There was no peace for Markus that night. He paced his room, wishing he knew what to do. Outside, the humans were starting to round up androids and bring them to camps to be killed. So much death. Markus felt it like a weight crushing him.
He left the room around 10pm. He needed air. There was nothing he could do to save anyone, and it was so hard for him not to scream in frustration and hate.
He hated the people that would do something like this. He hated humans. Not all humans, he couldn't hate Carl. He just hated humanity. They were so cruel and they could feel so little. And androids were supposed to be the heartless ones.
Markus opened the door onto the deck of the ship. It was cold out, but he didn't mind. It was a quiet night. He could see Josh and North in the helm, arguing as normal. He didn't want to hear it. He knew what they were saying. It was Jericho's fault androids were being killed. All they wanted was freedom, and this is what they were met with. He sat down, leaning against the banister of the ship. The cold metal registered a slight temperature warning, but Markus didn't mind it. It would only do harm if he stayed here for a long time.
He could hear North's indistinct yelling inside. It made him smile. She was so fierce. So ready to throw down. He knew it shouldn't be something he loved, it was going to get her into trouble. He didn't care. He liked her spunk. She left the room passionately and went back downstairs, probably in search of him. He realized he must be fairly difficult to see since she had walked right past him. He would have to go down and find her eventually, but for now he just needed some time. Josh followed her a few minutes later.
He looked up at the sky. The clouds were scantly strewn across it, but the seeing was still bad. Only a few of the strongest stars could penetrate the lights of Detroit. It made the sky look big and empty. He watched the wind blow, swaying the crane that had been used for cargo at one point. There was a light up there that he hadn't noticed before. It swayed with the wind as well.
No. It wasn't swaying, it was moving.
Markus stood, trying to get a better look. It was such a small light. Red. He tried to scan it. It was a person. Something registered danger in him, immediately alerting his senses. He ran down the stairs, barely moving in time to dodge a sniper's shot. As he closed the door he heard the sounds of helicopters coming.
He ran down the stairs, looking for North and Josh. Soldiers were kicking down doors behind him, shooting anything that moved.
"They're coming from all sides! Our people are trapped in the hold, they're gonna be slaughtered!" North had been helping a group of deviants escape when he found her.
He sent a message to anyone who was listening. He told them the ways out. He could only hope they made it out. They needed a diversion. Something to keep the soldiers from hunting them down.
"We have to blow up Jericho. If the ship goes down, they'll evacuate and our people can escape!"
"No. Markus, you'll never make it! There are soldiers everywhere!"
"Find Josh and get out. I'll find you guys. Please."
"Markus..."
"I won't be long."
The look on North's face was almost enough to change his mind. This was his responsibility, though. He had to do this. He had to try and keep the people safe.
He left her, trying to determine the safest way into the bottom of the ship. There really were soldiers everywhere. He ducked down a side passage.
The further he went, the more bodies he saw. All of them android. If he had allowed himself to stop and think it would have crushed him. Instead, he grit his teeth and moved on. He couldn't help them now.
Markus' heart was pounding. Thirium coursed through him rapidly as he ran. He wasn't used to this stuff yet. He had never fought anyone, and could only hope that his preconstruction software would help him know what to do if it came down to it. He ran simulations in his head as he dashed for the boiler room.
It wasn't long before he had to prove that theory, though. Two androids had been cornered. They were on their knees, staring down the guns of two soldiers.
Markus didn't hesitate. He grabbed the gun of one soldier and threw its owner into the other. He was done standing by and watching the others get killed senselessly.
The guards retaliated, trying to land solid blows on him. He could see them coming, and quickly deflected the brunt of the damage. He was knocked off balance with some coordinated kicks and punches. He fell to the ground.
Before they could go further one of the androids who had been on his knees grabbed the rifle off the ground and shot both guards in the head.
"I'm sorry, Markus. I can't just let them kill us all!" The android was shaking badly.
"Just get to safety, got it?"
He nodded and ran. Markus noted the gun had been kept, but he decided he didn't care. With how much death lay around him, he was somewhat glad to see red instead of blue pooling beneath the bodies. The feeling scared him.
He pushed on finally getting to the boiler room. He was glad they had thought ahead to rig Jericho to explode. Getting rid of the only safe haven was such a horrible way to do things, but the sounds of shooting echoing through the building reminded him of the necessity. He activated the charges and started the trek up to the exit.
North was waiting for him near the top of the ship. She and Josh were helping the last stragglers to escape before they saw him.
"Markus!"
"We gotta go. This place is set to explode any second."
North nodded and lead the way. Same as ever, ready to plow ahead. Markus and Josh followed. It wasn't hard to stay out of sight of the teams. Most of them had pushed on to the lower decks, leaving only cleanup teams on the upper floors.
The explosions rocked the ship beneath them just as they were getting to the section where the hull was damaged enough to fit through. North stopped at the edge, looking to him for the first move. He grabbed her hand and nodded. Then they jumped into the icy river below.
