Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 14: Assistant

The next morning, Clara got ready quickly, eager to get back to the lab where Kara was waiting. Her knee was swollen from her fall last night, and still aching, so she elected for a pair of flats rather than her usual heels to keep the extra pressure off. She'd have to take it easy until it was healed.

After she was ready, she and Connor left for the lab, spending much of the car ride in silence, neither wanting to be the first to speak. Clara spent much of the time writing down what she had learned during her short escapade the night before, as well as recording her impressions of her discussion with Connor afterwards. He appeared as collected as usual this morning, showing no signs of his distress from the night before. 

"Thank you, Dr. Hayes," the android eventually said, interrupting Clara's thoughts. 

She looked up, meeting his soft gaze. "What for?" she asked curiously. 

"For finding out about Sumo," he said. "You didn't need to do that. But it was...kind of you."

Clara smiled at him. "Of course, Connor. I'd have done the same for anyone."

The android gave her a small nod, and then they were silent again, and soon the car came to a halt outside the Cyberlife tower. They climbed out, and for once, Ms. Alvarez was nowhere in sight, much to Clara's relief. While she had forgiven Connor, she was still nursing some anger toward the intern. They quickly made their way through the lobby and down toward the lab.

As they walked through the hallway, a voice called out to Clara. "Dr. Hayes!" It was Dr. Hollister. 

Clara took a deep breath, bracing herself, then turned around to face the man. "Yes, Dr. Hollister?" She offered him a tight smile. 

"I--" he hesitated. "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was out of line. Please, forgive me." He gave her a nervous smile. 

Clara stared at him blankly, saying nothing. 

"I--I just wanted to get to know you better, and I know I shouldn't have gotten forceful like that." He was growing flustered. "I'm so used to acting with firmness. My normal interaction for research and such requires it. I forgot that people require a more gentle touch than androids. You have my sincere regret."

Still, Clara remained silence, never breaking eye contact. 

A flash of annoyance crossed the man's face, but he quickly hid it with another smile. "Aren't you going to say something?"

She gave him one last look of disdain, then turned away, continuing down the hall toward her lab. 

"Wait!" he called after her, footsteps quickening as he caught up to her. "I just--I just want to be friendly."

Clara kept walking, ignoring the man. 

"Dammit!" he called, still catching up. "Will you just stop for a moment? I have some information you might find interesting."