Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 9: Gentle

Connor stood outside the office door, struggling to hear what was going on. No sound escaped the room aside from the slight buzz of the cousins' voices. He wasn't going to learn anything this way. He gave up and closed his eyes, going into standby. When he opened his eyes again, he was in the Zen garden. 

"Hello, Connor." He heard Amanda's voice. "Care to join me?" She was walking along one of the trails that skirted the lake. 

The android nodded, walking quickly to where she was. "How goes the mission?" Amanda asked, looking over at him. "Have you learned anything?"

"Dr. Hayes has an interesting way of conducting her research," he said. "She uses a program to read data from an android's processor. She refused to explain how it worked though."

Amanda nodded. "She thinks that will allow her to keep her leverage. What else have you learned?"

"She doesn't seem to hate androids as much as she claims to," Connor answered, thinking back to her reaction to Dr. Hollister's methods. "I think she's hiding more than that though."

Amanda listened quietly then spoke again. "What are your impressions of her?"

Connor paused, contemplating. "Well, she's clumsy and forgetful, but also brilliant and perceptive. I don't understand the way she thinks. It's not always very logical. She lies and keeps secrets, but there's something about her that seems to draw people in. One of the other researchers, Dr. Hollister, seems very interested in her."

He stopped, thinking back to what he'd seen over the last couple days. "She's so secretive, but also genuine. It's contradictory. It doesn't make sense." The android was silent for a few moments. "She makes me feel...unstable," he said, hesitant. "When I'm around her, it's like my software is trying to handle too much information at once."

"Connor." Amanda's voice was cold. "Have you participated in her research at all?" Her eyebrows were drawn down into a glare.

"Yes," Connor admitted. "She used her program to analyze some data from my processors."

"What did she do?" She betrayed no emotion.

"She hooked me up to her computer then asked me a bunch of questions. Questions about emotion." The android's voice was soft. "I don't know. It made me feel...overwhelmed."

Amanda sighed, turning to look at him. "Be cautious, Connor. Dr. Hayes will try to manipulate you. She'll try to turn you against your mission. She is very cunning. Do not fall for her tricks. Remember: you are nothing to her but an obstacle. She will try to get rid of you in any way possible."

"You're right, Amanda. I'm sorry." Connor was disappointed in himself. "I won't fail you again."

Amanda moved to stand in front of him, placing her hand on his cheek. "I know you won't. You know the consequences if you do." She turned away, continuing their walk. "Now, how has your relationship with her progressed?"

The android looked away. "She still doesn't trust me. She's told me as much. She keeps me in the dark. She's very careful in what she does and says around me. There's so much that she keeps hidden." Suddenly, he remembered her concern at the hospital and during the experiment. "But I think she'll start to open up to me soon. She's started slipping."