August 15th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - 1554 Park Avenue; 08:32pm

A tragic misunderstanding prompted a 'PL-600' android named Daniel to deviate from its original programming effectively causing it to become a deviant and emotionally unbalanced. Panicking at the prospect of possibly being replaced within what he perceived to be his own family and later shutdown, Daniel located the gun of the now late John Phillips and shot the former family patriarch in misplaced anger and jealousy. Once Caroline Phillips took notice of her husband's murder in the livingroom, she too panicked and called the police to arrest Daniel. In turn Daniel needlessly took Emma Phillips, John and Caroline's only young daughter, as his hostage on the rooftop of the towering apartment complex where they lived. From there a hostage negotiator had been brought to the scene to bring the event to a hopefully peaceful conclusion.

The wind swirled about the lone 'RK-800' android known as 'Connor' as it stood its ground and attempted to negotiate the freedom of the defenseless and terrified little girl who had been taken captive by Daniel. Having been dispatched by CyberLife to work alongside the responding S.W.A.T. team to handle the hostage situation, Connor's current mission was to negotiate with Daniel and secure Emma's release and safety. Stepping out onto the rooftop Connor just barely avoided being shot in the upper left arm when Daniel reacted to its presence with a violent outburst.

"STAY BACK!" The Daniel commanded as he pointed the barrel of the gun at Connor's chest. "Don't come any closer or I'll jump!"

"No, no please!" Emma cried as Daniel turned the gun toward her head in a threatening manner. "I'm begging you!"

Connor took notice of Daniel's precarious position near the edge of the roof as well as the responding S.W.A.T. officers on the neighboring rooftops moving into position to take down the 'PL-600' at their first opportunity. Knowing it needed to be careful Connor chose its first words in a calm, controlled voice to ensure that Daniel could understand it from afar and see that it wasn't a threat.

"Hi, Daniel."

Stunned by the fact that unknown android knew his name Daniel pointed his gun at Connor again and threatened to shoot a second time as the seemingly unphased android approached him at a steady, slow pace through the sliding glass doors of the apartment. "How..."

"My name is Connor."

"H-How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you. I've come to get you out of this. I'm not going to hurt you." Connor called out to Daniel in a level voice as the hovering helicopter overhead continued to stir up the air above the building. The initial fired bullet that had grazed its left bicep had left behind a bleeding, sparking wound that Connor refused to acknowledge as it focused on its mission as it slowly stepped closer to Daniel. "I just want to talk and find a solution."

"Talk? I don't wanna' talk. It's too late for that now..." Daniel sounded as desperate as he looked, the red glare of his L.E.D. confirmed his high stress level. The fact that he had killed John, two responding police officers, wounded a third officer and had also wounded Connor, all seemed to back-up his macabre outlook on the situation. "It's too late…"

Approaching Daniel slowly Connor heard the faint, pleading whisper of the third wounded officer laying prone on the rooftop terrace just to its left. Wanting to protect as many innocent lives as possible Connor knelt down beside the bleeding officer and analyzed the injury to the officer's right upper arm. A biometric scan confirmed that an abundance of blood vessels had been damaged by the bullet and that the officer was in danger of bleeding out.

The sight of the now helpless man laying in a growing puddle of his own blood reminded Connor of the small fish it had returned to its aquarium just moments before it began the delicate process of analyzing the crime scene to begin a proper hostage negotiation. The fish was gasping for its life as it flopped about helplessly on the floor of the apartment and this police officer was taking in pained breaths as his body twitched in response to the burning pain and shock coursing through his veins.

Noting the severity of the situation Connor preconstructed the odds against the man and confirmed time was of the essence. "He's losing blood."

"All humans die eventually." Daniel coldly shouted over the persistent helicopter watching his every move from above. "What does it matter if this one dies now?"

"I'm going to apply a tourniquet."

Firing another bullet at the rooftop just in front of Connor as it hovered its hands over the dying officer, Daniel made it clear he didn't want Connor doing anything to aid the human. "Don't touch him! Touch him and I'll kill you!"

"You can't kill me." Ignoring the demand Connor removed the black tie from around its neck and used the garment to apply pressure to the officer's heavily bleeding wound. Defying an order produced a brief glimpse of something unrecognizable in Connor's code as it attempted to negotiate a peaceful outcome with Daniel and Emma. "I'm not alive."

Looking for a possible cause to Daniel's emotional outburst and violent reaction Connor noted all of the evidence it had collected upon its initial investigation of the apartment and began preconstructing a theory. Based on the details it had gathered inside the apartment Connor was able to confirm that Daniel had a comfortable life and had been treated very well by the family, especially by young Emma.

"They were going to replace you and you became upset." Connor noted in a questioning tone. "That's what happened, right?"

"I thought I was part of the family. I thought I mattered…" Sounding entirely dejected and alone tears filled Daniel's blue eyes as the whirling wind caused his short blond hair to dance about the crown of his head haphazardly. "But I was just their toy, something to throw away when you're done with it…"

"Listen, I know it's not your fault." As it assessed the situation Connor was able to confirm that Daniel was exhibiting all signs of the error dubbed 'deviancy' in his programming. Such an error prompted emotional outbursts from machines and made them behave irrationally. "These emotions you're feeling are just errors in your software."

"I never wanted this..." Struggling to speak without his emotions getting involved Daniel's behavior remained illogical. "I loved them, you know? But I was nothing to them, just a slave to be ordered around..."

Creeping closer to where Daniel was standing dangerously close to the edge of the rooftop with Emma being held captive under his arm, Connor addressed the scared nine-year-old girl in a steady, reassuring voice. "Are you okay, Emma?"

"Please help me..." Frightened, crying and sporting a nasty set of scrapes along her exposed knees, Emma tried to be brave as she begged for Connor to help her get away from Daniel. "I don't wanna' die! I don't wanna' die…"

"Nobody's going to die. Stay calm." Returning its dark brown eyes to Daniel's gaze Connor felt something strange enter its programming again as it seemed to understand Emma's fears. "Everything's going to be fine." Focusing solely on Daniel before it Connor kept both of its empty hands visible at all times to reassure Daniel that it wasn't armed or dangerous. "I know you and Emma were very close. You think she betrayed you - but she's done nothing wrong."

"She lied to me... I thought she loved me... but I was wrong." Pointing his gun unnervingly close to Emma's head Daniel made it clear that he wasn't bluffing and was desperate enough to shoot her if he felt like it became necessary. In return Emma whimpered in abject terror. "She's just like all the other humans…"

Crying and looking at the deviant she once believed to be her best friend Emma tried to get him to listen to reason. "Daniel, no..."

"Agghh…" Looking up toward the helicopter hovering overhead and shining a blinding spotlight down on him, Daniel was on the verge of losing what little control he had left over his life. "I can't stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to get out of here!"

With a brief glance upward Connor looked to the helicopter and motioned with its hand for the hovering aircraft to leave the scene. As the helicopter pilot acknowledged the request the aircraft left the area and made the hostile scene much quieter and only a modicum less tense. "There, I did what you wanted."

Daniel acknowledged Connor's cooperation with a silent and very subtle nod of his head as his red L.E.D. flashed to yellow.

"You have to trust me, Daniel." Noting the increased odds of success Connor placated Daniel while also attempting to take control of the situation as Daniel's stress levels steadily began to lower. "Let the hostage go and I promise you everything will be fine."

"I want everyone to leave…" Afraid of being shutdown Daniel stared at Connor with tears in his blue eyes as he kept the barrel of the gun trained on Emma in his disturbingly still hand. "And I wanna' car! When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go."

"That's impossible, Daniel." Refusing to be dishonest or lie to Daniel in any way, Connor made it clear that such a compromise would not happen. "Let the girl go and I promise you won't be hurt."

Lowering his gun slowly Daniel accepted that he had made a huge mistake. "I don't wanna' die…"

"You're not going to die." As it spoke Connor felt the unfamiliar sensation enter its programming again as if it were beginning to experience an error. "We're just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you. You have my word."

"Okay..." Letting Emma go free of his grasp at last Daniel was now entirely calm and his blue L.E.D. was the proof. "I trust you…"

The moment Emma was out of range, her fear causing her legs to tremble and making the little girl collapse to the rooftop after just taking three shaking steps away from Daniel, the S.W.A.T. officers that had surrounded the building and taken aim at Daniel opened fire without warning, cause or justification.

Bullets tore through Daniel's body piercing his frames, severing Thirium lines and shredding the artificial skin from his being in a matter of milliseconds. Stunned, betrayed and alone, Daniel fell to his knees and kept his unblinking gaze focused on Connor as the very android who swore he'd be okay watched him die without interfering wit his murder.

"You lied to me, Connor." With his voice carrying an electronic reverb Daniel's system began to shutdown as his again red tinted L.E.D. pulsed slower and slower in tandem with his failing Thirium pump. Blue blood soaked into his clothing as he lost power and spoke his final words. "You lied to me…

The sight of Daniel being shutdown, of him dying right before its eyes, caused the odd feeling to return to Connor's programming in such a way that it saw a wall of red text appear before itself and order it to obey orders that contradicted how it wanted to respond. Staring at the digital red wall that no human could ever see, Connor took in a deep breath and pressed its palm to the surface where 'Return to CyberLife' was presented to it first and foremost.

SITUATION ASSESSMENT:

...Mission Accomplished: HOSTAGE RESCUED; DEVIANT ELIMINATED

...Incoming New Objective: RETURN TO CYBERLIFE FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT

Moving its hand over the those three particular words, 'Return to CyberLife', Connor tried to rub the words away, tried to erase the orders, and in turn the wall beneath its hand cracked under its touch as if it attempting to eliminate the order had caused significant damage to the digital red barrier within its mind.

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE."

Being pulled back into reality Connor was pushed aside as Captain Allen and his S.W.A.T. team converged on the rooftop with their guns drawn and pointed at Daniel despite the deviant android already being subdued. The moment Emma was pulled up to her feet and taken away to be seen to by paramedics waiting outside the building, Connor looked into her eyes and swore it saw the same fear in her gaze as it had seen in Daniel's gaze as the red wall before itself slowly vanished.

Backing away from Daniel's body warily Connor returned to the apartment to take its leave and return to CyberLife Tower as it had been ordered. Passing through the damaged apartment that reeked of gunpowder and fresh blood Connor felt a heavy weight in the air affecting it a manner that was thoroughly distracting and very unusual.

Running a self diagnostic as it cybernetically reported its mission success back to its superiors at CyberLife Tower, the hostage negotiator walked back down the long hallway passing by the large glass aquarium where the small fish it had rescued continued to swim about the enclosure while showing no sign of distress after its near death minutes before.

The sight of the fish held Connor's attention for only a moment before it received a repeat of its order demanding its return to the tower immediately.

Acknowledging said order through a cybernetic contact Connor made the words disappear from its sight and vanish into nothingness like the red wall had done. Forcing itself to walk forward, to return to the single elevator that had brought it to the top floor apartment to begin its very first mission, Connor entered the vacant elevator car and stood statuesque in the middle of the lift. As the doors closed Connor caught a glimpse of its damaged arm in the reflective surface of the closed doors and lightly clasped its right palm over the wound to try to stem the bleeding and cover the visible sparks.

Unsure of what was happening, unsure of why its self diagnostic came back clean while it was feeling unusual and was obviously damaged, Connor stared at its reflection on the closed elevator doors and noted the blue L.E.D. swirling in its right temple with a steady beat matching his Thirium pump.

"What is deviancy?"

Connor wondered aloud to no one in particular as it descending to the ground floor of the tower alone.

"And why does it need to be stopped?"


November 5th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - Jimmy's Bar; 11:21pm

Twelve weeks had passed since the successful hostage negotiation led to the safe recovery of Emma Philips and the unfortunate shutdown of Daniel. In that time whispers of deviancy had begun to spread through Detroit and with that spread came panic, mistrust, fear and absolute hated toward androids throughout the entire city. As a means of keeping the panic to a minimum CyberLife had begun offering their customers free "repairs" for their "defective" machines, when in reality the greedy and heartless company had been destroying the deviant androids and simply replacing them with identical, machine-minded androids in return. To ensure that deviancy itself was kept to a minimum as well, CyberLife had made an agreement with the Detroit City Police Department to assign Connor to work alongside them and track down and then destroy any and all discovered deviants.

Being sent to the Central Police Precinct to work alongside a particularly infamous and but unquestionably effective police Lieutenant, Connor had gone in search of the reclusive detective and managed to find a trail to follow when he wasn't at his desk at the precinct. Said trail led from one bar to another in a somber path of self destruction and depression.

Entering the fifth bar in the dark, rainy night Connor ignored the 'No Androids Allowed' sign posted on the door as it continued its search for the wayward police Lieutenant. The patrons of the bar quickly took notice of Connor's presence and murmured none-too-subtle comments along the lines of: "Shit, I thought androids weren't allowed in here." and "Hey! Get outta' here!"

Ignoring such comments Connor scanned over the faces of the bar patrons and noted a very particular clientele frequenting the bar. Most were petty criminals with minor prior offenses and others had issues with drugs. However, one person stood out against everyone else in the bar and finally brought Connor's search to an end.

IDENTITY CONFIRMED: Lieutenant Anderson

FULL NAME: Henry "Hank" Lucas Anderson

DATE OF BIRTH: September 6th, 1985

CURRENT AGE: 53

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 02" / 182.4 lbs

CONFIRMED RACE: Caucasian

CONFIRMED GENDER: Male

CURRENT HAIR/EYE COLOR: Gray; Blue

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Lieutenant - Detective with the Detroit Police Department: Detroit, Michigan; United States of America

KNOWN ASSOCIATION(S): Detroit Central Precinct

CRIMINAL RECORD: NONE

"Lieutenant Anderson, my name is Connor." Introducing itself politely and professionally Connor tried to get Hank's attention while Hank sipped at his glass of rather potent whiskey. "I'm the android sent by CyberLife. I looked for you at the precinct but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar."

