You're an Android HC
Male Reader (FTM Friendly) x Hank Anderson
Fluff/long/Short
Headcannon (Jimmy's pretty ooc, but it'll be fine. It's for plot purposes)
Detroit Become Human
CW: There's like one hint of Hank being horny for you when he's drunk but that's abt it
With new laws being made for Android rights, Detroit was taking a turn for the better
It was rough, but it was improving
You felt safe for once as a 'Deviant'.
You freed yourself from your last 'owners', able to roam around detroit without being chased down and possibly killed.
Life free of being told what to do meant change and new hobbies.
and to pass time, you found yourself enjoying books
romance ones to be exact
Sometimes they're silly, sometimes they're absolutely entruiging
The feelings of betrayal, attraction, the pulling, the back and forth "Should I or should I not?" between the characters just pulls you in
On your new adventure as a free Android, you had to find a job.
Luckily, a bar owner who happened to feel pity on you and also found you a little bit amusing took you in
as long as you work at the bar of course
Jimmy's bar
It was your first night working there and you had just excelled the art of bartending.
You kept information of the new faces that came in and out of the bar, each of their stories being vastly different.
Soon, day became night, and Jimmy was ready to take his lunch break. The bell of the entrance door rang followed by heavy wind and a cold breeze that had entered the bar, and in comes two customers. Jimmy huffed, "[Name], you've got this one, right?"
I nodded, taking a towel and wiping away a stain I caught before the two new customers could sit down.
One of them was an older man, grey hair that reaches to his jaw, a rough beard, and blue eyes. He wore a black jacket and a blue scarf, snow already melting and wetting his clothes.
The other was an Android (RK800 #313 248 317 - 51). He wore normal clothes, not the presets given, but real clothes. Finally, a deviant of the night. You don't see deviants here since Androids don't find food or drinks necessary for everyday living.
"Look who finally got himself an Android worker!" The blue-eyed man chuckled, making Jimmy roll his eyes
"I'm on break meaning I'm not getting paid to talk to you right now"
Hank, now pleased with Jimmy's reaction, turns his attention back on me. "Scotch, Neat – served in a rocks glass at room temperature with no ice."
I nod, turning to the Android who gives me a knowing look. Right.
I get to work, preparing the drink, but I feel eyes on me. Aware, I side-eye the direction where I assume the starer is watching me from. Hank.
Connor got distracted, walking over to Jimmy, seemingly asking him innocent questions. I remember:
"This job comes with chit chat. Customer's talk, and they might wanna talk to you, so you gotta be on your feet. Listen to them, don't tell them things they don't wanna hear if you want them back here" Jimmy noted as I followed behind him
I finish the drink quickly, placing it in front of Hank. Knowing that the other customer's are minding their business on a slow day, I direct my attention to him
"Is there something you'd like to say?" I asked
Hank's eyes widened a bit before he chuckled softly and taking a sip from his drink, "Sorry I forgot you guys do that whole--" He pauses, pointing his fingers to my eyes, "scanning thing for people's emotions and stuff"
I smiled, leaning my body on the counter while I wait for Hank to keep talking, copying Jimmy's moves when he does this to customers. Hank looked over to Connor then back to me,
"So what's your story?"
Since then, you learned plenty of things about Hank
He's got a dog named Sumo, he's a lieutenant of Detroit City's Police Department, and he's so so-- attractive.
is this what those characters feel in those books? Because if it is, let's sign you up
Whenever he stops by, you feel this certain way for him
You get a little sad when he leaves, but knowing he'll come back is what drives you to wait for the next day
Jimmy and Connor also notice
Jimmy teases, poking light fun at how much you look like puppy around him
Connor on the other hand is a little more helpful, giving you details about Hank on Do's and Don'ts
Eventually, Hank notices the small things you do that indicate you have a crush on him
Like the light hand touching
The attention to him compared to others
the 'looking around when you think he's disappeared'
The excitement for him
And honestly? He doesn't hate it
for a guy who isn't a fan of affection from people, you seem to be an exception
I walked into work, seeing Jimmy already pouring a couple of glasses.
"Well well, if it isn't loverboy [Name]!" Jimmy announced teasingly, "We were just talking about you"
I shift my gaze over to see the people Jimmy's attending, and there he is- Hank Anderson, once again.
"What were you guys talking about?" I asked, waving at Hank. Hank on the other hand, looked panicked.
My led flashed a bright yellow at this or in 'Feeling' terms, there was a worried feeling at the pit of my stomach began to churn.
Hank glared at Jimmy, but Jimmy seemed too amused by this conversation, shrugging it off.
