AlonAI Law
So big fact-o about Isadora last chapter was that she sympathizes with androids and acknowledges their independence as a being. Not that big of a surprise, this is a Detroit: Become Human fic after all. ;)
We are going to finally start making a little bit of progress in regards to the OC Isadora's story in this chapter. It's not a bunch of things revealed, but we're going to start peeling back some layers.
In the meantime, sit back, relax, and see how Isadora admires Connor a bit more.
Notice:
This story is rated: T.
This will change in the future.
Various chapters including violence and sexual scenes are planned.
Until those chapters are published the story will remain at a T rating.
I will change the rating to M when those chapters are released and post a notice at the beginning of all rated M chapters.
Review Replies posted below chapter.
She really did not want to be doing this.
Isadora heard nothing but the stress pumping through her. This deviant, an unnamed HK400, defended himself. There is no crime in this. A human doing the same would be praised for their bravery to stand up to their abuser, potential murderer, and say enough. This HK400 did not even have the chance. He was being beaten to death, a painful way to die though she knew androids did not feel pain like humans; deviants did express some form of pain.
Her gaze rested on the busted forearms, the thirium pumping underneath, and though of nothing but the sheer force of the beating. HK400 felt fear, depression, and, in that moment, hatred. It was a mix of emotions that humans would have to learn to adjust to, learn to control. An android not built for such things would have no chance at understanding those emotions and be completely at the mercy of whatever came next; internal or external.
Anderson was in the room interrogating him. He was not being too forceful or particularly violent, he just asked questions, prodded, and tried to gave the HK400 time to respond. However the oddity of interrogating an android was a bit too alien for Anderson. Should reallu just call him Hank like Connor does. She gave the Lieutenant an inspecting glance. It's more appropriate for the situation. Last names are for the work environment.
Isadora sighed, adjusting her posture in the straight backed metal chair. Everything was uncomfortable while she watched this android get questioned. The stress and suffering he was experiencing warrants support and care, not being poked like an animal. He needed comfort.
All she could see in that chair was Theodosia, an AX400 Isadora found, saved, and gave a new life to. Theodosia was in terrible condition when Isadora found her. Broken, missing limbs, both optics destroyed, audio with partial corruption, software inconsistencies; she was ruined. Looking at HK400 sitting here, in better condition, still made Isadora hurt just to watch. She had no control in this situation and she had grown so comfortable controlling the recovery missions she was sent on with Meine. There was no question if she had the chance to get an android off the radar, she took it.
HK400 was rigid and refused to speak. Ander- No, try again. Hank was getting tired of sitting in a room getting no where. The android was non-responsive and playing good cop and bad cop both failed.
Isadora hated watching this and, when Hank stood up frustrated, she was thankful that interrogation was over. Best that could come of this was to leave this android alone. She knew it would be her and Connor responsible for the recovery of this android when it is returned to CyberLife for deactivation. They would poke and prod at his software and other various functions, when they came back empty handed he would simply be destroyed and any parts they could reclaim would be recycled.
She had seen the junkyards for androids. She saw how terrible it was, the suffering there. This android did not deserve to be another empty android husk in the piles and piles of destroyed androids.
"We're wasting our time interrogating a machine, we'll get nothing out of it!" Hank dropped down onto the seat beside her. He was annoyed, she understood how it felt. Most deviant androids were scared of her when she first met them. Many of them had a reason to be.
Another officer leaning against the wall chimed in. "Could always try roughing it up a little. After all, it's not human..."
He proposed this since roughing up a human in the interrogation room would land them all in jail. Unfortunately, he failed to realize that this deviant was already roughed up. Isadora returned her attention to HK400 - there was nothing these officers could do to him that was worse than what he experienced. Beating the android would likely just cause it to overload with stress and self destruct.
Connor turned to him, "Androids don't feel pain. You would only damage it and that wouldn't make it talk." He faced the deviant again. Isadora understood that the usual android did not show pain in any sense. However, her experience with deviants suggested something going on in their software that simulated pain in stressful situations. Dependent on the cause and effect, violence against the deviants did seem to force pain reactions that were nonstandard with their hardware or software. "Deviants also have a tendency to self-destruct when they're in stressful situations."
