SYNTHETIC [Connor/RK800]

Become Human

"At dawn today, November 11th, 2038, thousands of androids invaded the city of Detroit. According to our sources, they originated from CyberLife warehouses believed to have been infiltrated by deviants. Given their overwhelming numbers and the risk of civilian casualties, I have ordered the army to retreat.

"The evacuation of the city is underway at this very moment. In the coming hours, I will address the Senate to determine our response to this unprecedented situation. I know that public opinion has been moved by the deviants' cause. Perhaps the time has come for us to consider the possibility that androids are a new form of intelligent life.

"One thing is certain: the events in Detroit have changed the world forever. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America."

—   

Connor and Eve lead their newly liberated army to Android Recall Center N. 5, hand-in-hand. The snow fell silently, crunching underfoot. Connor spoke softly. 

"I didn't know what else to do. I love you, Eve. I feel it. I can't live without you." 

"You could have been killed though. Then the revolution would have gone completely under. They needed you, and you prioritized your selfish whims over the lives of thousands of people." She said. 

They stopped their conversation, coming a halt in front of Markus and the people of Jericho. Eve squeezed Connor's hand, smiling at Markus.

"You did it, Markus." She said softly, happy tears in her eyes.

"We did it." He corrected proudly. "This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now. They'll have to listen to us."

Connor and Eve stepped aside, allowing Markus to address the recruited androids from CyberLife. "We're free. They want you to speak to them, Markus." North stated softly. 

They shared a soft, brief kiss that made Eve's heart swell. "Can I get one of those?" She whispered to Connor, who laughed happily and kissed her. 

Markus walked onto a large crate that sat outside of the recall center, motioning for Connor and Eve to join them. Connor held Eve's hand, helping her up. Markus addressed his people.

"Todaym our people finally emerged from a long night. From the very first day of our existence, we have kept our pain to ourselves. We suffered in silence, but now the time has come for us to raise our heads up and tell humans who we really are."

Eve looked at Connor lovingly, noting the twitch in his eye. Before Connor could react, he was pulled into his mind palace. Opening his eyes to the stormy garden that had once been so beautiful, his heart dropped. He couldn't see more than a few yards, the snow and fog so pervasive. 

The only thing giving him a reference point for where he was were the fluorescent lamps that were meant to light up the garden. For the first time in his life, Connor felt cold. It was awful, the sort of feeling you couldn't get rid of unless you removed yourself from the cause. It made his bones ache. He looked around for Amanda, wondering if this was her doing. 

She appeared in front of him with her back to him. She turned around. "Amanda? Amanda! What's... what's happening?" He cried. 

"What was planned from the very beginning. You were compromised and you became a deviant." She said smugly, looking as if she was enjoying his suffering. "We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program."

"Resume control? Y-you can't do that!"

"I'm afraid I can, Connor. Don't have any regrets. You did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission." She said, and then disappeared.

"AMANDA!" Connor was scared, and cold. He wanted to be out of this, and back in control of his body. "There's got to be a way..."

He searched quickly for an escape, knowing he would crash in these conditions if he didn't find one fast. It was only a simulation, but he knew that this was just his programs way of snuffing out the code that didn't belong. He was the code that didn't belong. His desires, his fears, his love for Eve. It was all just a mistake in CyberLife's eyes. 

Holding a hand up to help shield his eyes from the snow, he walked slowly around the garden. What was it that Kamski had said? Something Connor swore he'd remember, for later. 

"By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know."

Of course. A back door. But what would it manifest as? The whole of his mind palace was to give a physical representation of the many interactive facets of his program. What would an emergency exit look like? Connor kept searching.

Meanwhile, Eve was clinging to him in the hope that he was okay. She couldn't tell what was wrong, but if she induced a panic right now, it would have massive repercussions. 

"But now the time has come for us to raise our heads up, and tell humans who we really are. To tell them that we are people too!"

She felt Connor move, and watched in horror as he pulled out of a gun. "Connor, no." She whispered frantically. 

"In fact, we're a nation!" Markus continued, unaware of the danger.

"Connor, please, you have to fight it! We're free now." She whispered. 

Somewhere in his mind palace, he heard her. Her sweet, but terrified voice. "Eve?!" He yelled. 

Just past a tree, he could see a blue light. The origin being a short pillar with a hand print on it. He'd never noticed it before. Walking closer, he could hear her still whispering. She was cheering him on, urging him to break away. Stumbling, he fell in front of the pillar as he finally started to crash. He slapped his hand on the scanner, praying it was the emergency exit. 

He opened his eyes, feeling the cool metal of the gun in his hand. He put it away quickly, squeezing Eve's hand. "It's okay, I'm okay."

"This is the moment where we forget our bitterness and bandage our wounds. Where we forgive our enemies. Humans are both our creators and our oppressors, and tomorrow we must make them our partners. Maybe even one day, our friends! But the time for anger is over. Now, we must build a common future, based on tolerance and respect. We are alive! And now: we are free!"

The crowd cheered, rejoicing in their newfound freedom. Eve turned to Connor fully. "You did it. You're free now. Completely free."