Chapter Text
[Nov 11TH, 2038]
[PM 9:46]
At last outside the police station and inside her car, Kate let out a sigh and closed her eyes, her head settling on the headrest.
Due to the sudden absence of all police androids, the precinct had been understaffed and these last two days had been exhausting to all officers. Kate’s energy especially drained out faster than usual as a result of her late abdomen injury. She had unwillingly resorted to subsisting off of coffee because she didn’t want to take even a day off to rest; she couldn’t increase the burden on her coworkers’ shoulders.
At least today, Chris had returned to the force for the first time after his traumatic run-in with the deviants. With his arrival came more pictures of his baby son, which were a cute distraction during the short lunch break. Afterwards, it was back to attending to more vandalism, robbery and assault reports, along with a few arson cases. The evacuation of most Detroit citizens had been a good opportunity for street-level criminals to strike.
Kate could swear Fowler was thoroughly tempted to remove Hank’s suspense penalty and call him back to service early. The precinct could use the help, so maybe that would happen by the end of the weekend.
Maybe the deviant revolution would be successful and the PM700 and PC200 androids would come back to work even before Hank does. Maybe Connor would as well.
Kate cracked a sad smile to herself. How wishful could she think?
Even if androids were deemed as equals to humans by the officials, it would take quite a while for the right-to-work law to apply to them as many constitutional laws had to be added, with so many previous ones modified. At present, they were fighting hard to be alive; in the future, they would be fighting harder to live, normally, in a society that often discriminateed against those who were different.
And that was still if the androids managed to win the first battle.
Kate’s heart clenched at the dim notion of them losing, their bullet-riddled bodies scattered on the streets, blue blood splattered everywhere, their lifeless eyes staring into the sky… She could recognize familiar faces among the mass: Rupert, Tracis, Kara, Josh, Simon, North, Markus…
Connor…
Kate’s eyes sprung open.
An inaudible curse escaped her mouth. She was meant to relax–to some degree–in the car, free her mind from the stress of the work, not let worrisome overthinking take its place. That mental image would never happen. It simply couldn't…
She couldn’t help checking her phone now; the ‘no new messages’ text was in no way surprising, just disappointing.
Before his departure, Connor had explained that he wouldn’t be able to keep in touch with either her or Hank as he was still connected to the main CyberLife network, meaning his communications were under surveillance. If he wanted to fool the company of his loyalty, he would have to keep the lines clear.
Holding out hope for an update from Connor was pointless, thus Kate’s only means of learning of his well-being would be seeing him in person again, standing tall, a proud smile of accomplishment drawn across his face. She would fall into his arms faster than he could anticipate it, and she would bury in his chest for a very long time, listening to his artificial, rhythmic heartbeats.
But that would have to wait for after the revolution.
Kate cherished the vision and checked news articles for any recent activity, be it a demonstration or insurgence. Whatever Markus’ plan was, it had to take place tonight or else it would be too late for all androids, especially for those retained in the newly set up containment camps.
There was nothing. Nothing about deviants marching in the streets. Nothing about the CyberLife Tower being infiltrated with its warehouse androids set free. ‘No news is good news,’ what a bullshit proverb.
Kate contemplated setting off to the riverwalk. But, there was somewhere else, someone who always had a better calming effect on her; the mere idea of visiting him already began to.
So, Kate made up her mind. Starting the engine and fastening her seatbelt, she drove in the deserted streets, past shattered shop windows, vacant android parking spots and hacked billboards. The checkpoint soldiers she encountered in her way seemed highly on edge and trigger happy. Fortuitously, her police badge got her through with minimum trouble.
Once at her destination, Kate remained in the vehicle for a few seconds, clutching the steering wheel in both hands. She was supposed to be holding a bouquet, she had never been here without one.
It’s okay, he won’t mind.
She opened the door and stepped out, feeling the cold wind on her face; the weather mirrored the atmosphere of the cemetery.
The path was already too familiar as Kate sauntered down row after row of gravestones, snow crunching under her every step, empty hands shoved in her pockets. Halting before the headstone she was looking for, she kneeled down and wiped the thin blanket of snow off of its surface.
