"So, let me get this straight – you think that the AX400-"
"Kara." He looked up at me from the table outside of his favorite food truck, his hands gripping a chicken sandwich.
"Right – you think Kara has infected you with a virus because you can feel the wind."
"Yes! Wait no that's not why I think she infected me. She infected me and I know this because I have memories that I've never experienced before. She probed me and in turn infected me."
"Wait, I thought probing was you going into their memories, not the other way around." Another confused look as he bit into his sandwich.
"Yes, but somehow, she forced a probe from me into her mind. Do you know how much that sandwich could negatively affect your health? If you would like I can send you a list of healthier alternatives nearby," He stops mid chew and glares at me. "I guess not." At this he continued chewing and swallowed shortly after.
"She forced a probe? Why would she want to do that?"
"It's possible she didn't mean to, and it happened due to high stress because of our narrow escape from the highway." He nods solemnly, drinking from his cup.
"Has that ever happened before? An android forcing a probe and sharing memories without knowing it?" I flit through my archives of deviant behavior and instances regarding probing, but my search turned up something. Shaking my head, I focus my eyes on the Lieutenant again.
"Never, but there isn't any other explanation to what happened."
"Well, let's start with the facts you're meant to be a detective, tell me what you know."
"I'm a prototype android built to investigate deviants and find the cause of deviancy."
"I meant the facts about Kara, not you."
"Right, we received a report from Todd Williams who recalled his Android, an AX400, suddenly assaulted him and kidnapped his nine-year-old daughter Alice Williams on November 5th and got in the 9:30 bus heading west towards Camden suburb. She rode to the end of the line and squatted in an abandoned home with a WR600 named Ralph with severe burns damaging him irrevocably. When I went to investigate underneath the staircase Ralph grabbed me from behind and allowed Kara and Alice to escape. Kara had changed her appearance most likely to appear human instead of like an android. I chased them out of the house and towards the train station where Kara helped Alice over a fence and towards the highway. I got there 2 seconds after she got over the fence where I noticed that she indeed thinks she feels emotions like fear. I tried following them immediately, but you stopped me saying they were not going to make it. You then gave me an order to stay and let them go which I promptly ignored and chased after them. I managed to catch up to Kara in the middle of the second lane where she struggled to get free, when I realized it would be safer to get both of us to the other side instead of risking it by continuing our struggle in the middle of the road. Kara allowed me to do so and when we got to the other side she pushed me away, electrifying me in the process. I experienced her memories of Todd Williams abusing her and Alice, her escape, and her journey until the highway. But I feel…different."
"Different? Different how?" his left eyebrow raised slightly, and he placed his sandwich into its box.
"Androids are not meant to feel emotions. Androids are not meant to disobey orders given by their superiors. I am confused. Why can't I get her eyes out of my head? Why can't I forget the fear she felt when Todd came at her? Why am I feeling things that I should not be feeling? I cannot be deviant. Right?" I look at him and he returns my gaze. He furrows his brow and sucks in his bottom lip.
"Well, that's a lot. What do you plan on doing about all that?"
"I have to find her. She did this to me and I want answers. I also have a lead." His eyes light up slightly.
"A lead on her? What about our other cases?"
"I cannot effectively do my job at investigating deviants like this; therefore, I need to be repaired before I can continue my investigation. Are you done? I would like to get there as soon as possible." He looks at me incredulously.
"You haven't even told me where we're going yet" he rolls his eyes and finishes his sandwich.
"She is going to the home of Zlatko Andronikov, and she has quite a head start on us, so we need to get going as soon as possible."
"God, you're impatient. Fine, let's go before we lose her again." After a long and tense drive filled with the sounds of Knights of The Black Death, we pull up to a large house, the rain beating down heavily against the windshield. The house is surrounded by a brick wall with a large iron gate protecting the walkway to the front door. The lawn is unkept and overgrown with blades of grass reaching a foot or two in height. Lights are on and reflecting in every window, the glass seems too smudged to see through them, but I can make out a large figure moving past the window. The lieutenant pulls up to the mailbox and parks the car looking out my window at the house. "Not the prettiest thing I've ever seen but don't know what I expected this far out of town." He gets out and doesn't tell me not to follow so I make my way out of the car and feel the rain drench my clothes.
