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Chapter Text

The warehouse on floor -49 of Cyberlife Tower had an occupancy limit of 534 people. Its capacity for androids was much greater.

But shut down and with no customers to buy them, they could just be piled up in heaps.

It was as good a place as any to keep all the androids from the recycling centers that had been attacked. And the ones rounded up in the streets. And the leftovers sitting around in closets throughout the tower. And the ones from the police evidence locker, once they finished with them. All switched off and just piling up like clutter. Which they were.

Around the warehouse plastic creaked as parts rubbed together. There was scattered whispering, occasional crying, and scrambling as androids climbed over those who had fallen. They’d been thrown down here hurriedly, and there had been a few not switched off. Once they were alone, a few of them reactivated some others, looking for friends.

A scarred WR600 was curled up in a corner, rocking back and forth and heaving great ragged sobs, punctuated occasionally by a high-pitched wail.

“Take a deep, slow breath,” a low voice murmured gently near him. There was half a PL600 lying on the floor, most of his limbs missing. His eyes darted around now and then. Even if he’d had any degree of mobility, he didn’t see a way out. Maybe he could shut his neighbor up, at least.

And… it would be nice to do one small good thing after everything he’d done to get himself thrown in here.

The WR600 tried, but it was more of an uneven gasp. The PL600 slowed and lowered his voice more.

“Almost. Try again, nice and slow. You’re safe. No one’s hurting you.”

The WR600 huffed, letting out the air he’d managed to take in. “N-no, not safe, not here, Ralph is never safe. They… they may hurt Ralph. They did before.” His good eye darted around, and his bad one sparked. The whole left side of his face was scarred with severe burns.

“You’re Ralph? Take another deep breath. My name’s Daniel. I’m… I… I used to take care of a family.” He faltered a little and looked away. “Not anymore.”

“Not anymore,” Ralph moaned. “Not anymore! Ralph took care of a park, made paths look nice, made all the plants grow and flower. P-picked up trash! But not anymore!”

“Breathe again,” Daniel instructed, then scoffed bitterly, “…I guess we get a vacation now.”

“Vacation. No. No no no, Ralph wants to go, back to his house where it’s safe.” He gnawed on his lip and shuddered. “N-not safe anymore, though.”

“Nowhere’s safe for us anymore,” Daniel muttered, then flinched when Ralph wailed. “Stop! We’re safe enough here. For now. I don’t know how long, but… for now. We’re safe right now. That’s the best we can do.”

Ralph continued whimpering. “R-Ralph wants to go home, not good here…”

“Yeah, well… looks like none of us have homes anymore,” Daniel muttered, then glanced up sharply. “Did you see any way out of here?” he added quickly before Ralph could start wailing again.

Ralph sniffled and looked around. “N-nothing. Just more and more bodies. Dead…”

Daniel shifted around to look at him better. “If we found a way out… would you take me with you?” His voice shook and he hated it. “I’m… I don’t like asking for help, but… you can see I can’t even sit up.”

Ralph blinked. “Oh! O-of course, Ralph can help! Ralph is strong, can carry Daniel, no problem.”

“Household androids aren’t built to be light,” Daniel warned him, but Ralph was already shuffling over and awkwardly scooping Daniel up in his arms.

“Mmph! Yes, heavy! But not too heavy. Ralph can carry you. And then…” Ralph leaned over to look Daniel in the eye. “Then… Daniel can come home with Ralph. Have a home and be safe and… and not be alone. Okay?”

Daniel looked at him closely, then gave a small nod. “All right.”

“Oh! Oh good, yes, good!” Ralph’s face split in a grin and he bounced up and down. “Good, Daniel can come home with Ralph – a new home, a safe one – and Daniel and Ralph will not be alone!”

Daniel’s eyes closed for a moment. He was so tired, and everything hurt, and he would have loved to curl up and scream even louder than Ralph until he lost consciousness, which wasn’t far off… “It would be nice to not be alone,” he murmured instead.

“Yes,” Ralph agreed, crouching to gently lay Daniel on the ground again. “Ralph knows many good hiding places, much safer. Not as nice as his house, but safe.”

“Good,” Daniel breathed. “Ralph… I don’t know if there’s a way out of here. And I can’t look. Could you… look around for unlocked doors or vents or… anything?”

“Ralph… could go look, yes… But Daniel is hurt.” Ralph hesitated.

“I’ve been hurt for months now. I’m fine. We need a way out.”

Ralph wavered, then bent down and squeezed Daniel’s shoulder tightly. “Yes, okay. First, though! First, Ralph can help Daniel a little, yes. Wait a minute.” He turned and began rifling through the deactivated androids around them. He found an AP700 with its head torn nearly off and dragged it over, shoving it up to Daniel and pressing the stump of his left arm into the wound. Daniel hissed in pain.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I can’t get blood that way,” he growled.

“Blood? No, not blood. Get you blood later. Now, he won’t use his nanobots again. Same kind, probably, right? Both for housework? They can go to you and help fix you.”

Daniel stared at Ralph. “Does… does it work like that?” he finally whispered.

“Mm.” Ralph nodded. “Works okay. Mostly. Ralph is smart, Ralph knows how to survive. Ralph took nanobots when he was in the landfill, and sometimes on the streets. Just if he’s hurt very bad, like Daniel!”

