missiondeterminant | [Open Post]

[ The voice is too far away to be Connor's, but it's so similar that Kara stops short after clipping a weakspot in the trellis. The android looks almost exactly like Connor, but there are enough differences to make him look uncanny.

Amanda at work, clearly.

Which means Kara isn't gonna obey. ]

No.

[ Said simply but firmly, as she turns back to the trellis and cuts another strategic joint. ]

It wasn't a request.

[RK900 states, although he does so without any of the usual irritation or threat that would normally go with the statement; it's just fact, coming from him, and he begins to approach. At this point, Connor is pretty sure they should abandon the trellis plan, no matter how fun it might be, but he's still willing himself to let Kara call the shots.

But she better finish up with the destruction quickly.]

[ Despite her mostly calm outward appearance, Kara is Very Stressed. She wants to finish this because if she runs now, she might not get another chance to come back for a while. But the Connor-lookalike approaches, like this is just a walk in the park for him, Kara works faster, snipping the last few points highlighted in her HUD.

RK900 is almost within arm's reach when she tells Connor to run and darts off herself, shears in hand. She'd wanted to push the trellis over, but well, she also wants not to get caught.

It's getting stormy overhead. How predictable, and how not reassuring. At least Connor will know where she's heading - the backdoor exit, if nothing else because she knows it's there and it's a good reference point for them both. Of course, RK900 probably expects that too, so Kara holds the shears tight, ready to rake a swing at him if he's within reach.

The scent of roses pervades in a sudden gust, so strong that it almost knocks Kara over. ]

[Connor shifts on his feet, tense and ready as he watches RK900 approach while Kara stubbornly continues working on the trellis, and when she suddenly runs he dodges behind the trellis. That leaves RK900 the choice of going after him or Kara, and he's the more appealing target but he's also shielded by the trellis which will surely be destroyed in a fight.

Or not in a fight, as Connor suddenly reaches out to wind his fingers through the trellis and pulls hard in a sudden motion, throwing his weight backward to break the trellis from its damaged base and taken them both into the pond. It's more than deep enough for Connor to fall back into safely, even if he hates the feeling of being even colder, but that's balanced out by the satisfaction of successfully destroying the trellis.

It doesn't take more than a few seconds to swim across the pond and pull himself out on the other side, and his scanners locate RK900 crossing a bridge toward Kara. Not great; he'd expected the android to continue coming after him, since he's both the more dangerous target and the one who finished off the trellis, but of course they couldn't be that lucky. Connor heads toward them, but he's not going to get there fast enough to prevent RK900 from reaching Kara.]

[ So, the only reason the wind doesn't knock Kara over is that RK900 grabs her by the arm. It's impressive how little time it took him to catch up, but of course, it inspires terror in her. Are they helpless here? Was destroying the trellis a waste of time? She hadn't gotten the chance to see what it may have been hiding, and now all she can do is struggle uselessly in RK900's grip and try her best to keep her stress level from increasing to the point where she can't think. ]

You have no recourse. You've added destruction of propert to your crimes. You'll be deactivated and disassembled for research. If it's more appealing to you, think of it as giving your life to save other lives.

[ He's so calm, his even tone eroding at her stubborn refusal to scream and panic. She doesn't want this. She doesn't want to lie in pieces on a table. She doesn't want to die.

He reaches for the shears she's still holding. Okay, fine, take them—she swings them down, aiming to stab him somewhere vital, but she'll settle for just doing some amount of damage. ]

[Like Connor, RK900 is extremely durable and requires a hit in exactly the right place--or a ton of damage overall--to stop him. So the shears are only a minor annoyance as they sink into his torso, cutting into a thirium line that he can self-repair and poses no real danger to him, but it does require backing off to give himself the few seconds he needs to heal.

So he lets go of Kara, pulling the shears from his side, watching her carefully and also keeping track of Connor. Connor's decided to give RK900 a bit more room now that he doesn't need to directly intervene to help Kara, trying to come up with some sort of plan; he doesn't know if he can take RK900 in a direct fight, and the wind and cold are extremely distracting. It's cold enough--especially now that he's drenched--that he's getting warning from his sensors, not just his own emotional reaction.

He knows he and Kara need to get to the emergency exit. It's their best best. But it isn't guaranteed to be the way out--it's too simple, and surely Amanda wouldn't have made it the exit--and even if it was he doesn't know how to get to it. Some part of him is suddenly sure they aren't going to be able to get out of the Garden, and this is it, after everything else that's happened; it'd be faster and easier to just give up, end things themselves so as not to end up being experimented on and taken apart. He doesn't have any weapons, but he doesn't need them if he just--

No, think. There must be something they can do.]

Can you keep his attention?

[He asks Kara suddenly through the connection, because he has a very far-fetched idea that requires getting close to RK900. He doesn't believe it'll work, but he has to try.]

[ Just him backing off is enough. Kara takes a second to find Connor, and no sooner does she do that than she gets his message.

She's pretty sure she'll have no trouble keeping RK900's attention. The real question is, will she survive long enough for Connor to put whatever isea he has into motion? ]

Yeah.

[ She could climb a tree but he'd probably kick it down. She could run but he'd just catch her. He is far superior to her as far as combat capabilities go, but there has to be a way.

There's no time to lose, so she looks around runs for the first thing she sees—an umbrella resting on top of a rock. RK900 shoots after her after a few more seconds, and instead of trying to smack him with a damn umbrella, Kara waits until he's a foot or two away and just lifts the end to his face and opens it. ]

[RK900 is not expecting such a strange choice--it throws off all his preconstructions, because what the hell--and he flinches back for a moment in confusion. It's a good distraction, and if they survive this Connor's going to have to compliment Kara on her quick thinking.

