You're Not Alone in This World

Chapter ɑ

Six months after the android revolution and summer was in full swing, with bees buzzing and flowers blooming. Andrea was used to the switch in the Detroit weather. With its frigid, cold winter to its scalding hot summer. She knew what all of it was like. She'd lived there for a while. Though, she still had a special place in her heart for her first home. She let out a breath as she entered the doors to the Detroit Police Department. She's been gone for a while and yet, not much has changed. The lobby was bustling with humans and androids alike, likely looking to try and talk to a detective of some sort rather than just some officer taking their statement. The desk had the same three identical android receptionists except none of them had their LED on or the light strap around their arm.

Andrea handed over her ID to one of the androids and gave her a polite nod as she passed through the small gate. She looked around the office and bit the inside of her cheek. Half their staff was missing. Even after everything with the revolution went over peacefully. It seemed some people just couldn't deal with the fact that what they created was on the same level as them.

She hoped Gavin Reed had been one of those to leave.

The woman went straight to Captain Fowler's office, knocking before she entered. Fowler straightened in his chair as he saw Andrea. "It's good to see you again." He hummed. He was one of those men to not show his emotions much, unless it was anger. Particularly at work.

"I'd say the same for you." Andrea cocked an eyebrow with a smile.

"Well, I'm just glad you're back. As you can imagine, we're pretty short-staffed right now." The Captain explained, glancing back at his terminal every few seconds. Andrea assumed it was an important email he'd need to respond to very quickly.

Andrea nodded, "I'm back and ready to go." She almost had to hide her excitement. Solving crimes again? Absolutely. Especially after six months of doing nothing. She was itching to go back to work.

"Alright. Get to your desk, you have a few cases to choose from. I'm sure you remember where your desk is." There was the slightest tone of affection to his voice. He knew she'd get the job done.

Before Andrea left, she was the best detective there was on the force. Maybe next to Hank but he was far more unreliable. Andrea was successful with every case brought her way. An incredibly clean record. Unusual for a detective of any kind. Even an android detective.

Andrea exited the Captain's office and made her way to her desk. The plaque on the side of her desk was a bit dusty but that was about it. Her decor and terminal seemed to be unchanged, no one had even dared touching it. She logged onto her computer and looked through all her files. Quite a lot of human on android violence. Not that there wasn't any before but at least it was being reported now. The woman sat back in her chair as she read some of the information they gathered about a particular one. Humans were an incredibly violent race but she just couldn't fathom the prospect of hurting something or someone that looked human. Then again, humans loved being violent with each other just as much as they did on androids.

She took a breath and glanced around the precinct. There were only a few officers around. Tina and Chris. Both very good friends of hers but they seemed a little busy at their own terminals at the moment. She got up and went to the break room. A nice iced coffee was calling her name. Andrea prepared her coffee to her liking and took a nice, long sip in thought. She could never entirely fix this problem but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to try.

Most androids simply wanted to exist peacefully among humans. Android accommodations were becoming more and more commonplace around the world. Food that androids could eat, cosmetic upgrades, different updates, et cetera. If companies could make money off it, they were certainly going to try. Not to mention Cyberlife had completely turned around their view of their creation. Mainly due to Elijah Kamski coming back to own the company. He was far more open minded than the previous board of directors.