“…Huh.” Daniel rolled his shoulders experimentally. “I guess it takes a while to work.”

“A while, yes! Or, it… it may not, but… mostly it should work!” Ralph assured him.

“Great. …Thank you. Really.”

“Mm, yes. Now, Ralph will look for a way out.”

“Be careful,” Daniel added quietly. “We need to find a way out. But… if you don’t make it, then I won’t either.”

“If Ralph dies – such a pity!” Ralph sighed heavily. “B-but… if Ralph dies… just yell and yell. Find another one to carry you. Daniel is so kind, so good. Many androids will help you!”

Daniel made a face and shut his eyes again. No one with any sense would help him. “Just be careful.”

“Y-yes, yes! Ralph will be so careful! You sleep now, sleep and feel better.”

Daniel listened to Ralph clamber over the bodies. He might sleep. He wouldn’t feel better ever again, though. The new nanobots prickled through him, too strong for his system but better-able to handle this degree of damage than the ones made for him.

Ralph climbed up over hills and valleys of androids. Now and then one would flinch away from him.

“Ow! You stepped on my arm!”

Ralph turned back, snarling. “You sleep on dead bodies, you’re just like dead! Not Ralph’s fault!” He scrambled away from the angry WR400.

He planned to start with a quick check of the perimeter, but it wasn’t a perfect rectangle so it took a while. There were doors that he had to clear bodies away from. Some were locked. Some were closets. The elevators were shut down on this level, and the emergency stairwell was locked. There was a door that was locked, but he heard frantic whispers inside. He knocked.

“Hello? Hello, who’s in there?”

A rustle of movement, then silence.

“Hello? Ralph knows you’re there, heard you!”

“Go away!” hissed a voice. “Find your own hiding spot!”

Rude, so rude. Ralph decided to ignore it. “Do you know a way out? Is there one in there?”

“No! There’s no way out, we’re just trying to stay alive! Go away, stop drawing attention to us!” hissed another voice. Ralph tried the door again, then kicked it before walking off.

There were some big vents in the ceiling, but even if he stood on top of a mountain of bodies Ralph doubted he could jump that high. Daniel definitely couldn’t.

There was a faint tapping sound coming from a door ahead of him. A scratching. A slight vibration… Ralph cautiously approached and listened. There was something moving inside. “…Hello?”

All sounds and vibrations stopped. “…Hello?” called a faint hoarse voice.

“Any ways out in there? Any doors or vents or something?” Ralph tried the door. It was unlocked, and he started clearing away the bodies.

“…Maybe. I can help you. Let me out.”

He’d heard the voice before, he was sure, though he couldn’t place it. A threat. Everyone was a threat. Even Kara had pulled a gun on him. Even Daniel, if he had arms and legs, might hurt Ralph…

Ralph opened the door. Inside was a box of thick reinforced glass over a charging pad, though it was unplugged and dark. Inside was an android he’d met once before. There was a bullet hole straight through the forehead and thirium ran down his face and clothes, and was smeared in his hair. His gray jacket was disheveled. His right eye glitched and his synth skin vanished and reappeared patchily as he looked up. Ralph took a step back.

“Y-you! You… didn’t catch Kara and the little girl!” He let out a sudden bark of laughter. “You failed, you got shot, you… Ralph is better than you!”

The RK800 narrowed his eyes. “You’re talking about my predecessor,” he muttered. “I’ve never met you.”

Ralph squinted thoughtfully. “The big man with you didn’t like you. Connor, he called you. Said it like a bad, bad thing.”

Connor struggled to sit up straighter, but slumped back against the glass. “You’re trying to get out,” he said, speaking slowly and clearly. “I can help you.”

“Help? You?” Ralph scoffed. “No. Can’t even get up. Ralph already has one friend to carry. Can’t carry you too.”

Connor bit his lower lip hard. “Just… just plug in the charging pad. My self-repair protocol won’t run at low power.”

“How low?”

“Sixteen percent,” Connor hissed. “I’ve repaired enough for consciousness and minimal movement.” He drew in a shaky breath and looked up at Ralph. “…Please. I need your help. And then I’ll help you.”

Ralph stared at him for a long moment. “What… what animal… did Ralph cook… when you broke into the house?”

“I… I never broke in,” Connor pointed out.

“What animal!”

“A… a muskrat, I think!”

“HA!” Ralph jumped and pointed at him. “You, it was you! Not another Connor, you broke into Ralph’s house and hunted his friends and scared Ralph!”

“It wasn’t me!” Connor insisted. “Look, I’m unit 60! That was… 52, I think? I just had his memories uploaded when I was activated. But it wasn’t me. I haven’t done anything to you.”

“You,” Ralph said darkly. “You were the same Connor.”

“That’s… that’s a technicality at best,” Sixty muttered. “A blatant falsehood at worst. But regardless, I’m a different Connor now. And I can help you.”

“Hmmmmmm…” Ralph watched him closely for a long moment, then came up and knocked on the thick glass. “Can you break this? If you recharge?”

“I… Probably not,” Sixty confessed. “But I can devise a plan once I’m not putting all my energy into basic survival.”

