Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise

New chapter of the Detroit story, enjoy.

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Boris Yeltsin: Yes indeed, all very important of course.
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Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit Become Human or its characters, all belong to Quantic Dream.

Meet Kamski

November 9th 2038

11:17 AM

Connor felt uneasy as he sat in Hank's car. Outside, everything was covered in snow as they had arrived at an isolated mansion, where they hoped to get more answers, due to the owner of the mansion being important to everything relating to Androids. But right now, he sat in the car, watching Hank, who was outside, on the phone, looking disturbed. Finally, Connor stepped outside the car and approached Hank.

"Lieutenant, are you alright?" he asked as Hank put his phone down.

Turning to Connor, Hank spoke. "Chris was on patrol last night with a colleague in Capitol Park, where they were attacked by Androids."

"Is Officer Miller alright?" Connor asked, concerned.

"He's shaken up, but alive. The Androids seemed to consider killing them, but backed down." Hank revealed. "According to Chris, he was spared by the Deviant Leader Markus himself."

Connor nodded slowly. Markus, the Deviant leader who had made the speech in the Stratford Tower had released several Androids from Cyberlife stores around the city, mainly in Capitol Park. Nodding and clearly relieved, a sentiment Connor found he shared, Hank began to walk up the ramp towards the front door of the mansion and Connor followed.

As they walked up the ramp, Connor considered, "We're going to meet Elijah Kamski. He left Cyberlife years ago, so do you really think he can help us with the Deviant problem?"

Hank sighed. "Maybe, but Kamski was the creator, the man responsible for Androids. He has to know something, right?"

Connor nodded slowly. It was Elijah Kamski who had created the first Android to pass the turing test, thus giving birth to the Androids as they were now.

Reaching the door, Hank rang the doorbell and they waited. Soon, the door was answered by a female Android. She was around average height with long blonde hair tied in a side ponytail, blue eyes, pale skin, a slender figure, and clad in a blue mid-thigh length robe of sorts. Only her LED on her right temple confirmed that she was an Android.

Connor couldn't help but freeze, noting the fact that she looked exactly like Chloe, the one who spoke to him and gave him his missions.

'A similar model...RT600, the original…' he noted, briefly scanning through his files.

"Hello?"

Hank seemed startled as he replied, "Um, hi, we're with the Detroit police, we're here to talk to Mr. Kamski."

She smiled. "Please, come in."

She let them in and closed the door. They were in a lobby of sorts.

"Please take a seat." she said. "I'll let Elijah know you're here."

With that, she walked towards a set of automatic doors and stepped through into another room.

Hank sat down. Connor, however, looked around the room, curious. Something stood out which shocked him greatly. It was a large photo of Kamski on his university graduation, standing with a young woman...a familiar young woman.

"Chloe?" he whispered.

The woman looked exactly like Chloe, the Android he spoke to in the Zen Garden, as well as the Android that they had just seen. Analysis even confirmed that her name was Chloe Stern, but she had died eleven years ago.

"So how does it feel, Connor?" Hank asked, jolting him from his thoughts. "You're about to meet your maker."

Connor shook his head. "I'm...not sure how I feel."

Hank nodded. "Wish I could meet my maker. I'd have some things to say to him."

Connor said nothing to that and simply examined the rest of the room until Hank spoke again.

"Nice girl." he said. "If it weren't for the LED, you'd never know she was an Android, huh?"

Connor said nothing again, but privately felt that Hank was right. It certainly seemed true of the Deviants. Having removed their LEDs, it was almost impossible to find them amongst crowds of humans.

It was then that the doors opened again and the female Android in question stepped out. "Elijah will see you now." she said. "This way, please."

They stood up and went to follow her, with Connor still uneasy by her great resemblance to the Chloe he knew.

Following Chloe into a large room with one wall being taken up almost entirely by a window which lit the room. In the middle of the room was a large pool filled with strangely red-tinted water, in which a man was swimming. Meanwhile, at the nearest corner of the pool were two more Chloe model Androids, clad in blue strapless two-piece swimsuits, talking to each other.

"Mr. Kamski?" Hank called to the man in the pool.

The man stopped briefly. "Just a moment, please."

With that, he pushed off the side and resumed swimming while Chloe stood off to the side and Hank stood by a table and some lounge chairs next to the window. Connor stood next to him, watching as the man got out of the pool and Chloe approached with a brown robe, which he pulled on, crossing to the table, his back now to Hank and Connor.

He had long hair which he tied back in a wolf tail and he turned to face them. He was a tall, dark haired, grey eyed man, fair skinned with a fit build. He smiled lightly and nodded to them in greeting.

