CHAPTER ONE - I Am Of No Importance
AUGUST 15TH, 2038
PM 08:29:05
Ting. Beep.
Ting. Beep.
Ting. Beep.
The elevator ride was utterly silent aside from the soft beep of every floor climb and the rhythmic sound of a coin being flipped. There was no music playing in this elevator, unlike so many others. It only made the beeping sound more ominous. The steady ting-ing ceased with a final flip into the air, landing to be rolled across the second knuckles of precise fingers, before being snatched and flicked back and forth between smooth hands.
Ting. Ting. Beep.
Ting. Ting. Beep.
Brown eyes wandered upwards, a blue LED circle flickering on and off above and behind the right eye as the coin tricks calibrated the android's cognitive system and reflexes. Its eyes settled on the numbers at the top of the elevator, the 70th floor rapidly approaching.
Ding.
With one final flick, the 1994 quarter was caught between the middle and forefinger on the android's right hand. It pocketed the silver coin and adjusted its dark brown hair, a habit induced by the part of its programming that prioritised looking presentable. It tugged on the bottom of its grey crop jacket to pull out the creases, before lifting its head to see the elevator doors open to the scene of a crime in progress.
A police officer stood in the hallway, 'S.W.A.T.' across its vest in large holographic letters. The officer saw the android standing in the elevator and retreated into the apartment.
"Negotiator on site," A male voice spoke into an unseen communicator, "I repeat: negotiator on site."
The negotiator in question stepped out of the elevator, artificial mind now focussed on the mission at hand. The android took in its surroundings, moving towards a photograph on the hall stand. It picked up and analysed the photograph in a matter of milliseconds, learning the identity of the three humans it depicted.
/ / / Connecting... / / /
/ / / Sync in progress... / / /
/ / / Sync done / / /
/ / / Collecting data... / / /
/ / / Processing data... / / /
/ / / PHILLIPS, JOHN
/ / / Born: 10/11/1999
/ / / Lives: 1554 Park Av. Detroit
/ / / PHILLIPS, CAROLINE
/ / / Born: 05/23/2001
/ / / Lives: 1554 Park Av. Detroit
/ / / PHILLIPS, EMMA
/ / / Born: 09/02/2028
/ / / Lives: 1554 Park Av. Detroit
The android observed the photo a few seconds more, taking in the details of the faces of the Phillips family, before returning it to its former place. It continued down the dark hall, noticing the squelch of an unusual amount of water beneath its feet. A harsh light beamed from a fish tank along the left wall, immediately explaining the water pooling on the floorboards. It was about to continue straight past when a soft splashing and an orange flicker captured its attention from its peripheral vision. The android stopped and turned its head towards the distraction, kneeling down and soaking one knee of its black jeans, it reached towards the fish helplessly flapping its fins about in the shallow puddle.
/ / / Connecting... / / /
/ / / Sync in progress... / / /
/ / / Sync done / / /
/ / / Collecting data... / / /
/ / / Processing data... / / /
/ / / DWARF GOURAMI
/ / / Trichogaster Lalius
/ / / Origin: Ganges Delta, India
Without stopping to think why, the android picked up the dying fish, standing and dropping it back into the tank. The fish flailed unsteadily for a moment before the android watched it swim away. The android briefly wondered if a fish held the capacity for gratitude, its LED cycling yellow, then resting back into blue, before turning and carrying on down the hallway.
The android had been acutely aware of a hysterical woman's voice pouring into the hall from the adjacent room since it had left the elevator, a voice that now rounded the corner and Caroline Phillips all but walked straight into it.
The woman grasped the android's arms, her tear-streaked face looking up into brown eyes with panic and desperation, "Please," she begged, "please, you gotta save my little girl!"
In a fraction of a second, the android gleaned the meaning from Mrs. Phillips' words, knowing instantly that the 'little girl' she referred to was her daughter, Emma - the hostage in question.
/ / / Accessing database... / / /
/ / / PHILLIPS, EMMA
/ / / Born: 09/02/2028
/ / / Lives: 1554 Park Av. Detroit
Mrs. Phillips' face fell into confusion and then disbelief at the unchanging expression before her, realizing just what she was talking to.
"Wait... you're sending... an android?"
"Alright, ma'am," The police officer escorting Mrs. Phillips grabbed hold of her arm, practically dragging her towards the elevator, "you need to go."
"You can't-you can't do that! You wh-why aren't you sending a real person?!"
