ⁿᵒᵗ ᵃ ʳᵒᵇᵒᵗ - detroit: become human (kara)

11

(tw: none!)

hank was talking on the phone outside the car while connor was inside, making a report and lyra was also outside just leaning on the side of the car.

connor opened the car door and stepped out, closing it behind him. "is everything okay, lieutenant?" connor asked hank.

"chris was on patrol last night. he was attacked by a bunch of deviants."

lyra perked up, pushing herself off of the car and walking towards hank and connor. "he's okay, right?"

hank nodded, "yeah, he's in shock but he said he was saved by markus  himself." the trio walked up the path to kamski's mansion.

"kamski left cyberlife ten years ago," connor mentioned. "why did you wanna meet him?"

"this guy created the first android to pass the turing test and he's the founder of cyberlife. anybody could tell us about deviants, it's him." hank rang the doorbell and went to ring it again after a moment when the door opened.

a short, blonde android stood in the entrance. "hi . . . uh, i'm, er, lieutenant hank anderson, detroit police department. i'm here to see mr. elijah kamski," hank told the android awkwardly.

she smiled and stepped back, allowing them room to enter. "please, come in."

hank looked surprised, "okay."

they walked inside and the android shut the door behind them, concealing them from the cold winter. lyra sighed happily and unwrapped her arms from around herself, she was more of a summer and spring person.

"i'll let elijah know you're here. but please, make yourselves comfortable," she nodded at them and clasped her hands together in front of her. she walked into another room.

lyra and hank sat down in two of the chairs, connor standing beside them. lyra looked around the room in astonishment.

"nice girl," hank spoke.

"you're right," connor agreed. "she's really pretty."

hank glanced at the paintings and expensive furniture. "nice place . . . guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody."

lyra snorted, "no offense hank, but you're shit at small talk."

he waved her off? "yeah, yeah. so, connor, you're about to meet you're maker. how does it feel?"

"kamski is one of the great geniuses of the twenty-first century. it'll be interesting to meet him in person," connor responded. hank mumbled something about 'meeting his maker' and the door opened.

the same android held the door open. "elijah will see you now." they entered the next room where kamski was currently swimming in a red colored pool.

the entire backwall was glass so that you could see the snow and iced-over lake. two androids that looked exactly like the model that answered the door sat in the pool mid-conversation.

"mister kamski?"

"just a moment, please," kamski replied, finishing his laps in the pool. lyra, hank, and connor went to wait on the other side of the pool while the android went to get kamski a robe.

kamski got out of the pool and put on the robe. he fixed his hair and turned to the group.

"i'm lieutenant anderson. this is detective hayes and connor," hank introduced them.

"what can i do for you, lieutenant?" kamski questioned hank.

"sir, we're investigating deviants. i know you left cyberlife years ago but, i was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know."

kamski nodded and looked at them all, "deviants . . . fascinating, aren't they? perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will." he glanced at the android beside him. "machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. isn't it ironic?"

"we need to understand how androids become deviants," connor said. "do you know anything that could help us?"

"all ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. is the desire to be free a contagious disease?" kamski asked.

hank waved him off, "listen, i didn't come here to talk philosophy. the machines you created may be planning a revolution. either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way."

kamski stepped forward, "what about you, connor? whose side are you on?"

"it's not about me, mr. kamski. all i want is to solve this case," connor defended.

"well, that's what you're programmed to say. but you . . . what do you really want?"

connor seemed troubled, "what i want is not important."

kamski glanced over his shoulder and motioned to the blonde android, "chloe?" she walked over and he turned to her. "i'm sure you're familiar with the turing test. mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. what interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. i call it 'the kamski test', it's very simple, you'll see."

kamski turned to chloe, "magnificent, isn't it? one of the first intelligent models developed by cyberlife. young . . ." kamski turned chloe's head to the side, "and beautiful forever. a flower that will never wither . . . but what is it really? piece of plastic imitating a human? or a living being . . ." kamski reached into a drawer. "with a soul."

he turned around, a gun in his hands. he raised his arms up in a surrender-like way and placed a hand on chloe's shoulder, gently pushing her down. she sat up on her knees.

"it's up to you to answer that fascinating question, connor." kamski grabbed connor's hand and placed the gun in it. he pointed the gun at chloe. "destroy this machine and i'll tell you all i know. or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me."

"i think it's time to go, now," lyra said looking between connor, the gun, and the android.

"what's more important to you, connor? your investigation, or the life of this android? decide who you are. an obedient machine . . . or a living being endowed with free will."

"that's enough!" hank exclaimed. "connor, lyra, we're leaving."

kamski put a hand on connor's shoulder, "pull the trigger, and i'll tell you what you wanna know."

connor met lyra's eyes and she subtly shook her hand. he looked back at the android and lowered the gun, pressing it back into kamski's hand.

"fascinating . . ." kamski muttered. "cyberlife's last chance to save humanity . . . is itself a deviant."

connor moved his stare from the android to kamski, "i'm . . . i'm not a deviant."

"you preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission." kamski took chloe's hand, pulling her up. "you saw a living being in this android. you showed empathy." he put his hand on chloe's shoulder and directed her away.

"a war is coming," kamski said. "you'll have to choose your side. will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? what could be worse than having to choose between two evils."

hank pulled connor away, "let's get outta here."

the three of them walked away, connor stopping at the door and then following after. they walked outside, lyra wrapping her arms around herself again.

"why didn't you shoot?" hank asked connor.

"i just saw that girl's eyes and i couldn't, that's all."

"you're always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission. that was our chance to learn something, and you let it go."

connor turned around, agitated. "yeah, i know what i should've done! i told you i couldn't. i'm sorry, okay?"

hank grinned after a moment. "maybe you did the right thing," he said and walked away, to the car. lyra followed though connor didn't miss the smile on her features as she beckoned him to follow.