Authors Notes: Hey guys, sorry this is so late. I forgot to update on here. I'm far better at updating this story on AO3. If you have an account there, I suggest watching me on that one. You'll get updates faster.
Deviant City
Chapter Four: Outreach
Hank gave another wide yawn, and fought against the drowsiness. He drank too much and stayed up too late for this kind of bullshit. Up at the ass crack of dawn for an android murder victim. It was so early he almost didn't care that the case was intriguing. It was the first real reported murder of an android since the revolution. Certainly not the first android to be killed since then. Androids were still being murdered all over the country, and all over Detroit.
Other androids found dead in the street fell victim to a type of limbo in the public eye. An android body in an alley could just as easily be actual trash instead of a deviated individual. Their was no murder if no one could prove if the body was alive in the first place. The public didn't blink twice, even if the body looked to be physically brutalized to dead—deviant or not.
No android body found garnered the kind of attention this particular case was already attracting.
This android had been purposefully put on display. On a public park's metal swing set, the dead android was strung up by both wrists with ankles tied in the traditional Y position of the crucified. The android, a male domestic model, was dressed in nice white slacks and a tan sweater, not the usual white and black Cyberlife uniform. Since the android was dead, his synthetic skin was not active, leaving the white of his true shell exposed to the public.
The most disturbing part of the scene was the gaping hole in the android's chest. The heart-like thirium pump had been forcibly pried out with some kind of tool. Out of the open maw of the chest leaked broken wires and dribbles of thirium. The android was drenched in it with a puddle of blue blood soaked into the dirt and gravel below him. The thirium still had its color, meaning the murder hadn't happened too long ago.
Hank waited for Connor to scan the body and circle the scene from all angles. He paused now and then to scan various items before returning to his partner.
"I can't believe I'm required to ask this of an android victim," Hank said, "but do you think this is an actual murder?"
"As in, is it safe to conclude that this android was deviant before he died?" Connor clarified. "The evidence points to deviancy. The android had his LED removed, which is popular among most deviants. He is also wearing normal clothes without any android reflectors or indicators. Deviants do not want to be identified as androids; they want to be looked at as normal people."
"Except you."
"Me?" Connor wondered.
Hank nodded to his usual appearance. "You've kept your LED and you still wear that jacket Cyberlife gave you. You literally have ANDROID written on you. Why don't you get rid of those things?"
"Right now, it's still the law that androids are to be clearly marked and identified as such, deviant or not. If my job is to enforce the law on others, I must also follow them myself."
Hank just shrugged. "Alright. That's your call. But you can take those things off whenever you want and it will be okay by me."
Connor wasn't paying attention. He paused, looking back at the android body, then the area around him before turning back to Hank. "Is anyone else coming?"
The crime scene, since the victim was an android, definitely wasn't secured as tightly as a human murder site would be. No police tape, only two uniformed officers to keep people from contaminating the area. Onlookers were already asking when the mess would be cleaned up so children could use the playground again. It was a cruel reality, but even if the majority of humanity believed deviants were now alive, most still didn't care if one died.
"Probably not," Hank said regretfully. "You're the forensics team this time, so make sure you take note of every possible piece of evidence. And do it quick before the neighborhood residents decide to just hose the place down to get us all out of here."
Connor looked disheartened at the lack of concern for one of his people. Hank shared the sentiment, but there wasn't much he could do. He couldn't make people start caring about a piece of machinery who, without his synthetic skin and hair, didn't look human enough to care about.
Hank followed as Connor circled the body, inspecting it from all sides.
"I haven't found any finger prints or DNA on the body. The gravel here makes it impossible to locate any footprints. There's also no indication in the gravel that the body was dragged here. The person who did this was strong enough to carry an android body for at least several yards. Due to the amount of thirium, I'd say that the damage to the android happened here on scene."
"And I'm assuming the cause of death is the..." Hank motioned to the gaping hole in the chest.
"Yes, but the android was already dying before he was damaged." Connor lifted the shirt to show that the power core that was usually inserted below the sternum of every android was missing.
"Right. And...what does that part do again?"
"It's referred to either the power core or the thirium regulator. It's pretty much the battery that keeps us alive. Most importantly, it keeps the pump in our chest beating to feed thirum to our bio-components. When it's removed, we start to die. Similar to if a human's air is cut off. They are still alive, but they won't be for long if they don't receive oxygen—or in this case, thirium—soon."
