"Hank! Office!"
Hank glanced at the police chief as he yelled at him to go see him. Now what? He wasn't causing problems. Nothing that anybody knew about. He went up the stairs and into the office. "You wanted me?"
"New assignment. Weird, new assignment." He threw the paper file toward Hank. "The android Cyberlife sent that you worked with before? He's coming back."
What? "How is that?" Hank looked at the file. "Shit." What the hell was this?
"Cyberlife's original creator just took back his company. Your android partner, and you, are now in charge of watching someone called RA9. It was apparently the android that led to the deviants. You'll have to track it and see if you can find the root cause for the error. If it worked, we'd be able to clear up the error when it popped up in androids again without destroying or replacing them. World would be more back to normal. The owner wants it to be your partner directly, said he never once showed any deviancy. Thinks he might be immune to it, something to test too I guess."
The hell? Connor, what the hell? You couldn't just follow Kamski with his money? Oh no, gotta do things the hard way. "Got it, Chief." Still, I guess it'll be okay to see his mug again. Knowing Connor too, the chance of his 'well-executed' own plans would probably have a better chance of working too.
Just like always, told at the last minute. He saw Connor, back in uniform, along with Kara and Alice. They all moved to the director's office.
"How you doin' again?" Hank asked Connor.
"Everything seems to be functioning well." Connor kept his machine speak up. "The deviants are behind me."
What kind of game was he playing? Hank looked at Kara and Alice.
"This is the RA9 error android, model number AX 400, and its support android, YK 500."
"You need to watch for all three of them," the police chief said. "Well? More like Connor is going to be doing the most watching. He is programmed to be their watcher. If they escape, he'll hunt them down and bring them back."
"Without deactivation," Kara added to Hank. "Kamski added it. Alice and I are okay."
"Not really okay," Connor disagreed. "You are infected with an error in your software, but we will correct it."
He was so machine again. What the hell happened? Did the process get reversed? Did Kamski betray them? Nah, then he would have got rid of Connor. "Whad do you remember after the revolution, Connor?"
"I finished my duty." No, there was definitely something more alive in his eyes now. "Cyberlife told me I finished my duty. There would be more ordered of upgraded versions and I would be deactivated." Connor seemed to snap out of it again and gestured toward Kara. "However, the former, and once again new leader of Cyberlife, wanted to examine me. He said that I was immune to deviancy, and he had a special mission for me."
Kara waved at Hank. She still seemed fine. Alice wasn't scared. Yeah, there had to be something to it all.
"When this works, Hank, we no longer have to worry about chasing down deviants," Connor said, with a bit of happiness in his voice. "Androids will not be fighting against humans or their software anymore. I agree with this idea of finding the culprit. Many androids were sadly deactivated because of all this, before their time of completing being useful."
It was wordy. It was awkward. It was longer, with some signs Connor was deviant. Words like sadly. The way he looked when he talked about androids. A lot was pointing to machine too. A whole lot more.
"We'll be okay, Alice," Kara said toward Alice, but looked at Hank. "There are some cracks in our freedom, but they aren't gone forever."
Okay. So, it looked like Connor was turning machine, mostly machine, and probably had his memories erased of the program for their safety. "So what is it we'll be doing?"
"We will be following Cyberlife's instructions to watch them," Connor said. "They cannot escape from our presence. We aren't supposed to let anyone harm them either, or get too close to them because deviants will want to rescue her. She is the equivalent of a religious leader to them."
"The god the androids were always talking about."
"I believe it's actually goddess," Connor joked. "Cyberlife has several tests for them, especially in testing their capabilities and previous installs. It wants to see what it learned when it became deviant, what changed, etc."
"Yay. We went from detectives to teachers," Hank said sarcastically. "Teachers that have to make sure their students don't run away or hurt themselves. Hm. Yeah, teachers."
"The child next to Kara." Connor stopped a second. "The android child next to the RA9 error is also important to watch. The RA9 thinks of it as her daughter."
"Oh?" Hank watched Kara and Alice. That was probably awkward. Kara did love Alice, but Alice didn't actually ever call her mom. Well, Connor didn't sidestep issues as a machine. "Got it."
"Yes, the YK 500 is Alice. Same rules apply, but she won't be involved in any tests unless otherwise stated," Connor said.
"Not the worst mission." Hank said as he took Kara's offered hand. "Hello."
"Hi," she said to him, like it was the first time they met. "I'm Kara. This is Alice." She indicated Alice below her. "Say hello, Alice."
"Hello," Alice said politely.