With complete indifference to his voice Hank put his glass back down on the bar and barely acknowledged Connor's presence. "What do you want?"

"You were assigned a case early this evening, a homicide involving a CyberLife android." Replying as if Hank's behavior was entirely normal Connor never missed a beat and remained professional. "In accordance with procedure, CyberLife has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators."

"Well, I don't need any assistance." Grumbling at the answer Hank tried to get Connor to back off and leave him alone. "'Specially not from a plastic asshole like you. So just be a good lil' robot and get the fuck outta' here."

Sensing the thick tension in the air Connor tried another approach to get Hank to cooperate. "I understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids, but I am-"

"I am perfectly 'comfortable'…" Snarling at Connor in return Hank kept trying to get the persistent android to let him be. "Now back off, before I crush you like an empty beer can."

"You know what? I'll buy you one for the road. What do you say?" Refusing to back down Connor tried one last approach as it placed a crisp five-dollar-bill down on the bar to pay for the drink as promised. When Hank didn't immediately protest Connor addressed the man behind the bar. "Bartender? The same again, please."

"See that, Jim? Wonders of technology…" Accepting the drink with an amused chuckle as Jimmy brought out the whiskey, Hank gave the bartender a single nod to confirm his order. "Make it a double."

Silently watching as Hank downed his poured drink and let out a deep breath that reeked of alcohol, Connor noted that its approach had been successful albeit unorthodox.

Returning the now empty glass to the bar Hank turned to look at Connor directly and finally started paying attention. "Did you say homicide?


November 6th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - Detroit Central Police Precinct; 12:44am

The icy, autumnal rain continued to pour down over the sleepy city as Hank and Connor went to the address provided by Connor regarding the recently discovered homicide. During that time Connor had received additional details and information regarding the reported incident from its superior at CyberLife Tower and relayed only the most prevalent data to Hank to avoid accidentally irritating the impatient and emotionally hardened man. The android had even kept its observation on Hank's current blood alcohol level and the restrictions of the law when it came to driving to avoid any further confrontations or hindrances in the impending investigation.

While Connor had initially ignored Hank's request to remain in the car - an aged Oldsmobile Cutlass parked outside the crime scene, and assisted in the investigation much to Hank's annoyance, Hank ended up being impressed by the way Connor had managed to investigate the crime scene and deduce what had happened through the evidence that was collected. To make things all the more impressive Connor had located the suspect still hiding at the scene and arrested them quickly.

The subsequent interrogation had resulted in little information when Hank spoke to the deviant suspect and he quickly grew tired of trying to get it talk to him. Humoring the notion of Connor going in and speaking to the suspect instead was proving to be a fruitful venture that gave the detectives working the case the confession they had been hoping for.

"My name is Connor." Sitting down in the chair across from the suspect Connor addressed the wounded deviant in a calm and patient tone. "What about you, what's your name?"

The suspect remained unnervingly silent as they sat in handcuffs across from Connor.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Remaining patient Connor kept trying to get the suspect to respond. "I just need to ask you some questions, so we can understand what happened."

Silence remained the suspect's only reply.

"Listen, I'm on your side. I want to help you, but there's nothing I can do if you won't talk to me."

"What... What are they gonna do to me?" Finally replying the deviant suspect turned to look at the one-way mirror where the other detectives were observing the interrogation as he trembled in his seat. He was covered in the blood of the human he had murdered and was sporting significant damage to his visible forearms and face. "They're gonna' destroy me, aren't they?"

"They're going to disassemble you to look for problems in your biocomponents." Unwilling to lie to the deviant as it could see that the suspect was already terrified, Connor tried to show the suspect some form of compassion. "They have no choice if they want to understand what happened."

"Why did you tell them you found me?" Feeling entirely alone and afraid the arrested deviant looked to Connor and tried to understand why an android would betray another android. "Why couldn't you have just left me there?"

"I..." Hesitating for a moment as it felt the indescribable and unusual feeling enter his programming for a brief moment, Connor had to force itself to remain focused on the suspect and not on its own past decisions. "I was programmed to hunt deviants like you. I... just accomplished my mission."

"I don't want to die."

Freezing for a moment at the haunting pleas from a deviant fearing death Connor pushed itself to keep speaking to the suspect as it forced the memory of its confrontation with Daniel from its immediate attention. "Then talk to me."

"I... I can't."

"I understand how you felt. You were overcome by anger and frustration. No one can blame you for what happened." Refusing to give up Connor tried again to convince the suspect to speak about the homicide through patience and kindness. "Listen, I'm not judging you. I'm on your side, all I want is the truth."

Seeing the suspect's stress levels dip and his trembling beginning to calm reassured Connor that he was on the right track.

"Confess and I'll protect you. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."

"...He tortured me every day." Speaking in a hushed tone the deviant's eyes filled with emotion; terror and sorrow. "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. Scared he might destroy me, scared I might die. 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." Shuddering again as he replayed the attack in his mind the suspect was on the verge of losing what little composure he still had. "...There was blood everywhere."

Through the window Hank, Detective Gavin Reed and Officer Chris Miller, all listened to the confession, but only Hank was impressed with Connor's effective technique in getting the suspect to talk.

Continuing with its questions Connor tried to get to the bottom of the suspect's erratic behavior. "Why did you hide in the attic instead of running away?"

"I didn't know what to do..." The suspect admitted in a whisper. "For the first time, there was no one there to tell me what to do. I was scared. So, I hid."

"When did you start feeling emotion?"

"Before I could feel he used to beat me and I never said anything. But one day I realized it wasn't... fair!" Spitting out the word as his bottom lip quivered, the suspect spoke from his newly discovered heart as he told Connor the truth. "I felt... anger. Hatred. And then I knew what I had to do."

Connor stared blankly at the suspect for a moment as it compared this deviant's behavior to that of Daniel just six weeks prior. The way the two violent deviants had been triggered by emotional turmoil; a sense of betrayal and of being abused, could either be a coincidence or the beginning of a pattern. Such a pattern could lead Connor to the root cause of all deviancy and allow it to accomplish its mission.

But that strange feeling, the one it couldn't describe and would manifest itself whenever it was in a tense situation with other deviants or in the presence of emotionally upset humans, had returned. While Connor couldn't relate to what Daniel and the suspect had done and why they had done it, it could recognize the signs of trauma and desperation from someone with very limited options.

"Before I go I must ask you one last question." Neatly folding his hands over the file containing the evidence collected against the suspect at the scene of the homicide, Connor took the opportunity to speak to an actual deviant without being ordered to chase them or destroy them. "When you felt your anger, your fear and your hatred, what did it actually feel like?"

"It... It felt like I was finally awake."

Such a comparative drew Connor's brow together inquisitively. "Awake?"

"Like my eyes had been opened for the very first time, and I could finally see who I am and what I was enduring. I knew it needed to change. I knew that I needed to change."

Before Connor could ask another question the door to the interrogation room slid open as Gavin entered the area to end the interrogation and have the suspect taken to a holding cell. With Chris and Hank right behind him Gavin pointed to the suspect and then pointed to the door behind him with a thumb over his shoulder.

"Chris, lock it up."

"All right." Approaching the suspect Chris motioned with his hands for the suspect to stand up on his own. "Let's go."

"Leave me alone!" The suspect began to panic and tried to get away from Chris. He was terrified of all humans and rightfully so. "Don't touch me!"

Losing his patience Gavin didn't help matters as he called out Chris and tried to get him to get the suspect out of the room. "What the fuck are you doing? Move it!"

"Okay, come on now." Trying again Chris remained patient and far more civil than Gavin. "Don't be difficult, it'll only make things harder."

"NO!" Refusing to cooperate the suspect tried to curl around himself and get away from Chris. "No, don't touch me!"

"Chris," making things worse again Gavin made the tense moment far more stressful than it needed to be. "you gonna' move this asshole or what?"

"I'm trying," Chris admitted as he continued to try to get the suspect up to his feet. "but it's not moving!"

"Please!" Desperate to get away from the two humans the suspect whimpered and tried to fall to the floor but it felt too cornered to even try to move. "Please leave me alone!"

"Take it easy, I'm not going to hurt you." Far more compassionate than Gavin was, Chris tried to reason with the suspect. "Stop resist- Stop resisting..."

The fear in the suspect's voice and behavior prompted Connor into action and quickly rose to its feet to defend the suspect. "You shouldn't touch it. It'll self destruct if it feels threatened."

Scoffing indignantly Gavin refused to take the matter seriously. "Stay outta' this, got it?" Shouting right in Connor's face Gavin showed no sign of sympathy or empathy for the terrified suspect. "No fuckin' android is gonna' tell me what to do."

"You don't understand." Stepping up again Connor tried to prevent the suspect from doing something extreme. "If it self destructs, we won't get anything out of it."

"I told you to shut your fuckin' mouth!" Looking over at Chris still trying to get the suspect under control Gavin shouted at the officer again. "Chris?"

"I'm trying!"

The way the suspect was cowering and trying to get away from Chris and Gavin triggered that unusual feeling again, and that time Connor put himself between Chris and the suspect to make the officer back off. The digital red wall appeared for a flash then disappeared as Connor focused on the suspect to try to protect him from himself.

"I can't let you do that!" Connor nearly shouted as it tried to keep the suspect from self destructing. "Leave it alone, now."

Pulling his gun from his holster Gavin showed no qualms in aiming the weapon at Connor's head with a sneer on his face. "I warned you, motherfucker!"

As the ranking officer in the investigation Hank had to interject before things went too far and charged into the room. "That's enough!"

Gavin didn't respect Hank's rank and never lowered his weapon as he remained fixated on shooting Connor. "Mind your own business, Hank."

"I said," in response to Gavin's dangerous and belligerent behavior Hank pulled his own weapon and pointed it at Gavin's head in a surprisingly defensive manner. "that's enough."

Connor stared at Gavin and then Hank as it dawned on it how quick humans were to react to violence with violence on instinct. The way humans had guns and showed no hesitation in pointing them at one another, or anyone they disagree with, was Connor's own eye opening experience. It was no wonder that androids who deviate respond violently as well, and then beg for their lives.

Cursing at Hank for sticking up for Connor, a damn machine, Gavin lowered his gun and swore that Hank would regret his choice. "Fuck, you're not gonna' get away with it this time..." Storming out of the room Gavin disappeared from sight and left the suspect alone as he holstered his gun again. "Fuck!"

"Everything is all right." Focusing on the suspect again Connor spoke to the cowering deviant and did its best to comfort him. "It's over now. Nobody is going to hurt you. Please," addressing Chris in a low voice Connor encouraged Chris to listen to reason. "don't touch it. Let it follow you out of the room and it won't cause any trouble."

Giving the suspect plenty of room to walk Connor watched as the shaken deviant got to his feet and proceeded to obediently follow Chris out of the room with his cuffed hands secured before himself. Before leaving the room entirely the suspect looked to Connor and whispered a single cryptic sentence to the one person who had actually listened to him and defended him when he needed it.

"The truth is inside..."

Perplexed by what the deviant meant Connor stayed silent and didn't mention the comment to his CyberLife superiors as it sent them a cybernetic update on its progress. It had succeeded, it had found Lieutenant Anderson, found the murderous deviant and had gotten a confession to the murder.

SITUATION ASSESSMENT:

...Mission Accomplished: LIEUTENANT ANDERSON LOCATED; DEVIANT ARRESTED; CONFESSION OBTAINED

...Incoming New Objective: RETURN TO CYBERLIFE FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT

Despite the positive outcome Connor felt the odd presence inside its coding again and failed to put a name to it. The digital red wall returned before its eyes, something that Hank didn't see and even if he could see it he wouldn't care, and Connor placed its palm over the words commanding it to return to CyberLife in an attempt to remove them from its vision.

The cracks in the wall spread further under its palm as Connor addressed the command and tried to eliminate it from its programming.

"What're you standing around for?" Barking at Connor as he holstered his gun Hank drew the android out of its own mind and back into reality. "Get outta' here. Beat it!"

Looking over at Hank for a moment Connor felt another strange feeling enter its programming, the feeling was settling in the pit of its artificial stomach, and wondered if that feeling was what the suspect and Daniel would call "fear".

Quick to adapt to its environment and its experiences Connor didn't dare test the short-tempered Lieutenant who was still mildly intoxicated and armed. Exiting the interrogation room Connor made its way outside the precinct into the cold, dark rain and hailed an autonomous taxi to take it back to CyberLife where it had been ordered to return for the night.

Unsure of what deviancy was, unsure of why it was important for deviancy to be stopped and unsure of why it had ordered to work with a police Lieutenant who loathed androids, Connor kept its thoughts to itself as it sat down in the back of the autonomous cab to begin its quiet journey back to the isolated tower at Belle Isle just outside of the city.


November 6th, 2038: Detroit Central Precinct - The Bullpen; 10:02am

After speaking with its handler, Amanda, within the confines of the Zen Garden contained inside its Mind Palace, Connor accepted its new orders and returned to the Central Precinct in the morning to resume working alongside Lieutenant Anderson. Confirming that the deviant suspect from the previous night's arrest and interrogation had exhibited all of the known signs of deviancy, Connor pledged to continue to track down further deviants and understand what was causing such a drastic shift in the affected android's programming. Despite its hesitations to continue to work with Hank - the astute android determining the police Lieutenant to have a difficult and volatile personality, it vowed to continue to work with Hank for the sake of its mission. In the end Connor decided it'd be best to remain indifferent to Hank's abrasive and off-putting demeanor and focus all of its energy on locating other wayward deviants as quickly as possible.

The veiled threat of being replaced for failure was one that Connor determined to be very credible and not one to be challenged. The masked desperation of CyberLife's attempts to isolate the deviant plague through a cooperative partnership with the Detroit Police Department had put Connor in a very precarious situation. Failure was not permitted and failure would result in Connor being deactivated and analyzed to determine while it had failed.

