Markus remembered meeting Kara last year during the revolution. He had helped her and her family get passports to flee to Canada, but hadn't heard from any of them beyond that. He was glad they had made it safely.
The whole family now sat comfortably, having joined him and North in his office. Alice sat on her mother's lap, borderline disinterested in the conversation taking place and fiddling with a stuffed fox.
"I understand you are looking to move back to Detroit," Markus said, feeling it best to get right to the point.
"Yes," Kara responded with a pleasant smile. "We were considering it. I understand it's now considered the safest place for androids."
"An arguably subjective conclusion," he admitted. "But one backed by evidence. It would seem that things are improving on a daily basis."
"We are grateful for everything you have done," the man, Luthor, if Markus was remembering correctly, told him. "Our people owe you everything."
He shook his head lightly, looking to North as she sat beside him. "I assure you, it was not me alone." He could deal with the stress and responsibilities that came with leading the android population, but the reverence that people tended to show him always left Markus feeling uncomfortable. "Nothing would have been accomplished without efforts on many fronts."
"Still, we wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for your help," Kara persisted. "So, thank you."
Markus gave a polite nod, accepting the gratitude since they were insistent on giving it, before North redirected them all to the matter at hand. "If you have any specific safety concerns for relocating, we can discuss those if you'd like," she offered. "I'm acting head of security for New Jericho, I can answer whatever you would like to know."
Kara glanced at Luthor, then her daughter, Alice. If they were communicating cybernetically, it was on a closed channel. "I believe we are mostly just concerned with safety in general," she said after a moment. "Has humanity come to accept us?"
It was a common question from androids returning from across the border. There was freedom in Canada with the absence of android laws, but those who fled still needed to hide their true nature. As such, most of them didn't have a clear idea of what to expect being recognized for what they were.
"I won't lie," North told them. "There's still a lot of prejudice, but it has improved significantly."
"Change takes time," Markus agreed. "It unfortunately always does, but we are moving in the right direction. That's what really matters."
North leaned one elbow on the desk and rested her chin delicately on her hand. It was a carefully casual gesture that Markus knew was meant to help put people at ease. "If we are looking at just the numbers," she said, sounding remarkably like Connor would in this sort of situation. "Criminal activity against androids has dropped by over sixty percent in the last year."
"But there is still criminal activity," Luthor said warily. His hand settled on his daughter's head and he gently stroked at her hair as though she was the one who needed the reassurance. "Does it tend to be violent?"
"There are all kinds, yes," he admitted. His mind drifted to the case that Connor and the Lieutenant were currently wrapped up with. The case that had already resulted in numerous deaths, his own brother's included. "Some of them have been violent."
North shifted subtly to place a comforting hand on his as though she could tell exactly where his mind had gone.
She was good at that.
He smiled, reassuring her and sending a silent reassurance across a private cybernetic link.
The whole interaction lasted only a few seconds and fortunately went unnoticed by the small family. With Markus sufficiently distracted from a potential spiral, North turned back to the matter at hand. "To be fair, Detroit tends to be a rather stab-happy city even for humans," she reasoned. "But, the improvement is that the law fully recognizes the crimes equally. The DPD is even implementing an android crimes division."
Markus knew that with North's distrust of humanity came a particular hatred of law enforcement. While she came around to Connor quickly, she had held onto her skepticism tightly until she developed her rapport with Lieutenant Anderson. It was reassuring hearing her speak so highly of them now.
"You're serious?" Kara asked skeptically. "There is a whole division dedicated to androids now?"
"The beginnings of one," he assured them. "It is small for now, but it is a step in the right direction. One of the detectives is even an android." He didn't bother hiding the pride in his voice. While he had his issues with Connor having such a dangerous position, especially in his current condition, he was exceptionally proud of him and the representation for his people that came with it.
Luthor looked at Kara and they both seemed to relax. Alice, on the other hand, apparently hadn't had her most pressing question answered yet. She leaned forward, looking at both him and North seriously. "What about the dangerous man?"
Markus blanked. None of his databanks came up with any sort of specific results for whoever the girl was talking about. "Who?" He asked, concerned.
"She means the deviant hunter," Kara supplied, holding her daughter a little closer. "He tried to kill us back during the revolution."
"That title no longer applies to Connor," North defended before Markus had the chance. He would have preferred she not openly use his name, but there really was no way to change that now. "He is deviant just like the rest of us. No more bound to his original coding than I am."