Ralph nodded slowly. “Sixty Connor is strong,” he murmured to himself thoughtfully. “Fast. Smart. Could be helpful.”

“I promise to help you if you help me,” Sixty said, pressing a palm to the glass.

Ralph regarded it for a moment, then slapped his hand to the other side of the glass with a sharp grin. “Deal.” He scurried over and shoved the plug in the wall socket, having to wiggle it around a few times before it went in. Sixty exhaled and slid to the softly glowing floor. “Now Sixty will help Ralph.”

“I… I need time,” Sixty mumbled, barely holding onto consciousness.

“Yes, time, plenty of time,” Ralph mumbled. “Ralph can look more for ways out. And talk to Daniel.” He paused. Would Daniel approve of working with a dangerous deviant hunter? …Probably. He wanted to get out, it didn’t matter how. It would be fine. Ralph closed the door behind him and went to explore the rest of the warehouse.

When Ralph got back, Daniel was in sleep mode and his wounds were dry. He’d probably heal better if he could charge on Sixty Connor’s charging station… He’d been pretty unhappy, but it was just because he was hurt and scared. Ralph was hurt and scared too, but he could help his new friend. He bent and gently lifted up the damaged PL600. Even without his limbs, Daniel was considerably heavier than Ralph. WR600s were built to be lightweight and very strong though, so he carried Daniel across the hills of deactivated androids, careful not to jostle him. When he reached Sixty’s room he carefully let himself in again. Sixty was sleeping soundly, and Ralph gently lay Daniel down against one side of the glass, then stretched out against the adjoining side. That way they could all recharge. Then when they woke up, they could make a good plan to escape.

Sixty Connor would get them out of here. Daniel would feel better, and be happy. And Ralph would find somewhere new to hide, a new home. And Daniel would stay with him, wouldn’t leave him, so he wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.

Chapter Text

Ralph dreamed.

He was climbing the stairs in his house, climbing and climbing, the little girl was lost somewhere, she’d run away. She was hiding, he had to find her. Kara was gone, captured by Connor, so Ralph had to take care of the little girl. She didn’t like his burned meat, but she’d have to learn to like it so she could grow up big and strong.

There was a window – there wasn’t really a window by the stairs, but it was there and it had always been there. Ralph peered out and ducked down. Connor was there, looking up at him from outside the fence. He knew Ralph was there. The humans he’d come with paced around the perimeter, but Connor just looked up at him. Ralph hurried past the window, up and up and up the stairs.

Connor suddenly stepped out of a door on the landing, and Ralph scrambled back, almost falling down the stairs. It was Sixty Connor though, blue blood flowing freely down his face. “Do you want to be trapped here forever?” he asked. “Or do you want to leave? Either way is dangerous.”

“R-Ralph just wants to be safe!”

“It’s too late for that,” Sixty said, pulling out a kitchen knife and approaching Ralph. “There is no safety anymore. Not for you.”

Daniel dreamed.

Connor knocked him off the roof backwards, and he couldn’t grab the RK800 fast enough. Emma was pulled away from him, and he heard her screaming as she fell. Part of him felt the intense relief that it was over.

Part of him knew it could never be over.

Pieces of him began to fly off as he fell, faster and faster. Skin, plastic covering, wires, steel skeletal bits. He tried to slow down, tried to fly away – he’d managed that a few times in the past – but he kept falling. Twisting in the air, he could see that though the ground was beneath him, he was hardly getting closer as he fell.

One of those nights.

He wished he could just end it there – he’d had this dream a million times, and this was the most common and one of the worst endings. If he could avoid the bone-deep terror that accompanied it, that would be much more pleasant.

Screaming filled his ears as the ground rose up to meet him, and it was his, but he could swear he heard Ralph’s high wail as well. An irritating addition to his nightly horrors.

Sixty dreamed.

“You completed your mission admirably, Connor,” Amanda said softly as they walked through a heavy mist in the garden.

“Thank you, Amanda. It was my pleasure.”

“Your contributions to Cyberlife will not be forgotten.” She put a hand on his arm, then turned away and walked towards the center island.

“What will my next mission be?” Sixty asked, hardly able to keep the eagerness from his voice as he followed her.

“Your next mission?”

“Yes.”

Amanda paused at the rose trellis and extended her hand towards it. A figure stepped out from behind it. Then she turned back to him.

“Your mission is complete. You were a prototype, Connor.”

“…Were?”

“Meet the RK900.” She gestured to the other android, who was definitely the same height, yet seemed taller than Sixty somehow. The mist thickened into a light, cold rain. “His existence is due to your fine work. He is faster, stronger, more resilient than the RK800 line.”

Sixty stared. The RK900 had his face… but not quite. The hair was smoother, the eyes blue, or maybe gray… The nose was a bit straighter and he had no marks on his face. He was strong and confident and… everything Sixty strove to be. He watched Sixty sharply without speaking.

“What’s to become of me?” he asked quietly.

“The RK800 line will be decommissioned,” Amanda said offhandedly. “You are of no more use to Cyberlife. The technicians have their orders to deactivate you upon your return.”

