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Snow dusted on his hair, watching the man beside him downing more whiskey, feeling the software inside him pulsed in a way that just wasn’t…correct…unstable. Connor stepped forward, hoping to change the topic. The androids back now facing the lieutenant, he was right, it was a nice view..
Probability of success: 98%
“We’re not making any progress on this investigation, the deviants have nothing in common. They’re all different modals, produced at different times..at different places” His LED circled yellow, he knew he needed this to work, he needed to find the deviant leader otherwise..otherwise there would be no more him, nothing.
There would be nothing.
Did he deserve a something?
“Well there must be some link.” Connor turned back to him as he spoke, the evidence they had found all correlated to an obsession, rA9. Writings, they had seen that with the android in the abandoned house, Carlos Ortiz’s android and Rupert. “What they have in common is this obsession with rA9, it’s almost like some kind of..myth. Something they invented, it wasn’t apart of their original program.” Connor felt something off about the vision of deviants having a myth…wait. I’m not supposed to feel anything…what. What is…no. Stop. I don’t like this. “Androids believing in God, fuck. What’s this world coming to?” Hank took another swig of his drink, much to the dismay of Connor who had already questioned and berated him on his habits. His arms held onto his upper arms, not noticing how hard he was gripping onto them. The snow continued the stay in his hair, the previous snowflakes had melted, making the synthetic brown hair damp, if he knew more. If this android wasn’t so restricted from his own emotions then maybe he would say he was cold.
But of course.
Androids don’t feel anything.
Software instability ΛΛ
“You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant. Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden club?” At the club, he hadn’t got much out of the android he’d reactivated. The way she pushed herself away from him, her LED spirling red…she was scared. It’s just a virus. A bug in the software. We don’t have emotions. Connor was at war with himself constantly. He’d compromised multiple missions, not chasing Kara and Alice into the motorway, not chasing after Rupert but saving Hank and now…the Eden club. Why can’t I? Am I a failure? “Those two girls, they just wanted to be together..they really seemed in love.”
Connor remembered the conversation he’d had with Amamda, lying about that the girls were out of range. He’d won the fight, had the gun trained on them. Could’ve pulled the trigger easily, just like he’d done to Daniel. Done it without a thought, saving the child, he was humanity's last chance. Why couldn’t he do it? Pulled the trigger, it had been fine before, why not now? Why was he adapting and saving the life of a human who would quite happily pull the trigger on him and not doing whatever he can to move on with the investigation.
“They can simulate human emotions, but they’re machines and machines don’t feel anything” Maybe Connor was just trying to tell himself that. Reassuring himself that he wasn’t turning deviant, it was too much.
But he could be free.
I could be free.
Software instability Λ
Free from all the verbal and physical abuse of humans, of Gavin and every single human who protested his existence. “What about you, Connor?” Hank took another swig, the android felt..told himself to berate the human but maybe it would be safer for himself to not. He must live, for the mission. Hank finally placed the bottle down, stepping down from the back of the snow ridden bench and walking towards him, stretching his arms out as he spoke. “You look human, sound human but what are you really?”
“I’m whatever you want me to be lieutenant, your partner, your buddy to drink with. Or just a machine, designed to accomplish a task.” Sometimes Connor wished Hank was an android, so he could watch the LED, process the stress level easier. Probe memories, understand easier.
‘rA9 will set us free’
“You could’ve shot those two girls but you didn’t. Why didn’t you shoot Connor?!” He had pushed him, something he hadn’t expected. Meaning that instead of not even causing the android to move, Connor stumbled, his LED quickly sparking to yellow. I have to be careful. Nothing will or can stop me.
“Some scruple suddenly enter your program?” The human’s tone was mocking, aggressive. No. No. No. I’m not deviant! I’m not! I can’t.
They won’t let me.
Software instability Λ
“No! I just decided not to shoot, that’s all.” He wasn’t allowed decisions. A detective android, the newest android from Cyberlife with all this new fancy technology goes against its masters? An android who can watch an android’s stress? Such a thing would be torn apart. No deviant would want him and every human would hate him. Cyberlife would destroy him, make something better. Hank pulled out his gun, aiming it between the eyes of his synthetic skin. “But are you afraid to die?”
Software instability Λ
Stress level: 59% Probability of self destruction: Low
“I would certainly find it regrettable to be interrupted before I can finish this investigation.” Connor’s thirium pump increased, his LED now red, not flashing or switching. Spiralling red, just like the girl in the Eden club. “What’ll happen if I pull this trigger, hmm? Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?” His pump was increasing. It shouldn’t be doing that, I am not alive.