"But there have been whisperings," Luthor pressed, lowering his voice as though he didn't want to frighten his daughter with the information he was sharing. "Stories that have reached even those of us across the border. They say his deviancy is a lie. That he still hunts us, still seeks to fulfill his mission and eradicate us."
Markus was shaking his head in objection before Luther finished speaking. "Those are nothing but rumors and fear mongering by those who refuse to let go of the past," he said. "I know Connor personally. He is deviant. I promise you, no one regrets what CyberLife made him do more than he does. He is an ally, a friend, and I trust him completely."
"So, he's not going to hurt us?" Alice asked. She held her stuffed fox tightly.
"No, he's not," North chimed in. "In fact, I think the two of you could be good friends if you got to know him."
Kara and Luthor looked uncomfortable with the suggestion, but Alice actually seemed to ponder the idea. None of them, however, voiced their opinion either way.
"Regardless," Markus interjected, bringing the conversation back to the point. "If it was Connor that was making you hesitant to relocate, I assure you, he is no issue."
"That is very reassuring," Kara smiled. It looked like she believed him, even if she wouldn't necessarily trust Connor right away. She brushed at her daughter's hair. "Alice⦠has had nightmares."
Markus was tempted to mention that Connor had nightmares too. That even his rest was plagued by the torture CyberLife had put him through. But that wasn't his information to share, nor did it have a particular barring on the situation. He tapped his fingers on the desk momentarily before speaking again. "Hopefully we can help to end those," he said, directing the sentiment to Alice herself.
She smiled shyly, cheeks turning the faintest shade of blue as she hid behind her stuffed fox.
Looks like someone has a crush, North teased through a cybernetic link.
Markus ignored both the bashfulness and the comment, keeping his attention on the family before him. "So, what do you think?" He addressed Kara. "Is Detroit a good fit for you and your family?"
She looked at Luthor, then Alice, the three of them coming to a silent conclusion. "Yes, I think so," she said with a smile.
North happily took over the conversation with logistics. Where they would be staying, whether they wanted to remain at New Jericho or seek a place elsewhere in the city, if they were interested in pursuing careers, how to start the registration process to be official citizens. Markus sat back and let her work. He typically didn't handle these situations anyway, having delegated the task to Josh. He would be sitting here instead if he wasn't out of the state. His friend was certainly going to be upset that he was missing the spectacle of Connor's current stature.
He kept his expression from appearing disinterested, but only brought his mind back from wandering when Luthor addressed him directly. "Perhaps at some point we could meet your little one," he said.
Markus's immediate thought was that he had let his attention drift a little too much. "I'm sorry?" He questioned, confused.
"The child, from the photograph North sent us," Kara clarified. "He looks sweet."
Connor, of course. North had sent the picture of the two of them. He would need to have his processor inspected if he was forgetting things so easily. "Right, of course," he leaned forward again, reengaging in the conversation. "Unfortunately he isn't mine. He is Lieutenant Anderson's son. I managed to convince him to let me watch him for the afternoon."
"Oh, sorry," Kara said, her attention turning to North. "The picture you sent was labeled as 'my boys', I assumed he was yours."
"Well he will be once the old man kicks the bucket," North laughed.
"North!" Markus scolded. Connor was increasingly worried about the Lieutenant's age and health, a worry he shared about his own father. It was not something she should joke about carelessly.
Regardless of his concerns, North rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Don't worry, Markus. Hank already agreed to it. Someone will need to look after him anyway. That boy can't be trusted to be on his own."
Alright, there was some truth to that. When unattended, Connor had the habit of getting into trouble. A habit that, according to Lieutenant Anderson, was only getting worse as he tended to grow more comfortable indulging his curiosities. Still, Markus sincerely hoped she wouldn't make jokes like that in front of Connor.
"While that may be, he is currently very happy with his father," Markus insisted diplomatically. He turned back to the family with a neutral smile. "I'm sure they would be happy to meet with you though. Lieutenant Anderson is the one who heads the android crimes division."
"I suppose it would be a good idea to get to know people in the area," Kara reasoned. She looked back at Luthor who nodded his agreement. "And it seems that this is someone you trust."
"With my life," he assured them. More importantly, he trusted him with his brother's life which was infinitely more valuable to him, but they didn't need to be privy to that information. "But for now, why don't we focus on getting you and your family settled in."
It was a reasonable suggestion and one they all seemed to agree to. As details were ironed out, Markus couldn't help but be amused that the same man they had been so afraid of was the very child they were so eager to meet.
