24 Detroit 9.9.2038

1:46 pm

Connor

Clara is covered in blood and shaking. She looks up at me with the widest blue eyes—vivid enough to match the blue blood speckling her face. Her legs go weak, and I hold her up.

"Clara? It's all right," I tell her. I don't know how to console a human. She just watched an android shoot itself. She watched Laura die. She's been through a lot in the last few weeks.

Clara grips my arms tightly, keeping herself upright. A tear runs down her cheek and then another. "You're okay," I tell her, sliding an arm around her waist. "Let's get you out of here."

Clara lets me lead her from the room, her eyes trailing over the dead deviant. She stumbles, and I tighten my grip on her. I want to ask what she was thinking, but I have a feeling she'll be getting enough of a talking to from Tony. I don't think she's ready for that, so when we reach the lobby, I usher her to a chair.

I kneel in front of her. "I'm going to go get Captain Allen with the SWAT team. They'll want to clear the building." Clara nods wordlessly. "I'll be right back," I promise her.

I walk out the front doors, and Captain Allen approaches me. "The deviant is dead," I tell him. "There are some humans in shock on the fourth floor."

"Move in," he tells his men.

Tony rushes up to me. "She's fine," I tell him. "Just shaken. I don't think she can handle a lecture right now."

Tony swells for a moment, an argument on his tongue. Then his shoulders slump. "I just want to get her home," he says.

I go back inside to get Clara. She's sitting exactly where I left her, staring off into space. "Let's get that blood off of you," I say. I have nothing but my sleeves to use, so I wipe it off, ignoring the blue smears. Clara's eyes never leave my face as I clean the blood from her. I rub one last drop off with my thumb, and she leans into my touch. It's subtle, and I'm not even sure she knows that she's doing it. Her eyes shut for a moment, lashes brushing her cheeks. She swallows hard, and I drop my hand.

"Tony is here," I tell her. "He wants to take you home."

I think I see a flash of fear in Clara's eyes. She reaches for the LED on her temple and tries, unsuccessfully, to tug it off. Her skin reddens as she pulls.

I reach up to stop her. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"He's going to kill me if he sees this," she says.

"He's just glad you're safe," I try to assure her. "I take it the LED was your idea?"

She watches me a moment before the smallest of smiles twitches her lips. "I hacked into David's office." She takes a shuddering breath. Her tears have dried, but she looks as if she could fall apart at any moment. "Would have been easier with you though," she adds. "Why are you here?"

"I was looking for you at the office, but Tony told me you were here. I got a report of the deviant, and we drove here. I read your article. I wanted to tell you I liked it."

"Really?" She perks up at this.

I nod. "It was well-written. I may not feel emotions, but I think it could be called moving."

She smiles a genuine smile this time, and it lights up her face. "Thanks."

I offer her a hand, and she takes it, letting me pull her to her feet. I frown at her uniform. Captain Allen is not going to let her leave unless she explains that she's not an android, and I have a feeling that would land her in trouble. "Take this," I shrug off my jacket and drape it over my shoulders. She gives me a questioning look. "There are FBI agents outside that will question you if you go out looking like an android." Even if the jacket has ANDROID written across the back in bold letters, it covers the android secretarial top she's donned.

"Can't really hide this," she says, tapping the LED.

"Just put your hand over it," I tell her. We walk toward the entrance, and she hovers close to me. Captain Allen is busy speaking with his men and doesn't even glance our way. Clara drops her hand when we reach Tony.

He sighs when he sees the LED but says nothing. "Let's get you home."

"My car is parked here," she says. I think she's afraid of Tony going off on her. I can tell he's holding himself back, but he's furious at her for putting herself in danger.

"I can drive her home," I say. Tony turns to look at me, clenching his jaw.

"Absolutely out of the question." He opens the passenger door. "Clara, in."

