NOV 6TH 2038
PM 03:02:04
PM 03:02:05
The Lieutenant had informed Cora all this chase had opened up his appetite. All this running wasn't good in an empty stomach.
In fact, part of taking food was more for the android that obeyed him benefit so her brain could compute and process more the past few hours.
Hank was upset, putting it mildly. But he didn't want to explode in front of the girl. Was she a machine like she liked to annoyingly remind him every freaking second? Yes. Was that emotion in her face when Connor was hit by that car? Absolutely.
Hank knew the tin can wouldn't admit it. It had quickly reverted to the asshole 2 he met.
Hank parked his vehicle outside a single food truck, not saying anything to Cora as he walked out.
But that was better for Cora anyway, considering it kept running diagnosis over diagnosis as to why its systems had seemed to freeze and static played when it's partner's current body had been destroyed.
There was no logical reason for that to happen. Connor was simply another machine who was going to be replaced by another Connor model. Sure, it'd have its memories and it'd be like he never left but still... Why Cora's biocomponents seized in discomfort at that thought?
The car door being slammed shut made Cora's eyes blink, LED flickering yellow slightly before going back to blue, looking toward the Lieutenant who yelled at a car that almost hit him while crossing the street, lips twitching slightly.
The status breach appeared in the corner of its eye.
Hank
Neutral
At least it wasn't hostile, Cora thought briefly. After debating for a moment, it's program reminded Cora to keep a better relationship with the Lieutenant.
And that meant reconcile with him after its partner and her own behavior from previous events.
It hesitated slightly even as the prompt flashed urgently in its HUD. Connor was the one to do a flawless conversation, Cora would simply add here and there her voice. Connor was the one, always to initiate the conversation.
For some odd reason, a small warning appeared on the other side of its HUD with a double digit number... Her stress levels were raising.
Oh?
^Software Instability
Cora took an unnecessary deep breath, having sensed the way some biocomponents were warming up, using its fans to cool them off, climbing off the car, ignoring the still light patter of rain soaking again it's now dry hair.
As Cora closed gently the door, she ran another scan coming up empty with fully operational systems. There was no longer discomfort nor its biocomponents were warming up and stress levels were non existent. Odd.
It walked toward the Lieutenant, seeing the way he was greeted happily by the truck owner and some other man, deducing he may be a regular customer, Cora's head tilted aside as she watched the interaction, standing behind the Lieutenant.
Cora's eyes locked into the man the Lieutenant was talking with, scanning his face out of curiosity.
[Scan] AABDAR, PEDRO
Born: 01/05/2005 // Unemployed
Criminal Record: Illegal gambling
Why was the Lieutenant engaging conversation with a criminal? Isn't his job to stop him from continuing his bad habits?
Cora looked away from the man, then curiously toward the food truck, frowning slightly at what caught its attention next.
[Scan] DETROIT FOOD HYGIENE LICENSE
License expired: 05/20/2031
Renewal refused: 07/24/2031
The food here could cause gastrointestinal problems for the Lieutenant, something which it'd may interrupt the investigation if his health deteriorated.
So, if the hygiene license was expired, then that must mean the owner wasn't a trustworthy person? Cora waited momentarily for the owner to look their way to scan his face.
[Scan] KAYES, GARY
Born: 12/03/1988 // Business owner
Criminal Record: Resisting arrest, breach of hygiene regulations.
There. The Lieutenant was engaging conversation with criminals. Did he know that?
It was like he sensed the way the Android settled her brown intense eyes on him, something that provoked irritation as he turned briefly over his shoulder to be met by the stiff, well put together android with hands neatly behind her back.
Immediately, Hank sighed in frustration as Cora walked forward, stopping right at his side, "What is your problem? Don't you ever do as you're told? Look, you don't have to follow me around like a poodle!"
I did when you ordered me not to follow the deviant in the highway, the thought briefly passed through Cora's head.
Outwardly, Cora only gave Hank a blank stare that made the Lieutenant sigh, for one second expecting to be met with something, emotion like she had shown earlier.
