WAR MACHINE ⊳ connor x reader

Ch. VI

Elijah sat at his desk, multiple sheets of crumbled paper scattered over the floor, with you waiting by his side, ready to offer a second opinion whenever it was desired of you.

You risked a quick glance at the RK800 when Elijah seemed focused on his paperwork. The machine was on standby, eyes peacefully closed, its posture inhumanly straight. Was there a specific reason you kept staring in the direction of said prototype? Not one that you could lay your finger on.

Your boss let out a frustrated, yet soft, sigh, drawing your attention back to him. "The exterior needs to be more sharp, more stern, more dominant. The RK800 failed because..." Kamski stopped for a second, throwing a glance over his shoulder at you, as if you were at fault for what he was about to state. Well, you sort of were, actually: It was, in fact, you that had come up with a face design for the RK800. "Because it was too soft. Too human-like. We lost track of its actual purpose and focused too much on its social integration."

"But that just proves that androids could be used as so much more other than military forces. Why all the secrecy? Industry, office work-"

"Most humans are involutionary, they have always been. Look at the civillians' reactions at the steam engines back in the day. They were so utterly afraid of machines replacing them that they rioted against it, (y/n)." Elijah interrupted you.

That was the truth, although it hurt deeply.

"Back to the RK900." Kamski ordered, turning back to his desk
Elijah took a hold of a notebook at the edge of the table, flipped through the pages until he reached one that was particularly familiar. The one where you had first put the facial design of the RK800 on paper, along with some basic information.

With an air of finality, he held it out to you. "Use what we already have as inspiration, and try to see what you can come up with for the RK900. Give it higher cheekbones. A slight frown, to visually help establish dominance. And do something about its eyes."

You took the notebook from him, glancing at the page. "Of course, Elijah." Searching for the nearest pencil, you scribbled down the suggestions Elijah had made at the very bottom of the page.

"RK800, restart!" Your boss spoke up from his study, loud enough for the Android to hear and comply. It appeared from the room on your left, the storage room. That was where you kept multiple prototypes and older androids. It was a place you somewhat enjoyed visiting: a display of what you had helped in achieving so far.

"Hello, RK800."

"Hello, (y/n)." It gave a quick nod, voice perfectly steady and calm. "How can I be of service?"

"I'll need you to stand still for me, just for a few minutes. I need to get a proper glimpse of your face." You instructed, seating yourself on the table in the middle of the room, legs dangling just a few millimeters above the floor. The android moved to stand in front of you, then got down on one knee. What was it doing? And, most importantly, what were you doing, getting all flustered about it?

"Is this angle fitting?" It asked.

Oh. That's what it was doing.

"Yeah, it...it's alright." You nodded to yourself and started sketching its face, but with the adjustments Kamski had asked for. It was done in a few minutes, and you were quite happy with the result. Even a simple concept drawing of the RK900 already radiated with sternness and superiority. Just as Elijah had requested. You thought about suggesting a steel blue eye-color for it.

"Now for the side-view." Profiles had never been your forte. The nose was something you often got wrong when it came to concept sketches; it had almost become a ritual by now. "Turn your head to the left, Conn-RK800."

What were you doing, letting its fake name slip like that?

You noticed Connor smirk with only one corner of its mouth and quickly turn its head to conceal it. Cheeky little thing.

You shook your head in amusement and brought your pen in contact with the paper, drawing a few helping lines to get an idea of where the jawline and cheekbones were supposed to be.

Sadly, things just refused to work out for you. The features were either too soft, or unnatural. Maybe something was wrong with the angle?

"Tilt your head up." You instructed, placing one finger under Connor's chin, guiding him into a better position. That did look easier to follow.

You got back to work, noticing that the new angle seemed to help.

After drawing the basic outline, you began doing some basic shading. It was turning out good, as far as you could tell.

"Can I move, assistant?"

"Yeah, you're free to go." You answered, adjusting a minor mistake before continuing with the shading. It left its initial position without another word, disappearing out of your field of vision.

You failed to hear the steps coming closer to you, at least until you heard the faint whirring of a fan against your left ear.

"Is that a concept drawing?" You refrained from jumping and punching the android in the face out of sheer flight instinct. Its voice was almost dangerously close to your ear.

"Well, yeah...um, sort of." You glanced at its face, meeting its curious chocolate gaze once more. "For a new RK model."

"It looks...stern. Hostile." It stated, eyes scanning over the drawing with an inhuman speed.

"That's the idea." You nodded your head, smirk playing on your lips at the comment forming in your mind. "I thought you didn't have any opinions regarding things?"

Taken aback by the question, it distanced itself from you, reassuming its initial, straight posture. "Of course I don't. I have been provided the ability to identify facial expressions, so I merely stated facts."

"Alright, sure." You teased and hopped off the edge of the table, regaining your composure before returning to Kamski's room, leaving the Android dumbfounded.

"Done already?" Elijah asked as you stepped inside, not bothering to look up from the notes scattered all over his desk.

"Yes. It's just a vague idea, but I think I managed to come up with a fitting design." You smiled and placed the sheet of paper on the table, sliding it towards Kamski. He remained silent, analyzing the concept drawing with critical eyes. You couldn't help but let a nervous laugh slip. "I mean, hey, even the RK800 himself confirmed that it looks rather imposing."

"Itself." Kamski corrected, then handed the paper back to you. "You said 'The RK800 himself'."

"Ah, that...I...sorry, it just slipped." You mentally scolded yourself for it.

"The design is good. Do some minor cleanup around the workshop, select a few models to send to Normandy, and you're dismissed for today."

"Right away. Thank you."

Elijah looked up from his notes, soft, knowing smirk tugging on his lips. "You're welcome."