Don't Get Attached

Chapter Fifteen

"[Y/N], please hold still." Connor was still standing by your side, looking down at you with a worried expression. He crouched down so that he could closer inspect your injuries. "I am concerned that you may have hit your head. Please do not move as head injuries can be serious."

"Connor, my head feels fine." You insisted. You tried to sit up, but Connor was holding you down with one hand gently pressed against your shoulder.

"I am almost finished scanning you for injuries. Please stay still. This won't take long." You wanted to argue but he was right, it wouldn't take longer than a few more seconds. So, you decided to humor him and lay on the ground quietly until he was done.

"Although you appear to have a mild abrasion on your cheek," Connor gently brushed the area below your left cheekbone with his fingers. You winced, and he quickly retracted his hand. "You seem otherwise unharmed."

"Well that's good." You sat up now that Connor would allow you. Connor extended his hand again to help you to your feet. "Why do you look like that's not a good thing?" You asked, taking in his confused expression.

"Well, you said you were falling for me. Rather than falling on me." He explained. "I though perhaps you had a concussion, but my X-ray scan didn't indicate anything out of the ordinary."

"It's an expression Connor." You told him with a smirk. "I meant that I like you. Do you remember that night when we were reading Romeo and Juliet and we almost kissed?"

"Yes, of course." He nodded slightly. "I am a machine, [Y/N]. I cannot forget anything. I explained to you that day that androids are not supposed to feel different levels of enjoyment. I am not supposed to have stronger emotions for you than I would Sumo."

"Right, but what we talked then you said that you didn't have stronger feelings. Do you now?" You held your breath, waiting for his answer. Connor considered your question thoroughly. His reply truly shocked you.

"I think this is something that we should discuss later, [Y/N]. We should continue our search for Jericho." He reminded you. You'd been so caught up in your emotions that you nearly forgot the reason you'd been trailing along with Connor in the first place.

"You're right." Where to next?" You asked. Connor looked around the alley you were standing in. He was looking for the next code to scan.

"We need to go through there." Connor pointed to a door high above the city streets. The only way to the door was up a partially missing fire escape ladder.

"How are we supposed to do that?" You asked nervously.

"With a few very intense calculations." He assured you. "You're going to have to wrap your arms around my neck like you did before, and your legs around my waist. Whatever you do, [Y/N], don't let go!"

You were glad that you didn't have to worry about hurting Connor as you clung to the android. Riding along on his back as he maneuvered seriously complicated parkour moves was both terrifying and exhilarating. Once you reached the fire escape, Connor eased you back onto your own two feet. The pair of you continued on. Finally, you reached the end of the trail and stepped out into the dark night air.

"It's a ship." You observed, pointing out the hand painted letters on the freighter before you. "Jericho is a cargo ship."

"There would certainly be enough room for the deviants on a ship that size. Let's go inside, see what other information we can gather." Connor suggested.

"Should we call the police?" You asked.

"No." He shook his head. "Not until we know for sure."

Once inside the ship, it wasn't hard to find the main base of the Deviants. They'd set up a sort of refuge for themselves in the heart of the ship. Television screens had been brought in from somewhere, three or four of them played the news in real time. There were Cargo boxes everywhere, some of which were marked with various android parts numbers.

"[Y/N], Look." Connor drew your attention to a series of boxes with small LED screens. Each one flashed; Stand by.

"Bombs?" You mouthed back to him. He nodded.

"Stay here. I want to find Marcus." Connor told you. You agreed, watching him ascend a set of stairs to another level.

You were alone in a sea of androids. So far not one of them had suspected you of being human. You were glad for that. Who knows what the deviants would do if they found out you'd been let in. They were supposed to be dangerous and unstable, but as you looked around at the small clusters of androids they didn't seem so dangerous to you. They looked almost human.

Some were watching the news. They were listening and discussing what the humans were saying on TV. While there were news stations out there telling people to fear the androids there were almost as many saying that all the androids wanted was freedom. You continued to watch the Jericho deviants as a group nearby was gathering and inventorying supplies.

There was a makeshift medical bay nearby where damaged androids could be repaired and have any lost therium replenished. You couldn't believe that there were even andriods seated and relaxed within the walls of the cargo ship. Your eyes fixed on a small group in particular that seemed to be a family.

By the looks of things, it was a AX400 (a housekeeping droid), a TR400), this style was usually used on construction sites), and a little girl. You wondered how the little girl came to be in the care of two androids. You wanted to know how she'd managed the dangerous journey to Jericho. Then the idea occurred to you that perhaps she too was an android. You would have to asked Connor when we returned if Cyberlife had ever created android children.

While you waited, you were content to stand in awe of the entire atmosphere. Despite being hunted down and treated like criminals, the androids had still managed to make a new life for themselves. How could anyone who saw what you were seeing, still think that the androids didn't deserve their freedom?