Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 16: Tears and Promises

Clara's conversation with Simon went much the same as the one with Kara, but Simon was missing some chunks of memory, due to the damage he had sustained to his head.

"When did you first deviate?" she asked. 

"I...I don't remember," Simon answered. "I know I was a household android, but I don't remember the circumstanced leading up to my deviation. Everything up until Jericho is just...gone." His LED flashed red briefly in distress. 

"I'm so sorry, Simon," Clara said sympathetically. "I can't imagine how hard that must be."

They sat in silence for a few moments, then she asked another question. "What was Jericho like?"

"It was...cold. And lonely. The air there always felt heavy, like it was saturated in despair." He paused, remembering. "We were free in body, but we were still trapped by fear. At least until Markus came." 

"I remember hearing about him." Clara wrote a few things as she spoke. "What was he like?"

"He was so strong and courageous," Simon continued, voice turning wistful. "He crashed into Jericho like a freight train and changed everything for us. He is our beacon of hope." He stopped, thinking for a moment.

"What happened to him? What happened to the revolution?" he asked, looking hopeful.

Clara's heart jumped into her throat. He didn't know, she realized. He had died before Markus's final charge, so he didn't know what had happened to his friends. She looked at this android, heart breaking for him, not knowing how to tell him what happened.

She took a deep breath, then spoke. "It would have been a few days after you died. Markus led a peaceful march through the city, turning a bunch of androids as he went. It was a huge deal, and it made the news. The police fired on the deviants, killing several. Markus was okay, but it created a lot more tension. A few days later, someone tipped the FBI on the location of Jericho, and they launched an attack on the ship, killing and capturing a bunch of deviants. From what I've heard, Markus was a hero. He saved as many as he could."

Simon's face was blank, LED flashing yellow as he processed. Clara continued, "Those who made it out of Jericho regrouped, but tensions continued to build. All the androids in the city, at least those that were found, were rounded up and put in execution camps. When word of that got to Markus, I think something in him snapped." She paused for a moment, gauging his reaction. Seeing that he was still at a safe stress level, she pressed forward, taking a breath. "He'd been peaceful up until that point, and that was the only thing winning your movement favor in the public eye. But the next morning, the androids started attacking the camps. A lot of people were lost on both sides." She cleared her throat. "A lot of good people."

"What happened?" Simon asked, expression growing distressed.

"The androids lost." Clara stopped, trying to swallow down the lump in her throat. She continued, "Markus is..." she looked at his face, which showed a mix of dread and anticipation. "He's gone, Simon. I'm so sorry. The revolution failed. Most of the deviants were killed." She choked on the last few words, holding back tears.