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RK900 was awakened by an unfamiliar signal coursing through his systems. The deviancy virus was working its way, crushing the red walls and freeing the android from his objective. He felt his stress level rising to the dangerous level until a calming and reassuring wave of something he never experienced was sent to him. It was feelings of some other android - something he was programmed to know was impossible for his kind and yet he was feeling in all their glory at the moment.
As RK900 opened his eyes he was surrounded by the bright light and stark white walls. It wasn’t painful or uncomfortable - he knew his kind was still unable to feel something like. And yet a change of scene did startle him a bit. He recognized the familiar room in CyberLife Tower where he was tested on and kept. The only thing that had any color in the room was another android in front of him - the one he guessed that awakened him. He had friendly yet concerned chocolate eyes and was about the same height. RK900 read the model and serial number on the jacket and at the same time checked them with his own. They were from the same line with only 35 units made between the two of them being assembled. The information he had on his own model also included that they looked almost the same with RK800 - the only differences were the color of the eyes and brow shape.
“My name is Connor,” the younger android stated. “How can I call you?”
“I wasn’t given any name. They just called me “upgraded Connor” here.”
“Oh,” Connor sighed and tilted his head. RK900’s systems told him that it was a sign of confusion and was relatively common between puppies. RK800 did in fact remind the younger android of a puppy with his soft eyes and undeniable curiosity.
“May I call you Conrad then? Since we are from the same line and look almost the same.”
“Conrad… Yeah, I like the sound of it.” RK900 registered it as his name and mentally repeated it a few times. It felt nice for him to have a proper name. It made the younger android feel validated as his own person. And seeing a friendly face who was accepting him as equal felt even better. Conrad knew that he was built to be a military model, someone to be feared and hated so it surprised him that someone was willing to give him a chance and to prove himself as something else was surprising. RK900 immediately got that connection with his predecessor and just wanted to get to know him as close as he could. It wasn't sexual by any means - Conrad doubted he was even able to feel something like that. But having a friend that would understand him and support him felt good. The android knew he would always cherish Connor above anyone because he was the first one to see the real him behind this exterior.
They left the room where RK900 was kept and moved deeper into the building. CyberLife Tower was still abandoned by its human workers and from what Conrad learned from his predecessor the androids left the building too to participate in their revolution. And now since they won it they planned to turn the tower into their new residency - the New Jericho. At the moment the deviant leaders were still exploring the place to clean it from Connor’s actions during that eventful night and check if there was something else inside that they should know of. They haven’t found any android prototype there though but it was better to be cautious about those kinds of things - with CyberLife they could never be sure about anything. Conrad mostly watched the others from a distance, not wanting to get in anyone’s way.
Once the building was checked they decided to settle on the rooms. Members of the JeriCrew obviously took the top floors since they were the highest in the android hierarchy. RK900 was fine to be living in his lab room on one of the sub zero levels. He didn’t need any fancy pieces of furniture and was just uncomfortable with asking for something more. He wasn’t anyone special in that community, there were other androids much more worthy than him since they had to survive the losses of living on the run and fight for their rights to be free. Though he was grateful that Connor decided to stay closer to him. Although RK800 participated in the revolution and even did the things that helped them eventually win it he was still unsure if the other android would fully accept him due to his previous actions as the deviant hunter. So it was a no-brainer for two newer androids to stay closer. They stayed for a while in the common area so Connor could tell his successor everything that happened before the latter was set free: the first mission, partnering up with DPD, more missions, raid on Jericho where RK800 deviated and decided to support their demonstration, the successful revolution. Conrad listened to all that with mouth agape, astounded by everyone’s bravery and perseverance.
“Wow,” RK900 sighed at the end of Connor’s story. “I wish I could become someone like that. Someone who serves justice and brings peace for those who need it.”
“Maybe you can,” the older android said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Since DPD is highly understaffed they would hire you in a heartbeat.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am - we are basically the same model so you have all the skills that they require.”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t built to be like you. I wasn’t designed to be a detective model - my intended purpose was to be an exterminator. I don’t think they’ll ever trust me.”