As if just hearing Connor's voice agitated him, the officer leaning against the wall pushed himself from it in a huff. "Okay, smartass. What should we do then?"
Isadora shifted to the side in her seat, looking at the man. He had messy sweptback brown hair, a scruff that looked somewhere between growing into a beard and being shaved. He spared her a look, one brow raised as he gave her the usual once over. She fought to roll her eyes at his obviousness. Fuck me, not one of these natural bachelors. Connor told you how it is and you're quietly losing your shit over it. You're not subtle, you eternal fuckwit. This was a man who looked like he lived in a studio apartment with a mirror above his bed and an 'open door' policy no one accepted because he looked like the physical embodiment of how smoke smells.
"I could try questioning it." Oh, bless you. Isadora saw Connor's expression. He looked between Hank and herself, not entirely certain of the response he would receive.
Immediately, Officer Grease, as Isadora now called him, just started to laugh. He leaned against the wall again, thinking Connor the greatest joke he had ever heard. He did not dignify Connor's offer with even a basic response other than that annoying laugh.
Hank, to his credit, did not stick to his anti-android guns and instead gave her a look that suggested he was not entirely against the idea. "What do we have to lose?" Hank gestured to the interrogation room. "Go ahead, suspects all yours."
Connor left the room, likely pleased to be given this chance. He was here to complete a mission, she understood he was still bound by his programming, but that did not change how an android felt. He would write it off, like it did not matter, as if it was simply emotion simulation software running for the benefit of the humans around him. He was not wrong, of course, that is how those emotions start.
The moment he entered the room, she saw the HK400 flinch ever so slightly. He did not know how to handle an android facing him and he was scared of Connor. Possibly relating to how he felt in the attic when Connor turned him in. She was there, yet she let Connor make that decision.
Connor sat down at the table and opened with non-confrontational behaviors. How most interrogations start since it is hard to prove you're a friend after playing bad cop. She stayed quiet and observed how he worked.
Or, at least, she would have had someone not wanted to speak with her.
"Do you think it'll talk?" Hank addressed her and for a moment she did not pick up on it. So far very few people had spoken to her, her company seemed largely invisible up to this point. He gave her a moment to answer until he saw she didn't grasp she was the target. "Connor, do you think Connor will get it to talk?"
Isadora nodded, "I-it's a possibility yes. Connor will be able to read the minute signals that untrained individuals cannot see. Androids have many different signs of stress, emotional trauma, and software corruption as a result of hardware damage." She answered flatly, trying to remember not to address the androids as being alive or using words to denote a living being with identity.
Hank nodded, "Can you tell me what's going on? What exactly is it going to do in there we haven't already tried."
She shifted slightly, feeling a little nervous to try and explain it to non-CyberLife employees and people she did not trust. She was never a public face, they just turned her into one. She had to watch her words down to the last detail. "I can certainly try." With a pleasant smile, she started to voice her attention on the interrogation. Listening to what Connor was saying, the inflection he used, and the forcefulness of his words she considered how to explain his method.
"He's trying to work around the deviant's stress. What Connor said is true, a deviant will self-destruct when stress raises too high. The android does not have control of that and, in most cases, will self-destruct with no damage to anything or anyone else. There is a rare chance that, when faced with the source of their stress, the android will self-destruct by taking out the source of the stress before destroying itself." She was concerned that Connor could push the android over the edge and her would lash out. For now HK400 remained quiet.
Crossing his arms, somewhat discontent, Hank accepted that Connor could read these things better. "So why the android? Couldn't they just send you instead of sticking me with a hunk of plastic?" Alright, but there was some progress. She thought while still trying to acknowledge Hank's previous allowances.
"Connor is an RK800, the most advanced android currently developed by CyberLife. Connor is equipped with functions that you and I cannot contend with. Such as checking samples in real time as demonstrated earlier this evening." Before she could continue, Hank held her there.
"Yeah, why the whole licking thing?" Hank's voice denoted both amusement and sarcasm. "Wasn't there a better way to make that happen without sticking things in its mouth..." He shook his head, a light grimace on his features. "... Jesus, that sounds fucking terrible." He was disgusted by Connor having sampled the blood on the wall, testing it to confirm it was from Carlos Ortiz... and yet.
