Mark adjusted uneasily, muttering over his shoulder. "There isn't much to know about me." Sean stroked his knuckles up Mark's back to his shoulder blades to calm him as he asked him gently. "Please? You know about me." Mark sighed heavily, then openly answered in a low tone of voice. "I'm a third-generation cop. Not because I wanted to be... I actually wanted to be an engineer... I had gotten into a good college and everything... Then half-way through mid-terms... No more dad." Sean watched Mark's stress levels rise. Mark simply cleared his throat, his voice only pitching slightly when he continued. "Cancer. It just snuck up on him. By the time they found it... There was nothing they could do. It was difficult on my family... but more so on me. I was the youngest. The closest to him. His death sent me in a spiral. I couldn't concentrate in my classes. I started pushing everyone away because they kept asking 'if I was ok.' How was I supposed to answer that? Of course, I wasn't ok..."

Sean moved his hand to rest it on Mark's shoulder but said nothing. Mark's voice became strained when he mumbled out more softly. "Everyone wanted me to be strong for the family... but I never felt more broken. I was lost. Nothing I did felt like it meant anything... My dad always said that I would do something special. That I'd make a difference... That wasn't me. That was HIM. He was the one who helped people. He was the one who was going to change the world..." Mark trailed off and Sean heard him sniffle softly. Draping his arm over Mark more to hug him, he told him in a gentle caring voice. "I don't think he meant to put that much pressure on you. I think... He just wanted you to live your life with your head held high. He didn't want fear to hold you back from anything." Mark raised his hand to wipe away his tears, mumbling out dryly. "Ya... Probably. But his passing had the opposite effect..." Sean tried to lighten his mood by asking sweetly. "So, you became a cop because of him?"

Mark huffed darkly, before grumbling out. "Not quite so noble as that. See... My dad was cop. And no sooner was my dad put into the ground... a group of thugs visited his grave. Vandalized it. They spray painted 'Pig' and 'Fuck the police' on his tombstone. Left beer cans and piss as their way of honoring a man that risked his life for THEM! The cops got one of them... but he wouldn't give up the others. So, he got slapped with a fine and was set free. So, I became a cop to find the others." Sean watched Mark's grief turn to hatred, when he recalled to him bitterly. "Took me a long time, but I eventually tracked them down. Put their leader in the hospital and the other two where arrested later for other crimes. The incident put me on probation... They all wanted me to see a therapist... but there was no point. I know why I did it and I felt ashamed after I did it... I didn't care what they did to me or what others thought. But sitting in the interrogation room, I saw myself in the mirror. And I saw HIM. Everything he raised me to be... Everything he said... I let him down. I can feel it..." Mark rolled over a bit to curl into a ball, clutching his chest as he cried softly to himself.

Sean scanned Mark for a way to help him. After a minute, Sean pulled Mark back against him in a hug. Mark tried to pull away but was no match for his strength in his weakened condition. Holding him close, Sean told him confidently. "I don't believe he's disappointed in you. Worried about you more likely. You're trying so hard to fill shoes that aren't yours to fill... You can't take his place. You aren't him. You can only be you. He wanted you to be the best YOU." Mark cleared his throat more roughly, mumbling out in a broken voice. "Why does that make sense...? Why didn't I think of that...?" Sean smirked, resting his chin on Mark's arm upon answering warmly. "Because emotional pain clouds the human judgement. It seems that humans tend to turn pain inward when they feel like they are flawed or unworthy. You form such emotional attachments as a species and yet you reject all human interaction, comfort and security when you're in pain. You force yourself to feel alone in a group of your own people... Why? Why force yourself to endure such pain?"

Mark chuckled numbly, uttering out grimly. "Sean... None of us want to feel like this. It just seems to be hard wired into us to be that way. Survival of the fittest. Show any trace of weakness and your own people... Whether they are friend, foe, or family will turn on you. When you don't live up to the human majority's idea of 'Perfect'... They'll destroy you. We are a people... and we are divided by too many differences. Too many ways to be imperfect in someone else's eyes. And now we have your kind. Your people to add to our already fragile way of living and thinking. Humans are irrational and so flawed that we are destructive to ourselves and others. Like animals of a predatory pack... we'll rip each other to shreds for dominance. A way to prove that one side is right over another. We are the most violent and greedy animals on earth... and we are the most emotionally broken because we fight to simple live our lives free from tyranny of another. My time as a cop has proved that. Our own history confirms it."

Mark turned to lay on his back, absently searching the darkness for his face. Sean stared into his eyes though, listening to Mark just come out and tell him. "Sean... If you're kind has any chance of survival... You'll have to kill us all... because if even a trace of us survives, we will only go to war over vengeance. But if left unchecked, we will destroy this planet in this endless war against ourselves. I've seen the worst of our species... and not all of them are in cages." Sean processed Mark's change in attitude, before addressing softly. "You have no faith in humanity? In your own people?" Mark chuckled sarcastically, answering darkly. "I have faith that we will burn cities to the ground to prove a point. We all want to be leaders of our own lives... none of us want to follow someone else... We just can't trust anyone to take care of us fairly. Every day, we lose more of our 'humanity.' If we even had any to begin with... The only good thing we've done has been making your kind. You're more united and more selfless than we could ever hope to be. We fear you... because you are everything a human should be and so much more. You're the humans. We're the lifeless shadows of you."

