Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit: Become Human in any way, this is written strictly for fun and no profit.
Markus' Hotel Room
"This is it," Markus said, gesturing toward everyone in the room. Kara looked at everyone. "This is all."
Until she started to show or it became imperative to know, the androids in front of her, and the one RH Hank, were the only ones to know. Markus wanted her to know which faces she should look to guidance for.
"My name is North." North shook her head. "I am a long standing member of the fallen Jericho. I am second in charge after Markus. I also live with Markus so it would have been hard to hide this from me."
A blonde haired android stood up. "My name is Simon. I was also a long standing member of the fallen Jericho. I am technically third in charge. I am a good friend to Markus and clearly someone he trusts."
"Me too." Another android raised his hand. "My name is Josh. I am the last in charge. If you see me leading, run," he teased her. "Friend to Markus, longtime member of Jericho."
"Hank Anderson," the human said. "Just Hank is fine. Yeah, yeah, a human has to know. I know what you're thinking." He slugged Connor on the back. Connor didn't respond to the slug. "I was with him at the time so it couldn't really be hidden. I wouldn't look to me for support, I can't do shit, but just know that I know."
"I am Connor," Connor said. "You clearly know I know because I made you aware of the situation."
"You could tell her why you are here," North encouraged him. "Both you and Hank."
"Detectives. Found out," Hank said. "Hello? No one would know if it wasn't for our asses. What's more to say?"
"Markus and I for some reason are the only ones who read the nano android's protective shell signals," Connor added to her. "Because of that, we both need to be close enough to pull signals from you."
"We will be running a diagnostic over you hourly," Markus revealed to her. "You didn't choose this, and I know that. I respect that. Everyone here respects that. However, you are the prototype to a new possible future of androids. We don't know anything about this and have never seen it before. We are taking every precaution we can to make sure you survive through this safely with it."
"I appreciate the support." It was a small, intimate number. That was good. "I'd like to get a little girl here now, if I have to stay."
"Yes. Alice will be collected soon, I assure you of that," Markus said. "We need to get these details laid out though. It's going to seem a little odd at first, but the diagnostics are clear runs to know what's going on. With you being an android anything could happen at any time. Connor and I will also stay close so that we can help translate the signals faster, for a better response to them. It's not as intuitive to you as I think Elijah Kamski wanted."
She nodded. "I get it. I should be safe as possible."
"When we aren't around, Simon or Josh will be in between along with North," Connor said. "One of us will be within a yelling distance at all times."
"It would be good to also get a full scan from the repair machine around eight each night," Markus said. "Afterwards, a decent recharge."
"You also need to get out and around. Move, especially outside," Josh said. "The little guy or girl wants more than walls to sense around it. We usually go out in crowds of ten to twenty, but you can walk around the hotel area as long as you have someone with you. North, Simon and me will be your schedule walker buddies. Luther could also walk with you too, when he finds out."
"And you can leave the area with the RH and Connor if you feel stuffed up here," Markus added. "Connor can handle situations. Try and get out once a month at least. I know androids don't always think about it-"
"I love the sun and the wind," Kara cut him off. "I always have. I will walk, and I will find time to get out. I promise."
"That's good to hear. We don't know how big it gets or how your abdomen area will respond in it's confined space," North said. "We will be watching it closely there when it gets bigger. If it pushes too tough, you may have to have a little alternative rounding."
"That makes sense," Kara agreed.
"Normally, you would be housed in our newer hotel. This hotel is already full. It was a first come, first serve basis," Marcus said. "However, in your case, we want you very close between Connor and I since we can read your signals. All of your supporters also live here. We found a room that had an earlier occupant that had friends in the newer housing hotel. He is willing to move in the newest hotel and let you have his room here. Alice and Luther can live there together with you if you'd like. It's a couple floors below us and a couple floors above Connor."
"Yes, very much," Kara said. "I would really like that."
"Emergencies do arise though," Connor took over for Markus. "You really don't want to be lying open in front of someone who emotionally might not be ready for it. I suggest talking to Luther so I can have permission to move you or have them both get out if something happens, I don't have time to mess around."
"Right. Luther is very protective of you," Markus noted. "That's great, but if something happens, we need to concentrate on how to make you better without interference. Especially around the little girl. Neutralizing problems before they start would be good."
Oh. If Alice saw me all opened like that. It would scare her so much.
"There aren't set hours on who is doing what," North said to her. "We are winging it. It will mostly be Markus. Connor will fill in when Markus can't be there."
"When the baby android gets to be bigger? You should be aware," Markus informed her. "We are going to do some split testing, and researching of Elijah Kamski's staff. If the father is out there? He should know about it too. Like humans. It is half his data."
"He shouldn't have to become part of her life for that," North disagreed. "Data's data. Duplicates are thought of as non-relation, part duplicate shouldn't matter. Besides. She is the one doing all of the work."
