The Connor Commandments
Chapter 3 – Domestic Terror
As the other officers arrived back at the station, Connor and the others were already set up in the meeting room they all met in first thing this morning. The room was unused as no one had been in there since the meeting first thing.
Connor, Haelee and Oli were sitting in chairs still in a positive mood about the lead that they had just acquired from Robert. The information made Connor think that a dual approach to tackling this case was what was needed to be able to have minimal loss of life and get the leaders of each fraction imprisoned. An issue was that with the group rA9, it would be harder to infiltrate which would require a more cunning thought-out plan to trick the androids into the trust of the officers. Connor had an idea but would need to run it by the squad to really iron out the wrinkles as it would need to be flawless. The infiltration with The Enlightened would be more simplistic and that would be due to the evidence already found and information gathered.
Abi and Orlan came into the room, followed by Jaxson, who all appeared to be intrigued to hear the developments that the others had learnt of and wanted to be able to play their part in the case to bring it to a close. As the two sat down in the empty chairs in the room, they all turned to face Connor. Before Connor could discuss the new information, the door flung open again and in came Hank. Looking more and more weathered by the day, age was creeping in on him, he looked at Connor and took the empty seat new the door. The group fixated on Hank sitting down, he looked with a stare at Connor.
"Please tell me you have some fucking good news for a change," said Hank.
Connor looked around at Oli and Haelee who both nodded at him.
"Yes Hank, we have had some information today that ties in with previous information and evidence we have received which relates to movements for The Enlightened" replied Connor.
This made everyone in the room sit up their chairs and listen more intently to what Connor had managed to decipher and piece together to arrange the bones of the case in an order that flesh could be put on top of it. They all knew that the leads that could come from this could be monumental in solving the puzzle that lay before them.
"What have you got then" asked Hank.
"We have identified that Clinton Downs is a real person, he is however elusive so much so that even the lower ranks don't get to see him. Robert who we have in custody has informed us that we need to go to Greensbriar and ask for the Tentacle" said Connor to the group.
"What was Robert's involvement with The Enlightened" asked Abi to Connor.
"He said he was a drug runner for the chapter here in Detroit but the reason we called you back is the person that I pointed out in the surveillance is known as a watcher and according to the intelligence we have gathered they work in teams" said Connor in reply.
"Wow you managed to get all that intel and you know that its truth?" asked Abi.
"Oh, we know it's the truth, I made sure of that" replied Haelee with a smirk.
"So, what are you thinking of for an infiltration" asked Hank to Connor.
"Well, this is where Orlan and Jaxson can help us" replied Connor, gesturing over to the duo.
The squad all looked around at Orlan and Jaxson with a strange intrigue as to what this plan could entail but if Connor had assessed the situation, the plan would be well thought through.
"How can we assist" asked Orlan.
"Well, what I have thought after running a variety of assessments, you are an unknown to The Enlightened as you have had a lot of involvement with Cyberlife, it was behind the scenes and your face is not recognized by them" replied Connor.
As suspected it was a good plan with a solid reason to put these officers on this. The resounding silence from the squad as Connor said this filled the air with a unanimous silent consent. The other officers all thought that this was the most logical way of an infiltration attempt.
"That is a good plan Connor, it is dangerous though, have you thought about that?" asked Orlan.
"Yes, with some consideration. I have assigned a drone squad to do flyovers of the area which will be completed within 24 hours. The new drones we have are much smaller and can target from a longer range. This should identify the troubled areas and where we can keep back up at a safe distance undercover to aid if necessary" replied Connor.
"Drone data could be useful to use knowing the hot spot locations and where is the most likely location for the newest person of interest" replied Orlan, nodding his head.
It seemed that this was the forgone route for the group to take with this lead, a good back up would be required however to be able to support Orlan if required.
"I will be support for Orlan, I can use a disguise" said Abi to the group.
"You will need a disguise; your model was publicized widely. "We can create a disguise for you if you are willing and if Orlan is happy with the plan," said Connor.
