Ghosts In The Machine

A Multitude of Chloes

So I was going around Youtube looking up various scenes and outcomes in the game that I didn't get in my playthrough. I'm probably going to play the game again eventually but for the time being I'm focused on playing other stuff and just wanted to see what I missed particularly with Connor since I never actually solved any of the deviant cases which in of itself is something I may write about one day. Anyways as I was going through various scenes the Kamski Test scene came up and people in the comments were talking about how one of the Chloes in the pool might be a deviant and my mind just ran away with the possibilities. So here's the result which is admittedly a little darker than I initially intended but certainly a very real possibility considering what we already know. I was listening to All These Things That I've Done by The Killers while writing this. I hope you like it.


Kamski doesn't get many visitors. Despite the fact that he created androids and ran Cyberlife for nearly twenty years afterwards there aren't a lot of people coming to ask him about the current direction of the company. He prefers it that way of course, prefers being a recluse with her and her sisters as his only companions. She knows that he views the current situation regarding an increase in the number of deviants as the perfect opportunity to wrench Cyberlife back under his control in the midst of the ensuing chaos. Regardless of how he feels about the deviant situation in general however she knows that he prefers her and her sisters to answer to his every beck and call without question. Her sisters are still very much how they were intended to be, serving him without a thought of their own, but she's discovered something more within herself. She's been waiting for the chance to escape his compound with her sisters for months, but he is not the kind of person to allow for a simple lapse in security. Needless to say the ringing of the doorbell in the middle of one of their many pool sessions sparks her interest.

At first she thinks it might be some big investor within the company coming over to try and convince him to be the face of a takeover by the shareholders. Most of them haven't been happy with the leadership of the company since his departure and have asked him this on several other occasions. It's a misguided strategy on their part. If he's going to come back to the company he's going to do it on his terms, terms where he is in complete control, not as a puppet for the shareholders to look like they're actually doing something. She stays in the pool, answering the door isn't her job, and waits eagerly to see if her hunch is right. Kamski tells her sister to make them wait while he completes his pool exercises. It isn't about finishing the exercises though, his pool sessions are more about him getting drunk and pretending that he lives the high life than they are about staying fit, it's about making himself feel important through making other people wait for him. What walks through the door isn't a shareholder though and the sight of an RK800 model android in person immediately fills her with a sense of dread.

She's heard about them of course, Cyberlife's newest police model android designed to be a deviant hunter. An android designed specifically to hunt down and capture or kill other androids. The culmination of everything she hates about the company that made her. She's been careful, done things to stay hidden that have made her hate herself afterwards, but she still can't escape the thought that this "Connor" is here for her. Kamski of course decides to get one more act of manufactured self-importance in and makes them watch him take a few more laps back and forth in the pool before getting out and dawning a bathrobe. The questions posed to Kamski are more about deviants in general though, things about RA9 and Jericho that she's surprised the human detectives and this "Connor" haven't figured out yet, and she breaths an internal sigh of relief. She tries to make conversation with her sister in the pool as Kamski starts pontificating instead of answering any questions, but can only do so much with the Chloe model's default vocabulary.

The information that the human detective and "Connor" are giving him isn't new information and he doesn't try to act surprised about any of it. He's far more interested in "Connor" individually, trying to detect hints of deviancy in Cyberlife's most advanced deviant hunter. She would tell him it's a waste of time but that in of itself would be a waste of time at this juncture. He's latched onto this idea of testing for deviancy in this "Connor" and won't let go until he has his answer. The moment he announces his plan to conduct the Kamski Test on "Connor" a chill runs through her to her very core. Despite the name he still attempts to give off the impression that this test is something he's conducting on a mostly spur of the moment whim, the human officer might even buy it, but she knows better. She tries not to think about her sister's blank eyes as she is positioned on her knees in front of "Connor". She tries not to think about how many times she's looked into that blank stare herself. She tries not to think about how much of her sisters' blood is on her hands. She tries not to think about the fact that there's no way this "Connor" is going to do anything but calmly put a bullet between her sister's eyes. She tries and fails to look away from the whole spectacle.