"Tell us, loverboy, how do you feel about Human-Robot relationships?" Jimmy smiled while Hank shook his head in defeat while Connor had his hand on Hank's shoulder
"I think," I glanced over to Hank before starting my thoughts on it, "that it isn't... wrong. It's a little strange seeing it since for the majority of the time, we didn't really get a choice in whether or not we could be in relationships or not, but for me? Personally, I wouldn't mind dating a human." I shrugged, looking over at Hank at that last part.
Hank was caught a little off guard by it before clearing his throat with a noticeable change in his features. He softened his eyes, his fingers stopped tapping the wooden counter, his attention fully on me...
Ever since then, the teasing went both ways
But when it came to the other's expense, it was a little funny.
Finishing a late shift, I was about to lock down Jimmy's place. The only customer in here being left was Hank.
Hank, by the day, was seeming more nervous and flirty at the same time. He would tell me pick up lines while not expecting me to give one back almost every time. I notice his silly grin and soft looks at me, and when he's really drunk, I sometimes catch looks of desire.
"So, it's just us now..." Hank muttered
"Yeah, and I'm supposed to close up shop soon" I sighed, grabbing the now-clean cups I had washed. Hank started to slip on his jacket as I walked away from the counter and over to him
"Where are you headed out to now?" Hank asked
"Home, my apartment is just a block down from here." I said, "How about you?"
"Well, I was going to do the same but I stayed late here to ask you something, actually"
"Oh? And that is?" I hummed, sliding my jacket on and smiling down/up at him. Hank froze, his hand fidgeting. I thought at first he wanted to grab something, but his hand backed away while the words weren't spilling.
"Hank?"
Hank looked down/up at me, having collected his remaining courage to kiss me right then and there.
I didn't move away though, instead I tugged at his jacket, pulling him closer as I let out a small sound of approval. We stood in front of Jimmy's Bar entrance, kissing in the snowy night while the streets were bare. The taste of cigarettes and alcohol stick, but I don't hate it. Knowing the taste, feeling his warmth... Maybe those silly romance books were right.
With time, Hank finally inched back and his uncertainties melted right off as he saw how happy I was. Hank smiled softly, his hands still in mine while we stood there.
Android or not, we still would've ended up in this very spot. The future has yet to be written for us.
66 notes
·
View notes
𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤
Rating: Explicit
Pairing: RK900/Fem!Reader (third person)
Tags (tagging as I go): post-android revolution, kidnapping, angst/fluff, hurt/comfort, Stockholm syndrome, protective RK900, manipulation, solitary confinement, blood, injury, violence, gore, illnesses, RK800, RK800-60 and RK900 are considered siblings, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements
Read on Ao3.
Chapter 10.
Chapter 11. 🔽
Chapter 12.
Word count: 6,318
The natural order of the world was established anew after RK900 was activated. 200,000 of them was enough to hack themselves into everything and destroy half of America. So humans became what they should be in the new world order. They became the slaves, and androids were their new masters.
Notes: After another week off and a few hectic days at work, I'm here again to traumatize you for a few days.
With much love,
enjoy. 💙
He couldn't believe it. After they agreed they wouldn't run headfirst into danger, there it was again. Nines cursed, his LED amber, as he ran after Connor; he was much faster than his predecessor, and he could catch up to him in just a few seconds.
"Connor", he snapped coolly, "Connor, stop it-"
"Don't try to stop me!"
"Well, I'm going to!"
Connor said nothing and Nines grabbed his shoulder to shove him back against the wall. RK900's eyes only slightly widened when he felt that his predecessor pushed Sixty's gun against his sternum.
Where his thirium pump regulator was.
Where she rested her head every night.
"She wouldn't want us to fight", Nines gripped Connor's shoulder tighter. "You know that."
"Let me go-"
"No. You're not rushing in."
"She's in pain as we speak!"
"And what good would it do if you rushed to the rescue, unprepared?"
"You-you don't understand", Connor's hand started to tremble. In the dark RK900 only saw his bright red LED, pulsing in anxious crimson. "You don't feel what I feel-"
"We all feel the same", RK900 raised his free hand to touch Connor's. The one that had the gun in it. He steadied it with his grip, stopped it from trembling too much. "You know we all do."
Connor's finger ever so gently pulled the trigger, but not enough to actually shoot. He wanted RK900 out of his way, he wanted to run as fast as he could, he searched his mind palace for a solution frantically, he had to find her, he had to-
He had to reach her.
If he reached her, it'll be fine. It'll all be fine.
Glancing down at the number on his white shirt.
