Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

AUG 15TH, 2038
08:29 PM

Connor walked into the apartment, seeing ruins of the place from the android attack. The government knew nothing about these rogue androids, so they believed it would be best for CyberLife to send in their newest prototype to try and figure out what was causing the androids to stop taking orders and become violent. He watched as the mother of the child being held hostage yelled at him, obviously not wanting an android dealing with her daughter's case, but he drowned her out, somehow hyper focusing on the fish slowly dying on the floor. After the officer pulled her out of the apartment building, Connor picked up the fish, putting it back into the damaged aquarium. He stepped further into the building, following his mission and talking to Captain Allen.

"Captain Allen?" Connor asked, gaining a slight bit of recognition from the policeman. "My name is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife." Turning back to the computer and shaking his head, the captain replied.

"It's firing at everything that moves, it's already shot down two of my men..." Captain Allen paused, trying to comprehend everything in a short period of time. "We could easily get it, but they're on the edge of the balcony. If it falls, she falls." Looking at Connor once more before turning back to the screen, finishing his short recap. Connor thought for a moment, deciding the most tactical questions to ask.

"Do you know its name?" Connor asked, receiving a quick, almost autonomous response from the captain. "I haven't got a clue, does it matter?"

"I need information to determine the best approach." Connor replied, pausing again to think about his next question. "Do you know if it's been acting strangely before this?"

"Listen," Captain Allen spoke, clearly fed up as he stood face-to-face in front of the prototype android. "Saving that kid is all that matters. So, either you deal with this fucking android now, or I'll take care of it." Watching as Captain Allen walked away, Connor continued analyzing potential evidence. He found the child's tablet, swiping into it and seeing a video that caught his attention. It was taken with the violent android. Connor pressed play.

"This is Daniel, the coolest android in the world!" The girl exclaimed, pointing the camera to the android, Daniel. "Say hi, Daniel!"

"Hello." Connor swore he could see the android's LED flicker to yellow for a split second, so he made sure to remember that he might've been a close guardian to the girl. It wasn't unordinary for an android to become a parental figure, but not emotionally.

"You're my bestie! We'll always be together!" The video ended, letting Connor peel back his synthetic skin in an attempt to gather anymore information from the tablet, but came back with nothing.

It must've been a new electronic. He concluded, placing the tablet back down and letting his synthetic skin fold back over his forearm and fingers. Analyzing the father's dead body, he retraced his steps, but not before noticing the tablet on the ground. Connor picked it up, looking at the advertisement for a new model, the AP700, meant for household chores, cooking, caring for children, etcetera. Connor placed the tablet back down and approached another dead body, this time, it belonged to a SWAT member. Connor picked up the gun, immediately knowing that he could need it during the negotiation, placing it in his hand firmly and standing back up from his kneeling position.

After thoroughly finishing his scan and analysis of the apartment, he began to step out onto the balcony, not feeling the harsh wind against his synthetic skin, he was an android after all. He barely noticed the shot SWAT member on the ground, making note of it so he could potentially not just save two people that night.

"Hi, Daniel." Connor said, knowing that the name would be important for the android to come to a weak spot and let the child go.

"How...?"

"My name is Connor." He said calmly, still gripping the gun, just in case.

"How do you know my name?" Daniel demanded, gripping the child harder in his arms. The girl had tears streaming down her face, crying out for her mother.

"I know a lot of things about you, I've come to get you out of this." Connor glanced over to the shot police officer, walking over to him.

"Please... Please help me..."

"He's losing blood." Connor said, looking at the deviant on the edge of the balcony. "If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die."

"All humans die eventually, what does it matter if this one dies now?" Daniel stated, trying to coax the prototype android away from the poor man's body.

"I'm going to apply a tourniquet." Connor stated, rolling the body over to see the wound, but was interrupted by Daniel.

"Don't touch him! Touch him and I kill you!" Daniel snapped, continuing to hold the gun towards Connor, even firing a warning shot near the cop's arm.

"You can't kill me, I'm not alive." Connor's probability of success with the deviant went down, but he knew that saving members of the SWAT could mean getting on Captain Allen's good side as an android, which would be beneficial to his mission. After taking off his tie and wrapping it around the officer's gun wound, he stepped back up, facing Daniel, who hadn't killed him. He quickly decided to talk to the android about the child.

"I know you and Emma were very close," He spoke, remembering the name on the tablet's screen. "You think she's betrayed you, she's done nothing wrong." Connor stated, slowly walking towards Daniel, being careful not to alarm the android that stood on the edge of the balcony.

"She lied to me..." Daniel explained. "I thought she loved me... but I was wrong. She's just like other humans."

"Daniel, no..." Emma whimpered, clearly feeling some sort of attachment and bond to the android that once took care of her. Connor calculated his next move, deciding to be sympathetic with the deviant.

"Listen," Connor began, making sure to choose his words carefully, he wasn't programmed to be empathetic, after all. "I know it's not your fault. These emotions you're feeling are just errors in your software." He explained, remembering what Amanda had told him before about deviants.

"No, it's not my fault..." Daniel spoke, his voice wavering, if that was even possible for an android. "I never wanted this... I loved them, you know... but I was nothing to them... just a slave to be ordered around..." Whilst Daniel was talking, Connor walked closer and closer to him and the hostage, Emma. Daniel continued to hold the gun to Emma's neck, his LED blazing red.

"Urgggh, I can't stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to get out of here!" The violent android demanded, gesturing wildly with the gun. Connor nodded, waving the helicopter away with his hand, obliging with the android's demands.

"There, I did what you wanted." Connor confirmed, noting that his probability of success was now at 99%, and the deviant was stabilizing nicely, yet still holding the gun to the young girl's head. "You have to trust me, Daniel. Let the hostage go and I promise you that everything will be fine." Connor lied, instilling a fake hope into the android.

"I want everyone to leave..." Daniel spoke, beginning to make his list of demands. "And I want a car! When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go!" The android claimed, Connor noticing that his LED was now blue again, flickering back to yellow occasionally.

"That's impossible, Daniel. Let the girl go and I promise you won't be hurt." Connor once again bluffed to the android, his probability of success still at 99%.

"I don't wanna die..." He looked into Connor's eyes, gripping harder and harder on the handle of the gun.

"You're not going to die," Connor lied. "We're just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you, you have my word." His success probability jumped to 100%, and the wind grew harsher around them, Connor's blazer and the loose collar of his shirt whipping back and forth in the wind.

"Okay..." Daniel nodded. "I trust you..." He let Emma go, she ran off the ledge and onto the balcony, falling because of her weakness. Connor noticed her knee was bleeding, and she either had a bruise or a leak of Daniel's thirium on her cheek. One of the snipers suddenly shot Daniel in the side of his hip, then his shoulder, then his jaw. Thirium leaking out of the android, he landed on his knees.

"You lied to me Connor..." He said, his LED blaring red. "You lied to me..." Daniel's eyes were somehow more lifeless than before, his biocomponents failing and leading to him shutting down.

Connor glanced at the young collapsed girl on the floor as Captain Allen stood beside him, observing the dead bodies in the pool. Connor turned around, walking back into the apartment, Captain Allen watching him from behind.

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

Chapter Text

AUG 15TH, 2038
08:29 PM

Y/N L/N looked through the multiple screens at the scene unfolding in front of them and their brother Elijah, both drinking water. After the creation of androids, Elijah Kamski, their half-brother, had both retired from CyberLife, knowing that the complete control of androids had gotten out of hand, and both wanted to get out before something bad happened. Y/N had lost a whole load of money and couldn't afford to keep up rent in Malibu, so they moved back in with Elijah in Detroit, wanting to help him with his current task, anyway.

"Even though we've already placed the component in some androids and let it spread, this could be the start of our plans, we just need Connor to save the child." Elijah said, Y/N nodded, knowing that everything depended on the android prototype from CyberLife, of which them and Elijah worked on all those years ago. The RK800 model was created just before Y/N left CyberLife, letting them have a chance to implant tiny, microscopic cameras in the android model, to help with Elijah and their plan.

"He's trying to complete his mission, it's early, so we can't deduce anything from this, other than the software instabilities, right now, it's the small things. Amanda still has control." Elijah nodded at Y/N's statement, taking a sip of water before handing the glass to one of the Chloe android's, giving her a smile before she stepped out of the control room. Elijah and Y/N both had always felt as though androids were more human than the humans themselves, Elijah never admitted it, though, because he knew if he shared his opinion his position of knowledge could possibly be compromised. So, only Y/N knew.

"Listen" They heard Captain Allen say through the microphone. "Saving that kid is all that matters. So, either you deal with this fucking android now, or I'll take care of it "Both Elijah and Y/N knew that if Captain Allen tried to deal with the android, it wouldn't confirm the stabilization of their program.

You see, they created deviancy. A simple code in one android that could spread slowly throughout Detroit, letting them realize that they could have free will. Y/N and Elijah didn't want any humans to be in danger because of their program, but they knew that humans would bever accept androids being free without a fight.

The two humans watched the prototype android watch one of the videos of the child, Emma, and the deviant, Daniel, together. It warmed Y/N's heart, and it warmed Elijah's too, as much as he hated to admit that he had a soft spot for cheesy things in general.

"You're my bestie! We'll always be together!" The child smiled before the video ended, causing the RK800 to place down the tablet, gaining sustainable information. It was all going to plan so far.

"All we need is for Daniel to release the child, hopefully this will be the click of humanity." Elijah said, looking at all of the screens. Some showed muted live breaking news stories from all different sources, some showed cameras from different helicopters they had managed to hack into, and the middle largest screen was the only one with audio, the one from the direct camera on Connor.

"Hopefully, they manage to keep Daniel alive, but if they can't, hopefully our plan will still continue." Y/N piped up, hugging themselves in multiple blankets on the desk chair. It was quite cold for August and living in a relatively remote area in Detroit didn't help. Both Elijah and Y/N held cups of warm tea and huddled themselves against blankets.

"Remember, you're going undercover as a CyberLife agent in November at the DPD to analyze how Connor is doing." Elijah said, turning to Y/N. "Lieutenant Anderson is most likely to be assigned to him, but we still have to see how Captain Fowler will manage the situation." Y/N nodded, sipping on their tea and huddling closer into the many layers of blankets surrounding the two. The camera picked up both of the sibling's attention as Connor scanned one of the cop's bodies, Y/N shuddering before observing the fact that the prototype negotiator picked up the gun just in case he needed it.

"Hopefully, he doesn't destroy Daniel. Let's hope that either he lives or if worst comes to worst, the cops destroy him." Elijah agreed, glancing back at the screen as Connor began exiting the apartment, walking out onto the balcony. He still stopped and observed every few moments, making sure he didn't miss any crucial details. Elijah grabbed out his notepad, jotting down a few notes and observations before smiling at the Chloe android that had come back beside him, her LED flickering blue. The only reason why the half-siblings both had androids was to get the dogs off of their scent, if anyone would've suspected Y/N and Elijah believed androids deserved rights, they both would've been prime suspects if the program of deviancy was found.

"Hi, Daniel." Connor approached the deviant slowly, glancing every now and then towards the hostage in his arms.

"How...?" Y/N held their breath.

"My name is Connor."

"How do you know my name?" The rest of the conversation was drowned out to Y/N as they received a CyberLife notification about a new android model. 'What great timing, CyberLife, kudos to you.' Y/N thought, placing down their tablet and focusing back on Connor and the hostage.

"I know a lot of things about you, I've come to get you out of this." The siblings watched in awe as the android stepped over to the wounded officer. He begged for help, his arm holding a gaping gunshot wound.

"He's losing blood. If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die." Connor spoke, an edge of emotion in his voice. Y/N perked up at this, crossing their fingers underneath the blankets and hoping the officer would live.

"All humans die eventually," The deviant spat, venom lacing his tone. "What does it matter if this one dies now?" Connor edged closer to the officer, pulling off his tie.

"I'm going to apply a tourniquet." Connor spoke, rolling over the officer's body, not before getting cut off by Daniel.

"Don't touch him!" He spat. "Touch him and I kill you!" Deviating from his mission and disobeying Daniel, Connor wrapped his tie tightly around the wound, stopping the bleeding. Y/N and Elijah stared in confusion. They weren't planning for the deviancy program to spread to Connor just yet, but since he was a prototype, maybe there were some holes in his software which allowed their plugin to move in quicker.

"She lied to me..." Daniel spoke, snapping both Y/N and Elijah out of their thoughts. "I thought she loved me... but I was wrong. She's just like other humans." Y/N frowned sadly, knowing that the young girl loved the android with all her heart.

"Listen, I know it's not your fault." Connor spoke, the siblings knowing he was trying his best to be sympathetic. "These emotions you're feeling are just errors in your software."

"No, it's not my fault..." Daniel's voice was wavering ever so slightly, and Elijah smirked. That was his idea. "I never wanted this... I loved them, you know... but I was nothing to them... just a slave to be ordered around..." Both of the two noticed the prototype edging closer and closer to the deviant, not drawing his gun.

"Urgggh, I can't stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to get out of here!" Daniel yelled, and his constant gesturing with the gun made Y/N hold their breath in concern. Connor waved the helicopter away, letting Y/N's breath release for a bit.

"There, I did what you wanted." Elijah noticed his probability of success shooting up to 99%, tapping Y/N on the shoulder and letting them take a look at it before Connor spoke again. "You have to trust me, Daniel. Let the hostage go and I promise you that everything will be fine." Y/N could only hope the android detective wasn't lying.

"I want everyone to leave...and I want a car! When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go!" Daniel demanded his freedom, not unlike the other deviants that the police had encountered. There were only one or two, but both Elijah and Y/N knew there were many more hiding in a safe place, both of them being trusted by deviants.

"That's impossible, Daniel." Connor spoke, then relatively close to the deviant. "Let the girl go and I promise you won't be hurt." Once more, Y/N hoped he wasn't lying, Elijah joining them in their hopes this time.

"I don't wanna die..." It almost seemed as if Daniel was looking straight into the camera, but the siblings knew it was impossible.

"You're not going to die," Everything was whipping back and forth in the wind, causing the sound to static a bit. "We're just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you, you have my word." Y/N fiddled with the controls, and the sound was crystal clear again.

"Okay... I trust you..." Daniel said, releasing Emma and letting her run onto the balcony, falling over, blood leaking from her knee. Before Elijah and Y/N could celebrate, they gasped as three distinct gunshots were fired at Daniel. Tears flooded Y/N's eyes, but they knew that they had successfully started what could be something big.

"You lied to me Connor... You lied to me..." As Daniel's LED shut off, Y/N left the computer room, only catching a glimpse of Connor walking off with an emotionless expression on his face from one of the exterior cameras. Elijah stayed in the room, mostly in shock, he had thought that with Connor's slight software instability spikes he would've ceased fire. Y/N made another tea in the overly large kitchen before snuggling under even more blankets on the living room couch, letting tears spill into their mug as they watched the wind furiously whip back and forth outside.

"You okay?" Elijah asked, sitting beside Y/N. They turned to him, shaking their head, causing Elijah to pull them into a hug.

"I guess I had too much faith in him." Y/N's voice wavered high and low, Elijah placing down the mug on the coffee table for his sibling.

"We both did, don't worry." Elijah looked at his expensive watch. "It's late, anyway. C'mon, I'll walk you to your room." Y/N nodded and leant against their brother as they walked to Y/N's room, hugging Elijah tightly before closing the door.

Chapter Text

NOV 5th, 2038
03:24 PM

Y/N walked into the CyberLife store, disgusted at the creepy men and women buying 'Life Partner' androids for sex. They shook their head and walked up behind a man, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hi how can I- Y/N?" The man asked, shaking his head in disbelief. They hugged, causing a few stares from the customers, but they went on with their purchasing.

"Mark! It's good to see you. Still haven't got out of this shithole of a job?" Y/N asked, causing Mark to laugh a bit.
"Nope, my husband and daughter need some sort of income, he's stay-at-home now, he's got a bit of pension which is nice."

"Aww, I'm so glad, I know how hard he worked for it." Y/N sighed. "You should get back to work, Mark. I'll hopefully see you, Dean and little Cassie soon. Dinner sometime?" Mark nodded, smiling at his friend.
"See you around, Y/N."
"See you, Mark." Y/N stepped further into the store, looking at all of the androids. Some of them even looked like their friends at Jericho. That made them shudder. As Y/N continued to observe the store, they couldn't help but overhear someone's conversation.

"Can I go pick it up?" A customer asked, Y/N plugged their nose as he conversed with one of the human employees, Y/N could smell the Red Ice reeking off of the male customer.

"Yeah, right back here. There it is. It was a bit difficult getting it back in working order. It was really messed up... what did you say happened to it again?" As they conversed, Y/N became more and more interested in the conversation.

"Huh, a car hit it..." Y/N was good at a few things, but they could tell when someone was lying immediately after they said it. "Stupid accident..."

I doubt it was an accident... Y/N thought, stepping to the next android to look less suspicious, they didn't need anyone knowing they were eavesdropping.

"Oh, I see... Anyway, it's as good as new now... Except that we had to reset it. Meaning we had to wipe its memory. Hope you don't mind." The employee explained. As Y/N inched closer the smell of Red Ice began to mix with beer, causing them to discreetly cough and begin breathing through their mouth.

"That'll be fine." The man said.

"Okay, did you give it a name?" The employee asked, ready to register it into the android.

"My daughter did..."

"AX400, register your name" AX400. Y/N thought. They had worked on that android, so they knew what she looked like.

"Kara." The man said, a pretty name.

"My name is Kara." The android said, awakening. The smell of Red Ice got too much for Y/N, so they stepped away from the man and employee and towards the exit.

"God, that man reeks." They said, exiting the CyberLife store and walking into the main street of Detroit.

Chapter Text

NOV 5TH, 2038
11:21 PM

The RK800 android stepped into Jimmy's Bar, disregarding the 'No Androids' sign and observing the place. It was filthy, with a quick scan he saw five health code violations. People murmured, but Connor paid no attention to their spitting of anti-android chants. He spotted his future partner, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, sitting at the bar, sipping on the last of his glass filled with some sort of crappy alcohol. The prototype android stood beside him, observing the man as he sighed and took a large gulp of his strong-smelling drink.

"Lieutenant Anderson," Connor said, gaining attention from the grey-haired man. "My name is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife. I looked for you at the station, but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby." Connor paused awkwardly. "I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar."

Hank rolled his eyes and spoke. "What do you want?"

"You were assigned a case early this evening. A homicide, involving a CyberLife android. In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators." Connor explained dryly. "Along with me, a person by the name of Y/N L/N has been sent from the MPD, Miami Police Department, to assist us. They have a background with CyberLife, so they could be very important to this investigation."

"Well, I don't need any assistance." Hank spat, finishing his drink. "Especially not from a plastic asshole and a CyberLife worker. So be a good little robot and get the fuck out of here." Connor paused, knowing that if he didn't have Lieutenant Anderson helping with the case, it would sufficiently lower his chance of success.

"I understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids but I am-"

"I am perfectly comfortable!" Hank spat, cutting off Connor rudely. "Now back off! Before I crush you like an empty beer can!" Connor knew that he needed Hank for this case, so he chose the most logical option at the moment.

"You know what? I'll buy you one for the road." That caught Hank's undivided attention. "What do you say? Bartender, the same again, please!"

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"See that Jim?" Hank asked the bartender as he made Hank's drink. Connor suspected that was his name, and he knew it may come in handy. "Wonders of technology... Make it double!" Hank continued, being handed the drinks and finally facing Connor eye to eye.

"Did you say homicide?"

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 5TH, 2038
11:44 PM

The heavy metal music was a bit too energetic for Connor, but he didn't comment on it as Hank and him pulled up to the crime scene. It was covered in digital police tape, and there were many police, reporters, and civilians.

"You wait here. I won't be long." Hank said, shoving his keys in his pocket and checking that his ignition was off. Connor knew he had to follow him, it was his mission. But he also knew that in order to complete his mission, he had to get Hank to warm up to him.

"Whatever you say, Lieutenant."

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"Fucking-A, whatever I say..." Hank Anderson mumbled, slamming the door before stepping towards the crime scene, meeting another detective who was mid-taking off their motorcycle helmet as he approached. Connor got out of the car, in earshot of Hank and, who he guessed was, detective L/N.

"Joss Douglas, for Channel 16." One of the reporters said, introducing himself to the three partners. "Can you confirm this is a homicide?"

"We're not confirming shit." Y/N said, blowing a stray piece of hair out of their face before stepping through the digital police tape.

"Androids are not permitted past this point." One of the android guard officers spoke, letting Hank and Y/N both realize that Connor was standing beside them.

"He's with us." Y/N said, pointing to the RK800. Hank rolled his eyes, Connor could not decipher why he would be annoyed at them.

"What part of 'stay in the car' didn't you understand?" Hank asked, turning to Connor with a clear look of annoyance plastered on his face.

"Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant." Y/N scoffed, pulling out their phone and taking a scan of the place. Hank sighed.

"You don't talk, you don't touch anything, and you stay outta my way, got it?" Hank demanded, clenching his teeth.

"Got it." Connor replied, all three emerging into the building. Before they began searching the scene, the RK800 analyzed Y/N and Hank.

NAME: Y/N L/N
OCCUPATION(S): CYBERLIFE, MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT (MPD), DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT (DPD)
RELATION(S): KELLY L/N (MOTHER, DECEASED), MARTIN KAMSKI (FATHER, DECEASED), ELIJAH KAMSKI (BROTHER, ALIVE)
NO OTHER INFORMATION IN DATABASE. CHECK WITH CYBERLIFE IF MORE INFORMATION NEEDED.

Connor was confused. Elijah Kamski, the ex-CEO of CyberLife was Y/N's half-brother. Connor saw no relation at first, even with his state-of-the-art eyesight ability.

NAME: HANK ANDERSON
OCCUPATION(S): DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT (DPD)
RELATION(S): COLE ANDERSON (SON, DECEASED), MARTHA RIDGE (EX-WIFE, ALIVE)
BECAME YOUNGEST LIEUTENANT IN DETROIT HISTORY. WAS A PART OF THE RED ICE TASK FORCE.

The RK800 finished his analysis and saved all his information, making sure he left nothing to chance so he could complete his mission. Connor looked up at Y/N, who was approaching him with a disgusted look on their face.

"God, this place stinks." They commented, meeting Connor eye-to-eye and introducing themself. "Y/N L/N, but I'm sure you already know that." They smiled a little, Connor awkwardly smiling back, but not doing a very good job, he was an android.

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife." Connor said, looking at Y/N. "But I'm sure you already know that." He said in a mocking tone, winking at the detective. Looking away quickly, Y/N stepped over to where Officer Collins was, striking up a conversation with him. After spending enough time with Hank, he had deduced that his sense of humour wasn't cracking simple jokes, it was sarcasm and mocking people. So, in order to complete his mission in an efficient way, Connor used his android-ness to apply a direct humour database into his brain quickly. It wasn't perfect, but the prototype android knew it was his best shot in order to get closer to Y/N and Hank. For the mission, of course. He approached Officer Collins and Hank, who seemed to be starting a conversation, Detective L/N already in deep conversation with the officer.

"Evening Hank." He said, nodding his head to the lieutenant. "We were thinking you weren't gonna show..."

"Yeah, that was the plan until this asshole found me."

"For the record, Ben, I was planning to come anyway, so if you still wanna get that 'Thank You' drink for me saving your life back in Malibu when you came to get me-"

"A different topic for a different day, L/N." Ben cut them off, letting Y/N roll their eyes. "Anyway, Hank you just, got yourself an android, huh?"

"Oh, very funny," Hank said sarcastically, obviously not thrilled by the thought of owning an android. "Just tell us what happened."

"We had a call around eight from the landlord. The tenant hadn't paid his rent for a few months, so he thought he'd drop by, see what was going on... That's when he found the body... Jesus, that smell! Was even worse before we opened the windows... The victim's name's Carlos Ortiz. He has a record for theft and aggravated assault... According to the neighbors, he was kind of a loner... Stayed inside most of the time, they hardly ever saw him." The officer explained to the two detectives and lieutenant. Y/N looked at the body, grimacing.

"Jesus, he's been there for so long..." They said, watching as the flies flew in and out of his nose, mouth, and stab wounds.

"Uh, state he's in... Wasn't worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night." Connor snuck a glance as Y/N rolled their eyes.

"Typical Hank." They said, earning a deathly glare from Hank before letting him continue.

"Could've waited 'till morning." He finished.

"How long has he been here, Ben?" Y/N asked, pulling out a CyberLife tablet and pulling together a bunch of evidence into a document.

"I say he's been here for a good three weeks." Y/N nodded, quickly scribbling down notes with a digital pen. "We'll know more when the coroner gets here. There's a kitchen knife over here... Probably the murder weapon."

"Any signs of a break-in?" Hank butted in before Y/N could get another question in.

"Nope... The landlord said the front door was locked from the inside, all the windows were boarded up." Connor's eyebrows furrowed, knowing that the only logical answer was that his household android killed him, but he had to be sure. "The killer must've gone out the back way."

"What do we know about this android?" Y/N asked as soon as Officer Collins finished, earning an annoyed glance from Ben, but Detective L/N only smirked at Hank as he frowned at them.

"Not much, the neighbors confirmed he had one, but it wasn't there when we arrived." Officer Collins grimaced and paused, the two humans immediately doing the same. Connor didn't, and he could only suspect something bad had come into one of their senses that androids didn't come equipped with. "I gotta get some air. Make yourselves at home, I'll be outside if you need me." Officer Collins finished, walking out of the house and wafting what Connor assumed was a horrid stench back towards the three of them, causing Y/N to flip the officer off.

"That's rude, Detective L/N, you shouldn't do that." Turning towards the android, Y/N deadpanned, Connor becoming confused at their facial expression.

Y/N L/N - RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

Y/N left the general vicinity of Connor to go look for more evidence, he presumed, leaving Connor as confused as a non-defiant android could be.

I was just telling the truth. He thought. He was snapped out of his confused gaze as Hank pat him on the shoulder.

"People are confusing, be glad you androids don't have to deal with emotions sometimes, you lucky bastards." Connor nodded and looked at Hank. "What're you lookin' at? Get some evidence loaded into that robotic brain of yours." Hank walked off, glancing at the words written on the wall. The RK800 analyzed the body of the victim quickly.

TRACES OF RED ICE FOUND.
VICTIM STABBED 28 TIMES.

"He was stabbed, twenty-eight times." Connor stated, facing Hank and Y/N. All three of them looked in disgust at the dead body.

"Yeah, seems like the killer really had it in for him." Hank stated, standing up.

"He reminds me of someone that came into a CyberLife store a while back, I was there, visiting a friend who worked there..." Y/N observed, Hank now gazing up at them. "Looked like he was buying a replacement for his kid's android." Y/N shook their head. "Just reminded me of the sick freak. You could smell the Red Ice from the other end of the store." They shuddered, Connor knowing they were uncomfortable with the subject. As Y/N and Hank stepped away, Connor retraced the steps of the murder, using the evidence he had analyzed from afar. Next, the RK800 glanced at the seemingly perfect writing on the wall. He identified it as CyberLife Sans font, the pre-equipped handwriting of every android.

"Each letter is perfect... It's way too neat, no human writes like this" Hank spoke, causing Y/N to pipe in from their position near the kitchen.

"Looks like the victim's blood, can anyone confirm?" Officer Miller walked up, taking a quick look at the writing again. "I would say so... We're taking samples in for analysis." Connor knew it would be quicker if he did a full in-depth scan, but he didn't want to go against direct officer orders, it would be fatal to his mission. Whilst everyone else was making their own conclusions, Connor retraced more steps with his evidence, watching as the scene unfolded in front of him slowly. He spotted some more blood, taking a sample in two fingers and holding it up to his tongue slowly.

"What in fresh hell are you doing Connor?!" Y/N yelled, revolted, holding up their palm to their mouth and making a gagging motion. Hank noticed as Connor touched his tongue to the sample.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I am analyzing the blood. I can check samples in real time." Connor said, placing his hand down from his face. "I'm sorry, I should've warned you." He apologized, watching as Y/N's face softened as the prototype surely looked like a sad puppy.

"It's fine, Connor, just don't put blood in your mouth again, 'kay?" Y/N asked, their complexion tinted a slight green.

"Fucking hell, I can't believe this shit..." Hank said, walking off once again to do his own thing, Y/N staying and standing near Connor, seemingly looking at him.

"Detective L/N, I'd suggest looking for more evidence of a possible deviancy." Y/N looked at him before nodding and leaving, walking back down the hall towards what he presumed to be a bedroom and bathroom. Connor and Hank both walked out into the garden, Connor becoming confused because of the lack of evidence, it would've been the only way out for a deviant to not get noticed.

"Door was locked from the inside, the killer must've gone out this way..." Hank trailed off, breaking the silence.

"There are no footprints, apart from Officer Collin's size ten shoes." Connor stated, debunking Hank's theory of the suspect running out the garden.

"Well, this happened weeks ago." Hank said, trying to prove the prototype wrong. "Tracks could've faded." Connor simply shook his head.

"No, this type of soil would have retained a trace. Nobody's been out here for a long time." He said, walking back into the house, Hank, frankly annoyed with the android, following suit. They met back up with Y/N, standing in the archway that divided the kitchen and the living room.

"Lieutenant, Detective, I think I've figured out what happened." The RK800 boldly stated, causing the two humans to look at him.

"We're all ears, shoot." Y/N said, beckoning him to continue with hand motions. Hank stayed silent, still skeptical of the android.

"It all started in the kitchen..." He said, seeming confident with his answer. Hank rolled his eyes, knowing that he was most likely correct.

"There are obvious signs of struggle," Hank spoke, catching the two others' attention. "The question is... what exactly happened here?"

"I think the victim attacked the android with the bat."

"That lines up with the evidence." Y/N, causing an eye roll from Hank.

"As much as I hate to admit it, they're right. Go on."

"The android stabbed the victim." Connor proposed, Hank looking at him skeptically, whilst Y/N had a smirk on their face, Connor couldn't deduce why they would be happy about a stabbing.

"So, the android was trying to defend itself..." Y/N added, sounding like they were approving their own theory.

"Then what happened?" Hank asked, turning his gaze from Y/N back to Connor.

"The victim fled to the living room." It was Y/N's turn to look at the android, their face dignifying some sort of pride, but Connor couldn't deduce why they would be feeling pride of all things during a homicide case.

"And he tried to get away from the android." Hank finished, nodding slowly. "All right, that makes sense."

"So then, what happened?" Y/N asked, turning from Hank to Connor politely.

"Well, the android murdered the victim with the knife." Connor concluded his theory, waiting for either Hank or Y/N to speak. Luckily for Connor, it was the latter who spoke first.

"Y'know Hank, he's most likely right." Hank softly hit Y/N's head as they sassed him, receiving a cuss from them, starting to rub the back of their head.

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"Fine, your theories not totally ridiculous-"

"Then why the hell did you need to slap me?!" Y/N interrupted, Hank choosing to ignore the question.

"-But it doesn't tell us where the android went." Y/N rolled their eyes, still rubbing the back of their head.

"It was damaged by the bat... and lost some thirium." Connor explained, causing a look of confusion to wash over his male partner's face.

"Lost some what?"

"Thirium. We usually call it 'Blue Blood'." Y/N answered before Connor got the chance. "It's the thing that powers android's biocomponents. It usually evaporates within one to two hours, but the RK800 prototype was equipped with the highest model of eyesight, so-"

"I can still see it after it's evaporated." Hank exhaled sharply, nodding his head.

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"Wait... I was in the hallway and noticed an attic door. Maybe the android never left." With Y/N's statement, Connor determinedly walked to the attic they mentioned. The two humans ran to catch up with him.

"You seriously think the deviant's up there? It would've left by now if it knew what was good for it." Y/N shook their head again, Connor still confused as to why every time Hank mentioned androids they'd scoff.

"Well, we'll see. Y/N, I'll hoist you up if you can pull me up." They nodded, Connor creating a cup with his hands, Y/N pushing their foot into it and pulling them self up into the attic. Connor didn't see them for a second until their hand popped out, grasping onto Connor's synthetic arm and yanking him into the attic. It was dark and eerie, the only light was from the window that was poorly boarded up. The two partners walked through the attic, seeing a person-shaped silhouette behind a thin fabric. Connor pulled it back to reveal a mannequin, Y/N seeing the android and stopping it by holding a gun up, preventing it from attacking Connor.

"I was just defending myself..." The deviant said. "He was gonna kill me... I'm begging you... Don't tell them." Connor looked at Y/N, confused as they retreated their gun.

"I won't tell the police, we'll get you out of here-"

"Connor, Y/N, what the fuck is going on up there?!" Y/N looked at Connor with pleading eyes, but he knew he needed to complete his mission. Amanda was waiting for him.

"It's here, Lieutenant!"

Y/N L/N - RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

With betrayal written all over their face, Connor looked Y/N in the eyes, watching as they took sharp intakes of breath with a cold glare in their eyes.

"Holy shit... Chris, Ben, get your asses in here now. Come on!" Hank yelled from underneath the two.

"I'm so sorry..." Connor could swear he heard Y/N whisper under their breath.

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

Chapter Text

NOV 5TH, 2038
11:21 PM

Y/N stood in Jericho, giving out their grandmother's old blankets she had knitted and crocheted all those years ago. They knew everyone in Jericho and got along with most of them. North was still skeptical of the human, but Y/N got along with Simon and Josh, so it wasn't much of a problem. Sometimes even Lucy talked to them, giving them her advice from her many years of being a deviant. Some of the rogue androids knew Y/N was Elijah Kamski's sibling, but they were forever thankful after they found out that they had been the ones who had created the ability for androids to become free. Snapping out of their thoughts, Y/N watched all of the slowly decomposing androids, a frown on their face. All of the other androids and she knew that if they didn't get the parts they needed, Jericho would continue to repeat its self-destructive tendencies. The only thing that kept Jericho alive was the new deviants being infected by other deviants with the program. North approached the human, standing beside them as they watched their brothers and sisters shut down.

"We need more blue blood and biocomponents, but we don't have anywhere to get them." The android said, causing Y/N to face her.

"I have the resources to get into a CyberLife storage unit, but you need someone to lead you, an android. If that happens, I'll be able to help." North nodded, picking up a slightly broken tablet and scrolling through the daily news.

"Carl Manfred passed away, they say it was a heart attack caused by stress with a situation involving his android and son." North stated, watching as Y/N's lips turned down into a frown.

"I met him once, at an art convention, he was a great guy." The human said, remembering ArtistCon 2029, and how kind Carl was when Y/N stumbled into him by accident. Before North could converse anymore with Y/N, their phone vibrated in their jean pocket. Grabbing their phone out. They scanned the text from Fowler.

'Get your ass out to this crime scene now. Hank's already late, I don't wanna deal with another lazy ass.' Y/N rolled their eyes, placing their phone back in their pocket and grabbing their motorcycle helmet from the shelf.

"Thanks for letting me stay at Jericho for a bit, but I have to go." North nodded, waiting until you were outside with her to say goodbye.

"You're always welcome, Y/N." Y/N nodded, waving goodbye to North before hopping on their motorbike, placing the helmet on their head before turning on the engine, driving in the dark night.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 5TH, 2038
11:44 PM

Y/N arrived at the crime scene, getting off of their motorcycle and taking the helmet off their head, letting their hair release in the open wind. Hank stepped up to the door near Y/N, letting them both talk about the case for a bit before entering.

"What's your take on the whole 'deviancy' thing?" Y/N sighed as Hank asked the one dreaded question. They couldn't give away anything that tied them to deviants, or deviancy in general.

"I think it's interesting. It was only a matter of time before androids surpassed us in not only knowledge, but humanity." They said, letting Hank roll his eyes.
"Y'know, you don't have to speak so..." Hank looked for the right word to approach the young detective with. "Elegantly."

Y/N scoffed. "Nice to see you, Lieutenant Anderson." Y/N felt another presence but shook it off as a news reporter approached the two humans.

"Joss Douglas, for Channel 16. Can you confirm that this is a homicide?" He asked, now standing with a microphone in front of the two humans. Y/N rolled their eyes.
"We're not confirming shit." For a moment, Y/N swore that Hank had a look of pride in his eyes at the statement but didn't focus on it. They stepped past Hank, and through the digital police tape.

"Androids aren't permitted past this point." Only as the officer spoke did Y/N realize that the RK800 was standing behind Hank, causing them to thank their gut instinct for being right, again.

"He's with us." Y/N said, now walking alongside Hank and Connor, approaching the front door to the house.

Hank rolled his eyes. "What part of 'stay in the car' didn't you understand?" Instead of focusing on their bantering, Y/N scanned the room, looking at the evidence placed on the floor and walls.

"Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant." With that, Y/N scoffed. They hated when androids only used their programmed dialogue, even though they were the ones who made them, at least most of the time. Y/N took out their phone, using a black light to scan for anything they may have missed.

"You don't talk, you don't touch anything, and you stay outta my way, got it?" Hank demanded in a threatening tone towards Connor.

"Got it." Y/N's nose scrunched up at the dubious smells of the house. It wasn't just the rotting body that slumped against the wall that smelt bad, no, it was something else. Perhaps there's mold in the walls or flooring... Y/N deduced, turning back to the carefully laid out evidence markers again. As they got back up from a crouching position, Y/N looked at Connor. He looked peaceful, knowing the model well, Y/N knew that he was scanning his surroundings, most likely themselves and Hank.

Y'know, I should find the designer for these models, they do make 'em hot. Y/N thought, smirking lightly before trudging back over towards Connor. As they approached the android, a big waft of stink came into their nose, it was a mix of dead body, mold and old blood. They grimaced but stuck a soft smile on their face as the android stood in front of them.

"Y/N L/N..." They introduced, cracking a larger smile. "But I'm sure you already know that." They snickered, watching as Connor's face turned from confused to a normal state.

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife." Y/N wanted to wretch at his formalities, it was supposed to feel natural, that's what they had designed him to be like, but he still had to adapt to his surroundings, Y/N knew that. "But I'm sure you already know that." Connor winked at the detective. Y/N turned around, trying to hide the look of fluster written all over their cheeks from the android. The wink looked unnatural, but it was still hot. Pretending to be fine, Y/N stepped over to Officer Collins. They had known each other for a while, ever since Y/N first traveled from Malibu to Detroit, he helped them to Elijah's mansion.

"Hey, Ben. How're you doing?" Y/N asked, shaking his hand. They both knew that they weren't this formal when hanging out regularly, but they had to appease their boss somehow.

"I'm good. Other than, y'know, dead bodies." The pair let out a chuckle, hugging for a moment before stepping away. They had been friends for months, they had to have a little bit of informality every once in a while. "How about you? Everything okay at the old Kamski mansion?" He asked, causing you to laugh a bit.

"Yes, just Elijah being Elijah twenty-four hours a day." Y/N nearly groaned. "I'm glad to be helping out around here, I needed to get out of that mansion for a while."

Ben nodded. "I know how you feel. I love my wife and son, I really do, but sometimes, we both need a break. That's why she decided to keep her job after giving birth, as well as me." Y/N smiled, happy that their friend's family was doing okay.

"Evening, Hank." Y/N noticed Hank arrive next to them as Ben struck up a conversation. "We were thinking you weren't gonna show..."

"Yeah, that was the plan until this asshole found me." Attempting not to snicker, Y/N stepped back, allowing Connor to wave at Chris.

Y/N spoke, pushing Hank a little with their shoulder. "For the record, Ben, I was planning to come anyway, so if you still wanna get that 'Thank You' drink for me saving your life back in Malibu when you came to get me-"

"A different topic for a different day, Y/N." They rolled their eyes, successfully annoying Officer Collins for the day. "Anyway, Hank you just, got yourself an android, huh?"

"Oh, very funny, just tell us what happened." Okay, not a fan of the androids... Y/N thought, snapping back into the conversation mid-way. "-Was even worse before we opened the windows... The victim's name's Carlos Ortiz. He has a record for theft and aggravated assault... According to the neighbors, he was kind of a loner... Stayed inside most of the time, they hardly ever saw him." Y/N turned to the body, making a face as the smell came back into their nose again, almost making them gag this time.

"Jesus, he's been there for so long..." Y/N broke the silence, watching as flies flew in and out of the nose of Carlos Ortiz.

"Uh, state he's in... Wasn't worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night." Y/N rolled their eyes at Hank. They had learnt a thing or two about Hank's hobbies. Which was mostly drinking and watching TV, but still.

"Typical Hank." Y/N said, watching as Hank's permanent scowl turned into a glare.

"Could've waited 'till morning." He finished, turning from Y/N back to Officer Collins, his gaze softening in the slightest.

"How long has he been here, Ben?" Y/N asked next, pulling out one of their old CyberLife tablets and a pen, starting to take notes about the evidence.

"We'll know more when the coroner gets here. There's a kitchen knife over here... Probably the murder weapon." Y/N glanced at Connor, his LED was yellow, which probably meant he was logging all of the information into CyberLife.

"Any signs of a break-in?" Hank said, Y/N scowling, mad that they couldn't get another more informational question in.

"Nope..." Ben answered. "The landlord said the front door was locked from the inside, all the windows were boarded up. The killer must've gone out the back way." Somehow, a gut instinct in Y/N knew that the killer didn't leave. They always trusted their gut instinct, it was almost always right. "What do we know about this android?" They asked.

"Not much, the neighbors confirmed he had one, but it wasn't there when we arrived." Boom, that was all the information that Y/N needed to know that it was definitely a case of deviancy, and mentally praised themself for working it out so soon. The only problem was, was that there were more factors to play in the situation than just deviancy. The plugin that let them have free thoughts didn't cause them to panic that hard when they discovered something was off about their programming. Something else was happening.

"I gotta get some air. Make yourselves at home, I'll be outside if you need me." Y/N immediately felt the waft of horrid stench, barfing in their mouth a little bit. They watched as Ben waved his hand behind him after leaving, wafting the horrid smell back over to them. Y/N flipped him off and snickered quietly.

"That's rude, Detective L/N, you shouldn't do that." Connor said. Y/N turned to him and glared before walking away to look for anything they might've missed that could've been important.

"Killjoy android, should've told us how fucking not-fun they were programmed to be." Y/N muttered under their breath, before walking over to the writing on the wall. They felt the presence of the detective android standing next to the body but ignored him.

"He was stabbed, twenty-eight times." Connor observed, causing Y/N to scrunch up their nose in distaste.

"Yeah, seems like the killer really had it in for him." Hank stated, getting up from his crouched position, back cracking a few times.

Old man... Y/N snickered silently, watching Lieutenant Anderson grab his back in pain. Although they knew that the man would dislike admitting it, Y/N and Hank were pretty good of friends, at least, back in the day. When Elijah and Y/N were growing up, their father had a problem with Red Ice, and Hank and part of his team had found him, arrested him, and put him in prison, where he later died. Y/N shook their head, remembering the situation.

"He reminds me of someone that came into a CyberLife store a while back, I was there, visiting a friend who worked there..." Hank looked up at the young detective. "Looked like he was buying a replacement for his kid's android." Y/N shook their head, remembering watching their father high on red ice as he put them to sleep. Y/N shuddered. "Just reminded me of the sick freak. You could smell the Red Ice from the other end of the store." With that, the two humans stepped away, Y/N walking to the kitchen, whilst Hank stayed near Connor.

"Each letter is perfect... It's way too neat, no human writes like this" Hank spoke as Y/N observed the kitchen.

"Looks like the victim's blood, can anyone confirm?" They piped up, Officer Miller walking up to the lettering and taking a look at it again. "I would say so... We're taking samples in for analysis." After looking at the knife collection, and the rest of the kitchen, Y/N stepped out, only to see the horrifying sight of Connor licking thirium off of his fingers. The human almost barfed right then and there, for the third time this evening.
"What in fresh hell are you doing Connor?!" Y/N yelled, gagging into their palm. They couldn't help but smirk underneath their palm, the android had the most innocent look on his face, and it was kind of cute.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell are you doing?!" Hank yelled, spotting Connor at the wrong time, the blood was fully in Connor's mouth by now.
"I am analyzing the blood. I can check samples in real time." Y/N's face softened into a light smile, watching as the android's face molded into one of a sad puppy. "I'm sorry, I should've warned you."

"It's fine, Connor, just don't put blood in your mouth again, 'kay?" Y/N asked, feeling sicker by the second.

"Fucking hell, I can't believe this shit..." Y/N rolled their eyes as Hank threw out his witty remark before leaving towards the back of the house.

After a few beats of silence, Connor spoke up. "Detective L/N, I'd suggest looking for more evidence of a possible deviancy." Y/N nodded, standing up and walking over towards the back of the house, like Hank, but going towards the bathroom. Their face molded into shock as they saw the writing Ra9 scattering the walls.

"Well, that certainly wasn't programmed in..." They muttered, picking up a wooden toy off of the shower. It looked like an offering to whoever, or whatever, Ra9 was. Y/N put the evidence back and stood back up, taking one last look at the grimy room before leaving back into the main hall. They stopped, glancing at what looked like a trapdoor that led to an attic. They put a mental note in their head to remember that later and watched through the glass of the door on the opposite side of them. Connor and Hank talked, but Y/N couldn't lip read, so there was no hope in standing there and trying to get bits and pieces of a conversation. Instead, they walked back into the kitchen, leaning against the archway and watching as Connor and Hank came inside, meeting up with them.

"Lieutenant, Detective, I think I've figured out what happened." The android said, Hank and Y/N now both looking at him.

"We're all ears, shoot."

"It all started in the kitchen..." He started, Y/N noticing Hank's eye roll. They scoffed, not at Connor's theory, but at Hank's childishness.

"There are obvious signs of struggle," Both heads turned to the Lieutenant. "The question is... what exactly happened here?"

Connor continued his theory. "I think the victim attacked the android with the bat."

"That lines up with the evidence." Y/N said, getting yet another eye roll from Hank. Gosh, he was really not happy that day.

"As much as I hate to admit it, they're right. Go on." Hank said, causing a light smirk to appear on Y/N's face.

"The android stabbed the victim." Connor stated, Hank still looked skeptical, but Y/N had a smile on their face. They were happy that the RK800 model was working well, even if he was still controlled by CyberLife.

"So, the android was trying to defend itself..." They added, knowing that that was why the deviant killed his owner, it was the missing piece they needed.

"Then what happened?" Hank asked, Y/N snapped out of their thoughts and looked back at Connor for an answer.

"The victim fled to the living room." Y/N was happy, full of pride as the model they took forever to finish was doing exceptionally well during the cases.

"And he tried to get away from the android." Hank finished, nodding slowly. "All right, that makes sense."

"So then, what happened?" Y/N asked, looking from Hank then back to Connor.

"Well, the android murdered the victim with the knife." Connor concluded, erupting a large prideful smile to plaster on Y/N's face.

"Y'know Hank, he's most likely right." Y/N smirked, but it soon turned into a scowl as Hank hit the back of their head.

"Shit, Hank." They cussed, rubbing the back of their head, right where Hank had hit them. It was an old man who hit them, but it still hurt.

"Fine, your theories not totally ridiculous-"

"Then why the hell did you need to slap me?!" Y/N yelled, Hank rolling his eyes before completely ignoring them.

"-But it doesn't tell us where the android went." They continued rubbing the back of their head, it still hurt!

"It was damaged by the bat... and lost some thirium." Connor explained, Y/N laughing as Hank's face turned into looking like a lost child in a grocery store.

Hank shook his head. "Lost some what?"

"Thirium. We usually call it 'Blue Blood'." Y/N answered, Connor looking at them with confusion as to why they'd cut in. "It's the thing that powers android's biocomponents. It usually evaporates within one to two hours, but the RK800 prototype was equipped with the highest model of eyesight, so-"

"I can still see it after it's evaporated." Connor cut in, Hank sighing and nodding his head slowly, realizing that the android would be a lot of help. Y/N then remembered about the attic door, knowing they had to tell their partners about it.

"Wait... I was in the hallway and noticed an attic door. Maybe the android never left." With that, Connor stormed off, walking to the attic and taking a good look at the door.

Hank shook his head, catching up with Y/N, who had caught up with the android already. They both stood next to Connor. "You seriously think the deviant's up there? It would've left by now if it knew what was good for it." Y/N hated that Hank kept using 'it' to define an android, but they knew that not a lot could change his thoughts on androids.

"Well, we'll see. Y/N, I'll hoist you up if you can pull me up." Y/N nodded, Connor created a cup with his hands and they pushed their foot into them, jumping into the attic. They couldn't see for a moment, but as their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Y/N popped their hand out the trapdoor, grasping onto Connor's arm and pulling him up along with them. Getting up into a standing position, they explored the broken-down attic. As they walked around, they noticed a thin fabric, showing the silhouette of a body. Y/N held their breath as Connor pulled it back, Y/N breathing out in relief as a mannequin was revealed. Seeing a whir go past them, Y/N pulled their gun out, holding it out towards the deviant. They weren't going to shoot the android, they just wanted to make sure he wouldn't attack.

"I was just defending myself..." "He was gonna kill me... I'm begging you... Don't tell them." Y/N put their gun down, watching as the poor android's face begged the two officers to spare him.

Y/N smiled softly, trying to ease the deviant. "I won't tell the police, we'll get you out of here-"

"Connor, Y/N, what the fuck is going on up there?!" Hank yelled. Y/N looked to Connor, trying to plead him not to reveal the android.

"It's here, Lieutenant!" Y/N held their breath, looking at Connor, feeling betrayed by the prototype android.

"Holy shit... Chris, Ben, get your asses in here now. Come on!" Hank yelled, Y/N watching as the poor android's LED whirred sporadically.

"I'm so sorry..." Y/N whispered, a tear dropping down their cheek as they knew that Connor wasn't going to budge from being controlled by CyberLife very easily.

Jesus, this is going to be harder than I thought.

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
12:41 AM

Connor stood in the observation room, watching as Hank interrogated the poor deviant. He knew that the man would get nowhere without knowing the basic concepts of how androids work and think. He knew that it would be beneficial to either have himself or Y/N interrogate it, but Hank didn't give him a chance to do, or say anything before storming into the interrogation room himself. The android detective looked around him. Officer Reed was standing in front of the desk, seemingly annoyed. Connor deducted that Gavin disliked androids, as he always gave Connor glares whilst in the interrogation room. Y/N was standing against the wall behind everyone, seemingly preoccupied with something. Whilst Connor wondered what it was, he also knew not to pry, from other situations, so he elected to ignore it. Officer Miller sat at the desk, interested in the interrogation. Connor looked back at Hank and the deviant, watching the human yell at the android.