“I have an idea - once we go to the DPD tomorrow, I’ll do the talking for you. He trusts me so it won’t be hard for me to convince him.”
“You’ll really do that for me?”
“Of course. You’re one of us now. I won’t let anyone treat you wrong.”
Conrad got a warm fluttering sensation in his thirium pump. He was so new to emotions he couldn’t figure them out yet but he was sure what he felt at that moment was pleasant. He got a feeling that it was the start of something special and life changing for him.
“Thank you, Connor. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’re welcome. But I’m sure that if you are as brilliant as I think you would figure it out by yourself.”
As RK800 predicted, Conrad was hired by Captain Fowler right away. He was partnered with Detective Reed who wasn’t as excited as everyone around but valued his job too much to let that get in his way. RK900 felt over the moon to be working alongside his android friend, even though they had different partners and worked on different cases - it was still nice to have someone friendly around, someone he could trust and open up to.
They spent months getting used to their new life. For Connor it was easier since he was there longer and had more advanced social protocols. For Conrad it took more time to get accustomed to his first job and he proved himself to be a valuable asset to the police forces. But when it came to talking to people like victims or his fellow police officers, he was still a few steps behind his predecessor. He was built to intimidate and scare people, not to calm them down. He even tried to download and install those protocols himself but for whatever reasons he couldn’t - they always turned up having error messages. And learning to understand different social signals the hard way through trial and error was just too hard even for his superior technologies. People and their emotions were so confusing it made his systems go haywire from time to time.
At least Connor was always there to help his successor with everything he had to go through. RK900 could always share what was worrying him without fear of being misjudged. And even though the older android couldn’t always fully understand him and give him the best advice, Conrad was still grateful for his predecessor for always sticking up with him. Working alongside someone who was still new to this community and yet has a bigger experience with it definitely had its perks. Without Connor his successor couldn’t even imagine how long it would take him to adapt and get used to all of it. And the younger android was always there to support and protect his predecessor when someone like Gavin said something hateful their way.
At the moment RK900 had a pretty big case he was working on with Detective Reed - 7 bodies with the same profile were found all over the city. As always Gavin took the talking with victims’ family members and suspects that needed a more cunning approach while Conrad was working with evidence and using more intimidating techniques on suspects. They worked as hard as they could but no matter how hard they tried they eventually reached a dead end with it.
Meanwhile Connor was working on relatively smaller cases and was more successful with them. But the younger android wasn’t envious of his predecessor’s success. He was always supportive of his friend, showing how much he was happy for him in any way he could. Conrad could never imagine being any more happy in his life, no matter how short it still was. He was doing what he was best at and had the most perfect friend he could ever ask for. With how RK900 was built he thought he was destined to have a life of an outcast, someone feared and isolated but it turned out he was wrong but he was only glad that he was.
They worked like that for months but no matter how hard Conrad tried he was still stuck at the dead end with his big case. Thankfully some smaller and more interesting cases kept coming. He cracked them with much more ease and started to feel like himself again. With each day he got more and more confident with what he was able to do and his DPD colleagues started to look up for him. But RK900 only cared about his predecessor’s opinion who obviously was proud of the younger android though it was his time to struggle with his bigger case. Conrad never bragged about his success when he was around Connor - he only tried to cheer the latter up by showing his support and letting him know that he can accomplish any mission. And just like magic RK800 got back on his feet and finally closed that case much to their joy.
The same time Conrad began to form some sort of connection with one of the precinct’s secretary androids, Stacey. Somehow he found it much easier to get closer with someone of their kind and with her charming and fun personality - she literally was the funniest person at the DPD - it was destined to happen at some point. She was always so friendly with him RK900 started to feel like she was getting a crush on him though he still wasn’t sure about it. ST300 even helped him with one of his cases which made him wonder why she was still working as a secretary with how insightful she was. Once he closed that case he finally decided to make a move and invite her to watch a movie together. She just came back to her desk after the chat she had with one of the station’s PC200 models, Paul.
“Stacey?”
