Connor met the Detective’s eyes, as was polite, especially when it was him under scrutiny. But he didn’t say much of anything without direct address. People had a wide array of various reactions when it came to androids. And although they were there specifically to begin the integration process of bringing that technology overseas, it wasn’t something that they should just leap into guns ablaze. It was a slow and steady process.

“That would be terrific.” Hank was relieved they would have at least a small reprieve from whatever duty it was that brought them there. The time difference wasn’t tremendous, but it was still enough to make him feel woozy and out of sorts. 

“You want to give a briefing on what the hell we’re doing here? This is quite the trip to take for anything basic. So I’m guessing whatever it is you’re facing is not so basic.” ... it was big enough that they required android assistance? Not only that, but Connor. 

Connor had a lot on his plate already. It was..... irregular to call him away from that business to tend to something else entirely. In a completely different place, no less.

Sometimes people needed to open themselves up to the pain they experienced, even if it wasn’t something that had a fair resolution. She was exhausted, injured, the world would be colored in a frightening way no matter how she looked at it while in that condition. Didn’t mean things would be miraculously better once she had time to rest, but it would certainly be easier to face. At least, easier to sort through the rubble of the circumstances left behind. 

Hank would humor her only so far as he thought was necessary to lift some of the burden off her shoulders. They would deal with the majority of it once things.... stabilized. Whatever that meant at the moment. He didn’t even have much of an idea what would happen from there, only getting bits and pieces of the story Jedi was able to relay to him.

“Well good.” Hank’s eyes momentarily flickered to regard her. “I didn’t figure you would do something like that. Don’t seem part of your character to invite trouble down upon yourself, least of all others. Blaming yourself ain’t gonna change what came to pass. Connor wouldn’t blame you for it. So you shouldn’t punish yourself either. I know that’s easier said than done, but that doesn’t make it any less true.” 

It was hard to see that truth after a traumatic event.

“Your life was threatened. And you have a right of self defense. You know, the patrols often go to schools and businesses to discuss what to do during aggressive encounters. And you bet not one of those officers would deny the right for the people to do what they have to do in order to survive. That doesn’t take away the shock of carrying out your first kill, but---” He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s justifiable. I’ve had my fair share of close encounters.” He understood. Everyone on the force would understand how she felt. Everyone in the military. Everyone who had had to stand on that side of violence at one point or another.

“How about we focus on getting things sorted at the moment, then we can talk about jail time.” Hank shook his head. No court in the whole city would convict her. But she wasn’t going to be able to be able to accept those words the way her mind was convinced of her wrong doing. And he wasn’t going to argue the point and make things worse. It would only rile her feelings, not soothe them. They would talk about it later.

“Right now, we have to make sure everyone comes out of this all right. I’m gonna need your help with Connor.” Hank pulled into his lot, turning off the engine. “I’ll get you settled and go out to get those supplies.”

Regret could poison him as surely as any physical wound. It was difficult to focus the mind on the necessities of the situation with so many thoughts madly circulating. It took the wind out of the sails of circumstance, and required all the energy the body could muster to consider. Connor knew better than to allow those critical considerations to take over. To fulfill their need of the moment was imperative if they wished to succeed. 

Aggression was familiar territory for him. What erupted outside was precisely the sort of response he was made to handle. 

It was Vivian’s soft embrace, her gentle understanding marred only by a touch of the lingering hurt for what brought them to that point, it was her careful observation of him and her determination to ensure the both of them managed somehow to stand long enough to maybe get through it all that reached him in an oddly different way. That was unfamiliar territory. That was what kept him feeling off kilter.

And while that may not be a pleasant feeling for some, for him, it almost balanced him in some strange way.

“All we can do is move forward.” To the best of their ability. He could stay there and relish the pain of his regret. He could offer himself as payment for the wrongs he committed, but even he knew that it would benefit nothing and no one. The best thing to do was to find understanding. Was to begin to chip away at the mystery of his being to uncover what resided on the inside. 