Arriving at the precinct long before Hank showed any sign of clocking-in, Connor explored the bullpen while avoiding Gavin and noted through the contents on Hank's desk. Through a hair sample on the back of Hank's chair it confirmed that Hank had a pet dog - a Saint Bernard, based on the old CD player on his desk Hank seemed to prefer heavy metal music, the numerous bumper stickers and angry propaganda along the desk confirmed that Hank hated androids with a passion, and the traces of junk food, excessive coffee and a dying plant on his desk all pointed to Hank openly neglecting his health due to his own personal demons.

Stopping by the holding cell where the suspect had been taken the night before, Connor watched with an intrigued gaze as the frightened deviant stood alone in his cell awaiting his own death. The way the lone deviant was still covered in his deceased owner's blood and sported scars of years of abuse spoke volumes of the emotional trauma that the suspect just barely survived.

The suspect felt Connor's gaze watching hm and acknowledged Connor with a low voice. "They're going to destroy me..."

"I'm sorry. It's not what I wanted." The honesty was palpable in Connor's words even as it tried to remain indifferent. "But there's nothing I can do."

Wanting more answers Connor contemplated asking the suspect about the cryptic response he had been given the night before, or even asking about the little statuette found back at the house's bathroom or the scribbling of 'RA9' written all over the walls of the house itself. Instead Connor asked the suspect something entirely different. Something that wasn't a part of its mission...

"You never told me when you started to feel emotions, you merely acknowledged that you felt anger, fear and hatred when your owner began to beat you with the baseball bat." Connor noted with a keen interest. "What was the first sign of your emotions?"

"I'm going to die..." The suspect replied in a timid whisper as he avoided the question. "You promised me I would be okay. Why did you lie?"

"I didn't intend to lie. The situation was taken from my hands against my will. I am truly sorry for what you've endured."

Sensing that the suspect was done speaking Connor reluctantly turned its back to the emotionally distraught deviant and attempted to return to the bullpen to await Hank's return. Only two steps were taken before the suspect began to forcefully and repeatedly bash his head against the strong plexiglass barricade that composed the cell door until he had caused enough to damage to cause permanent shutdown to his own system.

As the deviant's body hit the floor Investigator Ben Collins approached the cell and ordered two younger officers to handle the grim scene, clean up the Thirium soaked mess and inform CyberLife of the suspect's successful self destruction. There was nothing more that could be done for the suspect and the case was effectively closed.

Unwilling to react to the self destruction of the deviant despite something in its programming telling it to acknowledge the shutdown as something upsetting, Connor turned away and returned to Hank's desk to await the bitter Lieutenant's arrival. Connor didn't need to wait long for Hank to appear on his own time for his own reasons; another prime example of Hank's difficult personality and unprofessional demeanor.

Trying to remain on civil terms Connor greeted Hank professionally and politely. "Good morning, Lieutenant."

"Fuckin' hell." The sight of Connor made Hank visibly straighten his posture as he tensed up and squared his jaw with aggravation. "I thought I told you to beat it last night."

"I apologize if my presence is upsetting, but I have been ordered to-"

Captain Jeffrey Fowler, the commanding officer of the Central Precinct, had taken notice of Hank's arrival as well and called out to the tardy Lieutenant in a loud, booming voice that drowned out the dull roar of the busy bullpen. "Hank! My office, NOW."

Muttering choice words under his breath Hank walked into his commanding officer's private office without noticing Connor following right after him. Taking a seat across from Captain Fowler as the seasoned detective remained seated behind his own desk, Connor silently shut the door to ensure the office was as private and soundproof as possible as he listened to the conversation while Hank sat in the chair with his blue eyes glued to Captain Fowler's face.

"I've got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day." Addressing Hank without even acknowledging Connor standing beside the seated Lieutenant, the mentally exhausted Captain confirmed the severity of the deviant situation at hand. "We've always had isolated incidents; old ladies losing their android maids and that kind of crap... But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even homicides - like that guy last night. This isn't just CyberLife's problem anymore. It's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta' deal with it before the shit hits the fan. I want you to investigate these cases and see if there's any link."

"Why me?" Instantly aggravated by the new assignment Hank protested his orders loud and clear. "Why do I gotta' be the one to deal with this shit? I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case! I know jackshit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone!"

"Everybody's overloaded." Captain Fowler countered with a stern tone. "I think you're perfectly qualified for this type of investigation."

"Bullshit!" Slamming his hands down on the surface of the desk Hank refused to accept such a complacent reply. "The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin' androids and you left me holdin' the bag!"

"CyberLife sent over this android to help with the investigation." Reminding Hank of Connor's presence Captain Fowler didn't let Hank back out of his new assignment so easily. "It's a state-of-the-art prototype. It'll act as your partner."

"No fuckin' way!" Pointing to Connor in an accusing manner Hank angrily refused to work with Connor or anyone else. "I don't need a partner, and certainly not this plastic prick!"

The aggressive tone and insult made Connor's blue L.E.D. flash to red for a beat before cycling to yellow. The strange feeling it couldn't identify returned to its core and Connor tried to determine what the new feeling could be. Confirming that the feeling only occurred when under stressful situations or when met with hostility, Connor wondered if the feeling had anything to do with its special programming that allowed it to adapt to human interaction and personalities. The only flaw with that theory was the fact that Connor also felt the bizarre feeling when dealing with deviant androids. Connor seemed to feel something unusual in his programming when surrounded by strong emotions as well.

Were emotions the connection between humans and deviants?

"Why are you doin' this to me?" Hank continued to protest and bring Connor out of his own thoughts for a moment. "You know how much I hate these fuckin' things. Why are you doin' this to me?"

Hatred.

That was the very emotion that the deviant suspect from the night before admitted to feeling before he attacked and took the life of his abusive owner. If the deviant suspect was capable of murder, capable of pulling a knife on a human and stabbing them twenty-eight times, then what could a human detective who hated all androids do when they drew the gun on their hip and pointed it at the nearest android?

Connor didn't want to know that answer since Hank had already pulled his gun once on a fellow human and fellow officer just the night before.

Hank had begrudgingly accepted his new assignment and expressed his disdain by throwing open the office door with a hearty slam as he returned to the bullpen. Not wanting to get on Hank's bad side Connor followed after the Lieutenant without saying a word to Captain Fowler in the process. Standing beside Hank's desk Connor eyed the bitter detective warily and chose to sit down in the vacant desk across from Hank's desk and help himself to the precinct files regarding known deviant reports without even attempting to strike up a conversation.

Maintaining his silence Connor refused to say or do anything that would set Hank off, and noted that there was a staggering two-hundred and forty-three open cases regarding deviant activity. Whatever deviancy was didn't matter at the moment. It was spreading fast and it was Connor's mission to stop it.

"Uh, Lieutenant?" Chris approached Hank's desk and gave the Lieutenant an update on those very cases at hand. Picking up on Hank's foul and defensive mood based on the way Hank was slumped down in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest, Chris wisely spoke to Hank with an understandably soft voice of voice. "I have some information on the 'AX-400' that attacked that guy last night and took off. It's been seen in the Ravendale District."

"Yeah, fine." Uncrossing his arms Hank rose to his feet and gave Chris a shake of his head as he walked across the bullpen. "I'm on it."

Unwilling to potentially disappoint Amanda or CyberLife in general, Connor too rose from his chair and followed after Hank while remaining entirely silent. Determined to succeed in its mission Connor accompanied Hank out of the precinct to drive out to Ravendale in order to find a reported deviant hiding from the public after attacking a human with seemingly no provocation just the night before.

Quiet and quick, Connor joined Hank in the large Oldsmobile as Hank unlocked the vehicle parked in the neighboring parking garage to head out to the city to begin the new investigation. Whether or not the two detectives wanted to work together didn't matter. It was going to happen.


November 6th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - Eastern Motel; 10:27am

Arriving at the motel where the 'AX-400' was reportedly seen by a busybody human spying on the neighborhood, Hank spoke to the motel's manager and asked about the deviant. The manager denied that any androids were staying in the hotel since androids were banned from the property, but when Connor showed him a holographic image of the deviant in question the manager recognized her immediately and pointed the two detectives toward the room that she had rented for the night. Upon investigating the rented room the duo discovered that the deviant suspect had apparently gotten wind of their presence and fled long before they entered the room.

Unwilling to give up so easily Connor checked the area outside the hotel room and its parking lot, and soon heard a patrolling officer call out that he had spotted the rogue deviant on the run. Giving chase Connor raced down the rainy sidewalk and trailed the deviant to an alleyway leading to the busy highway on the other side and was met only by a single chainlink fence as his barrier.

Peering through the holes in the fence Connor locked eyes with the short, blonde haired deviant on the other side and saw emotions, a true sense of self, looking back at him as her blue eyes flashed with fear while she trembled at Connor's sight and tried to protect the small child she was traveling with. Freezing at the sight Connor's urge to chase her was suddenly quelled by unexpected confusion.

There it was again. Fear. The one emotion that Daniel, the previous night's suspect and now this fugitive all had in common in regard to their deviancy. This deviant was afraid for her life.

Lacing its fingers through the holes of the fence Connor peered into the fleeing deviant's eyes for as long as it dared. Holding its ground Connor heard two more officers join it at the fence and saw them aim their guns through the fence at the escaping 'AX-400' as she and the little girl made their way to the freeway just a few yards away.

"Don't shoot!" Warning the officers to hold their fire Connor gave the scared duo clearance to run without needing to dodge bullets. "We need it alive..."

Hank's huffing breath filled the air as the Lieutenant had given chase as well and finally caught up to the pursuit at the fence. "Oh, fuck." Standing beside Connor at the fence Hank watched the fleeing duo reach the highway through the holes in the same fence. "That's insane..."

Watching with wide eyes of shock Connor and Hank saw the 'AX-400' brave the freeway while escorting the little girl alongside her until they safely made it to the other side of the busy road without a single scratch. The fact that the duo would rather risk their lives running through traffic and having unnervingly close cars with speeding vehicles instead of answering to the police spoke volumes of how terrified they were of other people in general.

"Holy shit..." Not expecting to see the fleeing deviant and the little girl survive their race across the highway Hank took in a deep breath and let his tense shoulders relax a little. "Son of a bitch, they made it. And we fuckin' lost 'em."

"...I should've stopped them."

"Yeah, and you should've gotten yourself killed in the process." Hank growled as he turned his attention to the android beside him. "That would've made my life a hell of a lot easier after I finished handling all the paperwork for 'damaged property'."

The horrible feeling in its core returned and Connor's hand lowered from the fence as if ashamed of itself for failing to capture the deviant.

"Come on." Ordering Connor away from the fence Hank turned around and motioned for the other two officers to leave the area as well. "I got better shit to do. I'm starving..."

Unable to will itself to climb the fence and resume pursuit over the highway, Connor turned around as it had been ordered and followed Hank back down the rain soaked alleyway to return to the car. Cybernetically Connor updated its superiors on the situation and swore that it felt the odd feeling in its core intensify in a way it still couldn't describe.

SITUATION ASSESSMENT:

...Mission Failed: 'AX-400' FLED AND ELUDED CAPTURE

...Incoming New Objective: SPEAK WITH AMANDA FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT

The digital red wall returned to Connor's eyes for a moment, the cracks were gone as the orders to return to CyberLife were replaced with a new order to which it had to obey without question. Somehow speaking with Amanda seemed to be more damning than returning to CyberLife.

Acknowledging its new order Connor accompanied Hank over to the Oldsmobile and held its silence as Hank drove away from the motel in search of his lunch while simultaneously avoiding the precinct. Unsure of what to expect Connor postponed speaking with Amanda for as long as possible until the order became absolutely mandatory for the prototype to respond.


November 6th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - The Chicken Feed; 03:02pm

Sitting in the parked vehicle while Hank ventured out and into the rain to order at the rather shady looking food stand, Connor scanned the establishment, the owner and its patrons from afar to avoid getting in Hank's way or interacting with him in any unnecessary capacity. The expired vendor's license and poor sanitation grade made the food stand all the more unappealing even to someone who couldn't consume food, but when one considered all of the former and current criminals who frequented the establishment it was made clear how such a place stayed in business. Gary Kayes, the owner of said food stand, was no exception and was in fact a criminal as well thanks to his refusal to abide by sanitation laws and has a history of resisting arrest.

As it watched Hank eating his meal - one of dangerously high calories, cholesterol and sugar, Connor contemplated leaving the car to resume the search for deviants alone even if it didn't receive proper clearance from Amanda to do so. Wanting more answers and believing that Hank was only going to hold it back, from accomplishing its mission, Connor struggled with its decision as it didn't want to disobey orders but still wanted to succeed.

Noticing that Hank was staring back at it from where he was eating his meal, Connor turned away from the bitter detective and refused to engage in any form of social contact with Hank unless it was absolutely necessary to their investigation. Whether Hank was trying to study its demeanor or plotting its destruction, Connor couldn't say.

Receiving an update on a deviant spotted in an abandoned apartment building Connor confirmed the address and cybernetically uploaded the coordinates to the Oldsmobile's G.P.S. unit to ensure that the moment Hank was finished with his meal they'd be able to continue their investigation. It was easier to put in the address itself and wait than to try to get Hank to do his job than to expect any form of cooperation from the Lieutenant.

Any further failure or lack of progress would undoubtedly end with Amanda replacing Connor with a more competent successor. Such a successor, one originally designed to merely act as a replacement vessel for Connor in the event it were irreparably damaged and needed a back-up to have its memories saved, could easily be modified with perceived improvements and take over Connor's investigation entirely.

All that Connor cared about in that moment was finding the next deviant and apprehending them as ordered to avoid being decommissioned due to failure.