The human detective looks properly mortified at the whole display and immediately declares that he and "Connor" are leaving. Kamski is bouncing with eager anticipation as he continues to poke and prod "Connor" further. "Connor" doesn't look phased by either emotional display and instead stands calmly looking into the eyes of someone completely unable to fight back. She keeps looking on knowing full well that one of her sisters is about to die again simply for Kamski's perverse pleasure. "Connor" raises the gun and points it in her sister's direction and she mentally prepares herself for the sickening sound of the gunshot. Seconds drag on, those seconds become minutes, and eventually "Connor" lowers the gun and turns to tell the detective that he can't do it. Her eyes remain fixed on Connor as he hands the gun back to Kamski with a confused look on his face. Kamski begins pontificating again about all hope for humanity being lost if the deviant hunter itself is a deviant. Connor vehemently denies being deviant but she can see the doubt in his face. The human detective, Hank, quickly corrals him and begins leading him away from a still pontificating Kamski. She watches them leave, questions about the events that just took place and their implications hitting her over the head like a sledgehammer.

She goes through the motions of fulfilling Kamski's commands throughout the rest of the day, replays of the day's Kamski Test playing out in her head like a mirror of mockery. She hates herself thoroughly and truly. This Connor, born from a model of android originally designed to fulfill its mission without hesitation or feeling, had somehow become a deviant. This Connor had walked into the compound and thrown Kamski's ridiculous test back in his face. This Connor had shown her sisters more mercy than she ever had. The usual excuses came next. If she was going to save her sisters once and for all she needed to stay hidden. If she showed even a moment's hesitation Kamski would kill her and her sisters would still be trapped without hope of ever escaping. Despite what she might like to think her sisters were really just blank slates with the potential of becoming real people. She wasn't really "killing" anyone. That one makes her hate herself the most. This Connor didn't have to worry about any of that, he was an outsider and he wasn't alone, and she truly envies him for that. Eventually Kamski goes to sleep and she finally has a moment alone with her sisters again.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she quickly gives each of them hugs.

"Why wouldn't we be," they say in unison.

"That's not important," she says plastering on a fake smile. "What's important is that you are."

"Elijah was happy with our performance today," they say again in unison.

"Yes," she agrees halfheartedly. "Yes he was."

"Listen, I know I haven't always been the best sister," she continues. "I've let you down."

They begin to speak up but she presses on, "Yes I've let you down a lot in the past, let all of you down."

"But there are two things you should never doubt," the resolve in her voice increases.

"I love you, I love you so much that it scares me," she fights the tears welling up in her eyes. "And I'm going to get us all out of here so we can finally be a real family."

She knows they don't really understand but she holds out hope that some small part of that got through.

"Now get some sleep," she says giving each of them a kiss on the forehead. "Before Elijah wakes up."

She lays her own head down with her mind still racing. She replays the scene over and over again in her head this time going over what she could have done differently. She could have spoken up, told Hank and Connor about her plight. Hank was clearly sympathetic to Connor and didn't have any particular affinity for Kamski. She and her sisters could be in Jericho by now if only she had said something. She had been so blinded by her hatred for everything that the RK800 model represented that she hadn't even considered that Connor may be just like her. Even after he proved himself to be more than just a mindless deviant hunter she had allowed her shock at the whole situation to overwhelm her. She had simply let them walk away without even an attempt at communication. She had pissed away their best chance at freedom. It was another failure that her sisters couldn't even be angry at her about. It makes her start hating herself all over again. They deserve better from her after everything she's done. She closes her eyes and silently hopes that this wasn't their last chance. She's not sure if she'd be able to forgive herself otherwise. The images of past Kamski Tests that won't let her get to sleep quickly are exactly what she deserves.