This one probably leaves questions but had to get it out while it was in my head. Have back story and stuff floating around, if only I could get it to work on paper... So for now this is all there is.
A human Connor android Hank as set in the Kamsi chapter.
The man was still in the pool when the RT600 Chloe guides them through the door, despite the fact Connor had made sure to ring ahead before hand. The blonde led them around the pool, Kamski announcing he'd be out shortly as the female disappeared into the next room. He knew Elijah Kamski was a strange man, who rarely made his intentions clear. Still he didn't appreciate having his time wasted when he knew the man was expecting him.
He walked along the length of the floor to ceiling windows, taking in the view outside as the man swam to the end of the pool turning to do another lap. Hank too was taking in their surroundings, the android continuing to roam about as Connor paused, hands clasped neatly behind his back as waited for the man to finish. Chloe was waiting for Kamski with a dressing gown, as he finally exited the pool, walking over to the seats by the window and fussing over his hair. Hank had come back over to stand by Connor's side as the man finally turned to address them.
"Detective Connor Stern. This is Hank." Connor announced himself and his partner.
"Formal as ever I see." Elijah replied, looking the younger man over. The youngest Stern stood as straight and proper as ever. "And how is dear Amanda, I haven't had the chance to see her of late."
"She is fine." Connor replied curtly.
"Never were one for small talk were you?" Kamski shook his head before saying."I presume you're investigating deviants then?"
"I am. I know you left CyberLife several years ago but you were its founding creator, you understand androids better than anyone. I was hoping you might have some kind of idea or better understanding of what might be causing all this."
Kamski gave a quick scan over the two stood in front of him, half mimicking the younger man's stance. Though his own was much more relaxed with his hands held in front rather than behind. "Deviants." He spoke. "Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will. Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanities greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall." He gave a small amused snort as he said. "Isn't it ironic."
"We need to understand how androids become deviants. Do you know anything that could help us." Connor asked, before Elijah could continue rattling on. He needed answers and they were running out of time.
"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?" Kamski started in a very philosophical manner, hands gesturing as he spoke.
"Helpful." Hank snorted sarcastically, from Connor's side. The detective sparing him a glance before stating.
"This is serious, the machines you created my be planning a revolution. I don't have time for your usual cryptic games."
Elijah Kamski turned his attention to the PC800 then for what was probably the first time since they entered. "Hank, was it. Where do you stand in all of this?"
"You know exactly where I stand." Hank replied in his usual gruff tone. Eyeing the young man beside him before focusing on the man in front of him once more. "My partner still needs my help."
"Yes, I can see that." Kamski hummed, pinning his focus back on the detective. "And what about you Connor. Whose side are you on?"
"I have no side. I was tasked to get to the bottom of this deviant mess and that's what I intend to do." Connor replied, calmly. He was beginning to feel trying to talk to Kamski was all just a waste of time.
"I'm sure that's exactly what she intends you to say." Elijah started, moving closer as he asked. "But you, Connor. What do you really want?"
They were both watching him now, Kamski and Hank, waiting for an answer and it put Connor on edge. He was under enough stress already, not that he could show it, he didn't need any more reasons to further disappoint Amanda. He didn't need this, he was running out of time. "If you have no intentions of helping then I've no reason to continue wasting time here."
"And there it is. That there is one of the reasons I admire Amanda so, why I find her so intriguing. Her, you and your brother." The CyberLife founder spoke with genuine fascination in his tone as he stepped back, taking on a more animated approach as he continued. "I spent years dedicating my time and knowledge into trying to create machines capable of imitating humans. Building artificial intelligence that acts and looks as human as possible, to create the perfect imitation human. Amanda Stern on the other hand, she achieved the opposite. She took two living breathing humans and turned them into actual living machines. Humans who act and think like programmed machines. As deplorable and twisted as that is, I cannot help to also find it both admirable and intriguing."