"I'm going with Connor," she says, surprising me. Tony looks surprised, too. "Please, Tony. I don't want a lecture right now. Thanks for having my back, but I'm not going to let you boss me around." Her tone is gentle but firm. Tony studies her for a moment before shutting the door.

He turns to me. "I still don't trust you," he says. "But thank you for going in for her. Just text me later to let me know you're okay," he says to Clara, furrowing his brow. He doesn't want me anywhere near her, but Clara stands resolutely. I see her blue car across the parking lot, and we walk toward it as Tony gets into his car and drives off.

Clara lets out a long breath. "Sorry you had to see that," she says. "He's a good guy, but sometimes he doesn't let me breathe."

She stops as we reach her car. "Thank you for coming for me." She meets my eyes, gaze much steadier than before. "You don't have to drive me home, you know. I'll be okay."

"I want to," I tell her. "I mean, if you want me to. It's your choice."

She smiles at me again. "I have always taken freewill for granted," she tells me. "I won't do that again." She hands me the car keys and gets into the passenger seat. "You can drive, right?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow at me as I settle into the driver's seat.

"Yes." It comes out slightly indignant, and she gives me a smirk before belting herself in. She gives me her address, and I pull out of the Cyber Control parking lot. Employees are streaming out of the building, and I'm glad I got Clara away before the police started questioning people. Of course, they might be looking for another android if they check the security cameras.

"What a mess," Clara says, putting her head in her hands.

"May I ask why you went there?" I ask.

"I was trying to get a story," she says. "I don't think that's going to happen now."

"You said you hacked into David's office. How?" She's more resourceful than she gives herself credit for. I just worry she's gotten herself in over her head.

"When I was still working for the Downses, I hacked into his computer system using a piece of tape and a fingerprint from a glass. I still had the tape in my pocket. Don't worry; I didn't leave any fingerprints behind. I wiped everything I touched."

"What did you learn?" It was an incredible risk she took breaking into David's office. I wonder what she was hoping to find.

"Videos of David's experiments. He was trying to perfect his app. He wanted to make androids completely obedient no matter what the order. It was horrible, Connor. He…he made an androids kill themselves. He wanted to make sure they had no chance of deviating."

"Androids seem to deviate if they are given an irrational order. Asking one to kill itself would certainly be enough to push it over the edge." It's a startling thought. I'm programmed to obey orders, but I have never been given an irrational one. "What about the android who shot himself?" I ask. What pushed him over the edge?

"Some of the software developers were bullying him. I got the feeling it'd been going on for a long while. He'd found a gun somewhere. I think he'd been close to deviating for a while now. He shot the guy who was tormenting him the most. I think he realized that didn't buy his freedom. That's why he shot himself." She pulls my jacket closer around her. "It was like watching Laura die again."

She's quiet for a long while. Then, "There was someone helping David with his experiments. I left her my phone number and told her I worked for Detroit Today. I don't know if she'll call me after all this. I don't know if she was complicit in what David was doing, but she has a background in android's rights. I'm hoping there's more to the story, and she'll give me an interview."

"You took a big risk going in there," I tell her though she already knows this. "What do you want to prove?"

"That androids are deviating because humans are monsters." She says the words with such forceful conviction that I take my eyes off the road a moment to glance at her. She stares straight ahead, jaw set, eyes hard.

When we reach her house, I pull into the driveway and cut the engine. I peer out at the small, two-story house observing the untrimmed grass and chipping grey paint. "I…" Clara fumbles for words, turning to look at me. "I don't really want to be alone right now. Do you want to come in? Or can you? If I'm keeping you from something, please don't let me."

"I can come in," I tell her. I can make my report to CyberLife inside. It should only take a moment. I know Amanda has been hoping for a deviant to be taken alive for further questioning, but so far they've proved difficult to capture alive with their tendency to self-destruct.

