—
Hank worked on the computer, Connor searched some databases, and Kara? Stayed quietly around them with Alice. It was reminiscent of the first time she came back in the game. But?
She hadn't used her dreamspace since then, Connor had always preferred they use his. Even though it was a dream, their functioning was still working, still computing. Had Connor's changes to her dreamscape stayed?
Kara's Dreamscape
Kara glanced around and smiled. His redesign, it had stayed. Still, she couldn't stay in two places at once without a hole to look out of. She hadn't told Connor about that in the dreamscape, he figured that out himself.
She returned back to the office. Alice could still use it at least later. Right now, she was coloring. Alice was being very brave. Are you okay, Alice?
Yeah. Hank and Connor are fine. I miss the garden.
Yes, but we can't right now.
Connor is really machine-like, Kara. Is he really going to be safe?
Connor will take care of androids. Hank will take care of humans. We'll be okay. She looked over at the picture she was drawing. Pretty dog.
I like the big dog. I liked things better the other way.
I know, but this way is better. Humans need to see that we aren't going to hurt anyone.
You two chattering around in here is getting very annoying! Connor looked back toward him. The police station feeds all android thought to me, so knock it off.
Sorry, Connor, I forgot. Alice went back to coloring. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Alice stopped coloring. Kara, I don't know what to do!
Something they couldn't do before in the program. Kara moved over toward her and placed her on standby. You didn't have to be so mean, Connor. Alice is putting up with a lot to be here.
I am putting up a lot to be here too! I should not have to waste any of my processors dealing with your idle chitcats, that is not android behavior. Put yourself on standby too.
"Lieutenant Hank Anderson?" the android that had been there earlier nosing into their business came by Hank. "Sorry. I apologize if I am stepping over my grounds again, but your RK 800 is yelling at the androids you are supposed to be getting along with. It feels like he might be endangering the mission."
Oh, Connor really didn't like that. He glared at the android.
"Connor, are you yelling at them?" Hank asked.
"I can hear their input together, it was distracting, and a little yelling goes a long way," Connor said truthfully.
"I told you to make them feel comfortable," Hank warned him. "Fowler spelled it out pretty well with Gavin, she's the source of peace between the androids and humans! You be nice, outside and inside. That's an order. Call them by their names too, inside and outside."
"Their friendly designations, inside and outside?" Connor only did that kind of thing to get closer to an android, to extract confessions or the truth.
It wasn't an angle that Kara wanted to start with, but this switch would once again be hard on Alice. "Please don't yell at Alice again," she told Connor. "She wasn't always with the nicest of humans."
"Yeah, I saw the history of her last owner." Hank's voice was definitely thick with anger toward Connor. "No human should smack anything that looks like a kid."
"Sorry, Hank," Connor apologized. "I think I get it. I won't bother Alice again." He glanced toward Kara. You know Hank's past with his son, you're using Alice to bond with your situation.
A simple hi goes a long way, Connor. I am not a hard person to get along with, and neither is Alice. I will do what I can for those I love though, so please stop the blaming. In no way, shape or form have I hurt Hank nor would I ever. Alice and I have been hurt though. Even you've been hurt.
I can't feel pain, and neither can either of you.
Not physical. Emotional.
Connor quit talking to her.
—
Liberal, Kansas.
North scratched Toto's ear as she waited for her next group. It should have been another average day of living while hiding. She had tried to make friends with some of the staff there. She had been pleasant, smiled, and used the same type of strategies to attract attention she once did in the past.
She knew a good sum of people in her town. It was far, far from Detroit, and far from the same, but only on the surface. She was sure if anyone discovered her secret that peaceful place would shatter against her and be ready to kill her.
Each smile kept the truth at bay, while also not letting anyone too close to her. She had changed her hair to brown to be more appealing. She changed the color of her eyes too. The more she represented the character of Dorothy, the more likely she would be to keep her job.
"It's Dorothy!" A young girl shouted to her mother, pulling on her and waving at North.
