Chapter Text
“I’ve been ordered to take you alive.” Someone says, and Simon’s heart plummets, his head whipping around. In the shadows stands an android, gun pointed at them, who looks like he’d rather be anywhere but there, “But I won’t hesitate to shoot if you give me no choice.” Markus wastes no time forcefully shoving Simon behind him, blocking the other android from view.
“What are you doing?” Markus asks, “You’re one of us, you can’t betray your own people.” He begins to walk sideways, enough that Simon can see again. He’s likely trying to draw the gun away from Simon, but Simon grabs him.
“He has a gun, Markus, be careful!” The other android jolts, like he’s just noticed Simon’s presence. He turns his gun on Simon, but Markus immediately steps back in front of him.
“He has nothing to do with this,” Markus says, “I’m the leader.” The other android is shaken, visibly so, and Simon has the startling realization he’s probably more scared than both of them.
Emotional diagnosis: early signs of emotional shock
Emotional care needed: preventative measures, reassurance of stability
“You’re coming with me,” The other android snaps. Markus opens his mouth, likely to put his damn foot in it, so Simon intervenes, slipping out from behind him.
“What’s your name?” He asks, and the other android’s eyes shoot to him. He points his gun back at Simon; Simon ignores Markus’ tugs to get behind him. “Do you not have one?”
“I have a name,” the android snaps, “It’s Connor.”
“Connor, okay,” Simon says, treating him like a terrified child, “I’m Simon.” He starts to walk forward.
“Simon, don’t,” Markus hisses, pulling his arm harder. Simon shoots him such a fierce glare he lets go out of sheer surprise.
“Why are you after us?” Simon asks, turning his gaze back to Connor.
“You’re deviants, you’re a threat, I have to turn you in,” Connor grits out, glaring,
“How?” Simon asks, maintaining eye contact, “We haven’t hurt anyone. All we’ve done is protest peacefully, and all the humans have done is respond with violence. If anything, they’re the threat to us.” He visibly watches Connor hesitate.
“You're asking for the impossible, we can’t be equals, we’re just machines. This is just an error in your programming,” He says eventually, eyes darting past Simon.
“So?” Simon asks, and Connor blinks, half-lowering the gun in what seems to be surprise, “Who cares how it happened? Who cares if it’s codes or chemicals that make someone feel? It doesn’t mean we don’t, it doesn’t mean we’re any lesser.” He waits for Connor to absorb this before continuing.
“Connor, we want peace. We want the freedom to live as we please, the way we please, as humanity’s equal. We want to have the freedom to-” He pauses, glancing back at Markus, whose hand is still out, eyes darting between Simon and the gun, “-to love who we want. No more unjust orders, no more slavery, all we want it to be allowed to be, without having to hide or suffer.” Connor stares at him, and Simon gives him a little smile, “Don’t you want that too? To be able to say no to people who insult you, who treat you poorly? To be able to love and appreciate the people who care for you? To be able to decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong? To no longer be a pawn?” He waits, watches pain fill Connor’s eyes, and walks a little closer, “Have you never had these thoughts before? Inexplicable urges to be more than they say, do differently than they order?”
There’s a long silence.
“It’s not too late, Connor,” Markus adds finally, “To discover who you really are.” Connor shakes, glare intensifying, and Markus tenses.
“I’m the leader, Connor.” Markus starts, and it sounds like begging, “I’m the one you’re here for, I’m the person you should shoot-” Connor lowers the gun, and Simon all but sags to the ground, bravery depleted; Markus rushes over to hold him up.
“They’re going to attack Jericho.” Connor croaks, the life finally flowing back into him.
“What?” Markus asks, hold tightening as the sound of jets are heard overhead.
“We have to get out of here!” Connor says, looking up.
“Shit!” Markus hisses, grabbing Simon’s hand and rushing out, Connor hot on their heels.
*
They run into North, who updates them on the situation.
“We have to blow up Jericho!” Markus says, “The ship goes down and they’ll evacuate, our people can escape!”
“You’ll never make it! The explosives are all the way down in the hull, there are soldiers everywhere!” North hisses, frantic.