Mrs. Phillips' cries of protest disappeared down the hall and the android watched her go. The android wondered if Mrs. Phillips' words should bother it, but they did not. After all, it was not a real person, it was a machine, but it did not think that made it less capable of succeeding. If anything, sending an android to negotiate with another android seemed logical. The android turned and continued into the rest of the apartment, its objective flashing across its vision, reminding it of its purpose here:
/ / / FIND CAPTAIN ALLEN
As soon as the android entered the large living space, it could hear one side of a heated conversation coming from across the apartment.
"Why are we wasting time sending an android to negotiate?! That piece of crap could jump from the roof any second!"
The android momentarily scanned its surroundings and identified the source of the voice to be the Captain Allen it sought. More S.W.A.T. officers crossed the room in front of the android, automatic weapons trained on the glass wall off to the right. The android moved between them, crossing the space towards the Captain, who was pacing animatedly across the length of what appeared to be the master bedroom.
"I don't give a shit!" He yelled into the cell phone he was holding, "My men are ready to step in, just give the order!"
The android stood behind the Captain, waiting patiently for him to finish his conversation.
"Fuck!" He pocketed the cell phone, "I don't believe this..."
The conversation clearly at an end, the android stepped in to make its presence known.
"Captain Allen?" A pleasant voice filled the air, an almost alien sound amongst the tension. Captain Allen turned towards the android, a look of questioning, and then displeasure on his face. "My name is Coraline," the android continued, "I'm the android sent by CyberLife."
Captain Allen's attention was already turned away from the android towards footage on monitors before him. Footage showing an android holding a little girl hostage on the edge of a roof, undeniably the scene that was currently taking place outside the very apartment they were standing in.
"It's firing at everything that moves," Captain Allen began, "It already shot down two of my men. We could easily get it, but they're on the edge of the balcony. If it falls..." Captain Allen looked back at Coraline, his expression matter-of-fact. "... she falls."
Coraline's expression remained unmoved as her programming kicked in, she needed more information about the situation. Options presented themselves as she considered her priorities:
/ / / DEVIANT'S NAME?
/ / / DEVIANT'S BEHAVIOR?
/ / / EMOTIONAL SHOCK?
/ / / DEACTIVATION CODE?
"Have you tried its deactivation code?" Coraline questioned.
Captain Allen nodded, attention still on the monitors. "It's the first thing we tried."
Coraline adjusted her priorities.
"Do you know it's name?"
At that, Captain Allen hesitated, "I haven't got a clue. Does it matter?"
"I need information to determine the best approach." Coraline replied simply.
Coraline considered the possibilities of the deviant's sudden violent outbreak.
"Do you know if it's been behaving strangely before this?"
Captain Allen did not answer, instead pushed himself up and turned towards Coraline, clearly out of patience with her questions, "Listen," His tone shifted, "saving that kid is all that matters. So either you deal with this fuckin' android now, or I'll take care of it."
And with that, Captain Allen retreated into the living room. A warning made itself known in Coraline's vision:
/ / / EVERY SECOND COUNTS
/ / / Probability of success: v 48%
With that warning in mind, Coraline refocussed on gaining as much information as she could in whatever time she had.
/ / / Objective log updated / / /
/ / / UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED
/ / / SAVE HOSTAGE AT ALL COSTS
She scanned her environment once again, this time her parameters set to detect evidence; anything she could find to learn more about the deviant and its hostage. The first thing to grab her attention was an opened gun case on the floor immediately in front of her. She knelt down to analyse it, ascertaining that the case was for an MS853 black hawk pistol that had been removed recently, along with one magazine's worth of its ammunition. Using her 'reconstruct' mode, she learned that the deviant had likely taken the weapon, due to the absence of fingerprints, or any residual DNA. She updated her information database.
/ / / Database updated / / /
/ / / DEVIANT TOOK THE GUN
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 51%
Searching the rest of the apartment as swiftly as she was able, whilst being sure to absorb as many details as possible, was just such the challenge Coraline had been designed for. In the hostage's room, she discovered a video on a device that showed Emma Phillips and her family's android in a park.
"This is Daniel, the coolest android in the world!" Emma Phillips spoke to the camera, "Say 'hi', Daniel!"
"Hello!" The android complied with an enthusiastic wave.
/ / / Database updated / / /
/ / / DEVIANT'S NAME: DANIEL
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 60%
"You're my bestie," Emma continued, "We'll always be together!"
The recording finished with the two sharing a close embrace. They seemed... happy to Coraline, though she did not understand the concept of happiness. How had their situation spiralled into the nightmare now unfolding before her? She needed to know more. Coraline replaced the device and returned to the living room. The spacious apartment was in quite the state. Coraline immediately noticed two bodies, one in the dining area, and one to her right. Broken glass and blood stains littered the floor. She turned to the corpse to her right first, kneeling down to analyse it.
