SEQUENTIAL ━ Connor // RK800 ✔️

seventeen ━ when in doubt, test

"Is this about what happened?" she inquired softly. "Because whatever you—"

"I killed a human, Mia," Connor had to speak that dreadful fact out loud, despite hating having to hear it. "We are well past my systems being overwhelmed being the cause of this. I know you care about me and you don't want to have to do this, but I ignored protocols, I disobeyed android law and went against my programming. You have to reset me now, before the virus makes me into an even bigger liability for you."

"No."

Connor thought he had been perfectly reasonable in his controlled and calm explanation, but there she was, taking a step back from him, crossing her arms across her chest and finally shaking her head.

"Mia," he called out, but did not manage to follow through with any more of his arguments.

"I will not delete any bit of your memory until we know for certain that you are a deviant and we have no other way left," Mia refused adamantly to consider hearing him out.

"Isn't it enough of a proof that I acted against my programming?"

"As far as I am concerned, you were just doing your mission," she excused his actions dismissively. "So no, what happened proves nothing really."

"So when will it be enough?" Connor raised his voice before he could control his growing lack of patience. He moved away from leaning against the sink and stepped closer to Mia instead, "Will it finally be enough of a proof when my deviancy lashes out on you?"

"Do you want to kill me?" She inquired, doing nothing to put distance between them, but simply watching his brown eyes struggle to find a point on her face to focus on. Connor was first to give up his line of defense, sighing back to his place besides the sink. "That's what I thought too," Mia concluded with a nod, only she couldn't quite end the conversation there, not when his slumped shoulders got to her even more than being asked to reset him did.

Her heart hurt too much for her not to hear her ever critical mind once again tear into her — You're letting him down. Disregarding his worries. All because you are too scared to admit defeat if he turns out to be correct. You may be fine with dying by his hands, but can you say you are content with abandoning him to that virus?

On the verge of wanting to scream at her mind to 'shut up' for once, Mia looked away, towards the exit of the bathroom. The image of Connor still wrecking his mind over this though position to be into compelled her to sigh out, "There's a way we can test it."

His attention perked up instantly.

"There's a way we can test if you are a deviant," Mia re-stated, this time turning back towards him, despite her eyes lingering to any other place than his face. "I should have probably done this as soon as you reported concerns about your software integrity, but...," a deep breath spaced out her words, "I don't know why I didn't."

"Can we do the test now?" He asked, more than willing to extend their stagnation in one place if it meant he'd finally have some peace of mind, some answers.

Mia nodded, knowing old laptop may whine its ventilators about it, but should still be able to run the terminal she requires. Before moving to retrieve that antique piece from the bag though, she looked at him again, "I don't believe you are a deviant, Connor." Knowing he'll want to argue and thus remind her how little her biased opinion was worth anymore, Mia left him no time to interject. "You saved my life back there. You did what you thought was right based off of your data, and you did it to ensure our safety. I will run this test on you only because you asked for it, and only because I want you to stop worrying about this deviancy thing, not because I believe you've been compromised."