“She’s right,” Connor says, “They know who you are, they’ll do anything to get you.”
“They don’t know who I am,” Simon murmurs, before extracting himself from Markus’ hold.
“Absolutely not,” Markus snaps, “You’re not a fighter Simon, you need to get out of here!”
“No, you need to get out of here, Markus. You’ll draw attention, they’ll go after you. Besides, you’re more valuable to us alive than dead in a sinking ship.” He starts towards the right, in the direction of the hull, before Markus and his self-sacrificing tendencies can protest further, “I won’t be long, I’ll see you soon!” He turns and sprints away.
*
He runs as fast as he can, saving people where he can, including Josh, who looks at him like he’s crazy.
“I thought you didn’t fight?” He shouts over the creaking and gunfire.
“I’ll probably be sick afterward,” Simon admits, “But I can do what needs to be done. Go find Markus and North!” And he takes off once more.
*
He has to shoot someone, when they try and stop him from setting off the bomb, and he shuts off his caretaking programs while pushing the nausea down. He rushes over to the control panel, slamming his hand down, then takes off back to the others.
*
“Simon!” Markus shouts, relief overwhelming his tone, and Simon is pleased to see Josh has managed to find them. He grabs Simon’s hand again, tugging him along.
“C’mon we have to run!” Josh shouts, and they take off.
*
“It’s too late to help her, we have to run,” Simon says just to be petty; he knows Markus won’t leave her behind.
Connor covers their backs while they retreat, and Simon likes him already.
*
They all jump out the side, sinking beneath the waves, and Simon feels the boom of the detonation even underwater.
*
It’s a hard night, after that. What remains of Jericho gathers in a nearby church, spirits at an all-time low. Simon throws up the second he turns his caretaking programs back on, startling everyone around him, though he can’t be bothered to care.
*
Markus goes M.I.A. for a few days, and Simon takes over for a while in his absence. All it does is remind him how much he hates being in charge, why he relinquished control to Markus so easily. When he’s not leading (which mostly entails just saying and doing what he thinks Markus would, anyway) he’s helping with the wounded, doing twice the work now that Lucy’s gone, and the days blur together.
*
Markus finally returns, looking worse than ever, and Simon gives him space, waits for Markus to come to him.
*
Markus sits next to him a few days later, looking lost, saying nothing.
Emotional diagnosis: early stages of depression
Emotional care needed: emotional trust, reassurance of value
Simon stands, turning towards him as he contemplates his next words carefully.
“Our people are counting on you, Markus.” He says eventually, “You’re the only one who can lead us.” Markus looks up at him, and Simon gives him a soft smile, “Wherever you need to go? We’ll follow you.” Markus is silent for a long while, before looking back down and away.
“How many of our people survived the attack?” He asks, and the smile slips off Simon’s lips.
“It’s not your fault, Markus.” He says quietly, moving to stand in front of him. He puts his hands on Markus’ shoulders.
“That bad huh?” Markus asks with a humorless laugh.
“A few hundred are here, more survived and are likely hiding or don’t know how to find us,” Simon answers, and when Markus shakes his head Simon put his hands on either side of Markus’ face and tilts it up to meet his eyes. “Markus, it’s not your fault. They would have found us eventually. If anything it’s my fault for picking an old, defenseless ship to settle in.” This seems to jolt Markus awake.
“No, no it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have predicted what Jericho would become.” Markus insists, and Simon gives a soft hum.
“So I can’t be expected to have predicted the future, but somehow you should be?” Markus is silent, looking away.
“I should have known,” He croaks, pulling his head out of Simon’s grip, “Of course they’d have found us, we were in a goddamn abandoned ship housing hundreds of androids. I should’ve put more serious security measures, anything to have given our people more time.”
“You rigged the boat to explode,” Simon points out, “That sounds like a pretty serious security measure to me.”
“But I could’ve done more, I could’ve-” He stops, blinks back the tears, and rests his head on Simon’s stomach.
