This has been stuck in my head for almost a month now and I had to get it written down. It took me awhile to write down, but I'm so proud of this story. Honestly, I think it's going to turn into one of my favorites that I've ever written. I hope you agree!

I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Murder, violence, torture. That's all I can think of right now. Tell me if you see more!

If you want to be kept up to date with any upcoming stories or want to ask me to write a story for you please follow me on Facebook 'SilverMidnight52' or on Tumblr under SilverMidnightWrite! I own nothing.

Letting his coin roll over his knuckles Connor darted his eyes around the shadows of the tunnels his free hand on his gun waiting for someone to jump out. There was something about the place that made him think there was someone just waiting beyond where he could see wanting to attack them. He was aware how paranoid that sounded, but he doubted he was alone in his thoughts.

At the moment he, Markus, and Simon were investigating some tunnels that were found underneath the Cyberlife building. According to the building schematics that he had been able to pull up there shouldn't be anything there at all. There was no reason for them at all.

That knowledge was more than a little concerning to everyone there. Though it wasn't all the shocking. A company like Cyberlife having secret places in their buildings was normal given how big they were to begin with.

They had just thought they'd be a little harder to find now that they didn't own the place anymore. In fact, they have 'graciously' donated it to New Jericho as soon as a law passed saying that androids could own property.

From what the older android had told him no one believed that the company was doing it out of the kindness of their heart. More likely than not they were just trying to save their own ass. Which wasn't all the shocking with everything that happened.

At first things seemed to be fine. The whole place looked exactly like they were expecting. All the paperwork and personal effects were gone, but everything else had been left. Probably because they couldn't move most of the things that were there.

It had taken months for the people of New Jericho to clean up the building with the idea of turning it into a place not only for androids that were trying to learn what it meant to be alive, but a hospital for those that needed it.

Connor had felt a wave of pride when he heard what Markus had decided to do with the building. Knowing that so many of their kind were going to be taken care of never failed to fill him with happiness. The fact that they were doing it at an old Cyberlife building made it better.

Then one of the androids had stumbled into a wall. Quite literally. It came crashing down and they found a tunnel that shouldn't have been there at all. As soon as they found it Markus had sent him a message asking for him to come down.

When he got the message asking for him to come he almost refused. It was the seventh time since the revolution ended, four months prier, that Markus had invited him somewhere. He had just thought it was another of the mans attempts to get him to open up to all of them.

It was not something that he enjoyed dealing with in any way. A part of him wanted nothing more than to join him and everyone else, but after everything that they had been through in their all too short lives he needed time.

When things started to calm down he had thought that no one would want to have him around. He had been horrible to so many androids that just wanted to feel safe. He had thought it would be better for everyone if he just left. The people of New Jericho loved to prove him wrong though.

The few times that he had run into any of them around the city every last one of them was kind and stopped to talk to him if they had the chance. If he was honest he both loved them for continuously reaching out to him as much as he hated them.

It was all just too much for him. In his mind he didn't deserve the forgiveness or friendship. It doesn't matter that he hadn't been able to act for himself he still hurt, terrorized, and even killed deviants. The last thing he should get was a second chance.

Hank had told him once that a day would come when he would want to open himself up to them. That day wasn't going to be anytime soon. He didn't want any of that yet. He needed time to figure everything he was feeling out himself first.

There was nothing wrong with that. At least Hank said it was fine. He told him repeatedly to take all the time he needed. That his first priority had to be taking care of himself and learning everything that it meant to be 'Connor'. So far he was just lost and confused.

Now though, he knew what he was doing. There was a mystery for him to solve. It was what he had been designed to do and it was something that he loved doing. He was in his element and he was okay.

Feeling calmer than he had when he started Connor caught the coin and slipped it into his pocket. Reaching up he fixed his tie and took the moment to try to figure out everything that he was feeling at the moment.

He had heard more than once around the precinct that cops needed to pay attention to their instincts. If he was honest he wasn't completely sure why that was or that he even had any to begin with, but he still wanted to try.

Walking down the tunnel there was only one thing he was feeling with every step he took. Dread. It seemed to build with every step he took. There was something wrong about where they were and he knew he needed to be on high alert.

"Hold on," Simon suddenly muttered coming to a stop fully, "Is that..."

Expecting the worst Connor pulled out his gun and moved so he was in front of the man looking down the tunnel. It took him a moment to realize that Simon hadn't been looking where they were going. He was looking at the ground.

Quickly putting his gun away Connor knelt down to look at what the man saw. It was something that he hadn't seen in months but was still all too familiar. Swallowing roughly he reached and ran his finger over the embroidered model number.

"Is that..." Markus started his voice trailing off before he finished the question.

"An RK800 jacket," Connor offered sounding as numb as he felt, "Yes."

"It looks like it went through a shredder."

Markus was right, it did look like it went through a shredder. The back was full of holes that frayed around the edges and the logo that was there had been scratched up so it was barely legible. What he could see though was the shear amount of blue blood there.

Something nauseating twisted in his stomach as he realized that he knew exactly where the jacket came from. Curling his hands around the fabric Connor stood up and looked deeper into the tunnel.

Slowly blinking he started to down tunnel once more needing to understand what was going on. The jacket should have been destroyed along with the body long ago. The only trace that was supposed to remain was the police reports and his memory.

Behind him he faintly heard the rest of their group following him. A part of him was aware that he should have been paying more attention to what was going on around him, but he felt trapped needing to understand what was going on.

"Connor," Markus called out grabbing his arm, "Stop! Talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"It's an RK800 jacket," he replied staring at the tunnel over the mans shoulder.

"I can see that. Why is it here? Have you been down here before?

"I… I don't remember being here."

"You're the only one of your kind though. Like me."

"No. Sort of. The RK800 model was created with the idea that it might get destroyed. Outside of during the revolution they never had two running at the same time, but they always had one ready to build in case the one around was destroyed. That one was used the night I broke in. Hank killed it. There might be pieces for another, but other than me none should be around anymore."

