Gavin stumbled closer to the bar as the Hickory Killer pushed him. He could barely bring himself to raise his eyes and look Elijah in the face. It had been easy to figure out where they were going once they reached the base of the mountain. He'd driven up enough times to recognise the route. His stomach churned at the thought of what he knew was coming next. Even the muffled ringing in his ears from the earlier gunfire wasn't enough to block the thought out. He barely heard his name fall from Elijah's stunned lips as he looked up from where he was kneeling on the floor pressing a hastily bundled cloth against Chloe's shoulder as she leaned against the bar. Her rifle was out of reach now, kicked away by Jack in the wake of their victory.

"I didn't know there were two of them." The Hickory Killer seemed almost entranced as he rested a shoe against the deactivated ST600's head, turning her face this way and that. Her crystal eyes were vacant as she gazed at the ceiling, the hole in her forehead leaking blue trails across her skin. That wasn't the only hole. Jack had been fast and relentless in dealing with her. Blue bloomed across her once white dress where she'd been hit multiple times. "It truly is fascinating, the way you were able to control both bodies at once." Gavin licked his lips nervously, trying not to give anything away as he listened. Glancing at Chloe, he could see her LED blinking between red and yellow as she struggled to stabilise herself. She had various self-repair protocols, but they required full focus to work. Chloe didn't answer, stuck somewhere between defiance and terror. She'd heard about the last time they'd met, even if she didn't remember.

"Shall I secure the area?" Though it was a wise precaution, that would leave the Hickory Killer more vulnerable. Chloe was down, but Elijah was still in one piece. He was unarmed, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try something. Though he'd conditioned Gavin to be good, he couldn't rule out a spontaneous moment of defiance if given the opportunity. That was part of what made it all so interesting. It was like tossing a coin. Would Gavin obey? Or would he rebel? Even now, after months of treatment, did he have enough will left to defy him? He was breaking, but unbroken. Hopefully that would change with this kill. He was already so close. Doubt showed in his eyes more and more often as he fell. It was a beautiful thing to watch. Captivating.

"There's no need for that. Both residents are in this room, and with the jammers in place, there's little chance of us being interrupted. Isn't that right?" Elijah's dirty green eyes hardened at the taunt. The Hickory Killer was mostly right. He wasn't expecting guests, and he couldn't get a signal out from the bar. His only real hope was Chloe, but it was taxing her systems. It didn't seem like Gavin would be of any use, either. He was clearly shellshocked, eyes wide and vulnerable as he stared at him in mute horror. The reason for that horror became apparent as the Hickory Killer laughed and slipped an arm around the shoulders of the teenaged girl they'd brought with them.

He didn't recognise her, but from what he'd heard from Connor and Nines, he assumed she was Kitty Dawson. Her skin was pale and sickly, a clear sign of trauma. Who wouldn't be traumatised? She'd been kidnapped and forced to witness many horrors, including seeing two female androids gunned down. Chloe was better off than her doppelgänger. She'd been caught in the shoulder, making her arm useless, but was otherwise unharmed. The Hickory Killer had left her in one piece after she'd been disarmed. Elijah wasn't sure why, but maybe it had something to do with Gavin. Perhaps he thought he'd be more cooperative that way.

"I do love family reunions." Gavin flinched, remaining trapped in place as he wished over and over that this was a nightmare. He could hear Kitty sniffling in the background, though he didn't dare look over to see the way she hunched her shoulders and screwed her eyes shut at the half embrace. Tears trickled down her cheeks, a clear sign she knew what was coming next. Elijah glared as the Hickory Killer released her and moved to stand behind Gavin, whose body stiffened as if he knew he was there. As a seasoned officer, he probably did. "It's time, Gavin...Time for your next choice." Gavin clenched his teeth and shook his head, silently pleading for him not to say it. "Your half-brother or your goddaughter."