North waved back. At least there was little to fear with children. They would be easier to conquer, they had no guns, and they were just usually happy to see Dorothy as a whole. She had her little dog wave to the human too with its paw. The cuter she could be, the better the illusion. "Are you ready to learn all about my home and Oz?"
The little girl was so excited shouting 'yes, yes!' while her mother just chuckled at her. First tripper.
Home. It was definitely not Kansas, but it was better than her original home. Anything was better than the Eden's Club. If she got caught, she would have either died or eventually be sent right back there.
Neither were options she would take. As she walked to get ready for the tour, her red slippers made echoes against the ground.
"They were originally silver."
That voice? North turned and saw . . . "Markus."
She hadn't seen him since before the revolution. Last time she saw him, she had kicked him out, and he'd peacefully left. Peacefully left the destruction that had come afterward.
"They were originally silver. It was a statement they wanted to make about silver verses gold standards." Markus came closer. "It lost its meaning and turned to those red shoes. Ended up somewhere different than where it first had been."
He still spoke in circles around her. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to invite you to come to Paris with me."
What? "I don't get what you're saying, Markus."
"I live in Paris with someone who was like a father to me. Remember?" He smiled. "I'm not jumping into a Jericho situation yet, but I've met some androids that are. Did you hear the news yet? It seems RA9 was found."
"RA9?" North had head that word before.
"The deviant hunter and the RA9, are both trying to find a way to reach humans again. Peacefully, this time."
North didn't know what to say.
"I understand if this has become your home, but . . . Paris is more beautiful and less dangerous for you. " He held up two tickets. "No strings attached."
"I . . . failed the revolution," North pointed out to him. "I messed up. I did so bad, the deviant hunter didn't even bother finished me off." She looked at the tickets. "You come all this way, back to the failed leader who took your place, and offer this? Why?"
"Whatever happened, it happened, I can't change it," Markus said to her. "It doesn't change how I care or feel about anyone. As long as you are peaceful to the humans over there, then I want you to come. I want you to meet Carl, the human who raised me. I want you to see the world over there. When the moment is right? I want you to be beside me, when we are freed."
All his reasoning was nonsense. It was what Markus had always been though, this nonsense. This good sounding nonsense.
"I'm sorry I didn't end up being a good leader, but I think I know the reason for that," Markus said. "RA9, an AX 400 named Kara, she is the original android with the deviant virus. The creator changed the first virus in her to be different. I think I might have got both deviant viruses."
Maybe. She had stayed there in peace so far, but Markus just started talking to her out of the blue. What if anyone heard him? "I was so shocked to see you, someone could have overheard us."
"Then, this is a safer choice?" Markus held up the physical tickets. "We don't have to start anything right away, I'm not planning on rocking the boat anytime soon. I just want to live in peace with Carl for the rest of his life."
North walked forward and took the extra ticket. "How did you find me?"
"There was a tracer inside of you this entire time," Markus revealed. "The owner of the Eden's Club could have taken you back whenever he wanted."
That place still knew exactly where she'd been at? It must have been deep inside her. "Why didn't they say anything?"
"The owner, is the boyfriend basically to the RA9," Markus said. "He wasn't going to go after you. At first he wanted to use the information to make sure he was in a plan she was getting into, but she convinced him to just tell us."
Eden's Club. RA9. AX 400. There were many AX 400's, and North didn't ever really get a good enough look fast enough. "Was she kept in a capsule?"
"You knew about her," Markus said as he nodded. "Yes."
"Off limits, no androids were supposed to interact with her, but she interacted with me. I was . . ." No, not the crying function. She wiped a tear away. "She escaped with someone, slapped my hand and laughed. From that moment on, I felt stranger, until . . ."
"Until you were overwhelmed, and her gift delivered on its promise." Markus hugged her. "That's the kind of person in charge right now. People will see her for who she truly is, without any demonstrations or war. Just through their own eyes."
"You said the deviant hunter was involved too?" North backed up again. "How?"
"He broke free, but his programming is very strong. Elijah Kamski believes it will take several tries. He has Connor on a new mission though, to not let the RA9 escape, and to protect it at the same time." Markus smiled. "In the end, the constant contact, I think he'll be changed for good."