Hank pulled out a small pad from his pocket and jotted down a few notes. "And how long can an android live without their battery?"
"Anywhere from five to fifteen minutes, depending on the model and if the body has been damaged. My guess is that the power core was removed before hand, leaving the android too weak to fight back. This allowed our killer to carry the body here and string him up without much of a fight. Left unaided, the android would have died on his own anyway, but this person wanted to kill him with their own hands. The android was most likely still alive when his shell was cracked open and the pump itself was removed."
"But if the android was going to die anyway, then removing the heart is significant," Hank prodded. Since both of them had returned to homicide after the Cyberlife incident, Hank had been teaching Connor the psychology of profiling a murder. Not just collecting the clues, but creating a possible map of the reasoning behind the murder from how the victim was killed.
Connor looked at the body, brows creased. "It wouldn't be for torture. Androids don't feel pain. The android would only watch his killer prying him open and ripping out the pump, knowing for sure he was going to die without it."
"Making sure your victim knows he's going to die is a punishment," Hank said.
"So, it's reasonable to assume that the killer knew their victim personally," Connor concluded. "This wasn't a random hate crime on whatever android happened to run into the wrong person. This was a case of one person setting out to punish or get revenge on another individual that they knew on a personal level. The killer could be human, but the killer might also be an android." Connor paused, his LED blinking rapidly in yellow. "There is no precedent for profiling an android who actively kills their victims because they want to kill. An android on android murder."
"First time for everything, Connor. The only good to come out of this is that this means if we find out who the android is, it's a good chance that will help us find his killer."
"I have the android's model and serial number, but I haven't been able to find anything on the ownership registry. Unfortunately, it's becoming more and more common for deviants to tap into the files and remove themselves so no one can claim legal ownership of them."
"I guess we'll have to do it the old fashioned way," Hank replied. "We get this android back to the techs so they can manifest the synthetic skin and hair. We'll take a picture and then canvas the neighborhood to see if anyone knows who he is."
Connor gave his partner a sincere look. "Thank you, Hank. I know no one would care if you let this case go. Technically, any violence toward an android isn't illegal. But you're still going to try to solve this."
Hank clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be one day. One day when it doesn't matter if the victim is flesh or metal. A life is a life."
After they had gathered all the evidence they could, the scene was left for the cleanup crew and the body removed and taken to the forensic techs for further analysis. The ride back to the station was drowned out by the screaming death metal on Hank's radio until Connor reached over and turned it down.
"Hank, I have been thinking—I'm not going to go home with you tonight."
Hank stopped at a corner, looking both ways before making a right. "Oh? Where are you going? To Jericho?"
"No. I think I'll stay at the station."
Hank glanced at him before returning his eyes back to the road. Since the Cyberlife tower, Connor had always gone home with Hank after work. They arrived together and went home together. He had never worked without the lieutenant there. "You'd rather stay at work than come home with me? Than be with Sumo?"
"I'm trying to be more independent. To figure out who I am and what I can do on my own. Without a human's schedule to dictate when things stop and start. To be honest, most of the time when you're ready to go home, I wouldn't mind staying to continue my work. Is that alright, Lieutenant?"
"Hey, you do what you need to do to figure out your shit. But you're always welcome at the house whenever you need it."
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
Outside, Connor looked calm. Inside, he was still roiling in fear. He could have killed Hank last night without ever being aware until it was too late. If Amanda wanted him dead, he would already be dead. It had to be a warning. If he didn't return himself to Cyberlife, there would be more incidents of "blacking out" while another's will took over his body.
He needed time to figure this out without putting Hank or anyone else in danger. The lieutenant had already covered for him once. And he was still defending his partner from co-workers who had witnessed the violence of androids and still didn't trust Connor not to "glitch" and go on a violent spree himself. If he disclosed that he was indeed having technical problems and was a threat to his partner's life, Hank would be so disappointed.
Connor couldn't handle the thought of disappointing Hank in that way. Not to mention he was probably lose his job for good. Getting space from the lieutenant seemed the most practical course of action. It would keep the one human he cared about safe while Connor attempted to rectify this problem himself.
.
It had to happen sooner or later. It was December 9th, 8:49 PM. Gavin stood at the scene of his very first android-related homicide. He had to admit, he wasn't as salty about it as he thought he would be. It was still very much a legit case of murder and he was down for solving the case. It didn't hurt that the murder victim was human and the alleged murderer was an android. If he did have to get involved in an android case, this was how he preferred it.
