Chasing Deviancy [Detroit: Become Human]

12.

NOV 6TH, 2038

PM 07:51:04

PM 07:51:05

Opening their eyes, the Androids were back again to the zen garden that was oh so familiar by now. They had another report to fill.

However, this time, there was a soft rain, soaking their hair and clothes. Momentarily, Connor's eyebrows pulled together in a frown. It had never rained here before, why now?

There was an umbrella in Connor's hands, yet he didn't open it, unbothered by the rain falling down its face, glancing around, pausing when he didn't notice it's partner around, LED flickering yellow slightly as his thirium pump began to raise slightly, putting up Cora's tracker and briefly ignoring the mission to find Amanda that appeared in its HUD.

./FIND CORA

The word Amanda glitched to accommodate his partner's name and Connor didn't question it because they always reported to Amanda together. He had to find Cora first.

Cora's body was highlighted in his optical field. The 15m arrow pointing her way from Cora's GPS made the discomfort Connor felt through its systems to disappear, walking toward Cora, noticing her gaze seemed to be locked in a patch of grass further away from the rock path, noticing her LED seeming to be pulsing a permanent yellow, but there was no expression in its face, slowly following her gaze.

For a moment, Connor wished he hadn't. There was a rock with Connor's name on it, it's previous model. He glanced down at the serial on his jacket, the last number reading a - 52. In the rock, which now that he scanned it, realized it resembled a gravestone read - 51.

"Cora?" Connor instead turned to face its partner, eyes flickering between the calm pulsing yellow on her LED and her face before Cora teared its eyes away from the stone, LED cycling back to blue. "Is everything okay?"

"Just analyzing the new features on our shared mind palace" Cora replied, shaking slightly her head, realizing that it had been ignoring the pulsing, urgent objective on its HUD.

./FIND AMANDA

"I see" Connor said softly, looking away and spotting the AI person they needed to find next to a stone path instead of the island where she normally stood. "Shall we?"

Cora followed her partner's gaze, nodding.

They began to walk toward Amanda in silence.

"I approached the rock with the handprint" Cora began making Connor interested, looking towards Cora.

"Did you find its motive?" Connor asked, sounding... Hopeful?

Cora made a face, lasting less than a second. "No. It sent a short-circuit through up my arm. Whatever it is for, I do not think we are ready for it"

Connor sighed, nodding in acknowledgment before reaching Amanda who was waiting patiently for them, but looking less warm than in earlier meetings.

"Hello, Amanda" they both greeted, stiffly, backs straight and tones more machine like.

Amanda looked between them, "Cora, Connor, I've been expecting you… Would you two mind a little walk?"

Connor opened the umbrella in its hands, putting it above itself, Amanda and Cora, walking in the middle of two women.

Realistically, the three of them were able to withstand the cold rain so this was more like a test on their protocols to accommodate to human's vulnerability to the weather, treating Amanda as if she was human instead of their AI handler, besides that it was a polite action to keep further in Amanda's good side. 

^Amanda

"Congratulations, Cora, you managed to find that Deviant" Amanda spoke as they walked through the stone path, a side glance at the Androids next to her with a gentle and almost proud expression. "Tell me, what did you learn?"

"The walls of the apartment were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols" Cora began explaining, sounding slightly confused, something if Amanda noticed didn't comment on it, "Like the other deviants, it seemed obsessed with rA9"

"What else?" Amanda asked, keeping her gaze forward as the three of them strolled around the garden, carefully stepping on any poodle of water they came across, the umbrella above their heads keeping the water from touching their heads.

"I found its diary, but it was encrypted" Connor answered this time, adding another fact about the deviant, clearly as well trying to brush off the curiosity and confusion he and Cora held about what rA9 meant. "It may take weeks to decipher"

"You came very close to capturing that deviant" Amanda reminded them, the tone of her voice suddenly sounding displeased, not once looking their way.

↓Amanda

"It's a pity you both let it self-destruct" Amanda finished, clearly expecting an explanation.

Connor glanced toward its partner, seeing the slight flicker on her LED, despite the neutral expression on its face, deciding he'd be the one to explain. "We made a mistake… It said 'rA9 save me' before it jumped from the roof. We should have anticipated what it would do"

Amanda didn't respond to that, immediately changing the subject, this time actually looking at them, "How is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?"

"He seemed grateful that I saved his life on the roof" Connor explained, remembering the way he seemed to struggle for words when he calmed down once they reach the car. He still seemed upset at Cora but had given him a small side glance before staying quiet,  "He didn't say anything, but he expressed it in his own way"

"Cora?" Amanda glanced over Connor's frame towards the other Android as they began walking over the bridge.

Cora mulled over the relationship she had with the Lieutenant, sure he had yelled at her, it's status breach with the Lieutenant seemed tense but it was not downright hostile. She thought it could improve. She hoped so "It's improving. I'm coming to know him better, and he's growing accustomed to our presence"

They kept walking, suddenly Amanda stopping in the middle of the bridge, capturing the Androids' attention, making them stop walking as well, turning to her.

"We don't have much time" Amanda told them seriously "Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it" the words were stern and firm and suddenly, discomfort seized their biocomponents, reading between lines. They couldn't prioritize anything else above their mission or their mission will not longer be their mission. They'd be replaced and deactivated. "We need to stop this, whatever it takes"

"We will solve this investigation, Amanda" Connor told her determined "We won’t disappoint you"

"A new case just came in" Amanda informed them, voice suddenly cold. "Find Anderson and investigate it"

Amanda turned around, walking away.

Connor loosened the white knuckled grip it had on the umbrella, realizing the tight grip it had on it.

Clearly, this meeting with Amanda had unsettled him, for some reason.

And Conor wasn't the only one, Cora's clasped hands behind its back had been gripping tightly the sleeves enough to wrinkle the fabric, only letting go when Amanda walked away.

For some reason, the way Amanda seemed cold and displeased with their actions made them feel like something was wrong.