ALIVE [Connor]

[06] Nothing Owed

August 15th. 2038.

PM 09:15:02

"Hello, Amanda."

The zen garden was undeniably breathtaking.

For a graphic interface, it was serene, and calm, and quiet. Not that it meant much to Connor, an android always driven with one task, and one task alone, he never really just stood still to take everything in. To take it all in. And yet, the garden held a quietness that consumed the senses, riddled in the distant chirping of exotic birds and the soft sounds of running water. It was a place of mystery, of wonder, of serenity.

And it housed only one occupant.

Amanda pivoted around on the spot, her robes gracefully sweeping along the pale stonework at her feet. She was clutching a single red rose in her hand, stroking one of the crimson petals delicately between her finger and thumb.

"Hello, Connor," She greeted, her voice was very much reminiscent of the garden itself: calm and quiet, "I'm glad that you were successful on your mission. The hostage was left unharmed, and the deviant...?"

"Taken care of," assured Connor, recollecting the night's events. "That deviant will no longer pose an issue." 

"Excellent," Amanda smiled absently. A small smile, alluding to that fact that she did not do so very often, "I hope the mission wasn't too much of a strenuous activity for you, Connor."

"Of course not," He replied, "I was designed with the specific skills to get the job done, without room for failure."

Amanda hummed shortly, "Indeed..." She agreed, "The RK800 is the most advanced model yet. Cyberlife wanted an android that was able to not only relate to deviants, but to befriend them to some extent. Without ever straying to become a deviant, himself." Her vague smile had dissipated, now replaced with a slight frown as she considered something else.

"Is there...something wrong?" asked Connor, momentarily puzzled.

"What can you tell me about Isla Richards?" Amanda suddenly struck up, taking Connor somewhat off-guard with the question. The LED in his temple briefly turned to a yellowish light in response, and for but a moment, Connor's memory bank pulled up the first file it possibly could regarding the name in question.

"So I guess...you're stuck with me."

He visualised her smile, her quick wit and her annoyingly infectious laughter. The dimples chiselled into her cheeks, her swishing ponytail. She struggled to stay so serious in such a dire situation, lightening the mood to an extent that even he could not help but smile at one point. Her brown eyes aglow as he recalled them standing side by side, observing the colourful fish she had saved as it floated through the fish tank.

He could never understand why she appeared so accommodating to androids.

"Detective Richards was an extremely useful asset to the mission," Connor began, choosing his words carefully. He maintained eye-contact with Amanda, regardless of her icy gaze, "She posed no restriction to the task at hand, and she..."

A slight hesitation.

"Go on," Amanda prompted, yanking the petal entirely out of the rose and discarding it.

"...and she was the one who actually saved the hostage," Connor added, watching the rose petal float down through the silent atmosphere towards the ground, where it gently settled. "I owe her that much."

"You owe her nothing, Connor. 'Detective Richards' does not classify as your accomplice on these tasks. You're set to look for Lt Anderson next time, do you understand?"