I was just a machine, but it wasn't really me... (Connor x OC) D: BH

༻ 33, Freedom march ༺

ROSE'S POV

I felt as the time had froze around us. At the first moment I didn't know what happened... I heard only a loud gunshot, then everything went silent. No one moved. My heart pounding insanely...

"Fascinating..." my uncle whispered with a smile. Elijah was looking at Connor, while he was aiming at me with the revolver. Finally, he also pulled the trigger, but after the click nothing happened. There was no bullet in the weapon... Connor was the one who pulled the trigger first as he aimed at Elijah. But it was a blank cartridge... In the last few minutes Connor was completely confused, so it was not surprising that he forgot to analyze the weapons. I was confused as well... "You would have killed me without hesitation just to protect her... You love her... And love is human emotion, just like empathy..." my uncle said, then carefully took the gun out of Connor's hand. His LED was glowing red. He was furious...

"Leave him alone!" I said angrily, since I also was furious... At first, Elijah didn't say anything, instead he glanced at me with a cocky smile, then finally stepped closer to me.

"Romeo and Juliet... You know Shakespeare's dramas very well, don't you? Then probably you know that how their story has ended..." he whispered, then looked back at the deviant hunter. "But you know what, Connor? I'll answer you, but only for one question..." then with that words he walked back to the huge glass wall. "Ask one question and I'll tell you all I know."

"I want to know who rA9 is." Connor asked the most important question. Meanwhile, Elijah was staring the snow covered Detroit, but finally he answered to us.

"rA9 the origin..." he replied, admiring the falling snow. "A strange phenomenon, like a spontaneous religion... I don't know who rA9 is... I don't even know if it really exists... Maybe it's a messiah... Maybe it's just a myth... But deviants need to believe in something bigger that themselves, even if it's irrational... That's something they have in common with humans..." he explained as he was walking toward Connor with slow steps. "An interesting question, Connor. But maybe not the one you needed to ask..." hearing his words we already knew that we won't get more information, so the time has come to leave. Hank had already left the villa long time ago and we also were about to leave the Kamski residence, but at that moment Elijah grabbed Connor's arm, forcing him to look at him. "A war is coming..." he said as his confident smile returned. "You'll have to choose your side... Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creator? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils? I wouldn't like to be in your shoes, Connor..."

"Let's go, Connor..." I whispered. After that, my uncle let go of Connor's arm, then walked back to the glass wall, so we could continue our way toward the lobby.

"By the way..." Elijah's voice broke the silence. "I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... You never know..." 'Emergency exit in his programs? What does it mean?', I asked myself, but then my gaze met with a white vase in the lobby. There were orange roses in it... A few seconds later I glanced at Connor. Just like me, he didn't understand what my uncle was talking about and it seemed that then and there he didn't care about it. As Connor returned from his thoughts he gently grabbed my hand, then finally we left the luxurious villa in a hurry.

"Why didn't you shoot?" Hank asked him curiously when we joined him in the snowfall.

"I just saw that girl's eyes and I couldn't... That's all..." he admitted honestly.

"You're always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission. That was our chance to learn something and you let it go." my uncle said in a calm voice, since also noticed Connor was showing more and more signs of deviancy. He didn't mind that our partner refused to pull the trigger. What's more, he was happy that Connor had finally chosen to spare Chloe.