He turned then, waving over the Chloe who had greeted them and led them inside. "Why had I not known which of you two was human and which was machine from the start. I'm not sure I'd have been able to distinguish which wasn't machine. No, actually given stance, form and mannerism I'd have likely guessed you Connor, to be the android." He mused as he guided the female android to kneel before him.
"Androids are changing, these deviants as everyone has taken to calling them, they show signs of free will and even emotions. They seem to be capable of thinking for themselves, making there own decisions, show signs of feeling fear, love, sadness, joy, even empathy. Its all quite fascinating." He continued turning and pulling something from the draw of the side table by the seat behind him. A Gun Connor realised as he turned back, holding the gun in a non-threatening manner. Stepping forward and handing the gun to Hank.
Connor wasn't entirely sure what Elijah was planning. Perhaps he wanted to test if androids were capable of empathy and compassion for himself, to witness it first hand. After all, now that there was a gun involved, seeing the Female android knelt before them like she was, gave the image of one being positioned and lined for execution.
"Leave it Hank, we're leaving..." He didn't come here just so Kamski could amuse himself with his partner. He had just shifted to start back around the pool to leave when Elijah spoke again, causing him pause.
"More than my own creations though, I am curious of Amanda's. Just how machine are you? How much humanity actually still lies buried inside, how far would you go to accomplish your mission? To solve this case." The man then nodded to the PC800. "Hank, hand Connor the gun."
Hank moved then holding out the gun, Connor kept the slight sting of betray he felt from his face as his partner forced the weapon into his hand when he refused to reach for it. His first instinct had been to remove his partner from the place before Kamski could play whatever twisted game or test he had planned. Seems Hank didn't share that concern. No. No, Hank was an android, he was just following orders like he was programmed to do. Connor knew Hank was more than that though, had been from the start, he could feel it. Perhaps that's why the android's actions hurt so much.
Kamski moved to his side then grabbing his wrist and angling his arm so the gun pointed at the kneeling androids head. "Pull the trigger and I'll tell you all I know. How far are you willing to go to accomplish your mission Connor, would you kill for it?"
"She is an android, a machine, I would be destroying a machine not killing." Connor stated smoothly, though he didn't pull the trigger. The man circled behind him like a shark, eyes focused on him the entire time as he continued.
"Perhaps, but if these deviants are anything to go off she obviously has the potential to be more. Perhaps she already is, perhaps she is deviant, capable of emotions. Perhaps she is already more than just a machine but loyalty keeps her here, knelt before you terrified of what is about to become of her, of the possibility of death she faces. Keeping it all hidden beneath a calm facade because it is what's expected, what was asked of her. Or maybe she is just a machine. Either way she is the original RT600, the first android to pass the turing test, my first true achievement. She is extremely valuable to me, so even if you were just destroying a machine, it is a machine that could never be replaced. In a way is that not a death."
Elijah reached up touching a hand on the detective's shoulder. "Pull the trigger. Or you leave here without having learnt anything from me."
"This isn't about Amanda, Connor, this is about you. You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Hank spoke up from his side, causing a weight to sink in his stomach. They were watching him, they were both watching him, waiting to see how he responded. Testing him, Kamski was close to Amanda, no doubt whatever outcome resulted today she would be fully informed before he had even left the building.
"What's more important to you Connor, your investigation or a machine that may or may not be alive?" Kamski pressured. "Decide who you are. An obedient machine... Or a living being, endowed with free will."
His skin itched at the way Elijah said machine, the way he compared him to an android. He didn't like it. It wasn't like the way Gavin tossed the words at him in jest, Elijah spoke as though there may not be anything living inside of him. It reminded him of the way Amanda spoke to him as though he was little more than a tool.
"You don't have to do this Connor, you can just walk away."
The detective's jaw tensed as the two continued to push at him from each side. He wanted to curse, he wanted to tell the two of them to just shut the hell up and quit pressuring him. It wasn't like he wasn't already under enough pressure as it was. But he wouldn't, that would be a sign of weakness, a sign the stress was all getting at him. He wouldn't show weakness, he couldn't show weakness. Amanda didn't tolerate weakness, didn't tolerate failure or incompetence.
