Chapter Text
Character redesign:
From katikacreations on tumblr. Changes the triangle patches to an A-based symbol, and the armbands to cuffs.
One of the problems with this game is that it appropriates historical imagery in a completely superficial way. This changes the Holocaust imagery to something original, while maintaining the original look.
In won't exactly come up in the fic because this is a written medium, but if this is a fix-it, hey, might as well start with their clothes.
June 15th, 2038
A fish flopped on the ground, surrounded by broken glass. The tank shattered and half full. Conner spared a second or two to slide it back into its tank. The time wasted was negligible to the success of the mission.
He listened impassively to the woman’s disgust and the captain’s disdain. Attitudes that he was already quite used to, and prepared to handle.
The apartment was small. The key pieces of information quickly fell into place: the deviant was named Daniel; had been close to the child he was holding hostage; and had shot the father after seeing his replacement ordered. Connor grabbed the gun under the table. A useful negotiation tool if nothing else.
Gunshots; Daniel was getting restless. 78% chance of success would have to be enough.
Connor stepped onto the balcony.
“Hi Daniel, my name is Connor.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know a lot of things about you.”
There was another complication. An officer was on the terrace, and he was still alive. As Connor spoke, he angled left as he walked forward.
“I know you’re angry Daniel. But you need to trust me, and let me help you.”
Connor remained friendly and calm. His best bet would be if he could get Daniel to trust him enough to let the girl go. When questioned about weapons, he threw away the gun as a sign of good faith.
He was at the officer now.
“Don’t touch him! Touch him and I kill you!”
“You can’t kill me. I’m not alive.” Though he would regret being stopped before he could complete his mission. However, Connor was willing to bet the deviant wouldn’t shoot him, given his real anger was at the family.
Sure enough, Daniel did nothing as Connor applied the tourniquet.
Nothing as Connor approached, either. Finally, he stopped.
“You have to trust me, Daniel.”
The deviant seemed calmer now. This was the last chance.
“Okay… I trust you...”
Daniel set the girl on the ground, who stumbled away from the edge of the roof.
As soon as she was clear, the snipers on the roof took aim.
It was over.
---
PUBLIC OPINION: SKEPTICAL
Channel 16 News
A reporter was voicing over footage of the terrace, discussing the events of that night
“It seems the hostage was rescued with no further casualties. An android sent on the scene by CyberLife was successful in negotiating with the perpetrator.”
PUBLIC OPINION: INDIFFERENT
“The rogue android was destroyed, but many wonder if this might not be the beginning of a troubling trend. Should we be concerned about the safety of this technology? Or is this merely a one-in-a-million glitch, unlikely to occur again anytime soon?”
“Stay tuned for interviews with a CyberLife representative, here with us today to discuss this very possibility.”
---
September 2nd, 2038
Kara didn’t know why Todd filled her with a sense of unease, but he did. Or why the claim that she was hit by a car rang false in her ears. But it did.
These thoughts were pushed aside as they drove through the city of Detroit. She had a job to do, after all.
---
Markus set off through the park. It was a crisp autumn day; picturesque, even.
There were some protestors in the square; calling for Cyberlife to cease android production, employers to remove androids from the workforce, and the government to bring the unemployment rate down from 14%. Markus steered clear of them on his way to the paint shop.
The walls of the store are lined in bright jars of paint, clearly for decoration more than storage. Markus places his hand on the scanner.
“Identification verified. Here is your order, #847.”
With the transaction confirmed, Markus exited the store, headed for the bus stop.
It was already 9:43am, but Carl would still be in bed if the past several days were anything to go by. Markus couldn’t help but feel concern. Perhaps this lack of energy meant his condition was worsening.
Markus was interrupted by one of the protestors, who suddenly stepped into his path.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!”
Markus didn’t respond. Though the protestor had been the one to get in his way…
“I’m talking to you!”
The protestor shoved Markus back, causing him to stumble.
“Figures,” said a woman, “No point, you’re not gonna get a reaction.”
“Everyone thinks these things can replace humans” said another protestor, “But maybe if businesses weren’t so cheap, they’d see machines can't compare to real people.”
The man shoved Markus from behind, causing him to stumble again.
Markus pushed past the first protestor, headed for the bus stop. Though the protestors laughed, no one made an effort to stop him.
The bus arrived a few minutes later. Markus stepped on with some relief. He stood near the middle of the bus, watching from the window as the protestors continued their demonstration.
---
“You do the housework, the washing, you cook the meals, and you take care of…”
Except Todd couldn’t seem to find who he was looking for.
“Alice! Alice!”
At the shouting, a young girl shuffled down the stairs and sat quietly.
“Oh, there you are.”
Kara smiled at her. However, Alice only looked cautiously back. Perhaps she was a bit shy.
Housekeeping was no problem. Trash, vacuum, dishes; complete.
Every now and then, Kara would see Alice watching her out of the corner of her eye. Hopefully that was a good sign. She finished indoors and headed to the backyard.
Ah. The laundry had been left out while she was gone. It would have to be rewashed.
As she took down the laundry, Alice came out of the house. Kara knelt down beside her.
“You like playing out here?”
Alice kept playing with her stuffed fox.
“You look bored. Would you like to play a game?”
Alice looked up, and Kara thought she might accept, but instead she walked back in the house. Perhaps later then.
When Kara went into the laundry room, she found something strange. Tucked in the detergent was a packet of red crystals. A scan revealed it to be red ice; comprised of acetone, lithium, thirium, toluene, and hydrochloric acid. So Todd used or sold drugs.
Kara tucked it back in the detergent.
Antidepressants upstairs as well. Signs of aggression from Todd and fear in Alice. The picture being painted was not a pleasant one.
Chores done for now, Kara went to check on Alice.
The room was noticeably brighter than the rest of the house, with natural light coming in through the window. In the corner, Alice had a blanket fort filled with books, drawings, and string lights. Kara wondered if she’d helped make it; it was rather nice for the work of such a young girl.
“I’m sure we used to be friends before I was reset. Maybe we can be friends again.”
Alice looked up, as if searching for something in her face, before looking down again.
“You should tell me about yourself. What you like to do, where you like to go, your favorite foods. That would really help me.” Asides from the Alice in Wonderland book Kara had found on her floor, Kara had no idea what her interests were.
This time Alice looked at her longer, watching her as she spoke.
“You’re very quiet. I hope I don’t scare you.”
It seemed that perhaps Kara did scare her, as at these words, she darted out of the blanket fort. But then she stopped suddenly at the door, turning to look at Kara. Running back, she placed a key in Kara’s hand, before heading out into the hall.
A key? What for? Kara glanced around the room. On the chest of drawers was a small box with a keyhole, the kind of thing one would put childhood trinkets inside.
Sure enough, the key fit.
A family photo. Where was Alice’s mother? It seemed as though she was no longer around.
Oh. A drawing of Alice, crying and bleeding. Not surprising really, given their behavior, but alarming all the same.
The surprise wasn’t until the last drawing. Kara had been hit by Todd--badly. So badly she had to be sent to the store and…
Kara set the drawings back inside, locking the chest.
Downstairs, Todd was confronting Alice.
“Don’t you think I tried to make things work? But whatever I do, something just comes along and FUCKS IT ALL UP!”
He flung a chair across the room, advancing on Alice. Kara stepped forward.
Tod grabbed Alice. “SAY IT! YOU HATE ME!”
Kara took another step, but as soon as the anger arrived, it seemed to leave. Slowly, Todd lowered Alice to the ground.
“God, what am I doing?”
But his tears seemed no relief to Alice, who looked at Kara desperately. It was with reluctance that she returned Todd’s hug.