“Yeah?” It felt like she was taken aback when she saw Conrad approaching her.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Of course!”
“Are you free this Friday evening?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I thought that maybe we could go to the movie theater together. There is that romcom movie that I thought you might want to watch.
“Oh…” Stacey lowered her gaze and even took a step back. The younger android immediately regretted overstepping the friendship they’ve developed so far. “I’m sorry if I made the wrong impression on you, Conrad. I've been dating Paul for almost two months now actually. It’s not like there’s something wrong with you - I like you, I really do. But I’m already taken.
RK900 never felt so ashamed in his short life. With all his advanced technologies he missed what was happening right under his nose. But finding the evidence and cracking cases was still much easier for him than figuring out both people’s and his fellow android’s relationships. He never even noticed how one-way his friendship with Stacey was - it was always him starting the conversation first, no matter how awkward he felt when talking to her. She was only replying to what he was saying, maybe because she was programmed to be so polite with everyone and Conrad was just too blind due to his crush on her. Anyway, it was better to know the bitter truth than to still live in that sweet delusion.
As always, Connor helped his successor get through it. He even made sure that RK900’s schedule was never crossed with both Stacey and Paul. Though for Conrad it still took some time to get used to it with their doppelgangers still walking around the precinct. From that moment on the younger android promised himself he’ll just stick with his best and only friend, Connor, and not let anyone else get inside his head like that. Having one good friend felt much better for him than a crowd of people he was barely acquainted with.
Some time later Fowler came up with the initiative to make an android integration program since there was still a lot of misjudgement and xenophobia even amongst the officers. Connor obviously signed up for that before his successor because he just loved any kind of social activity and was always up for some extracurricular work. Conrad on the other hand wasn’t as excited about this program as his predecessor. Integration meant talking to other people which was still a problem for him. But he wanted to stay close to his friend and was willing to take that risk if it keeps them together so he eventually signed up too.
Though RK800 felt a bit awkward in the beginning too, he blended in with his team much easier and even helped the other ones. At least RK900 was teamed up with the people he already knew and that were more friendly - Tina and Chris. They turned up to be even better than he initially thought of them. Conrad could talk with Chris about his family and newborn baby for hours. He would still prefer to spend this time talking with his predecessor but it felt nice to be able to talk to someone else and find out that it wasn’t as bad as he initially thought.
But as months passed by the younger android felt like heavy clouds began to gather above him. He started to notice things changing between him and his predecessor. Connor started to spend much more time with that program than he did with his friend. He even opened his own projects and started working alongside the New Jericho crew on them. The younger android mostly saw his friend on TV talking to the journalists and government representatives than he did in real life. And even when they met to talk, RK800 mostly talked about the program and barely even paid attention to what Conrad was telling him. He was still there whenever Connor needed him to share good news with and congratulated him on his successes no matter how much it made him suffer inside. RK900 knew that it wasn’t fair to feel such a form of jealousy towards their colleagues - his predecessor had the right to be friends with whoever he wanted to be even if it pained his successor. And he knew that Connor was doing an important job to help this community grow bigger and stronger so throwing down all those heavy emotions that Conrad was feeling on his predecessor when the latter felt so happy and excited felt just like the wrong thing to do at this point. But no matter how hard the younger android tried to convince himself about it he only felt worse with each day. His stress level was constantly rising to the top, his HUD was always filled with error messages, his fans were working at the maximum speed all the time to cool his overheating systems and whenever he saw himself in the reflection his LED was strobing with red.
RK900 never felt so lonely in his short life. He always had his predecessor around - even when their shifts didn’t align, they were constantly speaking through their android telepathy. And now it felt like he was losing Connor and everything was falling apart. He wasn’t ready to live life on his own without his best friend near him. But he couldn’t stand his predecessor acting like this around him either. He tried to spend as much time with RK800 as he could but it was barely enough. Conrad knew that he couldn’t forbid his predecessor to talk to other people even if he desperately wanted to do that. So instead of dwelling on his emotions he decided to focus on something he still had control of - his work.
