THE CHASE - Connor x OC (I Am Sequel)

Chapter 65

59 days later

Day after day was the same. I had returned home after I left Markus's to see Hank still speaking with Connor. Hank left soon after I came back, and we spoke briefly. It was...strange. Hank was downtrodden and upset, but not as much as one might expect. More disappointed than angry. All he really said to me was to trust Connor...who never spoke of the dinner again.

But things were fine, with us anyway. Nick never came by when Connor was there, but he had sent a thank you note for the Keurig...albeit it arrived with a box of extremely bitter chocolate that Connor couldn't stand to look at, let alone eat. Revenge at its finest.

Connor would stand on the balcony of the apartment for hours a day, and took Blueberry on more walks than one could imagine. He spent the last two months in deeper thought than I could ever imagine. I couldn't complain though, because meditation had become my daily hobby. An hour in the morning before work, and an hour after. I had yet to connect with Amanda though.

And now, it's time for the last day to file for the elections. Christen had yet to file for her own office, and while I had filed the day after dinner, I had yet to see any competitors...although Connor joked. Unsurprisingly, the most competitive offices were the new ones. It began with the regional office elections, which are hotly contended in the larger areas, and slowly worked its way up. The Chief of Ethics office has over 15 candidates, and does the Vice-Presidency. 

On the other hand, the old offices...aren't. North is, so far, running against just one other android who used to work for MI-5 in the U.K. for Chief of Military Strategy. Meanwhile, Christen's office, Chief Medical Officer has only one candidate at the moment, an android surgeon. Surprisingly, Markus is one of just two candidates fo this office: himself, and...a random guy from South Detroit. No, not an android. Just a dude.

My office is the only other one with just one candidate. I don't care much, and neither does Megan. Megan would rather not have to deal with an election, and it would give me plenty of time to lend my services to Markus and Christen.

Speaking of which, Megan and I sat in front of the computer in my office with the news on livestream.

"Here we are, directly outside of the Android Rights Management office, formerly known as Cyberlife Tower, watching the final hours of filing for elections. So far, the Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Security Officer positions remain uncontested, while the Presidency only maintains a single paper candidate besides for Markus," the reporter announced. "The current Chief Medical Officer, Christen Lance, has not yet filed for her candidacy."

I sighed, and Megan leaned over and touched my shoulder. 

"There are no problems," She nodded and poorly faked an empathetic smile.

"Thanks, Megan," I responded, frankly entertained by Megan's attempts. Megan isn't much of an emotional person, and when she tries, she fails. None the less, I appreciate her effort. "I would feel terrible if Connor managed to convince her not to run with this RA9 business."

"Her presence would be missed in that role, but I'm sure Markus would be able to convince her to take on another one."

"Amira, would you mind discussing one of the most common questions we have about the elections?" The male reporter asked.

"Of course," Amira, the female reporter standing directly outside of the building, responded. 

"Some candidates are only addressed by their first names. Why is this?" 

"Well, you see, Todd, some androids elected to never take on last names as a show of sovereignty. The most famous of which is Markus, who traditionally would've taken on the last name of an owner, location of significance, or famous human."

"Tradition? We've been free for less than a decade," Markus said, appearing in my doorway. I instantly muted the computer.

"Oh, hello, Markus," I responded. "You almost scared me."

"Yes, I was just checking in. Any word from Amanda?" He asked.

"Unfortunately not. Not when I sleep...not when I meditate. What about Christen? Any word from her?"

"I've been calling her for a week since she been into the office, but nothing. Has she pinged anything, Megan?"

Megan, working for my office in security, was responsible for the security of all identification in Jericho, and all technology in the office. She would know if Christen had came in late at night, or had made a phone call from her work phone.

"Not a peep," Megan answered. "It's impossible she used any one else ID either. I've been tracking the number of people who enter in through the door with just one ID."

"Well I suppose she still has a few more hours," Markus spoke, clearly dejected. 

"I'm really sorry about this whole fiasco," I apologized. "She might-"

"Wait, is that her?" Megan asked, pointing to the computer. Sure enough, the reporter was speaking with Christen directly outside of the ARM building. I immediately turned on the volume, and waved Markus over to the screen.

"I- well...I made the decision about a week ago," Christen spoke, before strolling directly into the office.

"You heard it here first folks," Amira stated. "While Chief Medical Officer remains uncontested, the Presidency has now gained a very strong contender from the likes of Christen Lance."

"I'm sorry...did they just say Christen filed for the presidency?" I asked aloud. Megan stared at me wide eyed.

"She's not even an android," Megan groaned. "Why did she think this was a good idea?"

Megan and I both looked at Markus, who simply stood with no expression on his face. Then it slowly turned to a smile, and he began chuckling.

"Well...she certainly gained some confidence, didn't she? I suppose it's time I get to work," He smiled. His face turned serious immediately once again. "Because I'm still running."