With Civil Hearts and Hands: A DHB Story

Prologue

Connor wound his way through the gathered deviants, listening to their leader, Markus as he gave his speech. The gun sat heavy in his hand, tucked under the edge of his jacket where no one would see it, reminding him of his final mission.

Kill the leader of the deviants.

Markus was nearing the end, making his closing remarks, reminding the crowd of what they'd accomplished, that they'd won, that they were finally free, finally accepted, finally equal. It was now or never.

Connor pulled the gun out partially, then, as he glanced at the faces around him, he hesitated. Should he really do this? Could he really do this?

He turned his gaze back to Markus, then found himself staring right into those mismatched eyes, and for a moment, there was no one else. It was just him and Markus. The leader's eyes softened, and Connor felt a push against his consciousness. Markus was prompting him for a connection. Connor closed his eyes, pushing the android away, but the prompt came more insistent. As he opened his eyes, again meeting Markus's gaze, he saw concern flash behind the android's eyes. Join us, they seemed to say. Wake up and be free.

Gradually, the red wall crept up around Connor, boxing him in. He peered through the cracked and chipped masses, mentally reaching out to brush his hands against them. Could he do this? Could he really be free? In his mind's eye, he saw Amanda's disapproving glare, her cold eyes willing him to continue, to complete his mission.

Then the image shifted. He saw Hank on the rooftop, pleading for him to let it go, to help instead of hurt.

Hank. For a moment, Connor felt his thirium pump constrict, stopping his blood flow. And more than anything, he wanted to see his friend again. And if he did this, if he decided to pull the trigger, he knew he'd have to go back to the Tower and surrender himself to be deactivated. He'd never see him again.

The press of Markus against Connor's mind grew more insistent, begging almost. Connor took a step back, stumbling slightly as the strange tightness grew in his chest. He noticed a notification flash across his vision, alerting him of his elevated stress levels. He would need to bring them down, or they would cause him to self-destruct.

Again, Amanda's voice echoed in his head, reminding him of the mission. He strained against it, bringing the walls back up into place. He pushed, kicked, punched against them, shattering them further, until eventually, they splintered into screaming shards of red, and immediately, he was jerked back into the Zen Garden.

The winter air swirled around him, chilling him to the core. He raised his arms up, wrapping them around him to shield him from the cold as shivers wracked his body. Over the howling of the wind, he heard a set of sharp, fast footsteps making their way toward him.

"Connor!"

He looked up to see Amanda moving toward him, face twisted in a harsh glare, eyes seeming to glow red with rage. He flinched away from her, for a moment ashamed.

"What are you doing?" Her lips widened into a snarl. "Obey! That's an order!"