/ / / DECEASED
/ / / PHILLIPS, JOHN
/ / / Height: 6'0" - Weight: 187.2 lbs
/ / / Estimated time of death: ~ 07:29 pm
Analysis of the three bullet wounds in John Phillips' abdomen informed Coraline that he was shot by the deviant with the weapon taken from the master bedroom, and that the shot to his left kidney had been fatal. Reconstructing John Phillips' death, Coraline saw that he had held an object in his hands when he was shot by the deviant from behind. Turning her attention to where that object had ended up, she crossed the room to it. Unlocking the device revealed a CyberLife application with the recently processed order still on the screen.
"Your order for an AP700 android has been registered. CyberLife thanks you for your purchase."
Coraline looked back at the now deceased Mr. Phillips as the voice played from the device.
/ / / DEVIANT WAS GOING TO BE REPLACED
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 70%
Coraline now had her probable cause, but she needed to learn as much as she could before her time was up. As she began to cross to the dining area to examine the second body, two shots rang out from her right, glass shattering as the bullets pierced through the windows. One of the S.W.A.T. officers collapsed, clutching his left arm.
"Holy shit!" The officer next to him exclaimed, "Cover me while I evacuate him!"
The wounded officer was dragged to safety at the back of the apartment. Coraline scanned his wound from afar, and found it to be non-fatal. She returned her attention to her task and knelt beside the body of a police officer.
/ / /DPD OFFICER WAS FIRST RESPONDER
/ / / DECEASED
/ / / P.O. DECKART, ANTONY
/ / / Height: 5'8" - Weight: 170.5 lbs
/ / / Estimated time of death: ~ 08:03 pm
A fatal bullet wound to the heart, and analysis of P.O. Deckart's hand showed he had discharged his own weapon. Blue blood staining the wall to Coraline's left confirmed the officer had shot the deviant, and a discarded shoe small enough only for a little girl's foot showed that the hostage had been a witness to the shooting. Coraline retraced the final moments of the officer's life to discover his weapon had fallen from his hand and slid under the dining table.
Moving to the end of the table, Coraline reached for the forgotten weapon, a standard DPD issue black semi-automatic pistol, blood staining the white-panelled grip. As Coraline held the weapon, a warning flashed:
/ / / P.L. 544-7 AMERICAN ANDROIDS ACT - 2029
/ / / Androids are strictly forbidden to carry or use any type of weapon
The law strictly prohibited androids from bearing arms, however Coraline had been programmed to handle various kinds of weapons, including firearms, should such a skill be required in her line of operation. She momentarily contemplated the prospects of confronting the deviant unarmed and determined that it would lower her probability of success. Making sure no one was paying attention to her, she quickly stood and tucked the handgun into the back of her jeans.
/ / / LETHAL OPTION AVAILABLE
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 78%
Coraline moved towards the glass wall, peering through the curtains at the scene on the rooftop, being careful not to make any sudden movements. The deviant, Daniel, stood on the edge of the building with Emma Phillips firmly in his grasp, the black hawk handgun held against her right temple.
/ / / HOSTAGE LOCATED
"Go away!" It shouted. "Go away, all of you, or I'll jump!"
Coraline turned from the window, her LED briefly blinking yellow; time was running out. She opted for analysing the two pieces of evidence that were closest to her: the blue blood staining the floor and the child's shoe next to it. She ran two figures through the blue residue and pressed it against her tongue, analysing its composition.
/ / / FRESH BLUE BLOOD
/ / / Model PL600 - Serial #369 911 047
/ / / Android wounded
/ / / DEVIANT MODEL: PL600
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 81%
Coraline knew of this model, it was a common household assistance model, quite a profitable one.
"That piece of shit's gonna jump," An officer spoke up, as if echoing Coraline's thoughts, "I got the same model at home."
The shoe was all that remained. What had caught Caroline's attention was the red stains all over the pink garment. Human blood traces.
/ / / HOSTAGE COULD BE WOUNDED
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 83%
There was no more time, Coraline had to go out there before the deviant jumped, taking Emma Phillips with it. She approached the open glass door, pushing the curtain aside, and prepared to face the deviant.
The moment Coraline had stepped outside, Emma squealed as the deviant fired its weapon, the bullet tearing through the edge of Coraline's left arm, blue blood splattering the curtains behind her. Her LED pulsed red briefly as she registered the damage. She looked back at the deviant with an even expression.
"Stay back!" It shouted, red LED glaring above its eye. "Don't come any closer or I'll jump!"
