SYNTHETIC [Connor/RK800]

A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

After the whole fiasco, Lieutenant Anderson drove to a park. Connor was fine with it, too distracted by the new-found sensations still tingling on his skin. He'd never been touched so delicately, so pleasurably. He wanted more. 

He'd seen romance many times, exchanges in public, in movies, in magazines. However, this was an intimacy he'd never experienced first-hand. All of his thoughts revolved around that moment in the Eden Club. 

The red-head and her deviant partner got away, and Lieutenant Anderson was almost pleased that they did. According to him, her and the partner were in love and wanted to be free. A sentiment that he could respect. 

Finally shaking off the tingling, Connor stepped out of the vehicle to join Lieutenant Anderson. He approached him, crunching softly through the snow. He stood beside Lieutenant Anderson, who was sitting on a park bench. 

"Nice view, huh? I used to come here a lot before..." He said, taking a swig of the beer in his hand.

"Can I ask you a personal questions, Lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Anderson looked at him. "Do all androids ask so many personal questions or is it just you?" 

Connor didn't answer, instead deciding to proceed with his inquiry. "I saw a photo of a child on your kitchen table. It was your son, right?"

"Yeah... His name was Cole."

Connor decided not to press that any further, afraid of Lieutenant Anderson becoming hostile. However, the phrase he'd used earlier bugged him. "Before what?"

"Hm?"

"You said, 'I used to come her a lot before'. Before what?"

"Before... before nothin'."

Connor stepped up to look at the view a bit more. "We're not making any progress on this investigation. The deviants have nothing in common. They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places."

"Well, there must be some link."

"What they have in common is this obsession with RA9. It's almost like some kind of... myth. Something they invented that wasn't part of their original program."

"Androids believing in God. Fuck, what's this world coming to?" 

"You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant. Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?"

"Those two girls, they just wanted to be together. They really seemed in love..."

A pain in Connor's chest built up. Did the redhead who distracted him really have no interest. Was the intimacy he'd been exposed to just a ruse to let her partner have time to make a getaway? It made him upset. No, it wasn't logical. They were just machines, she was just a machine. Nothing more.

"They can simulate human emotions, but they're machines. And machines don't feel anything." He said, though it felt like he was reminding himself more than he was disproving what Lieutenant Anderson had said.

"What about you, Connor? You were nowhere to be found when the deviants got away. And it turns out you were in a private room with one of them before they escaped. What could've distracted you? You look human, you sound human, but what are you really?" 

Connor paused, considering his answer. "I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant. Your partner, your buddy to drink with, or just a machine designed to accomplish a task."

"So, did you feel anything when that deviant distracted you Connor?" 

"I didn't feel anything, Lieutenant." He protested, trying to protect himself. "I'm a machine. Machines don't have emotions."

He was so wrong. He could still feel her lips, her hands, the warmth in her voice. If CyberLife found out, however, he would lose everything. The feelings he had, he wanted to keep. So, he kept it to himself. 

Lieutenant Anderson drew a gun, pointing it at Connor. "I could kill you. And you would just come back as if nothing happened. But are you afraid to die, Connor?"

He paused, thinking about it. Was he afraid to die? He had no clue what would happen once he died. Many humans believed in heaven, but as an android, would he have the privilege of getting in? Yes, he admitted to at least himself, he was scared to die. 

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be... interrupted before I can finish this investigation." He admitted. 

"What will happen if I pull this trigger? Hm?" The gun swayed in his drunken grasp. "Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?"

Connor knew that Lieutenant Anderson was only looking for a reaction and had no real intention of killing him. "You know you're not going to shoot me, Lieutenant." He stated, stepping closer to the gun and allowing the barrel to press between his brows. "You're just trying to provoke a reaction. I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you."

"You think you're so fucking smart. Always one step ahead, huh? Tell me this, smart ass: how do I know you're not a deviant?" 

If it was revealed that the android meant to destroy all deviants was in fact a deviant himself, there would be pandemonium. He decided to evade. "I self-test regularly. I know what I am, and what I am not."

While he couldn't technically lie to Lieutenant Anderson, he could say something that sounded like an answer but wasn't really. He did regularly test himself, but that didn't mean his results didn't point to deviancy. Hank put the gun away, grabbing his bottles and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Connor asked.

"To get drunker. I need to think." Lieutenant Anderson slurred, stumbling off as he opened another bottle. 

Connor was left standing in the snow, contemplating his existence and his new-found emotions.