hunger ; detroit: become human

five

Cynthia

Afternoon of November 6th, 2038 - 1:45 PM

The ride back to the station was a nice one, Cynthia had to admit. She didn't mind the lieutenant's music all that much, so she was free to answer a few texts and emails from her phone. When they finally arrived, she was the only one to leave the car, closing the door behind her and waving with a smile. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle, so she didn't bother opening her umbrella up as she made her way back to the station. She entered and waved to the receptionist android before heading back to grab her bag from Hank's desk. Shouldering it, she hummed quietly before heading into the break room to grab herself a cup of coffee for the road. Heading into the break room, Cynthia felt her phone buzzing again, only this time, it was vibrating to signal a phone call. With a sigh, she pulled it from her pocket and accepted the call, holding her cellphone to her ear with her shoulder.

"Hello, my darling. Yes, I'm back safe, you really had no need to worry," she said, filling up her coffee cup. She couldn't help but smile as the sound of a relieved sigh came from the other end of the call.

"Mhm, it all went well... No no, I'm supposed to get back to CyberLife... I miss you too, but I'll be home soon, promise. I love you, too. Goodbye, my darling," she said, taking the phone from her ear once the call had ended. She tucked her phone back into her pocket just in time to hear a throat clear behind her. She turned around to see Detective Reed behind her, arms folded over his chest.

"Miller," he said, his brow quirking slightly.

"Reed," she replied.

"I see you survived your first day with the bot and the boozehound," he said, walking by her to get to the coffee machine.

"Congratulations, you have eyes," she said, rolling her own. "And you were lucky enough to survive your first day without Officer Wilson, huh?"

"I'm doing just fine without her," he filled up his coffee cup, "but she didn't do anything stupid, right?"

"My lips are sealed. You can ask her yourself when you see her." She gave his shoulder a pat, which he shrugged off with a scoff.

"Don't try to fuckin' be my friend. You made your choice a long time ago," he snapped, turning to face her, coffee cup in hand.

"Oh my god, stop being so childish. It's honestly embarrassing at this point," she said, reaching around him to grab a travel lid for her cup. He scoffed, and she stepped back to stick her tongue out at him. Snapping the lid onto her cup, she turned on her heel and left the break room, shaking her head as she made her way back out to the parking lot. Gavin Reed really hadn't changed much.

***

As her car approached the CyberLife building, Cynthia readied her identification badge and held it out for the guards to scan. After getting the go ahead, she continued up the wet road, blowing her hair from her face as she pulled into the employee parking lot. If she was lucky, she wouldn't have that much to do. It was just a short trip to compile her recent findings, and then she could go home, curl up on the couch, and work in a more comfortable environment. She climbed out of her car, grabbed her tablet from her bag, and made her way inside, nodding her head in greeting to a few of the guards who were standing by the door. She walked to the elevator, the clicking of her heels echoing across the floor and drawing several gazes to her direction. Paying them no mind, she got into the elevator and moved to press the button to take her to sub level forty four, but was stopped by another employee a little down the walkway.

"Cynthia! Could you hold the doors?" he called out, waving his hand. Quickly, Cynthia pressed her index and middle fingers against the button to keep the doors open. As he entered the elevator, panting and wiping his brow, he offered her a smile as thanks.

"What floor do you need?" she asked, removing her fingers from the button.

"Nineteen, please," he said, and she nodded, pressing the button in question. The doors slid shut, and the elevator began to rise slowly. That was the worst part about the tower: as advanced as it was, the elevator was too slow for her liking.

"Everything all right, Charles? The legal department's been flooded these days," she said after a moment.

"Oh, you have no idea what a nightmare it's been. With the number of deviants rising, we're getting an influx of both valid and invalid complaints. People claiming they owned androids who turned on them when they've never set foot in a store, and then those claims drown out the very real ones!" Charles said, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," she said gently. "Trust me, I'm trying my very best to get to the bottom of it, with the help of the DPD. Con– The RK800 they've sent in has already proven to be incredibly useful in tense situations," she said.

"I'll bet. Although, I'll admit I find it strange that they're letting you of all people out into the field, and not someone from research," Charles mused as the elevator reached his floor and the doors slid open. He stepped out, and she reached to press the button for sub level forty four.

"I'm good at pulling strings. Have a good day, Charles," she said, and before he could say a word, the doors slid shut, and she was on her way back down.

She finally arrived on the main research floor, already booting up her tablet as she exited the elevator. The sound of her heels on the tiled floor seemed more ominous in the underground research facility, and several heads turned to look at her. She paid them no mind as she walked up to a terminal near the back, then plugged in her tablet with a hum. She pulled up a chair as the date from her tablet began to download, and once it was finished, she was able to transfer the files up to her main laptop back in her office, giving her the freedom to work both in her office and at home. When the files had successfully been transferred over, she unplugged the tablet and tucked it under her arm, getting up from the terminal and making her way back towards the elevator. Again, a few heads turned as she walked by, but she ignored them, getting back into the elevator and pressing the button to head up to the main lobby.

Cynthia made her way back to her car and got in, pulling her phone from her pocket and opening it up. She reached for her coffee and took a sip, grimacing as cold liquid hit her tongue. She swallowed harshly and set the cup back down, fighting the urge to roll down her window and spit the taste onto the pavement. Shaking her head, she opened up her contacts and dialed the number at the top, leaning forward to start the car as the phone rang a few times. Instead of getting picked up, the call went to voicemail, so she sighed and held the phone between her shoulder and ear again.

"Hello, my darling," she said with a smile. "I was just calling to let you know I'll be home soon, and if you could get a cup of coffee ready for me, that would be great. I love you and I'll see you soon." She set her phone down once she finished her voicemail, and with one more glance at her now cold coffee, she turned to pull out of the parking lot and made her way back down the road, away from CyberLife Tower and back towards the city.