SEQUENTIAL ━ Connor // RK800 ✔️

two ━ orders are orders

• • •

The town's police station was supposedly operating 24/7, yet the second Connor pushed the front doors open at 6AM sharp, he felt as if he had arrived early to a place yet to wake up. A single officer was startled off his seat nearby the doors and he identified him quickly as a newcomer on the job, Officer Brady. Another human, this time a female, much older than Brady, looked up at him with squinted, tired eyes, from across the front desk — his database identified the woman as a civilian, Mrs. Darren, who has worked there for almost thirty years as a receptionist.

After that brief scan, he approached Mrs. Darren and chose the friendly approach as soon as she seemed to be inclined to cower back in her seat, eyes glued on the LED on the side of his face. "Good morning, I am here to see Officer Owens."

The silence which followed was prolonged. Deafening even.

Still by the door, Officer Brady was finally fully awake and contemplating through the twitch in his sweaty hands whether or not he should be alert about a hostile or not.

"He ain't in yet, sweetheart," Mrs. Darren finally answered, a thick accent coming through. "You can take a seat if you wanna..."

"Thank you," Connor nodded. He made a beeline for the nearest seat in that entry hallway.

Just as he sat down, Brady seemed to have remembered he could talk. "You are one of them plastic ones, aren't you?"

"I am an android designed by CyberLife."

"Awesome," his grin grew cheeky and he tossed his gaze towards the front desk. "Didn't know you could come all dressed up for office too. Yo, Brabs, this one's way cleaner than the plastics over at Joel's farm, no?"

"Don't talk like that," Barbara Darren cut Officer Brady off early. "It can hear you, you know."

"Ain't saying nothing wrong here," Brady raised his hands and got up from his seat with a groaned out stretch. Soon after, he returned his attention on Connor unfortunately, "You're not some farm robot though. You look skinny. Joel's plastics could lift you up."

"I have been designed for utmost efficiency to helping in the police department."

"With what?" Officer Brady laughed. "Cleaning? We got old Tom for that."

"With investigations," Connor responded bluntly and for a second, that clinical coldness stopped Brady's laughter. He reckoned it was in that moment of silence that the human formed a thought. The moment, obviously, didn't last long.

"All the investigations you'll be helping with in these parts are missing cattle and whether or not drunk George stole them beans from the store or not. You'd have more to do wiping the floors."

With or without the disdain Connor read in Officer Brady's eyes and tone, it did not change the fact that he agreed with what had been told to him just then, thus make it much easier to choose not to respond.

"Leave it alone, for God's sake!" Barbara shouted from over the desk just as Brady was about to decide the silence of the android was not what he was looking for. It was only at her request that he walked away before saying or doing anything more. As soon as Mrs. Darren saw the Officer approach, she lowered her voice and continued, "It's giving me the creeps to have that thing here with us. What the hell was Owens thinking green lighting this project anyway?"