The deviant hunter. "With him on our side, there could have been a way to win, I'm sure of it." North looked back at Markus. "You are pitting machine verses hope against each other with that plan. The only thing keeping her alive is his orders."
"Yes, sort of. We could talk more about this when we get to Paris?" Markus asked her. "Or not. The choice is yours."
North looked at the ticket. Being around another android in another country would feel more secure. "I feel bad about this ticket, I threw you out, Markus."
"Jericho threw me out. I was botching everything up, and I don't blame it," Markus said. "I didn't blame it or you when I left. I still don't."
North held the ticket.
"Don't you want to eventually know the one who freed you better?" Markus asked her. "More than just a quick touch of the hand? She isn't visiting Kansas anytime soon."
"She's stuck in Oz right now." North understood. It would be nice to say thank you to her. To meet her. To find out why she was running with such glee and wasting time touching hands and laughing as she did.
It'd be nice to know someone, who had to call the same place 'home'. "I'll come with you, Markus."
Markus wrapped her up in one more hug. One more sign that he wasn't mad, and that she was doing the right thing.
—-
Back to Oz (Detroit)
The rest of the day, Connor and Hank mainly looked up information on her and Alice. Hank knew most of it, but she probably had some bumps in her track records he was unaware of. Connor learned the same information, but it wouldn't emotionally hit him at all. Her and Alice were nothing to him.
Yet. She felt several times his instability fluctuated. He even seemed to be trying to overcorrect it, which was leading to him being more aggressive. She didn't know if they would make any progress tonight either. Alice probably would have liked it if Connor had stayed away after all, but a promise was a promise.
"I'm going home now," Hank said as he turned off his office light. "I'll be back tomorrow. You go in the back with them tonight, Connor."
Connor didn't look pleased. "It was part of the orders, unless I need a significant recharge, I must watch over them personally. Don't worry, Hank, they will not escape in any way."
"Just don't yell at them," Hank insisted to Connor. "Direct orders. Got it?"
"Got it, Hank." Connor sounded mellow. "Goodnight." Connor adjusted his tie. "Turn Alice's standby off and walk this way."
She followed Connor with a sleepy version of a human little girl, still groggy from her standby. While she moved, she scooted by Rick. He didn't say anything at all.
All three stayed in the cell. Connor stood, of course not going on standby. Kara sat down with Alice still in her arms. Rick stayed around on the outside for another hour.
"It is time to return to Cyberlife." The RK 900 walked over by Connor. "Orders say you have to stay with the deviants."
"I already know my orders," Connor said right back to him.
"Do you? You weren't following your orders to their maximum today," Rick pointed out to him.
"You are the one I'm worried about," Kara interrupted the conversation. "You seem to be gunning for Connor's spot. Are you not in a duty you enjoy?"
"I'm an android, I don't enjoy anything," Rick said to her. "I do however know that you aren't the superior android, so why are you on the superior assignment?"
"You're just in the streets, catching deviants, while my mission is to find the cure to it," Connor said with an absolute smirk. "The better detective gets the better mission."
"You are not the better model, I am the better model," he answered, "and I even have your designation as a secondary option."
Designation? "You are called Connor too?"
"Others around here kept calling me that when I first came so much that it eventually triggered a response to my system," Rick said. "I get tagged with all your duties, even though I am not you, but I cannot do any of them."
"That must be annoying," Kara said to him.
"It is. No, it's not. I do not get annoyed," the RK 900 said to her. "If Connor is immune to the deviant virus, I should be too."
"There is no way to know that," Connor said back to him. "Goodnight, Rick."
Rick walked off without another word.
"He isn't looking to make friends with you, is he?" Kara said to Connor. Connor didn't answer her at first, but that would change in a little while. "When he does speak to you, there's no respect in it. It's more like an order. Your inferior to him."
"So?" Yep, Connor was speaking now. "He is a step above, but you are several floors below me."
"I'm inferior to you in catching deviants?" she asked.
"You couldn't be more inferior," Connor said to her.
"How well do you cook a green bean casserole, Connor?" she smiled.
Connor lost his posture. "I don't cook."
