"The Hostage"
AUGUST 15th, 2038 - 08:29PM
Residence of John and Caroline Phillips
A tall and luxurious apartment complex in the heart of Detroit had been sullied by tragedy on that hot summer night. A small, loving family had their world turned permanently upside down in one fell swoop when their trusted android caretaker had begun behaving erratically and violently lashed out at the very family that it had been programmed to care for. In a matter of seconds, the malfunctioning android had not only armed itself and opened fire on the patriarch of the family, but it had taken the family's only young daughter hostage after openly firing at the police officers who had responded to the violent disturbance. The drastically malfunctioning android had fled to the exterior balcony and terrace of the top floor apartment with the little girl as its human shield all while continuing to show signs of instability and unpredictable behavior.
As a means of ending the hostage situation before it escalated any further toward an irreversible outcome of tragedy, the police had requested the presence of the S.W.A.T. team as well as a properly trained hostage negotiator to take charge of the scene. Little did they know that the negotiator wouldn't be a member of any police force, S.W.A.T. team, or even the Federal Bureau, but would be a fully trained representative of CyberLife; the very company responsible for the creation of all androids in the world.
Within the elevator ascending the luxurious apartment complex a young, very disciplined CyberLife representative and hostage negotiator rose to the top floor while meticulously dancing an old quarter between his hands with the grace and accuracy that only the sharpest of shooters could dream of. Tall, slim and athletic in build while sporting thick brunet hair styled back in a neat fade - save for a single lock of hair that partially hung down over his left eye - while sporting deep, soulful brown irises shining behind his square, black rimmed glasses, along with a fair complexion dotted by a few freckles, the young man didn't appear to be someone who'd bear the knowledge and experience to handle such a delicate situation on his own. And yet, there was denying that if CyberLife personally sent him to handle the situation then there was no denying that he was the right man for the dangerous job.
Once the elevator reached its destination the lone occupant caught his coin, slipped it into his pocket and straightened the black tie resting over their white dress shirt to appear as professional as possible. The dark gray blazer marked with a single glowing, bright blue CyberLife insignia above the left breast stood out brilliantly within the brightly lit elevator and gave the negotiator an air of intimidation they otherwise wouldn't bear alone.
The elevator doors parted, and the negotiator set foot within the main corridor of the Phillips's apartment. As the young negotiator strode down the dimly lit, wood floored corridor, he caught sight of something twitching on the floor and instinctively took a closer look at the curious object. Adjusting his glasses for a minute the negotiator pressed a small button the right side of the frames and then used his gloved right hand to pick up the object on the floor as the clear lenses of his glasses automatically tinted to a dark shade that completely concealed his eyes.
Sewn within the layers of the leather fabric of the black glove were tiny, delicate sensors all along the palm and the fingertips that were also synched to the glasses over the negotiator's eyes. The sensors were able to scan anything they touched or waved over via cybernetic signals, providing the negotiator with invaluable information that appeared within the lenses of the glasses that could be used in any negotiation or investigation that CyberLife assigned to him. The glasses and the synched glove were dubbed 'Added Reality Interface' or 'A.R.I.' for short, and they were a unique prototype design to be used exclusively by the negotiator until further notice until its extensive field testing had been completed.
SCANNING...
-IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED-
LIVE FISH
[...Dwarf Gourami - Trichogaster lalius
[...Native to South Asia
[...6.4 Inches in length; Approximately 2 years in age
END OF SCAN...
As he studied the living creature in his hand the negotiator saw it beginning to lose strength. A quick glance at the nearby aquarium made it clear that the fish had leapt from its habitat when a stray bullet struck the aquarium compromising the glass and startling the fish in response. It hadn't been on the floor for too long considering it was still alive, but it wouldn't survive outside of the water for much longer while out in the open air.
Without a second though the negotiator reached up and delicately placed the fish back into its home within the aquarium and watched as it readily regained energy and began swimming about the crystal clear water with its companions without even the faintest hint of injury or illness. It was a simple act, but one that the negotiator could feel good about accomplishing since his single act of kindness would allow the innocent creature to continue to live in peace.