Elijah's eyes widened as the Hickory Killer stepped up beside Gavin and handed him a gun. Gavin swallowed the lump in his throat as he took it, feeling the same grip and weight in his hand as always. He didn't dare look at it. If he looked at it, this was real. This was happening. The gun remained at his side as he slowed his breathing and stared at Elijah in horror. I-I don't want to-I-I can't-How could he make such a choice? He might not have known him long, but Elijah was his brother. The only blood relation he had left. He'd given him so much in the short time they'd known each other, been a constant, unwavering support. But Kitty was his goddaughter, his last tie to Jack, the man he'd loved. She was innocent in all this. How could he end her life? How could he end either of them?

"Take your time, Gavin. This is an important decision, after all. Will it be your goddaughter, the sweet child you've sworn to protect? Or the half-brother you met barely three years ago?" Putting it like that made the choice obvious, but he wasn't sure he could really do it. The gun felt heavy in his hand, and he was unwilling to raise it. "I'm surprised it's such a hard choice, honestly...Aren't you angry? Aren't you hurt? This is the man who had everything you didn't. If he hadn't been born, you would have been the firstborn Kamski, and the only heir. How different your life might have been if not for him. Your father would have loved you, Gavin. He would have taken you in and trained you as his rightful heir." Nausea rolled in his stomach. Trying to turn him against Elijah like that was low, and a clear sign he didn't understand emotions like most people.

"That wasn't Eli's fault." The only person to blame for his father's lack of involvement was his father. Hell, if he'd kept his dick in his pants, I wouldn't even exist! He blamed his father for a lot, but he'd never blamed Elijah. Since the day they'd met, Elijah had done his best to engage and make him feel welcome. He'd protected his inheritance when he didn't have to. It would have been easy to let him sign it all over to Mrs Kamski and return to his old life, but Elijah had insisted he keep it. He'd kept the hotel in trust and turned it over when he was ready, though he didn't feel ready.

"Of course it was...Not only that, but he was the direct cause of your life coming undone." The truth of those words burned, making him look away. He'd never aimed that bitterness at Elijah directly. He knew Elijah had never considered, while tinkering away on his androids, that he'd leave thousands of people destitute. At first, Gavin hadn't thought so either. He remembered seeing Chloe on TV when she'd first passed the Turing test and thinking she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. It was only a few years later, when androids starting showing up in the workplace, that he'd realised what her creation meant. He'd cursed Elijah's name when his mother lost her job. They'd gone from living a poor but comfortable life to struggling to scrape by with his mother selling her body, and even that work had dried up once the Eden Club opened. Androids were better, cleaner, cheaper, and safer.

"He wasn't." They both knew it was a lie.

"He turned your mother into a whore." Gavin flinched at the crude wording. "He made her work on her knees, gagging for cock in order to put you through school!" Gavin shook his head, unwilling to hear it. Elijah looked stunned and horrified at the revelation. They hadn't exactly gone into details about things like that. He knew his mother had fallen on hard times and done what she had to in order to survive, but putting it like that was crude and demeaning. "And she wasn't the only one, Gavin...Across the country, in every state, thousands were left in the same boat, all because of the great Elijah Kamski. If you think Detective Yates deserved to die for the deaths of hundreds, imagine being responsible for thousands!" Gavin gasped for breath, unwilling to listen.

That wasn't Elijah's fault! The creation of androids wasn't the reason so many had suffered. It wasn't the androids that had put people out of work, it was the companies! Greedy CEOs looking to line their own pockets without a thought for their human employees. Elijah wasn't wrong for having a dream. He wasn't wrong for being creative and completing his vision. He'd even paid the price for it, being forced out of his own company and blocked from creating anything new without the board's approval. Elijah had created a whole new species and helped them gain independence. The leather clad hand on his shoulder pulled him back to the present as he met Elijah's unwavering eyes.