"I think our relationship got off on the wrong foot" Cora began softly, "We should... forget what happened… and start over. What do you say?"
Hank scoffed, "Look, they sent me two pieces of plastic for partners, and I'm dealing with it. But if you think we're gonna be buddies, you're as stupid as you look"
Cora looked away, thinking that maybe if Connor had been the one to talk to the Lieutenant, they would had gotten better results.
"Here you go" Gary turned around with the Lieutenant's order ready.
Cora scanned the items, really not trusting the way he prepared them due to the lack of a hygiene license.
[Scan] XL SODA
710kCal, Sugar (184g), Carbonated Pineapple Passion
[Scan] HAMBURGER
1680kCal, Lipids (36g), Carbohydrates (53g), Water (53%), Salt (2.2g)
Anyway the Lieutenant grabbed the food without hesitation, in appreciation, "Ah! Thanks, Gary. I'm starving"
With that, the Lieutenant walked toward one of the tables with an opened umbrella.
"Don't leave that thing here!" Gary mentioned loudly, referring to Cora.
"Huh, not a chance!" the Lieutenant replied through a scoff, "Follows me everywhere" as if to confirm his point, Cora walked toward Hank, the Lieutenant giving her a pointed look before looking toward Gary with a shrug, "See?"
Cora rested her neatly folded hands in the table as the Lieutenant began to eat.
Cora couldn't help it, eyeing the hamburger the Lieutenant was pleasantly eating, "Your meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol level" it replied matter of factly, much to Hank's amusement, "You shouldn't eat that"
Hank shrugged, still taking a bite, savoring the hamburger, "Everybody's gotta die of something"
^Hank
Cora blinked slightly as if not knowing what else to say to that, prompting Hank to keep watching Cora in amusement, that amusement died quickly when he noticed asshole 1 finally making an appearance, choking on his meal, startling the android with him, LED flickering a few times as she tried to awkwardly pat his back to get him to not choke anymore, following his gaze.
"What the fuck?" Hank swore once he felt he could breathe again.
Cora's LED cycled back to blue as Connor reached their side.
"Sorry, Lieutenant, Cora" Connor apologized, "It took me a while to find you"
Hank glared at Connor in disbelief, "Are you gonna come back like this every time you get killed?"
"I already informed you of that, Lieutenant" Cora spoke, folding back it's hands in the table as Connor stood to Cora's side. Just as they should all the time. Their comfort place - not like they were conscious of that fact -. Their hands briefly touched, connecting to each other again, "I told you we would be seeing Connor again"
"Cyberlife transferred my predecessor's memory and sent me to replace it" Connor replied. "This incident should not affect the investigation"
"Not affect the investigation?" Hank repeated incredulously, hating the fact that there was no longer emotions in their eyes while they spoke like that, "I just saw you get... hit by a truck! Now you come back like if nothing happened!"
"A machine was destroyed" Connor reminded. "And another machine was sent to replace it. I don't understand what's bothering you"
"Okay, fuck you" Hank snapped, taking a violent bite from his food "Fuck you!"
↓Hank
That's not reconcile with the Lieutenant, is it?
Cora glanced Connor, almost looking apologetic. Not really.
Cora cleared its throat, watching the Lieutenant angrily smooch on his food, "Do you eat here often?"
Hank glanced her way. Okay, that was a pathetic way to try and break the tension between Hank and Connor and Hank could see it in Cora's expression and the way the girl's fingers fidgeted slightly in the table.
"Most days" Hank answered after a moment, putting back down his burger, "Gary makes the best burgers in Detroit"
The slight grimace that appeared for half a second in Cora's face indicated it didn't agree. Too many health violations.
Connor had briefly accessed to Cora's database from where she scanned earlier the Lieutenant's company - of course, with its permission, something they always seemed to do before interfacing -.
Connor glanced toward the food truck, "I don't want to alarm you, Lieutenant, but I think your friends are engaged in illegal activities"
Hank looked at Connor who was watching towards Gary with what seemed a slight frown making the Lieutenant grin amused.