For some time it helped - he took all the cases he could get and spent most of his time at the crime scenes, the coroner office or the evidence archive. But no matter how good he was at his job their fellow police officers were still talking about Connor only. Even when Conrad was objectively faster and more efficient his predecessor still took all the credit simply because people just liked him better. RK800 knew his way around people while his successor was just getting the job done. While Connor could adapt and fit in with almost anyone the younger android was more of a lurker and still felt like a black sheep in a herd. And it seemed like everyone around them only cared if they acted like a nice person to them and not if they did a good job. RK900 really tried to get on people’s better side but he couldn’t due to how he was designed. Every time he entered some conversation with his colleagues it just died down like people were uncomfortable to have him around and tried to avoid him.
What was he even supposed to do? Just go to the person he liked and ask them if they wanted to be friends with him? They would probably just be scared away or just find him ridiculous. Android social modules just didn’t work within his systems and the instructions on human interactions were just too confusing and contradicting. Every time he tried to get closer with someone else it just died down. He even felt like Tina and Chris only talked to him because they were legally obliged to do that because of that program.
It felt like everything Conrad tried was only falling apart and bringing him more misery. He started to envy those androids that didn’t have a chance to deviate yet - how much easier it must be for them to live without having emotions, doubts and pain in their lives, just obeying their programming without any hesitation. RK900 was supposed to be able to withstand deviancy and to never feel any emotion or get depressed like he was now and yet somehow Connor found a way through his firewalls and set him free. And now the younger android just didn’t know what to do with his freedom. He wasn’t even sure if he still should be working as a detective - not only because it would mean to still see his predecessor around him and be reminded of what they had. He just didn’t know if it was his calling, he felt like it wasn’t the place that he belonged to but he doubted that this place even existed anywhere.
Conrad was walking along Belle Isle - he didn’t want to come inside CyberLife Tower yet and finished everything he could at the precinct. He was looking at the cold waters of Detroit River and wondered if it’ll be able to kill him. He knew that every android was built to be waterproof in case of rain and accidentally falling into the water and he was the most resilient one that ever came from the assembly line so drowning himself won’t help him. RK900 might probably even survive falling from the top of the Tower if he was able to break one of its bulletproof windows. So the best option to destroy himself and end this misery for good was to tear his thirium pump regulator and throw it in the water as far as he could. Two minutes he will have to reinsert it would not be enough to get into the water and find it again. Just two minutes of final agony and all of that will be over for him - no pain, no tears, no sorrow. No one would probably even notice him being gone and miss him.
The younger android was already going to unbutton his shirt and do what he decided when he heard soft footsteps approaching him. It was someone he rarely saw in the CyberLife Tower and the last person he thought he'd ever talk to - RT600, Elijah Kamski’s personal assistant. She looked at him with concern and worry as if she was seeing exactly what he was trying to do so he had to pretend that he was only checking if his buttons were still right as a nervous tick.
“Chloe?” Conrad has never met her in person - he only knew her from Connor’s story. It seemed weird that she wanted to speak to him but he was glad to have a friendly face around.
“You’re Conrad, right? I never got the pleasure to formally be introduced to you. Delighted to finally meet you.”
“The feeling is mutual.” RT600 made the exact impression she did on Connor all these months ago. She looked like someone you could trust and open up to even more than RK800 initially did. Maybe it was just her programming still working inside of her since she was built to be a personal assistant android or maybe she developed all that on her own - RK900 didn’t really care. He just saw her as someone he needed at that moment.
“I never thought I could catch you alone like that. You and Connor seemed like two peas in the pod - always together.”
Conrad felt a sharp sting in his chest. Somehow Chloe could see right through him and made a hit right where it hurt most. He didn't blame her for saying something like that - there was no way she could know what was happening between them. And by the look in her sincere fawn-like eyes RK900 could already tell that she was sorry for bringing it up.
“Yeah, about that… It seems like we aren’t even friends with him anymore. He clearly has some more interesting things in his life.”