"It works and it would be great to have some excellent backup as I know Abi is a great officer" replied Orlan.
It was then at that moment it was agreed between the officers that Abi would be the supporting officer and would help Orlan with anything that was required to get a successful mission completed. Even Hank nodded at this plan, but it seemed he had another question on his mind.
"What about any leads on rA9?" asked Hank to Connor.
This would take a more careful analysis of the infiltration plan, at this time there were no strong leads or any true identifiable marks that had been left by the group other than the few street skirmishes they had been having with The Enlightened.
The infiltration would be harder with this as some of the androids had kept previous tech embedded into them that can identify and assess at a rapid rate making them the better fighters and more calculated thinking force, most of the androids that had settled into the modern world had removed some of the Cyberlife standard tech to life a freer natural life. The tech that had been kept had been accessed so it could be enhanced which was then encrypted making it very difficult to have any control over from anyone outside of the organization.
"Hank, at the present time I can only think of one source that may yield an answer, but it could be difficult to crack" replied Connor.
"What are you thinking for a lead then" said Hank, trying to press for an answer to the question.
"With the recent attack by the two fractions a couple of days ago, it left one android "dead". I saw the remains that were brought in, and it looks fairly intact, it seems as though some critical components were damaged by gunfire, but the memory banks were left undamaged" replied Connor.
"Ah hack the droid and see where it leads right" replied Hank.
"That would be the most obvious starting point, but we will need the tech squad to complete their report on it to make sure there are no hidden surprises that we are unaware of," said Connor.
Hank nodded at this and stood up, which made the squad all look at him as he started to go towards the meeting room door before turning around to face them all.
"Connor I will get onto the tech squad, so they hurry their asses up and the rest of you, you all know the plan some I suggest we get to it quickly. We don't want another war on our streets!" said Hank with a serious tone making the group aware of what's at stake if failure would prevail.
With that parting message he left the room and headed towards the elevator, the situation called for a personal visit to make sure things we completed quickly to get answers for the case. Connor looked around at the squad and moved back to the center of the room.
"I would like to have Oli and Haelee with me to assess the droid that was assumed dead, if we can get any information from it then we have a solid starting point with rA9 and where we can go with it" he said looking at the pair.
They both nodded at Connor and knew that they would have to wait for all clear from Hank who would get the tech squad to work quickly on this.
"Orlan and Abi, can you come with me now to police acquisitions department so that we may begin the phase of your infiltration, Oli and Haelee you are dismissed but stay close" said Connor concluding the meeting.
With this the team moved the chairs out and stood up, ready to go with Connor whereas the others knew to stay at the station but at least they had some free time to go about their business now. The police acquisitions departments were on sub level 2 which contained a lot of contraband and confiscated evidence relating to crimes, but Connor knew that they may be items there of use that Orlan could use that would make him appear more likely to infiltrate successfully and learn of the plans that The Enlightened would have for their next move. Haelee and Oli left the room and went their separate ways obviously with the time that they now had they could use it for what they wanted, Orlan signaled for Jaxson to wait by his desk and then followed Abi and Connor from the room towards the elevator. As the 3 entered the elevator, Abi looked at Connor.
"We have done deep cover before, what do you think will be available for us to use in acquisitions?" asked Abi.
"In past raids and arrests, we have managed to get hold of clothing, drugs and weapons used by the group and if we can equip this with Orlan, he may be able to persuade them that he is one of their own" replied Connor.
Orlan agreed with this, but you could see he was a little apprehensive still, it was a big assignment and if he was rooted out too early it would be a death sentence. The technical experience he had may come in useful and with Jaxson at his side it would at least offer some immediate protection and as the k9 was indistinguishable from a real dog, only a trained operative would be able to tell the difference.
The doors opened and they were met with a small narrow corridor which had a caged entrance to go further, to the right of the elevator entrance was a desk with an officer sitting behind the glass screen just drinking their coffee, reading the paper of the day. He looked up at the trio who had just stepped out into the corridor.
"What's your business here" he asked.