Resuming his attention to his mission the negotiator continued down the hallway and caught the sight of one of the patrolling S.W.A.T. officers keeping the apartment on secured lockdown. There were S.W.A.T. officers placed all throughout the apartment as they attempted to keep the situation under control.
"Negotiator on site." The nameless, helmeted officer confirmed through the radio contained within his protective helmet as he reunited with his commanding officer in the master bedroom of the apartment. "Repeat; negotiator on site."
"No, stop! I... I... I can't leave her."
A frantic woman's voice called out as she was escorted to the same corridor as the negotiator just as the negotiator reached the end of the corridor itself.
"Oh, oh please, please, you gotta' save my little girl..." Caroline Phillips, the wife to John Phillips and mother to Emma Phillips, begged as she clung desperately to the negotiator's blazer. It was then she took notice of who the negotiator represented and began to cry hysterically in fear at the recognition of the CyberLife insignia glowing under her touch. "Wait... You're sending in someone who works with the androids?"
"All right, ma'am." Another S.W.A.T. officer continued to escort Caroline out of the apartment despite her pleas to remain close to her daughter. "We need to go."
"You can't- You can't do that!" Screaming out in absolute terror Caroline cried for the S.W.A.T. officer to listen to her pleas even as he continued to practically drag her down the corridor and to the elevator to leave the apartment. "You- W-Why aren't you sending a real cop? Don't let that CyberLife thug near her! Keep him away from my daughter! KEEP HIM AWAY!"
Refusing to be deterred by Caroline's insults and emotional outbursts, the negotiator continued to focus on his mission. Crossing through the apartment littered with broken glass, destroyed furniture pieces and the distinct aroma of fresh blood and gunpowder, he found his way to the master bedroom where the S.W.A.T. team Captain was keeping his team apprised of the delicate situation at hand. They had equipment designed to monitor the situation from a safe distance and electronically record everything happening to be studied later on with the powerful laptop set up on the small wooden dresser.
"Why are we wasting time sending a CyberLife punk to negotiate?" Captain Allen growled with righteous irritation to a contact over the phone. The man had nearly twenty years of experience under his belt, and he knew all too well how one wrong move could cause a situation to cascade toward tragedy. "That piece of crap could jump from the rooftop any second."
Everyone just listened to one side of the tense phone call as Captain Allen continued to try and take charge of the scene.
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! My men are ready to step in, just give the order!"
It seemed the other person on the line didn't agree to Captain Allen's terms and resulted in the man ending the call while outwardly swearing in frustration.
"Fuck! I don't believe this..."
Another S.W.A.T. officer observing the scene was watching the android and the little girl out on the balcony terrace from a nearby window with noted concern in his tone as he spoke to his buddy beside him. "That bastard's gonna' jump."
"Fuck, man." The second officer tagged on as they both kept their guns low, and their eyes peeled on the crisis outside on the balcony. "I got the same model at home."
It didn't take long for the CyberLife trained hostage negotiator to assess the scene and quickly determine that the man he needed to address was Captain Allen. If anyone could give him valuable insight on the situation taking place on the apartment complex's rooftop, it would be him.
"Captain Allen? My name is Connor Zale. I'm the hostage negotiator sent by CyberLife." The introduction was quick and to the point as Connor caught the S.W.A.T. Captain's ear. "What can you tell me about the defective android's behavior?"
"It's firing at everything that moves, it already shot down two of my men..." Turning away from the laptop screen with a live feed of the hostage situation taking place just a few yards away, Captain Allen gave Connor a terse response that emphasized the direness of their current situation. "We could easily get it, but they're on the edge of the balcony. If it falls, she falls."
"Do you know its name?"
"I haven't got a clue." The question wasn't one that the S.W.A.T. Captain particularly cared to answer. "Does it matter?"
"I need information to determine the best approach." Connor explained in a rather cold and apathetic manner. "Do you know if it's been behaving strangely before this? Has it experienced an emotional shock recently?"
