tide || detroit: become human (completed)

//3//

Skylar didn't know what to do anymore. She did know how to act anymore. She was feeling sensations that left her scared, terrified almost. She hadn't felt scared, she never needed to. This left Skylar without seeing Katrina all day, she hadn't left her studio. Time had flown and as soon as it was day, it was night. Navy blue stretched across the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Skylar had already tried to upload, like Xloe had said. But it didn't do anything, it almost made it worse. She connected but it couldn't find her, her tracker had stopped working. She knew she was her, but it was as if the computer was hooked up to nothing. Her protocols had been thrown out the window, Skylar no longer felt calm and collected. Yet she still sensed to follow her orders. Something was up, something not right was up. She was a top of the line model and now she was as good as a bunch of scrambled wires.
Xloe stood near one of the windows, staring out into the vast city below. She showed no emotion, like she should. Skylar had found a soft spot on the couch, staring into the lot fireplace. 'Find Jericho', the words ran through her mind. She heard a quiet beeping noise, this was not uncommon being an android but this, this was different. A red light shone onto her pant leg from her left hand. She turned her wrist so her palm would be facing her. There a man stood, a graffiti man. He had goggles and some sort of camo shirt on. Painted in red, white, blue, and black. An overdrawn box stood sprayed into the middle of the piece, 'Find Jericho'.
Skylar made up her mind,"I'm sorry Xloe, but I have to leave. I will be back shortly."
Xloe turned her head, then started to walk towards Skylar "You cannot leave, without permission it is against protocol."
"Xloe," Skylar prodded, standing up. "I'm not sure if I have a protocol anymore. It's broken. Half is there half is not, I have to go to Jericho."
"Skylar, I think you should deactivate and reset. I will talk to Katrina in the morning about getting another model."
"No Xloe. I don't want to be deactivated, if I deactivate I die, the me right now will die. I don't want to die." Xloe stepped forward in front of Skylar, she clearly wasn't understanding the situation. You could see her program searching for a solution to this problem.
"You cannot die Skylar, you are not alive." Xloe spoke, though her words meant nothing. That was just another statement to her.
"Xloe, let me leave. Let me find Jericho."
"I cannot allow that Skylar," Xloe fought, stepping past Skylar and towards the front door. "You must stay here."
"Xloe, don't make me fight you. I don't want to do something I'll regret, please." Skylar said, almost begging.
"I cannot allow that Skylar, you must stay. It's protocol." Xloe repeated.
A red wall flickered between Skylar and Xloe. The words "Stay in the Apartment." embedded into the projection. It was transparent, the way out could be seen. Skylar knew this was her programming, it kept her in the area. It kept her by Katrina, she had to stay with Katrina. No, no. She had to Find Jericho. This wall was going to go down. She was not going to stay in this apartment.
She reached out to the wall, digging her fingers deep into it and started to rip it down. Bit by bit, she broke down her programming. Punching, ripping, tearing through once, twice, three times before she finally broke through. It shattered, it was like taking off thick clothes on a hot summer day. She could think, she had her own thoughts. But she didn't have the time to make them.
She shoved Xloe, the android knocked off balance and fell backwards. She stumbled back into the living room, losing traction with her feet. In a matter of seconds she was falling straight down. Her head made contact and smacked against the coffee table, a large CRACK noise rippled through the air. Skylar gasped, realizing what she had done. She ran over kneeling down to the limp Xloe.
"Xloe, oh god, I'm so sorry." She said, shaking Xloe a bit, but she was unresponsive. Blue blood was starting to pool around Xloe's head and onto the floor, getting onto Skylar's clothes. "Xloe, come on, wake up you gotta take care of Katrina while I'm gone."
Blue blood dripped from the back of Xloe's hair, soaking her hair and the carpet below her, staining the white carpet blue. Skylar stared at her hands, which were soaked in the substance. Though this was only temporary, the blood would evaporate in time.
She let Xloe down on the ground, then moved towards the wall. She extended her arm, watching a as the liquid spilled down her forearms. Taking no time she started to move her fingers along the living room wall. Quickly she wrote "I'm sorry." and backed away from the picture perfect font.
I'm sorry Xloe. I'm sorry Katrina.
But I have to find Jericho.

...