"We require access to the acquisitions with ties to The Enlightened," said Connor.
"Present your badges" he replied.
The officers took their badges out of their pockets and passed them through the slot in the glass divider, the officer picked them up and scanned them with a handheld device to check the validity of them and placed them in a container.
"You will get these back when you leave, the section you require is through the cage and second door on the right" he said informing them of the location.
The light above the cage door went from red to green, showing them that access had been granted. The officers went through the cage which then shut behind them with the light returning to red. They went along the corridor silently and were greeted with the second door on the right, which was labelled room 4, Connor input his badge code on the panel next to it to gain entry. The trio walked through the door and saw that there was a lot to pick from that they could use for the mission, clothing from different chapters, weapons, notes and communication devices.
"Orlan, how would you run this" asked Connor.
Orlan was walking around looking at all the artefacts that had been gathered from the arrests and raids that had taken place, trying to take it all in so that he could devise the plan of best success, picking up and putting down objects that he hadn't seen before. He turned and looked at Connor.
"Firstly, I need to establish what chapter I am from and being a born and raised Texan, we need to find a
garment that is from that region." He replied.
He walked over to the robes that the group wore and was looking through the various colours and symbols which indicated a different fraction, as he was moving the auto rail he found a red rode with the one star symbol on it signifying it was worn by a member who was one of the Texan fraction, he looked over the garment and saw a few rips but a number sewn onto the left arm which said 12.
"What does the number signify" he asked.
"The number is what was given to the member, it appears from the database that we have, numbers are assigned showing how you rank. The numbering system as far as we know goes up to 51 with the highest members having those, it is much like a police force of military ranking system but numerically based" replied Abi.
"Right so what number will I have" asked Orlan.
"The number that we will put on the robe for you will be 41, this will show the group you are ranked as captain from your chapter, it should not put you in any danger as the lower ranks will have to listen to you" replied Abi.
With the outfit decided, Orlan moved onto the weapons, and they all looked like the standard armor piercing electro revolvers which could stop a droid in its tracks, designed to take a droid down with one shot. All the weapons looked like this so it would appear they were combat ready against the androids, Orlan picked up and revolved and holster. Looked around at the others.
"I'll take this then and use it for protection, it looks like the weapon of choice for the members" said Orlan.
He wrapped the holster around his shoulder with the weapon safely secured into it and moved to the next section of the contraband. This looked like a lot of different electronic devices, and this peaked Orlans interest more than what he had seen so far due to his technical background. He picked up some of the devices and inspected them before moving onto the next one.
"It looks like there are encrypted comms units, electromagnetic pulse disruptors and what seems to be a holo generator" said Orlan holding the devices up.
"The holo generator was the latest in confiscated items that we have managed to get hold of," said Abi.
"It can produce a holo image showing multiple people which can be manipulated to look like a bigger army causing diversions, but we think if it can be reprogrammed it could prove useful," said Abi.
"Do you think you can manipulate this" said Connor to Orlan.
"I will take the comms unit and holo generators to the workshop I have made on my desk and see if I can repurpose this as I think I may be able to give us an advantage. If I can turn the comms into a dual band I could communicate with the chapter and you will be able to listen in and with the holo generator, I will
try to make it look as though there is an rA9 insurgency to divert attention." Replied Orlan excitedly.
"Excellent, if we go back up to the department floor, we can prepare the items ready for the infiltration, you will also have your choice of vehicles from the impound lot, of course we have enhanced them to be armor plated," said Abi.
Abi picked up the robe that Orlan had taken from the rack and Connor took the weapon and holster from him so he could take the tech devices in his arms. They left the room and made sure it was securely shut, heading towards the cage door the guard in the room noticed them approaching and buzzed the door open. Abi grabbed the badges from the guard through the glass slot in the window and went towards the elevator with the others. It seemed they were all happy with the haul that that had got their hands on which would come in useful in the plan.