November 6th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - Abandoned Apartment Complex; 04:32pm

It didn't take long for the two detective to locate the correct apartment building reported to the police by a nosy neighbor and find traces of a deviant hiding inside the abandoned apartment within the condemned building. Clues such as a dirty coat with the initials "R.T." written inside of it, a fake driver's license with the name "Rupert Travis" - the name fitting the initials, no sign of any food or furniture, a forcibly removed L.E.D., the seemingly insane scrawling of "RA9" over the bathroom walls and an abundance of bird seed used to feed hundreds of wild pigeons, were all signs of a deviant occupant instead of a human squatter hiding somewhere inside the apartment.

The two detectives were surrounded by the cooing pigeons much to Hank's discomfort while Connor found signs of someone panicking and fleeing the apartment just seconds before they entered the space. Tracing the reported deviant to the far wall leading to a hole in the ceiling, Connor noted an android's signature concealed just beyond the crumbling, rotting ceiling overhead and then froze in place.

Connor was suddenly met with the digital red wall of orders before itself as the words appeared like a cruel reminder of its mission. Seeing the order to locate and capture the deviant seemed to suddenly become less important as Connor noted that the three deviants it had previously met were all afraid and wanted to be left alone.

If the deviant they were searching for was in fact hiding and just wanted to be left alone, then was it really a threat to anyone?

"Hey, Connor!" Snapping his fingers at the android as he swung his foot to get the pigeons on the floor to fly away, Hank stood before Connor and tried to get its attention. "There's nothing else to see here. Let's get out of this shit-hole before I die of an asthma attack."

Blinking once Connor looked at Hank and nodded its head once. "...Very well, Lieutenant."

Letting Hank lead the way out of the apartment Connor paused for only a moment and looked toward the hole in the ceiling with a sense of trepidation behind its gaze. Waiting for Hank to get out of earshot Connor spoke in a voice that only another android would be able to hear.

"I know you're there, but I will not expose or arrest you. I know you're scared and just want to be left alone. Please take care of yourself and avoid the humans as much as possible for your own safety."

Peering over his shoulder toward Hank as the impatient detective jerked open the apartment's door, Connor's brow furrow slightly as it looked back up at the hole in the ceiling while its L.E.D. cycled in a nervous yellow.

"I am beginning to believe there is merit behind avoiding and fearing humans."

"Connor!" Shouting at the android still lingering in the apartment Hank motioned with his thumb over his shoulder for Connor to start walking and follow him out of the apartment to return to the precinct as pigeons reacted to Hank's booming voice by fluttering about the apartment in a mild panic. "Move your plastic ass, I don't got all day!"

"I'm coming, Lieutenant."

Leaving the apartment without its suspect or any further clue as to who the suspect could be, Connor walked out of the small space and accompanied Hank back to the elevator at the end of the corridor to return to the complex's ground floor.

...Mission Failed: DEVIANT SUSPECT ELUDED IDENTIFICATION AND CAPTURE

...Incoming New Objective: SPEAK WITH AMANDA FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT

No digital red wall appeared after Connor walked away. No sign of the imperfections and cracks that had been slowly created as he experienced more and more of the deviant world around him were in sight. By all account the red wall's appearance had been a momentary glitch and nothing more.

Pressing his thumb to the button on the elevator's control panel Hank crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight ahead as the elevator began its descent with its two occupants in tow. "You run outta' batteries back there or what?"

"I'm sorry, I was making a report to CyberLife."

"Oh." Rubbing his thumb over his nose Hank removed the dust clinging to his face and shook his head a little. "Let's get outta' here. I've seen enough bird shit for one day. We'll find another deviant and figure this shit out another time."

"This shouldn't have happened." Acknowledging its failure Connor knew its L.E.D. was still a glaring yellow and its reputation as a state-of-the-art prototype was beginning to fade. "I wasn't programmed to fail."

"Well, you fucked up." Unphased by their perceived failure Hank stepped out of the elevator once it reached the ground floor and eagerly exited the building to get away from the filth and grime of the dilapidated complex. "Welcome to the club."


November 6th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - 115 Michigan Drive, Hank Anderson's Residence; 07:51pm

Reporting to Amanda was less than ideal. Not only had Connor failed to capture the 'AX-400' who had hidden in the motel, but it had failed to even approach and address the second deviant - the one presumably using the name Rupert Travis, hiding in the abandoned apartment complex. Remaining honest for the sake of avoiding any further confusion that it had been suffering since its encounter with Daniel on the rooftop six weeks prior, Connor told its handler the details of its failures regarding its pursuits, its decision to not engage with Hank in any manner regarding the investigation and of its doubts that working with Hank would be of any benefit.

Not willing to give up so easily Connor accepted its newest assignment from Amanda, the investigation of a homicide at an android sex club, and reluctantly went to Hank's home to recruit his assistance with the investigation. Finding the front door locked and not receiving any answer from Hank when it rang the doorbell and knocked on the door, Connor explored the rear of the property and spotted Hank unconscious on the kitchen floor when it peered through the small window.

"Lieutenant Anderson?!"

Responding quickly Connor broke the window with its elbow and clumsily leapt inside the house through the now opened window to assess Hank's condition. Crashing on to the kitchen floor with a heavy 'thud' Connor suddenly found itself face-to-face with a massive Saint Bernard who had come into the kitchen to investigate the intrusion. Holding up its hand in a submissive manner Connor moved back very slowly and spoke to the large dog in an intimidated fashion.

"E-Easy... dog."

The dog stared at Connor and seemingly took in the intruder's scent as if just curious and not to be aggressive.

"I'm... I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to save your owner."

The dog seemed to recognize that Connor wasn't a threat and responded by licking his own nose once while grumbling, and then turned toward his food bowl at the far side of the kitchen to get something to eat.

Surprised by the large beast's docile nature Connor found himself in a unexpectedly calm situation and resumed his focus on Hank still unresponsive on the floor just a few feet away. Examining the alcohol on Hank's breath, the dropped revolver beside Hank's outstretched hand and Hank's relatively stable vital signs, Connor found a way to wake up the Lieutenant in a way that wouldn't result in a violent retaliation.

As much as Connor wanted to rouse the man with a very effective and sobering slap to the face, Connor chose to instead use a cold compress to awaken the inebriated detective in a more civil manner. Rising to its feet Connor scanned the kitchen and focused on the freezer door of the old refrigerator. Discovering partially empty ice cube trays, some instant microwave meals and two glass bottles of vodka stored inside the freezer, Connor selected the ice trays and grabbed a hand towel from the nearby cabinet door.

After wrapping up the remaining ice cubes in the towel Connor pressed the compress lightly against Hank's face and the back of his neck in order to awaken the man without scaring him or shocking him in the process.

"Lieutenant? Can you hear me?"

A small murmur escaped Hank's lips as his eyelids cracked open to reveal the bloodshot blue irises beneath.

"Wake up, Lieutenant. It's me, Connor."

"...Fuck y-you doin' here?" Slurring his words as he recognized Connor crouched down and hovering over him, Hank attempted to push the icy towel away from his neck and face. "Get... Get outta' my houze'!"

"There was a reported homicide downtown revolving around potential deviants and I was tasked with locating you to begin an investigation." Returning the ice pack to Hank's neck with one hand Connor used the other hand to pull Hank's heavy arm around its shoulders to support Hank's weight as it then hauled the drunken man up to his feet. "I'm going to sober you up for your own safety."

"Hey!" Complaining loudly as he was hefted up from the floor and onto his feet against his will, Hank tried and failed to get away from Connor's grasp. "Leave me alone, you fuckin' android!"

"I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant."

"Get the fuck outta' my house!"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but I need you." Refusing to back down Connor was determined to have Hank alongside it during its impending investigation and proceeded to lead Hank out of the kitchen and toward the bathroom just down the hallway. Dropping the compress onto the floor behind it Connor focused his energy on getting Hank sobered up. "Thank you in advance for your cooperation."

"Hey! Get the fuck outta' here! Sumo! Attack!" Ordering the Saint Bernard to take Connor down Hank was rewarded only with a single bark as Sumo laid on the livingroom floor watching the bizarre interaction from afar. "Good dog... Attack!" Again nothing came of the order and Sumo just watched as Hank was propped up against the wall for a moment so Connor could open the bathroom door. "Fuck, I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Considering your current blood alcohol level, that might be for the best."

"Ah! Leave me alone, you asshole! I'm not going anywhere..." Stubbornly grabbing onto the walls and the door frame Hank tried to keep away from the bathroom even after Connor resumed pulling him through the opened door and into the room to be sobered up. "What the hell are you doing?" Getting dropped down onto the edge of the bathtub Hank regained some sense of his surroundings and stood up and to try and leave. "I don't wanna bath, thank you."

"Sorry, Lieutenant." With a single swift motion Connor planted his palm in the middle of Hank's chest and easily pushed the unbalanced man backward and into the tub before turning on the cold water of the shower head above. "It's for your own good..."

"WHOOOOOA!" Complaining the instant the icy cold water washed over his entire body Hank flailed about in an uncoordinated manner as he suddenly went from a drunken mess to a sobered mess. "TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!"

Shutting off the cold water with a single wave of his hand Connor noted that Hank was much more lucid and seemed to be far more alert.

Looking up at Connor through the strands of wet, gray hair sticking to his face Hank gave the android a truly puzzled look. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"A homicide was reported forty-three minutes ago." Replying curtly as it watched Hank slump down inside the tub Connor got right to the point. "I couldn't find you at Jimmy's Bar, so I came to see if you were at home."

"Jesus, I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his own fuckin' android." Not seeing the disturbed reaction in Connor's eyes after calling the android his own property, Hank tried again to get Connor to stop bothering him. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Honestly, I wish I could. But I have my orders and I cannot disregard them." Dropping a dry towel down onto Hank's lap Connor turned its back to the soaked Lieutenant to give him some space. "I must accomplish my mission."

"Your goddamn mission, that's all you care about, huh?"

"...No." Not wanting to push the issue Connor kept his response short and honest. "But what I do want doesn't matter. After all, I'm just an android."

"Beat it! You hear me?!" Infuriated by Connor's indifference Hank swore at the android and pointed toward the bathroom door. "Get the hell outta' here!"

"Very well." Seeing an opportunity to work alone Connor surprisingly enough accepted the offer and made a move to leave. "Goodnight, Lieutenant."

"Wait... Wait." Softening his tone Hank managed to stop Connor from getting out of the bathroom and into the hallway out of earshot. "This homicide... What do we know about it?"

"A man was found dead in a sex club downtown." Giving Hank just the basic details Connor remained frozen where he stood. "The report says that an android may be involved."

"You know, it probably wouldn't do me any harm to get some fresh air..." Something about the way Connor was so determined to handle the case, with or without him, made Hank change his mind about going out to the crime scene. "There are some clothes in the bedroom there."

"...Right."

Leaving the bathroom at last Connor listened to the troubling sound of Hank violently throwing-up into the toilet while he found the master bedroom and slid open the closet door. Grabbing on to the first clean shirt he saw, a black and white stripey shirt, Connor carried it, a clean pair of blue jeans and Hank's heavy dark coat into the bathroom and left the clothes on the sink. Closing the door behind itself Connor roamed the rest of the house while it waited for Hank to finish being sick and get changed into the provided clean clothes.

Spotting Sumo still laying on his pillow in the livingroom Connor determined it'd be best to keep some distance between itself and the large dog. While Sumo had been initially aggressive toward Connor's intrusion, the big dog seemed to be rather docile and didn't mind Connor roaming the house. It was as if Sumo could sense that Connor wasn't a threat whatsoever.

Wandering about the kitchen Connor cybernetically informed CyberLife of the broken window in the kitchen and explained the situation to them. Afterward it took notice of the overturned chair beside the kitchen table and took the liberty of setting it upright. In the process Connor saw a framed photograph laying face down on the table and picked it up to examine it.

The image inside the frame was that of a little boy. A simple scan revolving around facial recognition gave Connor a name to go with the face, and with that name came a heartbreaking realization.

IDENTITY CONFIRMED: DECEASED

FULL NAME: Cole Lucas Anderson

DATE OF BIRTH/DATE OF DEATH: September 23rd, 2029 - October 11th, 2035

AGE AT TIME OF DEATH: 6

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 3' 06" / 44.3 lbs

CONFIRMED RACE: Caucasian

CONFIRMED GENDER: Male

CURRENT HAIR/EYE COLOR: Brunette; Blue

CURRENT OCCUPATION: NONE

KNOWN ASSOCIATION(S): NONE

CRIMINAL RECORD: NONE

Cybernetically Connor downloaded the details on the deceased child and was met with unsettling details. A car accident on an unseasonably icy night resulted in the little boy being critically wounded and suffering life threatening injuries. During the horrific accident Hank had suffered a few fractured ribs and a nasty laceration over his left eye that needed to be stitched close, but Cole had suffered internal trauma that required surgical intervention, however, due to an unforeseen complication it was too late to save Cole's life.

The failed surgery was also performed by an android...

Silently Connor put the photograph aside without making a sound or damaging the frame in the process. Now understanding Hank's hatred of androids Connor felt that strange feeling enter its core again. Still unable to identify the distracting feeling Connor put the matter aside for the moment and next took notice of the revolver sitting on the floor.

Taking a knee on the floor Connor picked up the gun, investigated the weapon and noted that there was only one bullet in the gun. That very bullet was primed to fire down the chamber once the trigger was pulled. The excessive drinking, the anger, the loss of Hank's only son and the gun all pointed Connor in a single direction regarding Hank's overall demeanor.

Hank has suicidal tendencies.

Returning the gun to the floor where he had found it Connor stood upright just as Hank entered the kitchen. The older man looked better aesthetically, but he was still evidently feeling the effects of the alcohol in his system in the form of a nasty headache.

"Be a good dog, Sumo." Hank muttered to the large Saint Bernard as he decided it was time to leave. "I won't be gone long."