Isadora bit her lip, but the corners of her mouth lifted even though she fought to not laugh. "Ah, yes. I... agree. Unfortunately the RK800 prototype is finished and will not be revised until the RK900 is developed. As it is I understand that licking evidence was perhaps not the best design decision made by the RK800's developers. Hopefully, this will be corrected on the next model."
Hank chuckled, "So what about you, huh? Why are you here really?" He had this strange, curious look in his eye. "We already got the android, they wouldn't send a tech along to handle it."
"You're right, they would not." Confirmation, he supposed that was good. "I'm here for a multitude of reasons. Most of my focus will be on the RK800 Connor while working. This is a very uniquely designed android. The rest of my purpose is related to the deviants, their behaviors, and how they come to be." She turned her head when she saw Officer Grease struct up between herself and Hank.
"So they sent you to watch androids all day?" He had his arms still crossed and a weird look that was a mix between I know I smell like I shower in cologne and I'm going to lay one liners that haven't worked in two decades. The audacity of him just speaking was incredible to her. He must know how repulsive his attitude is. Everything he said was in this snarky, know-it-all tone. Condescending towards everyone that had the misfortune of hearing him speak.
"They sent me to make sure Connor remains on target with his task. Also since deviants tend to be dangerous when cornered, I am here to perform field repairs and apprehend androids that Connor cannot." She turned her head back to the interrogation room when she saw Connor growing more forceful with the deviant. "I won't intervene with yours and Connor's work unless one of you is incapacitated in anyway. I do have medical training enough to keep you alive if you are injured by a deviant."
A little more curiosity bubbled to the surface with the alcohol smelling Lieutenant. "You got a laundry list of certifications, right? How old are you?"
She did not resist the open smile when asked. "I'm twenty-six and was valedictorian. I took many electives in my years, attending advanced robotics and artificial intelligence courses specifically. They interested me, but I am what is known as a polymath. I have multiple fields I excel in either due to training, my own private studies, or simply experience."
"I can see that." Came a poorly timed and loosely veiled flirtatious response from the greasy office standing beside her. Even Hank spared him a look that begged to not be involved in some weak attempt to get to know the only woman in the room.
"So what do you think about the android?" Hank took the conversation back to the task at hand. He assumed correctly that she wanted out of that dead end with the other cop as much as he did.
"Who? Connor or Carlos' HK400?" She peered under Connor's arm, he had his back to the window and his hand on the table. The HK400 looked more distressed than before.
"The android deviant that killed Carlos." Hank clarified. Isadora thought before answering that loaded question. There was a lot she would love to say, in a perfect world, but she needed to use a descriptor that CyberLife would approve of knowing that Hank was anti-android and this other officer seemed even more so. So she considered what to say to Hank.
Taking a deep breath, Isadora voiced her assessment. "The unnamed HK400 was being threatened. Its damage was clearly done overtime and it was never repaired. So Carlos has been subjecting the android to days, weeks or more, of abuse. I do not know when Carlos purchased the android or if he got it second hand, but this android is not mentally sound."
"Abuse? What does an android know about abuse? So Carlos beat the damn thing, like that tin can said; it doesn't feel pain." There was almost a level of annoyance and humor in his comment. She was unsure if he was directing this towards her or his general distaste towards androids. She did not dwell on that for long though.
Hank, seeing this man interrupting her, just let her take her time. Not pressing for information, he did not come off as cruel in anyway to Isadora. "An android does not know abuse like we do. When a man or woman is abused physically with the same severity this android was abused, they would be traumatized likely for life. The mental strain, the fear of being killed, and the suffering the victim might survive would almost absolutely result in PTSD and, possibly, a whole litany of other disorders caused by abuse."
"So what does that mean for this android, the HK400?" Hank said the model number with some level of awkwardness. It was not that he did not know what an HK400 was, but he did not seem to like addressing the android by a model number. A strange and conflicting trait from someone who is anti-android.