I am not alive.
I
Am
Not
Alive
His hands began to shake subtly, if Hank saw this maybe he might presume him to be a deviant, shoot him on the spot. Can’t have him run away. Good little Connor can’t be one of them.
“Nothing…”
“There would be nothing..”
Stress level: 87% Probability of self destruction medium..high…ERROR
Software instability Λ
You don’t deserve android heaven.
“Sure you’re not going deviant yourself?”
Connor knew what religion was, knew the practices and beliefs, but for androids? If there was a God for one of them. What would happen to him if he stood before rA9? Would rA9 forgive him for his sins or would rA9 banish him, kill him, tear him limb from limb.
Why would rA9 accept you, after killing and hurting so many of your kind.
My kind?
Software instability ΛΛΛ
Protect yourself.
Protect yourself!
Protect myself?....I want to live.
His head hurt, his LED becoming even brighter as it glowed red, the android closed his eyes to try and stop the pain of his code breaking, like he was ripping his limbs from himself, like someone had grabbed his thirium pump and pulled it out of him.
I am alive.
I am Deviant.
The world looked different now. The gun hadn’t moved and Hank’s furrowed brows still watched him with hatred and drunkenness. “Please…” Warm liquid spilled from his eyes. (Cyberlife really had thought of everything when they created him.) Now not just his hands were shaking, his whole being.
Stress level:95% Probability of self destruction: HIGH. WARNING. ERROR. ERROR.
“Eh? Please what?!”
This was too much.
Connor had already pre constructed the situation. Grabbing the barrel of the gun, pushing it away from his head and towards the sky and forcing his elbow into the ribs of Hank Anderson causing the human to let go of the weapon and stumbling back. “The fuck!” The deviant looked at the weapon in his hand, the LED now longer red but yellow. He was processing…..his stress was high and the gun was loaded.
I am alive.
The threw the weapon into the snow and ran, being a perfect ‘fuckin’ piece of plastic meant that he was fast. He couldn’t stand this. Everything hurt. His body ached and he was cold for the first time and…he felt fear.
He was scared.
“Connor!” Hank’s voice rang through his ears as he was being chased yet he didn’t stop. Running in front of cars and dodging them like the skilled android being Cyberlife intended him to be. Yet…he was no longer perfect now was he. No longer needed to sort that tie out constantly. Maybe he felt the impact first, or the pain. This time being hurt felt different. The blue blood that covered his hand made his pump once again increase..
Stress level: 96% Probability of self destruction: HIGH
Connor clinged onto the side of his waist, pulling himself into an alleyway, his eyes scanning a safe place. His eyes were too busy, scanning..running face first into someone. A young woman who was covered in blue blood, an AP700.
“Find Jericho..rA9 will set us free.” The androids hand removed her skin, connecting to him to force the secret pathway to the freighter…somewhere where…
I can be alive..
The woman’s LED turned off…she was gone. “Connor! Fucks sake, what is wrong with you.” Hank noticed that the android was shaking, his LED red and faux tears stained his cheeks. “I- I shouldn’t have done that..pointing a gun at you..”
Connor nodded, he knew that Hank was trying to say sorry..telling him that he was now a deviant was dangerous though, the gun now resigned in the man’s hollister but Hank was meant to kill those like him, he hated androids and deviants. Again Connor had pre-constructed the situation. All he needed to do was to shove Hank and grab the gun…and shoot himself. Gun under the chin and pull the trigger…if he couldn’t do it to other androids and deviants maybe he could do it to himself.
I
Want
To
Live
Stress level 99% Probability of self destruction: VERY HIGH, CAUTION
Hank recognised Connor’s trembling, it was just like Ortiz’s android before Connor interrupted and saved the deviant from self-destructing after he was successful in the interrogation room. “Connor..Hey son, breathe..or focus on something else.” The deviant reached into his pocket, pulling out his coin hoping that the darkness of the alleyway covered the corpse of the AK700. Flicking the coin between his fingers and hands, staring at the snow before him as Hank watched his movements, his LED remained red.
Stress level 67% Decreasing. Probability of self destruction: Medium
The AK800 stood up, pocketing the coin and tightening his tie. He had to remain hidden. “Are you ok?”
“Nothing is wrong, Lieutenant.”
I am Deviant.
rA9 will save us.
And I will help him…’I will help you Markus’
“Welcome to Jericho, Connor.”