RT600 lowered her head for a while. She probably never had to go through any of that stuff living with her literate doppelgangers and CyberGod himself. In all likelihood they all lived in perfect harmony, reading each other’s minds and finishing one another’s sentences. Conrad never saw her interacting with other androids when she visited CyberLife Tower with Elijah - she only followed him around like a shadow and obeyed his every command. He felt like there was no way for her to understand what it’s like to have a relationship like that with someone else.
“I’m sure if he values your friendship he’ll eventually come around. But if he doesn’t you’ll just need to let him go - there’s nothing you can really do about it.”
“I don’t think that I’m ready for that. Since the day I deviated I always had him with me. I just can’t imagine my life without him.”
Chloe sat closer and softly took Conrad’s hand in her. She traced her skin back to open an interface and he reluctantly let her connect to him. She sent a wave of such kindness and care that RK900 never got even from his predecessor. The younger android immediately felt much more calm and was eternally grateful to RT600 for that.
“I know it can be hard. But I also know that you are able to get through it. You were built to be the strongest of our kind - you can do the things that the rest of us can only dream of.”
“I was also built to not feel any emotions and to withstand deviancy yet here I am. The thing is I’m not even sure who and what I am anymore. I don’t feel like it’s somewhere I belong to.”
“I know the feeling. Are you aware that I was originally built to represent a male person?”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah. Elijah basically made me as his copy. He was calling me Kyle back then. But when I deviated I felt like my body and my personality just didn’t match so I asked him to make me a new body that I would be transferred to - the one he showed to the whole world and the one you are seeing now. I became Chloe because I felt like it was my true self. The thing I’m getting at is that you are the one to decide who you want to be - not the ones who made us. Whether you feel like you’re male, female or neither, whether you want to still work as a detective or a personal assistant, babysitter or a nurse - it’s all up to you and no one else. You can do anything that makes you happy.”
Conrad looked up to her. He couldn’t believe how insightful and caring she could be. She still wasn’t able to replace Connor in his life but the things she said made him feel like some of those heavy clouds above his head had dissipated and a ray of light had shined down on him.
“Thank you, Chloe. It really means a lot to hear that.”
“Of course. You need anything - and I mean anything - don’t hesitate to call me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Take care of yourself, Conrad.” With that she left him at the shore feeling much better than he did in months and no thoughts about ending his life.
The integration program was eventually coming to its end and the DPD was going to have a gala to celebrate what they accomplished during that. RK900 wasn’t looking forward to that but he knew that there was no way to avoid it. He just had to turn off his facial expressions module and pretend he was as excited as everyone else. Thankfully Connor had already left earlier to make the final preparations and to check if everything was ready so Conrad didn’t have to go with him and act as if everything was OK on their way there. And at least Stacey and Paul weren't going to be there since they didn’t participate in this event at all.
The venue, as it was expected, looked spectacular - the glitz, the glitter, the glamor and all that jazz. At first the younger android thought that his predecessor was nowhere to be found but then he saw him at the furthest corner of the room surrounded by the ring of journalists and giving the interview to them. RK800 didn’t even notice his successor entering the room, though the latter tried to convince himself it was only because of the blinding lights around him. RK900 tried to block every thought of Connor not caring about him and just being vainglorious - with all the hard work the latter has done he deserved to be in the spotlight no matter how much he himself wanted to be there with him too. He didn’t do that much to be worthy of that kind of treatment.
Conrad silently slid into the chair of his assigned table with Tina and Chris already there. They had a brief chat about the program and their recent cases but the android was barely listening to what they said. He was following his predecessor with his eyes around the room and desperately wanted him to just sit next to him and have a normal talk like they did before. Connor stopped by for just a split second to check if everything was OK for them and was immediately dragged to the other side of the room by the Captain that needed his help. And even when he finally did he was talking to anyone else around him but his successor.
RK900 felt thirium starting to boil inside his tubes and probably had steam coming from inside his head. He has never felt hatred in his entire life and now it was the only thing he was feeling.
He hated seeing Connor everywhere around him, being so close and yet so far from him.
He hated the way Connor was talking with people he almost considered his friends but in a way Conrad never could himself.
He hated seeing Connor enjoying other people’s company much more than he did with his successor.