And then go from there.

Ever moving forward.

“We’ll do what is necessary.” 

It seemed a silly notion, to need protected.

Violence was about the only thing that he was comfortable with facing and yet he wished not to expose Vivian to any more than she already had been. On both his account and through the rotation of her own life. Complication always seemed to rise to the surface where Kamski was involved. Complication and controversy. It would be a wonderful change of pace to skirt along the surface of the world without experiencing those things for a breath or two, but Connor was unlikely to be freed from the bounds of that sort of lifestyle. Vivian seemed willing enough to embrace it.

“I had resigned myself to being destroyed. I.... hadn’t expected to see you again. I convinced myself of that.” Indeed, the last thing he had been expecting was to see her face peer down at him in the heat of the moment, as he lay ready to continue to fight, but knowing that it would be his last stand.

It surprised him that the shock of the moment could have eventually resulted in the two of them sitting in relative safety at the moment. It wouldn’t remain untouched for long. 

He smiled through her kiss, a slight shake of his head. “.... you are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?”

Hank stared at Connor with a sort of resigned expression befitting the situation. They were faced with one of those inevitable waves of circumstances that always transpired with the unknown in one fashion or another. They could skirt along the issue as long as they could manage, but sooner or later, eventually, it would all come back to them. There were just too many unknown factors about Connor up until that moment. Too many strings attached to him. It was all bound to break eventually. 

Connor hadn’t discussed with him the specifics of the deviants Vivian apparently held. Hell, he didn’t even know she had them. On hindsight, yeah, but he wasn’t going to allow that poison to flood his system. There were some things that had to be taken at face value. He was not going to ‘police’ everyone he encountered, peppering them with questions and undue inspections or some shit. It was precisely what that old tv coot Doctor Phil once dealt with once upon a time. Surely his own family didn’t want him to Doctor Phil them.

It was highly unusual Connor didn’t bring it up to him though. That told him that there was some unspoken purpose behind his withdraw into himself. 

Did he think he would interfere with his acquiring the deviants? Shit, he tried to interfere with about every case they had, that hadn’t stopped Connor from telling him details before.

Why did he act alone?

There were more questions at the moment than answers, and just looking at Connor’s face told him he was experiencing much the same thing. No one was going to come out of that unscathed.

“I don’t know.” Connor answered honestly. It was not a satisfactory answer. It was not an answer that would provide to her the comfort she sought or at least a trace of the closure she required, the sort she truly deserved but was unlikely to ever receive. “What I experienced is colored by my attempts to cover it up. To.... deny it. I can realize now that it was traces of deviancy. I knew somehow I had been compromised, but I could not allow that to stop me.” 

Why? 

He couldn’t even say for sure any longer. Because the result would have been the same. Some manner of deactivation in a way where he lost himself in favor of whatever it was Cyberlife wished to do with his vessel. Connor was never meant to be a permanent fixture. He was just meant to get the ball rolling so that another, perhaps more capable, figure could step forward and take over.

“Amanda gave to me the report. Why would she do that unless she intended for me to catch them?”

They could come up with a word of considerations, most of which Hank kept cradled internally. If he had to guess, he might suspect Cyberlife did that in order to sever the close relationship he shared with Vivian. Vivian was a danger to their cause. Who might have expected Connor to wander from his path during dalliances with a human female. It was just so out of whack, it made the head spin to consider. Because he was so rigid when it came to his missions in every other fashion.

“I was angry.” That Connor could admit. “.... I think.” It was unfair to delve in now and try to determine what it was he felt at the moment of realization. Because it was marred by what he was experiencing right then, and what he faced at that moment back in time. It would be impossible with the sentiment of the moment to make an accurate determination. He could only call it in a way that he understood, whether or not it retained its accuracy later.

“I was angry to find out that you’d been hiding that information from me.” 