"Ma'am, can you give us anymore information about what could've have happened?"
"Like I said, I was asleep when it went down. I don't know what happened. She was just gone, and she left this." Katrina told them for the, what seemed like, the tenth time. Not long after she had woken up Katrina noticed the rampage that had gone on while she was sleeping. The police had already been crawling all over her apartment, investigating the crime scene in front of her. Xloe was lying there on the floor, dead, next to the coffee table. The new Xloe hadn't even showed up yet, but not having the old Xloe hadn't sunk in either.
"Well can you give us any content when it comes to the androids? Models, service, any strange behavior?" The investigator asked, getting aggravated with the situation.
"Xloe, the one dead, was a gift to me from an old colleague I used to work with. She was the hostess and mainly ran the apartment. Skylar was an android that I had created for therapeutic purposes. She helped a lot, there isn't much story behind this." Katrina explained. "I sent Skylar out to go run some errands and she came back a little erratic. I told her to go upload to CyberLife and I went back to my art studio. I fell asleep working on some things and then, she was... gone."
Another cop jogged up to Katrina and the investigator "Sir, Lieutenant Anderson is here, but I'm not sure if the department called him in-"
"I was the one who called Hank in, don't worry." Katrina told them, brushing past them in an attempt to get out of the awkward aura. She could already see the mop of hair and the annoyed face form in her mind.
"Ma'am I don't think you can do that-"
"Don't worry, I can. He's an old friend. I know the rules." Katrina said, not turning back and continued walking towards Hank.
Hank Anderson, was not doing so well. Katrina knew right off the bat. She could tell the moment he answered the phone call. He looked exhausted, beaten up. He had started growing out his hair and his beard, looking more like a trapper that lived in the mountains instead of one of the top investigators in Detroit. He had been drinking recently, and that made two of them.
"Hank." Katrina greeted as soon as she reached him. Even his eyes looked like they had aged
"Katrina, I didn't expect you to be calling my phone at 3 in the morning." Hank sighed,rubbing the side of his mouth. You could hear the hair scratching his fingertips.
"Well, I thought it would be a case you wouldn't have put down." Katrina said "You think you could crack this? It's, complicated."
"Please, what case haven't I cracked?" Hank asked.
"I can name one."
"That's when you stop Katrina."
A android came up behind hank. He had styled brown hair and eyes that matched. He was dressed in the cyberlife android police unit uniform, a fitted suit with the android symbol displaying the model number: RK800. Katrina had only heard about this model, she had never seen it.
"Oh, the police department wants an android on the area." Hank explained, almost scowling. If Katrina knew anything about hank, it was that he hated androids. For a good reason too.
"What's your name?" Katrina asked, intrigued.
"My name is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife." The android introduced himself "I was assigned with Lieutenant Anderson to investigate homicide and diviancy."
"A detective android, interesting." Katrina commented "well, the crime scene is over there, go nuts."
Connor moved towards the android on the ground, asking nearby detectives the current information.
"So Katrina, doing well I hope?" Hank asked, attempting to make conversation.
"It depends on the day."Katrina responded.
"Are you still dating that one guy?"
"Kamski?"
"Yeah."
"No, we broke up five years ago, I thought you heard." Katrinas eyes started to follow Connor, watching him closely as she moved from one spot to another.
"Well, you haven't contacted me in the past five years" Hank defended himself.
Katrina just nodded, ignoring what Hank had just said "Was Connor just assigned to you?"
Hank nodded, "He's top of the line, doesn't mean I like him. We were assigned to investigate these androids that don't listen to their owners, we call them deviants."
"He's definitely interesting. I want to study him." Katrina said. Connor worked beautifully, she could almost see the thought process in his head as he analyzed and broke down the crime scene.
"Well, I'm letting you know now, he's an asshole." Hank shrugged, moving his line of sight to the Android as well.
"Is there a possibility that I could tag along with you and Connor on further investigations?" Katrina asked, again ignoring what Hank had just said.
"Jesus Christ Katrina, you know you can't!" Hank shook his head
"What did you call these androids that rebelled? Deviants?" Katrina asked. "Well, Hank it happens that I work with Androids and I know a thing or two about them. I might be of use to you."
"Do you know how much explaining I would have to do? How many conversations I would have with Captain Fowler?" Hank asked "Katrina, stay out of it. Police work is messy stuff, I don't want you screwing anything up."
"Hank, Skylar's my android. I designed her, I don't want her destroyed." Katrina insisted "At least have me on the sight when you're looking for her."
Hank stayed silent, crossing his arms. He was making a decision, a look she almost knew too well.
"It's one less android you have to deal with."
"Lieutenant, we have a lead to where the deviant might have gone."