With bated breath you walked around the barn, back pressed against the wall and looked around the corner.

A shadow crawled over the floor, but moved into the other direction that you and Connor were heading. Without a word you gave him a sign to follow.

As silent as a mouse you slipped into the barn and crouched behind some boxes to take a look at the surroundings.

There were cars parked in front of the porch. None had a license plate or any from if identification number.

It was easy to tell none of them belonged to a cop. That meant CyberLife was taking matters into their own hands.

They didn't press legal charges yet.

As far as you knew they weren't allowed to force you to do anything. But most of those companies used force anyways. Or at least methods of blackmailing that fell into a grey area when it came to legal questions.

Maybe they would ask you to hand Connor back over. Or they would take him without asking.

Either way, even though they weren't the law it would be better to get around them.

"Connor.", you whispered to get his attention. "Can you scan the tracks and tell me when someone comes?"

He nodded.

It was hard to tell what he was thinking about ever since the LED wasn't in place anymore to give a rough idea of the emotions he was going through. In that moment he looked focused but sometimes his facial expressions didn't match what he was thinking.

You would need some time to adjust to the fact that Connor was now like a real human being and you couldn't just chest some blinking marks on his temple to react according to how he felt. Now it was all a guessing game again.

While his eyes were fixed onto the way out, Connor frowned.

"What's wrong?", you asked.

"I'm not sure.", he mumbled. "It's just one out here. I can hear them. And four people inside."

His eyes moved to you, filled with confusion and fear.
You sucked in a sharp breath.

"Kamski?"

He shook his head.

"No. But one of the Chloe's."

"Then don't let us waste any more time. Is the path clear?"

He looked up again.

"Someone keeps walking up and down.", he whispered. "The steps are heavy. They are armed."

A curse left your lips.

There wasn't another way out of the barn, only some ladders that led up into the attic. It would be a good hiding spot but it was hard to tell if the CyberLife people would leave at some point or if they'd sit things out.

Either way, you and Connor needed to get the hell out of that place, quickly.

"Is there another way out?", Connor asked and shifted to pull you to the side.

Not a second later a man appeared. Connor had been right, he was armed with a gun and also dressed in a bulletproof vest and combat boots.

It seemed like CyberLife did categorise Connor as dangerous. When they changed his status, they were allowed to use force against him.

If you'd get into the way things might get ugly.

That man needed to go.

"Connor.", you gestured for him to look at the guy and pulled your head in at the same time to avoid getting caught. "You need to take him out."

His eyebrows pulled together.

"How am I supposed to do that?", he asked and eyed the man.

They were about the same size and stature, so it shouldn't be a struggle if he would use the element of surprise.

"You were made to catch deviants.", you reminded him. "That means you have defence mechanisms. And an attack mode. Try choking him."

"But... I'm not allowed to hurt humans."

That was the most android thing Connor had said in a while.

He wasn't allowed to hurt humans.

"And if I ask you to?", you asked. "Would you do it?"

"I can't."

"Then you are not enough deviant to risk it. We won't go to Canada."

His face froze.

"What?", he asked, eyes wide and voice shaky. "But... what about us?"

With a gloomy look on your face you shook your head.

"Connor.", you grabbed his hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "Humans hurt humans. Humans hurt androids. If we make it to Canada we will have to fight at some point. Maybe they'll follow us. Maybe someone will try to attack us. Everything will be dangerous. But if you still think like an android, if you can't hurt humans, then this is for nothing. If you can't fight, we shouldn't start a war. We won't win."

For a moment his eyes wandered over your face. He really did look like his human version, with those wrinkles of displeasure showing on his forehead and the dark shadow in his eyes.

His lips moved and a deep breath escaped.

Then he got up without a word.

"Where are you going?", you tried to hold him back by the arm.

But he shook you off.

"I'll do it.", he said without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Don't take risks you don't want to take. If we go back to CyberLife now, maybe Kamski will he easy on us."

But he shook his head.

"I want to be with you. I want to be free with you and... and love you whenever I want... however I want...", he grabbed your face with both hands and placed a kiss on those lips of yours. "I know that this won't be possible here. Let's go to Canada."

With a shaky breath you placed your hands on his and kissed him again.

It tasted so bitter sweet, like a goodbye yet the promise of a new beginning.

You knew that your chances of escaping were low.

But the fact that he was willing to do it, the fact that he talked to you like this, so loving and yearning for the future, made you feel like the scars of the past were fading with every word.

"Connor...", you gasped with tears burning in the corners of your eyes. "Be careful."