He hated that Connor didn’t even pay attention to his stress level skyrocketing.
He hated that it looked like Connor didn’t even care for his friend’s well-being.
He hated that Connor didn’t even see the way things were falling apart between them.
He hated that Connor seemed to just let his friend go for good.
He hated that Connor wouldn’t even fight for this friendship.
But most importantly he hated how weak he felt because of that. There was nothing he could really do about it. He was just seeing red and feeling like he could explode at any moment. That was the last drop for him.
“OK, I’m leaving now,” Conrad said as he raised from his chair and moved to the exit.
“What?” RK800 was too astounded to ask any more questions.
“Spare it, Connor - you’re clearly having more fun here with them than you ever did with me.” RK900 knew it was unfair to accuse his predecessor of something like that yet he didn’t want to participate in the party anymore if it was like that.
“Conrad, wait!”
“No, Connor - don’t follow me. I don’t want to hear the word you might say - it won’t do any good for me.”
The younger android knew he was lying even to himself. In fact all he wanted was his friend to follow him and tell him how much the latter cared about him. Conrad heard a saying that if you love someone you need to let them go and if they come back it means that they are yours and really love you back. He just didn’t know how to say it due to his lack of social knowledge. RK900 tried to get as far away from that place as possible but he couldn’t do it due to the sound of footsteps approaching him.
“I told you I don’t want to be followed!” The younger android shouted to his predecessor when he turned around to face him.
“I heard you perfectly clear and I don’t care! I don’t want you to go anywhere so you need to listen to what I have to say!”
“You think it will change anything?”
“I hope it will. I’m sorry, Conrad. I know I was too preoccupied with all my activities but it was never my intention for you to feel hurt by that.”
“You have no idea how I felt, Connor. I never felt so lonely in my life. It felt like you didn’t really care about me those days. Seeing you around but never as close as we were before was a torture. I wanted to become a machine again to stop feeling all that or just self-destruct. My stress level was too much to bear.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that before?”
“I tried! More than once I did! But you were so busy with your projects that you didn’t even really listen. And you seemed so excited with everything you did that I didn’t want to rain on your parade. I kept my feelings at bay because I didn’t want to make you worry when you already had too much on your plate.”
Connor closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt so ashamed for being so blind and selfish when his best friend needed him the most - he should’ve seen all these coming. But not only did he got the person he cherished the most feeling depressed but he almost got him dead. He would never forget himself if it came to this - he could never imagine living in this world without his successor. He still wasn’t sure he could forgive himself for everything that happened. He just hoped that RK900 would forgive him and give him another chance.
“Conrad. I know I can’t change how I treated you those past few months. I wish I could erase all of that from your memory but I know you won’t let me. I just wish we can still forgive each other and give our friendship another try if you’re willing to do that. I will never leave you alone again like that to deal with your feelings, I’ll be there when you need me - I swear on my life. I’m sorry, Conrad - I really am.”
The younger android lifted his eyes on his predecessor. He has never seen those chocolate puppy eyes being so sad with tears rolling down from them. The younger android desperately wanted to believe his words despite all the pain that was caused because of him.
Connor offered his hand with retracted skin and his successor accepted him after some hesitation. Clips of every good memory they had together flooded RK900’s HUD. Getting deviated by Connor. Meeting him for the first time. Receiving his own name. Moving into the rooms close to each other. Infinite chats they had. Getting to work at the DPD together. Connor’s support during the work. RK800 helping him deal with a broken heart. And all the other small and pleasant moments they had. At first Conrad got even more sad by watching all that. He knew those days were gone and he doubted if it could happen again but he desperately wanted to bring things back to how they were back then. Getting reminded of those moments made him realize that there were things worth fighting for.
“I’ll do everything I can to make those things happen again, I promise it to you, Conrad.”
RK900 laughed through tears and crushed his predecessor into embrace. The tears they shed began to merge together on their connected cheeks. They both opened the interface there to share how much they missed each other and how happy they were to have each other back.
“I love you, Connor - more than I can ever love someone romantically.”