Infection AU - Connor x Reader - Deja Vu pt3
DBH Infection Au - A malware virus is spreading through Detroit, infecting androids and turning them into a mass-murdering hivemind that is set on eliminating humanity. - This is a tragic Connor x reader fic, so prepare for angst, apologies if my writing is a bit dusty <3
“Look.” Hank pointed further down the alley. “Drag marks.” Your eyes widened as you focused on the marks in the mud, not far from where you had picked up the coin. You shot a concerned look at Hank as he stared down the alleyway, his expression blank aside from his furrowed brows. You knew deep inside, he was just as worried as you were.
“The tracks lead over towards that door.” Hank pointed further, over towards a weathered door sheltered in the shadows. Its dark green paint was scuffed and peeling, exposing the frail wood beneath.
“Help me up.” You winced, cringing as you stumbled in an attempt to stand up. Hank leaned down and helped to pull you to your feet, eyeing your injured arm as you gently cradled it.
“Come on, let’s fix your arm up first and then-“ you cut Hank off, not willing to waste anymore time that could be spent looking for Connor.
“No, Hank, we need to go now!” Hank rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
“You’re no good to Connor if you're busy cradling that arm, now come on!” You stubbornly huffed, following the lieutenant towards his car. Hank threw together a make-shift sling with some spare shirts he had laying in the back seat, tying it just a bit too tight for comfort.
"Watch your back." Hank spoke from behind you, gun drawn as the two of you made your way back over towards the drag path. The door was ajar, traces of thirium smeared along the bottom of the doorframe.
Inside was a dark, damp hallway. A narrow staircase lay at the end of the corridor, more traces of thirium and dirt smeared along the floor creating an eerie path towards it.
You gestured for Hank to go ahead, knowing if something were to happen, your injured arm would compromise your reaction time. Hank took the lead, gun aimed in a ready position to fire if need be. As the two of you descended the staircase, you noticed a door up ahead. You tried the door, jiggling the handle to no avail. You looked to Hank, who motioned for you to step back. As you did he blasted the door open with his gun, shattering the locking mechanism.
You hesitated opening the door, cautiously peeking your head through as you entered the room. The room was small, dimly lit with a yellow hazy lightbulb and an additional room off to the side. You felt your heart jump into your throat as your tired eyes landed on the back of who you could only assume to be Connor. He was slouched on his side against a wall in the corner of the room, one arm chained to the radiator beside him. He was looking down, almost as though he were asleep, but you couldn't see his face from where you stood.
"I'll go make sure the rest of this place is clear, you check on Connor." Hank ordered as he stepped into another room off to the side. You nodded, taking in your surroundings before advancing towards the figure in the corner. The only furnishings in the room were an old radiator against one wall and a pile of boxes stacked in a corner.
"Connor, is that you?" You asked, only to freeze in horror as you came face to face with the android. It looked like Connor, barely. What remained of his face looked like some sort of android-human chimera from the old terminator movies. The top half of Connor's face was still in tact, however the skin from his mouth down appeared to have been violently ripped away, replaced by a shiny black metal.
"Connor, Connor wake up!" you cried in horror, crouching down so you were eye-level with Connor as you began to shake the android in an attempt to wake him. His LED flickered, his eyes fluttering open. His eyes - they were not the comforting chocolate brown you'd grown accustomed to, rather they were now two mechanical red irises surrounded by a pool of black. You watched as the eyes spun and dilated as he tried to make sense of what was in front of him.
"...? Is that you?" Connor asked, reaching out with his free hand to brush along your face. You flinched at the sudden touch of cold metal against your skin, eyeing his skinless hand wearily.
"It's me, Connor. What happened to you?" you asked, jumping as his hand suddenly retracted, clenched in a fist. Connor's face seemed to glitch between concern and anger, as though he couldn't decide which to be.
"I was attacked... they transmitted the virus to me... I'm... I'm infected." He trailed off, his eyes spinning and dilating once more as his LED started spinning in amber circles. He reached a blackened metal hand towards you once more, cupping the back of your neck as he leaned up to meet you. You leaned in towards him, teary-eyed as your lips met once more in a longing kiss. Your hand snaked into his hair, playing with the loose strands as you tried to savour the fleeting moment. Connor broke the kiss regretfully, meeting your gaze. "Be careful, you need to..." He trailed off once more, his hand suddenly seizing and clenching around your neck.
Your eyes went wide, struggling to free yourself from his mechanical grasp. Your eyes burned as your brain was deprived of oxygen, flailing around helplessly in the android's grasp. You fumbled for your gun, unable to grasp it firmly as you struggled to breath. Suddenly he stopped, falling limp against the wall. You fell backwards, clutching at your throat, wincing at the force the fall had on your injured arm. Connor started moving again, sitting up slowly as his eyes opened once more. He sat in silence for a moment, his eyes seeming to adjust to his surroundings again.
