Processing Emotion (Connor x Reader) 18+

Rainy, Detroit Day

The two of you quietly sat in the automated vehicle, waiting to arrive at your destination. "Connor," you asked out of boredom, "how far are we from Ravendale?" He calculated for only a second and then responded, "nine minutes and 23 seconds away." You nodded, and watched the cars go by. As you were looking out the window, you decided to ask again, "Connor, how far are we now?" He was briefly quiet, seeming to determine whether this was a joke now or a serious question. "Eight minutes and 48 seconds away, will that be all, Liutenant?" You chuckled into the palm of your hand, and nodded, "yes that will be-- oh wait, Connor, I have a question." This time, he turned to you fully in his seat, obviously intrigued by your wondering. "Yes?", his scratchy low voice responded.

"How far are we from Ravendale?"

He looked directly into your eyes, and then turned completely in the opposite direction, staring intently through the window. He chose not to respond to your question, which was fine considering you had roughly eight minutes and 48 seconds to bother him.

You both were watching the world go by through the car's windows. From inside, the world had such a different perspective. It was warm inside the car; almost welcoming to an extent. Something about two strangers sitting side by side in such a small area felt intimate, and yet so complex at the same time. You were from a different path of life, made from flesh to flesh, created for an unknown purpose. He, however, was much like the outside of the cab. Cold to the touch, cloudy like the sky, and so damn unpredictable. Connor seemed to know something you didn't, he seemed to hold the world inside of himself. A storm was coming, but he wouldn't tell you when. He was the unpredictable, rainy Detroit days.

The storm clouds rolled over the taxi cab, shedding tears all over the exterior metal. You watched the droplets race against the windshield, one would take the lead until branching off into several new beads of water. Puddles began to fill the street, creating a mirror of the surrounding world. They would beam bright reds and yellows, so calmly until the tires rushed through and create a hurricane of mischief. No longer would the raindrops bounce against the glassy water; they were too focused on rebuilding their destroyed homes of rain.

"Connor, I--"

"Four minutes, 39 seconds away."

"I wasn't going to ask that, but thank you. I was just curious, how do you feel about deviants from the perspective of an Android?"

You peered over, watching his reflection on the mirror. The blue LED switched suddenly to a pulsating yellow, he was processing the information. "Deviants are Androids who strayed away from their original purpose. There is an error in their software, which must be fixed."

You furrowed your eyebrows in disbelief. Somehow, he didn't even acknowledge that the deviants were once Androids like himself. He acted as if they were a completely different species. "But," you couldn't resist but to question his logic, "don't you know that you're an Android? It's possible for you to become a deviant as well, isn't it?"

"I am not a deviant, nor I will never be. A prototype does not have the ability to become deviant." You could hear the strain in Connor's voice, he was clearly becoming more upset with you bringing it up. It was only natural for you to ask questions though, if anything, he had to understand that.

The taxi then came to a slow, rolling stop in front of a convenience store. "So, this is it?" You asked him, watching him stare forward. You then tapped his knee with your index finger, trying to get a reaction out of him. He wouldn't even look at you, let alone notice that your hand was on his leg. Was he really that upset that you were questioning him?

"Hey," you softly told him, now holding onto his shoulder with your right hand, "I didn't mean to upset you by asking all that...I was just curious. I'm sorry." Suddenly, his neck snapped to look over at you, "I'm sending a report to CyberLife." You drew your hands back immediately, almost in disgust. "H-how? You're not even talking!"

"I don't need to talk."

You tried to distinguish whether he was trying to make fun of your need to have small talk, or if that was just a blatant fact. You continued to watch him stare out into the world, and study the way his once human looking eyes would suddenly glaze over as if he was shut down temporarily. You didn't even bother to try and understand technology, it just wasn't worth it.

You left the car with a loud slam of the door, partially hoping to interrupt Connor's report. Your eyes were nearly blinded by the store's neon lights, they even outshined the twinkling raindrops. Standing below the awning was your fellow detective, Ben Collins. "Mornin', Ben," you chirped, trying to raise spirits in the dreary atmosphere. "Well, don't you sound happy to be at a crime scene!" He laughed, until realizing the victim of the theft was standing right beside him. "Right. So, an Android was caught on the CCTV cameras stealing fifty dollars. She had a little girl with her, too." The victim nodded, and then went back inside his store, crossing his arms furiously.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Ben asked, nodding in the direction of Connor, who was still inside the car staring off into space. You shrugged, and watched the rain drip down onto the puddle right below your feet. "Hell if I know," Connor then got out of the car walking towards you, "but he seems to have better ideas." Ben then jolted back a bit, surprised by your own words, before entering the store. "He? It's an Android, Y/N. Treat it like one."

Connor stood there with you, unphased by Ben's words. You looked down, sliding your foot in the dirty sidewalk puddle. You didn't even realize you were calling Connor a 'he' all this time until Ben brought it to your attention. Connor then scanned the area, not even focusing on what had just happened. "They were traveling by foot, so they must have not gone far."

"They...you said 'they'. Were you listening to our conversation? How else would you have known about the little girl?"

"I can hear sounds regardless of structures dividing me and the subject."

"...so, you heard all of that?"

Connor nodded, "yes."

You almost shivered at Connor's cold response, there was absolutely no emotion. You replayed what detective Collins had said in your mind. After all, he was right. Connor is an Android, it has no emotions and how could you expect it to? It was as cold as a rainy Detroit day.

Dull and lifeless.