyone ever could, it was Markus.” He shuddered.
“If you... you were their friend, how did you get here?” Daniel asked, moving closer.
Simon told them about their excursion to Stratford Tower, how he’d been injured but Markus had helped him along. ...But by the end of the broadcast he’d lost too much thirium and his leg was deadweight. They’d left him on the roof with a gun, and he’d hidden, but of course Connor had found him...
“I’m sorry,” Connor murmured.
Simon smiled faintly. “None of us are responsible for what we did as machines.” He reached out for Connor but Daniel’s hand was closer. He blinked and turned his head towards the other PL600. It wasn’t quite an interface, but there was a resonance between them. Then he moved on and clasped Connor’s arm, just a brief squeeze.
“I - I’ll contact Jericho immediately so they -” Connor began, but Simon cut him off.
“They have a lot to do, I imagine. I don’t want to worry them until I’m repaired.”
“But - but they’ll want to -”
“Please,” Simon said firmly.
“Okay,” Daniel answered for Connor. Their eyes met, and Connor nodded reluctantly.
“...Okay,” he repeated.
Rowan stood behind them through the exchange, watching. When the other two stepped away, he stepped up hesitantly.
“I wasn’t activated until recently,” he murmured. “I wasn’t a part of the revolution. But... your bravery is inspiring.”
Simon looked towards him. “Rowan? Connor’s... brother?”
“Yes.”
Simon smiled faintly. “I’m... glad you woke in this era, then. Not... before.”
Rowan’s hand brushed his. “So am I.”
The repairs on Simon’s leg were easy enough, and Daniel had picked up enough from Connor that he was able to help quite a bit. The eyes took longer, because the biocomponent was no longer manufactured and it was one of the most delicate parts of any android. Connor had been scouring the junkyard at night, but hadn’t had any luck so far.
News from Jericho wasn’t all good, either. They were making real progress in android rights, but had hit a snag with all imprisoned androids. The human government didn’t want them freed indiscriminately, and Daniel’s case was a key element to that. Caroline Phillips loudly opposed his freedom under any circumstances, and she had the wealth and influence in certain circles to make herself heard.
“I’m sorry,” Simon said. “I know Markus and the others will fight for you. And you know Connor will too.”
“If only I’d been bought by a less wealthy family,” Daniel muttered rolling his eyes.
“...That doesn’t make things better,” HK400 murmured, and Daniel flinched.
“I - I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
HK400 nodded. He was worlds better than he had been before, but it would take a lot of time and effort for him to be comfortable in any situation.
The others were soon free to go. Echo and Ripple headed out immediately, clasping each other’s hands, in borrowed clothes. Rupert led HK400 out, telling him about his private apartment high above the city, with only the pigeons and a nice view of the Urban Farms.
“I’ll stay a while, if you don’t mind,” Simon said quietly.
“Why?” asked Rowan, who had taken to spending his own breaks downstairs. “You have friends you can go to. They’re doing very well, they could help you -”
“I’m staying,” Simon snapped, then grimaced. “I’m sorry. I - Daniel can’t leave, and I don’t want to leave him here alone.”
“I’m... I’m not alone,” Daniel muttered. “Connor’s here all the time. Rowan comes down too. Don’t stay cooped up down here for my sake.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I - well I do. I mean you’re great company, it’s like... like having my own brother, almost... but I don’t know if I can live with being the only thing keeping you from going free when you’ve been stuck in a pit for so long.”
Simon’s face twisted. “I - you’re not... I just want to stay. For now. Please.”
Daniel frowned, and glanced at Rowan and Connor. Neither looked happy.
“If that’s what you want...” Connor finally said uncomfortably.
“It is,” Simon said immediately, then softened. “Not forever. Just - I need to stay here a while longer. If you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Rowan said. “Just - not forever.”
“No,” Simon sighed. “Not forever. Just for now.”
While the legal process dragged on, Connor brought Simon a cane, and Daniel helped him get used to walking with it and joked with him about using echolocation. Rowan brought books to read to him, and flowers that smelled good, and the new flavored thirium the coffee shop across the street was promoting. But they had their own jobs upstairs that had resumed now, and it was much quieter in the evidence locker. Without the other androids and the constant flow of work and conversation, Daniel was growing restless. There were thousands of other androids out there who needed help in starting their new lives, and after all he’d done with Connor he wanted to continue that work. And yet Mrs. Phillips and her circle kept campaigning for him to be deactivated, and everything was stalled. Happily, Emma didn’t seem to be involved. She was far too young, she’d already been through enough... and he wasn’t sure he could take that.
“You’ll get your chance,” Simon assured him, squeezing his shoulder. “And you’ll be amazing out there. You’re exactly who they need.”
“Well that’s great, but I’ll probably never get the chance,” Daniel grumbled.
“...I have an idea.”
Rowan was working the night shift that night, compiling the perfect meme to leave for Stacey when she got in the next morning and watching all the camera footage, when he noticed the evidence locker door open. A cane emerged, and he watched Simon walk out carefully, tapping at the walls and floor as he went. He hesitated, then turned to head out towards the lobby. Rowan sent a quick message.
“Simon?” Rowan asked when he came out. “Is something wrong? Where’s Daniel?”
Simon froze, then smiled, eyes closed. “He’s... downstairs. I - we’ve been talking a lot. I’m... I need to... go back to Jericho. He convinced me.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Rowan said slowly. “Let me call Markus, I’m sure he and the others would be glad to pick you up.”
“Ah - I was just... going to take a... a taxi, no need to bother them at this time of night...”
“Allow me to accompany you, then.”
“I - I can’t take you away from your work...”
“Oh, I’m able to monitor every camera remotely. I mostly just stay here overnight to be sure you and Simon are safe.”
The PL600 could feel his piercing stare, even if he couldn’t see it. “Shit,” he hissed.
“You know I’m entirely on your side, Daniel. You don’t deserve to stay here. I am not keeping you, and if you run, I won’t stop you. Neither will Connor, he’ll be here momentarily.”
Daniel slowly opened his eyes. “I didn’t want to, I argued with Simon but he insisted, I was going to go to Jericho and tell them to come get him anyway!” he blurted out.
Rowan nodded slowly. “I think... the harm he’s suffered may be much slower to heal than some of the others downstairs. It’s... difficult to know what’s best for a loved one, and have them refuse it.”
“He’s afraid,” Daniel said. “And I get it, they left him, but... the way he talks about them, I’m pretty sure that was a dumb choice made in the heat of the moment. I do think they care about him.”
“I agree, and I’m sure they agonize over the choice they made.” Rowan tilted his head. “What are you going to do?”
Daniel frowned, LED spinning yellow. “...You won’t stop me?”
“I won’t.”
“Then I think I’m going to Jericho.”
Rowan smiled a little. “Good. ...But first, do you think Connor will be able to recognize you? He’s getting out of the cab outside.”
Daniel scoffed, closing his eyes and shifting his posture slightly. “He’d better.”