Partners [Path Unlocked 🔓]

Chapter 35 - Cyberlife Tower

Hank had thought that once he'd gotten into a car and was on the way to Cyberlife Tower he'd have some time to think about all that had happened in the last few hours; but in the silent compartment of the automated taxi, his mind was blank. All the android knew was that he hadn't shot Connor - That was all he had room for in his overworked processors and, when he thought about it, he realized that was about all that mattered. The soft whirr of the smooth machine carrying him swiftly through the snow covered streets was the android's only companion and he found himself watching streetlights pass by overhead in swift flashes of dull color in the darkness.

Soon, however, the warm yellow streetlights transitioned to cold, white watch lights that glared down with unyielding strength to scorn everything in their brilliant glare and the city streets gave way to dark water. The automated vehicle began to slow as the bridge to Cyberlife's headquarters stretched out before it and a solid gate made of nine tall pillars, each bearing a letter of the company's name in a crisp, modern font, barred the way. Eventually, the taxi hummed to a complete halt and the glass pane between Hank and the cold bite of the arctic November winds slid down automatically.

A guard wearing a helmet with a dark visor that slid down and completely concealed his features stalked up to the vehicle, assault rifle poised at the ready as he came to halt a few paces away from the car. "State your model type, serial number, and business here." The man demanded, voice gruff and deep but distorted a touch by the helmet, some amount of electronic buzz to his words that would hinder any chance of recording and stealing his voice.

"Hunt-Kill model. Serial number, 096 185 553 - 2. Reporting for mandatory reset post mission completion." Hank relayed steadily, keeping his voice carefully monotone and flat despite the nervous energy coursing through his wires a mile a minute. He needed to emulate his machine self if he were even to get so far as the front door and with the entire android revolution, not to mention Connor's unstable mental state, hanging by an incredibly thin thread, his act had to be perfect.

The guard paused a moment, some dull lights flashing on the inside of his visor just barely visible from the outside as a dispersed glow across the gray expanse of plastic, likely scanning the machine for confirmation, but after a moment he finally gave a sharp nod and took a step back from the vehicle. The thick columns blocking the way slid into the ground one by one, the letters that spelled the name of the company that had forced Hank to pull the trigger on an innocent life and nearly took Connor away from him with his own hands falling away until the path was clear. The car hummed back to life as soon as the road stood open before it, the clear, glass pane of Hank's window sliding back up as the automated vehicle's wheels spun against the snow for a moment before they grabbed traction and began slugging forward at an agonizingly slow pace.

The car went the rest of the way unhindered, humming along at a slow but steady pace and only wavering in the slightest when a particular patch of ice sent the front wheel skidding a tad to the right, the vehicle's automated systems recalibrating its course and adjusting the other wheels to correct for the issue instantly. Soon, the car hummed to a halt, coming to a stand still just before two wide glass doors that fit into the very front of an enormous, cone shaped tower formed of many interlocking beams that fit together like a spider's web climbing up toward the sky. The word Cyberlife was written along the base of the thing in letters that glowed light blue in the dark as they curled around the curved bass of the tower just above the doors, casting the cold metal in an eerie glow that reflected off the metal and shone out in a way that was almost spectral in nature.

The door of the automated vehicle slid open with a quiet ding just as the doors of the tower did the same, two guards stepping out onto the street and standing on either side of the barrier in wait. Hank pulled his body smoothly out of the car and forcibly reminded himself not to let the barest hint of a smile break through his facade as the action brought up memories of Connor's cramped mousetrap of a vehicle and the absolute spectacle he made of himself every time he tried to exit it. The android moved forward with measured steps, not so much as glancing at either guard even when they fell in step behind him and the sound of two guns being hauled up at the ready met his audio processors. It made sense that security would be tenfold this evening with all that was going on and the only thing Hank could do was remain as steady as possible lest anyone catch onto his deviancy.