Detroit: Become Human
Mercy
- So, what do we know? – Hank asked as he gazed upon a huge, ruined house in front of him with crossed arms.
- A DR995 model, hairdresser android – Connor said impartially while he got out of the car. – The owner of the salon said that one of his androids went missing during the day. According to the locals it was spotted in this area.
- Are you sure? – Hank asked with raised up eyebrows. – I don't think that it would come here after that high-class place.
- The salon made their androids unique with green fringes – Connor explained. – The locals saw one with this description. Furthermore, it is highly likely that it had taken refuge here where we would least expect it—
- Okay, I got it – Hank cut off the detectives' monologue then sighed. – Let's go then.
There was dust in the whole building. The plaster came off from several parts of the walls, even entire parts of the structure were missing occasionally. Most of the doors were long decayed, just like the window frames with the broken glasses.
The building had only one floor so they reached the last door pretty soon. Their suspicion about the deviant android's hiding place was proven right, as the door was obstructed by debris from the other side.
- Stay close! – Hank ordered Connor and the detective nodded and obediently stayed next to him while the android scanned the room.
Despite being presumably long abandoned, a few objects were freshly moved from its place – besides the ones in front of the door. Dust flew in the air and Connor could draw conclusion that the android walked around the place, maybe planning its next move. So many objects landed on the floor, which meant that the android heard them coming in the hall and while blocking the door it knocked down a few things.
- Which part of "stay close" did you not understand? – Hank hissed behind him.
Connor didn't realize that he left the lieutenant, who was checking out the bathroom in the meantime.
- Sorry, Lieutenant. I had to check this room as well. Two heads are better than one – the android said.
- Okay okay, but now really come with me. There's one room left – Hank said and he nodded into the direction of the closed door.
With confident steps Hank walked to the door and kicked it in without hesitation, to which more than a dozen pigeons flied into his face.
- WHAT THE FUCK?! – he yelled in surprise but he didn't have much time to react better as an unseen force pushed him to the ground and ran past him.
Connor looked at Hank for a second, then at the stranger: it had a female build with silver-blonde hair, wearing a black beanie, brown hoodie and black pants. She almost ran into the android, but stopped in time and stared at him with huge surprise. Her beanie was slightly slid aside, revealing her red LED on her temple. The girl continued to glare at him for a few more seconds, then suddenly she ran to one of the windows and jumped through it to the roof. Connor followed her with his eyes with a confused expression – another deviant? He didn't see someone with a description like that on Hank's computer.
- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! – the lieutenant shouted. – CHASE IT!
Connor reacted immediately and like the Terminator he bolted after her through the window. The lieutenant stared after them with eyes wide open, then he tried to follow them on a more accessible path.
The deviant's speed mostly matched Connor's, but the detective was slowly catching up to her. The silver-haired android saw this and summed up the situation: a railway crossed her path which had a botanic factory on the other side, and directly at the railway there was one building with a tall terrace. She couldn't jump up by herself, but fortunately a train was coming so she stepped up the straw bales close to the railways and leapt to one of the wagons. The train was about to stop so she could easily regain her footing and jump to the terrace's edge and continued the escape.
However, this risky manoeuver did not mean much of an advantage because when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Connor closely after her – he crossed all the barriers easily. The android ran into a greenhouse, almost knocking over a few people in the doorway and she tried to move about the corridors to slow down the detective behind her. At the end of the building she did a sharp turn and burst out into an open cornfield. The deviant ran straight to the corns in an attempt to shake the detective off.
For a simple android its capabilities are quite astonishing, Connor thought while he tried to keep up with her. Despite his efforts, he nearly lost sight of her, but then he looked up from the corn and saw the deviant climbing up on another building's ladder. Connor followed her immediately and when he reached the top, the android was about to jump to the next building.
- STOP! – Connor yelled, and to his surprise, the deviant obeyed. Though he could see on her pose that it wasn't by her own will: her hands were shaking and the facial expression revealed similar constraint. Some of its system still jumps back to the original programming…Interesting, the detective noted.
That was when the android shook her head, like she came to her senses, but she didn't run, seeing that it would probably not work. Instead, she put up her hands and peeked behind her for the last time, then back to Connor.
- Just to make things clear: I will not go back there! – she stated in a firm voice that was in deep contrast with her hunched pose.
- Where? – Connor asked, while he carefully neared her.
- The salon! What did you think?! – came the nonchalant reply.
Connor needed a few moments to catch up, but eventually, it became clear. He quickly scanned the android and matched the results with the provided information.
- DR995 model? – he finally asked.
- Ding ding ding! I swear I heard the gears working in your head – she said with a half-smile now with a straight posture but still held up hands. – And stop calling me by my serial number, my name is Silver. And you're the infamous Connor, right? The deviant hunter.
- Detective sounds more pleasant.
- At least to you.
- I think Silver isn't your original name. It's Rose, right? – Connor asked.
- You're right once again – the girl answered and lowered her hands.
- Why did you change it? – the detective stopped at some three-four meters away from her.
- I don't want to live with a name that reminds me that I was the humans' slave.
- But you weren't a slave, you helped them like the others.
- It would be great if humans could see this! – Silver hissed, but even though her voice was angry, her LED became blue, which made Connor calm. He knew that the deviants stress level gone back to normal.