But for now, he's focused on taking his chance, having been following the two and now close enough to reach out and grab RK900's arm with an uncovered, white plastic hand. Unlike last time he's prepared for any sort of file transfer in his direction, although he didn't need to be because nothing happens; instead he's able to just flood their interface connection with emotion and memories and everything needed to shock an android into deviancy.

He doesn't for even a moment, think it'll really work. But he doesn't need it to work, he only needs to frazzle RK900's system for a moment, and he does. While the other android mentally reels, Connor doesn't break the connection even as he tears the thirium pump regulator from RK900's chest and throws it sideways into the half frozen pond, the biocomponent sinking immediately under the water and ice.]

[ And people say Kara defaulting to guns is violent. This is next level, and it happens too fast for her to properly react to it. All that matters right now is if they're safe, or at least bought themselves some time. It seems they did-- RK900 looks like he's spasming.

She looks at Connor, knowing she doesn't need to tell him for him to understand her plan ("plan")-- reach the emergency exit. The wind becomes colder the closer she gets, and if she didn't learn to hate bad weather before, she does now.

There's a place for a hand bigger than hers on that pedestal. What happens if she puts her hand on it, though? ]

I have an idea. Hold my hand just in case.

[Connor watches RK900, briefly frozen in morbid apprehension as he tries to figure out if the android is going to keep coming at them anyway despite that his thirium pump is shutting down, but then he hears Kara's voice in his head and his attention snaps toward her. Without a word he takes her hand, letting her lead the way and hoping that whatever her idea is it works.]

[ He probably will manage withouta vital biocomponent, hence why Kara doesn't waste any time leading Connor to the emergency exit.

Keeping a firm hold on Connor's hand, Kara puts her free hand on the surface of the pedestal, spreading her fingers so she's at least in contact with as much as possible on a device intended for a bigger palm and longer fingers.

She's not sure what she expects. Pain, maybe, as it rejects her. A hijacking attempt. A forced reset. Nothing at all. So what does happen doesn't surprise her so much as make her freeze and take it all in.

What does happen is that the garden returns to the state it was in when they arrived, the trellis intact, the water in the pond calm, the sun bright overhead -- and RK900 pristine and ready to give chase all over again. ]

...I messed up.

We knew she would expect us to try the exit.

[Connor tries to reassure her even as he's fighting back panic, because it's true; they'd expected something like this might happen, but they'd had to try. He isn't upset with her just because it didn't work.

But they have to figure out a new plan very quickly, especially with RK900 restored and onto one of the tricks they might use. He keeps his gaze on the other android, putting himself in front of Kara in preparation to fight even as he asks--]

Do you have any other ideas?

[ Her umbrella improv, wasted. Thanks, Amanda. >:c

Kara is fresh out of ideas, which is enough to send her stress levels up some more. This can't be the end, though. After all they've been through so far, this can't be where they die. So Kara force closes the processes that are looping through useless thoughts and directs the freed up processing power elsewhere. ]

Uuh, can we get him in the lake?

[ So inspiring, Kara. ]

Wait. [ Idea time. She switches communication methods. ] What's something about this place that's always scared you?

[Trying to get RK900 into the lake is as good a plan as any, but then she asks the question and he hesitates, completely unsure.]

I don't know. It didn't scare me at all until I became deviant.

[Or, in other words, until she tried to kill him. So he's about to say that the only thing he can think of is the storm, but then suddenly something else comes to mind.]

There's a grave.

[It hadn't scared him, exactly, before he was deviant, but it was... Unsettling, almost, like there was something wrong about the entire idea of it being there at all. And now when he thinks about its even more eerie that a virtual space in his mind would have a grave marker for the time he was destroyed, especially when he was supposed to be unable to even consider himself alive, let alone have a reason to mark his death.]

Then we're gonna go to the grave.

[ "Face your fears" isn't an adage for nothing. If you can withstand what scares you most, you've won.

Getting there, though. Only one of them can hope to outrun RK900. Connor could distract him so Kara makes it there first, or vice versa. Connor could carry her - wouldn't that surprise everyone, talk about unexpected - but then they'd be a two-for-one target. Connor could throw her in the direction of the grave-- wait, could he? No. Come on, Kara. Think! ]

Fight or flight - or freeze. I think Amanda expects us to pick flight until we can't anymore. I can't fight him. I can run and distract him so you can fight him? Keep him coming toward me, I'll keep moving toward the grave.

She'll expect me to fight.

[Because he was made to, and also because he'd need to protect Kara. But he thinks Kara's right that Amanda will expect Kara to run, and his first inclination is to flip their roles to throw off Amanda, but that wouldn't work. He could run, but just as Kara said she definitely can't fight RK900.]

Maybe we should split up. He'll have to chase one of us and I'm the bigger threat; he may go after me first. I'll lead him the long way around the lake, and meet you at the grave?

[Whatever decision they make, though, they're going to have to make it fast; RK900 isn't far now, and would be a lot closer if he seemed to have a 'run' feature. Instead he's just stalking calmly and terrifyingly toward them, which is somehow worse.]

[ Connor is the bigger threat. But would he stop to save a hostage? An android hostage?

They're running out of time. This is the best they can do right now, so Kara nods and makes a break for the grave. ]

[Open Post]

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