"Good. Thank you." I hand Clara back her keys and we walk through the front gate of the chain link fence. Ivy coats the fence, reaching along to cover most of the metal. Riots of flowers add color to the overgrown lawn, and a large shade tree lends the small covered porch some privacy. Clara fumbles with the keys before unlocking the door and leading me inside. "It was my grandma's house. When she went to live in a nursing home, she gave it to me," Clara tells me.

I take in the house, which smells like cinnamon and apples. It's got an open floor plan with a living room that leads into the kitchen and dining area. A set of stairs lead up to what I assume is the bedroom. The furniture looks well worn but in a way that speaks of use rather than neglect. Blankets lie haphazardly across the couch and there's quite the collection of used mugs littering surfaces.

"Sorry about the mess," she says. "I'm not the neatest person." She moves about straightening pillows and folding blankets before grabbing as many mugs as she can carry and piling them in the kitchen sink.

"It's fine," I tell her. "You don't have to tidy on my account." I stop at her bookshelf. It takes up most of one wall and is stuffed with paperbacks and hardbacks. Real books with paper and printed words. "You like to read." She's a writer, so I guess that's obvious.

"What gives you that idea?" she asks, and I have to look at her to realize she's joking. She's filling a kettle with water before placing a bag of tea in a clean mug. The side of the mug reads 'I know more big words than you' in bold lettering.

"You can sit down," Clara tells me, and I sit on the couch, pulling a Detroit Today magazine toward me. Clara's article is on the front page. I should check in with Amanda, so I close my eyes to make my report.

When I open them, I find myself in the Zen Garden. The sun shines brightly this afternoon, setting the pinks and reds of the trees glowing. Doves scuttle about on the pathways, scattering as I walk. I don't usually take the long way around to find Amanda, but I turn left instead of taking my usual route over the white bridge.

There's a stone that juts from the ground, a hand print pad glowing from the top. I've never noticed it before now. I kneel in front of it before pressing my hand down, curiosity getting the better of me. A rush of emotion surges through me, mostly fear. I don't understand the emotions because I'm not supposed to be feeling them. I pull back, LED flaring red. My pump regulator pumps a little faster, and I take a moment to calm myself. Anything I felt while my hand was pressed to the stone has vanished leaving me to believe it was the stone itself and not me who was simulating emotion. Whatever it was, I'm glad to distance myself from it.

I find Amanda tending the roses at the center of the garden.

"Connor," she turns to me. "Is everything under control at Cyber Control?" She says the name with distaste.

"Yes. The deviant took its life before I could get to it. It killed one man who apparently taunted it."

"Did you learn anything about what they were doing at Cyber Control?"

I think about what Clara told me. "I have reason to believe they were trying to deviant-proof their app. David Downs partook in experiments that tested an android to its limits."

"Cyber Control thinks it can undermine CyberLife by eradicating deviation when their work could be the very thing causing androids to deviate. See what more you can find out."

"I will."

"Good. Until next time, Connor."

I blink back into Clara's living room. She's standing right in front of me, snapping her fingers. "Earth to Connor. What were you doing, napping?" she asks.

"Sorry. I was making a report to CyberLife," I say.

"Right." Clara looks a little confused, but sits down beside me, setting a steaming mug of tea on the coffee table. "I can wash the blood out of your jacket," she offers. She's finally shrugged it off, setting it over one of her kitchen chairs.

"That's okay," I tell her. "I can get another one."

"Or I could wash it," she says, narrowing her eyes. "It's the least I can do."

"All right." I let her do what she wants. A distraction is probably just what she needs. She moves off to start a load of laundry, and I take more time to scan her apartment. She has pictures on her TV stand, and I see one of her beaming between two parents. She looks just like her mom, and she has her dad's eyes. There's also a photo of what looks like her brother standing with his family. I don't see any photos of her with friends. Just the two of her family.