Her fingertips hovered beside the engraved name as she looked at it.
“Hey, Tom,” Kate said softly, a small cloud of fog materializing in front of her mouth.
She slightly raised her empty hands in surrender. “I know, I know, no flowers. The city is kind of a mess right now and all the shops are closed.” She paused, then slowly moved over and sat beside the stone, resting her head on its arch as though it was a welcoming shoulder to cry on. “I’m sorry...”
The wind howled, and Kate wrapped her jacket more tightly around herself. Better not to catch a cold or else she would have to miss work by using sick days.
“A lot is happening, Tom… A lot is changing, for the better, I hope.” The brevity of the one-sided conversation was more comforting to her; it was all about the presence of the right person, not the length of the words shared. And there was no pain in her words tonight, she was just reconciling with an old friend. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the icy air pierced her lungs as she took a deep breath.
“I think I am, too...”
As a tendency of lingering in the desolate place, fragments of assorted memories played before her, giving way to a wave of nostalgia. This time, Kate chose to let them flow, embracing them all in a way she had never done before. It was a chance to confront her past, and an opportunity to make peace with it.
More often than not in those memories, from being stranger cadets in the police academy to inseparable roommates, during endless karaoke sessions, prank wars and playful competitions, long drives to nowhere... Kate recalled herself smiling. Tom just had that effect, that exuberant energy that could uplift her spirits even during her darkest moments, and add an extra sparkle to the happiest ones.
And in those reminiscences, remembering Tom for the person he was, not the circumstances of his death, Kate began to feel a final sense of liberation. It was a long road to that point, and still a longer road to go, but she was knew right then, it was finally time to let go of the guilt weighing her down for so long. In her own words, life was only more than misfortune if one made it to be, so she had decided to make it be.
In the end, Kate wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there, lost in her thoughts, by herself when it didn’t feel like it. She finally rose to her feet, wiping away the wet track on her face, and cast one last look at the gravestone.
A smile, small but genuine, formed on her lips as she whispered something to her departed friend, and with an inexplicable sense of being heard, she turned to leave.
—–— ✧ —–—
It was a beautiful view. The winter sky.
Kate’s gaze was turned to it, snow fluttering down her upturned face. The world was calmer, somehow, while she stood, patiently waiting in the driveway, phone to her ear.
She had dialed Hank’s number, tempting fate for a short chat, but she was well aware that around these hours, Hank was usually was not in the mood for anyone or anything other than Sumo, his bottle of whiskey and his revolver – and Jimmy, if he was drinking in the bar instead of his home.
Hence, Hank would either reject the call himself, or he would be so drunk that his phone would ring a few times before going to voicemail. The prolonged ringing pointed toward the latter hypothesis.
So be it; Kate would just have to leave him a message. Expecting the voicemail recording to play any second now, she opened her mouth to rehearse along; she had heard it time and again that she had memorized it word by word.
“Hey.”
Kate’s mouth stayed ajar upon hearing Hank’s voice. That wasn’t how the recording went. Did Hank change it? Did he even know how to? Had he really traded all that grumbling for a single “Hey”?
Her having to do a double take caused a long silence to ensue, one that compelled Hank to break it himself, “Kate?”
Kate could see his confused frown through his tone. This was live. She snapped out of it and rejoined clumsily, “Hi.”
A short pause happened; it seemed like he was waiting for her to resume.
“Oh sorry, I just wasn’t, uh…” Kate faltered, wanting to find a less blunt reason.
“–expecting me to answer?” Hank finished her sentence as he had caught on, sounding slightly miffed.
“Well... yeah,” Kate admitted lightly. “Hey, it’s not like your picking up reputation has been exactly stellar.”
He huffed, possibly having a brief recollection of the past year and discovering no ground to complain. “Fair enough.”
“Does this mean you’ll change your voicemail recording?” she asked optimistically. “You can’t both tell me to piss off in it and answer my calls.”
“Woah, woah, calls?” Hank quickly said, emphasizing the ‘s’. “I just picked up once and this first time might become the last so don’t push your luck.”
Kate giggled despite the very realistic threat coming from him. It would have been intimidating if she wasn’t already accustomed to her calls being ignored by him, or for the fact that Hank sounded only 80% serious. A generous percentage.
