Chapter Text
"Connor? Are you alright? You seem fidgety?" I asked the Android who was tapping his fingers on his leg as we sat in the car on the way to the crime scene.
"I'm completely fine Detective Lyra. I'm just processing information needed for this case." He spoke clearly and certain, like every android is programmed to do.
"Here." I held up a coin. "Watch carefully." I said as I balanced the coin on my fingers and stated the flick it between both hands, catching it with my pointer and muddled finger. "Here you go." I placed the coin in him palm.
Connor looked at the coin in is palm and then back at me. "I have no need for currency in my position." He dead panned.
I laughed. "No. No. It's to help you concentrate. I've noticed that you fidget a lot while processing so I figured this would be better."
"Oh..." he mumbled looking down at the coin then doing the exact same tick I just did. "Thank you Detective." He said as the taxi came to a stop.
"No problem. And it's just Lyra, please. I'm just your supervisor." I said as we got out of the car and walked to the apartment building. The top floor was open for anyone with a police badge to enter so I scanned it on the screen and pressed on the tenth floor button.
Conner had already started to copy my coin trick and adapt it. I sighed. Androids are superior to us in every single way yet they get treated like an old cell phone that just happens have the ability to walk.
"Lyra, I have just received a report that the deviant is armed. I would advise you to stay inside during the negotiation." Connor said, putting the coin in his pocket and straightening his tie.
"Yeah..." I scoffed tapping my chest wear my breast plat sat. "No chance."
The elevator doors closed and we stepped into the apartment.
"Negotiators on site. Repeat...negotiators on site." A man in a completely black uniform, armed with a gun, talked into an ear piece as he walked around the corner.
I picked up a picture sitting on the mantel. A man, women and girl were in frame.
"Connor. Can you identify them please?" I handed Connor the picture.
His LED flickered. "John, Caroline and Emma Philips."
"Emma is the name of the hostage." I mumbled, but I know Connor heard me.
"No. Stop...I...I...I can't leave her!" We heard a woman scream. We watched as she was dragged around the corner by to agents. It's Caroline...the mother. "Oh. Please. Please. You have to save my little girl..." Caroline begged as she ran up to Connor. "Wait...your sending an Android? You...you can't do that!"
"Alright ma'am. We need to go." The agent ordered, starting to drag her away.
"Why aren't you sending a real person!"
"Wait!" I called out, walking up to her. "Caroline? Right? My names Lyra. Lyra Jameson." I spoke gently "I'm a specialist of deviancy in androids at Cyberlife. I will be conducting the negotiation tonight, okay? I promise to get your daughter back safely." I gave her a gentle smile.
"Thank you..."
"Don't thank me yet." I giggled, hoping to lighten the mood before turning around on my heal and walking back to Connor. "Let's go Connor."
"Wait..." I turned around to see Connor picking up a fish and putting him back in his tank.
"I knew you had a soft side." I pushed him in the arm playfully. The apartment was crawling with agents. I heard yelling coming from a room across the way and sure enough, it was Captain Allen. "Captain Allen..."
"I don't believe this!" He snapped, practically throwing his phone onto the desk.
"Captain Allen." I tried again. He turned around, giving me and Connor a disapproving look. "I am Detective Lyra Jameson and this is Connor. We are the negotiators sent my Cyberlife."
Captain Allen just turned back to the computer screen. "It's firing at everything that moves. It has already shot down two of my men. We could easily take it down but it's standing on the edge of the building, so if it falls, she goes with it."
"Do you know it's name?" Connor asked.
"You let that thing talk for you?" Captain Allen ignored Connor.
"Connor is specifically designed for this exact situation. I have trust that it will ask the right questions. Now...answer the damn question."
"I haven't got a clue. Does it matter?"
"I need information to determine the best approach."
"Listen, saving that kid is all that matters. So either you take care of this fucking Android now, or I do." Captain Allen went up close to Connor. Way to close.
"Come on Connor. No reasoning with the unreasonable." I gave Captain Allen a glare as he walked away. "What's our probability of success?"
"48%" Connor answered.
"Great." I threw my arms up into the air in defeat. "We better get looking for clues then." My eyes landed on an empty gun case on the floor. "Connor..."
We both knelt down next to the gun case.
Connor analysed it before standing up. "Deviant took the fathers gun."
"Self defence?"
"Possibly..."
"It wouldn't have deviated unless something triggered the glitch in its programming." Connor didn't answer. His LED flickered before walking into the girls room.
A pair of headphones was sitting on the bed. I picked them up and listened to it.
"The musics loud, meaning she wouldn't have heard the deviant attack." I turned to see Conor watching a video on the girls tablet.
"The deviants name is Daniel." Connor said before scanning the room and leaving.
We started heading to the main part of the house. SWAT agents were crowed around the exit to the balcony. The fathers body was laying on the floor in the living room, perched up on a metal bracket with glass smashed around him.
"He was thrown into the coffee table." I said looking over the body. "Shot multiple times by the deviant."
"The impact of the gun shots threw him back." Connor stated, confirming my theory. "He was holding something." Connor knelt down and picked up a tablet. "He was purchasing a new Android. An AP700 to be exact."