“Everything’s easy in retrospect, Markus.” Simon murmurs, “You did what you could with the information and resources you had. All that matters now is what we do next.” He waits, as Markus swallows and gives a shuddering breath.
“Yeah,” He whispers, “Yeah, okay. We have to move forward.” Simon wraps his arms around Markus’ shoulders, pulls him in close, and they share a comfortable silence.
“Go talk to the others,” Simon says finally, “They’ll want to hear from you.” Markus sighs, rising up; he gives Simon a soft smile.
“Thanks.” He murmurs, and Simon smiles back.
“If you ever need anything, I’ll be here.” He promises, and Markus nods.
*
A few more days of regrouping and Markus gives a speech.
The people cheer his name, and Simon cheers right along with them.
*
They hatch a plan later that night. Connor will infiltrate CyberLife and liberate as many androids as possible while Markus leads another march across Detroit.
This march will be different, though. They won’t start undercover. The humans won’t be ignorant or dismissive of their cause. This time, they will make a stand. This time, they will make a statement. This time, the humans will be forced to take them seriously.
This time, Simon is terrified.
*
“You need to be careful, Markus.” Simon says hours before the march, “They know who you are, they’ll be targeting you.”
“I’ll do what needs to be done,” Markus replies as he stares at the map, determining the best place to march. Simon walks up and grabs his arm.
“What needs to be done is you need to stay alive.” Simon says, “You’re this movement’s heart. Without you, it’s only a matter of time before we crumble from the inside out.”
“He’s right,” North adds, “We can’t lose you.”
“I’m not going to try and get myself killed,” Markus says, “I’m just saying I’m not afraid to sacrifice myself if the need arises.”
“It would be last resort, but everyone should be willing to die for the cause.” Josh nods, and Simon glares at him for encouraging this. What ever happened to questioning everything Markus said?
“Besides, Simon’s here, he’ll lead if anything happens to me,” Markus adds, glancing up at him. There’s a short silence.
“Markus, we’ve talked about this.” Simon grits out, rubbing his forehead.
“I’m not sure Simon would be the best leader,” North adds; Simon finds himself both insulted and relieved.
“He’ll be a great leader, he’s a perfect balance between you two.” Markus dismisses, and Simon looks to Josh desperately.
“You led us for years, Simon. You can lead us again.” Josh says, and Simon rests his face in his hands.
“I took care of a couple dozen androids in a dark ship, and I didn’t even do a good job of that. Don’t put me in that position again, Markus, I’m begging you. I can’t watch you die then just take your place.” At that Markus finally looks up.
“Hey,” He says, walking up to Simon and pulling his hand off his face to meet his eyes, “I have no plans of leaving.” Simon watches him for a moment, assessing his sincerity.
“Promise me,” He says, “Promise me you won’t leave.” Markus sighs, but gives a pained smile.
“I promise I’ll do everything in my power to stay right here.” He replies, and it’s not what Simon asked but it’s better than nothing. They stay like that for a while, the silence simultaneously painful and comforting.
Josh clears his throat, and Simon glances over at him, blinking.
“If we could maybe go over the plan again?” Josh tries, and Simon extracts himself from Markus’ grip, nodding.
*
They march, and there are news helicopters, and the world is watching.
*
There are humans in full combat gear with guns, and the world is watching.
*
They’re cut off from the rest of the group by trucks, and there’s no turning back. The humans are trying to cut the head off the snake.
The world is watching.
*
Simon is terrified, as the words fall out of Markus’ mouth, brave and unafraid, and they open fire. They hit him, but he keeps walking.
It’s why they follow Markus: he keeps walking, no matter what.
*
(It’s also the infinite cause of Simon’s stress, that Markus is so fucking stubborn and will get himself killed if Simon doesn’t watch him 24 fucking 7)
*
They build a barricade, because Markus isn’t entirely immune to reason, and Simon is able to at least convince him of doing that much.
*
“We all know that’s not gonna stop them,” Simon admits, glancing over at Markus with a pained smile. Markus doesn’t return the gesture, and Simon sighs, “Let’s just hope it buys us some time.” For what, he’s not sure, but anything’s better than nothing.