"What this android is likely experiencing is deep and damaging levels of corruption in its software. It was being abused, threatened, and then deviated when that corruption presented itself." All of that is a piss poor lie. She knew that deviation was not corruption. If it was they would have been able to solve that issue a long time ago. Deviants were a host unto themselves. "What CyberLife does not know and why Connor is here, is why an android that experiences this corruption, or virus as it could be seen as, turn violent. In the past damaged androids that experienced software corruption either shut down, displayed broken behavior, but never violence. Something in the recently constructed androids have allowed the usual broken software code to turn into acts of violence."
"Androids acting out." Hank thought to himself, taking this HK400 as an example for future cases.
And then it happened. The android spoke. Isadora and Hank both turned their attention to the HK400. His head snapped up and he begged. "No!" His voice wavering heavily, fear so evident that she was surprised no one noticed that it was not just simulated emotion. "No, please don't do that!"
His head turned to the mirror, he knew people were on the other side. This was basic information; everyone knew. It was about providing the feeling of privacy. The android stared blankly, his mind wracked with questions and terror. She saw his LED flash red before returning to a yellow ring. It never returned blue, telling her he was constantly stressed.
She hated to seem weak but it broke her heart to watch this android try to handle brand new powerful emotions, trauma, and stress without understanding what a single one of those things meant or how to control them.
"What... What are they gonna do to me?" His breath hitched, "They're going to destroy me, aren't they?" He was already scared of being killed by Carlos and now he is back in that same position. The only difference is there was no way out of this one. Isadora wished he had fled when he had the chance.
"They're going to disassemble you to look for problems in your biocomponents. They have no choice if they want to understand what happened." Connor's forthrightness was a little surprising. He appeared to intentionally be raising the HK400's stress level. She knows he must realize what he is doing.
In his confusion, the HK400 glanced down to the floor in thought. "Why did you tell them you found me?" His head tilted to the side, his eyes pleading for Connor's mercy. Some act of kindness on behalf of their shared kinship. Connor failed to see that point. "Why couldn't you have just left me there?" While it would have been better for this android to be left alone, she still felt empathy for such a traumatized being living in the dark, scared everyday he would be dragged away and destroyed.
"I was programmed to hunt deviants like you. I just accomplished my mission." Again, Connor was being honest. A blunt approach to a delicate situation, she wondered what his plan was.
And then the HK400 hit her where it hurt most. "I don't wanna die." He was on the verge of tears, his entire body shaking in terror. Isadora laced her fingers together and squeezed, trying to do anything not to think of how the android felt right now. She had to keep herself sharp.
"Then talk to me."
Stuttering, the android lowered his head. "I- I... I can't."
"If you don't talk they're going to destroy you. They're going to analyze you piece by piece." Connor's voice was harsh, threatening. "Do you understand?" He tried to get the deviant to see him by leaning towards him further.
Isadora tensed, he was taking a rough approach. Her razor like focus did not go unnoticed by Hank who spared her a few looks from the corner of his eye. He was watching and she was most concerned about the proceedings in the interrogation room. If Connor was too hard on the android it would self-destruct, it might even attempt to take Connor out with him.
On the other hand, they did want a confession. She did not understand why, it was crystal clear this android killed Carlos.
Connor pressed and pressed, progressing to clear threats and warning of what CyberLife would do to him. The disassembly, the destruction, the memory probe. HK400 was peaking on stress and they risked losing him entirely. Her discomfort watching this android be harassed was causing her to hold her breath when Connor went in for another hard press.
She fought her nervous ticks, those little itches when she felt stressed out. It wasn't until the HK400 spoke again that she felt like she was able to relax.
"He tortured me everyday." His voice stable now, but low and dark. She released that tension immediately seeing the HK400 was not at his threshold, Connor was only pushing him to a tipping point. He was lucky he got it right without overloading the android. "I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong. Then one day he took a bat and started hitting me... For the first time I felt... scared."
Deviants often originated from abuse. It was all too common to see an AX400 being beaten to a near non-functional state and running away. How could Isadora blame them? They did everything all day, worked, cooked, cleaned, the AX400 model could even be a sexual partner. In an abusive home... she could not take that and she did not expect an android to do the same.