^Hank
"Well, everybody does what they have to, to get by" Hank replied, shrugging still eating from his burger "As long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother 'em"
Connor seemed a bit pleased the Lieutenant didn't look as upset with him anymore, looking down to Cora as if to tell that to its partner, only to see Cora looking down at her hands with an intent but puzzled expression.
There was something Cora still didn't understand. The Lieutenant seemed upset Connor's predecessor was destroyed, he had also stopped Cora from pursuing the deviants and going after Connor.
Why? It was the question neither of its human predictability programs were able to resolve. Cora had to know.
"This morning" Cora spoke, looking up and toward the Lieutenant with a visible expression of confusion in its face, "When we were chasing those deviants… Why didn't you want me, us to cross the highway?"
Hank lowered his burger, sighing "'Cause you could've been killed" he glanced at Connor, scowling, not wanting to sound cheesy nor that he cared about these two pricks, "This one did and now I must fill out paperwork for damaged equipment. At least I don't have to fill out for you"
Cora still looked confused, nodding.
"Is there anything you'd like to know about us?" Connor asked.
"Hell, no" Hank replied sharply before he retracted, thinking about it, "Well, yeah, um... Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?"
"CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans" Cora answered, "Both our appearances and voices were specifically designed to facilitate our integration"
The Lieutenant seemed to understand, nodding before looking dead into Cora's eyes. "Well, they fucked up"
Subconsciously, a pout seemed to appear on Cora's lips as it looked away.
Connor seemed amused - though it was impossible for a machine - "Maybe we should tell you what we know about deviants?"
Hank seemed sarcastic as he replied a "You read my mind" then he quieted down, nodding at them, seriously and more curious about Deviants than he let on "Proceed"
"We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion" Connor explained their main theory about deviancy.
Hank rolled his eyes, "In English, please"
Cora's LED cycled yellow once, searching for words Hank may understand better, "They don't really feel emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions, which can lead to unpredictable behavior"
Hank looked down thoughtfully as he sipped through his soda, "Emotions always screw everything up… Maybe androids aren't as different from us as we thought" he fell silent for a moment before looking between the two of them, "You ever dealt with deviants before?"
While Connor immediately began thinking on the rooftop and the little girl, Cora went back to the mall with that deviant and the teenage girl.
"A few months back" Connor began, "A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl… I managed to save her"
Hank nodded, looking to Cora, "You were there?"
"No" Cora replied truthfully, "I had my own deviancy case to go through. A deviant was holding hostage eleven people, one of them its owner. I managed to get it to let everyone go safely"
"So, I guess you've done all your homework, right?" Hank questioned, "Know everything there is to know about me?"
The Androids exchanged a look, smiling slightly.
"We know you graduated top of your class" Connor began.
"You made a name for yourself in several cases, and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit" Cora followed suit.
"We also know you've received several disciplinary warnings in recent years" Connor added.
Cora half smiled, "And you spend a lot of time in bars"
Hank scoffed, amused, "What? You always do that finishing each other sentences like freaking twins?"
Their LEDs flickered slightly in confusion, "No" they answered in unison
"We are not twins" Connor told him. "Machines do not have familial bonds"
Hank rolled his eyes, "Whatever. So, what's your conclusion about me then?"
"I think working with an officer with personal issues is an added challenge, but adapting to human unpredictability is one of our features" Connor replied smoothly, adding a wink.
Cora's smile turned a bit more genuine, batting her eyelashes.
Suddenly, they began blinking rapidly, getting a new report, their moment of humanity gone, back to looking like machines, LEDs flickering between yellow and blue constantly.
"We just got a report of a suspected deviant" Cora informed, blinking one more time, LED back to blue "It's a few blocks away"
Connor nodded slightly, looking off to the side, "We should go have a look" it touched Cora's arm, starting to step back, returning back to that mechanical formality they always fell back on "We'll let you finish your meal. We'll be in the car, if you need us"
Cora pushed back, no longer leaning against the small table, following after Connor.