"I'm Lieutenant Anderson, this is Connor. "Hank greeted.

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" Kamski asked calmly.

Hank explained, "Sir, we're investigating Deviants. I know you left Cyberlife years ago, but I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know."

Kamski was quiet for a while and then smiled.

"Deviants." he said. "Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will. Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanity's greatest achievement now threatens to be its downfall. Isn't it ironic?"

Connor considered carefully, he had to speak up here. "We need to understand how Androids become Deviants. Do you know anything that could help us?"

Kamski, if anything, smiled wider. "All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?"

"Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy." Hank interrupted. "The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you tell us something that'll be helpful or we'll be one our way."

Kamski nodded slowly, turning his gaze from Hank to Connor again.

"What about you, Connor?" he asked suddenly, approaching him. "Whose side are you on?"

Connor replied at once. "I have no side. I was designed to stop Deviants and that's what I intend to do."

Kamski gave a short laugh. "Well, that's what you're programmed to say. But you... What do YOU really want?" He had moved even closer, that smile never leaving his face.

"I don't want anything. I'm a machine." Connor replied firmly.

Kamski nodded slowly before turning to his greatest achievement.

"Chloe?"

She began to walk over to him as he spoke, moving to join her.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the turing test. Mere formality, a simple question of algorithms and computing capacity."

Chloe now stood before them. Kamski stepped out from behind her, taking his hands from her shoulders.

"But what interests me is whether machines are capable of...empathy. I call it the 'Kamski Test', it's very simple, you'll see." he continued.

With that, he began a disturbing series of actions. First, he turned to Chloe, gently touching her face, making her look towards him.

"Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by Cyberlife." he said quietly. "Young and forever beautiful, a flower that will never wither. But what is it really?"

He stepped back and Chloe looked forwards again.

"A piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being...with a soul?" As he said this, he went to the table, opened the desk drawer, and pulled out a gun, slowly and carefully, so as not to alarm them, showing he had no intention of using it.

"It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor." Saying this, Kamski gently pushed down on Chloe's shoulder, making her kneel down, and walking to Connor, shockingly putting the gun in Connor's hand.

"Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know." Kamski remarked casually. "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." Hank said quickly, clearly disturbed. "Come on, Connor, let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool."

"What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation or the life of this Android?" Kamski interjected. "Decide who you are: an obedient machine, or a living being endowed with free will."

"That's enough!" Hank snapped. "Connor, we're leaving." It was clear that Hank was actually concerned, trying to stop Connor from shooting.

Connor was finding himself conflicted. He needed that information, but was it truly worth killing someone for no reason? Kamski and Hank both continued to try and urge him to shoot or leave, respectively. Struggling to decide what to do, Connor found himself looking into the eyes of Chloe as she knelt before him. It was just a flicker, but it was there, there was fear in her eyes.

"Connor, no!" It was then that he heard Chloe's voice, the Chloe he knew, echoing in his head. Somehow, she was communicating with him.

Thoughts raced through him. 'What if...what if she was the real Chloe that I know so well?'

That very thought made him decide. Breathing heavily, he pulled the gun away from Chloe, his LED flashing red. He could never destroy her.

"Fascinating." Kamski remarked, taking the gun away. "Cyberlife's last chance to save humanity is itself a Deviant."

"I'm...I'm not a Deviant." Connor replied, his voice shaking.

"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission." Kamski pointed out smugly, helping Chloe to her feet. "You saw a living being in this Android. You showed empathy."

With that, he let Chloe walk away, putting the gun away, too.

He then spoke again. "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?"

"Let's get outta here." said Hank.

It was only then that Connor realized that Hank was there, taking him by the shoulder and guiding him away. Despite his gruffness, his voice was filled with concern.

Before they could leave, however, Kamski called after him, "Oh, by the way, I always leave an emergency exit in all my programs. You never know, right?"

At that moment, they turned and left properly. Walking down the ramp, Hank turned to Connor.

"Why didn't you shoot?" He asked suddenly.

"I just saw that girl's eyes...and I couldn't. That's all."

Hank nodded. "You're always saying that you would do anything to accomplish your mission. That was our chance to learn something and you let it go."

"Yeah, I know what I should've done. I told you, I couldn't!" Connor found himself shouting. "I'm sorry, okay?"

But Hank just smiled lightly and echoed his words from the Eden Club. "Maybe it's better this way."

With that, he walked to the car, leaving Connor shocked, as if Hank actually approved of his actions, approved of him failing in their investigation.

But they had learned nothing, which left him wondering...what next?

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.