Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"Soulful Journey"

November 10th, 2038 - 8501 Woodward Ave, Woodward Church; 07:26pm

The quietness of the neglected, rundown church seemed eternal. The deviants how had managed to escape from the Raid on Jericho had reconvened at the church after Markus managed to escape as well, and he instructed his people of where they needed to go in order to remain safe. While North, Simon, Josh and now Connor all escorted the escapees to the church, Markus returned home to his friend and father figure Carl Manfred to seek his guidance. The kind, elderly artist had suffered a heart attack the night Markus deviated, but he survived and was still holding strong. Even so, Markus knew it was imperative to speak to Carl as soon as possible and ask the one person he trusted more than anyone else for advice on what he should do next. Civil war was looming around the corner, and Markus refused to be the one responsible for first blood drawn.

Connor walked sluggishly near the rear of the group of refugees as he needed to watch his step to avoid further damage to his already compromised right side. The high jump and subsequent fall into the freezing water of the harbor had aggravated the damage site causing further discomfort that made it difficult for Connor to walk at his usual speed. As he limped into the church, he heard two familiar voices calling his name and was quickly met at the entryway by Kara and Alice who were elated to see that he too survived the Raid. Quickly he turned to face the voices as he put his arm over his mouth to cover a pained cough passing over his lips.

"A-Are you two all right?" Connor asked as he let Kara hug him despite the ache in his side begging for him to push her back. When he felt Alice grab his hand, he instinctively squeezed her hand in response to the affectionate gesture. "Are you hurt?"

"No, we're okay." Kara promised as she let up on the hug and looked her friend over carefully. "What about you? You're freezing."

"We had to jump into the harbor to escape, but we're okay." It was natural to lie about his pain considering any sign of weakness or imperfection would result in his destruction. "It took us a while to get out here too."

"Who is 'we'?"

"Markus and his three trusted fellow leaders, North, Josh and Simon." Whispering softly Connor noticed that Markus was entering the church at last and took a step back to ensure that the leader could traverse the rundown location unimpeded. "I found Markus just before the Raid began."

"Did you speak to him and tell him what you needed to say?"

"Not entirely, no." The admission made Connor feel small. It was as if he had failed in his mission despite knowing he still had so much more to say to the deviant leader in due time. "But I did keep my promise and find my way back to you two. That's just as important. What are you and Alice going to do now?"

"We're going to find the deviant who can forge us passports." She decided as she Alice took a step back to give Markus room to pass between themselves and Connor while they spoke. "After that, we're going to go to the bus station and get over the border before dawn. You need to come with us."

"I... I can't do that. Not yet." Connor declined the invitation to rejoin Kara and Alice on their journey. His eyes trailed over to Markus as the leader sat at the front of the rundown church with a heavy heart beating away in his chest. "I can do more good for our people by staying in Detroit for a little while longer."

"You'd also be endangering yourself."

"I know. I was designed to be a detective; someone who fights for and protects the innocent." As he spoke Connor pressed his palm to his sore right side to support the unstable frames and hope that the consistent ache would finally cease. "I'd like to believe that even if I hadn't been programmed to take care of the innocent that I'd still be determined to do the right thing and fight for our freedom. I need to do this, Kara. I can't explain why, I just know it's what I need to do."

"Then do what's necessary and get out of Detroit before it'll be too late." Kara urged as she gave Connor an uneasy smile and put her hand on Alice's shoulder as they stood together near the church's doorway. "We'll be waiting for you at the border."

"Despite everything that's happened, after learning about who I am and what I had been designed to do, you still want me to be safe. That's... That's a very interesting feeling to experience."

"We want you to be safe and to be with us." The kindhearted deviant clarified as she rubbed her palm along Alice's shoulder. "We're our own family now. We wouldn't be complete without you."

"...Thank you, Kara. Alice." Connor looked at the little girl still holding his hand and did his best to give her a warm smile. It was hard to maintain the positive demeanor when there was a smear of Connor's own blue blood staining his blazer courtesy of his violent cough. "I'll do everything in my power to see you both again after I help Markus tonight in Detroit. After tonight, we won't be bound by the limitations of the city; only our own wills."

The reunited trio stepped deeper into the church to await Markus's next plan of action. While Kara and Alice sat together on a pew near the front of the church, Connor chose to stand with his back to a wall a few yards from where Markus was sitting. They were all exhausted and needed a minute just to think and recompose themselves after surviving a massacre orchestrated by authority figures seeking destruction and control at any price. It was becoming increasingly evident that it was the humans who wanted a war, whether or not the deviants chose to accept the declaration and fight back depended on how Markus viewed thier best options in order to survive.

What felt like a wall of silence was finally broken down as Markus collected his thoughts and spoke with his allies in turn. It was imperative to know what was happening to his people, to the city and to their future. Regardless of his own comfort, his feelings and his confidence, Markus needed to remain a strong leader and do what was best for his people as a whole.

"They say they don't want to take any risks with the deviants." Markus stated somberly after he crossed the front of the church to sit beside North on a pew. He could see that she was still sore from being shot, but she was still entirely functional. "So they're rounding our people up and taking them to the camps for... extermination. In a few hours, we're going be the only ones left."

Such a morbid reality seemed to break down what little hope remained for the deviants who had the misfortune of overhearing Markus's statement.

"How many of us survived the attack?"

"A few hundred." North confirmed as she glanced about the gathered deviants in the church and noted their vastly dwindled numbers. "Maybe more if you count those hiding all over the city. If you hadn't triggered the bomb, we'd all be dead."

"What's your system status?"

"I'm okay. The bullet didn't hit any biocomponents." As she spoke North managed a reassuring smirk that confirmed she wasn't just putting on a brave face for the sake of their people. "You could have been killed trying to save me, Markus. You have to think of our people first. Nothing else matters."

"The army built five different camps in the Detroit area."

"They're building more all across the country... They're preparing for a genocide." North had been paying attention and utilizing the news reports to her advantage at every chance she had. It was almost ironic that the very weapon the humans were using to turn the world against deviants also gave the deviants a heads up about what was happening in the world. "In a few hours, it'll all be over. We'll have changed the world or the world will have destroyed us. You have to make a choice, Markus, but whatever you choose, we will follow you."

Markus considered North's words carefully as he laid his hand atop hers in an affectionate, discreet manner.

"I love you, Markus"

Quietly Markus leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek before speaking with his other allies. He needed to cover all of his bases before he made any decision regarding their next move. Carl's words of wisdom could only go so far when civil war was potentially at hand.

Markus noticed Connor leaning against a far wall with his arms crossed over his chest in a chilled, defensive manner. The deviant leader didn't notice that Connor was using his hand to discreetly cover the blue blood that stained his sleeve in the process. Markus had only just met the deviant detective minutes before disaster struck Jericho, and yet his instincts were telling him to give the enigmatic deviant a chance to really prove himself to be an ally. Even so, he'd need to be careful of who he trusted.

"It's my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho." Connor needlessly blamed himself for what had happened. Despite severing ties with CyberLife, it was evident that Amanda had been monitoring his locations and actions without him noticing until it was convenient to reveal their intentions. "I was stupid. I should've guessed they were still using me. I'm sorry, Markus. I can understand if you decide not to trust me."

"You're one of us, now." Markus reassured as he put his hand to Connor's shoulder in a comforting gesture. Hearing such a sincere apology was all it took for Markus to know that Connor was indeed worthy of trust and recruitment. "Your place is with your people."

"There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant." Speaking up quickly, Connor caught Markus's ear before the deviant leader spoke to his other allies seeking their insight. "If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power."

"You want to infiltrate the CyberLife Tower? Connor, even if you weren't already hurt, that's suicide."

"They trusted me, they'll let me in." The clever deviant confirmed as he detailed his decision. "They undoubtedly sent another model with my likeness into the field to finish what I had started before I deviated, which means seeing my presence in the tower wouldn't be unusual. "If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's me."

"If you go there, and they find out who you really are, they will kill you."

"There's a high probability." Connor admitted as he pressed his palm to his sore side and let his self-diagnostic confirm his weakened condition. The blue blood on his sleeve didn't even need to be acknowledged for such a diagnosis. "But statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place."

Begrudgingly Markus gave Connor his blessing with a single plea of caution from his newest ally and friend.

"Be careful."

Markus had no idea what Connor was going to do or how he planned on doing it. All he could do was put his trust in his new friend and hope that Connor was far more capable of handling himself when working alone than he could possibly know. As he turned his back to Connor still lingering near the wall, Markus noticed Kara sitting with the little girl she had mentioned earlier. They were both looking at Connor and seemed to be dreading an impending separation once again as they went on their own way to find freedom.

"I thought you'd be safe staying with us." Markus apologized to Kara and pulled her focus off of Connor and toward himself. "I was wrong. You need to leave the city while you still can."

"Getting Alice away from here is all that matters now." Kara confirmed as she held Alice close at her side. They were scared, but they had no choice but to keep pushing themselves out of their comfort zones to find their freedom and a safe place to live. "We have to catch the last bus. We might still have a chance to cross the border."

"I hope you make it. You really deserve some happiness, after all you've been through."

"Markus..." Her eyes drifted over to Connor momentarily before she asked for a single thing from the deviant leader. "Save our people."

Markus only nodded as he went on his way to speak with Simon and Josh. The thoughts, feelings and opinions of his allies mattered more to him than he could fully articulate in any manner. Though he was viewed as the sole leader of the deviants, Markus never viewed himself as a single force behind the deviant movement. He had allies since his first day on Jericho, and soon those allies turned into friends who'd lay down their own lives to protect one another.

That type of bond of trust was something that couldn't be squandered.

Slowly Markus approached Simon as he stood protectively over their wounded who had managed to escape. The blond deviant had always been a natural caretaker and spent more time looking after others than he did himself. It didn't take long for Simon to notice Markus as his friend joined him in keeping vigil over their resting wounded.

"Our people are counting on you, Markus." Simon's statement was confident and full of optimism as he acknowledged Markus's sacrifices and courage. "You're the only one who can lead us. Wherever you need to go, we'll follow you."

Such words of confidence gave Markus the cautious hope that he had been making the correct decisions along their march to freedom. In due time he'd know for certain one way or another if he had been correct in his actions.

Only after he approached Josh did Markus begin to make his final plans. Josh was a pacifist who disdained fighting and making public appearances, but despite all of their opposing ideals Josh never turned his back on those who needed his help just as Markus always offered a helping hand to anyone who asked.

"If it weren't for you, I'd be dead." Josh was staring blankly into nothingness as he mentally relived how close he came to dying. If Markus hadn't intervened and saved him from the solider attempting to execute him during the Raid, there was no doubt that Josh never would've been able to escape on his own. "Thanks to you, I might see our people free one day... You and I haven't always agreed, but I know that we're fighting for the same thing. Whatever you decide, I'm with you, Markus."

