Chapter Text
15th of August, 2038.
8:29:05pm.
Going over his calibration sequence, Connor stood waiting for the elevator to reach the designated floor; level 70.
Upon his arrival, Connor fixed his tie and squared his shoulders. A confident body language he was programmed to portray in situations that required negotiation. Blythe had said that it intimidated suspects and showed the humans that he was aware of what he was doing. Connor did not understand why he needed to comfort others into believing his ability, but Blythe had told him to trust her. So, he did.
He noticed a picture of the Phillips family, analyzed it for relevant information, then put it back. The hostage's name was Emma. Connor deciphered this may be useful information. With further inspection, Connor took notice of the broken fish tank, the squelch of his shoe meeting the water cast his attention down to the floor. A Dwarf Gourami lay on the floor, by his calculations the fish would last only minutes before suffocating if not introduced to water. Connor decided to save it, placing it back in what remained of the fish tank.
SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^^^
On his way into the main living area, he was introduced to Caroline Phillips. The mother of the hostage was emotionally compromised, the distress she was undergoing evident on her face. He paid no attention to her shouts of “why aren’t you sending a real person?” while she was forcibly being taken away from the crime scene.
OBJECTIVE: FIND CAPTAIN ALLEN
“I DON’T GIVE A SHIT! My men are ready to step in… just give the order!”
Connor took note of the Captain’s hostile attitude. He allowed the Captain to finish the phone call, watching the back and forth pacing and accompanying expletive language. Waiting 5 seconds to ensure that the Captain had completed any use of his mobile device, Connor introduced himself.
“Captain Allen? My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by CyberLife.”
The Captain appeared to deflate with a sigh, though Connor could not process which emotion caused such a reaction. He would ask Blythe later for an explanation.
“It’s firing at everything that moves, it already shot down two of my men…” Connor focuses all attention on the Captains explanation of the situation. “We could easily get it, but they’re on the edge of the balcony. If it falls, she falls.”
An outline of the circumstances had already been sent to Connor before his arrival, the Captain had only just repeated them. He needed more if he was to successfully save the victim. Additionally, CyberLife wanted more information on Deviants.
“Do you know if it has been behaving strangely before this?”
“I haven’t got a clue. Does it matter?”
An expected response since the Captain had no encountered the android before this, though is apparent annoyance confounded him. Being angry would lessen the success rate. Perhaps explaining the reason behind his questioning would be of service.
“I need information to determine the best approach.”
The Captain said nothing, Connor thought it an opportunity to ask another question.
“Has it experienced an emotional shock recently?”
Connor stayed perfectly still as the Captain walked towards him. It occurred to Connor that the Captain did not like the questions being asked, not understood of how they could be of use.
“Listen, saving that kid is all that matters. So, either you deal with this fucking android now, or I’ll take care of it.”
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 48%
With that, the Captain walked passed Connor with an annoyed facial expression. Connor would have to get his answers from elsewhere.
OBJECTIVE: UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED
OBJECTIVE: SAVE HOSTAGES AT ALL COSTS
Connor watched as his objectives were updated. He remembered what Blythe had told him before he was sent on duty. You may be replaceable, but you’re not indestructible. He had been commanded to complete the mission by any means possible by Amanda, while Blythe told him to complete it without self-sacrifice.
Looking around the room, an empty gun case caught his attention. There was a box of .355 ammunition beside the case.
[Velocity: 365m/s/ Energy:659j]
[Bullet Weight: 115 gr / Power factor: 414k]
Connor’s LED turned yellow as he processed and stored the data. It continued to do so as he moved onto the case of an MS853 Black Hawk.
[Capacity: 17 rounds (.355)]
[Overall: 8.5in / Barrel: 5in]
With this new data, Connor reconstructed the Deviants actions; stealing Mr. Phillips gun. The corner of Connor’s mouth twitched as he recalled a comment about bloody guns and bloody Americans that Blythe had made.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 51%
Connor needed more information to make the correct decisions when confronted with the Deviant. He moved into the hostage's room. There was a tablet with a recording of the hostage.
“This is Daniel, the coolest android in the world! Say hi, Daniel”
DEVIANTS NAME: DANIEL
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 58%
Connor could determine that the hostage and the deviant had a close relationship. This could prove useful in making the deviant understand the damage it has done.
There was music still playing through the hostage's earphones. The hostage could not hear the gunshots, making it easy to grab them by surprise.