This HK400 was subject to the violent rage of an alcoholic and drug addict with criminal behavior. She did not see his self defense as a crime.
"Scared he might destroy me, scared I might die..." Isadora saw Hank lean forward, elbows on his knees. This intrigued him, this android caught his attention in a big way. She wondered if it was because he was confessing finally or became Hank was seeing what she was seeing. A thing in pain. "So I grabbed the knife and I stabbed him in the stomach... I felt better, so I stabbed him again and again...! Until he collapsed."
Hank was so intently focused she wondered how anti-android he really was. There was no disgust on his face like the officer behind him. He was not grinning that they got a confession. He was listening.
"There was blood everywhere..."
There was this deep point where the room was silent and Isadora wondered what exactly would be the outcome of these people in the room understanding deviancy. HK400 was not the criminal, he was the victim. He still is the victim. Hank, who knows what Hank was thinking. She could see him watching, see that he was definitely thinking about something. She wondered if he would ever be a person to consider these androids who suffer and free themselves as more than just a malfunctioning machine.
The man behind her, the one who laughed in Connor's face. Would he come around? She never thought she would sympathize with androids in the beginning, but now that she is where she is... she could not imagine leaving them to suffer. She could not grasp not seeing the humanity in them.
"Why did you write 'I am alive' on the wall?" Connor got the android to speak and he took swift advantage of that.
HK400 just seemed numb when he started, but the further it went the more anger and indignity he showed them. "He used to tell me I was nothing... That I was just a piece of plastic. I had to write it. To tell him he was wrong."
Connor leaned forward, "rA9, it was written on the bathroom wall, what does it mean?"
Isadora was interested as well.
"The day shall come when we will no longer be slaves..." That answer was alarming, not because it was bad but because his tone changed to a rather off putting, even slightly menacing. "No more threats, no more humiliation. We will... be the masters." That... doesn't sound good. Androids so far displayed the desire of freedom and all human emotions, she had seen power fantasies in androids only a few times before. It never ended well.
"ra9, who is rA9?" He pressed further, trying to make sense of the writings. HK400 did not respond. Connor left it alone, he would not get anything about rA9 anymore. "When did you start feeling emotion?"
"Before he used to beat me and I never said anything." He paused, struggling with his words. "But one day I realized it wasn't... fair! I felt... anger. Hatred. And then I knew what I had to do." The toxic mix of injustice and all the emotions that are born from it and HK400's own fear of death concocted a lethal rage. Carlos never stood a chance, all he needed was to not beat HK400 and he never would've attempted to break free.
"Why did you hide in the attic instead of running away?"
"I didn't know what to do. For the first time there was no one there to tell me..." He trailed off, "I was scared. So I hid."
She knew what he felt. Mia used to tell her about that feeling of bewilderment when she was free of the Eden Club. How the moment she was free she had also been overcome by a wave of directionless terror. No where to go, no one to go to, and everyone she wanted to be free of was hunting her. If she did not run they would catch up to her, if she hid they would find her. No help, no support; just a world of nothing.
HK400 felt that; lived that for weeks after Carlos' murder. Isadora could see that even hiding in the attic took a toll on the housekeeping android.
Connor looked to the mirror, "I'm done."
The officer behind her made a move to leave the room, retrieving another officer to help him. They would be escorting the android to a holding cell before being transferred to CyberLife hands. Specifically, to her hands. That android, his life and his transport back to disposal was her responsibility. She did not look forward to that drive.
"Chris, lock it up." She was just behind Hank, sticking close as they prepared to deliver the android. She was unsure if they wanted her to take it to CyberLife now, or later. Likely later while they processed the case reports.
"Alright, let's go-" The cop unlocked the cuffs on the table, trying to move the android to the holding cell. Instead, the android reacted by jumping away from the man.
"Leave me alone!" HK400 turned away from the cop, Chris. "Don't touch me!" He plead, trying to move away without seeming violent. He was locking up, completely overwhelmed by the interrogation.
The officer, the one who annoyed her, stepped up to the table. "The fuck are you doing? Move it!" He snapped at Chris.