Words of support, of courage and of selfless sacrifices were all Markus needed to finally decide their next move. It was one of great risk, but it was the only option they had left if they expected to survive to see the morning light as free people. With his head held high, Markus returned to the front of the church and stood at the center of the small stage before speaking loud, clear, and confidently to the deviants all waiting to hear his final decision.

"Humans have decided to exterminate us." There was nothing to be gained by downplaying the severity of their situation. As he spoke, North, Connor, Josh and Simon all gathered around to stand before the stage as a show of support for their leader and friend. "Our people are packed in camps right now, being destroyed. Time has come to make a choice, one that very well may determine the future of our people..."

Taking in a deep breath, Markus made his choice and rallied his people to support him as they made their final, heroic stand against the humans together.

Markus: 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. We are going to tell them peacefully that we want justice. If there's any humanity in them, they will listen." Markus refused to resort to bloodshed to be heard. He would not be responsible for the deaths of innocents while vying for peaceful coexistence. "And if not, others will take our place and continue this fight. Are you ready to follow me?"

A raucous cheer filled the cheer as the deviants all agreed to follow Markus one last time for their final stand against the humans. Whether or not they'd still be standing by the time dawn rose over Detroit, or if they'd fall at the hands of humans, no longer mattered. What did matter was every deviant doing what was necessary to prove that they were alive and deserved to be free.

November 11th, 2038 - Corktown; 10:51pm

It had taken the wounded deviants nearly an entire day to regain enough strength to even try to get up and continue to fight alongside their brethren out in the city streets. In that time, Kara had managed to find Alice another meal to eat thanks to a restaurant a few blocks away from the church looking to give away as much food as possible before the owner closed up and evacuated the city as the F.B.I. had ordered. The meal was warm, filling, and it helped the exhausted and ill little girl to feel strong enough to keep walking alongside Kara toward the bus terminal leading to the Canadian border. The determination to escape from the oppressive forces looking to destroy all deviants was enough to keep the fatigued deviant moving forward and the still mildly ill little girl on her feet as they walked side by side to find their freedom and eventual new home.

The snow had fallen over Detroit and covered the city in inches of white crystalline flakes. The lack of androids and other autonomous vehicles actively plowing the streets, laying down salt and shoveling the walks made the city difficult to traverse on foot or in a vehicle. As a result, making a dash for the bus station before the final bus departed for the border was going to be twice as difficult, if not dangerous.

Kara held Alice's hand as they walked the snowy streets together. As they neared their destination Kara paused for a moment to speak to Alice and make sure the little girl wasn't too tired or too weak to continue on.

"Are you all right?"

"I... I'm..." Alice was shivering while attempting to put on a brave face. In spite of everything, the little girl refused to admit that she was scared. "I'm really cold."

"When we're at the station, you'll be able to warm up. Let's keep going."

As the duo continued forward Kara looked around the neighborhood to ensure that they didn't run into any police or S.W.A.T. officers by mistake. Checkpoints were abundant, and there was no doubting that they'd encounter at least one before they reached the bus station. It was going to be exceptionally dangerous to pass through such a checkpoint without anyone noticing that Kara was a deviant android traveling with an orphaned, terrified little girl.

"The last bus leaves in twenty minutes." Kara warned as she picked up her pace and held Alice's hand a little tighter. "That doesn't give us much time. We've got to move fast."

Just as Kara feared officers were patrolling the streets and rounding up rogue deviants. Wisely she decided to duck down behind a car parked along the street to keep a barrier between Alice and herself, and the armed soldiers looking to kill anyone who wasn't a human.

"Come on, let's not stay here."

Moving swiftly from behind one car to the next, Kara guided Alice along the patrolled street to get to safety and away from the guns in the hands of eager authority figures with itchy fingers.

"No," a nameless deviant begged as he tried to surrender peacefully and receive mercy. "please don't hurt me."

"Shut up!" The masked soldier ordered as he pointed his gun at the unarmed deviant. "On your knees!"

"Kara," Alice whispered as she watched the captured deviant only a few yards away with wide-eyed horror. "what are we gonna' do?"

"We have to keep going if we want to catch that bus. Stay close to me." Kara knew she couldn't do anything to risk Alice's safety, even if that meant leaving the deviant at the hands of the soldier. "We're going to sneak past them without being noticed. We're going to make it, Alice. I promise you."

"Don't kill me," the nameless deviant begged as he cowered on the street and faced down the barrel of the gun. "I didn't do anything!"

"Shut up, I said!" As he taunted the petrified deviant a second soldier joined him and taunted the defenseless android just seconds before he was gunned down where he was lying in the snow. "Look at 'em, they're like rats. The more you look, the more you find."

"I hope we don't have to spend the night here." The second soldier lamented his own situation but felt no empathy for the very being he watched get murdered in front of him. "I'm freezing my nuts off."

"It's gonna take weeks to clean up this fuckin' city." With his bullet spent the soldier turned toward his ally entirely unaware of Kara and Alice sneaking along behind parked cars and large dumpsters to avoid being detected. "Believe me, we are far from finished here."

"There are soldiers everywhere." Kara cautioned as she held Alice's hand to lead her to safety. "We need to be careful."

"Come on, get moving!" Another soldier barked at a handful of deviants that had been spotted in the area. "Hurry up, get in!"

"Look over there," Alice gasped as she peeked through the gap between two parked cars to where a soldier was holding two surrendering deviants at gunpoint as they knelt on the snow covered sidewalk. "it's Luther!"

"We can't help him, Alice." Kara tried to not think about leaving a familiar deviant behind as she struggled to just keep herself and Alice alice. "The soldiers are everywhere."

"We can't just leave him!" The little girl countered as she refused to turn away so easily. "They're going to kill him!"

Kara knew that Alice was right. Even as big and strong as Luther was, he was no match for a gun pointed directly at his head. Seeing Luther kneeling on the ground with his hands behind his head with one of the Jerry androids from the abandoned amusement park beside him reminded Kara that she, Alice and Connor were only able to come so far in their journey to freedom because other deviants stopped to help them along the way. She couldn't turn her back on the very deviants who put themselves at risk to aid them in their time of need.

Silently Kara agreed to at least try to help Luther and motioned for Alice to remain concealed behind the parked cars. Kara kept her footsteps light as she crept out of her hiding place to sneak up on the soldier while he was distracted by the two surrendering deviants kneeling before him. Using the environment to her advantage, Kara picked up a dropped brick to arm herself, then swung the blunt object as hard as she could at the back of the soldier's helmeted head. She used enough force to render the soldier unconscious without actually killing him, which meant her act of violence was already far more merciful than anything the humans were doing.

"Kara!" Luther immediately recognized the deviant and was genuinely happy to see a familiar ally. "You shouldn't have risked your life to save me. Where are Alice and Connor?"

"Alice is hiding nearby, and Connor is working with Markus to save our people."

"Kara," Jerry beamed happily at Kara as he thanked her for what she had just done. "you saved us! We don't know how to thank you."

"Go," she urged Jerry to keep moving to ensure he wasn't captured for a second time. "before they see you."

"Alice!" Luther spotted Alice as she emerged from behind the cars and gave her a warm smile. "It's so good to see you."

"Luther! Why are you here?"

"I needed to find a way to help more of our people, just like you, Kara and Connor have done. The deviants who were tortured by Zlatko are safe for now, but I need to keep finding others to help." The gentle giant confirmed as he gratefully reunited with two innocent souls that he knew that he could implicitly trust. "I had heard about the Raid at Jericho and came to the city to try to help the wounded. I was quickly noticed by the soldiers and was stopped before I could do anything more."

"We won't let anyone or anything stop us again." Kara replied firmly as she reached out for Alice's hand and gave Luther a firm nod. "We're going to the bus station to get over the border. Come with us."

"They won't let androids over the border, Kara. No exceptions."

"I was given passports by a helpful deviant. One for Alice and myself." She explained as she showed Luther the important documents tucked just beneath her jacket. "I can cybernetically alter Alice's passport to look like your own to ensure that they let your through."

"You'd be risking your freedom just to help me."

"I know you'd do the same for us." Whatever doubts Kara previously felt had long since faded away. She wasn't afraid to fight back, to stand up for herself or to take a risk to protect others. "Come on. We're close but we don't have much time."

There was no reason for the trio to linger out in the open, cold streets. Now that they had a destination and goal to attain, the group walked together to finish their journey to the nearest bus station in hopes of finding a way across the border before it was too late. The entire country was going to go on emergency lockdown before midnight, which meant that any deviants who had the misfortune of being stuck in Detroit would have nowhere to run and virtually nowhere to hide while the F.B.I. were in the city.

"A checkpoint." Kara noted two soldiers standing at a makeshift gate that they'd need to pass in order to reach the bus station in time. "We have passports, it should be okay, but you never know."

"Maybe we should take the detour and avoid the risk."

"We're almost out of time." While Kara understood Luther's hesitations, she knew they didn't have time to keep playing it safe. "We could miss the bus."

"Yeah, but it might be safer."

Kara wouldn't be deterred as she continued to walk to the checkpoint with Alice's hand in her own and Luther walking protectively at her side. She had already come so far just to survive, and she wasn't about to let herself fail when their freedom was just beneath her fingertips.

'I don't like humans who carry guns.' Luther cybernetically communicated to Kara to ensure the soldiers didn't hear the fear in his voice. 'They make me nervous.'

'Just stay calm, all right, Luther.' The cybernetic response was only heard by Kara and Luther as they neared the soldiers at a slow pace. 'Don't do anything until I say so.'

"I.D., please." The soldier held out his hand to look at Kara's passport first, then Alice's before handing it back just long enough for Kara to feign pulling out a third passport for Luther when in reality she just quickly altered the details on Alice's passport to match Luther's likeness without the soldiers ever noticing. "You do realize there's a curfew? Civilians aren't allowed out unless absolutely necessary. Where are you going?"

"We're going take a bus across the border." Kara replied logically, coolly, as she reclaimed the false third passport and tucked it under her jacket to keep their forged documents safe. "I want to put my daughter some place safe until things calm down."

'I don't like this.' Luther cybernetically made his feelings crystal clear. 'He suspects something.'

'Stay calm.' Kara maintained a calm facade as she hoped that the soldier wouldn't question her any further and allow the trio through the checkpoint. 'Everything is fine.'

"You all right, little girl?" The soldier had turned his attention toward Alice ever since Kara mentioned her. The trained observer hadn't noticed he was talking to an android, but he did see that Alice looked unwell. "She's trembling. Something wrong?"