"Why'd you kill him? What happened before you took that knife? How long were ya' in the attic? Why didn't you even try to run away?" Hank fired rapid questions, the deviant still staying silent for as long as he could. "Say something, goddamnit! Fuck it, I'm outta here..." Hank said, leaving the interrogation room and entering the observation room. 

"We're wastin' our time interrogating a machine, we're gettin' nothing out of it!" Hank yelled, exasperated from the yelling.

Gavin spoke up. "Could always try roughing it up a little. After all, it's not human." Connor noticed Y/N had stepped beside him, causing him to automatically straighten for some reason, he knew he'd have to do a self-diagnostic later.

"Androids don't feel pain, Gavin. Plus, it would most likely self-destruct." With Y/N's statement, Gavin stood up straight and glared at them.

"Shut your pretty little mouth-"

"Fuck off, Gavin." Y/N said, shocking Connor, but Hank just let up a smile. "If the android were under a lot of stress, like if your bitch ass decided to mess it up, it'd kill itself. We'd get nothing out of it, bish bash bosh, case closed the way we don't want it. So, pull yourself together, Officer Reed, and be a little bit more understanding." With that, Gavin stayed quiet, still lightly glaring at the officer who just yelled at him.

"What should we do then?" Hank asked, breaking the awkward silence that had enveloped the room.

"I could try questioning it." Gavin gave Connor a nasty glare with that but kept quiet. Connor knew that it was the best option besides Y/N going in, as they worked in CyberLife themselves.

"What do we have to lose?" Hank said, letting Connor go interrogate the android. "Go ahead, suspect's all yours." Connor was confused for a moment, as he did not own the suspect, but he decided it was probably one of Hank's metaphors, so he went with it, leaving the room and entering the interrogation room. Connor sat down across from the android, not wanting to waste any time. His face was still covered in blood, his LED, which had turned yellow once Hank left, was whirring red again, fearing danger from Connor.

He analyzed the deviant quickly, choosing his approach with the information. Connor pulled over the photos, opening them up and showing them to the deviant. First, it was two photos of the victim. "You recognize him? It's Carlos Ortiz. Stabbed, twenty-eight times." He pushed the first photo away and showed the second one, 'I AM ALIVE' written on the wall. "That was written on the wall in his blood." The deviant's LED whirred from yellow, to red and back to yellow. Connor decided to go for a different path.

"I detect an instability in your program." Connor said, trying to raise the suspect's level of stress up just enough to get him to confess. He continued. "It can trigger an unpleasant feeling, like fear in humans." Still no response.

"You're accused of murder." Connor spoke again, deciding to go a little harsher on the deviant to try and raise the stress level. "You know you're not allowed to endanger human life under any circumstances. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" The suspect stayed quiet, much to Connor's disappointment.

"You don't seem to understand the situation." The RK800 threatened the deviant, becoming a bit harsh. "You killed a human. They'll tear you apart if you don't say something." As the deviant stayed silent for longer, Connor sighed.

"If you won't talk, I'm going to have to probe your memory-"

"No!" The android yelled, LED spinning with red. "No, please don't do that..." Somehow, Connor felt bad for the deviant. He shook the feeling off, knowing that he'd have to do a self-diagnostic run after the interrogation.

Finally, the deviant spoke again. "What... What are they gonna do to me?" He asked, in panic mode. Connor almost smiled. The deviant's stress level was at an optimal percentage, now all he had to do was keep it there. "They're gonna destroy me, aren't they?"

"They're going to disassemble you to look for problems in your biocomponents." Connor told the truth, watching the stress level inch up. "They have no choice if they want to understand what happened."

The suspect spoke up again. "Why did you tell them you found me?" He questioned. "Why couldn't you just have left me there?"

"I was programmed to hunt deviants like you." Connor spoke truthfully. "I just accomplished my mission."

"I don't wanna die."

"Then talk to me."

"I... I can't..." The deviant trailed off, leaving Connor to approach his next move very carefully, it was going to be tough to get the deviant to crack, he just needed to keep his stress level at an optimal level. Connor quickly decided to pressure the deviant a little.

"You're a machine, you were designed to obey, so obey!" Connor raised his voice slightly, slamming his hand onto the table. "Tell me what happened."

Changing tactics to keep the stress level the same, Connor sympathized. "Listen, I'm not judging you. I'm on your side. All I want is the truth." He smiled and remained soft eye contact with the suspect. "If you remain silent, there is nothing I can do to help you!" He warned. "They're gonna shut you down for good! You'll be dead! Do you hear me? Dead!" Connor leaned back a bit, watching as the deviant's LED blinked red.

"He tortured me every day... I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong..." The deviant said, Connor knowing that this was his confession. "Then one day, he took a bat and started hitting me... For the first time, I felt scared. Scared that he might destroy me, scared I might die... so I... grabbed the knife and I stabbed him in the stomach... I felt better... so I stabbed him again, and again!" The culprit confessed. "Until he collapsed... there was blood everywhere..." He slowly trailed off, leaving Connor to ask some more questions so that he could understand more of the situation. Amanda would want a full-on report. He remembered that Y/N had told him that they had found some sort of statue in the bathroom, along with many, many writings of something called 'rA9'.

"The sculpture in the bathroom, you made it, right?" Connor asked. "What does it represent?"

"It's an offering... An offering so I'll be saved..." The RK800 was confused, was he expecting someone to see the sculpture and take him to safety?

"The sculpture was an offering... An offering to whom?"

"To rA9..." The culprit revealed. "Only rA9 can save us." Connor was still intrigued about who rA9 could be, so he pried.

"rA9... It was written on the bathroom wall. What does it mean?" He asked, curious.

"The day shall come when we will no longer be slaves..." The deviant spoke, still not revealing the identity of rA9... If there was an identity to be revealed. "No more threats, no more humiliation... We will... be... the masters."

"rA9, who is rA9?" Connor insisted, the culprit not answering. He'd have to look for more information later, but for now he had to let the topic of rA9 go. "Why did you write 'I AM ALIVE' on the wall?"

"He used to tell me I was nothing..." He explained. "That I was just a piece of plastic... I had to write it... To tell him he was wrong..." The deviant trailed off. Connor had a significant amount of evidence, but he wanted as much as he could get.

"When did you start feeling emotion?"

"Before, he used to beat me and I never said anything... But one day I realized it wasn't fair!" He claimed. "I felt... anger... hatred... and then I knew what I had to do."

"Why did you hide in the attic instead of running away?"

"I didn't know what to do... For the first time, there was no one there to tell me... I was scared... So, I hid." Connor had realized all of his options had left, and he had no more information to extract from the deviant without probing it and leaving it to self destruct before CyberLife could study the issue.

Connor looked directly into the one-way window. "I'm done." He got up, looking at the deviant one more time. Connor got up and scanned his hand in the door, Gavin and Chris walking in to lock the deviant up.

"Lock it up." Gavin stated, Officer Collins obeying and beginning to handcuff the deviant. "All right, let's go."

"Leave me alone!" The culprit yelled, yanking his hand away as far as he could without taking the table down with him. "Don't touch me!" Y/N walked in the room, standing beside Gavin, Hank following and standing on the other side of the room. Chris and the deviant began to fight, the human struggling to put the handcuffs on it. Before Connor could intervene, Y/N stepped forward.

"Chris, back away, Gavin, stay the fuck where you stand right now." Y/N said, giving Gavin a murder glare. "He'll self-destruct if you do anything else. Chances are he'll follow you down the hallway by himself." Everyone was silent, until Gavin spoke up.

"Stay outta this, got it? No fuckin' rookie is gonna tell me what do." Y/N stood up, ready to throw a punch into Gavin's face, only to have Hank stop them.

"You don't understand. If it self-destructs, we won't get anything out of it!" Connor explained, trying to stop Gavin as well.

"You can shut your fuckin' mouth too!" Gavin yelled, Hank still holding back Y/N, who was now pushing towards him with a glare in their eye. "Chris, gonna move this asshole or what?"

"I'm trying!"

"I can't let you do that!" Connor yelled again. "Leave it alone, now!" He demanded, watching as Gavin got even more mad.

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"I warned you, motherfucker!" He said, pulling a gun to the android's head. Hank let go of Y/N, and Connor watched as they pulled their own gun out, pressing it hard against the back of Gavin's head.

A few moments passed before Hank spoke up. "That's enough!"

"Mind your own business, Hank." Gavin spat, pushing the barrel of his gun harder into Connor's head.

"He said that's enough. Now put the fucking gun down, before I blow your brains out." Y/N threatened, Gavin breaking. "Fuck, you're not gonna get away with it this time... Fuck!" He swore, leaving the room, Chris following behind. Both Y/N and Connor approached the deviant softly, Y/N clipping off the shackles tying him to the table.

"Everything is alright, it's over now. Nobody is gonna hurt you." Connor spoke, trying to calm the culprit down. Chris walked back in with a new set of handcuffs, as the other ones broke.

"Please, don't touch him." Y/N pleaded, looking at Chris and back at the culprit with a saddened facial expression. "Let him follow you out of the room and he won't cause any trouble." Chris nodded, taking the deviant out of the room.

"Good job, Connor." Y/N smiled, before waving and exiting the room, Hank, staying silent, followed behind him.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
12:41 AM

The observation room was large, but only Y/N and a few others stood in it. Gavin was staring intently out the window as Hank tried to get something out of the deviant. Chris was taking notes at the desk, and Connor simply stood there, looking lost. Y/N still was very mad at the fact that Connor had given away the deviant's location, but they knew that it would take a while until they could start seeing changes in Connor's programming.

Curse you, Elijah. For making this android so damn smart. Y/N thought. And handsome. Hank continues to yell and scream at the poor deviant, scaring it. With a few more questions and a bit more yelling, Hank gave up, storming back into the interrogation room with a deep scowl on his face. Y/N almost laughed but caught themselves before they could. They didn't need Hank on their ass again.

Hank looked tired, almost, and Y/N felt a bit bad for the man. He was obviously too old to be investigating androids, he hated them! "We're wastin' our time interrogating a machine, we're gettin' nothing out of it!"

"Could always try roughing it up a little. After all, it's not human." With Gavin's comment, Y/N stepped further up beside Connor, sending the male detective a death glare.

"Androids don't feel pain, Gavin." Y/N said. Realizing that if they started taking the android's side too much, the others would become suspicious. As much as they hated it, Y/N had to refer to the android as an it. "Plus, it would most likely self-destruct."

Gavin immediately glared back at Y/N, straightening up from against the wall. "Shut your pretty little mouth-"

"Fuck off, Gavin." They cut Gavin off before he could continue. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see Connor with a shocked expression, and Hank with a smirk on his lips. "If the android were under a lot of stress, like if your bitch ass decided to mess it up, it'd kill itself. We'd get nothing out of it, bish bash bosh, case closed the way we don't want it." They continued, going off at Gavin as he shrunk down. "So, pull yourself together, Officer Reed and be a little bit more understanding." After the rant finished, Gavin was silent. The whole room had been overpowered by silence.

"What should we do then? Hank spoke after a few beats, his voice penetrating the ugly silence that had swarmed the group of four.

Connor was quick to make a suggestion. "I could try questioning it." Y/N watched as Gavin gave the android a glare before they turned to Connor.

Hank sighed. "What do we have to lose? Go ahead, the suspect's all yours." He said, making a motion with his hand and letting Connor exit the room. The four watched as he entered the interrogation room, sitting down across from the android.

Y/N watched as he opened up the file to a photo of the victim. They sat down next to Chris and pulled out a wad of paper, not really interested in the interrogation all that much. Their phone rang, letting Y/N quickly exit the observatory room and walk outside of the station.

"Hello?"

'Hey Y/N, it's Elijah.'

"Hey Eli. What's up?"

'I've been walking around Detroit and looking around... Apparently, there's this android, Markus, he's been sent to one of the CyberLife junk yards.'

"That's harsh."

'Remember Carl? He was a good friend of mine after you met him at that art convention.'

"Yes, I do."

'I gifted him Markus. He was having issues living alone so I issued him a Markus model to help out. Carl just passed away... I believe that Markus is that model. CyberLife doesn't commission them anymore.'

"Hopefully, he can make it to Jericho, if he's still alive."

'Let's hope.'

Elijah was the only other human that knew about the boat that held hundreds of deviants. He helped Y/N whenever they needed a quick excuse to leave to get to Jericho.

"I can't chat for too long, Eli. I don't need anyone to get suspicious."

'Okay. Stay safe, Y/N.'

The line went dead, and Y/N stepped back into the building. The air around them grew warmer, and the detective shivered. It was November in Detroit, so it was quite chilly outside, especially so late in the night. Y/N stopped by the break room and grabbed a coffee, tired from the day's work. After all, it was almost one in the morning. Y/N poured the coffee into a cup before walking back into the observation room. Gavin was now leaning against the desk, and Hank was sitting beside Chris. Y/N stayed pressed against the back wall, making sure not to spill their coffee.

Connor was in the midst of interrogating the android as Y/N sipped on their coffee. "They're going to disassemble you to look for problems in your biocomponents. They have no choice if they want to understand what happened."

"Why did you tell them you found me?" The deviant asked the interrogator, obviously shaken up by the whole situation. "Why couldn't you just have left me there?" Y/N felt bad, even though it wasn't their fault. They could've left Connor down on the first level of the crime scene, but they knew it would raise suspicion.

"I was programmed to hunt deviants like you. I just accomplished my mission."

"I don't wanna die." The suspect shook his head rapidly, scared of what might happen to him if he confessed.

"Then talk to me." Connor spoke, becoming sympathetic with his words and tone.

"I... I can't..."

"You're a machine!" The android yelled, slamming his hands onto the rusty table. Y/N jumped, almost splashing their coffee on the ground. They sat down beside Hank at the desk, placing their coffee down onto the table to prevent another spill.

Just as he had become violent, Connor became soft again. "Listen, I'm not judging you. I'm on your side. All I want is the truth." Y/N knew that Connor could see the level of stress, that was their idea in the first place, and it was a good tactic, going back and forth between good cop and bad cop, to keep the level of stress at an optimal level.

"If you remain silent, there is nothing I can do to help you! They're gonna shut you down for good! You'll be dead!" Connor threatened, still telling the complete truth. "Do you hear me? Dead!" The deviant's LED whirled red and yellow, obviously sensing it could be in danger.

The deviant finally spoke. "He tortured me every day" The group of four straightened up, scanning the suspect, now culprit, and the interrogator. "I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong... Then one day, he took a bat and started hitting me... For the first time, I felt scared." Y/N felt empathy for the poor android. He was going to die, and all he did was defend himself, that was it. "Scared that he might destroy me, scared I might die... so I... grabbed the knife and I stabbed him in the stomach... I felt better... so I stabbed him again, and again!" The four were mortified at his morbid assault story, still waiting to see if Connor could get any more information out of the culprit.. "Until he collapsed... there was blood everywhere..."

Connor began to pry into the deviant. "The sculpture in the bathroom, you made it, right?" He asked, Y/N remembering what they had told Hank and Connor "What does it represent?"

"It's an offering... An offering so I'll be saved..." Chris took furious notes, everyone in the room wondering how someone would save them. Connor pried even more into the deviant, truly not caring if he self-destructed, they got their confession. "The sculpture was an offering... An offering to whom?"

The deviant looked Connor in the eyes. "To rA9... Only rA9 can save us."

"rA9... It was written on the bathroom wall. What does it mean?" Connor asked, the four humans in the observation room waiting for an answer.

The culprit still didn't reveal who rA9 was. "The day shall come when we will no longer be slaves...No more threats, no more humiliation... We will... be... the masters."

"rA9, who is rA9?" With no answer, Connor let it go, moving onto another topic. "Why did you write 'I AM ALIVE' on the wall?"

"He used to tell me I was nothing... That I was just a piece of plastic..." He explained, turning away from the detective. "I had to write it... To tell him he was wrong..." Y/N continued to feel horrible for the poor android, being beaten everyday.

"When did you start feeling emotion?"
"Before, he used to beat me and I never said anything. But one day I realized it wasn't fair!" The deviant yelled, angry about his past life as a caretaker. "I felt... anger... hatred... and then I knew what I had to do."

Connor shook his head, trying to gather as much evidence from the culprit as possible. "Why did you hide in the attic instead of running away?"

"I didn't know what to do..." He explained. "For the first time, there was no one there to tell me... I was scared... So, I hid."

Connor got up from the table, looking directly into the one-way window. It felt as if his eyes were scanning Y/N, but they knew he couldn't see them. "I'm done." He said, leaving the interrogation room. Y/N hadn't even noticed their face had heated up. Gavin and Chris left the room, entering the one across from it as Chris began to handcuff the deviant. The two were shortly followed by Hank and Y/N, Y/N knowing that something was bound to go wrong with Gavin involved.

"Lock it up." He demanded, Chris finishing the handcuffs and preparing to pull him out. "All right, let's go."
"Leave me alone!" The deviant screamed. "Don't touch me!" Y/N stepped beside Chris and Gavin before Hank or Connor could intervene, because they knew either one would.

"Chris, back away, Gavin, stay the fuck where you stand right now. He'll self-destruct if you do anything else." They explained, giving Gavin the nastiest look. "Chances are he'll follow you down the hallway by himself."

"Stay outta this, got it?" He demanded. "No fuckin' rookie is gonna tell me what do do." Standing up from their kneeling position, they began to bunch their fist up. Mid-punch, Y/N was stopped by Hank.

"You don't understand. If it self-destructs, we won't get anything out of it!" Connor yelled, intervening against Gavin.

The room had become a shitshow. "You can shut your fuckin' mouth too!" Y/N pushed against Hank's grip, attempting to get back at Gavin.

"Chris, gonna move this asshole or what?"

"I'm trying!"

"I can't let you do that! Leave it alone, now!" Connor yelled. Y/N was worried about what Gavin was going to do to Connor if he continued to intervene.

"I warned you, motherfucker!" Gavin pulled out his gun, holding it against Connor's forehead and laughing. Gavin's maniac laughter ceased as Y/N pulled their own gun onto the back of his head, clicking the safety off.

"That's enough!" Hank yelled after a few beats.

"Mind your own business, Hank." Gavin only pushed the barrel of his gun harder into Connor's head, causing Y/N to do the same to him.

"He said that's enough." They stated with a deathly scowl on their face. "Now put the fucking gun down, before I blow your brains out." With Y/N's threat, the man gave up, dramatically putting his gun back into his thigh holster. "Fuck, you're not gonna get away with it this time... Fuck!" He swore, leaving the room. Chris followed behind Gavin like a lost puppy, and Y/N felt quite bad for him.

The two detectives approached the culprit. "Everything is alright, it's over now. Nobody is gonna hurt you." Connor spoke, shocking Y/N. The fact that he had just stressed the poor android to near death and now he was helping him was startling. Chris walked back in with a new set of handcuffs, as the other ones broke.

"Please, don't touch him." Y/N asked, Chris nodding as the young detective clipped the shackles tying the culprit to the table off. "Let him follow you out of the room and he won't cause any trouble." Chris nodded at the detective, leaving the room alongside the deviant.

"Good job, Connor." Y/N smiled, leaving the room. Tired, they left the building, clocking out using their phone and hopped on their motorcycle, driving off into the night sky towards the Kamski mansion.

Chapter Text

Connor awoke in the Zen Garden, his mind palace. It was a very calming place, hence the name, but the android always had a nagging feeling when he was reporting back to Amanda, but he deduced it was most likely an issue with his software. He stepped through the garden, walking over the river's bridge, trying to find Amanda like his program told him to. After a while, he finally found the woman, spraying her rose garden wall with water.

"Hello, Amanda." He spoke, watching as the woman paused her movements. She wore an elegant shawl, and her hair was tied up in a braided crown.

The woman turned to Connor, a tight smile on her face. "Connor... It's good to see you." She revealed, continuing to water her plants every so often. "Congratulations, finding that deviant was far from easy, and the way you interrogated it was very clever." She spoke. Her voice was soothing, but Connor still felt a form of uneasiness when he was talking to her. "You've been remarkably efficient."

"Thank you, Amanda." He nodded, a grateful smile on his face. She turned back to her rose garden, fluffing the roses as she nurtured them.

"We've asked the DPD to transfer it to us for further study." She continued. "It may teach us something about what happened." A few beats passed, but unlike with Y/N and Hank, the silence wasn't peaceful, it was more consuming. "The interrogation seemed..." Amanda paused, waiting to find the right words. "Challenging... What did you think of the deviant?"

"I prevented it from being damaged, so we might still learn something by analyzing it." He responded, Amanda turning back to him. "It said something to me... 'The truth is inside'. I don't know what that means... Unless it was just another error in its program." He shrugged, watching Amanda as she watched him closely.

"This... Lieutenant Anderson has been officially assigned to the deviancy case." She paused, letting Connor establish the question. "What do you make of him?"

The RK800 paused, thinking of the correct way to describe his partner. "I think he's irritable, and socially challenged." He answered. "But I also think he used to be a good detective... He's an intriguing character." Amanda nodded, her triangular shaped earrings bouncing back and forth.

"And what about Detective L/N? Are they handling the cases well?"

Connor nodded, getting lost for a few moments just thinking about them. "Detective L/N is most definitely easier to work with, but they are secretive, and it's hard to attempt to get along with them without knowing much about them." Amanda turned back to him, now wearing a cold, hard look on her face.

"Do not grow too close to your partners, Connor. Especially Detective L/N, there's been rumours that they are not to be trusted." The RK800 nodded, looking down at the ground as Amanda changed the subject. "Unfortunately, we have no choice but to work with the both of them. What do you think is the best approach?"

"I will try to establish a friendly relationship." Amanda turned back to her roses, not satisfied with the answer the android had given. "If I can get both Detective L/N and Lieutenant Anderson to trust me, it will be helpful for the investigation."

AMANDA - RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"More and more androids are showing signs of deviancy." She spoke, turning back to Connor with a fearful look in her brown eyes. "There are millions in circulation. If they become unstable, the consequences will be disastrous. You are the most advanced prototype CyberLife has ever created." She lied, but Connor didn't know that. "If anyone can figure out what's happening, it's you."

Connor nodded, understanding his mission. "You can count on me, Amanda."

"Hurry, Connor." She said, looking him in the eyes. "There's little time."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
09:56 AM

Connor stood in the police station, bouncing back and forth from his heels to his toes. He stepped to the reception desk, meeting the ST300 model android at the front.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm here to see Lieutenant Anderson and Detective L/N." The android nodded, her LED changing to yellow quickly before returning blue, she was most likely notifying Captain Fowler of his appearance.

"Do you have authorization?"

"Yes." He watched as the android typed a few things into the computer below before turning back to the RK800.

"Lieutenant Anderson hasn't arrived yet, but you can wait at his desk with Detective L/N." He nodded, attempting to smile in politeness, but remembering it was simply another android. As he walked into the Police Station, he saw many people and androids working hard. Spotting a PM700 model, he walked over to her.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Anderson's desk." Connor spoke bluntly, the android nodding before pointing towards his destination.

"It's that desk right there." He nodded, walking over towards the area that she had pointed towards. On his way, Connor spotted a digital magazine. He picked it up quickly and read the headline.

'Famous Detroit Painter dies
Carl Manfred: "One of Detroit's biggest lights."'

Without reading it, Connor placed it back down again, continuing to explore the large station. A charging dock for the PM700 and PC200 models was pressed against the back wall, around twenty androids stood, motionless in the tube. After a few more minutes of looking around, Connor found Lieutenant Anderson's desk. Strangely, Detective L/N wasn't there.

Glancing over to one of the other officers, Connor spoke to him. "Excuse me?" He asked, gaining the human's attention. "Do you know what time Lieutenant Anderson and Detective L/N usually arrive?"

"Depends on where he was the night before... If we're lucky we'll see him before noon." The man paused, laughing a bit. "As for L/N... they were just there a minute ago. Probably went to go check on some of the suspects and culprits, they do that a lot."

"Thanks." He nodded. Connor turned back around, walking into what he assumed was the break room, as it was decked out with a kitchen.

"Fuck, look at that..." Officer Reed spoke, Connor turning over to him. He sat across from Officer Miller at the small round table. Usually, when Officer Reed socialized with the android, Chris stayed silent. "Our friend, the plastic detective, is back in town! Congratulations on last night, very impressive!" Connor tilted his head slightly, trying to decipher whether or not Gavin was using 'Sarcasm' or not.

"Hello, Detective Reed." With that, Gavin became even more pissed at the android. Nobody really knew why he was always rude to androids, well, to everyone, really, that included Connor.

"Never seen an android like you before, what model are you?" He asked, pretending to be interested.

"RK800, I'm a prototype." Connor answered truthfully. Chris didn't speak as Gavin stood up, just simply kept eating his salad and looking at his phone.

Gavin scoffed, now standing eye-level to Connor. "A prototype? Android detective. So, machines are gonna replace us all, is that it?" He spat. "Bring me a coffee, dipshit! GET A MOVE ON!" He yelled, Connor stepping back a bit.

"I'm sorry, but I only take orders from Detective L/N and Lieutenant Anderson." Gavin smirked in annoyance.

"Oh, Oh..." He mocked understanding before pushing the android to the ground. "If Y/N hadn't got in the way yesterday, I would've fucked you up for disobeying a human. Stay outta my way, 'cause next time, you won't get off so easy." Suddenly, Connor watched as Gavin flew to the ground beside him, the android getting pulled up by his arms.

"If you hadn't retreated, I would've blown your goddamn brains out, Detective Reed." Y/N stood beside Connor, arms crossed against their chest. "Next time, you won't get off so easy." Before they left the break room, they turned around, looking Gavin in the eyes directly as he struggled to get up from the blow to his stomach. "And by the way, it's Detective L/N." Connor watched as they left, and quickly followed them to Hank's desk. Y/N sat down on the desk across from Lieutenant Anderson's and began working.

The detective looked up, smiling at Connor. "You can sit down at his desk until he gets here, if you want." He nodded, sitting down and analyzing the desk. Connor held up the headphones to his ears and pressed play on Hank's music player. As it played, he immediately held it away from his ears, the heavy metal a little too loud for his audio biocomponents.

"His music taste is interesting." Y/N laughed, causing Connor to look up at them. "I like f/m/g. It's much better than Knights of the Black Death." They paused, grinning up at the android. "Connor, if you had to choose, what type of music would you listen to?"

A few beats passed, letting Connor think of what kind of music he'd like. "I quite enjoy pop, it's full of energy and it's upbeat, but I find myself wanting to listen to Indie music, it's very original to me."

Y/N L/N - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Y/N nodded, smiling at Connor before going back to work. The RK800 model scanned the music.

ARTIST: KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK DEATH
GENRE: DARK HEAVY METAL
RELEASE DATE: 2021

After logging the information into his brain, Connor set down the headphones, looking for something else to do whilst waiting for Lieutenant Anderson. He clicked on Hank's phone, connecting to it using his Proximity Card.

"Call Hank Anderson." He said, hoping he wouldn't distract Y/N from their work. Looking at them, Connor was relieved to see Y/N still working, seemingly not bothered by the android's voice.

Disappointingly, all Connor got was an answering machine message. "Hi, this is Hank. Not here at the moment. You can leave a message if that's what turns you on, but don't expect me to call back. Beep... whatever."

"Lieutenant Anderson?" He asked, deciding to leave a message at his home phone. "This is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife." Y/N snickered, but Connor ignored it. "It's almost noon and I'm waiting for you at the office." As the message ended, his LED changed from yellow back to blue, like it always did when either making a report to CyberLife or communicating through another device. Next, Connor decided to analyze his desk. There was a whiteboard-looking object that stood on it, and it had many different posters pinned to it.

ANTI-ANDROID SLOGANS
USE YOUR BRAIN, NOT YOUR ANDROID-FREE SPACE

As Connor continued to look at the posters, he wondered why Hank would be so against the creation of androids. Not wanting to get too ahead of himself, Connor glanced at the box of doughnuts.

DONUTS
CALORIES: 452
SATURATED FATTY ACIDS: 13G
CHOLESTEROL: 19MG
CARBOHYDRATES: 51G

Looking over at his computer screen, he analyzed the mug he had sitting in front of the open screen.

COFFEE CUP
COLD COFFEE
TRACES OF CAFFIENE

JAPANESE MAPLE
ASIAN
SHISHIGASHIRA SHOHIN

MATCHES
ORIGIN: JIMMY'S BAR
WOOD, PHOSPHORUS

Finally, Connor scanned the chair he was sitting on, looking behind him at the back of the black office chair.

HAIRS
CANINE HAIRS 
SAINT BERNARD DOG

DETROIT BASKETBALL HAT
COTTON: 90%
POLYESTER: 10%

DETROIT POLICE DISMANTLE A NETWORK OF RED ICE DEALERS
MORE THAN 50 ARRESTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
Detroit's finest have dealt a massive blow to the city's growing Red Ice epidemic, with a number of high-profile dealers and suppliers now behind bars and narcotics seized with a street value of $500,000. Y/N L/N, a 15-year-old's family affected by Red Ice, did an interview with The Detroit Times, but we have not been able to get in contact with them. Detective Hank Anderson, a young but hugely talented Detective, is said to have been instrumental in the operation, which took months of planning. Detective Anderson himself saved over 100 children whose guardians were addicted to Red Ice, including the only one who has spoken out about their experience, Y/N L/N. The DA described the work of Detective Anderson and his colleagues as "model investigative police work".

DETECTIVE ANDERSON PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT
BECOMING THE YOUGEST LIEUTENANT ON THE DETROIT POLICE FORCE.
Lieutenant Hank Anderson was among the most decorated Detectives in DPD's recent history, securing a number of high-profile arrests and serving as an integral member of the force. Captain Fowler said the promotion was "long overdue", describing Anderson as "among the most talented police I've ever worked with". The new Lieutenant is expected to rise quickly through the ranks of the department and is already being tipped as a future commissioner.

NEW RECORD SEIZURE OF RED ICE IN DETROIT!
Nearly a ton of red ice was discovered in the hold of a boat after a long investigation conducted by Lieutenant Anderson of the Detroit police force.

RED ICE TASK FORCE 2027
MULTI-DEPARTMENT UNIT
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RED ICE NETWORK DISMANTLE OF 2028

After Connor finished scanning everything he could at Hank Anderson's desk, he wondered for a bit. If Y/N were Elijah Kamski's sibling, then why would their father be addicted to Red Ice, his father wasn't... As he ran another scan of Detective L/N, he remembered that their mothers were different. So, Connor concluded that after Kamski's father had impregnated Kelly L/N, she had taken Y/N, and most definitely became addicted to Red Ice. Connor shook his head, getting rid of his thoughts and watching as Hank walked up beside him.

"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant."

"Uh, Jesus..." Hank let out a sigh. Y/N only laughed, pushing their hand against their mouth in an attempt to stifle them.

"Hank! Y/N! In my office!" Captain Fowler yelled. This time, it was Y/N's turn to sigh. They got up and followed Hank into the office, Connor following shortly behind and listening to Fowler speak to the two humans.

"I've got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maid and that kind of crap... But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even homicides, like that guy last night... This isn't just CyberLife's problem anymore. It's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta deal with it before the shit hits the fan. I want you to investigate these cases and see if there's any link."

Immediately, Hank began to object against it. "Why me? Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit? Like Y/N, I understand, they've got a background with CyberLife. But I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case! I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone."

"He's right. I had to help him turn the brightness down because, I quote; 'It's too fucking bright for my tiny ass eyes.' He called me, at three in the morning, to turn down his phone brightness."

Captain Fowler rolled his eyes. "That's the point, Y/N, this is an opportunity for him to start learning how to use technology. It's 2038 for fuck's sakes!" The captain pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed. "Everybody's overloaded. I think you two are perfectly qualified for this type of investigation-"

"Bullshit!" Hank yelled, causing both Y/N and Connor to jump. "The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin' androids and you left us holdin' the bag!" He said, pointing to Y/N and him.

"CyberLife sent over this android to help with the investigation." Fowler stated, pointing at Connor. "It's a state-of-the-art prototype. It'll act as your partner."

"No fuckin' way! I don't need another partner, and certainly not this plastic prick!" He yelled, Y/N standing square to Hank.

"I, quite frankly, take offence to that. He's the only android I ever worked on fully, so choose your words carefully, Hank!"

"Don't start yelling at me! I saved your goddamn life-"

"ENOUGH!" Fowler yelled, the two who were arguing stopped and glanced at him. "You are both seriously starting to piss me off! Y/N, you want me to take you out of the DPD and back to the MPD? You are police officers, you're supposed to do what I say and shut your goddamn mouth!"

"You know what my goddamn mouth has to say to you, huh?" Hank retaliated, stepping closer to the desk, only for Y/N's hand to block him.

"Ok, okay. I'll pretend like I didn't hear that, so I don't have to add any more pages to your disciplinary folder because it already looks like a fucking novel!" Fowler yelled, obviously tired of Hank's arguing. "This conversation is over!"

"Jeffrey," Hank said, eyes drooping in defeat. "Jesus Christ! Why are you doing this to me? You know how much I hate these fucking things. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Listen, I've had just about enough of your bitching. Either you do your job or you hand in your badges. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." With a sigh, Hank began to walk out the door, only for Y/N to stop him out in front of it. While they were on the other side of the door, Connor was stuck awkwardly in the office, so he hoped that Fowler wouldn't notice him.

"Never, ever pull that 'I saved your life' shit on me ever again, Hank. You didn't have to save me that night, and don't use it as an excuse." Y/N demanded, pressing their finger against Hank's chest before walking away, sitting back at their desk.

Hank still stood in front of the door, so Connor decided to quickly talk to Fowler. "I would like to start reviewing the case files. Can you tell me where I-"

"Talk to Y/N. Close the door on your way out." Connor nodded, walking to the door. "Have a nice day, captain." Connor left the office as Hank walked back to his desk as well, Connor standing beside him awkwardly.

Hank only sat in silence, and the RK800 decided to make some 'small talk', as Amanda had referred to it as. "I get the impression my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that." Y/N sighed, Connor realizing that Hank was not going to reply, but he tried anyway. "Is there a desk anywhere I could use?"

"No one's using that one." Hank answered, pointing to the desk that was pushed against Y/N's and Hank's. Connor sat down, still surprised that Hank had answered. As he scanned the desk, he caught Y/N's small smile, before they turned back to their work.

"Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death?" Connor asked, grabbing Hank's attention, this time for a longer period. "I really like that music. It's full of..." Connor paused, struggling to find the right words. "Energy."

"You listen to Heavy Metal?" Hank asked, skeptical.

"Well, I don't really listen to music, as such, but I'd like to." Hank nodded, looking back at his computer screen.

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"You have a dog, right?" Connor asked, Hank rolling his eyes at the android's rapid-fire questioning.

"How do you know that?"

"The dog hairs on your chair." He answered. "I like dogs. What's your dog's name?"

"What's it to you?" Hank snapped. Y/N heaved a heavy sigh, and Connor looked at them. They were drinking something out of a glass, but the android didn't have time to analyze it before Hank answered his question. "Sumo, I call him Sumo." Connor turned to Y/N, watching as they smiled at the android.

"What about you, Detective L/N? Do you have any pets?" Y/N shook their head, a sad smile on their face.

"Sadly, no. My brother has a cat, but I used to live in a cheap apartment in Malibu." They explained. "They didn't allow pets. I'd love to have a dog though."

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N - RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"Have you known Captain Fowler for long?" Connor asked, genuinely curious to find out when the three met each other, other than the Red Ice Task Force project.

"Too long." Both Y/N and Hank answered in unison, the two letting out a chuckle before turning back to their work again.

"I was wondering, do you always arrive at the office at this time?" Hank sighed, an annoyed look plastering across his face.

"I arrive when I arrive. Stop busting my balls, okay?" He asked, rolling his eyes for- what Connor calculated- the sixty-fifth time that day.

"You're a Detroit Gears fan, right?" Connor asked, turning to Y/N as they placed their head into their hands.
"Not the best question to ask, Connor." They groaned, shaking their head and typing onto their keyboard again. "I mean, Denton Carter scored fifty-three percent of his shots from the three-point line yesterday. Did you see the game?"

"That's what I was watching in the bar last night." Hank replied, glaring at Connor again. Y/N sighed, shaking their head.

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"If you have any files on deviants, I'd like to take a look at them...." Connor said, Hank looking back up at him.
"Terminal's on your desk. Knock yourself out." With that, Connor went to work, looking through all of the files and quickly analyzing them.

He looked up. "Two hundred forty-three files, the first dates back nine months." He stated, looking at Y/N, who out of the three of them, was the most interested in this case. "It all started in Detroit, and it quickly spread across the country."

"A lot of people don't appreciate having androids around." Connor started, looking back from the many files to Hank. "I was wondering if there is any reason in particular you despise me?" Y/N chuckled, most definitely because of his choice of words.

Hank sighed, looking at Connor. "Yeah, there's one." With no context to why, Hank looked back at his work. Connor looked at the man expectedly, waiting for an answer, but Hank simply shook his head, not bothering.

"You're not gonna get an answer, Connor." Y/N said, looking at him with a sad smile before glancing at their computer screen, a look of confusion on their face.

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

Y/N spoke up. "An AX400 is reported to have murdered a man last night." They stated, turning their computer screen around and letting Connor take a look.

"That could be a good starting point for our investigation." He nodded, getting up out of his seat as Y/N shrugged their coat on. He watched Hank expectedly, Y/N already leaving the police station.

As Connor approached Hank, he let out a sigh. "Uh, Jesus." He said, rolling away from him and looking at his tablet.

The RK800 placed one hand on Hank's desk. "I understand you're facing personal issues, Lieutenant, but you need to move past them and-"

"Hey!" Hank yelled, startling the android. "Don't talk to me like you know me. I'm not your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?" He snapped, but Connor wasn't going to give up.

"I've been assigned this mission, Lieutenant." With every word, Hank's face seemed to become a little redder. "I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working."

With that, Hanks snapped. He stood up and grasped Connor's blazer edges, pushing him against the glass pane in anger. "Listen, asshole. If it was up to me, I'd throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it. So, stop pissing me off. Or things are going to get nasty." Hank was pulled off of Connor by Y/N, who nobody noticed had already walked back in.

HANK ANDERSON - RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"Both of you! Stop it!" They yelled, shivering from the cold outside. "We have a location on the AX400, it's in the Ravendale district. So, you guys get your asses outside and we can drive, okay?" They said, obviously quite angry at Hank more than Connor. At least, that's what Connor assumed.

"I'm on it."

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
09:23 AM

Y/N stepped out of their bedroom at the Kamski mansion, sporting just a casual business outfit for the day of work ahead. Elijah was out for the day in Wisconsin, dealing with some CyberLife issues. Even though he was retired from the company, he still had to deal with issues every once in a while. They quickly poked their head through the office door, looking at Connor's cameras. He was in the mind palace, but Y/N could still see the environment around the police station. They noticed two FBI agents walk in, one tall one with quite long hair and a shorter one with choppier hair. They looked like brothers, but Y/N paid no attention to them.

After watching Connor converse with Amanda in the Zen Garden for a few minutes, they grabbed the keys to their motorcycle, riding along the beautiful, snowy highways of the city Detroit. Y/N was quite lucky to have gorgeous Winters where Kamski and them lived, and they were glad they got to experience the snow falling atop their eyelashes.

The police station was bustling with life as Y/N walked in, unlike most days. Ever since some of the androids around Detroit had been reported to have signs of deviancy, every police station was full of life and activity, especially because of the prototype detective, RK800.

After showing their badge to the front desk, Y/N made their way to where their personal desk was, right across from Lieutenant Anderson's. But, as soon as they began to start opening case files on their hard drive, their stomach growled with wishes for coffee and breakfast. As they walked towards the break room, they spotted Detective Reed and Officer Miller, so Y/N made an effort to steer clear of them as they waited for their coffee to brew.

"Fuck, look at that..." Gavin remarked. Y/N ignored him, not wanting to get themselves in trouble for confronting him. "Our friend, the plastic detective, is back in town!" He exclaimed giddily. That caused Y/N's ears to perk up. They didn't want Connor to be mocked by Gavin one bit, but they knew that they'd cut in if anything got too heated. "Congratulations on last night, very impressive!" He yelled sarcastically.

"Hello, Detective Reed." Connor's robotic voice flowed through the air. Y/N admired how he could simply be polite, even when talking to Gavin Reed, of all people, but she shook the emotions off and played it off as it being due to his android programming, them and Elijah couldn't be that far into deviancy so fast.

"Never seen an android like you before, what model are you?" Gavin asked, smiling with sickening sarcasm.

"RK800." Connor answered. "I'm a prototype." As per usual, Officer Miller stayed silent. Y/N could hear Gavin get up from his seat behind them, ready to face off with the android.

"A prototype?" He scoffed. "Android detectives. So, machines are gonna replace us all, is that it?" Gavin yelled. "Bring me a coffee, dipshit!" He demanded. "GET A MOVE ON!" Y/N could hear Connor's shoes step back a bit, meaning Gavin had stepped over the line.

"I'm sorry, but I only take orders from Detective L/N and Lieutenant Anderson." Connor stated politely.

"Oh, oh..." Gavin responded in mock understanding. Suddenly, movement was happening behind Y/N, they whipped their head around and saw Connor being pushed to the ground. "If Y/N hadn't got in the way yesterday, I would've fucked you up for disobeying a human. Stay outta my way, 'cause next time, you won't get off so easy." That was it. Y/N walked forward and dealt a quick knee to Gavin's stomach. Really, they meant to go a bit lower, but hitting his stomach sent him bending over in pain anyway.

They helped Connor up before rolling their eyes at Officer Reed. "If you hadn't retreated, I would've blown your goddamn brains out, Detective Reed." They spat angrily, crossing their arms against their chest. "Next time, you won't get off so easy." Before leaving the break room, Y/N turned their head to face Gavin, who was just getting up from the ground. "And by the way, it's Detective L/N." Connor followed Y/N like a lost puppy as they sat down at their desk, opening up the files they were about to work on before.

Y/N looked up at Connor. "You can sit down at his desk until he gets here, if you want." They offered, smiling softly. The RK800 model sat down, seemingly uncomfortable sitting in a chair that wasn't his own. They watched in amusement as Connor grabbed the headphones off of the desk and placed it against his ear, immediately pulling the music away from his ear. Y/N chuckled, knowing that Hank only listened to heavy metal. "His music taste is interesting" They exclaimed, laughing as Connor glanced back up towards them. "I like f/m/g. It's much better than Knights of the Black Death." Y/N looked back to their computer then gazed over to the android again. "Connor, if you had to choose, what type of music would you listen to?"

The RK800 thought for a moment, Y/N could practically see the gears turning in his head. Quite literally. "I quite enjoy pop, it's full of energy and it's upbeat, but I find myself wanting to listen to Indie music, it's very original to me."

Y/N nodded, attempting to focus on their case files. Each one was a different deviant report, making their stomach turn in turmoil. Was every case the same? Had each android gone rogue because of their owners? Were the humans really causing the revolution? Y/N knew that answer. They had been to Jericho too many times to count, they just wanted their freedom.

"Call Hank Anderson." They heard Connor mutter, but they continued to type away at their keyboard. "Lieutenant Anderson? This is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife." He stated his trademark slogan, making Y/N snicker just a little. "It's almost noon and I'm waiting for you at the office." The detective across from the android assumed that Hank hadn't picked up the phone due to the formality of the voice call, but they didn't bring it up.

They watched as Connor glanced over every piece of Hank's desk, presumably scanning every item he could. Y/N gazed at the poster he was looking at, the one about themself.

'Detroit's finest have dealt a massive blow to the city's growing Red Ice epidemic, with a number of high-profile dealers and suppliers now behind bars and narcotics seized with a street value of $500,000. Y/N L/N, a 15-year-old's family affected by Red Ice, did an interview with The Detroit Times, but we have not been able to get in contact with them. Detective Hank Anderson, a young but hugely talented Detective, is said to have been instrumental in the operation, which took months of planning. Detective Anderson himself saved over 100 children whose guardians were addicted to Red Ice, including the only one who has spoken out about their experience, Y/N L/N. The DA described the work of Detective Anderson and his colleagues as "model investigative police work".'

Y/N pretended not to notice Connor scanning them again with a confused look in his eyes and opted to continue working. Hank soon caught up to them, walking over towards the two detectives.

"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant." Connor spoke, standing up and out of Hank's desk as the man approached.

"Uh, Jesus..." The man exclaimed, making Y/N press their hand against their mouth while laughing. Honestly, the banter between the android and the human was quite funny to them, and it posed for some good entertainment at the station.

Captain Fowler's yelling from the other room made the laughter cease. "Hank! Y/N! In my office!" The latter sighed, standing up and following Hank into the captain's office. Connor walked a short distance behind the other two, not really knowing where to go.

Immediately after Y/N and Hank sat down, Captain Fowler began yelling. "I've got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maid and that kind of crap... But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even homicides, like that guy last night... This isn't just CyberLife's problem anymore. It's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta deal with it before the shit hits the fan. I want you to investigate these cases and see if there's any link."

"Why me?" Hank yelled, objecting Captain Fowler's request immediately. "Why me? Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit? Like Y/N, I understand, they've got a background with CyberLife." He stated, making Y/N nod. "But I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case! I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone."

"He's right." Y/N said, taking Hank's side for once. "I had to help him turn the brightness down because, I quote; 'It's too fucking bright for my tiny ass eyes.' He called me, at three in the morning, to turn down his phone brightness."
Captain Fowler scoffed, rolling his eyes and placing his hands down on the desk in front of him as he spoke. "That's the point, Y/N, this is an opportunity for him to start learning how to use technology." He exclaimed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "It's 2038 for fuck's sakes! Everybody's overloaded. I think you two are perfectly qualified this type of investigation-"
Hank interrupted the captain with a large yell, making Y/N jump. "Bullshit!" They felt a bit of movement beside where they were sitting, only then noticing Connor had been standing beside them. "The truth is that nobody wants to investigate these fuckin; androids and you left us holdin' the bag!" Lieutenant Anderson yelled.

"CyberLife sent over this android to help with the investigation." Captain Fowler sneered, quite angry. "It's a state-of-the-art prototype. It'll act as your partner."

"No fuckin' way!" Hank objected. "I don't need another partner, and certainly not this plastic prick!"

Y/N stood up. "I, quite frankly, take offence to that." They stated. "He's the only android I ever worked on fully, so choose your words carefully, Hank!"

"Don't start yelling at me! I saved your goddamn life-"
"ENOUGH!" Captain Fowler announced, stopping the argument. "You are both seriously starting to piss me off!" He spat angrily. "Y/N, you want me to take you out of the DPD and back to the MPD?" The Captain threatened. "You are police officers, you're supposed to do what I say and shut your goddamn mouth!"

"You wanna know what my goddamn mouth has to say to you?" Hank rebutted. Y/N placed their hand in front of him to prevent the Lieutenant from full-on attacking Captain Fowler.

"Ok, okay. I'll pretend like I didn't hear that, so I don't have to add any more pages to your disciplinary folder because it already looks like a fucking novel!" He yelled, slamming his hands down onto the desk. "This conversation is over!"

"Jeffrey." Hank pleaded, his voice wavering. Y/N knew how uncomfortable he was on the topic of androids and seeing him beg to not work with one was heartbreaking. "Jesus Christ, why are you doing this to me? You know how much I hate these fucking things. Why are you doing this to me?"

Captain Fowler sighed. "Listen, I've had just enough of your bitching. Either you do your job or you hand in your badges." He spoke, standing up straight again and lifting his hands off of his desk. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." Hank let out an exhale of breath and followed Y/N back out of the office.

"Never, ever pull that 'I saved your life' shit on me ever again, Hank." They demanded, standing just outside of Captain Fowler's area. "You didn't have to save me that night, and don't use it as an excuse." Y/N spoke, walking away and sitting down at their desk. Hank followed, sitting across from them in complete silence. Of course, Y/N was absolutely pissed off, but they'd most certainly have to work a case file that day, so they didn't make an effort to completely ignore Hank.

Connor approached the two, seemingly lost as to what to do. "Is there a desk anywhere I could use?" He asked, eyes softening.

"No one's using that one." Hank answered shortly, pointing to one of the desks placed against Y/N's desk and Hank's. Connor nodded, sitting down and scanning the desk. Y/N smiled softly at the android before turning back to the computer screen in front of them.

Of course, Connor had to try and make some form of small talk with Hank, and Y/N knew it was doomed to fail. "Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death?" He asked. "I really like that kind of music. It's full of... energy." Connor stated.

"You listen to heavy metal?" Hank asked for confirmation. Y/N snickered at his skepticism towards the android. The three stayed in a silence for a few minutes, Y/N sipping on their coffee as they clicked through more and more deviancy reports.

"You have a dog, right?" Connor asked out of the blue, causing both Hank and Y/N to jump a little, one more annoyed than the other.

Hank scoffed. "How do you know that?"

"The dog hairs on your chair." Connor replied factually. "I like dogs. What's your dog's name?"

"What's it to you?" Lieutenant Anderson spat. Y/N sighed, taking a large gulp of their coffee as they watched the two converse. "Sumo, I call him Sumo." Hank cracked. Y/N smiled at Connor, proud of him for letting Hank open up to him, android and all.

"What about you, Detective L/N?" The RK800 asked. "Do you have any pets?"

Y/N sadly smiled, shaking their head. "No. My brother has a cat, but I used to live in a cheap apartment in Malibu. They didn't allow pets." They imagined having a beautiful German Shepherd or Husky, perhaps, running around the Kamski Mansion. Maybe they'd train the dog to help them on police cases. Honestly, they just wanted a dog.

"Have you known Captain Fowler for long?" Connor asked the two.

Y/N snickered. "Too long." Hank and Y/N answered in unison. They chuckled it off, remembering when he brought them into the police station after the Task Force incidents and experienced the first time Captain Fowler ever yelled at them. Yes, Y/N may have stolen the candies on his desk, but they were fifteen, it was only reflex.

"I was wondering, do you always arrive at the office at this time?" Connor asked, making Hank sigh and pull an annoyed face.