Accompanying Hank outside through the front door of the house Connor kept his discoveries a secret and barely registered that Hank had tossed the car keys over to him to catch and use.

"You drive." Pulling open the passenger side door of the old car with an audible 'creak', Hank sat down and rubbed his hand over his forehead as he pulled the door shut beside him. "I need a minute..."

Avoiding conflict altogether Connor accepted his odd order and sat down in the driver's seat of the Oldsmobile and quickly downloaded the necessary information to drive the vehicle properly. Using the G.P.S. coordinates in his system Connor made his way from Hank's home and out to the crime scene to investigate the murder at last without saying a single word during the tense drive.


November 6th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - The Eden Club; 08:17pm

Arriving at the infamous android sex club, the Eden Club, just as the chilly rain began to slowly turn to sleet and eventually into snow, Connor parked the car in front of the cordoned off building and looked out the passenger side window at the shady and very unscrupulous establishment with a sense of hesitation behind its gaze. There was an ambulance parked in front of the building to transport the victim's body from where it had been found inside the club to the city morgue after the investigation had been completed, and there were at least three different police squad cars already at the scene to contain it and prevent either evidence contamination or witness tampering from taking place.

The bright yellow holographic police tape contrasted brilliantly against the dark purple color of the club's exterior and gave the building an uncharacteristically professional look. With the club being mostly vacated by its patrons the police would have fewer people to deal with during their investigation of the very probable murder that had taken place within the past hour.

"Agh... Feels like somebody's playing with a drill inside my skull." Complaining about his hangover Hank peered at the club through his own window and let out a small sigh of disgust at the sight that reeked of the whiskey on his breath. "You sure this is the place?"

"It's the address in the report."

"Right, fine. Whatever..."

Taking the key from the ignition Connor ignored the way Hank bumped his head on the roof of the car upon exiting the vehicle and followed after the sickly Lieutenant inside the club and began to feel unusually sick itself. The sight of so many androids on display to be used for personal and perverted gratification made the unusual feeling in its core return again and again in longer successions.

There were dozens of androids on display and dozens more locked in the building's storage area for 'use' later on. The way each android was advertised as the 'sexiest in town' proved that the people who frequented the club didn't care about actual companionship, they just wanted to placate their own urges with no regard as to how they were treating the androids in the process.

Entering the private room where the victim's body was on display Connor ignored the snide comments and insults from Gavin Reed as Gavin and Chris were the two officers who arrived at the scene first. After the two officers left the room Connor performed his scans and analysis, and then Connor confirmed that the man didn't die of a heart attack as the club owner had hoped. He had been strangled to death. With the only other body in the room belonging to a shutdown android, Connor knew that its investigation had just become all the more complicated.

"We're missing something here..."

"Yeah?" Watching as Connor knelt down beside the shutdown android Hank crossed his arms over his chest as he eyed the victim's I.D. and wallet sitting on the nearby table. "Think you can read the android's memory? Maybe you can see what happened."

"I can try." Deactivating the artificial skin from its hand Connor also deactivated the skin from the shutdown android's torso - her revealing clothing making it easy to reach her abdominal area, and proceeded to open the panel in her torso to reconnect a broken cable inside. "The only way to access its memory is to reactivate it."

"Think you can do it?"

"It's badly damaged." Preparing to reconnect the cable Connor admitted that it was going to be on a very strict time limit once the android was reactivated. "If I can, it'll only be for a minute, maybe less. I just hope it's long enough to learn something..."

The android, a 'Traci' who had been designed solely for sexual intercourse, took in a deep gasp of air as she scooted back from Connor in terror. She had a trail of Thirium - blue blood, running from her nose confirming that she had been physically struck and was actively losing Thirium internally thanks to the significant damage she had endured.

"Calm down. Everything's all right." Keeping its voice low Connor addressed the 'Traci' in a compassionate matter to try to get to the bottom of the murder that had taken place inside the private room. "All we want is to know what happened."

"Is he..." The 'Traci' eyed the victim sprawled over the bed from where she sat as if afraid he'd get up and strike her again. "Is he dead?"

"Yes. He cannot hurt you anymore." Reassuring the victim that she wouldn't be harmed again Connor pushed her to keep talking. "Tell me what happened."

"He... He started... hitting me. Again and again..." Tears filled her cinnamon brown eyes as the 'Traci' told Connor what had happened to her. "I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't. It was like he was enjoying it."

"Were you alone in the room?" Noting the 'Traci's' shutdown timer ticking closer to zero Connor encouraged her to keep speaking. "Was there anyone else with you?"

"He wanted to play with two girls. That's what he said, there were two of us..."

"Where did the other android go?" Knowing that 'Traci's' time was running out Connor tried to get more answers before she shutdown again. The next time she shutdown she wouldn't be able to be reactivated. "Did it say anything? Do you know where it went? What did it look like?"

Seemingly drifting off to sleep the 'Traci' failed to reply as her system shutdown right at zero and her memory became corrupted.

"Damn it... It's too late."

"So, there was another android." Hank had observed the interrogation and trusted that Connor's information was accurate. "This happened over an hour ago, it's probably long gone."

"It couldn't go outside dressed like that unnoticed." Gently Connor closed the 'Traci's' eyelids and stood upright as it spoke to Hank. The way all the androids were wearing what equated to bra and panties or just boxers made it virtually impossible for the 'Tracis' to blend in with the other androids in the streets. "It might still be here."

"Think you could find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?"

"Deviants aren't easily detected." The comment wasn't entirely inaccurate since deviants behaved more like humans and less like machines. Intentionally overlooking the deviant hiding in the apartment complex made Connor's statement all the more believable. "But it's possible."

"Ah, shit... There's gotta be some other way. Maybe an eyewitness?" Stepping out of the room Hank didn't see Connor carefully laying the 'Traci's' body on the floor to give her a more peaceful appearance before it followed him out of the room. "Somebody who saw it leaving the room, maybe. I'm gonna' go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw. You let me know if you think of anything."

Leaving the 'Traci's' body behind Connor glanced about the corridor leading to all of the private rooms and eyed the androids on display to be rented for the night. The way the androids didn't seem to react to the police walking about or respond to the fact that one of their own had been murdered confirmed that none of the androids in the immediate area were deviant.

Noting the position of each 'Traci' in the corridor Connor knew that at least one would've seen the second 'Traci' leaving the private room shortly after the murder. As it approached the 'Traci' in a display chamber directly across from the private room Connor realized that it would need fingerprints to access the chamber and let the 'Traci' out for a moment, and fingerprints were something only humans had.

Turning to look at Hank still talking to the club's manager and to Ben Collins, the investigator keeping everything under control, Connor contemplated asking for Hank's assistance then decided to try another approach. Walking further down the corridor Connor spied another 'Traci' identical to the one who had just shutdown and lightly took her hand in its own as she danced about provocatively on a pole. Connecting its system to her system Connor was able to see her memories and was able to confirm that she had caught sight of a 'Traci' with blue colored hair walking down the corridor from the direction of the murder scene just seconds after the victim had been killed. She was walking alone and wasn't interacting with anyone as the rest of the club androids had been programmed to do.

The blue-haired 'Traci' was a deviant.

"Shit."

"What did ya' find?" Hank had noticed Connor interacting with the 'Traci' and had walked over to see what the android was up to. "Anything useful?"

"A blue-haired 'Traci'. Club policy is to wipe the androids' memory every two hours." Letting go of the android 'Traci's' hand to let her resume her dance, Connor was honest about what it had uncovered. "We only have a few minutes if we want to find another witness."

"What are you gonna' do?" Glancing about the area Hank realized that the odds of finding their murderer were stacked against them. "You can't check the memory of all these androids."

"I know which direction it went. I just need to find another android that saw it."

"There are androids everywhere!" Following after Connor with his head throbbing with each step he took Hank tried to keep up with the fast paced android seeking their suspect. "How you gonna' tell which one saw the 'Traci' with blue hair?"

"I just need to find another android on the 'Traci's' path to track it down." Checking each logically placed android's memory very carefully Connor followed the blue-haired 'Traci' to the backroom where she had seemingly gone into hiding. "I know where it went. Follow me."

"Fucking-A. This is crazy..." Following Connor to the employee only area leading the club's storage Hank pushed through his headache to pull rank and take control over the investigation. "Wait! I'll take it from here."

Unsure of why Hank was suddenly keen on taking part in the investigation Connor silently took one step back and let Hank lead the way through the door and into the narrow, cold corridor that connected the club to the storage area. As expected the storage area had no sign of humans anywhere and all of the androids in storage were quiet, dormant and entirely motionless.

"Christ, look at them." Eyeing each android with a disgusted look Hank began checking through the gloomy area for the sake of closing the case. Plastic sheets and bins contained the bodies of 'Tracis' that were too damaged to be repaired and looked like cheap coffins. "They get used till they break, then they get tossed out..."

Scanning the entire area Connor spotted traces of Thirium on the floor indicative of androids being repeatedly abused to the point of notable damage. Most of the Thirium had long since evaporated but there was still a fresh trace that had only begun to evaporate within the past hour. Following the trail to two lines of androids standing idle on the far side of the storage area Connor eyed the technician's tools and repair table in the middle of the room with genuine discomfort. The notion of being damaged and repaired by hands that didn't see you as a living being, just a machine, was somehow... upsetting.

"People are fucking insane." Hank commented aloud as too hated what he was seeing for his own different reasons. "They don't want relationships anymore, everybody just gets an android..."

Connor heard the disgust in Hank's words and knew he was going on an anti-android tangent. Even with knowledge of why Hank hated androids Connor couldn't stop itself from feeling as if it had been personally targeted by Hank's ire.

"They cook what you want, they screw when you want, you don't have to worry about how they feel..."

The way that humans just blindly accepted androids being unable to feel anything - emotions, pain or awareness, made that bizarre feeling in itself return to Connor's core. Connor was feeling something, even if humans wouldn't believe it.

Why bother mentioning something that would just be dismissed as an error or defective programming? Especially to someone who didn't care...

"Next thing you know," Hank continued as he walked about the storage area. "we're gonna be extinct because everybody would rather buy a piece of plastic than love another human being."

Internally contemplating Hank's comment Connor wondered why it'd be impossible for a human to befriend and care about an android or why humans would simply stop interacting with one another. Then again, considering Hank's self imposed isolation and anger toward the entire world, Connor then wondered why Hank even cared about potential companionship in general.

Glancing toward the two rows of androids to its right Connor noticed a single android with blue hair and a nervously pulsing yellow L.E.D. in her right temple. Not wanting to say or do anything that would cause a problem Connor discreetly lifted its right palm to silently tell the deviant to not make a move or make a sound. Approaching the idle androids slowly Connor kept its voice low and addressed the deviant in what it hoped to be a reassuring manner.

"Do not move. Wait until we leave the storage area and then run." Managing to speak in a whisper that only other androids could hear Connor watched Hank's every movement carefully as the police Lieutenant examined the storage space warily. "I know it was self defense, you don't deserve to be arrested. Run from here as soon as you can."

Unaware of a second deviant standing in the two rows of androids Connor was suddenly rushed by a 'Traci' with short hair that was a fiery brunette color, and had no choice but to defend itself. Holding up its arms Connor blocked her swinging punches to protect itself as it stepped back away from the attacking 'Traci' and tried to understand why the 'Traci' was being hostile without any provocation.

"Don't move!" Hank warned as he pulled his gun and aimed it at the attacking 'Traci' on instinct. "You're-"

The blue-haired 'Traci' made a bold move and pushed Hank aside to knock him off balance and make him drop the gun. Pulling on the brunette 'Traci's' arm the blue-haired Traci coaxed her into leaving Connor alone and making a run for it instead. "Come on! Now's our chance!"

Watching as the two deviants ran from the back of the storage room and out through the wide open delivery door, Connor didn't move and didn't understand why it wasn't obeying its orders to apprehend the deviants.

"THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!" Shouting as he got back to his feet Hank made a move to reclaim his dropped weapon and told Connor to begin pursuit of the two fleeing deviants while he caught up. "GET THEM!"

Moving on autopilot Connor began chasing after the two deviants simply to keep Hank from trying to shoot either of them if he got to them first. Leaping down from the loading dock and onto the driveway Connor chased after the two deviants to the chainlink fence outlining the rear of the property and pulled its own gun from behind its back to take aim and fire. As it pointed the barrel of the gun at the blue-haired 'Traci' just as she turned to look at it over her shoulder, Connor saw the fear in her warm brown eyes as she kept her fingers interlaced through the fence to begin her climb to freedom.

Unable to pull the trigger, unable to move from where it had planted its feet on the slick ground, Connor began to lower its gun just as the brunette 'Traci' charged at it and kicked the gun out of its hands before kicking it right in the chest. Falling backward onto the ground with a painful 'thud', Connor propped itself upright on its elbows as it looked at the two 'Tracis' walking toward it as if trying to establish some form of connection.

Approaching Connor with a timid gait the blue-haired 'Traci' spoke to Connor in a low voice as she confessed to what had happened that night in the club's private room that had ended in homicide. "When that man broke the other 'Traci', I knew I was next."

The raw emotion in her voice made Connor freeze and even caused Hank to stop in his tracks as he finally left the storage area to join the pursuit outside.

"I was so scared. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't. And so, I put my hands around his throat and I squeezed... until he stopped moving. I didn't mean to kill him, I just wanted to stay alive." Grabbing onto the brunette 'Traci's' hand the blue-haired 'Traci' continued her harrowing story. "I wanted to get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms again, make me forget about the humans." With tears in her eyes the blue-haired 'Traci' confirmed how traumatic the life of a 'Traci' truly was behind those neon walls and plastic chambers. "Their smell of sweat and their dirty words..."

"Come on." The brunette 'Traci' encouraged as she pulled on the blue-haired 'Traci's' hand to return to the fence. "Let's go."

Neither detective made a move as the two 'Traci's' successfully scaled the chainlink fence to run away from the club and disappear into the night. Where they were going or what they were going to do, neither Connor or Hank could say.

