Reader's perspective

"Hey Hank!" He'd only just entered the room & he was already about to get dragged to another place.

"What is it (L/N)?"

(Y/N) looked at her computer monitor.

"A new deviant case was just reported, up for another?"

"At my age? At this time of day? Shit kid you're joking. No doubt it's up for it though." He tapped Connor's shoulder as the android looked on.

"Then let's get our asses into gear."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Victim's name is Michael Graham, he claims the android choked him before escaping through a window."

(Y/N) pushed the pen in her hand back into her green hoodie's pocket.

"Real question is," (Y/N) was investigating the victim's house with Connor's help, trying to piece together what happened.

"was it self-defence or assault?" she asked the rhetorical question to herself & the android.

She took another look at her surroundings.

"Gosh, none of this makes any sense, there are random events scattered everywhere, it's as though nothing's supposed to match up."

"Like they're trying to evert us from the trail?" Connor asked.

"Exactly. What did Michael say happened?"

"He stated the android threw itself at him all of a sudden, trying to cause harm with a kitchen knife. He fought it back until it took hold of his throat, throwing him into a wall & retreating through the kitchen window."

"There's signs of a struggle in the living room, you sure he's telling the truth?"

"The victim specifically said it started & ended in the kitchen, so far with all the evidence leading up to it I have to agree with him."

"My own android has turned against me, sure you're not deviating Connor?"

He stared at her, puzzled, LED blaring a bright yellow, then red.

"I was joking? Ha ha? Any humour whatsoever? Ugh, forget it."

She grazed her fingers over the windowsill.

"I'm going outside, I need you to stay here & look for any more evidence."

"I assure you Detective, I will help you in whatever way I can in order to find this deviant."

She climbed out the window, knowing the cellar she'd already inspected was still unlocked. (Y/N) went down the stairs, locking the door behind her before looking for the android. There was a shuffle & she froze.

"AP400, if you're down here I don't want to hurt you, I just want to talk." She'd already seen the LED on one of the boxes & hidden it from Connor. The deviant approached hesitantly, peering out from behind an old dryer.

"Why would a human care? Humans hate us, we're the scum of the earth to them."

The officer dropped her gun & phone on the ground, the AP400 staring at the cell phone for a brief moment before everting his eyes back to (Y/N).

"What's your name?"

"Andrew. My name is Andrew."

"Okay Andrew, tell me what happened."

"He was a monster, an absolute monster. Burning my arms with cigarettes, pushing me around the house like his own little toy. I did everything he wanted me to but there was always something wrong. I got up & served him dinner at around 12:30 this morning since he was out at work late. He criticised everything before trying to...abuse me again. But I stopped him. I- I grabbed a knife to defend myself, fending him off for as long as possible before throwing him into a wall & hiding."

(Y/N)'s eyes felt glassy, who would treat a person this way? Torturing them daily?

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Andrew, no-one – whether they're human or not – should have to go through that."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"

"I told you my name, what's yours?"
"(Y/N), my name is (Y/N). Although Connor calls me detective & Hank calls me kid 24/7."
"(Y/N) I need to get to someplace safe, I can't keep hiding in the shadows."

The detective's eyes fell on a window.

"Andrew, I need you to go through that window & remain unseen for as long as possible until you're safe. Okay?"
"Why are you helping me?"

"You know what? I actually don't know. I guess you've kind of opened my eyes to why you all deviate in the first place."

She paused.

"Just stay safe, alright?"
"Thank you (Y/N), rA9 would be blessed if they met you. I hope there are more humans like you in this cruel world."
"As do I."

"Is there any way I can repay you?"
"When you meet your leader or rA9 or whatever, tell him I said hi."

"Thank you again (Y/N), I mean it."
"Be safe. Now get out of here, quickly."

She watched him flee through the glass window as she picked up her belongings. She emerged through the door, the moonlight hitting her eyes.

"Detective, did you discover anything?"

"Afraid not, looks like we're out of luck. I'm heading home, I'll see you tomorrow Connor."

She made her way back to her car before he could intervene, pulling out of the house's driveway & making her trip back home.

Mission Failed

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Connor's perspective

Objective: Find Amanda

Connor made his way to the middle of the Zen Garden where Amanda was standing in front of the roses.

"Hello, Amanda." She turned to face him.

"Connor...it's good to see you."

She everted her attention back to the flowers.

"Congratulations, Connor... Finding that deviant was far from easy, & the way you interrogated it was very clever. As for the second case...Well I assume we're simply out of luck. Other than that, you've been remarkably efficient Connor."

"Thank you, Amanda."

"We've asked the DPD to transfer it to us for further study. It may teach us something about what happened. The interrogation seemed...challenging. What did you think of the deviant?"

"It showed signs of PTSD after being abused by its owner, as if its original program had been completely replaced by new instructions."

"This... Lieutenant Anderson & Detective (L/N) have been officially assigned to the deviancy case... What do you make of them?"

"Lieutenant Anderson is obviously not what I was expecting, but... I don't have enough information yet to form a definitive opinion."

"What about Detective (L/N)? What are your thoughts on her?"

"She seems rather secretive, as though she's blocking out pieces of her past for a reason that I haven't yet discovered. She's excellent at her job though."

"Unfortunately, we have no choice but to work with them... What do you think is the best approach?"

"I will adapt to their personalities. It is in the best interest of the investigation that I avoid conflict & try to accommodate their psychology."

Amanda was now facing the android.

"More & more androids show signs of deviancy. There are millions in circulation. If they become unstable the consequences will be disastrous."

She started making her way over to him.

"You are the most advanced prototype Cyberlife has ever created. If anyone can figure out what's happening, it's you."
"You can count on me, Amanda."

She started walking away.

"Hurry Connor. There's little time."