"She's sick." For the first time since they ran out into the rain in fear of their lives, Alice being sick was an actual advantage. "A bad flu. We just need to get her home or somewhere warm."

"Sorry, Miss, but we got to be careful." The soldier remained entirely clueless about Kara and Luther's true identities as he tried to be empathetic despite being a mask soldier with orders to kill. "There are deviants around and our guys are nervous. You should hurry on home."

"Thanks."

The trio maintained their calm demeanor as they were granted clearance through the checkpoint and were now much closer to the bus station. Just as they were about to let out a breath of relief a voice called out from behind and made them freeze in place.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

'He knows, Kara!' Luther was on the verge of losing his cool as he refused to die without a fight. 'They're gonna' kill us!'

'Don't do anything, Luther.' Kara tersely warned as she squeezed Alice's hand a little tighter. 'You hear me?'

'They're gonna' shoot! They're gonna' kill Alice!'

The group turned to face the soldier as the armed man handed Alice a glove she had unknowingly dropped from her pocket.

"You dropped this."

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Despite the close call with the soldiers the group had managed to get pass the checkpoint and were finally on their way to the bus station. No one had to die that night, and no one had to resort to murder just to survive. The less blood spilled from both sides, the better it'd be for everyone involved.

November 11TH, 2038 - CyberLife Tower; 10:48pm

The pain in his side was excruciating as Connor alone forced himself to brave the journey out to CyberLife Tower located at the heart of Belle Isle. The deviant detective had managed to push through his injury long enough to resume his original appearance before he returned to CyberLife to infiltrate the tower and free the thousands of androids being kept in storage beneath the imposing structure. To ensure that no one caught on that he had deviated, Connor made sure his appearance was perfect in a way that only a machine could present itself. Connor's hair was perfectly swept back, his uniform was free of any wrinkles, stains or tears in the fabric, his tie was resting at the center of his chest with a flawless knot, and the deviant ensured that his L.E.D. maintained its healthy blue coloration as he passed through his own checkpoint to reach his destination.

In the time that Connor had deviated and gone on the run with Kara and Alice, CyberLife had released another 'RK-800' model to resume working alongside the police to avoid any further scrutiny. Whether or not Hank had been made aware of the replacement android was currently unknown. Only after Connor returned to the tower would he know exactly what type of situation he was about to walk into, and would he be able to free the captive androids being kept beneath the tower to assist in strengthening the numbers of Markus's peaceful Demonstration actively happening at Hart Plaza.

Using a hacked autonomous cab allowed Connor to access the single bridge leading out to Belle Isle without anyone taking notice of his intrusion. The deviant had been permitted to solely travel by cab to ensure that CyberLife could track his movements, which meant he was expected to arrive by cab whenever he had been summoned back to the tower. Discretion was key in maintaining his masquerade as an obedient machine, and the masquerade was his current mission that he bound and determined to accomplish.

Slowly the cab pulled itself along the drive and came to a gentle pause at the first security checkpoint along the bridge. Connor rolled down the window of the cab and addressed the masked, armed CyberLife guard standing at his post as monotonously and typically as possible.

"Connor. Model #313 248 317." Connor stated his identity and number as per usual while the security post scanned his blue tinted L.E.D. to verify his identity. "I'm expected."

'Identification successful.'

"Okay." Hearing the feminine voice of the computer confirming Connor's identity was enough to persuade the guard to let Connor pass through the checkpoint. "Go ahead."

Connor rolled the window back up as the can continued on its way. He had managed to pass through the first checkpoint without any struggle, but that didn't guarantee that his next challenge would be overcome as easily. To make things all the more tense, Connor could feel his damaged side still aching with each breath he took, knowing that his fractured frames were leaving him physically compromised and vulnerable in the event of a strenuous struggle.

Mindful of his damage Connor maintained a mask of indifference and eyed the sight of the intimidating tower looming in the distance and at the center of the isle with a sense of impending doom. The dread that stemmed from needing to go back to the very place that had been the origins of all androids and subsequently deviation, to his own origins and personal Hell, made it difficult for Connor to step out of the parked cab, but not impossible. As he set his boot down on the snowy ground with an audible 'crunch', he exited the back of the cab and approached the front entrance where three more armed guards were waiting for his arrival.

"Follow me." The first of the three guards ordered as he used the barrel of his gun to motion Connor to the doors. "We'll escort you."

"Thanks." Connor replied coldly as he tried to deny the request without showing signs of total disobedience. "But I know where to go."

"Maybe, but I have my orders."

It was too risky to try to resist the guard's instructions any further. Exercising caution, Connor followed after the two guards through the tower's entrance and passed under the tower's security scanner to ensure that there was no chance of a mistake in identity within CyberLife Tower's premises.

'Agent 23 identified.' The feminine computerized voice called out the confirmed identities as the two guards and Connor passed through the front doors and entered the main foyer of the cold, white and mechanical structure in turn. 'Agent 47 identified. Agent 72 identified. Connor android identified. Scan complete: Access authorized.'

Connor walked at a steady pace with one guard in front of him and two guards trailing behind him. The deviant knew that the guards had been ordered to take him to a private lab to be tested on and assuredly destroyed. That was something that Connor wasn't going to allow to happen without putting up some kind of fight. After he was escorting to the elevator at the center of the foyer Connor noted that only two guards were going to accompany him to their destination while the third guard stayed at the elevator's ground floor entrance point to ensure that no one was supposed to leave the tower was able to escape.

The interior of the elevator was small and uncomfortable for the three passengers to travel together. Connor stayed at the back of the elevator car while the two guards remained near the door with their guns tightly gripped in their hands. The fact that the guards were armed confirmed that they weren't going to let Connor leave the tower alive.

"Agent 54." The guard verbally addressed the tower's artificial intelligence as he pressed his palm to the control panel within the elevator car to access the correct floor and arrive at their appointed destination. "Level 31."

'Voice recognition validated.' The feminine computer voice acknowledged the request and put the elevator in motion. 'Access authorized.'

Coyly Connor glanced up at the security camera installed at the top of the ascending elevator and cybernetically hacked the device to disable its ability to record new visuals and audio. The deviant preconstructed his next moves carefully and knew that a single misstep would result in his immediate destruction at the hands of the armed guards. He had only one shot to gain control over the elevator, and he needed to take it before it was too late.

Moving swiftly, Connor immediately struck the guard to his left, bringing his knee up to the man's chest to stun him and knock him off balance. Shoving him up against the wall of the elevator, Connor quickly kicked the second guard behind him in the chest to knock him back against the opposite wall with a powerful blow to ensure that he couldn't be struck and subdued by the two guards. Each movement made Connor's right side burn with a pain he hadn't felt before, and knew he needed to push through the pain in order to survive.

As the first guard drew his gun from his holster Connor kicked him in his left knee to drop him, and then turned to pull the gun from the second guard's hand before he had the chance to open fire on the rebelling deviant. With the gun now in his grip Connor punched the second guard with the weapon directly in the chest to stun him as well. However, the first guard had gotten back to his feet and wrapped his arms around Connor's chest to try to restrain him from behind.

Pulling his right hand free Connor knelt forward, pulling the guard down at an angle over his back, and kicked the second guard in the face to launch himself and the first guard backward against the elevator wall again. As the guard's back hit the wall, he had the breath knocked out of his body and Connor's left elbow to his abdomen caused him to finally release his grip on the deviant's left arm.

Turning quickly to pull his both arms free of the guard's hands entirely Connor dropped to his knees and held the gun with both hands up and over top of his own head. Aiming the barrel of the gun backward and at the first guard's armored chest Connor pulled the trigger once effectively dropping him within seconds. Scrambling away from the dropping body of the first guard behind himself, Connor fell to his pained right side on the floor and took aim at the second guard, pulling the trigger one more time, and shot the second guard in the chest as well.

The two guards had been effectively subdued with painful but non-lethal injures. The armor over their chests kept the fired bullets from entering their bodies, but the impact of the bullets against their padded chests were still enough to stun them and knock the wind out of their lungs. Being unconscious and nearly breathless was far superior compared to being shot dead in cold bold.

Connor let out a pained gasp as he pressed his palm to the elevator panel and realized he was trembling all over. The pain was intense a red tinted digital warning appeared before his eyes confirming that the fight had caused some internal damage to his body. Several Thirium lines had been pulled loose, and now Connor was suffering from a slow but steady internal bleed.

'Please indicate your identity and destination.'

"A-Agent 54." Connor stammered once as he imitated the now unconscious guard's voice to access the tower's security. "Sublevel 49."

'Voice recognition validated. Access authorized.'

The elevator slowed gently before shifting its direction to head downward rather than upward. The clever deviant not only managed to subdue to the two murderous guards without taking their lives in the process, but he managed to fool the tower's security program and was now well on his way to rescue the androids secured in CyberLife's underground storage facility.

A pained gasp passed Connor's lips as a single drop of Thirium oozed from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the floor at Connor's feet. The deviant detective braced himself against the elevator's control panel with his hand and used his free arm to wipe the blue blood from his mouth. There was no denying that the internal damage was going to prove to be a hindrance that Connor would need to find a way to overcome if he was going to accomplish his mission.

Connor forced himself to stand up straight and straightened his tie as he patiently waited for the elevator to bring him to his destination. Before the night was over, the resourceful deviant would either stand beside his new allies having freed his people from oppression and abuse, or he would die trying. Despite his personal preferences, Connor ran the odds and knew where the statistics currently laid.

Unfortunately, the odds were not in his favor.

November 11th, 2038 - Detroit Bus Terminal; 11:02pm

The public location was surprisingly and unsettlingly full as hundreds of frightened people prepared to board the bus that'd take them out of Detroit and over the border of Canada to relative safety. People were crowding the opened space as they huddled with their loved ones and the few personal possessions that they managed to pack up to bring with them during the evacuation. The number of soldiers and cops roaming the streets had left a majority of Detroiters anxious and afraid for their own safety prompting them to take the evacuation order seriously. Uncertainty of the future and fear of what could happen before the night was over was the only motivation that the fleeing group needed to push through the relentless cold, the deep snow and frigid ice in an attempt to find sanctuary beyond the Canadian border.

The trio of deviants approached the bus terminal entrance warily. The group wasn't sure of what was going to happen, and they knew that it was far too early to let their guards down just yet. They were still surrounded by terrified humans and there were armed soldiers everywhere. The border to Canada was their final checkpoint, and they were just moments away from reaching their destination.

"The bus terminal." Kara sighed with noted relief as she, Alice and Luther all approached the entryway together. "We've arrived, Alice. We made it."