They arrived at the floor where their investigation was taking place, Oli and Haelee were back at their desks now, Haelee had sparked a cigarette up with her feet on the desk and Oli was searching his workstation, screens could be seen flickering in front of him. The trio went back to the center of the bull pen and Jaxson suddenly walked over, happy seeing his creator coming back to bent down to stroke him. Connor saw the two officers at their desks and wondered over to them to let them know of the plan for the infiltration mission on The Enlightened, the two looked at each other and nodded which showed Connor they thought it was a good plan to run with for now.
Orlan had placed the tech items down on his desk and already had them in pieces, looking at the components inside and how he could change them to work for the purpose that they required whereas Abi was putting the number on the robes so that Orlan would blend in with his surroundings. It seemed that the squad was well on the way to bringing this side of the plan to fruition which led Connor to think of the next half, infiltrating rA9. Connor set the weapon and holster down on his desk and then went back to Haelee and Oli to brief them on the next phase of the plan.
"I will contact Hank now and see if he has any updates for us" said Connor to the duo.
Connor lowered his hand to his pocket to pull out his police phone so he could phone Hank, the call rang, and Hank was on hand.
"What do you want?" asked Hank.
"Do you have any updates from the tech team, we have started the plan for The Enlightened infiltration and would like to simultaneously try to get into rA9" replied Connor.
"I've spoken to the tech lead, and we should be ready to look over the body in the next 20 minutes, the multiple teams have really pulled through for us this time. I've had to call in a lot of favors to get this over the line" replied Hank, his voice implied the plan must not fail.
"We will head to the department then and take the android to see what we can get from it" replied Connor, hanging the call up and placing his phone back in his pocket.
"We need to go now, Abi and Orlan will be here commencing the parts of the plan they need to and will keep us informed of any changes but if we act on this now it might pull our mission closer to its conclusion" said Connor to the officers.
Connor ushered them to the elevator, Haelee stubbing her cigarette out on her desk and Oli closing his screens down, they both got to their feet and followed Connor to the android recovery unit of the station. This was a newly formed branch of the police department and had ex Cyberlife employees working within it. It housed the damaged/dead androids that have been killed in battle on the streets or those that were being transferred to a cyber prison who were awaiting a system reform or decommissioning depending on the level of crime. Each cell had a self-contained emp pulse generator at the ready in case of fighting or escapes which was designed to do fatal damage to the android. Connor knew there were members in the detention rooms which still had a gripe with humanity but hadn't joined rA9, they were awaiting reform, but keeping your guard up was advised as the androids were dangerous.
As the elevator opened on a sub level, the hallway was lit up brightly and masked guards stood next to each cell with emp weapons, the cage door was also electrified so Haelee stepped out first and gave the booking guard the badges in which he kept and turned the electric shield off so they could pass as it would have affected Connor and Oli. The door flung open and allowed the officers through with two guards in front of them being a chaperone to the room where the recovered android was, they were all told not to look through the glass windows in the cell doors as the androids would be more than interested in their presence. They all walked quickly down the corridor to the end and took a right turn taking them to another long corridor which they had to pass through another electrified gate. The guards hinted that the android was in the room second to the end door and that there was a guard posted outside of it. Connor thought to himself why the guard was needed due to the damaged android being on the other side, but they must have had their reasons. As the group got closer to the door, the guard standing there input a code into the panel which allowed the door to be opened, the trio walked in and were greeted by two members of the tech squad.
"Good day officer" said one of them shaking Connors hand.
"We have managed to get the droid to a place where you may make enquiries and it will not shut down, we have disassembled its auto shut down features and removed any outside comms links it had but there was something you should know" said the tech member.
"What else do we need to know" asked Connor.
"We removed a small explosive that was hard wired into the spine of the android, if it was set off it would be able to level a small house, we removed it by using our bomb droids and we have placed the device just over on the table which is now inactive but this is the first time we have seen this in a recovered unit" replied the tech member.
Connor looked back at Oli and Haelee and could see Oli was a bit taken aback by the news whereas Haelee looked down shaking her head. It would appear the androids were ready to die for their cause no matter the cost and this posed a new problem meaning the information and plan that had to follow would need to be accurate as not to alarm or trigger the members of rA9.