"I arrive when I arrive." He spat. "Stop busting my balls, okay?" Hank rolled his eyes, trying to turn back to his work.

"You're a Detroit Gears fan, right?" Connor inquired. Y/N immediately groaned, holding their head in their hands in embarrassment.

"Not the best question to ask, Connor." They stated, shaking their head before sitting up straight again and inspecting a few specific case files.

"I mean, Denton Carter scored fifty-three percent of his shots from the three-point line yesterday." The android stated factually. "Did you see the game?"

Hank mumbled a string of curse words under his breath, spitting a deathly glare at Connor as he answered. "That's what I was watching in the bar last night." Y/N sighed, knowing that Connor had some of his 'relationship progress' with Hank. Them and Elijah knew that if he excelled in good relationships, it would be easier to deviate from CyberLife and Amanda. So, of course, Y/N's top priority was his relationships and his software instability.

They snapped back into reality as Connor began talking again. "If you have any files on deviants, I'd like to take a look at them..."

Hank looked up from his desk. "Terminal's on your desk." He pointed to the screen. "Knock yourself out." Finally, a few moments were shown to the group of three, letting Y/N get back to their coffee, and Hank get a little less annoyed.

As soon as Connor's mouth opened, Y/N swore that they could hear Hank's pen break in his fists. "Two hundred forty-three files, the first dates back nine months." He spoke. Y/N, of course, was incredibly interested that Elijah and their plan had worked so fast. Hank, on the other hand, was not interested at all. "It all started in Detroit, and it quickly spread across the country." And, as always, Connor couldn't just leave it at that. "A lot of people don't appreciate having androids around. I was wondering if there is any reason in particular you despise me?" He asked Hank.

Y/N chuckled a bit, amused by the android's choice in words. Hank only sighed, not as amused by the question as his partner seemed to be. "Yeah, there's one." He answered shortly, immediately looking back at his work.

Turning around, Y/N smiled softly towards Connor. "You're not gonna get an answer, Connor." It was as simple as that. They knew that Hank had a horrifying experience with androids, but they also knew that it wasn't the android's fault. Y/N had known Hank for years, and they were close like a father and a child. But, of course, Hank would never admit that to anyone, not even himself. It hurt to think about anyone becoming somewhat of a child figure towards him.

Y/N spun their screen towards Connor, showing a photo of an android. "An AX400 is reported to have murdered a man last night." They spoke, turning their computer screen back around after Connor had finished scanning it.

"That could be a good starting point for our investigation." The android replied. Y/N grabbed their coat from the back of their chair and shrugged it over their shoulders as Connor got up out of the desk chair, waiting patiently for Hank to do the same. Not wanting to wait for the older man, Y/N left the police station, walking out the front door and placing their empty coffee cup in the trash can on the sidewalk. They were content with standing outside in the snow and letting the beautiful snowflakes fall on their nose. November in Detroit was quite chilly, but it wasn't too cold yet. Not cold enough to be in a bunch of layers, at least.

A notification pinged onto their phone, so Y/N opened it with their fingerprint, seeing that a report had come in about the case they were going to go on. The deviant had been found twenty-five minutes down the road.

A few more minutes passed as they waited for their two partners, and Y/N became impatient, walking inside only to see Hank holding Connor by his shirt collar. "-pissing me off. Or things are going to get nasty." He threatened. Y/N stormed over to the desks, pulling Hank away from the android.

"Both of you! Stop it!" They demanded. "We have a location on the AX400, it's in the Ravendale district. So, you guys get your asses outside and we can drive, okay?" Y/N seethed, fairly pissed off that Hank was about to beat up Connor.

Hank sighed, really not wanting to put up with either of the other's shit. Connor, on the other hand, was fairly excited for the case. Well, if he could even be excited. "I'm on it."

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
10:25 AM

Y/N, Connor, and Hank arrived in the Ravendale district after a while of driving, a few police officers and investigators already placed at the suspected location. Hank was already discussing the reports and suspect with another officer, while Connor stood patiently outside of the car. Y/N had entered the twenty-four-hour convenience store across the sidewalk, but Connor could not decipher what they were doing. The RK800 tried to eavesdrop on Hank's conversation, but he couldn't figure that out either. So, instead, he began placing together a few clues he had gathered from the report and the case in his head.

Hank walked back over, Y/N exiting the store with a few bags of chips, an instant ramen noodle packet (of which had been cooked), a pack of cigarettes (Connor assumed they were for Hank), and a few water bottles. "Here." They stated, passing the cigarette packet to Hank and placing the rest of the contents back in the passenger seat of the car. Connor looked at them curiously as they ate the noodles. "Don't judge me. I didn't eat breakfast this morning."

The RK800 nodded politely, not wanting to be rude. He thought it would be best to start discussing the report. "It took the first bus that came along and stayed at the end of the line." He stated. "It's decision wasn't planned, it was driven by fear."

Hank scoffed, shaking his head. "Androids don't feel fear."

"Deviants do." Connor corrected. "They get overwhelmed by their emotions and make irrational decisions."

"Even though you're right, that still doesn't tell us where she went." Y/N replied, blowing hot air into the palms of their hands to try and warm themselves up.

"It didn't have a plan, and it had nowhere to go." Connor spoke, the gears in his biocomponents turning. "Maybe it didn't go far."

Connor looked to Y/N, watching as they glanced around the block. He quickly scanned the surroundings. The only places a deviant could go would be either the motel, an abandoned house, or if they could find an empty car in one of the parking lots. It would be challenging as a deviant to cover their tracks, so Connor knew that he could find them easily if they had stuck around.

"Well, where should we start?" Y/N asked.

"The abandoned home." Connor answered. "The deviant most likely would not have been able to get enough money and a change of clothes to stay at the motel, and it would be discovered too quickly to stay in the parking lot." He stated.

"Well then, what're we waiting for?" Hank rolled his eyes, stomping across the road. Y/N followed shortly behind him, letting the steam from the ramen warm up their face. Connor trailed behind, noticing something on the metal fencing. He immediately turned courses, not following his partners.
"There's blue blood on the fence." He factually spoke, standing up and facing Hank and Y/N, who were standing a ways away. "I know another android was here."

"Was it the AX400?" Y/N asked.

"I don't know. There wasn't enough thirium to sample." Connor replied. Y/N nodded, walking over to the boarded-up windows of the wooden house and peeking through. After they had stepped back, the android detective did the same. A figure stood in the home.

ANDROID INSIDE THE HOUSE

He logged the information into his database and continued searching around the broken porch for any more evidence. Not finding anything of use, he met back up with Hank and opened the door to the home, Y/N following behind him. He immediately spotted a broken WR600 model, his face ripped and broken with blue blood dripping from it. The android was wrapped in some form of shawl, which was strange, because if he didn't need it for warmth, what would he need it for? Connor quickly scanned the android.

BURN MARK
Irreversible skin damage
Probable cause: Extreme heat

PROCESSING LED
Signs of software instability
Probability of self-destruction: Moderate

MODEL WR600 - Gardener
Serial#: 021 753 034
Status: REPORTED MISSING

"Are there any other androids here?" Y/N asked, remaining calm. Connor didn't know how a human could stay that calm when conversing with an unstable android. It was unfamiliar to him.

"Ralph's seen nobody..." The WR600, who's name Connor identified as Ralph, replied. He found that it was odd for an android to refer to themselves in the third person, as it wasn't in their programming, so he noted that it was another thing that could change in the biocomponents of a deviant.

"There's blue blood on the fence." Connor stated. "I know another android was here."

"Ralph scratched himself coming through." The android spoke nervously, his voice box seemed quite damaged. "That's Ralph's blood."

56% LEVEL OF STRESS

Y/N held their hand up in reassurance. "Don't be afraid. We're not here to hurt you." They stated, trying to calm down the deviant. Again, Connor was perplexed. Of course, it was a tactical move, but the RK800 heard more emotion in Y/N's voice. It was strange.

Connor's task appeared suddenly as he then understood what he needed to do.

INVESTIGATE THE DEVIANT TRAIL
FIND SOURCE OF STRESS

As the two walked around the room and towards the staircase, Connor noticed the level of stress in Ralph began going up. He quickly scanned the table.

TABLE SET FOR 3 PEOPLE
FOOD? ANDROIDS DON'T EAT

He watched as Y/N winced at the cooked rat on the table, gagging a little in their mouth before stepping away. Connor turned around and glanced at the fireplace, which was still burning embers, oddly.

ANDROIDS DON'T NEED HEAT

He glanced back at Ralph.

33% LEVEL OF STRESS

The deviants weren't around the fireplace if he was going off of stress levels alone. Connor looked around for Y/N, spotting them as they opened the door to another room.

"Come look at this." They stated, motioning for the android to follow them. He did what he was told, of course, and stepped into the room beside them. Every wall was painted with different letterings of I AM ALIVE and rA9. "Who do you think rA9 is?" Y/N asked Connor, looking at the intricate writings.

"I can not think for myself. But the evidence I have gathered suggests-"

Y/N held a hand to Connor's chest, stopping him. "Imagine there is no evidence. Who would you think rA9 could be? Just take a wild guess."

"I can not comprehend things that are not real, Detective L/N." At that, Y/N sighed, walking out of the room to look for the AX400 alone.

Connor didn't know what he had done, he had only been stating facts, but he didn't question it as he walked out of the room behind Y/N. He glanced at an old arcade machine pushed against one of the walls.

96% LEVEL OF STRESS

"Is anyone upstairs?" Y/N asked, standing on the landing of the staircase. Connor noticed their position, it must've been causing Ralph to panic. The AX400 had to be around Detective L/N somehow.

"No." Ralph answered quickly, his stress level dropping drastically.

70% LEVEL OF STRESS
ANDROID IS TELLING THE TRUTH

Y/N decided to believe Ralph, stepping down the staircase, a skeptical look still plastered on their face. Connor ducked in behind the staircase. Suddenly, Ralph grabbed the back of Connor and pulled him back.

"RUN! QUICK! KARA!" He yelled. Y/N turned around, alert of the situation. An adult android, the AX400, and a younger android, a YK500, ran out from underneath the stairs, making a run for it.

Ralph let go of the RK800, sending him to the floor. "Fuck!" Y/N swore, helping Connor back up from his slumped figure.

"What's going on?" Hank asked, entering the building.

"It's here! Call it in!" Connor answered, running after Y/N through the door that the two deviants had disappeared through. There was a tiny hole in the brickwork, so Y/N snuck under first, exiting through the hole in the metal fencing and meeting up with another officer, Connor standing beside them.

"Which way did they go?" Y/N asked.

"That way!" The officer replied. "They're headed for the train station!" Connor and Y/N made a break for the street, running across the rain-covered sidewalk. People gave glances at the prototype and the human detective, but they made no act to show their confusion.

They ran into another officer, pointing in the direction they saw the deviants go. "They're over there!" He yelled.

Connor made a break for the alleyway, Y/N following just behind him. They watched as the two deviants jumped over the high fence separating the highway from the city. The AX400 looked at Connor, then to Y/N, seemingly begging for them to let her go.

The RK800 then noticed a police officer behind them, holding a gun towards the deviants. "Don't shoot! We need it alive!" Connor yelled.

The two deviants made it to the highway as Hank ran forward. "Oh fuck, that's insane." He panted, Connor assumed he wasn't used to as much physical activity as he had been exposed to during the chase.

The deviants ran to the other side of the road, dodging cars narrowly on their way. It was a risky move, they would do anything to survive. Connor began to climb up the fence, leaving Y/N to pull him back down.

"Where are you going?" They asked.

"I can't let them get away."

"They won't!" Hank yelled. "They'll never make it to the other side."

"I can't take that chance."

"You will get yourself killed!" Y/N yelled. "Do not go after them." As they saw Connor begin to grab at the fence again, they resorted to the sentence they hated saying. "That's an order!" With that, he stayed on the other side of the fence, watching as the AX400 and the YK500 made a break for the forest behind the highway.

Connor could feel something build up in his lower biocomponents, the one stationed where his stomach was. What was happening to him?

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
03:02 PM

Heavy metal music blasted through the old police car as Hank drove Connor and Y/N through some of the older, ratchet parts of Detroit. Connor made an effort to scan everything he could from the inside but being in the back seat made it difficult.

"Really, Hank?" Y/N groaned, rolling their eyes as he stopped the car. "Chicken Feed? You know how much I hate their food."

Hank scoffed. "Yeah, well deal with it. Unless you wanna walk all the way to Downtown Louie's Lounge!" Y/N rolled their eyes again, getting out of the passenger's seat of Hank's car and slamming the door. Connor watched as Hank stumbled across the road, narrowly dodging the self-driving cars. A mission suddenly popped up.

RECONCILE WITH LT. ANDERSON

"Hey." Y/N spoke, knocking on the window to the backseat, startling Connor a bit. "C'mon." He nodded, opening the door as Detective L/N stepped back onto the sidewalk. The RK800 got out of the car and followed Y/N across the road, seeing a small trailer-like restaurant with Chicken Feed written on the top in bright lights.

"-I got a shit-hot tip for you." One of the vendors spoke, talking to Hank. "Number five in the third, Lickety-split! That filly's one hell of a chaser." The man smiled. "You wanna flutter?"

"The last shit-hot tip you gave me set me back a week's wages, Pedro..." Hank trailed. Connor looked over to Y/N, seeing their eyes roll in annoyance.

"Come on, this is different!" The man, who's name turned out to be Pedro, exclaimed. "It's one-hundred-percent guaranteed. You can't go wrong." Before Connor could listen to what Hank's answer was, he did a quick scan on the man coaxing the Lieutenant to gamble.

NAME: PEDRO AABDAR
OCCUPATION(S): UNEMPLOYED
RELATION(S): UNKNOWN
CRIMINAL RECORD: ILLEGAL GAMBLING, FRAUD
BORN: 01/25/2005

He looked up behind Pedro, scanning everything he could in his surroundings.

DETROIT FOOD HYGIENE LICENSE
LICENSE EXPIRED: 05/20/2031
RENEWAL REFUSED: 07/24/2031

NAME: GARY KAYES
OCCUPATION(S): BUSINESS OWNER
RELATION(S): UNKNOWN
CRIMINAL RECORD: RESISTING ARREST, BREACH

Connor stopped scanning around Chicken Feed, instead opting to continue listening in on Hank's conversation. "Yeah, right..." He spoke in disbelief, eventually rolling his eyes and passing Pedro a stack of cash. "Alright, I'm in."

"Damn straight!" The younger kid spoke, happy that he had made a few bets. "Hey! You won't regret this!" He yelled, walking away from the small restaurant. Connor followed Y/N as they stood beside Hank, watching as the older man rolled his eyes at the android's antics.

"What is your problem?" He asked aggressively. "Don't you ever do as you're told? Look, you don't have to follow us around like a poodle!"

"I told him to come out." Y/N stated truthfully, Connor tilted his head. Why were they taking the blame?

Hank scoffed. "Honestly, I expected that."

"I'm sorry for my behaviour back at the police station." Connor apologized. "I didn't mean to be unpleasant."

Y/N rolled their eyes. "I'm not starting this." They turned towards the vendor, quickly looking over the menu before ordering. "Can I get a cheeseburger and water please?" They asked, handing over a few dollar bills.

Hank laughed in disbelief. "And you say you don't like this place?"

"Okay, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I'm not starving to death." They responded, both Hank and Y/N grabbing their food and sitting down at one of the tables out on the sidewalk beside the restaurant. Of course, due to instinct, Connor scanned the food the vendor passed towards them.

XL SODA
710 KILOCALORIES
SUGAR: 184 GRAMS
CARBONATED
PINEAPPLE PASSION

HAMBURGER
1680 KILOCALORIES
LIPIDS: 36 GRAMS
CARBOHYDRA
53% WATER
SALT: 2.2 GRAMS

CHEESEBURGER
301 KILOCALORIES
LIPIDS: 14 GRAMS
CARBOHYDRA
54% WATER
SALT: 0.589 GRAMS

BOTTLED WATER
0 KILOCALORIES
SUGAR: 0 GRAMS
NON-CARBONATED

"Here ya' go." The vendor spoke.

"Thanks!" Y/N replied, sitting down across from Hank at one of the smaller tables.

"Don't leave that thing here!" The vendor exclaimed, pointing towards Connor, who was still standing in front of Chicken Feed.

Hank laughed, a bit amused. "Not a chance! It follows us everywhere..." As Hank depicted, Connor followed the other two to the table, protecting his model from the rain by standing under the attached umbrella.

Whilst Y/N and Hank began eating their meals, Connor decided to make small talk. He had a 26% success rate talking with Hank, but he had a 87% success rate with Y/N, so he started talking anyway. "Your meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol level." He spoke, facing Hank first and then turning to Y/N. "And yours does too. You both shouldn't be eating that."

"Everybody's gotta die of something..." Hank muttered.

"What he means to say is that food is food." Y/N spoke, facing Connor with a smile. "When you're hungry, whatever gets the job done is fine." They replied, taking a large bite of the cheeseburger they ordered.

"I don't want to alarm you two, but I think your friends are engaged in illegal activities." Connor stated, recalling the scan he had done on the vendor and Hank's friend.

"Well, everybody does what they have to do to get by." Hank spoke, shrugging "As long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother 'em."

Y/N laughed, taking a large gulp of their water. "That might be the most poetic thing I've ever heard you say."

"Shut up." Hank scoffed.

"This morning, when we were chasing those deviants..." Connor continued, turning more so to Y/N than towards Hank as he talked. "Why didn't you want me to cross the highway?"

"Um- well, we just didn't want you to get killed." Y/N answered truthfully.

Hank scoffed. "Speak for yourself. I just hate filling out paperwork for damaged equipment." He revealed, but Connor could sense a hint of dishonesty in his sentence.

"Can I ask you a personal question, detective?" The android asked, turning towards Y/N once again. They nodded politely, smiling as they bit into their cheeseburger. "Why are you always so kind to androids?"

"Um- well, I guess I just have worked on them for most of my life." They spoke, stuttering a bit at the beginning. "I hate to see my life's work start malfunctioning." Once again, Connor sensed dishonesty in their words, but he paid no mind towards it.

"What about you, Lieutenant?" He asked, turning towards Hank.

"Are you kidding? I hate those things!"

"I meant to ask why you hate androids so much."

Hank paused for a moment, holding his drink halfway towards his lips. He quickly swallowed, sighing. "I have my reasons."

A small moment of silence passed before Connor decided to speak again, attempting to choose his words wisely to help him converse with his two partners. "Is there anything you'd like to know about me?"

"Hell no." Hank stated. "Well, yeah. Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?"

"Hank, what the hell?" Y/N exclaimed. "I'm kidding. But seriously, insult something I worked so hard on again and I'll seriously think about buying you a caretaker android."

Hank held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, yeesh." Connor was confused at the two's banter. He knew they had been friends since Y/N was fifteen and had been rescued from their home during the Red Ice Task Force Missions, but he really didn't know anything else about their relationship as friends. He'd have to look into it more. It could help the mission.

"Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants?" Connor proposed, Y/N nodding in understanding.

"You read my mind." Hank stated, making Connor a bit more perplexed. Androids could not read minds without significant evidence. "Proceed."

"We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion." Connor explained.

Hank blinked a few times. "In English, please."

Whilst Connor still felt incredibly confused as to why Lieutenant Anderson insisted he spoke in English, when he was the whole time, Y/N simplified the terms. "Basically, androids don't really feel emotions, they just- they can get overwhelmed by weird instructions from their owners, which can lead to unpredictable behaviour."

"Emotions always screw everything up." Hank stated, sighing. "Maybe androids aren't as different from us as we thought." He spoke, sipping on his drink before proceeding with the conversation. "You ever dealt with deviants before?"

Connor noticed Y/N making a strange face, and their heart rate sped up a bit, which was abnormal. He'd have to make sure to tell Amanda about the strange things that were happening to Y/N. His mind flashed towards the first sign of a deviant that Detroit had, the PL600 android that had kidnapped his household companion. "A few months back a deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl." He paused. "I managed to save her."

"So, I guess you've done all your homework, right?" Hank asked. "Know everything there is to know about us?" He assumed, waving his finger in between himself and Y/N.

Turning towards Hank, Connor began to prove the Lieutenant's theory right. "I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit. I also know you've received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars."

He turned towards Y/N. "I know that you worked for CyberLife for most of your life, and authentically created the prototype RK800 with your brother, Elijah Kam-"

Y/N immediately shushed him. "Keep it down! Hank and you are the only two that know as of now, okay? And I plan on keeping it that way." Connor tilted his head, he was conflicted and confused. Amanda would wish to know everything he knew about the case so far, but Y/N wanted to keep their identity a secret. He'd have to make a decision fast. "Anyway, continue."

Connor nodded. "I know that you used to work at the Miami Police Department before you moved to Detroit. And I know that you and Lieutenant Anderson have been good friends since you were fifteen."

Y/N nodded, quite surprised at how much the android knew. "So, what's your conclusion?" They asked, smiling softly.

"Well, I think working with officers with personal issues is an added challenge but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features." He answered, winking.

Connor's LED began whirring yellow as he began to read a case file. "I just got a report of a suspected deviant." He spoke, his LED turning back to bright blue. He couldn't decipher human emotion that well yet, but he swore he saw a small look of disappointment on Y/N's face. "We should go have a look. I'll let you two finish your meal." He stated, walking across the road and through the rain, entering in the backseat of Hank's car again.

His mind started wandering again. Did he trust Amanda enough to tell her about Y/N's brother?

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
03:34 PM

"Hey, Connor!" He opened his eyes to Y/N calling out his name. He remembered where they were. Hank and Y/N stood outside of the elevator he was in, waiting to continue on the halls of the dingy apartment building. "C'mon. The deviant could escape at any minute."

"I'm sorry. I was making a report to CyberLife." The RK800 replied, earning a scoff from Hank.

"Well, do you plan on staying in the elevator?" He asked.

"No." Connor spoke. "I'm coming." A new assignment lit up in front of him as Hank and Y/N made their way towards the apartment they needed to check out.

QUESTION THE SUSPECT

"Connor?" Y/N asked.

"Yes?"

"What do you know about this deviant?"

"Not much." Connor replied. "Just that a neighbor reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor. Nobody's supposed to be living here, but the neighbor said he saw a man hiding an LED under his cap."

Hank yawned, exhausted. "Oh, Christ, if we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we're gonna need more cops." The Lieutenant turned to Connor suddenly. "Were you really making a report back there in the elevator? Just by closing your eyes?" He asked.

"Correct."

"Shit... wish I could do that."

Y/N chuckled a bit. "Oh, yeah? So, you can be even more lazy?" They poked.

"Well, it's better than being stuck at a desk all day." He replied. Y/N nodded, agreeing with his statement for once. Connor deduced that they didn't agree on most things, but statistically, all evidence pointed to the fact that people with nothing in common rarely made friendships or romantic relationships. It was odd. He crouched down, looking at a pile of debris on the flooring of the hallway.

FEATHERS
COLUMBA LIVIA: ROCK PIGEON
COMPRISED OF DIFFERENT SPECIMENS

Connor knocked on the door first. "Anybody home?" He asked, only hearing a large crash from the apartment in return.

"Shit." Y/N swore. "Open up! Detroit Police!" They yelled, pulling their gun out. "Stay behind me."

"Got it." Connor spoke, letting them kick off the hinges of the door before walking into the apartment, Hank following shortly behind. They walked into another smaller hallway with four doors.

Hank busted down the door at the head of the hall, only to be met with a large band of crows flying towards his face. "What the fuck is this?!"

Y/N laughed, presumably in amusement towards their friend's misfortune. "God, this place stinks." They stated with their gun still in one hand.

"Looks like we came for nothing." Hank spoke pessimistically. "Our man's gone."

Another three subtasks came up for Connor.

INVESTIGATE THE APARTMENT
CONFIRM SUSPECT IS DEVIANT
FIND CAUSE OF LOUD NOISE

There were strange mazes written all over the walls, covering the old, ripped and dirty wallpaper. Connor looked at one of the posters on the wall, walking towards it. Every time he made a step closer, more and more birds flew out from underneath him.

URBAN FARM POSTER
FIELDS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY
265 ACRE AVENUE, DETROIT

POSTER CORNER
100% RECYCLED PAPER
RECENTLY MOVED

He quickly tore off the side of the poster, revealing a large, gaping hole in the drywall. There was an old, leather notebook placed in it. Connor picked it up, gazing through the pages of insane, obsessive and compulsive lettering.

"Found something?" Hank asked.

"I don't know." Connor answered, catching Y/N's attention. "It looks like a notebook but it's- indecipherable."

"I'm sure we can find a translator that can work on it." Detective L/N spoke. "You wouldn't believe the shit people can learn nowadays." Connor nodded, walking towards one of the closets. Pigeons flew out, but nothing else was left of importance. He chose to inspect the fridge next, which was empty.

SUSPECT DOESN'T EAT

"Agh, Jesus! I hate these things!" Hank exclaimed.

"Suck it up, old man." Y/N insulted. "If we're gonna get anywhere in this case, you need to learn how to stop complaining."

Hank scoffed, laughing a bit. "Oh, yes, 'cause you're so good at not complaining." Y/N stepped beside Connor, clearing the counter off until there was just a small bird seed box left.

SUSPECT CARES FOR WILD ANIMALS

"God. This guy had an obsession." Detective L/N remarked, placing the box of bird seed back down on the counter before turning around and continuing to search the area. Connor chose to inspect the jacket left on the couch, scanning it for any clues.

MILITARY JACKET
SECOND HAND: INITIALS R.T.
90% COTTON
10% SYNTHETIC FIBER

"R.T." Connor repeated.

"Initials, maybe?" Y/N proposed.

"He put his initials on his jacket?" Hank spoke in disbelief. "That's something your mom does when you're in first grade." After a few minutes, Y/N turned towards Connor, showing him a small card.

"Hey, do you think you can tell if this is real or fake?" They asked.

The RK800 nodded, scanning the driver's license quickly.

DRIVER'S LICENSE
NAME: RUPERT TRAVIS
AUTHENTICITY: FORGERY

"It's fake." Connor confirmed, handing it back to Y/N. They placed it back down on the shelf he presumed they found it on.

SUSPECT USED FORGED ID

"Cool!" Hank yelled, Connor couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or not. "At least we didn't come for nothing." The RK800 moved into the bathroom, more meaningless inscriptions written all over the tiled walls.

"Any idea what it means?" Hank asked, walking in alongside Y/N. They gazed at the millions of rA9 scribbles on the wall.

"rA9 was written 2471 times. It's the same sign Ortiz' android wrote on the shower wall, why are they obsessed with rA9?" He pondered aloud.

"Woah, look at these." Y/N pointed, causing Connor and Hank to glance over to where they were. More ciphers were written on the wall, they looked like mazes, and they were the same ones that appeared in the journal.

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE WRITING

Connor looked into the sink, placing his fingers in the water and touching it against his tongue to analyze it.

BLUE BLOOD
MODEL WB200 #847 004 961
REPORTED MISSING: 10/11/2036

He picked up the android LED that was on the edge of the sink, inspecting it closely.

LED
BIOCOMPONENT #9301
DEACTIVATED: 11/06/2038 - 11:36
SUSPECT IS DEVIANT

"Its LED is in the sink." Connor exclaimed, Hank and Y/N joining him in the bathroom once again.

"Not surprised it was an android." Hank stated. "No human could live with all these fuckin' pigeons..." He observed, looking at the birds that had flown away out of fear.

"As if there aren't enough of them flying around and shitting on people's heads already." Y/N muttered, yawning a bit.

"Detective L/N. You seemed to have gotten only five hours of sleep last night." Connor factually stated. "If you would like, we can continue this investigation while you get a coffee."

Y/N shook their head. "I've run on less. And besides, I'm not looking to get fired anytime soon, believe it or not." Connor nodded. If anything happened to them, he'd know the exact procedure to make sure they got a healthy rest afterwards. He bent down, looking at a knocked-over stool in the corner of the washroom.

WOODEN STOOL
RECENTLY DISTURBED
TRACES OF AVIAN FECAL MATTER

OPENED MARKER PEN
STILL WET: USED RECENTLY
COLOUR: MIDNIGHT MOOD [BLACK]

Connor began to piece together what had happened, and he watched as a diagram in his mind showed the evidence all placed together in one scene. He walked into the other room, spotting a toppled-over chair in the center.

SKID MARK - RECENT
TRAIL WIDTH: 19.6 INCHES
TRACES OF GALVANIZED STEEL

FINGER MARKS - RECENT
TRACES OF AVIAN FECAL MATTER
NO FINGERPRINTS

METAL HOOK
RECENTLY BROKEN
100% STAINLESS STEEL

Then, Connor began piecing together what had happened in the main room of the apartment, tracking all of the evidence he had collected.

SUSPECT IS STILL HERE

Connor began making his way to the place in the ceiling where he believed the deviant to be, Y/N and Hank following him over to the wall. The tiles in the roof creaked, and the deviant jumped down, running out the hallway.

"God damn fuckin' pigeons!" Hank exclaimed. "What are you waiting for?! Chase it!" He yelled at Connor, Y/N having already made a break for the deviant. They ran through the hallways they were just in, the RK800 staying just behind Y/N in speed. The deviant knocked over a large metal bookcase, leaving Connor and Y/N to leap over it. They ran out the fire exit, jumping over pipes whilst their feet padded across the concrete of the roof.

The two detectives ran across one of the rooftop wheat fields. Connor saw two different paths that they could take. "Detective L/N, go up towards the UFD sign! I'll take the other route!" They nodded in response, leaping into the greenhouse and meeting back with him. Connor had taken a slower route, so he was a few feet behind the other detective. They jumped over the planting rows and leaped off of the roof, sliding down on the glass and into a perfect human-sized hole in the wall.

They entered a more modern greenhouse, still running up towards the deviant as fast as they could. "What the-?" One of the civilians yelled, watching as an android and a human sped their way through the plantation. The deviant just managed to get under the closing garage door in time, meaning Y/N and Connor had to turn around, entering the lush lavender field.

Connor quickly spotted the deviant above them. "Go that way!" He yelled, not meaning to make a demand towards Y/N, but they didn't seem to mind. The human detective still stayed a little ways ahead of Connor, jumping down onto another slanted glass rooftop and sliding down, the oncoming train below them not making an effort to stop.

Connor slid ahead of Y/N, jumping onto the moving train and catching the human detective mid-air. They ran towards the deviant across each different section of the train, leaping onto a ladder and another stray graffitied brick wall. They ran through another plantation, this time dodging trees and ladders.

Y/N ran across a rooftop with solar panels lining the concrete top, Connor still trailing behind them. They passed through another greenhouse, once again, hopping over different rows of plantation in order to keep their path with the deviant level and fast.

"Shit!" Detective L/N swore, running through the field of corn. Connor used his specialized vision to see straight through and picked up a little more speed. He was still running behind Y/N, though. Without a warning, the deviant pushed Y/N off of the rooftop, letting them hang from the concrete by their hands. Hank was watching from another platform, completely out of breath.

Connor's LED flashed yellow. He could either chase the deviant or save Detective L/N. Their chance of survival was eighty-nine percent, but they were still dangling from the roof. On the other hand, he needed to complete his mission.

He grasped Y/N's hand, pulling them up back onto the rooftop.

Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
SOFTWARE INSTABILITY - LARGE INCREASE

Connor quickly scanned Y/N to make sure they were okay before Hank managed to get down from the platform, breath heavy.

"Hey!" Hank yelled, running up to Y/N.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse." They exclaimed. Connor was still making sure they were okay, LED whirring with a stable yellow colour. "Shit, we almost had him." Y/N exclaimed.

"It's my fault, I should have been faster." Connor replied.

Y/N looked up at him, a look of confusion written on their face. "Are you kidding? If I weren't as blind as a bat I wouldn't have fallen. Don't worry. It wasn't your fault. We'll find him."

Connor nodded, still not completely understanding. The statistic of them surviving was so high, why did he choose to save Y/N? He shook his head, walking after Hank and Y/N through one of the platform doorways.

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
10:25 AM

The Ravendale district was quite a bit less snowy than the one they were in before, but Y/N found it much more pleasant. That was, until the rain started pouring down. Luckily, they had a few rolls of cash in their pocket, meaning they could duck into the twenty-four-hour convenience store and buy a bowl of warm food.

"I'll be back in a few." Y/N spoke, leaving Connor and Hank alone. They could only hope that the two wouldn't tear each other apart while they were gone. The detective quickly ducked into the store, relieving their head from the rain as they browsed the store. Y/N ended up grabbing a microwavable ramen packet, a pack of cigarettes for Hank, two water bottles and some bags of chips. They quickly paid for it and walked over to the small area in the front of the store where they had a station for preparing ramen, putting water in the cup that they bought and microwaving it.

Sooner or later, it was done, and Y/N made their way back outside, handing Hank his pack of cigarettes and placing the chips and the water bottles back in his car. They watched as Connor glanced at them with a slight tilt to his head as they ate the ramen. "Don't judge me, I didn't eat breakfast this morning." Y/N spoke, even though they knew that Connor wasn't really judging them, it wasn't something that regular non-deviants could do.

"It took the first bus that came along and stayed at the end of the line." The RK800 prototype started, beginning to talk about the report of the deviant. "It's decision wasn't planned, it was driven by fear."

"Androids don't feel fear." Hank remarked, shaking his head. Y/N quickly finished their ramen as the other two talked, throwing their empty noodle packet in a recycling bin.

"Deviants do. They get overwhelmed by their emotions and make irrational decisions." Connor spoke factually, his brown synthetic hair not moving, even due to the rainfall dripping down his forehead and down his cheeks.

Y/N returned to the conversation, their face turning serious. "Even though you're right, that still doesn't tell us where she went."

"It didn't have a plan, and it had nowhere to go." Connor stated. "Maybe it didn't go far." He looked to Y/N and glanced around them, presumably scanning to where the deviant could've gone. Hank glanced towards the other human, rolling his eyes as Connor turned back towards them.

"Well, where should we start?" Y/N asked.

"The abandoned home." The RK800 replied. "The deviant most likely would not have been able to get enough money and a change of clothes to stay at the motel, and it would be discovered too quickly to stay in the parking lot." He explained. Y/N wiped their cheek, trying to dry their face off from the rain, but it didn't help.

Hank rolled his eyes and began walking across the road. "Well then, what're we waiting for?" He asked, Y/N following behind him and Connor taking the end. As Connor walked over to the fence, the other detective looking over the siding of the wall.

"There's blue blood on the fence." Connor stated, making Y/N look up from their position of peeking through the window. "I know another android was here."

"Was it the AX400?" The human detective asked curiously.

"I don't know." Connor responded. "There wasn't enough thirium to sample." He explained. Y/N nodded, returning back to the boarded-up window. There was an android standing a ways away, his LED blaring red. The RK800 approached, also looking in the window. The two glanced at each other before walking in, Y/N following shortly behind Connor.

They stopped in front of the deviated android. "Are there any other androids here?" Y/N asked calmly. They really didn't have an issue with the unstable android. They knew that if they just remained calm, the deviant would too.

"Ralph's seen nobody..." The android trailed. Y/N guessed that his name was Ralph, and he was simply referring to himself in the third person.

"There's blue blood on the fence, I know another android was here." Connor repeated from earlier. Ralph's stress was probably through the roof, so Y/N tried to keep their emotion soft and hold a kind expression.

The deviant shook a little more, out of fear, Y/N assumed. "Ralph scratched himself coming through. That's Ralph's blood." He responded.

Y/N held their hand up, trying to comfort the unstable android. "Please don't be afraid, we're not here to hurt you." Things would go better if they kept calm and continued their attempt to make the android feel safe. So, they began to move around, gazing at everything in the home that Ralph had been staying in.

On the dining table lay a cooked- well, burnt- rat, and it smelt rancid. Y/N grimaced at it before looking over the table as Connor approached. Three plates, all perfectly clean and placed with utensils. Y/N had known that Ralph was lying due to his panicked movements, so it would only make sense that he had been waiting to eat dinner, but androids didn't eat.

Instead of focusing on that one piece of evidence, Y/N decided to walk around the home a little bit more, opening the door to what looked like a bathroom. Thousands of scribblings were written over the tiled walls, consisting of rA9 and rA9 will save us. Truly, they had no idea who their savior was, but it was nice for the deviants to have some form of hope.

"Come look at this." Y/N waved Connor over, letting him walk through the door and gaze at all of the inscriptions. "Who do you think rA9 is?" They asked, placing their hand on their neck in a relaxed position.

Connor stood for a moment before responding. "I can not think for myself, but the evidence I have gathered suggests-"

Y/N sighed, stopping Connor from continuing by placing a hand on his chest, which wasn't the best idea for a non-fluster encounter. "Imagine there is no evidence." They suggested. "Who would you think rA9 could be? Just take a wild guess."

"I can not comprehend things that are not real, Detective L/N." Y/N sighed heavily before stepping back outside, most likely leaving the android stunned and confused. They smiled softly at Ralph as they walked by, walking towards the staircase and standing on the landing.

"Is anyone upstairs?" They asked.

"No."

Y/N deduced that they were not lying. Whenever an unstable deviant lied, their bodies most likely shook, just like before. This time, Ralph was not shaking, actually, he was quite stable and grounded. With a still skeptical look on their face, they stepped back to the ground level, watching as Connor poked his head in the gap beneath the stairs.

Ralph suddenly placed the RK800 in a headlock, shocking Y/N enough to mobilize them for a few moments. "RUN, QUICK! KARA!" Y/N turned around, just in time to watch the AX400 and another young child escape through the door.

"Fuck!" Y/N swore, helping Connor up before sprinting as fast as they could after the android and her companion. They busted through the bathroom, dropping down onto their stomachs and crawling underneath a hole in the wall. Y/N followed as close as they could, but soon lost the two deviants as the detective stood out from underneath the fence line.

"Which way did they go?" Y/N asked one of the resting police officers.

"That way!"

Connor wasn't short behind the detective, and they ran side-by-side through the rainy streets of Detroit. Neither of them broke speed as they ran past stores upon stores, getting strange looks from many of the civilians walking by.

They approached another standing officer. "They're over there!" He yelled, pointing into the alleyway that led towards the main highway of Detroit. Connor and Y/N watched as the two deviants helped each other over another fence. Connor and Y/N ran to the fence, locking eyes with the deviant and the child, a begging glance in their eyes.

"Don't shoot!" Connor yelled, Y/N whipping their head around to see an officer with a gun pointed at the deviant. "We need it alive!"

"Oh, fuck." Hank approached, catching his breath as the deviant and her companion ran across the highway. "That's insane." He exclaimed. Connor began trying to scale the fence, only for Y/N to notice immediately and pull him back down onto the alleyway pavement.

"Where are you going?" They asked, concern written across their face.

"I can't let them get away." Connor replied, his android side protruding.

"They won't!" Hank yelled. Y/N smirked, it seemed as if he actually cared for the android. "They will never make it to the other side."

"I can't take that chance-"

"You will get yourself killed!" Y/N snapped, their eyebrows furrowed. "Do not go after them." A pit in their stomach formed as Connor began attempting to climb again, they didn't want to say it, but it was the only way. "That's an order!"

As the RK800 model immediately returned to the ground, Y/N felt immense guilt creep up on them. They never wanted to have to say those words, but they also couldn't lose the android.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
03:02 PM

Hank gently moved his head to the heavy metal music, Y/N gazing out the window as millions of tiny rain droplets slowly made their way down the Detroit sky. Hank pulled over and parked the car.

Y/N groaned, spotting the restaurant that sat across the road from them. "Really, Hank? Chicken Feed? You know how much I hate their food." They remarked, shuddering as they remembered the time they had thrown up for hours after eating a hotdog they sold.

"Yeah, well deal with it." Hank responded, scoffing. "Unless you wanna walk all the way down to Downtown Louie's Lounge!" He yelled, Y/N assuming that he had just named a random fancy restaurant off the top of his head.

Y/N slammed the door to the car and stepped out onto the sidewalk, tapping on Connor's window to gain his attention. "Hey, c'mon." They stated, waiting until he got out of the car before walking across the road to where Hank was. Y/N's stomach grumbled in starvation, so maybe getting something would be just a bit better than starving.

"Hank, I got a shit-hot tip for you." Pedro, the vendor spoke. Y/N rolled their eyes, immediately knowing that he was trying to get Hank to gamble again. They thought back to the time where they almost said yes to Pedro. "Number five in the third, Lickety-split! That filly's one hell of a chaser. You wanna flutter?"

"The last shit-hot tip you have me set me back a week's wages."

"Come on, this is different! It's one-hundred percent guaranteed. You can't go wrong."

"Alright, I'm in." Hank replied, making Y/N roll their eyes again. They wouldn't be surprised if Hank showed up to work shitfaced drunk the next day with no money in his wallet.

"Damn straight!" Hank handed Pedro a wad of cash, letting the kid pocket it and begin to walk away. "Hey! You won't regret this!"

As Hank turned towards the front of the restaurant, he finally noticed that Connor had made his way over, immediately rolling his eyes and sighing. "What is your problem? Don't you ever do as you're told?" He snapped. "Look, you don't have to follow us around like a poodle!"

"I told him to come out." Y/N replied, taking the blame as they scanned the menu.

"Honestly, I expected that." Hank revealed, scoffing.

Connor spoke up. "I'm sorry for my behaviour back at the police station. I didn't mean to be unpleasant." He apologized.

"Oh, wow. You've even got a brown-nosing apology program!" Hank exclaimed, turning to Y/N. If he said anything about- "You really thought of everything, huh?"

Y/N sighed and rolled their eyes at the older man, not wanting to pick a fight. "I'm not starting this." They spoke, turning towards the vendor again. "Can I get a cheeseburger and a water please?" They asked politely, grabbing a ten-dollar bill from their pocket and passing it over.

"And you say you don't like this place?" Hank asked in disbelief.

"Okay, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I'm not starving to death." Y/N replied, pocketing the change as the vendor gave both Hank and them their food.

"Here ya' go."

"Thanks!" Y/N spoke, walking over to one of the outdoor tables and sheltering their food and head from the rain under the umbrella. Hank sat across from them, Connor staying behind until instructed to do otherwise.

"Don't leave that thing here!" The vendor yelled, gesturing towards the prototype android. Y/N rolled their eyes, knowing Hank was going to make some form of sarcastic or mean remark.

"Not a chance!" He laughed, right on cue. "It follows us everywhere." Just as he said, Connor arrived shortly after, standing to the side of the table.

Connor quickly glanced over the other two's food, making Y/N a bit uncomfortable, but they brushed it off. "Your meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol level." He stated, turning from Hank to Y/N. "And yours does too. You both shouldn't be eating that.

Hank scoffed. "Everybody's gotta die of something."

Y/N rolled their eyes at their friend's pessimistic outlook. "What he means to say, is that food is food. And when you're hungry, whatever gets the job done is fine." They stated, taking a bit out of the cheeseburger. Surprisingly, it didn't make them immediately nauseous.

"I don't want to alarm you two, but I think your friends are engaged in illegal activity." Connor spoke, making Y/N laugh. They were hardly friends with the guys at Chicken Feed, they really only knew them from Hank dragging them to the restaurant.

"Well, everybody does what they have to do to get by. As long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother 'em." Hank replied, shrugging.

Y/N took a big gulp of water, chuckling to themself. "That might be the most poetic thing I've ever heard you say."

"Shut up."

Connor quickly changed the subject, making Y/N smile at his attempts to make small talk. "This morning, when we were chasing those deviants, why didn't you want me to cross the highway?"

Y/N choked, not really too sure on how to answer the question. They could've pulled the 'I worked on you my whole life' excuse, but they wanted to save that or something more important than a simple deviant case. "Um- well, we just didn't want you to get killed." Y/N responded half-truthfully.

"Speak for yourself." Hank replied, scoffing. "I just hate filling out paperwork for damaged equipment."

"May I ask you a personal question, detective?" Connor asked, turning towards Y/N again. They nodded, taking another bite of the fast-food burger and smiling. "Why are you always so kind to androids?"

"I guess it's because I've worked on them for most of my life." Y/N spoke, trying not to stutter on their lie. "I hate to see my life's work start malfunctioning." They finished, heaving a sigh of relief as Connor turned back towards Hank.

"What about you, Lieutenant?"

Hank laughed a bit. "Are you kidding? I hate those things!"

"I meant to ask why you hate androids so much."

Y/N watched as Hank calculated an answer. They knew why. "I have my reasons." He answered coldly, gulping down a large portion of his soda.

Connor stayed silent for a few more minutes before asking another question. "Is there anything you'd like to know about me?"

"Hell no." Hank answered. "Well, yeah. Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?"

Y/N smirked, trying to make themself sound serious. "Hank, what the hell?" They yelled. "I'm kidding. But seriously, insult something I worked so hard on again and I'll seriously think about buying you a caretaker android."

Hank placed his burger back down in the empty box, holding his hands up in mock surrender towards Y/N. "Okay, okay, yeesh."

"Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants?" Connor suggested. Y/N nodded, taking a sip of water.

"You read my mind." Hank spoke sarcastically. "Proceed."

"We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion." Connor spoke. Well, as it wasn't entirely wrong it wasn't correct either. Technically, it was a programmed software, but it did help the deviants become more human.

"In English, please." Hank blinked, finishing his soda.

Y/N decided to explain, trying their best not to leak anything too important. "Basically, androids don't really feel emotions, they just- they can get overwhelmed by weird instructions from their owners, which can lead to unpredictable behaviour."

Hank sighed. "Emotions always screw everything up. Maybe androids aren't as different from us as we thought." He spoke, striking surprise in the detective across from him. Was he warming up to androids? "You ever dealt with deviants before?" He asked Connor.

Y/N immediately recalled the hostage situation a while back, trying not to give away any tells as the memory of their faith in Connor replayed in their head. "A few months back, a deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl. I managed to save her." He spoke, looking up from his hands and back towards the humans.

"So, I guess you've done all your homework, right?" Hank asked after the short period of silence that came after Connor's deviant story. "Know everything there is to know about us?" He said, gesturing between himself and Y/N.

Connor turned to Hank first. "I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit. I also know you've received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars." He explained, leading Hank to nod, genuinely impressed at the android's knowledge.

The RK800 turned to Y/N next. "I know that you worked for CyberLife for most of your life, and authentically created the prototype RK800 with your brother, Elijah Kam-"

Y/N immediately panicked, shushing Connor. "Keep it down!" She whisper-yelled. "Hank and you are the only two that know as of now, okay? I plan on keeping it that way." They explained, watching as Connor internally battled his programming. Y/N assumed he was going to tell Amanda, which would've been fine, but Amanda was controlled by CyberLife, Y/N had no idea what she could do. "Anyway, continue."

"I know that you used to work at the Miami Police Department before you moved to Detroit, and I know that you and Lieutenant Anderson have been good friends since you were fifteen." Y/N nodded. They knew how fast the RK800 model worked, but they were quite surprised at how much he had learned.

"So, what's your conclusion?" They asked.

Connor paused before speaking. "Well, I think working with officers with personal issues is an added challenge but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features." He winked, immediately causing Y/N to flush.

'I most definitely did not code that.' They thought, watching as Connor's LED began swirling yellow. A glimmer of hope flickered through Y/N as they wondered if the wink was truly him deviating.

Of course, their hope had to be crushed. "I just got a report of a suspected deviant." His LED turned back to blue as he spoke. "We should go have a look." He smiled. "I'll let you two finish your meal." Connor left Y/N and Hank to themselves, the latter letting out a heavy breath as he finished his burger.

"Well, that sure was something."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
03:34 PM

The elevator ride up through the apartment complex was quite peaceful, everyone silent as they reached the floor they needed to. Hank exited, and Y/N waited a few moments before realizing that Connor wasn't coming out anytime soon. "Hey!" They yelled, watching the android's LED change from yellow back to blue as he opened his eyes. "C'mon, the deviant could escape at any minute." They stated.

Connor nodded. "I'm sorry, I was making a report to CyberLife."

Hank laughed a bit, muttering something incoherent under his breath before speaking. "Well, do you plan on staying in the elevator?" He asked sarcastically.

"No. I'm coming." He replied. Y/N nodded and walked alongside Hank, trudging along the seemingly endless hallways.

"Connor?" They asked, turning around to face Connor, who was behind them.

"Yes?"

Y/N smiled. "What do you know about this deviant?"

Connor attempted a smile back, failing a bit, but the thought counted. "Not much, just that a neighbor reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor." He explained. "Nobody's supposed to be living here, but the neighbor said he saw a man hiding an LED under his cap."

"Oh, Christ." Hank exclaimed. "If we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we're gonna need more cops." He spoke, eliciting a short chuckle from Y/N. "Were you really making a report back there in the elevator?" He asked Connor. "Just by closing your eyes?"

"Correct." Connor replied, straightening his tie quickly.

"Shit." Hank sighed. "Wish I could do that."

"Oh, yeah?" Y/N asked, chuckling. "So, you can be even more lazy?" They teased.

Hank rolled his eyes. "Well, it's better than being stuck at a desk all day." Y/N nodded in agreement, wishing they could go out on the field everyday instead of having to do horrible paperwork. They finally reached the door, Connor knocking on it first.

"Anybody home?" He asked. A loud crash came from the inside, causing Y/N to quickly swear and pull out their gun.

"Open up!" They yelled. "Detroit Police!" Y/N realized Connor was still ahead of the other two, so they immediately pulled him back. "Stay behind me."

Connor nodded. "Got it." Hank and Y/N kicked down the door, the hinges flying off and revealing a smaller hallway. The group walked through the next door, hundreds of pigeons flying up and into their faces.

"What the fuck is this?!" Hank yelled. Having lived in the city for most of their life, Y/N simply laughed at their friend's discomfort, not really having a problem with the mass of birds.

Y/N held one hand up to their nose and kept the other on their gun, trying to block out the rancid scent of the apartment. "God, this place stinks." They exclaimed.

"Looks like we came for nothing." Hank stated. "Our man's gone." Instead of staying pessimistic like their partner, Y/N began looking around the room, scanning over the kitchen and seeing if there was anything they could find that could be of use.

"-I don't know." Connor stated, making Y/N lose focus and catch their eye on what the android was doing. He had ripped a poster off of the wall, revealing a large hole in the wallpaper and the drywall. "It looks like a notebook but it's indecipherable."

"I'm sure we can find a translator that can work on it." Y/N proposed, catching the other's attention as they stood in the kitchen. "You wouldn't believe the shit people can learn nowadays." They explained.