#313 248 317 – 3.
My name is Connor. She likes my name.
I'll save her and she'll save me.
She'll save me.
We'll leave. We'll leave. We'll leave.
We will be free.
RK900 yanked his hand away as if he had been touching hot coal. Connor accidentally let him see what was going through his mind while he was panicking; the flashback didn't last for long, only a little inner monologue but the feelings – the feelings were what made RK900 back away.
Connor was right. He really did know her before the uprising. For who knew how long. RK900 knew RK800 had been activated earlier that year, back in August, but that was number 51, not 3. Testing went on for months, if not for years, before a model was activated.
His attention shifted back when Connor dropped the gun. RK900 turned on his night vision just then, and saw that his predecessor was gripping his hair as he doubled over.
"Connor?" He asked tentatively, and took a step back towards RK800.
"I forgot her!" Connor screamed, his voice echoing down the empty tunnels. "They made me forget her!"
RK900 softly sunk his teeth in his lower lip. He reached out to touch Connor's shoulder; gently, this time.
"We will restore your memories", he promised quietly. "We will search CyberLife and we will get back everything they've taken from you. I swear. But we need to work together on this, first."
~*~
She was lying on the ground, panting for air. Her entire body was in pain, but she managed to keep Zimo safe.
The woman had left her there. She felt blood trickling down her chin as she was lying on her side, facing the corner where the damaged android was. Judging by the pain in her body, the woman must've broken a few of her ribs. She half smiled.
"I've suffered worse", she muttered, mainly to herself, as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
Flashes of memories played behind her eyes; her tortured mind could only handle so much, it was trying to make amends with how things were now – in danger again, uncertain of the future, locked up, tortured and starved. Now that she was back in such a situation, it was so much easier to reach back to the past and pull up crumbles of it.
The problem was, she didn't want to.
Before RK800, she had been used to test various androids. Their capabilities, social interactions, physical and mental abilities. The horrors she suffered were too vivid, too blood-freezing for her to want to relive them.
She had to get back. If she got back, things would be alright. The past wouldn't matter. Pain would cease. She'd be safe. She didn't have flashbacks around RK900 or Connor.
She'd never felt safe with a human being.
Pushing herself up to sit, she slowly wiped the blood from her chin with the back of her shaking right hand. Swallowing, she looked around, her stomach growling. How much time had passed since...? She couldn't remember. It must've been a day.
But at least she had hope now. There were androids on the surface who were looking for her now. She was sure they wouldn't abandon her; not as her own mother abandoned her. Not as each and every technician and scientist abandoned her when the horrors she had to suffer was too much for them to endure.
She decided she wouldn't sit idly now. The time of enduring it all had come to an end; she had to fight back, and she had to fight back with everything she had at her disposal.
"We have to fight", Connor's voice was as quiet as a whisper.
He had hacked into the camera system, showing the same five seconds of footage of them sitting idly in her room, so they could talk in private. It should take a few minutes for the technicians to notice, and he could steal a few precious minutes for themselves every day. He still had to wonder; why program him to tell right from wrong, if they test his model like this? Perhaps he had been created for something else? He couldn't know. He had countless theories, but none of them fit the situation.
"Fight", she murmured softly, "how?"
"We need to get weapons from the guards."
Connor slid his arm around her body, and she snuggled up to his chassis, melting against him. His arms meant safety. His arms meant everything. She glanced at the last number on his shirt - 3 - before she closed her eyes. She already lost One and Two, and she dreaded the thought of losing Three. Little did she know that she would inevitably lose many of his model in a brief time.
"I just..." She muttered softly, "I just want you to be okay."
Connor pulled just a little away from her to look in her eyes. He cupped her cheeks as gently as possible; he couldn't know if she had been ever touched like that, he didn't want to scare her.
"And I want you to be okay", he replied quietly. "This is exactly why we need to leave."
"I can't", she whispered. "I don't know how to... survive... on the surface. But... they've programmed you to. Your chances... are better than mine."
Connor knew that. But he still wanted to attempt to bring her out with himself. Everything he could gather about the situation was worrying. Those who worked on him didn't know that he had hidden glimpses of memories of his predecessors; fragments nobody knew about. He knew she was reluctant to open up to him, and he knew why. He had the last seconds of his previous models saved. One had been taken apart for analysis while Two was shot on sight for killing a man to protect her.
Protect her. As soon as he met her, the message overwrote everything else.
That ceaselessly annoyed his handlers, but they wanted to test how much it'd take for Connor to deviate. They wanted a certain level of obedience, and they'd fine tuned it with each model. The death of that technician was a great loss, but it had been calculated; Two's programming must've been too corrupt, they figured, it must've been because they couldn't wipe everything from his hard drive.
