Access memory...play memory clip #4478

She was watching over Alice while the girl played in a park, going through a jungle gym. It was autumn and slightly chilly out, but the girl wanted to take a detour while they went out shopping.

"Only ten minutes!"

Kara had let thirty pass before she chased the girl through the playground, eventually catching her and taking her away in a fit of laughter.

A warmth in her bloomed that day, especially when, as they got closer to home, Alice's smile began to die.

Kara remembered how she did not want that smile to ever go away. At that time it was part of her programming, she was designed to care for children after all, but that blinded her to what was actually happening.

That she was starting to grow to love the girl, to truly feel for her as more than a carer.

To truly know what it was like to choose to love somebody.

Access memory….play memory clip #5008

"Alice! Alice goddammit get down here!"

She remembered this moment. It was the first time she had ever felt a pit opening up in her chest, a black hole ready to swallow her alive.

It was the first time she felt fear.

Not for herself, but for the scared young girl clinging to her leg and shaking.

Todd's stomping echoed like thunder and she remembered standing there, frozen. She had been cleaning the house and had finished with Alice's room so by all accounts she should have moved on.

But she stayed.

Of course she did have protocol to protect her owner from harm, most androids made to function with humans did, but Alice was not her assigned owner. No, she stayed not because of programming but because she felt the need to.

Because she feared what would happen to Alice.

In the end Todd burst into the room all thunder and fury but seemed to calm upon seeing them.

"Finish your damn homework, I don't want your teacher's on my ass again" He said in a rumbling, throaty voice, throwing said homework at them which she caught. Even minutes after he left she and Alice were rooted to the spot. Or rather, Alice was and she didn't want to move away from the girl.

The memory ended there and Kara was back in the car looking at her reflection on the mirror. She had cut her hair and changed its colour back to blonde, back to the same style Alice had last seen her in.

Hopefully it would be enough for the girl to recognise her.

Oh, Alice.

Worry gripped her chest and the strength she mustered back at Zlatko's house, the strength to remember who she was, faded away in the face of it.

Please, please be okay.

The thought of her otherwise was far too much to bear.

Kara sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly. It was a very human action that she had learned from observation, mainly from the rare moments when Todd was lucid enough to calm himself down. For androids such an action was useless, they didn't have lungs after all and their thought process functioned differently, but for her it nevertheless helped to keep her focused at the task at hand.

It helped her in keeping her thought process away from Alice and any possible misfortune the little girl may have endured.

Alice is a tough girl she reminded herself.

And Kara had to be too, if she was going to pull this off.

"Ten minutes until your destination" the GPS said.

Kara took another long breath.


Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.

Collectively the building housed the city's fire, emergency medical service and, most importantly, the police headquarters.

As such, getting inside was relatively easy. Kara, for all intents and purposes, looked like a human so all she had to do was get in line for the reception and she was in.

Of course, looking exactly like her pre-wrecked self ran the risk of someone recognising her so she temporarily changed her hair from blonde to black and her eyes from grey to brown.

It did nothing to calm her nerves however.

"Can I help you ma'am?" the android at the reception called her.

Kara employed as much of her hardware as she could to outwardly express calmness, using her cold machinery to crush down her human 'nerves'.

"Yes, I'm here to find out about Alice Williams"

"Give me a moment ma'am" the android dutifully began typing and Kara took that moment to once again observe her surroundings.

Waiting area to the east. West is other departments. North…

She shifted her eyes to the barriers barring further entry into the building, just in front of her to her right. The only ones moving in and out through it were officers and presumably other staff, all placing access cards on the machine. An android stood guard beside it.

...is further in.

"Can you tell me your relation to Ms Williams ma'am?"

Kara took a breath "Im a friend of her mother, my name is Caroline Hart. I heard about what happened to Todd from the news but I haven't heard anything about Alice yet. Please, you must have something"

The android nodded "I understand ma'am. However because Ms Williams is involved in an ongoing investigation I cannot provide you with details immediately. However-" the android cut her off before Kara could protest "I can provide you with the office number of the detective in charge of the investigation. I am sure the detective will want to be in contact with you"

Kara nodded "Yes...yes, that would be great. Thank you"

The android wrote the number down on a piece of paper and handed it to her "The detective's name is Hank Anderson. Will that be all ma'am?"