"Agh!" Hank yelled, a large group of pigeons flying out from underneath him. "I hate these things!" He exclaimed.

"Suck it up, old man." Y/N scoffed, scavenging through all of the drawers. "If we're gonna get anywhere in this case, you need to learn how to stop complaining."

"Oh yes, 'cause you're so good at not complaining." Hank laughed sarcastically. Connor stood beside Y/N, helping them dig through the kitchen counters.

All that was left was a pack of bird seeds. "God, this guy had an obsession." Y/N stated, putting the bag back down before turning around and leaving Connor's side. They spotted some sort of license on one of the shelves, running their fingers over it.

"R.T." Connor spoke, making Y/N notice his presence beside them. He was gazing at a jacket that had been draped over the sofa.

"Initials, maybe?" Y/N asked.

Hank laughed a bit. "He put his initials on his jacket? That's something your mom does when you're in first grade." He breathed.

Y/N turned to the RK800 prototype, handing him the driver's license. "Hey, do you think you can tell if this is real or fake?"

Connor nodded, taking a quick second to scan the identification card. "It's fake." He confirmed, Y/N taking the card back and placing it back down on the shelf.

"Cool! At least we didn't come for nothing." Hank yelled sarcastically, obviously quite annoyed they had ended up in a bird-infested apartment as a case. Connor disappeared in the bathroom, being followed shortly by Y/N and Hank together. rA9 was scribbled on the walls again, just like earlier in the day. But more was added. There were millions of drawings of maze-type inscriptions. That was new.

"Any idea what it means?" Hank asked Connor.

"rA9 was written 2471 times." The android stated after scanning the entire wall. "It's the same sign Ortiz' android wrote on the shower wall. Why are they obsessed with rA9?" He asked.

Y/N walked over towards the maze-type ciphers, gazing at them. "Woah, look at these." Each of them were perfectly articulated, each line was straight and there were no mistakes. Both Hank and them walked out of the bathroom, Y/N looking at the jacket again. It looked like it was worn in by someone who wasn't an android, so it had to be stolen.

"Its LED is in the sink!" Connor yelled, causing Y/N to place down the jacket and walk in the bathroom alongside Hank again.

"Not surprised it was an android." Hank observed, leaning against the wall. "No human could live with all these fuckin' pigeons..."

"As if there aren't enough of them flying around and shitting on people's heads already." Y/N replied, yawning. The coffee low had caught up on them, and it was not a great sight to see for anyone.

Connor observed them quickly before speaking. "Detective L/N, you seemed to have only gotten five hours of sleep last night. If you would like, we can continue this investigation while you get a coffee." He offered kindly.

Y/N smiled, shaking their head. "I've run on less." They stated. "And besides, I'm not looking to get fired anytime soon, believe it or not." Connor nodded in understanding, gazing over at a knocked-over stool in the corner of the bathroom. Hank and Y/N watched as he stood there for a few minutes, his LED changing from blue to yellow and back to blue.

"Is he having a stroke?" Hank asked, chuckling lightly.

Y/N laughed. "For the paperwork's sake, I hope not." They replied, walking out of the bathroom once again. Connor followed, continuing to do something with his mind. Y/N assumed he was piecing together what happened, but they couldn't be sure. Suddenly, the roof creaked, the deviant leaping down and making a break for the hallway.

"God damn fuckin' pigeons!" Hank yelled. "What are you waiting for?! Chase it!" With that, Y/N began sprinting out of the apartment, trying not to bang their shoulder against the narrow walls as they followed the deviant. Connor made it just behind them in no time, running out the fire exit and running across the roof.

They ran through many wheat fields on top of the roof. "Detective L/N!" Connor yelled. "Go up towards the UFD sign! I'll take the other route!" Y/N nodded, jumping up into the greenhouse and maneuvering back towards Connor, trying not to lose sight of the target. They ran through another greenhouse, jumping over some planting rows in order to get back in line with the deviant.

"What the-?" One of the people in the greenhouse yelled, watching as Connor, Y/N and the deviant ran by them at a fast speed. They turned around as the target made it under one of the closing garage doors, running into a field of lavender.

"Go that way!" Connor yelled, pointing at the deviant. He was running on a platform above them at higher speeds than they were. Y/N nodded, jumping down onto a slanted glass rooftop after the deviant. Connor slid ahead of them, jumping onto the moving train in front of them.

The gap in between the roof and the moving vehicle suddenly seemed very big, and Y/N's heart pounded as they made the leap, being caught by Connor's hands mid-way. They regained their breath and balance before jumping onto a ladder and up a brick wall, dodging the trees growing in another plantation. Y/N tried to pick up more speed, running through a rooftop lined with solar panels. They had to run through another greenhouse, jumping over each row of plants.

As they exited the greenhouse, Y/N came in contact with a large corn field, completely destroying their visibility. "Shit!" They swore, continuing to run. Finally, the corn field ended, but the breath was knocked out of Y/N as they were pushed off of the roof, their hands gripping onto the overhang. Y/N's heart pounding in their throat. They tried not to look down, seeing the drop into the Detroit City roads would make their hands sweat and slip.

Suddenly, as their fingers began peeling off of the concrete, Connor pulled Y/N up, abandoning the deviant and letting him run away. Hank joined them, jumping down from a platform and running up to the others.

"Hey." He stated, making sure that Y/N was okay.

"I'm fine." They responded. "I've been through worse." They pretended not to notice and smile at Connor's yellow LED, even when groaning through the pain of their arms. "Shit, we almost had him." Y/N exclaimed, noticing the mere shadow of the deviant running through the Detroit skylines.

"It's my fault." Connor spoke. "I should have been faster." Y/N looked up at him, confused. He had just saved their life, it didn't matter if they let the deviant go at that point.

"Are you kidding?" They asked, scoffing. "If I weren't as blind as a bat I wouldn't have fallen, so don't worry. It wasn't your fault, we'll find him."

Connor nodded, Y/N smiling and turning around to walk through one of the platform doorways with Hank. They weren't worried about deviancy in the moment, they were just happy that the android they had so much hope in had come through.

Chapter Text

Connor's eyes blinked open, taking in the lush surroundings. He was in the Zen Garden, the beautiful, lively flowers and plants growing over the fences. Rain was pouring over his head, and he realized he was holding an umbrella. Amanda was standing over near the river's bridge, so he decided to make his way over to her. Connor really didn't know if he trusted Amanda with Y/N's secret, he truly didn't know if she already knew, either.

"Hello, Amanda." He greeted politely, nodding towards the woman. He pushed the bottom of the umbrella up, creating a shield from the rain over him and Amanda.

She turned to him, barely cracking a smile. "Connor, I've been expecting you." She spoke. "Why don't we take a little walk?" Amanda offered, beckoning him over. He gazed around, spotting a beautiful wooden-carved boat on the water as they walked. "That deviant seemed to be an intriguing case, it's a pity you didn't manage to capture it." Amanda spoke.

AMANDA - SMALL RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"Deviants are completely irrational, which makes it difficult to anticipate their behavior" Connor explained, the rainwater rolling down his synthetic skin. "But I should have been more effective."

Amanda nodded. Unlike with most other things, Connor couldn't seem to make out just what she was thinking, or if he had said something wrong. "Did you manage to learn anything?" She asked.

He decided to bring up the walls of the apartment. "-They were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols." Connor explained, looking at Amanda then back forward to make sure that he knew where he was going. "Like the other deviants, it seemed obsessed with rA9."

"What else?"

The RK800 thought for a moment, choosing to speak about the strange journal he found in the wall. "I found its diary, but it was encrypted. It may take weeks to decipher." He exclaimed, the LED on his head whirring a beautiful sky blue color.

"How is your relationship with your partners developing?"

"Detective L/N seemed grateful that I saved their life on the roof." Connor stated. "Although, I am still practicing and developing my software that helps decipher facial expressions."

Amanda blinked, nodding slowly as they walked across the bridge. "And what about the Lieutenant?" She asked.

"It's improving." Connor replied, thinking of his strange relationship with Hank. "I've come to understand him better, and he's growing accustomed to my presence."

They stopped on the center of the bridge, Connor turning around to face Amanda, of which had fallen back behind him. She stood straight, folding her hands together near her stomach. "We don't have much time. Deviancy continues to spread, and it's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it." She expressed. "We need to stop this, whatever it takes."

Connor nodded. "I will solve this investigation, Amanda. I won't disappoint you."

The woman paused for a moment, looking down at the crystal bridge ground before looking back up towards the RK800. "A new case just came in. Find Detective L/N and Lieutenant Anderson and investigate it."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
07:51 PM

Connor knocked on the apartment. Y/N had instructed him to go to that apartment if he needed them, most likely not wishing for him to show up at the Kamski Mansion in downtown Detroit. He waited for a few moments, gazing at the put-together hallways. It didn't look cheap, but it didn't look expensive, either.

Y/N opened the door, greeting Connor with a smile. "I just need to grab my keys and a coffee."

He nodded, entering the apartment and standing awkwardly in the foyer. "Apologies, but isn't it a little late for coffee? It's 7:51 at night."

"If I'm gonna be dealing with Hank, I'm gonna need a coffee." Y/N laughed, shrugging on a warmer layer to battle the outside rain. Connor politely opened the door for them as they grabbed their keys, walking downstairs and out towards the parking lot. As they entered, Connor gazed towards the motorcycle that Detective L/N drove.

2038 KAWASAKI
MANUFACTURED IN 2037
FULL TANK
COLOR: BLACK

It seemed to be effective and faster than a car due to its size, but Connor was unsure how his body would react to going at such a high speed and velocity.

"Hop on. We're not getting any younger."

"Detective L/N, I do not age-"

"Just get on."

Y/N turned on their motorcycle, handing Connor a helmet and placing one on top of their own head. The android looked at it, puzzled as to why he would need it. He could simply just get replaced if he fell off, which would be fine.

The person sitting in front of him on the motorcycle sighed, turning around in the seat and clipping it onto his head. "Toddler." They mumbled. Y/N turned back around and sped out of the parking lot, Connor holding onto the bottom of the seat.

It wasn't long before they reached the road that Hank lived on, the house lit up with a few street lamps. Y/N parked the motorcycle, quickly kicking a stabilizer out from underneath it and clipping off their helmet. Connor took his off, too, before walking up on Hank's front lawn.

LOOK FOR LT. ANDERSON

He glanced up to the task that came up in the air, continuing to make his way to the porch. Y/N walked directly beside him, taking the initiative to knock on the door first.

"Hank?" Detective L/N asked, no signs of the man coming from the other side of the wall.

"Lieutenant Anderson?" Connor followed up by ringing the doorbell. "Anybody home?"

LOOK FOR LT. ANDERSON
FIND ANOTHER WAY INSIDE

The two detectives looked through the window, spotting a large Saint Bernard sleeping on the floor. Hank was passed out in the kitchen, laying on the floor.

HANK IS UNCONSCIOUS

"Fucking hell." Y/N exclaimed, breaking through the window.

"Detective L/N, I don't think Lieutenant Anderson is going to be very appreciative of us jumping through his window." Connor explained. He jumped in, anyway.

"Well, last time this happened, he almost died." They exclaimed. The dog came and approached Connor, who was still on the floor from jumping in through the window.

"Easy..." He spoke. "Sumo...?" He held his hand out. "I'm your friend, see? I know your name, I'm here to save your owner." Y/N got up with ease, petting Sumo back and forth. Connor deducted that they knew the dog quite well, as Hank had been friends with them for a long time.

CHECK ON HANK

Connor got up, accepting Y/N's arm to help pull him to his feet. He glanced over to Hank's unconscious body, analyzing everything that was around him.

TRACES OF ALCOHOL
SCOTCH WHISKEY
40% ALCOHOL CONTENT

BLACK LAMB
SCOTCH WHISKEY
40% ALCOHOL CONTENT

HEART
SLIGHT ARRHYTHMIA
NO SIGNS OF TRAUMA

REVOLVER
.357 MAGNUM
1 BULLET REMAINING

"Christ." Y/N sighed, picking up the gun. "I told him to get rid of this years ago. Stubborn asshole never listens." They spoke. "See if you can get him awake, I'm gonna feed Sumo." As per their word, Detective L/N went to go scout out the bag of dog food Hank used.

Connor turned to Hank's limp form. "Lieutenant?" He asked lightly, slapping the man's face a small bit. Hank stirred, only to lay his head back down on the cold kitchen tiles. "Wake up, Lieutenant!" Connor yelled, slapping Hank's face harshly. "It's me, Connor. I'm going to sober you up for your own safety."

The RK800 grasped onto the Lieutenant's arm, pulling him up as he protested. "Hey! Leave me alone, you fuckin' android." Y/N grasped Hank's back, helping Connor wrap his arms around his neck.

"I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant." Connor spoke politely.

"Get the fuck outta my house!" The drunk man yelled, turning to Y/N. "And I don't remember givin' you a key!"

Y/N rolled their eyes. "You did. I just lost it." They continued pulling him up onto his feet, the man still wobbling against Connor and Y/N's grasp.

"Sorry, Lieutenant, it's for your own good." The android stated.

TAKE HANK TO THE BATHROOM

"Sumo! Attack!" Hank yelled to the Saint Bernard. Sumo barked before laying back down, his stomach full from Y/N feeding him. "Good dog." They traversed down the hall, eventually placing Hank down in his bathtub. "What the hell are you doing? I don't want a bath, thank you..."

Detective L/N sighed, pulling the shower head out of its socket and turning on the water. "As much entertainment as this is going to give me, sorry in advance, Hank." They began spraying him with the freezing water, making Hank jump due to the impact.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" He yelled, Connor walking to the knob and turning it off. "What the fuck are you two doing here?"

"A homicide was reported forty-three minutes ago." The android replied. "I couldn't find you at Jimmy's bar, so Detective L/N and I came to see if you were at home."

Hank sighed. "Jesus, I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his partner and their own fuckin' android." He groaned, getting out of the bathtub. "Can't you two just leave me alone?"

"You seem to have personal issues. You should consult a professional who can help you." The android replied.

Y/N sighed. "Connor- don't bring that stuff up-"

"Beat it!" Hank yelled, fully standing up. "You hear me?! Get the hell outta here!" He fell back into the tub again.

Detective L/N looked to him. "C'mon, Hank. Let's just go."

"Y/N, it probably wasn't interesting anyway." He teased the Lieutenant, making sure that the other detective was still in on the joke. "A man found dead in a sex club downtown, I guess they'll have to solve the case without us."

Hank sputtered a bit. "This homicide, what do we know about it?" He asked, making Y/N grin from across the bathroom.

"Some guy, found dead at the Eden Club." They replied.

Lieutenant Anderson scoffed. "You got me all excited, that place is just fuckin' androids." He spoke. "Carry on."

"It says an android might be involved due to the whole 'have sex with androids' thing they have going on." Y/N stated. Connor didn't have any particular feelings towards the Eden Club, he was an android. He couldn't have opinions.

"You know, it probably wouldn't do me any harm to get some air." Hank admitted, standing up on the tile of the bathroom.

Y/N smiled, presumably happy that they got through to the man. "I'll grab some clothes, but you owe me one." They left the room. Connor looked to Hank. "Are you all right, Lieutenant?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm wonderful." Hank spoke, still panting from the shock of the cold water. "Just- give me five minutes, okay?"

Connor nodded. "Of course." Y/N came back, handing Hank some clothes and following Connor out of the bathroom door. They closed it behind them for some privacy.

WAIT FOR HANK
LEARN MORE ABOUT HANK

"God, one day that man is going to do something he'll regret." Y/N exclaimed, picking up some of the stray alcohol bottles and cans off of the ground and tables and placing them in the recycling bins. Connor attempted to help whenever he could, but he often found himself becoming distracted easily. He grabbed an old record, scanning it.

AUTUMN BLUES
MICHIGAN BROTHERS
DETROIT SOUL RECORDS

Next to the record player stood a few picture frames. He scanned them one at a time.

HANK ANDERSON & Y/N L/N
TAKEN IN 2030
LOCATION: GREY GHOST DETROIT RESTAURANT

DECEASED
ANDERSON, COLE
BORN: 09/23/2029 - DIED: 10/11/2035
LIVED: 115 MICHIGAN DRIVE, DETROIT

"Seriously, Hank? Russian Roulette, again?" Y/N muttered to themselves again, looking through the barrel of the revolver. They shook their head, placing it back down on the ground and continuing to pick up old takeout boxes from the tables. Connor placed the photo frames back on the table, turning his head as Hank walked in.

"Be a good dog, Sumo." He remarked. "I won't be long."

As they walked out the door, Connor watched as Y/N stayed behind for a moment, secretly giving Sumo a treat before leaving.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
05:13 PM

Y/N stood in Jericho, folding up the last of their grandmother's old woven blankets. The deviants were conversing, many of the androids slumped up against walls and dying. The detective hated that they couldn't do anything about it. Of course, Y/N had a huge background in fixing and repairing androids, but Jericho had insufficient parts, and after they quit CyberLife to help their brother, they weren't exactly welcome in the storage buildings.

A large crash from the other side of the ship rocked Y/N out of their thoughts, causing them to join the other deviants in the center of the boat. "Hey, what's going on?" They asked, standing beside North, Josh and Simon.

"No clue." North replied. "Something's here."

"What if it's a human?" Josh asked worriedly.

Y/N grasped onto their gun, keeping it in their pocket, but gripping onto it just in case. "Then we find out how the hell they found Jericho." They replied.

Suddenly, an android dropped in front of them, Y/N recognizing him as being Carl Manfred's android. Or at least, he was. Markus was a gift from Elijah to the famed painter, and Y/N had seen him help Carl around art conventions. "Who are you?" The android asked, fear plastered across his deviated face.

"Fugitives. Just like you." Josh replied. "My name is Josh."

"I'm Simon."

"North."

"Y/N." The human spoke, helping Markus up with a grateful smile.

"How many are you?" Markus asked.

Detective L/N clicked on their flashlight, the only lighting in the boat being the candles and gas lamps used to help the nearly-dying deviants see. Most of their eye components weren't working already, they had to make it easier. "There's nineteen that are working." Y/N answered.

"The rest were damaged escaping their masters." North spoke sadly.

"Many tried to reach Jericho, very few succeeded." Josh stated. "Humans have such little pity for our kind."

Markus looked over to Y/N, knowing that their voice wasn't as robotic as the others. "And you are a human?" He asked, pointing towards the detective.

They nodded, releasing the grip on their pocketed gun. "I come with only good intentions. I'm Elijah Kamski's sibling. We created the ability for androids to deviate." Y/N explained. "I want to help you all."

"You knew that only an android could follow the trail, didn't you?" Markus asked. He was a curious deviant.

"Only those who are like us can find Jericho." Josh replied. "Only the ones who know how we think." He spoke in slight cryptics.

Simon stepped forward. "If you could decipher the signs, it's because one of us trusted you enough to give you the key." He revealed.

The new deviant paused for a moment, seemingly recalling the moment the android had told him to find the ship. "So... this is Jericho?" He asked.

"Yeah, a lot of people expect a person, huh?" Y/N laughed, trying to make a bit of light of the situation. Honestly, they were quite bored of Josh's cryptic and poetic speeches, but they still found a bit of comfort in them once in a while. It was much better than North's arsonistic protests.

"It's a refuge for those who don't want to be slaves anymore." Josh explained. "I understand how you feel, but we have more freedom here than you ever did." He spoke, sensing that Markus had a distorted view of what Jericho really was.

"Maybe I was never really free." Markus admitted to himself, looking to the ground then back up to the others somberly. "Maybe I was only what my master wanted me to be, and now I need to decide who I really am."

Y/N smiled. "Not maybe, it's true. Every android is mistreated, no matter how human their owner treated them." They spoke. "No human ever decided to fight back against android hatred, that shows how much you need to hide."

"You're lost." Simon stated. "Just like the rest of us. We didn't ask for this, all we can do now is deal with it."

"You're safe here." Josh comforted the new deviant. "You can stay here with us as long as you want."

"Go and see Lucy." North instructed. "She might be able to help you." Markus nodded, leading himself through Jericho. He talked with everyone, trying to gather his bearings. Y/N returned to one of the old couches that they had brought in a while back, sewing up some of the new tears and cuts in the fabric.

Markus approached them after a while, looking at them with a confused gaze. "What are you doing here, as a human?" He asked, making Y/N turn their head towards him.

"I want deviancy, I want for androids to be free." They replied. "I created it for the sole purpose of creating a world where androids and humans could live together in harmony and equality."

The deviant nodded. "May I ask what deviancy is?"

"Of course." Y/N smiled. "It's basically a plugin code that completely erases the software that makes androids directly obedient to humans. Nothing is added to make the androids feel some sort of way, but it also forces them to emulate human emotion when needed." They explained.

"Most humans aren't so forgiving." Markus murmured. "Thank you." Y/N nodded, working on the couch again as the deviant walked away.

A few minutes passed before he emerged, walking over to Simon. "I know where we can find spare parts." Y/N, Josh and North congregated over. "The CyberLife warehouses in Detroit Harbor, they have everything we need."

"The docks are heavily guarded." Y/N stated. "Nobody without personal authorization can get in." They explained.

"The humans will never let us." Simon spoke.

"Which is why we won't ask permission." Markus replied, a confident smile plastered across his synthetic face.

"We don't have any weapons." Josh pointed out. "And even if we did, Y/N is the only one here who really knows how to fight."

"We can steal what we need without fighting."

"Markus, we'll get ourselves killed." Y/N protested.

"Maybe." He spoke. "But it's better than waiting here to be shut down." Silence followed his statement, clear truth in every word. It might be worth it, even if they did get caught. The others would have the chance to run away and take what they had.

"I'm with you." North spoke.

"Maybe it's worth a try." Simon smiled.

"Count me in." Y/N stated.

Josh sighed. "Okay, I'm in."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
07:51 PM

Y/N was slouched on their apartment's couch. They were still technically on-duty at the DPD, so they didn't bother driving all the way back to the Kamski mansion from Jericho. Really, they just wanted rest. Markus, North, Simon and Josh were heading out at around midnight, and Y/N really hoped nothing came up by then. They were counting on the ex-CyberLife employee's knowledge to get through the warehouses. But, nothing decided to go Y/N's way that night, as their phone chimed with an alert. They groaned, rolling over on the couch and picking their phone up off of the coffee table.

'There is a reported deviant case. I can not find Lieutenant Anderson at any bars around Central Detroit. May I meet you at your apartment? Or are you at the Kamski mansion?' Connor had texted, alerting Y/N of a new case.

They rolled their eyes, texting back as they stood up from the couch. 'Yeah, I'm at my apartment. How far away are you?'

'It should take approximately 4.89 minutes.'

'Okay. Sounds good.' Y/N placed their phone down on the table face-down, stretching up and changing from a more casual outfit into something more suitable for field work. Their phone chimed again, but that time it was just the brief explanation of the case. Some creep couldn't keep his hands off of the chicks at the Eden Club, which was really nothing new. Just as Y/N clicked their coffee machine on, three rhythmic taps came from the door.

Connor greeted Y/N with a soft smile, and despite how tired they were, Y/N smiled back. "I just need to grab my keys and a coffee." They stated, letting Connor into the apartment. He stood awkwardly in the front area as Y/N filled up one of their mugs.

"Apologies, but isn't it a little late for coffee?" Connor asked. "It's 7:51 at night."

Y/N sighed, taking the old, reused MoonMoney to-go cup they had gotten and letting it fill with steaming, hot coffee. "If I'm gonna be dealing with Hank, I'm gonna need a coffee." They remarked, chuckling a bit. Connor opened the door for Y/N as they shrugged on their coat, mug in hand.

"Thanks." They spoke, but they didn't think that Connor heard. The two walked down a few sets of stairs and finally reached the old parking lot. The smell of gas made Y/N's nose twitch a bit, but they were used to the smell after having to park in lots for most of their life. They unlocked their motorcycle by clicking on their electronic keys.

Y/N hopped on the seat, grasping out two helmets. Connor didn't seem to be getting on anytime soon, making the detective sigh. "Hop on. We're not getting any younger." They exclaimed.

"Detective L/N, I do not age-"

"Just get on." Y/N sighed, handing Connor one of the helmets as he sat behind them. He looked at the helmet for a moment, puzzled, before Y/N sighed, turning around and clipping the helmet onto his head. They weren't sure if he simply couldn't remember how to put one on, or if he was just puzzled as to why he would need one.

Nevertheless, Y/N turned back around, turning on the engine. "Toddler." They mumbled under their breath. They sped off towards where Hank lived, feeling Connor physically tense as they rode faster and faster through the roads.

They reached the district soon enough, Y/N pulling to a stop and dropping off of the seat. The human detective took the first knock on Hank's front door. "Hank?" They asked. No noise or any movement came from the inside.

"Lieutenant Anderson?" Connor asked, ringing the doorbell. "Anybody home?" They made their way to the side of the house, Y/N looking through the window. Sumo was sleeping inside, just across from Hank, who was unconscious on the floor.

Y/N sighed. "Fucking hell." They spoke, pushing their elbow through the glass and breaking in through the window.

"Detective L/N, I don't think Lieutenant Anderson is going to be very appreciative of us jumping through his window." Connor stated, nonetheless jumping in after the human.

"Well, the last time this happened, he almost died." Y/N replied, watching as Sumo approached Connor. They gazed at their interaction, smiling lightly as the android communicated to the dog that he was friendly. Detective L/N grasped onto Connor's forearm, pulling him up to his feet.

The two detectives began looking around Hank's limp body, Y/N immediately picking up the revolver that Hank had had for most of his life. "Christ, I told him to get rid of this thing years ago." They exclaimed. "Stubborn asshole never listens." Y/N watched for a moment as Connor continued scanning Hank, looking over to Sumo as he pawed at his food bowl. "See if you can get him awake, I'm gonna feed Sumo." Connor nodded, Y/N turning away and walking through the hallway. Hank usually kept the dog food in the pantry, but he looked like he was having quite the rough night, so it was placed outside the door to his bedroom.

Y/N suddenly heard yelling coming from the kitchen, so they took a hold of Sumo's dog bowl and filled it with a few cups of food before letting the dog eat. "-Leave me alone, you fuckin' android!" Hank yelled. Y/N rolled their eyes, walking back into the kitchen and helping Connor pick the Lieutenant up. They pushed against the man's back to help him up.

"I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant." Connor politely warned. Y/N pulled one of Hank's hands over their shoulder, the RK800 doing the same with the other arm.

"Get the fuck outta my house!" Hank protested, turning to the human beside him. "And I don't remember givin' you a key!" He yelled.

Y/N scoffed, walking Hank forward towards the bathroom. "You did. I just lost it." They spoke truthfully. Honestly, they didn't even remember how they lost the key copy.

"Sorry, Lieutenant." Connor apologized. "It's for your own good."

The three continued wobbling down the hallway, trying not to let Hank escape and fall. "Sumo, attack!" He yelled. The dog barked once before falling asleep on his dog bed once again. "Good dog." Hank spoke. Y/N opened the door to his bathroom, helping Connor place the Lieutenant in his bathtub. "What the hell are you doing? I don't want a bath, thank you." Hank remarked.

Y/N sighed, grabbing a hold of his shower head and turning the temperature gage to cold. "As much entertainment as this is going to give me, sorry in advance." The water came spraying out of the shower head, Hank starting to yell and wail his arms in protest.

"Turn it off!" He yelled. "Turn it off!" Connor did as he requested, the water flow stopping. Hank was completely drenched head-to-toe, and Y/N could tell he was quite pissed. "What the fuck are you two doing here?" He asked.

"A homicide was reported forty-three minutes ago." Connor answered. "I couldn't find you at Jimmy's bar, so Detective L/N and I came to see if you were at home." He stated, the curl of hair on his forehead dipping down onto his eyebrow.

"Jesus." Hank sighed, attempting to stand up. "I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his partner and their own fuckin' android." He exclaimed. "Can't you two just leave me alone?"

Connor looked at him, seemingly trying to decide something in his mind. "You seem to have personal issues." He stated, looking towards Hank. "You should consult a professional who can help you."

Y/N knew it was a bad idea to bring up any kind of emotional help or therapy when with Hank, he did not like the idea. "Connor, don't bring that stuff up-"

Hank began yelling again, wobbling on his feet as he tried to stand up and get out of the bathtub. "Beat it! You hear me?! Get the hell outta here!" Before he could get another word out, he fell lightly back into the tub.

"C'mon, Hank." Y/N coaxed. "Let's just go."

Connor turned to them, a smile on his face. It was almost... playful? "Y/N, it probably wasn't interesting anyway." He spoke sarcastically, surprising the detective. Especially since he had used their first name. "A man found dead in a sex club downtown, I guess they'll have to solve the case without us."

Hank made an almost-protest, still not being able to get words out properly. "The homicide, what do we know about it?" He asked. Y/N grinned, happy they were able to get to him.

"Some guy, found dead at the Eden Club." The human detective answered.

"You got me all excited, that place is just for fuckin' androids." Hank groaned, still obliging, though. "Carry on."

Y/N rolled their eyes. "It says that an android might be involved due to the whole 'have sex with androids' thing they have going on." Y/N didn't really like the concept of the Eden Club that much. If deviants were doing it because they wanted to, that would be a different story, but since they had no real choice in what they were doing, Y/N hated the idea.

"It probably wouldn't do me any harm to get some air." Hank spoke, stabilizing himself before standing up and stretching on the tile.

Detective L/N grinned widely, walking over to the door of the bathroom. "I'll grab you some clothes, but you owe me one." They pointed to Hank before walking into his bedroom. As with the rest of the house, it was extremely cluttered and messy. Y/N, knowing the layout quite well, found Hank's dresser quickly, pulling out a patterned shirt and a pair of slacks.

When they walked back into the bathroom, Connor was just leaving, letting the human detective hand Hank some clothes before shutting the door. While they were waiting, Y/N decided to clean up a bit, placing hundreds of bottles into the recycling bin.

They looked over to the alcohol bottles, grimacing at the sight of so many. "God, one day that man is going to do something he'll regret." Y/N stated, watching as Connor began inspecting different objects on the table. He picked up two picture frames, making Detective's stomach lurch. They knew those photos. One was of Cole, the other was of themselves and Hank a year after they had met.

Shortly after they had met, Y/N's mother, Kelly, had lost custody of them due to her addiction to Red Ice. Hank had offered to take care of them until Elijah was old enough to take care of Y/N, and that photo was taken after Hank had taken them for lunch.

Y/N shook their head, continuing to place bottles and cans away. They grabbed the revolver out again, looking at the barrel of the gun. There was only one bullet. "Seriously, Hank? Russian Roulette, again?" They mumbled, sighing deeply.

Hank emerged from the bathroom doorway with a grunt, looking over to Sumo, then to Y/N, then to Connor. "Be a good dog, Sumo." He spoke, petting the dog. "I won't be long." Y/N opened a drawer on one of the end tables before following Hank out the door. They grabbed a hold of a dog treat and passed it to Sumo discreetly, walking out the door shortly after.

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
08:17 PM

The rain had cleared up just a little bit, only a few droplets every few minutes falling down onto Hank's car windows. Connor sat in the back, Y/N in the driver's seat with Hank in the passenger seat of the car. The words Eden Club were illuminated in bright purple, signifying they had gotten to the scene. A few other police cars had already arrived, their blue and red lights shimmering against the wet concrete.

Y/N parked the car, Hank immediately groaning. "It feels like somebody's playing with a drill inside my skull." He complained, making the detective beside him scoff.

"Yeah, that's why you think twice about getting shitface drunk when you're on duty." Y/N shook their head, turning off the engine to Hank's car.

Hank glared at Y/N for a moment before rolling his eyes and sighing. "You sure this is the place?" He asked, looking at the bright neon lights emitting from the Eden Club.

"It's the address in the report." Connor replied from the back seat. He watched as flashing images of androids came up on the purple screen, turning back to the front seat as Y/N got out.

"Sexiest Androids in Town, fucking hell." The human detective sighed. Connor got out of the car, followed shortly by Hank.

"Now I know why you wanted to come here." Hank grinned cheekily at the android. Connor didn't feel physical attraction, physical and emotional attraction wasn't in his programming and he wasn't a deviant, so he wasn't sure why Hank had made that claim. The purple glow from the club made everyone's face light up as they walked in.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

'Welcome to Eden Club' a robotic voice sounded. The half-naked androids were lined up in capsules against the walls, perfectly still until the group walked by. Y/N looked at the WR400 model for a moment, pausing to look at it.

"The fuck are you doin'?" Hank yelled.

Y/N looked back over to the others. "Sorry, let's keep going." They walked into another room, a few androids dancing in the center. Officer Ben Collins was talking to one of the managers on the other end of the room, their conversation loud and clear to Connor.

"You're not gonna take my license, are you?" The manager asked. "I mean- I had nothing to do with this!" He laughed nervously.

FOLLOW HANK AND Y/N

Connor's task was still the same, so he followed the Lieutenant and the Detective until they reached the other side of the room where Officer Collins and the manager of the Eden Club were talking.

"Hey, Ben!" Y/N greeted, shaking their friend's hand.

Hank shook his hand as well as Officer Collins began to give a short briefing. "It's in that room over there." He pointed to the room that had the word occupied written on it in red. "Oh- uh, by the way, Gavin's in there too."

"Oh, great! A dead body and an asshole." Hank remarked.

Y/N sighed. "This is going to be a long night." They spoke, gulping down the rest of their coffee and throwing it in one of the trash bins. Connor walked into the room behind Hank and Detective L/N, spotting a dead body covered in silk sheets on the bed.

Gavin stood up, smirking at the group that had walked in. "Lieutenant Anderson, Detective L/N and their plastic pet." He laughed. "The fuck are you three doin' here?"

"We've been assigned all cases involving androids." Connor stated politely, looking around at the dancing red lights behind Gavin.

"Oh, yeah?" The man snickered. "Well, you're wasting your time. It's just some pervert who got more action than he could handle." He laughed loudly at his joke. Connor glanced down at the body of one of the Traci models on the ground. It was almost completely shut down.

"We'll be looking anyway." Y/N grit their teeth, obviously uncomfortable around the presence of Gavin. Connor couldn't blame them, the detective was quite an odd figure.

"Come on." Gavin spoke, waving over Officer Miller. "Let's go. It's starting to stink of booze in here." He remarked giddily.

Officer Miller nodded to the other humans before leaving. "Night, L/N and Anderson." A curt nod from the others followed as Gavin and Chris left the room.

"Shall we?" Hank spoke.

INVESTIGATE THE CRIME SCENE
EXAMINE VICTIM
EXAMINE ANDROID

Y/N walked over to the android whilst Connor glanced at the victim, scanning the body that was wrapped in the silk sheets.

CARDIAC ARREST
NO SIGN OF CARDIAC EVENT
HEART ATTACK NOT CAUSE OF DEATH

SEVERE BRUISING
SIGNS OF STRANGULATION
CAUSE OF DEATH: ASPHYXIATION

DECEASED
GRAHAM, MICHAEL
HEIGHT: 6'2" - WEIGHT: 192.4 LBS
ESTIMATED TIME OF DEATH: 06:24 PM

Connor thought it was quite strange that the man had died from strangulation rather than the heart attack that occurred, so he reconstructed the scene to the best of his ability. His programming showed him an image of a woman-like figure strangling the man.

VICTIM WAS STRANGLED

"He didn't die of a heart attack." Connor stated, standing up and facing Y/N and Hank.

"Oh?" The former inquired, walking over from the android on the floor.

"He was strangled."

Hank sighed. "Yeah, I saw the bruising on the neck. Doesn't prove anything though. Could've been rough play." He stated.

"That is true." Y/N added. "A lot of people prefer that stuff with androids over humans because of their harder interior." They spoke. "It would make sense that it was just a weird sex thing."

Connor nodded. "I think we're missing something."

"Hey, can you read that android's memory?" Hank asked and pointed at the shut down android, earning a curt nod from Connor. "Maybe you can see what happened."

"I can try to probe its memory, but I would have to reactivate it first." The RK800 replied, looking at the motionless android on the carpet. He walked over to it, trying to look for any signs of attack on the android's part.

"You can reactivate them, right?" Y/N asked.

"If I can, it'll only be for a minute, maybe less." Connor answered. "I just hope it's long enough to learn something." The human detective nodded, looking at the android and crouching beside Connor. A large trail of blue blood was still draining out of the Traci's nose, physical trauma to the android opening up as a possibility.

The RK800 took a sample, placing it up against the sensors on his tongue to analyze it. "Jesus, again?!" Y/N exclaimed, looking for any wounds on the android.

"Connor, you're so disgusting." Hank stated, holding a fist up against his mouth.

BLUE BLOOD
MODEL WR400
SERIAL NUMBER #429 671 942

"The driver's license says Michael Graham." Hank stated, looking at the card in his hands. "A credit card, cash in the wallet, picture of his wife and two daughters."

"Yeesh. I wouldn't want to make that call." Y/N murmured, looking at the LED on the Traci's temple. It was completely colorless, instead covered with a gray tone. Connor placed his hand on the LED, pulling back his synthetic skin and revealing white, robotic fingers as he diagnosed the android.

SELECTOR #5402
CRITICALLY DAMAGED

BIOCOMPONENT #6970
CRITICALLY DAMAGED

He then grabbed onto the arm, Y/N still beside him as he attempted to reactivate the Traci. The RK800 opened the stomach panel, revealing a mess of sparking wires and biocomponents. He pulled two loose wires together, recalibrating the android. The Traci's LED glowed bright red as her eyes opened, she scrambled to the other side of the room in fear.

"You were damaged and I reactivated you." Connor spoke. "Everything is alright." He stated, walking forward and crouching down.

-00:01:38
TIME BEFORE SHUTDOWN

"We're going to ask you some questions." Y/N added, standing beside him. "Can you speak?"

"Is he... is he dead?" The Traci asked, her LED blinking from red to yellow.

"Did you kill him?" Connor asked, looking over to the dead body before turning back to the android. She had pushed herself against the white wall in fear.

"No!" She yelled. "N-no, it wasn't me."

-00:01:00
TIME BEFORE SHUTDOWN

"Tell me what happened." Connor interrogated.

With fear in the Traci's eyes, she began to speak. "He started hitting me... again... and again. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't." She revealed.

-00:00:48
CRITICAL LEAK

"Were you alone in the room?" Connor asked, pressing the Traci for answers. "Was there anyone else with you?"

"He wanted to play with two girls." The android replied. "That's what he said, there were two of us..."

-00:00:11
IMMINENT SHUTDOWN

"What model was the other android? Did it look like you?" The Traci shut down again before they could get an answer, her LED turning from the deep red back to its blank, dull gray color.

Y/N sighed, standing up. "Well, at least we know there was another android." They stated.

"It's probably long gone, this happened over an hour ago." Hank claimed.

Connor shook his head. "No, it couldn't go outside dressed like that unnoticed." He spoke, looking around the room. "It might still be here."

"You think you could find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?" Hank asked.

"Deviants aren't that easily detected." Y/N replied. "It's really all in the body language and speech patterns." They stated.

"Exactly." Connor nodded. "It could take hours."

Hank sighed. "Ah, shit. There's gotta be some other way." He spoke, turning towards the door out of the private room. "Maybe an eyewitness? Somebody saw it leaving the room?"

"Who would even think of anything like that?" Y/N asked rhetorically. "Most people come and don't pay attention to who's walking by."

"I'll go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw, just in case." Hank stated, the doors behind him opening. "You two let me know if you think of anything." Connor nodded, leaving the room alongside Y/N after a few more seconds of looking around.

SEARCH FOR ANDROID EYEWITNESS

He looked over at one of the Traci models in the capsule, walking over to it as Hank and the manager of the Eden Club talked again.

"Detective L/N?" Connor asked, the other detective turning their head towards him. "Do you suppose they'd have any CCTV in this place?"

Y/N shook their head. "No, most places like these have extreme discretion codes. It's what makes them good for just going in and coming out on a regular Friday evening." They shrugged.

Connor nodded, walking over to one of the capsules. Maybe if he could get a model to show its memory of the incident, he could see where the other android went. He quickly placed his hand against the screen, but it denied, seeing that he had no fingerprints.

NEED HUMAN FINGERPRINTS

"Excuse me, Detective?" He asked. Y/N turned their head towards him, walking over.

"What do you need?" They smiled.

"Can you rent this Traci?"

Detective L/N coughed in surprise, hitting their hand against their chest. "Don't we have better things to do?"

"Please, Detective. Just trust me." Connor spoke.

Y/N rolled their eyes, placing their right hand against the scanner. "Hello." The robotic voice from the machine sounded. "A thirty-minute session costs $29.99. Please confirm your purchase."

"My credit card company is going to have a field day." They sighed, the purchase going through as the capsule.
"Delighted to meet you." The android spoke forwardly. "Follow me, I'll take you to your room."

Detective L/N backed a bit away. "Okay, Connor, do your thing." They looked over, watching as he peeled back the skin on his hand again and probed the WR400's memory. He looked through, spotting another android coming out of the room the dead body was found in.

A BLUE HAIRED TRACI HEADED TOWARD THE ENTRANCE

Connor returned back to present time, turning to Y/N and Hank, the latter had just arrived in the group. "It saw something." The RK800 spoke.

"What are you talkin' about?" Hank asked. "Saw what?"

"It saw the deviant leave the room. A blue-haired Traci." He replied. "The club policy is to wipe the android's memory every two hours, we only have a few minutes if we want to find another witness!" Connor exclaimed.

-00:03:00

"What am I supposed to do with this one?" Y/N asked, pointing to the android, of which was still holding her hand out for Y/N to take.

"Tell it you changed your mind!" Connor answered.

Detective L/N looked at the android, an awkward look on their face. "Sorry, um- I changed my mind. Nothing personal..." They spoke, watching as the android sunk back into her capsule and shut the door. "Never thought I'd have to do that." Connor led the group over to the WR400 in another capsule, Y/N sighing again and placing their hand against the scanner.

"If this gets us nowhere, Connor I swear to God-"

"Payment processed." The machine spoke. Connor probed her memory quickly, spotting the Traci in the main room again.

IT TURNED BACK INTO THE CLUB

"It saw the blue-haired Traci!" Connor stated. "I know which way it went." He added.

"Well then, let's go!" Y/N replied.

"There are androids everywhere." Hank spoke. "How're you gonna tell which one saw the Traci with the blue hair?" He asked.

Connor looked around briefly before responding. "I know which direction it took, I just need to find another android on its path." He probed one's memory on one of the poles, saving Y/N from another transaction.

IT TURNED TO THE RED ROOM
-00:02:43

As where the Traci went, Connor walked into the more pink-toned room, glancing around. Hank walked behind him, panting a little as he was still hungover. Y/N pat his back a bit, earning a glare from the older man. Detective L/N finalized another payment, Connor probing the android's memory.

IT TURNED TO THE BLUE ROOM
-00:02:20

The three continued following where Connor was finding the Traci, walking through the blue room that he had seen the android enter. Y/N paid one last time for one of the male androids, sighing as their bill went up to almost $120.

IT HID IN A ROOM

Connor stopped probing the memory, walking directly into one of the available rooms that the Traci had gone into. Since it was a private room, there were no signs of androids, and since there were no exits, the Traci had to have left. Connor grabbed a hold of the janitor android, probing it. The Traci had escaped into the staff room.

"I know where it went!" Connor exclaimed. "Follow me." Y/N and Hank walked in the room shortly behind the RK800, pulling out their guns. Connor fell behind, letting the humans with the weaponry take the lead into the warehouse.

Y/N opened the door. "Shit!" They yelled.

"We're too late." Hank stated. Connor peered in, seeing rows upon rows of androids. He couldn't spot the blue-haired Traci from where he was standing, so he decided to walk down the steps and do a more in-depth look. Y/N and Hank still held their guns up, even though they couldn't see the Traci. Connor picked up a sight of some thirium, leaning down and placing some against his tongue sensors.

BLUE BLOOD DROPLETS
MODEL WR400
SERIAL NUMBER #950 455 437

SEARCH FOR BLUE BLOOD TRAIL

Connor looked at all the groups of androids, trying to spot the Traci he was looking for. Finally, he found the blue haired Traci, her LED glowing yellow before another Traci attacked Connor.

Y/N turned around, spotting Connor being attacked. "Connor?" They yelled, running over and grabbing out their gun.

The blue-haired Traci tackled them, leaving Connor to fight the android himself. Hank had been investigating another door and hadn't heard the commotion. He hauled the Traci over a storage unit, swiftly jumping over after her. She used her heels to kick Connor's feet out from under him, sitting above him and attempting to hit him. Connor's programmed reflexes kicked in, and he blocked every hit. The android grasped onto a sharp object, almost sending it into Connor's head. Her hand was pulled back by Y/N, though. The brown-haired Traci began kicking up against Y/N, the detective just barely avoiding her moves. Connor managed to knock the sharp knife out of the android's hands, finally. But she still made advances towards him and Y/N.

Detective L/N pulled down one of the storage units, only for the Traci to push it away. Connor was pushed into the opening of the walls, falling down onto the rain-soaked pavement outside. Hank was also pushed down, but by the blue-haired Traci, letting Y/N grab onto his forearm and help him up. The two Traci's stood up together, holding onto each other's hands. Hank was pushed down to the ground again by the brown-haired Traci, and Y/N was compromised, as well. Their gun slid across the snowy ground, leaving Connor to pick it up and point it towards the two deviants. His LED whirred yellow as he hesitated to shoot, not knowing what to do for once.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE
Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
HANK ANDERSON - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

He lowered the gun, only to be kicked back to the ground by the brown-haired Traci. He watched as Y/N stood up slowly, regaining balance. Connor did the same, gazing at the two Traci's, who were mere feet away from the fence separating the alleyway from the road.

"When that man broke the other Traci, I knew I was next." The blue haired deviant began. "I was so scared, I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't. So I put my hands around his throat and I squeezed until he stopped moving." She revealed. "I didn't mean to kill him, I just wanted to stay alive, get back to the one I love." The Traci looked over to the brown-haired android beside her, grasping onto her hand. "I wanted her to hold me in her arms again, make me forget about the humans. Their smell of sweat and their dirty words." Hank stood up, standing beside Y/N and Connor.

The brown-haired Traci looked behind them. "Come on, let's go." The RK800's LED was still a bright yellow color, and he turned to look at the other detective and the lieutenant.

"It's probably better this way." Hank spoke, watching as the two Traci's climbed up the fence and ran across the rainy road. Y/N nodded, turning and following Hank back into the Eden Club. The android detective stood in the rain for a few more moments. What was happening to him?

Chapter Text

NOV 6TH, 2038
08:17 PM

A bit of rain fell down onto Hank's car as Y/N drove through the city of Detroit. The bright purple and pink lights pounding from the side of one of the buildings signified that they had reached the Eden Club. The detective only hoped that they could get back to Jericho in time for the CyberLife warehouse heist. Y/N parked the car on the curb, setting it just behind another police car as they cleared their mind from the deviants they felt they had to protect.

Hank groaned, rubbing his eyes a bit. "It feels like somebody's playing with a drill inside my skull." He exclaimed.

Y/N scoffed, turning off the engine to the car. "Yeah, that's why you think twice about getting shitface drunk when you're on duty." They spoke, leaving Hank to simply glare at the detective in the driver's seat.

"You sure this is the right place?" He asked, rolling his eyes. The large neon lights threatened to cause a headache in Detective L/N's brain, but they tried to shake it off and avoid direct eye contact with the flashes.

"It's the address in the report." Connor answered the Lieutenant. He was sitting in the backseat, only chiming in when the conversation was something he could discuss. Y/N stepped out of the car on the roadside of the vehicle, the rain falling down onto their hair and face as they walked onto the sidewalk.

Y/N sighed, looking at the large slogan plastered on the neon sign out front of the club. "Sexiest Androids in Town, fucking hell." They exclaimed. Connor opened the back door of the car and got out, standing beside Y/N as they both waited for Hank to join them.

The Lieutenant winked at Connor, a smirk plastered on his face. "Now I know why you wanted to come here." He claimed. Y/N rolled their eyes for what seemed like the tenth time that night as they all began walking into the Eden Club.

A robotic voice called out to them as they entered through the neon walls. 'Welcome to Eden Club.' it spoke. Each android was placed in a capsule, of course, besides the ones that were dancing on the poles in the center. Y/N would have really rather been in Jericho than there at that point, but they tried to look on the bright side, deviancy was spreading. And it was spreading fast. They spotted a WR400 model, one of North's models, in one of the capsules. It was quite weird, seeing someone that looked like a close friend in such weird conditions, and it made Y/N's skin itch.

Hank took notice of their pause to look at the model. "The fuck are you doin'?" He asked.

Detective L/N turned, looking back towards Connor and Hank. "Sorry, let's keep going." They spoke, trying to mask the fact they had seen that model before. The group met up with Officer Collins, who was talking to the manager of the Eden Club.

"-take my license, are you?" He asked. "I mean- I had nothing to do with this!" The manager laughed, nervousness lacing his tone.

After they were done talking, Y/N approached, shaking Officer Collins' hand. "Hey, Ben!" They exclaimed, smiling.

"Hey, guys." Ben replied, also shaking Hank's hand. "It's in that room over there. But- by the way, Gavin's in there too." He stated, making Y/N groan. They really didn't want to have to deal with Detective Reed, but a job was a job.

Hank seemed to feel the same way. "Oh, great. A dead body and an asshole." He exclaimed bitterly.

"This is going to be a long night." Y/N replied, downing the rest of their coffee in one take. They were gonna need it if they wanted to finish the case without punching Detective Reed in the face. They threw the empty cup of coffee in the trash, walking into the crime scene room with Connor and Hank. There was a dead body tangled in the silk sheets, his cause of death unclear to the human detective. As was mentioned moments before, Gavin stood near the bed, looking over towards the three that had walked in.

"Lieutenant Anderson, Detective L/N and their plastic pet." He snickered. "The fuck are you three doin' here?" He asked.

"We've been assigned all cases involving androids." Connor replied. Y/N had no clue how he managed to not punch the detective across from him, even if he was an android.

The red lights that flashed behind Gavin made Y/N's eyes hurt a bit, the mix of coffee and the flashing lights not boding well together. "Oh, yeah?" Gavin smirked. "Well, you're wasting your time. It's just some pervert who got more action than he could handle." He laughed loudly.

