With your teeth clenched and one hand raised to shield your face from the wind and icy drops of rain, you flight your way through the streets of the neighbourhood.

You had a tracker on your phone which gave you a rough idea of where Connor was hiding. However, the location that the map showed wasn't familiar to you in any way.

He must have walked a good few miles before settling something. His location wasn't moving either.

You knew that this could end in two ways. Way one, he had settled down somewhere to hide from the rain. Option two was he had, somehow, taken some serious damage and was now unable to move.

The fact that his location was shown was enough to know that he didn't shut down yet.

That was at least one silver lining in this misery.

"Connor!", you called out.

Rows and rows of old, damaged houses lined up at the sides of the road. They all looked the same, boring and lifeless. The way their facades were all falling apart made them look like empty shells of their former selfs. Once upon a time families had filled the rooms and made them homes.

Laughter must have filled the streets.

Now, all the windows were broken in and the wind chased through the empty rooms.

It scared you to see it.

What the hell did CyberLife do to all those families, all these people?

The fact that they managed to afford so much land and housing only to desert it within the blink of a second only indicated how much power they held.

If they managed to overpower the many people who had lived in this place, they'd also be able to overpower you.

"Connor!", you called out again.

The cold rain started to make you shiver.

Despite the heavy rain coat and the hiking boots you were wearing, the water had already soaked into your clothes underneath. Everything was wet and cold, sticking to your skin like a second layer.

Your bones felt chilly.

"Connor!", you called out.

The wind started to shake the trees. The branches looked like they were about to bend and break.

Concerned that one of the trees might come crushing down, you pulled your head in and jumped inside a house to get some coverage.

"Holy shit!", you gasped and tried to rub some warmth into your hands and legs. "Goddammit... Connor! Are you here?"

Silence.

You walked around a corner to take a look at the kitchen. It was dusty and deserted, just like your house had been.

There were no toys laying around, but a lot of pictures instead.

Curious, you bend down to pick one up and examine it closer.

"It was a nice family...", a voice suddenly said.

Scared as hell, you jumped up while screaming your lungs out. You twirled around, fists clenched, ready to fight whoever was standing in the shadows.

"Please calm down.", Connor stepped forward. "It's just me."

His face looked gloomy. The shadows didn't make it any better. Judging by the first look, he had a few rough hours behind him.

He was covered in mud. A few small leaves were stuck to his, now, messy hair.

A relived sigh escaped your lips.

"Connor.", you said in a soft voice. "Where have you been?"

As you came closer, he turned his eyes away. It seemed like he wasn't able to look you in the eyes.

His LED was gone.

Surprised, your eyebrows rose. But only for a second before you had to frown in concern.

"Connor!", you grabbed his face. "Where is your ring?"

He backed way.

"I removed it.", his fingers found the spot to draw circles on his temple. "It scared me."

At loss for words, you just shook your head.

This was a disaster.

As soon as someone would find out he was an android without a proper marking, they'd set him back. Or worse, shut him down.

He needed to wear the LED and other markings that clearly told people who he was. What he was.

"Connor... you need to wear one. You're an android!"

His eyebrows pulled together.

"It endangers me."

"How?"

His lips moved. He tried to find the right words.

"It- I...", he let out a deep breath and turned away to avoid you again. "I've seen... I saw what they did... I saw so many things..."

At first it confused you.

He was talking nonsense. It seemed like he was even in distress, shot of a panic attack.

You had never seen sich behaviour in an android. Humans, maybe, but not a machine.

But there wasn't a reason for him to act this way.

Unless he had been true to his word.

"Connor..?", you asked and backed away to the kitchen table. "Did you read the memory card?"

All of a sudden, guilt lit up inside his eyes.

His expressions changed from the regret of a child, to the anger of a man and into deep guilt.

"I had to...", he admitted and opened his hand to show you the chip.

You hesitated to take it.

What good would it have done to take it?

What reason would you have to own it?

But if Connor kept it he'd get in worse trouble than you would ever.

Maybe Kamski would be mad. Maybe the contract with CyberLife would be cancelled.

But if it would stay in Connor's possession something far, far worse could happen.

You might loose him. Again.

Once and for all.

Again.

With trembling fingers you took the small chip and clenched it so hard that a small crunching sound filled the silence.

You could feel how it broke in the palm of your hand.

"We should get rid of it.", you suggested and turned around to bury it somewhere, but stopped mid way to glance back at him. "Was it worth it?"

His eyes moved.

A gentle breath escaped his lips as his shoulders sunk.

"It wasn't... what I hoped for...", he admitted.

"Will you ever tell me?"

A thin smile appeared on his lips.

"No. I think that wouldn't be helpful."