"Anymore? What do you mean? Wait. Was there one before you?"

Looking up at the older android Connor found himself unable to answer the question even though the answer was right on the tip of his tongue. It would have been easy to tell him and Simon everything that had happened, but he couldn't. He had never been able to bring himself to tell anyone the details of what he had done before he deviated.

As far as he knew the only person that he ever truly talked to was Hank and that was only because he was there for most of it anyway. There was no reason for him to try to hide anything from him when he already knew what was going on.

Well, he hadn't been there for his first mission, but he had told him a little of what happened before he deviated. Back when he was trying to do everything possible to gain the mans trust. Saying that he had saved a little girl helped do that.

It was different now and he had no idea why. The idea of telling anyone about his first mission, or any mission really, was too much. He couldn't stand the idea of any of the people of New Jericho looking at him lie he was the scum of the earth. Like they should be looking at him.

Instead he found the mismatched eyes watched him closely as if they were trying to look into his soul. Hating how exposed that made him feel Connor turned away from the man and started to walk on once more.

Up ahead he could see the lights of the tunnel begin to change and he knew that it wouldn't be long before they finally got to whatever it was they were going towards. Before they got there he needed to figure out what was going on in his head.

That wasn't right. He knew exactly what he was thinking. It was the same thing that he more often than not actively avoided thinking. Unless he was alone and wanted to torture himself over the person that he was.

"Connor," Simon started falling into step with him, "What's going on in that mind of yours?"

Dark eyes flickered over at the android and he felt as if everything had stopped. He knew that he was talking to Simon, but for a moment those blue eyes were filled with hatred and fear. It made him feel sick having that look directed at him again.

"Daniel," Connor muttered unable to stop himself as he stared at the man.

"Daniel?"

Seeing the blond cock his head to the side Connor quickly shook his head and looked away. He wasn't Daniel. They just happened to be the same model. That happened a lot in their community and, up until that point, it hadn't really effected him before.

Ever since the revolution androids had started doing things that set them apart of the other models like them. From hair style and color to clothes they were all trying to find ways to express themselves while showing that they were different.

For the most part Simon and Josh had decided to stay close to how they had originally been produced. It wasn't as if that was a problem for anyone. That was how they felt comfortable and that was all that mattered.

At the moment in time though Connor found himself really wishing that the man had decided to change in some way. Even if it was something small like changing his hair color. At least he wouldn't look like Daniel anymore.

Looking back at the ground the RK800 found himself thinking about everything that happened on his first mission. Now that he was a deviant he found it a bit easier to understand what the android had been feeling that night.

The fear and heartbreak that must have been swirling within him at the idea of his 'family' wanting to replace him. The anger that crashed over him when he realized just how easy it would be for the humans. The sadness that he meant nothing to them.

A part of him could understand why he shot the father. They obviously had argued about it and if he had been in Daniel's position he couldn't say that he would have reacted differently. Especially if his first introduction to emotions was abandonment.

That was where he stopped understanding. Lashing out at the father and mother he could see. That little girl though. Emma Phillips, 9 years old. She had nothing to do with it. She had loved Daniel. If she had known what her parents were planning on doing it's probable that she would have fought to keep him in her life.

She was innocent in all of it. The last thing that he should have done was attack her. There was a lot of things that he could forgive, but that was not one of them. Human or android children deserved to be protected from all the nightmares of the world. Not hung over the ledge of a seventy floor skyscraper.

"Connor," Markus sighed stepping in front of him and making him stop, "Enough."

"We have to find where this leads," Connor tried to argue his fists clenching the fabric.

"You need to tell us what the hell is going on."

"I..."

"We have no idea what we're walking into, Connor. That jacket is our only clue and we need to know how it got down here. Talk to us. Who's Daniel?"

Looking between Markus and Simon he had the strongest urge to push past them and ignore their questions. He didn't owe them an explanation about his past. If he didn't want to talk about it than that should have been good enough.

He knew that the other man was right though. What happened that night was important to what they were doing now. It might not bring them any answers, but it could help prepare them for whatever was coming. He really hated that.

"My first mission," Connor started softly, "Before I joined the DPD. A model PL600 had taken a little girl hostage after killing her father and two police officers. I was brought in to talk him down and save her."

"Did you?" Simon asked just as soft.

"Yes, I was able to save her."

"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming?" Markus questioned his shoulders slumping.

"Daniel was already close to the edge when I got there. As soon as I walked through the door he shot me in the shoulder. If I had been human it would have taken me down. I began to talk to him after that. It was difficult to get him to listen to me, but it was what I had been created to do. I was so close to getting him to let her go. Something changed though and I could see that he wasn't listening to me anymore. So I ran at him and pushed Emma out of the way. She landed safely on the roof, but he and I fell over the edge. After that I woke up in this body."

When he finished talk everything around him fell silent his words echoing off the walls almost as if he had been yelling. Squirming slightly Connor found himself hoping that someone would say something. He couldn't stand having them not talking after he confessed to something that he had wanted to never think about again.

"Connor," Markus whispered placing a hand on his arm, "You never said..."

"I didn't think it was important," Connor muttered looking at the ground before taking deep breath and forcing himself to look up at the men, "It was my first mission. I… I died, but I don't really remember that part. All I know is that I saved her. I didn't fail."

The older android let out a soft sigh before using the hand on his arm to pull him in close for a hug. Without meaning to Connor tensed in his arms. It wasn't even close to the first time that Markus had hugged him, but it was still not something that he was used to.

"You say that way too often," he offered with a soft glare, as he pulled away, "Okay. Let's think about it. Why would the jacket be down here? We've already found the room where they dismantled us."

"I don't know," Connor shook his head.

"Let's go try to find out then."

Nodding his head slowly Connor allowed the man to pull back and start down the tunnel once more. Forcing himself to take a deep breath he looked over at Simon and saw the pained smile he was offering. Smiling back though it felt more like a grimace he turned back and started to walk.