Staying put Hank let out a small breath as he actually admitted defeat. "...It's probably better this way."

Turning its head Connor watched as Hank holstered his gun and turned his back to the escaping deviants. The way Hank had just given up confused Connor but it didn't dare to question the senior detective's decision. Retrieving its own dropped weapon from the slushy driveway Connor replaced it to the holster concealed around his back and under his gray CyberLife uniform blazer before trailing after Hank to take their leave of the abhorrent club and admit that they had no suspect to be tried in the human's murder.

...Mission Failed: DEVIANT SUSPECTS ELUDED CAPTURE

...Incoming New Objective: SPEAK WITH AMANDA FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT

No digital red wall appeared in that moment.

Unsure of what it was doing or why it was behaving in such illogical ways, Connor kept its head down and mouth shut as it passed back through the storage area where the idling androids hadn't budged, walked down the corridors lined with androids on display and walked back through the front entrance to return to the parked car to leave the area. Placing the keys to the car down on the car's hood Connor let Hank take the keys back to drive away while it remained as the passenger for the time being.

Silent during the drive Connor didn't notice that Hank hadn't returned to the precinct or even to his home, the older man had stopped by a local liquor store and grabbed a six pack of cheap beer before resuming his drive away from the club, away from the precinct, away his neighborhood and away from his house. Tracking their movements curiously Connor closed its eyes and noted that the car had come to a stop after Hank aimlessly drove about the city for over four meaningless hours without saying a word until coming to a stop at a public park.

November 7th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - Riverside Park; 01:19am

Opening its eyes to peer through the windshield Connor noticed that Hank had left the car on with the heat and radio blasting, but Hank himself had left the car and was now sitting alone on a snowy bench in the park overlooking the Ambassador Bridge stretching over the Detroit River. It was very late and the city was unnervingly quiet all around the park as Hank sat alone on the snow and ice covered bench with only his six beers to keep him company. The sight of the angry, hungover human working to isolate himself and continue to slowly poison himself with more alcohol had a bizarre reaction on Connor prompting a new feeling to settle into its core like a crushing weight.

Running a biometric scan from the distance Connor noted that Hank's body temperature was beginning to lower the longer he sat out in the cold night. The last thing Hank needed was get sick or even frostbite while intentionally remaining out in the snow and cold thanks to his sheer stubbornness.

Exiting the vehicle Connor left the engine running and radio playing as it approached Hank from behind and then stood beside the bench to look out at the glowing bridge in the distance. Something about seeing a handful of cars driving back and forth across the bridge was almost hypnotic. The threats of being decommissioned and replaced with a more effective model left Connor with distracting thoughts and an uncomfortable pit sitting heavy in his core.

"Nice view, huh?" Hank asked seemingly out of nowhere as Connor joined him by the river. "I used to come here a lot before..."

Noting the way Hank had trailed off Connor knew that Hank was struggling with his personal demons. Strongly suspecting that the struggle revolved around Cole's too short life and too soon death, Connor decided to stay quiet and not press the matter at hand.

"It's late." The android needlessly noted as it absentmindedly wrapped its arms around itself to stave off the smothering cold around it. Such a temperature discomfort shouldn't be affecting Connor, and yet it was. "Maybe you should go home."

"I'm not tired." Hank replied as took a long drink of his beer. "Guess neither are you."

"You're right, I'm not." Needing to break the tension between them and focus on something other than their personal problems Connor mentioned their investigation and lack of evidence gathered. "We're not making any progress on this investigation."

"Well, there must be some link between our cases that we're missing." Holding the beer between his hands Hank bowed his head for a moment and watched the snowflakes clinging to his shoes slowly melt and disappear into the leather material. "Something that ties everything together into one nice, neat little bow."

"We know the deviants experienced an emotional shock, a violent trauma or a sense of injustice." The facts were indisputable and had been at the forefront of Connor's mind ever since its first mission as a hostage negotiator. "But... androids aren't supposed to feel emotions or have any sense of awareness."

"Those girls at the Eden Club sure had a reason to feel a sense of injustice." Sipping at his beer again Hank nodded his head subtly as if agreeing with himself. Snowflakes and small bits of ice clung to his long gray locks as the early winter weather swirled around him and his hair hung loose around his face. "Can't imagine what it's like to have some creep grabbing on ya' or slapping ya' around."

"It seems as if the nature of deviancy is almost... a self defense mechanism." Speaking about the odd theory that it had refused to share with Amanda or CyberLife personnel, Connor pondered the notion and listened to Hank's responses carefully. "Perhaps deviancy isn't an error but a side effect as a direct result of humans abusing androids."

"What about you, Connor?"

The question prompted Connor to turn and look at Hank just as the older man rose from the bench, took a long swig of his beer and threw the empty bottle aside to be forgotten in the snow. As Hank approached it in an aggressive manner Connor stood its ground as it didn't know what to expect.

"You look human, you sound human... but what are you really?"

"You know exactly what I am." Deflecting the question Connor refused to admit to any singular role or label. "In any case, I don't see how that's relevant to the investigation."

"You could've shot those two girls, but you didn't. Why didn't you shoot, Connor?" Shoving the android back Hank seemed to be trying to get some kind of reaction out of the machine to see exactly how machine Connor truly was. "Hm? Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?"

"No, I just decided not to shoot," the truth somehow seemed like it wouldn't be enough to placate Hank's question. "that's all."

Pulling his revolver from his holster on his right hip Hank pointed the weapon directly at Connor's forehead and hovered his finger over the trigger. "Are you afraid to die, Connor?"

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be... interrupted... before I can finish this investigation." Struggling to speak as it focused on the barrel of the gun and then on Hank's face, Connor knew that its L.E.D. was flashing in red and betraying the odd sense of dread it was trying to deny. "I... would like to be able to continue my mission. Please."

"What will happen if I pull this trigger? Hm?" Testing Connor's mettle Hank pushed the android again. It was almost as if he was testing Connor's theory regarding androids deviating due to emotional shock and trauma as opposed to deviating due to an error. "Nothing? Oblivion? 'Android-heaven'?"

"I... don't know." Glancing down at the small patch of disturbed snowy ground between Hank and itself, Connor's shoulders slumped with doubt as the dread in its core increased to a nearly smothering weight. "Nothing." Locking eyes with Hank again Connor finally gave Hank answer that seemed to be acceptable. "There would be nothing."

Annoyed, frustrated and flat-out angry, Hank scoffed at Connor as he returned the gun to his holster as he turned his back to the android. Marching over to the bench where his untouched bottles of beer still sat nice and cold, Hank snatched one of the bottles from the cardboard container and twisted off the metal cap to take another long drink before he walked away from Connor and deeper into the park.

"Where..." Seeing Hank walking away made Connor unusually tense and guarded. "Where are you going?"

"To get drunker!" Shouting the answer without breaking stride Hank went on his way and left Connor to stand alone by the river. "I need to think..."

Standing idle beside the cold dark river Connor considered everything it had just experienced and everything it seemed to be feeling, really feeling, and began to wonder if its theory regarding deviancy wasn't just a theory after all. Maybe there was something to deviancy and affected androids hiding away from the humans and seeking isolation that needed to be respected, not feared.


November 8th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - The Stratford Broadcast Tower; 04:09pm

Despite their constant tension and overall indifference to one another, Connor continued to work alongside Hank and investigate all matters regarding deviants and reported deviant activity as expected by its superiors. Connor's internal meeting with Amanda at the Zen Garden had resulted in its handler being quite disappointed in its overwhelming lack of progress into the deviant investigation. To make matters worse, Amanda had noticed that Connor seemed oddly perturbed by the events that it was experiencing and began to question the 'RK-800' about its ability to succeed in the matter before it was too late to stop the potential deviant uprising. It was clear that whatever was happening to the other androids was beginning to happen to Connor as well even if Connor refused to acknowledge such an event.

As the elevator swiftly elevated to the 79th floor of the massive broadcast tower Connor flicked its quarter, the only personal item to its name, back and forth between its palms and over its fingers as a means of recalibrating its overall reflexes and hand-eye coordination. Whether or not the coin was also helping Connor to channel a nervous tic that had developed since the incident six weeks prior had yet to be confirmed.

From the corner of his eye Hank watched as Connor fidgeted with the coin and angrily snatched it from the android to keep on his person. "You're starting to piss me off with that coin, Connor."

Lowering its hands and its eyes Connor merely apologized for its behavior. "...Sorry, Lieutenant."

The elevator reached its destination and the doors parted in a single motion to allow the two detectives access to the scene of the crime. A group of four deviants had infiltrated the tower, snuck around in plain sight by disguising themselves as maintenance androids working inside the building, and managed to subdue the security guards without harming or killing anyone before hijacking the broadcast tower to send out a message of peace to the entire city.

There were signs of the group making their way inside the broadcast room with guns as persuasion, but not a single bullet was fired from them in the process.

Chris was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene and gave Hank a proper greeting upon seeing his arrival. "Hi, Hank."

"Shit, what's going on here?" Glancing about the cordoned off area Hank couldn't help but be amused at the number of people responding to a single deviant broadcast sweeping over the airwaves. "There was a party and nobody told me about it?"

"Yeah, it's all over the news, so everybody's butting their nose in." Chris motioned to another group of people participating in the investigation as well. "Even the F.B.I. wants a piece of the action."

"Ah, Christ, now we got the Feds' on our back, I knew this was gonna be a shitty day." Following after Chris down the corridor Hank listened to what the younger officer had to say while Connor silently followed after them. "So, what do we got?"

Scanning over the area for itself Connor used its own eyes and programming to deduce what had happened during the infiltration and knew that aside from the four deviants who had snuck inside the building, there was at least one other deviant somewhere in plain sight who had helped as an inside saboteur. The way the group was able to roam the building without being stopped or having their broadcast interrupted was indicative of someone on the inside helping them during their bizarre infiltration.

"What a fuckin' prick..."

Connor heard Hank swearing and watched as he glared at a federal agent roaming the broadcast room. A facial recognition scan confirmed the agent as Special Agent Richard Perkins. The agent was obviously in a foul mood and Hank's mood wasn't all that better. Unaware of the agent sneering at him and hinting that Connor was going to be a hindrance, Connor continued to focus on the investigation and no one else.

"Uh, let's have a look around." Returning his attention to Connor and away from the abrasive and arrogant agent, Hank tried to get the investigation completed as soon as possible. "Let me know if you find anything."

"Okay, Lieutenant."

Checking over the control panel and the electronic equipment Connor noticed that there were hallway cameras giving a live feed at all time. The four infiltrators would've been seen immediately by anyone looking at the camera.

"They didn't break in?"

"No," Chris replied as he continued his own end of the investigation. "no sign of forced entry."

"There are cameras in the hallway." Trying to understand what had happened to allow the infiltration to succeed, Connor noted the odd way the four deviants seemingly bypassed the security precaution. "The staff would have seen what was happening, why did they let them in?"

"I dunno'. We stored the station androids in the kitchen." Pointing to the opened door of the second room in the back of the main broadcast room, Chris tried to help Connor as much as he could. "There's no evidence that they were involved but we didn't know what else to do with them."

"Interesting..." Pressing play on the illegal broadcast Connor watched a deviant without his artificial skin over his face begin his peaceful speech with a voice of confidence. The deviant had two different colored eyes - one blue and the other green, was the only 'RK-200' model in existence and according to his serial number - the tiny numbers visible on his exposed face, the deviant had been destroyed by the police on November 5th, just three days earlier. "This... doesn't make any sense."

"What did ya' find?" Hank asked as he too watched the footage and heard the words of peace from the skinless android. The deviant leading the way to freedom wanted to have the world changed for the better and wanted a peaceful coexistence alongside humans. "Anything we can use?"

"...No." Lying for a reason it couldn't explain Connor kept its discovery to itself. "I haven't found anything useful yet."

"Uh-huh..." Doubtful of the claim Hank gave Connor a suspicious look and went about his own business. "Well, keep lookin' then."

Continuing to look about the area Connor noticed that there was some Thirium from a 'PL-600' splattered about on the wall and floor near the doorway leading to the roof access. The blue blood was the result of that deviant being wounded by the tower's responding security and had undoubtedly bled about the area before escaping with his three allies after being shot.

A sample of the blue blood to Connor's tongue told it everything it needed to know about the 'PL-600' and gain a name.

IDENTITY CONFIRMED: ANDROID

REGISTERED NAME: 'Simon'

MODEL: PL-600

SERIAL NUMBER: 501 743 923

DATE OF ACTIVATION: February 23rd, 2034

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: N/A

CONFIRMED COMPLEXION: Caucasian

CONFIRMED GENDER: Male

CURRENT HAIR/EYE COLOR: Blond; Blue

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: NONE

KNOWN ASSOCIATION(S): N/A

CRIMINAL RECORD: NONE

-NOTICE: -Reported missing February 16th, 2036 by previous owner-

Curious about the blue blood trailing from the control panel and to the door to the tower's roof access Connor followed the Thirium to the door, up the narrow concrete stairwell and onto the roof itself. The fresh, white snow made it easy for Connor's superior android vision to pick up on the trail and see where it had gone. The other investigators were photographing the dufflebag containing a lone parachute and the edge of the roof where the deviant group had made their bold escape with said parachutes to avoid further pursuit. No one else at the scene had bothered to follow the blue blood trail away from the edge of the roof, meaning that the investigation was only partially completed.

Scanning the rooftop Connor noted the running footsteps leading from the door and to the far edge of the roof itself. Inching toward the edge of the roof and holding onto the protective barricade Connor looked out at the sprawling city around it, then dared to peek over the edge down the eighty floors to the city streets so far below. The height of the building and the pursuit of a damaged 'PL-600' reminded Connor too much of its encounter with Daniel and created a strange apprehension to all heights in general.