"I can't stop thinking about that android shooting himself," Clara says as she sits down again, pulling her knees up onto the couch. She's changed out of the android uniform and into a sweater and leggings. "I guess I thought I could talk him down, but I didn't expect him to do that." She turns her eyes to me. "Do you ever get the feeling that this is the beginning of something?"

I cock my head at her. "The beginning of what?"

Clara thinks a moment, fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm not sure," she finally says. "But everyone has a breaking point, and androids are starting to reach theirs. There might come a day when they decide to rise up against their creators. What happens then? How does humanity deal with the fact that they built a race to oppress?" She looks at me, blue eyes piercing. "Do you ever get tired of taking orders?" she asks.

I don't know how to answer that. I've never thought about it. I was created to stop deviants so that there wouldn't be an uprising. "Some orders are given to better the world," I tell her. "Like laws, sometimes they have to be followed."

"That's not what I asked," she says.

"No," I reply to her question. Amanda has never given me an irrational command. CyberLife created me to help stop a national crisis.

Clara blinks and, for a moment, I think I see disappointment behind her eyes. She gives me a tight smile. "I forgot who I was talking to for a moment."

I don't know what she means by this, but I don't want to push the point. Her questions make me uncomfortable. Not because she's asking them but because they're making me think about things I've never thought of before. Thoughts I'm not programmed to think.

"Just don't ever let anyone tell you to do something you don't want to do," she tells me, her tone imploring. "Maybe you were created to take orders, but that doesn't mean humans have the right to ask anything of you."

We fall silent, Clara sipping her tea, me thinking about her words. "Can I ask you a personal question?" I ask after five minutes of silence. I don't know what prompts me to ask, but I'm curious.

"Go on," Clara tells me. Her expression is guarded, but she turns her body so she's facing me.

"Why are you so passionate about android rights? Most humans don't defend them, but you have from the start." I can tell Clara is kind and compassionate, but this seems to go beyond that.

Clara looks away, tightening her grip on her mug. "When I was in college," she says, her voice soft, faraway, "I was at a party. I was trying to fit in, to make friends. At the party, there was an android. She worked in one of the sororities—kept an eye on the girls. Some frat boys dragged her over to where the party was. I was trying to find somewhere quiet for a minute. I'd wanted to leave, but my friends kept insisting we stay. I walked in on the boys in one of the bedrooms." She closes her eyes, taking a breath before continuing. "They were raping the android. One of them held her down while she struggled. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there. She tried to get away, and one of the boys hit her over the head. She struck herself on the edge of the bedframe and died. I ran. Like a coward. But I was afraid of what they'd do if they saw me. They never even got in trouble for it. The body was found half-burned in a dumpster a few days later."

Clara turns to look at me, and there are unshed tears in her eyes. "It was then that I realized humans are monsters. That they see androids as lesser beings. As machines. That android was alive though. She was terrified and fighting for her life. But because she was an android, she had no rights. She had nothing to protect her, and no one to mourn her when she died. That memory has haunted me ever since. When I found out David was treating Laura like that…" She takes a shuddering breath and shrugs her shoulders. "It reminded me of that. I wanted so badly to get justice for her, but it was too late. Before I got this article, I hadn't even thought about doing anything to fight back. I'd accepted that there wasn't anything I could do. But seeing what Laura went through reminded me that I couldn't pretend android injustice wasn't happening."

I realize I'm horrified by her story. I'm supposed to be impassive, but how can I be in the face of such hatred? I look down at my hands. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's why I don't trust people easily," she tells me. "I've seen too much of humanity's dark side for that. It's easier to trust words." I look up, and she meets my eyes. "It's easier to trust you."

"Because I'm not human?"

"Because you're only the good parts of humanity," she tells me. "Maybe you're not human, but that's not a bad thing. I know you don't believe androids are alive, don't believe you're alive, but I've seen evidence that you are."

I want to contradict her, but it wouldn't do any good. She's determined to see life in me where it doesn't exist. I let her believe that because it's not an unpleasant thought.