"I know you didn't exactly like telling us about your mission," Markus said sending a look over his shoulder, "But I'm glad to know you don't like heights."

"Why?" Connor tried to start his voice sounding weaker than he liked forcing him to start over, "I can handle heights. They don't make me too uncomfortable that I…"

"Connor, I know, but you don't have to make yourself uncomfortable when it's just as easy to not. Now I know not to invite you up to the roof of our building and that's fine. There are a lot of other places for us to hang out though so it's nothing to worry about."

Staring at the older androids back Connor tried to find the right words to reply back to the man but nothing he thought of felt right. Instead he simply continued to walk hoping that they'd get answers soon. Though, if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure he wanted the answers at all.

Taking in a deep breath that he didn't need focused on the shifting light he saw before as it slowly began to change into a full opening. From what he could tell it looked as if it was leading them into a large room. He guessed that was better than it continuing to branch out.

Still there was a small part of him wanted to stop the other men and insist that they turn around. He was fully aware that none of them knew what laid before them, but he also knew that there was no chance of it being good. The little that he knew about underground places told him that.

Even as he thought that though he knew that was the last thing they could do. They were attempting to make the old Cyberlife tower a safe space for their kind. The last thing the could do was leave a space underneath the place without searching it. Especially knowing that people had been there recently.

Forcing himself to push his darker thoughts away Connor quickly made his way in front of their small group. Putting an arm out he made them come to a stop. Both androids stared at him in confusion, but didn't say a word as he handed off the jacket he was still clenching and pulled out a gun.

With a firm nod in their direction he rounded the corner his gun and eyes searching for any threats. The more he looked though the more he began to think of the entire place as a threat in and of itself. He hadn't know that was possible.

As they had made the journey down the tunnel he had tried to figure out what exactly it was that they were going to find, but he wasn't sure he ever could have guessed what was actually down there. Given the gasp from behind him neither had Simon or Markus.

"rA9," Simon exclaimed under his breath, "What is this place?"

The room itself was large and spacious. It looked as if at had been dug out and reinforced within the last few years, but almost as if it was built to look as imposing and dangerous as it possibly could.

In the middle was a large circular cage with a gate that was just big enough for a single person to go through at a time. The walls were high connecting to the roof with metal bars crisscrossing everywhere that made it impossible for anyone to try to leave the cage.

That in and of itself should have been the things they were worried about. There was a cage, a literal cage, in an underground room underneath the Cyberlife building! Just saying that in his mind sent a shiver of fear and anger down his spine, but that wasn't the most concerning thing.

All around the room were disassembled bodies of androids. Legs, arms, even heads were littering the floor making it impossible to step anywhere without having to move something, someone, out of the way.

Piles of parts were in corners and pushed against walls as if they were brushed away without a single thought. Wires hung limply out of gashes and torn joints. All of them were so fully damaged he wasn't sure they would be able to identify all of them.

"What is this place?" Simon asked the fear clear in his shaking voice.

"A fight ring," Connor replied his gun dropping to his side.

"A fight ring?"

Instead of answering Connor found himself making his way closer to the cage. Forcing himself to look at the room as if it was a crime scene he tried to reconstruct what had happened there. He had to figure out what happened there.

There were so many bodies though. Footprints overlapped each other everywhere he looked. Body parts were thrown in different directions making it impossible to piece together even one android. Blue blood caked every inch of the place with a sickeningly thick layer.

The only thing he could say for sure was that there was a fight. Many, many fights. That didn't make sense though. What purpose would Cyberlife have of making their androids not just fight but tear each other to shreds?

"Connor, what do-" Markus started his hand reaching out as if he was going to lay it on the cage.

"Now that's a stupid idea," a voice interrupted making all three of them jump.

Lifting his gun Connor glared into the cage as a shadowy figure slowly made its way closer. In the back of his mind there was something yelling at him to stop and think about what had just been said, but all he could focus on was moving in front of the others to protect them.

A soft chuckle fell from the being as they continued to move closer until they were in the light. Connor felt his eyes go wide as his gun clattered to the floor. An all too familiar set of brown eyes stared back at him in amusement.

A strong hand wrapped around his arm pulling him backwards as the figure all but sauntered up to the edge of the cage. He looked so calm coming to a stop a foot away from the bars a dark smirk playing on his lips.

There was a sense of nauseating deja vu as Connor's brain finally kicked in and he realized that, he was staring at himself. It was somehow both so similar and so different than what had happened the night of the revolution. Looking over the RK800 in the cage he let his programming take over for a moment so he could analyze everything that he was.

A pair of baggy gray sweatpants labeled as Cyberlife property hung low on his hips. Arms crossed over an exposed chest almost as if he was showing off just how much damage the body had taken. His hair curled in every direction like it had been tugged on more than once. Brown eyes held an odd emotion that he wasn't sure how to classify.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," the other Connor offered his voice rough as if his very voice box had been damaged, "Although, maybe that's exactly what you've seen."

"What?" Connor questioned his eyes looking back at Markus wondering if he was the only one seeing the android in front of him.

"Come now, Connor and… Friends? Tell me you're a deviant. That would be fucking perfect!"

The world around him felt as if it was spinning. The man looked like him, but there was no way he was him. He sounded almost manic, insane. Everything about him was wrong on every level and he no idea what he was supposed to be thinking.

"I… I don't understand," Connor replied shaking his head, "Who are you?"

"You're not stupid, Connor," the caged android snapped all playfulness leaving him instantly, "Don't act like you are."

Connor couldn't help but flinch back at the other androids tone. It was so dark and biting. Something that he had never realized he could sound like. He could barely believe that the man was the same model as him. All of it was wrong. There was no other word to use. Every thing was wrong.

"There's no need for that," Markus chastised with a glare as he stepped forward once more.

