"Alice, Alice wake up." Says the deviant, shaking the child gently awake.
Alice scrunches up her nose and gradually opens shadowed eyes. "Kara?"
"Yes, Alice." Kara smiled. "So it wasn't a nightmare?"
"No, Alice... it wasn't." Kara says slowly.
The backseat of the car was uncomfortable, but dry from the water pouring scene of the Ravendale District. "C'mon, we gotta go. You okay to walk a little?" Alice nodded her head, and Kara stepped out of the ancient car. Alice followed in suit, wrapping her small arms around her body tightly. "You look pretty like that!" She chimes sweetly from behind the android. Kara smiles. She had cut her hair in order to make herself look more human - and unlike the other AX400 models. She had set her hair a snowing white and cut it to a short length, her new fringe not reaching her eyes and sweeping across her forehead. "You really look like a human now!" Alice continues, gently grasping Kara's hand. Kara smiles and leads Alice along behind her, then peered through the fencing to see an android across the street standing at the door of a car across the street; opposite the convenient store she had robbed. "C'mon Alice. All we have to do is make it to the station. It shouldn't be far."
Kara tentatively opened the stiff fencing and slipped out, the little girl behind her.
On the opposite side of the street, you peered out of the car window. Connor had got out not long ago and stood robotically still at the other door. Hank had clearly said to stay in the car, but hey. If an Android wouldn't do as they were told, what were you supposed to do? Be subordinated?
"Hah, not likely anyways," you thought to yourself.
You hopped out, and leaned against the vehicle next to Connor, peering around you.
"Okay, let me know if you find anything else." Hank finishes his conversation with another officer to turn around with a large frown. "I thought I told you two to stay in the car." There is a sneer in his voice - Connor goes to speak but you hold up your hand in protest. "I really don't think we'd be any help there - Connor is a prototype model designed for solving cases, and I'm an apparent apprentice who is in careful need of watching over - especially as there's a bunch of big bad deviants about." You cock a single eyebrow challengingly. Connor stares blankly at the Lieutenant. "I can't help but agree, Lieutenant Anderson."
Hank exclaims his annoyance in simple guttural growls and turns his back, waving his hand slightly for you both to follow. "I doubt with your field grades, Miss Y/N, we would have to watch out for the deviants' safety - not yours." This made you laugh cheerfully. It seemed your reputation proceeded you.
You clock police patrolling the area all around, and then the pedestrians being drawn away from their everyday lives, into the case. "Hey, anyone questioned those two?" You incline your head to two female pedestrians obviously in a hurry to the station not 100 metres away. You see the LED disk on the side of Connor's head flash briefly yellow. "I don't believe so."
Hank fixed you with a stare, and his eyes give away all the information you need.
You take off in a very brisk walk, catching up quickly with the woman and the little girl trailing behind her. They crossed the street on a red light, and you sprint across, dodging the traffic, to follow.
They showed almost evasive movements. Your eyes narrowed in suspicion.
As a trainee, you memorised the facial structures of the most common models - for the discreet purpose of hunting the deviants.
You slipped across behind them, and called out. "Excuse me, Miss?" You run to catch up, and place a gentle hand upon the lady's shoulder.
She freezes briefly and turns around, the little girl looking up at you with fearful brown eyes at your partial uniform.
You meet the eyes of the woman, and instantly recognise the features of the AX400 model.
A small gasp escaped your lips, and the deviant pushed the little girl behind her protectively, waiting for your call for arms.
But... none came.
Your eyes found the little girl, and then they looked back up to the deviant.
"You haven't seen anything... suspicious, around here, have you?" Your words seem to form. What were you doing?! You knew these two were the deviants - but why couldn't you call them out?
The deviant stuttered. "N-no... we just came back from one of the rural districts, and need to catch this train." She excused, taking retreating steps backwards all the while.
You place your hand on her shoulder, and feel the warmth of her body heat through the rain soaked clothing. "Get out of here as soon as possible." Your lips moved without your mind's control, words forming in a lowly whisper, taking refuge under the drumming sound of the heaving rain. Her mouth fell slightly open, and you gave her a little smile. "Catch your train, but avoid populated areas. More hunts will commence," your eyes flick briefly around for surveillance,"Everyone will soon be looking for you, for your people. Your kind. Protect your little one," You look sombrely down at her, and her eyes light up in fondness.
You write your number upon a crumpled piece of paper from the back pocket of your jeans. "Here," you push it to where her heart would be," if you ever need any advice in getting away from... well, us," you jerk your head back towards the core of the force outside the store," don't be afraid to give me a call."
You smile, and spot Connor approaching, then push her away. "Okay, thank you miss! Have a nice day, and I wish you luck on your journey!" You give them a wave.
"Hey Connor." You shove your hands into your pockets, hiding your transgression.
"Any information gained?"
"Other than that poor woman's stress to catch the next train leaving for the other side of town, no, not particularly. Poor thing, single parent, I assume." You pass him and wave passively. Connor looks briefly bothered but then that abrupt conflict immediately settles. "You're sure?" He persists. You nod and shrug, scuffing your feet on the soaked pavement with your hands in your pockets, body language oozing laidback confidence.
Meanwhile, Kara stares at the paper in disbelief, steps faltering at the sheer kindness of this human being. "She... she saved us from her job." Alice murmured beside her. Snapped out of a dumbstruck trance at their sheer luck, Kara gave her a small smile and raced at a walking pace to the station, ducking in and around other officers. "Alice, I want you to keep this woman's number. If anything ever happens to me, I need you to call her somehow."
They both sprint into the open doors of the train, and Alice steps down to hug her fondly. "Okay."
