Angst? Near death angst?
Alright anon, time for me to serve up that angst, careful what you wish for! These prompts are super interesting because depending on who has the near-death experience makes for a good story.
It's a public event broadcasted live over the Detroit news station. A meeting between the Android ambassadors and Detroit's official local and state government representatives. The Jericrew is dressed to impress in Neiman Marcus and Armani, with Markus and Connor up front leading the pack. A crowd has gathered at the steps of the city council, thousands of androids from every walk of life next to their human allies, holding up signs spattered with red and blue paint reading "I am alive!" "We are equal!" And "Different blood same love!", among others. Hank, and Connor who stands next to the rest of his family, are handling security details in a joint move between the DCPD and the androids.
Someone makes it through the security checkpoint (The guard turned around, were there two of them?)
The gun goes off (Faster, faster, why wasn't he faster why was he moving so damn slow-)
Chaos erupts. The crowd begins to panic, people screaming and crying as security teams bark out orders (Don't move! Everyone gets down!) before they, and the perpetrator, spill out into the streets in a riotous uproar.
If Connor Gets Shot
Loathe as he would be to admit it, Markus is a mess. The love of his life just took a bullet for him and is currently bleeding out on the steps of the building, Markus is beside himself with fear. Josh and Simon are guiding the people outside to safety with the police, and he's pretty sure North has taken off after the shooter with a security team in tow. But Markus?
Markus is crying. Markus is begging. Markus is praying.
He's choking back tears as he applies pressure to the wound, hands stained blue and whispering pleas to ra9 to don't take him stay with me baby please Connor Connor Connor!?-
His composure is gone, replaced with alternating levels of fear and rage. Fear for Connor’s safety, fear for the love of his life, and rage at whoever did this. Markus doesn't leave Connor's side, screw everyone else this comes first right now. They come first right now. Markus spends hours at Connor's side, worry creasing his brow, murmuring prayers between his lips and pressing kisses into his knuckles. Hank has come and gone, stuck between the need to assert the fact that Connor is alive, and battling back a sea of emotions knowing he almost lost another son. Markus can't blame the man. Fingers tracing patterns over Connor's face, Markus presses a kiss to his sleeping lips.
Then comes the rage.
Markus dresses to kill and makes sure everyone knows it. The halls of Jericho grow quieter with every step he takes, the lines of his suit pressed as neat and sharp as his smile. The chaos of the DCPD screeches to a halt once the Android leader makes his way inside, as calm and devout as they have ever seen the man. The offices are a mess of paperwork and grisly photos, Hank looks ready to combust if the glare he is sending the SWAT leaders mean anything, and Fowler looks like he went three rounds with the rabid menace that is political media and can't tell if he has won or not.
Markus smiles, charming and mean,
"Good afternoon everyone, I'm sorry about the unexpected visit but given the circumstances we at Jericho thought it best to work together with law enforcement in order to find the perpetrator. I trust that all of you would be more than happy to comply yes?"
It's a systematic takedown. Markus may not have all of Connor's investigative abilities but he is thorough. Josh and Simon hold down the fort at Jericho, and provide online assistance. North starts an unofficial patrol and search party with the beat cops, who learn fast to stay out of her way. She's a wildfire on a good day, but with Connor lying in the Android equivalent of a hospital bed, North is an inferno of unbridled rage with no one to take it out on except the next poor sap who pisses her off. Markus works with Hank, and together they beat back the political red tape and ignorant special unit leaders, combing through security videos and run down bars.
They find him.
Hank drags the perpetrator, kicking and screaming, up the steps of the DCPD. Everyone knew not to get in his way.
Inside, Markus is a figure of almost saintly patience. When Hank, prepared to drag the man to his cell, pauses and allows Markus a "moment" with him, the temperature of the room drops. The perpetrator is struggling in Hank's grip, jerking and snarling like a caged animal. Markus smiles, serene and cruel, as he leans down to lock eyes with the man who had dared harm Connor. Carefully, tenderly, Markus cups the man's face and hisses "You will never touch my Connor, or anyone else, ever again."
Someone leaks the iconic moment to the press, and photos of Hank and Markus' with the shooter spread like wildfire. But Markus can't bring himself to care, waking up with his arms clutching Connor to his chest a little to tightly. His lips hush Connor's fears with tender, breathless kisses, and though the skin had been healed and replaced, his mouth lingers in the space where the bullet wound should be. He doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the fear that had gripped him, clutching Connor tightly, hands stained blue, and praying for his love. Suddenly emotional, Markus buries his face in Connor's hair and breaths him in, murmuring "I love you's" into the skin of his neck.