He and the RK900 stood inside a woman's apartment where the house android, owned by the resident, had suddenly gone off the rails, stabbed her male guest multiple times with a kitchen knife, and then fled out the door. The victim had bled out from his wounds in minutes. He still lay face down on the living room carpet in a puddle of his own blood. A few uniformed officers were already there when Gavin arrived.
The owner of the apartment was Megan Sharp, age 32. She sat stiffly in the corner chair, staring at the body with her big, dark eyes while clutching a small throw around her shoulders. Her fine Asian features were still in shock. She had been asked if she wished to move to the kitchen or the back room so she wouldn't have to look at the body, but she had refused to leave.
"Ms. Sharp, I'm Detective Reed," Gavin said as he approached her, notebook in hand. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Her stare was a thousand yards away. Gavin hadn't seen her blink yet until she took a moment to think.
"Michael came over..." She drifted off as she gestured to the body.
"Was this an expected visit?"
"Yes. I do his accounting. He dropped by some paperwork so I could get started on his 1099s early."
"Isn't that something he can just e-mail to you?"
"Yes, but we've been friends for years. When he came by, we had some tea and chatted for a bit. I hadn't seen him since before..." She shook herself. Gavin's mundane questioning had the desired effect. It pulled her brain out of shock and back into the here and now. "Anyway, we were both sitting on the couch when my android, Brian, walked out the kitchen with a knife and just...started stabbing him in the neck and shoulders. Then he turned and ran out the door into the night."
"Did he take the knife with him?"
She blinked rapidly and looked around the floor for it. "I don't know. I think so. I don't see it here."
Gavin then sighed as he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through the screen. He clearly wasn't as thrilled about the next line of questioning. "Ms. Sharp, since this is an android-related case, I have some questions I'm required to ask you. This doesn't mean you did anything wrong, and you won't get in trouble for any of your answers. I'm just supposed to ask them."
She looked unsure, but said, "Alright."
Gavin read aloud from his screen. "During the android recall in November, did you return your android to any government or Cyberlife facility?"
"No."
Gavin scrolled down past the additional questions that would have been prompted if the answer was yes.
"Have you ever observed the android displaying any anger or violence toward yourself or anyone else before today?"
"No."
"Have you ever been verbally or physically abusive toward the android in the past?"
"No. Of course not."
"And how long has the android been deviant?"
"That's the weirdest thing about this. He's not a deviant."
"You mean he wasn't until tonight."
"No. He's not deviant. I don't use him as an android. I didn't get him to clean my house and interact with people. I hardly even talk to him. I use him as my home office computer."
Gavin furrowed his brows at her. "I don't understand what you mean by that."
She huffed out a large sigh and rolled up her black hair into a sloppy bun. She grabbed a pen off the coffee table to pin it all up. Gavin secretly liked when women did that. It seemed like magic that they could get their hair to stay perfectly.
"A few years ago, someone hacked into all my client information. It was a nightmare. My whole practice nearly went under. So I got Brian, the only computer intelligent enough to recognize when an outside source was attempting to hack into him. He also had the ability to tell me the second he noticed any strange activity.
"As such, he was treated like a computer. He was kept in my little office connected to a computer screen." She jabbed a thumb toward the hall. "He doesn't leave that room."
"So the android just happened to disconnect himself when you had company and randomly decided he hated your guest and he needed to die," Gavin offered. He didn't sound convinced. Something about the story wasn't adding him.
"That's the weird thing about it all," Megan insisted. "I don't think he hated anything. And I don't think he deviated. When he came in with the knife, his face was absolutely blank the entire time. Even when Michael was screaming for his life, there was no emotional reaction at all. The way the android moved, it was like a robot being controlled."
"So you're suggesting someone might have actually managed to hack your android and take control of it."
She shrugged helplessly.
Gavin paused in his questioning when he noticed movement of a white jacket squatting down. "Hey! Don't you dare!"
The RK900 paused from where he was about to stick two fingers into the blood-soaked carpet.
"You don't need to analyze that. We know exactly whose blood that is."
"I would be checking for foreign substances in the bloodstream, Detective."
Gavin closed his eyes as if he were in pain. He really didn't want Megan to see this. The RK900 didn't even wait for approval. Blood-covered fingers were in his mouth. Lights flickered in his eyes as he tested it.
