[COMPLETED] Corrupted (Connor X Reader)

Free-fall

You sat on the other side of the quality assurance manager's desk, trying to not think of those two days you called in sick, the times you made mistakes, the reports you hadn't double-checked. Your boss looked at you, smiling stiffly, and you didn't know whether to smile back or throw up.

"We're very impressed with you," She finally announced, folding her hands together over a closed holo-pad and leaning in.

The next exchange passed in a blur. You remembered key phrases like "work ethic," "attention to detail," and "fit the company culture," but nothing else. You were too busy buzzing excitedly and nodding, trying to seem enthusiastic but not too eager — a careful balance you weren't sure if you pulled off, but in the end, you walked out of your supervisor's office with a few details for your new position on your tablet and an excited fluttering in your heart.

The next day you met Amanda.

At 8 o'clock sharp, you rode the elevator down to level sub-48, Research and Development, and swiped your newly-upgraded ID over the bay door. Clutching your tablet to your chest, you hesitantly approached the center console. You knew what to expect: an AI faithfully created from the memory of Amanda Stern, a former professor at the University of Colbridge and Kamski's mentor, but still faltered once you saw her.

Amanda didn't have a body like the androids you were used to. She was just a projected image, draped in CyberLife's white and blue, glowing slightly around the edges, emanating an air of power, authority, as her intense eyes tracked your movement. She greeted you by name, in a voice that sounded how hot cocoa tasted — a way you supposed should seem comforting, but instead made you feel nervous.

"Um..." you hesitated, unsure how to respond.

"You can talk to her, you know," someone spoke up from behind you, and you whipped around to look at him, "In fact, that's kind of important."

"Um..." you said again — apparently you had left your charisma at home.

The man who spoke looked to be in his late 30's, with light brown hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and black-rimmed glasses. He stood beside you and glanced up at the projection of Amanda, before extending his hand.

"I'm Jason, Jason Graff."

Your eyes widened, but you shook his hand and introduced yourself before the moment passed. Jason Graff, the director of the humanization department?

"It's a pleasure to meet you," He said, releasing your hand, "We're happy to have you on board."

"The pleasure's all mine, Mr. Graff."

"None of that," He chuckled, shaking his head, "We're going to be working as a team — you can just call me Jason."

"Alright... Jason."

Jason showed you around the floor and let you set your bag down at your desk, where a shiny new terminal was already set up. He introduced you to the others who'd been promoted from various departments, but none that you knew from quality assurance.

But that was alright because you weren't here to socialize. You were here to work.

At first, you thought of Amanda as a simple personality simulation, not unlike those programmed in androids you worked with previously (probably a little more advanced, with some other minor differences as she was constructed from a specific human model), but she was so much more than that. She learned, adapted, and behaved unlike any android you had ever met.

You didn't like it.

Something about Amanda, the way she spoke with you while you ran simulations and tests, the way she avoided your questions, then asked you questions... it didn't feel right. It made you feel like she was watching, analyzing, cataloging you, when you were supposed to be doing that to her.