"So Daniel was being replaced..." He probably felt betrayed.
"It's highly likely."
"But that's not enough to make it deviate. Something else must have happened before to it before this."
"The child was close to it. It probably thought it loved her." Connor stated. I nodded. It's highly likely that he did feel loved. Sadly, not all humans like Androids like I do.
"Sounds about ri..." Three gun shots sounded from the kitchen. "Crap. The Android shot!"
"Stand down!" Captain Allen ordered as an Agent dragged the injured one away.
"Detective. I do insist that you stay here. I don't want this situation to trigger..."
"Oh do shut up Connor. Its very naive to think I care about my own well being." I budged past him and knelt down next to the dead body.
Connor dropped the subject and knelt down next to me. "Officer Decker. He was a first responder. Gained a gun shot to the heart. Died instantly. He has gun shot residue on his hands." Connor stated, scanning the body before standing up. He looked towards the balcony. "The Deviant was shot and the officers gun..." Connor walked around the table and knelt down. "...ended up over here." I watched as he pocketed he gun.
"But that means the deviant sustained an injury." I mumbled to myself. He must feel threatened. "What about Emma?"
"She could possibly be injured." Connor stated, picking up a shoe. It had traces of blood splattered on it.
"Damn it." I whispered to myself before looking outside. Daniel was standing on the edge of the roof, holding a gun to Emma's head. "What's our percentage?"
"76%"
"Better now then never." I mumbled.
Connor nodded, stepping outside. A gun shot rung out, causing me to jump.
Therium was splattered over the curtain and there was a hole in Connors jacket. He was hit.
"Connor."
"Stay behind me." Connor ordered, putting his hand in front of me defensively.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer or I'll jump!" Daniel yelled, his LED flickering red for a bit then back to yellow. He's scared.
"No! No! Please! I'm begging you!" Emma squeaked.
"Emma listen to me! We're not going to let you fall okay!" I yelled over the sound of the chopper. "Stay calm!"
"Hi Daniel! My name is Connor..."
"How..." Daniel started.
"And this is Lyra. We want to help."
"How do you know my name!"
"We know a lot of things about you." Connor stated as the helicopter circled around, causing furniture to fly over the patio, panicking Daniel.
"I know your angry Daniel! But you need to trust us so we can help you." I said inching past Connor.
"I don't want your help! No body can help me! All I want is for all this to stop! It just want it to stop!" He begged. We tried to approach him but Daniel instantly pulled the gun on us. "Are you armed!"
"Yes. We both have guns."
"Drop them! No sudden moves or I shoot!"
I took a deep breath before reaching into my jacket and pulling out my hand gun, holding it up and throwing it to the side.
"There. No more guns." I said.
Just at that moment I noticed an officer, laying right at my feet. He's still breathing.
"Connor. Give me your tie." I stuck my hand out to take the tie and slowly knelt down at the officers side.
"What are you doing!" Daniel shot at the ground, some debris hitting my leg.
I stuck my hands up and faced the deviant. "This man needs help. I'm just going to make a tourniquet."
"All humans die eventually! What difference does it make if he dies now!?"
I shook my head, ignoring Daniel and treating the officer. When I was done I put my hands up and stood up slowly. "There. All done."
Daniel seemed to relax a bit.
"They were going to replace you Daniel and you became upset. That's what happened right?" No Connor...let me do the talking.
"I thought I was part of a family. I thought I mattered but I was nothing to them! Just a toy you could throw away when your done with it!"
"No Daniel! Emma loved you! She cared for you." I took over again.
"She betrayed me!" Daniel cocked his gun again.
"We know you two were very close. She didn't betray you Daniel. She did nothing wrong!"
"She lied to me! She said loved me! But I was wrong. She's just like all the other humans!"
"Daniel no..." Emma whined.
"Listen Daniel." Connor spoke up again. "These emotions your feeling, there just errors in your software."
"No it's not my fault. I never wanted this... I loved them...but I was nothing to them! Just a slave to be ordered around!"
"Daniel..."
"I can't stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to go away!" I put my hand up and and told them to circle around.
"There...you have to trust us Daniel. Let Emma go and we promise everything will be fine." I begged.
Daniel stood silent for a bit. "I want everyone to leave! And I want a car! The second I'm outside of the city I'll let her go."
"That's not going to work Daniel...let her go and I'll make sure you won't be hurt." I said calmly, stepping forward.
"I don't want to die..."
"You won't..."
"Okay...I'll let her go..." Daniel put Emma on the ground. Emma immediately ran to the side.
"I'm going to walk over the Emma, Okay Daniel?" Daniel nodded and I slowly walked over to Emma, kneeling beside her. "Hey. Everything's alright now. Okay?"
Just as I said that, three shots rained down and shot Daniel.
"No! What are you doing! He surrendered!" I snapped. They didn't tell me this part of the plan.
"It's an Android Lyra. You need to remember that." Connor stated coldly before walking away.
"You...you lied to me..." Daniel stuttered, shutting down.
"I'm sorry Daniel. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't help."