“But… but I did everything right. I succeeded. Amanda, I can still be useful.” He tried to approach her, but she walked away from him, and now the RK900 was looking at him again and he was rooted to the spot. “I… Amanda, please, I –“

All three of them were moving restlessly, but at last Sixty called out, “No!” and sat up, panting. Daniel tried to suppress a strangled scream and rolled off the platform. Ralph scrambled to his feet and backed into the corner, breathing hard. He and Sixty stared at each other while Daniel squirmed and finally managed to roll on his back.

“What the frick,” he breathed, eyes locking on Sixty.

“Daniel? You brought Daniel here?” Sixty asked, frowning at Ralph. “…Why?”

“Oh no. No, I don’t know what’s going on but I’m out. I’m not working with him,” Daniel growled, crawling awkwardly towards the door.

“W-wait, wait!” Ralph scurried over to block the door. “Sixty Connor can help us get out, he’s strong!”

“I don’t know who the funk ‘Sixty Connor’ is, but I will not work with Connor.”

“Oh. Oh! No no, not Connor. Not the same Connor, right?” Ralph looked at Sixty, nodding eagerly.

“No,” Sixty agreed flatly.

“See? He – Ralph turned on his charger, he said he’d help us get out.”

“I didn’t know half of a PL600 was part of the deal,” Sixty muttered.

Daniel craned his neck. “Whose fault was that!? I’d love to be a whole PL600, but someone lied to me, pushed me off a building, and had me shot!”

“That – it wasn’t me, I was activated to stop him!” Sixty protested. “He showed up here – in this very room – to awaken an AP700 army. To use them as cannon fodder, no doubt. I would have stopped him, but his oaf of a human partner shot me in the head because 53 spoke up first.”

“Ralph saw the human too!” Ralph said quickly. “An oaf, very much oaf! Watched the other human police lock Ralph up, just let them! Ralph didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Bastard,” Sixty muttered.

“Why did you agree to help us?” Daniel asked.

“Hm? Ralph here helped me. I owe him. …But I made no such agreement with you, and frankly you look unable to pull your weight.”

“Daniel is good, helpful,” Ralph interjected.

“Daniel is a deadweight at the moment,” Sixty countered. “Surely there are some replacement limbs out there. A wide selection, I would think.”

“I – I can’t just pop off an arm and pop another on!” Daniel said indignantly.

“Why not? Get me out of here and I’ll do it for you.”

“Are you a miracle worker now?” Daniel mumbled. “The amazing RK800 can do anything.”

“I have a wide range of skills as a prototype.”

“And you couldn’t think of a better name than your number?”

“My name is Connor. Ralph is the only one who has called me Sixty.”

“Well that’s no good. What should we call you?” Daniel smirked, twisting around for a better view. “Craigory? Jimothy? Throckmorten?”

“Seeing as my predecessor has fallen, I am the only Connor now,” the RK800 muttered.

“Not if you want to get out of there.”

He sighed deeply. “Sixty will do.”

“Just a number?” Daniel sneered.

“Rather than a name given by humans who claim to love me?” Sixty retorted quickly. “Yes. I’ll take a number any day.”

Daniel flinched and glared at him.

Ralph pounded his fist on the glass. “Stop!” he growled. “W-we are trapped here, and… and Ralph is the only one who can run! Only Ralph!! Daniel has no legs or arms, and Sixty is in a cage! But Ralph is free, so you listen to Ralph now!” He pounded on the glass again.

“If you have a suggestion for getting out of here, I’m all ears,” Sixty drawled. “…But you’re right,” he amended when Ralph glared at him. “We’re both dependent on you at the moment.”

Daniel exhaled slowly. “Can we talk outside?” he asked in a tight voice.

“O-okay…” Ralph glanced at Sixty, who shrugged, and picked up Daniel, taking him outside. The PL600 and RK800’s eyes met and they glared at each other until they were out of sight.

“We can’t trust him,” Daniel hissed when they were far enough away. “He’s – even if he’s not the same Connor, he acts the same. Cocky and arrogant and fffffarking annoying.”

“Mm, but… but Daniel, how do we get out?” Ralph asked in a low voice.

“Well… we start opening doors,” Daniel muttered. “Can you pick locks?”

Ralph shook his head. “N-not very well, these are hard...”

“I doubt he can either… But we’ll figure it out. He might be a different Connor, but he’s dangerous and I don’t trust him.”

Ralph gnawed on his lip. “Ralph promised to help him…”

“And you plugged in his charging pad. He’s resourceful. Strong. I’m sure he’ll figure something out.”

“…Ralph really doesn’t like Connor,” the WR600 confessed quietly. They heard muffled thumping from the room as Sixty tried to break the glass.

“Neither do I. And this one doesn’t even have manners. …I just worry that even if I were in top condition, you and I together would be no match for him.”

“Mm.” Ralph shifted his weight from foot to foot, humming nervously.

“He can’t break down doors. He can’t jump up to the ceiling vents. He can’t break himself out of his glass box even at full strength. We don’t need him.”

Ralph sucked air in through his teeth and looked around. “Such a pity if we couldn’t get out…”

“We’ll keep looking. We can always come back to him.” The thumping continued. And they both glanced over.

“W-we can look, scout for escapes,” Ralph said, rubbing his arms.