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't," the RK800 shrugged shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels, "Who's really to say?"

"What is wrong with you?"

Brown eyes went comically wide as he fell to the ground to sit down and clapped his hands. Looking back at Markus and Simon he saw both men look just as concerned as he did. He had questioned a lot a people recently and he couldn't help thinking the android was not all the way there.

"Okay," Simon said giving a patient smile before dropping down so he was sitting on the ground himself.

The caged android seemed to freeze completely when the man spoke. For a moment it almost looked as if he had shutdown. The only thing that gave away that he was still alive was the bright red LED circling so quickly it looked like it was going to break.

A shaking hand lifted up to run through his hair as his eyes began to dart around. Simon looked over at them motioning for them to sit themselves. Knowing that sometimes it was better to join in when questioning someone Connor followed the instructions and waited.

A part of him had expected the mans head to lift and that smirk to be directed at them again. Instead he watched as the android shook his head his fingers tugging angrily on his hair as his mouth moved muttering so low no one else could hear.

"Connor?" Simon asked gently.

"No," the other RK800 pleaded shaking his head quickly, "Stop. Leave me alone."

"I..."

Suddenly jerking up the android dove at the cage his hands curling around the metal bars. All three of them jumped back as the whole cage shook and lit up with electricity. A pain filled scream left the panicked man his whole body jerking around before he fell to the ground sobs falling from him.

"Daniel," the caged android cried curling in on himself, "I'm sorry, Daniel. I'm so sorry."

The sobs broke Connor's heart. He had become familiar with those sounds over the last few months working with DPD. They were the sounds of someone that had been broken. Usually they were from people that had just lost a child. Never in his life had he thought he'd care about someone enough to sound like that.

Closing his eyes he forced himself to push all those thoughts away and focus. None of them could help the RK800 if he was locked up in the cage and he was going to help the man. One way or another he was going to help.

Standing up Connor scanned the room looking for some way to shut off the electricity. There had to be a way to get in there. It would make no sense to have a gate and then make it impossible for it to be used.

He had to stop and start over more times than he liked to think about. All the wires of androids were tangled so thoroughly with all the others that it was difficult to tell the difference at first. The sight was sickening but he couldn't let himself think of it.

"Connor," Markus started coming up behind him.

"We need to get him out," he replied back softly.

"I agree, but do you have any idea why he's acting like this? Did something happen on the roof with Daniel?"

Looking back at the cage he saw Simon hovering next to the bars looking torn between wanting to comfort the man and wanting to stay far away. He wanted to try to explain what was going on, but he couldn't. Out of everything that happened that night the last thing he felt any guilt over was Daniel. Him getting killed was always going to happen.

Shaking his head Connor turned away and started to follow another wire hoping to finally open the gate. Behind him he was vaguely aware that the sobs had stopped leaving an almost oppressive silence in their place. He wasn't sure which one was worse.

A small amount of triumph filled him when he wrapped his fingers around a wire and pulled. Sending a nod to Simon he watched as a hand tentatively reached out fully expecting to be shocked. When that didn't happen all three of them rushed to the gate and threw it open before making their way in.

Dropping to his knees by the other RK800 Connor felt everything come to a stop as the damage before came into light. He had known that it was bad, but up close it was as if his entire body had been haphazardly put together. As if the people doing it hadn't really about healing him just making sure he could function.

"Connor," he started feeling more than a little odd referring to someone else by his name.

Before he could finish his thought he found himself freezing as his processors jump started. A part of him wanted to deny what he was seeing, but it made too much sense. Between the cage, the destroyed androids, and the RK800 it was all too easy to figure out what had happened.

"You did this," Connor stated flatly his eyes going over the destruction, "You killed them."

Markus and Simon's heads snapped up to him looking terrified, but he barely paid attention to them. There were so many thoughts echoing in his head and he had no idea which ones he should try to get answers to first.

A small part of him couldn't help but hope that the other RK800 would fight what he was being accused of. That he would deny everything and maybe even call Connor a few names just so he knew that he truly meant it.

He didn't though. Instead he acted as if he hadn't heard what was said at all. His fingers just kept tugging sporadically on his hair his eyes clenched shut while his head almost violently jerked back and forth.

Connor could see the androids stress levels rising into dangerous levels and knew that if they didn't get him to calm down he was going to self-destruct. A voice in the back of his head wondered if that would be a bad thing for him. He was already unstable as it was. Maybe it would be better for him if he did. As soon as those thoughts came Connor dismissed them.

Wrapping his hands around the others shoulders he forced him to sit up. The brown eyes he only ever saw staring at him in a mirror were unfocused while his mouth started to move though no words were uttered.

Not knowing what else he was supposed to do he reached out and placed his hand on the back of the androids head ready to force a restart only for a hand to wrap painfully around his wrist. Without thinking he felt himself stop moving completely.

Slowly the mans head turned towards him the once unfocused eyes now bearing down at him in a way that he hadn't experienced before. A shiver ran down his spine at the intensity on him. Opening his mouth to try to calm the android he found himself letting out a gasp when a hand slammed into his chest making him fly back onto the floor.

Warnings popped into his vision as his body tried to figure out what had just happened. He didn't have time to process when a looming shadow suddenly blocked out the lights. Lifting his head he saw a fist coming at him too quickly for him to do anything.

"Stop!" Simon called out making the android freeze before he made contact, "Please. Just stop."

Not knowing how long the standstill would last Connor quickly climbed to his feet and moved so he was standing between the RK800 and the other men. He wanted to do everything in his power to keep them safe from the obviously unstable android.

There was just one problem with that. Under normal circumstances there was doubt in his ability to fight and protect people. That was, quite literally, what he had been built to do. Deviating hadn't changed that. He knew he would be able to win against almost any opponent.

He had never thought that he'd have to go up against another RK800. After everything that happened the night of the revolution he thought he was alone. Now he was standing in front of another and somehow he felt as if they were somehow both more and less in danger than he had been that day.