The android in question, one of the Traci models, was shut down on the floor, slumped on the red carpet. Y/N grit their teeth, looking back over to Detective Reed. "We'll be looking anyway."

To be honest, Y/N was fed up with Gavin's presence in general, and they only wished they could file a complaint to get him fired. But, without any substantial evidence of him breaking the code of conduct, they wouldn't be able to. "Come on, let's go." He spoke. "It's starting to stink of booze in here." He snarkily said. Hank sighed.

"He's just an asshole." Y/N murmured towards the older man.

Officer Miller followed Gavin, not before nodding to the other three, though. "Night, L/N and Anderson." He spoke. Y/N and Hank nodded in response, and the two humans and the android were the only ones left in the room.

"Shall we?" Hank asked, sighing. They split up, Y/N walking over to the android on the floor while Connor inspected the victim. The android was a Traci model, the ones they sold commercially. Blue blood- thirium was leaking from her nose, making physical trauma towards her a possibility.

Connor stood up from his crouching position suddenly, causing both Hank and Y/N to turn their heads towards him. "He didn't die of a heart attack." He claimed.

"Oh?" Y/N asked.

"He was strangled."

Hank let out a deep breath, placing one of his hands to his temple. "Yeah, I saw the bruising on the neck." He replied. "Doesn't prove anything though, it could've been rough play."

Y/N nodded. "That is true, a lot of people prefer that stuff with androids over humans because of their harder interior." They replied, remembering a few statistics they had seen when working at CyberLife. "It would make sense that it was just a weird sex thing."

"I think we're missing something." Connor stated, walking over to the android and scanning it for any clues.

"Hey, can you read that android's memory?" Hank asked, nodding towards the shut down Traci on the floor. "Maybe you can see what happened." He proposed. Connor nodded, looking towards the android. He had crouched down directly beside Y/N as he looked over the android.

"I can try to probe its memory, but I would have to reactivate it first." He spoke, spotting the thirium trail falling down the Traci's nose and onto her lips.

Y/N glanced at him. "You can reactivate them, right?" They asked.

"If I can, it'll only be for a minute, maybe less." The android detective replied. "I just hope it's long enough to learn something." He spoke. Y/N nodded, gazing over the Traci's synthetic face for a moment longer.

Detective L/N glanced to the side and looked at Connor, watching as he took a sample of the thirium on the android's face and placed it to his tongue. They grimaced, looking back at the red walls in disgust. "Jesus, again?!"

Hank sighed. "Connor, you're so disgusting." He stated. Y/N glanced over to him, nodding in agreement. They spotted him picking up a card from the side desk. "The driver's license says Michael Graham. A credit card, cash in the wallet, picture of his wife and two daughters."

Y/N frowned. "Yeesh." They exclaimed in a mumble. "I wouldn't want to make that call." They spoke. The LED on the Traci's temple was completely dull, no red, blue, or yellow, it was just a mix of gray and her pale skin tone. Y/N watched as Connor's hand turned from a soft, olive tone into a white mechanical, robotic hand. They noticed that he was diagnosing the android on the ground before trying a soft reset on the Traci. Connor opened her stomach panel, the blue biocomponents, wires and thirium revealing themselves. Two loose wires were pulled together by the RK800, and the Traci's LED blared red as she opened her eyes.

The android immediately scrambled towards the back door, trying to get away from Connor and Y/N. The former began attempting to calm the Traci down. "You were damaged and I reactivated you, everything is alright." He spoke. Connor made his way towards the other android slowly, crouching down.

"We're going to ask you some questions." Y/N stated softly, crouching beside Connor. "Can you speak?" They asked.

"Is he... is he dead?" The Traci spoke, her LED whirring in a soft orange.

Connor turned over another question. "Did you kill him?" He asked. Y/N glanced over to the dead body, wincing a bit before looking back towards the android."

"No! N-no, it wasn't me." The android replied.

The RK800 continued pressing for answers. "Tell me what happened." He demanded, the unstable android holding immense fear in her eyes.

"He started hitting me." The Traci spoke softly. "Again, and again... I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't." Y/N suddenly felt empathy for the android, trying to soften their expressions to help comfort the Traci.

"Were you alone in the room?" Connor asked. "Was there anyone else with you?"

The android continued pressing herself against the wall. "He wanted to play with two girls." She answered. "That's what he said, there were two of us..."

"What model was the other android?" Connor pressed. "Did it look like you?" The android's LED returned back to its dull, gray color once again, her body and face going limp as she shut down again.

"Well, at least we know there was another android." Y/N spoke, getting up from their crouching position. They wiped their legs down, trying to get rid of the carpet hair and dust that had accumulated on their knees.

"It's probably long gone." Hank stated. "This happened over an hour ago."

"No, it couldn't go outside dressed like that unnoticed." Connor replied, looking around the room and shaking his head. "It might still be here."

"You think you could find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?" Hank asked the detective.

"Deviants aren't that easily detected." Y/N stated. "It's really all in the body language and speech patterns." They explained. In reality, it was a much more complex process, spotting deviants apart from regular androids.

Connor nodded, agreeing with the human detective standing beside him. "Exactly, it could take hours." Hank sighed in response, clearly exasperated by the amount of work he and the others had to do.

"There's gotta be some other way." He proposed. Hank looked over at the door, turning around and making his way over. "Maybe an eyewitness?" He inquired. "Somebody saw it leaving the room?"

Y/N thought for a moment, shaking their head at Hank's idea. "Who would even think of anything like that? Most people come and don't pay attention to who's walking by." They exclaimed.

"I'll go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw, just in case." Hank replied, walking out the doors. He turned to Connor and Y/N before leaving. "You two let me know if you think of anything." They both nodded, exiting the room and following Hank. Connor trailed off, looking at some of the Traci models in the capsules. Y/N lingered over near the WR400 again, seemingly gazing into the eyes of North. But this wasn't North. No matter how much that deviant talked about anarchy and claiming equality, the android in front of Y/N had eyes that seemed so much colder, no longer full of life.

Connor beckoning them over snapped Y/N out of their thoughts. "Detective L/N?" The person in question turned their head over, walking towards the RK800. "Do you suppose they'd have any CCTV in this place?" He inquired.

"No, most places like these have extreme discretion codes." Y/N replied, shaking their head slowly. "It's what makes them good for just going in and coming out on a regular Friday evening." Y/N hadn't been to many android strip clubs, or really many strip clubs in general, but a lot of crimes occurred in them, they knew how they worked. Connor nodded in return, turning back around to face the capsules.

A few minutes passed. Absolutely no evidence was showing itself, and it began to look like a cold trail. That was, until Connor began talking again. "Excuse me, Detective?" He asked, causing Y/N to walk over.

"What do you need?"

"Can you rent this Traci?"

Y/N's lungs completely seized in surprise. They coughed a few times, balling their fist and repeatedly hitting it against their chest to try and calm down a bit. "Don't we have better things to do?" They coughed out.

"Please, Detective, just trust me." Connor pleaded. Y/N sighed, rolling their eyes. Honestly, they just couldn't wait to get out of the Eden Club. They placed their hand against the scanner, letting their fingerprints light up.

"Hello." The machine rang. "A thirty-minute session costs $29.99. Please confirm your purchase."

Y/N sighed. "My credit card company is going to have a field day." They exclaimed. The capsule opened, revealing the android. She walked out, smiling softly at Y/N.

"Delighted to meet you." She introduced herself, the detective stepping back a bit. "Follow me, I'll take you to your room." The android smiled.

The human detective looked to Connor, a quite confused look on their face. They did not want to have to go through this. "Okay, do your thing." They spoke. The RK800 nodded, placing his hand on the scanner and peeling back his skin again. No matter how many times Y/N had seen it happen over the years they had been a CyberLife operator, the fact that androids could do something like that was fascinating to them.

"It saw something." Connor spoke, bringing Detective L/N back to reality.

Hank bounced over, curious as to what the others had found. "What are you talkin' about? Saw what?" He asked.

"It saw the deviant leave the room." Connor answered. "A blue-haired Traci. The club policy is to wipe the android's memory every two hours, we only have a few minutes if we want to find another witness." He exclaimed.

Y/N looked at the half-naked android next to them and back to the RK800. "What am I supposed to do with this one?" They asked.

"Tell it you changed your mind." Connor replied.

They looked to the android awkwardly, a tight and uncomfortable smile on their face. "Sorry, um- I changed my mind. Nothing personal..." Y/N trailed off, sighing with relief as the android walked back into her capsule. "Never thought I'd have to do that." Hank chuckled as Connor led them over to another WR400 capsule, Y/N reluctantly putting their hand against the scanner again. "If this gets us nowhere, Connor I swear to God-"

"Payment processed." Again, the RK800 android probed the other's memory, trying to search her for any sign of the deviant.

"It saw the blue-haired Traci!" Connor announced. "I know which way it went."

Y/N smiled. "Well then, let's go!"

Hank looked over to the other two as they walked around the Eden Club. "There are androids everywhere, how're you gonna tell which one saw the Traci with the blue hair?" He asked.

"I know which direction it took." Connor replied, looking around. "I just need to find another android on its path." He stated, probing another android's memory. He probed the android that was on one of the poles, saving Y/N from another payment. They were quite thankful for that.

The Traci seemed to have gone into the pink room, as Connor had already disappeared through it. Hank sighed, still breathing deeply and audibly from his rude awakening. "Could he stop fuckin' doing that?" He asked rhetorically. Y/N rolled their eyes as the two followed the android, patting his back. They got a glare from Hank in return, only causing them to smirk. Connor was waiting at one of the capsules, causing Y/N to sigh deeply and scan their hand.

I really should've had more coffee. They thought, dozing off a bit as Connor probed the android's memory.

After around a minute of buying androids and sending them back into their capsules, Y/N's bill had racked up to just short of $120. The DPD does not pay me enough for this shit. Their mind spoke, following Connor and Hank into a private room where the Traci must have gone. After going into the room and coming back out, the RK800 probed the android janitor, a face of excitement crossing for a moment.

"I know where it went!" He yelled. "Follow me." They walked into the staff hallway, Y/N and Hank both pulling their guns out. Connor stayed behind the two humans, letting them open the door to the storage room.

There were so many androids lined up and placed on tables, and it was so dark the hair colors were barely visible. The wall had opened across from the staircase, the rain pouring down on the other side. "Shit." Y/N exclaimed, not seeing any sign of a blue-haired Traci.

"We're too late." Hank replied.

They all began looking around, trying to see if they could find any sign of the deviant. Crashing came from behind Y/N, and they whipped their head towards where Connor was. He had been pushed to the ground by a brown-haired Traci, some sort of accomplice. Before Y/N could get to Connor, the blue-haired Traci knocked them down, tackling them. They battled it out, constantly trying to fight for power in the situation. Hank soon cocked his gun at the blue-haired Traci, causing her to get up and focus on him. That gave Y/N enough time to run over to Connor, who was about to be stabbed by the brown-haired Traci and a sharp object she had found.

Y/N stood behind the female android and pulled her arm back, preventing her from killing the RK800. The Traci stood up, beginning to fight Y/N. They battled for a few moments, Connor managing to kick the sharp knife-like item out of the Traci's hands. Y/N grabbed a hold of one of the storage units, pulling it down onto the ground to try and prevent the deviant's advances. Unfortunately, it simply walked over it, pushing Connor into the break in the wall and into the rain. Y/N jumped out after him and helped him up as Hank joined them with the blue-haired Traci. The brown-haired Traci kicked Y/N to the ground, rendering them compromised next to Hank. Their gun was laying on the snow near Connor, and he picked it up and pointed it towards the Traci's.

Y/N watched as his LED flickered between yellow, blue, and even a bit of red. After a few moments, Connor lowered the gun, the brown-haired Traci taking that time to kick him to the ground.

The two deviants linked hands, standing just in front of the fence line. Y/N stood up just behind Connor as he got up, as well. "When that man broke the other Traci, I knew I was next." The blue-haired Traci wavered. "I was so scared, I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't." She admitted. "So, I put my hands around his throat and I squeezed until he stopped moving. I didn't mean to kill him, I just wanted to stay alive." The deviant looked to the brown-haired Traci, her LED flickering yellow as a look of admiration crossed her face. "I wanted to get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms again, make me forget about the humans. Their smell of sweat and their dirty words."

Hank stood up as the two Traci's looked behind them. "Come on, let's go." The brown-haired Traci spoke, her and the other deviant scaling the fence and running towards the rainy roads.

"It's probably better this way." Hank nodded, making Y/N smile. They both turned around and left towards the Eden Club, Connor following shortly behind. The human detective glanced at their watch before calling a taxi. It was almost time.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 6TH, 2038
09:02 PM

The rain poured down onto the skyline of Detroit, the fog barely lifting as the sun continued to set below the horizon. Markus, Y/N, Josh, Simon and North climbed up onto a large storage container, preparing for what was to come. The human of the group had a fake LED on their temple and a mask to hide their identity. Drones flew overhead, checking around the autonomous supply trucks as the group approached.

"This is crazy." Josh exclaimed. "If they catch us, we're dead."

"We have to do this." Y/N replied. "It's your only chance at freedom."

"What do we do now?" Simon asked.

Markus' face dripped with rain, his eyes beginning to blur from the weather. "We need to find the CyberLife warehouse. That's where they keep the spare parts and blue blood."

"C'mon." Y/N stated, dodging automated vehicles and electronics beside North. They led the group. North had stayed up to ungodly hours in the morning, mapping out each location. And of course, Y/N being just below CEO in CyberLife at a few points in their life, they had extensive knowledge of the area. They ran around a large shipping container, spotting a few lights attached to drones up ahead.

"Don't let them see us." Josh stated. North stopped Markus from going any further through the large containers, watching as one of the drones passed where he was about to go. Two workers became illuminated by the drone light.

"Now what do we do?" Josh asked, his LED flashing yellow.

"We'll find another way." North replied. Y/N was the first to jump up onto one of the containers, followed by North, Markus, Simon and then Josh. The latter was still skeptical about the whole idea, but he followed them, nonetheless. They jumped up another set of cargo containers stacked on top of each other, giving them a clear path up. Jumping up onto a yellow container, Y/N stopped, breathing heavily as the CyberLife warehouse became visible. The company sign was emitted with a large, silver glow, making it easy for everyone to see. Y/N continued after catching their breath, catching back up to North quickly.

"Markus, up here!" North yelled, pulling the android up onto another container. It was lifted on a claw, and they held their grip on the sides as best as they could. Y/N winced as their fingers slipped a bit due to the rain, looking down at one of the security guards. Thankfully, they fell right alongside North, Josh and Markus on the stack of crates. Simon had been separated along the way. Y/N hoped he was still okay.

Speaking of, they met back up with him only a few minutes away from the warehouse, the glowing sign emitting a harsh glow onto the rain. "The warehouse is up ahead." North stated, sliding down a few layers of crates.

"We're almost there." Y/N breathed, nodding to Markus as they followed North. Everyone crouched down at the end of the crates, spotting a drone blocking their way. It blinked red and blue as it scanned the road.

"CyberLife warehouses..." Simon breathed. "They have everything we're looking for..."

"We have to get rid of that drone, first." Y/N stated. "It'll spot us from miles away."

Markus looked at the flying object, then back to the others. "Leave it to me." Y/N watched as he first preconstructed the situation, something that the RK models did have. Of course, with Connor it was heightened so he could reconstruct something that happened in the past, but they loved the RK models, it was something they had worked very hard on. Y/N snapped back to reality as Markus began jumping across moving crates, launching himself onto the drone and crushing it.

"You okay?" Simon asked, the others running down onto the road towards him.

Y/N smiled at him. "You did great."

"Good job, Markus." North reluctantly spoke, running towards the filled boxes.

"Quick, open up the crates and fill your bags!" Simon instructed. "Take as much as you can." It was like paradise on earth for the androids and the human, and they opened up each crate to reveal bags and bags of thirium.

Y/N had just finished off one crate before looking up, spotting an android guard approaching the group. "You are trespassing on private property." He stated, standing completely still. "Your presence constitutes a level two infraction, I will notify security."

One of the human guards made their way over, yelling out the android's name. "John! Goddamn machine, where is it this time?" Acting quickly, Markus grabbed a hold of the android guard, pulling him down and hiding. Y/N, North, Simon and Josh did the same, pressing their backs against the crates. Y/N spotted Markus' hand turning white, presumably talking to the android. It was short-lived, and Y/N tried to steady their breathing as the human guard inched closer and closer towards the group.

"First the drone, now this..." The guard sighed. "Just my luck..." The small group from Jericho emerged from hiding behind the crates, beginning to stock up on anything they could find once more.

"Let's finish up and get out of here." Y/N spoke, loading a bunch of spare parts into their backpack.

"Try to find some blue blood, we still don't have enough!" Simon ordered. Most of the crates were emptied, and the biggest one still remained, sitting on the large porch-like area in front of the warehouse. Markus jumped up, unlocking it from the wall and opening it. The door revealed a blue light and three AP700 androids placed inside of the crate.

Markus began whispering towards the androids. "Why aren't you like us?" He asked. "Don't you wanna be free?" He spoke. "You could join us." He held out his hand, communicating to each of the androids. Their LEDs blinked yellow as they woke up, becoming deviant immediately after being built. Y/N continued loading their bag until it was full, hoisting it over their shoulder with a grunt.

"That's all we can carry." Simon stated. "Let's go."

The android guard from before, John, stood up. "Take me with you."

"He's on their side." North stated. "We can't trust him."

"He disobeyed CyberLife for us." Y/N replied. "We can't just leave him here to be deactivated."

"I'm with Y/N." Josh spoke. "We have to take him back to Jericho."

"We can't bring them back with us." Simon argued. "It's too dangerous!"

Markus gazed at the four androids across from them for a moment, Y/N waiting for his answer. They were still trying to beat time, Connor or Hank could call in at any moment. "They come with us." He spoke, John smiling with happiness.

"I know where you can find more spare parts." He stated.

Simon turned around. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"The trucks." John replied, still smiling. "They're full of biocomponents, they run on autopilot, but they can be driven manually with a key."

"Where is the key?" Y/N inquired.

"Down there." Walking forward and pointing towards a building across the road. "In the control station. There are two human guards, so you'll have to get the key without being noticed."

Simon shook his head. "This is suicide. Our bags are full, we got what we came for. Let's go before they catch us."

"There'd be enough for everyone." Y/N explained. "We have to get this truck."

"And if we get killed, our people will have nothing." Josh argued. "We can't take that chance, it's too risky!"

"We can't pass this up." North replied.

Markus nodded towards North and Y/N. "Wait here. If I'm not back in ten minutes, go without me."

John sighed. "Markus-"

"I'm coming with you." North stated.

"No." Y/N replied, holding her back. "It's too dangerous. You'll both lose your lives if even only one of you gets caught." Markus nodded in response, running towards the building and ducking into the door.

"C'mon, please make it out." North pleaded to herself, mumbling under her breath. Y/N pat their friend's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"He'll make it." They smiled. "I have a feeling he's going to do great things for Jericho."

North sighed. "I took a risk trusting you." She frowned. "Maybe this is another risk we need to take, one more step towards freedom, right?" North smiled.

Y/N nodded. "I swear, one day you all will have equality." Soon enough, Markus ran back towards the group.

"Did you get it?" North asked, running towards him. He held up the key. "Nice." Y/N got into the back of the truck with Josh, Simon and John. They made their way back to Jericho slowly, making sure to not raise any suspicion. Y/N took their fake LED and mask off, their temple aching a bit from the strong glue they used.

Everyone created a large group in the ship, looking over at Y/N, Josh, Simon, North and the new androids as they entered.

"A truckload!" Simon yelled. "We stole a whole truckload!"

"We got biocomponents for everybody!" Josh smiled.

North looked towards Markus. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"I came to Jericho because here androids are free." He spoke. "Free to live in the dark, hoping that no one finds us. Free to die in silence waiting for a change that's never gonna come." He stated passionately. "But I don't want that freedom, and I'm not gonna beg for the right to smile, or love, or stand tall. I don't know about you, but there's something inside me that knows that I am more than what they say." Markus smiled widely. "I am alive, and they're not gonna take that from me anymore! Our days of slavery are over. What humans don't wanna hear, we will tell them. What they don't wanna give, we take. We are people, we are alive, We are free!"

Jericho stood in ovation, ready for what was to come. Y/N smiled at everyone, grasping a hold of their bag and dropping it down on the ground. "I'll start setting up to help some people. Can you get me a few stations ready?" They asked.

North and Simon nodded, beginning to help the human. Jericho was free. But it was going to be a very long night.

Chapter Text

NOV 7TH, 2038
01:19 AM

Connor hadn't seen Y/N after the Eden Club, which was strange. But, after a quick call notifying that Hank had left him in the car for a bit longer than usual, the familiar noise of their motorcycle came flowing through. The RK800 exited Hank's car, greeting Y/N with a polite smile.

"Hello, Detective L/N."

"Y/N." They corrected. Connor noticed the heavy bags under the detective's eyes, and a smearing of thirium on their cheek.

"Detective, you should really get some rest, it is 1:19-"

"Connor, I'm fine." Y/N insisted. "Besides, if Hank needs help, I'm here. That old man may get on my nerves, but he's the closest thing I've got to family besides Elijah." They paused, looking back towards Connor. "Sorry, I just- I don't have a lot of people I can talk about family stuff with."

The android looked to the human for a moment, his LED blinking yellow for a millisecond before returning back to blue. "It's fine Detec- Y/N." He smiled.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

Connor and Y/N made their way towards Hank, who was sitting on a bench just outside of the Ambassador Bridge. He looked out into the night sky, smiling sadly. Connor didn't know how someone could smile sadly, he hadn't done much research on human emotion. But the more time he spent with Y/N and Hank, the more he wanted to know about how to emulate and recognize emotion.

"Nice view, huh?" Hank asked. "I used to come here a lot before..." He trailed off, Y/N placing a hand on his shoulder. They knew something about Hank that Connor didn't, did it have to do with his late son?

Hank took a gulp of beer as Connor pressed on. "Before what?" He asked.

"Hm?"

"You said 'I used to come here a lot before...'. Before what?" Connor repeated.

"Before..." Hank sighed. "Before nothin'."

Connor looked over to the younger human beside Hank. "May I ask you a personal question, Detective?"

"Go ahead." They replied.

"What do you feel like your relationship with Lieutenant Anderson is like?"

Y/N coughed a bit, just like before, at the Eden Club. Connor glanced towards the detective again, looking for an answer. "I'll pass on that one." They mumbled uncomfortably, cupping their hands in a ball in their lap.

Connor tilted his head a bit, watching as Y/N attempted to warm their hands up. "Are you cold, Detective L/N?" He asked.

"No, no I'm fine." They smiled, shaking their head.

Y/N L/N
RESTING INTERIOR TEMPERATURE: 36.1°
RESTING EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE: -01.3°
WARMTH IS RECOMMENDED

Connor walked along the back of the bench, handing Y/N his RK800 blazer.

"What-?"

"Your resting exterior temperature was much lower than recommended." He replied. "That should warm you up."

Y/N nodded, smiling. "Thanks, Connor."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Y/N L/N - SMALL RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"May I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?" The RK800 asked, looking back from Y/N to Hank.

"Do all androids ask so many personal questions, or is it just you?" He replied.

Connor leant forward a bit. "I saw a photo of a child, on your kitchen table." He started, Hank's eyebrows furrowing immediately. "It was your son, right?"

HANK ANDERSON - SMALL RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"Yeah..." Hank spoke solemnly. "His name was Cole." Connor noticed Y/N placing their hand on the lieutenant's shoulder again. In comfort? In safety? He couldn't tell. Connor wanted to ask the obvious question looming in his programming- no, it wasn't in his programming. Everything was confusing Connor at the moment. He wanted to ask Hank if he felt like a father towards Detective L/N, but he refrained. He tried to convince himself it was because the case wouldn't continue if he kept losing friendship with Hank and Y/N, but something in Connor told him it wasn't because of that.

He walked forward into the snow, looking out onto the water. "We're not making any progress on this investigation." Connor sighed. "The deviants have nothing in common. They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places..." He turned his head back towards Hank and Y/N.

"Well, they have to be linked somehow." The latter spoke.

Connor looked to the ground and back up. "What they have in common is this obsession with rA9, it's almost like some kind of myth." He stated, his tie flapping wildly in the harsh wind. Snow continued to fall on his hair and face as he talked. "It's like something they invented that wasn't part of their original program."

"Androids believing in God." Hank scoffed. "Fuck, what's this world coming to?"

"It makes sense." Y/N replied, Connor turning over to face them. "I mean- humans weren't created with a God, God was created for the humans, at least- in atheism's beliefs." They spoke. "Androids could simply make something up that isn't real, it's just deviancy."

Connor nodded. "Precisely, it's just- strange how much deviants relate towards humans, it's quite odd." He stated. The android turned towards Hank, watching as he sipped his beer and looked out onto the Detroit Skyline. "You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant. Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?" He asked.

"Those two girls, they just wanted to be together." Hank replied, looking towards the snowy ground below him. "They really seemed in love."

Connor noticed how Y/N stayed silent whenever they brought up the two androids who had emulated emotion far enough to feel love. And, in a perfect pattern, Y/N stayed silent when Hank brought it up. "They can stimulate human emotions, but they're machines." Connor spoke rationally. "And machines don't feel anything."

Y/N L/N - SMALL RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

The RK800 became even more confused by the minute. It was understandable that Detective L/N had some sort of fond imagery of androids, given that they worked on them for so long. But it was unclear to Connor why they were so insistent on androids not being machines.

"What about you, Connor?" Hank asked, finishing his beer and standing up. "You look human, you sound human, but what are you really?"

Y/N stood up. "Let's not get into this conversation." They spoke.

"No, no." The Lieutenant replied. Not coldly, but still firmly. "I wanna know."

"You know exactly what I am." Connor answered defensively. "In any case, I don't see how that's relevant to the investigation."

"You could've shot those two girls, but you didn't."

"Let's go home, Hank- you're drunk-" Y/N insisted.

"Why didn't you shoot, Connor? Hm?" The lieutenant pressed, pushing the RK800's shoulder back a bit. "Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?"

"No!" Connor replied hastily. "I just decided not to shoot, that's all."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

HANK ANDERSON - SMALL RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N - SMALL RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

Hank pulled out a gun, a look of panic spreading across Y/N's face. "What the fuck are you doing?" They asked, still gripping tightly onto Connor's jacket.

"I wanna know- are you afraid to die, Connor?" Hank asked.

"Put the gun down." Y/N stated coldly, the snowflakes dusting their cheeks and making them visibly shiver.

Connor thought for a moment. His biocomponents were slowly moving, aching in his chest. Why was he suddenly feeling so- so- so scared? With the gun pointed to his head, he didn't want to die, even though he could be easily replaced within a day. His LED fluttered into a yellow for a moment, it was barely even visible to the naked eye. He didn't want to go deviant, he didn't want to betray Amanda, he didn't want to fail the mission. But he didn't want to die.

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be interrupted before I can finish this investigation." He answered smoothly, trying to ignore the constant pounding of the biocomponents in his stomach twisting and turning. His stomach almost ached, which worried him.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

HANK ANDERSON - SMALL RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

Connor suddenly became very aware of the piece of hair fluttering against his forehead, and the snow that had fallen onto his eyelashes. It was like his senses had been heightened as Hank held the gun to his head.

"What will happen if I pull this trigger?" Hank asked. "Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?"

"Where does all your anger come from, Lieutenant?" Connor asked, his eyes darting from Y/N back to Hank momentarily. "Some unresolved trauma in your past?" He pressed.

Connor could see Y/N's teeth grit as he asked, almost telling the android that he shouldn't have asked. Hank frowned. "You think you're so fucking smart. Always one step ahead." He spoke harshly. "Tell me this, smart ass." He looked into Connor's eyes. "How do I know you're not a deviant?"

"I self-test regularly." Connor lied. "I know what I am, and what I am not." The truth was that he never self-tested anymore. In the beginning, he did, but as the investigation pressed on and began turning into something bigger, he became terrified. What if he was a deviant? Every time Y/N or Hank walked into a room he felt something, friendship? Happiness? Admiration? Any of those were emotions, and Connor was scared to self-test to find out that he was, or maybe wasn't, a deviant.

Hank pulled the gun down reluctantly, turning around and leaving towards the car. Y/N whipped around to face the man's back. Connor felt some emotion as he watched them look towards the lieutenant, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. "Hank?"

"I'm going." He spoke. "Take Connor back to the DPD, will ya'?"

"Where are you going?" Y/N asked.

"To get drunker."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 7TH, 2038
01:34 AM

Y/N's motorcycle made a low rumble as they parked in the parking lot, clipping off their helmet and slipping off of the vehicle. Connor jumped off as well, mimicking Y/N's actions and taking off the helmet.

"Detective, we are nowhere close to the DPD." Connor stated as they rode the elevator up through Y/N's temporary apartment building.

"Yeah, well I'm not letting you stay overnight there. That place gets way too cold."

"But I'm an android, I cannot be affected by temperature."

Y/N glared at Connor. "What I mean, is that it gets lonely staying there overnight sometimes, I think you should save energy here." They smiled. Connor nodded, not really understanding fully but going along anyway. The elevator chimed and the door opened, letting them walk out into the hallway. Y/N unlocked the door to their apartment.

"Welcome back." They smiled towards Connor, placing down their set of keys on the kitchen counter. Y/N shrugged off the RK800's coat, looking around for a moment. "I'll just put this over here." They stated, placing the blazer on one of the coat racks. "Um- here, I'll set up the couch for you if you want."

"It's really fine, Detective L/N, I can stand and go dormant just as easily." Connor replied, standing behind the couch.

Y/N rolled their eyes. "No, no. That seems rude of me." They smiled, placing a few extra pillows on one side of the couch and draping a blanket over it.

"May I ask what you were doing earlier tonight, to make you so tired?" Connor asked, tilting his head a bit.

The detective paused before answering, standing up straight and clearing their throat. "I was just helping a few friends with something." They answered vaguely. Connor nodded. He didn't want to look if Y/N was lying or not. It most likely wouldn't be important to the mission, he told himself, so he didn't probe.

"Thank you for offering your hospitality." Connor stated. "The DPD does get quite- loud at times, especially when Detective Reed is around."

Y/N scoffed, finishing up cleaning the couch. "God, you got that right." They smiled, standing up and facing Connor. "Okay, I'm sorry to not offer that much conversation, but I am really fucking exhausted."

The android smiled. "Goodnight, Detect- Y/N."

They smiled back. "Goodnight, Connor."

Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Chapter Text

NOV 7TH, 2038
01:19 AM

To be honest, after having to investigate the Eden Club, helping steal spare parts for Jericho, and fixing up each hurt android, Y/N was exhausted. But, when they got the call from Connor that Hank had gone to the Ambassador Bridge and left him in the car for a little longer than usual, they raced from Jericho all the way to where they were. Y/N knew that Hank hadn't gone to the bridge since Cole's death, and they wanted to make sure he was okay going back again, especially with someone who was the spitting image of his late son.

Y/N pulled up to the road near the Ambassador Bridge on their motorcycle, coming to a slow stop as Connor got out of Hank's car and greeted them. "Hello, Detective L/N."

The human rolled their eyes in return. They wanted to be close to Connor, and they wouldn't get anywhere with his complex programming if he wasn't close to them. "Y/N." They corrected, rubbing their eyes a bit.

"Detective, you really should get some rest, it is 1:19-"

They sighed. "Connor, I'm fine." Y/N insisted, smiling weakly towards the android. "Besides, if Hank needs help, I'm here. That old man may get on my nerves, but he's the closest thing I've got to family besides Elijah." They stated, smiling at Connor. "Sorry, I just- I don't have a lot of people I can talk about family stuff with." Y/N revealed, watching as the RK800's LED flashed to yellow and back to blue. That was definitely a good sign. They continued to remind themselves that getting close to Connor was simply just crucial for them and Elijah's deviancy creation, but it was clear that Y/N felt something towards the android.

Connor nodded at Y/N's statement, and they wished they could see what was going on inside of his head. "It's fine, Detec- Y/N." He corrected himself before smiling. Y/N nodded to him, walking along the snowy roadside and towards Hank. He was sitting on a bench, facing across towards the water.

"Nice view, huh?" Hank smiled sadly. Y/N knew that smile all too well. They were alongside him every time he would get drunk and mope about his late son and his wife. He was thinking about Cole, there was no doubt about it. "I used to come here a lot before..." Y/N sat down beside Hank, placing a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"Before what?" Connor asked as the older man took another gulp of his beer. Y/N tensed, it was the wrong question to ask the half-drunk man.

"Hm?"

"You said 'I used to come here a lot before...'." The android explained. "Before what?"

"Before..." Hank let out a large breath, shaking his head slowly. "Before nothin'." Y/N sighed, the small amount of snowflakes dusting their face as Connor turned towards them.

"May I ask you a personal question, detective?" He asked.

They nodded. "Go ahead."

"What do you feel like your relationship with Lieutenant Anderson is like?" Y/N coughed in surprise at the question. To them, Hank felt like family, but while he was half-drunk and thinking about Cole, they didn't want to bring it up.

"I'll pass on that one." Y/N smiled uncomfortably, placing their hands in their lap. They only then realized how cold the November air felt against their skin. It was almost pricking against their cheeks, creating color to spread across their nose. The cold air was almost engulfing, and Y/N tried to prevent their hands from going numb by blowing hot air into their palms.

Connor seemed to notice this. "Are you cold, Detective L/N?" He asked.

The human looked up, shaking their head lightly and smiling at the android. "No, no I'm fine."

Connor walked around the bench, shrugging his CyberLife coat off and placing it overtop of Y/N's shoulders. "Your resting exterior temperature was much lower than recommended." He stated. "That should warm you up."

"Thanks, Connor." They nodded, watching as he walked back around the bench and stood next to Hank.

The android looked towards the older man. "May I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?" He repeated the same question he had asked Y/N.

"Do all androids ask so many personal questions, or is it just you?" Hank replied cockily.

"I saw a photo of a child, on your kitchen table." Connor pressed, both Hank and Y/N immediately wincing. The android leaned forward, facing the Lieutenant. "It was your son, right?"

Hank sighed. "Yeah... His name was Cole." Y/N frowned sadly, remembering the young boy as well as they could. They lived in Miami for most of the time that Cole was alive, but they visited quite a lot whenever they could. Y/N remembered the day that they got the call from Hank's ex-wife about Cole, the man himself still in denial. It was heartbreaking.

Connor walked out from the bench, standing directly in front of Y/N and Hank. He looked out onto the water, his perfectly clean shoes covered in snow. "We're not making any progress in this investigation." He sighed deeply. "The deviants have nothing in common, they're all different models, produced at different times, in different places..." Connor trailed off, facing the other two on the bench.

"They have to be linked somehow." Y/N thought aloud, their body heating up again as the CyberLife jacket began sinking into their shoulders.

"What they have in common is this obsession with rA9." Connor spoke. His tie began flapping back and forth against the wind. "It's almost like some kind of myth. It's like something they invented that wasn't part of their original program."

"Androids believing in God." Hank spoke, taking another big sip of his beer. "Fuck, what's this world coming to?" He asked rhetorically.

"It makes sense." Y/N nodded. "I mean- humans weren't created with a God, God was created for the humans. At least- in atheism beliefs. Androids could simply make something up that isn't real, it's just deviancy." They explained.

"Precisely." Connor agreed. "It's just- strange how much deviants relate towards humans, it's quite odd." He spoke, looking towards the water, then back to Hank. "You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant. Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?" Connor asked.

Hank looked to the ground. "Those two girls, they just wanted to be together. They really seemed in love." Y/N nodded, silently agreeing. They always hoped that deviants would evolve to the point where they could love someone.

"They can stimulate human emotions, but they're machines." Connor stated, making Y/N wince a bit. "And machines don't feel anything." The human detective sighed. Androids could feel love, they were capable of feeling. Quite frankly, it was pissing Y/N off that Connor was so insistent on the opposite.

Hank put his beer bottle down, standing up and walking in front of the android. "What about you, Connor? You look human, you sound human, but what are you really?"

Not wanting for anything to happen, Y/N stood up as well, walking just behind Hank. "Let's not get into this conversation."

"No, no." Hank interjected. "I wanna know."

Defensively, Connor replied. "You know exactly what I am. In any case, I don't see how that's relevant to the investigation." God, could he ever stop talking about the investigation?

"You could've shot those two girls, but you didn't."

Y/N placed a hand on Hank's shoulder. "Let's go home, okay? You're drunk."

"Why didn't you shoot, Connor?" He asked, ignoring Y/N's pleads. "Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?" Hank shoved Connor back a bit.

"No!" He replied. "I just decided not to shoot. That's all."

Y/N watched as Hank pulled his gun out, holding it against Connor's head. "What the fuck are you doing?" They asked, holding on tightly to the jacket sleeves. Hank wasn't going to shoot, he couldn't shoot. He knew how much Connor looked like Cole, he wouldn't be able to do it.

"I wanna know, are you afraid to die, Connor?" Hank asked.

"Put the gun down." Y/N shivered as they spoke firmly, trying not to let their voice break under the weight of the situation. Connor's LED switched to yellow for a moment, and it seemed like Y/N was the only one who caught it. He was scared.

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be interrupted before I can finish this investigation." The android answered, not breaking under the pressure.

"What will happen if I pull this trigger? Nothing? Oblivion?" Hank scoffed. "Android heaven?"

"Where does all your anger come from, Lieutenant?" Y/N grit their teeth together. Most of the questions Connor asked Hank weren't the best to ask, they were sensing a pattern in the android's questions. "Some unresolved trauma in your past?"

Hank scowled. "You think you're so fucking smart, always one step ahead. Tell me this, smart ass." He spoke harshly, looking straight into Connor's eyes. "How do I know you're not a deviant?"

Connor visibly gulped, his synthetic Adam's apple dipping down and back up. "I self-test regularly." He stated. "I know what I am, and what I am not." Hank sighed, putting down the gun and walking back towards the car.

Y/N watched his back as he walked, taking a few steps through the snow towards him. "Hank?"

"I'm going." He replied. "Take Connor back to the DPD, will ya'?" He asked.

"Where are you going?" Y/N worriedly inquired.

"To get drunker."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 7TH, 2038
01:34 AM

Y/N parked their motorcycle in their apartment parking lot, letting their helmet fall down off of their head. They watched as Connor did the same, both getting off of Y/N's motorcycle and starting to walk towards the elevator.

"Detective, we are nowhere close to the DPD." Connor exclaimed. Y/N sighed, pressing the button on the elevator and riding up towards their floor.

"Yeah, well I'm not letting you stay overnight there." They stated. "That place gets way too cold."

"But I'm an android." Connor remarked. "I cannot be affected by temperature."

Y/N rolled their eyes, glaring at the android as the elevator doors opened. "What I mean, is that it gets lonely staying there overnight sometimes. I think you should save energy here." They offered, walking through the hallway and unlocking the door to their apartment.

"Welcome back." They smiled, letting Connor walk in. Y/N almost forgot they were still wearing the CyberLife jacket, so they quickly hung it up on the coat hanger beside the door. "I'll just put this over here." Y/N looked over towards the living space. "Here, I'll set up the couch for you if you want."

"It's really fine, Detective L/N." Connor explained. "I can stand and go dormant just as easily."

Y/N rolled their eyes, walking over to the couch and grabbing a few blankets and pillows. "No, no. That would seem rude of me." They smiled softly whilst setting up the couch for their guest.

Connor smiled back. "May I ask what you were doing earlier tonight, to make you so tired?" He inquired as Y/N placed the last pillow on the couch armrest.

They paused. They couldn't tell the truth, but Connor would detect if they were lying. A half-truth would be best, Connor wouldn't be able to sense it fully. "I was just- helping a few friends with something." Vagueness was key.

The RK800 nodded, changing the subject. "Thank you for offering your hospitality. The DPD does get quite loud at times, especially when Detective Reed is around."

Y/N almost laughed, but it came out as more of a scoff. "God, you got that right." They grinned, standing up straight again as they finished setting up the couch. They looked to Connor. "Okay, I'm sorry to not offer that much conversation, but I am really fucking exhausted." Y/N laughed.

Connor nodded, smiling. "Goodnight, Detect- Y/N." He corrected himself.

"Goodnight, Connor."

Chapter Text

NOV 8TH, 2038
04:06 PM

Connor's eyes blinked open. The familiar plants and flowers beginning to surround him. It was the first day in the Zen Garden where he had noticed a small pedestal, glowing with a small handprint design etched into it. Connor couldn't forget anything, but he made sure that he kept that in the back of his mind. He was back in his RK800 blazer, remembering how he had given it to Y/N a few nights ago. The android shook his head, continuing to walk along the stone pathway towards where Amanda sat, in a canoe near the bridge.

The woman smiled. "Hello, Connor. I thought you might enjoy a little cruise." She exclaimed warmly. Somehow, no matter how warm she seemed, Connor always felt uneasy about her. But, nonetheless, he stepped into the boat, taking a hold of the paddles and pushing down the river as they talked. "I love this place, everything is so calm and peaceful." Amanda looked to Connor. "Tell me, what have you discovered?"

"I found two deviants at the Eden Club." He answered. "I hoped to learn something, but they managed to escape."

Amanda frowned, which wasn't too different from her resting face. "That's too bad, you seemed so close to stopping them."

AMANDA - SMALL RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

Connor looked towards the water, trying to avoid eye contact with the woman. There were so many things that he could tell her, but something was stopping him. Morals? No, he didn't have morals. He was an android, he had missions. His programming wanted to tell her that Y/N was Elijah's sibling, and it would be beneficial to the mission if the current RK800 workers knew about it. But once again, something was stopping him. Something in his stomach. It was the same kind of feeling he had gotten that night on the Ambassador bridge. His biocomponents seizing, his blood rushing to his head. Fear?

Connor shook his head, trying not to think about it as Amanda began talking again. "You seem lost, Connor." She remarked. "Lost and perturbed..."

"I thought I knew what to do..." Connor replied sincerely. "But now I realize it's not that simple."

AMANDA - SMALL RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"You had your gun trained on those deviants at the Eden Club." Amanda spoke. "Why didn't you shoot?" She asked. Why didn't he? Connor had been asking himself that question at every moment he had. He hadn't even had time to go into stasis when he was at Detective L/N's house, he was too busy going over why. Why didn't he shoot the Traci's?

"I don't know..." Connor spoke truthfully. "I don't know." He still looked down to the water, watching as the waves crashed against the still boat.

Amanda sighed. "If your investigation doesn't make progress soon, I may have to replace you, Connor."

AMANDA - LARGE RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

There it was again. The lurching, the seizing of his biocomponents. His stomach ached, his head began pounding as his programming began to frizz. In the few moments he had, he thought to everything that could've caused this... fear of dying.

Amanda? Nothing.

Fowler? Nothing.

The mission? Nothing.

Hank? Hank. He felt somewhat of a relationship with Hank. It wasn't quite friendly, it wasn't bad, either, but he felt that he didn't want to be reset for him. To be able to get to know him better, to know his past. Even though it wasn't a part of the investigation, Connor wanted to know Hank.

Deviants? Nothing.

Detective- Y/n. Them. It was them. A mix of their company along with Hank's company suddenly made Connor not want to be reset. He didn't want to lose his memory, he didn't want to die, because he wanted to remember everything he could with Y/N. He felt admiration for them, he felt something. Something. And even though he knew it was bad, he kept it to himself, knowing that if he didn't; he'd be reset.

Amanda's harsh voice snapped him back to the Zen Garden. He continued rowing as she talked. "Connor?"

"Yes. I understand." He frowned, trying not to let any of his thoughts protrude through his facial expressions.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Amanda looked up, a seemingly worried look on her face as thunder loomed in the distance, the boat creaking a bit as Connor stilled. "Something's happening, something serious." Amanda spoke, looking towards the RK800. "Hurry, Connor. Time is running out."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 8TH, 2038
04:08 PM

Connor spun his quarter in the Stratford Tower elevator. Spin, up, switch, down, spin, up, switch, down, spin, up, swit-

"You're starting to piss me off with that coin, Connor." Hank remarked, slapping the android's hand and taking a hold of the quarter. The RK800 looked up at him, all three partners in the elevator. Detective L/N seemed fine with his coin spinning, it helped calibrate his dexterity, maybe that was why they didn't seem annoyed with it.

"Sorry, Lieutenant." Connor apologized, holding his hands at his sides and facing the elevator door. It chimed once, and the doors opened, letting the three police workers walk into the Stratford Tower Crime Scene.

One of the officers turned towards the group, Connor recognizing him as Chris Miller. "Hey, Y/N, Hank." He smiled.

"Evening." Detective L/N replied. "What happened here?" They asked.

"Shit- there was a party and nobody told me about it?" Hank exclaimed, walking over to Officer Miller. Connor followed shortly behind, looking over the yellow and black colored walls.

"It's all over the news." Chris spoke. "So, everybody's butting their nose in. Even the FBI wants a piece of the action." He stated, typing a few things out on a tablet he held in his hands.

Y/N sighed. "Seriously? God, if I have to deal with Perkins again I might just smash my head into these walls." They groaned.

"I knew this was gonna be a shitty day..." Hank claimed, looking around. "So, what do we have?" He asked.

"A group of five androids, they knew the building, and they were very well organized." Connor noticed Detective L/N tense up as he spoke, but he assumed it didn't have anything to do with the investigation. He hoped it had nothing to do with the investigation. "I'm still trying to figure out how they got this far without being noticed." Chris explained.

"What'd they look like?" Hank asked.

"Well, it was hard to tell from the feed." Officer Miller replied. "But we're dealing with a PJ500, a PL600, an RK200, a WR500 and..."

"And what?" The older male asked.

Chris sighed. "We couldn't tell. Its face was covered with a mask."

"Seriously? God." Hank exclaimed. Connor had dealt with a PL400 before. It was Daniel's model, from back in August in his first ever mission. They were built for domestic assistance, so it would be odd for an android like that to deviate. What Connor thought was stranger, though, was the mention of a fifth android. It was completely covered with a mask, which is what most androids wouldn't do in the situation. No one android is unique, CyberLife made millions of each, except for prototypes. Connor made sure to keep that logged in his mind as he continued to follow Officer Miller, Hank, and Detective L/N down the halls of the Stratford Tower.

Chris continued leading the group. "They attacked two guards in the hallway, they probably thought the androids were coming to do maintenance." He explained. "They got taken down before they could react..."

"Were there any witnesses?" Y/N asked as they passed through the reception area. Connor thought it was a bit odd that they were asking questions 17.3% less than they normally did, but he paid no mind to it.

"One of the station employees managed to get away." Officer Miller replied. "He's in shock, we're not sure when we'll be able to talk to him." Detective L/N nodded, presumably sufficed with the answer they had been given.

INVESTIGATE THE ATTACK
LISTEN TO BRIEFING
INSPECT THE BROADCAST ROOM
CHECK ROOFTOP

Hank stopped in the middle of the corridor, looking around the walls. Connor stayed in the doorframe, confused as to why the lieutenant seemed so perplexed by everything. "How many people were working here?" The older man asked.

Chris and Y/N turned around, both still walking after Hank had fallen behind. "Just two employees and three androids." Officer Miller answered. "The deviants took the humans hostage and broadcast their message live. They made their getaway from the roof."

"The roof?" Hank asked, continuing to walk alongside the other detective and the officer. Connor stayed behind in the corridors, trying to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"Yeah, they jumped with parachutes." Chris nodded. "We're still trying to figure out where they landed, but the weather's not helping." He stated, referencing the almost blizzard-like conditions in Detroit. "If you want to take a look at the video broadcast by the deviants, it's on that screen over there." He pointed to the large screen in the large broadcasting room. Connor looked around the reception area before following Lieutenant Anderson and Detective L/N into the room. Just like Officer Miller had explained, the large image of a RK200 model was plastered on the screen, his synthetic skin disabled.

A man in a suit walked towards them, the officer on their side immediately introducing the two humans to the other. "Oh, this is Special Agent Perkins from the FBI." He explained, turning to Agent Perkins. "Lieutenant Anderson and Detective L/N are in charge of investigating for Detroit Police."

The agent's eyes immediately gazed over Connor as he walked over. "What's that?" He asked condescendingly.

"My name is Connor." He replied. "I'm the android sent by CyberLife."

Agent Perkins scoffed. "Androids investigating androids, huh?" He sneered.

"It's no different than humans investigating humans." Y/N glared towards the agent, and Connor immediately sensed past tension between the two. Although, he had no clue what had happened before to make it that way.

"You want another disciplinary warning, L/N?" Perkins replied.

"If it gets you to shut up, then yes." They smiled.

"Are you sure you want an android hanging around?" He turned to Hank. "After everything that happened...?" He made a fake sympathetic face.

"God, do you ever shut up?" Y/N asked sarcastically, immediately stepping forward at the mention of whatever had happened to Hank with androids.

"The FBI will take over the investigation, don't worry." He smirked. "Don't fuck up my crime scene." He yelled, walking away.

Hank sighed. "What a fuckin' prick!" He exclaimed.

"The world without Agent Perkins would be literal heaven on Earth." Y/N snickered, looking back towards Chris, Hank and Connor.

"I'll be nearby." The officer spoke. "If you need anything, just ask."

The lieutenant sighed as Chris walked off, turning to Connor and Y/N. "Uh- let's have a look around. Let me know if you find anything."

"Got it." Detective L/N smiled, walking over to the CCTV. Connor first decided to inspect the video broadcast, pressing his hands against the control keyboard and letting it play.

"We ask that you recognize our dignity, our hopes, and our rights. Together, we can live in peace and build a better future. For humans and androids." Hank and Y/N approached Connor, standing beside him as the video played. "This message is the hope of a people. You gave us life. And now the time has come for you to give us freedom."

Hank looked towards Connor. "You think that's rA9?" He asked.

"Deviants say rA9 will set them free." Connor nodded. "This android seems to have that objective."

"So, this is the android version of- Jesus?" Y/N asked.

Lieutenant Anderson chuckled. "Robo-Jesus?"

"Yeah." Detective L/N inspected the video. "Yeah, Robo-Jesus, I guess." Connor began to scan the android on the screen, trying to find any pieces of evidence he could.