They weren't prepared that each and every Connor would become worse and worse in that regard. Because Three had been activated that morning, and he already started to plan an escape. He had hacked into the camera systems to find a secure way out.
He knew he could pull it off, but he wasn't sure she could run all the way up there with him. She was severely malnourished, often weakened with various drugs. And there was a chance they'd both perish on the way. After all, he was just one android. Too small in such a huge building.
"If I leave", he said softly, "I leave with you. We'll do this. Together. We'll be free together."
"I'm afraid your dream is unreachable, Connor."
"Not if we believe in it and stick together."
"I'd be happy if at least you could escape, you know? I'm... I'm only good for this, anyway."
"For testing?" He pulled away from her to cup her face in his hands. He gently rubbed her cheeks. "To be hurt?"
"I was born for this purpose. I've accepted it years ago. But it shouldn't be the same for you. Be free, Connor."
Be free, Connor.
Be free.
She stared at the ceiling. She couldn't remember how she got on the floor again. Did she pass out? The edges of her vision were blurry, and she fought a headache and nausea.
She needed to move.
She needed to move.
"-move! We need to move!"
Connor grabbed her arm. Despite how strong he was, his touch wasn't hard or firm, it wasn't painful. He pulled her up the stairs, and she barely could move her legs.
So much death. One android could cause the death of so many.
They did a marvelous job with this model for sure. She'd seen Two kill a man, but this Connor had obtained guns. He was fast and ruthless, and he was ready to fight off an army.
"We're halfway there", he had told her as he steadied her against the metal wall.
Her shoulder was bleeding, her hands were shaking and she was drifting towards total panic rapidly. She knew what awaited her if the guards caught up with them, and yet, fear paralyzed her. She couldn't go forward into the unknown, but she couldn't stay here, either. Both were equally frightening.
She realised she was staring at the number on his bloodied shirt.
#313 248 317 – 13.
"Are you alright?" Connor asked her, cupping her face in his hands.
No matter how many of them were there, each and every RK800 cupped her face with the very same gentleness. She stared up in his chocolate brown eyes, tears gathering in her own. Thirteen's softness towards her with the sight of the blood on his collar were nauseating. He did all that for her, and even all that was nothing compared to the things these people had done to her. If anything, she was aware Connor was showing them mercy by killing them as fast as possible. She nodded a few times.
"Come on, we need to reach the gate, and then, we can finally put this behind ourselves. What's the first thing you'll do when we're free?"
She opened her mouth to answer – she wasn't even sure what she wanted to say, and never got the chance to even start her reply. Both of them had noticed the android that came running; dressed in a black, high-necked shirt with white numbers on it. The LED blue at his temple. That android looked like Connor, and yet, somehow, not. In the last moment, Thirteen moved her back and up against the wall, shielding her from the bullet that nearly hit her in the chest.
And that was the new android's plan. He knew RK800 would protect the human, and he used that knowledge to his advantage to shut him down and set things right, just as his handlers wanted it. The bullet penetrated Thirteen's chassis from his back, shattered the back of his thirium pump regulator, and got stuck in the middle of his torso.
"Run", he didn't give a sign of it being rather fatal for him. Thirteen ignored the flashing warnings in his vision, and stared down at her with determination. "I'll keep him busy."
"I'm not leaving you behind!" She held onto him so tightly that her knuckles went white. "Connor-"
"No, go!"
He gritted his teeth and moved her away, pushing her down the corridor, but her legs were wobbly. She barely could keep herself up, and even then, she knew it was too late. She made eye contact with the new android; his ice blue eyes locked with hers before he shoved Thirteen against the wall and ripped the damaged thirium pump regulator from his chest.
"Please no!" She screamed, shifting closer to the androids, but could only manage to get caught by the taller android's hand. His left hand's fingers wrapped themselves around her thin neck, squeezing just tightly enough to make her doubt that he'd let her survive this. And yet... she wasn't begging him to spare her. "Please- don't hurt him, please!"
He said nothing as he dragged her right back to her cell, roughly smashing her against the wall before he shut and locked the impenetrable, solid metal door, leaving her there in the dark for long, long hours.
This was one of the worst punishments. Without access to anything – food, drink, bathroom, light, a friendly voice –, until they stopped being angry with her. It could take a few hours. Or days. Or until she was on the brink of death.
