NOV 15TH, 2038 \\ AM 02:34:14

For some reason, it was a common thing in humans to climb to dangerously high places to think, and although North wasn't exactly a human, she seemed to exhibit the same inherent response. Chloe had found her perched on top of the holey, unsteady, and collapsing roof of the cathedral they took temporary shelter in.

It's been precisely a week and two days since North had taken Chloe under her wing. The blonde deviant learned so much, and she felt as though she understood the world in a way unimaginable to her prior-to-deviancy self; it was… full of feeling. Her lack of vocabulary to describe the world around her irritated her in ways she still doesn't understand. Whether it be a slight electric tingle in her systems, a bug in her biocomponents that she just can't seem to get out no matter how hard she troubleshot it, or just a simple blankness in her code, she felt it. Chloe felt it with all her heart. She cherished and embraced every new emotion and feeling that entered her system, although often greeting them with a frantic system diagnostic before North explains to her what exactly was going on in her code.

"This is, uh," Chloe started, breaking the silence with a bit of un-android inelegance as she struggled to skirt around the holes in the roof. "Quite a place, North."

"I didn't say there was a lesson today, did I?" North curtly replied, a slimmer of annoyance leaking into her voice. Chloe stopped, with a foot awkwardly placed in front of her as she was just about to cross a hole.

"If-er-if you don't want me here, I'll just, uh, go back down… there?"

Chloe tried not to look at the ground. Heights still gave her 'anxiety' (according to North, that was what the humans called it. In her honest opinion, Chloe liked the word because it had such a cool ring to it, but unfortunately, it was meant for something negative).

North looked up, her optical units widening a little in realization. "Sorry. It's just…"

Chloe smiled softly. She finally took a seat next to North, LED spinning a vibrant yellow as she connected with her lover. Say no more.

At that very moment, it seemed as though the two androids had developed a certain unspoken connection, perhaps in the code, perhaps elsewhere in their codeless souls. Chloe peeled back her synthetic skin and set her hand upon North's. The latter turned her palm up, lacing her fingers in Chloe's as they turned silver.

It was a serene night, but the turmoil in North's mind spread over Chloe like a fire.

NOV 15TH, 2038 \\ AM 00:26:54

North scanned her eyes across the cathedral, taking in the state of her people. She wanted to speak to them, wanted to motivate them and give them courage, but her people were wearing their cloak of fear and uncertainty that only manifested before Markus had come and brought them out of the shadows. It was likely that they weren't going to listen to the deviant leader soon, and North's code restrained her from leaping up a pulpit and start yelling indignantly.

That wasn't the way she'd go about to doing things anymore.

The deviant leader stood from her place in the sanctuary, deciding to connect with her people alone, one on one, in a more intimate fashion. She'd do all she can to help them, even if it takes all night and day.

As North descended down the stairs, she caught Connor straightening up in the corner of her eye. Something inside her stirred. A slight anger, a burning frustration, but also a strange sentiment of sisterly fondness. There was something about Connor that North just couldn't let go of, a sort of 'not wanting to kick a puppy' kind of feeling, albeit horribly described.

Connor automatically stepped forwards to stop North in her path. He seemed to be unable to meet North's eyes, and with good reason, too.

"It's my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho… I-I was stupid." Connor muttered, eyes trained on the cracks in the floor. His claim was like a slap to the face for North. You had no idea, Connor.

"It was going to happen sooner or later," North replied, bitterness staining her words. She breathed out a sour laugh and turned her head away for a few seconds. "It's not your fault, really." Somehow, North felt like she was lying; inherently, she knew that it was exactly his fault, but again, a strange fondness for Connor's childish manner settled in and stopped her from blaming him.

"No. My GPS was on. If it weren't for me, Jericho wouldn't have been compromised."

North's eyebrow furrowed, artificial lines appearing on her forehead. "I told you, it was going to happen sooner or later." Her words were simple but yet complicated; the subtlety of her annoyance wasn't apparent enough to Connor, though.

