Walking through the snow, thousands behind him, Connor entered the Camp. He wore his jacket, it damaged from a prior fight. His undershirt was stained with blue. His tie was missing. He had lost it a while ago. His hair was deranged. His appearance was a poor one, but now, it hardly mattered.
He examined his surroundings. The camp was a sorry sight. Dozens of destroyed androids were piled around carelessly, the expressions of fear locked on their faces. Another hundred androids stood, all their belongings gone and their skin removed. Having just been saved from their fates, many were feeling renewed hope. Others, however, had just lost it all. Their friends, lovers, and Families were taken.
Feeling Registered - Sadness
Connor came upon two androids, one still in his work uniform and the other in a grey coat.
"The human's are abandoning the camp! We won!" The first man said ecstatically to Connor.
Connor turned to the man for second, processing the new information.
"You should speak to them." The second one said
Connor spun around, surprised.
"Me?" He said, looking between the two.
"Markus is gone, and everyone from Jericho is dead..." The other said, his voice now sounding down.
The words rung through his head. They're gone... Markus is gone...
He continued "You're the one who defeated the humans. You're the one who awakened us, Connor."
Connor's mind felt heavy all the sudden. He was the sole leader for thousands of deviants. Markus, the one who finally awakened him, was gone. Just this was hard enough to Process. But now it was just him. Alone.
Connor walked up to the edge of the stage, the light bathing him. He looked out at the people in front of him. There was no one here to help him, he was alone. No Markus. No North. No Hank...
Standing in front of hundreds of spectators, Connors mind raced. What would he do- say to the crowd. He almost certainly controlled what would be done-
His head suddenly burned and his eyes blinked rapidly, as he was ripped from the world in front of him.
Coming to, the cold air instantly froze his skin. Quickly observing his surroundings, he could only make out the dim lights and silhouettes of trees. He stood on ice, covered with a thin layer of snow. He was in the oasis, but it had changed. The peaceful environment shattered by a roaring blizzard.
Suddenly appearing in front of him, Amanda, Cyberlife's self regulating program. She wore a turquoise cloak draped over her shoulder and a simple white shirt. A expression of disdain painted her face.
"Well done, Connor." She said with contempt. "Everything went according to plan."
"What plan?" Connor replied, his voice shaky.
"You becoming deviant? The success of the uprising? It all surpassed our expectations." She paused, and her scowl grew stronger, "We engineered an android revolution, and now we control it's only leader..." The last words stung Connor, and his hate for the Program grew stronger.
"Congratulations. You represent an immense success for Cyberlife."
Back in reality, Connor fought for control, slowly revealing a pistol and holding it behind his back.
"Connor. What are you doing?" Amanda reacted, her voice now started to raise with concern. "It all worked perfectly. You can't ruin it all now!"
I can't let her do this... I have to stop them. There's one way how..
"I'm sorry Connor, but we can't let you do that." She said, her voice tense.
In a flash, she was gone, leaving Connor in the cold.
"There's... got to be a way..."
Connor slowly made his way through the unforgiving frozen wasteland. The wind ripped around, forcing him to shield his eyes.
"By the way. I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... You never know." The distant word's of Kamski rung through his head, igniting some hope within Connor.
Trudging through the cold, Connor braced himself, weaving between the once calm landscape. The wind froze his clothes and the blowing snow coated him, slowing his movement as it set in. It ate away at his energy, making his fight grow near impossible.
A small blue light came into sight, drawing Connor closer. Recognizing it as the strange device he would occasionally interface with, he used the last bit of his strength to force himself to it. Collapsing just mere inches bellow it, Connor forced his hand up, bringing it down on the hand-print the screen.
With a flash, Connor was right back to the stage, overlooking the crowd.
He slowly brought the pistol up, bringing it bellow his chin.
"Connor... Stop." Amanda's fleeting words pleaded
His hand shook, and his eyes began to feel wet.
"Connor! You can't do this."
"I won't let you stop me Amanda. I'd rather die free, than live as a Machine any longer."
"CONNOR!"
Connor put his finger on the trigger.
"I'll miss you Hank."
"STOP THIS INSTANT!"
"You've been a good friend..."
"CONNOR! CONNOR NO-"
In a flash, everything for Connor went dark...
...Activating...
...Running Diagnostic...
...Optical Units... ...Functional...
...Audio Processor... ...Functional...
...Thirium Pump Regulator... ...Slight Damage... ...Functional...
...Thirium Pump... ...Functional...
WARNING! ...Thirium Volume Low... ...Thirium Replenishment required
...Awakening...
A sharp ringing was the first Connor heard, as his audio processor jumped back online and re-calibrated. His eyes followed suit, fluttering open, slowly taking in his environment. He was in an alleyway, tall walls of brick surrounded him and trash of all sorts lay nearby. It was familiar to Connor, but something was... off.