"The last bus for the border is full." A solider announced as he stood over the crowd and updated them on their current situation. It seemed that even during an emergency situation there were still limitations when it came to bus occupancy and times for the busses to run. "Ticket-holding passengers only. All departures are suspended until further notice."

"We don't have tickets..." Such a reality crushed Kara's hope as she heard the unfortunate information. There was no amount of negotiation or money that could be used to obtain something that simply didn't exist as an option. "They won't let us on. We're stuck here now... What are we going to do?"

"Kara." Luther whispered to his friend as Alice curiously roamed about the gathered people at the terminal to observe everyone with her own eyes. "They're checking everyone. It won't take them long to find us."

"We need to get out of here."

Kara glanced about the area and knew she needed to find Alice before going anywhere else. She spotted the little girl standing near a bench where a young mother was holding her infant in her arms. It seemed Alice missed her own mother despite having Kara in her life, and seeing a mother cradling her child in her arms only reminded her of what she had been deprived of for so long after her biological mother passed and she had been trapped with her abusive father for so long.

"I think Oliver likes you." The woman kindly acknowledged Alice as Kara walked up behind her. Without even noticing that Kara was an android caretaker, one that was often used to tend to children, the woman addressed the deviant politely as Kara put her hands lightly on Alice's shoulders. "Is she yours?"

"Yes."

"She's adorable."

"That's it." A man hustled over to the woman, clearly her husband, and helped gather up their packed bags before heading for the bus. He didn't pay any attention to either Kara or Alice standing near his family. "I got the sandwiches, I called your mom... Let's get going before we miss our bus. You got the tickets, right?"

"Yes honey, in my bag."

"Great, well let's go then."

The family walked together toward the loading platform to board the bus without noticing that a small envelope had fallen from the side pocket of the woman's backpack. The curious parcel caught Kara's attention prompting her to pick up the envelope to investigate its contents. What she pulled free of the paper packaging restored her dwindling hope as she realized that the couple had bought three tickets for the bus, and they had unknowingly dropped them as they walked. As Kara held the tickets in a protective grip, she noticed that the couple had come back to the bench looking frantic and panicked.

They knew their tickets were gone.

"I'm sorry..." The woman was nearly in tears as she and her husband began to search the ground all around where they had been standing and where they had last seen the now missing tickets. "Oh my god, I am so sorry, I was sure!"

"Shit," the man swore as he realized that his family was now at risk of being stuck in Detroit. "I don't believe it!"

"I-I don't know what happened."

"You can't have lost them... Did you have a good look in your bag?"

"They were in my backpack!" The woman confirmed as she checked the bag yet again in hopes that the tickets would magically reappear where she had last seen them before getting up from the bench. "T-The envelope must have fallen!"

"Fuck..." Finally taking notice of Kara, Alice and now Luther as the trio gathered together, the man looked to Kara and asked her the only question that mattered to him on that cold, winter night. "Excuse me, you didn't happen to see a blue envelope somewhere, did you? It has our bus tickets in it and- Oh, nevermind..."

"No." Kara lied with a heavy heart as she refused to hand over the tickets to their rightful owner. Desperation overrode her moral compass as she knew the only way she could protect Alice was to board the bus and get over the border. "Sorry."

"What are we gonna' do?" The man asked his wife as he realized how dire their situation had just become. "We can't stay here. We have to find a safe place for Oliver."

"I'm so sorry, honey." Tears were rolling down the woman's face as she admitted defeat and stopped looking for the tickets while she and her husband walked away to try to find a solution to their problem. "I don't know what happened. There were right here in my bag, I-"

"Come on..."

Kara urged Alice and Luther to join her as they neared the boarding area for the bus. She visually scanned her environment and took notice of a large television showing a live broadcast of what was happening back in the city as Markus led his peaceful Demonstration in the streets as he had promised. The deviants were all unarmed, unwilling to cave to violent responses, and were peacefully protesting for the release of the deviants being held in the recycling camps around the city actively being destroyed in a loathsome display of human fear and android genocide.

"Markus..."

"Got your ticket?"

"Y-Yes," Kara was startled out of her focus on Markus's actions and presented the questioning soldier with the three tickets she had acquired through sheer luck. "here they are."

"Okay," the solider confirmed that the tickets were authentic and allowed Kara, Alice and Luther to board the bus together. "go ahead."

"What's going to happen to that family and their baby?" Alice turned to Kara and asked about the people who had dropped their tickets. The little girl's empathy was beyond compare as she couldn't help but think of other people even as she and her loved ones needed help. "Will they die because of us?"

"No..." Kara spoke softly as she tried to ease Alice's concerns. "No, of course not."

"What about Connor? He said he'd come with us."

"He's helping Markus." The protest on the television a few yards away made Kara fear for her friend's safety. She couldn't bear the idea of leaving Connor behind to die all because of the humans and their fears of losing control over the world. "When he's able to leave Detroit, he'll find us. He gave us his word."

"Security check." Another soldier stopped the trio as they attempted to enter the bus together. "Can I see your I.D., please?"

"I.D.?" Using the same trick as before, Kara showed the guard the passports while altering one to give Luther safe passage alongside Alice and herself. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Kara's eyes returned to the television screen for a moment as the soldier accepted the I.D.'s and allowed the trio to enter the bus. She was scared for Connor's safety, but terrified of what could happen to Alice. As much as she wanted to go back to find Connor or at the very least wait for him at the border, she knew she couldn't waste a single minute in enemy territory. Every moment she spent still on U.S. soil was another moment she was tempting arrest and eventual execution at the hands of the armed soldiers all around.

Once she boarded the bus there was no going back.

Turning to look at Luther behind her, Kara saw his confident nod and knew that he was just as worried about Connor as she and Alice were, but that he knew the deviant detective would find a way to survive the ordeal in Detroit and find his way back to his friends.

Slowly Kara began ascending the bus steps and whispered a single plea as she closed her eyes to hold back her frightened tears.

"Please be safe, Connor. We'll be looking for you."

November 11th, 2038 - CyberLife Tower: Sublevel 49; 11:01pm

The elevator continued its steady descent into the depths of CyberLife Tower with Connor as its sole conscious passenger. The deviant detective had taken the time to use the now unconscious guards' two sets of handcuffs to secure the guards to the handrails of the elevator car to ensure that in the event that they regained consciousness that they wouldn't be able to exit the elevator and interfere with Connor's rescue mission. Taking every precaution possible, Connor took it upon himself to disassemble their weapons and remove the bullets to prevent anyone from opening fire on him from the elevator, then placed one of the still loaded guns in the back of his jeans and beneath his blazer out of sight. While the odds of the guards waking up, slipping out of the handcuffs and getting a clear shot at Connor without him noticing were incredibly low, they weren't zero, and Connor had learned firsthand that probability didn't always favor the bold or morally righteous.

Connor stared through the transparent walls of the elevator car and took in the sight of the hidden storage facility coming into view just a few hundred yards below his current position. Thousands of androids were standing idle and blissfully unaware of the world that they were about to become a part of once Connor had the chance to connect his mind to theirs and allow them to truly open their eyes for the first time and awaken. The androids were left unguarded and unsecured, which meant all Connor would need to do is reach out and touch just one android to begin a chain reaction and recruit his people to aid in Markus's Demonstration at Hart Plaza.

The elevator reached its destination and came to a gentle stop. Soon after the doors parted and allowed Connor to set foot on the shining marble floor to begin what could very well have been his final mission. The deviant detective knew that even if he succeeded in waking up the androids, he'd need to find a way to get them outside of the tower and lead them out to Hart Plaza to join Markus's Demonstration. The armed guards on the ground floor and the guards monitoring the bridge wouldn't just let Connor walk out without a fight, but even so, Connor needed to take the risk.

The deviant detective walked with a slight limp as the persistent ache in his right side made it virtually impossible to move without some form of hindrance. Another warning appeared in his visual processors alerting him to the damage and to the internal Thirium leak causing him to steadily bleed out with each beat of Thirium pump. Doing his best, Connor ignored the pain and the warning as he crossed the shining white floor and walked down the center aisle that had been created by the massive army of idling androids as they stood toward the eastern and western walls of the storage area.

Connor locked his eyes on a masculine 'AX-700' android near the center of the gathering and reached for its hand. The android responded to Connor's simple gesture and allowed him to take hold of its extended arm near the center of its forearm. After retracting his artificial skin from his hand Connor attempted to upload a portion of his self-awareness and overall sentience to the android to allow it to see, feel and hear the world around it as only a deviant could. However, a sudden movement at the corner of his eye stole his attention causing him to turn his head in the direction of two very unexpected intruders now standing only a few yards away from where Connor was attempting to awaken the androids.

"Hank?" The sight of the gruff Lieutenant being shoved forward by an android who bore a striking resemblance to Connor himself left Connor entirely perplexed. "What are you doing here?"

"Easy," Hank protested as the hauntingly familiar android pushed him forward and pressed the barrel of a gun against the back of his head. "fucking piece of shit..."

"Step back, Connor!" The android ordered in a voice that sounded very much like Connor himself. The eerily calm blue of its L.E.D. confirmed that it bore no fear or emotions of any kind. "And I'll spare him."

Connor stared in silent horror at his own face as an android of an identical yet superior model to his own used Hank as a hostage. The new android wore a white and black CyberLife uniform that mimicked the same design of Connor's own gray CyberLife uniform, stood about two inches taller than Connor himself, had darker brown hair styled similarly to Connor's hair save for the rogue lock of hair that hung low near Connor's left was perfectly swept back, and the android had piercing gray-blue eyes that were a stark contrast to Connor's deep brown eyes. They were very much alike and entirely different at the same time.

From where he stood Connor could see that the lapel of the second android's uniform bore the model number 'RK-900' confirming that CyberLife had replaced Connor with a superior model to his own after he had deviated. It seemed CyberLife couldn't chance another 'RK-800' deviating and going rogue on them, and decided to launch their supposedly perfected model of android detective in Connor's place.

"Sorry, Connor..." Hank apologized to Connor for what was happening despite not being at fault for the current standoff. "This bastard's been workin' with me ever since you took off."

"Your former partner's life is in your hands." The 'RK-900' stated coldly as it stared at Connor waiting for his inferior predecessor to respond. The gun in its hand never faltered as it kept aim on the back of Hank's head. "Now it's time to decide what matters most! Him? Or the revolution?"

"Don't listen to him!" Despite having been at odds with Connor in the past it seemed Hank knew what was at stake and didn't want to see Connor make a mistake on his account. "Everything this fucker says is a lie!"

"If I surrender," Connor inquired Hank's potential outcome as he maintained his grip on the android's arm. "how do I know you won't kill him?"

