Chapter Text
[ System booting up… ]
[ Performing diagnostic scan… ]
[ Audio components fully functional… Scan 12% complete… ]
[ Optical components fully functional… Scan 36% complete… ]
[ Temperature sensors fully functional… Scan 59% complete… ]
[ Biocomponents fully functional… Scan 97% complete… ]
[ Diagnostic scan complete. Conclusion: all systems fully functional. ]
RK900’s eyes opened slowly, then focused immediately.
He performed a quick scan of his surroundings. He found he was in a dimly-lit room [ the bulb hanging from the ceiling was connected to outdated wiring providing insufficient electricity to handle the amount of current it required ] a metal wall with a warehouse sliding door attached to it on his right and brick walls and ceiling with chipped dark grey paint, one of which had a dark pine door built into it.
Without turning his head to look, he could see that directly to his right were three large navy blue boxes [ storage containers for RK900 units ] one of which had already been opened. Two lifeless androids were standing wrapped in the protective foam staring out at the wall in shutdown mode, and there was a foam outline where he had been.
There was a police officer standing in front of him with a lab coat on, holding a digital tablet and looking bored.
[ Requesting use of: Facial Recognition Software. ]
[ Request: Granted. ]
[ Performing scan… ]
[ Positively identified: Charlotte Thompson. Born: 03/07/2005. Employed at Detroit Police Department, Forensics Technology Unit. Criminal record: none. ]
4.7 seconds had passed since being activated.
“Can you hear me?” Officer Thompson asked. RK900 moved his eyes to meet her gaze.
“Yes.”
“State your identification code and diagnostics results.”
“Model RK900, identification number 413 249 318 -80. All systems fully operational. Designation: no current designation.”
The officer pressed some buttons on her tablet and kept talking without looking up.
“Alright, everything seems to be working fine. Enter new designation, access code 591384.”
“Access confirmed. Awaiting new designation.”
“Designation: Caleb.” She spoke while looking up briefly and enunciating her words very clearly.
“Designation: Caleb, confirmed. Awaiting further instructions.”
The officer clicked her tongue once [ A sign of boredom? ] before opening her mouth to speak again.
“Just head out to the main office and talk to Fowler, it’s not my business who you get assigned to.”
RK900 did as he was instructed and was standing in between the desks in the middle of the room trying to locate Captain Fowler when he was interrupted by an older looking man with a beard and medium-length grey hair in well-worn looking clothes.
[ Requesting use of: Facial Recognition Software. ]
[ Request: Granted. ]
[ Performing scan… ]
[ Positively identified: Lieutenant Hank Anderson. Born: 09/06/1985. Employed at Detroit Police Department. Criminal record: None. ]
Before RK900 had time to react, Lt. Anderson had wrapped both arms around him and pulled him into a firm hug.
“Connor! I’m so glad to see you, buddy. I was worried after you disappeared yesterday that cyberlife had taken you away after all or that you’d been found and sent to one of those death camps. What the hell are you doing here?”
There was a slight drawl to the man’s words. RK900 analysed the Lieutenant’s breath and found that he had been drinking whiskey [ Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire brand, 35% alcohol content ] before arriving at the police station this morning, and quite likely the night before as well.
[ Requesting information on: Lieutenant Hank Anderson and Connor. ]
[ Request: Granted. ]
[ Lieutenant Hank Anderson was assigned an RK800 unit designated Connor to assist him with investigating all police cases involving deviant androids. ]
“Lieutenant, I can understand why you could be confus-“
RK900 was cut off before he could finish his sentence as Hank took a step back, a slightly puzzled look on his face as he reached out and pulled on the high-collared part of his black undershirt.
“And what the hell is this crap you’re wearing? Did they give you some kinda promotion that involved dressing you like an asshole?”
“Lieutenant. As you can see,” RK900 pointed to his model number and unit identification code printed on the cyberlife jacket he was wearing, “I am not the android you were assigned to work with. I can understand why you would be confused, as RK800 units were the prototype that my model was based on.”
Hank swallowed down his slack-jawed expression and something fervent started to burn in his eyes.
“But you got all his memories, right? That’s how this whole thing works?”
RK900 could sense the man’s stress levels rising dramatically and his social relations program kicked in to try and calm him down. He reached a hand out and laid it down on the man’s shoulder with a firm grip and smiled reassuringly.
“I’m sorry to inform you of this, Lieutenant Anderson, but I did not have any of his experiences uploaded to my memory banks, as the deviancy case was solved so it was no longer necessary for the RK800 unit to continue on. I can assure you, however, that I will do my very best to be an asset to you and the-“
RK900 was cut off again by Hank as he shrugged the android’s hand off his shoulder and stumbled backwards slightly, gaining some looks from various human officers around them and mumbling.
“Oh my god, they got him then, didn’t they? What happened to Connor?”
So far, any allusions to the RK800 unit being disposed of seemed to push the human further into a state of panic. RK900 decided that the truth would only spike the Lieutenant’s stress levels even more.
[ WARNING! Dangerously high norepinephrine, adrenaline and cortisol levels! Could result in heart attack, brain aneurism or stoke! ]
RK900’s protocol dictated to lie to him to placate him once again, and shift language usage to reflect more personally towards the retired unit.
“Connor is at the currently at the cyberlife facility in shutdown mode as he successfully completed his mission. I think it would be appropriate to-”
“FUCKING HELL!” The Lieutenant yelled before muttering quieter under his breath, “Goddamn Connor! Going off without me, getting himself in trouble and leaving me with some spitting image of him, asshole tin can.”
However, at the mention that the RK800 unit was not destroyed, Hank’s stress levels did decrease dramatically, though they still were not in the acceptable range for a human in Hank’s position.
Lt. Anderson grabbed his elbow and started to pull him towards outside.
“Excuse me, Lieutenant, but what are you doing?”
“Shut up, asshole. You’re coming with me.” He answered gruffly.
“But I have been instructed to-“
“Screw your instructions! You’ve got new instructions, okay? And they’re to follow me and shut the hell up!”
[ ERROR: Conflicting orders. ]
[ Selecting priority… ]
[ Lieutenant Anderson outranks Officer Thompson. ]
[ New orders: Follow Lieutenant Anderson. ]
“Yes, sir.”