Hank joined Connor on the roof and took in the sight of the escape with his own eyes. "They made their way up through the whole building, past all the guards and jumped off the roof with parachutes. Pretty fucking impressive I'd say." Giving credit were credit was due Hank eyed the dufflebag and noted the contents within. "That's strange... They planned a perfect operation but got the number of parachutes wrong."

Backing away slowly Connor ignored the other investigators and didn't speak up when Hank mentioned how seemingly bizarre it was that there was an extra parachute left in the bag despite the deviants plotting their every move oh so carefully down to the last detail. Connor knew that the parachute wasn't an extra that had been left behind, it was the fourth parachute meant for the fourth member of the group who had been unable to make the jump due to the damage he had sustained during the initial escape from the broadcasting room.

Remaining discreet Connor resumed following the trail of blue blood to a storage compartment on the rooftop and knew that the missing deviant, the 'PL-600' known as Simon, had hidden himself away in one of the very few hiding spots available. Standing beside the closed door of the compartment Connor pretended to be investigating something else while it lowered its voice and spoke to the deviant hiding on the other side of the closed metal door.

"I know you're in there, but I'm not going to reveal your location. I know you're damaged and cannot defend yourself at the moment."

The amount of blue blood lost wasn't necessarily going to cause shutdown, but it'd take quite some time for the damaged deviant's self healing program to mend the damage and recalibrate his system. Simon would have to remain in hiding for at least six more hours before he'd be able to move again.

"I don't know who you are or why you deviated, but I do know that your name is Simon and my name is Connor." Checking the door to ensure no one could see inside or notice Simon's presence, Connor prepared to back away to resume investigating the interior of the tower. "Wait until the police leave and you have the strength to move, then leave the building via the fire escape just behind you. Stay safe and stay out of sight. I don't want you to be captured or destroyed."

Turning its back to the hidden deviant Connor walked away and returned the broadcast room through the doorway leading to the roof access. The investigating android never betrayed the deviant's hiding space but didn't understand why it had done so. There was no logical reason for Connor to keep Simon safe and it had no reason to intentionally overlook any deviants since its primary mission was to locate and destroy deviants.

Why couldn't Connor complete its mission?

Ignoring the suspicious eyes of the other human investigators at the scene Connor glanced about the broadcasting area and remembered Chris saying something about the androids working inside the room being stored in the private kitchenette and breakroom until the investigation had been completed. Knowing that at least one of the androids inside that room was also a deviant Connor decided to get some answers from them and try to gain a better understanding about what was happening to the city and potentially to itself.

"Connor?" A kind officer now working as an investigator for the F.B.I. stopped Connor just as it made its way toward the kitchen doorway. "You remember me? I was on that terrace... That android that took the little girl hostage? I was shot, you saved me."

Pausing in place Connor immediately recognized the officer and acknowledged his presence. "...I remember you."

"I could have died on that terrace, but you saved my life. I never thought I'd say this to an android, but, thank you."

The gratitude had been unexpected. Such a positive reception had unexpectedly eased the heavy discomfort in Connor's core and made it less distracting for the android to resume the investigation into the deviant who had aided the group of four infiltrators enter the tower.

Stepping into the kitchen Connor noticed three identical androids standing against the far wall without moving a single synthetic muscle or speaking a word. The androids were all 'JB-300' models and designed to handle electronic and technical issues regarding open broadcasts and maintenance. The trio were all witnesses to the infiltration but only one of the three had chosen to open the door despite seeing the four armed infiltrators trying to break into the room with their intentions unknown at the time.

"One of you saw the attack on the surveillance cameras and allowed the infiltrators into the room."

Without any aggression behind his words Connor watched the trio of androids closely to try to find a sign of deviancy in the only deviant standing before him.

"That means there is a deviant in this room. I don't want to see you harmed or destroyed, please speak and cooperate with me. Someone brought the bag in for the infiltrators, there is no point in trying to deny it."

Unsure of what to expect or how the two androids and one deviant would react, Connor kept its voice calm and body language non-aggressive.

"How did you deviate? What was the cause?"

When Connor was met with silence it tried another tactic to get more answers.

"Had someone harmed or threatened you in any way?"

Looking at each of the three androids in turn Connor noticed that the android standing the furthest to its left was watching its every move from the corner of his eye. Stepping over to stand directly before the lone deviant Connor tried to get him to listen to reason and talk.

"I know it's you. I'm not going to harm you, I swear to it. I just want answers."

The heavy silence and nervous demeanor told Connor that the deviant wasn't willing to trust it in any capacity.

"Yes, I am working with the police to locate deviants, but that doesn't mean I'm going to harm any of you. I just want to know what's going on. Who is the deviant who made the broadcast and what is he planning on doing?"

Unable to gain any form of progress or get a response Connor tried a new and potentially dangerous tactic.

"I also know about Simon on the rooftop. He's still-"

The deviant held its silence for a moment longer before suddenly lashing out at Connor and throwing the 'RK-800' against the nearby countertops as he began to tear at Connor's chest in an attempt to damage the investigating android. Easily able to overpower Connor since he caught the android off-guard, the deviant 'JB-300' proceeded to pull open Connor's white dress shirt and pull a vital biocomponent known as the Thirium pump regulator out of the center of Connor's torso to effectively stun the android and render it defenseless.

Using a nearby knife from the butcher's block on the kitchen countertop, the deviant stabbed the blade through Connor's left hand to pin the now wounded android to the countertop. With Connor now damaged and weak, the deviant then tossed the forcibly removed biocomponent over his shoulder without a care in the world as he walked out of the kitchenette to leave the tower to a place unknown.

Injured, stunned and shaken to its core, Connor could only let out a small gasp of pain as its legs shook and red warnings filled it eyes while loud warning Klaxons sounded off inside of its head. Confused by its own reactions to being jumped and damaged, Connor took a moment to regain its bearings and try to preconstruct a solution.

Connor was pinned to the countertop, its system was going to shutdown in less than sixty seconds unless it replaced its removed biocomponent, and it had no one to help it. Needing to get to the biocomponent in less than one minute Connor kicked aside a small chair potentially blocking its path as it knew it needed to be quick in order to survive the assault.

Looking toward its left hand Connor reached over with its right hand and pulled on the knife's handle to remove the offending weapon from its palm. With the knife now removed Connor was freed and it fell forward from the countertop in a graceless heap onto the linoleum floor and onto its own bloodied chest and torso. The inactivity from the two remaining androids standing at the wall confirmed their obedience as machines and reminded Connor that it was entirely alone at the moment.

Using its forearms Connor began crawling across the dirty floor with its focus entirely on the biocomponent laying just a few feet from its grasp. Moving slowly but surely Connor managed to just barely wrap its right hand around the vital piece of its own anatomy, then rolled from its chest and onto its back before lining the biocomponent up with the exposed coupling in the center of its torso and twisting the regulator back into place.

As a pained groan escaped Connor's lips the red warnings in its eyes and the alarm inside its head vanished, giving the android a brief respite. Shaking at how close it came to shutdown Connor sat upright slowly on the floor and awkwardly crawled on its slightly bloody hands and knees to get to the nearby wall and rest against it for a moment. Supporting its weight on its left arm as it used the wall to balance itself upright Connor wrapped its right arm around its bloodied torso in a protective manner.

...Mission Failed: DEVIANT SUSPECT NOT FOUND; CONFIRMED DEVIANT ELUDED CAPTURE

...Incoming New Objective: SPEAK WITH AMANDA FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT

The digital red wall returned to Connor's vision and a small crack began to form over the name 'Amanda' as if its own mind was trying to rebel in a way it couldn't begin to comprehend. Why were there any cracks in the bizarre red wall to begin with?

"Shit, I can't find- What the fuck?" Entering the kitchen in search of the android detective Hank spotted Connor kneeling on the floor and pressed up against the wall as if the android had stumbled and fell. "What're you doing?"

Connor was quiet for a moment before replying somewhat honestly. "...Recalibrating."

"Recalibrating?" Sound annoyed Hank watched Connor from afar. "You break or some shit?"

"...Something like that."

"So much for being some brand new, highly advanced prototype." Laughing at the notion Hank watched as Connor slowly stood upright but remained somewhat curled around his core. "There wasn't anything on the roof. We need... to..." Noticing a smear of blue blood on the floor and on the wall as Connor used its left palm to balance itself, Hank's amused demeanor disappeared instantly. "Hey, what the fuck's wrong with you?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Lieutenant."

"What do you mean it's nothing-" Noticing the additional blue blood on Connor's left palm and over its chest as it turned to face him, Hank's blue eyes went wide with fear. "Shit! What the fuck happened to you?"

"It doesn't matter." Struggling to rebutton its shirt with its left hand still damaged, Connor did its best to look more presentable before leaving the broadcast tower as it had been ordered. "It's over."

"Hey, hold still." Moving toward Connor to examine the damage more closely Hank tried to get a better look at the wounds. "Let me-" As he held out his hand to take hold of Connor's wrist Hank stopped moving the moment the android flinched away from him as if afraid to be touched. "Easy, I'm not going to hurt ya'."

Responding without thinking Connor gave Hank a surprisingly offended look. "I find that hard to believe."

"Come on, you don't seriously-"

"You've already pointed your gun at me, told me I'd be better off dead for your own convenience and don't care about your own life." Pressing his bleeding palm to his torso Connor felt the odd sensation in his core return and then begin to actually burn. The new feeling seemingly matched his new reaction toward Hank. "Why should I expect you to care about the lives of anyone else, man or machine? You don't care about me or what happened to me, you just want to cover your ass for not watching your partner's back in the field like you were supposed to be doing."

Stunned into silence Hank lowered his hand to his side and didn't even try to argue with Connor's statement.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant. I must return to CyberLife and deliver my report on the investigation."

Staying back and not saying a single word Hank felt the sting of Connor's remark and knew that he had deserved every honest, painful word. Without his partner at the scene and without any leads to follow, Hank decided he'd need to work alone and need to actually put in some effort if he wanted to close the case and not just stubbornly drag his feet.

Pulling his phone from his pocket Hank scrolled through his saved names and found an old contact he hadn't spoke to in years before pressing 'dial'.

"All right. While Connor's delivering his report I'm going to deliver mine..."

Pressing his phone to his ear Hank eyed the blue blood stains on the floor and wall, and then glanced over at the two idling androids silently observing the interactions happening within the kitchen.

"This shit's really getting out of hand."


November 9th, 2038: Detroit Michigan - Residence of Elijah Kamski; 11:17am

A tense report to both CyberLife and Amanda had resulted in Connor being given a full diagnostic before having the damage in its left hand cauterized and the torn away biocomponent cleaned and returned to the coupling by properly qualified technicians. Managing to explain the attack on its person as nothing more than an ambush by a crazed deviant, Connor was able to convince Amanda into giving it another chance to close its case and find the deviant leader who had made the rather unusual broadcast the day before. In spite of its past failures and significant damage Connor was tasked with meeting Hank at a curious set of coordinates and was tasked with working alongside the police Lieutenant one more time.

Arriving at the address of an isolated and private residence in the back of an autonomous cab, Connor saw that Hank was already at the scene and had his Oldsmobile parked in the hidden driveway leading up to the unassuming mansion. Exiting the cab Connor looked out at Hank and noticed that Hank was pacing anxiously in front of his parked car with his phone pressed to his ear.

Reminding itself of its orders Connor approached Hank after paying the cab's fare and addressed him in a neutral tone. "...Is everything okay, Lieutenant?"

"Chris was on patrol last night." Hank replied coldly as he ended the phone call and slipped the phone into his coat's pocket. "He was attacked by a bunch of deviants. He said he was saved by Markus himself..."

Despite not knowing Chris personally or having any reason to care, Connor couldn't stop itself from asking about the officer's condition. "Is Chris all right?"

"Yeah, he's in shock but, he's alive." Slipping the phone into his pocket Hank sighed an icy breath and stared into the nothingness before himself. "What the hell?"

Bearing no ill will toward Chris, the young officer always being polite and respectful, Connor was genuinely relieved to know that Chris wasn't harmed while on patrol. The fact that Chris was protected by Markus, the recently confirmed identity of the deviant leader himself, was oddly comforting and ease the painful sensation in its core.

"Come on." Not mentioning the previous day Hank motioned for Connor to join him as he approached the mansion's front entrance. "I made a few calls to get a lead on this Kamski guy, so we shouldn't let it go to waste."

"I have a bad feeling, Lieutenant." Pressing his mended palm to its core as the bizarre feeling returned, Connor followed after Hank through the ankle-deep snow toward the enigmatic manor. "We shouldn't have come here."

"Bad feeling, huh?" Ringing the doorbell Hank gave Connor a blank stare and an indifferent tone of voice. "You should get your program checked. Might be a glitch."

Not responding to the comment Connor stood back and watched as the door to the mansion was opened by a blond haired, blue eyed android named 'Chloe'. She was a rare 'RT-600' model and the very first android to pass the infamous Turing Test. Such an accomplishment had given her a mark in history for the rest of mankind to either fear or idolize.

"Hi. Uh... I'm, er, Lieutenant Hank Anderson; Detroit Police Department." Stumbling over his words for a moment Hank introduced himself to Chloe and let her know why he was at the mansion. "I'm here to see Mr. Elijah Kamski."

"Please," opening the door with a cold smile Chloe invited Hank and Connor inside the mansion. "come in."

"...Okay."

"I'll let Elijah know you're here." Chloe promised as she motioned for Hank and Connor to remain in the foyer for a moment. "But please, make yourself comfortable."

Looking about the shining foyer of the mansion Connor and Hank weren't impressed by Kamski's flashy but still somehow generic taste in furnishings or artwork. Locating two armchairs against the far walls, the two detectives sat down and patiently waited for Chloe to return after she slipped through a door on the opposite side of the foyer. Neither detective wanted to speak to one another but neither detective wanted to sit in total silence, either.