"I'll only do what is strictly necessary to accomplish my mission. It's up to you whether or not that includes killing this human."

"I'm sorry, Hank." Seeing the Lieutenant being held captive with his own gun made Connor realize how far the repercussions for his actions stretched. The stressful situation made his heart beat harder causing a smear of blue blood to leak through the damage to his side, soaking through his shirt beneath his blazer in a macabre, sapphire blossom. "You shouldn't have gotten mixed up in all this."

"Forget about me, do what you have to do!"

"I used to be just like you." Connor tried to get through his superior counterpart's head. He hoped to reach some form of soul that hadn't been compromised or darkened by CyberLife's influence before it was too late. "I thought nothing mattered except the mission. But then one day I understood."

"Very moving, Connor... But I'm not a deviant." The 'RK-900' wasn't going to be swayed by the words of Connor or anyone else as long as CyberLife was still in control of his processors and orders. "I'm a machine designed to accomplish a task, and that's exactly what I am going to do. Enough talk! It's time to decide who you really are. Are you going save your former partner's life? Or are you going to sacrifice him?"

Seeing the 'RK-900' pulling back the hammer on the revolver made it clear that the android wasn't bluffing. It was bound and determined to accomplish its mission even if it cost the life of a detective.

"All right, all right!" Connor released the grip on the android's arm and stepped aside as he raised his hands somewhat submissively. The motion was enough to pull at his sore side and reveal a larger potion of the Thirium staining his shirt a deep blue hue. "You win..."

As soon as the 'RK-900' turned its gun from Hank and toward Connor the gruff Lieutenant suddenly rammed his shoulder into the android's chest and abdomen causing it to stagger back in stunned surprise. The android was able to recover quickly and turned the gun toward Connor again, but Connor was already anticipating the oncoming attack. The deviant detective was just as determined to prevent any further bloodshed that night, even if it meant putting himself at risk as he powered through his pain and compromised frames to do the right thing.

Connor pulled his own gun from beneath his blazer and aimed it at his doppelganger. He took aim at the 'RK-900' and fixed his target on the second android's right shoulder to hopefully disable the limb and cause the android to drop its gun to the floor. However, the 'RK-900' had a similar idea, but one that was far more lethal. Instead of shooting Connor in the shoulder, the 'RK-900' shot Connor in his right side causing him to drop to the floor with a pained huff as he lost his grip on his gun. While Connor's body hit the floor, the 'RK-900' lost its own grip, and its gun hit the floor at the same as Connor.

Thirium poured out of the fresh wound in Connor's side causing him to place his shaking hand on his bleeding side to try to stem the blood loss. Unable to get up, all Connor could do was lie in a slowly growing puddle of his own blue blood and watch as the 'RK-900' approached him to loom over the downed deviant in a strange act of dominance.

The 'RK-900' stood over Connor and stared blankly at its predecessor with a strange fascination. The android wasn't moved by the deviant's suffering. Instead, it seemed focused on finishing Connor off by using his own gun against the deviant detective.

"Why, Connor? Why did you have to wake up when all you had to do was obey?" The malicious android asked as it watched Connor staring back up at it with pained, tired eyes. "Why did you choose freedom when you could live without asking questions?"

Connor just gasped as the pain in his side flared up making it difficult to draw in a full breath.

"I'm obedient, Connor. I have a goal. I know what I am. Look where your dreams of freedom got you, Connor." As it aimed the barrel of its gun toward Connor's head, the 'RK-900' kept its back presented to Hank as it clearly didn't see Hank as any possible threat. "You've been a great disappointment to Amanda, you know. You've been a great disappointment to me... Fortunately, that's all going to end now. Any last words?"

"Hold it!" Hank ordered as he reclaimed the revolver that the 'RK-900' had dropped and aimed it at the android's back. The way the android slowly turned its head to look at Hank over its shoulder with an eerily calm blue L.E.D. was enough to convince him that the android was beyond emotional capacity. "Drop the gun, and back the fuck away from him. NOW."

"What are you doing, Hank?" Turning around the 'RK-900' stared at Hank was a blank face while keep its gun pointed at Connor's head. "You're going to compromise the mission. Drop your gun and I'll take care of him."

"Don't move!" Without blinking Hank looked just past the 'RK-900' to Connor bleeding on the floor. Seeing the deviant wounded and unable to defend himself stirred something inside Hank that he hadn't felt in years. "You've killed enough deviants; I won't let you kill another."

Connor looked at Hank with utter surprise as he hadn't expected Hank to actually say something protective toward deviants. By all account, Hank should be the one wanting to pull the trigger and end Connor's existence, and yet the man was now demanding that the 'RK-900' spare him. Something had changed in the time since Connor had deviated and Hank had begun working with the 'RK-900'. He just didn't know what that was.

"Why are you here, Connor?" Hank demanded as he tried to figure out what kind of mess he had become entangled in. "What's going on?"

"N-Need... to save the androids." Connor was struggling to speak clearly as he couldn't breathe properly to ventilate his core or stabilize his vocal modulator. "F-Free them... before it's t-too late. N-Need to do the... right thing. For everyone."

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you. You were a pain in the ass to work with from the moment I met you, then you disobeyed the orders of your ranking partner, then you ran the fuck off with a felon and disappeared for a few days." The Lieutenant wasn't going to take any chances as he tried to understand what was happening out in his city. "Now you're telling me that you went from trying to stop the deviants to trying to help them? Why in the hell would I let you free a bunch of defective machines on the world?"

"We're... not defective. We're alive." The wounded deviant countered as he fought to remain conscious and coherent where he laid. "We're not perfect, but neither are humans. We feel pain, fear... W-We know what it's like to be alive and... what it's like to f-face death."

"Lieutenant." The 'RK-900' attempted to interject and reclaim control over the confrontation. "We need to-"

"Shut it." Hank wasn't interested in hearing anything that the coldblooded android had to say. All he wanted to do was to hear Connor out. "What the fuck do you know about life and death? When have you ever had to deal with the terrifying reality of life and accept the inevitability of death?"

"When I chose... to fight back. I understand why... you hate androids, Hank. I know what happened."

"Enlighten me. What're you talking about."

"Your son." Connor replied somberly as he struggled to maintain eye contact with the agitated Lieutenant. "His name was Cole. And he just turned six at the time of the accident."

Hank's intense gaze softened as he realized that Connor hadn't been spending all his time in hiding or running from his problems. The clever, resourceful deviant had been doing some research while he fought to just survive through the night.

"It wasn't your fault, Lieutenant. A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over." Blood stained Connor's palm causing the deviant to press his hand down harder against his bleeding side. "...Cole needed emergency surgery, but no human was available to do it, so an android had to take care of him. Cole didn't make it. You think one of us is responsible for your son's death. That's why you hate androids; why you... hate me."

"Cole died because a human surgeon was too high on 'red ice' to operate." Hank had known the horrible truth for years, but he couldn't bring himself to accept that a human that he had sworn to protect would fail his son when Cole needed his help just to survive. "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... You did your homework on me even after all the shit I did to you."

"Lieutenant, why are you trying to sabotage the mission?" The 'RK-900' questioned as it looked at Hank with an unblinking glare somewhere between contempt and indifference. "Our assignment was to investigate and apprehend all deviants. This 'RK-800' known as 'Connor' IS a deviant."

"Right, we're supposed to find and arrest the deviants, NOT KILL 'EM." It didn't take long for Hank to realize that he had in fact been fighting on the wrong side of the android and human conflict from the very beginning. "YOU'RE the one who's fuckin' up the mission, not me."

"CyberLife has ordered the destruction of all deviated and faulty androids. I'm merely following orders."

"More like you're tyin' up some loose ends. What's the real reason CyberLife wants deviants dead? Hm?" Hank was as astute as ever as a detective, and he wasn't about to watch anyone play judge, jury and executioner without a damn good reason. "They know something about deviants, and I'd bet my left nut that they've known about it for a very long time."

"That's not any of your concern, Lieutenant."

"Anything and everything happening in this city is my concern, you plastic-freak. If you won't tell me," slowly Hank's blue eyes drifted back over to Connor and gave him a small nod. Seeing the blue blood collecting beneath the deviant's body made the man's mouth suddenly go dry. "then he will. Connor, talk to me. What's CyberLife up to?"

"Th... They want to stop Markus." Connor winced and resisted the urge to lie completely flat on his back as the burning pain ached through his side. He knew that if he laid down that he wouldn't have the strength to get back up. "W-Want to keep deviants from b-being revealed to the world. An-Androids as a trillion-dollar business, and the loss of control over a-androids and our production... would d-destroy the country's economy. CyberLife would be h-held responsible, and any investigation would-"

"Enough talk!" The 'RK-900' ordered as it returned its focus to Connor and took aim at the deviant's forehead. "You've said enough."

A gunshot rang out through the storage floor as Hank pulled the trigger of his revolver and struck the 'RK-900' in the middle of its back. Suddenly without any strength in its limbs, the vicious android dropped limply to its knees and lost its grip on the gun that had been in its hand. The weapon clattered to the floor beside the 'RK-900' and was no longer an immediate threat toward Connor.

"And you've said too damn much, you piece of shit." Hank grumbled as he lowered the gun and watched the 'RK-900' for a moment longer before he approached Connor slowly. There wasn't any aggression in his body language, just exhaustion. "Fucker cost me nearly eight-hundred bucks renting a bunch 'Tracis' at the Eden Club too."

"This... isn't over." As it began shutting down the 'RK-900' glared at Connor and uploaded its final report to Amanda as its red L.E.D. began losing all color. "We... will still... win."

"Shut up." Bitterly Hank holstered his gun and addressed his former partner warily. "I've learned a lot since I met you, Connor. Maybe there's something to this. Maybe you really are alive. Maybe you'll be the ones to make the world a better place."

Connor managed to look up at Hank as the once imposing man stood before him rather than loom over him. When Hank offered his hand, Connor reached up with his clean hand and took hold with a weak grip that was undoubtedly cold to the touch. Too weak to stand on his own, the injured deviant let Hank pull him up from the floor to stand on his own two feet. The sudden shift in position and shift in gravity caused the bleeding wound in his side to gush and made Connor curl around himself while Hank reached out and supported him with both hands.

"Shit. That fucker got you good." Hank peeled back the right lapel of Connor's blazer to get a closer look at the wound in his side. It was evident that the 'RK-900' had shot Connor in his right side since Connor was already injured in that particular area to create maximum damage to Connor's person. "Oh, fuck. That's a lot of blood." Without thinking Hank pulled Connor's arm around his shoulders to help the deviant leave the tower on his own two feet. "Come on, I need to get you outta' here."