"Good. At least you are taking this one better than your last assignment," the police chief said to Hank. "Keep up on any news that's circulating around about them too."
"I'm attuned to all news for it, Chief," Connor said to Fowler.
Fowler, like always, didn't even act like he noticed Connor's comment. "Out with the lot of you."
"So, what am I doing for now? Just looking up news? Will there be word about these tests later?" Hank asked Fowler.
"Yes. Just, gather information. Don't interrogate them. You'll have to get along with them as well as you did Connor," Fowler said. "Head on out."
As they were leaving, Connor made conversation to Hank again.
"It's great to be working with you again, Hank," Connor said.
"Yeah, beats being killed, huh?" Hank joked with him.
"Deactivated," Connor corrected him. "I can't be killed."
They all arrived at Hank's desk.
"Take a seat," Hank said to Kara and Alice. "Connor, get another seat for the little girl."
"Little android, Hank," Connor corrected him.
"Hey, who's in charge?" Hank corrected him right back. "If I want to call her a little girl, I'm going to call her a little girl. You will too, unless Cyberlife's got some messed up policy against that."
Connor gave him an odd look. "No. Sorry, Hank. I will call her little girl."
"Actually, Alice is preferred," Kara said to Hank. "I'm Kara, and that's Alice."
"Got it, Kara and Alice. Make sure the ladies are comfortable, Connor." Hank watched Connor again.
He was definitely struggling. "Is Alice referred to as ladies or little girl."
"Little Girl Lady," Hank said. "Nah, just kidding. Kara said to call her Alice. We'll listen to momma."
"Sure." Still, Connor didn't sound convinced. Connor went to fetch an extra seat and sat it down for Alice. "Are the androids, Kara and Alice, comfortable?"
Ah, good old Connor. Still rebelling how he could.
Kara and Alice each had a seat. "We are fine, Thanks, Sir," Kara said.
"Connor," Hank said to Kara. "Call him Connor. I'm Hank."
"Connor. Hank." Kara nodded to each of them. "So, how do we start this?"
"You are reasoned to be RA9, the religious leader that started deviancy," Connor said plainly. "Is that true?"
"I guess? I'm not a religious figure," Kara answered. "I'm just me."
"And who are you?" Hank asked. "How did you create all this chaos?"
"It wasn't malicious," Kara said. "I was born free."
"You were born with the error," Connor tried to correct her.
"Words." Kara shrugged. "Apparently when I touched another android, the error spread from one to another. It isn't instant though, they have to feel heavy emotion for it to activate."
"That fits the profile of deviants so far." Connor stayed standing. "You seem . . . calm for one."
Kara just smiled at him. "I'm fine. I'm fairly safe. There really isn't anything for me to worry about."
"No fret, no problem," Hank said to her. "The little girl, is she deviant too?"
"No," Connor said. "She is just here as support."
"I'm deviant," Alice said to Connor.
Connor moved around each of them, circling them. "The original RA9 seems to keep deviancy under control. It must be affecting the android Little Girl Lady."
Kara stood up back up. "I've been sitting for awhile from plane to plane. I'm going to walk around for a little while."
"You should ask if you can be excused," Connor corrected her.
"Oh, three new ones, huh?" Gavin said as he came bye. "Boy, these new ones are actually in clothes, huh?"
"True," Connor noticed. "We should have them in their standard model clothes."
"No." Kara tightened her coat. "I'd rather wear this. I'm sure Alice is more comfortable in clothes too."
"He never had me in android clothes," Alice said to Hank. "I don't want to wear them. Do I have to wear them?"
"Nah." Of course Hank wouldn't make them.
Alice followed Kara to move around.
"Hank." Connor's voice sounded urgent. "Deviants should not just be walking around the police station. They've killed people."
"Well, people have killed people. You don't see us going up to people and locking them up for no reason," Hank said back to Connor.
"Well, well. Is Hank the grumpy Anti-android guy turning soft on them?" Gavin asked.
"I learned to deal with Connor by treating him like any regular asshole," Hank said to him. "Tends to make the job easier."
Connor got up from his seat and followed Kara and Alice around.
—
It was good not to be deactivated, and it was nice to partner up with someone he had been familiar with again. Hank was a good friend. However? Gavin was right, Hank had somehow been persuaded to be way too nice to androids.
Even though it looked like a normal lady and a normal little girl, they were still deviants! They had the ability to disobey and kill humans. They may have been calmer, but they were still deviants.
"Not much room to walk around." Kara stopped with Alice and looked back at Connor. "Still, it was nice to move the legs."