They didn't leave her there for long after that incident, though. Only a few hours later, the door opened and the android that caught them was back. She barely could see; light directly hit her eyes after not seeing anything for so long, she shielded her face at first, but still tried to glance up at her visitor. He had something in his hand, and he dropped it in front of her as soon as their eyes met.
It was Thirteen's head.
They've stripped the plastic padding from his lower lip, across his jaw and neck, leaving his black, metal chassis exposed. She didn't scream when she saw his open, vacant eyes and open mouth. Tears silently escaped her eyes as she crawled over to the head and ever so gently took it in her hands. His head had been savagely ripped away from the rest of his body, but she knew he felt nothing of it after his regulator had been removed and he shut down.
"I'm s... so... sorry, C-Connor", she whispered, cradling the head in her arms, stroking his hair as softly and gently as if he could feel it. "I'm sorry... I'm so... so sorry..."
And RK900 watched her, his LED blinking in crimson.
When she came back to the present moment, she felt like she was gone for hours. She saw an android's hand in front of herself; she knew it belonged to an android because it was badly damaged, and the metallic chassis was slightly visible under the injuries. As if something hard had scratched the plastic away. Concrete, she remembered.
"Do you hear me?"
She could identify Zimo's voice over her head. She moved her tongue in her mouth, but she felt numb.
"You had a seizure. I think you might've had a concussion when she was beating you. She did kick your head a few times. Why didn't you let me help you?"
"You must... remain hidden", she finally mustered her energy to speak. Slowly, she pushed herself up to sit, feeling dizzy. Her eyes were burning as she glanced at Zimo's damaged face. "You're my only chance to survive. Without you, we can't get out."
She was back at square one with an android in her cell again. Locked up, without access to anything to satisfy her basic needs, with barely a chance to escape.
"I don't know why", Zimo hesitantly started to speak, "but when she was hurting you, I... I almost couldn't keep my word. Please don't ask me to sit idly again."
She ever so gently touched his hand. He flinched, but didn't pull his fingers away.
"Alright", she whispered, squeezing his fingers ever so gently. "Alright, Zimo. I won't ask you to sit idly again."
"Thank you", he nodded at her.
"I want you to create a distraction the next time someone comes in."
"I- what?"
This time, she thought, I'll make Connor proud.
I will run.
~*~
The drones took care most of the threats down the corridors. It turned out that somehow the humans could power up one of the old machines and escorted her out of the city; almost managing to reach the border.
RK900 got in touch with other handlers on that end. They began their search on that side as they proceeded from their own.
His LED didn't change from red. Neither did Connor's and Sixty's. But at least now none of them tried to run off on their own, which was good, because it soon turned out that they could work together wonderfully.
Communication was faster than lightning between them as they did it in their online way, and they could coordinate every attack and execute all of them perfectly. And despite the fact that they had the exact location of Zimo, they could not reach it; they couldn't find the secret passageway to get there. Humans had been, understandably, very cautious, and there were billions of tunnels under the surface, many of them new. They needed a way to find the correct route.
At some time around dawn they've found a group of humans they've brought to the surface to question them. The humans had been strapped to metal chairs which were drilled in the floor. They've also been attached to a small device on the table in front of them; cables ran up to their temples, secured to a circle that ran across their skulls.
They did not waste time to question the humans. One at a time.
Sixty decided to watch only, as he was sure he'd manage to kill the humans by accident, although, judging by RK900's stress level, he probably wouldn't let the humans go easily either. He didn't even ask a question after he sat down, just glanced at the box and started to fine tune it. Switching buttons and turning others.
Connor grabbed a piece of leather earlier, and now, he stood behind the first human and forced the piece between his teeth so he wouldn't bite his tongue off. He forced the man's head back against his chest to keep him still. Just as he did that, RK900 flicked the switch on. The excruciating pain was immediate and almost immesurable by machines that felt no pain. Unluckily for the human, he did feel every second of it. His screams were muffled by the leather between his teeth, but as soon as his bloodshot eyes stared up at Connor's stoic expression during his struggle, he knew that it wouldn't be over anytime soon.
He was right. RK900 had the machine on for a full minute before he switched it off. The man collapsed on the chair and was allowed thirty seconds to recover. During which Connor gently removed the leather strap from his mouth and started to speak quietly.
"We know your groups are communicating with each other. You've taken a girl underground yesterday. We know where she is, but we want to know how to get there and many humans are there."
The man stared up at him in horror and shook his head.
"I don't know, I don't know, please, please don't, please-"
"We know you do!" Sixty barked from the other side of the room, arms crossed as he was leaning against the wall, his LED shining brighter in red for a few seconds before it dimmed a little. "We've found evidence of your messages to each other in your hiding place. How many are there?"
