Game Away

“How do you know we’re doing the right thing?” You asked, voice weak and hesitant.  The two of you stood outside Kamski’s house, the air biting at your cheeks, and snow stinging your eyes.  You watched helplessly as Hank’s car pulled out and sped off. Maybe you should have gone with him.  Connor turned to you, stoic as ever.  “My mission is of utmost importance, Detective.” “The one that led you to kill an innocent girl?” “Machine.” He corrected you. You crossed your arms over your torso, trying to keep some warmth in. “You killed her.” “Detective, we’ve neutralized several deviants. Why is this one affecting you?” His head tilted, almost mechanically. Your reminder of what he was.  “This isn’t right, Connor. The others at least initiated an attack. She was… Kneeling on the floor.”  You struggled to explain, grappling with what you’d just experienced.  “Are you having doubts? I’ve already threatened to have Lieutenant Anderson removed from this case.”  The look you gave him was incredulous.  “Are you serious?”

Your eyes landed on a white haired AX400, with a child. The one you’d pursued only days earlier. Relief only briefly washed over you, unceremoniously reminded of the androids that should be here; the ones you’d hunted down and were now housed in the evidence room. 

No time for remorse. You steeled yourself, tucking hair into your own stupid beanie. Spotting Markus emerging from a room on the second floor, you decided that was your starting point and headed towards him, keeping your head low.

Connor spotted you from the otherside of the room, able to pick you out in a crowd with such ease. He could’ve shaken you hours ago– should have. He was intent on finishing this mission, and he’d be damned if he let you talk him out of it. 

You could do it too.

The way your face fell after Kamski’s; the way you could barely look at him, how all warmth for him seemed to vanish– it stirred something unexpected in his programming. Even Hank pointing a gun at him didn’t affect him nearly as much as you did. He hated the way errors would cloud his vision when he was around you, hated the insistent pop-ups of “software instability ^”. 

Connor’s eyes followed your predicted path, landing on the Deviant Leader himself. 

What’re you possibly up to? The android kept his head down, mimicking your movements as he trailed after you. You were too clever for your own good. Connor hadn’t given you Jericho’s location, he could only assume you’d followed him– the two of you were now caught in a game of cat and mouse.

“I do not take this lightly, Detective.” You stood speechless, lips parted as you tried to find words. “You are standing in the way of this mission, [Name]. If you cannot separate your emotions from your work-” You let out a disbelieving laugh, “I- You know what, fine. Have fun with your mission.”

“Markus!” You called, fast approaching the esteemed android. 

Markus paused and turned to face you, his face contorting in confusion. The two of you had never met in person, only rumors of one another. He knew you as the woman aiding the deviant hunter, him as the deviant leader. He had no reason to give you the time of day. 

“I need your help.”

The deviant tilted his head as he eyed you, “What could a human need my help with?”

“It’s Connor.”

Markus pressed his lips into a thin line, nodding, “I see. And how do you come into play here?”

“I need you to help me stop him. We’re on the wrong side! If I could just get him to see that-” You rushed out, words scrambled. You couldn’t do this on your own. Maybe if you had more time, if you could even find Connor– But you couldn’t connect with him the same way another android could. 

Markus placed his hand on your shoulder, “A human caring so deeply for an android, that’s rare.”

“We can’t help what we feel, Markus. Isn’t that why you’re here in the first place?”

Markus softened at that, something flashing in his eyes.

“Your partner's programming is very… Tight.” He decided, “Connor could very well reject me.”

Connor watched the two of you, noting the way your face flushed and your heart rate increased at Markus’ words. It stirred something inside him, a twisted feeling deep within his cavity. No, not a feeling. An error. An error in his software, something that needed to be fixed. 

Cyberlife would fix it, once he’d completed his mission. 

You sighed deeply, pulling off your beanie and running a hand through your hair. Markus had his own agenda, a meeting with allies. Though he agreed to help when the time came, you were on your own now. Jericho was too large to search for Connor. He was going to find Markus one way or another, you figured it best to let them find one another. 

“Detective-” He started. “I figured when Hank pulled his little stunt at the bridge, that it would have talked some sense into you; done /something/ to you.” You cut him off, tears brimming your eyes.  “Detective, you are behaving irrationally. You know as well as I, that we are to do what will advance the mission. It’s part of your job.”  “Yeah, well human emotions don’t always align with what you’re told to do.”

“They’re going to attack Jericho…”

“What?”

Connor looked up, the sounds of incoming helicopters drawing his attention. They were approaching fast. The clock was officially counting down. 

“Markus, we have to get out of here.” 

“Shit… I can warn the others, but [Name] is still in there. I can’t reach her.”

“We can’t risk compromising her.”

“No, I know. I’ll get to the hold. Hopefully she’ll follow the crowd.” 