"Yes, thank you"

Kara pocketed the note and left with a nod, walking slowly towards the waiting area. On a television screen above the news was reporting the deteriorating situation over the Arctic region while below several anxious people were either sitting or pacing, holding down their frustrations.

"...on further news, reports of Android related crimes have seen a noticeable rise in recent days with the most notable being the assault upon Detroit's own famous artist Carl Manford. Mr Manford's personal Android, reputedly a gift from Elijah Kamski himself, is said to have attacked Mr Manford's son…"

Kara's attention was drawn to the report, then to how the people around her reacted. Most didn't seem to care, too absorbed in their own issues.

The human police officers however, they did not appear to be too impressed, one in particular eying the android's around him with clear suspicion before scoffing and walking back into the office area.

Kara bit her lip and headed back out into the streets.

Payphone, payphone

She eventually managed to find one nearby and rang the number.

Which rang and rang and rang and rang on until finally…

"This is Hank Anderson's office. I'm not in right now so just drop a line and I'll get back to you sometime"

...the voicemail answered.

Kara slammed the phone down with a frustrated cry.

She collected herself, then called once, then twice and then a third time with her final piece of change and just as she was about to hang up in frustration someone answered on the final ring.

"Yes, hello!" the voice was male and his annoyance was obvious "Who is this, is this an emergency?"

"Detective Anderson is that you?" Kara said with genuine relief.

"No the detective isn't here, im Gavin Reed his colleague. I repeat, do you have an emergency ma'am?"

"N- Yes, yes. Im looking for my- for Alice Williams. I'm a friend of her mother. I've been told detective Anderson knows where she is. We're both very concerned about her and-"

Kara was cut off with a long suffering sigh "Ma'am this is an ongoing investigation. Unless you are close of kin or a legal guardian we cannot share the details-"

"Please! All I know is that Todd was shot dead and Alice has been kidnapped. You have to at least know where detective Anderson is? Please" she repeated with the desperation that she felt.

Gavin sighed again though this time with far less hostility "Look ma'am I understand this is a stressful situation. Rest assured detective Anderson is…doing his utmost-"

Even a human would have been able to discern the doubt in Gavin's voice.

"-but I repeat for the safety and security of everyone involved we cannot freely share details. Even if you want to be interviewed you'll have to wait until detective Anderson returns to the office"

Kara felt her chance slipping and desperately compelled her 'brain' to calculate any angle she could exploit.

Alice?

Colleague?

Android?

"Alice has been kidnapped by an android!" she near-shouted down the line "All I want to know is where she is and if she's safe. She's nine years old and she means the world to me and the thought that she's in the hands of some crazy robot is-is" she simulated sobbing.

There was a moment of silence, then Gavin finally answered, tone now completely sympathetic "Im very sorry to hear that, really I am" he sighed "I can't disclose details, it's protocol. But I can say detective Anderson came in earlier and left and maybe, maybe he expressed a desire to get back home. Perhaps that home is somewhere around…"

Kara noted the address down in her memory and ran a search with her internal map of the city.

"Thank you" this time the emotion was a little more real.

"No problem ma'am. Rest assured the Detroit PD will pursue any android that threatens human lives, with extreme prejudice"

Kara pursed her lips "Yes, thank you again"

She hung up after and went back to her car with Hank Anderson's address pinned to her HUD.


When Hank started his post twelve o'clock routine of getting fucked up drunk on straight bourbon and playing russian roulette, he was prepared for a few things.

He was prepared to die of course, he had been for quite a while now. Though, he couldn't lie to himself and say that recent events weren't affecting him. But still, he was prepared to die.

He was also prepared to have Sumo be sent over to his cousin in the midwest, in case of the aforementioned death. The big dog would like it there he thought, lots of land to roam and shed around in.

He was also prepared to have Gavin be sent a glitterbomb. Part of his will, so the piece of shit would have some comeuppance for being such a piece of shit.

What he was not prepared for was being interrupted.

By a zombie with a shotgun.

"So uh….hi there"

"Where's Alice?"

Hank blinked, then blinked some more when the woman, android, thing he had seen run over by a fucking semi truck still stood there.

With a shotgun pointed at his chest.

"Where. Is. Alice" The Android Zombie repeated.

Hey, aren't I supposed to be the one armed in a zombie invasion?

The woman narrowed her brows.

Damn did I say that out loud?

The shotgun flashed in his face.

"I'll take that as a yes"

"Stop delaying" Hank flinched as he was jabbed in the ribs with a gun.