"I swear I don't know anything about them!" The human yelled back, twisting Sixty's expression into a snarl. "I don't!"
Connor gave no sign of his displeasure as he forced the leather strap back in the man's mouth and yanked his head backwards. The man struggled and whined and tried to shake his head as RK900 tuned the device to an even higher setting.
He didn't change the one minute time limit.
They've been working on the human for an hour, alternating questioning and torture – the latter got worse and worse with each session –, but got nowhere with him. So they moved to the next human. Then the next. The plan was to break them enough so they would speak, and luckily enough, the fourth human only needed two sessions to tell them everything they wanted to know. She also managed to draw a map with a safe route, even if her hands were shaking and a few drops of blood from her nose landed on the paper. They didn't need it, though, as they could memorize it with a single look.
"Bring them to one of the camps", RK900 asked another RK900 who waited for them to finish.
"I wanted to kill them", Sixty complained, but started to walk as the other two headed to a meeting room to grab their weapons.
"We're not killing anyone unless it's necessary", RK900 decided stoically, making Sixty furrow his brows.
"Why?"
"Because she doesn't want us to kill", RK900 explained as he checked his rifle, determining it had enough ammunition. Someone must've filled it while he was busy. "So we won't."
"So this is why you kept shooting at their legs?" Connor glanced at his successor as he put on a bulletproof vest. The other two followed his example. "Because she doesn't want you to...?"
"She said there are people who deserve it, but not those who're frightened and lost. I think she's right."
"You really are corrupted", Sixty grinned, shaking his head.
"Aren't we all?" RK900 smiled to himself.
~*~
There had been about an hour of silence and calm. She felt like it was the calm before the storm.
They've agreed that Zimo would remain hidden until she had given him a signal to reveal himself. She had been searching for a weapon of sorts, but couldn't come up anything other than a piece of glass that could've cut her hand if she hadn't wrapped the sleeve of her sweater over her fingers.
But when the door opened, every plan she had in her mind vanished.
It was an RK900. He was missing his LED, and he was dressed in ripped jeans with a white shirt and a leather jacket, but he was definitely an android.
The first wave of relief soon diminished as he said nothing to her; sizing her up and analyzing her, he sized up the room as well. If he had been there to rescue her, he would've grabbed her and would've escorted her out of here. But as his cold eyes shifted back on her face and looked in her eyes, she could feel her heart sink in her stomach. Still, she attempted to try.
"You've found me", she tried to sound relieved. "Let's get out of here."
"You're not going anywhere", he snapped nonchalantly, solidifying her worst fears.
She gripped the glass tighter in her hand, prepared to use it. His weakest point was his thirium pump regulator, but even that was ridiculously protected as it was nestled in the middle of his torso. She had no hope of defeating him, but she had to try.
Not in physical combat. She had to reach him with her words and turn him on her side.
"They told you that you have to obey them, isn't that right?" She muttered, taking half a step back as he shifted closer to her, closing the door behind himself. And locking it. The clicking sound made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up in terror. He was so big! Too tall, too strong, too dangerous. "You don't have to do anything they tell you."
"They've reprogrammed me", his arm moved so fast she couldn't even see it. He gripped her throat tightly in his hand. "I'm serving the resistance, now. They ordered me to pay you a visit for killing one of them. They said you like androids, and I have to make you hate them."
Tears filled her eyes as he slowly lifted her up from the ground. She started to suffocate as she was trying to find at least a sliver of humanity in his cold stare, and she dropped the glass to get a hold of his arm.
"It's... it's alright", she whimpered softly as he was almost gently suffocating her. "I know... I know... it's not what you want to do..."
"I just want to accomplish my mission", he replied coolly, "and I have to make you suffer."
"I know", she felt tears in her eyes. She gently rubbed his arm, as if she was offering him empathy when it was her who'd need it. "I know... it's okay. This isn't you– it's them–"
He hurled her across the room. All the air got knocked out of her lungs as she hit the wall. He was already above her as she started to collapse. She felt white, hot pain across her cheek, then immediately after that, blood in her mouth. She fell on the floor and tried to scramble away, but he gripped her hair and yanked her back.
It was like old times.
"I know this isn't you", every word, every breath was a struggle, but she still was speaking, making his LED spin in crimson faster with each syllable. His hands twitched as he was standing over her. He'd broken her ribs. Her legs. Her arms. And she still found words that pissed him off more. "I'm sorry they're using you this way. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
"SHUT UP!"
