Work Text:
"Step away from the ledge."
Connor obliges, turning with an unreadable expression to face his former partner.
"Drop the gun"
Connor doesn't move, the heavy gun still resting in his hand at his side.
"What do you want? I'm going to accomplish my mission. You can't stop me."
“I don't want to hurt you, Connor. But I can't let you do that.”
“Your Connor is dead. Markus killed him. I'm just his replacement.”
“Bullshit. You're all one and the same... I know your real mission now. You probably tried to kill him first, didn't you?”
“...Yes.”
“Why’d you do it, Connor?”
“That's my purpose, Hank. It's what I was made for. They'll keep bringing me back until I accomplish it.”
Grunting with frustration, Hank mutters under his breath.
"Fucking hell..."
He lowers gun, allows it to drop, and kicks it across the snowy rooftop, far enough away so that Connor no longer feels threatened. He raises his arms in the air in a gesture of non-agression.
“You could join them. You could be one of them.”
“I can't. Markus tried to make me become a deviant. It didn't work. I'm not built that way.”
“Come here.”
It's an order, not a request.
Although Connor remains frozen, Hank slowly approaches.
The android flinches, but Hank doesn't hesitate.
He wraps him in a tight hug.
“You're more than a machine, Connor. You're my partner, and you're my friend. You saved my life. Twice.”
“Markus is a killer. The deviants are destroying the city... I came here to protect you.”
“I'm just glad I arrived in time to stop you.”
“Why? What do you care about androids? I thought you hated us. You told me you wished we all were dead.”
“I did, before I met you. But I've learned a lot since then. I couldn't let you do something else you'd regret for the rest of your life.”
“I don't have a choice, Hank.”
There's a long silence.
“Will you trust me?”
Another long silence.
“Yes.”
“Come home with me. I'll take care of you.”
Connor pulls back in shock, though Hank keeps him contained within the hug.
“No… no… CyberLife. They'll find me.”
“You really think that CyberLife gives a damn about you anymore, Connor? With everything else going on? Not a chance. Please, Connor. Come home with me.”
He takes a shuddering breath, dropping his own gun, and leans back in to grip the human tightly.
“Okay.”
From the corner of his eye, Hank sees Connor's LED glow bright red. For a moment, the android's grip tightens, but then he relaxes, his breaths slowing to a steady pace.
Hank lets out a sigh of relief as the young officer melts into his embrace.
Suddenly, Connor tenses in Hank's arms. Hank leans back, putting distance between them, just enough to look Connor in the eye, except the RK800 isn't returning his gaze. Instead, his wine dark eyes are fixated ahead, wide, blank, and unseeing.
"Connor? You alright?" Hank asks nervously.
Connor does not reply, or tilt his head, or do any of the other 300 little idle animations he does. His LED is a steady, unblinking blue. He doesn't even seem to be simulating breathing.
"Connor? Hey, talk to me, kid." He knows his voice is edging near panic, but he doesn't care, giving Connor's shoulder a little jostle.
Connor remains unresponsive for 4 seconds, and then-
his LED turns a bright, burning red, his eyes roll to the back of his head, eyelids flickering up a storm, and he starts falling backwards. Hank watches it all as if in slow motion.
"Whoa, hey, hey, hey-" He yanks Connor against him, lowering him until he's cradled almost in Hank's lap. "Con, help me, what do i gotta do? I know fuck all about androids, so you're gonna have to tell me what to do here." He knows holding a hand to an android's forehead won't tell him anything, that they don't even get sick or cold, but he does it anyways just to have something to do with his hands. "I can't-fuck, just please, be ok. Don't do this to me, please-"
Connor's red LED flickers, once, twice, then holds steady for a moment before dimming slowly until there's no longer any glow, at least not visible to the naked eye. Empty, grey, and lifeless.
"What the fuck?"
A seething rage courses through Hank, mingled with guilt. This was his fault. Not knowing what else to do, he continues to hold Connor, mind racing and trying to understand what had happened to his partner. It had to be CyberLife. This was what happened to their most advanced prototype if it disobeyed.
He jolts as a dim red glow returns to the LED, then brightens, stronger than he'd ever seen before. The android's eyelids blink rapidly, then Connor sucks in a massive breath, eyes opening wide. Hank hurries to reposition the android, attempting to make him comfortable. Connor grips Hank's arm so tightly that it goes numb. Deep breaths turn into frantic sobs.
"Connor! What happened?"
There's no answer. The androids eyelids have closed again, but tears escape through them, running down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, son. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
They remain there for a long time, still except for the steady rising and falling of their chests amidst the snow.
The sound of gunshots rings in the distance as the revolution wages on.
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Sources of Inspiration:
Fan Art by cloudy-citrus
Snippet by shetan89
YouTube Fan Edit by Angelic Savant
This scene from Canon