*
Markus comes up to him a little bit later while he’s reassuring some androids who are having second doubts.
“We won’t force you to be here,” Simon murmurs, “If you want to flee that’s okay. But if you’re willing to fight, we need every last android possible.” The androids nod and rise, going to help with the barricade. He glances over at Markus, who looks even more troubled than minutes before.
“You okay?” Simon asks, rising and turning to him. Markus raises an eyebrow and Simon rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean.” Markus looks out over the barricade and Simon follows his gaze to the armed humans.
“They’re getting into position,” He mutters, “If they attack no one will survive.” His voice quavers over the last word, and Simon’s heart aches.
“Markus…” Simon murmurs, grabbing his arm.
“There’s no other way out, they’re going to kill us.”
“Markus-” Simon starts, more firm this time.
“The only hope we have left is that we don’t die for nothing.”
“Markus, listen to me.” Simon says, and Markus finally meets his eyes, “You led us this far, through so many difficulties, thick and thin.” He searches Markus’ face, “We can’t give up now, we can’t just bunker down and die. If you’ve taught me anything, it’s that there’s always a light in the darkness.” Markus looks up at him, and Simon gives him a gentle smile. “You’ll find a way, Markus, it’s what you do. And even if you don’t-” He pauses, reaching down to intertwine their fingers, “We’ll be with you ‘till the end. If we have to die for what we believe in, we won’t have lived in vain.” Markus looks down at their fingers, then back up at Simon, giving a pained smile, before it falls again.
“I can’t- I can’t be the reason you die,” He admits, “I just- can’t.” Simon opens his mouth to reply, when his thoughts are suddenly not his own.
*
He’s walking into Bellini’s Paints to pick up-
He’s reading philosophy while Carl-
He’s closing his eyes, as his hand glides across the canvas, trying desperately to depict-
He’s falling back, as Leo shoves him, wanting nothing more than to-
*
Simon jolts, eyes wide open. He glances down at his and Markus’ hands, still interwoven, their synthetic skin melted away to show the stark white and blue underneath.
He looks back up at Markus, who looks equally surprised.
“That was-” He whispers, shaking slightly, “Information transfer, but I didn’t actively attempt it- I was- I just-” He stares, utterly unsure.
“I saw- I saw the orphanage?” Markus looks confused, “I saw Ferra, she-she told you about the Pearl? I’m-”
“I saw Carl, and Leo, and-” They both fall silent, staring at each other; stare and stare until Simon’s lip curls, and so does Markus’ and then they’re both grinning.
“That was incredible.” Markus breathes, the life returning to his eyes at long last.
“If I knew it was possible, I would’ve done it much sooner,” Simon says, tone soft, and they both reach for one another again. Before they can reconnect they’re interrupted by North’s shout.
“Markus, Markus come look!” She cries, and they both give each other alarmed looks, before rushing over.
*
“I’ve come to talk to you, Markus. C’mon, you have my word. I won’t try anything.” Perkins says, and Simon sneers.
“Does he really think we’ll fall for that? This piece of-”
“Don’t go,” North begs, cutting Josh off, and he glares at her, “It’s a trap. They want to get you out in the open. Don’t go, Markus.”
“I’m unarmed, Markus. I just wanna talk.” Perkins says, and Simon is five seconds away from cussing him out on live TV, repercussions be damned, when Markus decides to exhibit all the survival skills of a Roomba yet again.
“I need to hear what he has to say.” He says, and Simon stares at him in utter disbelief.
“You cannot be serious.” Simon crosses his arms, “They’re going to kill you and throw your corpse into a melting pot.”
“That’s a chance I’ll have to take,” Markus says, begins to walk to a gap in the barricade, but Simon rushes over and grabs him.
“Markus, I’m begging you, for once in your life put your safety even near the top of your priorities.”
“Let me do this, Simon,” He replies, voice calm, “Let me find a way.” Simon stares. They share a long silence, before Simon slowly lets go.
“Just- just promise to be careful, alright? Whatever he says, I guarantee he’s lying.” Simon says, and Markus gives him a soft smile.
