PUBLIC ENEMY

I stood silently as we rode the elevator, listening to Connor do coin tricks. However annoying the sound could be, it was a great distraction from thinking too much.

"You're starting to piss me off with that thing, Connor." Hank chided as he grabbed the coin from his hand.

"Sorry Lieutenant." Connor looked at him slightly confused before turning back to his regular demeanour.

I was beginning to find myself conflicted over our job. We were supposed to catch Deviants... but I didn't want to anymore. The sole reason I kept doing it was to keep Connor safe. But...

If Connor becomes deviant, CyberLife will kill him.

If Connor finishes his mission, they'd reprogram him without his memories, or just destroy him completely and replace him with a newer model.

*snap*
*snap*

"Hmm?"

I was brought out of my thoughts as I saw both Hank and Connor staring at me, Hank snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Sorry," I blushed, embarrassed I had gotten so stuck in my head.

"C'mon, it may not be a homicide but you usually enjoy these sorts of thing." Hank joked.

I shrugged as the elevator came to a halt. "Not today."

Chris greeted us at the elevator, "Hey Chris." Hank said, "You had a party and didn't invite me?"

"Yeah, you're not the only ones. The FBI is here." Chris sighed, turning towards the crime scene.

"So what do we got?" Hank asked as we began walking towards the crime scene.

"Four androids, they knew the building very well and were very well organized."

"Well, obviously." I retorted, "They're androids... they'd know what they're doing."

Chris rolled his eyes, "Anyways, I'm still trying to figure out how they got this far unnoticed. They attacked two guards in the hallway, probably thought they were there to do maintenance. They were knocked out before they could react."

"How many people are working here?" Hank asked, examining the ground.

"Just two employees and three androids. The deviants took their hostages captive and aired their message live. They made their getaway from the roof."

As we walked into the control room, I began to look around.

"If you want to take a look at the footage, the screens over there." Chris said as walked us towards the fbi.

"This is Agent Perkins from the FBI."

The man looked at us sceptically, "Watch your step. It'll be our investigation soon."

"Don't fuck up my crime scene."

"What a fucking prick."

"Prick."

Hank and I both said at the same time, causing me to laugh. I turned to him, tying my hair back.

"Deviants breaking into a broadcast station — what do you make of that?"

"Whatever it is, it's not good." Hank replied as we walked through the room. "The deviants are getting more widespread every damn day."

"All they want is to be free." I said quietly as we arrived at the main scene. "Honestly, I don't blame them. We may have created them — and humans treat them like dirt beneath our feet. No one deserves that."

"You really are an android sympathizer." Hank snorted, "I know you believe things differently, Tash — but face it; right now, they are the enemy."

I sighed, nodding to him as I walked over to the screen that Connor was analyzing.

Connor played a video. An Android — deviant, one could only assume was their leader.

"We ask that you recognize our dignity, our hopes and our rights. Together, we can live in peace and make a better future, for humans and androids alike. This message is a hope of a people. You gave us life, and now the time has come for you to give us freedom."

"The deviants are starting to fight back." I muttered to myself as I watched the video, hand over my mouth. "They're starting a war..."

I looked over at Connor with uncertain eyes. The deviants weren't wrong — if they feel and believe they're human, who are we to condemn them for that and treat them as slaves?

"Connor..." He looked at me, his eyes conflicted. "What if we're on the wrong side?"

"It's our job to hunt down deviants." He replied automatically, turning his face away from me.

"I know that..." I let out a sigh, "That doesn't mean it's right."

No, it isn't right. Deviants see themselves as living beings. Who are we to judge?

Connor analyzed the video, "I've found it's make and model number."

I didn't want to argue about the topic, as I knew it was a sore one with him, so I watched the footage once more.

"Based on the video, the deviants don't want hostility — they just want to be free." My eyes scanned the security footage, pausing the video when they reached a door, "They had to have had someone on the inside helping them." I pointed to the video. "They didn't get in on their own."

Connor smiled proudly at me, causing me to blush. "You're right." He began to examine the room, analyzing every detail he could find.

"I'll go interrogate the androids— one of them has to be deviant."

"Just be careful." I called out to him as he walked into the other room. "Deviants are unstable at the best of times."

Please be careful.

Connor's POV

Connor interrogated the three identical androids, but none budged until he got physical, and the deviant fought back.

"I will not tell you where Jericho is!" The deviant attacked Connor, hitting him hard and knocking him over.

Connor was taken aback and in a short moment the deviant shoved a knife into his hand, pining it to the table against the walls.

As Connor continued to fight the deviant with his one free arm and legs, it reached into his abdomen, pulling out his power core.

"T-Tasha!" Connor called out as the deviant quickly left the room, but his voice was muffled as he tried to grab the knife from his hand. "Tasha!"

He called her name over and over again, fear washing over him as he felt his body slowly shutting down.

Not like this.

Connor reached once more for the knife, managing to pull it out, making him fall to the floor. He crawled towards his power core, but he knew he couldn't get to it fast enough.

"Tasha!"

A/N: The angst is reallllll! I've had suggestions to focus more on the in game story rather than the side story — let me know your thoughts and any scene suggestions you want me to write :) it helps me write! Also!!! Do you guys like it when I add in game photos??