Still, she cooperated cordially, “Sure, I’ll try not to.”
“Hm, so what’s going on?” he asked mildly. “Why d’you call?”
Kate shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I guess I just wanted to check on you,” she replied softly. “It’s good to hear from you at least.”
A moment’s pause.
“You okay?” Hank asked, a tinge of worry in his voice, his frown virtually visible.
“Yeah, of course,” she said sincerely, stretching her unoccupied hand forward for falling snowflakes to land in.
“You said you wouldn’t lie about that,” he reminded in a stern voice that covered his concern. “We made a deal.”
Kate couldn't blame Hank for being skeptical, it wasn't that far off for her past self to be deceptive about this question. But, it felt good to mean it.
“I’m not lying,” she assured, softly smiling. “I promise.” She watched a small, pretty snowflake land in the middle of her palm. “Hey, Hank? Once this is all over, once Connor comes back… let’s meet up, all three of us.”
And it was a matter of ‘once’ he came back, not ‘if’. She was sure of that, of a better future. For them, and for all androids. No matter how long and wearing the tunnel had been, there was a light waiting at the end. And she had finally started to catch a glimpse of it.
“Fuck no. I’m actually enjoying life with you two not around.”
Hank’s response caught her off guard. Kate laughed at his dry humor ruining the sentimental mood like that. “Shut up. I know where you live, Hank, I’m not above coming there right now.”
Hank snorted. “Save it for that meet-up or whatever.” He cleared his throat before resuming casually, “alright... how’s the chicken feed sound for the place?”
From the easiness in his tone, Kate could tell he was more welcoming to the idea than he was letting on. That level of interest, however well concealed, was more than enough for her smile to persevere.
“Great,” she said brightly. “It sounds great.” The snowflake fully melted from the warmth of her skin and she closed her hand. “So… talk to you later?”
“Yeah,” Hank replied calmly, “I’ll see you soon.”
Kate pocketed the phone after the call ended. The location had been arranged, leaving only the time, which was entirely dependent on Connor’s return.
She headed toward the entrance, but before she inserted the key in the lock, a realization dawned on her: she hadn’t locked the door in the morning. There had been an emergency call from station and she had had to leave in a hurry.
She reached for her holster as a security measure in case of a break in, but found it empty.
Right, Connor had her gun. (She wondered what he would say about the recurrent oversight of leaving the door unlocked if he was here.)
Well, there was a guard dog inside so the probability of a burglar encounter was unlikely. On a separate note, Kate considered hiring a dog sitter since work continued to be this lengthy. With that idea in mind, she rotated the doorknob and pushed the door open–
What?
Rooted to the spot, Kate gazed at the figure having his back to her, standing in the area in front of the kitchen.
His gaze seemed formerly fixed down on Sunny; the dog was sitting on its back legs in front of him, looking up with a tilted head and no sign of a tail wagging. Sunny was generally friendlier than this, but Kate didn’t notice how unconventional the behavior was. She was just staring at him. His brown hair, the glowing armband around his arm, the blue triangle on his coat with android ‘ANDROID’ written above, ‘RK800’ below.
He must have heard Kate’s entry behind him or felt the swift flow of wind in the house, because his head suddenly inclined upward. His reaction occurred well before Sunny’s ears excitedly raised at her sight.
He turned around and then, Kate felt a jolt of delight like no other upon seeing his face.
There was no mistaking it.
It was him.
Connor smiled as sweetly as ever, and Kate rushed into his arms, which he wholeheartedly took her in.
“You’re back!” Kate said fervently.
But… why was he? The fade of euphoria stripped the embrace of all its appeasing nature, replacing it with incredulity. She repeated disorientedly, “You’re back…”
Connor would have only returned after his mission was accomplished. And that would mean thousands of newly produced androids from the CyberLife Tower should be marching in Detroit, an event that the news surely would have covered.
But Kate had checked the news; there was nothing about that or even Markus’ demonstration. Did Connor stop by before he had gone to the CyberLife Tower? Why would he risk his mission like that? It didn’t make sense.