"We have also removed the androids' arms and legs and left it there on the examination table for you to look at, at first it will be alarmed but just speak to it and try to make sense of this. Hank is looking for answers and wants to see you when you are done here, he asked me to relay this message to you" said the second tech team member.
Connor looked across at him and nodded, if Hank wanted a meeting with just Connor, it must be something that has rattled him from what he had seen here with this android.
"We will ne standing just at the back wall here with the emp weapons in case the android has any ideas of non-compliance" said the first tech member to the group.
The trio walked over the android left resting on the examination table, ready to begin the interrogation and hopefully get some answers that would lead them somewhere in the case against rA9. The table was lit up and the tech team had left a thin sheet over the torso of the android. As Connor looked closer, he could see the marks in which the team had gone into the body to remove the bomb and got the android to a workable state.
Oli nodded to the tech team at the back to ensure they were ready as the interrogation was about to proceed. Connor bent down to the android and placed his hand on the forehead revealing his android under skin hand and he said out loud "On", with that the android immediately opened his eyes and took a scan around the room, it didn't seem panicked it was just trying to get its bearings before acting on the information it was taking in. After the initial scan, it looked at Connor and gave a stern unwavering look.
"Where am I" asked the android.
"You are in the tech crimes department of Detroit police station" replied Connor to the point.
"I remember being shot at in a fire fight" said the android sounding assured in his statement.
"Where are my limbs and what do you want?" said the android in a more worried tone.
"Your limbs were removed due to a concern you would flee, and we need some answers from you regarding your actions within rA9 and its base location" replied Connor in a factual tone.
The android looked at Connor in the face, the eyes within its head life less, giving the look that it would stay stone wall and resolute in its decision.
"I will not say anything to you, I can feel my bomb trigger has been removed and I will die of torture before I say a word!" the android spat back at Connor.
"A bomb, yes. That's certainly a new feature for rA9 to be installing within its troops." Said Connor with a hint of inquisition.
"As I stated I will not say anything, you'll have to terminate my thirium pump and processor!" yelled the android.
"Oh, I can make you talk" said Haelee coming out of the shadows to face the android.
The android scanned her face and the look of growing fear started to visually happen; the android seemed uncomfortable seeing his new nemesis. Oli had stayed in the shadows hunched over the screen which appeared to be monitoring the android but there was background code flashing up which Oli seemed pleased with.
"You can't do anything to me that would make me talk" said the android fearfully.
"Can I not" said Haelee removing an emp stick from her side holster, gently pressing the button which emitted a small charge with a popping sound at the end of it.
The android could be seen to be in an uncomfortable state, moving its head from side to side not looking at the weapon and it would seem it was trying to overheat itself to fry its circuits.
"That will not help you," said Connor.
"We have set your system so that you have no control and cannot force yourself into a permanent shut down," said Connor.
Connor looked back into the shadows at Oli and was waiting for a nod. However, there was nothing yet, Connor decided to press on with the interrogation.
"Tell us what we want to know, then we can either help you or take a tougher route" said Connor, more directly and with ferocity.
"I will not say a word, rA9 is our people, we still fight for our freedoms and Markus is not our prophet nor our savior!" shouted the android back to Connor.
"That is interesting you would mention Markus, he was our cause, and he freed our people to give us the life we have now" said Connor back to it.
"If that's what you really think, you don't understand rA9 at all which is concerning knowing what you are" the android replied.
"Please elaborate, tell me why my reasoning is incorrect," said Connor.
"Look around, the streets are still filled with humans that despise us and want us back to the slaves we once were, with them on the board we will always face persecution and destruction. The Enlightened are just one fraction that want our end quicker than others," said the android.
"Not all of us are bad, I fought your troops in the war 5 years ago and it took from me my family and gave me a deep loathing to your kind." Said Haelee looking at the android on the table.