"No, no, please, I'm begging you!" Emma Phillips cried hysterically in his grip.
The deviant pointed the gun back at Emma's head. Coraline watched the rooftops of the adjacent buildings as snipers fanned out, ready to take a shot the moment the hostage was clear. Coraline focussed, her gaze meeting the deviant's.
"Hi Daniel!" She called out to it, "My name is Coraline!"
"How-" Came the startled reply, "How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot of things about you," Coraline held her hands out, palms down in front of her, in what she determined to be a non-threatening position. "I've come to get you out of this!"
A helicopter suddenly flew in overhead, creating a downdraught, blowing water from the swimming pool to Coraline's right and blasting outdoor furniture across the pavement. Coraline barely noticed her long tied-back hair whipping against her left cheek with the wind.
/ / / DEVIANT DESTABILIZING
/ / / Probability of success: v 68%
/ / / Objective log updated / / /
/ / / GAIN DEVIANT'S TRUST
/ / / APPROACH SLOWLY
Coraline began to approach the deviant with small, slow steps, considering her best approach. She needed the deviant's trust in order to de-escalate the situation and free the hostage. Coraline knew she must take care with every word; Emma's life was depending on them. Her program presented her with four possible approaches:
/ / / CALM
/ / / DEMANDING
/ / / REASSURING
/ / / EMPATHETIC
Coraline ruled out the 'demanding' approach immediately; that would only serve to destabilize the deviant further. Empathy was not her strong point, being an android, so she also discarded that, fearing her falseness might show through in her words. Deviants simulated human emotions, so reassuring seemed the most logical approach.
"I'm not going to hurt you," She lifted her hands slightly, attempting to appear as non-threatening as possible, "I just want to talk, and find a solution."
"Talk?" Daniel demanded incredulously, "I don't wanna talk! It's too late for that now. It's too late."
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 71%
/ / / DEVIANT STABILIZING
Daniel suddenly pointed his gun back at Coraline, "Are you armed?"
Coraline froze, staring down the barrel of the pistol.
/ / / LIE
/ / / TRUTH
As a general rule, androids were not permitted to lie under any circumstances. However, Coraline was a unique model built for a specific purpose. She had been programmed with the ability to 'twist the truth', as it were. She tried to be subtle about the way she angled herself straight-on to Daniel, attempting to hide the gun that now seemed to be pulsing like a beacon in the back of her jeans. If she lied about the weapon, she could keep it as a last resort should this negotiation not go the way she anticipated. However, she knew she was not a good liar from previous experience, and the deviant may call her bluff. If she told the truth, it may just push her further towards gaining the deviant's trust. Making all of these judgements in a split second, Coraline made her decision.
"Yes," she said calmly, "I have a gun."
"Drop it!" Daniel demanded once more, "No sudden moves, or I'll shoot!"
Coraline slowly and deliberately reached behind herself for the weapon, so briefly contemplating raising it and executing the deviant before he could realize what was happening. She calculated the odds of success, deciding they weren't high enough to risk it; his dead weight may drag Emma over the edge with him, and she wasn't close enough to save her should that happen. Putting that out of her mind, she discarded the weapon off to her right, hearing it clatter on the pavement, her eyes still trained on the deviant.
"There. No more gun."
Coraline analyzed Daniel's expression to be relieved at her actions, his LED cycling back to yellow.
/ / / LETHAL OPTION NO LONGER AVAILABLE
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 77%
/ / / DEVIANT STABILIZING
Coraline reviewed the information she had gathered earlier and her program presented her with more options based on what she had discovered.
/ / / POSSIBLE CAUSE
"They were going to replace you," She called to Daniel, attempting to refocus and wear him down. "And you became upset. That's what happened, right?"
"I thought I was part of the family." Daniel explained, "I thought I mattered..."
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 82%
"But I was just their toy," Daniel's eyes turned murderous once more as he pushed the gun hard against Emma's temple. "Something to throw away when you're done with it."
/ / / Parameters updated / / /
/ / / Probable cause:
/ / / DEVIANT WAS GOING TO BE REPLACED:
/ / / EMOTIONAL SHOCK
Coraline had noticed a downed police officer on the left edge of the rooftop as soon as she'd stepped outside. She was close enough now to kneel down and check on the officer, who she saw was still breathing, eyes darting around at nothing in particular, blood staining his left sleeve below a large bullet wound in his bicep, and flowing onto the pavement. He had lost a lot of blood; he wouldn't have much more time if Coraline didn't do something. Putting the current situation out of her mind for a moment, Coraline decided to do something.