"The choice is simple, Gavin...Your innocent goddaughter or Elijah Kamski, creator of androids and killer of thousands." Any way you sliced it, Kitty was innocent. She was barely entering her teens. Her whole life was ahead of her. Killing her wasn't an option. It never had been. With that in mind, it was really no surprise when Gavin raised the gun and pointed it with a steady hand. Despite the barrel being aimed at him, and Gavin's finger resting on the trigger, Elijah didn't look concerned. He held his gaze, eerily calm as he pushed to his feet. His hands were stained blue from tending to Chloe, who held the cloth against her shoulder as best she could while propped against the bar. Her LED was still spinning between red and yellow, eyes going in and out of focus. "Let me make it easy for you." There was a yelp as Kitty stumbled in front of him.

Elijah, ever the gentleman, caught her as she tripped and guided her to stand with him in front of the bar. She gripped his arm, unwilling to let go as she looked back in fear. Gavin knew she wasn't scared of him. It was the Hickory Killer, who chuckled again with Aaron's voice as he stood beside him and pulled his own gun. A whimper of fear fled Kitty's lips as he took aim, pointing the gun at her as she huddled closer to Elijah. Elijah's jaw tightened as he glared at the masked man. Was this what Gavin had endured for the past year? How many people had he been forced to kill? The Hickory Killer had mentioned a detective earlier. Had Gavin killed him, too? From the haunted look on his face, he assumed so.

"What will it be, Gavin?"

"Y-you said I could take my time!" It sounded more like a plea than a reminder. Gavin's heart thrummed as he waited. It felt like the silence stretched for an age before the Hickory Killer lowered his arm. Gavin shuddered as soft leather stroked his cheek, barely closing his eyes as his skin prickled almost unpleasantly.

"So I did...Very well, I'll give you a few minutes to savour the moment." Savour the moment? Are you phcking kidding me? It was the worst moment of his life, and he'd had a few. Elijah had been there for some of them and helped him pick himself up again. A lump lodged in his throat as he looked from his gun to Elijah and back again. He had to pull the trigger. Despite his own certainty, Elijah still didn't look scared. His eyes were calm, one hand still touching Kitty's arm to keep her grounded as he held his gaze.

"You won't shoot me, Gavin." Gavin's grip on the gun tightened, finger still loose on the trigger as he aimed at his head. The head would be quickest and probably hurt the least. He licked his lips nervously, eyes still darting between the gun and Elijah. "You won't do it."

"What makes you so phcking sure?" His voice sounded a lot hotter than it should.

"We're brothers." It seemed such a simple answer. "There's no one I trust more." And that just made him feel shitty. Gavin held his breath as he tightened his finger on the trigger. Tightened, but didn't pull. He took a shaky breath, looking at his hand as it trembled. Shit! He couldn't to do it. I have to phcking do it! Kitty's dead if I don't! He looked across at her. She was terrified as always, desperately shaking her head. She didn't want to die. The Hickory Killer would have no such hesitation in shooting her. If he didn't kill Elijah, she was a hundred percent dead. "I trust you, Gavin."

"How touching." Elijah's eyes hardened at the interruption.

"Gavin..." His voice was still full of faith and certainty. Gavin didn't understand how he could feel that way. Why wouldn't he think he'd pull the trigger? Because he was an officer of the law? Because he was a good person? They hadn't even known each other for two years before he'd disappeared! That was a fraction of a lifetime! How can you have such faith in me when I don't even have faith in myself? "You won't do it." If he didn't do it, the Hickory Killer certainly would. Elijah's eyes moved to the Hickory Killer almost meaningfully. Gavin knew what he was saying.

Why shoot him when he could turn the gun on his captor? He couldn't even fathom doing such a thing. The Hickory Killer was always one step ahead. He probably had a plan. He was probably watching for that. The gun could be full of blanks, just in case. Being faster, the Jack android could probably stop him before he moved more than half an inch. The Hickory Killer would kill both Kitty and Elijah, then turn on him. They'd take him away, put him back in that tiled room, and-His eyes filled at the very thought of it. I-I can't! I can't go back there-I-can't-go-back! He didn't want to be alone in the dark, cold and starving, parched and slowly dying.