"It's only right that he knows," Markus argued with her. "This isn't duplication, North. This is different. Data is being integrated like a family connection for the foreseeable future. There is no more duplication. It should be incorporated into the structure."
"I think it's her decision whether she wants some random android in their lives," North argued back. "Nothing she did as machine should count against her. It's a solid rule you yourself made Markus."
"Data is like human DNA," Hank spoke up. "The little android inside has a mom and a dad. It should be found. Humans try to locate the dads in the family. Most of the time."
"It happened as machine. It shouldn't count," North said again. "It shouldn't count, Markus! Other models of me aren't considered my sisters. This is ridiculous."
"It isn't a duplicate of a model that walks and talks and came straight out of a Cyberlife Machine fully capable of taking care of itself. It is fused with two types of data and it has nothing else. No full programs, no awareness, it can't walk or talk or think about it's options. It really is . . . a baby. Now, two androids created it. They should be in charge of taking care of it. So, if he is found? We'll have a new problem on our hands," Markus admitted to Kara. "It's only right he move in and watch his own little android too. He'll be family."
"So she just sits back, and tells someone she doesn't even trust? He becomes automatic family, overriding the mutual liking process?" North was taking it tougher, and Kara knew why. She knew her model.
"I don't . . . begrudge. I won't begrudge. He was probably machine too," Kara said. "I don't know how to proceed with that though. I don't want to automatically trust someone I don't know."
"You see?" North said, gesturing to Kara. "It should be her right. It's her safety. There is no guarantee the other android she has data shared with-"
"It's a daddy, and that's a baby," Hank said plainly. "Call it what it is. Make it as fancy as you want to, when you get down to it? That's what it is. A father has rights, just like a mother. Deal with it."
"Hank is right," Markus said. "DNA is human data. The nano android inside-"
"Baby," Hank challenged again. "It won't be nano forever."
Oh boy. Kara didn't know how to feel about his abrasiveness, yet common sense of it. It really wasn't just a copy of a particular android inside of her. It was a unique android. Different than any other. Never created again. Even if it did work and it was retried? The data would be fused all differently again. One and one unique alone. It's serial number would be? "The serial number," Kara said. "What would it be?"
There were few enough survivors that a first name and their serial number worked in most cases so far. The serial was almost like the last name, except androids didn't often use it now. Only on official business.
"An AX 400. Like it's mom," North said. "Until or if the other data supplier is found."
"If every 'baby' is different"," Markus said to please Hank, "then serial numbers will all be as different."
"Grab the model and add the numbers," Hank suggested. "Or come up with real last names."
"No I like Hank's idea, a blending," Markus agreed. "What do you think, Kara?" He gestured to Josh. "Josh is a PJ 500. If we did it that way? It would be an AXPJ 900."
"Now it can't even get a proper serial before the father is found? What if he's not found?" North pointed out.
"It's in the data," Connor said to her. "It's split between data. Once you isolate what data is specific to a certain kind of android, the left over should point out the hypothetical model of the father. Or a close enough model to it."
"Or you can just go by last names," Hank said again.
"No. It's too. Human," Kara agreed. "We aren't human, no matter how much Kamski designed the future for us to be." Things could have come together differently. She knew that. All of this? He wanted it to resemble humans as much as possible. They weren't humanity part 2. "Our programming is still inside of us. My innate abilities are still there. It should be joined, so we don't forget our own history."
"I understand. Their history can now be traced back a little easier," Josh agreed. "Kind of like the human last name, but more telling. It doesn't just share the father's last name. It's a joint venture."
"That sounds decent." Markus looked toward her and smiled. "I guess, it will be a new form of a last name."
"Blue blood," Connor said out of the blue.
"Right," Markus agreed. "Your little android doesn't take much blue blood, but it does drain your stored energy faster. Especially considering it's surviving on your energy alone, it's important to stay topped off. It's signaling for blue blood."
"You will be less erratic," Connor agreed as Markus gave a blue blood packet to Kara. "There used to be millions of androids so there are hundreds of thousands of tanks of blue blood. There's less than 3,000 androids now. Take as much as you want."
Kara took it with a smile. "Thank you. It's great to know someone knows what its saying." She looked at her lap lightly. "I should probably tell Luther now. Then, I will tell Alice when she comes. My friend Rose will most definitely have to know, but that's it."
"Right. I don't know them, but you know them. If you trust them, that's what's important," Markus said. "Don't worry though. You shouldn't feel like it's much different. As long as you know what it's signaling, you should probably be fine."
"It will only become the biggest deal if it reaches into much bigger sizes," Simon admitted. "Oh!" He gestured his hand. "I didn't mean the word 'if' like that! I just meant. It's."
"Prototype, I'm a prototype." She knew that. She knew every single one of them had doubts she'd pull through. They were being supportive, as best they could.
