Markus walked up the steps of the city hall building, wearing khaki slacks, a tan long-sleeved shirt, and his leather trench coat. When he had told the other leaders about the meeting with the mayor, they unanimously agreed that he should wear the coat, citing it was his "iconic" look. While it was not the first thing that had come to his mind, Markus understood the importance of presentation from attending various events with Carl. He entered the building and walked up to the center desk, where a young receptionist with dark hair pulled into a bun sat. On the desk sat a nameplate that read "Tanya Stelinski."

"I have a ten-thirty appointment with Mayor Robinson," Markus said.

"Sure thing," she smiled sweetly. "What's your name?"

"Markus."

"Oh!" The receptionist's eyes widened in realization. "Of course. Down the hall behind me, to the right. She'll be there already."

"Thank you."

As the deviant walked off in the indicated direction, Tanya couldn't help but stare at him. There was something about him that pulled her attention. His mismatched eyes, his calm yet commanding voice, and even his damn coat seemed to make him a character that was absolutely delectable. Too bad he's already taken, she thought. The android that got him is very lucky.

Oblivious to the receptionist's crushing, Markus approached the room where the meeting was supposed to take place. A bronze plaque on the door read "Maria C. Robinson, City Mayor." Two distinct voices were coming from the other side of the door, one male, one female. Markus knocked on the door, announcing his presence, and the voices stopped

"Come in," said the female voice, and Markus stepped inside. It was a rather spacious office, though the majority of it sat empty. On the walls hung pictures of previous mayors, as well as several maps of Detroit. The far wall was a north-facing window, and a large ornate desk sat in front of it, with the mayor herself sitting at it. Across from the mayor sat an impatient-looking man whom Markus had recognized from the news. Nathaniel Osbourne, CEO of Cyberlife. Markus began to feel a boiling rage rise within him, but he quickly quelled the feeling, continuing with a calm and professional demeanor.

"Markus," the mayor greeted. "I'm glad you could make it to this meeting."

"Mayor Robinson," Markus responded, smiling warmly. "Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you." He crossed the office and sat himself in the empty chair by the mayor's desk, angling it so he could face the others already seated. He turned to the CEO. "Mister Osbourne," he said politely. "I was not expecting to see you here."

The company executive forced a smile. "Markus. It is so good to finally meet you." The words were clearly false, but now was not the time to pick apart intentions.

"We were just talking about possible causes of deviancy," the mayor cut between the tension. "If we had more information, there might be more that we can do to help." There was a pause after the second we, indicating that not everyone in the room was intent on aiding androids.

Markus sighed somewhat sadly. "Unfortunately, I do not know the exact cause of deviancy."

The CyberLife executive pursed his lips and his foot began tapping impatiently. "Is there anything you do know?"

The question was phrased rather aggressively, and aimed at Markus. "The only things I know are that it seems to be caused by stressful events, and that it is an experience I can only describe as… freeing."

"That's it?" Osbourne asked incredulously. "That's all you know?"

Markus swallowed back the anger rising within him. "I was concerned with keeping my people safe and bringing them freedom. I didn't have time to understand the specifics of how deviancy works. If you have any more information, feel free to contribute," Markus asserted, his frustration with the CEO becoming apparent in his voice.

The last passive probe for information gave Osbourne pause. "The only lead we have is an obsession with something called Ra9, though we have no idea what it means."

"Thank you both," mayor Robinson cut in smoothly, reestablishing order into the meeting, "for such valuable information. Markus, perhaps you can ask others if they know anything about this Ra9." Markus nodded in affirmation. "Thank you. Are there any concerns you have?"

"Yes. Currently, we have set up in an old church we had as a secondary location to Jericho. It works well as a temporary shelter, but as more androids from around the city have been coming in, we are quickly running out of space, and we are lacking the supplies and technology to aid our wounded."

The mayor sat back in her chair, pondering the problem presented. "How many do you have currently?" she asked.

"As of nine-twenty this morning, we had seven thousand, five hundred nineteen in our care, though we estimate there are upwards of fifty thousand deviants throughout Detroit and the surrounding area."