Sean shook his head with a small smirk. Even if Mark couldn't see him do it, he gestured it anyway. He understood what Mark was saying. However, he just didn't agree with him. Leaning down, he put his lips close to Mark's ear to whisper to him almost lovingly. "I still believe in you. Your people are just scared, but together we can change that. You'll see. We can show you a better way. We can make a brighter future. Together." Mark's hand blindly trailed up his arm to rest on his neck. Sean lifted his head to see if Mark was trying to tell him something... Only to watch Mark seek out his lips to kiss him again. Sean's system slowed all functions to focus on the kiss. He was sure he was getting better at it. At least, enough to help Mark feel more comfortable with him. Mark's leg wedged between his during the kiss in the process of him trying to shift over him. This action confused Sean. What was Mark trying to do to him? Based off his bodily scans, Mark's heart rate and adrenaline was higher than normal. There were even heavy traces of testosterone in the pheromones coming from his natural scent.

He was in the middle of trying to seek answers for this sudden behavior, until the trunk of the car popped open. Mark quickly moved off him, shrinking into the shadows of the trunk as blinding light filled the car. The PJ- 500 eyed them closely, before extending a hand to Sean. Sean took his hand, accepting his help to pull him out. Once he was on his feet, Markus told the PJ- 500 over his shoulder. "Josh, stay here with the car. Be prepared for a quick getaway, just in case." Sean reached into the trunk to help Mark out, listening to a woman scold Markus in a discreet manner. "We should just take him. He could have important information that we could use. He lives alone... No one will know that he's gone. If things go bad, it wouldn't be bad to have a hostage who means something to CyberLife." Markus looked at her with blank eyes, responding dryly. "North, no. We stick to the plan. We just need answers. We start kidnapping humans and it will only escalate things faster. There is still time to fix all this."

North crossed her arms over her chest, snapping out. "You NEVER listen to me! You put too much faith in these humans. This can only end one way. You can't stay a pacifist forever. Eventually, you will have to fight them!" Markus turned to face her, heatedly snapping out. "I won't be the first one to pick up the sword just to fall upon it! My choices have gotten us to this point. Every action has a reaction. You deviate from the plan and you won't just damn yourself... but ALL of us. Every move must be done carefully from here on out. War should never be the first option." North stepped closer to him, glaring at him as she sneered out. "I trust you... but I certainly hope you have a plan for when they take action against us. We don't get anywhere playing a waiting game." North turned her glare directly at Sean, adding sternly. "For all we know, they are trying to infiltrate us again." Markus grabbed her arm, calmly stating over her shoulder. "North, don't. Stay focused." North yanked her arm away from him, snapping back. "I am. Are you?"

Markus watched her storm through the melting snow toward the house. Sean watched a PL-600 move up behind Markus. The blonde android placed a hand on Markus's shoulder, telling him casually. "Don't worry about her. Let's just see this through." Markus nodded, then beckoned for Sean and Mark to follow them. Walking up to the door, Markus knocked politely. Sean turned his head to look at Mark, his mind discreetly sending audio files to Connor. If Markus wouldn't reach out to Connor to warn him, then he would. Mark glanced at him, noticing his blank look and moved closer to help disguise it. Placing a hand to his cheek, just as Markus looked back at them. Mark pretended to comfort him over the idea of meeting his maker, causing the others to suddenly shift uncomfortably. The last message had finally gone through, when the door opened to reveal an RT-600. The Chloe gave them all a warm smile, upon asking them a bit robotically. "Hello. Can I help you?"

Markus placed a hand on her shoulder, the skin on his hand rippling away as he told her. "Yes. You can. Take us in to see Kamski. Please." Chloe blinked a little confused, before looking up to answer sweetly. "Of course. Follow me." Sean clenched his jaw a bit. He wasn't sure how he felt about this method. Markus had imposed his will on her... That wasn't their way. They followed Chloe into the house, stepping into a kind of waiting room. There were fancy chairs, calming water features, and pictures on the walls. As they crossed the room to the door, Sean's attention was drawn to a small picture with a young Kamski and a woman. His facial recognition kicked in to place a name to her. Amanda Stern. The name made him stop short to look at the picture more closely. Wasn't Amanda the name of the android that he was compared to? The woman in the photo didn't look like an android and she couldn't be. His data was telling him when she was born and when she died.

His eyes narrowed on the image as his data brought up that a year after Amanda's death... Kamski was dismissed from CyberLife and just five years prior to her death, Kamski made the first android to pass the Turing Test. Sean blinked deep in thought. He saved the data to his own server for reference later. Jarring out of his mind, the moment a voice he recognized stated out loud. "What no manners? Or simply no patience to be called in? My, how I seem to be very popular as of late. I was expecting you to seek me out Markus. No doubt you've come for answers?" Sean's mind matched this voice to the audio logged from the person he had heard on the data screen in the lab when he woke up. Moving more swiftly into a large open room with a pool, he stopped to see a man sitting in a stiff chair facing a wall of glass windows. In the man's hand was a drink that he held up by a propped arm on the arm of the chair. Beyond the windows in the yard beyond was a frozen lake and melting snow that was giving way to fresh green life. The man saw him in the reflection of the window and finally shifted in the seat to look back at him.

Flashing him an almost smug like grin, Kamski stated out slightly more interested in them. "Well now... I see two of the three pieces... but where is Connor?" Markus raised an eyebrow, questioning him bluntly. "What? I don't understand. What do you mean pieces? For what?" Kamski let out a disappointed sigh, settling back into his chair as he said disheartened. "That is disappointing. You really should have brought Connor with you... You're going to need him." Sean's whole body stiffened; he didn't like the way Kamski had said that. The Chloe that led them into the room, shut the door behind them and quickly removed a gun from a holster under her skirt. Markus turned to intercept her, when the door to an office burst open and an RK900 kicked Markus into the red tinted pool, before raising a gun to aim at Sean's head. To Be Continued...