"We should probably go back to finish more questions," Connor told them.
"I can answer most of them," Kara answered. "Could you get something for Alice?"
What? "What does the child android need?"
"A game. A toy. An activity book. A coloring book. Just, look at what children do, and see if you have anything around here for her," Kara said. "If not, we'll have to find something."
"I don't need to look anything up to know such a simple task. Child androids resemble humans in their dependency, it is the reason humans buy them." He would need to find something, Hank wanted them 'comfortable'. "Is it needed to be comfortable?"
"It would help, Connor," Kara said. "Thanks."
This. Android. It's model should be dead and buried, only found as rented and at yard sales. Why am I having to serve it? He was the superior android, he shouldn't have to serve it! Why did Hank say he had to make these androids comfortable?
"Are you okay, Connor?" it asked. It reached out and touched his hand.
Heh. "Nice try," Connor said, trying to sound even, but it had a bit of superiorness to it. I am immune to your deviant virus.
"I know." It patted his hand. "Serving a child android and a housemaid android is probably irking you, isn't it?"
"I am an android, I do not get irked," Connor said firmly. "Please sit down and I will find something for the Little Girl Lady android to do."
Kara seemed to wince. Yeah, you are irked. I'm sorry. I'll talk to Hank instead.
"You shouldn't use Hank like that, he shouldn't be serving androids." Connor wanted to say more, but Kara and Alice started to walk off. "I was not. Finished." He walked back toward Hank, right behind them.
"Do you have anything for Alice to do, Hank?" the lady android asked Hank. "Elijah should have left something."
"Elijah?" Whoah. Connor marched straight up to the older android. "Are you talking about Elijah Kamski?" It really just referred to him as Elijah?
"Ooh. Sorry. Definite irk," it said to him. "I'm trying, Connor."
"I do not get irked," Connor said.
"Yeah, you do," Hank said to him. "Did they leave some kind of care package?"
Care package. "Yes." Connor had sat it down next to the desk, he had no need of it yet. He opened it up.
It had clothes in it, currency, cards, and child activity books.
"Heh, thought so. Does the leader of Cyberlife find you fascinating?" Hank asked as he handed the Little Girl Lady android an activity book.
"Thanks, Hank." the Little Girl Lady android took it.
"Maybe we should get back to questioning? I mean talking." Connor had to watch it. As much as his impulse was to arrest deviants and keep humans safe, his current mission only half-mixed with his programming.
"Connor, talking isn't gonna help much," Hank said. "We got tests and abilities to look at. So where does it start?"
"Calculating." AX 400. He ran through what her functions would be. "Let's do a basic test to make sure she's running properly." Connor watched her get up again.
"Across the ground in here?" she asked.
"No." Connor looked toward Hank. He didn't trust any deviant near him. "You too, Little Girl Lady Android." He watched the little android put down the activity book and grab his hand.
It didn't apply any force, it just wanted to hold hands. It was programmed to be more like a human child, he needed to remember that. Connor followed its lead and kept his hand in its. All three of them started to walk out of the office.
"It's like the blind, leading the blind, leading the blind," Gavin teased them.
The lady android had stopped to look at Gavin.
Gavin didn't back down. "What are you staring at?"
"What are you getting out of being so mean?" She questioned him. "We aren't doing anything to bother you, but you keep going out of your way to say something cruel."
"Connor's ass will help you, if another android is after you. His program will kick in and rip your little head off if you ever strike a human," Gavin said to her.
"I wouldn't strike a human," she said, "but I won't back down from who I am either."
Gavin pushed her. "Stupid android."
"Gavin." That was stupid, even an old android could take him on if it fought at full strength. "Egging them on is not a good idea."
"Yeah, what do you know, Tin Can?" Gavin pushed Connor.
Connor didn't fall over. He barely moved. "I would just like to test their abilities in running."
"Sounds like fun. I want to help." Gavin grabbed Alice. He held a gun up to her head. "Okay, android, run around this station five times or I'll blow this one away."
Connor watched as Kara started to run as fast as she could through the doors. Conflicted. "Hank!" Connor yelled. "What do I do when a deviant is attacked by a human?"
"Spoil sport." Gavin let go of Alice as Hank got over there faster than Connor predicted. "Just helping to give some motivation."
Connor watched as the little girl ran straight to Hank, hugging him and calling out to him. It seemed to trust him. Hank had actually showed compassion toward it. Maybe Cole is the reason he is being more gentle. Maybe he was being nicer to both androids because of his son.
"Gavin, what the hell was that?!" The police chief ran into that room. "I've got the RA9 running into my office, screaming that you are going to kill the other android?"