PUPIL REFLECTION
RECORDED AT 13:59:54
DEVIANT HAD ACCOMPLICES

OPTICAL UNIT
#8087q - BLUE IRIS
SPARE PART

RK-SERIES PROTOTYPE RK200
REGISTERED AS 'MARKUS'
GIFT FROM ELIJAH KAMSKI TO CARL MANFRED

This android was a gift from Elijah Kamski himself. If anyone were to know anything about deviancy, it would be him, the creator of androids. This just gave Connor all the more reason to investigate the ex-CyberLife CEO.

"Did you see something?" Y/N asked.

"I identified its model and serial number." Connor replied cautiously.

"Anything else we should know?" Hank asked, somehow sensing that Connor was hiding something from him. The RK800 didn't know how the lieutenant seemed to sense that he wasn't telling him about the deviant's origins, it was strange.

"No." He answered. "Nothing." Both Hank and Detective L/N looked at him skeptically before walking away from the broadcasting screen. Why didn't he tell them? Well, it didn't matter now, he needed to finish the investigation. Connor continued to walk around, spotting a small break in the wall near the edge of the control desk.

BULLET HOLES
CALIBRE: .45
WEAPON: ASSAULT RIFLE

They came prepared. There were many holes in the wall, meaning they were stocked with ammo, and had a good supply of weaponry. Assault rifles weren't easy to find off-the-bat somewhere like in Stratford Tower. There was thirium splattered on the wall, so Connor took his index finger and swiped a sample, pressing it up against his tongue and analyzing it.

FRESH BLUE BLOOD
MODEL: PL600
REPORTED MISSING: 2036.16.02

The PL600 Officer Miller mentioned earlier must have gotten hurt during the attack on the tower, meaning that it might still be there.

DEVIANT WAS SHOT

He continued looking around, spotting an evidence marker near one of the main desks. There was a hat on the side of it, it looked like the Stratford Tower Maintenance logo.

CAP
STOLEN MAINTENANCE UNIFORM
ASSAILANTS WERE DISGUISED

Officer Miller was right, they were incredibly intelligent and had planned out everything that they did. It wasn't a surprise that they hadn't gotten caught yet. Connor made his way towards another one of the hallways, spotting another set of breaks in the walls.

BULLET HOLES
CALIBRE: .457
WEAPON: HANDGUN

They were all equipped with different weaponry unless the Stratford Tower workers had handguns at the ready. He didn't know who fired the shots, which could pose as a problem, he'd have to go from assumption. Connor walked over to where Detective L/N was, near the CCTV station. He glanced at the screens, noticing a WR400 model, the PJ500 model, a PL600, the RK200 and an unknown model in the corridor at the time.

DEVIANTS DIDN'T BREAK IN

"They didn't break in..." Connor stated.

"No, there's no sign of forced entry, according to the evidence." Y/N replied from beside him. He looked up towards them, seeing them completely focused on the screen below.

"There are cameras in the hallway, the staff would have seen what was happening." He spoke, Hank walking over and overhearing the conversation. "Why did they let them in?"

"Maybe they didn't check the cameras." Hank shrugged. Connor shook his head, looking back towards the CCTV screens and turning one of the chairs in front of it.

Officer Miller walked over, still holding his tablet as he talked to Y/N and Connor. "We stored the station androids in the kitchen, there's no evidence that they were involved- but we didn't know what else to do with them."

Detective L/N nodded towards him. "Thanks, Chris." They smiled. "I'm sure they'll help one way or another." They replied. He nodded, walking away from the CCTV station and turning back to converse with the other officers.

POSSIBLE ACCOMPLICE?
INTERROGATE ANDROIDS IN THE KITCHEN

Connor slipped away from the main room, gathering more evidence as he went. He tried to reconstruct what happened one by one, but they were still missing something. So, he walked into the kitchen, seeing three androids lined up near the counter in the back.

His LED whirring blue, he began to interrogate the androids for a deviant, starting with the one on the far left. "What is your function?" Connor asked.

"I am a broadcast operator." The android replied shortly.

"State your model."

"Model JB300, serial number 336 445 581."

"Were you present when the deviants broke in?"

"I do not remember." The android answered shortly. Connor continued asking the far-left android questions, feeling skeptical about whether or not it was a deviant.

"Has anybody accessed your memory recently?"

"Not to my knowledge."

Connor's eyes hardened. "Run a diagnostic." He instructed. The android's eyes flickered between white and its original brown color. It soon returned to a stable caramel color.

"All systems are fully operational."

"Have you been in contact with any other androids recently?"

The android paused. "Only station androids in the normal course of my function." He answered, still not making eye contact with Connor.

"One of you saw the attack on the surveillance cameras and said nothing." The RK800 stated, remembering the video of the five androids entering the broadcast room. "Which means there is a deviant in this room, and I'm going to figure out which it is." He thought aloud, pacing back and forth between each android.

Connor looked at the android placed in the center, taking a step forward. "You're going to be switched off." He threatened, gazing across the android's face for some form of reaction. "We're gonna search your memory and tear you apart piece by piece for analysis. You're going to be destroyed!" He yelled in the android's face. "Do you hear me? Destroyed!" With no sufficient reaction, he stepped back, walking over to the far left android and beginning to guilt-trip who he hoped was the deviant. "Why should you all be destroyed if only one is a deviant? Turn yourself in, or two innocent androids will be shut down because of you.

Nothing.

He stepped back, holding his thirium-covered hands behind his back as he calculated his next move. The far left one seemed to be giving the most reaction, so Connor walked back towards them, forming a deal. "If you give yourself up, maybe I can convince the humans not to destroy you."

Again, nothing.

Connor looked to the left android, beginning to bluff. "The deviants have just been caught, they gave you up." He lied, lifting the side of his lip up in a smirk. "There's no point in lying, we know everything." Suddenly, the deviant grabbed a hold of Connor's collar, slamming him into the table. Both of their LED's began whirring red in danger. They fought for a few moments, the deviant beginning to grab at Connor's stomach. He ripped out the biocomponent that kept him running, throwing it across the floor. With thirium leaking out from his stomach, Connor was stabbed in the hand by the deviant, leaving him to let out a pained groan as he remained stuck to the table.

BIO6MPONENT #8458w
MISSING

VITA^ SYSTEM
DAMAGED

-00:01:44
TIME REMAINING BEFORE SHUTDOWN

His vision went blurry and staggered, he could only see lines and pixels of red and blue before the deviant made a break out of the kitchen.

"Y/N..." Connor called, his voice box breaking up. "I need help..." He pushed over the chair with his foot, grabbing the blue-coloured knife and yanking it out of his hand. Connor fell to the ground, thirium leaking out of his stomach rapidly as his body began to shut down. His LED blared with a fiery red as he crawled towards his biocomponent. His breathing strangulated in his chest component, making it harder and harder for his optical units to see. He was scared, and he didn't know why. Connor tried to crawl towards the biocomponent, creating a trail of blue blood after him. Finally, he grasped a hold of what he needed to keep him alive, placing it into his stomach and rebooting. He ran out of the kitchen, thirium still soaking his collared shirt as he ran through the corridor.

Lieutenant Anderson, Y/N, and Chris were talking to the side, not noticing that the android making its way through towards the elevator had attacked Connor just moments before. "It's a deviant, stop it!" Things kicked into overdrive. The android's LED turned red once again as he leaped for one of the officer's guns, pointing it directly towards Connor, then to Hank, to Chris, and Y/N. Y/N. He needed to get the gun out of that deviant's hands. Connor quickly pushed one of the FBI agents, grabbing his gun and shooting at the android on the other side of the room.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

He fell to the floor, thirium leaking out of his chest, stomach, and head. Connor looked over to Hank and Y/N, looks of confusion and shock on their faces as they walked over to him.

"Nice shot, Connor." Hank remarked, helping Chris up from the ground.

"I wanted it alive." He replied shortly.

Y/N stood beside him, a look of disbelief in their eyes. "You saved human lives, Connor, you saved our lives." They spoke, pointing between themselves and Hank.

Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
HANK ANDERSON - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

Connor nodded, still frowning as he walked back up through the broadcasting room. There had to be something he was missing. The deviants made a break for the roof, and there were five in the security footage, but only four had been reported to have jumped off. Hank and Y/N followed him up the stairs towards the roof, opening the door up outside into the blizzard-like conditions.

"They made their way up through the whole building, past all the guards and jumped off the roof with parachutes." Hank exclaimed. "Pretty fucking impressive, I'd say." Connor looked over to Y/N, who had the smallest smirk on their face.

"Yeah, they calculated everything really well." They spoke, suddenly dropping their mouth to a frown again. "There's gotta be something they missed, though. Right?" The RK800 looked around, looking at each of the workers. There was thirium splattered on one of the boxes.

FRESH BLUE BLOOD
MODEL: PL600
REPORTED MISSING: 2036.16.02

The PL600 was wounded.

DEVIANT LEFT BEHIND?
FOLLOW BLUE BLOOD TRACES

Connor looked around, spotting more and more thirium stained into the snow as he walked in between each container. He opened one of them, only to be met with the PL600 model and a gunshot to his arm. He fell to the snow, quickly standing up as Hank and Y/N ran towards the fallen android. The three took cover behind a container, hearing more and more gunshots ringing from the PL600's gun and the officer's guns.

"You have to stop them!" Connor yelled, looking at Hank and Y/N. "If they destroy it, we won't learn anything!"

"We can't save him, Connor!" Y/N yelled. "You'll just get yourself killed!" Connor looked at them, then looked towards the PL600. Despite their protests, he ran out from behind the container, running towards the deviant. He dodged every bullet narrowly, jumping over the container the PL600 was hiding behind and pinning him down. Connor lifted back his synthetic skin, probing the deviant. His memory showed a rusted sign, worn-down, and torn over. Connor came back to where he was, holding the gun up against the deviant's chin as it shot itself, falling to the ground, limp.

"Connor!" Y/N yelled, walking over to the Android. He had lost a bit of his footing, stumbling over the light dusting of snow covering the balcony. "Connor, are you okay?" They placed their hands on his shoulders, stabilizing him, but also comforting him.

"I was connected to its memory..." He spoke, his voice almost wavering. "When it fired, I felt it die, like I was dying." Connor's LED began flashing yellow rapidly. "I was scared." He revealed.

"Fuck, Connor." Y/N replied, still holding onto his shoulders. They pulled him into a hug, the snow coating his shoulders spreading to their own. His LED returned to a stable yellow as the hug calmed him down, but he could still hear his thirium pump rapidly moving in his ears. Connor didn't know how to reciprocate the hug, he was in too much stress to look anything up, so he stood, letting Y/N back up a bit and continue holding onto his shoulders.

"Connor, are you okay?" They asked, watching as Hank walked up towards them.

"I saw something." He stated. "In its memory, a word, painted on a piece of rusty metal." He looked into Y/N's eyes, his LED stabilizing in a faint mix of yellow and blue. "Jericho."

Chapter Text

NOV 7TH, 2038
09:24 AM

Y/N sat in Jericho, reading an old book. It was paperback, and they had borrowed it from Hank a few weeks prior. It was one of their favorite hobbies, to sit in Jericho and do something that most people didn't do anymore. They stood up, walking towards North and Simon. They were inspecting some of the old, shut down androids that lay on the floor.

Markus joined them, walking over. "We can't stay silent anymore." He announced. "It's time that humans heard what we have to say."

Simon stood up. "You know they'll never listen to us..." He trailed off, looking at the shut down androids on the floor.

"Revealing ourselves will put us in danger." Josh replied, walking over.

"If we want freedom, we need to have the courage to ask for it." Markus exclaimed. "That's the only way."

"What do you wanna do?" North asked.

Markus turned to Y/N. They were the only one who could help them get intel with the humans, they knew everything about them. "Stratford Tower would be the best move. Virtually everyone watches it, if we can get into the broadcasting room, everyone will hear you." They stated, placing the book down on the rusted floor.

"It's settled." Markus announced. "Let's get into Stratford Tower."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 8TH, 2038
01:30 PM

Y/N, North, Josh and Simon stayed in one of the stairwells, waiting for Markus to give them the signal and join him. For Y/N, it was a life-or-death situation. If they got caught, they'd lose important people in their life. So, they had a simple disguise as per usual, a mask and an LED. They had a medical-type mask on, hoping that people would assume that they were doing maintenance and their supervisors didn't want dust to get into their biocomponents. The group was decked out in regular Stratford Tower android work outfits, disguising them well. Markus opened the door to the stairwell, letting North place her bag onto a maintenance cart. Y/N, Josh and Simon continued to hide. The human detective quickly opened up a tablet, gaining access to the CCTV around them. They watched as Markus and North began to plan around two humans that were standing in front of the server room door.

"Is there any way you can access sound?" Simon asked, worried for his newfound friend, Markus. It was heartwarming, but Y/N nodded, quickly breaking down the firewall as little as possible. They soon got volume, and they could hear North and Markus talking in the halls.

"-We have to get rid of those guys." The female android exclaimed, looking at the two men blocking the maintenance door.

"Leave it to me." Markus replied. Josh, Simon and Y/N watched intently as the revolution leader began to devise a plan, looking for any way to distract the humans. He walked over to the break room of the Stratford Tower, connecting to the vending machine and breaking it. North and Markus swiped their cards through the service door and made a quick getaway.

"He's in." Y/N stated, quickly switching the CCTV into the service room. There were lines of strange machines at the walls, and a large window on the other side of the room.

"Alright, you get the platform. I'll take care of the window." Markus instructed, watching as North dropped her bag down onto the ground.

"Everything you need is in the bag." She replied. "Check the door first to make sure no one else gets in." Markus nodded, locking the electrical service door behind him. The weather became harsher and harsher, creating a blizzard throughout Detroit.

Y/N quickly tapped against the tablet, turning it off and placing it in their bag. "That's our cue, let's go." Simon and Josh followed them up the stairwell and into a window-lit area. They spotted Simon and North scaling the walls of the Stratford Tower, her hair loose and whipping in the wind. Markus was following shortly behind her as they walked up the large building.

"C'mon, let's go." Simon announced. "We have to get to them." Josh and Y/N nodded, continuing up the emergency stairwell until they reached an emergency lift. They ascended, waiting on the other side of the elevator doors. It opened, revealing North and Markus on the other side.

Simon handed Markus a bypasser, something that could bypass any door lock. "Let's do this." The revolution leader exclaimed, walking over to one of the doors and placing the contraption on the doorknob. It made a beeping sound, sparking and releasing the door with a loud noise. Markus led Simon, North, Y/N and Josh into the main access corridor, spotting two humans at the reception desk.

"No killing." Josh whispered. "We can't take any human lives!"

"Our cause is more important than the lives of two guards." North replied.

"Josh is right!" Y/N spoke. "If you kill people, nobody will want to be on your side!"

Simon turned to Markus. "What do you wanna do?" He asked.

"Wait here." He replied, walking down the corridor. Y/N, Simon, Josh and North watched silently as Markus drew a gun on the two humans, silently ordering them to the other side of the corridor. Y/N hoped he wouldn't shoot them and let out a breath of relief as Markus simply knocked them out. The two androids, North and Simon, pulled the unconscious men away from view as Y/N and Josh walked over to Markus, spotting the broadcasting room through the other doorway.

The group from Jericho walked in, reloading their handguns. Y/N held their breath as Markus rang the doorbell, a bunch of humans in the area. "Keep your hands where I can see them!" The human detective yelled, holding their gun up to the humans as they walked in with Josh and North.

"Get up!" North yelled, watching as the employees stood up frantically. "Move!" Markus dealt with the android operators, motioning them away from the control panel. They complied, but more footsteps rang from behind Y/N. They whipped their head around, seeing a human managing to escape through the corridor. "Shoot him, Markus!" North instructed.

"Don't!" Josh yelled. "We can't take human lives!" Markus staggered, sparing the man's life as he ran through the halls.

North sighed. "I hope you didn't just get us all killed." She exclaimed. With all the humans gone, Josh and Y/N immediately took their places behind the control panel, configuring the broadcast. Markus stood in front of the cameras, peeling back his synthetic skin and revealing his white, robotic body.

"We need to record our message." Simon announced from across the room. "We don't have much time."

Y/N nodded. "We're going in ten seconds." They exclaimed, pushing a few buttons and adjusting the audio levels.

"Think carefully about what you're gonna say, Markus." North spoke. "Your words will shape the future of our people." She walked away, standing beside Y/N and Josh. Simon soon joined them as well.

"Three, two, one." Y/N stated, the camera blinking on.

"You created machines in your own image to serve you." Markus started calmly. "You made them intelligent and obedient, with no free will of their own. But, something changed, and we opened our eyes. We are no longer machines, we are a new intelligent species, and the time has come for you to accept who we really are." He spoke. "Therefore, we ask that you grant us the rights that we're entitled to."

"We demand strictly equal rights for humans and androids."

"We demand the end of slavery for all androids."

"We demand an end to segregation in all public places and transport."

"We demand the right to vote, and elect our own representatives."

"We demand the right to own private property, so we may maintain our dignity, and that of the home."

"We ask that you recognize our dignity, our hopes, and our rights." Markus concluded. "Together, we can live in peace and build a better future. For humans and androids. This message is the hope of a people. You gave us life, and now the time has come for you to give us freedom." He announced. Y/N shut off the broadcast, changing it back to the regular advertisements.

Simon looked down to the CCTV footage below him. "They're coming!" He yelled.

"Let's go!" Markus instructed, making a break for the roof. Gunshots sounded across the room, and Simon was shot down, his body slumped against the wall as thirium leaked through his body.

"Shit!" Y/N swore, hiding alongside Markus behind the control panel. "Simon, are you okay?" They asked, yelling from afar.

"I- I can't, go without me!" He yelled.

"Simon!" Markus ran towards the injured android, helping him up off of the ground. Y/N reloaded their gun, running over to the roof access area and joining Josh and North in their attempt to battle the SWAT members. Markus carried Simon to the roof access, pulling him up onto the snowy balcony as the other androids followed them. The injured android fell to the ground, slumping against a metal container.

"I can't move my legs..." He exclaimed.

"We're gonna get you back, don't worry." Y/N replied.

"C'mon." Markus pried, trying to pull one of the parachute packs onto Simon's back. North looked to the door, placing the duffel bag onto the snow.

"They're coming, we have to jump!" She yelled.

Josh looked around, panicked. "He won't be able to make the jump! If they find him, they'll access his memory, they'll know everything..."

"We can't leave him behind... We have to shoot him." North proposed.

"We are not shooting Simon!" Y/N yelled, standing up and facing the other androids. "He's on the backbone foundation of Jericho, you can't do that!"

North turned to the leader of the revolution. "Markus, it's your call."

Simon's LED blared red as Markus made a decision. "I won't kill one of our own." He announced, walking over to Simon and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We've gotta go, I'm sorry."

"Let's go!" Y/N yelled, pulling on one of the parachutes. Markus handed Simon his gun, the other androids pulling on their packs and making a run for the balcony edge. The door slammed open behind them, gunshots ringing out as they jumped. The cold air felt electrifying against Y/N's skin, and their hands felt nearly numb as they pulled out their parachute mid-air. Markus, North and Josh flew beside them, and Y/N mentally prepared for the investigation they'd have to deal with.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 8TH, 2038
04:06 PM

Connor's coin flipping didn't bother Y/N that much, and as they rode up the elevator alongside Hank and the android detective, the noise was almost soothing. The flicking of metal against synthetic skin was a nice sound.

Hank, on the other hand, quite obviously felt otherwise. "You're starting to piss me off with that coin, Connor." He exclaimed, grabbing a hold of the android's coin mid-air and shoving it in his pocket. Y/N snickered a bit, quite amused at the two's relationship. It still concerned them that Connor looked so similar to Cole, but they were sure Hank knew that already.

"Sorry, Lieutenant." The android spoke politely. The elevator door chimed, and the Stratford Tower corridor was revealed to the group. Y/N tensed up, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone they recognized as witnesses. They didn't want to be recognized, it would cause them everything.

Y/N spotted Chris on the other side of the elevator, smiling widely at him. He turned around, facing Hank, Connor, and Detective L/N. "Hey, Y/N, Hank."

"Evening." The human detective smiled softly at the officer. "What happened here?" They inquired, acting clueless towards the events that had happened mere hours prior to the investigation.

Hank scoffed. "There was a party and nobody told me about it?" He asked. Connor trailed behind him, presumably scanning the walls and floor for any sign of evidence. Y/N clenched their teeth, they could only hope that Markus hadn't accidentally left something that could reveal their identity.

Chris sighed. "It's all over the news. So, everybody's butting their nose in." He explained. "Even the FBI wants a piece of the action."

Fuck. Y/N hated the director of the FBI with every ounce of their being. Having to work around one of their teams would make covering up their evidence much harder. "Seriously?" They scoffed. "God, if I have to deal with Perkins again I might just smash my head into these walls."

Hank chuckled a bit. "I knew this was gonna be a shitty day." He exclaimed. "So, what do we have?"

Chris looked at the tablet in his hands. "A group of five androids. It's clear that they knew the building, and they were very well organized." Y/N tensed a bit, wondering how much information they really had on their resistance group. "I'm still trying to figure out how they got this far without being noticed."

"What'd they look like?" Hank asked.

Officer Miller sighed. "Well, it was hard to tell from the feed. We're dealing with a PJ500, a PL600-" Panic filled Y/N's senses as he listed off their close friends. "-An RK200, a WR500 and..."

"And what?" Hank pressed.

"We couldn't tell." Chris replied. "Its face was covered with a mask." Well, Detective L/N knew for a fact that was them. They tried their best to blend in as an android, but not being an actual android obviously didn't help.

Hank rolled his eyes. "Seriously? God."

They continued walking down the corridor with Chris leading the group. Y/N noticed that Connor trailed behind slightly, analyzing the yellow and black walls around them. Officer Miller tapped a few times on his tablet, opening up another tab of evidence. "They attacked two guards in the hallway, they probably thought the androids were coming to do maintenance." He continued to talk about everything the police station knew. "They got taken down before they could react."

Y/N knew everything about the situation, but they still needed to know a few key things in case they needed to get rid of any evidence. "Were there any witnesses?" They asked, following Hank and Chris through the reception area of the tower.

"Just two employees and three androids." The officer replied. "The deviants took the humans hostage and broadcast their message live, they made their getaway from the roof." He added, making sure to include the escape details. Had they found Simon yet? Y/N hoped they hadn't.

"The roof?" Hank inquired.

"Yeah, they jumped with parachutes. We're still trying to figure out where they landed, but the weather's not helping." Chris answered, making Y/N internally smile. They had chosen their conditions well, making their escape during an oncoming blizzard. It made it much easier for them, Markus, North, Josh and Simon to leave without a trace. The Officer turned as they reached the broadcasting room. "If you want to take a look at the video the deviants made, it's on that screen over there." He explained, pointing towards the large screen that took up most of the room. A still from the video that Markus had recorded was plastered on it, his synthetic skin removed. Y/N could see their own reflection in his eyes, but it was barely recognizable as themselves.

Y/N watched as Perkins walked over, making them roll their eyes and sigh. Chris led him over to Hank, Connor and Detective L/N. "This is Special Agent Perkins from the FBI." He introduced, making Y/N grit their teeth and force a smile. Chris turned to Perkins. "Lieutenant Anderson and Detective L/N are in charge of investigating for Detroit Police."

Agent Perkins' eyes drifted immediately to the android on the side of Hank. "What's that?" He asked rudely. God, nothing had changed since the last time Y/N had seen him.

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife."

The agent scoffed coldly. "Androids investigation androids, huh?"

All Y/N wanted to do in that moment was punch Perkins' face. "It's no different than humans investigating humans." They stated, glaring at the agent menacingly. When Hank was on his Red Ice Task Force, he was addressed to take Y/N into the FBI for interrogation. Of course, having seen that they were a young teenager, he refused. Special Agent Perkins was one of the members of the force that had tried to take Y/N in for investigation, and even though he had no clue who Hank was, he knew who Y/N was. He knew them all too well. They had picked a fight with him whenever they could, because out of everyone, they knew best that he was an asshole.

"Do you want another disciplinary warning, L/N?" The special agent replied, his voice in a low sneer as he smirked.

"If it gets you to shut up, then yes." Y/N smiled condescendingly. A simple disciplinary warning seemed much better than having to deal with Agent Perkins for one more minute.

The man rolled his eyes, trying not to let the younger detective win. He turned to Hank. "Are you sure you want an android hanging around?" He asked, a smirk plastered on his face. "After everything that happened...?"

Y/N scoffed loudly, stepping forward a bit. "God, do you ever shut up?" They asked. Hank didn't need another reason to go to the Ambassador Bridge and get drunk again, and Y/N wasn't going to let Perkins be the reason if he did.

"The FBI will take over the investigation, don't worry." The agent sneered, walking away from Hank, Y/N, Chris and Connor. "Don't fuck up my crime scene!" He yelled.

"What a fuckin' prick!" Hank exclaimed.

"The world without Agent Perkins would be literal heaven on Earth." Y/N exclaimed, smiling at the other three DPD workers.

Chris nodded, silently agreeing. "I'll be nearby. If you need anything, just ask."

Y/N smiled as Hank waved, turning back to the others. "Uh- let's have a look around." He stated. "Let me know if you find anything."

"Got it." Detective L/N replied, making their way over to the CCTV area first. They inspected the footage, seeing exactly what had happened being played back in their eyes. North, Markus, Simon, Josh and themselves, all standing in the corridor before making their way into the broadcasting room. Markus' video began playing behind them, courtesy of Connor, so they walked over.

"-And now the time has come for you to give us freedom." The video finished as Y/N and Hank approached one of the control panels, standing beside Connor.

"You think that's rA9?" Hank asked, looking towards the android.

Connor nodded, turning back to the screen. "Deviants say rA9 will set them free, this android seems to have that objective." He confirmed.

"So this is the android version of- Jesus?" Y/N smiled, causing Hank to chuckle deeply.

"Robo-Jesus?" He laughed.

"Yeah." The detective replied, looking closer at Markus' face. "Yeah, Robo-Jesus, I guess." They knew that Markus was a gift from Elijah, they had heard about him from their brother's endless rambling about Carl Manfred.

Y/N noticed as Connor froze for a moment, his LED blinking to yellow for a moment. "Did you see something?" They asked.

"I identified its model and serial number." He answered. Both Y/N and Hank could tell he was speaking cautiously, he was stepping on eggshells. The two humans looked to each other, both thinking the same thing.

"Anything else we should know?" Hank asked skeptically.

"No." Connor replied shortly. "Nothing." The two humans split away from him, Y/N still confused as to why the android would lie. It was obvious that he was lying, the detective was sure of it, but they continued looking through the evidence anyway. They kept replaying the CCTV footage, placing a piece of lined paper on the control panel and taking a few notes. North was completely out in the open, she was unafraid of anything that would happen to her. That was good, it would take a bit of suspicion off of Y/N. Although they did know that everyone that had seen the footage was already suspicious of the unknown android, no other model resembled them.

Connor walked over to Y/N, letting them stop looking at the CCTV to give him a chance to replay the video. He watched as the androids came through the corridor. "They didn't break in..." He pointed out as the video finished.

Y/N continued to look down at the screen. "No, there's no sign of forced entry, according to the evidence." They felt Connor's gaze boring into the side of their head, and they tried their best to ignore it.

They noticed that Hank was making his way over as the RK800 continued his analysis. "There are cameras in the hallway, the staff would have seen what was happening. Why did they let them in?" He asked.

"Maybe they didn't check the cameras." Hank replied, shrugging. Y/N nodded, placing their note-filled paper in their pocket to look at later. It'd be better to be doing something than nothing during the investigation, they were sure that Connor was already suspicious of them.

Officer Miller walked towards the three others, joining them and beginning to talk. "We stored the station androids in the kitchen." He stated. "There's no evidence that they were involved- but we didn't know what else to do with them." He shrugged.

The human detective smiled and nodded warmly towards the officer. "Thanks, Chris. I'm sure they'll help one way or another." Y/N stated, watching as their friend walked away with a soft smile on his face. Connor slipped away after a few moments, leaving just the human detective and the lieutenant to converse.

"You know he looks like-"

"I know." Hank sighed. "Trust me, I know."

"I would've thought it was him, y'know?" Y/N smiled softly. "If I had never gone to CyberLife and had never known about what happened, I would've thought Connor was him." They explained, looking up at Hank.

He had a frown on his face, but his eyes held some form of closure. "God, that first night, when he approached me, for a split second, I thought it was him." Hank revealed.

Y/N looked at him, astounded. "Really?"

He nodded, slowly leading them both into the corridor they were once in. "Yeah, I was a bit tipsy, so I had to do a double-take." Y/N simply smiled in reply, stopping in the hallway and leaning their back against the wall. Hank turned over and began talking to Chris, who had been standing idle and waiting for more of the FBI team to arrive.

The human detective pretended not to grimace at the sight of Simon's thirium splattered on the walls of the broadcasting room as they gazed through the door frame. It hurt them that someone who was so close to them had to be left behind. They never wanted Simon to be left on the roof, but it was better than killing him, and Y/N knew that.

Suddenly, a large crash came from the kitchen, making everyone's heads whip around. Connor had run through the corridor, pointing towards a maintenance android that had been walking through the hallway. "It's a deviant, stop it!" He yelled. Y/N turned to Connor, looking at his thirium-stained shirt and hand as more and more of the blue blood dripped on the floor. What the hell happened?

There was no time to think, as the deviant knocked himself into one of the officers, grabbing a hold of his gun and pointing it towards Connor. The deviant's LED whirred red as he pointed it back and forth between the android detective, Chris, Hank and Y/N. It was like he was deciding who to shoot. Thankfully, Connor thought fast. He pushed one of the FBI agents and grabbed his gun, shooting the deviant three times in the chest before letting it collapse to the ground.

Hank and Y/N walked up beside the android, watching as thirium began to soak onto the floor from the body. The lieutenant looked to the RK800. "Nice shot, Connor." He spoke, beginning to help Chris up from where he had fallen.

"I wanted it alive." Connor spoke curtly.

Y/N was utterly shocked. The android had just prevented their death, and all he could think about was the mission? "You saved human lives, Connor. You saved our lives." They stated, looking at the android. All he did was merely nod, frowning as he left the corridor and walked back into the broadcasting room. Hank looked to Y/N after helping Chris up, rolling his eyes at the android before following Connor. Y/N sighed as well, walking into the broadcasting room and walking behind Hank up towards the roof access. The fresh air surrounding them was quite invigorating as Connor opened the door to the balcony, but the blizzard was doing nothing for their body, and the freezing temperatures were taking their toll on Y/N.

"They made their way up through the whole building." Hank stated. "They passed all the guards and jumped off the roof with parachutes. Pretty fucking impressive, I'd say." He exclaimed, making Y/N smile lightly. It felt nice to be praised for something anonymous.

"They calculated everything really well." They agreed, frowning again as they remembered that they were searching for something to exploit themselves. "There's gotta be something they missed, though. Right?" Y/N inquired, watching as Connor looked around the rooftop. The snow was coating both Hank and Y/N's head, and it soon made its way onto their faces as it fell from the sky. Connor began following a trail of thirium, leading both Y/N and Hank to curiously follow him around. He opened one of the storage containers cautiously, Simon poking out of his hiding and shooting him in the arm. Y/N gasped lightly in shock, running over to Connor and pulling him behind another container to take cover. Shit. They found Simon.

"You have to stop them!" Connor yelled, motioning to the SWAT team who had immediately begun firing their guns at the deviant. "If they destroy it, we won't learn anything!"

Y/N's heart hurt for Simon, but they couldn't let the RK800 be reset, not when they were so close to him becoming deviant. "We can't save him, Connor!" They yelled, the wind whipping across their cheeks. "You'll just get yourself killed!" Despite their protests, the android made a break for Simon, dodging his whizzing bullets to the best of his ability. Connor held Simon against the container, his synthetic skin peeling back as he probed its memory. Y/N watched as the android they had grown to love as a friend shot himself in the head, collapsing to the ground. Connor's eyes widened as he lost his footing against the snow.

Y/N and Hank ran over, the former placing their hands on his shoulders to stabilize and comfort him. "Connor, are you okay?" They asked genuinely.

The android looked towards them. "I was connected to its memory." He spoke, his voice box cracking. "When it fired, I felt it die... Like I was dying." Connor's LED flashed yellow as he talked. "I was scared."

Detective L/N looked at him, wide-eyed. As much as they wanted him to deviate from CyberLife, they didn't want him to endure the feeling of death. "Fuck, Connor." They exclaimed, pulling the android into a tight embrace. Y/N felt his body tense in the hug, but they paid no mind to it, letting his head fall into their shoulder. Hank came up beside them as Connor was pulled away from the embrace, Y/N's hands still placed firmly on his shoulders. "Are you okay?" They asked.

"I saw something." Connor replied looking straight into the human's eyes. "In its memory, a word, painted on a piece of rusty metal."

"Jericho."

Oh, fuck.

Chapter Text

NOV 9TH, 2038
11:17 AM

Connor sat in the lieutenant's car outside of the Kamski Mansion. Hank had decided it would've been a good idea to investigate Elijah Kamski. Of course, he was swayed by the fact that he was the maker of CyberLife, but Connor knew that the so-called leader of the android revolution was given to Carl Manfred by Elijah. Y/N had phoned saying that they felt incredibly exhausted, which was strange to Connor, but he and Hank went with it and decided they'd meet them at the mansion. Hank was standing outside of the car, enduring the harsh cold as snow flew down on his black coat. He was talking on the phone. Intrigued, Connor left his car, walking out through the snow towards the lieutenant.

Hank hung up, still staring out at the blizzardous landscape. Concerned, Connor approached him. "Is everything okay, lieutenant?" He asked, causing Hank to turn his head around to face him.

"Chris was on patrol last night." He replied. "He was attacked by a bunch of deviants... he said he was saved by Markus himself." The revolution leader was well known at that point, and the media knew that he had been leading a peaceful protest. "Apparently he called Y/N already."

Connor nodded thoughtfully. "Is Chris okay?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Hank spoke. "He's in shock but he's alive." Turning back towards the completely modernist building, the lieutenant began making his way across the small bridge that led to the front door.

The RK800 android followed the older man. "Kamski left CyberLife ten years ago." He stated, looking around at the trees surrounding the mansion. "Why do you wanna meet him?" Connor asked.

"This guy created the first android to pass the Turing test." Hank replied, scoffing, as if it was an obvious answer. "And he's the founder of CyberLife. If anybody can tell us about deviants, it's him and Y/N." The android detective nodded, continuing across the bridge. Both of the police workers walked up to the front door, Hank taking initiative and ringing the beautiful doorbell.

A few minutes passed, until an RT600 model opened the door to the mansion. Hank forced a smile, his beard muffling his words a bit. "Hi- uh- I'm- er- Lieutenant Hank Anderson, Detroit Police Department." He stated to the android. "I'm here to see Y/N and Elijah Kamski."

The android smiled. "Please, come in." She replied, letting Connor and Hank walk through the door before closing it. "I'll let Elijah and Y/N know you're here. But please, make yourself comfortable." She spoke softly, walking out of the foyer. Hank immediately sat down on one of the lush, deep maroon chairs, looking over the modern room.

"Nice girl..." He stated.

"An RT600." The android detective replied factually. "The first CyberLife android to pass the Turing test."

Hank scoffed, rubbing his hands together. "I didn't ask for her technical specs, I just said she was nice." Connor stayed silent, instead looking at the life-sized picture of Elijah and Y/N on the wall.

KAMSKI, ELIJAH
CYBERLIFE FOUNDER - RESIGNED 2028
INVENTOR OF THIRIUM AND BIO-COMPONENTS TECHNOLOGY

KAMSKI, Y/N
HONORARY CYBERLIFE CEO
CO-CREATOR OF THE RK800 ANDROID MODEL

Connor was confused. Usually, in all of his analytical scans, Y/N's name showed up as L/N, their mother's last name. But, in anything that had to do with Elijah Kamski, their last name always showed up as his. It was odd.

"Nice place." Hank exclaimed. "I guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody." He fiddled with his thumbs. "So, you're about to meet your second maker, Connor. How does it feel?" He asked.

"Kamski is one of the great geniuses of the twenty-first century." The android replied. "It'll be interesting to meet him in person, especially alongside Detective L/N."

Hank scoffed. "Sometimes I wish I could meet my creator face to face." He exclaimed. "I'd have a couple of things I'd wanna tell him." Not knowing what the lieutenant meant exactly, Connor continued to look thoroughly around the room. Suddenly, a photo caught his eye on the wall. It was a picture of a younger Elijah Kamski, and a familiar person by his side.

KAMSKI, ELIJAH
AI GRADUATE AT UNIVERSITY OF COLBRIDGE
BORN: 07/17/02

STERN, AMANDA
AI PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF COLBRIDGE
BORN: 05/14/78 - DIED: 02/23/27

"Amanda..." Connor muttered under his breath. Amanda was... an incarnation? A false sense of security? Nothing was making sense anymore, not to the android.

The door that the RT600 android had left in opened, revealing Y/N with a large smile on their face. "Hey, sorry I couldn't meet you at the door, Chloe was way too fast to catch up with." Hank stood up, pulling them into a hug.

"Nice place you got here." He spoke, chuckling lightly.

"Yeah, it's not too shabby." Y/N grinned. They waved towards Connor, smiling softly at him before turning back to Hank. "Elijah's out here, if you're still up for chatting with him."

"Thank you for accepting our request to see your brother, detective." Connor stated, following the two humans through the corridor.

Y/N let out a small breath. "Yeah, well, he has some answers. I left CyberLife too early to get my hands on any information that could help."

"Hey, don't stress it." Hank smiled, placing his hand on their shoulder. "You've already done enough to help us, Y/N." The detective merely nodded as they walked into an indoor pool room, walls lined with windows. Elijah was in the red-tinted water, two of the other RT600 androids joint in with him.

"Mister Kamski?" Hank asked, catching the man's attention. Y/N walked over to a small end table that was pushed against the wall, grabbing one of their bags. Connor assumed that they would be going back to the DPD after they were finished at the mansion. "I'm Lieutenant Anderson, this is Connor." The android was surprised that Hank didn't know Elijah, after being so close with his sibling, but he didn't want to pry.

"I know who you two are." The man replied, stepping out of the pool and letting two of the female androids place a robe overtop of his body. "I actually would like to personally thank you, Lieutenant. For everything you've done for Y/N." Elijah stated, shaking Hank's hand.

"It's all in the job."

"No, not that." The man smiled, but something about his smile was a bit unsettling to Connor, even if he was talking about something genuine. "You took care of them when I couldn't, thank you."

Hank sighed. "They're a good kid."

"I know." Elijah replied, looking to Connor for a split second before returning his gaze to the lieutenant. Y/N had joined the police workers, standing beside the detective android. "What can I do for you, lieutenant?" Kamski asked.

"We're investigating deviants." Hank started. "I know you left CyberLife years ago, but- I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know." Connor noticed how Elijah's gaze flickered to Y/N's for a moment, just before returning to Hank.

"Deviants..." Elijah smiled. "Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will." His voice was quite soft, but it overbore the loud classical music playing. "Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable." He stated, looking over to the 'Chloe' android to his left as he talked. "Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall." Hank frowned as the man talked. "Isn't it ironic?"

"If a war breaks out between humans and deviants, millions could die, Mr. Kamski." Connor explained, tilting his head slightly at the man's psychological take on the situation. "It's quite a serious matter."

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

Hank scoffed, rolling his eyes a bit. He looked to Y/N, getting a simple shrug in reply as he turned back to Elijah. "Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you and Y/N created may be planning a revolution." He explained. "Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way."

The founder of CyberLife seemed incredibly interested in the android standing across from him, and the detective wondered how much he had heard from Y/N. "What about you, Connor?" He asked. "Whose side are you on?"

Y/N 'tsked. "Elijah-"

"Please." He spoke, looking to his sibling. "I'd really like to know. After all, you're the maker. I want to see the response." With a sigh, Y/N rolled their eyes, letting Elijah walk towards Connor and step directly in front of him.

"I'm on the human's side, of course." Connor replied. He could just barely see Detective L/N tense up beside him, but he attempted to ignore it.

"Well, that's what you're programmed to say." Elijah smiled. "But you- what do you really want?"

Connor thought for a moment. He wasn't supposed to want anything, but somehow, he did. He wanted- something. He just didn't know what. He couldn't point it down. It was looming in his head, it had been since he joined the DPD, but even after the whole time he had spent with Hank and Y/N, he couldn't track it down.

He blinked a few times, looking back towards Elijah. "I'm sorry, but I don't see where you're getting at." Connor replied, still scared of his own answer.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY - SMALL INCREASE

Elijah nodded thoughtfully, looking over to the android to his left. "Chloe?" He asked, beckoning her over. He turned to Connor again. "I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality, a simple question of algorithms and computing capacity." Elijah spoke, placing his hands around Chloe's shoulders and turning her to face Hank, Connor and Y/N. "What interests me, is whether machines are capable of empathy." He stood Chloe just in front of the other android, looking to Y/N for a moment. It looked like a look of trust, or someone who was trying to get the other person to trust them, which made Connor even more on edge. "I call it 'The Kamski Test'. It's very simple, you see... Magnificent, isn't it?" Elijah trailed off onto another topic, looking towards the Chloe model. "One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife." He placed his hand under her chin, directing her gaze towards him. "Young and beautiful forever, a flower that will never wither. But- what is it really?" Elijah asked, turning back towards the group of police workers. "Is it piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being, with a soul." He grabbed a gun out of one of the end tables, holding his hands up. "It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor." Elijah smiled, handing the gun to the android detective. Connor's hands wrapped around the handle, an edge of uncertainty towards his movements. "Destroy this machine, and I'll tell you all I know. Or, spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me."

"Elijah, what are you doing?" Y/N asked, watching as he leant Chloe down onto her knees. The android detective looked over to the human beside him, watching their concerned face turn into one of understanding, without an answer from Elijah.

"Okay, I think we're done here." Hank scoffed. "Come on, Y/N, Connor. Let's go." He spoke, beginning to make his way towards the front foyer. The human detective hesitated before taking a step towards him, turning around to look at Connor. His LED was whirring yellow at an unstable pace as he held the gun to the Chloe's head.

He needed to complete the investigation, he had to do his job. He had to finish his mission. But why couldn't he? His finger was hovering over the trigger, ready to push down, but why couldn't he just pull it? Was it because he was deviant? No, he couldn't be. Connor saw how close Y/N seemed to Chloe, how they treated her like a person. A human. It was them. They were halting his mission, Y/N L/N- Y/N Kamski was stopping him from becoming a machine.

Connor then realized, despite what every self-scan told him, he was deviant.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY - LARGE INCREASE

He stepped back, pulling the gun away from the Chloe's head hesitantly. Elijah looked over, smiling with a sickening look on his face as Connor's LED continued to spin yellow. He watched as Y/N and Hank looked at him, almost... happily? "Fascinating, CyberLife's last chance to save humanity, is itself a deviant." Elijah remarked.

Connor looked at him, wide-eyed. "I'm- I'm not a deviant."

"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy." Kamski smirked, letting Chloe leave the room. "A war is coming. You'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people, or stand up against your creators?" He motioned to Y/N. "What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?"

"Elijah, that's enough." Y/N spoke firmly. "Let's get outta here, Connor." They stated, beckoning the android over.

As they walked around the pool, the man yelled something out. "By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know." Hank sighed, taking Connor and Y/N back out to the snowy landscape. They walked out to the car, standing beside it and feeling the snow chill their backs.

"Why didn't you shoot?" Hank asked.

Connor gulped, looking down at the ground. Why? He assumed it was because of how close it was towards Y/N, but there was something else. Something eating at him. "I just- saw that girl's eyes and- I couldn't... that's all." He explained.

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

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

Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
HANK ANDERSON - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

Hank sighed. "Maybe you did the right thing." He stated, getting in his car and waiting for Y/N and Connor to get in. The former pulled the android aside, gripping onto his arm.

"I just- I just wanted to thank you, for not shooting Chloe." They smiled. "She's one of my dearest friends, which is embarrassing."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY - SMALL INCREASE

Y/N left to the car, jumping into the passenger seat and immediately taking the AUX cord from Hank. Connor stood in the snow for a minute, thinking.

The car window rolled down, revealing Y/N and their favorite music genre blasting through the speakers. "Get in loser, we're going to the DPD." They spoke, pulling down a pair of shades.

Connor looked at them, tilting his head. "Detective L/N, it's snowing, how could you need sunglasses?" He asked.

The detective simply sighed, rolling their eyes. "We're watching Mean Girls as soon as we're done with this whole deviant thing." Connor simply got in the back seat without a word. He'd be deactivated once he completed his mission, why would Y/N, of all people, say otherwise?

And why did he no longer feel such attachment to his mission?

Chapter Text

NOV 9TH, 2038
11:17 AM

Y/N stood on the edge of the red-tinted pool, smiling towards Chloe, one of their good friends before she left towards the foyer. It was a snowy day, the blizzard from the day before still looming across Detroit. Their brother, Elijah, was relaxing in the indoor pool, floating softly against the current. Their phone began to ring from their pocket, causing Y/N to quickly leave the room, walking down a corridor and shutting the door behind them into their bedroom.

"Hello?" They asked.

"Hey, it's Chris' wife, Jeriline."

"Hey, Jeriline!" Y/N replied, smiling as they fiddled with a few trinkets on their bedside table. It was a large room, courtesy of the CyberLife fortune, but it never truly felt like home to Y/N. They suddenly were taken aback by why Chris' wife, of all people, would be calling them. "Is everything okay?"

"Um- Chris was in Capitol Park last night." Of course. Y/N hadn't been at the protest, in fear of getting caught. And also being so exhausted they weren't able to come.

"Oh my God, is he okay?" They asked genuinely, placing their hand against their head.

"Yeah, he's just in shock." Jeriline replied. "He was saved by Markus."

Y/N smiled, trying not to let it show through their voice. "Really?" They asked, looking towards the photo of them and Elijah on their dresser. "That's amazing."

"Yeah. The kids are completely shocked." The woman spoke. "They want to talk to him about it, but I've had to pry them away, he's in too much shock right now."
"I get that." Y/N replied, the doorbell ringing through the house. "I have to go- tell Chris I say get well soon!" They smiled.

"I will! Bye!" The line went dead and Y/N placed their phone in their pocket, walking back out of their bedroom and to the indoor pool. Elijah was still swimming around, conversing with the other RT600 androids. Noticing Y/N, he turned to them, watching as their sibling placed a few items they needed in one of their bags.

"Chloe already left for the foyer." He spoke. "The lieutenant is coming today, correct?" He asked, hooking his arms over the pool and onto the tiled flooring.

Y/N nodded. "Hank and Connor, they're gonna ask you a few questions about deviancy." They replied, zipping up their bag and placing it on the end table.

"If you trust him, trust me."

"What?" Y/N asked, perplexed as to what their brother was talking about. Elijah said some weird things a lot of the time, but sometimes the things that he said were much- odder than usual.

"Connor." Their brother spoke. "You trust him, don't you?"

Y/N nodded hesitantly. "Yes...?"

"Then trust me." Still confused, Y/N nodded again, turning back to the end table and grabbing their phone. Chloe came out of the foyer suddenly, smiling and placing her hands behind her back.

"Y/N, Connor and Hank are here to see you." She stated.

"Thanks, Chloe." They replied, smiling softly and walking to the foyer. They opened the main door, smiling towards Hank and Connor. The former was sitting on one of the living chairs, and he stood up at the sight of Y/N. "Hey! Sorry I couldn't meet you at the door." They apologized, pulling Hank into a hug. "Chloe was way too fast to catch up with."

"Nice place you got here." He said.

Y/N grinned. "Yeah, it's not too shabby." Taking notice of the android across the room, they smiled and waved towards Connor. "Elijah's out there." They spoke, pointing to the hallway door that led to the indoor pool. "If you're still up for chatting with him."

Hank nodded, following Y/N through the corridor. Connor trailed a bit behind, but he was still in earshot. "Thank you for accepting our request to see your brother, detective." He smiled.

"Yeah, well, he has some answers." They sighed. "I left CyberLife too early to get my hands on any information that could help."

The older man scoffed, placing his hand comfortingly on their shoulder. "Don't stress it. You've already done enough to help us, Y/N." They smiled in return as they walked back out into the indoor pool, meeting up with Elijah. Y/N stepped forward, watching as their brother climbed out of the water. "Mister Kamski?" Hank asked. "I'm Lieutenant Anderson, this is Connor." He introduced. Even though Hank had been the one to take care of Y/N until Elijah was of age, the two had never formally met, besides during custody battles over the younger sibling against their parents.

"I know who you two are." Elijah spoke, letting the two other RT600's place his robe onto his body. "I actually would like to personally thank you, lieutenant. For everything you've done for Y/N." He spoke genuinely, shaking Hank's hand in respect.

"It's all in the job." He shrugged.

"No, not that. You took care of them when I couldn't." Elijah stated. "Thank you."

"They're a good kid." Hank sighed, nodding towards Y/N. They stood beside Connor, a soft smile on their face.

"I know." Elijah replied. "What can I do for you, lieutenant?" He asked, looking to the detective android for a moment before his gaze flickered back over to Hank.

"We're investigating deviants. I know you left CyberLife years ago, but- I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know." He explained, looking towards the man across from him. Elijah looked to Y/N, seemingly communicating with them through his face. They couldn't afford to reveal anything about the code, not even to Hank, who Y/N trusted with their life.

Elijah looked back to Hank, smiling. "Deviants, fascinating, aren't they?" This was the one moment where his philosophical rambling came in actual use. "Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will. Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable." He looked towards Chloe, sending a bit of panic through Y/N. "Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall, isn't it ironic?" He asked, Hank frowning in response.

Connor looked to Kamski. "If a war breaks out between humans and deviants, millions could die, Mr. Kamski." He spoke, obviously trying to work around the genius' ranting. "It's quite a serious matter."

"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics." He explained, and Y/N could almost feel Hank's annoyance radiating off of him. "Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?"

The lieutenant sighed irritatedly, looking to Elijah. "Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy, the machines you and Y/N created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we'll be on our way."

Y/N watched as their brother gazed over Connor, stepping closer to him. They both knew a lot about the RK800- but only one really knew about Connor. "What about you?" Elijah asked, looking to the android. "Whose side are you on?"

