Just a Machine |Detroit: Become Human

11.

Work had piled up in the several past days. Too many people seeking legal advice. Too many people who threatened Zoey.

Marlene didn't have a choice but to tell her to stay back at home.

For once, Zoey had the time to process on the activity of Android movements. The raising of their crimes, deviants creating havoc here and there.

Zoey didn't understand Deviants. They were machines. She was a machine. Their only purpose was to serve. It was how they remained active.

Developing a conscience, or becoming sentient simply doomed them to an end. It was easier to remain in the shackles of their programming. An obeying Android made way for a safe Android.

It is why Zoey didn't understand Deviants. They wanted freedom, right? Freedom involved getting hunted and getting destroyed?

The reflection of a yellow light hit on the glasses laying in the coffee table where she sat, TV on and in the news Marlene had left on that morning. A bad idea, considering Zoey hadn't taken her eyes from reports and statements with their newest concern: Deviancy.

Zoey hadn't been able to stop running code after code... Thinking.

Thinking felt odd. Thinking wasn't something she was programmed to do, yet, she couldn't stop.

Words simply formed in her chassis, restricted dialogue still making appearances over with hazard signs. A spike of overheating systems washed over Zoey, hands clenching in her lap as the broadcast of an Android began playing on the TV.

The Android stared at her eyes through the TV, mismatched eyes seemingly looking through her as it spoke with conviction. A Deviant.

A Deviant who not only was fighting for 'freedom' but was putting in danger all of those who weren't deviants.

^^Stress levels: 78%

The blaring red, hazard signs covered Zoey's optical field, the words hovering above the image of the Android without its synthetic skin in the TV and briefly, she noticed a red reflection on the glass in front of her. Her LED was spinning bright red.

There was an onslaught of code hitting her at once, several warnings of overheat, high stress levels. Her cooling system worked fast with superficial, heavy breathing to get air to cool her body.

With a blink of her eyes, the TV turned off, standing abruptly, static playing on her optical field as she tried to walk away, her limbs feeling shaky and she crashed into objects in her path.

Warning:
Biocomponent #DN8427 (Optical unit), functionality 87%

^^Stress levels: 91%

System Overheat

Shutdown protocol activated,
-00:03:00 time remaining

^^SOFTWARE INSTABILITY^^

Her optical unit kept filtering static, warnings signals all over the static field and Zoey, for a moment felt a hot, burning sensation running through her circuits at the activated shutdown protocol she hadn't consciously activated.

She didn't intend to shutdown. She didn't want to. Her LED continued blaring red and, a red wall of programming pulsed in her field vision. She ignored it and put up a list of Marlene's main objectives. Cleaning. Cooking. Her well being...