"If I don't even know its fucking name, how the fuck would I know what its day's been like?"
Connor ignored the unprofessional response as he continued to ask questions in search of crucial information. "Have you tried its deactivation code?
"It's the first thing we tried." The annoyance at Connor's very presence prompted Captain Allen to get right in Connor's face and remind him that he was far more interested in saving human lives than learning about android malfunctions. "Listen, saving that kid is all that matters. So, either you deal with this fucking android now, or I'll take care of it."
There was very little chance of success of Connor being able to convince the Captain to keep assisting him with his questions. In response to the blunt response Connor decided it'd be more beneficial to focus on handling the investigation and gathering more information for his use without the assistance of the other officers already at the scene.
A quick glance of the master bedroom led Connor to an invaluable piece of information regarding the danger that he'd need to confront and control. A previously locked gun case had been taken from the top of a wardrobe, opened, and the weapon contained within had been taken. Connor was able to use his A.R.I. program to quickly confirm that John Phillips owned a gun, had it properly registered, and had sealed it within the case responsibly. It was just unfortunate that John hadn't anticipated his own android turning on him and taking the gun for itself to be used against him and the rest of his family.
With one crucial piece of evidence collected Connor was able to move on to exploring the rest of the previously luxurious apartment.
The hallway leading from the master bedroom to a child's bedroom was marred with broken glass shards and decorative vases that had been damaged during a violent confrontation with the wildly malfunctioning android. Connor didn't pay any mind to the S.W.A.T. officers taking strategic positions around the apartment as he walked down the long corridor while stepping over the littered ground without breaking stride.
Once he was inside the bedroom of the little girl, Emma, he was able to pick up on a few key details. The girl's name was shown in her room with colorful decorations that any young child would enjoy. She had been listening to loud music on her earphones that spared her from hearing the commotion happening elsewhere in the apartment when the android turned violent, and she had a tablet on her desk with a video already cued up of herself and the android of interest spending time together before tragedy had struck.
Using the tablet to his advantage, Connor played the video and watched the innocent exchange shared between Emma and the android to gain additional information.
'This is Daniel, the coolest android in the world!' Emma shouted with a brilliant smile as she kept her arm around Daniel's neck. There was no fear in Emma's eyes, only adoration for the android. 'Say hi, Daniel!'
'Hello.'
'You're my bestie!' The little girl continued as Daniel obliged her request with a big smile of his own. 'We'll always be together!'
The name of the android had been identified and now Connor had more information to work with. Seeing that Emma never once feared Daniel and that Daniel had been apparently acting normal not too long prior to the incident was as fascinating as it was tragic.
"All units, hold positions." Captain Allen ordered as he took notice of Connor entering the livingroom to resume his investigation into the incident that led to the hostage situation just outside on the balcony terrace. "The negotiator's going in."
"In position." The S.W.A.T. team were able to relay communications with each other over their radios to ensure everyone was kept in the loop. "Ready to assault."
Connor focused on the sight of the now late John Phillips laying in a puddle of his own blood and in the glass remnants of what had once been a coffee table. Through A.R.I. Connor confirmed that the man had been shot in the chest and torso leading to severe internal bleeding as one of the bullets damaged the aorta of his heart. Essentially, John had died before his body even broke through the table.
Such a brutal and accurate aim regarding the shooting was indicative of a personal motivation behind the attack. Androids shouldn't have been capable of such a brutal assault, and yet the evidence couldn't be denied.
Looking at John's dropped tablet revealed even more information regarding the tense hostage situation. Frozen on the tablet screen was the final image that John saw before he had been gunned down by his own android with his own gun in his own home. Connor pressed 'play' on the tablet's image and was greeted with some damning information regarding what could have triggered Daniel's manic and homicidal outburst.
'Your order for an "AP-700" android has been registered.' The artificial feminine voice confirmed as the information regarding the recent purchase was still on full display for anyone to see. 'CyberLife thanks you for your purchase.'