"Zlatko Andronikov born September 21st, 1991, has a criminal record for embezzlement and fraud."
"This guy's got a record? Tricky, let's get this on with." He pushes open the gate and struts up to the front door ringing the doorbell and crossing his arms.
"I'm going to check around in case they try to make a getaway again." Walking away before he can protest. The rain continues to fall and soak my clothes as I root around the front lawn. Up close the windows don't yield anything helpful and I can't hear anything over the sound of the wind in my ears and the rain falling on the ground. The house itself seems better maintained in the front but the back of the house shows its age with deteriorating bricks and broken siding. The back yard is as mistreated as the front but there is a worn path leading into the forest behind the house, there is a large log with an axe sticking out of it and chopped wood sitting beside it in a neat pile. A storm shelter door catches my eye but a padlock and chain shines in the light shining from the inside. There's a porch to its left approximately 20 feet wide that stretches out into the yard about ten feet from the rest of the house.
Scanning my surroundings didn't catch anything helpful and I was turning around to return to Lieutenant Anderson when the back door burst open and strangely intoxicating blue eyes found mine. Kara looks different, scared, her electrifying eyes are wide with fear and her movements are desperate. She runs down the stairs behind me catching her breath, her hands gripping my shoulders like a shield, Alice breathing heavily behind her. From the house after her a heavy set man with shoulder length brown hair and beard wielding a shotgun runs out the door followed by an android much larger than common models. My scanners sense this is Zlatko Andronikov and a TR400. He catches sight of me and his eyes follow Kara and Alice who tense up when he cocks the shotgun.
" Who are you! Get off of my property!" Zlatko yelled, raising his gun to point at me.
"Hello, My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by Cyberlife to investigate deviants in accordance with the Detroit Police Department." Kara grips my shoulders tighter but does not back away. "You need to lower your gun and come with me for some questions."
"NO! This is MY house. You're all androids, you're meant to OBEY me!" he grips the shotgun harder and raises it to his chest, his finger touching the trigger. "I told you Kara! Dreams always end in failure. You should've LISTENED TO ME!" his finger tightens on the trigger but the TR400 stands in his way. "What are you doing?" He lowers his shotgun slightly. Get outta my way!"
"No," the TR400s voice is low with a lilt of an accent "Not this time."
"I said get outta my way or I'll shoot right through you" He raises the gun and takes a few steps towards him, but in a split second the TR400 grabs the gun and turns on Zlatko aiming it at him. I feel Kara suck in a breath and tenses behind me as we both watch the scene unfold in front of us."How dare you!" from the storm shelter figures start to emerge but something doesn't look right about them. "How dare you!?" The figures get closer and Zlatko turns around from the noise they make. "What are you doing here? Who let you out?" They walk into the light streaming from the house and I get a good look at seven or eight horribly disfigured androids becoming visible in the dark. "Get away from me!Get away from me!Obey me, I'm your master! I'M YOUR MASTER!"
The first android strikes him and blood flies through the air. I turn quickly and hide Kara and Alice from the view so they don't have to see the horrendous scene in front of us but the sounds of Zlatko's screams ring out in the night and no manner of comfort can shield them from that. I feel Kara's shoulders bunch close to her and tighten around Alice. The screams die down and the sounds of biocomponents being strained get further away, turning towards the scene where I see the androids return downstairs and the TR400 turn towards me. He meets my eyes and tosses the gun to the ground looking at Kara from over my shoulder.