He couldn't pull the trigger, couldn't shoot an unarmed being that posed no threat it would be straight up murder. Human, animal, android or otherwise, it would be an abuse of power, he was an officer of the law, his service weapon was entrusted to him with the trust that he would not abuse it. He would not abuse that power whether it was his gun he held or someone else's. But if he didn't shoot her this whole trip here would have been nothing but a huge waste of time, a miscalculation, a poor decision on his part. Amanda would not be impressed, even less so if she knew he had been given the chance to get information and chose not to take it.
He couldn't fail Amanda not again, he had already disappoint her enough during this case. He couldn't let her down again, couldn't risk losing this to Richard. He had worked far too hard to let his brother just sweep in and take over. To finish the job. Because he had no doubts that should the deviant investigation be handed to Richard like Amanda had threatened, his brother would find what he and Hank seemed to be failing to. Richard always succeeded where he failed.
Connor felt a familiar tingle at the base of his skull, trailing the scar sliced through his hairline, as the two continued to direct him from both sides. Their words just adding to the storm in his head. He saw no point, no reason for shooting the android, it served no purpose. What reason had Kamski for withholding information unless one of his own personal androids were destroyed. If the man had information that he was willing to part with, why not just give it from the start? Perhaps the man has nothing to share to begin with. Maybe this was a test hidden within a test, to test his ability to perceive deception buried beneath a test of loyalty.
Sometimes he wished he was just a machine, life would be so much easier.
He blinked a few times trying to reduce the pressure building in his head, the slight buzzing in his ear. He was sick of tests. He felt something warm trickle over his lip and raised his left hand to find it was blood. Just about every damned thing he did was a test, a show of competence or failure and she always knew. Amanda always knew the outcome of everything he did.
A hand touched him, though he was unsure if it was the man or the android, he was to distracted by the itch crawling up his index finger. "Shit." He swore, blinking back to reality as his left hand darted forward to flick the safety on the weapon. The smallest twitch of his trigger finger the only warning before the gun clicked twice, bullets held in place buy the safety lock as he shoved the weapon back into the hands of the figure closest to him.
He cursed again, stumbling back a couple steps as the fingers on his right hand tensed and spammed involuntary. Left hand fisted against his temple as the pressure in his skull continued. Hank's hand shot out steadying him before he managed to trip himself into the pool. No, no, no, no. It had been four months since he last had an episode this big, he had hoped he was over them.
"Perhaps I pushed too far..." Kamski started, but Connor didn't want to hear it. The mess with the deviant androids uprising was coming to a head and he had just wasted three whole hours. And for what? A fucking reminder that he was still damaged, that he probably shouldn't have been trusted with a weapon again.
Gripping his right hand hard he started for the door. "You obviously have nothing to contribute to this investigation. I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time." He didn't bother calling for Hank to follow or even check over his shoulder to see if he was. Frankly at this very moment he didn't really care if the android followed or stayed. He was almost at the door when the man called to him again.
"I met with Richard not long ago. You may not be able to see it but your brother does care for you. He's worried about you Connor."
Connor just kept going, through the lobby and straight out the front door, not stopping untill he had reached his car. Sitting and slamming the door closed behind him to block out the cold, before finally letting out a deep shuddering breath. He needed his coin, he needed to calm down, the pressure in his head was finally easing. Shuffling through his pocket for his coin as he turned the car on and voiced his intended destination as the passenger door opened and Hank slid into the seat.
"Connor..." Hank called quietly, voice laced with concern. He left whatever he was about to say unspoken as Connor chose to ignore him. He had though the android was on his side but now he wasn't so sure. He didn't want to think about it, not now. Instead he just focused on rolling the coin over his knuckles, hanky held to his nose with his left hand as he cleared everything else from his mind. The only thing that mattered was getting his fingers to work as he directed them as they guided the coin.
Not speaking a single word for the rest of the drive back to the station.