She broke the hug she had initially envisioned to last forever. “Connor, what are you doing here? What’s going on?” She also gestured Sunny to simmer down and sit down, which the dog did.
Connor was calm, as if expecting this reaction. “There’s been a change of plan, Markus gave me a new objective,” he swiftly answered, and maintained eye contact with her as he gently grabbed her shoulders. “Kate, I... I can’t do it alone. And I’m so sorry, I never wanted to drag you into this but I need you to come with me.” His voice shrank to a tender tone, “I need your help.”
If Kate didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought his words were hand-selected to persuade her. But she didn’t need persuasion in the slightest, she would have put everything on the line for Connor.
“Okay,” Kate said quietly.
Connor smiled faintly, as though he felt relieved yet guilty for the circumstances. His hands slid down her arms to hold hers. “I’ll explain everything on the way.”
Kate nodded and in doing so, her eyes met the top right side of his coat. Her heart skipped a beat and her mind went blank for a second.
She immediately blinked, readjusting herself, and her eyes flickered up to his face. Did he notice?
Connor was curiously looking at her, his eyebrows slightly lowered.
Fuck. He did.
Kate pleasantly beamed and gave his hands a light, affectionate squeeze. Curiosity. Fine. She could work with that. His expression became less vigilant and more so confused.
“We should go then,” Kate said compliantly. “Lemme just grab a chocolate for the road, I’ve barely had any today and I’m losing my mind.”
Connor kept quiet as she naturally drew her hands out of his and turned around to face the kitchen counter. She reached for the chocolate bar on it, yet her goal was the knife beside it. As soon as her fingers touched it, she heard a sigh behind her and felt the barrel of a gun pressed against her back.
“I would’ve much preferred if you did this willingly,” Connor said in a cold tone, dropping every ounce of pretense. “Don’t try anything stupid.”
“Dammit,” Kate muttered, forcing herself to release the knife. If only she had had a gun, she would have pointed it at his chin in a flash, optically confirming that she knew even before solid suspicions of it had formed in his mind. No need for her to act natural and resort to a spare weapon that put her in a vulnerable state.
Abruptly, Kate heard Sunny’s growl and spun around to see the dog sitting on its front legs, preparing to attack the android.
He hardly seemed inconvenienced, maintaining his gaze and the gun’s aim on Kate. “It’s preferable for both of us if I don’t take more lives than I strictly have to.”
Kate panicked as the thought of him not implementing this indirect threat didn’t cross her mind for even one second. “SUNNY, SIT!”
Sunny glanced up at Kate, switching to upset at the unfamiliar harsh tone. She felt sick to her stomach, but it was for Sunny’s own good. The dog tried walking toward her, but she shot her hand up, motioning to stop then to sit down. “Sit,” she echoed, kindly this time. The dog whimpered quietly, doing as told.
“That’s better,” the android said, and if the glare Kate threw at him could kill, he would have dropped dead. If he cared at all, his smug smirk would have wavered. “I’m curious what gave it away, Kate. Was my acting not sufficient?” he teased, then took an unnecessary step toward her, nearly closing the gap and trapping her between him and the counter. “Were you expecting something more? A... warmer greeting?” He even glanced at her lips to hammer home his irritating innuendo.
He appeared to enjoy infuriating her when the risk her retaliation was non-existent – the gun gently pressed at her heart and Sunny as leverage were a reminder of that. Did CyberLife intentionally program the biggest piece of shit of all time or was this extra behavior something he developed as his ‘personality’?
“No,” Kate said sharply, fighting off the urge to push him away. “It was CyberLife's bullshit method of enumerating their prototypes.”
The android narrowed his eyes, then without moving his head, lowered his gaze in the direction of the serial number, where the number 60 was embedded instead of 51. He looked back up. “Real perceptive.”
“Where’s Connor?” she demanded.
“Right here,” the android sneered, tilting his head. “All RK800 androids are designated as ‘Connor’.”
“You know who I meant,” Kate hissed.
He hummed. “The deviant’s current whereabouts are irrelevant, what matters is its destination. And don’t worry,” he took a step back and waved his gun at the door, “we’re about to go meet it there right now.”