Do-it-do-it-do-it! Pull the phcking trigger! Gavin licked his lips and tried once again to pull, but his finger refused to move. It trembled, the metal pressing into his finger, but it wouldn't pull. His breaths quickened. The Hickory Killer wouldn't wait forever. It wasn't safe to linger, even if no one was expected to raid Elijah's mansion. Jack probably had a timer running to tell them when it was time to leave. Gavin trembled as the Hickory Killer pressed in behind and gripped his hips, fingers ghosting over the barely healed wound. Gentle murmurs reminded him what would happen if he didn't, telling him all the things Elijah had done to ruin his life and the lives of others. He was a selfish billionaire sitting in a castle, watching the world burn.

"Sir!" Jack's LED span red as metal started screeching. They all flinched in surprise at the sound, even Elijah, who knew what that sound was. He was almost relieved as he watched the reinforced shutters slide down over the outer windows. It seemed Chloe had achieved one part of her plan. Unfortunately, that made his personal situation worse, but it made Gavin's a lot better. He'd coded his security system himself, with Chloe's help. It was virtually impossible to hack. Perhaps the Hickory Killer and his android would manage it in time, but would they be able to do it before his absence was noticed? His schedule was always busy, and if Markus couldn't get through, he'd know something was wrong. When Connor and Nines couldn't get through, the DPD would come to investigate. Elijah's eyes hardened as he glared at the Hickory Killer. Check.

"Interesting!" The Hickory Killer seemed annoyingly impressed as he stepped up to the glass and stared at the thick metal shutter. "Impenetrable fortifications that cover the entire building from top to bottom. I must admit, I was surprised when we arrived and entered so easily...I underestimated you, Mr Kamski." Flattering as that was, it didn't change their current situation. Gavin looked like a deer in headlights, quietly hopeful that the Hickory Killer might change his mind. Surely, they'd need Elijah to navigate the security system and open the shutters. "Hack the android." The Hickory Killer seemed disinterested as he waved in Chloe's general direction.

"Elijah, move!" Elijah's green eyes widened as he grabbed Kitty and threw them both away from Chloe. Gavin watched in horror as her LED started pulsing red in quick circles and he met her crystal eyes. She managed a warm smile as she looked at him, holding his horrified gaze as he stood frozen to the spot.

"Belay that order!" It was too late as Jack's hand came to rest on Chloe's arm to start an interface. The Hickory Killer laughed as Choe's head exploded in a hail of thirium and shattered polymer, the force of it scorching Jack's face as he fell back with a wordless cry. Gavin felt sick, trying hard not to look at the scattered mechanical fragments, unsure which came from Chloe and which were from what remained of Jack's head, which had been busted wide open. "Your androids are just full of surprises." Elijah wasn't sure if that was a curse or a compliment as the Hickory Killer crouched beside the bodies and examined the burned out stump of Chloe's neck. "It seems we have our work cut out for us. Gavin, make your choice. We don't have time to wait."

"W-wait! Don't we need him now? He's the only one who knows the security system!" He tried not to sound too hopeful as he lowered his gun a little, still aiming near the bar where Elijah had previously stood.

"Where would the fun be in that? I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to go toe to toe with the great Elijah Kamski. Make your choice, Gavin. I'm eager to get started." Gavin flinched as the Hickory Killer raised his gun and aimed at Kitty. Shit-shit-phck! "Good boy," The Hickory Killer praised as he finally strengthened his resolve. Gavin turned to Elijah's new place and took aim, slowly pressing the trigger. Elijah continued staring at him, still mouthing how much he trusted him. Phck, pull the trigger! Pull-the-phcking-trigger! A small whimper fled his lips as he stared at his own hand and watched his finger twitch.