“Why are some capable of expressing those fears through creative outlets, and some are insistent upon barring the ideas of it entirely?” Did it take a special someone to be able to talk so openly about subjects that others found.... unnerving? Or unnecessary. Or even... inappropriate to some degree? Thoughts and words could sour the mood, could bring rot to the energy of the surroundings as surely as anything physically unraveling itself.

“Is there a cause that you would be willing to die for?” Connor understood that, posing a hypothetical situation, her answer might be drastically different then it would be if she were truly under duress and forced to choose. He wouldn’t fault her for the swift in stance. But it would open an interesting dialogue in determining her character.

He was also purposely vague. It opened a myriad different ways she could answer the question. .... it was a question that deserved a broad consideration. He didn’t wish to hinder it by adding a boundary.

“Change happens regardless of the willingness to embrace it. Ignoring it only.... adds unnecessary discomfort.” Sure, it might be uncomfortable to face drastic changes at first, but eventually, it would become familiar like everything else in their lives.

“I am able to adapt. However, I was certainly not prepared for a partner with self destructive tendencies. It poses its own challenge entirely separate from what I’m meant to accomplish.” It was almost as though he were committed to ensuring his partner didn’t cease to be before progress was made on the case. What would happen if he did end? Would he be replaced as heartlessly and callously as an android?

It didn’t matter.

“I handle it.” Because he didn’t have much choice in the matter. Because he must. Because there was no other way of getting to where he needed to be.

“In 1200 hours, I shall have the necessary research to continue this conversation.” For Connor, that was a guarantee, as close to a promise as one could get. The only thing that might stop him from putting his full efforts into researching the chosen topic was his actual mission. The very sort that he was created to accomplish.

.... if only Cyberlife knew what he would be doing with his time instead. At least, for a brief time. But was it not imperative that he know every facet of human living? Yes. Yes, he determined. It was.

“I don’t know the defining specifications for my adjustment at this current moment in time. I would need to know precisely what it was you were looking for. I was designed for more.... aggressive approach. I’m.... uncertain that my own functions would mesh well with human relations.” He could kiss just fine, as was proven with the soft press of her lips against his own. He could respond in kind. But getting into it---

Well, that was something else entirely.

“That’s a benefit to my kind, however. We can be amended in whatever way is necessary.” 

“That can put a damper on a good day.” Hank smiled, in spite of the idea that he personally screwed up that day. Of course, no one could plan the outcome of getting shot, but things were always easy to rectify on hindsight. It was a hell of a drug. Hindsight. Hence, why he didn’t follow the thought. It would do no one any good. All they could do was bring justice upon those responsible. He was still working on that.

Hank shrugged, “Something pissed him off. He’s pouting, like anyone would when encountering unpleasantness. It’s just more difficult to discern because he’s an android. But this isn’t the first time he’s been that way.” Admittedly, Hank didn’t always make things easy for him. Indeed, sometimes, he purposely made things hard. Because Cyberlife was NOT going to direct his ass like they directed other asses.

“Everyone jumped on that bandwagon. I’d believe it, but he’s not a big music guy. Any way, I got semantics on my side! It wasn’t gradually made illegal until you had assholes---” He coughed. “--- downloading the entire albums of every current band out there. I mean, who could be that greedy?” The question was really: why not download the albums of every popular band at the time? What the fuck else would they be downloading? 

“But, I must say, nothing pissed me off more than downloading a file only to discover it was one of those electronic midis instead. That made you want to bash in a few heads.” It was like, opening a bag of chips and finding out half of it was air.

Or.... fucking pulling on a sock to find the big toe sticking out the material through a large ass hole. Fuck it.

“It’d be nice to show Connor more than just the dredges of society like we encounter so often. You know, something more worthwhile then the blood of a crime scene.”

Hank shoved an entire cheese wonton into his mouth, chewing methodically. Because that’s how a wonton should be eaten.

“You know, if a toaster started popping up the bread without toasting it, you’d throw that shit out. Because that’s just not how it’s supposed to function. .... so, you know, if you had a police android that hesitated to shoot the perp---” He shrugged. “Mmmm, that’s not functioning like it should, right.” 