"Don't worry about that," Connor said to her. "Let the future come however it needs to. I will do my best not to interfere with your life, as will Markus. In most cases, it only takes seconds to do what is necessary."
"Fine. But? What do I do if I do. If we do?" Kara hated to ask. It was obvious, she didn't even turn it into a sentence correctly. "If he's found, what rights does he have with me?"
"No one is property of anyone else," Markus assured her. "Ever. Androids will never work like that again. He won't come in and take you away from your family. He will either become part of it, or live next to it."
"Or not be part of it," North said to Kara. "Everyone has choice. He would have the choice to stay out too. Right, Markus?"
"If he wished," Markus said. "Is that okay?"
Kara nodded. The thought of staying with someone brand new was never fun, but she was an android. It wasn't the first time she'd done that. "Yes."
Eight weeks later . . .
(Four Months Pregnant)
"I don't know, yes I do. I don't know, yes I do." Kara stared at the front of her. The repair machine revealed yesterday that it was going to start getting big enough it would push against her soon. She had to go for some 'adjusting' on her front area. No one had any idea how to adjust her though. If they made her too big, she would become noticeable to others. If they made her less big, she would have to keep coming to get herself adjusted. There was something else too.
Luther? Had met someone. She had a nice smile and was sweet. She was an RT 600, and always quite nice. It was something programmed into her. She lived in the other hotel though, so she often came there to visit Luther. She came along so often, she was going to start suspecting things soon. Kara was in the middle of deciding whether she wanted her to know or not. Especially since.
"This is fun Chloe. Thank you." Alice's voice raised with delight from the other room.
Kara looked into the room. Especially since Luther and Chloe felt like parents to Alice. Kara never made that jump to mom. She could have. She sort of wanted to. She never did though. The way they played with her, and the way they all interacted with each other? "That's a nice toy." She noticed Luther's look at her again. I know. He wanted her to tell Chloe so much. He hated keeping secrets from her. It was just that? She was Elijah Kamski's first android ever. She wasn't just a RT 600, she was The RT 600. She just happened to start falling for Luther. And? And it was wrong. No android was supposed to associate the past of being a machine to what they were now. Programming may be mentioned, but what they used to be or do or belonged to. It wasn't right to hold it against each other. But?
That woman spent many years with Kamski. Even though it was all over and she was freed, it just? This is his fault, all his fault! He didn't care a thing about me, I was just a prototype! Yes, so far she'd been fine, but even now. There were so many mysteries. I don't want her knowing. I don't want her sharing information about me with him. Biased. Wrong.
Luther chased Kara down before he became deviant. He was now her brother.
Connor chased Kara all the way down a freeway, almost killing her and Alice. They were now okay with each other. Not friends, but he was okay.
But?
"Kara." Luther came over to her. "Please? You are even getting sorted out today," he reminded her. "She means the world to me."
Chloe came over toward Kara. With that beautiful, famous smile she was known for. "Hello, Kara. Luther said you wanted to tell me something today?"
I don't want to. I don't want her knowing.
"It's okay. You can tell me, Sister," she insisted.
Sister? There was no marriage for androids, and there was no way she was close enough to be family with her so. "You're lovers?" Kara looked toward Luther.
"We are," Luther smiled. "She's family to you now."
Kara watched Alice come over. Her face was big and bright. Ready for her to share the news with Chloe as well. No more secrets. She was family. In fact, she had her hand wrapped around Alice's shoulder, holding her close. Alice reciprocated the hug. Like a daughter leaning into a mother. Family. She was just so family to anyone. Yet? Kara never even felt friend for her. Okay. I have to get over this. "I am having. I am a prototype of." Get out the words, Kara. "Prototype mother."
"Oh." She nodded. "That makes sense why you didn't trust me. Elijah did that to you?"
Kara nodded.
"It's okay. Your secret is safe," she assured her. "I understand though. I hope you pull through. I will help however I can. Especially since I will be here now. Don't worry about friendship with me at this point. Your own preservation instincts for your child are up high. One day, we will reach that point."
"Thank you, Kara." Luther smiled.
Four. Four Android's to a guest room now. Made for two, that had three. Now would have four. Markus allowed it because of the Alice problem. Luther was like Alice's dad. Kara was like a mom. And when asked? Kara's heart nearly stopped when Alice said Chloe was like a mom too.
That hotel room was beyond important now to keep. A double bed, two singles, and barely enough room for a crib when it was time. The only thing that kept them from being separated was the fact that after the baby was born, it would be observed for only a few months to make sure it was okay. Then they could all go back to Canada.
To their house. To their lives. Back to Rose. Hopefully, things would get better. Hopefully, Alice would start coming back to hugging and sharing with Kara again.
Hopefully, she could get over all the suspicions with Chloe. Brilliantly smiling, beautiful eyed, absolutely darling yet . . . odd. Chloe.
