The Negotiator

#1698

The elevator is complete glass as it flies up the apartment building on 42nd street. The lights of the city and the holograms throughout make the city impossible to ever be dark. Flying cars pollute the night sky and rain sprays upon the glass of the elevator. The doors open and the negotiator turns around, and walks into the hallway.

He pulls his hand from his coat pocket and the hologram displays from his watch, showing "Apartment 576, Four hostages, Woman 56, Male 53, Male 19, Female 2, Suspect: Male Android #1698." He lets out a sigh and walks through the doors and is greeted by Captain Turner, the police captain of precinct 5.

"What's the rundown captain?"

"Well its an Android for one, making it the fortieth crime in history. Won't be long before the people find out about these Mavericks." Captain turner says.

"Not as long as we're involved." Negotiator Draven says tapping his badge. FBI, of course.

"Well he's on the balcony. He's holding the baby over the edge and has a gun on the boy. The parents are on the side begging and pleading for him to stop." Captain turner explains turning on the purple colored desk lamp.

"What's the cause of his malfunction?"

"No idea." He says. "Read over these."

Draven picks up the file on the desk. He looks around the white colored room and sits on a lounge chair in the corner. The digital file goes through pages with the swipe of a finger. He reads and reads until he finds a possible cause.

"Wait, Wait." Draven says getting the captains attention. "Read here." He says pointing at a line.

"Gets disciplined by 19 year old for not following tasks as requested." The captain mumbles to himself. "So what he's like an abused child?"

"Perhaps. Often times when androids are first made, they're of course bound by their program but naive none the less."

"You sayin' they're naturally curious even though they're not supposed to be?"

"Nowhere in their regulation does it say curiosity isn't okay, it just says don't do certain things." Draven explains.

"Couldn't that be the cause of malfunctions?"

"Maybe. No one listens to me when I explain it, Captain. I'm just a negotiator. They want me to kill the androids and move on."

"How can you negotiate if you're supposed to just kill them?" Captain Turner asks.

"Negotiate to get the androids away from the victim. Once in safe proximity, bang." He says mocking a finger gun.

"What do you want to do?" Captain Turner asks Draven. Draven stands and places the file down.

"I want to understand." He says walking out into the living room. Swat officers line against the screen door, hiding from the androids view.

"I want freedom! I want equal rights! I want a car and a way out!" The android yells into the night sky over and over like an alarm hit on snooze.

The swat officers nod at Draven and Draven slowly opens the screen door with an arm in the air.

"Pretty cold out, huh?" Draven asks closing the door behind him. He keeps his arms up.

"Stay back or I will shoot you." The Android says to him.

"Easy, I'm just here to listen to you." Draven tells him.

"Listen?"

"I know that's strange to hear from a human, but yes, listen." Draven insists. "May I sit, my knee kind of hurts, banged it on the way up."