“I will try.” It was all the assurance Connor could give to him. It was as genuine a sentiment as he could manage, certainly, with as much at stake as there was. He would work hard to ensure that the both of them somehow came out of the mess as unscathed as he possibly could. If there was a chance of bypassing the inevitable security features put in place by Cyberlife, he would find them. Or he would perish. That was all there was to it. There wasn’t any going back now. Connor knew that. It made it even more imperative that they not fail. Mikhail could only do what he knew. Connor must take things the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a fast procedure. It didn’t matter that everyone within the vicinity of that room were sitting at the edge of a precipice, it was all done one agonizing step at a time. Added tension did not make things go swifter, no matter how much they willed it to be so. Indeed, it could put a greater risk on what they wished to achieve, should their impatience for a quick resolution make them sloppy in their progression forward.

Working together, they managed to crack in much farther than he might have anticipated without internal interference from the very company they were striving to severe.

Connor didn’t even need to look to regard the question Mikhail posed for him to address in order to know precisely what it was he was talking about. “.... that’s where the AI I referred to before lingers. Amanda. A separate coding apart from me, but ingrained deeply enough into my software to be a danger to me. It’s the very link in which I want to cut away. But this is where the danger will intensify, Mikhail. If we step into that domain, there will be nothing to stop Cyberlife from gaining whatever information they wish from us during the process.” 

“Humans are certainly able to find where it is the boundaries are, and to push against them. To crest challenges previously unscathed.” At least, in terms of their own lives. Sexual prowess or standing to perform the arts before a live studio audience, it all had its own set of complications and restraints. Where one might find certain challenges easy to crest, another might see them as impossibilities. Their struggle was no less intriguing for him to witness. 

Not that one would dare allow him to sit in observation of the process. For it was during those moments when humans could be at their most vulnerable. How perverted it might be to have an android audience during those private affairs. Who knew what they might take from it all?

“What sort of thing do you think deviancy is?” Inquiries toward humans and androids alike toward that particular issue was important to focus upon. Sometimes, all it took was a fresh eye to look at a common problem and find something that others had missed in the wash. Obvious things could easily become invisible to the naked eye if staring at it all too long. That wasn’t so much true for androids, but Connor appreciated perspective. And Vivian was quite knowledgeable in the field. So her word would mean more than others might in arguing the same point.

“Of course, that sentiment makes sense. One cannot know of a thing unless they are actively exposed to it. That makes things difficult for those raised in rural areas.” Even with androids introduced into their lives, without consistent exposure, education on a wide mass simply wasn’t possible. Especially with older generations clinging so hard to the past. They always reacted negatively to change, no matter how extreme. And thus, their offspring would hold the same reaction.

“I....” He stumbled over his words, certainly not a usual response for one like him. But it was inevitable he run into certain roadblocks when conversing with the populace. Indeed, they knew and experienced organic life in a way that progressed so much more fluidly than his codes and processors could comprehend at a base level. Hank often had the same look on his face that Vivian shared with him when discussing those variables of life that androids simply weren’t often privy to experiencing. “.... well.” 

He frowned. “I’ve not had fun in the most basic understanding of the word. I don’t think it’s particularly thrilling to investigate or to stand aggressive in the face of aggressors. But certainly I can appreciate the concept of it! And most certainly desire to have more of it.” He nodded, the smile returning to his face. Pleased indeed with his correction.

“Do you not think it strange that humans love so much a thing that others arbitrarily made up?” Money was something humans created to trade their services with. But they just made up the numbers and calculations and purpose. While it was true that they had to rely on money to live, whether or not they thought the concept was silly, it still registered funny in his mind.

Humans fought over an imagination thing. In theory.

Connor didn’t have many ‘nervous tics’ as it were, he was fairly good at holding himself together. The only real repetitive action he performed with his hands was to recalibrate if he felt off kilter. Right then, he scratched at a patch of synthetic skin between where his collar bones would be, or where the artificial bits were stored. 