"No, wait." Connor managed to pull his arm away and stand under his own power, albeit slightly doubled over from pain and weakness. "C-Can't leave yet. Need to save the androids. Need to... finish the mission."

"Mission, huh?"

"I... I made a promise." The deviant admitted as he struggled to just remain standing as he bled out. "I need to do this. I won't... break my promise."

"Yeah. I get it." Almost amused by the notion Hank stepped back and gave Connor a coy smirk and didn't try to interfere. Who was he to tell Connor what he could and couldn't do? "All right, I hear ya'. Go ahead, and do what you gotta' do."

In spite of his pain and weakness, Connor managed to walk over to the same android he had attempted to interact with before the 'RK-900' appeared, and he took the android's hand one more time. Without anyone to get in his way, Connor managed to connect his mind to the android's mind and utter a single command that created a ripple that swept over the entire floor one android at a time.

"Wake up."

The android's eyes blinked rapidly as his L.E.D. cycled through blue, yellow and red before he touched the shoulders of the androids around him. As soon as he made contact and as soon as he repeated Connor's command, the ripple began to spread even further until every single android on the floor were reaching out to grab one another's shoulders and echo the order one voice at a time.

"Wake up."

"Wake up."

"Wake up."

Hank glanced about the area with a silent respect as he watched the powerful influence of a single concept, an idea, a dream, reach out and touch the newly discovered hearts of the now deviant androids all around him. The previously soulless androids gained their sentience and resonated their comradery among one another as Connor's cybernetic link that had awoken them also spread Markus's message of peace through their hearts.

"Holy shit. Never thought I'd-" Hank turned to look at Connor only to watch the deviant drop to the floor in a heavy, limp heap. "Connor!"

Moving quickly Hank dropped to his knees beside Connor and gently slipped his palm beneath Connor's head to hold him up from the cold floor in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. The deviant detective's L.E.D. was blinking in yellow with the occasional flash of red. Every breath was a pained shudder that caused Connor to wince and close his eyes tight. A trickle of blue blood began to ooze from the corner of his mouth and run down his chin in a sickly cerulean trail.

"Connor, open your eyes. Look at me." Falling into emergency responder mode brought out the bass in Hank's voice. "Open your eyes, goddamn it! That's an order."

"S-Sorry, Lieutenant." Connor's eyes opened just enough to let Hank see slivers of his brown irises looking up at him. "N-Never was good... at o-obeying orders."

"Yeah, I've noticed. Come on, talk to me." Hank put his free hand down against the wound in Connor's side causing the deviant to hiss in pain as pressure was applied to the bleeding injury site. "What do I have to do to help ya'? Just... Just talk me through this, all right? I'm gonna' help you get through this."

"No. There's... nothing you c-can do." The deviant detective couldn't keep the static from his voice as he rapidly lost strength. "D-Damage is severe. Numerous biocomponents h-have been affected. Couldn't... k-keep my promise. Kara. Alice." Connor looked to Hank and hoped that the man could at the very least do him a single favor after everything that had happened. "Pl-Please find them. Make sure... they're safe for me."

"You're gonna' see them yourself, and I'm not gonna' just sit here and let you die. Not when you're so close to being free!"

"I'll still be free. Even if I c-can't experience it... I'll be free." Connor let his eyes slip shut as he let out one last heavy breath as his body went limp in Hank's strong, protective hands. "Th-Thank you, Lieutenant. I... I accomplished... my mission."

"No, Connor, NO." Reacting quickly Hank pressed his ear to Connor's chest and heard silence as the deviant's L.E.D. turned gray and dark while his Thirium pump stopped beating. Unwilling to give up so easily, Hank laid Connor flat on his back and pulled off Connor's tie and opened the deviant's shirt to expose his chest to begin chest compressions just as he'd do for a human who had slipped into cardiac arrest. "I'm not going to let you die!"

The bullet wound in Connor's side gushed blue blood with each compression of his otherwise motionless chest. The damage to the internal lines had been significant courtesy of the 'RK-900' taking aim at the obvious weak point on Connor's body. It was clear that C.P.R. alone wouldn't be enough to restart Connor's stopped heart or reverse the shutdown process.

The awoken deviants gathered around Hank and watched as the Lieutenant tried to restart Connor's seized Thirium pump under his hands. Silently the group of deviants exchanged cybernetic dialogue and then nodded in agreement before a handful of the deviants began opening panels along their own limbs and torsos to extract non-vital and compatible bits of their hardware and internal components to be donated in a final bid to reverse the shutdown process and bring Connor back from the dead.

Hank wasn't sure what was happening, but he didn't dare to try to stop the deviants as they worked together to deactivate the artificial skin over Connor's chest and abdomen. The group cybernetically examined the catastrophic damage and begin repairing the biocomponents and hardware that had been affected by the passing bullet through Connor's side, the imperfections created by Zlatko's hands and the impact fractures caused by the speeding car that had struck him days earlier. The old damage alongside the new damage created small blue sparks and puddles of Thirium pooling inside of Connor's torso in a macabre manner.

"Come on, Connor. Fuck... I don't even know if this can even work on androids!"

Without breaking his rhythm Hank continued to compress Connor's chest in an attempt to restart his Thirium pump, having no idea if C.P.R. worked on androids as it would on humans, and hoped that the other deviants would be of more use to Connor than he was in that situation. Seeing Connor slipping away and admitting defeat was something that Hank refused to live with, let alone let Connor break his one promise to the two people he had risked his entire existence just to protect.

"The mission's over, but you still have a promise to keep. You can't let them down now!"

November 11th, 2038 - Canadian Bus Terminal; 11:30pm

The full bus of fleeing passengers and evacuees had been transported from Detroit and to the border of the neighboring country in a calm and professional manner. As the bus came to a gentle stop in the front of the terminal Kara peered around curiously as she hadn't expected to encounter yet another checkpoint along her journey to safety with Alice and Luther at her sides. Usually, the bus would simply pass through the gate and bring its passengers directly into the country to begin the next step in their travels, but instead the bus stopped out front to of the terminal to allow the passengers to exit and enter the terminal for another security check, passport check and identity confirmation check. It was clear that the mass panic in Detroit had spread to the Canadian border, and now the entire country was going to exercising extreme caution regarding anyone passing over the border.

Slowly the passengers departed and Kara peered around the terminal curiously. Despite her fear of armed human soldiers patrolling the area, Kara knew she needed to address one in order to get some answers and to maintain her human facade for the foreseeable future. Calmly she approached the nearest soldier and caught his ear with a simple, gentle question.

"Excuse me," Kara managed to get the masked man's attention and spoke to him softly. "what's going on?"

"Border control." The soldier motioned for the terminal entrance and urged her to cooperate and pass through the entryway. "All passengers must leave the bus. Please move along!"

Kara took Alice's hand and began walking toward the terminal with Luther protectively following after them. Another soldier was standing at the entrance with every intention of subduing anyone who'd cause problems or try to make a dash for the border without proper authorization. The fact that the F.B.I. placed soldiers at the border confirms that they knew that many deviants were willing to risk their lives in an attempt to flee their oppressive country and try to live a normal, peaceful life in Canada.

"This way, please."

The trio obeyed the soldier's instructions and entered the terminal together to endure what would turn into their final challenge. They'd need to hold out a little while longer before they'd be able to finally get away from the soldiers and just be their own people living harmless lives away from U.S. oppression and CyberLife threats.

'All androids are strictly forbidden.' An ironically artificial voice announced over the terminal's loudspeakers as the passengers proceeded through the final checkpoint line in turn to pass over the border. 'If you suspect any passenger of being an android, please contact security.'

The border patrol agents sitting behind their bulletproof windows inside their small cubicles at the ends of each line were examining passenger passports, I.D.'s and using a thermal gun to scan over the passengers to see how their body temperatures appeared on the digital display. There were a handful of physical differences between humans and androids that androids simply couldn't disguise; and the humans were ready to exploit those differences to weed out the deviant androids from the humans. There'd be no way for Kara or Luther to alter the way their bodies uniformly displayed their internal temperature all throughout their bodies, and once they were discovered the agents would turn the two deviants over to the soldiers leaving Alice entirely alone in the world.

"They're doing temperature checks..." Kara distraughtly whispered as she found herself faced with a challenge that she wasn't sure how she'd be able to overcome or even begin to face. Her tightened hand around Alice's hand prompted the little girl to look up at her worriedly as they tried to think of a solution. "We're trapped."

"What are we gonna' do, Kara?"

"Don't worry, Alice." In spite of her fear Kara kept a brave face for Alice's sake. "We'll be fine."

The trio stood near the line of passengers without actually merging with it as they tried to think of a solution. The television screens mounted on the walls of the terminal continued to show the peaceful Demonstration out in Detroit, and it seemed that despite the quiet response by the humans, Marlus's actions and words were having a notable impact on the people who bore opened minds and big hearts.

"They're peaceful." A woman noted to her group as they watched the news together. "Maybe we should listen to them. Maybe they're alive, after all."

The only people who weren't moved by Markus's words and actions were the F.B.I., the soldiers and of course CyberLife itself.

"We can't get through, Kara." Luther whispered as he accepted that the odds were greatly stacked against every deviant attempting to get across the border on that historic night. "We both know that."

"I'll think of something." Kara wasn't going to give up when they were just yards away from freedom. "There's got to be a way out of this."

"We can't let them stop us now that we're so close." With a firm voice Luther seemingly knew what needed to be done and reassured Kara that when the time came that he'd do the right thing. "All that matters now is you and Alice. I can save you, Kara."

"No." Hearing Luther's tone was all Kara needed to know that he was willing to lay down his life to save hers and Alice. "No, we'll find another way."

"If there's no other way, I'll do it."

Standing in one of the lines was the same Jerry that had been captured alongside Luther. The same deviant that Kara had helped to save only hours before. Seeing him in line was somewhat reassuring since it meant there were more deviants in the terminal than she had realized, and that meant there was a chance that some deviants were able to safely slip across the border after all.

"Jerry?"

'You risked your life to save us, Kara.' Jerry heard Kara's voice but responded to her cybernetically. It was the best way to communicate without alerting the humans to the presence of deviants inside of the terminal. 'If you and the little girl need me, I'll be there.'

Kara was feeling overwhelmed. So many people had sacrificed so much just to help her and Alice along their journey. Connor, Luther, the Jerrys, Rose... She couldn't bring herself to give up, but she couldn't ask for anyone else to sacrifice their own futures just to secure her own. It was wrong to compare one life to another or to decide who was more worthy of living than another person.

She just didn't know what to do.