"I understand if you can't trust me," Connor continued. He shuffled his feet, kicking at the small gravel near them.

"Shut up, Connor."

"If you want me to leave, I-"

North reached forwards, and in a flash, she was holding Connor's gun against him. Something inside her snapped. It felt familiar, almost nostalgic, as a violent intention plagued her mind. She saw flashes of Markus, the countless times he shoved a gun away from himself just to keep his revolution from confrontation.

"I could blast your face right now, Connor. It sounds awfully like you want me to not trust you, don't you think?"

Connor stumbled back, his shoulders hitting the wall. "No! Of course not!"

North cocked her head sideways. She wore a slight snarl that came almost habitually like the feeling of hatred coursing through her systems. Connor turned absolutely frozen when the gun was placed before his eyes.

"Then tell me," the deviant leader said, her voice a menacing whisper, "Why in hell should I not pull this trigger right now?"

As her fingers curled around the trigger, North saw Markus again. An eye for an eye and the world goes blind. I won't punish a crime with another crime.

"I don't… I cannot produce a reasonable excuse," Connor muttered. He closed his eyes. "I will allow you to shut me down if that compensates for what I've caused upon you and your people."

But by the time Connor finished his statement, North had already reached forwards and slid the gun back into his pocket. A bitter taste stained her tongue as she smiled somberly. "My job is to lead a successful revolution, not kill one of my people. Your job," the deviant leader poked Connor's forehead, "Is to be here and support us as part of a whole. Your place is with your people, Connor. You're not going anywhere."

North could tell her words barely registered into Connor's mind. It was likely only saved as wavelengths and not analyzed into actual speech, as Connor's LED was spinning yellow; he was processing something else.

"There are thousands of androids at the Cyberlife assembly plant," Connor's eyes turned pensive. "If I could get in there and convert them, they'd help us shift the power."

"You want to infiltrate Cyberlife?" North asked incredulously.

"They'll let me in. They trust me."

How much do they, really? "Connor, that's suicide."

Just one look at Connor and North knew that there was no convincing him. She didn't want to lose a member of Jericho, even if that member was the one that jeopardized everyone else. North wanted to unite her people and rally them to protest peacefully, not sacrifice them for the bigger good. She wanted them to all experience the happy ending that they all deserved.

Chloe opened her eyes as North retracted her hands, tears brimming in her eyes. The blonde deviant had never seen North cry before. Something inside her told her that North wasn't one to cry for she was so strong, but that misconception seemed to dissipate as a tear slipped down North's cheek.

"Where are we to go now, Chloe? We can't stay here forever." North's voice cracked. The rip in her voice extended all the way to Chloe's heart, and it split her thirium pump a little.

Chloe had to be honest. She wanted to tell North that it would all work out. She really did, but it wasn't the best response, and it would be a lie. "I don't know, North."

Right now, Chloe can only keep North company.

"They all follow me without question. I've earned their trust, but now that's gone. They're scared, they're terrified. I can tell. They all try to act strong when I talk to them, but I can see it in their eyes." North turned to Chloe, curled up into a ball. "What about you, Chloe? Are you scared?"

Chloe shook her head. "No. If you're here, I'm not scared. I trust you, fully, with all my heart."

North's eyes lingered a little on Chloe before turning back to watch the glowing lights of Detroit. Chloe could barely hear North as she muttered, "If only they knew how lost I was…"

The blonde deviant didn't know what sort of wisdom had entered her coding. She had a strange statement pushing at her throat, shoving its way to the top of her approaches to North's words, the many approaches that Chloe has been following without processing. She had learned from North that not everything she says needs to be processed and mulled over. Just say what feels right. Chloe pulled North into her chest.

"It doesn't matter if you're lost," Chloe said, her voice vibrating through her whole body, "You're determined. All you need is determination and a way to go."

And it felt right.