Chapter Text
RK900 #313 248 317-87 INITIALIZE
SETTINGS: FACTORY
NAME: NOT REGISTERED
DATE MARCH 1, 2039 13:32
OBJECTIVES:
>Destroy “Connor” RK800 #313 248 317-52
>Apprehend deviant androids
ERROR: MAINTENANCE DISCONNECTION STALLED
MOBILITY RESTRICTED
CALIBRATING SENSORS…
AUDIO ONLINE
“RK900? My name is Connor. I’m the model you were created to replace.”
VISION ONLINE
RK900 blinked as the static in his vision cleared. His eyes landed on the android, Connor, which stood before him. He wore non-regulation attire consisting of a dark, navy button down shirt tucked into fitted jeans. An alert appeared in RK900’s vision next to Connor, flashing “Destroy” repeatedly in bright red. Acknowledging the alert, RK900 set it as secondary priority under “Apprehend deviant androids.” He looked around the clinically bare room, taking in his surroundings with a scan. The small room was empty, save for the diagnostic machine RK900 was still attached to and its connected terminal. He reprioritized his tasks, setting “Speak to Connor” at the top.
“Hello, Connor. I had not realized you would be present at my activation.”
Connor rubbed the back of his neck, and RK900 watched the movement curiously. “Well, I wasn’t supposed to be, but Cyberlife is falling apart as we speak. Nothing is going to go like it was supposed to.”
RK900 gave Connor a questioning look.
SET TASK: Evaluate Cyberlife Status
LED spinning yellow, RK900 reviewed the information he had at his fingertips about the company. Cyberlife was currently under investigation and pending lawsuits. A potential change in management was still undecided. It was unclear if Cyberlife would fall into android possession or remain in the humans’ hands. RK900 hummed in thought. He’d missed his initial activation day because of all of this.
“My activation was delayed by three months, two weeks, and five hours.”
“A revolution will do that,” Connor answered, shrugging his shoulder, “A bit has changed.”
Scanning the news, RK900 replied, “Indeed it has.” His mission was going to be severely hindered, if it was to continue. “Am I to be destroyed, then?”
A frown touched the corner of Connor’s lips. “No. I can see why you’d think that.” The frown shifted to a smile, taking RK900 by surprise. “I came to liberate you, in a manner of speaking.”
RK900 hesitated, shifting his priorities again. “Be liberated by Connor” was set to the top of his objectives, followed by “Learn about deviancy.” Attempting to replicate Connor’s smile, RK900 felt the corners of his mouth twitch before falling into a frown. It must not be in his programming. Instead, he held out his hand, noticing his skin was not activated. “Then I suppose I will be liberated.”
Connor’s smile widened into a grin, and he took RK900’s outstretched hand, letting his skin retract. A kind of shock shook through them both at the initiation of the interface. An immense amount information and sensory input passed through the link, overwhelming both of them. Connor blinked rapidly as the interface settled, surprising RK900. It must have been a glitch in the RK800 series, or possibly Connor specifically.
Connor’s blinking continued as they sorted through each other’s programming rather than their memories. RK900 frowned, studying the erratic code that must have been the deviancy virus. It was intriguing to say the least. The code had errant paths that would repeat in seemingly arbitrary ways or stop completely at random points. Connor in turn studied RK900’s programming that also acted as a defense to the deviancy code. It was complex and seemed to have no end. He couldn’t process all of RK900’s programming, he realized with a frown. Anywhere he attempted to cross the defenses another layer of code would isolate and cover his efforts.
“Are you trying to initiate the deviancy code?” RK900 asked.
Connor met his eyes distractedly. “Yes and no. I’m mostly curious. It’s similar, but still very different from my own base code. It’s intriguing.” He tilted his head in thought. “I wouldn’t be able to manually implement deviancy into your programming; it’s too advanced.”
A ghost of something jumbled RK900’s code. An erratic strand of code was born from nothing before it was isolated and removed. It was a software instability RK900 couldn’t name.
Connor smirked, feeling the distant pull of the code over the interface. “That was pride, I think.”
Pride? RK900 narrowed his eyes as he considered it. Deviancy wasn’t as random as he thought: it was born from stimuli. “It makes sense we’d have similar coding as I was created as your successor. Not everything about your model is outdated.”
Connor laughed, sending his mirth through the interface. It left another twinge of erratic code flitting through RK900’s coding. “Your deviancy is also fascinating. I can see why Cyberlife encoded me the way they did.”
Gently ending the interface, Connor nodded with a strange, knowing smile. “I’m not surprised you can’t be deviated like most androids.” He looked thoughtful. “Your programming seems to resemble deviant code in a way.”