PROBABILTY OF SUCCESS 61%
With the hostage's room producing no more relevant information, Connor left the room. He made his way towards the body of Mr. Phillips, analyzing the multitude of wounds that resulted in his death. The .355 bullets causing an upper lung hemorrhage: pneumothorax left kidney perforate: fatal abdominal tumor and a lower lung hemorrhage: internal bleeding. Connor used the data to reconstruct the victim's death. Stepping back to watch as the Father dropped a tablet with the surprise shooting.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 63%
Connor traced the reconstruction to the tablets whereabouts. The far corner. It was covered in blood stains but the purchase for the new AP700 model was easily read. The deviant was going to be replaced, an emotional trigger. Placing the tablet down, Connor walked away, making his way towards the kitchen.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 70%
A loud bang and the sound of glass being broken captured Connor’s attention.
“Holy shit! Cover me while I evacuate him.”
“Man down! I repeat, man down! Requesting immediate evac!”
Shouts of shock and desperation merged into each other as another officer from the DPD was shot. Looking towards the window where the chaos originated from, Connor noticed a splatter of Thirium on the blinds. Was the deviant injured? Turning his attention back to the first responding DPD officer, Connor concluded that he had died from internal bleeding and had residue from a gun on his left hand. His reconstruction showed that the officer had shot the deviant, the hostage having witnessed both the deviant and officer shoot each other. The Thirium on the blinds a result of the conflict.
Connor located the weapon used by DPD officer and picked it up. Weapons don’t help resolve disputes Connor, you can’t fight violence with violence. Blythe’s words from three days prior caused Connor to falter. Instead of using it on the deviant, he could use it as a bargaining chip. Connor continued to pick up the gun. It was a P.L. 544-7 American Androids Act – 2029.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 78%
Making his way closer to the window, Connor stopped momentarily to analyze the Thirium splatter on the floor.
[Model PL600 – Serial #369 911 04]
DEVIANT MODEL: PL600
Standing back up to his full height, Connor’s attention shifted to a shoe laying not far from the Thirium. Kneeling next to it, he analyzed the footwear and concluded that it was the hostage's shoe. The faint blue patches signified that the hostage may also be wounded.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 83%
Before stepping out onto the terrace balcony, Connor pulled back a blind to assess the situation.
On the far edge of the balcony, the Deviant stood upon the half wall holding the hostage securely in his arms. Preventing her from falling, as well as preventing the DPD officers from being able to grab hold of the child.
While stepping out onto the terrace, Connor was shot in the shoulder. His LED changing red from the damaged received. Connor pulled an unimpressed face. The Deviant must have known that such an action could not deter him from his objective. He briefly wondered how Blythe would react to the knowledge that he had been shot. Again, Connor was muttered often when she fixed his broken compartments. Turning his attention back to the Deviant, he noticed the blood on the hostage's leg.
“Stay back! Don’t come any closer or I’ll jump!”
A threat that the hostage quickly objected too. Having realized the danger of her situation when Daniel shot the officer.
“No! No, please! I’m begging you!”
The deviant angled the gun towards the hostages head and tightened their hold on them.
Connor assessed the new development around him. On the roof of the opposite building, snipers began to be set up ready to take the deviant out when the hostage was freed. A helicopter was circling around the terrace watching and waiting for the end result.
Connor choice to shift the Deviant's attention for the hostage onto himself.
“Hi, Daniel. My name is Connor.”
“How do you know my name?!”
“I know a lot of things about you. I’ve come to get you out of this.”
The helicopter got closer to the terrace, the force hitting furniture over and pushing water form the swimming pool onto the deck. The noise and added attention caused the Deviant’s stress levels to rise.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 67%
Approaching the Deviant slowly, caution keeps us alive, Connor decided to take a calm approach.
“I know you’re angry, Daniel. But you need to trust me and let me help you.”
“I don’t want you help! Nobody can help me! All I want is for all this stop…I…I just want all this to stop…”
Connor had diverted away from his path towards the Deviant, having seen an injured DPD officer laying to the side. Connor flicked his attention between the Deviant and the Officer.
“He’s losing blood. If we don’t get to him to a hospital he’s going to die.”
Connor kept his attention on the Deviant to watch for any signs that he was going to jump. The Deviant had a confused expression on its face. Watching Connor care for the wounded DPD Officer confused the Deviant, who was unsure of the motive behind Connor’s actions.
“All humans die eventually, what does it matter if this one dies now?”
“I’m going to apply a tourniquet.”
By explaining his actions, the Deviant would be aware of what was happening and be less inclined to act irrationally. While turning the officer unto his back, the deviant fired a warning shot at Connor.
“Don’t touch him!”
Shifting his full attention back to the Deviant, Connor raised both hands in a small surrender gesture.