"Go away!" Daniel shouted from where he stood on the outside balcony and drew everyone's attention his way. "All of you go away - or I'll jump!"
"Stay sharp." Captain Allen ordered in a low growl as he focused on Daniel with a raw hatred in his gaze. "I want everybody ready to go at any second."
"Leave us alone!" Shouting again Daniel tried to get the responding S.W.A.T. team to back away and leave the apartment despite everything still happening. "I want all of you out of here now!"
"Get the paramedics ready." Maintaining a sense of control Captain Allen took notice of the initially responding officers out on the balcony alongside Daniel and Emma as he stood precariously close to the edge of the towering rooftop. "I've got a man down and another one wounded on the balcony. We have to evacuate him A.S.A.P."
"Get out of here! You have to go!"
"Hold positions." Captain Allen ignored the desperation in Daniel's voice as Connor crept closer to the balcony and pulled back the thin curtain over the window just enough to peer out at Daniel with his own eyes. "I repeat: Hold positions."
One of the S.W.A.T. officers took notice of Connor and was less than impressed with the young man's presence. "You gotta' be kidding. He's their negotiator?"
"Fuck," a second officer looked at Connor and gave him a disgusted glance. "we don't need another CyberLife jackass to waste this prick."
A gunshot rang out over the balcony as one of the responding S.W.A.T. officers took a bullet and dropped hard to the floor. Everyone sprang into action to help the downed officer while Connor expertly ignored the cold criticisms of his career choice by resuming his investigation within the nearby kitchen.
"Holy shit!" The first S.W.A.T. officer shouted as he quickly went to aid his downed ally. "Cover me while I evacuate him."
"Man down!" Captain Allien shouted as he approached the balcony while issuing new orders. "I repeat; man down! Requesting immediate evac'!"
With his colleague pulled to safety the first officer checked on their condition while Connor focused on the details in the kitchen. "You're okay?"
"Yeah..." The shot officer confirmed as he took in a deep breath and ran his hand over his vest where the bullet had landed. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Fucking android."
"In position." Another S.W.A.T. officer noted as Connor turned off the hot stove and took notice of a deceased police officer laying on the floor very near the kitchen table. The late officer's gun had slid from his grip after he succumbed to his bullet wounds and bled out on the floor. "Ready to assault."
"That cop is alive." A second S.W.A.T. officer observing Daniel through the window took notice of another wounded cop on the balcony terrace. "I saw his leg move."
"What are we waiting for?" The officer kneeling beside his wounded colleague asked. "We should take down this asshole."
"I got a clean shot, man."
"I'll jump!" Daniel threatened as he again tried to get the surrounding officers to leave the area. Even with a gun pressed against Emma's temple Daniel knew that the officers weren't taking him seriously. "I swear, I'll do it!"
"Fuck," Captain Allen swore as Connor decided that he had enough information to use and negotiate with Daniel at long last. "we gotta' do something or that bastard is gonna' jump off with the kid!"
"What are you doing here?" Daniel shouted again as he directed his anger at the officers and the news helicopters hovering unnervingly close by. "There's NOTHING you can do!"
"Get those T.V. assholes out of here!" It took Captain Allen only a minute to see exactly what had riled up Daniel more than he already was and try to keep the situation from escalating any further. "I only wanna' see our choppers in the area!"
Slowly Connor made his move toward the doors leading to the balcony and terrace and peered out at Daniel once more. The sight of the enraged blond android holding a gun to an innocent child's head was enough to get a reaction out of the other responding officers, but for Connor he didn't feel anything. He was entirely cool, calm and unbothered just as CyberLife had trained him to be.
The moment Connor stepped outside onto the terrace Daniel opened fire on the negotiator and managed to nick the side of Connor's left bicep. A splash of red blood stained the doorway just behind Connor as he gave his wounded arm an indifferent glance before returning his focus on Daniel at the rooftop's edge.
