Today, we were going to protest (peacefully, might I add.) in Capital Park. This is the day we're going to be heard. Riding the escalator, I looked around. "Markus, there's a lot of people here. Why did you choose this place?"

"That's the point, Y/N, we want as many people as possible to hear our voices."

That's pretty risky, but hopefully Markus has a backup plan, in case things go sideways. As soon as we stepped foot on non-moving ground, North spoke. "This is suicide. We'll all be killed! Please Markus," She begged, turning to him. "It's not too late to change your mind."

"As much as I agree with what you're doing, I have to agree with North, Markus." I glanced at him, "This is dangerous. Even leaving Jericho is risky."

North ^

"You guys don't understand, " Josh turned to us with a deadpan look, "We're finally gonna show them who we really are. This place will go down in history!"

"We'll all be killed as soon as we reveal we're androids!" I whisper-yelled.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take, if it means freedom for our people..."

"Markus, please don't do this." North looked at him, she looked afraid.

"They'll understand. We'll make them understand." North turned away from him, as if she was hiding tears. "This is the only way."

I sighed, before I pointed towards the android helping the lady carry her bags, and to the one mopping the floor. "There's a few androids in the shopping area here who could join us."

Simon nodded, "The more people, the stronger our message."

There were a couple of guys hanging around, talking about the relationship between President Warren and CyberLife, a couple talking about our broadcasting, and another arguing because the man was feeling up the android at home. We watched as Markus liberated the androids around here, before he motioned for us to exit the building. As Markus liberated another household android, he moved onto the delivery androids.

Before the other android could walk away, however, the guy who bought him grabbed onto his wrist and started cursing at him, saying 'Where do you think you're going?' and 'You stay right here, you fucking machine.' So I marched up to him and pushed him away from the android, grabbed his arm and tugged him away from that asshole. Cars were beeping and honking as the delivery androids blocked the road, and Markus and I pulled up the others from the manhole.

We started marching. We marched down the street, where Markus got a large group of androids following after us. I could hear the humans call for their androids, but I couldn't care less. All the electronic billboards were changed to show the symbol of our revolution. Soon after, Markus started chanting and many of the androids behind us had followed. The angry stomping of angry androids and our pleas of freedom echoed through the city. More and more androids joined us in our protest, however a police drone started circling us. Not long after, a police car showed up.

"Disperse! Disperse immediately!" The officer shouted.

His cries fell on deaf ears as we continued marching until he reached for his radio.

"Hey, uh I got a situation here." ... "Androids, marching" ... "Uh, I don't know. Hundreds? Thousands maybe?"

The officer looked at us, continued into his radio.

"They're marching. Yeah, uh, they're marching down the street."

Our chanting started up again, and the officer's voice was suppressed.

"LIBERTY FOR ANDROIDS!"

Our chants changed the closer we got to the roundabout, but we were soon surrounded by swat cars, helicopters, and people with guns. Markus lead us to the long line of shields being held up. We all came to a stop, before Markus spoke.

"We came here to demonstrate peacefully, and to tell humans that we are living beings. All we want is to live free."

I knew this was a bad idea.

"This is an illegal gathering. Disperse immediately or we will open fire!" A soldier over a megaphone threatens.

Markus side eyes us, and returns talking to the soldier. "We're not looking for confrontation! We've done no harm, and we have no intention of doing any."

His tone shifts from fast and somewhat nervous to determined, "But just know that we are not going anywhere until we have secured our freedom."

The soldier over the megaphone repeats his statement, as if he had not heard Markus. North shifts closer to Markus, "Markus, they're gonna kill us if we don't take them out first."

We outnumbered the soldiers at least 3 to 1, but their advantage is that they had guns. And shields. And probably armed armored vehicles. Josh counters North, "If we attack, we'll start a war. We have to show them we're not violent, and that could mean standing and dying here."

Simon speaks next. "Yeah, but dying here won't solve anything."

It's my turn to give my two cents. "Markus, we need to leave. Before it's too late." As soon as those words leave my mouth, a soldier sticks their gun out from the shields. The one with the megaphone repeats his statement, but this one feels like a promise, more than a threat.

We all look to Markus, awaiting his orders. After a second or two, he gives us the order to stay. A little louder, He says "We stay right here."

This is insane. I grab Simon's arm and tug him back. "We can't just stand here! We are going to die if we do!" He, North and Josh look back at me, all with varying facial expressions. North looks at me with a face of worry, Simon and Josh look at me like I've just grown two heads.

Jericho ∨

Josh ∨

Markus ∨

Simon ∨

"What're you doing Y/N? We can't just leave. We have to stand our ground!"

"Josh, these guys aren't playing around! They are going to kill us! Look, I know that we have to show them we are serious, but how are we going to ever be free if we're dead?" I've never raised my voice at them before , but there's a first time for everything. "Don't you want to be alive and free rather than dead on the streets? I know what I'd rather be." My shoes squelch on the snowy road as I turn around and push my way through the android crowd. Gunshots rip through the crowd, and one clips my ear.

Fear. I freeze in place. North and Josh are both talking, one over the other, but I can't properly make out anything they are saying. Slowly, I turn around to see Markus holding his hand up high. Not in an 'I surrender' way, but a 'charge' motion. Time seems to move agonizingly slow as Markus throws his hand down. I realize it's either to be trampled by a mob of androids, or be shot by a soldier. Fine. I follow the crowd in a sprint towards the guards. Androids all around me fall, blue blood spattering my clothes and the road. I reach the front of the mob and engage in combat with a shielded guard.

They hold the shield up, but I jump and use both my legs to push the shield into their head. They Stumble back, and I land on the ground. I swing my legs forward and propel myself back up, and while they're still stunned, swipe their legs out from beneath. With the soldier on the ground, I slam my foot on their neck. I don't know if they're dead, or incapacitated, but frankly, I don't care. I picked up a dropped baton, and started beating the shit out of any guard in my sight. It was exhilarating, to say the least. That was, until a bullet went through my shoulder. I turned around to try and find my assailant, but I saw something different. Markus is bleeding out on the ground. I sigh.

I pushed guards and androids out of my way, and when I reached him, he looked up at me in a sort of dazed state. "Y/N?" A large pile of guards seemed to be distracted with another android, so I pulled him out of the way. The crowd was thinning, and a majority of the ones left were androids. Markus stood up and looked at the android that distracted the guards. Half of his face was stained blue, and I realized it was the android we'd brought with us from the CyberLife factory raid. One guard pulled out his handgun, and shot John. Luckily, the five of us made it out alive. We all retreated back to Jericho, hurt and defeated.

Markus ^

(A/N: Wow! I'm on a roll. Two chapters on two different books in two days? Amazing. Anyways, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Didn't really have any ideas. Well, I'll see you guys later, until then, make sure to take a break and grab a glass of water. Stay hydrated!)