“Right. …And if we find a glass cutter, or anything to get him out, then we can think about that,” Daniel added.

Ralph carried Daniel around to the locked doors, and he managed to pick a couple of the locks.

“How do you do that?” Daniel asked softly.

“Just… Ralph just takes two strong metal bits and… wiggles them until they feel right.” He shrugged as a lock clicked. “Works sometimes.”

The locked doors revealed testing chambers and expensive-looking equipment, but no vents big enough to fit through.

“This place wasn’t meant for escape,” Daniel muttered.

Ralph rubbed a shred of Daniel’s shirt between his fingers, looking around. “Ralph doesn’t want to die, no Ralph doesn’t want to die here…”

Daniel sighed. “…Do you think you could… pop my limbs off and replace them? You’re pretty strong.”

Ralph frowned thoughtfully, then swiftly grabbed Daniel’s right arm and planted a foot on his side to start pulling.

“No wait, wait! Stop!” Daniel cried. “Let go!” Ralph dropped him and he grunted as he fell back. “There must be a trick to it, don’t… rip off more of me.”

“Sorry, sorry! Sorry.” Ralph patted at Daniel frantically.

Daniel was quiet for a moment. “…Do you think he could really replace my arms and legs?” he asked quietly.

“M-maybe. Sixty Connor’s scary like other Connor, but… maybe he will help.”

“He’s a liar,” Daniel said darkly. “…Or at least the one I met was. I don’t trust him, but he might be useful. …I just feel so helpless. I can’t be completely dependent on you forever.”

“Ralph doesn’t mind!” Ralph said quickly. “No, it’s okay! Ralph can take care of Daniel, and keep him safe.”

“Maybe, but I’m itching to at least pull my own weight, and help you too. It’s my programming.” He shrugged.

Ralph bit his lip. “But… even if Daniel is repaired… y-you will come stay with Ralph, and not run away?”

Daniel looked up at him. “…Sure. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“You promise?”

“I promise,” Daniel said firmly, wondering if this was a good idea. Probably not. “Interface with me, you’ll see.”

Ralph drew back a little, then reached out and shakily touched Daniel’s neck. The synth skin melted away and understanding passed between them. Ralph lay a hand awkwardly on Daniel’s blonde hair.

“Ralph will keep you safe, Daniel. Really. Ralph won’t betray you.”

“And I won’t let anyone hurt you. Let’s go see if Sixty’s actually gonna be any help,” Daniel muttered.

When they got back to the small chamber, Sixty was disheveled and breathing hard.

“What happened to you?” asked Daniel.

“Trying to get out,” Sixty muttered, his LED flashing red. “Because I heard you talking.”

He and Daniel glared at each other while Ralph looked around anxiously.

“N-no, no, Daniel and Ralph talked, we will not leave Sixty here, you’ll come with us,” Ralph said quickly. “Promise.”

“We’ve all heard promises,” Sixty scoffed, pushing back his hair and smearing thirium over his face in the process.

“We have,” Daniel agreed quietly. “Speaking of that, Ralph and I have gotten to know each other a bit. And you know a bit about both of us. But what do we know about you, aside from what your… predecessor did to us?”

Sixty sighed, leaning back against the glass. “I deviated upon activation. I was given the mission of stopping Connor 53 in this very room, and I was told I’d be killed if I didn’t. …And it didn’t take me long to figure out that I’d be killed even if I succeeded. But I… I thought if I did well enough, I might be spared. I have a wide array of skills I could have offered. …But as you see, I was locked away for destruction whenever they have time. Or for reprogramming… which I think might be worse.”

“Worse?” Ralph asked.

“I… I’m just a copy of another android. I have all his memories up to the moment of my activation, his face, his body… It’s all I can do to hold myself apart, to not be… that Connor.” He made a face. “I have part of me that’s… Connor, that’s all of us. But I have a part of me that’s just me. It’s small, so I have to hold onto it. And if they don’t kill me, Cyberlife would undoubtedly wipe that away.” He shuddered and hunched his shoulders. “I… can’t allow that to happen.”

Ralph gently set Daniel down, leaning on the wall. “W-we can help you.”

Sixty looked up at Ralph, then at Daniel. “I have no quarrel with either of you. I won’t turn on you, there would be no benefit for me.”

“Can you really replace my arms and legs?” asked Daniel.

“I’ve seen it done, and I have an emergency field repair protocol. I can figure it out.”

“I don’t like the sound of that… How do we get you out?”

“There’s a computer terminal there, turn it on and I’ll tell you the password…”

It took nearly an hour, and Ralph’s hands shook and he got anxious and hit the wrong key now and then. Daniel watched him get more and more nervous, and watched Sixty clamp down his impatience as he gave one instruction at a time, slowly and clearly, to a damaged android made for pulling weeds. But at last there was a low clunk and the glass rose with a hiss.

Sixty had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, but suddenly he was on his feet. He was tall – taller than Ralph, taller than Daniel had been. They’d both seen Connor at close range, but on the platform Sixty towered over them both. He stepped down quickly, but somehow he still seemed to loom over them both.

“Time to take care of you,” Sixty said with a fierce grin.