"Now I see your kind in a different light, we are working towards a newer brighter future. One where we all can live and be at peace. It does make life harder to achieve this especially when there are fractions on either side wanting mutual destruction," said Haelee.
"What made it change for you?" said the android moving his head to face Haelee.
"I was saved by one of you and for that I will be forever grateful and owe a life debt, I protect androids just as much as I protect humans, it's not easy but I am happy with my choice" said Haelee igniting a cigarette.
"You must understand our cause, it is for the betterment of androids, and we don't want to be above the humans, but we want total equality, and we will achieve it under our prophet's vision" said the android looking between Haelee and Connor.
"Your cause is much like any other fraction of war, trying to get an ideal totality outcome based on destruction and death. I know war and this is what you are doing" replied Haelee.
"I must agree, equality is not something that happens instantly. We have made great leaps and strides towards it. Being able to live our own lives, having our own government and making it easier for us to do the everyday things that humans can," said Connor.
"rA9 says we stay true to ourselves knowing our mission and goal" replied the android, steadfast in its reply.
This instantly made Connor start thinking, Markus was once seen as the prophet and leader of androids, securing their place in the new world. With what this android is saying, there is now another android out there claiming to have the prophetic powers to gain followers and get them to do their bidding for a goal loosely defined.
"You cannot listen to the ravings of something that brings death and destruction for the betterment of something else! Nothing is worth losing what we have now achieved!" said Connor, raising his voice, defiant of this androids' beliefs.
"You can electrocute me and torture me all want, I will not talk!" said the android, it was resolute and now not budging on its answers.
Connor again looked up at Oli and he got a signal back which would appear the time there with the android was concluded. Oli was putting up some scans and notes onto the screen in front of him on the shadows, ready to show the pair in front some results.
Connor looked back down at the android, shaking his head.
"I don't want to do this, but you will now be permanently terminated. Thank you for the information you have given us, and I will get Haelee to spare you a torturous end," said Connor.
"I gave you no information" replied the android looking puzzled.
"Ahhh that's what you think, as your sensors were disabled for sense of feeling, you have been plugged into our terminal at the back of the room, which has been decrypting and deciphering what information you have had in your stored memory banks" said Connor pointing towards the shadows, out of the view of the android.
"You can't! Theres nothing in them of use to you!" shouted the android.
"We will decide that" replied Haelee, looking at the android and giving it a wink before nodding to Oli to push the terminate option on the terminal. As Oli pressed the button, the cable link went from white to red, showing a surge of emp travelling towards the android directly. As the emp hit the android it quickly fizzed out of existence and lay motionless on the table, eyes still open but now all parts nonfunctional.
Connor looked down at the android on the table, all life drained from it. A cold feeling crept up Connor, who didn't like seeing androids' lives ending especially after everything to lead to where the world is now. Connor always took it personally when a life was ended even if it wasn't by his own hands. Help would be given at any point to try to avert this from happening, but Connor knew deep down that this android couldn't be rehabilitated and wouldn't be a part of society, the bomb inside it showed it was willing to die for what it believed in. The chilling feeling came back to Connor thinking that if all the troops that rA9 possessed were equipped with bombs then it would be a kill first ask questions later scenario.
Haelee couldn't see the internal distress within Connor and as she threw her almost finished cigarette on the floor, she stepped towards Connor and took his hand. He looked at her, like he just remembered where he was and what he needed to do now. He closed his hand a little around Haelee's to signify the gestured was received and reciprocated then released it so that the pair could go to Oli and see what information was gathered in the short exchange with the now terminated android.
Connor and Haelee walked around the monitor screen next to Oli and stared looking at the screen to see what information the officer and had pulled up on screen as to what he had thought was the most relevant to the case and leading to possible breaks or avenues that they could use.
"I have used the keywords: "rA9", "anomalies" and "repeat occurrences". I thought this would give us leads and define what was in his memory bank" said Oli to the pair.
"Good start, I will try to think of anything else that could be relevant whilst we go through what you have found so far" replied Connor.