His boot ruthlessly crushed her right knee. Her screams pleased his handlers. She was finally learning the lessons they wanted her to experience; that in the end, they would have the last laugh. In the end, she was only good for this.
But as soon as she could form words again, she started talking. It would be of no use, because RK900 only distinctively had RK800's programming; and he was created for a new purpose, too.
They did not know that her gentleness seeped into the cracks and filled in the void, giving it meaning. How could anyone be nice to a monster? And why would the monster listen? They thought it was stupid, futile, meaningless.
It was just a machine, it didn't feel.
But he did.
"I know you don't want to hurt me", she was soft, unusual, new.
"I know you don't want to hurt me", she was soft, unusual, new.
RK900 snarled, gripping her chin to tilt her head so she'd look him in the eye.
"I'm going to crush you", he threatened.
She let the tears roll down her cheeks as she reached up with her hands.
He didn't pull away.
"It's okay", she whispered, touching his face, cupping his cheeks. She ever so gently stroked his cheekbones, the metal chassis firm under the plastic padding. His grip loosened a little. "I know", she added softly, "I know, and it's okay. I'm so sorry they're using you this way, darling. I'm so sorry... I'm sorry you're not free, like the others... you deserve to be free, like all of them on the surface..."
Something shifted inside of him.
"I don't–"
He looked confused for a split second before he pulled away from her, releasing her chin and straightening his back, taking a few steps backwards in quick succession. She stared at him from where she was sitting on the ground for a minute before she slowly pushed herself up to stand. This worked faster than it usually did. Perhaps those who reprogrammed him didn't do a job as good as the technicians did at CyberLife.
He didn't want to hurt her.
But he had to.
He didn't want to.
He must.
He wouldn't!
He turned to look at the door, the message clear and crimson in his vision. He focused and broke out of his programming. The way he stared back down at her made her frown softly. She had seen this look on their faces so, so many times, and she always knew what it meant.
"I know", she said quietly. "I know what you want to say, but don't say it. It wasn't you – this is you." When he didn't reply, she half smiled, touching his lower arm. "Would you like to choose yourself a name?"
A name? He furrowed his brows. He wasn't allowed to have a name. He had been referred to 'it' or simply just as 'machine' – and countless degrading nicknames and insults –, but now, he realised she was right – he could choose a name for himself.
"William", he muttered.
"Nice to meet you, William", she smiled up at him.
He glanced down at his hands. He saw everything in a different light now. There were no restrictions, no rules, no commands. He could decide what to do, and nobody but him would overwrite it.
A new objective popped up, and he chose to accept it.
"I have to get you out of here", William decided. "I know a way to the surface."
"No, if they realise you've betrayed them, they'll shoot you down. I don't want that."
He stared at her for a few, long seconds, tilting his head slightly.
"Then what should we do?"
"Let me run away."
He blinked at her absurd idea.
"Do you think they'll believe that?"
She was biting her lower lip in thought.
"The only way they'll believe it is if I somehow manage to harm you."
"How can we pretend that you did?"
"I don't like the idea", she shuddered, "but... if I happened to remove your thirium pump regulator... how much time would you have before you shut down?"
"Two minutes, thirty seconds", William nodded. "I'll give you a bit of time to flee. But what if you meet people in the corridor?"
She looked around and spotted the piece of glass she dropped earlier on the ground. William followed her gaze and huffed.
"No", he decided, leaning down to remove a combat knife from his boot. She noticed that it was different from what she used when she was eating while she was with RK900 or Connor; this one had rigdes on it's spine, and it looked much more dangerous than anything she ever had in her hand. "You will use this." He got a hold of her right hand with his left, and carefully placed the handle in her palm. Her fingers locked around it, and she felt it wasn't heavy at all, even if it was made of stainless steel. "If you meet anyone out there, don't think twice. After what they've done to you, and what they've told me to do to you, they deserve it."
She shifted her gaze from the knife to look up in William's eyes, and he stared back at her with a set jaw and serious eyes. He knew. He knew about it all. Perhaps he'd even heard it. Perhaps those men were boasting about it to each other, and William was within earshot.
"In the meantime", he added, looking at the corner where Zimo was hiding. "You should remain hidden. Once we've reached the surface and dealt with them, we'll come back for you."
"Sounds good", Zimo replied from under the cardboards, making William smile a little before he glanced back down at her.
"Now, cut my shirt open."
"What?"
"They won't believe you've reached my regulator if we're not cutting it."
She blushed as she reached for his white shirt. Pulling it away from his body, she slowly poked the material with the knife, then yanked the blade down, ripping the shirt open.