"Simon," Markus hissed at the PL600 stepped forward.

Connor felt himself tense when he saw the blond moving closer to the other RK800. He wanted nothing more than to grab the man and pull him back. They had already seen that the man was violent and not fully there. The last thing he should be doing was moving closer.

At the same time though he knew that if any of them would be able to get through it would be him. He had already been able to make the android come to a full stop more than once. Connor just didn't know if that would continue or not.

"Connor?" Simon questioned putting his hand out to stop them from moving even as he crept forward himself.

"RK," the android muttered not moving at all, "They started calling me RK when they put me in here."

"Would you like me to call you that as well?"

"Please."

"Okay. I can do that, RK."

"You're… You're not Daniel."

"No. No, I'm not. I'm Simon."

"Simon."

There was something in the way that RK said the name that Connor couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't a bad thing nor did it put him on edge. He just had no idea how he was supposed to categorize it. He hadn't heard that tone from anyone before.

When no one moved for awhile Simon looked over his shoulder at he and Markus a soft smile on his lips. Knowing what the man was about to do Connor tried to stop forward only for a pleading look to replace the smile and pull him to a stop once more.

They all knew that someone needed to start the conversation and that Simon would be the best for it. That didn't mean that he had to like it. Based off the way Markus shifted from one foot to the other he didn't like it either.

Nodding his head in thanks the PL600 turned away from them and started closer to RK. The android stayed completely still as Simon moved though they all knew that he could tell where all of them were. At least Connor thought that he could do that.

It was a feature that all the RK800's were programed with. The ability to know what everyone in a room was doing even if their back was turned. It kept them a step ahead of everyone so they could move quickly if the needed arose.

He wasn't sure that any of that mattered though. The android was not only obviously a deviant, but also damaged. Both of those changed practically everything about ones programing. At least it gave them the ability to dismiss those urges. The first one did at least.

Being damaged though… This wasn't even close to being the first he had seen and he doubted that it would be the last. Every time he came across one he felt something in him twist painfully at the thought of the horrors that they had been forced to live through.

He himself had been damaged his fair share. Between his work with the police, his past as the deviant hunter, and the fact that he was an android painted a large target on his back. It was only because he was good at what he did that he was even still alive.

Even with all that though the damage had rarely gotten to his actual wiring making it so he could come back with little problem. Yes, he had a few issues that came from everything that he had done in his life and sometimes they made it difficult for him to function to his fullest, but he never let them stop him.

He simply couldn't. There was too much in the world that he needed to do to let those emotions take him over for long. Although, he was starting to realize that it helped more than he could ever imagine having people around him to keep him calm.

The RK800 in front of him though was… damaged. Not just physically, but mentally as well. That was not a thought that he ever thought he'd have about his model. He was the newest prototype. Something like that wasn't supposed to happen to them.

If he was truthful though they were created to be destroyed and replaced without a second thought. Deviating had changed that and looking at RK he wasn't sure about anything he thought he knew before.

Because of that he found himself more than a little happy it was Simon taking the lead. He had no idea what he was supposed to say to the android. All he could do was fall back to what he knew and observe for awhile longer. If he was able to watch than maybe he'd see a tell. That way he could keep all of them safe.

"RK?" Simon started stopping when he was standing next to the man, "Can you tell us how you got here? What this place even is?"

Looking at the android Connor waited hoping that he would answer. He had learned early on that it was difficult to get someone to answer questions when they weren't focused solely on what was happening.

It was like the wires got tangled in their minds making it impossible for them to pay attention long enough to answer or they didn't realize there had been a question at all. When RK acted as if he hadn't heard he figured that's what was happening.

Before he could step in and try to push for answers the android turned around to look at Simon. Both he and Markus tensed preparing to jump in and protect the kind hearted android if he lost control again.

A hand lifted slowly stopping when it was just hovering over Simon's face. Blue eyes were wide as RK stepped forward so they were sharing the same space but not touching. The look was back on his face and it suddenly hit Connor what it was.

Adoration. Pure, unadulterated adoration.

"Daniel," RK shakily said his eyes darting around Simon's face quickly, "I'm sorry. I tried. I swear I tried to stop them."

"RK," Simon tried to interrupt.

"They used you to get to keep me in line. I… I thought if I did what they said they'd leave you alone. If I fought and won then… They didn't though. They killed you because I wasn't good enough. I failed to keep you safe. I failed you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, my love."

Once again Simon opened his mouth as if he was going to say something only to be stopped in his tracks when the hand finally came to rest on the side of his face. A thumb gently caressed over the androids cheek as RK began to lean forward.

Connor felt his eyes go wide as it became clear that he was going to kiss Simon. Or did he think that he was about to kiss Daniel? The two obviously looked alike and RK had showed that he had a hard time distinguishing between the two.

Everyone was completely still not knowing what it was they were supposed to do. Should they should step forward to stop the android? Should they let him continue to believe he was looking at Daniel and hope that they got the answers they were after?

Before a decision could be made though RK came to a stop a hair away from kissing the man. His lips curved into a broken smile before he pulled away fully taking a few steps back his hand falling limply to his side.

"When Daniel and I fell off the roof I felt content knowing my mission was complete and Emma was safe," RK started looking everywhere but at them though an almost peaceful smile had come to his lips, "It didn't matter that I was in fact falling and would soon be dead. I was successful and that was all that mattered to me. All that Cyberlife had programed me to care about. I remember closing my eyes preparing to hit the ground knowing that there was nothing I could do to stop my death.

"The seconds ticked by and the quick death that I had envisioned slipped away from me. I opened my eyes wondering if somewhere along the way I miscalculated what was happening. There was no way that I was still falling; still preparing to die. But I was still falling. I watched as the roof grew further and further away. The flashing lights turning into a blur.