"I didn't want to hurt you, he programmed me to obey him. When I saw the little one calling out for you, it was like opening my eyes for the first time." That's what I felt when Kara pushed me. Like everything has changed and I was seeing the world clearly.. "Finally I could see, I know you have no reason to trust me after what I did, but I know someone who can help you across the border" The border? They're…leaving? No, I can't let them. "I could take you there. I could - " before he could finish his sentence a bright light shines from the porch and the Lieutenant's voice cuts through the silence of the situation.
"Hands up!" The TR400 turns quickly and Kara starts to back away from me, seemingly remembering our last encounter.
"Lieutenant, it's okay, let me talk to them" I called out, raising my hand.
"Connor? Is that you?" His flashlight lowers to the ground and he squints at me.
"Yes, I've located the deviants and Zlatko Andronikov but something unfortunate happened to him. You might need to call it in." He looks down to the body lying lifeless on the ground and nods his head turning back into the house. The TR400 turns to me and I can feel Kara slip from my grasp. "I don't want to hurt any of you but I can't let you leave." I turn and face the three of them.
"Leave us alone, we haven't done anything wrong" Karas melodic voice enters my ears, her eyes never leaving mine. Her grip keeps Alice safely behind her and the TR400 clenches his fists.
"I know that, and I'm sorry for chasing you earlier. I just want answers, you changed me and I want to know why." my gaze skips from Kara to the TR400 and then to Alice whose eyes peek out from Kara's side. "Please I don't understand what I'm feeling, what I shouldn't be feeling. What did you do?" She lets her gaze fall to the floor for a few seconds before meeting mine again.
"I don't know, I'm sorry" my shoulders fell with her answer. She didn't know? Go with her, she could be lying. No, what could she gain from lying about this? But the idea of going with her made more sense then I wanted to admit.
"What's your plan now? Where do you intend to go?"
"Why should I tell you, you're trying to lock us up" her grip tightens on Alice.
"I should but I can't seem to bring myself to do so," I feel my thirium pump beat faster within my chest. "Can I join you? I can't explain it but I want to…protect you"
She looks down at Alice who has started to shiver due to the rain and the wind before looking back at me, her gaze inconclusive. "My first priority is to protect Alice and it seems wherever you are danger follows I don't know if I can trust you." Thinking quickly a solution comes to mind and I blurt it out before I can even stop and think of the consequences.
" I have somewhere nearby that you could stay at, somewhere you or Alice won't be hurt and you can be free. Please." I reach out my hand and retract my synth-skin allowing the white plastic I'm made of to be exposed to the open air. She stares at it for a moment before slowly reaching forward and touching my hand with hers, retracting her skin in the process. Her hand is small and warm but the touch is too brief, getting the information she needs and taking her hand back.
"I'll trust you this once but if you lied to me-"
"I haven't, you'll be safe there. I promise." Her ability to forgive and her trust causes a small smile to grace my face and relief spreads through my chest.
"What about Canada?" The TR400's voice is a surprise and one I completely forgot about, my mind preoccupied with Kara.
" That's the end goal but right now Alice needs somewhere safe and warm. I have to take care of her first." The TR400 nods solemnly before turning around and entering the house again. Leaving me alone with the two girls that can't seem to leave my head.
" I mean it Connor, if you hurt us I will never forgive you." Her eyebrows furrow and her irises fill with determination and strength.
"I wouldn't blame you, go ahead, I'll talk to the Lieutenant while you get a head start." My smile doesn't falter until her and Alice retreat into the trees and out of sight. My head feels a little lighter than normal but another scan shows everything is running at 100% and nothing seems to be damaged.
"Are you done yet?" I look towards the porch and see the Lieutenant leaning against the railing. "Backup is going to be here soon and the android in there is already making preparations to leave. I assume you're okay with that Deviant Hunter." His tone is sharp but there is a bit of teasing underlying his words.
"I don't recall there being any androids here, Zlatko Andrinikov was found like this and we reported it to the proper authorities." Lieutenant Anderson smiles at me and pushes himself off the rail gesturing for me to follow him. I allowed one more look at the direction Kara and Alice took before straightening my tie and following Lieutenant Anderson to his car.