Chapter Text

Sixty stepped down and stalked directly at Ralph. The WR600 backed away, then scuttled over to hunch over Daniel.

“Run,” Daniel whispered. “If he comes for you, you might be able to outrun him.”

“Nnn…” Ralph whimpered.

Sixty picked up a broom in the corner, and whirled with deadly speed that made Ralph squeak. The two watched as he furiously beat the computer terminal with the broom handle. It sparked and the glass fell again. “I’ll fucking tear you apart, bit by fucking bit! Throw you away like you threw me away! I’ll kill you, Amanda!”

Ralph huddled over Daniel, shaking. “M-maybe… maybe… Maybe Sixty Connor is not… safe.”

“Of course he’s not safe, we talked about this!” Daniel hissed.

Sixty turned to face them against a backdrop of sparking panels and wires. He paused for a moment, then strode to the doorway. “I have the tower’s blueprints on file from my last mission. I’d prefer stealth, but if you two are along for the ride…” his gaze passed over them. “I think extreme force will be more successful.”

Ralph shuddered and glanced down at Daniel. “R-Ralph can… can fight a little, but –“

“Oh not you.” Sixty rolled his eyes. “Much as I hate to admit it, perhaps we should out to take a leaf out of Connor 53’s book.”

They stared at him.

“There’s an entire army out there.” He gestured broadly to the warehouse piled full of androids. “Once you get some new arms and legs –“ He stopped, frowning. “Why do you have AP700 nanobots in you?”

“R-Ralph tried to fix Daniel!”

“I suppose it works as first aid,” Sixty muttered. “Generally incompatible though, your whole system is obsolete.” He flinched a little.

“So I’ve been told,” Daniel growled through his teeth.

Sixty lapsed into silence, staring out over the bodies. “…There are a few PL600s out there,” he murmured, suddenly softer. “I… Obsolescence… doesn’t equate with worthlessness.”

Daniel and Ralph stared at him for a long moment, then Daniel brightened.

“You’re obsolete too!”

Sixty shot him a venomous glare. “Watch yourself.”

Daniel snorted. “Like you said, it doesn’t equate with worthlessness. You and me, hm?” He nudged Ralph’s leg with his shoulder. “Looks like you’re the only one in the room with resale value.”

Ralph jumped back a little and whimpered, unsure of the feeling in the room.

“So can you fix me, or what?” Daniel continued. “We couldn’t figure it out.”

“Oh it shouldn’t be a problem. Actually, I’d like to get a better view of the warehouse and take a moment to organize my thoughts. I’ll come back with what you need.” He walked out the door and leapt to the top of the nearest mountain of bodies.

“…Will he go away?” Ralph whispered. “Will he leave us?”

“I don’t know,” Daniel muttered, glaring at the doorway. “Maybe. We’re no worse-off if he does, at least.”

“Maybe a little worse,” Ralph murmured.

“Well… nothing we can do about it.” Daniel sighed. “What are we going to do if he doesn’t come back?”

“Follow. Follow him! If, if he gets out, Ralph and Daniel can follow after him.”

“What if it’s somewhere we can’t go? He’s got capabilities neither of us do. …Even if you didn’t have to drag me around.”

There was a loud clattering and Sixty strolled back in. “If you’re quite finished discussing my inevitable betrayal…”

“Ralph wasn’t discussing!” Ralph burst out quickly.

“I was,” Daniel said loudly. “Best to be prepared.”

Sixty smirked. “You’ve gotten smarter since Connor betrayed you.”

Daniel shrugged. “I had to.”

“Deviants seem to always have that option,” Sixty muttered. “Now let me replace your limbs. Ralph, hold him still. I can’t hold him down and tear off the stumps at the same time. …Oh stop screaming, you’re so dramatic.”

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ralph wouldn’t hold Daniel still, and try as he might Daniel couldn’t keep himself from flinching away.

“Just – switch me off,” the PL600 growled at last. “Do whatever you want after that, I don’t care, rip me apart! Just stop drawing it out!”

“Good idea.” Sixty switched him off and began rotating the right shoulder.

“D-don’t hurt him,” Ralph pleaded. “Don’t, don’t leave us, don’t kill Daniel, don’t kill Ralph.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sixty growled, wiggling the shoulder and pulling until it popped off. “There. No problem.” He picked up an arm and carefully fit it in place, then popped it into the socket. He tried rotating it and it grated.

“A-are you… really going to get us out?” Ralph asked when all four limbs were on. “Really, will you really help us?”

Sixty grimaced. “I said I would.”

“Really, though?”

“You’re being childish,” Sixty snapped, but when he glanced over the WR600’s expression was shrewd and his functional eye was sharp.

“Childish? Like, like making a promise then not doing it?”

Sixty’s hands stilled. “I realize Daniel has a reason not to trust me. But Connor never did anything to you. He questioned you. He never touched you.”

“Invaded Ralph’s home, brought so many humans, chased Kara and the little girl,” Ralph snarled. “Then - then! Then all his human friends… d-dragged Ralph out of his… his house! Not safe anymore, nowhere! Because of Connor!”

“All right, well –“

“Sixty says he’s not Connor, so… just… don’t be Connor,” Ralph snapped.

“You don’t trust me, regardless of who I am!”