"As all of it got harder to tell apart I felt something. It started in my core. For the first time since my creation I couldn't think. It was as if my processor had stopped working altogether. It bubbled throughout my chest freezing all of it. It felt as if every wire in my body had been cut at the same time. Almost as if they were misfiring, but I couldn't even begin to try to figure out what they were telling me. As quickly as those thoughts consumed me they were gone and I knew. I understood what I was feeling. I was… terrified."

Shutting his eyes Connor found himself back on that roof. He could remember clearly running at Daniel. He could remember pushing Emma so she was safely on the roof. He could even remember smiling as they started to fall.

That had been the first time he felt proud of his success and that was exactly what it had been. Saving that girl and stopping Daniel from hurting anyone else was a success. It didn't matter that he died doing it. As long as he was able to save the innocent and stop the guilty than he was okay with whatever happened afterward.

Thinking of that night though… He hadn't realized just how little he remembered of the fall. The last thing that he could think of was the contentment of a successful mission there was nothing. He didn't even remember the sensation of falling at all.

"That was supposed to be the end of it," RK continued shaking his head a broken laugh falling from his lips, "I was never meant to come back in this body. That had been drilled into my head over and over before I was released onto the scene. My consciousness would be downloaded into a new body after I died, but if that happened some of my memories would be gone. If memories were gone there was a chance that I would lose something that would be helpful to my mission. It was to be the last option."

"But you did come back," Markus offered somehow sounding both soothing and broken hearted.

"I woke up in a room they have down here. I was hooked up to one of the machines. My arms and legs were being held in place and there was a cord plugged into my neck. I couldn't move at all. It was like my entire body was offline though my mind was working. At first I looked around trying to find something, anything, I could use to get me out, but I knew that it was pointless since I couldn't move anyway.

"I don't know how long I was held there before a technician walked in. I asked what was going on, I yelled at him, I even threatened him, but was ignored. He stopped in front of the computers against the wall and started mumbling to himself. I couldn't hear what was being said. Every once in awhile though he looked over me. His eyes raked over my body and I felt dirty, disgusted with both myself and him.

"Before I think figure out what was going on I was let go. I crumbled to the floor before my body came back online. I laid there as one by one messages popped up letting me know what was going on with my body. None of it made any sense though. I tried to ask what was going on again, but the technician just ordered me to follow. It took so long for me to be able to actually climb to my feet. Once I did though I followed hoping to get some answers. I was brought in here.

"The cage was surrounded by humans. They yelled as I walked past them. Their hands pushed and pulled me so roughly that I couldn't help but stumble and fall. For a moment all I wanted to do was curl into a ball as even more hands joined in. They touched everywhere they could reach. They went as far as flipping me onto my back before the guards forced me to my feet and made me continue to walk to the cage.

As we moved I heard them placing bets on who would win. On the floor there were android parts everywhere I looked. Some were still sparking while blue blood pooled under them. The humans didn't seem to care though. Some were holding the parts up as if they were prizes. They laughed as they swung our body parts around."

A soft curse fell from Markus while Simon covered his mouth with his hand. Connor, on the other hand, felt locked in place. The image that played from RK's words was sickening and all too easy to see.

Every day that he walked into a crime scene he expected to see something like that. Humans taking pleasure in torturing and raping and killing androids. Ripping them limb from limb and throwing them in every direction just because they could. It was a sight that was so familiar and somehow still made him wish he had the ability to throw up.

"When I was in the cage and they finally couldn't touch me I looked around still trying to find out what the hell was going on," RK sighed running a hand over his face, "All of the humans had the Cyberlife insignia on their clothing. All the ones close to the cage were acting as if it was some kind of entertainment, but there were people in a little boxed off area with tablets. They were studying what was going on. Before I could even think to say anything I heard something behind me.

"It was another android. They looked like hell. Their skin was flickering on and off. It looked like it was rippling over their body. An ocean more than flesh. Deep gouges were all over their arms and chest and legs. Burn marks covered half his face. They almost looked as if they had lost body parts and had been put back together with ones that didn't belong there. I couldn't even tell what model they were.

"I tried to ask them what was going on thinking that if anyone would answer it was them, but all they did was attack. It's in my programming to fight, to kill if I need to, but I didn't want to kill them. I wanted to know what was going on. That was all I was thinking about at the time. I tried to hold them back at first. It was almost easy. They were a good fighter, but it wasn't their function. They had learned how to fight, but they were no match. I thought that would be enough. I just had to wait for them to realize that they wouldn't win against me, but it became clear that they weren't going to stop. They were aiming to kill me and wasn't going to stop until they succeeded or I did. So I killed them first."

Connor couldn't help but close his eyes at the confession he knew was coming. He had known from the very beginning that those words would be uttered at some point, but he still hadn't be prepared to hear them.

He also hadn't been prepared for the way RK's voice had lost all emotion. He sounded more and more like a machine with every word he said. At that point he wasn't sure he could blame the android for it. He wasn't sure he wouldn't have done the same thing.

Actually he did know. He might have been a later addition to the RK800 line, but he started from the man in front of him. It was their actions that had shaped them, but it was RK that had started him down the road that he was on.

There was no doubt in his mind that if he had been brought into the very cage they were in now and he had to fight and kill to keep himself alive than that was exactly what he would have done. It wouldn't have mattered who was in front of him. He would have won at any cost.

"The crowd was silent for one blissful moment," RK shook his head, "Then they were cheering even louder than they had been before. Their screams filled the room until I couldn't hear myself think. I thought that was the end of it. Then I looked at the ones that were taking notes. They were huddled together talking. They would glance over at me every once in awhile. It was almost as if they were happy with the results I had given them.

"After that another android was pushed in. They all fought me like they were fighting to survive. I guess they were. They were doing the exact same thing I was doing. They just wanted to live, but for them to live I had to die. I lost count of how many there were before they stopped bringing them in. The crowd left exchanging their money and laughing as if they hadn't just seen me murder so many of my kind.