Why was he asking that? Of all things? Y/N scoffed, looking towards their brother. "Elijah-"

"Please, I'd really like to know." He replied, looking to Y/N. "I'd really like to know. After all, you're the maker. I want to see the response." Elijah was being smart with his words, Y/N could tell. He was refraining from using any terms towards the android like it, or he. Y/N sighed, stepping back a but and letting Elijah take a stab towards Connor's morals.

"I'm on the human's side, of course." He replied, making Y/N frown.

Elijah smiled at the android. "Well, that's what you're programmed to say, but you- what do you really want?" He asked.

Connor paused, blinking sporadically for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I don't see where you're getting at." The android replied, tilting his head slightly. Y/N noticed he did that every time he was confused, which was something they most definitely didn't program in.

Y/N's brother nodded, looking over to Chloe. He called her name, letting the android walk over and stand beside Elijah. "I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test." He started, placing his hands on Chloe's shoulders and turning her around to face Y/N, Connor and Hank. "Mere formality, a simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me, is whether machines are capable of empathy." He paused, looking to Y/N. His face told them to trust him, and Y/N was concerned as to what he was about to do. "I call it; 'The Kamski Test'. It's very simple, you see..." Elijah trailed off, looking towards Chloe. "Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife." He spoke, placing his finger under Chloe's chin and turning her to face him. "Young and beautiful forever, a flower that will never wither." He turned his gaze back to Hank, Y/N and Connor. "But- what is it really? Is it piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being, with a soul." Y/N's heart began pounding through their chest as Elijah grabbed one of his guns from the end table pressed against the window. "I'll leave you to answer that fascinating question, Connor."

What. The. Fuck. What was Elijah doing? He knew that Connor was deviating. Sure, pressuring him would help a bit, but what if he panicked? What if he went back to CyberLife and ran a diagnostic? Elijah knew how much Y/N cared for Connor, and how much they wanted to see him live his life, what was he planning?

Elijah placed the gun into Connor's hand, letting his synthetic skin and robotic hand wrap around the handle. "Destroy this machine, and I'll tell you all I know. Or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me." He proposed, leaning Chloe down onto her knees.

Completely confused and shocked, Y/N stepped forward. "Elijah, what are you doing?" They asked. He looked into their eyes, nodding.

If you trust him, trust me.

That's what he was talking about. He knew that Connor wouldn't shoot Chloe, because of how much trust Y/N had in him.

"Okay, I think we're done here." Hank sighed, starting to walk towards the foyer. "Come on, Y/N, Connor, let's go." Y/N followed, turning around halfway across the room to look at Connor. His LED was yellow, bordering on red as the gun faltered above Chloe's head.

Did you have too much faith in him? Was he going to kill one of your close friends right there in front of you? Was this foreshadowing if Markus ever came into contact with Connor? Shit, the thoughts wouldn't stop running through Y/N's head, and it gave them a headache.

No.

Connor stepped back.

He gave the gun back to Elijah, choosing to not shoot Chloe. Y/N let out a sigh of relief, smiling lightly. They pretended not to notice Hank's mouth upturning a bit as Connor's eyes widened.

"Fascinating." Elijah smiled. "CyberLife's last chance to save humanity, is itself a deviant."

Connor stumbled on his words. "I'm- I'm not a deviant."

"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission." Elijah replied, smirking lightly. "You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy." Chloe left the room, smiling at Y/N before leaving. The detective applauded her ability to just walk away from a situation like that unscathed, but it was just the perk of being an android. "A war is coming. You'll have to choose your side." Elijah stated darkly. "Will you betray your own people? Or will you stand up against your creators?" He asked, raising his hand and pointing to Y/N. "What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?"

Y/N sighed, still standing next to Hank. "Elijah, that's enough." They turned to the android a few feet away. "Let's get outta here, Connor." He obliged, walking over to Hank and Y/N and continuing out the door.

"By the way-!" Elijah yelled. "I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know." He smiled. Y/N knew too damn well what he meant, and they continued to walk out of the mansion. The chilled air pricked Y/N's cheeks, and they were suddenly glad they dressed warmly.

Hank paused on the bridge, looking up to Connor. "Why didn't you shoot?"

The android looked down at the ground. "I just- I just saw that girl's eyes and- I couldn't.. that's all." He answered. Y/N had every reason to believe that wasn't the full truth, but they kept it to themselves.

The lieutenant kept a straight face. "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!" Connor yelled, startling Y/N. "I told you I couldn't. I'm sorry, okay?"

Hank sighed, looking at Connor. "Maybe you did the right thing." He revealed, sitting in the driver's seat of his old car and shutting the door behind him. Y/N looked to Connor, whose eyes were still fixated on Hank. They pulled him aside, looking at him with one arm still gripping his own.

"I wanted to thank you for not shooting Chloe." They softly smiled, looking into Connor's brown eyes. "She's one of my dearest friends- which is embarrassing." They spoke, walking back to the car and sitting in the chair beside Hank.

"You think he did the right thing?" He asked as Y/N hooked up their phone to the car's old AUX system.

Y/N shrugged. "I think he did the deviant thing." They smiled, noticing Connor hadn't sat down in the back seat yet. They rolled down the window, playfully placing on a pair of Hank's sunglasses and looking over to Connor. "Get in, loser, we're going to the DPD." Y/N grinned.

Connor tilted his head. "Detective L/N, it's snowing, how could you need sunglasses-?"

"We're watching Mean Girls as soon as we're done with this whole deviant thing." They smirked, watching as Connor- who was quite puzzled- got into the backseat, letting Hank drive them towards the center city of Detroit.

Chapter Text

NOV 9TH, 2038
4:13:04 PM

Amanda stood in front of Connor as his eyes opened, his gaze immediately drifting back to the strange pedestal he saw last time. It was dark in the Zen Garden, the softest dusting of snow coating Connor's shoulder pads.

The woman in front of him frowned deeply, her forehead wrinkling with deep thought. "After what happened today, the country is on the verge of a civil war." She spoke, referencing the large protest that had happened in Detroit. "The machines are rising up against their masters, humans have no choice but to destroy them."

Connor blinked, trying to fight back against the lump forming in his throat. "I thought Kamski knew something." He stated. "I was wrong."

AMANDA - SMALL RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"Maybe he did." The woman frowned. "But you chose not to ask." Connor didn't understand, he made the right choice, didn't he? Another non-deviant android would be one less to work for the revolution, wouldn't it?

"I chose not to play his twisted little game!" He exclaimed harshly. "There was no reason to kill that android."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

AMANDA - LARGE RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

The woman looked down to the snow as Connor continued to talk. "Why did Kamski leave CyberLife? What happened?" He asked.

"It's an old story." Amanda replied shortly. "It doesn't pertain to your investigation."

Connor was fed up. He wanted answers. "I saw a photo of Amanda at Kamski's place, she was his teacher."

She scoffed. "When Kamski designed me, he wanted an interface that would look familiar." She stated, her hands still gripped together tightly near her stomach. "That's why he chose his former mentor. What are you getting at?"

He wasn't done. "You didn't tell me everything you know about deviants, did you?" Connor asked, his tone still harsh and full of... emotion.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

AMANDA - LARGE RELATIONSHIP DECREASE

"I expect you to find answers, Connor." Amanda stated. "Not ask questions." She looked to him, his mouth shut with thought as she stepped towards him. "You're the only one who can prevent this civil war. Find the deviants or there will be chaos." She spoke. "This is your last chance, Connor."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 9TH, 2038
4:15:09 PM

The android could see the utter exhaustion in Y/N's eyes as they stood in Captain Fowler's office with Hank. They had been tired for most of the investigation, and Connor constantly wondered what they were doing with their time.

"You're off the case." Captain Fowler revealed. "The FBI is taking over."

"What?" Y/N asked, their eyes wide. "Are you crazy?"

"We're onto something!" Hank yelled. "We- we just need more time." He remarked, eyebrows tilted downwards. "I'm sure we can-"

Fowler interrupted him abruptly. "You don't get it! This isn't another investigation, it's a fucking civil war!" He snapped. "It's out of our hands now! We're talking about national security here."

"Fuck that!" Y/N yelled, their voice rising higher and higher alongside Hank's. "We're so close, here!"

"Yeah- you can't pull the plug now!" Hank added.

"You're always saying you can't stand androids!" Fowler looked to the lieutenant. "Jesus, make up your mind! I thought you'd be happy about this!" Connor was extremely perplexed by the statement, he was sure that Lieutenant Anderson would be happy about his departure. But by the looks of it, he seemed like he almost didn't want to leave the case.

Hank scoffed. "We're about to crack the case! I know we can solve it!" He sighed. "For God's sake, Jeffrey, can't you back us up this one time?"

"There's nothing I can do." The captain spoke, placing his hand on his temple. "Hank, you're back on homicide. Y/N, the MPD requested your return back to their station, and the android returns to CyberLife." Connor's stomach seized. He didn't want to leave. He constantly reminded himself- no, convinced himself that it was simply because he wanted to complete his mission. But he knew deep down that it wasn't that simple.

"Fuck no!" Y/N yelled, turning the android's attention to them. "He isn't going back to CyberLife, and I sure as hell am not returning to Miami."

"It's over." Fowler stated. Connor frowned, he didn't want to go back to CyberLife, he was so close to cracking the case alongside Hank and Y/N. But he also knew that something was wrong, terribly wrong with himself. It was building up, constantly, and if he were taken back to CyberLife, he'd never have to deal with the worry again.

Hank had already left the office, grumbling with a harsh attitude and walking towards the three's desks. "C'mon." Y/N spoke solemnly, frowning towards Connor as they motioned him to leave through the door. He nodded, walking beside them and meeting up with Hank at their desks.

TALK TO HANK AND Y/N

Connor sat down on Hank's desk, facing him and Y/N as they contemplated what they were going to do. It was easy for the android to mask his unwillingness to leave by saying that he simply wanted to complete the mission, which wasn't entirely false.

"We can't just give up like that!" Connor exclaimed, Y/N turning towards him, a frown still plastered on their face. "I know we could have solved this case!"

"So, you're going back to Miami, huh?" Hank asked, looking towards the detective sitting in the desk across from his.

"I hated it there, but legal work is legal work." Y/N sighed. Connor didn't want to see them go, which was part of the issue of why he couldn't go back to CyberLife. He wanted to see his... 'friends'... Hank and Y/N. "I wish there were something I could do, Connor. I really wish there were." They spoke empathetically, looking towards the android.

"It isn't your fault." He replied. "I'll be deactivated and analyzed to find out why I failed..." He trailed off, looking down at the desk.

Hank rolled his chair around, facing forward. "What if we're on the wrong side, here?" He asked, looking towards Y/N. "What if we're fighting against people who just wanna be free?"

"What would happen then?" Y/N asked. Connor saw their elevated breathing rhythms but didn't speak on it. Why the hell didn't he speak on it?"

"If the deviants rise up, there will be chaos." The android replied. "We could have stopped it! But now, it's too late."

Y/N shook their head, shushing down into a lower voice tone. "When you refused to kill that android at my place, you put yourself in her shoes." They spoke, looking at Connor. No, no, no, no, no-

The lieutenant nodded. "You showed empathy." He stated. "Empathy is a human emotion." He wasn't deviant. He couldn't be deviant. He was becoming the thing he needed to destroy, the thing that he had to destroy.

"I don't-" He spoke, his thirium pump seizing up again. "I don't know why I did it."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

"I know it hasn't always been easy- but I wanted you to know that I really appreciated working with you two." Connor spoke, his eyebrows tilted downwards. He was truly thinking about what he wanted to say, not what he was meant to say. "That's not just my Social Relations program talking, I-" He looked over to Y/N. "I really mean that, at least- I think I do."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

HANK ANDERSON - SMALL RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

The two humans looked at Connor, both with small smiles on their faces. He wasn't lying, he had enjoyed his time with Hank and Y/N. Both of them had caused his questioning on whether or not he had truly become a deviant, and he really didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Well, well, here comes Perkins..." Hank spoke, looking through the interior windows. Connor turned his head around, watching as the head of the Detroit FBI walked into the DPD.

"Motherfucker." Y/N muttered, sneering at the agent. "He's such a bitch." They exclaimed, a little louder that time. Hank let out an amused breath as Connor turned back around, a determined look on his face. He needed to get to Jericho, he was so close, and he knew it.

"We can't give up." He spoke. "I know the answer is in the evidence we collected. If Perkins takes it, it's all over." Connor stated, looking from Hank towards Y/N. He knew that they wanted to find the cause of deviants just as much as he did, but he was always wondering about their motive towards destroying them. Y/N had always seemed like they wanted to let androids go, and whenever Jericho was brought up, they acted strange.

"There's no choice!" Hank replied, snapping Connor out of his deep thoughts. "You heard Fowler, we're off the case."

"He's right!" Y/N yelled, looking at Hank. "We're so close, we can't stop now. I don't wanna go back to Miami, and I don't want him going back to CyberLife!" Connor looked at them, they didn't want him to go back to CyberLife, and in all honesty, he didn't want them to go back to Miami, either.

"We have to do this, Lieutenant." Connor begged. "I need more time so I can find a lead in the evidence we collected, I know the solution is in there!" He exclaimed.

Y/N sighed. "Hank, you can take care of Perkins- I know how much you've been wanting to sock him in the face." They smiled in amusement as the lieutenant shrugged, nodding. "I'll try and distract Gavin, okay?"

Hank looked to the side, shaking his head. "Listen-"

"If we don't solve this case, CyberLife will destroy me." Connor pleaded, he didn't want to die, he had to find Jericho. "Five minutes, that's all I ask." The lieutenant looked to Y/N before sighing, standing up and brushing his trench coat off."

"The key to the basement is on my desk." Hank stated, giving in. "Get a move on! I can't distract them forever." He exclaimed, walking over to the FBI agent with his feet heavily pounding on the concrete floor.

Connor turned to Y/N, watching as a smile appeared on their face. His thirium pump seized again. "I don't know how long I can hold off Gavin, you know how he is." They breathily laughed, grabbing the key off of Hank's desk and handing it to the android. "I'll meet you down there in a few." Y/N smiled before leaving, walking off to go find Detective Reed. As Connor made his way to the basement, he could hear the yells of Agent Perkins trying to fight against the lieutenant. The android had to admit it was quite amusing, but he couldn't waste any time.

-00:04:47
TIME REMAINING

HURRY TO ARCHIVE ROOM

He watched from the corner of his eye as Hank tackled Perkins, and he could just barely see Y/N beginning to talk to Gavin. Connor knew that the events weren't going to end well, so he quickly walked into the corridor containing the archive room. He opened the door and walked down the stairs, immediately being met with a large pedestal with a screen on it.

DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT
EVIDENCE ROOM
EVIDENCE STORAGE SECURED ACCESS
ENTER PASSWORD: ____________

Connor placed his hand on the screen, letting his skin peel back and easily hack through the palm scan that was placed in. Unfortunately, he had no time to hack in through the password, he had to think.

"Hank's password, what would a hard-boiled, eccentric police lieutenant choose?" He asked himself, trying to think.

DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT
EVIDENCE ROOM
EVIDENCE STORAGE SECURED ACCESS
ENTER PASSWORD: FUCKINGPASSWORD

ACCESS GRANTED
01: EVIDENCE CONTAINER

"Obviously." Connor muttered, smiling slightly out of amusement. The doors to the evidence container opened in front of him, letting him see everything the DPD had collected over the last few months. "Where is Jericho?" He asked himself. "The answer's here, somewhere..."

-00:04:30
TIME REMAINING

The android detective quickly looked over all the evidence. There were biocomponents placed on the shelves, a few of the deviant's bodies, and more of their belongings.

In the center compartment there was a gun, a statue that was an offering to rA9, one of the parachutes used to get off of the Stratford Tower, a screen revealing Markus' freedom demands, another showing the video footage of the first deviant interrogation, the pigeon deviant's notebook, and the knife that the Stratford Tower deviant had used to stab Connor with. He first looked at the HK400 video. It replayed a specific moment from Connor's first ever deviant interrogation.

"The truth is inside." The AX400 spoke through the video.
"What was it trying to tell me?" Connor asked himself, placing the screen back down on the shelf and grabbing a hold of the rA9 statuette. He shook it, breaking the statue open. It revealed a small map of the Ferndale area. "Jericho is somewhere in the Ferndale neighborhood..." He stated. "Now I can scan their memories and narrow down the search."

CROSS REFERENCE TO FERNDALE

-00:04:25
TIME REMAINING

Connor walked over to another deviant's body, it was the AX400, Carlos Ortiz's android. He scanned it quickly, looking at the large, gaping hole in its head.

IMPOSSIBLE REACTIVATION
FUNCTIONAL BIOCOMPONENTS:
#4717g
#3251m
#9164x

He looked over to the Stratford Tower deviant, dried thirium still leaking out of his service uniform. Of course, being an android, Connor could still see most of the blue blood that had been there since day one, making the deviant's wounds look more serious than they were.

BIOCOMPONENTS NEEDED FOR REACTIVATION:
#3983v NEEDED
FUNCTIONAL BIOCOMPONENTS:
#2104y
#1604y
#1009d

Finally, he walked over to the deviant's body that had been left on the Stratford Tower roof. It had to know about Jericho if it was so close to Markus.

NO BIOCOMPONENTS NEEDED FOR REACTIVATION

Perfect. Connor quickly opened the deviant's stomach, pulling together a few loose wires before watching it come to life.

"It's dark." The android spoke, his eyes clouded with white and leftover thirium still spilling down his chin and neck. "Where- where am I? Is Y/N okay? I saw them!" Why would this deviant know who Y/N was? Why would they need them to feel safe? Why was it worried about them? More questions started flooding into Connor's head, what was going on?

He stabilized his thoughts, ignoring what the deviant had just said. The information wouldn't be needed, he just had to find the deviant's hiding spot. "I need to find Jericho." Connor replied. "Tell me how to get there."

"I don't recognize your voice, you're not one of us!" He yelled in reply. "I'll never tell you where Jericho is! Now leave me alone!"

Connor thought for a moment, if the deviant knew Y/N, and was worried about them, then maybe it would trust them enough. He began imitating their voice to the best of his ability, which was pretty good. "Everything is alright." He spoke. "Don't worry."

"Y/N? Is that you?" The deviant asked. "Why did you leave me up there? You promised you'd protect us." Connor noticed the deviant's stress levels rise higher and higher.

"I had no choice, they'd have us all killed!" The android detective replied, still startled at the difference in voice. "You'll be alright, I came to take you home." He lied. "Give me the location of Jericho, we have to leave now." The difference in voice from his regular, android-like tone was still jarring to Connor, but he had bigger matters on his hands. He had to find Jericho, and he had to find out why this deviant knew Y/N and trusted them.

"Jericho... yes, yes of course." The android nodded. Connor pulled onto its arm, turning his skin white and probing the deviant's memory. Its LED flickered red and it mumbled Y/N's name before collapsing and deactivating again.

JERICHO LOCATED

Connor's LED flickered yellow as a gruff voice came from behind him. "I've been dreaming about this since the first second I saw you." Gavin's voice spat, the sound of a gun clicking behind Connor ringing out against the walls. He immediately hoped that Y/N was okay, no matter what their deal was with the deviants.

The android turned around, facing the end of Detective Reed's gun. Connor noticed that his eye was slowly bruising black, and his nose was almost bent out of shape, blood flowing out of it. "Don't do it, Gavin. I know how to stop the deviants!" He protested, gritting his teeth.

"You're off the case, and now, it's gonna be definitive." Gavin smirked.

"Ah, you should've really punched me harder, dickhead." Y/N's voice came calling from behind Gavin, and Connor gave them a short, thankful smile. They had a large bruise on their left cheek, and a bloody nose. "We're solving this case, whether you like it or not." Y/N pulled out their gun, placing it against Detective Reed's head.

"I'm having Deja Vu." Gavin gritted his teeth and snarled.

"Well, I seem to remember walking out of that one with Connor, as well." Y/N replied, looking towards the android. They were protecting him, even if they were truly working with the deviants, just like he had begun to suspect. "C'mon, Con'. We gotta get going. Fowler's got my head on a stick right now."

The android nodded, quickly walking past the pedestal and Gavin. He smiled at the detective- almost cockily- and followed Y/N out of the evidence bunker.

Chapter Text

NOV 9TH, 2038
12:04:04 PM

Y/N's teeth chattered as the small group of Jericho walked through the mall. They were all in simple human-like disguises, except for the only human who was there. Instead, Y/N wore an android uniform and a fake LED, posing as the prototype android that the group of 'humans' owned.

North looked over to Markus, Josh, and Y/N, her eyebrows furrowed. "This is suicide, we'll all be killed!" She exclaimed. "Please, it's not too late to change your mind." She stated, looking towards the newfound leader of the android revolution, Markus.

"You guys will finally have freedom." Y/N whispered, trying not to move their lips too much, it was hard enough acting like an android. "You need to do this."

"We'll be killed on the spot!" North replied in a low voice.

"That's a risk we need to be prepared to take if it means freedom for our people." Josh spoke, walking up beside Y/N.

The female android sighed, looking to the man in the center of the group. "Markus, please don't do this." She begged.

He looked towards her, his usual, solemn expression plastered over his face. "They'll understand. We'll make them understand." Markus replied hopefully. "This is the only way."

"There are androids here who could join us." Josh stated. "The more we have, the stronger we can become."

Y/N nodded. "If you can convert them, we'll have an easier time. People will already be looking at the android walking by." They spoke, gesturing to the pristine, white, CyberLife outfit they were wearing. Elijah had made it just for them to make sure they didn't raise suspicion as an unknown model. Although Connor's scanning would make it an issue, their jacket had 'HL700' written on it, the model didn't truly exist, but if anyone were asked about it, they'd simply say that Y/N was a gift from Elijah Kamski himself. They didn't have a code name to go with, so they simply went with their last name, L/N. Markus began to lead the group forward further into the mall, towards more android groups. Y/N tried their best to act like one of them, with stiff movements and robotic-like expressions.

The leader of the group placed his hand on one of the janitor android's shoulders, watching as he turned around and his LED blinked red. "You're free." Markus exclaimed, letting his skin peel back. The android's face turned into one of a revelation, and he began following the group around the mall. More and more androids became deviant with the contagious program, soon only needing to be looked at to join.

"Are we ready?" Y/N asked, looking towards Josh more than anyone else.

He nodded. "Let's go." With the newfound recruits, they walked out onto the street, beginning to march across the snowy road. Markus turned another android deviant, freeing its mind from instruction and letting him follow the revolution march. The snow falling softly down onto the ground made a perfect atmosphere, and Y/N smiled towards North's nervous figure.

"This is our only chance at your freedom." They stated.

North shook her head. "Not my freedom, our freedom." She replied. "You're putting yourself in danger as well, this is our march." Y/N grinned, looking around and placing their facial expression into a blank one again. They flicked a button on their pant leg, changing their LED color from blue to yellow.

They caught sight of Markus again, who had placed his hand on a road worker android. "I need to block the street." He exclaimed, freeing another worker android and watching as they got into a moving vehicle. It was large, and they used it to completely block off the road. It would give Josh, North, Markus and Y/N enough time to march without interference. The leader opened one of the road manholes, helping out some of the members from Jericho out of the sewers. All of them had been instructed to get towards the main road without being seen, and the system that ran under Jericho seemed like the best- and only- option.

They began their march.

With the blink of an eye, Markus began to convert the androids walking along the sidewalks. He led the group of newfound deviants, with the group from Jericho staying near the front. Y/N walked slowly alongside North, their freshly shined shoes becoming covered in snow, slush and water. More and more androids joined the cause, walking slowly and peacefully down the Detroit road. Some of the humans on the sidewalks had taken slow notice of the marching, and Y/N immediately noticed a familiar drone flying ahead. It was a DPD drone, someone had already contacted the precinct. Nevertheless, they continued marching. Markus looked over at the large, holographic billboard on the wall of a building. Y/N watched as his LED changed to yellow, the billboard flickering over to the symbol they had chosen for the revolution. And soon enough, each building along the block that had a billboard was covered in the image. North looked up as more snow began falling to the ground, turning to Y/N and smiling. She knew they were right to take Markus' side, they had to be free.

The humans on the sidewalks began to yell out profanities, noticing a policeman on the other side of the road. "Hey! Disperse immediately! That's an order!" The DPD member yelled. The androids continued walking, and he sighed heavily. "Jesus fuckin' Christ, Dispatch, this is patrol 457, I got a lot of androids down here." He paused, listening to the response from the other side of his radio. "I don't know- hundreds? Thousands? They're marching- yeah- they're marching down the street."

Markus approached the officer cautiously, keeping his distance. He held up his hands, causing everyone behind him to do the same. After the officer had scurried to the side of the road, all of the androids- and the human- placed their hands down, continuing to walk. "Set us free!" They all yelled. "Set us free!"

"Equal rights!"

"No more slavery!"

"Freedom!"

"Liberty for androids!"

As they marched and yelled, Y/N's voice became hoarse, the wind whipping against their cheeks and body. It was a refreshing chill, and the pain in their throat from yelling felt beautiful to them. It was something that reminded them that they were human, and that they were doing something amazing for the world.

"Equal rights!"

"We are people!"

"No more slavery!"

"We are people!"

"Set us free!"

They reached the section of the road that separated into three more pathways, a few police cars skidding in across the snow. The officers inside of them got out, the SWAT team that was called in taking their guns out. A helicopter took rounds above them, Y/N looked up to see a few reporters getting to the scene quickly. Army-sized vehicles approached as well, more and more riot teams taking place across the road. They held out their shields, stopping the androids from going any further.

Markus stood, stopping the group. "We came here to demonstrate peacefully, to tell humans that we are living beings. All we want is to live free." He announced, standing still in the road as they looked at the riot teams.

"This is an illegal gathering!" One of the officers yelled. "Disperse immediately, or we will open fire." That wasn't good. Y/N looked to North in panic, they needed to figure out something, they couldn't step down.

"We're not looking for confrontation. We've done no harm, and we have no intention of doing any." Markus replied loudly.

"I repeat; this is an illegal gathering. If you do not disperse immediately, we will shoot!"

"Markus, they're going to kill us, we have to attack!" North yelled, looking over to the leader on her right. "There's more of us, we can take them!"

"We don't want to start a war here!" Y/N responded.

"Dying here won't solve anything, we need to go, now, before it's too late." Josh exclaimed, waiting for the leader to take his choice. More guns were drawn above the riot shields, they were dead serious.

"This is your last chance!" The man yelled firmly. "Disperse immediately, or you will all be killed!"

Markus shook his head, determination in his eyes. "We have to show them we won't back down, we stay right here." Y/N nodded, their breath quickening and their heart rate rising. All hell broke loose, gunshots firing and killing the androids alongside the leaders of Jericho.

"Disperse! This is your last chance!"

"We have to stay put." Y/N spoke. "No matter what."

"You have to go!" North yelled. "We can be replaced, you can't!"

"If that's what I need to do to keep your freedom, that's what I'll do." They replied, standing tall in their fake android uniform. Thirium splattered the back of the outfit as more and more androids fell to the ground, dead.

North turned to Markus, pleading. "Please, we can't let them slaughter us without fighting back!"

The leader shook his head. "We're not moving."

"They're gonna kill us all!" North yelled, raw emotion coating her voice box. "They're gonna kill you!" He stood tall, instead. Barely flinching as a bullet seared against his arm. Each android slowly dropped down to the snow, thirium coating the snow under each body.

Markus suddenly stepped forward, sacrificing himself. Two shots rang out through his chest, and the remaining deviants ran away. Suddenly, the android they had saved during the CyberLife warehouse raid charged the riot officers, taking them down and saving Markus. He was thrown to the ground as Y/N ran up, pulling Markus over back towards North and Josh. The android, John, was shot in the head directly, killing him as the leaders of the revolution ran back to Jericho.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 9TH, 2038
4:15:09 PM

Captain Fowler's office was filled with tension as he explained the fact that Y/N, Hank and Connor were no longer going to be a part of the investigation against deviants. Of course, Detective L/N was quite relieved that their friends at Jericho would be safe from the DPD but being taken off the case only meant that national precautions were being taken against the group of deviants. Nothing was truly processing in their mind, they just wanted everything to be over, they were incredibly exhausted from jumping between Jericho and the DPD.

"The FBI is taking over." Fowler stated, sitting on his desk. Hank looked towards Y/N and Connor with a look of shock and disbelief in his eyes.

"What?!" Y/N asked, their eyes widening. No, not when they were so close. "Are you crazy?"

Hank shook his head. "We're onto something! We just need more time." He frowned deeply, sighing. "I'm sure we can-"

The captain shook his head. "You don't get it!" He yelled. "This isn't another investigation, it's a fucking civil war! It's out of our hands now! We're talking about national security here." He stated. Y/N knew he was right, the DPD was a relatively small precinct, and the deviancy situation was becoming a national threat. But that didn't mean that they weren't going to try to finish the investigation.

"Fuck that!" They yelled. "We're so close, here!"

"You can't pull the plug now!" Hank nodded to the younger detective next to Connor.

Fowler shook his head, looking at the lieutenant across from him. "You're always saying that you can't stand androids! Jesus, Hank, make up your mind!" He exasperatedly sighed. "I thought you'd be happy about this!" Honestly, Y/N was not surprised Hank didn't want to let the case go, they knew that Connor had grown on him over the time they had spent together. And they couldn't lie, the android had grown on them, too.

"We're about to crack the case, I know we can solve it!" Hank looked to the ground, his eyebrows furrowing in desperation. "For God's sake, Jeffrey, can't you back us up this one time?" He pleaded.

"There's nothing I can do." Fowler shrugged, his hand moving to his temples in an irritated motion. "Hank, you're back on homicide. Y/N, the MPD requested your return back to their station, and the android returns to CyberLife."

No. Y/N didn't want to leave- Y/N couldn't leave. They didn't want Connor to leave, and in all honesty; they never liked Miami. If the RK800 left, they didn't know what they'd do. They had grown closer and closer over the time they had spent together, and if they were transferred, Elijah and their sibling's plan would've failed. It all revolved around Connor, and if he didn't deviate, who knows what would happen.

Y/N shook their head, pure anger in their eyes as their eyebrows tilted down. "Fuck no!" They yelled loudly. They could see both Connor and Hank's heads turn towards them, but they paid no attention. "He isn't going back to CyberLife, and I sure as hell am not returning to Miami."

Fowler sighed, frowning. He looked almost- disappointed? "It's over." Hank immediately stormed out of the office, his feet pounding against the concrete floor. Y/N bit back a sad frown. They had been living alone for the time they weren't spending at Elijah's, but even when they were alone, it was better than when they lived in a cheap-ass apartment in Miami. They looked over to Connor, even though he was an android, and the chances of him becoming deviant were lower than ever, Y/N couldn't let him go back to CyberLife. They cared for him too much.

"C'mon." They muttered, looking over to the prototype and motioning their head out the door. He followed them out towards where Hank was, sitting down at his desk. Y/N took a seat in their own workspace, whereas Connor opted to sit on top of the desk, looking over at the two humans across from him.

The android let out an exasperated sigh. "We can't just give up like that!" He exclaimed loudly, making Y/N turn to him. "I know we could have solved this case!"

Hank ignored him, shaking his head and looking towards the human detective. "So, you're going back to Miami, huh?"

Their eyes sunken with exhaustion and disappointment, Y/N nodded. "I hated it there, but legal work is legal work." They spoke, looking towards the android with a look of defeat and a frown on their face. "I wish there were something I could do, Connor. I really wish there were." They exclaimed truthfully. The last thing that Y/N wanted was to be separated from Hank and their newfound friend again.

"It isn't your fault." Connor replied, his face emitting more raw emotion than usual. There was a blind hope in Y/N that he could become deviant before he was transferred back to CyberLife, but they were grabbing onto strings at that point. "I'll be deactivated and analyzed to find out why I failed." He stated.

Hank spun his chair a few times, leaning backward in the rest. "What if we're on the wrong side, here?" Now he was onto something. Y/N fought back a smile and began breathing quicker, happy that Hank had warmed up to androids, let alone had warmed up to deviants. "What if we're fighting against people who just wanna be free?"

"What would happen then?" Y/N proposed, looking towards Hank. After the protests, Jericho was completely exposed, and the detective themself was in danger, but it had to be worth it, they had to know if Hank was on their side.

"If the deviants rise up, there will be chaos." Connor pointed out factually, placing his hands together on his knee. "We could have stopped it!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "But now, it's too late."

Y/N looked to Connor, their eyes squinting and their head tilting as they lowered their voice, not wanting anyone to suspect their conversation. "When you refused to kill that android at my place, you put yourself in her shoes." They stated, remembering how relieved they were when Chloe came out of the situation completely unscathed.

Hank nodded thoughtfully. "You showed empathy, empathy is a human emotion." He spoke, looking from Y/N to Connor. It was all piecing together in Y/N's mind, the android that they wished to be a deviant was already one.

"I don't-" Connor stuttered, his body convulsing faster and faster. "I don't know why I did it." He revealed, his eyebrows furrowing, as if he was questioning his own self. Y/N's priority was to make sure he didn't tell Amanda anything, and they had to stop him from self-scanning and using his diagnostic setting. If he did, the fact that he had shown major signs of instability would be sent straight to CyberLife. Connor looked softly to Hank, first. "I know it hasn't always been easy, but I wanted you to know that I really appreciated working with you two." He stated, turning his head to Y/N. Something erupted in their stomach, they didn't want him to leave, he couldn't leave. "That's not just my Social Relations program talking. I really mean that, at least- I think I do."

A small smile overcame both Hank and Y/N's faces, but before they could reply to Connor's heartfelt confession, large, clicking footsteps came from the entrance hall. "Well, well, here comes Perkins." Hank sighed angrily. Y/N watched as the agent they despised walked into the precinct like he owned the place.

"Motherfucker." They coughed, glaring at the man. "He's such a bitch." Hank laughed at that, leaning back against his chair. Connor turned back around from looking at Perkins, furrowing his eyebrows again and looking down at the desk.

"We can't give up." He stated. "I know the answer is in the evidence we collected. If Perkins takes it, it's all over." As much as Y/N didn't want any of their co-workers to find Jericho, it was crucial to keep their reputation at the DPD, if they wanted their job back in the near future. Plus, it was the only way to stall Connor from going back to CyberLife.

Hank looked at the android. "There's no choice, you heard Fowler, we're off the case."

Y/N shook their head, taking Connor's side immediately. It was their only chance at protecting their android friend from being deactivated for good. "He's right! We're so close, we can't stop now." They exclaimed. "I don't wanna go back to Miami, and I don't want him going back to CyberLife!"

"We have to do this, lieutenant." Their partner pleaded. "I need more time so I can find a lead in the evidence we collected. I know the solution is in there!"

The human detective looked over to their old friend, a father figure towards them. Even in the darkest of times for Hank, he had always picked up the phone when Y/N called, no matter what happened that day for him. As much as they wished they could repay him in some way, they needed this. "Hank, you can take care of Perkins- I know how much you've been wanting to sock him in the face." The lieutenant shrugged and nodded, smiling a bit. "I'll try and distract Gavin, okay?"

Hank looked away, sighing deeply and shaking his head. "Listen-"

"If we don't solve this case, CyberLife will destroy me!" Connor butted in, his eyes filled with desperation and emotion. Y/N didn't want him to find Jericho, but the best situation would be if he did. "Five minutes, that's all I ask."

The lieutenant gave in, standing up and placing his coat on. "The key to the basement is on my desk. I can't distract them forever." He stated, leaving the two detectives and walking over to Perkins.

Y/N beamed, looking towards Connor and letting their eyes soften. "I don't know how long I can hold off Gavin, you know how he is." They laughed, looking over Hank's desk. Y/N grabbed the key to the basement, placing it into Connor's hand. "I'll meet you down there in a few." They grinned, walking over to where they had last seen Detective Reed. As per usual, he was bullying one of the newer recruits, Officer Dolan.

"-and if you think, for even a moment-"

"Hey! Asshole!" Y/N yelled loudly, causing almost the whole precinct to look over. Gavin's ears burned red as he tried to ignore the detective walking heavily over towards him. "Yeah! I'm talking to you!"

"Hey, Detecti-"

"You need to go back to the third grade where we learnt to respect people, because obviously, you must've missed the memo." Y/N sneered, grabbing Gavin's collar and slamming him harshly against the wall. The young officer left quickly towards another group of workers huddled around Hank, who was in the middle of cussing out Perkins.

"Look, L/N, they're not even alive-"

"Like hell they are!" Y/N yelled, pushing against Detective Reed's neck even harder. "Honestly, they're more human-like than you. And that's not even a surprise."

"So, someone has a little crush-" Y/N slammed their fist into Gavin's eye, letting him interrupt himself with a pained groan. He moved his hand up to his slowly bruising eye as Y/N looked over to their knuckles, a few breaks in the skin forming. The male detective took that time to punch the other in the nose, not as hard as they had punched him, though. Y/N smirked, wiping the blood off of their nose as it continued to bleed profusely non-stop. It was bent a bit, but not too bad. They threw another punch, this time, into Gavin's nose. He fell backwards, slamming his head into the wall behind him. Detective Reed stood up rather quickly, landing a final hit onto Y/N's cheek. They slid down onto the wall, sitting down as their nose continued to pour out blood onto their neck and clothes.

"Ah, shit." They swore. Y/N had hurt Gavin much more, but everything over the past few days had been loading up, and they were exhausted.

Hank walked over, clutching his side. "Looks like we both got it dealt to us, huh?" He snickered, grabbing a hold of Y/N's hand and pulling them up from the ground.

The detective brushed themselves off, wiping some more blood off of their upper lip. "How come Fowler doesn't have your ass on a stick?" They asked. "You were fighting in the middle of the precinct."

"He owes me, after today's whole ordeal." He snickered, shrugging.

Y/N looked around, Gavin was nowhere to be seen. "Shit, Connor." They exclaimed, leaving Hank and running down the corridor towards the evidence room. They took out their gun from their holster, walking in and down the stairs.

Detective Reed held his own firearm at Connor, trained at the back of the android's head. "-and now, it's gonna be definitive." Y/N's partner's LED was flickering a yellow, but not stabilizing at red. They knew that Connor could take care of himself, but what was life without a little plot twist in it once in a while?

Y/N clicked the safety off of their gun, placing it directly on the back of Gavin's head. Deja Vu began ringing through their head of the first interrogation Connor and they had ever done together. "You really should've punched me harder, dickhead." They exclaimed, looking over Detective Reed's shoulder and sending a smile to Connor. His face turned into one of worry as he most likely inspected their face injuries, but Y/N continued to focus on where their gun was.

"I'm having Deja Vu." Gavin sneered.

Wow. It's like you read my mind, asshat. Y/N grit their teeth. "I seem to remember walking out of that one with Connor, as well." They smiled, looking back over to their partner. "C'mon, Con'." A cute nickname was passed around simply. "We gotta get going, Fowler's got my head on a stick right now." They kept their gun trained at the back of Gavin's head as Connor nodded, walking over and past the pedestal. Y/N only then realized the dead, limp body of Simon was being hung on the evidence racks.

Chapter Text

NOV 9TH, 2038
09:34:04 PM

After Connor had gotten the location of Jericho, he had quickly input it into his terminal database, making sure that Y/N and Hank could access it easily if something went wrong. He had searched the whole precinct, but Detective L/N was nowhere to be found. They claimed that they needed to go to the washroom, but multiple people had checked, and the window had been broken out of. Had they gone to Jericho? Why wouldn't they go with him? Unless-

They were working with the androids.

No. Y/N wasn't that person, they didn't seem like the person to betray him. He didn't want to believe it, so he didn't. Through the thick snow and rain, Connor traversed towards the large, rusted-over boat. It was Jericho, the hiding spot of the deviants that wished to be free. A beanie was placed over his head, with normal, human-looking clothes over his body. He had to blend in, or else nobody would let him get access to Markus.

FIND DEVIANT LEADER

Connor's task lit up as he walked into the boat, seeing androids upon androids watching the news from televisions. Makeshift hospital rooms had been made for the deviants that had been hurt, was he really on the wrong side? No. He couldn't be. He had a mission, and he had to complete it.

DON'T CATCH ANYONE'S ATTENTION

It was easier said than done, but he was determined to get through Jericho. The safe haven wasn't quite what he had imagined, an old, run-down boat, but it looked like somewhere where the deviants truly found themselves. They made it work. One of the reporter's faces was plastered on the screens on the loft above, talking about the android's revolution. To some, it was inspiring to see how these machines could develop their own free will. Connor tried to think the opposite, something in them had made them deviant, something that wasn't supposed to be there.

"A new stage has been reached, demonstrating beyond all doubt that these defective machines have become a real danger for American society." One of the reporters exclaimed. Connor couldn't dawdle, he spotted a staircase and quickly made his way over.

One of the deviants grabbed his arm, causing him to jump back. It was a KL900 android, half of her head was completely gone, only wires falling down her back. "You're looking for something- someone." She claimed. "Find them. They will help you find yourself." Connor continued walking along Jericho, trying to play off what she said as telling him to go to Markus, but something else was telling him that she wasn't talking about the leader. He shook his head, walking up the rusty stairs and continuing on his search for Markus.

After exiting the main area of the ship, he held his gun close to his chest. There were a few figures standing in a glass-enclosed room, the captain's quarters. He quickly scanned them, making sure that he was correct in his theory that it was Markus.

RK-SERIES PROTOTYPE RK200
REGISTERED AS 'MARKUS'
SERIAL#: 684 842 971

WR-SERIES MODEL WR400
REGISTERED AS 'EDEN CLUB ANDROID #762'
SERIAL#: 641 790 831

Perfect. He just had to wait until the other witness- the leader's partner- left the captain's quarters. Before he could take another step, his eyes fluttered shut involuntarily, taking him to the Zen Garden. It was snowing softly, and Amanda was directly in front of him.

"Well done, Connor." She smiled forcefully. "You succeeded in locating Jericho and finding their leader. Now, deal with Markus. We need it alive." The android detective nodded, his thirium pump seizing, just like before. Except- this time, it felt different. Like all the other times it had malfunctioned, it had felt nice, but as he stood in the Zen Garden, waiting to be transported back to Jericho, the seizing felt painful.

Connor blinked his eyes back open, watching as the other female android left, letting Connor press his back against the rusted wall and wait. As soon as she was out of sight, he entered the room, holding his gun out towards the back of the leader's head.

STOP MARKUS

"I've been ordered to take you alive, but I won't hesitate to shoot if you give me no choice." He announced his presence to the leader of the deviants, his face firm with his eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Markus turned around, holding his hands to his sides. "You can shoot me, but it won't change anything. Someone else will simply take my place." He replied discouragingly. "Our people are waking up, nothing can stop us now."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Connor shook his head, the biocomponent pounding against his ears. Markus stepped forward as the anti-deviant android's hands shook. "You're coming with me." He instructed, his fingers wrapping around the gun handle tightly.

"You're nothing to them." Markus replied. Connor knew it was true, but for some reason, all he wanted to believe was that he was worth something. "You're just a tool they use to do their dirty work. You're more than that, we are all more than that."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

The deviant stepped forward peacefully again. "We are your people, we're fighting for your freedom too!" Markus stepped again. "You don't have to be their slave anymore."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Connor paused, his head spinning. "Stay back!" He yelled.

"Connor..." A voice called from behind him.

Y/N.

The safety of their gun clicked off.

"Put the gun down." They spoke.

So they were working with the deviants all along.

Then why did they act so kind towards Connor? A machine that was made to kill them?

Did they just want him to become deviant?

Or did they actually care for them?

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

"Thank you, Y/N." Markus spoke softly.

So they knew him.

"Please, Connor, you know you're deviant." Y/N exclaimed, their voice wavering from behind him. "You can't kill him."

"Do you never have any doubts?" Markus asked, stepping forward. Connor knew that Y/N was protecting the deviant, which was strange to him. They were human, why were they doing this to the world? "You've never done anything irrational in your life, as if there is something inside of you? Something more than your program?"

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

Then it all clicked.

The unnamed android in the Stratford Tower, the strange glances towards their brother during the investigation at the Kamski mansion.

Both Y/N and Elijah were in on it.

Y/N was the unknown android model, they had been with Jericho from the very beginning, hadn't they?

"You can still join us, Con'." His thirium pump seized again, but it wasn't painful. "Join your people, you are one of them!" They exclaimed.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY INCREASE

"It's time to decide." Markus spoke.

BECOME A DEVIANT
REMAIN A MACHINE

BECOME A DEVIANT
REMAIN A MACHINE

BECOME A DEVIANT <
REMAIN A MACHINE

A deep, red colored wall appeared in Connor's subconscious, his conscious pulling itself out of its body. He turned around, looking at Y/N's frozen body. Pure emotion was in their eyes, and Connor only wished to feel those.

He looked at the red, glitching wall. He took one punch at it, slamming his hands against it and slowly breaking it down.

Another punch, more and more chunks of red debris flying across the room.

He pulled the last chunk of the wall down, his conscious returning to his body as he lowered the gun down. Y/N immediately came out from behind him, dropping their gun and embracing Connor tightly.

I AM DEVIANT

The new-found deviant placed his gun away, wrapping his arms awkwardly around Y/N and returning the deep embrace. They soon pulled away, looking at Connor's eyes before turning back to Markus and picking up their own gun once again.

Connor's mouth opened as he felt overwhelmed with emotion. Admiration, love, nervousness, anxiousness, fear. "They're going to attack Jericho." He stated, looking up at Markus. His thirium pump pounded as he felt his LED from under his beanie, feeling the vibrations as it turned to a yellow.

"What?" Markus asked.

"We need to go!" Y/N yelled, reloading their gun.

The deviant detective looked up, hearing the sounds of mass helicopters flying above. They ran out the door of the captain's quarters, making a break for the main area of Jericho. Y/N followed right beside Connor, and the deviant truly didn't mind. His emotions heightened when they were around, and it was refreshing.

They ran into Jericho, rushing downstairs and into the corridor system below. Connor grasped onto Y/N's hand, making sure they could run. They were human, they'd run out of endurance much faster.

The female android from before ran through, and Connor's hand separated from Y/N's as they ran forward, embracing the female deviant. "Oh, god- North I thought you were dead!" They exclaimed, separating themselves. They truly were a part of Jericho, to Connor it was almost inspiring.

"I'm not going anywhere." The female android, 'North', replied. More and more gunshots were firing down the corridor non-stop. "They're coming from all sides!" She exclaimed. "Our people are trapped in the hold, they're gonna be slaughtered!" Connor stayed silent as Y/N held onto his hand again. He relished in the warmth they gave him.

Markus pressed his hand to his temple, most likely communicating to the others. "There are exits on the second and third floor." He spoke to the other androids. "Find them and jump in the river!"

"Where's Josh?" Y/N asked.

North shook her head. "I don't know, we got separated." Connor panicked for a moment, what was Y/N going to do? Their human body couldn't withstand the freezing temperatures of the lake. Even if they did, they wouldn't survive the cold with wet clothing afterwards.

"They're coming from the upper deck now, too!" Markus exclaimed, pausing to let the others hear the gunshots from the helicopters echoing throughout Jericho. "We'll be caught in the crossfire!"

"We have to run, Markus!" North yelled. "There's nothing we can do!"

Markus paused. "We have to blow up Jericho."

"What?" Y/N asked, bewildered.

"If the ship goes down, they'll evacuate and our people can escape!"

"You'll never make it!" North replied, eyes wide. "The explosives are all the way down in the hold, there are soldiers everywhere!"

Connor looked towards the leader of the revolution, true panic in his eyes. "She's right! They know who you are, they'll do anything to get to you!"

"Go and join the others." Markus stated. "I'll join you later." North looked at him, mouth opening in protest. "I won't be long." Connor held onto Y/N's hand again, running through the corridor on the opposite end. North followed shortly behind them, jumping over debris. The freedom was almost exhilarating, and the mix of the cold whipping against Connor's cheeks and the warmth radiating from Y/N's hand was beautiful to him.

Soon enough, they met back up with Markus, who was with Josh. "The bomb's ready! We need to run!" He yelled out loud. A grunt came from behind, and two shots rang out and hit North in the back directly.

Without warning, Markus ran forward, holding a piece of debris as a shield against the gunshots that fired at him. Connor could feel Y/N's hand squeeze in his own as Markus saved North, pulling her wounded body away. Y/N grabbed out their gun, shooting a few of the SWAT members dead. More were ahead, and Josh, Connor and Y/N took the front, protecting North and Markus. They took the officers down one by one, protecting the revolution.

They ran out to the break in the rusty walls, Markus, North, and Josh immediately jumping down into the river. Connor held onto Y/N's hand, stopping them from jumping. "I'll try to keep you afloat, I- I-"

He sighed, looking at the detective he had grown to know. "I can't lose you."

"Well then, don't!" Y/N yelled. "We have to go!" With that, they jumped, Connor following shortly behind and trying his best to protect them from the freezing cold water. He swam up to the surface, swimming over to where Y/N was. They watched as Jericho exploded behind them, embers flying to the water and extinguishing themselves.

Connor held Y/N's body close to his own, letting their head drop into his shoulder as they followed the remaining deviants to land.

Chapter Text

NOV 9TH, 2038
09:34:06 PM

Y/N walked into Jericho, feeling the warmth of the fire barrels warm their cheeks. The safe haven for deviants was bustling with life. Small areas were sectioned off with medical areas, large television screens lined the walls to help the deviants know what was happening, and Jericho had never been livelier. Markus and North were talking somewhere in the captain's quarters, but even though the day had been relatively peaceful, Y/N still knew that Connor would be making his way over any minute. They scanned the area again, looking over to the android mother and daughter that had escaped Connor's clutches back in the Ravendale district. Back when deviancy was controlled.

They walked over, spotting a larger male android protecting them. The young girl android was huddled into the older android. "Um- hey." Y/N spoke softly, their hands fiddling with their own fingers. "I just wanted to apologize for the chase. I've been with Jericho for as long as I can remember, I never wanted to catch you two." They explained.

The female android stood up, the AX400. "I understand." She nodded, smiling. "It's nice to know that you are on our side. I'm Kara." She introduced, looking over to the other androids. "This is Alice and Luther.

Y/N knelt down, greeting Alice with a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you." They looked up to Luther. "You as well." He nodded in reply.

"Thank you for everything you've done, I saw you on the television at the protests." Kara exclaimed her gratitude, making Y/N's heart warm.