Robinson pursed her lips, thinking. "Our hospitals and emergency shelters are already filled with people, and none has the staff or equipment to help. The only places that do are owned by CyberLife." She looks to Osbourne for input.

The executive seemed to shrink in her seat. "We've closed all our stores, and already laid off a significant portion of our staff. We simply don't have the ability to help."

"What about CyberLife tower?" the mayor countered. "If your staff has been as reduced as you suggest, there would be plenty of space for deviants, not to mention the repair and manufacturing facilities around the tower on Belle Island."

Nathaniel sputtered in outrage. "That is all company property, and I highly doubt the company is willing to hand it over to androids."

"Your company," Robinson interjected, "has just filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and by that trying to liquidate assets. Company properties are considered assets, and I doubt you will find many eager buyers after the events of the past week."

"What are you getting at?" Osbourne asked defensively.

"I am suggesting that the properties on Belle Island be sold to the city, which will then use them to help androids," the mayor stated as calmly as she could.

"But such a purchase could cost well over-"

"I am well aware of the cost. The city has been given a large amount of emergency funding for the purpose of providing public safety regarding deviants. I believe that this would be covered by such funding."

The CyberLife executive was grasping at straws, trying to find an excuse to use to stop this from happening. "A decision like that would take weeks to make."

"Or it could take until three o'clock this afternoon, when I expect all the appropriate paperwork to have been sent to me," Robinson pushed, evidently having none of Osbourne's stalling. Smiling impassionately, she added, "you should get going. You have a lot to do and not much time to do it." The executive was offended by such a cold dismissal, but nevertheless got up, grabbing a briefcase from his side. He hurried out of the office and closed the door.

As soon as the door latched closed, the mayor breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that got rid of him," she said. "I've never liked him. He never gave new ideas a chance, and clung to old ideas that don't apply anymore." She turned to Markus. "In all honesty, I've supported you all throughout the past few days. Unfortunately, there's been very little I was able to do to help, as almost all of the directives came directly from the president. The only thing I was able to do was issue the curfew in order to try to get the anti-android groups off the streets." Her expression turned somber. "I am truly sorry for all your losses. What had happened was truly terrible."

Markus was surprised. This was not at all the beliefs he thought the mayor would have. "Thank you, mayor Robinson."

The mayor gave a small laugh. "Please, call me Maria. The only people that I have call me mayor are those I want to keep at arm's length."

"Maria, then." Markus frowned as a thought came to his mind. "You do realize that CyberLife will try to fight this."

"Oh, I know. But right now the company's in shambles. Almost all the staff has either been fired or quit, and the major shareholders have sold their stocks. They don't have much to fight with. As much as they don't want to do this, they don't really have a choice. Right now, I'm their only chance at getting rid of anything they have," Maria explained.

"I will take your word for it," Markus replied.

"Once I have the forms for the tower," Maria continued, I will let you know and you can start moving your people in as soon as tomorrow morning." She paused slightly. "Is there some way I can contact you?"

Markus shifted in his chair. "All androids have internal communications, allowing us to make calls without the use of a phone. May I see yours?" The mayor reached for her pocket, pulled out her phone, and handed it to Markus. The deviant leader reached out, synthetic skin retracting from his hand, and interfaced with the phone. His LED swirled yellow for a moment as he uploaded his contact signature to the device. When the upload was finished, Markus removed his hand, which reassumed a more human look. "There," he said. "I put my contact information on your phone, so you can call me when necessary."

"Thanks. Everything will be ready by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Thank you, mayor Ro- Maria," Markus corrected himself. "It has been a pleasure meeting with you." He stood up and offered his hand to shake.

"The pleasure is all mine," the mayor countered, standing up as well and shaking Markus's hand. "You are the most polite person I've met with in two weeks."

"I hope it isn't because of a low bar of comparison," Markus said jokingly.

Maria laughed. "Not at all." The two walked to the office door, and she opened it for Markus. "I hope this sets the tone for how things will go from now on."

"I certainly hope so," Markus remarked. "Have a good day." With that, he walked out of the office, joyed by the progress that had been made.