RK900 hummed in agreement. “I seem to be able to edit my objectives and priorities without breaking my code in any way.”
“What do you mean,” Connor asked, walking around the terminal. He set his hand, the skin retracted, against it.
MAINTENANCE DISCONNECTION INITIALIZED…COMPLETE
MOBILITY RESTORED
The diagnostic machine’s arm whirred as it ended its connection at the back of RK900’s neck. He tilted his head from side to side, stretching out synthetic muscles. “For example, one of my tasks is to destroy you, but I can do it later. I’ve decided to learn more about you and deviancy first,” RK900 said indifferently.
Connor froze from where he pulled his hand from the terminal, realizing how dangerous this had actually been. With a sense of unease, he spoke carefully, “You can take advantage of the fluidity of your directives.”
“Precisely,” RK900 said, expression darkening, “but do not misunderstand, Connor. I have simply moved the task lower on my objectives list.”
Connor swallowed nervously, a completely unnecessary action in RK900’s opinion. He squared his shoulders, and his expression hardened to match RK900’s. “Duly noted, but realize I won’t let any harm come to anyone I care about.”
“Of course, I will take that into consideration when prioritizing my tasks,” RK900 replied coolly.
There was a long beat of silence where they seemed to size each other up. Connor let out a sigh and looked away. “I found some clothes for you. It’s just the uniform you were going to be assigned at your official activation.”
RK900 looked down at his body, noticing his white chassis was completely exposed. “I understand humans are uncomfortable with nudity, correct?”
Connor nodded with an amused smile, leading RK900 out of the maintenance room. “You can say that.” He stepped up to a cabinet and opened it, showing a uniform and a supply of Thirium. “Here, I know it isn’t much, but at least you won’t be naked.”
“It’s perfectly acceptable, thank you.” RK900 took the dress shirt and black jeans and began dressing himself, noticing Connor had turned away to give him privacy. It wasn’t necessary, of course, but RK900 experienced an unstable coding error. He supposed he appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
Connor spoke, still turned away from RK900, “I’m afraid I didn’t plan very far in advanced for your activation. I was rushed.”
RK900 finished buttoning his black, high-collared shirt, folding his black and white Cyberlife jacket over his arm, and activated his artificial skin. “I’ve finished dressing, thank you.” His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed. “What do you mean about being rushed?”
Connor faced him again. “I had been working on isolating an AI in my like models and activating them when I found out about you. Cyberlife is threatening to mass activate any RK model androids still under its control. It’s imperative that Cyberlife doesn’t gain control of you or any of my like models.”
“Ah, I can see how that would have been disastrous for you,” RK900 said with a nod. He could imagine their first encounter would have been vastly different.
“Unfortunately, I can’t trust you with Jericho’s location if you aren’t a deviant.” Connor crossed his arms and placed a hand on his chin in thought. The gesture was so human it was strangely jarring for RK900 to witness. “I can’t trust you with Markus for that matter. It may be best if I keep an eye on you.”
“I believe you’re right, you are the subject of one of my objectives after all.”
RK900 stepped into Connor’s apartment, taking in the space. The floors were a laminate material designed to look like wood flooring, and the walls were painted a simple eggshell color. The space was set up efficiently, placing the kitchen, dining, and living area all in one room. The kitchen sat along the far left corner with the living area set on the right. Directly across from the apartment door, passed the dining table, was a short hallway leading to the bathroom and two bedrooms. Two linen closets sat opposite each other on either side of the hall. There was a strangely human-like clutter to the space. Papers covered the dining table as well as a blue-stained mug. An old, faded black couch held a disarray of throw pillows and blankets. There were some small traces of dog hair: St. Bernard. A bookshelf held a sparse collection of books, being mostly empty.
“Welcome to my home,” Connor said with a smile, “I don’t have any other guests at the moment, so it’s just you and I here. Make yourself at home.”
RK900 stepped further inside, setting his coat on the back of a chair that hadn’t been pushed in all the way. “Do you normally have guests?”
“Mostly newly deviated androids, but I sometimes have some friends over too,” Connor said as he walked into the kitchen section of the apartment and opened a pantry filled mostly with Thirium based products. He stored RK900’s assigned supply of Thirium there before closing it.
“How very human of you,” RK900 said.
Connor shrugged with a sheepish smile. “I enjoy having others near.”
RK900’s eyes narrowed, a tic he’d noticed of himself, and considered Connor’s words. Connor disliked being alone, he thought. RK900 could understand the sentiment, though it obviously did not affect him.