"Where am I?" Connor finally asked, looking up at you. His face was void of any sign of recognition of who you were, as though his memory had been wiped. His LED shone bright blue. "Where is Lieutenant Hank?" You pushed down the shock of the moment, shoving away the hurt from his lack of recognition towards you.
"Jesus, plastic prick!" Hank muttered as he slowly stepped out of the other room as if on cue. Your eyes widened, watching as a spitting image of Connor pressing a gun to Hank's head stepped out with him. "Sorry, kid." Hank spoke, grimacing at the imposter by his side.
"What did you do to him?" you seethed at the other Connor, eyes wild with rage as you now realised something sinister was at play here. "My Connor..." you whimpered looking back at him, cupping the real Connor's desecrated face with your hand, his expression remaining cold and unfamiliar to your touch.
"I was assigned a mission and I completed it." The imposter spoke matter-of-factly, gazing down at the two of you. "Did you really think Cyberlife would let one of their most advanced androids deviate? I've just transmitted the cure to this virus into that android. Cyberlife receives constant updates from this model, they were aware of its deviation from the very beginning. They've seen every moment the two of you shared." He watched as your rage turned to one of shock.
"Don't worry, he was already infected by the time I got to him. The cure I transmitted is an update that wipes the memory of the android up to the first meeting with it's Master." he nudged the gun against Hank's head. "In this case, you." He looked back at you once more, lifting a brow. "Of course, there was a second part to my mission that remains incomplete. The true source of this android's deviancy must be dealt with."
With his gun turning towards you, you almost didn't have enough time to react. Raising your own gun, you fired simultaneously. Sharp pain erupted throughout your chest, as though someone had impaled you with a white hot poker. Hank shouted something incoherent, followed by more gunshots, before he rushed to your side. He looked at Connor, although the android cradled your body in his arm's his expression remained cold and uncaring.
"Hank... I'm sorry." you choked out, trying not to suffocate on the blood that was slowly making its way up your throat and into your lungs. Hank didn't say anything, almost looking straight through you. You knew what he was thinking of, how this scene reminded him of the trauma from losing his son.
You fumbled around in your pocket, pulling out the coin Connor had dropped earlier that day. You pushed it into his hand, praying that he'd remember something, anything about himself. You didn't want him to forget his humanity; You didn't want him to forget you. You watched faintly as his LED began spinning amber once more, his eyes dilating as though he were scanning the rounded piece of silver. Suddenly he looked down at you, as though he were really seeing you this time. His eyes seemed soft despite the mechanical pieces.
"You're dying" Connor spoke matter-of-factly, gently trailing a hand along your cheek. His eyes fell across your features, soaking up every little detail he could. You never wanted him to let you go.
"I know." you replied softly, cupping his hand against your cheek, closing your eyes as you leaned into his touch. Connor pulled you further into his embrace, guiding your head to his chest as he ran his fingers through your hair, brushing out the matted tangles soothingly. The last thing you remembered were his timid lips as he placed a kiss against your forehead, sending you off into an effortless slumber.
Connor sat still for a moment, looking down at your motionless form. He gazed over at Hank, still sitting quietly looking at your body, his eyes empty, devoid of emotion.
"I have a feeling like... this has happened before." Connor started, looking up at Hank. The lieutenant seemed to look past Connor, as though there were someone behind him. "I believe humans call this phenomenon Déjà vu." Hank nodded blankly, hands resting on his knees. After a long moment Hank went to stand up, looking down at the crumpled imposter he'd shot dead minutes ago.
"Let's get out of here." Hank spoke defeatedly, kicking the limp machine before making his way out and up the stairs. He paused, looking back once more. "Bring them with you." Connor nodded, picking up your limp body in his arms and carrying you outside. He knew something terrible had happened. He knew you meant something to him. But the memory wipe had compromised his data beyond repair. All he had were fragmented pieces of moments you'd spent together.
"Breaking news, the violent deviancy virus nicknamed the Chimera Effect has ravaged the majority of Detroit city. Anyone still sheltering are advised to evacuate immediately and avoid any contact with androids. Decorated officer Lieutenant Hank Anderson and his partner were reportedly shot dead by their android partner hours earlier, despite Cyberlife releasing a counter-virus that aimed to wipe an androids memory. Please evacuate immediately, Canada is allowing people through it's border under strict security. More at six."
Definitely not as tragic as I'd have liked to make it, but I need to get back into the groove of writing like I used to. Hope this turned out ok, your support means so much to me so thank you guys <3 Want more? Check out my masterlist here <3 pt1 here pt2 here