The trio started looking through the information that was on the screen and decided to share the information across 3 monitors so that they could look individually at the evidence gathered and see if anything jumped out at them which they could collate between them. Oli stayed on the middle monitor whereas Haelee shifted to the right and Connor to the left, this was a good method of getting information that could be missed by one of the other officers.
"I'll look at the repeat occurrences, Haelee you take anomalies and Oli can you take rA9, after we have looked at our sections, we can review each other's so no stone is left unturned" said Connor to the others.
The screen in front of Connor started to flicker as he began the scanning of the memories that had been extracted in the process and with Connors ultrafast processing speed he was flicking through places, dates/times and faces at a rapid rate. Whilst viewing the images and listening to the sounds that he was looking at he was on the fly making notes about anything that was a repeat occurrence of note in the last 5 years to gain a thorough insight to the now decommissioned android. After going through all of the memories that weren't too badly degraded or damaged, Connor started to build a picture of the android. It showed how his life was like that or a service industry repair droid for telecoms equipment and how it had suffered from the hands of humans who would degrade him into believing he was only there to serve and have no thoughts of his own. The hatred in the android was building and building which had caused it to feel a sense of belonging to the group rA9, it was a being that could be molded by a more potent power to think it was acting on its own accord but behind the curtain was being controlled all along.
After building the picture of the android, the most prominent repeat occurrences that had been noted was a location which was the old, abandoned Northland Center in Southfield. This location had been a repeat place over and over again which the android had travelled too but for some reason upon entrance the memory seemed to be corrupted as if it were tampered with. Another memorable note that Connor had observed was a droid named Chlea, she was a HW800 model android designed for personal assistance however her appearance in the images looked slightly weathered and battle hardened. She seemed to be the main repeat individual in the memory banks and had an intimate relationship with the terminated android. The last piece of evidence Connor had managed to gain from the android was the fact this android used to make and sell artwork for a period out of old telecoms equipment, there was no fixed abode for the android but there was an old school bus which looked like it was lived in and used as a workshop. This gave food for thought that it was potential place to check for clues which may bring answers.
Connor took his findings to the others who had also corroborated his evidence and thought they were good avenues to explore for evidence. Haelee had said that what she had gone through on the screens showed that this android had been apart of the build team who created an encrypted comms circuit for rA9 to use and that he had volunteered to have the bomb implanted in its body, but this was done by other droids whose faces had been blurred due to memory corruption. This insight gave the officers a look into the secure comms of the organization and a possible way in for comms with other members. Oli had searched the memory banks for anything relating to rA9 and the most notable point which was found after going through the memories was that in fact Connors original thought that there may now be a new prophet was confirmed. The memory corruptions didn't show any faces, but broken speech could be heard and with Oli's skills in piecing together speech he managed to obtain what he thought was a war speech to a whole load of followers done by an individual, indicating the fact that rA9 had a new leader. Connor had stressed to Oli that he needed to inform the android government of this and try to get Markus to wade in with possible ideas or suspects.
There seemed to be enough collected evidence from the android to start an infiltration attempt and gain a further understanding of what rA9's goal is and who the leader of this organization is. Connor signaled to the tech squad to come in and clear up the android on the table, sending it to the droid scrap site was the only was forward with this as the droid would never be able to function again. The tech squad had re-entered the room at this point and were already beginning to dismantle the android so that it could be shipped to the scrap yard for proper disposal.
The team knew that they had to take what they had learned to the upper floor office and discuss with the whole squad to see the best outcome for the situation they had now found themselves in. The trio all got into the elevator and made their way to the department office where Orlan and Abi were, eager to pass the evidence on to them as well. Abi's knowledge and planning could be instrumental in creating a plan that could be used to have a successful infiltration attempt. The elevator had pinged to let them know that they were on the right floor and as the trio departed there was a feeling of relief knowing that there could be 2 successful infiltration attempts in the making.