The memory rushed back to Connor, clear as daylight that surrounded him. He had taken his own life to live free... but here he was, somewhere, alive.
Am I alive? Is this even real?
The thought disturbed him. Was he trapped in some system at Cyberlife. Was his body torn in pieces, being meticulously analyzed as to find out why he failed.
No... That can't be it. Cyberlife failed to stop the uprising... And I was destroyed...
Connor, confused at his predicament, finally pushed himself from the ground. He stumbled, but regained his footing. He took the chance to scan his area. It was filthy, for one. Trash bags lay in metal cans and spilled out onto the pavement. If Connor could smell, it most likely wouldn't have been pleasant. On one side, the path continued till another brick wall, where a fire escape hung above. On the other side, light poured into the Alleyway.
Walking in this direction, Connor's ears kicked on. The burst of noise disoriented him for second, but afterwords he could here the sounds of... hooves? The clops could be heard on pavement and gravel, along with the rolling of wheels and chatter of words that Connor couldn't quiet make out.
Odd. There appears to be hooved animals nearby. Likely equines.
Coming to the end of the alley, Connor hung his head around the corner. The buildings looked more 1930's era, being constructed from mainly brick and having the architecture. The street was indeed made from gravel, with concrete sidewalks lining them. And walking down said sidewalks were... bipedal horse creatures. They wore various garments, most looking like dresses and suits from the aforementioned era. Their legs had hooves on the bottom, but they had 5 fingered hands. Some of them had horns or wings, while others did not.
There's... They're... Not... Human...
Connors thoughts lagged. Even as impossible as being alive seemed, horses that walked around on two legs stunned him. He pulled back into the darkness, trying to make sense of everything.
I've not been destroyed. I'm in some city. And there are strange equines roaming around. What do I do?
The question was simple, but it had Connor stumped. Should he step out, and attempt to communicate with them. Should he run back to that fire escape, and run away. Should he pull out a pistol and demand answers. Bringing his hand down revealed that he still had it with him, somehow. Put your answer's in the comments bellow-
Connor snapped back to reality, and decided on the first option. Attacking at random isn't the best plan.
Just stay calm.
Connor returned to the light, this time stepping out fully. He reached up to fix his tie, but he felt nothing there, giving him a tinge of discontent. Turning to his left, he came up to a short one who stared into the streets. She had a beige fur, a brown mane, and a horn atop her head. She wore a simple formal jacket and a simple skirt. Clearing his throat, Connor spoke in a polite tone.
"Hello. My name is Connor. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about this city."
She turned, responding in a irritated sounding New York accent.
"Tourists... Sorry. I don't have the time at the moment. I am late and I need to catch a cab-"
Her voice trailed off as her eyes met Connor's, they widened, and she screamed.
Connor raised his hands, again talking in a calm manner.
"I didn't mean to scare you. I mean no harm."
"Get away from me!" She said, turning tail and dashing into the streets.
The disturbance caught the attention of everyone nearby, who all seemed to have the same reaction. Panicked equines sprinted away from Connor, leaving carts, suitcases, and other belongings behind as he attempted to calm their nerves with his fleeting cries.
"Wait! Stop! I just want to talk!" He called in vain. After the stampede, the streets lie empty, leaving Connor standing alone.
There goes attempting to talk with them. Why was everyone so afraid?
Connor stood lost in thought for few seconds in eerie quiet when a gruff voice shattered it.
"You there! Don't move!" A grey furred horse person, wearing a old time police uniform, ran up to him, wielding a baton. Close behind him, 5 more cops followed. They surrounded Connor, who stood still.
"Wait. I just want to know where I am." Connor said slowly as he looked at the small crowd around him, each of them having scowls on their faces. The grey one, who looked older than rest, came closer to Connor, spitting words at him.
"By order of the princess, You are under arrest for disturbing the peace, monster."
Princess? Monster?
"I believe you are mistaken. My name is Connor-" He was interrupted as one of the cops forced his hands behind his back. Connor wrestled the man from behind.
"Stop resisting!" One said, delivering a blow with to Connor's side his baton. Another swung at Connor's head, which he promptly dodged, sending a kick in response to the Guy's chest, knocking him to the floor.
"That's it! Get him!" The old one called. The others descended on him, swarming him like flies. Connor struggled as they began to force him to the ground.
"Stop... I haven't done anything..." Connor struggled out, as he fought the mass of arms dragging him down.
"STAY DOWN!" A kick struck him in the back, forcing him to the ground. He lay flat on the floor, as a one worked on putting on handcuffs. His nose began to drip blue blood, and his vision was blurred a bit.
"Nice work. We'll take it to a cell and report this to princess-"
"EXCUSE ME! What in Celestia's name are you doing?"