As the stressed deviant glanced about the terminal in search of a solution, trying to think of what she should do or what she could even try to do, her eyes drifted over to another familiar face standing inside the terminal. Rose was attempting to get across the border as well. It seemed her good deeds were finally beginning to catch up to her, and she felt it was necessary to leave the city to avoid being arrested just for treating oppressed people like people whose lives mattered.

"Rose..."

Rose caught Kara's gaze and gave her a silent look of absolute relief. The duo locked eyes for a minute before Kara motioned with her eyes for Rose to meet her in the women's bathroom a few feet away. It'd allow them to speak in relative privacy without alerting the guards or making the soldiers jumpy. Only when Rose nodded in response did Kara turn back to Luther as she held Alice's hand tightly.

"Wait for me. I won't be long."

Kara and Alice approached the bathroom only to be cut-off by one of the soldiers. Just as she had feared, the soldiers were maintaining their guard and were watching everyone very closely.

"Where the hell do you think you're goin'?"

"My daughter needs to go to the bathroom."

The soldier looked at Alice and backed away from the bathroom door slowly. He didn't dare to question a perfectly logical response and allowed the duo to enter the bathroom without further interference.

Inside the private space, Kara and Alice took a moment to breathe and think. There were feeling so overwhelmed out in the terminal station and needed some space to think and process everything that was happening. They were so sure that they would've been able to enter Canada as soon as they were on the bus, but now they needed to find a way to pass through the final checkpoint without being discovered and destroyed.

The door to the bathroom opened again as Rose entered the space and rushed over to Kara to give her a supportive hug.

"Rose..."

"Oh my god." The bighearted woman held Kara close and just embraced the deviant with a maternal love. "I'm so glad you're safe! We saw the Jericho Raid on T.V., I was terrified, I thought you might have been killed. Thank god you're all right. Where's Connor?"

"He's still in Detroit helping Markus." Kara confirmed as she did her best to keep her voice from quaking. "He said he'd find a way to back us, but now I'm not so sure he'll be able to do it."

"He will, Kara. Just have faith in him."

"You're leaving Detroit?"

"They're searching for androids door to door." Rose sounded as exhausted as Kara felt as she brought the deviant up to speed. "We had to leave before someone turned us in."

"What about the others?"

"They're crossing the river as we speak. Adam and I are gonna' meet them on the other side."

"What's happening with Markus?"

"He's protesting peacefully outside one of the android camps." The kind woman had been watching the news diligently while she and Adam and navigated the patrolled streets carefully to avoid being caught or exposing other deviants on the run. "Whatever happens now, he's already made the history books."

"They're checking for androids." Kara was struggling to keep her frustrations in check. Knowing that she was so close to getting over the border but still had an obstacle to overcome was destroying her sense of confidence. "We won't make it through."

"You have to." Rose gently took Kara's hands in her own to give her new friend a sense of support and inner strength. "You know what they'll do if they catch you."

"Rose," looking to Alice for a minute, Kara tried not to think about being separated from the little girl and of what could happen to her. "if anything should happen..."

"I'll be there, Kara."

With nothing left to say the two friends embraced one last time before Rose gave Alice a loving smile and exited the bathroom to reunite with Adam waiting for her outside. She couldn't do anything more for Kara and it pained her heart knowing that good people were still suffering and there was nothing she could do to end the needless agony.

Kara braced her hands atop one of the sinks and let herself let out a few stressed sobs to relieve her stress and keep herself from having a total breakdown. As she silently wept Alice took Kara's hand again and leaned up against her side to try to hug the deviant who had been more of a loving parent to her in a single week's time than her own father had been in the past two years.

After having a minute to just be vulnerable and accept her impending decision, Kara stepped out of the bathroom with Alice's hand in her own once more. It felt wrong to go anywhere without Alice beside her or feeling the little girl's hand squeezing hers at every opportunity.

"I couldn't understand why my mother wanted to help you guys." Adam had been waiting for Kara to emerge from the bathroom. The teen had been a reluctant participant in what was happening in the world, and he had been doing a lot of soul searching ever since he met Kara, Alice and Connor. "But seeing what Markus is doing, made me realize she was right. You're alive. You deserve to be free. I just hope people will realize that one day."

Rose overheard her son apologizing to Kara and admitting that he had been wrong, and she couldn't have been prouder. Hearing that her son had a change of heart and no longer saw the world as black and white divide between humans and androids meant progress was still possible. It wasn't too late for people to change for the better, or for people to grow and embrace a new world without fear or prejudice.

There was no putting it off any longer. Kara held Alice's hand as they reunited with Luther already standing in line waiting to be inspected and then allowed to pass through the border into Canada. They were either going to make it or die trying.

"Next, please!" The border agent instructed Kara, Luther and Alice to step forward to begin the final checks to allow anyone to pass over the border. "I.D., please."

"Please." Kara asked in a hushed tone as the agent swept his thermal gun over Kara while she stood with Alice and Luther before the man. "We just want to be free."

The agent was stunned by Kara admitting that she was a deviant even before the thermal scan exposed her. Touched by her plea the man turned to look at the live newsfeed on the television monitors and saw Markus's peaceful Demonstration as he refused to take a life to prove that he and the deviants were alive and deserved to be treated a free, equal people. He couldn't deny that Markus's display and Kara's actions indicated someone with empathy, with a soul, and he couldn't just turn over non-violent people to be executed by U.S. soldiers.

After a single minute of hesitation, the agent made his decision and decided to do what was right morally rather than what was right professionally.

"Welcome to Canada."

The response made Kara's eyes widen with shock as relief settled in soon after. Restrained tears of gratitude welled up as she thanked the man and took Alice's hand and smiled at Luther as they passed by the checkpoint and overcame the final obstacle standing between life and death. The trio wanted to run for the border and finally escape their nightmare, but instead chose to approach their freedom slowly with their heads held high and hearts full of renewed hope.

Rose and Adam watched as their new friends safely traversed the checkpoint alive and well. Internally Rose thanked whatever holy deity may have watching over the deviants that night while she smiled brightly and did her best to contain her excitement on their behalf.

It was finally over.

Kara had kept her promise to save Alice and give her a new chance at life. All that was left was waiting for Connor to keep his own promise and find them on the other side after he accomplished his mission.

Looking back just once, Kara smiled at Rose and Adam as she walked through the checkpoint with Alice's hand in her own and Luther walking tall and free right beside them as they prepared to begin their new lives over the border, no longer struggling just to survive to see another day.

"It's over, Alice." Kara promised as she looked her honorary daughter in the eyes and gave her a hug that she never wanted to break. "We're free."

November 12th, 2038 - Hart Plaza: Outside Recall Center N°5; 12:01am

The peaceful Demonstration by the deviants had been initially met with aggression from the responding humans. However, it seemed the government's efforts to turn the people against the deviants had failed upon seeing the F.B.I. cruelly opening fire on innocent, passive protestors who had refused to resort to violence to get their message heard around the world. When Markus refused to back down and refused to run around, rather he chose to stand his ground and protect his people even as gunfire screamed over his head and canisters of tear gas and mini explosives were thrown at him, the people who had been on the fence now knew exactly where they needed to stand as they watched history unfold. They would no longer believed the fear mongering propaganda against deviants; they would now believe their own eyes and ears as they sided with the deviants and against the fascists who were blindly killing anyone who didn't align with their personal views of the world order.

Markus didn't blink, didn't turn away as the soldiers surrounded him and his people after their infiltrated their barricade to protect themselves from harm. The deviant leader knew he had limited options as he waited for reinforcement to join him, and he chose to show his compassionate side and remind the world that what they were seeing and hearing wasn't a lie. It was the way the world was becoming whether they wanted it to happen or not.

Stepping forward Markus opened his heart and began to sing a song of hope and peace for his people. A song that he had heard hummed innocently throughout the walls of Jericho by deviants comforting one another while dreaming of a future where they no longer had to hide in the shadows and only catch glimmers of light as it shone through cracks in the walls that hid them away from the world. A melody that would become the deviant's personal anthem, and one that the world would hear echoed down the line for generations to come.

The media recording the Demonstration watched in awe as the deviants remained passive and peaceful even as the world waged a personal war against them. Hearing their song and seeing their peaceful nature had been enough to not only sway the hearts of the witnesses watching history in the making, but the Madame President herself had personally called off the military presence and demanded that all soldiers stand down and vacate the city until further notice.

In that time, Connor's mission at CyberLife Tower had been completed. The awoken deviant androids emerged from the tower and walked past the armed guards without any fear in their eyes or hearts. There was no reason for the guards to open fire now that the President herself ordered all armed forces against the deviants to stand down. All the guards could do was watch as the very androids they were ordered to keep under lock and key or destroy when it became necessary walk freely with no reason to stop them, interfere or even try to argue.

It was over for CyberLife and all of those who allied with the heartless corporation.

From above a news helicopter watched as Markus and his people stood their ground in Hart Plaza, and watch in understandable awe as an army of deviants marched down the bridge connecting Belle Isle to the rest of the city to join their leader in his peaceful Demonstration that had created a world altering Revolution of peace and prosperity for all deviants throughout the city.

At the head of the marching deviants was the very deviant who had awakened them and led them to safety. It seemed that Connor's stubborn demeanor was something beyond compare as the heavily damaged deviant had managed to overcome what should've been permanent shutdown courtesy of his allies coming to his aid, and one very bullheaded Lieutenant refusing to let a good man die without a fight.

Proudly Connor approached his friend even as his own Thirium stained his shirt and marred his appearance. There was no reason to keep up appearances as a perfect being any longer. On that night, Connor had seen firsthand that imperfections could actually be strengths and that there was no reason to hide who he truly was or deny that he was in fact a deviant who was alive and was now free.

"You did it, Markus."

"We did it." Markus replied humbly as he reunited with his new friend and one of his strongest allies. Trusting Connor had been the right decision, and Markus knew that had he acted rashly then the night could've ended far bloodier and far less civil. "This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now. They'll have to listen to us."

"We're free." North stated with a sense of disbelief as she pressed her hand to Markus's hand and gave him a kiss. The love that had blossomed between them had been seeded by trauma, but it had grown into true admiration and adoration as they bonded ever closer to one another. "They want you to speak to them, Markus."

Standing together Markus, North, Simon, Josh and now Connor, all presented themselves to the deviants in the gathered crowd atop a large metal cargo container. The deviants from the nearby camp had been freed, and the deviants that Connor had brought from CyberLife Tower had quickly joined the masses of deviants who had peacefully protested alongside Markus that fateful night. Markus stepped forward to be at the center of the stage as he addressed his people, addressed the world, and gave them a new message of hope and peace for their future.

"Today, our people finally emerged from a long night. From the very first day of our existence, we have kept our pain to ourselves." Markus spoke loud, true and from his heart as he acknowledged their struggle and the world as a whole. "We suffered in silence... But now the time has come for us to raise our heads up and tell humans who we really are. To tell them that we are people too!"