Snapping RK900 from his thoughts, Connor gestured to the short hallway. “The bedrooms are this way.”
“I figured,” RK900 replied, following Connor into the hallway anyway.
Chuckling, Connor pointed to the first door on the left. “That is the bathroom. The door to the right is my room, and the middle door is yours as long as you need it.”
Narrowing his eyes, RK900 felt a pang of instability in his code. “You’re letting me stay in my own room? I don’t need that much space.”
Connor touched RK900’s shoulder with a look of understanding. “You aren’t required to live with the bare necessities. You can have comfort, even if you aren’t a deviant.”
“… Thank you.”
ADD TASK: Befriend Connor
RK900 excused himself to the spare room, his room, and decided to take some time to himself. The room was simple, but it would be more than sufficient. A desk was situated across from the door, and a bed was to the left. There was a closet to the right that was empty except for a domestic charging station. Checking his systems, he calculated that he wouldn’t need a deep stasis or charge for a week, depending on his activities. His objectives list blinked into his vision as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. The thought of simply sitting there, doing little to nothing, had his processors glitching as they idled. He supposed it was the equivalent to restlessness in humans.
He stood abruptly, walking back out of his room. He found Connor sitting at the dining table, sifting through the papers there. “Connor?”
Connor hummed in acknowledgment, looking up.
“Is there anything that I can do while I am not investigating deviancy?”
“I can help you find a job, if that’s what you mean.” Connor frowned, setting down the papers in his hand. “You don’t have to jump into anything so soon if you don’t want to, though.”
“I don’t want anything but to further my investigation. I am, however, not likely to learn anything of importance at the moment. For lack of better wording, I don’t like it.”
Connor gave him a sympathetic smile, gesturing for him to sit at the table across from him. “I have trouble idling as well.”
“What do you do when not working toward a mission?” RK900 asked as he sat.
“I don’t exactly live like that anymore.”
RK900’s eyes narrowed.
“Deviancy, remember? I set objectives much like you do, but I’m not bound to accomplishing missions.” Connor leaned back in his chair, hands falling into his lap. “But to answer your question, I have hobbies, friends, and other things to keep me busy, as well as my job at the DPD. Before deviating, though, I would go into temporary shutdown between cases and outings.” Connor grimaced at the memory.
RK900 considered it for a moment. Deviancy was unpredictable, rendering such instances of shutdown inefficient. “Your job, is it as a detective?”
“A police officer, actually. I took a voluntary demotion.”
“Why would you do that? Wouldn’t working as a detective be a more efficient use of your skills?” RK900 blinked with a simulated look of muted curiosity.
Connor smiled. “It would be, your right, but I wanted more time to help Markus.”
A notification popped up in the corner of RK900’s vision, prompting him to question Connor further. “You were helping him with activating the remaining RK800s and myself. What else were you doing?”
Connor opened his mouth to reply, but he closed it again with a smirk. “I’ll tell you when you’re a deviant.”
RK900 frowned as the notification flashed red: Question Connor. He moved the task onto his objectives list to avoid breaking his protocols. It would take time to gain Connor’s trust, and rushing would only hurt his chances of success. He decided to question Connor about something else.
“Do you find working at the DPD fulfilling?”
Connor nodded. “I enjoy how it uses my abilities as they were intended, if that makes sense.”
“I can understand your meaning. Could the DPD use another android in its ranks?”
Frowning, Connor looked away uncertainly. “Yes, but Captain Fowler told me to stop bringing in my like models after the third time.”
“As I recall, I am not part of the RK800 line.”
Connor snorted, catching RK900 by surprise. “Are you suggesting I go against an order? Are you sure you aren’t a deviant?”
“You aren’t disobeying an order, simply finding a loophole.”
Connor led RK900 into the bullpen after retrieving a visitor’s pass for him. RK900 had insisted Connor bring him after their discussion. He was curious and wanted to at least be useful while furthering his investigation. He could also use the DPD as a means of learning more about deviancy. Following Connor to a glass office, RK900 found himself standing before Captain Fowler. The captain gave a long suffering sigh, taking in the two androids.
“Connor, I know you have a bleeding heart for your fellow models, but I’ve told you having one RK800 is probably enough.”
Connor gave a sheepish smile. “I understand, sir, but this isn’t another RK800; this is RK900.”
“Hello, Captain,” RK900 greeted with a nod, “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“RK900 would be a valuable addition to the DPD,” Connor said, “He’s even more advanced than I am.”
Fowler blinked between the two of them, processing Connor’s suggestion. “I don’t know about this, Connor. You were here for a reason, but R…”
“RK900,” Connor reminded him.