"Okay okay geez. Look, Alice is in hospital re-"

The androids eyes flashed and Hank realised his mistake a little too late.

"Su-!" the android cut him off by grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against his own house, shutting the door as she did so.

"Explain. Now"

Hank struggled through the dizziness the sudden movement brought about, not to mention the slamming. "Whoa oh damn fuck, okay. Okay, okay. Alice was sick and needed bedrest. We brought her to the hospital. She's fine, she's alive okay? Ugh fuck…"

That news seemed to visibly relieve the android, before she quickly hardened again "Which ward, which room. Where exactly is she?"

Hank tried to remember, really he did.

The bourbon was having none of it though.

"Look, look I can't remember. I think it was-ahhh!"

The detective was manhandled through his front yard and piled into the android's vehicle.

"Ah fuck I dont even pants on goddammit, fuck ow ow okay okay"

The police detective was seatbelted and child-locked in despite his complaints and thoroughly ineffective flailing that, even in the most generous terms, couldn't be considered resistance.

With a quick command, the car started and drove off, irate detective in tow.


"Ugh fuck…" Hank groaned for the upteenth time "Oh man, getting fucking kidnapped out of my own home. First time for fucking everything"

Kara said nothing, having been silent since she had bungled him in.

Rush hour being rush hour, that had been an hour and at most five stops ago.

To describe the atmosphere inside the car as awkward was an understatement to the extreme.

"So uh...you can put the gun away you know. I'm not gonna do anything"

Kara's narrowed eyes was enough of an answer.

"Alright, gun stays, that's fine...Christ…" he shook his head.

They lapsed into silence, Hank looking out through the tinted windows at the horrendous melee of cars outside. Even automated vehicles had their limits, and many still owned manuals.

"How are you even alive?" the detective broke the silence "I saw you get mowed down by a semi for god's sake"

Kara remained silent, eyes darting between their surroundings, the road ahead and Hank.

Hank sighed and rolled his eyes and then his head, stretching out the kinks and blinking away the alcohol. Or trying to at any rate.

"Man this fucking headache...ugh…"

"Alice needs me"

It took a moment for Hank to register that statement "Ugh? Oh. Ohh. Well…"

"And I need her. That's why i'm alive"

Hank had enough wherewithal in him to recognize the very real emotion behind those words.

"Well, I'll be damned…"

The car struggled through traffic for another hour and a half, enough time for Hank to transition from 'careless drunk' to 'functioning alcoholic'.

It was still awkward though, and now he had enough sense to feel the danger the shotgun actually presented. However any attempts to argue with the android only resulted with more glares, though that didn't stop him from trying.

"You know you're not allowed firearms in a hospital…" Hank began, again.

Kara actually, physically, sighed "...I just need you to take me to Alice's room and then you can leave, unharmed. I promise"

"You're also not allowed to take patients from their hospital beds…"

She gave him a sharp look "...we can't stay" she said eventually "You found us once already, and I doubt you'll just let us go so easily"

Hank couldn't hold her look, turning his head away. This time he was the one making the silence.

"...thank you though" Kara continued.

"Hm, for what?"

"For taking care of Alice"

Hank took a breath and shrugged "...She's only nine. She shouldn't have to go through all this"

"No...no, she doesn't" Kara said as she looked outside with a deep, sorrowful expression.

More silence passed as the traffic lumbered along, the sun passing from an orange afternoon to a dark winter night.

As the time passed Hank grit his teeth, sighed, shifted, bounced his knee and fidgeted about, looking between Kara and anything and everything

"What?" Kara said in annoyance.

Hank's mouth thinned, expression frustrated and conflicted "Have you...have you even thought about what you're going to do after you get Alice? Where are you going to go?"

Kara's long, long silence was answer enough for the detective who let out a long sigh.

"You have arrived at your destination" The GPS kindly pointed out as they car was guided into the hospital car park.

Thankfully, for Hank at least, Kara left the shotgun in the car.

After a brief stop at reception Hank led the way through the hospital corridors, guided by memory and spurred on by a tense android whose mood did not improve at all as they passed by room after room, each having their own occupants. Hank did his best to ignore the stares directed at him.

An unkempt man in his drawers and a stained wife-beater did not present a good image.

Finally though, the pair arrived.

Hank put his hand on the handle, stopped, then stood aside looking at Kara meaningfully.

Kara nodded to him and opened the door.


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