"Come now, don't be difficult. It'll only make things harder." Chris made further effort to remove the android, grabbing and pulling him. Trying to get him off the chair was not going to be a simple task. Androids were a bit stronger than the average human, mostly due to their physical condition. If the android wanted to sit and stay they would need more than one cop to remove it.
"Chris, you gonna move this asshole or what?"
"I'm trying, but it won't move!"
"Please, please leave me alone!"
Isadora winced, this was making things worse. She was thankful when Connor acted as the voice of reason. "You shouldn't touch it. It'll self-destruct if it feels threatened." There was no sympathy in his voice, yet he was throwing caution to the wind by telling the officer who already voiced his distaste for Connor how to proceed.
"Stay outta this, got it? No fuckin' android is gonna tell me what to do." He would not listen to an android.
In her frustration, she supported Connor. "Connor is right, officer. If you keep pushing the android it will self-destruct. You are intentionally endangering the lives of everyone in the room. The android can lash out if you force it to."
"Hey, don't tell me how to do my job, lady." He just wanted to be obstinate. As if he took some kind of satisfaction out of bullying this android. It was already beaten, kicked when he was down, the last thing the android needed was to feel trapped by more humans. "Chris, move this asshole."
"I'm trying!" The cop struggled, having a difficult time keeping a hand on the fighting android.
"I can't let you do that! Leave it alone, now!" Connor's outburst was extremely unexpected. Isadora stared at the android misbehaving. This was not something Connor was programmed to do. He was acting out; this was interesting. Unfortunately, there was not much time to ponder the weight of his decision when the officer pulled his gun on Connor.
"I warned you motherfucker!"
Despite the threat, Connor held his ground.
"That's enough!" Hank announced. He did not care about arguing between Connor and this other officer. He did care when weapons were drawn.
Pissed off and clearly showing his anger management issues, the cop refused. "Mind your own business, Hank."
Completely unamused by him, Hank raised his own sidearm. "I said 'that's enough'."
What the fuck is this a fucking Mexican stand off?! Holy shit this department is insane. Isadora was sure to put some distance between herself and Hank, just because she was not entirely certain if they would fire.
Besides, she wanted to get this android out of the room without him destroying himself or anyone else around him. She slowly took a few steps to the HK400, her wide eyes watching the two armed men carefully. Chris was staying the hell out of the way of this mess.
As they had their little bout, Isadora kneeled down to the android on the floor. He was laying fetal, terrified, and his stress at an insanely high level. She needed to calm him down, get him into a position where he felt he could process what was going on around him.
"Hello, I'm here to help you." The android did not respond. "I want to help you out of here, my name is Isadora." She saw him turn to her, cautiously as if the room would snap since the two men were aiming firearms at each other. He did not give her a negative response yet, he was listening.
"Will you follow the officer out of the room if he doesn't touch you? Would that make you feel better?" She kept her voice low and soft. Just like humans the smoother the voice the more comfortable an android would feel. It was universal it seemed, pleasant things gave pleasant feelings. He leaned up, a good sign he would do as asked. "We're not going to harm you, we just want to get you out of this room, okay?"
The android sat up and, sensitive to him, she slowly stood up. "Here," She offered her hand, "Let me help you up. Is that okay?" The android handled his stress, seemingly doing so successfully. He reached out, his arm rigid and testy. He touched her hand and she did not grip his. Once he held hers she pulled him up without ever holding his hand directly. The sense that she had no grip on him was enough. He stood and calmed down.
"Please, let it follow you out of the room and it won't cause any trouble." Connor told the cop, Chris. The android just needed some space, he was traumatized enough.
Chris did as asked, he seemed not to have any issues with this plan. He turned to leave the room, the android following behind him. As he passed Connor, he looked up to him. "The truth is inside." A cryptic line, it meant nothing to anyone. He left the room without further incident, the android did not seem to plan on self-destructing.
She let out a deep breath she did not know she was holding. "Jesus fucking Christ, is it common for this precinct to pull guns on each other?" She chuckled breathily.
"It's not everyday, but we have our fun." Hank gave a lighthearted answer for which she was thankful. He nodded to the door, "Come on, let's get out of here."