It could be indicative of anxiety, though it was difficult to tell where he was concerned. More than likely, it was only a way to release that pent up frustration he felt at the whole thing. The entire purpose behind his bringing it up with her. He knew, out of all, Vivian wouldn’t have a problem speaking to him about those things. ... though she herself had a history with the man he discussed.

“It’s the only place I could have caught him.” Rather, it was the only guaranteed place that he could have caught him. There was no guarantee that Kamski would respond to a prompt sent to him by other means. But he would certainly hold the party he invited so many to. 

His lips parted and shut again promptly. He felt a powerful urge to justify his actions. There wasn’t any need. It was done. Whether or not it was all warranted, or whether or not the man deserved at a personal event didn’t much matter. 

He waved a hand. “Even if I didn’t sway him in a way that ruined his night, at the very least, I made him mildly uncomfortable.” .... maybe. Yes, he would be able to part with the event with that thought planted in mind. Perhaps not as uncomfortable as Kamski frustratingly made him feel, but nonetheless! Something.... was better than nothing at all, apparently. From what Vivian said.

“I wouldn’t have harmed him. Maybe.... curse him a bit.” Connor’s eyes shifted with the thought processes running wild. Actually, he still wasn’t quite sure what his actions might have been. Perhaps it truly was nothing more than the childish wish to ruffle feathers. And to remove the burden he felt weighing down on his chest, something he had known was there but didn’t understand how to jar loose.

Was it missing right then? He wasn’t sure. The experience was still too fresh to tell. 

He was too unstable.

He knew that nothing that resulted from his meeting with Kamski would have been good enough. Every reaction he had, and every supposition Vivian came up with would only offend him. It was just the result of his being at the moment. It was no one’s fault. Not even Kamski’s.

“The human reaction to that sort of test greatly differs to how an android should respond. There should be no hesitation. Even the briefest pause can be proof enough of what he wished to prove.” Even if the android did end up presumably ‘failing’ the test. A pause may yield promising results after all.

“Her eyes.... the way she looked at me. It made me feel---” He blew out a breath. “Like shit.” It was the best way he could put it.

“There’s always something lost in the transfer. It may not be significant, at first, but it’s there. And the unit recognizes it.” It recognized it and could do nothing to salvage it. It just felt a gaping something where once there was fulfillment. 

Connor frowned, pensive. It was sad, how Kamski felt so extreme to take the risk of losing the one unit that was closest to him. She was made of bits and pieces but it could not be hoped to be able to fit everything perfectly back together again every time. A broken bowl could be patched, but it would never again completely resemble what it was had. Whether it was in appearance, or basic function.

“It’s very frustrating to feel so conflicted. There are questions that I have no answers for.” Questions that should have definitive resolutions were left in status, likely forever. Kamski simply wasn’t interested in tending to them. Why? He couldn’t say. He felt there were dues owed to him - and perhaps to others.

“.... at any rate, there is no resolution. I wanted to bring it up to you. I would have done so regardless, but he tried drudging you up into conversation. I didn’t know if he would try to contact you. Or.... vise versa, I suppose.” 

Perhaps his criticism of Elijah stemmed mostly from his lack of understanding of humanities want in the first place. Why work so hard to accomplish something that was apparent that no one wanted? Or was it another one of those things the humans truly did need, but resisted with every fiber of their being as they did with most drastic changes in their lives? There were arguments to share no matter what imposed itself into their day, whether it be a new apartment complex on a busy highway that promised an agonizingly long wait in traffic, or an android to serve them, and potentially wander to live free.

It didn’t register well within Connor’s processors because it held no real logic. Adaption happened naturally. If it didn’t, then the race died off. The androids ensured that something of their legacy was continued regardless of whether or not they survived the onslaught, if it even came to that. Doubtless it would not happen that way for several generations to come and by then, who knew? There may be something even transcending what an android could do.

