Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 4: New Faces

Clara rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting impatiently for the elevator to reach the top floor. Having skipped breakfast, she was beginning to get very hungry, and what little patience she had left was slowly dwindling. To occupy her time, Clara finished writing up the instructions for how she needed her lab to be arranged, then sent them over to Maria to carry out. Finally, the elevator smoothly came to a halt, dinging as the door opened. 

"Right this way, Dr. Hayes," the perky Ms. Alvarez said. She walked out into the wide hallway, directing Clara to a conference room a few doors down. She opened the door and let her in. "Please have a seat. Your meeting will begin shortly."

Turning to the android, she said, "Connor, if you'll follow me, Cyberlife has another task for you."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Alvarez, but my instructions stipulate that I'm to accompany Dr. Hayes at all times." He moved to stand by Clara. 

"Right," Maria said quietly, smile faltering a little. "Well, you should be getting your new instructions any moment now." She looked expectantly at him. 

Suddenly, his LED flashed yellow. He closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. Turning to Clara, he said, "If you'll excuse me, Dr. Hayes, I'm needed to help transport the deviant subjects to your lab. I'll meet you back down there after your meeting."

"Alright." Clara nodded her head, watching as he turned on his heel and walked back to the elevator. 

"I'll be going now too," Maria said. "I'll be needed to monitor the adjustments to your lab." After receiving a nod from Clara, she followed Connor to the elevator, and the two disappeared behind the glass doors. 

Clara turned back to the door of the dark conference room. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on the doorknob and pulled it open. A few dim lights flickered on, sensing her movement. She took a seat at a large table and waited. 

"Welcome, Dr. Hayes," she heard a voice call. Looking around, she saw a hologram light up in the center of the table as the lights dimmed again. It took the form of an older woman in a suit with intricately braided hair piled on top of her head. "My name is Amanda. I'll be the intermediary between you and Cyberlife's research board."

Clara frowned, staring at the hologram. "Why an intermediary? Why not just talk to me themselves?"

"The board has to maintain a certain level of privacy for their own safety. We felt this was the best way to handle the situation. I apologize for any discomfort it may cause you." Amanda's voice was even and robotic. 

"Are you an AI?" Clara asked curiously. 

"I am," came the reply. "I hope this will not cause any problems."

"No, no problems," Clara said. "I was just curious. But let's get on with it. What does Cyberlife want with me?" She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in the chair.

Amanda began, "As you well know, there have continued to be rouge deviants, despite the fall of their leader. Cyberlife has several agents working to apprehend these terrorists and bring them in for study. As an experienced researcher with a background in deviant psychology, Cyberlife would like you to observe these deviants and find out how and why they deviated. This information would of course be relayed back to our research team."