If Markus Gets Shot
The minute he heard the shock of gunfire, Connor's first instinct is to shield those closest to him, coincidentally this is Markus. Unfortunately, the shooter had a better aim than expected. It's a clean shot, in-and-out of Markus arm, lodging itself into a nearby wall. Through instinct and sheer mental focus, Connor tunes out the chaos behind him as the security teams are put on alert and the crowd begins to panic. In a few short moments, he learns that the bullet had avoided most of Markus internal structure, and instead had torn through the upper level of his synthetic flesh. Still painful, still bloody, but comparatively much less than expected. Connor blinks, forcing the built-in protocols back for a moment, and leans in to kiss his bleeding, but blessedly alive lover while his thirium pump whirs in his ears and the fear surges back with a vengeance. A heavy pressure builds behind his eyelids, and for a brief moment Connor feels engulfed in anguish.
“Not to complain sweetheart,” Markus grunts out, because yes, bullet wounds are still bullet wounds, “but I don’t think this is the place.” Connor can see him grimacing in pain, and clutches Markus hand tightly, stroking the skin of his palm.” I’ll be ok,” Markus assures him, because of course he would, “Now, I think you have something else you need to do” But Connor hears the pain in his voice and can’t bring himself to let go. For a moment they just lay there, in the eye of the storm, assuring themselves that they are alive, before Connor releases a breath and let’s the preconstruction algorithms do their work.
“Josh?”
“I’ll get Markus somewhere safe. The blood flow is already slowing, and we have some voluntary repairmen in the crowd who came from Jericho.”
“Simon?”
“I’ll help with crowd control. PD will probably want to question the one’s here in the building at least, and everyone is pretty shook up. I’ll start handing out water bottles and thirium to those who need it.”
“North.”
“I’m gonna muscle my way into that security room with the officers and those security guards. If I find anything useful I’ll let you know.”
“You do not have authority to be in there during an investigation North.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to let me in on Markus behalf.”
“Great,” Markus broke in, “Game plan. Now can we hurry up cause I did just get shot here.” He reaches over and squeezes Connor’s hand, and though he’s hiding it well, Connor hears the quiver in his voice. Connor presses a kiss to his forehead. “Think you can catch him?”
“I will.” It’s a promise, sealed tightly with love and barely constrained rage. The Hunter is off, chasing down the gunman with Hank on his tail. He had let his preconstruction program run in the few seconds the crew had been planning, and follows the trail of haphazard bystanders out into the street. Connor vaults over the railing, and takes off tearing down the sidewalk. He bears his teeth in a particularly nasty snarl as he catches up with the security teams.
“Dark denim jacket, black beanie, about 5′6 and in a pair of grey sneakers.” One of the officers next to Connor, grunts out as they run, “One of the other units radioed us. Said he’s headed towards the park near the traffic stop.”
Connor nods, and takes off sprinting. A left, and Connor spots him, stumbling his way through across the road, the screech of tires and blaring car horns causing a traffic jam of angry Detroit commuters. Narrowing his eyes Connor races after him, sliding over the roof of a Ford Expedition, and nimbly dodging a beat up red beetle while doing so. Without the loss in speed, Connor comes of fast on the shooters tail. “Stop,” He commands, “Stop! Detroit Police!”
Something like rage builds inside of him. How dare this man, Connor thinks, how dare this man hurt Markus. How dare this man threaten his family. What gives him the right, Connor thinks viciously, to treat them like this? “Stop!,” And this time Connor reaches out, taking the man to the ground.
They fall into a pile of limbs, with the gunman spitting vitriol at him. The rage bubbles inside, barely contained, as the is yanked to his feet, “Stop,” Connor’s voice is shaking now, as he tries to clamp down on the viciousness inside, spitting like a cobra, “You are under arrest. You have the right to-”
“Damn piece of plastic,” The gunman hisses, and when he tries to jerk out of Connor’s grip something inside the android gives away. Officer Davidson, the one who had provided Connor the description, is headed their way with his partner. The others shouldn’t be too far behind then. Connor’s face goes blank, programming coming to the forefront of his mind like a crutch as he hands the man off to officer Davidson. But not before the man turns around, catching a glimpse of Connor’s face as the android stalks forward. The blood drains from his face at the sight of the androids rage.
“You are under arrest,” The venom in Connors’ voice is palpable, “Because now you cannot do this to us. You can’t do what you did to Markus. There will be consequences for your actions,” Connor sucks in a breath, keenly aware of his hands trembling, “And if you ever go near Markus again, I will deal with you personally.”
Davidson, wisely, doesn’t say anything, as Connor storms off. News spreads among Jericho of The Hunter, and the length he went to protect the deviant leader. But Connor doesn’t care, that evening ending with him clutching Markus hand, eyes closed as is seeking forgiveness for guilt that is not his to bear. It ends with him confessing his loss of control. And telling Markus, in his breaking voice, just how much he loves him.