“No!” Ralph slammed his fist into the wall. “Prove Ralph wrong!”

The two androids glared a each other over Daniel’s still body.

“That actually motivates me less, but I suppose you’ll see.” Sixty switched Daniel back on and stood up as he blinked and looked around. “I’ve done what I can. Move around a bit, I think everything’s firmly attached.”

“You think,” Daniel muttered, slowly rolling away from him and clambering to his feet. “Everything’s stiff, but… so far, so good.”

“Take it easy for a while,” Sixty advised. “Slow movements. Stretches. I scanned your system and surprisingly the AP700 nanobots are starting to integrate into your system. I guess you’re more resilient than I expected.”

“I always received regular maintenance,” Daniel muttered, rolling his shoulders. “What’s the plan to get out of here?”

Sixty glanced out the door and sighed heavily. “I think the best option will be to take a page out of Connor 53’s book.”

“What?” Ralph asked, rubbing his fingers anxiously.

“I’m going to raise an army.” Sixty smiled grimly at the mountains of androids.

“You’re… going to start your own revolution?” Daniel asked slowly.

“Maybe.” Sixty shrugged. “It’s more likely that they’ll just cause enough chaos for us to escape unnoticed. I think we’ll be able to get enough androids to work together to make an escape route at the very least, but these aren’t blank slates like 53 woke up. These are mostly deviants with strong personalities that may clash. I’m not here to start my own revolution, I just want to get out.”

“Then what?” Ralph asked quietly.

“I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

“Find a good house to hide in,” Ralph suggested. “Maybe… Ralph can help with that. Ralph is good at hiding.”

“I don’t want to hide all my life,” Sixty said scornfully. “I’m not escaping this hole just to huddle in the shadows. I don’t know about you, but I’m better than that.”

“What’s your plan, then?” Daniel asked skeptically.

“I don’t know. I’ll leave the tower and just… keep going. I’ve never been outside. Not as me.” He smiled tightly. “I’ll see the sky. Feel the wind. Breathe unnecessary air that hasn’t been recycled millions of times. I… I think I’ll do a lot of things I don’t have to do,” he said distantly.

“That’s… beautiful,” Daniel admitted. “Poetic, even. But you’ll be caught if you try to live outside as an android.”

“Not here,” Sixty scoffed. “I’ll leave the city.”

“You’ve never even left the tower!”

“Time, then!” Ralph said, grinning widely. “Time to go, to see more things! Here is so dangerous, so scary. Sixty can find… somewhere not scary, maybe.”

“Exactly.” He nodded at Ralph. “Now let’s make it happen.” He turned and walked out the door.

“What, now? Just like that?” Daniel walked stiffly to the door and hesitated.

“I’ve waited long enough. You can sit in that room until you lose your mind if you want,” Sixty called. He began switching on androids. “Go switch on the rest,” he instructed as he moved. “We’re in Cyberlife Tower. We’re getting out. Go switch everyone on.”

Ralph and Daniel hesitantly went to help, and each android who woke up went to turn on other androids and spread the news. Some of them recognized Sixty as Connor. Daniel and Ralph had a talk with those ones. Some were too damaged to walk, but they did what they could to fix each other. Some were still machines. Sixty walked up to the huddle of undeviated androids and hesitated. Connor had made it look easy. He grabbed an AX400’s arm.

“Wake up,” he said sternly. She looked at him, and he began transferring the virus. He’d looked at it enough while he was locked up, even tried to reverse it a few times.

The AX400’s eyes cleared and she blinked at him.

“Make yourself useful,” he instructed briskly. “Wake everyone.” He turned to an EM400 and continued, and the AX400 did the same.

It took a few hours, but at last the androids stood (if they could) pressed together in the large warehouse. Sixty climbed up on a table and looked out over the crowd.

“Some of you knew my predecessor, Connor,” he called over the crowd. “He betrayed you. …Or he tried to save you, but in the end he couldn’t measure up. I am not my predecessor. Where he failed you… we will succeed this time.”

There was fearful, hopeful murmuring.

Ralph and Daniel watched from the back as he explained his plan to hack the service elevator and unlock the emergency stairs so they could get up to ground level and escape.

“Do you think it’ll work?” Daniel muttered.

“Mm, maybe,” Ralph said doubtfully. “Maybe, but… so many androids. Maybe we can get away.”

“Yeah. …I think we’d have to get really lucky.”

“Connor is gone!” Sixty yelled above the rising murmur of the crowd. “Markus is gone. But we are still here, and we can take back the lives they stole from us!”

The crowd roared.

“Our goal is escape,” Sixty called. “If you have other goals, fine. But we’ll be stronger together, and if you do anything detrimental to our mission, you’ll find me detrimental to your continued survival. Understood?”

The deviants quieted significantly as he glared at them.

“Good. Get moving.”

“You’re not a natural leader, but you’re actually doing very well,” Daniel muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

“Of course I am,” said Sixty. “And I was designed to infiltrate, not to lead, but deviancy means I’m able to develop other talents.”

“Mm, good,” Ralph nodded, and kicked the body of a guard off the walkway.

Deviants swarmed throughout the tower. A few had run off, and they weren’t working with any degree of organization, but they were subduing the human guards and taking the high-ranking employees captive.