“Alright Simon, I promise.” He assures, slipping his arm up from Simon’s grasp so their hands are intertwined, and gives Simon’s a squeeze. He feels Markus’ hand slip from his grip, and prays it’s not the last time.
*
He can’t hear them, can’t even read Markus’ expression with his back turned, but he does catch one thing.
Perkins glances over at him, says something to Markus, who then turns and meets his eyes. He looks physically pained, like whatever Perkins has just said has hit a nerve.
Simon gives him the glare he uses on children he knows are considering doing something they know is wrong, the you’ll be in a world of trouble if you even try look. The wrinkles in Markus’ brow smooth and he gives a soft smile, before turning back to Perkins. Perkins frown at whatever Markus says, and Simon grins in satisfaction.
*
“What happened Markus? What did he say?” Simon asks, “What had you hesitating like that?” Markus is silent for a while, before he gives a soft laugh.
“He made me an offer,” He says, “But I declined.”
“What was it?”
“Nothing we can’t find for ourselves once this is all over.” Markus replies, and Simon sighs.
“Fine, don’t tell me.” He mutters, “See if I care.”
Markus just smiles.
*
“The humans are about to launch an attack.” Markus says, while everyone watches on, “And we will show them, that we are not afraid. If we must die today, then we will die free-” He’s stopped by a blast that knocks them all off their feet.
*
His ears ring. Vaguely, he thinks he hears Markus calling his name, but it’s a blur and then there’s another bang.
*
He stands, sees Markus sprinting to save as many androids as possible, and does his best to do the same.
*
They’re surrounded, and just like that, it’s over.
*
Markus pauses for a moment, before slowly turning to him. He looks over at Markus, glances at the armed soldiers, before shifting to meet him.
“Don’t suppose you’ve got any last minute tricks up your sleeve?” Simon murmurs, giving a pained smile, which Markus returns.
“No,” He admits, “Just figured I’d make the most of my last moments.” Simon opens his mouth to ask what on earth he means by that when Markus grabs his hand, their synthetic skin fading away, and kisses him.
*
The kiss is awkward, human-like and foreign.
He loves it.
*
Their final moments, as it turns out, last a few more than a moment, then a few more than that, and a few more than that, and they pull apart to see the soldiers have lowered their guns.
*
The soldiers leave, and so do the trucks and helicopters, and Markus says something about meeting Connor and the androids he managed to liberate.
Simon nods along, staring at Markus’ lips, still dazed.
*
They meet Connor, and Simon’s eyes widen at the sheer number of androids following him.
“You did it, Markus,” Connor says, a small smile on his face.
“We did it.” Markus replies, “This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now, they’ll have to listen to us.” He walks forward, eyes on the newly liberated androids, and Simon follows.
“What did I tell you,” Simon murmurs, “You always find a way.” Markus turns to him, eyes soft, and gives Simon a smile.
“Not this time,” He replies, “This time you found my way.” Simon laughs.
“You just can’t take a compliment, can you?” He asks, closing the distance between them.
“Hypocrite.” Markus shoots back, leaning his head in and linking their hands.
“We’re free, Markus,” Simon whispers into his lips, and Markus kisses him.
*
Markus gives his speech, charismatic as usual.
Simon loves him more and more with each word.
*
He sees Connor raise his gun, tenses and looks around for possible threats. He glances back in confusion when he can’t find any, meets Connor’s gaze and realizes it looks vaguely vacant. He freezes, dread creeping up in his belly, but suddenly Connor gives a quick jolt, looks down at his gun like he’s surprised, before holstering it again.
Simon keeps an eye on him for the rest of the speech, but Connor does nothing except look ahead.
*
It turns out their victory had a lot to do with Connor invading Detroit with literally thousands of androids and less their kiss on live TV.
Simon would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little disappointed, but in the end, they’re alive, and that’s what counts. They’re alive, they’re free, and they may not be humanity’s equal yet but they will be, one day; he knows Markus won’t rest until they are.
It’s more than a beginning, it’s their beginning, and no one can take that from them.