He remained silent, if only because there was no point he could bring up to argue any longer. Criticizing Kamski’s work had not been what drew him there. If not for Kamski’s work, he wouldn’t be there. It would be absurd to battle back and forth on a point that gave him a chance to exist.

There were a myriad of things that he didn’t understand. Things he felt that he knew he felt previously, only knowing they differed from any definitive program because of his abrupt change in status. He knew what experienced wasn’t normal in written code. But it had been normal for him, perhaps since the beginning. He couldn’t say, even in looking back, when it had started. Or if it had been there all along.

Love could be as strong as hate, the hurt real, festering in the gut. The ache burrowed deep, making the gut clench, the throat tighten, difficult to speak. How was one to identify it?

He didn’t know the origins to his hurt because he didn’t know the origins of his feelings. Where they stemmed in the whole scheme of things. That was the truth. He came there because, well, perhaps it was as simple as needing someone to blame, as everyone did when they were shown injustice, whether it was an internal strife or something real and true in the world. Everyone needed a focus, something to direct that intensity lest it remain hidden on the inside. 

“This freedom isn’t mine. I was never meant to get this far.” Only to take Cyberlife to a point where they could successfully take over and direct things precisely where it needed to be to get what they wanted. He was only part of those plans. But his own consciousness was never meant to keep going.

“It’s only because of Vivian that I’m here.” Without her interference, who knew what would have happened. Deactivation? Or losing himself to Amanda, who could say? That was a particular scenario that had no real benefit hashing out.

“I don’t regret defeating them in that.” He was happy to be able to function as himself, independently of the will that once directed him.

“Markus was yours, wasn’t he?” Connor smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t have any real dispute with you, Mister Kamski. Unsolicited emotion makes those who experience it unstable, even you, when it rises to catch you unprepared. I wasn’t ready for this, though they have been things that I have felt before without knowing. I have a lot of anger. Doubt. And fear. All things that have not had a fair outlet to expunge. A contradictory whirlwind of sensation that I direct to you because you are a convenient source. And because you are partially responsible, regardless of your attempts to deny it.”

He shrugged. He shrugged as though he only just spoke about something contrary, rather than an issue that was ingrained into his existence. He looked resigned, not quite reflecting those emotions he described on the outside. He looked resigned and a slight tired, as one might expect for a being that didn’t sleep. That stood conscious and struggling with all those sensations he only just described without an outlet to allow them to cease for a time. No, it was a consistent bombardment of his fears and justifications, all rolled into one, left to fester.

“That’s all.” As though it were only a small thing. 

“It makes it worse that I was perfectly content to being their tool.” It didn’t matter how often those in his life had pointed out discrepancies in his behavior, or explained to him the fallacy that deviancy was a bad thing. The very word the populace attached to the phenoma added its own level of prejudice that could never be free of assumption for those ignorant to the process. How could one embrace anything with such a blatant, horrible name attached? Deviant. It’s just a deviant. 

“They were quick to judge my actions, and quick to give praise. I truly thought I was doing the right thing to salvage humanity.” Afterwards, what did it matter what happened to him? Now he understood that what he was feeling was something not wholly part of his coding. He felt pride at his actions when they reflected precisely what it was Cyberlife had apparently wanted. And he felt shame when it didn’t. That wasn’t what an android should be feeling at all. 

Now all he was left with was anger. When all the confusion, when the pain of what he endured was peeled away, there was little but the flame of discontent on the inside. 

And something else.

Fear maybe. 

But guilt was more evident. Guilt, thick and heavy, bearing down on him.

He smiled at her, her touch helping him to focus his gaze and steady his thoughts. “Freedom is frightening.” It had been a discussion they had previously, though he never would have imagined it could ever be related to him. But it was. It was real, transforming into his current truth. Without a set bar of codes, without instruction or guidance from those that controlled his moves, he was left staggering. 