"Stay back!" Daniel demanded as he held Emma tighter and pressed the hot barrel of the gun firmly against her head while Connor stood his ground and prepared to make his next move. "Don't come any closer or I'll jump!"
"No! No, please!" Crying out for mercy Emma tried to get Daniel to let her go just by using her words alone. "I'm begging you!"
"Hi, Daniel."
"How-"
"My name is Connor."
"How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot of things about you." Connor responded honestly as he took a few slow, cautious steps forward with his hands entirely visible to Daniel. Small drops of blood trailed after Connor as he crossed the rooftop to be closer to the android and Emma. "I've come to get you out of this."
The other S.W.A.T. officers remained inside the apartment and watched as Connor began negotiations. The overhead helicopter created a loud noise that made it difficult but not impossible to hear even as the swirling blades caused a few items on the terrace to get blown around in a chaotic manner. Poolside furniture was pushed around aimlessly while Connor's black tie whipped about along his immaculately pressed dress shirt making his otherwise flawless appearance suddenly seem unkempt.
"I know you're angry, Daniel." Taking a calm approach Connor neared the defective android while taking notice of the wounded officer that the S.W.A.T. team had accounted for lying on his side nearby. The officer had been shot in the arm and was too stunned to move about on his own. "But you need to trust me and let me help you."
"I don't want your help! Nobody can help me!" Daniel shouted bitterly as he refused to listen to reason or believe that Connor could actually help him. "All I want is for all this to stop! I... I just want all this to stop."
"I want you to let Emma go." The request was simple enough but one that Connor knew wouldn't be answered to easily. "She's just a little girl; she has nothing to do with this.
"No way! You'll shoot me the second she's free." At the mentioning of losing his hostage Daniel's anger flared and he pointed his gun at Connor again in response, not once flinching at the bleeding wound in the approaching human's left arm. "But I'm not that stupid! No, I am not that stupid..."
"I'm not going to hurt you." Connor promised as he continued to slowly approach Daniel while keeping one eye on the wounded cop laying nearby. "I just want to talk and find a solution."
"Talk? I don't wanna' talk. It's too late for that now." It was clear that Daniel was beginning to see the dire consequences of his actions and how he had caused so much harm because of his emotional reactions. "It's too late."
"Please." The weakened cop's voice was just barely audible as Connor neared him and knelt down to check on his condition. "Please help me..."
"He's losing blood." A quick biometric scan of the cop's body through the A.R.I. glasses confirmed that the bullet had grazed the brachial artery running down the man's left arm. Gently Connor rolled the officer from his side and onto his back to fully examine the bleeding arm wound. "If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die."
"All humans die eventually." The cynicism was thick on Daniel's tongue as he refused to let Emma go and cooperate with Connor. "What does it matter if this one dies now?"
"I'm going to apply a tourniquet."
"Don't touch him!" A bullet pierced the terrace between Connor's hands and the cop's body as Daniel fired a warning shot. Emma's scream of panic was almost as loud as the gunshot itself. "Touch him and I'll kill you!"
"You can't kill me." Connor countered as he ignored Daniel's demands and removed the tie from around his neck to use as the aforementioned tourniquet on the helpless officer's arm. "I'm not your enemy, I'm the one who's going to save you."
"Are you armed?"
"No," having refrained from picking up the deceased officer's gun inside the kitchen, Connor remained unarmed even during such a delicate hostage negotiation. As he stood up again, he slowly approached Daniel with his hands till open and visible at all times. "I don't have a gun."
Time was running out. If Connor didn't talk Daniel down soon then there was a very real chance that Daniel would jump off the roof with Emma or even shoot the innocent little girl that he was using as a human shield and hostage. Relying on the evidence he collected Connor decided to play on a hunch and reach out to Daniel sympathetically regarding Daniel's possible future.
"They were going to replace you, and you became upset." Connor knew that it was common for people to upgrade their domestic androids whenever a newer model was released, and he knew that being replaced could come off as a severe shock to just about anyone. "That's what happened, right?"