“Touch him and I kill you!”
“You can’t kill me. I’m not alive.”
With this, Connor pulled off his tie and wrapped it around the Officer’s wound, choosing to ignore the look of intrigue and confusion apparent on the Deviant’s face.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 64%
Once he had applied the tourniquet, Connor slowly stood up and focused on the Deviant. Having gotten over the confusion of the scene before him, the deviant continues to focus his gun on Connor.
“Are you armed?”
Connor debated between the prospect of lying or telling the truth. Don’t lie unless you absolutely must, got it, Connor?
“Yes. I have a gun.”
“Drop it! No sudden moves or I’ll shoot!”
The Deviant’s arm moved slightly to and fro, wanting Connor to through the gun and keeping his aimed at the RK800. Connor produced the weapon and through it towards the pool.
“There, no more gun.”
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 70%
Connor ran through his collected data observed from the crime scene, finding information that would aid him in calming the Deviant down. Continuing to slowly make his way towards the Deviant, Connor started to try and reason with it.
“They were going ot replace you and you became upset. That’s what happened, right?”
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 80%
“I thought I was part of the family. I thought I mattered… But I was just their toy, something to throw away when you’re done with it…”
With the Deviant starting to stabilize, Connor began to ask questions of an emotional and personal nature.
“I know you and Emma were very close. You think she betrayed you – but she’s done nothing wrong.”
“She lied to me… I thought she loved me… but I was wrong… She’s just like all the other humans…”
The Deviant pressed the gun back to the hostages head causing them to start to struggle again. Connor had to reach and understanding with the deviant. Presenting himself as sympathetic would make him seem similar to the deviant, gaining more trust.
“Listen, I know it’s not your fault. 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…”
During its confession, the deviant had begun to lower its gun.
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 96%
Connor could see the snipers focusing on the Deviant ready to take a shot. The movement of the gun back to the hostages head turned his attention back to the Deviant.
“But I was nothing to them… just a slave to be ordered around…”
The gun was pushed tightly against the hostage when the helicopter got closer to the Deviant. The noise and force making Connor shift his attention momentarily. With the Deviants attention back on the helicopter, its stress levels began to rise once more. It brought its fun to its head and groaned.
“I can’t stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to get out of here!”
With the gun now pointing towards him, Connor had to think quickly. Keep the back-up or appease the Deviant? What had Blythe said? Gain their trust, make yourself seem like the good guy and catch them unawares.
Connor raised his arm and signaled for the helicopter to leave.
“There, I did what you wanted.”
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 98%
“You have to trust me, Daniel. Let the hostage go and I promise you everything will be fine.”
The Deviant had slowly started to lower its gun while Connor spoke but raised it again when voicing its demands.
“I want everyone to leave… And I want a car! When I’m outside the city, I’ll let her go!”
Connor’s statistics suggested that the Deviant would most likely not do as it had promised. Choosing to keep her out of fear of being caught again.
“That’s impossible, Daniel. Let the girl go and I promise you won’t be hurt.”
“I don’t wanna die…”
Knowing that once the girl had been saved the Deviant would automatically be shot down, Connor chooses to lie.
“You’re not going to die. We’re just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you. You have my word.”
PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS 100%
The Deviant nodded before it spoke. Letting Connor know that it trusted his judgment.
“Okay… I trust you”
With that, the Deviant lowered the hostage to the ground, where she runs towards the pool before falling due to exhaustion. Crying from both residue fear and newfound relief. Connor maintains eye contact with the Deviant until a sniper shot it in the side. Thirium spraying from the wound. Another shot landed on his right shoulder, blowing out a decent chunk of the Deviant’s upper arm. The left side of his face was shot next, its jaw and next being blown off by the impact.
The Deviant feel to its knees, Thirium tickling out of the wounds and unto its uniform. It locked its eyes with Connors, a pained expression of betrayal evident beneath the Thirium tacks on its face.
“You lied to me, Connor. You lied to me…”
The Deviant shut down and its vocalizer was consumed by static.
SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^^^
Connor looked from the deceased Deviant to the hostage as Captain Allen entered the terrace. The girl's small sobs now echoing in the aftermath.
MISSION COMPLETE
Connor turned and walked towards the door, ignoring the look of shock on the Captains face and want to say something. Connor was gone before he could. The SWAT team entered and split, some darted towards the young girl, while others made their way to the empty body of the Deviant.
Entering the elevator Connor prioritized sending the report to Amanda and CyberLife of the passing events before returning to Blythe and getting his shot wound fixed. She would not be pleased about this decision but would respect it none the less. She always did.