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That man, standing over there?
That man, who had stepped into your apartment only moments ago?
That man, whose husky voice you'd almost been fooled by?

That wasn't Connor.

Connor was someone you knew quite well indeed. Through countless missions together as partners in solving crime, you'd made an increasingly excellent team. Things had started off rough to begin with, which probably had something to do with the whole 'plastic person is suddenly your assigned partner' thing. Over time though...you had seen beyond that outer shell and realized there was far more to him than just a bunch of codes hidden behind a sleek exterior.

He was his own kind of person. Androids were their own kind of race, you had come to understand and accept that much. When Connor had chosen to turn Deviant, to free himself from the binds humanity had placed around him, you had fully supported that.

When he was shot accidentally during a conclusive battle for rights, one which was ironically mostly peaceful, you had been distraught, but assured that at least he would end up coming back again. There wasn't just one Connor after all.
Yet...all the previous Connors had been the same in appearance, the same in self, really. So long as his memory was uploaded prior to any accident, he would come back as he ought to be, just with a few missing patches between death and resurrection.

This...thing, though...
It did have Connor's face, granted. Yet it was taller, buffer, and as it stepped further into your apartment, you could see how pale its now blue eyes were.

His blue eyes, technically. You were still willing to consider him a being of sorts, but he still wasn't Connor.

“G-get the hell out of my apartment! I don't know what you are, but I don't want you here!”
Not a word had been spoken on his part until now. Yet what he said really did surprise you.

“[Y/N], it's me. Connor. I've simply had an upgrade.”
“...An upgrade?” you only stared at him for a good long moment. True, he looked stronger this way. But still, he wasn't the same. He wasn't the one you knew so well. The one you had come to really care for...and even...

“Who did that, Amanda?”
“...That's right. I've told you about her before, even if in vague terms.” Not-Connor nodded, and came a little closer. The apartment door had long since slid shut and auto-locked, but you'd kick him the hell out of here if he tried anything. Worst came to worst, you had a gun stowed under the coffee table.
“Yeah, you did. But I think you were starting to get a little sick of her.” you responded calmly enough. You were prepared though.

This new, strange Connor, tilted his head. While he pondered for a moment you got a chance to look at his now white jacket, notice the model number printed quite clearly there.
'RK900'. So he really was an upgrade.

“...It is true that for a time I did have some issues. However, those have been resolved.”
You were finally face to face, and as you looked up at him you couldn't help faltering slightly. It was so...strange. It wasn't Connor, and yet it was. The most worrying thing though was what he just said.
“'Resolved'? What was resolved?”

Only then did he crack what could best be described as an android smile. The old Connor had gotten quite good at facial imitations, and this Connor carried on that feature even more smoothly, but neither had perfected it yet. It was uncanny.
“My traces of deviancy, naturally. It's a good thing too, if I had been allowed to carry on as I was, future missions would have no doubt been compromised.”

All you could do was stare at him then, in sheer disbelief. Was he being serious right now?
“...So...what you're saying is...Amanda reprogrammed you?”
“To a degree that is true.” RK900's words were crushing. “Certain facets of my programming had to be consolidated so I was no longer at risk of behaving out of order.”

You thought back. Back to all the times that Connor's steadily widening viewpoint had spared a nasty outcome. If he had been doing things by the book, he might have killed those two Tracis at the Eden Club, or shot through the skull of Kamski's Chloe. Yet precisely because of his deviancy, he had hesitated to commit those kinds of acts. He had showed empathy...

“...”
He really wasn't the same anymore.

On instinct you dove for the gun under the table. If Amanda had sent a re-programmed Connor directly to your apartment rather than just having him meet you at work, it could only mean that there was something darker at hand here. Your own seized the gun and pulled it free from the tape, quickly aiming it right for the underside of his chin. This model was taller than the previous one, so it was a bit more of a stretch.

“I can't believe I opened the door for you, you bastard!” you snapped at him. “Tricking me with his voice, and now trying to trick me with his face!? You really are one cold son of a bitch...”
There was a momentary pause. RK900 hadn't flinched a bit, he only gazed back at you with placid sky blue eyes and calmly let you press the barrel to his faux skin.
“I did not intend to deceive you. I wished to come here personally so as to make this change easier. I assumed you would not want to receive this kind of shock while in the workplace.”

Oh how kind. Sparing you the humiliation in front of your colleagues, and only replacing it with the fear of a pseudo-break in. How thoughtful.
“...You...you expect me to believe that?” Thrusting the gun up hard, you forced his jaw to tilt sharply, his eyes still barely struggling to stay on you. “I know you only wanted to catch me alone. Why, did Amanda order you to kill me off or something? Am I in her hair?”

“Amanda is an AI program, and she exists solely to deliver orders and manage me sufficiently. She has allowed me to upload my former memories though, so that I do not make the same mistakes a second time.”

“What? Like the mistake of getting close to a human being? Actually making me care about you?”
Shit. Your voice was cracking, but could you be blamed for that? For once, those lonely nights had seemed like they might come to an end, and it was rather sweet that it was because of an android. Too bad that wasn't what ended up happening.

Everything had to be ruined, didn't it?

“I still care about you, [Y/N].”
Bullshit.
“I do.”

When his hand reached for your cheek you panicked-
-and immediately pulled the trigger.

Except nothing happened.

Empty.
“FUCK!” Cursing loudly, you quickly backed away from him and fumbled with the chamber, opening it up only to see there wasn't a bullet in sight. This was like the punchline to a joke.

“I will admit that is a relief, [Y/N]. I can simply come back again tomorrow, but it does waste time and resources to bring me back again. Not to mention that I was hoping we could put things to rest here and now.”
“Put things to rest my ass-” you tossed the useless gun aside and stormed up to him, grabbing his collar with both hands and wrenching it down tightly so he was forced to look right at you from your own level. “You lying sack of shit. If you're going to kill me then just do it! It'll save me the fucking trouble-” you swallowed thickly but kept it up, “-I guarantee you that!”

“...I have no intentions of hurting you. I never would, not even in self defence.”
“Yeah, because you can just come back like nothin' ever fucking happened.”
“Yes. And you can't. That is why I am here, to keep you safe. Amanda made sure I would be the best partner I could be from now on. This is not just for the sake of the investigation, [Y/N]. It is also for the sake of you.”

This saccharine tripe shouldn't have had the effect it did on you. Yet you found yourself faltering, grip loosening until he could stand straight and fix himself right again. Your limp hands lowered down by your sides, and your head hung.

“...Sumo...Sumo didn't bat an eye when you came inside.”
“Naturally. He remembers me.”
“...But you're not the same.”
“I am. In most ways.”

“...No. You aren't.” Slowly you raised your head and looked up at him tearfully. “If the Connor I knew is gone, then he's gone. I don't care how many times you come back, I don't care how many new models Cyberlife decides to shit out either-”

You shook your head simply.
“...Connor's dead. It's as simple as that.”