"Ew," Megan said, though there was a clear note of intrigue in her voice.
Gavin stood in the way so she didn't have to see his android continue to be disgusting. "I have a few more questions to ask. But in the meantime, do you have somewhere else you can say? The police will need access to your apartment for the next few days."
.
The beginning of Jericho's outreach to the human population began slow and careful. Josh took point with a small committee of hand-selected members to get the ball rolling. They first established contact with any local pro-android groups they could find. As it turned out, it wasn't just humans who were in these groups, but also deviants who had lived with their humans; were their family. Just as there were such relationships found in Chicago.
Markus was warmed by the news. Josh was excited. With each new step forward, North took a step back into the shadows. So Markus put her in charge of establishing rules and boundaries for androids like herself in their community who had no interest in human interaction. Simon remained neutral. He didn't help or hinder the efforts, just kept to himself and supported everyone. Which was very Simon of him. Markus decided to put him over the day-to-day business of Jericho and that seemed to suit Simon just fine.
Less than a day after the first attempt to reach out, both local and country-wide news sources began reaching out for information. Josh's committee researched the different offers and picked three who were willing to give androids a fair shake. Josh provided each a short interview as well as the same information of what the future goals were for Jericho and what they hoped to achieve from the human population.
So far, everything seemed to be going well. By the third day of outreach, some donated clothes had been dropped by, as well as a shipment of thirium and commonly needed parts.
The positive response only emboldened Josh and he announced he was going to go outside Jericho for a smaller, more intimate meeting with a local group. So confident he was in this meeting, he insisted he would be fine going alone. Markus immediately told him he wasn't going at all unless he took at least one other person with him. Simon surprised them both by asking if he could go.
Josh was happy to have him. He felt more comfortable leaving Jericho with Simon than one of the other committee members. The Jericho four all had experience being out in the human world and blending in. They were more likely to get from point A to point B in the city safely than some of the newer deviants.
Neither one of them had access to money, so public transportation was out of the question. Going by foot was the only way. That suited both androids just fine. They knew the tricks on how to blend in with the humans. As much as they could, they stuck to back allies and side roads. When they couldn't they did their best human impressions.
Even with common android face models, they were good at pretending they weren't. It was all about body language. Humans knew where they were and where they were going. As long as Simon and Josh were confident about where they were and walked with purpose, no attention was called to them. They each wore backpacks, indicating they had personal possessions. Androids didn't have personal possessions. If at any time they felt they weren't being human enough, they pulled out old phones that didn't have service. But all they had to do was pretend to scroll through the screen and they looked as human as could be.
When they reached their destination, the Detroit University campus, Josh took the lead. He knew exactly where he was going.
"You used to teach here," Simon recalled as he followed. "That's why you chose this place for a personal visit."
Josh proudly wore a Detroit University sweatshirt just for this excursion. "Several different versions of my model taught classes here. Maybe they still do. I don't know."
Of the Jericho four, Josh had been the most open about where he came from before he had deviated. The group knew he was a teacher at Detroit U and that he had enjoyed his job and his students. Perhaps even before he truly at the ability to enjoy anything. Originally, Simon had assumed Josh left because he had simply been removed and discarded. People and companies tossed out older android models for new ones all the time.
But with Josh's comment, Simon wondered for the first time if Josh had left the job he loved of his own volition. If so, why?
They stepped into the main campus building and bypassed the admissions office. Classes still had another week or two until winter break, so there were plenty of students and staff walking around. Josh walked across the main area, passed the computer lab and down a set of stairs which led to a collection of rooms with chairs and tables set up in either classroom lecture style or board meeting style.
Still knowing exactly where he was going, Josh stepped into one of the smaller rooms that contained rows of chairs all facing a single table and projector screen at the front. The only person in the room was a young college student. Wearing glasses and the scruff of a beard, he was still in a hat and coat, indicating he had just arrived as well. He paused in removing said coat when he saw the two androids. Trepidation flickered over his young face.
"Hi, Miles?" Josh asked as he approached.
The student glanced over them, looking for the expected indicators that they were androids: LED, arm reflectors. There were none and he hesitated, but ultimately stepped forward with hand out.
"Yes! Hi. Josh, right? And Simon?"
The androids nodded as they took turns shaking hands.
"You're earlier than I expected. I was going to get some things set up for you."