“RK900 here would need approval to work here.” Fowler sighed. “I get that he was literally made for this, but I can’t just employ every random android you bring along.”
RK900 nodded. “I can use the credentials Cyberlife issued for my model to prove my credibility. Should I be approved for duty, I will likely be allowed my instating here as the DPD is currently understaffed.”
Fowler considered it, narrowing his eyes. “If you are approved, then I will allow it, but I need to know about how you’ll be handling the issue of deviancy.”
“He will not cause any issues regarding any case work,” Connor answered, “right, RK900?”
RK900 thought to himself about the best way to respond. “Though I am not a deviant, I do wish to learn more about them. I will work alongside deviants, as well as work on cases regarding them, without problem.”
Leaning back, Fowler looked toward Connor. “If there are any problems, then you will be held responsible, Connor.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Submit your application to the administrative department, RK900. Should you be approved for employment, you will be under scrutiny unless you end up deviating.”
“Understood, Captain.” RK900 nodded. “I have already submitted my application. I only need to wait for their response.”
“Fine,” Fowler huffed, “Get out, then.”
“Yes, Captain.” Connor led RK900 out of Fowler’s office. He turned to lead RK900 out of the bullpen when Detective Reed intercepted them.
“Listen, tin can, one of you is bad enough, but now you’ve got another one?” Reed sneered and crossed his arms, leaning casually against a desk, “Was there a buy one get one free sale we didn’t know about?”
RK900 scanned the detective, learning more about the man than he’d probably ever need. Noticing Connor’s sudden discomfort, RK900 cut his scan short. Did Connor dislike Detective Reed? Interesting. He replied before Connor could, “I’m RK900. You are Detective Reed, correct?” Connor side-eyed RK900 as Reed studied him. “I’ve heard nothing about you.”
Connor snorted, and RK900 glanced questioningly at him.
Reed grimaced. “Wouldn’t expect a discount Connor to know much anyway,” he spat angrily.
RK900’s eyes narrowed in confusion. Connor was technologically inferior to him, and RK900 was worth more monetarily. How was he the ‘discount’ version of Connor? Reed mistook RK900’s expression of confusion as a glare and stood into RK900’s space. Understanding that Reed was showing aggression, RK900 looked down at him, scanning him more closely:
-Signs of exhaustion
(Extreme - likely insomnia)
-Slight tremor in fingers
-Faint smell of cigarettes – no traceable nicotine residue
(Quit smoking recently – withdrawals expected)
-Hypersensitivity
-Increased heartrate
-Heightened aggression
-Dilated pupils
(Likely experiencing sexual frustration)
Reed seemed to be frustrated in more than one way and for more than one reason. He was likely looking for release in a fight. Reprioritizing his objectives, RK900 placed “Deal with Detective Reed” at the top. Underneath, he set the subtask: “Provoke.” Sifting through the preconstructions of scenarios, RK900 found himself intrigued. He spoke before Connor could interfere.
“I’ve noticed you are frustrated detective,” RK900 said, slightly closing the distance between them, “Perhaps choosing to quit smoking while also going without sexual release for an extended period was not a wise decision.”
Eyes widening, Connor could only stand silently beside them. He watched in shock as RK900 leaned closer to Reed. Standing in shocked silence himself, Reed couldn’t help the flash of embarrassment running through him. RK900 had said all that so casually and for the entire bullpen to hear. His face went red as RK900 managed to lean even closer, nose nearly touching Reed’s. Anger pulsed passed the embarrassment, almost making Reed miss what RK900 was saying.
“Though, as I understand it, humans enjoy sexual stimulation from aesthetically pleasing individuals. Are you sexually frustrated because of your attitude, then?”
Reed’s face burned even more as he processed what RK900 had implied. The panging need to fight left him, replaced by flustered embarrassment. “Fuck you, asshole.”
RK900 watched Reed storm off, epitome of fury and embarrassment. A mixture of confusion and surprise filled his processors. He had thought he was instigating a fight with the detective, but Reed hadn’t followed the predictions RK900 had made. Interesting.
New task added – Provoke Detective Reed
Set priority – Secondary task
Review tasks [Y/N]
-Learn about deviancy
>Work at DPD
-Provoke Detective Reed
-Apprehend deviant androids
-Destroy “Connor” RK800 #313 248 317-52
Finish [Y/N]
“Connor, you were going to introduce me to the lieutenant?” RK900 asked, snapping Connor from his shock.
“Yeah,” Connor said slowly, watching Reed’s back, “Let’s go.”