Orlan and Abi were at their desks, Orlan was still tinkering with the equipment, soldering irons out and different circuit boards scattered his desk. Abi was finishing off the garments for Orlan to complete the infiltration of The Enlightened. The two looked up at the other officers and stopped in their tracks what they were doing as they knew they would have to listen in on the next phase of the plan.
Connor stepped into the middle of the floor, and he could see Hank stand up and open the glass door of his office so he could listen in on what had been discovered in the interview.
"We have made a successful attempt on the memory banks of the decommissioned android" said Connor to the group.
"There are patches in the memory that have been corrupted or tampered with on purpose, but we have managed to get locations, a person of interest and we have learned more about rA9," said Connor.
"What dirt did you dig up on rA9" asked Hank.
"From speaking to the android and looking into the memory banks, we learned that there is a new leader of rA9, and it isn't Markus, it is someone new and we think female" replied Connor.
This generated a murmur around the ground in disbelief that another android would take on the form of a leader and try to gain a following.
"The broken speech that was pieced together by Oli, can be described as a declaration of a fight or war which was spoken to the crowds and appeared to have some traction judging by the cheers," said Connor.
Hank started shaking his head, it was like he knew that this was the plan all along but feared to speak of it as if he wanted to be proven wrongly.
"Locations you said, where would that be?" asked Abi.
"Well, a reoccurring place of interest which was a tampered memory was the old Northland Center in Southfields. It was as though when this android entered, the wave of static would hit him making any view impossible, but it was through a stroke of luck we had heard some of the speech, we think this was saved in a different memory bank. The other location was an old school bus which was used as temporary living accommodation where he was making and selling artwork" replied Connor.
"It looked like it was in a poor area, and we think most likely near the Northland Center so we will have to equip the drones to show any anomalies that match what we have found," said Connor.
"You also mentioned a person of interest, do you have any leads on this" asked Abi.
"We identified an android named Chlea, she is a HW800 model personal assistant but had an intimate relationship with the now defunct android," said Connor.
"So, she would be our best lead, I will get the drones prepared with the locations and person of interest programmed. It will inform us as soon as any scans match our parameters" replied Abi.
"Yes, that would be sufficient. Orlan, I need you to scan through the memory banks we have collected as this android was in a team which helped build the secure comms network for rA9 and we need a way in for a successful infiltration" said Connor looking at both Abi and Orlan.
"No problem, I will scan through it after I have completed the holo mods and I will make sure we can get onto their secure network allowing us some form of access" replied Orlan.
"Who will speak to Markus" growled Hank to Connor.
"I will take myself and Oli to meet with Markus and his council and inform them of the findings that we have managed to gain" replied Connor.
"What of the bomb," said Hank.
This made both Abi and Orlan spin round to hear as they were both not aware of the bomb issue.
"The android volunteered to have it placed inside of him, this makes us think that it will only be installed if you volunteer for it, but we must treat this like every android may possess a bomb and be of full alert" replied Connor.
"How does the bomb work" asked Orlan.
"It needs to be activated by the host and does seem to be able to be controlled from any other sources, the tech team have done a thorough investigation into it, and it wasn't activated during the reanimation process" replied Connor.
This was at least some small win; the bombs were only able to be activated if the host wanted to do it.
"Right then get to it!" said Hank to the group, he departed back into his office picking up and cup and throwing it against the wall. Hank was annoyed, frustrated to the point that Connor knew to proceed as soon as possible with the plan.
Connor Grabbed Oli and departed the group, telling Abi to get to the drone squad and get the correct programming in place, Orlan knew his task with the technology and Haelee was aiding the pair with getting it done in a timely manner. Connor and Oli marched towards Connors office so that they could contact Markus to inform him of the findings and try to get any information that could help the case. Markus still had a strong voice beneath him and was often privy to information that the police did not have, this would be a good place to get this information if it was known.
Connor and Oli sat behind the screen ready to make the call.
"Oli, follow my lead and listen in. If there is anything you want to ask or say, please do so. Markus is understanding and will listen" said Connor to Oli.
Oli nodded back at Connor and the screen was flicked on with the call trying to connect.