Case No. 243

CHAPTER VI: Carl and Markus

Kara wanted to get out of there, as soon as possible, despite Carl's hospitality. She bit her lip as wild spurts of anxiety rushed through her, glancing towards the studio door every now and then in anticipation for someone to exit the room. If Leo caught her pushing his elderly father around in the wheelchair and assumed the very obvious, it would be over for not only her but for Alice and Connor. He had insisted for her to wheel him around though, and she didn't just want to deny the old man's request.

After moments of frightening silence, he finally signaled her to stop in the grand living room.

"So... tell me about yourself, Kara. How did you become deviant?"

She let out a sigh.

"It's a very long story and it's not that interesting. You should take a rest."

He looked at her knowingly. "A deviant housemaid and a human girl together, along with an android police officer? Sounds like a goddamn novel. Give me a summary or something, I'm listening."

And what else was she supposed to do? Just not tell him? That was beyond her.

So, she merely complied and gave a brief insight into what had happened in the past two days, watching Carl's mood dim gradually. From Todd and all the way to Connor, she noticed the atmosphere get heavy and she realized that she didn't like heavy atmospheres. She had been getting too much of those lately.

"So, Alice snapped you out of it. You wanted to protect her from her father..."

"Yes." She didn't want to talk about her past anymore. "How about Markus? What happened to him?"

His lips parted and then closed, the hesitation making itself apparent on his face. Perhaps it was too soon to ask. The wounds were still fresh.

"If you weren't a deviant, you wouldn't have gotten a word outta me. But, I think you can do something to fix everything. So, listen very carefully."

Kara nodded, suddenly burdened by the prospects of great responsibility. She clutched at her little girl's hand.

"Markus... he always had his own thoughts. He had limitations to his will, sure, but I won't credit his deviancy to being all me. As long as I can remember, he took care of me but I could tell he actually cared. Kind of like you and Alice. He woke me up, wheeled me about, fed me, and kept me company when no else could. When I was just an old man clinging to his brushes. And I'm losing life as we speak, Kara! If Markus wasn't there, I wouldn't have survived that long on just brushes. I would've drowned myself in paint a long time ago. But, of course, good things must come to an end. They were scared of him. Leo was the one who was beating him up, yet they believed him. They shot Markus."

Taking in every single detail, her gut wrenched at the thought of dying for a crime you didn't commit. She could empathize with his heartbreak, feeling her insides gush out of sorrow for Carl.

Yet another deviant was persecuted for doing no harm.

"This is why you need to find a way to stop Connor, help him find himself. Some deviants deserve to live and some that deserve to rot in prison. They're just like us."

She placed her hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "I promise to do what I can. I've been trying already. Earlier today... we exchanged memories. I don't know how, but I saw them and I knew I had to help."