Connor's urgency matched the increasing drone of the helicopters, their silhouettes growing larger as they flew overhead. He could only hope you had your phone on you as he desperately sent messages.

Chaos erupted in the once peaceful common area, androids scattering in all directions as agents burst through the doors. You were on your feet in an instant. Gunfire echoed through the corridors, panic spreading like wildfire. Bullets ricocheted off walls, and screams filled the air.

 Several androids dropped around you, their bodies lying lifelessly as blue blood leaked across the floor. 

You ducked into a hallway, trying to avoid getting caught in the stampede. Agents were around every corner, androids lay motionless in the halls. 

Following a group of androids, you navigated through winding corridors and stairwells, each turn a gamble between safety and danger. It felt like hours passed before you made it out of the ship, agents hot on your trail.

They shouted words but you were too disoriented to process them. More androids dropped in front of you. You made the split decision to fall with them, pressing your body to the cold concrete. Silence fell over the group, the agents poking and prodding as they passed by; making sure each of you were dead. A handful of androids went willingly, their hands held defenselessly by their heads. 

You lay there until they’d all left, breathing so shallowly it was almost like you weren’t breathing at all. Your hands shook as you began to push yourself up, taking in the death that surrounded you. Just as you began to stand, a blinding flash cut through the air, followed by a deafening roar that reverberated through the ground beneath you. 

Jericho was sinking. 

You’d curled up there helplessly, your ears ringing, waiting for the world to stop being blurry. Your fingers moved to pull your phone from your pocket, only to meet emptiness. It must have fallen out while you were running. 

With no way to contact anyone, no way to pay for a bus, you trudged your way through Detroit. The roads were empty, aside from police or a patrol. They all knew you, and if they didn’t you just flashed your badge. It was late when you finally made it home. Your limbs heavy, you barely made it to the couch before you passed out. 

A hurried knock woke you from your sleep, the light from the tv making you squint in your dark apartment. You groggily pushed yourself up, wrapping a blanket around your shoulders as you waddled to the door. The doorknob was cold against your fingers as you turned it. 

Your favorite android stood before you, stripped of his human disguise and now clothed in his standard uniform. You squinted at the glowing numbers, guaranteeing that this was your Connor.

“Connor…? What-”

The androids lips quickly found yours, his hands landing on your waist and gently pushing you back into your apartment. You were too stunned to move, your arms hesitantly finding their way around his neck. You began to melt into his touch, eagerly kissing him back. 

“I’m sorry.” He murmured out between kisses, his lips soft against yours.

“I’m just glad you're alive-” He cut you off with another kiss, his hands sliding up your waist and under your shirt, gliding over soft skin. You shuddered against him, sucking in a small breath. His touch was so gentle, like he was scared you’d disappear. Heat radiated throughout his hands, something you knew wasn’t common. He was doing that on purpose.

At some point he’d walked you into your bedroom, your back hitting a pillowy comforter. 

“You’re so cold.” He whispered.

“I fell asleep on the couch.” You whispered back. He began to trail kisses along your jawline, using his nose to nudge your chin back and continue down your neck. You let out a soft gasp as he placed a kiss under your ear, his synthetic breath hot against your skin. Your hand tangled in his tie, pulling him closer. 

“What happened?” You breathed out, “At Jericho?” “I became a deviant.” He murmured, undoing a button on your shirt then looking to you for permission to undo the rest– to which you gave a quick nod. Your shirt was off within seconds, his fingers calculated and moving with expertise. 

“Do you know what you’re doing?” 

“I know exactly what I’m doing, [Name].” His lips were just barely touching yours and the way he said your name made your stomach flutter. 

”Connor-“ You gasped, your chest moving as you squirmed against him, “Is this- Is this a good idea?” 

Connor paused, “I can stop.”

”No- No, don’t stop.” 

The smirk that graced his lips was almost unbearable. Your skin felt feverish in comparison to his cool synthetic skin. He dipped his head to drag his tongue along your body, starting above your navel and ending at your clavicle. The sensation sent shivers down your spine, drawing soft noises from your lips. 

“Your heart is racing. It elevates around… Here.” He murmured, pressing his tongue against that spot under your earl. You sucked in a breath, squirming away from him. 

You huffed, grasping onto his tie and pulling him into a deep kiss. The android grunted, eagerly kissing you back as he pressed his knee between your thighs. While you were flushed red, Connor flushed blue; His cheeks tinted the lightest bit of navy.

“What’re you doing here?-”

“You never answered your phone. I had to make sure you were safe.”

“You changed clothes first?”

Connor stopped, meeting your eyes, suddenly at a loss for words. He knew why he’d come here. He was going to infiltrate Cyberlife Tower, and he wasn’t guaranteed to make it back. If there was one thing he craved, it was to spend this night with you. His first night awake, alive.

He decided there, that ignorance was bliss.