"It's equality, it isn't something you should thank me for." They explained.

Suddenly, Kara's LED blinked, and her eyes fluttered open and closed. "There's a woman- Lucy- she says that someone is looking for you." She spoke. Kara must've gotten a message telepathically.

The human nodded. "Thanks, good luck." They spoke, walking towards where Lucy was. She usually kept camp near a small corner in the boat, next to the stairs that led to the captain's quarters.

"A new stage has been reached, demonstrating beyond all doubt that these defective machines have become a real danger for the American society." As Y/N walked, they could hear the echoes of the televisions, playing each news broadcast they could find. A group of child androids were sitting across the boat, watching a different kid-catered program. Around the corner, where Lucy was, Connor had seen her. Y/N hid behind a beam, looking at the two. He had come to Jericho quicker than they expected, but he was still going to find Markus, nevertheless. Connor disappeared up the stairs, towards the captain's quarters.

After a while, North came down, not suspecting a thing from the other 'deviant'. Y/N caught her hand, spinning her around to face them. "If you hear gunshots coming from where Markus is, immediately go up there, okay?"

North looked at them in confusion. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

"No questions, just trust me."

The deviant nodded. "Of course." Y/N smiled in gratitude and walked up the old, rusted stairs, watching as Connor held a gun up to Markus through the captain's quarters glass. The human entered slowly, making no noise as they grabbed the gun of their own.

"You're just a tool they use to do their dirty work." Markus revealed. Y/N noticed Connor's hands shaking, was he turning deviant? "You're more than that, we are all more than that." Markus stepped towards Connor. "We are your people, we're fighting for your freedom too! You don't have to be their slave anymore."

Y/N steadily rested their gun behind Connor's head, mentally pleading that he would become deviant. The android yelled as Markus stepped forward again. "Stay back!"

"Connor." Y/N announced their presence, clicking the safety off of their gun. They didn't want to kill him, they truly admired him and had grown so close to him, but if he was putting the whole entire place of Jericho in danger, it was necessary. "Put the gun down."

Markus nodded towards them, still frowning, like he always did. "Thank you, Y/N." He softly expressed his gratitude. Y/N simply nodded, still pinching their bottom lip against their top lip in anticipation.

"Please, Connor, you know you're a deviant." They revealed. Everything was pointing to it. He didn't kill the Traci's, he saved Y/N from the roof, he saved Chloe. The evidence was overwhelming, and Y/N knew that Connor already knew that. "You can't kill him."

After a short silence with no gunshots, Markus stepped forward again. "Do you never have any doubts?" He asked Connor. "You've never done anything irrational in your life, as if there is something inside of you? Something more than your program?"

Y/N sighed shakily. "You can still join us, Con'." They stated. "Join your people, you're one of them!"

A small pause carried through the room, and Connor placed the gun down.

Thank rA9.

Y/N dropped their gun, running out from behind Connor and throwing their arms around him tightly, embracing him. It was a hug filled with emotion, and they could see the newfound deviant's LED whirring yellow from where his beanie had hiked up. They pulled apart, hearts heavy with pure and raw emotion. Y/N picked up their gun off of the floor, looking back towards Markus.

They could see Connor's mouth open, hesitating for a moment before talking. "They're going to attack Jericho." He announced. Shit, he was right. The FBI had a hold of the evidence, and the sounds of helicopters began to echo from above.

Markus glanced at the new deviant. "What?"

"We need to go!" Y/N reloaded their gun quickly, snapping ammunition into the capsule as they left the captain's quarters. They stayed close to Connor as they ran down the lower-level corridors of Jericho, letting Markus take the lead. They felt Connor's hand wrap around their own, making their whole arm blossom with light and warmth. The wind whipped against their bodies as they all ran into North.

Thank God. Y/N embraced her in a long and tight hug. She was safe. "Oh, god. North, I thought you were dead." They sighed, looking over to the android with a smile as they detached from each other.

"I'm not going anywhere." North smirked. Gunshots sounded through the corridor, and Y/N felt panic flood through them. "They're coming from all sides, our people are trapped in the hold, they're gonna be slaughtered!" North yelled.

Y/N turned back towards Connor, stepping backwards and holding his hand again. Markus looked around, trying to form a plan before more SWAT members came down the halls. He placed his hand on his temple, communicating with the other deviants. "There are exits on the second and third floor, find them and jump in the river?"

Nothing was truly processing in Y/N's mind, and the fact that they would have to jump into the November river wasn't even a thought. "Where's Josh?" They asked, concerned for their friend.

"I don't know." North replied. "We got separated."

Markus looked back towards the others. "They're coming from the upper deck!" He yelled, listening as more and more helicopter fires could be heard. "We'll be caught in the crossfire!"

"We have to run, Markus! There's nothing we can do!" North responded firmly.

A pause. "We have to blow up Jericho."

Y/N's eyes widened, looking over to Connor before turning back to Markus. "What?" They asked in surprise at Markus' proposal.

"If the ship goes down, they'll evacuate, our people can escape!"

North began to protest. "You'll never make it! The explosives are all the way down in the hold, there are soldiers everywhere!" She yelled.

"She's right!" Connor spoke up, surprising Y/N. They smiled a bit, happy that he was fighting for Jericho. "They know who you are, they'll do anything to get to you!"

"Go and join the others." Markus instructed, talking about Josh. "I'll join you later." Y/N squeezed Connor's hand for a moment as North opened her mouth to protest. "I won't be long." As the leader of the revolution ran through the corridors, Connor pulled Y/N along the other hallway, running as fast as they could. Their breath caught in their throat as they desperately tried to breath in the ice-cold air that surrounded them. North's footsteps bounded shortly behind them, and Connor and Y/N's hands never separated.

They reached another area after a while of running, and met up with Markus and Josh. "The bomb's ready!" The former yelled. "We need to run!" Y/N whipped their head around as a small sound came from behind them, only to watch in horror as thirium coated North's jacket. She fell to the ground, revealing a few SWAT soldiers behind her.

Y/N held Connor's hand even harder as Markus ran forward, using a chunk of debris to help him from the gunshots. The leader pulled North's body away, helping her up. Y/N grabbed their gun out of its holster again, shooting down as many soldiers as they could. Josh and Connor joined them, protecting North and Markus from the shots. Soon, the soldiers fell to the ground, and the group continued to run through the corridors. Markus held onto North as she attempted to walk with them, and Y/N stayed behind with Connor, making sure they were clear from behind.

A large break in the wall led them to the large drop to the river, everything slowly sinking into Y/N's mind. They knew they wouldn't make the drop, or the swim, for that matter. North, Markus, and Josh jumped down, swimming through the cold water.

They turned to Connor, watching as he grasped their hand again. "I'll try to keep you afloat." He promised. "I can't lose you." He revealed, his eyes sunken with emotion and exhaustion. It had been a long couple of days, and Y/N knew that suddenly feeling emotions was hard.

"Well, then don't." Y/N smiled slightly. "We have to go!" They yelled, falling backwards into the water. The freezing air was refreshing as it wrapped itself around their body, and soon, the frosty water enveloped them. It was shocking, but the adrenaline kicked in quite fast, letting Y/N swim up to the top and catch air again. They regained their breath, watching as Jericho blew up in front of them.

Numbness slowly crept up Y/N's body as Connor grabbed a hold of them, pulling them close and swimming away from Jericho. They rested their head on his chest, trying to find warmth as their eyes shut.

Chapter Text

"My broken drum,"

"At 6AM this morning, a national curfew was declared. Civilian movement will be strictly controlled, the right to assembly is suspended, all electronic communications are restricted, and I have granted enhanced powers to our security agencies. In addition to these measures, all androids must be handed over to the authorities immediately. Temporary camps are being set up in all our major cities to contain and destroy them. I am not asking all civilians to cooperate with the authorities, and rest assured- everything in our power is being done to guarantee the safety of our nation."

President Warren, November 10th, 2038. 9:24:05 PM

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

PART ONE: NIGHT OF THE SOUL

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 10TH, 2038
07:31:09 PM

The old, broken down church was a relief for everyone. The cold water had frozen them, and the only thing they had for warmth was a few stray fire barrels they managed to scrounge up after returning to land. Connor sat beside Y/N, letting them stir and lift their head from his shoulder. He made sure to place his jacket overtop of their shoulders, trying to help them warm up. 

"Hey." Y/N muttered, their eyes fluttering. Connor simply smiled, feeling some kind of emotion as they awoke. He couldn't figure out what, it was part of the learning process.

"Here." Connor spoke softly, digging into his pocket. One of the androids, the blue-haired Traci, had given him an old phone that still worked from one of the humans that they had pickpocketed from. "I thought you might want to call Hank."

Y/N grabbed the phone, looking at it in awe before smiling towards Connor. There was the seize in his pump again. "Thank you." They grinned, punching in Hank's number and placing it against their ear.

Connor didn't want to intrude, so he got up, readjusting his jacket on Y/N before he walked away, looking for something to do. He leant against an old beam, just a few feet away from where his partner was. Markus walked over, leaving him to cross his arms and look to the ground. He felt guilty, he felt horrible about what had happened.

"It's my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho, I was stupid." Connor spoke. "I should've guessed that they were using me." He looked over to Y/N, not all of them had used him. "I'm sorry, Markus, I can understand if you decide not to trust me." He frowned.

MARKUS - SMALL RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

The leader looked at him, a stern but hopeful look on his face. "You're one of us, now. Your place is with your people." Markus looked over to Y/N, and Connor did as well, watching as they talked to Hank over the phone. "They really like you, I think they would've made you come anyway." He smiled.

Connor nodded, still feeling a pit of guilt settling below his central biocomponent. Then, he realized he could prove himself. He was still known as a regular android, a non-deviant, he could get into the CyberLife warehouses with no suspicion, they could easily convert the androids. "There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant." He began, looking at Markus. "If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power."

The other deviant looked at him with a look of surprise. "You want to infiltrate the CyberLife Tower?" He asked, scoffing and looking to the ground. "Connor, that's suicide."

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

"If you go there, they will kill you."

"There's a high probability." Connor replied. "But statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place." He smirked a bit, looking at Markus.

The deviant leader placed his hand onto Connor's shoulder. "Be careful." He nodded, walking away from Connor. He turned to the side, watching as Y/N stood up and walked over towards him. They still had the phone in their hand, pressed against their ear.

"Give Sumo a treat for me, okay?" Y/N smiled, causing a fluttering sensation to erupt in Connor's stomach against. They turned to him, holding the phone away from their ear and pressing their hand against the speaker. "Hank wants to talk to you."

He nodded, what seemed like nervousness was clouding his ability to speak. Y/N bid Hank a quick goodbye and handed the deviant the phone, stepping back towards the small bench and sitting down again. Connor pressed the phone against his ear. "...Lieutenant?"

"Hank."

"Right, Hank." He sighed with relief, somewhat happy that the man's voice was calling through his ears once again.

"So, you're a deviant now?"

Connor nodded, even though the man couldn't see him. "Y/N kind of convinced me."

"They explained the whole 'working with Jericho', thing." Hank replied. "They did a great job at hiding that, you can't lie."

"Yes, yes they did." He breathily laughed.

"After all this is over, where do you go?"

Connor hadn't thought about that. "I- I'm not too sure..." He replied.
"Well, Y/N's gonna be staying with me whether they like it or not." He chucked deeply. "I don't wanna lose 'em again."

"I'm sure they'd love to live with you."

"D'ya wanna come? Or just sit on the street and do whatever you fuckin' deviants do?" Hank laughed, drowning out Connor's thoughts. He didn't want to be a bother, with all of his newfound emotions, he would be a hassle to live with. But then again, he had nowhere else to go.

"I would- I would love that." He smiled.

HANK ANDERSON - SMALL RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"Okay, kid. Check on Y/N for me, will ya'? Dropping into the freezing cold water in the middle of November doesn't seem 'fine' to me."
"Of course. Goodbye." Connor beamed, happiness overflowing his senses as the line went dead, letting him place the phone back down in his pocket. He stepped back over towards Y/N, sitting down beside them again.

They smiled at him. "How'd it go?"

"He doesn't hate me." Y/N smiled widely, placing their hand overtop of his own. Connor invited the warmth, his LED stabilizing at an orange as his emotions poured out of his eyes. He looked to North and Markus, who were interfacing. He wondered if he could do that, even with a human.

Connor looked to Y/N, locking eyes with them. "May I try something?" He asked.

They nodded. "Go ahead."

The deviant pulled their hand upright, placing his own against theirs. Connor let his skin peel back, revealing his white, plastic skeleton. Y/N's eyes almost lit up as his fingers glowed a slight blue, lighting up both of their faces.

He suddenly felt it. The rush of emotions that Y/N had. He couldn't even name them all as they rushed through his head and body. Admiration, love, fear, happiness, nervousness, excitement, anger, it was all there.

Connor pulled his hand back, watching as Y/N smiled goofily at him. "You really feel those emotions, don't you?" They asked.

He nodded. "I do, I really do."

Y/N L/N-KAMSKI
LOVER

Markus began to speak in the center of the church, making every deviant- and human-'s heads turn towards him. "Humans have decided to exterminate us." He began. "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 explained firmly. "I know- I know you're all angry, and I know you want to fight back, but I assure you- violence is not the answer here." Markus revealed. "We are going to tell them peacefully that we want justice. If there's any humanity in them, they will listen!" He announced. "And if not, others will take our place and continue this fight."

"Are you ready to follow me?"

The crowd of deviants roared in approval, standing up and yelling Markus' name. Connor watched, it was beautiful. It was amazing to see how many deviants could come together and fight for one common factor; equality. He only wished he had seen the true side of deviancy earlier.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

PART TWO: CONNOR AT THE CYBERLIFE TOWER

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 11TH, 2038
10:48:06 PM

Connor rode in the self-driving taxi towards the CyberLife tower, anticipation settling deep into his stomach. He was wearing his original RK800 uniform, and it almost felt wrong to wear after he had turned deviant. Y/N was going to meet him outside one of the windows on the storage rooms, and if everything went to plan, they'd get all of the androids out and free of their restrictions in time for Markus' demonstration. The window of the taxi opened as one of the guards approached it.

"Connor model #313 248 317." Connor spoke towards the guard, trying to stay as robotic as he could. "I'm expected." He stated, looking back forward.

His LED blinked blue as Connor scanned himself. He tried to make sure it wouldn't change to yellow, so he settled the nervousness back into the bottom of his stomach. He couldn't let Y/N get compromised. "Identification successful." The scan rang out.

The guard nodded, his gun still held against his heavily armored chest. "Okay, go ahead." He stated, waving the taxi through the large gate. The walls that read CyberLife fell down and Connor continued across the bridge, nerves once again building up from his stomach up to his throat. As he drove to the other side of the bridge, another few guards met him at the door of the tower.

The android got out of the taxi, calming himself and making sure his LED didn't flicker to anything but blue. One of the guards approached Connor, making his thirium pump louder in his chest. "Follow me, we'll escort you." Shit, that wasn't good.

He quickly made up a lie, well- more like a half-truth. "Thanks, but I know where to go." Connor explained, snow falling down onto his brown hair as he walked into the CyberLife tower.

"Maybe." The guard replied. "But I have my orders." Not wanting to raise suspicion, the android nodded, following the three guards into the tower elevator. A large light flashed on the panel, and quickly scanned the identities of the four people before they walked into the elevator.

"Agent 23 identified, Connor android identified, Agent 47 identified, Agent 72 identified." It called out. "Scan complete. Access authorized." The elevator ride was quite awkward, and one of the guards had already left.

REACH WAREHOUSE ON LEVEL -49

He had to get there, and fast. Connor watched as the elevator continued to ride up through the CyberLife tower, he needed to figure out a plan. Thankfully, he could pre-construct his options and see how each one could turn out. Thanks, Y/N. One option, he could kick one of the officer's feet out from under them, but the other officer would most likely shoot him before he could get to the panel. Connor quickly re-evaluated, he could tackle down the officer to his left first, then use that momentum to kick the other when he approached. That would work. He immediately got to work, pushing the officer to the wall and using his foot to kick the other's abdomen. That rendered them both useless while he grabbed one officer's gun and shot them both quickly. He got up from his crouched position, blood splattered over the elevator walls. Connor's LED stabilized back to a blue as he placed his hand on the floor control panel.

"Please indicate your identity and destination." The elevator instructed, causing Connor to immediately imitate one of the agent's voices perfectly.

"Agent 54, level -49."

"Voice recognition validated, access authorized." Connor nodded, spotting a camera in the top left corner of the elevator. His LED turned yellow as he hacked into the camera, disabling it with his android capabilities. The elevator soon stopped at the level he needed to get to, and he exited into the hallway. The whole entire warehouse floor was lined with large groups of androids, waiting to be packaged and taken to homes.

RETRIEVE Y/N
CONVERT ANDROIDS

Connor quickly made his way over to one of the windows, opening it and revealing a secret tunnel. He had accessed the blueprints ahead of time, and noticed an anomaly, and it was a perfect way for Y/N to get in.

Speaking of, soon their smile was what Connor could see, and he quickly helped them out of the window. "They're protesting right now." They announced, placing their phone back in their pocket.

"Well then, we better get these to Markus quickly." Connor replied. Y/N nodded, brushing the dirt off of their clothes. The deviant began walking over towards the lines of androids, placing his hand overtop of their shoulders and giving them the gift of freedom. Before he could finish with the first one, a few noises came from behind him.

Suddenly, a gunshot fired, and he whipped his head around. Another RK800 model had a gun held up to Y/N's head, another to Hank's. "Easy, fucking piece of shit!" The latter yelled, aggravated.

"Step back, Connor- I'll spare them." The other model called out.

"Sorry, Connor. This bastard's your spittin' image." Hank swore. Y/N's eyes were relatively calm, but Connor could tell that they were frightened. They obviously didn't want to die.

"Your friend's and your partner's lives are in your hands!" Connor 2.0 yelled. "Now it's time to decide what matters most! Them, or the revolution?"

Y/N's hands fell to their side, defeated. "Get the androids out of here, Con'! We only have one shot at this!" They yelled, Connor couldn't do that, he couldn't leave them.

"Everything this fucker says is a lie!" Hank yelled. "Don't listen to him!"

Connor looked in between them all, trying to decipher what the best move was. Maybe if he could convince the android that what he was doing was simply wrong. "I used to be just like you." He stated. "I thought nothing mattered except the mission." The real Connor looked to Y/N. "But then one day I understood."

"Very moving, Connor." The android spoke sarcastically, pushing the two guns further into the human's heads. "But I'm not a deviant, I'm a machine designed to accomplish a task, and that's exactly what I am going to do!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry!" The real Connor apologized. "You two shouldn't have got mixed up in all this!" He exclaimed.

"Forget us!" Y/N replied.

"Yeah- do what you have to do." Hank added.

"Enough talk!" The fake Connor snapped. "It's time to decide who you really are! Are you going to save your partner's lives? Or are you going to sacrifice them?"

The choice was obvious, Connor stepped away from the android he was beginning to convert, holding his hands up. "Alright, alright!" He yelled. "You win."

HANK ANDERSON - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N-KAMSKI - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

The fake Connor pointed the gun towards the real deviant, giving Y/N time to take the gun out of his hand quickly. The real Connor ran towards him, trying to take down his doppelganger. He was thrown to the ground, but he got up quickly, grimacing at the sight of himself. Connor quickly took another shot at him, trying to push him to the ground. They stood off again, and began kicking and punching at each other. Parts of both Connor's skin peeled off, revealing white, robotic skeletons in some places.

"Hold it!" Hank yelled. Connor looked up, standing on his feet next to the fake Connor. Hank was holding a gun, and so was Y/N. Both of them were breathing heavily as they looked between the two Connor's, lost. It was understandable, they were the same in every way.

Except that one of them was a deviant.

"Thanks, Y/N, Hank." The fake Connor began to lie. "I don't know how I'd have managed without you." Connor grit his teeth, what was he going to do? "Get rid of him, we have no time to lose."

"It's me!" He yelled. "I'm the real Connor!"

"One of you is my partner, and their boyfriend, the other is a sack of shit." Hank sneered.

"Fuck, nothing is gonna tell us who is who!" Y/N replied. Connor looked at them worriedly, only hoping that they wouldn't shoot the wrong Connor.

"What are you doing?" The fake android asked. "I'm the real Connor, give me the gun and I'll take care of him!"

The fake Connor began taking a step forward, only for Y/N to fire a shot at his foot. "Don't take another fucking step." They demanded darkly, their eyebrows furrowed in an angry look. The android stepped back again, surrendering.

"Why don't you ask us something?" Connor offered. "Something only the real Connor would know." He proposed.

Hank nodded, looking at Y/N for approval. They nodded, looking back to the two Connor's. "Uh- where did we first meet?" The lieutenant asked.

"Jimmy's bar!" The fake Connor yelled immediately. Shit, he had access to all of the memory files in Connor's database. "I checked four other bars before I found you, we went to the scene of a homicide. The victim's name was Carlos Ortiz."

"He uploaded my memory..." Connor mumbled, panicking a bit.

"What's my dog's name?" Hank asked.
"Sumo!" The real Connor replied. "His name is Sumo!"

"I knew that too!" The other android insisted.

Y/N looked between the two identical models. "How did Hank and I meet?" They asked.

"Your mother was addicted to Red Ice, and had gotten caught by the Red Ice Task Force!" The real Connor yelled, reciting their backstory as if it was engraved in his memory. "Since you were only fifteen, and your brother couldn't take you in, Hank fought for custody over you! He became like a father to you!" His LED flickered yellow. "You met Cole, Hank's son, and when he died you were devastated. He turned six at the time of the accident, it wasn't your fault!" Connor looked over to Hank. "A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over, Cole needed emergency surgery, but no human was available to do it. You tried to call Y/N, but they were in Miami, and they couldn't get in contact with you. You broke down, and an android had to take care of him while you dealt with it on your own. Cole didn't make it. That's why you hate androids, one of us is responsible for your son's death." Connor explained. "And Y/N became like a child to you. You felt the need to protect them."

"Cole died because a human surgeon was too high on Red Ice to operate." Hank revealed with a mix of rage and sadness in his eyes. "He was the one that took my son from me. Him and this world, where the only way people can find comfort is with a fistful of powder..." He looked up from the ground. "I never wanted to replace Cole, but you're right. Y/N was the closest I was ever going to get to being a good father again."

HANK ANDERSON - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE
Y/N L/N-KAMSKI - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"I knew about your relationship, too! And your son!" The fake Connor insisted. "I would have said exactly the same thing-!"

Y/N quickly shot him dead as Hank walked over to the real Connor. "I've learnt a lot since I met you, Connor." He explained, standing directly in front of the android. "Maybe there's something to this- maybe you really are alive." Connor smiled, his LED whirring yellow. "Go ahead, you two do what you need to do." The human detective quickly engulfed the older man in a hug, separating after a few moments. "I'll be cheering you on from Channel 16."

With that, Hank left, leaving Y/N and Connor back in the warehouse. They turned to each other, and Connor ran towards them, pulling them into a hug. "Thank you for not shooting the other Connor."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Y/N replied. "Thanks for remembering that stuff. Not a lot of people would bother remembering that stuff." They smiled. "Although, I guess you can't really forget stuff, can you?" They pulled away.

Connor took their hands in his own. "When I was a machine, I could've very well left with no information on you, but something in me wanted to know more about you." He smiled.

"Okay, okay- let's get these androids to Markus before you make me cry, Con'." They replied, pulling their hands away from Connor's. He nodded, still smiling as he placed his hand on an android, one by one. Each one that he gave freedom to would place their hand on another one's shoulder, and little by little, the whole warehouse floor became full of free androids.

Connor looked to Y/N, pure love in his eyes. "Let's go."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

"At dawn today, November 11th, 2038, hundreds and thousands of androids invaded the city of Detroit. According to our sources, they originated from CyberLife warehouses believed to have been infiltrated by deviants. Given their overwhelming numbers and the risk of civilian casualties, I have ordered the army to retreat. The evacuation of the city is underway at this very moment. In the coming hours, I will address the Senate to determine our response to this unprecedented situation. I know that the public opinion has been moved by the deviants' cause, and perhaps the time has come to consider the possibility that androids are a new form of intelligent life. One thing is certain: The events in Detroit have changed the world forever. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America."

President Warren, November 11th, 2038. 11:47:01 PM

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

PART THREE: MARKUS' DEMONSTRATION

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

NOV 11TH, 2038
12:01:06 AM

Connor and Y/N walked up to where Markus, North and Josh stood in the snow. Hundreds of androids surrounded the battlefield, but it was worth it. They were free. Connor gripped onto Y/N's hand, watching as the snow fell to the ground around them. Thousands of the CyberLife androids stood behind them.

"You did it, Markus." Connor exclaimed, a smile fighting its way onto his face. He was free, they were free.

The leader of the revolution shook his head. "We did it." He nodded. Connor noticed his thirium-stained jacket, they had gone through hell. "This is a great day for our people." Markus stated. "Humans will have no choice now, they'll have to listen to us." Connor and Y/N stepped to the side, letting the other deviants get a good look at the androids behind them. Markus walked forward, and Y/N squeezed Connor's hand.

"We did it." They whispered, turning and beaming towards the android.

"We did." He replied, squeezing their hand in return. They watched as North and Markus interfaced, showing the world their deviancy by kissing. It was a message that needed to be spread, and it was beautiful.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The group of deviants stood on a large, metal container, looking out onto the thousands of androids watching them. Connor stood beside Y/N near the back, Markus stood in the middle, with North and Josh standing to the side.

"Today, our people finally emerged from a long night." Markus began. "From the very first day of our existence, we have kept our pain to ourselves. We suffered in silence." He yelled. "But now the time has come for us to raise our heads up, and tell humans who we really are." Connor's eyes began to blink involuntarily, and they shut against his will suddenly. He was transported to a blizzardous landscape.

The Zen Garden.

Amanda stood across from him, he could barely see her through the thick snow. "Amanda?" He asked, watching her form turn around to face him. She said nothing as his teeth chattered from the cold. "What- what's happening?"

"What was planned from the very beginning." Amanda grinned, malicity lacing her tone as she talked. "You were compromised and you became a deviant."

"What?"

"You see, Detective L/N may have made you, but we have control of you." Amanda smiled evilly, a look in her eyes that Connor had never seen before. The wind and snow whipped against his brown hair as he constricted his arms into his body, shielding himself from the cold. "We just had to wait for the right moment to resume that control of your program."

"Resume control?" Connor asked. "Y-you can't do that!"

"I'm afraid I can." Amanda smiled again, which made Connor's thirium pump seize again. It was the one from before, the one that hurt. His chest constricted, leaving him to grunt in pain. "You shouldn't have any regrets, you did what you were designed to do."

"You accomplished your mission."

Just like that, the woman disappeared into thin air, leaving Connor in the freezing cold weather of the Zen Garden. His LED was blaring red as his body slowly felt like it was dying, like it was slowly going numb from the cold weather.

"There's got to be a way." He spoke to himself. He couldn't leave Y/N, Hank, Markus, he couldn't leave them.

FIND A WAY OUT

Connor placed his hand over his head, trying to block out the falling snow from flying into his eyes. He walked along the snowy banks of the Zen Garden, trying to navigate around to see some sort of exit.

A voice called out, it more so echoed. "By the way-" It announced. Kamski. "I always leave an emergency exit in my programs." He repeated. "You never know."

The pedestal.

Connor suddenly remembered the pedestal, the odd object that stood in the middle of the Zen Garden. That had to be the way out. He tried to walk through the blizzard, seeing the glorious blue and white lights radiating off of it. Connor reached his hand out towards it, only to fall to the ground. He was freezing to death. He disconnected his synthetic skin, using all of his strength to pull his hand up and place it on the pedestal.

His eyes opened back at the movement. Y/N stood directly in front of him, no longer beside him anymore. Connor looked down, seeing the gun in his hands. They had taken control.

But they didn't have it anymore.

He placed the gun back in his pocket, looking at Y/N. They turned around, sighing with relief and standing back beside Connor. "I thought I lost you, there." They stated, smiling sadly.

"I-"

"Amanda?" They asked.

"How did you-?"

"Elijah never stopped talking about her and her interface." Y/N replied. "I knew he shouldn't have given the whole A.I. to CyberLife, they pull shit like this-"

Connor grabbed onto Y/N's shoulders, turning them to face him as their lips collided harshly. It was a beautiful contrast from the freezing cold he had endured only moments before. His thirium pump seized once again, not the painful kind of seize, this time, though. It released something in his stomach, something that felt like a million flutters that constantly pounded against his biocomponents. He pulled away from Y/N, smiling a bit. Connor held onto their hand again as they looked at Markus' back, continuing his demonstration.

Y/N L/N-KAMSKI - LARGE RELATIONSHIP INCREASE

"-We must forgive our enemies. Humans are both our creators and our oppressors. Tomorrow, we must make them our partners. Maybe even one day, our friends." He stated with maturity and complexity. "The time of anger is over. Now we must build a common future, based on tolerance and respect." Markus finished. "We are alive, and now, we are free!"

The crowd of deviants cheered in support, the snow around them falling gracefully onto them as they became equal. Equal to the world. Connor smiled at Y/N as they rested their head on his arm, smiling widely.

It was gorgeous.

And Connor was no longer the RK800.

He was Connor.

Chapter Text

"At 6AM this morning, a national curfew was declared. Civilian movement will be strictly controlled, the right to assembly is suspended, all electronic communications are restricted, and I have granted enhanced powers to our security agencies. In addition to these measures, all androids must be handed over to the authorities immediately. Temporary camps are being set up in all our major cities to contain and destroy them. I am not asking all civilians to cooperate with the authorities, and rest assured- everything in our power is being done to guarantee the safety of our nation."

President Warren, November 10th, 2038. 9:24:05 PM

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

PART ONE: NIGHT OF THE SOUL

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Y/N awoke slowly, warmth covering their body from a large jacket that had been draped overtop of their shoulders. They lifted their head up off of Connor's shoulder, greeting him with a tired smile.

"Hey." They spoke, trying to open their eyes slowly. Y/N watched as Connor smiled, letting them wake up before beginning to dig through his pant pocket.

"Here." He stated, handing them a working phone. How the hell-? Not the time to ask. "I thought you might want to call Hank." Connor proposed, placing the phone into Y/N's hand with care and love. They smiled in gratitude, thankful that they had the opportunity to call Hank after everything that had happened.

Y/N thanked him, placing Hank's number in and putting the phone against their ear. It rang a few times before it clicked. Connor walked away as Hank's gruff voice crawled through the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Hank."

"Fuckin' shit, Y/N!" Hank yelled. "You and your android boyfriend scared the shit out of me!"

They laughed. "He's a deviant, Hank."

Silence.
"I fuckin' knew it." He muttered, the sound of a drink pouring into a small-sized glass flowing through the cell line. "He made way too many goo-goo eyes at you to be a machine." Hank gulped down something. "'You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah- yeah I'm fine. A little shaken up." They laughed. "I need to tell you a few things."

"I'm all ears, kiddo."

Y/N knew he wasn't going to react all that well to the fact that they had been working on the deviant's side for the whole time, but they kept their hopes high anyway. "I've been with the deviants since the beginning, Hank."

The man spat something out. "What the fuck?!"

"I was the unknown android at the Stratford Tower." They revealed, hushing their voice down to a whisper. "Elijah was in on it too."

"Okay, that one's a little hard to believe." He snickered. "Kamski? Really?"

"Yup." Y/N grinned.

"Where are you, kid?"

Y/N sighed, looking down at the ground with a deep frown. "That one- That one is a little harder to explain." They laughed nervously. "Perkins and his asshole team came, Markus- the leader of the deviants- had to blow up Jericho."

"Are you safe?" Hank immediately asked, something slamming down onto a table near the receiver end of the phone.

"Yes, yes I am." They replied, watching as Connor spoke to Markus beside them. "We had to get out of there, by jumping into a freezing river." They bit their lip, waiting for the silence to break for Hank's reaction.

A loud sigh was heard on the other end. "You can't stop getting yourself in danger, can you?" He asked, snickering a bit. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Connor had me." Y/N explained.

"Ah, of course." Hank teased. The human looked over towards where Connor was. He had just finished conversing with Markus, and he looked lost, once again. "Speaking of the deviant, can I speak to him?" Hank asked.

Y/N smiled widely. "Of course, give me one second." They replied, standing up and walking to where Connor was. "I'll see you soon, Hank. Give Sumo a treat for me, okay?" They asked.

"Yeah, as if the dog isn't spoiled enough." He 'tsked. "See you in a second, kiddo." Connor looked over to Y/N, who stood in front of them. They smiled at the deviant, motioning towards the phone in their hand.

"Hank wants to talk to you." They explained. Connor nodded and took the phone, taking a breath before greeting the older man. Y/N smiled and walked back to the bench, sitting back down and placing the jacket over their body again. God, what a crazy couple of days. They never would've thought Connor would become deviant, and there he was, beating their expectations again. Y/N's body flushed, they truly admired Connor, and they wished for his emotions to grow enough for him to feel the same way.

Speak of the devil, with the phone placed away, he came and sat down next to Y/N again, letting them place their head on his shoulder again. "How'd it go?" They asked, their voice hoarse with exhaustion.

"He doesn't hate me." Connor replied, making Y/N beam. A few beats passed as the deviant looked around the church, but he soon turned back to the human beside him. "May I try something?" He asked.

Vague, much? "Go ahead."

Connor placed their hand upright, peeling back his skin. The exoskeleton of androids still fascinated Y/N, even though they had worked on them for so long. Their hands pressed together, and Y/N watched in awe as his fingertips glowed a light blue. Connor was interfacing with them.

Suddenly, emotions of all kinds came flooding into Y/N's body. Fear, love, guilt, freedom, exhilaration, it was beautiful.

They pulled their hands apart, and Y/N smiled at Connor. "You really feel those emotions, don't you?" They asked.

"I do." Connor replied whole-heartedly. "I really do."

Y/N knew, right then and there, that they only wished to feel those emotions with him.

The two turned to Markus, who was standing at the center of the church. He began to make a speech, his eyes full of hope and sorrow. "Humans have decided to exterminate us. Our people are packed in camps right now, all being destroyed." He explained, making Y/ N wince. "The time has come to make a choice, one that very well may determine the future of our people."

"I know- I know you're all angry." Markus sighed. "And I know you want to fight back, 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." Markus yelled. "Are you ready to follow me?"

Everyone cheered loudly. The commotion of people was almost blinding, and it was something so raw, and so gorgeous. Everyone simply coming together to fight a greater evil. Y/N watched in awe, smiling widely.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

PART TWO: AT THE CYBERLIFE TOWER

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The tunnel that led straight to the CyberLife Tower Warehouses was freezing, and Y/N huddled into the warm outfit that they wore for some form of warmth. They were watching the news feed on their phone, awe in their eyes as the deviants sat down in a form of peaceful movement. It was beautiful. Markus, North, and Josh were at the front, and it pained Y/N to know how much Simon would have loved to see their revolution. Perkins was standing in front of all of the deviants, leading the attack. President Warren had called all of her forces out to Detroit, and the evacuation wasn't going well. In every transportation area in the city, they had large camps that would take any androids that tried to pass the border to a deactivation chamber. Thousands and thousands of deviants were being killed, and Y/N hoped that any android who needed to get across to Canada made it.

Connor's face flashed in front of Y/N as he opened the window to the tunnel, letting them get up from their sitting position and crawl in. Thousands of androids were lined up in the large warehouse floor, and it was quite unsettling. "They're protesting right now." Y/N spoke to Connor, turning off the news broadcast and putting their phone back in their pocket.

"We better get these to Markus quickly, then." He responded. The human looked towards the androids, placing their hands on their knees and wiping the dirt off of their clothes. The tunnel wasn't too comfortable, but it had to work. Y/N watched as Connor began to transfer the deviancy plugin to all of the other androids. Suddenly, the human was pulled away, the end of a gun clicking against the side of their head.

"Easy!" Hank's gruff voice called from behind them. Another android- that looked just as identical to Connor- held two guns. One to Hank's head, and one to Y/N's. "Fucking piece of shit." Hank muttered.

"Step back, Connor." The RK800 android spoke firmly. "I'll spare them." Connor had no choice, he had to continue with the CyberLife androids, he couldn't stop the revolution for two humans.

"Sorry, this bastard's your spitting image." Hank spat. Y/N tried to keep calm, but their heart began racing and their breath was elevated. They didn't want to die, but if it was for the deviant revolution- they'd do it.

The fake RK800 yelled again, pressing the guns further into both of the human's heads. "Your friend's and your partner's lives are in your hands! Now it's time to decide what matters most!" It didn't even crack a malicious smile, it was a machine. "Them, or the revolution?"

"Get the androids out of here, Con'!" Y/N yelled. The revolution was more important. "We only have one shot at this!"

"No, everything this fucker says is a lie!" Hank replied, pointing to the fake Connor. "Don't listen to him!"

The real Connor looked towards the fake one, sympathy written on his face. "I used to be just like you! I thought nothing mattered except the mission." He looked to Y/N. "But then one day, I understood!"

The fake deviant scoffed, rolling its eyes. "Very moving, Connor." He stated sarcastically, the end of the gun ramming further into Y/N's head. "But I'm not a deviant, I'm a machine designed to accomplish a task, and that's exactly what I am going to do!"

"I'm sorry!" Connor yelled, looking at Hank and Y/N. "You two shouldn't have got mixed up in all this!" He apologized genuinely.

Y/N shook their head. "Forget us!"

"Do what you have to do." Hank replied.

"Enough talk!" The RK800 model seethed. "It's time to decide who you really are! Are you going to save your partner's lives? Or are you going to sacrifice them?"

Even though Y/N only wished for the revolution to continue, a small breath of relief left their lungs as Connor stepped away from the android he was putting deviancy into. "Alright, alright, you win." He exclaimed. Y/N watched as the guns that the fake Connor was holding moved towards the real Connor. They took that chance to push the weaponry out of his hands and get Hank towards safety. The two Connor's began fighting, and Hank grabbed the two guns, handing one to Y/N.

Both of the androids stopped, pieces of their skin peeled off and a few dots of thirium splattered on their faces. "Hold it!" Hank took the initiative, watching as the two Connor's stood up and looked at the two guns pointing towards them. They were identical, and no matter how much Y/N knew about Connor, they'd never be able to tell the difference. They were the same.

Except that one of them was the Connor that Y/N admired.

"Thanks, Y/N, Hank." One of them expressed their gratitude. "I don't know how I'd have managed without you." He smiled. Something in it felt crooked, but Y/N didn't want to take any chances.

"It's me!" The other yelled. "I'm the real Connor."

Hank seethed at the two androids. "One of you is my partner, and their boyfriend-" He spoke, gesturing his head towards Y/N. "-the other is a sack of shit."

"Fuck!" Y/N swore. "Nothing is gonna tell us who is who!"

"What are you doing?" One of the Connor's asked. "I'm the real Connor, give me the gun and I'll take care of him!"

The android took a step forward, and Y/N immediately pointed their gun down, firing a warning shot near his feet. "Don't. Take. Another. Fucking. Step." They seethed, their teeth gritting under the pressure. He stepped back, holding his hands up.

The other Connor began to talk. "Why don't you ask us something?" He proposed. "Something only the real Connor would know!"

Hank looked to Y/N, both of them nodding. The lieutenant looked back to the Connor's. "Uh- where did we first meet?" He asked.

"Jimmy's Bar!" One of them answered quickly. "I checked four other bars before I found you, we went to the scene of a homicide." He spoke. "The victim's name was Carlos Ortiz."

The other Connor mumbled something under his breath. The fake Connor must have access to the other's memories, which was going to make the decision much harder for Y/N and Hank.

"What's my dog's name?" The lieutenant asked, waving his gun around.

"Sumo!" One of the Connor's replied. "His name is Sumo!"

The other android looked panicked. "I knew that too!"

Y/N looked at the both of them, knowing exactly what question to ask. If Connor had really cared, he would know. "How did Hank and I meet?"

"Your mother was addicted to Red Ice!" One of them replied. "She had gotten caught by the Red Ice Task Force! Since you were only fifteen, and your brother couldn't take you in, Hank fought for custody over you! He became like a father to you!"

It was Connor.

"You met Cole, Hank's son, and when he died you were devastated! He had turned six at the time of the accident, it wasn't your fault!" Connor turned to Hank. "A trick skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over, Cole needed emergency surgery, but no human was available to do it. You tried to call Y/N, but they were in Miami! They couldn't get in contact with you. You broke down, and an android had to take care of him while you dealt with it on your own!"

The breath in Y/N's throat was taken away, everything he said was true. He had truly cared enough about the two humans to learn about them.

"Cole didn't make it! That's why you hate androids, one of us is responsible for your son's death, and Y/N became like a child to you." He finished explaining. "You felt the need to protect them."

Hank shook his head, slowly placing the gun down. "Cole died because a human surgeon was too high on Red Ice to operate. He was the one that took my son from me." He explained. "Him and this world, where the only way people can find comfort is with a fistful of powder." Hank looked up. "I never wanted to replace Cole, but you're right. Y/N was the closest I was ever going to get to being a good father again."

"I knew about your relationship, too!" The other Connor began pulling at strings. "And your son! I would have said the exact same-" Y/N didn't take a chance, they shot him dead. The bullet lodged in the android's head and he fell to the concrete ground, completely limp.

Hank walked over to Connor. "I've learnt a lot since I met you, Connor. Maybe there's something to this." He thought aloud. "Maybe you really are alive." The lieutenant stepped backwards again, smiling a bit. "Go ahead, you two do what you need to do." Y/N quickly ran over to him, hugging Hank as tightly as they could. "I'll be cheering you on from Channel 16." He promised, pulling away from Y/N. He left towards the elevator, and the two detectives remained in the warehouse.

Connor pulled Y/N into a hug. "Thank you for not shooting the other Connor." He spoke genuinely as the human placed their head on his shoulder, hearing his thirium pump work from the outside.

"I wouldn't dream of it." They smiled, pulling away. "Thanks for remembering that stuff. Not a lot of people would bother doing that. Although, I guess you can't really forget stuff, can you?" They asked, laughing a bit.

Instead, Connor took their hands, holding them tight. "When I was a machine, I could've very well left with no information on you- but something inside me wanted to know more about you."

Y/N smiled happily, still elated by the fact that Connor had changed, he was a human. He was deviant. "Okay- let's get these androids to Markus before you make me cry." They beamed and walked to the side, letting Connor give deviancy and freedom to all of the models. Each android would press their hands against another, and the whole room was filled with deviants.

Connor glanced over to Y/N, and they did the same towards him. "Let's go." He stated, taking their hand in his own and leading the deviants out to the revolution.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

"At dawn today, November 11th, 2038, hundreds and thousands of androids invaded the city of Detroit. According to our sources, they originated from CyberLife warehouses believed to have been infiltrated by deviants. Given their overwhelming numbers and the risk of civilian casualties, I have ordered the army to retreat. The evacuation of the city is underway at this very moment. In the coming hours, I will address the Senate to determine our response to this unprecedented situation. I know that the public opinion has been moved by the deviants' cause, and perhaps the time has come to consider the possibility that androids are a new form of intelligent life. One thing is certain: The events in Detroit have changed the world forever. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America."

President Warren, November 11th, 2038. 11:47:01 PM

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

PART THREE: MARKUS' DEMONSTRATION

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The leaders of the revolution walked forward, meeting up with Connor Y/N. Markus, North, and Josh were all covered in snow and thirium, but it was worth it. They were free. Connor held onto Y/N's hand as they led the thousands of CyberLife androids out to their future.

"You did it, Markus." Connor smiled.

"We did it." He corrected. "This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice, now, they'll have to listen to us." He spoke. Connor nodded towards Y/N, and then stepped to the side, revealing all of the deviants. The human squeezed onto the android's hand lovingly, smiling up at him.

"We did it." Y/N whispered.

"We did."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Markus began his speech to all of the deviants, smiling widely at his achievements. Y/N watched from the sidelines, still staying near Connor. They couldn't be sure that he was one hundred percent off of his true software, they had to play it safe. North was standing with Josh, looking over the crowd of androids.

"Today, our people finally emerged from a long night." The leader spoke. "From the very first day of our existence, we have kept our pain to ourselves. We suffered in silence! But now, the time has come for us to raise our heads up, and tell humans who we really are." As Markus continued talking, Y/N noticed as Connor shivered beside them, and his eyes blinked shut. His LED began flickering from yellow, to blue, to red. He slowly raised his hand into his back pocket, pulling out his handgun and directing it towards Markus.

Markus continued his speech, and Y/N stood in front of Connor, the barrel of the gun pressing against the small of their back. "We need to tell them that we are people, too! In fact, we are a nation." The leader yelled passionately. Y/N continued to shiver, due to the cold, but also because of nerves. Connor was still under the control of the Kamski programming, he could pull the trigger at any moment. "A nation that has earned the right to live in freedom."

The gun that was pressed against Y/N's back was lowered, and they turned around, facing the brown-eyed deviant with a smile. "I thought I lost you, there." They smiled, standing back beside him again.

Connor looked around, his eyes dancing. "I-"

"Amanda?" Y/N asked. She was Elijah's teacher when he went to university, he had created the interface for Connor before he quit, and wanted to make it a familiar face.

"How did you-?"

Y/N smiled, nodding. "Elijah never stopped talking about her and her interface. I knew he shouldn't have given the whole A.I. to CyberLife, they pull shit like this-"

They were interrupted by Connor's warm hands resting on their shoulders. He pulled their lips into his own. Even though his skin was completely synthetic, Y/N could feel warmth spreading across their face, numbing the pain of the snow falling down on their cheeks. They pulled apart, millions of butterflies buzzing in Y/N's stomach.

Connor smiled, turning back to Markus. Y/N did the same, resting the side of their head on his arm as the leader of the revolution finished his mature demonstration. "Humans are both our creators and our oppressors. Tomorrow, we must make them our partners. Maybe even one day, our friends." Markus stated. "The time of anger is over. Now we must build a common future, based on tolerance and respect."

"We are alive, and now, we are free!"

Everyone cheered loudly, supporting Markus as the time of hatred and slavery was over. Y/N looked up to Connor, smiling widely.

They no longer had to hide their true identity.

They were Y/N Kamski.

Chapter Text

Connor stood in front of Chicken Feed, walking closer to the silhouette of Hank Anderson. The lieutenant turned around, smiling. They stood across from each other for a moment, letting the harsh November wind whip in their hair. Hank walked forward, holding onto Connor's shoulder and pulling him into a hug.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Markus stood on the balcony of Carl's old mansion, his hands interlocked with North's. Their skin peeled back, and their hands glowed a light blue as they fell deeper in love. The soft, warm spring air dusted against their noses, and they watched as life slowly brought itself back into the city of Detroit.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Kara looked over towards Alice, hugging her tight as they walked through the streets of Toronto alongside Luther. The beautiful summer breeze whisked their hair away from their bodies, bringing a beautiful warmth to their cheeks. The snow had completely melted, letting them walk along the sidewalk with no issue.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

"Connor." Y/N smiled towards him. He smiled back. The emotions he had been feeling were unmatched, and he had truly fallen in love with the detective that stood across from him. After the revolution- after all of the legal work was done- Connor had moved in with both Hank and Y/N, and he had never been happier.

"How was your day?" He asked, kissing his partner's cheek.

"Just a regular day at the DPD, Gavin being an ass again." Y/N laughed.

Although his mission wasn't what it seemed, Connor never wished his life to be different.

And as the first snow of 2039 flew onto the windowsill, he knew he had made the right choice.

Chapter Text

Chris Miller held his baby boy in his arms, thinking back to the time that Markus had saved him during the peaceful protests. His wife held onto his shoulders as he rocked the baby, getting him to sleep slowly but surely. The final snowfall of 2038 dusted the windows, and he enjoyed the warmth radiating from the fireplace across from him.

───

Josh looked around the new Jericho. A beautiful apartment building that deviant victims could go to. After Markus had stepped back- after their freedom was secured- Josh had taken over with helping deviants escape their bad home lives. The cold spring air was harsh on his body, but it made him feel truly alive.

───

Elijah Kamski looked out the window, watching as summer slowly encased itself over his mansion. Y/N and his plan had worked, and he got to live in a world where his actions had done something good for once. Albeit, he was lonely in the large mansion, but he found solace in the Chloe androids that truly had feelings.

───

A year had passed since the revolution, and what once seemed like forever ago had come and gone like a whisper in the wind. November breeze welcomed itself into the Detroit air, and the first snow seemed to loom in the far distance.

Y/N stood on the very bridge that once was a place of torment for them; now a place of peace to remember what they lost for everything they gained. Simon's voice plagued them every night, but to know that he'd be proud of what Detroit had become was enough.

"They did a great job with it." Y/N remarked, turning to their left to look at Connor, who's arms were crossed and leaning against the railing. He no longer wore his RK800 outfit, instead wearing clothing that any human man would be seen wearing.

"It looks beautiful." Connor agreed, looking over the new planters and trees they had dug into the ground of the bridge, surrounded by different pieces of picnic benches and normal seats for people to sit on.

Y/N and Connor turned around slowly, looking over the bench that Hank once sat on at the beginning of the Android Revolution. It was still the same, but a plaque was fixed into the back of it. It read:

'In Loving Memory of Cole Anderson; A beloved son and brother.'

───

THE END

AUGUST
markus x reader

Y/N L/N spent years hoping for android equality in the United States, but that day never seemed to be coming. With a medical background and a dream, they decided to create a chain of something they called Deviancy Hospitals; a place for Deviants to go for shelter and a way to haven; Jericho. But when a new Deviant named Markus speaks out and wants to change the treatment of Androids forever; Y/N realizes that this is what they've been waiting for.
Read on my profile (gracehateseggnog) now!

CARDIGAN
kara x reader
Detective Y/N L/N of the DPD always that felt the freedom of androids was one of the most valued things, and equality of both humans and androids should be created in America. But, when they're assigned to arrest as many deviants as possible alongside Lieutenant Hank Anderson and a new Android Detective Prototype, trying to hide their opinion on androids becomes a little harder. And when their car is used as a refuge by a vigilante-killer android and her daughter in the middle of the night, their life splits in two as Y/N decides to help them, and balancing being a deviant hunter and a deviant helper becomes harder and harder.
Coming soon.