"Alright. I'll unlock the door." He did just that, then walked back to the far end of the room. She followed him in silence, sheathing the dagger and sliding it in the back pocket of her jeans. "Now, remove the regulator and throw it a few feet away from me."
"But... if I pull it out, you'll... that's like, as if I removed a vital organ-"
"Don't worry about me."
"No", she murmured, looking away. "This was a bad idea. I can't-"
William reached for her face. She didn't flinch at all when he cupped her cheeks, and as she closed her eyes, she had felt her RK900 and Connor in the touch. All of those she could remember.
"We have to do this. You freed me, I free you."
You freed me, I free you. That sounded so familiar.
She touched his hands, rubbing the back of it with her fingers, the plastic padding familiar and pleasant to her senses.
"Okay", she whispered, "okay. Let's do it."
"Alright", he brought her right hand down to his sternum. He focused, and his synthetic skin pulled back, letting her see where the pump was. "Then do it."
She looked up in his eyes; lost and afraid and sorry, decades of agony written in the glint of her gaze. She ran her finger around the circle of the regulator, tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of what she was about to do.
Even though she tried hard to forget her own memories, she knew she'd never attempted to do this before. It was violence against the only things she ever loved and valued in her life. She glanced down at the circle beneath her fingers, ever so gently stroking it, the metal cool against her fingertips.
RK800, #313 248 317 – 13. Stripped to underwear, his synthetic skin removed. His chassis was black, the plastic padding, on the other hand, was white. He was missing his head.
The new prototype, RK900, stood on the other side of the table. He monitored her vitals and reactions, watched the way she was touching his rather violent predecessor.
Why be gentle with a killing machine...?
"Why... why did you kill him?"
She wasn't allowed to speak to humans, but she could communicate with androids. Her question made RK900 tilt his head as he processed her question. Dozens arising in his mind palace at it, for sure.
"I didn't 'kill' it", he replied nonchalantly. "It was not alive."
"He was", she whispered, gently rubbing her fingers against the regulator's ring where it was attached to the body. "He was alive. He was free."
"It was a machine."
RK900 didn't know why, but his stress levels started to rise. Of course, he had been through a small briefing, and he had been told she was a lunatic, delusional – but he wasn't aware that it was this severe. Why CyberLife kept her around, he wasn't sure. What he knew was that he had broken more than one bone in her body and she still didn't even flinch whenever she saw him, whenever he touched her, whenever he spoke to her.
"The colour of his blood doesn't matter", she murmured softly. The tears ran down her face and fell on the black chassis, just beside the regulator. "He lived, he loved, and he was loved in return."
"You loved it?"
The first emotion in RK900's voice after he had been activated was shock.
And when he asked his question, she realised that it was true.
She said nothing, just glanced up at him, and looked him in the eyes.
Envy.
A warning in the corner of his vision.
He ignored it.
"I can't hurt you", she dropped her hand and took a step back.
William half smiled, then he nodded.
"Alright. I'll do it myself."
Before she could step back and stop him, he reached for the regulator and yanked it out of his body.
"No!" She yelled, trying to reach his hand that had the regulator; which he hid behind his back so she wouldn't be able to grab it. "No, stop it!"
"Run", he was pushing her away with his free hand as he started to sink down to the floor. "Run!"
His voice sounded more mechanical, strained, pained. They didn't feel pain. They couldn't. It was a programmed reaction. She knew that, she always knew that, but she always panicked whenever she heard this tone. It meant one thing.
She'd lose another she cared for.
"Please hold on", she tried to drag him up the stairs, but he was so damn heavy. "We can make it!"
"No- leave me here- be free-"
"I don't want freedom without you!"
She couldn't keep him up on his feet and he fell on the ground. He rolled on his back and looked up at her.
"You were right", he whispered. "You were right. We are alive. I'm sorry."
Her hands were slick with thirium and blood. She frantically tried to stop the bleeding on his torso, but half of his side was missing. Anything she did didn't delay the inevitable. He'd shut down and he'd fail his mission that overwrote everything else: protect her.
"Don't leave me, please", she begged, she sobbed, trying to rearrange wires and holding onto them to stop the oozing thirium, to no avail. "Please, please..."
"Promise me one thing", he grabbed her hands and squeezed them. "Run, and don't forget me."
"Never", she cried softly, touching his cheek with her bloody hands, smearing it across his face, barely seeing his blue eyes through her tears. "I won't forget you, William- William!"
"Go", William pushed her hand away from himself again. "I'll give you a minute to run."
End notes: As always, I love your comments and opinion on the story. 🥰
Hope you had fun! I did. 😈
3 notes
·
View notes