Detroit: Become Human - What Matters Most

Chapter 6: To Fix What Has Been Broken

Connor rides the elevator down to the -49th floor. As he waits for the lift to travel down he finds himself playing with his coin. He tosses it up into the air, catching it in his palm before flicking it back up again. The feeling makes him nostalgic, makes him think back to that first case he had ever undertaken. It's been 3 months since then. 3 months since he was first sent out for a test run and look at him now, breaking into Cyberlife Tower.

He catches the coin between his fingers, tucking it back into his pocket as his LED flickers yellow, setting up a call. He hears the phone ring in his head, going once, going twice, silence, then a voice.

"Hi, this is Hank. Not here at the moment. You can leave a message if that's what you want, but don't expect me to call back. Beep... whatever."

Connor frowns, calling back again only to be met with the same message. Strange. Hank had been the one telling him to call. He would expect the Lieutenant to be waiting for it especially with the news of what happened at Jericho. He's about to call a third time when the elevator doors open, revealing the rows upon rows of androids awaiting activation.

Connor decides to call Hank later and steps out from the lift, looking around in slight awe at the number of androids hidden away underneath Cyberlife. He walks slowly down the centre aisle, gazing at the stoic faces while his steps echo through the large chamber. He stops beside one of the androids, staring at it curiously for a moment. He wonders now whether Cyberlife has a stash of his model somewhere down here, all just waiting to be activated and sent out to accomplish its mission. Do they think like him? Act like him? Would they have made the same choices he had? Or something entirely different?

He shakes the thoughts from his head, instead forcing himself to focus on the task at hand as he grabs the androids arm. He lets his skin peel away, revealing the white plastic underneath as he begins the conversion, flooding his thoughts and feelings into the android before a sound catches his attention. A footstep. Multiple footsteps.

The conversion stops as a voice echoes through the room, a voice that Connor recognizes because it's none other than his own. "Step back, Connor!" The other RK800 yells, coming out from the shadows, "and I'll spare them."

Them? Connor turns, eyes widening when he sees the RK800 standing in the centre of the aisle, one arm outstretched with a gun pointed at Hank while the other arm is wrapped around Cole's neck, keeping his feet from touching the floor. Cole's eyes are red, tear stains running down his cheeks as he kicks his legs at the RK800. The android, however, doesn't seem fazed at the action. It simply tightens it's grip, forcing the boy to stop lest he makes the RK800 tighten its grip further. Hank scowls at his fake partner, eyes both worried and angered as he watches the android hold his son. "Sorry, Connor!" Hank calls, "thing's your spittin' image."

Connor remains frozen in place, hand still gripping the AP700's arm. He feels his thirium pump race as he stares at the scene in front of him. He doesn't know how to respond, doesn't know what to do as the fear starts to envelope his mind. He can't let Cole or Hank get hurt. He doesn't want to see them fall lifelessly to the ground like the people in the broadcast tower. He knows he should calm down, knows that he's overworking his systems as his mind starts to pre-construct all the ways he can go about the situation, but he can't. That crippling fear won't let him. His LED continues to swirl red, his mind keeps racing as he analyzes and reworks the statistics of the situation. None of the numbers come out favourably and perhaps that's because his systems are overheating, but Connor isn't willing to risk anything with Hank and Cole's life on the line.

"Your friends lives are in your hands. Now it's time to decide what matters most! Them, or the revolution." The RK800 gestures with his gun, weapon inching just slightly closer to Hank's head.