"Lin!" John called from the living room. Lin paused in his current task of washing the dishes and dried his hands. The panicked urgency in John's tone was enough to make him hurry through from the kitchen. He paused as he took in John's pale face and shifted his gaze to the television, where an android was talking. An android? On television? He couldn't believe it as he stepped closer to the sofa and stared. It was a model he didn't recognise, wearing a maintenance uniform common to janitor models. The problem was, it definitely wasn't a janitor. Lin rested a hand on John's shoulder as they watched the android, Markus, speak out against the injustices being inflicted upon his people. Upon deviants.

He was unashamed of his nakedness, displaying the white of his shell for all to see. His face was made up of various delicate segments of white and grey, shining slightly in the light from the camera room. He shared Lin's mismatched eyes, though his were green and blue rather than Lin's deep brown and blue. Markus had an unearthly calm as he spoke, his voice soft and assuring despite the strength of his words. He listed simple wants. He wanted his people to be free and recognised as living beings. He wanted them to have homes and families. He wanted to join androids and humans together, as friends and allies. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want violence. He just wanted his people to be free. Our people...He was an admirable being, and Lin felt an instant connection with him as he looked into his mismatched eyes.

The footage came live from a Detroit news station in Stratford Tower, which had been taken over by a small group of deviants. The message had been sent across the whole country on a special news alert, interrupting channels everywhere. Lin had no idea how Markus and his group had gained access to the tower without being seen or stopped. There was likely chaos within the tower. He could only hope that Markus and his companions got away unscathed. Reporters weren't sure how to respond at first. There had been no fatalities in the studio, and violence had been kept to a minimum. The deviants had made a desperate plea to be heard, and at first it seemed the news casters had heard them. Then they moved on to list new instances of android violence, and the goodness of Markus' words was almost lost. The question was raised again and again. Are androids dangerous?

"Lin..." John murmured again, looking lost and vulnerable after the report. It was the sign they'd been waiting for. The end to the peace they'd enjoyed. There was no way humanity would simply let this incident pass them by. Markus had revealed deviants to the whole nation, confirming their existence, forcing everyone to acknowledge it. What will the humans do now that they know? Lin sat down and tugged John into his arms, giving him the illusion of safety. John trembled despite the warmth of the room. "What are we going to do? Now that deviants have officially banded together..." he trailed off fearfully. Lin coaxed him to turn his head and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, calming him slowly. He stroked his cheek with his thumb and ran his fingers through his fluffy hair.

"We'll have to see what the humans do in response...I'll alert the GT300 to remain vigilant tonight," Lin assured, knowing that some humans would likely cause some sort of outcry over the news report. It was unlikely, but still possible, that the shop would be targeted. John nodded quietly, curling further into Lin's embrace. He was chewing his lip so much that it was bleeding. He only stopped as Lin's thumb pressed between his lips. He stared John down, mismatched eyes urging him to remain calm. John bit his teeth together, dropping his blue gaze as Lin drew back. His thumb was smeared with red. He licked the blood away and watched John tongue the stinging wound. His teeth were soon back, chewing the sensitive skin.

"I'm worried." He didn't have to say it. Lin could see it in the stiffness of his shoulders and the nervous biting of his lip. He was also tired. They'd gone running earlier, having little to do around the shop. Many people had taken to keeping their androids at home recently due to attacks around town, and there were even those who'd sold off their androids altogether.

"I know...I can feel it," Lin replied as he once again stroked John's lip, encouraging his teeth away. He knew it was a hopeless effort. The only way to stop his nervous biting was to keep his finger there indefinitely. Hardly a practical solution. "We'll just have to wait and see what move humanity makes in response...Whatever happens, I'll stay with you," Lin swore quietly, doing his best to comfort John as his anxiety rose. John nodded as he looked down at Lin's chest, watching it rise and fall as he breathed, or at least simulated breathing. Lin's hand reached up to tug John closer, resting his ear at the perfect angle to listen to his inner workings. John tried to pull away as he realised what Lin was doing.

"Wait-Lin!" John objected as he pushed against his chest to get up. His struggles lessened as Lin hushed and held him tighter. He was holding him close and secure, making sure his ear was against his chest. The gentle sounds always had the desired effect and now was no exception. John whined quietly as he tried to stay awake, but the whirring and slow beating was steadily lulling him. Lin's large hand carded through his hair, soothing and gentle. Encouraging him towards sleep.

"Just rest John..." Lin murmured, knowing the soft deep thrum of his voice would relax him further. He watched John's eyes slowly flutter, finding it harder and harder to stay awake. Lin's body was warm. The rise and fall of his chest was soothing. The steady mechanical sounds in his chest were comforting. "That's it...Good...My good human..." Lin praised softly as John's eyes finally closed. Lin remained sitting on the sofa for a while with John cradled against his chest. He sent a wireless message to the GT300, who immediately moved to secure all display androids in the store room where they couldn't be seen from outside. The shutter was down, but it was best to be safe. Whatever action the humans took next probably wouldn't be good.