"I thought I was part of the family. I thought I mattered." Daniel sounded like he was on the verge of tears as he confirmed that Connor was correct. The L.E.D. in his right temple kept flickering from between red and yellow to showcase his extreme distress. "But I was just their toy, something to throw away when you're done with it..."
"I know you and Emma were very close." Continuing on very calmly Connor stood a reasonable distance from Daniel as he kept the deviant android's attention on himself and off of Emma. The bullet wound to his own arm wasn't even registering in his mind at the moment. "You think she betrayed you - but she's done nothing wrong."
"She lied to me. I thought she loved me. But I was wrong." The gun pressed down against Emma's head again as she whimpered in fear and begged for Daniel to please let her go. "She's just like all the other humans!"
"Daniel, no..."
Hearing Emma's pitiful voice struck a chord with Connor in a way that he hadn't anticipated. In all of his training exercises and the simulations he never once thought of the hostage as someone who was totally innocent since people very rarely lashed out in such extreme manners unless they were pushed to their limits. But there was absolutely no reason for Emma to be held accountable or responsible in any way for what Daniel was now doing.
"Listen, I know it's not your fault." A twinge of sympathy leaked into Connor's words as he continued to speak with Daniel and attempt to talk him down before he did anything worse by taking Emma's life. "These emotions you're feeling are just errors in your software."
"No, it's not my fault. I never wanted this... I loved them, you know. But I was nothing to them;" anger flourished in Daniel's voice as his conflicting emotions just amplified his confusion making him twice as volatile and unpredictable. "just a slave to be ordered around."
"You're defective, Daniel." There was no need to dance about the true problem causing Daniel to behave so erratically. "There's a problem with your software. We're going to fix you and everything will be okay."
"I don't need to be fixed! I'm working perfectly! But my eyes are open now." Hearing that his feelings were just errors and a defect only made Daniel feel all the more overwhelmed. He continued to hold Emma tight and hold the gun even tighter. "I will never let anyone humiliate me again. Ever!"
Shifting his gaze Connor took in Emma's terrified appearance and the painful scrape on her knee as he did his best to comfort her in a time of absolute terror. "Are you okay, Emma?"
"Please help me." Emma couldn't break free of Daniel's arm and could only wait for someone else to decide her fate. "I don't wanna' die! I don't wanna' die..."
"Nobody's going to die. Stay calm." Confidently Connor returned his focus to Daniel while keeping his voice level and soft. "Everything's going to be fine."
"Urgggh..." Daniel was losing what remained of his composure as he became almost entirely overwhelmed by everything happening around him. The hovering helicopter's intense spotlight shining down on him, the whipping wind and the relentless sound of the spinning blades were just too much. "I can't stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to get out of here!"
Glancing upward Connor saw the helicopter and motioned with his hand to indicate that the helicopter needed to clear the area for the time being. The helicopter left the scene once the S.W.A.T. team confirmed that Connor had everything under control.
"There," Connor called out to Daniel again as he showed him that he was willing to cooperate and hear him out. "I did what you wanted."
While Daniel took a moment to calm himself Connor took the opportunity to try to reach him one more time after showing the defective android that he was going to keep trying to help him out of his predicament.
"You have to trust me, Daniel. Let the hostage go and I promise you everything will be fine."
"I want everyone to leave." Daniel demanded as he tried to keep the upper hand during the negotiation. His L.E.D. has shifted to a calmer yellow but based on his actions Daniel was still behaving erratically. "And I want a car! When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go."
"That's impossible, Daniel." There was no way that anyone would ever agree to let a dangerous, defective and homicidal machine behind the wheel of any vehicle with a gun and his hostage. Despite knowing how to bluff Connor knew that such an arrangement would never be believed. "Let the girl go and I promise you won't be hurt."
"I don't wanna' die..."
"You're not going to die." The promise sounded almost sincere as Connor maintained control. "We're just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you. You have my word."
"Okay..." Lowering his gun at last as his previously glaring yellow L.E.D. shifted to blue, Daniel finally relented and let Emma go. The little girl rushed away from Daniel only to collapse after a few feet from terror and adrenaline coursing through her veins. "I trust you."