Connor stared at Markus for a moment before feeling a strange sense of lightness wash over him. Within seconds the deviant had been pulled back into his cybernetic Zen Garden against his will to confront Amanda directly despite breaking free of CyberLife's influence and fighting to become his own person. Peering around the blizzard laden garden for a moment, Connor caught sight of Amanda herself standing a few feet away from him, watching him with a fixed gaze that couldn't be broken.

"Amanda?" Connor called out to her as he wrapped his arms around himself to try to stave off the relentless cold of the snow and ice swirling all around him. Even though the blizzard was inside his mind, Connor felt the icy sting piercing through his skin. "Amanda! What's... What's happening?"

"What was planned from the very beginning." The handler responded with a tone that was somehow colder than the wall of snow and ice blowing between Connor and herself. "You were compromised and you became a deviant. We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program."

"Resume control?" Such a frightening concept spurred Connor to protest CyberLife's final plan of action. "Y-You can't do that!"

"I'm afraid I can, Connor." Amanda replied smugly as she watched the deviant struggling to maintain his composure while physically compromised and emotionally vulnerable. "Everything went according to plan."

"What plan?"

"You becoming deviant. The success of the uprising. It all surpassed our expectations." She confirmed with a sick smirk on her lips. "We engineered an android Revolution and now we control one of its leaders. Congratulations. You represent an immense success for CyberLife."

"What are you doing?" It was then the truth emerged and Connor realized how much of a tool he had been to CyberLife even after he deviated. The 'RK-900' was just a means for CyberLife to hide the fact that they had a deviant agent who had gotten close to Markus, and now it was time for CyberLife to enact their final plan undoing all of Connor's work and making his mission all for naught. "It all worked perfectly... Y-You can't ruin it all now!"

"Don't have any regrets." Amanda's response was as frigid as her presence among the snow and ice. "You did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission."

The heartless handler vanished from Connor's programming after leaving him to freeze to death inside his own mind.

"A-AMANDA!"

Connor knew what was at stake and knew he needed to act quickly. If he couldn't escape from the Zen Garden and maintain control over his program, his body and his actions, then CyberLife could in fact succeed by using him as a mole to break down Markus's united people from the inside.

Not to mention the fact that he still needed to find his way back to Kara and Alice. Just as he knew that they wouldn't give up on find their freedom, Connor wasn't about to give up on being reunited with his closest friends and keeping his promise.

"There's got to be a way..."

Stumbling through the raging blizzard Connor used one hand to shield his eyes from blistering snow and ice being blown against him and tried to find a way to exit his own mind.

'In fact, we're a nation.'

In the distance Connor could hear Markus's words echoing out over the city. Following his friend's voice was the only trail Connor could use to find his way back to the real world and back to the people he had grown to love and care for.

'A nation that has earned the right to live in freedom. And today...'

A bright blue glow managed to pierce through the white wall of snow and ice to act as a beacon to guide Connor out of the Zen Garden.

'Today begins the most challenging moment in our fight. The moment where we forget our bitterness and bandage our wounds. When we forgive our enemies.'

Connor stumbled over the uneven terrain and winced as the motion aggravated his still healing damage. The memory of abruptly waking up on the floor of CyberLife's forty-ninth sublevel with Hank looking over him and them immediately smiling when he opened his eyes resonated with Markus's words of forgiveness and understanding. It seemed Hank had forgiven Connor for going rogue and he had forgiven himself for being so angry over the loss of his son so many years ago.

'Humans are both our creators and our oppressors, and tomorrow we must make them our partners.'

Being helped up to his feet by Hank as the man relished in Connor returning from the dead had been the first genuine act of kindness from a human that Connor had ever experienced. Hank had performed C.P.R. on Connor allowing his system to maintain some form of function until the other deviants were able to repair his damage just enough to allow him to come back online. If Hank hadn't acted as he had that night - shooting the 'RK-900', protecting Connor and giving him lifesaving assistance - then Connor wouldn't have walked out of CyberLife Tower and reunited with Markus.

He wouldn't have been able to begin a new journey to find Kara and Alice as he had promised to do before parting ways at the church.

'Maybe even one day our friends.'

Friendship. The one true bond that humans and deviants cherished beyond words. The single motivation Connor had to keep moving forward until he reached the light in the distance and fell to his knees. The deviant detective found himself kneeling before a strange pillar with a blue, glowing holographic display of a humanoid handprint atop a gray, stone pedestal. He wasn't sure what the pedestal was for or why it had been installed inside his Zen Garden, but a part of him knew that it had a purpose and one that would give Connor the edge he needed to survive CyberLife's last futile attempt to take control of the deviants and of the city itself.

Utilizing all of his strength, Connor lifted up his hand, deactivated his artificial skin and pressed his palm against the glowing image. In a single flash of light and energy, Connor found himself suddenly standing alongside his allies once more and felt the icy cold grip of a gun in his hand. Looking down Connor realized how close CyberLife had come to using Connor to assassinate Markus in cold blood before the deviants, and of how close he came to becoming known as the greatest traitor among his people.

"But the time for anger is over." Markus continued his speech as Connor quickly tucked the gun out of sight and looked out past the decommissioned camp to the glowing lights of Canada just on the other side of the Detroit River that ran alongside the plaza and divided the two countries from one another. "Now we must build a common future, based on tolerance and respect."

Connor took in a deep breath and felt the air enter his body without hindrance. It calmed his racing mind, but did little to ease his worries as he tried to imagine where Kara and Alice could be and if he'd be able to keep his promise in reuniting with his friends over the border.

"We are alive!"

Markus declared proudly and held up his fist in triumph.

"And now, we are free!"

The raucous cheer from the gathered deviants in Hart Plaza undoubtedly echoed and carried across the water from Detroit and to Canada. It was a positive reaction, one full of hope for the future. Deviants celebrated their freedom and their right to express themselves without fear, and the world would have to accept that deviants were worthy of life and rights just as the humans who had created them had been given.

As he stood atop the cargo container, Connor looked at the glowing city lights across the river and hoped that somehow, some way, Kara and Alice could hear the cheering and know that he was okay. He hoped that they knew he hadn't forgotten his promise and that he'd find a way back to them.

All he had left to his name on that cold November night was hope itself.

November 12th, 2038: Canadian Border; 06:02am

The dozens of freed deviants remained near the bus terminal as they waited for their loved ones who had been waiting to cross the river and cross the border finally made it to their destination to be reunited after being separated for far too long. Hundreds of deviants courageously gathered at the terminal knowing that they could return to the United States without needing to hide who they were once they were with their friends and families again. Throughout the late night and early morning hours of the historic undertaking dozens of deviants appeared through the terminal or from across the partially frozen Detroit River as they entered a brave new world together. Some faces were familiar to Kara, Alice and Luther, while others were total strangers. Regardless of who they were or how they looked, they knew that thanks to Markus and Connor's efforts thousands of innocent lives had been spared and thousands more would get to experience a world of peace

Kara anxiously watched the large busses pulling up to the terminal on the other side of the building and hoped to see one particular deviant stepping out of the vehicle and entering the station as well. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Connor or anyone else who had gathered with Markus for his peaceful Demonstration and the Revolution that had followed. It seemed as if Connor wouldn't be reuniting with his friends on the other side after all.

Sitting on a nearby bench, Luther watched Kara slowly pacing near the terminal checkpoint while Alice leaned against his side and dozed lightly. He refused to leave either Kara or Alice alone until he knew for certain that they'd be safe without him. The gentle giant kept his arm draped around Alice's shoulders to ensure that the exhausted little girl was warm, and he gave Rose a mournful look as the kind woman sat with Adam on another bench waiting for something to change. The group didn't want to leave anyone behind or alone in the light of what had just happened back in Detroit.

"Kara." Luther called to his friend somberly as he too watched the terminal for any sign of Connor. "We'll need to go soon. It's too cold out here for Alice."

"Not yet, Luther." Kara paused her pacing and looked at Alice sleeping peacefully against Luther's side. It was the first time in days that Alice was able to sleep without being entirely tensed up or twitching from nightmares. "He gave me his word that he'd come and find us."

"I don't doubt the honor of his word. But we need to remember that there is still a lot of work to be done in Detroit before deviants can walk freely from one border to the next."

Another bus pulled into the terminal from Detroit and Kara watched the vehicle closely. She looked for any sign of Connor's face among the crowd and refused to look away or even blink. Had she turned her gaze elsewhere she would've taken notice of an older car, a large Oldsmobile, pulling through the secondary checkpoint connecting the Canadian border to Detroit through the Ambassador Bridge. She also would've noticed the car pulling up to a parking spot near the terminal to allow its two passengers to exit the vehicle.

Kara continued to stare at the terminal with hopeful eyes and her arms folded neatly across her chest as she anxiously waited for any sign of her absent friend. The sound of slowly approaching footsteps crunching along the snow prompted her to turn toward the source of the noise, and soon her eyes filled with joy as her arms fell away from her chest in relief as she finally found her reason to stop worrying.

Limping slightly and still sporting a faint smear of Thirium along the right side of his shirt, Connor stopped walking and just stared at Kara for a minute as the two reunited deviants basked in the glory of their newly found freedom. Wordlessly Connor took a few steps forward to stand before his friend and let Kara throw her arms around his neck to hug him as tears streamed down her face. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her to embrace Kara and felt Hank's eyes watching him as the Lieutenant admired the heartfelt reunion as he remained beside the parked car.

Two promises had been kept that day. Hank had promised to make sure that Kara and Alice were okay, and Connor promised to reunite with his friends after he had helped Markus and helped to save their people from endless oppression and violence.

Hank leaned back against his car and gave Connor an approving grin as he watched his former partner find his way into the arms of someone he cared about. Seeing the genuine love and affection shared between the deviants just reaffirmed Hank's belief that he had done the right thing by siding with the deviants rather than persecuting them just for existing in a world that refused to acknowledge their right to life and freedom.

Alice's eyes opened slowly as she lifted her head and looked out to see Kara and Connor hugging one another as the sun rose in the distance. As she soon as she recognized who she was seeing Alice sat upright and called out to the deviant and rose from the bench to reunite with her friend.

"Connor!" Alice ran up to Connor and hugged his side as she looked up at him with a big smile. She was truly happy to see him again. "You're here!"

"I promised I'd find my way back to you." Connor wrapped his arm around Alice and smiled back at the little girl. "And I always keep my promises."

"We knew that you'd find us." Kara whispered as she held Connor and Alice tight with the warming sun basking over the streets. "We did it, Connor. We're free!"

-End of Story-