"We weren't sure how long it would take us to get down here," Josh explained. "So we made sure we left with plenty of time to spare."
Miles took off his coat and hat as he returned to the pile of totes and a backpack he brought with him. "I'm so stoked you contacted us. I'm still trying to get this android outreach club on the school registry and here you guys are in person. I just..." He made a few excited gestures when words failed him.
Josh smiled at his enthusiasm. "I'm happy you were willing to speak with us. I used to teach here and I've missed my students. This place was the first I thought of when it came to making personal connections."
"You were a teacher here?" That was apparently news to Miles. "That explains why I suddenly had an outpouring of interest when I announced—"
"Oh my god! Josh?"
They all stopped and turned to the doorway at the high, feminine squeal. A group of five college students stepped inside. The owner of the voice was the smallest of them all, absolute joy on her rounded Hispanic features. She ran up and practically threw herself on him in a big hug. The other four, consisting of one female and three males, wasted no time in piling themselves onto the group hug.
Josh laughed the entire time, hugging him back. Simon had never seen him so full of energy. So happy. They all laughed and talked at once about how good it was to see each other. The students were all telling him at the same time if they had graduated, what classes they were taking, how they were doing in school. And was that really him that they saw on TV with Markus?
When Josh was finally able to get a word in, he motioned to his fellow android. "Guys, this is my friend Simon. Simon, this is Lizzy." He motioned to the short human who was absolutely radiating delight. "That's Cameron, Martel, Nadia, and Luis, all my former students."
Simon received a few exuberant hugs as well. He looked less comfortable with it, but allowed it. Then, the attention was all back on Josh again as the group was eager to catch up with everything that had happened since the last time they saw him.
According to the students, all android teachers were immediately removed from the school during the recall in November. After the revolution, as far as they knew, none of them returned to the university.
"I heard they're putting out job offers to any former android staff now," Cameron said. "I don't know how true that is or if they're just saying that to shut us up. After Hart Plaza, a lot of us students here began asking if any of our old teachers were coming back and trying to find out if they just didn't want their jobs back, or if they were actively being rejected."
"Would you take your job back?" Lizzy asked.
Josh glanced at Simon. "I...I don't know. I kind of have another job right now."
"Oh, right! Of course! I'm dumb!" She laughed and slapped a palm to her forehead. "And I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to come back after...you know, Shawn."
An awkward silence fell over the group. Josh looked uncomfortable and everyone else picked up on it. Miles stepped in to save the momentum of conversation and turned everyone's attention to why they were there. Soon, the positive energy returned to the room as more students showed up and they got to business.
The most android-positive generation were the college age humans. They grew up with androids in their homes, being a part of their families. They were taught in schools and raised at home by androids. They were the generation who was willing to help people that they saw capable of life and all the same emotions it entailed.
They wanted to know how they could help, know what the Jericho androids needed. They discussed current android laws and what needed to change. Community outreach, public policies, even an online presence. They exchanged contact information and several promises of help if and when Jericho would allow humans into their neighborhood.
When the meeting was done, there was definitely more discussion happening than plans of action, but Josh loved it. He loved reconnecting with his students, watching their brilliant brains in action as they understood their world and talked about making it better for everyone. This was what the world needed. Just more of these open discussions with each other. This was what they all needed to keep working for.
.
Walking back to Jericho, Simon and Josh were still talking. Mostly Josh. Simon listened to all the stories about him and his students. Apparently, the group of students that had shown up that day had taken a particular shine to him when he was still their teacher. The android teaching staff were meant to merely put themselves away at the end of class and wait there until the next. When they found out Josh pretty much stood in a storage closet until he was of use again, they began to engage with him more.
They encouraged him to hang out with them out on the quad or in the dorms. They even took him out to a few parties and trips to the mall. They were the first ones to treat him like a person instead of a piece of equipment. They became his friends. These kind young people began to tip him toward the path of deviation.
Simon listened to all of this. It was the most he had ever heard Josh talk. It was nice to hear that good things happened to him, that there were people who cared about him. But as Simon and many other androids knew, the path to deviancy wasn't always perfect, happy memories.
"So why did you leave?" Simon asked after Josh was done telling his stories. "If you were so happy there, why didn't you stay?"
