Thirium 310

Chapter 4

November 5, 2038
11:03 pm

A police report notification pops into my system as I sit on a bench in the park. A dead body found in a home reported by his landlord. I roll my eyes. I get too many of these. They crowd my mind, and sometimes I think about deactivating the software. But every now and then, a few reports actually pertain to androids; and that helps me help them.

The report indicates that the victims android is presumably the suspect for the murder. Now I'm intrigued. I stand up and head towards the address on the report.

I can't take the taxi, can't use a car. If I want to get around it needs to be by foot. Thank CyberLife they equipped me with speed.

I get to the small house in a not so friendly neighbourhood before the police arrive. Thank rA9. I grab the doorknob to open the house which happens to be unlocked. I walk in and observe. Part of me, the investigative part, wants to look around for clues. To find out what happened so that's what I do. I have to understand the story.

The dead body, Carlos Ortiz, has 28 stab wounds. 28 stab wounds! What the hell! The knife lays in the living room near the body. The words 'I AM ALIVE' written on the wall above the body, with his blood. Reminds me of Evan and what he told me the day I met him. That we are alive. Kind of a gruesome way to put it though.

Then I hear sirens wailing. Getting closer and closer. I'm out of time, I have to find that android. I quickly search the house, to find any clues of where he might be; but find nothing. Based on the decaying body, this murder happened over two weeks ago, so there's no way the android is still here.

Then I see ladder markings against the wall. The ladder is missing. The android could still be here. I can't give away anything, in case the police get here before I can make it out, so I don't use a chair or stool to get up. I jump, pushing the attic door open. I jump again, holding into the edge of the opening and pull myself up.

Once I'm in, I look around. Piles of storage surround the area in a cluttered mess. "Hello?" I softly call. "I'm not here to hurt you, I want to help." Something falls onto the ground on the left side of the room and I follow the sound.

The android sits there, hugging his knees to his chest, LED glowing crimson. "Hey," I say, extending my hand out. He looks at it but doesn't take it. He doesn't trust me, yet. "I'm Celeste. I want to—"

He looks up at me, noticing my LED pendant and cuts me off before I can continue. "I've heard about you," he says, standing up. "You're the android that helps androids. The deviant defender."
"Deviant defender?" I ask. I've never heard that one before.

"Yes, that's what you do isn't it? You're our protector. rA9 will free us, but you. . .You'll protect us," he says. Woah. I'm taken aback. I am not that special.
"No. I'm just helping a few androids get to Jericho. That's it." Suddenly we hear a loud noise come from downstairs; the door busting open.

"Shoot, the attic door!" I exclaim. I quickly creep back to the attic opening and close it, concealing ourselves. I hope checking the attic doesn't cross anyone's mind. I head back to the android.

"We have to be quiet okay? The cops are here," I tell him. His eyes widen in horror and I detect a drastic increase in stress levels. "Calm down, we'll be fine. We just have to stay here and wait it out." He nods.

I see a small window facing towards the street. "Lets move over there and we can see what's going on." He follows me as we tip toe towards it.

We both sit cross legged as we patiently wait for the officers to leave. "They're going to send detectives here too, and forensics. So it's going to be a while," I inform him. He nods again. "What's your name?" I ask.