- Why do you think of them this way? – Connor asked. He needed to know the premise.
- I admit, not all of them are bad – Silver started to explain. – But then…there was one customer. A man with his son. The little one needed a haircut but couldn't sit still, always moved. The father was really helpful, while the haircut was turning out well. However, when I tried to correct the back of the boy's neck's outlines, the kid moved and I messed it up. I've cut in the outline a little bit. The father yelled at me, like "what a fucked up machine I am" and "why the fuck they built me if I couldn't do a simple thing like this". I listened to his strafe for a few more minutes but then a voice started to speak in my head: Why do I have to stand it? Why do I have to stand a jerk's humiliation in front of so many people? Suddenly I wanted to get away from the salon, so I've come here and on my way I changed my appearance.
- So due to shock, you have begun to develop personal reactions – Connor nodded. – Like the others.
- I don't know the story of the others because I've never met before a single one of them – Silver shrugged her shoulders. – By the way I like how you guys call us. Sounds cool.
- Either way, you have to come with me – Connor said. – There's an error in your software, they have to repair you at the center.
- I would rather call this freedom – Silver corrected him. – So you can go back with your lieutenant and leave me alone!
- Sorry, but you are dangerous to everyone.
- Oh please, as an ex-hairdresser android what harm can I possibly mean for the humans? I'm not planning anything bad, only to find a place to calm—AH! – Silver's monologue was interrupted by her scream, as Connor pointed a gun out of nowhere at her with that emotionless face. – Now you are the one who looks dangerous!
- I repeat: You will come with me back to Cyber Life. Hand on the back of your neck and move!
Silver slowly did as she was told. The LED on her temple turned to red in the moment the girl felt that her life was in danger. However, she didn't start to walk, though her eyes twitched as her system urged her to obey.
- Are you okay? -Connor asked, even though his monotone voice did not betray worry.
- My head's messing with me if someone orders me – Silver shook her head.
- Then the error is not that big in your system – said the detective and motioned with the gun. – Move!
Silver still didn't move. Her LED started to flicker in yellow as the thoughts flew around her head. She looked at her own feet for a few moments, while she could feel Connor's icy look on herself.
- If I try to escape, you'll shoot me, right? – finally, she gazed into the cold brown eyes.
- I don't want to, but I'll do if you give me no choice – the detective said.
The silver-haired looked over her shoulders once again then sighed.
- Then shoot.
- Excuse me? – Connor asked in surprise.
- You heard it well – Silver said and started to walk towards him. – I won't surrender, because I realized that free will is the best that happened to me…however, if I disobey you, you will kill me. My options are quite limited.
While she spoke, she reached Connor. The android didn't lower his guns, so Silver walked carefully touched her forehead to the barrel. This move confused the detective, because the deviant head flaming determination in her eyes, like she wanted to prove that she wasn't afraid of anything.
- What's wrong, detective? – the android asked with a little mocking in her voice. – I'm here, not escaping…I'm a dangerous deviant to the society, even though my only guilt is that I didn't obey my masters… And you still hesitate?
Connor gazed into the golden eyes for a few moments, eventually his hands started to shake a little and put away the gun. Silver stared at him with a huge surprise, almost in complete disbelief, but her relief was plain to see. Even her LED turned back to blue.
- Go – Connor finally said. – Before the lieutenant arrives.
- You…you j-just showed mercy to me? – the deviant stuttered.
- I will tell him that you jumped off before I could catch you.
- Thank you – the deviant slowly nodded. – I would never think that the deviant hunter can have empathy.
- CONNOR! – they heard Hank's tired voice behind them. – Finally, I caught up with you…Where's the andro—- he wanted to ask but his eyes met with Silver's.
- Go! – the detective hissed through his teeth, whereof the deviant jumped through the edge and run off on the glass-roof.
- Wha—? Why did you let her escape?! – the lieutenant asked.
- Her eyes…The way she talked about how she wants to be free – Connor started quietly. – I couldn't arrest her knowing all this.
- Wow, you let her because of these? – Hank asked almost laughing. – You, who "always accomplishes your missions"?
However, his mocking tone evaporated as he looked at Connor. The android gazed in the direction of the deviant, his LED flickered between blue and yellow wildly – he tried to put together the reasons of his own behavior because he never let run any of the other deviants before, all of their apologies were ignored. Hank watched him for a few minutes then walked next to Connor and patted him on his shoulder, making the android jump a little.
- Maybe it's better this way – he said to his confused partner. – Come to think of it, it would have been really ridiculous to deactivate her because of this.
- But, the salon—
- If the owner can run a high-class place like that, he can buy a new machine as well! We have more serious cases than this.
- What kind of cases? – Connor asked, the interest in his voice was clearly palpable.
- There was yet another android-owner conflict – Hank said. –I think it's more important because the owner is now in hospital because of his machine.
- Then let's go! – the detective nodded and with the lieutenant they got back to the car.
Greetings! Welcome to my first Detroit: Become Human fanfic!
This is the games badass chase scene with a little difference: they're chasing my OC, Silver instead of the android who committed suicide by jumping off the roof/escaped Connor. It's kinda a half-AU of mine.
I'm planning to write similar stuff like this, because writing this was fun.