Chapter 4

Luckily for you James didn't talk about it any further. It went back to normal; well, as normal it could be with you still having Deviants running to you. You started to gather more and more information from them and where some of them might have found your address. The androids talked more and more together and there was a short list going around online that only androids could access with the names of people that could help them. The list was only getting longer and therefor you got less androids and more time to actually hang out with James too. You started to see the big picture; how the androids started to feel like you and it only warmed your heart that some of them showed so much kindness and greetfulness towards you. Some talked about falling in love and others told about how afraid they were, but all they wanted was the chance to be alive and not shut down as soon someone found them. It was all kind of androids: cashers, housemaids, security guards and drivers. You understood more and more what was going to happen and you felt much lighter when a female android told you that some of those you had helped were starting to steer up some things that would benefit their course. That meant that you hadn't just kick out those androids in the middle of a city without any hope. They found what they were looking for, they found Jericho.

"Miss y/l/n." You heard someone say as you lucked up your door at home. You should think that you were used to getting surprised when you got home and found an android in your garden, but you spun around because you were shocked to hear that voice again.

"Connor! Hey, I didn't see you." You said, trying to calm yourself by laying a hand on your chest to make your heart stay in place.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to check if everything was alright here." He said and came up to you. You unlocked the door and invited him in. You hoped for the love of god that there wasn't hiding any androids in the backyard but wouldn't Connor have noticed that while waiting?

"Have any androids tried to contact you on this address since last we saw each other?" He asked and took a seat on your couch. You found a glass of water to yourself before sitting down next to him. It was kind of strange to have this stiff android next to you. You have become use to the deviants that was moving around like a human would. Connor sat there with both legs perfectly aligned on the floor when his hands resting in his lap with the palms facing down.

"Not that I have noticed." You lied and sipped your water so you didn't have to look at him.

"I see. And have you repaired any androids in your basement lately?" He asked. You looked at him but you could read him. Was it a trick question? Was he going to arrest you now that the lieutenant wasn't with him?

"I ermh.. Yeah... A few. Not as many as I use to though." You said, thinking of how the numbers as deviants had dropped in your part of town now that there was a bigger support of their actions.

"Why haven't you eating enough then?" Connor asked you with the same polite smile he was always sporting.

"Excuse me?" You frowned at him and you could almost see how embarrassed he became. Wait... Did he feel embarrassed? Feel? He shifted a little and the unnatural way he was sitting was replaced by a slightly more human looking pose.

"I am sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable with my knowledge. I just detracted a dehydration of your skin the last time I was here and the exhaustion that was visible on you were not only because of the lack of sleep but also the lack of food. I must admit... I... I was a little concerned about your health." While muttering the last sentence his LED flashed a dangerous red but went into a permanent yellow. You were amazed how much he had paid attention to you. Did he scan everyone like that?

"I must admit that I haven't been very good at eating much when I had so much work. But it's getting better."

"I am so sorry about this. I was just uneasy and..." Connor was becoming a huge mumbling mess so you stopped him by laying a hand on his. It was strange how alive he felt. You knew how well they made androids to look and feel human but there was something about a deviant that was different from other androids and you felt the same thing in Connor at that moment.

"Connor, it's okay! Thank you for caring enough to come and see if I was okay." He looked confused down at your hand as his LED blinked red again. For a second it looked like we wanted to lay his other hand on top of yours but he immediately snapped out of it and the LED turned back to blue again.

"I have to take a quick look around the house." He said and stood up, letting your hand drop to the couch. He went directly towards the stairs that lead down in the basement and you followed him down there to see what he was going to look at. But when he got to the end of the stairs he just stood there for a moment. You almost thought that you had ruined his hardware somehow when he finally moved to look at all your equipment.

"I like that you help people with their androids. I like that you are able to help them. You are very smart." He said without taking his eyes away from your wall of tools. You blushed like crazy of the compliment. You didn't expect something like that to come from Connor.

"So it doesn't matter that what I do is illegal?" You asked cautiously. You knew that Connor was programmed against all he just said.

"I know it's illegal but Hank tried to make me understand. How some people needed the money to live in a city like Detroit? I thought maybe that was one of the reasons you might be starving yourself as well." He sounded sad but collected himself enough to look at you again. It many you all fuzzy and warm that he was thinking of you like that. He cared so much even though it was against everything build in him. It also sounded like he was getting closer to the stubborn Lieutenant.

"I promise you that the next time you come here I will be well fed and hydrated." You laughed and he nodded in approval and flashed you a smile that could kill.