“That’s enough.” He promised her, blowing out a breath that he didn’t truly need to do but it mimicked well how he was feeling at the moment. “I’ve made quite the mess.” He had become something of an odd piece in the whole of the puzzle they confronted. It may bring danger to those he cared most about, but he also knew that they wouldn’t be there if they didn’t want to be. He didn’t presume to make the decision for them, or to sacrifice himself in favor of preserving their small chance of peace they could gain from it.

Because he knew, ultimately, it wouldn’t be enough.

“That’s... not exactly what I meant. I know a sacrifice would effect nothing in the whole scheme of things. I only meant that I... am willing to stand steady when the consequences of my actions reach me.” Whether it was the expression of anger from his brethren, or otherwise.

His thoughts could be all over the place and instantaneously smacked back down into place with a mere word cast by her. He blinked in surprise, hearing her demand of him, so.... misplaced with the world outside crumbling around them. He was momentarily silent, dispersed only with a warm laugh that erupted from somewhere inside. It sounded so strange coming from him, but also genuine because it wasn’t a reaction he gave to just anyone. 

“Of course. How could I forget?” He kissed her gently.... softly, not with the growing need he felt radiating on the inside. “You mean so much to me. You have for a long time.”

“That’s fine. Your call.” Hank didn’t waste another moment before he peeled the junk bucket into the street, back the way he’d come after he’d gotten the message from Connor. He refrained from spouting off what threatened to fling off the edge of his tongue, an angry tirade against a pair of fucking stupid ass kids. What the hell were they doing wandering in that kind of situation by themselves? Of course, he knew that answer to that question. Logic aside, reason tossed to the dumps, that didn’t mean the idea of it didn’t piss him the fuck off. 

Really, his anger was not on Connor and Jedi. It was focused more on the situation at hand. They were just easy targets. He somehow kept it all inside, though. Inexplicably. Hank could be a hothead too, but he didn’t make it that far in life not knowing when to keep his fucking mouth shut.

He had enough supplies back at ‘home base’ to tend to her injuries once they got settled. He would do whatever he could to help her.  At least get a better grasp on what he was dealing with outside of the bits and pieces Jedi was able to provide to him.

“I’ll go and get some. There’s a place not far from here that sells common android supplies. I’ll talk to them.” Play it up a little. Make it sound like he was the one that caused damage to his unit. At the very least, they would be able to give him some advice for a unit that had been left out too long and physically damaged. Fuck if he knew if that would be enough. They could drop him off there, but the RK800 series was well known. They likely wouldn’t attempt it. Just ship him back off to Cyberlife. The whole thing was one giant shit pit.

“You invited those guys inside? What, you some black market boss selling android parts?” Hank knew that wasn’t true. “It ain’t your fault. Things are rough lately. It just happened.” That was all there was to it. It sucked, but that was the way it was.

“I’m sorry, kid.” Hank frowned, blue eyes flicking to regard her. There were sometimes when words were just.... so horribly inadequate. And yet, what did they have but words to share in times like that? He couldn’t take away the pain of experience. He couldn’t do anything but offer a common ground to stand on. “I’ve been there. It ain’t easy. But you did the right thing.” 

“Some measure of prejudice is necessary in daily living. Though, admittedly, people do sometimes take their discretion too far.” At the same time, who had the right to say who took their beliefs too far? Especially without knowledge of their background or details of their life experience. While it was true it became a problem when certain beliefs were dredged out into society in a way that promised violence, it was still a difficult line to draw in the sand.

“Their fear is warranted. Most especially with the deviancy issue on the rise.” It was only another critical unknown factor introduced into their lives. While Cyberlife could provide to the populace some manner of their predicted explanation for the eruption of deviancy, there were many who wouldn’t take their word for it. And why would they when the promise Kamski had so prominently advertised had been shattered so plainly?

“No. Androids do not possess the capacity for formulate likes and dislikes in accordance with the implication of your words. However, they can reflect certain behaviorisms depending on their master.” If their master liked certain things, the android could seem to adopt the same sentiment, but it was artificial in make and design. They didn’t truly like anything. They couldn’t.

“My only true desire is to complete my mission. Though I may not term it exactly like that.”