Chapter Text
Connor was stuck.
PROCESSING..
PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
His movements were precise, efficient as always. Every drawer in the bathroom was opened at the exact angle required, and every object inside them was catalogued and dismissed at the same time. Singular waterdrops falling into the sink from the faucet with soft clicks. The problem wasn't that Connor was searching incorrectly, or at the wrong place.
OVERRIDE_PRIORITY_MISSION: Ask Hank about the toothpaste. REJECTED.
PROCEED_WITH_PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
Everything else in his mind became secondary. Breathing was deemed unnecessary.
Speaking was deemed unnecessary.
Thinking was deemed unnecessary.
As far as Connor could tell, this was mildly problematic.
"You good, Connor? You have been in there for twenty minutes. Not that I wanna judge you for doing... whatever it is that androids do in bathrooms." Hank's voice said through the door.
Hank's Stress Levels: 70%
PROCESSING...
OVERRIDE_PRIORITY_MISSION: Find the missing coins
OVERRIDE unsuccessful
PRIORITY MISSION: Find the missing toothpaste
His voice modulator remained silent, his optical units fixed on the row of soaps and sponges in the bathtub. No toothpaste.
What a shame.
Connor continued the search. His hand slipped, and the handle of the faucet twisted– the water steamed into the air like mist, hitting Connor's hand.
A loud bang on the door echoed through the bathroom.
"Hey, Connor! Answer me goddamnit!"
PROCESSING...
answer Lt.Anderson
PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
A neutral smile formed on his lips.
"Hello, Lieutenant! I am afraid that I am currently unable to assist, as I seem to be incapable of stopping my search for toothpaste." He accidentally knocked off some soap off the sink, so he let it fall to the ground.
Connor continued to search thoroughly, even as the bathroom door burst inward, and crashed to the ground. Without any warning, Hank had forcefully knocked down the door. Police style, hurrying towards Connor. The sweatpants, shirt, and messy grey hair were perhaps ruining the image just a bit, but the firearm in his hand more than made up for it.
PROCESSING...
OBSERVATION: Lt Anderson appears troubled.
OBJECTIVE: reassure.REJECTED
PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
Emotional response recognized and catalogued as 'fear'
Connor's systems couldn't act on the observation.
His hand moved on it's own, knocking off more soap to the ground. This development was quite unfortunate.
Hank had taken in a deep breath, to calm himself down. Whatever was happening with Connor, Hank wasn't remotely familiar with how androids worked. He'd never cared much about it. But now— he really wished he had.
Connor didnt even flinch when the door broke down. He was still moving around, the same cold focus from his detective work— applied to whatever this was.
... It was outright creepy.
"You malfunctioning?" The lieutenant asked, his voice even, he was visibly ignoring the door busted door on the ground.
Kicking the door down had only a 12% chance of improving the situation. And a 100% of them having to replace it later.
Diagnostic rejected.
No information about system malfunctions available
PROCEED: PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
"I suppose." The android said. His eyes scanning the room, every square, ever corner, with only one objective in mind.
OVERRIDE_PRIORITY_MISSION: UNSUCCESSFUL
PROCEED_WITH_PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
Hank cursed. "Fuck. And how do we fix it?"
PROCESSING....
OBJECTIVE: fix malfunction
OBJECTIVE: Pick up the soap
OBJECTIVE: reassure Lt. Anderson
OBJECTIVE: Fix code later
Connor's movements stuttered. His hand flaoting above another drawer handle. He let it drop to his side.
His processors, finally interrupted from the task, tried to stay that way.
It was quite inefficient that his systems deemed missing toothpaste as important as operating a vehicle safely.
Then the android stopped the flow of water with a simple turn of the handle on the faucet, before straightening his jacket.
"I believe that it already–"
PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
... And he was at it again.
OVERRIDE_PRIORITY_MISSION: UNSUCCESSFUL
PROCEED_WITH_PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
With each passing notification, he grew more and more certain that he would spend the rest of his 173-year operational lifespan searching for toothpaste in Hank's bathroom.
Really, he'd rather do anything else.
OVERRIDE_PRIORITY_MISSION: UNSUCCESSFUL
PROCEED_WITH_PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
He couldn't stop.
OVERRIDE_PRIORITY_MISSION: UNSUCCESSFUL
PROCEED_WITH_PRIORITY MISSION: Find the toothpaste
Surely there must be—
PROCESSING...
OBJECTIVE: fix malfunction
OBJECTIVE: Pick up the soap
OBJECTIVE: reassure Lt. Anderson
OBJECTIVE: clean the room
OBJECTIVE: fix the door
Suddenly he felt his hands moving around freely again, without the invisible chains of the objective forcing him to.
Oh. So that's how he could fix it.
Alright.
His LED flashed red. The android froze, as though someone had pulled the plug.
It probably scared the shit out of Hank, who was at complete loss of what to do, hovering around the android.
The android's optical units were filled with more notifications than he could process, and he kept spamming more and more and more.
OBJECTIVE: fix malfunction
OBJECTIVE: Pick up the soap
OBJECTIVE: reassure Lt. Anderson
OBJECTIVE: Fix code later
OBJECTIVE: find missing coins
OBJECTIVE: spin the coin
OBJECTIVE: give food to Sumo
OBJECTIVE: Research about human psychology and depression
OBJECTIVE: learn how to cook a meal
OBJECTIVE: be a very good detective
OBJECTIVE: be a Connor
MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES, SELECT PRIORITY:
/Previous incident: loss of autonomy resulted in critical threat./
/Risk assessment... : unacceptable./
/Priority updated./
STATUS: Accomplished
Connor blinked.
No more searching.
No more waterdrops.
Nothing.
He noticed a hand hesitantly waving in front of his optical units.
Ah. Apparently, the lieutenant had been trying to get his attention.
A quick look into the memory files confirmed that Hank had been trying to get Connor to respond for at least a minute and 30 seconds.
"Connor?" Hank's voice asked. "Hello? Earth to Connor? Should I call an android ambulance? Do androids even have ambulances?"
Before answering, Connor glanced at himself in the mirror. At his hands as they were hanging at his sides, and his yellow LED spinning slowly. His face was as composed as ever.
Connor shook his head. "No need. The malfunction was resolved."
Hank stared at him.
The android's systems stabilized in a matter of seconds, soon his LED returned to a neutral calm blue. What a relief.
"I am going try and retrieve my coin from under the couch." The android said, dead serious.
Before Hank could respond, Connor was already halfway down the hallway.
As he watched the android leave, something uncomfortable creeped down the lieutenant's neck. A feeling. Fleeting as it was—
Something was not right.
He glanced at the mess left behind in the bathroom. The door he was going to have to fix. The soap lying on the ground.
The human kneeled down to pick it up, his back protesting with a sharp crack.
Hank grimassed, and carefully inspected the soap.
His eyes landed on something on the edge of the sink. Something that shouldn't be there. Not after everything that happened just now.
The human took a step back.
The missing toothpaste was standing on the sink. Positioned in a perfect 90° angle towards the door.