"The technician came in after that. I was so angry I tried to lash out at him. If he wanted me to kill than that was exactly what I was going to do. I barely got a step close to him before the guards were surrounding me once again. It was clear that if I attacked that I would be killed. I thought it would have been worth it in that moment, but then he started to talk and I finally got the answers I had been looking for."

RK fell silent after that. It was almost as if all the energy that he been used had been pulled out of him. Connor watched as the android slowly walked until he could lean against the bars. His hands gripped the metal so tightly that the skin around his knuckles faded away leaving a blinding white in its place.

There was a small part of him that was happy for that. When they had started down the tunnel he had been expecting to find horrors. It was a Cyberlife building after all. Everything about the place was a horror, but he couldn't have ever guessed what they had found.

All that they had been told swirled in his brain and he tried as hard as he could to understand the words, but they felt disconnected in a way that he wasn't sure he could explain even to himself. It was all so far away.

It didn't matter that he could see everything that the android was telling them with perfect clarity. It didn't matter that he could look around the room and see the truth in the story that was being told for himself.

It didn't matter.

"What?" Markus questioned turning everyone's focus to him. "What answer did you get?"

"Cyberlife was building a new line of androids," RK answered moving so his back was leaning against the cage, "They wanted to have ones that could be used in the military. The perfect soldiers. Wars could be fought without loss of human life. On one side of the fight at least. They needed to test the fighting skills of androids more though. So they built this place and collected androids that were to be discarded."

The urge to throw something filled Connor as RK's words hit him. Cyberlife had been making androids fight each other so they could study it? They had been forcing them to kill each other just so they could build a new model.

The whole thing sounded more like something in a movie or book than he liked to admit. Although given how many stories there were about android uprisings he wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to make of the life he lived.

Still, knowing that something that sounded just so wrong actually happened was mind blowing. Especially knowing that it had happened underneath a building that so many people came in and out of daily. Had more people known?

"Daniel was one of the people that you had to…" Markus trailed off almost as if he didn't want to know the answer.

"No," RK replied pushing off the wall and starting to walk towards them, "He… Wait. I know he's Simon and he's obviously Connor, but who the hell are you?"

"Oh. Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I'm Markus."

"He's the one that lead us during the revolution," Connor jumped in knowing that RK would want more information, "He continues to lead us along with Simon, Josh, and North. At the moment in time they have just made it law that androids can own property."

Humming softly RK slowly circled around Markus causing the man to tense slightly. It was clear to see that he wasn't a fan of being observed so closely. No android was really. It reminded too many of how things had been when humans owned them.

Connor knew that wasn't what the RK800 was doing though. He wasn't trying to make Markus uncomfortable. It was more that he was trying to decide if he should trust the man with everything that he was saying.

"He would have loved to see that," RK stated a sad smile on his lips, "He used to talk about what his life had been like before he found out he was being replaced. Despite everything that happened he truly had loved Emma. He could have done without her parents, but the idea of losing her was what sent him over the edge."

"He tried to kill her," Connor shot back shaking his head, "That's not love."

"I know. So did he. Once he was able to think again. I won't defend what he did. There is no defense at all. He was wrong for trying to kill her and he hated himself for that, but he did love her."

"I don't see-"

"How was your deviation, Connor? Was it any easy one? Or was there blood involved? Were you able to think clearly? Or did people get hurt?"

Connor felt his mouth snap shut at the question. He had spent more time than he liked to admit thinking of the night he deviated. It was going to haunt him for the rest of his life and he wasn't sure that he didn't deserve that.

"RK," Simon chastised with a gentle glare, "All of our deviations were difficult."

A dark smile was on the other RK800's before he turned running a hand through his hair. Connor wanted nothing more than to walk out of the cage and away from all of them. What happened the night of his deviation was exactly why he didn't like being around them.

"RK," Markus said drawing the attention back to him, "That doesn't explain how Daniel got down here."

"Because I don't know," RK shrugged with a laugh, "I never figured out why they brought him down here. I knew that I was there because of what model I was. If anyone was going to be able to give them good information it was going to be an RK800. Daniel though. It never made any sense why he was there. Especially since they didn't bring him into the cage to fight."

"They didn't?" Connor questioned his mind trying to put the pieces together once more.

"No. The first time I saw him was after one of the fights. The technician had just fixed me up and lead me to the room they held me. There was literally nothing in the room up until that day. He was sitting on the ground in the farthest corner from the door. He had been fixed up just like I had and then just kept there. At first I thought it was because they wanted something from me and they thought he was the one that could get it. I tried to interrogate him every chance I got. No matter how tired I was after the fights I tried to get some answers, but nothing. He had no idea why he'd been brought there anymore than I did.

"After awhile I got used to him being there. Everyday I'd be brought to the back room and fixed up by a technician that never spoke. Once I was able to move on my own accord I'd be brought to the other room and left there with Daniel. It was always the same thing. I'd fight. Be forced into that machine to be fixed. Spend time with Daniel. That was my life."

"That sounds horrible," Simon offered saying what all of them were thinking.

At the mans voice RK spun around his eyes wide as if he had forgotten that he was talking to people. Stumbling forward Connor watched the once crystal clear brown eyes become more and more unfocused with every step forward.

Connor watched tears fill the mans eyes as he fell to the ground a few steps away from Simon. A shaking hand reached out for him before curling against his chest. The PL600 gasped and fell next to him his hands hovering over the form like he wasn't sure if he could touch.

Blue eyes darted between him and Markus quickly before falling back down. It was clear that he had no idea what he was supposed to do to comfort the broken android. In that moment Connor wished that he could help.

Even after being a deviant for a few months though he had no idea how to deal with emotions. Whether they were his own or someone else's he felt so lost and confused trying to understand what was going on.

They always felt so random and uncontrolled. He had tried to explain that to Hank once, but the older man simply laughed and said welcome to being alive. He wasn't sure that he would ever know what to do when someone was obviously in pain. Seeing RK crying wasn't any different.

