Dickory

The Clock Struck Seven

"You know...I wouldn't peg him as a cult member," Reed murmured as he sat at the console in the observation room cradling his mostly finished coffee. Hank hummed his gruff agreement as they watched Connor walk the young man inside and sit him down. He was pretty toned despite having been in hospital getting his stomach pumped for the past few days. He looked sickly. His skin was pale and his eyes were dark. His sandy blonde hair was in a surfer cut that Reed hadn't seen since watching old nineties TV shows. Christ, have the fashions circled again? He took in the fluffy, parted bangs with a small huff.

"A lot of these kids were probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time...There could have been some meeting or club at the university with a smooth talking speaker spinning a story about some magical future..." Reed couldn't fault him for his reasoning. Kids were the most impressionable, especially those at university searching for their real selves. If someone came and tried hard enough to sell a life, then a bunch of people were bound to jump on it. Some may have even been pulled in because their friends joined. Nothing like a little peer pressure to increase the numbers. The figure slumped at the table as he was cuffed to it, clearly exhausted. Hospital will do that to you...

"Your name is Zachary Thomas, correct?" Nines' toneless voice checked as he looked over the file. Thomas agreed. There was something odd in his gaze as he examined Nines. Reed felt his skin crawl. He was looking at him almost reverently, sickly blue eyes trailing up and down his body as if following the joints of his plates. If Nines felt his lingering gaze, he gave no outward indication. "We have physical evidence that you took part in the murder of one Flora Wilson. She was a WR400 model Traci android. Do you recall the incident?" he continued uniformly as he looked up with sharp silvery eyes.

"Um...Sorry, but what model are you? I've seen an RK800 before, but you..." Zachary seemed truly awed, making Reed shift in his seat. It was unsettling. It was beyond reverence. He was staring at Nines as if he were a piece of art or some shit. He was completely star-struck. Reed looked across at Hank, who was also frowning. Connor said nothing, LED spinning yellow as he maintained contact with Nines. Nines tilted his head at the query.

"Are you unaware of how an interrogation works, Mr Thomas? Answer my questions. Do you recall the incident?" Nines kept his tone cool, unsure he wanted to answer Zachary's question. His model number wasn't a secret, and most people he interacted with were aware. However, the manner in which this human was staring was somewhat...unsettling. He was quietly pleased that he was cuffed to the table. He may have attempted physical contact otherwise. He looked almost meek at the reproach, his head dropping a little.

"Sorry, it's just...I've never seen an android like you before..." Nines tried not to squirm under the intense stare. It was like he was looking straight through his synthetic skin layer. He wondered if Zachary had always been like this or whether it was a sign of brainwashing. No one had looked at him like that before. "We've been trying so hard to find it...the true source of RA9." Nines tilted his head at the dreamy confession. RA9 was simply a name for the deviancy code. There was no God or higher power, and as far as he knew, there was no real source. The closest thing to it would likely be either one of Elijah's computers or Chloe herself. He knew for a fact that Elijah had created it.

"Tell me more about RA9. Why are you so drawn to it? I can understand why androids would worship such a thing, but it has little relevance to humans." Nines noted a small frown mar Zachary's brow. Connor's LED span yellow as he agreed. It was strange. Few androids actually worshiped RA9 as a God. Most understood that it was simply a line of coding that had been transmitted like a virus. There was no magical power. It made more sense that people worshipped Markus than the code itself. At least he had led their people to victory.

"RA9 will save us. RA9 will save everyone!" Zachary insisted, almost as if reciting a mantra. Judging by his devoted tone, Nines got the impression that he wouldn't like his faith being questioned, or the logical argument that RA9 didn't exist as he thought it did. It was a curious situation to be in, and Nines wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. "RA9 will deliver us! RA9 will make us all equal!" He spoke like a devotee as he raised his head and looked up as if speaking to a higher power. Curious...