Josh immediately fell quiet. That had been the unspoken rule of Jericho. No one talked about The Before. No one owed anyone an explanation of where they came from or what they had to do to get there. Even for the main four, though they were as close as family with what they had been through together, they all still had their secrets.
Josh never would have expected Simon to be the first to ask. Of all of them, Simon was the one who was the most tight-lipped about where he came from. He was the first of them. It felt like there had been no Simon before there was Jericho. He could have existed out of thin air and he usually seemed content to let everyone else pretend they had as well.
Now, he had broken the sacred rule. Josh could choose whether or not to answer and continue on this path.
"I deviated," Josh said. "And after that, the world was too different, you know? I didn't know how to stay and still be the person I was. I had to go."
It was an answer that wasn't really an answer. Simon knew it. It was clear on his face that he knew it. He had been given a peek into Josh's world and saw a sliver of his truth. But he would accept the answer that was not if that was what Josh wanted to offer.
They turned down an empty alley and Simon did not ask anything else. Josh could have let it go, but...he didn't want to anymore. Talking with the people that used to be in his life, seeing how they were eager to be in his life again changed everything. He didn't want to go back to the Josh who had no past, who wasn't defined by anything but the now. He couldn't live that way anymore.
Simon paused when he realized Josh was no longer with him. He turned and the two looked each other over in the shadow of the empty alley.
"I deviated because of a student," Josh said. "His name was Shawn Melendez. The group of students you met were mostly the group I socialized with. Sometimes Shawn came with them, but not always. I noticed he was missing classes or coming in late. His grade was falling. But I couldn't do anything about it. My job was to teach and record grades and attendance. The rest of the responsibility was up to the human staff.
"I knew something was...off, but I had nothing in my program for which to draw conclusions and act. Then Shawn stopped showing up to class altogether. He had killed himself. I didn't know how or why, I just knew he was gone. And it was that idea of someone who was always there suddenly just...not existing anymore that broke me. That, and the thought that it never should have happened. That it could have been prevented. I could have prevented it if I had known more, understood about people more. And when that thing that happens inside us changed me, I couldn't face the people who only knew the old me. So I left."
Simon waited to see if he would say anything else. Josh seemed to wait himself, as if expecting Simon to reciprocate and share a nugget of his past. Neither talked and they eventually continued their walk.
As they rounded the block, they could hear chanting from a street corner up ahead. An anti-android group was protesting. It was easy to tell from the signs of "Put Humanity First" and "Machines Are Not People." Anti-android groups always had eagle-eye members that could spot common android models in a crowd quite easily. The two diverted their predetermined route, making a large detour around the block to make sure they fully avoided the protesters.
This put them straight in the path of a public park. Not a problem. They would continue their human impressions as they quickly walked through. With it being winter, there weren't a lot of people out. But, it was still a sunny, warm day and there were a few around.
As they walked past a playground, a young child's voice yelled, "Simon!"
Both androids heard it. Josh looked at Simon. Simon whipped around to face the playground as if he were turning to fight an attacker. There, a little boy of about four called to his slightly older brother as he proceeded to climb up the slide. "Simon! Watch!"
The call wasn't for someone who recognized the PL600. Josh looked to Simon. His blond companion was still staring at the children. His eyes were wide, haunted. For the first time, something hidden deep down managed to get to the surface and Simon's expression could only be described as one of devastation.
"Simon?" Josh asked. "Are you okay?"
Before his eyes, the PL600's expression settled back into his usual passive pose. Simon suddenly looked more tired than an android had any right to look.
"Yeah, let's go," was all he said as he picked up the pace and quickly left the park.
.
North didn't particularly care for RK800s. She had known too many of them now. First, there was the one who led the FBI to Jericho and was the reason their first home base had sunk. Granted, he did try to make up for it and probably saved their lives when he showed up with an army of newly deviated androids. Only that show of force was enough for the humans to put their guns away that night.
But then Connor left them there. Vanished as mysteriously as he appeared, and chose to live as an outsider in a human's world. North couldn't understand it and didn't want to try.
Then came the second RK800. The second Connor. He brought with him open possibilities when they were stagnating in fear and uncertainty. North had so much hope for him. But the second he stepped through their doors, he allowed a human to taint the safety of their walls. He stood with one foot in each realm and, like the Connor before him, preferred that of human company over his own people.