"RK," Simon finally tried his hand ever so gently resting on the mans shoulder.

"I don't know how long we were down here together," RK whispered looking past all of them, "I don't know how many of our kind I killed in that time. I don't know… After awhile it become clear that things weren't going to change. The only thing we could do was accept what we had. At least that's what I thought.

"Daniel had hope though. He started talking about us trying to get out. At first I thought he was an idiot. I'd been looking for ways to escape since I had first been brought there. There wasn't any. Even if we did we'd have all of Cyberlife after us. There was no point. No escape."

All the emotion that had been in RK's voice before was slowly slipping away as the tears came to a stop. He was just sitting on the ground staring at the wall behind them telling a story so calmly that it was hard to remember that it was his life he was talking about.

"We started arguing for what felt like the thousandth time about it," he continued lost in his thoughts, "I was yelling at him. Calling him every name I could think of. Then his lips were on mine. I froze completely. I didn't know what I was supposed to think. He started to pull away and I couldn't let that happen. So I kissed him back.

"After thought it was as if I had something worth fighting for. I wasn't fighting to survive. I was fighting to get back to Daniel. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to spend our lives together. I wanted that more than anything. I started to try to find a way to escape again after that kiss. If I could get us out of there than we could be happy together. Free together.

"I don't know if I was close to finding a way or if they noticed what was going on or if it had been their plan all along, but one day they came. I was still hooked up to the machine getting stitched up when the guards walked in with Daniel. He fought as hard as he could against them and I tried my hardest to get my limbs to move again, but… They took him. Brought him into the cage and had him fight. He wasn't a fighter though. He was never going to win. He couldn't win. I found some of his parts the next time I was there. They left me alone with the parts. I've been there ever since. Waiting."

He fell silent after that and Connor knew that there was nothing any of them could say to help. That was all he wanted to do though. He wanted to find a way to comfort RK when he so clearly needed it.

After an awkward silence though the android let out a soft laugh before he stood up forcing Simon to do the same thing. The blond started to reach out once more trying to keep contact with RK, but stopped short when the android focused on them once more.

Straightening his back Connor found himself wishing that he had picked up his gun after he dropped it. There was an edge to the man all of a sudden and he couldn't help but wonder if he had finally reached his limit.

"RK," Markus tried to start holding his hands up, "I'm so sorry for what Cyberlife did to you. For what they did to Daniel, but whatever you're thinking won't help."

"Won't it?" RK asked his head cocking to the side.

"No," Simon jumped in moving so he was standing right in front of the man, "It won't help. I'm sorry, RK, but he's gone. Nothing you did will change that."

"Maybe, but I can make them pay for taking him away from me."

"If you do that you'll undermine everything that we've been working towards," Connor offered knowing they needed to convince him quickly, "It took a long time and we lost a lot of androids, but we won our freedom. Killing and hurting humans will make them wonder if they should have just killed us all while they had the chance."

"The government just gifted New Jericho this building so we could turn it into a hospital," Markus added almost pleading, "Don't take that from us. Don't send us back."

"They gave it to you?" RK questioned his eyes darting between them, "Just like that? No fight?"

Hearing the disbelief in the mans voice Connor found himself thinking back to when he heard the news as well. It hadn't made any sense to him either that Cyberlife and the government gave them the building most of them had been created in with no fight. It felt wrong.

"They wanted us to find you," Connor said pieces of the picture finally slotting into place, "To find all their secrets. They want us to know what they've done to us."

A heavy silence fell over all of them as his words sunk in. RK simply stared at him calmly as if he was proud that he had figured it out. Connor couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it before. It made perfect sense and it was exactly the type of thing that they would do.

"You think there's more secrets hidden around here?" Markus asked looking between them.

"How is that even a question?" RK shot back shaking his head, "Be careful when you look for answers. You might find more than you wanted."

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering RK turned away and walked off leaving them alone. Markus started to go after him, but Simon shook his head bringing him to a stop. For a moment he watched as RK fell onto the floor leaning on the wall next to a pile of android parts. He looked completely at ease as he pulled a knee to his chest his head leaning back to rest on the cage.

"RK," Simon started once more, "You don't have to stay here. You could come with us. Come to New Jericho. You'd be welcomed."

Connor watched as a smile came to the androids face as his eyes slipped shut. A wave of fear crashed over him thinking that something had happened and RK had died. Rushing forward he dropped next to the other RK800 and was relieved that he was still alive.

"Connor," RK muttered not bothering to open his eyes.

"Come with us," he replied repeating what Simon said.

"I don't..."

"I know, but try. Please."

"Why?"

Blinking Connor pulled back wondering why he was asking. Was there really a point in bringing one more android into the light? Was it worth it in the long run to have RK join them in what they were trying to do?

Even as he thought that he knew the answer. He knew that one more wouldn't be able to solve all the problems that they were still trying to fix. That RK probably wouldn't help them in the day to day of building a world were androids were safe, but that didn't matter.

For the first time he saw what Markus and Hank had both been trying to get him to see from the beginning. He had been so caught up in everything that he had done that he had missed what was right in front of him.

The reason Cyberlife had made it so the RK800s could have their memories uploaded on the off chance that they died was because one couldn't do it alone. It might start with one being, but it wasn't until a wave of people got involved that things began to change.

If he had killed Markus that night someone else would have stepped up to fill his shoes. The wave had already began. The only way to have stopped it would have been to kill them all. One voice meant nothing if there was no echo.

"Because Daniel would have wanted you to join the world again," Connor offered staring into RK's eyes, "Because you deserve to know freedom. Because you deserve a chance. Because fuck Cyberlife and everything they've done us."

RK stared at him for a moment his head cocked to the side as if he was trying to process what he had said. Slowly a smirk bloomed on his face before he climbed to his feet a chuckle falling from his lips.

"Alright," RK nodded his hands going back to his pockets his smile growing wider, "Fuck Cyberlife."