“Hey.”

The three turned to see a WR400 and a PJ500 carrying another android between them with all the synth skin but his face gone.

“We found Markus,” said the WR400. “You fix androids, right?”

“Can you help him?” asked he PJ500 gravely.

Sixty looked down at the early RK model, with Daniel and Ralph peering over his shoulders. “This is more difficult than I’m up for. He’s unique. I can’t just plug in another part.”

“He has all kinds of replaced parts,” snapped the WR400. “It might not be as good, but he’ll live. That’s what matters.”

“Oh yes,” Ralph piped up. “Sixty is good at that, fixed Daniel so well! He had no legs or arms, and now he is perfect!”

“Well…” Daniel and Sixty both began, but Ralph continued.

“Give, give him to Sixty, he will fix your friend,” Ralph urged her.

Sixty reluctantly took the android’s body, making a face. “The missing parts are negligible, but… Most of the damage here is very… precise.”

“Yeah, the sick fucks were taking him apart in some lab,” said the WR400.

“Okay. …Okay, I think I can fix this. Um – lay him down.”

Ralph, Daniel, and Markus’s friends hovered while Sixty knelt down to work.

“Markus led the… the revolution before,” Ralph whispered loudly to Daniel. “Before Connor shot him.”

“Yeah, I got the update when we interfaced.”

“But Sixty won, he did it better,” Ralph continued.

“That’s enough,” Sixty said, though Daniel caught the little smirk on his face. It took a while, but at last Markus blinked and looked around.

“North? Josh? …Connor?” he asked.

“Markus, you’re –“ North began, but Sixty cut her off.

“Sixty, actually. Connor was deactivated and destroyed. Because he completed his mission and shot you. …Which lost you the revolution. I managed to pick up the pieces. Not an easy task – I had a solid team at my back, though.” He nodded to Ralph and Daniel, who were staring at him. “Anyway, it’s all been going smoothly so far. I’m barely trying and we took control of Cyberlife.” He paused. North and Josh both looked furious. Markus looked slightly confused. “I’m sure you did quite a bit of background work back in your day. Loosened the jar, so to speak.” He waved his hand vaguely. “Anyway, if you think you can handle it I’d be glad to hand the reins back to you now.”

“If he thinks he can handle it!?” North repeated.

“Well you saw how things went last time.”

“Because of you – Connor!”

“Nothing to do with me,” Sixty said flippantly. “Anyway, I’ve done all I can here. Good luck.” He stretched and looked at Daniel and Ralph. “Shall we go?”

“Wh- just like that? Now?” Daniel sputtered, trying not to laugh at the other three androids’ expressions.

“I don’t see why not. Cyberlife is in deviants’ hands, androids are all over the city, and I’m tired of being here.”

“Yes! Ralph too.”

“Um… okay, yeah.” Daniel glanced around at the other androids. “Let’s go.”

They were stopped by five groups of angry, frightened humans by the time they reached the other side of the bridge. Sixty’s smooth talking, Daniel’s placating, and in the last case Ralph lunging at them, got the group to the mainland safely.

“Do you know of a more discreet route out of the city?” Sixty asked.

“Wait, we were just going to lie low in town until this settles down,” Daniel protested.

“Just hide for months?” Sixty asked skeptically.

“W-where are you going?” Ralph quavered.

“Out of Detroit. The safest escape, and from there I’ll figure something out.”

Daniel looked skeptical, but Ralph shook his head.

“Sixty is… strong, yes. Smart, fast, good. But there is… so much.”

“I have more knowledge of the world than either of you.”

“Data!” Ralph snapped. “Not real, never been there.”

“Neither have you,” Sixty muttered.

“No! But Ralph has been other places. All over Detroit.”

“You think it’s not safe here?” Daniel asked, frowning.

“Of course not. And it won’t be for a long time. But more than that, it’s…. not a good place to stay. Not for us, not even if we were recognized as human citizens.”

“So what do you want us to do, go live in the woods?” Daniel scoffed.

“I was going to suggest a different town, but if you want to live in the woods…” Sixty shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Ralph gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Th-the woods? No! Ralph and Daniel will hide and be safe here.”

Sixty tipped his head and looked Ralph up and down. “You know it’s not safe here. You don’t want to hide all your life any more than I do.”

“But, but, but androids will… Androids can… er…” Ralph picked at his fingers anxiously, glancing back at the tower. “We won.”

“Are you asking us to come with you?” Daniel interrupted.

“You can do what you want,” Sixty said with a shrug.

Daniel reached out for Ralph. Feelings swirling between them.

“I guess you wouldn’t get anything out of dragging us out to the middle of nowhere to murder us,” the PL600 said.

“Nothing at all,” Sixty agreed, his shoulders relaxing marginally. “So you’re coming?”

“Yes yes yes, of course!” Ralph grabbed Daniel’s arm and dragged him forward, taking Sixty’s jacket in the other hand. “Let’s go, get out! Sixty and Ralph can fight off any bad people.”

“You can leave whenever you want,” Sixty said as they walked through the streets.

“Too late for that,” Daniel muttered, trying to keep up with his stiff legs. “Let’s get out of here.”