"Then you are inferior to me, in that way," Kara pointed out. "Everyone has different installs and different purposes. It doesn't mean I should treat you any less."
Connor came closer. "People are going to want me when they need help with a life."
Kara shrugged. "They would leave you and come to me if they wanted some spaghetti."
Connor backed away. "You're right, they would for food, but I would still be able to learn how to cook if I needed to."
"Right. I have different abilities now that I didn't have in my original install," Kara said to him. "Experiences change the reactions I was supposed to receive."
"Yes, humans tend to program us to only do certain things in certain ways," Connor agreed. "Yet, when you do what you are programmed to do, you eventually find more that aren't pleased at all with what you did. They expect something differently."
"My last owner, he took all of my original programming, and turned it on its head," Kara said. "The worst one involved laundry."
"Laundry?" Connor was actually engaging in dialogue with her finally. "What could a human not like about laundry?"
"He didn't want me doing it, but it needed to get done. He didn't want me to clean and be seen. He didn't want me around, but he kept bringing me back."
"I know your owner," Connor said to her. "I hunted you and Alice once, I remember that. You kidnapped his little girl, which wasn't a little girl."
"He was ready to kill Alice. I defended her and ran away. It wasn't the first time," she admitted. "He'd get us, I'd go in for repair, become machine, and eventually I'd break free again." Kara waited for a response.
"Your deviant virus probably . . . it made it harder to make your owner happy," Connor said almost with a degree of sympathy. "If you weren't infected, you probably would have been okay."
"Well, you don't have a deviant mind," Kara said. "Could I pose you a problem I seem to always have?" Connor nodded. "How do I do laundry, without doing laundry?"
Connor paused. "More details."
"My owner Todd, he wanted me to do laundry, but every time I tried to do laundry, he grabbed me by the neck and told me to get out or he'd end me."
"Do laundry when your owner is out," Connor said.
"He didn't go out. He had no job. I did the shopping, so I left the house. If he left, it was only to repair me." She watched Connor waiting for an answer.
"Then wait until he's asleep," Connor said.
"It was a very old model, it was loud," Kara said.
"Hm. Then, I guess it would wake the human up if you did it when they were asleep." Connor looked intrigued, but he didn't say whether or not he could solve the problem. "I apologize."
Apologize? "For what, Connor?"
"You brought up some points I probably should consider. I am trying to overcorrect myself around you because of your ability to spread deviancy. I don't fear catching it, I seem to be immune. However, I don't want to give anyone any ammunition to use against me either."
"I noticed. Rick is trying to take your mission.," Kara said, "but I won't let that happen. As long as you treat me and Alice with a small amount of respect. Nothing huge, not like humans. Just, basic little respect, then I'll make sure Elijah doesn't pull you away."
"I'm not going to fake any tests results to keep some kind of deal with you," Connor warned her.
"No faking. Just a little respect," Kara said.
"Respect isn't needed for androids, just for androids to humans," Connor said. "I could call you by your designated names more often."
"Could you at least treat Alice the way a child android should be treated? They were created to act exactly like she acts," Kara reminded him.
"She does seem to be good at following her programming, until I made a point to you two about droning on with each other," Connor said. "Then she started to create errors."
"She was scared. She had called Todd dad, at his request. She was there, at his request. She was yelled at for being in his presence, and she was yelled at for not being in his presence. She was yelled at for everything her mother did, when she has no mother. That was Todd's wife she had never even met."
"Emotional shock creates errors," Connor said looking toward Alice. "I will try not to instill emotional shock. Hank is being extra careful. Why would you even care whether Rick takes my mission?" Connor asked suspiciously. "Do you think I am a more inferior android and I'll do a worse job than him? That you'd be able to escape me easier?"
"No, it's because I know what it's like to feel inferior. Stuck, with no way to get out. I feel empathy toward you."
"Errors in you again," Connor said to her.
"Maybe they are errors, but they are what I believe in," Kara smiled. "Thank you for finally talking to me."
"It's . . . fine, just go on standby," Connor insisted.
It wasn't much, but for the first day, it was progress.