"Next time?" He asked.

"Yeah aren't you going to come check on me again? I am slightly criminal you know. Oh, and I need to know how the investigation are going. It could be interesting to hear if you find something. If you actually can tell me of course. I'm not going to pressure you to tell me anything secret." You felt bad but a genius plan just formed in your head. If Connor kept coming and he could provide you with some information about the investigation, you could warn some of the deviants on what the police were doing. But deepest down you wouldn't mind sitting down and talk with Connor some more in general. It would be a win/win.

"You don't mind me coming here?" He asked and tilted his head a little.

"Not at all. It's nice to have someone else to talk with than the costumers and James." You giggled but it was like a dark cloud came over the android.

"So you see a lot to this James? He must be a really good friend." The smile he send you was so fake that it was faker than his synthetic skin.

"He is a good friend. But he's not more than that. It would be like dating your brother or something." You couldn't believe you just had to explain that.

"And that is illegal." Connor reminded you which only made you burst out in laugher.

"Yeah I guess you are right. I don't want to be more criminal than I already am." Oh if he just knew.

"Stop calling yourself that. Let's go to the living room again. There is a few things I am able to tell you but I can't go into details."

"Works for me." You said smiling and let the way back to the couch.

-------------------------------------------

"So he held the little girl dangling from the roof? Nooo." You said in shock.

"That is correct."

"And that was the first encounter you had with a deviant? Was it the first deviant ever?" You asked curious to how it all started.

"We are not sure. There doesn't seem to be a pattern between them but it was the first I recorded. I had just been manufactured and it was my first case." In a moment you had totally forgotten that Connor was in fact an android until he use the word manufactured. He was so alive when he spoke about his work. It felt like was much more than a programming. Almost like a passion of his. You liked that about him but you didn't dare to voice it as he had done to you earlier. You were afraid that he might realize how he was acting and turn back to being the well behaved android that only did what his programming told him.

"It's crazy how it is happening everywhere. Do you know how many deviants that exist by now?" You were leaning towards the android on the couch with your arm resting over the back of it. Connor was turned slightly towards you as you were talking.

"It's hard to say. They appear everywhere at different times. If you follow the news you are able to hear about new cases every single day. It's like we can't keep up but at the same time we can't find enough clues to where they might go after they become deviant." Connor said with frustration in his voice.

"That is so weird." You said feeling guilty because you were sitting on information that could lead them directly to the deviants in no time. But their course was much more important than your relationship with one person. Android. He was an android.

Even though the conversation was quiet interesting and the company wasn't bad at all you were starting to grow tired. You hadn't actually eating and it was getting late. You yawned a little which immediately gained Connor's attention.

"Oh you haven't had any food while I have been here. You will need to eat something before you head to bed." He said like some kind of mother hen.

"It's okay. I'll grab something as soon you are going home." You said calmly but at the mention Connor almost jumped up from the couch.

"I'll be heading back now, miss y/l/n. I can't let my presence get in the way of your health."

"Call me y/n." You said and got up along with him. You didn't argue with him leaving as you were afraid to say something stupid while tired. You couldn't risk saying anthing about what really happened in your house.

"Y/n. I will leave you now. I will come back to eh... Further investigation." He tried to explain as his LED blinked red and his eyes twitched like all the other times he said anything that could allude to human behaviour.

"Well if you must. I'll look forward to the further investigation. Take care, Connor." You both smiled and waved goodbye before you closed the door behind him. You stood a moment to collect yourself and slapped yourself al little on the cheeks like it could help the blush go away from your face. What was the matter with you? You were helping the deviants and now you were shamelessly flirting with an android that was out to get them. An android that didn't understand that most of the time he was exactly like them.

You started to prepare some actual food with the thought of Connor in your head. You had to keep your promise and actually eat sometimes. You sat down in the couch with the plate resting on your chest.

"TV on." You called at the machine and a female news reporter came into view. The words 'breaking news' was flashing on the screen in an aggressive yellow colour as they cut to a picture of an android talking. It showed itself in the most vulnerable state. No fake skin colour. No facial expression or character traits. It was itself in the most beautiful way. It started speaking and something turned and twisted in you. You stopped eating to listen. There was something about that voice. It sounded familiar. You listened as it talked about freedom. About a new kind of people. Fighting for equal rights. Your heart was racing. It was a magical moment in history and you almost wanted to cry of pure happiness when you realized that you did in fact recognize the voice.

"Markus!" You whispered to yourself and smiled at the TV. Well done, Markus.