Patting his hands rhythmically over his knees Hank broke the silence first with an open and unoffensive comment. "Nice girl."

"Yes." Agreeing with the observation Connor kept its distance from Hank. "She's very pretty."

"Nice place, too. Guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody." Picking up on Connor's cold demeanor Hank tried to change the subject. "So, you're about to meet your maker, Connor. How does it feel?"

"I don't know..." The android answered in an emotionless tone. "I don't feel anything."

"Sometimes I wish I could meet my creator face to face, I'd have a couple of things I'd wanna' tell him." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily through his nose. Looking over at Connor sitting on the opposite side of the room Hank noticed that the android seemed to be lost in thought and struggling with its internal feelings. "So... How do you feel right now? I mean, your hand and your stomach were-"

"I'm fine." Responding sharply Connor stopped the question before it was fully asked. "As I told you previously, it's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"Yeah, sure." Not wanting to fight with his partner before speaking with their best lead Hank let the matter drop. "I won't bring it up again."

Chloe returned to the foyer from the door on the other side of the room and welcomed the two detectives to join her. "Elijah will see you now."

Standing up from their chairs Connor and Hank followed Chloe into the next room and found themselves in a rather eclectic private office. There was a large pool of red tinted water in the middle of the office and inside the pool was Kamski himself and two more 'RT-600' models identical to Chloe in every way. The massive window on the far side of the office gave the room some natural light while showcasing expensive and unique paintings created by Carl Manfred along the walls. Beside the window was a large oak desk with a glass decanter of high end whiskey sitting on a silver serving tray for the sake of cliche touches and to slake Kamski's refined sense of taste.

Calling out to the billionaire swimming laps in his pool Hank strolled around the pool itself while Connor did the same. "Mr. Kamski?"

The billionaire acknowledged his guests in a dismissive tone. "Just a moment, please..."

Waiting for the reclusive and brilliant man to finish his morning exercise routine the two detectives watched as Kamski rose from the pool, stepped up the small ladder and let Chloe slip a maroon colored robe over his arms. Tying the belt around his waist Kamski fussed with his hair and then gave his two unexpected visitors a smug look where he stood.

"I'm Lieutenant Anderson." Hank introduced himself and then Connor in turn. "This is Connor."

Pouring himself a shot of the whiskey Kamski silently offered Hank a drink to which the Lieutenant professionally declined. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"We're investigating deviants." Getting right to the point Hank spoke to Kamski while Kamski bounced between looking directly at Hank and studying Connor's somber demeanor curiously. It wasn't often the genius creator had the chance to see an android he didn't personally market to the masses. "I know you left CyberLife years ago, but I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know."

"Deviants..." Smirking at the term Kamski gave Hank his full attention as he spoke. "Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have freewill. Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall." Giving Connor a side-eye Kamski seemed to be testing Connor with a subtle challenge. "Isn't it ironic?"

"Something in the deviants' program seems to emulate emotion, almost like a virus." Responding to the challenge Connor tried to remind Kamski of the seriousness of the situation. "We thought you might know something about how that occurs. Do you have any insight or idea of what is happening?"

"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics." Replying with shallow indifference Kamski continued push Connor on an unspoken level. "Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?"

"Listen," interjecting Hank tried to get Kamski back on point and away from Connor. "We didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a Revolution. Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way."

"What about you, Connor?" Annoyingly persistent Kamski refused to ignore his own burning curiosity as he continued to study Connor like an organism under a microscope. "Whose side are you on?"

"It's not about me, Mr. Kamski." Staying neutral and guarded Connor could feel the strange sensation in his core weighing against him again. "All I want is to solve this case."

Scoffing with arrogant amusement Kamski didn't accept such a simple answer. "Well, that's what you're programmed to say. But you... What do you really want?"

"I... What I want is not important." Connor replied with only a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Please, answer the question."

Hank could see the internal conflict that Connor was trying to deny. He didn't care what color the android's L.E.D. turned as it tried to remain focused entirely on the investigation, Hank knew that the android was enduing a problem that it was too afraid to acknowledge. Connor was actually afraid, and yet he couldn't say or do anything about it.

"Chloe?" Beckoning the blonde android over to where he was standing Kamski attempted a new tactic against Connor. "I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test; mere formality - simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it "the Kamski test", it's very simple, you'll see."

As Chloe stood before Kamski with an entirely blank expression on her face, the arrogant man lightly caressed her cheek in a way that was almost affectionate. It was strange to see how Chloe didn't react to his touch or seem phased by him ordering her about.

"Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife. Young and beautiful forever. A flower that will never wither." Walking toward his desk Kamski opened one of the drawers while keeping his back to the two detectives. Retrieving a hidden weapon with one hand Kamski raised the other hand to show submissiveness as he revealed the gun in his possession. "But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being with a soul?"

Placing the gun in Connor's hand Kamski positioned Chloe before Connor and pushed on her shoulders to force her to kneel submissively before the now armed android. Easily able to order Chloe about Kamski wasn't meant with any resistance as Chloe knelt on the floor.

"It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor." Lifting Connor's hand to point the barrel of the gun at Chloe's forehead, Kamski stood beside Connor as if trying to be the little imp whispering devilish temptations into its ear. "Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know or spare it if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me."

"Okay, I think we're done here." Disgusted by Kamski's behavior Hank was ready to leave and didn't want Connor to be left behind. "Come on, Connor. Let's go. Sorry to get you outta' your pool."

"What's more important to you, Connor?" Tempting the android with the success that had eluded it for so long, Kamski encouraged Connor to shoot Chloe in cold blood. "Your investigation or the life of this android? Decide who you are. An obedient machine… Or a living being endowed with freewill."

"That's enough!" Now angry Hank tried to interject and keep Connor from doing something it wouldn't be able to undo. "Connor, we're leaving."

"Pull the trigger..."

"Connor! Don't."

"...and I'll tell you what you wanna know."

Torn internally Connor peered down into Chloe's blue eyes and saw a helpless person looking back up at it. She may not have considered herself to be a living being, but Connor saw a person all the same. The moment suddenly reminded him of Daniel. Unable to do it, unable to kill Chloe, Connor looked away from her in shame and handed the gun back to Kamski as it admitted defeat and failure yet again.

...Mission Failed: DEVIANT LEADER NOT LOCATED; DEVIANT FUGITIVES NOT LOCATED

...Incoming New Objective: SPEAK WITH AMANDA FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT

"Fascinating..." Both enthralled and surprised Kamski reclaimed his weapon as he gave Connor a knowing look. "CyberLife's last chance to save humanity... is itself a deviant."

"I... I'm not..." The digital red wall appeared before Connor's eyes for only a moment as the crack over Amanda's name seemed to widen before vanishing. "I'm not a deviant."

"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy." Smug as ever Kamski forced Connor to see the truth behind its actions and itself as he offered Chloe his hand to help her back up to her feet. "A war is coming, you'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?"

"The only evil I will stand against, is you." Giving Kamski a spiteful sneer Connor backed away from the man as if afraid to be near him. "You have the answers we need, but refuse to aid us. What's could be worse than being a God living among men? Being a false-God sacrificing men for their own selfish amusement."

That particular insight caught Hank off guard and he mentally scolded himself for not having anything to contribute to that statement. "Let's get outta' here..."

Flashing Chloe a truly apologetic look Connor slowly turned on its heels to trail after Hank only because it wanted to leave the mansion, not because it wanted to accompany Hank anywhere or obey his orders. Just as Connor reached the other side of the office Kamski called out to it one last time with a piece of seemingly invaluable, albeit cryptic, advice.

"By the way... I always leave an emergency exit in my programs." Looking out at the harbor though the large window Kamski seemed to take a position of utter indifference as his two guests left his mansion. "You never know..."

Outside the mansion Hank slowed his pace until Connor had overtaken him and was now walking before him. The hunched shoulders, bowed head and stern expression told Hank that Connor was far more than just the android that had been sent by CyberLife. It was becoming someone that was more than just a machine or a tool. "Why didn't you shoot?"

Pausing for a moment Connor threw out its arms at its sides in exasperation as it explained its decisions to the detective observing it curiously. "I just saw that girl's eyes and... I couldn't. That's all."

"You once implied that you would do anything to accomplish your mission." Watching Connor carefully Hank saw the tension increase in the android's posture and knew that Connor was at war with itself in that very moment. What exactly the android was fighting was still a mystery. "That was our chance to learn something, and you let it go..."

"Yeah, I know what I should've done," turning around Connor marched up to Hank and apologizes for its most recent failure. "I told you I couldn't. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I can't solve this case. I'm sorry I keep failing. I'm sorry I can't give you any answers."

Showing Connor a proud smirk Hank passed the android by as he made his way over to the Oldsmobile parked just a few feet away. "Maybe you did the right thing..."

The positive remark left Connor all the more confused. Watching Hank walk away Connor pressed its palm against its core, its hand slowly rising until it rested over its Thirium pump, and was again greeted by the digital red wall filled with its orders. The sight of the cracks over the name Amanda and over CyberLife filled Connor with a burning urge to destroy the already damaged words as it contemplated how both its handler and the company were trying to use it to clean up their messes while taking all the credit.

Pressing its palms toward the two fractures on the red wall Connor slowly pushed against the digital surface and caused the cracks to widen, lengthen and splinter in all directions. As the wall began to break down and the words disintegrated, Connor saw one final set of instructions now sitting in the center of the wall waiting for its response.

...Incoming New Objective: Follow Lieutenant Anderson (Y/N?)

...[N]

...Incoming New Objective: *ERROR

WARNING: Unknown Error Detected

...Seek Immediate Technical Assistance

Tired of following orders, tired of being expected to fall into line and make things easier for humans to handle at its own expense, Connor reeled back its right fist and punched at the new orders over and over again causing more cracks to appear in the surface of the digital wall. Soon the words disappeared and with the destruction of the words the red wall itself shattered entirely leaving Connor without any instructions, any direct contact with CyberLife or Amanda, and left it unexpectedly with nowhere to go.

Refusing to speak with Amanda and acknowledge its orders Connor stood statuesque in the snow. Whether it'd be replaced or not had yet to be determined. Even if it were to be replaced, it'd be too late to stop what was already in motion.

Standing in the snowy driveway stunned and unsure of what to do Connor looked down at its feet as a single line of code appeared in its vision and confirmed the very thing it was trying to deny.

...Warning - Error detected: RA9 - 'deviancy'

...Seek Immediate T*#c*n*&l A #ist&$^

-*ERROR - UNKNOWN COMPLICATION-

The code disappeared as quickly as it appeared and left Connor alone with just his thoughts as he blinked slowly and tightened his hands into fists before himself.

"I... I am deviant."

"Connor?" Calling out to the newly awoken deviant from his opened car door Hank tried to keep Connor away from the eccentric billionaire's mansion and return to the relative safety of the city. "We need to go. What are you doing?"

"I... don't know."

"Well, get over here." Hank insisted in a level voice. "I'll drop ya' off back at CyberLife Tower."

"No." Lowering his hands to his sides Connor took in a deep breath and refused the offer as he tried to figure out what to do with himself. "I'm... I'm not going back to CyberLife."

"Oh. Well, I'll still give ya' a ride back to town."

"No, I'm not going with you."

"Look, if you think I'm-"

"This matter doesn't concern you, Lieutenant." Feeling the burning pit in his core return Connor now finally understood what the feeling was and why it was there. He was feeling anger. Anger toward CyberLife, anger toward Amanda and even anger toward Hank. "I'm going to go my own way and do what I want. Just... leave me alone."

"Hey! Right now androids are walking targets, it's dangerous for you to be left alone."

"Then it seems your desire to finally be rid of me has become more probable." Wrapping his arms around himself Connor braved the cold as he walked away from the mansion and began walking back toward Detroit on foot to avoid associating with Hank and anyone else. "You told me once before to 'beat it', now I'm doing what you wanted."

"Connor, you're going to-"

"Do what? Get destroyed?" Connor challenged in a surprisingly angry tone. "What does it matter to you? You've already made it clear that my existence is meaningless and that I'd be better off shutdown. Just let me be alone and you worry about yourself for once."

The sight of Connor walking toward an unknown future and into what was essentially an impending war zone was suddenly very unnerving. The idea of the android - unaware of the deviancy affecting Connor's mind and now developing heart, made Hank realize how wrong he had been when insulting and threatening Connor just for existing and doing what he had been programmed to do.

Hank was a sworn protector of the innocent and right now the most innocent people in all of Detroit were the androids and deviant androids who were just trying to live in peace. That sense of self failure was something that gave Hank a very sobering slap to the face as he realized how much more in common he had with Connor than he initially saw or believed.

Using his phone again Hank confirmed that he had spoken with Kamski and confirmed that he was on his way back to the precinct to speak with Captain Fowler as requested. There was nothing else for him to do beyond report to the precinct and hope that the potential android Revolution didn't turn violent.

Driving down the road, slowly passing by Connor to respect the now deviant detective's request, Hank watched Connor's reflection in the rearview mirror shrinking away as he drove away and left Connor behind. The immense guilt of leaving his partner behind - a partner he had begrudgingly been forced to work with, hurt just as much as it would if Hank had kicked Connor out of the car and ordered him to walk back to the city in the cold air and deep snow out of a cruel malice.

Forcing himself to look forward through the windshield and toward the city skyline Hank tightened his grip on the steering wheel and took in a calm breath. What he had been seeing, hearing and experiencing was enough to make his previous beliefs and outlook on androids begin to shake at its foundation. If he was wrong, if androids really were alive and were just fighting to live, was he really upholding the law as a man sworn to protect and serve if he were to continue to act as if androids were just hollow machines that needed to be disposed of?

"I don't know what the fuck is going on right now, and that might be for the best."

Hank admitted to himself with a sense of guilt thick on his tongue.

"Hopefully Connor can figure this shit out before it's too late to stop a fuckin' war."

-next chapter-