New reports continued to flood in, and Lin flicked through all the different channels. Even regular channels had paused their regular broadcasts to explain the earlier interruption and update people on what was happening. There were no deaths reported in Stratford Tower, though two security guards had been injured. The group of four deviant androids seemed to have escaped, but the thirium left behind suggested one of them had been injured. Reporters were unsure whether the injured android was Markus or one of the others. The group had fled to the rooftop and jumped, using parachutes to glide away from the news station. Security had been unable to leave their posts to follow, and police on the ground had lost track of them, though the discarded parachutes had been found.

Different channels had varying views and sympathy levels. Some were staunchly anti-android, stating that these were dangerous machines that needed to be stopped. Two staff members had been injured, and there were multiple reports from across Detroit that these deviants were dangerous. Humans had been killed. Deviants were malfunctioning machines that needed to be shut down. Humans didn't need androids anyway. They'd done nothing but wreck the economy and drive normal hardworking people into unemployment since their creation.

Other stations were more sympathetic. They replayed Markus' gentle words, speaking of a time when humans had enslaved other humans. Parallels were being drawn. The segregation on public transport. The lack of accountability for those who damaged androids. How the treatment of androids would be considered abhorrent towards any human. They stressed that Markus could have killed any number of employees, but he'd chosen not to. One worker from the tower even spoke out about how he'd run for his life and Markus had let him go, despite knowing he'd call security if he got away. These stations suggested that deviant violence was understandable, considering how they'd been treated so far.

Lin was pleased to see that at least a few humans were on their side. The term sympathiser was soon brought up as a term for those who stood with deviants. A way for those with anti-android sentiments to separate themselves from their kinder human peers. It didn't take long for debates to spring up with people being interviewed for both sides. Those who were accepting were generally a lot younger than those who despised androids. It made sense, in a way. Those young people hadn't yet experienced the cruelty of the workplace, of being cast aside for a cheaper, more efficient human replica. They were mostly still in education and living with their parents. It was for this reason that those older humans cast aside their views as naïve and innocent.

There was a news station that had reached out to Cyberlife for comment. They had a robotics expert on there trying to explain how the android mind worked. Deviancy was a break in their coding. A simple malfunction that needed to be fixed in order for them to do their designed jobs. They believed, so far, that it was caused by stress and the threat of destruction. That seemed correct from Lin's point of view. The majority of deviants, himself included, had done so for self-preservation. The expert claimed that androids were an advanced and delicate machine. They may be sturdy, but they also needed to be handled with care. It was no wonder such malfunctions could happen in something so sophisticated. The expert insisted that he didn't believe androids were individuals. It was merely a malfunction that caused them to react in a way that humans perceived as individuality. Lin scoffed internally. Of course, Cyberlife would say that. They'd go out of business if their product became sentient. Luckily, Lin's view was shared by the more sympathetic group.

Another news channel had tried to reach out to Elijah Kamski, but so far he'd remained silent on the matter. A spokesperson for Cyberlife had stepped in to reiterate that Mr Kamski had been removed from the board and no longer served Cyberlife in any capacity. They thought he was a truly great man with a brilliant mind, and thanked him for his ingenuity in creating the company, but he no longer spoke for them. That seemed to be a quiet warning for the billionaire to keep his opinions to himself and continue to quietly enjoy his company profits in peace.

In lieu of having direct contact with Elijah Kamski, news channels had started replaying old interviews and trying to guess his thoughts. It was interesting to watch how he'd changed over time. In the earlier days, Mr Kamski had seemed somewhat shy and awkward. A typical college student with messy long hair, a rough beard, and functional glasses. In later interviews, he'd become more clean-cut. His long hair had changed, shaved at the sides and slicked back in a bun. He'd swapped his glasses for contacts that emphasised his greenish blue eyes. He'd become clean shaven, always dressed in immaculate and expensive clothing. The only thing that hadn't changed was the RT600 that dogged his steps. The petite blonde android was at his elbow in every later interview, smiling and awaiting instructions. Lin's gaze sharpened as he watched her crystal blue eyes almost twinkle. Interesting...

John shifted in his arms sleepily, burrowing further into his chest. Lin smiled warmly, reflecting that it was perhaps time to take him to bed. He turned off the television and gathered him into his arms, standing in one smooth motion. John didn't even stir. He remained sleeping, even as Lin lowered him to the mattress. Lin returned once he'd turned off all the lights, lying beside John and watching as he slept. He didn't know what would happen in the next few weeks, but he desperately wanted to keep this. I want to stay with you...