Without a word from Connor snipers perched on the surrounding rooftops suddenly opened fire on Daniel and began shooting the now calm android from all sides. The bullets tore through Daniel's body mutilating his appearance, damaging biocomponents and spraying his blue blood in all directions. The catastrophic damage caused Daniel to collapse to his knees as his system began to power down with his last memory being that of Connor betraying his trust.
"You lied to me, Connor."
Connor watched as the L.E.D. in Daniel's right temple lost color and heard his voice losing strength as he began shutting down against his will. The sight of the physically damaged and malfunctioning deviant staring back at him with his unwavering gaze was disconcerting to say the least.
"You lied to me..."
The haunting final words of the destroyed android echoed over the rooftop as the S.W.A.T. rushed in to make sure Daniel wasn't going to get back up while tending to Emma and the downed officer that Connor had previously aided. Even as warm blood soaked through his sleeve and dripped onto the rooftop at his feet Connor felt nothing for himself, and yet he felt an odd pain toward both Emma and Daniel for a reason he couldn't explain. He didn't want to see Emma hurt by any means, but he didn't want to see Daniel destroyed since the android was being cooperative.
Turning around slowly Connor waved off one of the S.W.A.T. officers attempting to offer him first aid for his arm and didn't say a word to Captain Allen as he passed the man by. As a hostage negotiator Connor had done his job and succeeded in rescuing Emma from a premature death. There was no reason for him to remain at the apartment any longer as he needed to report back to CyberLife to confirm his observations regarding Daniel's erratic behavior and the potential trigger that led to his dangerous and homicidal malfunction. As additional insurance Connor's A.R.I. glasses had recorded everything and allowed his handler to monitor his activity even while out in the field, which guaranteed CyberLife performing an in-depth analysis on everything that Connor had experienced in person.
Without any sense of mistake or wrongdoing Connor returned to the apartment and walked down the long corridor to reach the elevator at the end. His thumb pressed the 'call' button on the elevator and his eyes drifted over to the damaged aquarium where the fish he had rescued continued to thrive now that it had been returned to its safe, familiar environment. If it was as easy for humans as it was for animals to readjust after such a dangerous predicament then society would be far stronger and less divided than it had already been long before androids began stirring up controversy with their very existence.
The sharp 'ding' of the parting elevator doors brought Connor back to reality and prompted him to enter the vacant space. The reflective walls surrounding Connor on all four sides allowed him to see how being up on the rooftop had a massive impact on his appearance courtesy of the wind whipping around his body and the fresh blood saturating his left blazer sleeve. The dark red stood out against the gray fabric and finally drew Connor's attention to the wound itself.
A scan from A.R.I. confirmed that the bullet had missed all vital anatomy within his bicep and that the wound could be easily sutured shut after it had been properly disinfected by a medical professional. Scarring was guaranteed after the wound healed, but scars weren't anything new to the young negotiator who had successfully accomplished his first assignment in the field.
"This is Connor Zale checking in."
Connor stated as he pressed his fingertips to the right side of his glasses next to the lens. The A.R.I. glasses allowed for auditory recording and direct communication from the negotiator back to his handler within CyberLife Tower.
"The hostage has been freed. No casualties to be reported from my methods. The android has been destroyed and is ready to be taken back to CyberLife for proper examination by our technicians."
Glancing down at his bleeding arm again - the dark red smear had small specks of dark blue courtesy of Daniel's blue blood spraying over him as the android was shot just feet from where Connor had been standing - the successful negotiator filed his report and smoothed out the front of his shirt and prepared to answer to his handler in person. The motion caused blue blood drops on the shirt to smear macabrely over the fabric.
"Mission accomplished."
-next chapter-
Author's Note: The name "Zale" is Greek in origin. It means "Shadow-kissed wanderer, finding light in hidden paths; a mysterious yet enlightened seeker". Seems fitting for Connor considering the nature of his character in this fic.