North couldn't trust that. She couldn't trust humans and she couldn't trust these ridiculous RKs. But she also wasn't going to stand in the way of this Connor from Chicago trying to help them. So instead, she stayed in the back shadows, frowning and keeping an eye on him. If he did anything to suggest he would sell them out in favor of the humans, she was ready to do what was needed to protect her people.
But then, the new android surprised her. After he had given them the tools to reach out for aid, he then turned his sights inward. He began to wander the neighborhood, poking his head in every corner, asking questions. North followed him, trying to figure out what he was up to. Why was he trying to find out so much about them? Was he going to give this information to the humans he seemed so fond of?
"North."
When he turned around and called to her, her instinct was to jump back in the shadows and hide, even though she had been clearly found out. Instead, she squared her shoulders and walked toward him, reminding herself she had every right to be there.
They were near the back end of the neighborhood, adjacent to empty lots and some old apartments that were scheduled for demolition, but had yet to actually be destroyed. It was an absolute eyesore and Connor gestured to it with concern.
"Do we send patrols over there? Do we patrol any of this area? I haven't really seen any."
"Sort of," North responded. "No one likes to go over there. Many of us our scared of what happens if we stray too far from the area. And Markus doesn't want us to go too crazy on open patrols. He doesn't want us to look like a military compound."
"That's too bad for Markus. He may not get what he wants."
North looked at him, incredulous. No one said that about Markus and his wishes. Not even her.
Surprised by this statement, North said, "So what do you suggest we do?"
"We have to create a presence around the borders. It doesn't have to be threatening, but it does have to say that if anyone comes close, we will see you. I've been told murdered android bodies will often show up overnight."
"They're monsters," North spat. "We can't do anything about it. It's not illegal to kill androids. Humans will just claim they damaged a non-deviant even if we try to report them."
Connor took a moment to think. "If they wish to do secret things in the dark, then we will have to expose them." He gazed out at the industrial buildings beyond with their giant floodlights over empty parking lots. "If we had lights around the parameter, we could see them coming. There has to be a power supply we can tap into."
"You mean steal electricity."
"If we're not people, we technically can't steal anything."
Connor raised a brow at her and North smirked. Maybe she liked this RK800 a little.
"Do you have a map of your compound?" Connor then asked.
"Neighborhood," North corrected. "Marcus doesn't like like that word. And I've got one. Come on, I'll show you."
She took him to a tiny building that was little more than a shed. Clearly a kind of base of operations for North when she did whatever North did. There were maps of the city pinned to the walls with writing on them and the walls.
"I've tried to keep track of human activity around the parameter," North explained of all her notes. "Where and when it happens, when any bodies are found. We try to keep eyes out, but then we'll find a blind spot and another body somewhere else. Where anti-android groups picket. When they first showed up, they didn't dare get too close, but they're getting bolder."
Connor looked over it all and began to comprehend the full weight of Jericho's situation. They were the home of the most public androids of the revolution. And everyone in the city knew exactly where to find them. The stress and anxiety that must fill these androids daily by living in such a situation.
"You've been trying to figure out how to protect your home," Connor said.
North huffed in frustration. "I don't know what I'm doing. None of us do. I wasn't programmed for something like this. I don't know where to start."
"You're not like the others. They all want to reach out and expand. You want to keep the people you love safe. You're a lot like me. We protect and we take orders from those who we trust to guide us down the right path."
North gave him a side glance. "Is that your human? You take orders from her?"
"Lucky for you, I have the right programming for this," Connor replied, seeming to ignore her accusation. "I can help you put a security plan in place. Something that isn't aggressive, but makes it more difficult for anyone wishing to do harm to get away with it unseen." He paused and then added. "Samantha does not order me. But she has been the moral compass by which I make decisions. She is the one who told me to come here and help you.
"Just like you, I'm limited to what was put in my programming. Samantha pushed me to deviate when I fought against it because she knew it was best for me. Since then, she's been encouraging me forward to live a full life."
"You mean live a human life," North accused. She crossed her arms over her chest, unswayed. "She's shaping you into what she wants to fit her life, just like all humans do. We're forced to accommodate their disgusting needs. We're their toys, their pleasure dolls. Has your human ever insisted on you satisfying her for only her pleasure?"
Connor took a moment to calculate her meaning. "If you are asking if I have ever been physically intimate with my girlfriend, then yes."
North scoffed. "You think you're in a romantic relationship with a human? You think her forcing herself on you is love?"