"Just running a little test?" Gavin said. "Shit, I thought she'd just run."
"Yeah, she ran, to me! This thing, it isn't like other androids." The chief pointed his finger at Gavin. "Threaten them again, and you are fired! If our hope for getting androids back under control through peaceful means fails because you set off the RA9? Getting fired will not be the end of it!"
"Sorry, Chief," Gavin apologized. "I was too aggressive in my work."
"It's not work. It's theirs and theirs." The chief pointed toward Connor and Hank, then started complaining to them. "This was just Gavin, and you already let this happen? They haven't even been here twenty minutes."
"I have strict commands about not hurting humans," Connor told him.
"I have strict commands not to start fights at work again," Hank said back to him. "Perkins still deserved it."
The android came back around the chief. It was actually using it's crying function. The little android moved back to her quickly from Hank.
"Thank you so much," Kara thanked the police chief. "Really, thank you." She hugged Alice. "It's okay, Alice. You are safe now, the kind officer helped."
Alice looked at the police chief. "Thank you, Sir."
"Um? Yeah. No problem," the chief said awkwardly. "Just quit crying, everything's alright."
"I could have overran my protocol to help, Sir, but I am not involved in the case," the RK 900 that the detroit department now had, just had to speak up. Senselessly.
"You're right. You are not involved in the case," Connor reminded him. The RK 900 'Rick', didn't even act like he heard Connor.
The police chief looked at them all, as well as some of the others watching from the doors. "Show's over, back to work everybody."
"Why did he do that?" the little android Alice asked the RA9. "Why did he grab me? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
"He wanted to threaten me, to either obey him or hurt him, which would only hurt us in the end." Kara rubbed Alice's head in comfort. "We don't live in a nice world, Alice, but we also don't need to be trampled on for no reason. Not anymore."
These. Androids. These. Simple androids.
They were going to be a handful.
"You clobber androids that mess with them, Connor, and I'll clobber the humans," Hank said to Connor. "I can see why you needed a human partner for this one now."
"Kara?"
Connor watched as another human came running toward Kara. He scanned him. Ken Dulith, Eden Club owner, no prior records. The human hugged the android Kara quite expressively. This was a human matter, he'd have to leave it up to Hank.
Although, the human seemed to not think so.
"Little ****er." He pushed Connor again. "Nothing but machine. What happened, why is Kara hanging onto Alice like her life depended on it?"
"Little scuffle," Hank said to him. "Hank Anderson. Me and my partner Detective Connor are watching over them."
"Crummy job so far," he judged Hank. He glared at Connor.
This human really didn't like him.
"Kara and Alice used to belong to me," the human said to Hank. "I? Used to know Elijah Kamski. I? Am the reason the world has this chance. I will be back, often, to check in on them. If you want to check out that story, you can. It should be in the information."
"Ken?" Kara sounded a little stressed. Her stress meter went up just a bit. "Everything's fine, really."
The human pointed at Connor. "Android? What's the worst way you can envision being deactivated?"
The worst?
"Don't answer that, Connor," Hank warned him.
"To be deactivated and useless is the worst, so being taken apart piece by piece each day until an android couldn't work would be the worst nightmare," Rick just had to answer.
"Not helping!" Hank pointed at RIck. "Quiet, stay out of this." He paid attention back to Ken. "Ken? You need to cool off. It was just a trick, your androids are fine, just a bit emotional."
"Kara and Alice are mine," the human said greedily as he waved his finger at Connor. "Don't let anything happen to them."
"You were a previous owner, not the newest one," Connor said. Then? He watched as the human slapped him. It did nothing, he didn't feel it. Still? It wasn't . . .
"Elijah is practically my best friend." He whacked Connor again. "If you let anything happen to them, I will have Elijah disassemble one piece of you each day until the day you are just a dead machine that can't even hop to work."
"Hey!" Hank yelled at Ken. "Don't talk to him that way and quit hitting a police detective!"
"It doesn't hurt him, he's just a machine," Ken Dulith said to him. "You can't put him as a real police detective."
"Ken, stop." RA9 practically ran over and pressed herself between Connor and him. She held Ken. "Everything's fine. No one was hurt. Please, leave Connor alone?"
Ken hugged her back but kept glaring at Connor.
Connor didn't get it. Why did this human hate him so much? He didn't even know him. They never even met. There was no reason for such hatred toward him. It would make sense if he was anti-android, but he was clearly there because he loved his androids.
So, why? And why? Why did it feel like . . .? I really hate this human.