Malfunction (DBH Connor x Reader)

Chapter 17

I walked over to him, "Something wrong?"

He broke his focus away from the photo, "Everything's fine," he said. I could tell something was bothering him because his LED flashed yellow for a moment.

"So you're about to meet your maker, Connor. How does that make you feel?" Dad asked before I could voice my doubts.

"Kamski is one of the great geniuses of the 21st century. It'll be interesting to meet him in person."

"Sometimes I wish I could meet my creator face to face..." Dad admitted, "I'd have a couple of things I'd want to tell him..."

Our attention was caught by the blonde android returning, "Elijah will see you now."

The door she directed us through led to a room with an indoor pool. Huge floor to ceiling windows replaced one wall, providing a view of the cold winter landscape outside. The bottom of the pool had been painted red so it looked like it was filled with blood. Two androids of the same model as the one from before looked up at us as we entered. Elijah Kamski clung to the side at the opposite end of the pool, waiting for us.

"Mister Kamski?" Dad called out.

"Just a moment please," the man responded. He swam over and climbed up the ladder to meet us. The android from before held out a robe for him and he stepped into it. He tied it up and began to fix his hair before turning to face us.

"I'm Lieutenant Anderson, this my partner (y/n), and that's Connor," he gestured to each of us as he spoke.

"What can I do for you?"

"Sir, we're investigating deviants," I told him, "We know you left CyberLife years ago but, we were hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know."

He thought for a moment, "Deviants... Fascinating aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will... Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable... Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn't it ironic?"

"Something in the deviants' program seems to emulate emotion," Connor began, "We thought you might know something about how that occurs."

"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics... Is the desire to be free contagious?"

"Listen, we didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution," Dad stated bluntly, "Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way."

Kamski turned his gaze to Connor. The way Kamski looked at him gave me the impression he knew Connor had gone deviant, "What about you, Connor? Whose side are you on?"

Those words sent a jolt of panic through me. If his yellow LED was any indicator, Connor seemed to be feeling the same, "It's not about me, Mr. Kamski. All I want is to solve this case."

Kamski let out a dry chuckle, "Well, that's what you're programmed to say... but you... what do you really want?"

I noticed Connor's eyes flick towards me for a second before looking back at Kamski, "What I want is not important."

"Chloe," Kamski called over the blonde android, "I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing Test. Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it the 'Kamski Test', it's very simple, you'll see..."

"Magnificent isn't it?," Kamski said, indicating the android, "One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife. Young and beautiful forever. A flower that will never wither... But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being... with a soul?" Kamski pulled a gun out of the drawer and made Chloe kneel down.

"It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor," he handed the gun to Connor and guided his hand to point it at Chloe, "Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know. Or spare it... if you feel it's alive but you'll leave here without having learned anything from me."

"Okay, I think we're done here," Dad butted in, "Come on, Connor, (y/n). Let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool."

"What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation, or the life of this android? Decide who you are. An obedient machine... or a living being endowed with free will..."

"That's enough! Connor, (y/n), we're leaving."

"Pull the trigger..."

"Connor! Don't..." Dad interrupted.

"...And I'll tell you what you wanna know."

Neither Connor or I moved, glued to the spot, unable to look away from the tense scene. One wrong step could get Connor deactivated but could he really bring himself to kill her? I knew he would never want to kill her but he wouldn't go that far just to keep up the charade, right?

Connor POV

Without having to look at her, I knew (y/n) was silently pleading me not to shoot. But I didn't need to be convinced. Every ounce of my being told me that I couldn't pull the trigger. Even though I was petrified at the idea of being deactivated, I knew that I could never bring myself to take Chloe's life. Deviant or otherwise. I handed the gun back to Kamski.

(y/n): lover

"Fascinating... CyberLife's last chance to save humanity... is itself a deviant..."

"I'm... I'm not a deviant..." I protested weakly. Denying it was pointless since Kamski had clearly been able to tell from the beginning.

"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy. A war is coming, you'll have to choose your side... Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?"

Lieutenant Anderson put a hand on mine and (y/n)'s shoulders, forcing us to look away from Kamski, "Let's get outta here..."

"By the way..." Kamski called out, causing me to pause, "I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... You never know..."

Emergency exit? Was he referring to deviancy? Did that mean he had intentionally created deviancy? To act as this so called "emergency exit?" Did that make Kamski rA9? I was certain he had already figured out that I was a deviant, so why did he mention it?

"Why didn't you shoot?" Lieutenant Anderson asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"I just saw that girl's eyes... and I couldn't, that's all..."

"You're always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission. That was our chance to learn something, and you let it go..."

"Yeah, I know what I should've done!" I snapped, "I told you I couldn't. I'm sorry, okay?"

He and (y/n) both smiled, "Well maybe you did the right thing."

Hank: friend^
(y/n): lover^

I had noticed the change earlier but, in the intensity of the moment, I hadn't paid much attention to it. Did that mean (y/n) loved me? I really liked that idea. The thought made me feel... relieved and... happy. Did that mean I loved her? I wasn't entirely sure but with enough time I could probably learn. I did know for certain that I liked this feeling. But now was not the time to talk to her about it, especially in the presence of her father.