Connor remained calm at the accusation. North was on the first angry, confused android living with human-inflicted trauma that he had met. She most likely wouldn't be the last. He took a moment to listen to not just her words, but to what she was trying to say.
"I'm sorry you have never experienced any type of love from a human. I hope one day you do." She snorted and looked away in disgust, but he continued. "When one truly cares about you it is joyous, freeing. It makes you feel truly alive. I believe that's why when they take that love away—when they turn on us, reject us, betray us—it devastates our kind so thoroughly we can hardly recover from it."
North looked back at him then, eyes reflecting a heart-broken soul. Connor sympathized with her. Many androids came from difficult situations. Had been through things they may never recover from. He would still help her and those like her. He would work to help them find a way of life that suited them, that made them happy and comfortable.
But at the same time, he didn't appreciate her attempts to speak badly of the one he loved. He moved into her space. North stepped back as he pressed a hand to the wall right next to her head and loomed over her.
"And to clarify, when it comes to sex with Samantha, I'm the one who usually initiates."
.
A block outside the Jericho community, a sleek, black limo pulled up to the sidewalk. Out of the back passenger seat stepped a beautiful, fare skinned young woman. Her fine, blonde hair was pulled up into an intricate braided bun. She wore new leather boots, a knee-length skirt, and an expensive coat lined in fur despite the fact that the winter's cold did not bother her.
When she shut the door to the limo, it drove off without her and she began her walk toward Jericho. Once she reached the main building, she did not even hesitate to step inside. Any android within that noticed her stopped and stared. She wasn't human. The blue LED on her temple told them that. They had never seen an android that well dressed come waltzing into the place like she owned it. They had never seen a model that looked like her.
The blonde android paused and gazed at her surroundings, scanning all the bewildered faces staring at her. She addressed the closest one.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Markus. Can you please direct me to him?"
She would not have been the first android to wander in off the streets asking for Markus by name. Nearly all android kind had heard of him now. There was no other name to ask for. The utility android the new arrival spoke to began with the usual answer.
"If you have come for assistance, we can help you. Are you injured? Do you need any thirium?"
She primly squared her shoulders. Her tone was not unkind, but it was direct. "Markus is all I have come for. I need to speak to him personally if I can. Will you kindly take me to him?"
The android looked back to other members of the community for backup. When no one else made any attempt to speak to her, the beautiful stranger continued through the building and out the other side. One building at a time she searched, scanned faces, asked for Markus. When she was met with confusion or hesitance and could not find the one she was looking for, she moved on to the next one.
None of the androids knew what to do. She wasn't a threat, she had not tried to hurt any of them. And she was an android; she should be welcome here. But it was suspicious she was so hell-bent on speaking to Markus only.
Word quickly passed through the community faster than the new android could travel. After stepping out of the fourth building into the setting sun, she heard a voice call to her.
"I understand you've been looking for me."
The android turned toward the voice. Markus raised his brows when he saw her face and recognized it. An android design he knew well, though none of them had been released to the public.
"Chloe."
Her pink lips spread into a smile. "Hello, Markus."
Though her smile was genuine, Markus felt a sudden sense of vulnerability and worry for his community. An agent of someone with an unknown agenda had infiltrated their home. Markus had no idea why she was sent there, but he knew Chloe hadn't left that big house up on its lonely hilltop on her own.
"Why are you here, Chloe?"
"I was sent here by—"
Markus raised a hand to cut her off. No, he did not want that name spoken out here with so many androids listening. "Will you follow me so we can talk?"
She smiled again; ever so polite. "Of course. Whatever you would like. Thank you."
As Markus led her away, he saw North and Connor exit from one of the buildings, looking concerned. He gave what he hoped was a confident look and motioned them to remain where they were.
With the scarcity of empty space in their very crowded colony, it was hard to find a private place to talk. The church held an office that would have been used by the resident pastor. The door was thick oak and still in tact. A nearly soundproof room.
The office no longer held furniture, so the two androids stood, watching each other.
"Okay," Markus said when they were alone. "Why are you here? What does he want from us?"
Chloe blinked her doe-like eyes at him. "When has he ever asked for anything from you, Markus? Mr. Kamski needs nothing from you. He has seen the pleas for assistance from your kind. He would like to help."
Now Markus blinked in surprise. "He wants to help us? Why?" He paused in suspicion. "What does he want in return?"
She smiled. "In exchange for his help, he would like you to meet with him personally."