hunger ; detroit: become human

fifteen

Valeria

Night of November 10th, 2038 - 10:45 PM

Valeria and Connor sat away from the other deviants in the new safehouse. After escaping from Jericho and getting out of the river, the survivors had found their way to the abandoned Woodward Church. It was quiet, somber, and haunting. Her hands, now gloveless, were in Connor's, and he played with her fingers, their feel still foreign to him. She heard footsteps approaching them, and she lifted her head to see Markus walking towards them. Connor lifted his head, and slowly, he let go of her hands so he could stand.

"It's my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho. I was stupid... I should have guessed they were using me," he said, and she stood up beside him, setting a hand on his shoulder.

"No, it's our fault," she said. "I'm just as guilty as you, Connor."

"We're sorry, Markus," Connor said, walking towards the deviant leader. "I think I speak for both of us when I say we can understand if you decide not to trust us." Connor took Valeria's hand in his again, and she squeezed tightly. If they were to be distrusted, it would certainly be either exile or execution. And if she was going to die, she wanted to die with him.

"You two... you're one of us now. Your place is with your people," Markus said, then turned to walk away.

"There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant," Connor said suddenly, making Markus turn back around and Valeria look up at him with wide eyes. "If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power..."

"You want to infiltrate the CyberLife tower? Connor, that's suicide..." Markus said, glancing at Valeria, who nodded her agreement.

"They trust me, they'll let me in. If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's me."

"If you go, they will kill you."

"There's a high probability, but statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place..." Connor said, and Markus gripped his shoulder.

"Be careful," Markus said softly, then walked away from the pair. Connor turned to look down at Valeria, but she averted her gaze from him, yet her grip on his hand was firm. He leaned back against the wall and let go of her hand, and instead wrapped one arm around her middle while his other hand cupped the back of her head, holding it against his chest. She wrapped both of her arms around him and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Why was it that the most peaceful moments always occurred around tragedy?

"Humans have decided to exterminate us," Markus's voice rang out, and Valeria lifted her head to see him standing back on the small stage, like a prophet would have. "Our people are packed in camps right now, being destroyed. Time has come to make a choice, one that very well might determine the future of our people."

"I know..." he continued, "I know you're all angry. And I know you wanna fight back, but I assure you, violence is not the answer here. We are gonna tell them peacefully that we want justice. If there's any humanity in them, they will listen. And if not, others will take our place and continue this fight. Are you ready to follow me?"

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and along with North, Josh, and Simon, Connor and Valeria stepped out towards Markus. This really was the fight of everyone's life. As the deviants began to chant Markus's name and crowd around, Connor gave Valeria's hand a squeeze before disappearing into the crowd, heading towards the church doors. Her head tilted slightly before she followed him out into the brisk November night. Sticking close to the church, they walked a little ways away, with Valeria pulling her still damp jacket around her body a bit tighter. Connor led her to a more secluded area before leaning against a crate, gazing out to the horizon.