Coraline lifted her head towards Daniel, deciding to attempt to make an example of her words and actions here. "He's losing blood," She explained calmly, "If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die."
Daniel looked... perplexed? "All humans die eventually. What does it matter if this one dies now?"
Coraline thought his words to be cold, even for an android, but especially for a deviant. They were supposedly capable of the empathy most androids lacked, though the deviants she had encountered before all seemed to share the common opinion of this Daniel: they hated humans, and saw no difference between the guilty and the innocent. A difference she was programmed to understand.
Coraline disregarded his words, "I'm going to apply a torniquet." She stated, rolling the officer onto his back to examine his wound closer. A shot rang out and sparks flew over Coraline's right hand as the bullet collided with the pavement next to her.
"Don't touch him! Touch him and I kill you!"
Coraline narrowed her eyes at the deviant, staring briefly at the LED that had flickered back to red. "You can't kill me," She said evenly, ignoring his warning and unfastening the black belt from around her waist. "I'm not alive."
She proceeded to tighten and fasten the belt around the top of the officer's bleeding arm to stem the blood flow. The officer groaned softly at her actions, and without knowing why for the second time that night, she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder before standing to face the deviant. Its face seemed almost angry, and immediately she knew what this detour had cost her mission.
/ / / Probability of success: v 77%
Coraline knew she still was not close enough, so she resumed her tentative steps towards the pair at the edge of the roof. The situation was still far too tense for negotiation attempts to be successful, she needed to get more into the deviant's head.
"I know you and Emma were very close," More careful steps forward. "You think she betrayed you, but she's done nothing wrong."
"She lied to me!" Daniel protested, LED yellow once more, as Coraline could see it considering her words.
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 87%
"I thought she loved me..." It was not the first time Coraline had heard a deviant speak of love or affection, or the desire of either from its master. "But I was wrong. She's just like all the other humans!"
"Daniel, no!" Emma begged her captor.
Coraline's attention was brought to Emma as the little girl spoke. She analyzed Emma's condition from her position. Aside from her missing shoe and a bloodied knee, she was in perfect health, though visibly distressed. Coraline felt an overwhelming urge to ascertain the child's condition.
"Are you okay, Emma?" She addressed the hostage directly.
"Please help me!" She cried, her face already streaked with ever-flowing tears of pure terror. "I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"
Coraline altered her face into a soft expression and her voice to match. "Nobody's going to die. Stay calm and everything will be fine." She reassured the girl.
/ / / Probability of success: v 84%
Emma's heart rate slowed slightly at her words, and Coraline looked back at Daniel's face, his expression betraying the guilt he felt for harming Emma. Coraline could see Daniel's resolve beginning to falter, but she needed to calm him further; he was a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. One wrong word is all it would take.
/ / / REALISTIC
/ / / BLAMING
/ / / SYMPATHETIC
/ / / DEFECTIVE
Coraline had no basis from which to draw an analysis of the best option for this situation. It was unlike anything she'd encountered before. She decided to stick with the facts; what she knew and could understand.
"You're defective, Daniel," She tried to make her voice firm, but understanding. "There's a problem with your software, we're going to fix you, and everything will be okay."
"I don't need to be fixed!" Daniel rebutted. "I'm working perfectly!"
/ / / Probability of success: v 81%
/ / / DE-ESCALATE THE SITUATION
"But my eyes are open now!" He continued with a hard expression. "I will never let anyone humiliate me again! Ever!"
Coraline's brows furrowed ever so slightly. She could not understand where its anger was coming from. As far as treatment of androids by humans usually went, in her experience, Daniel's existence had been good. If the recording in Emma's room was anything to go by, he had even seemed happy. Though she knew deviancy did strange things to an android's software, making them irrational, volatile and dangerous.
Daniel cried out in frustration then, clutching at his head with the hand that held the gun and flailing about. He looked up at the helicopter still hovering overhead. "I can't stand that noise anymore!" He pointed the gun back at Coraline, threatening her. "Tell that helicopter to get out of here!"
Coraline looked up at the helicopter, considering her options. Would they even obey her if she commanded them to stand down? Coraline's eyes quickly shifted back to Daniel, once again staring down the barrel of the gun, before flicking back up to the gunman leaning out of the open helicopter. She decided she had no choice but to try and comply with Daniel's demand. She held up her right arm and waved it around in a circular motion, signalling the helicopter to retreat. To her surprise, its rotors picked up speed, momentarily strengthening the downdraught threatening to blow them all over, before retreating to a distance that was no longer close enough to cause the deviant distress, but still within range.
"There. I did what you wanted."
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 91%
A tense moment of silence passed as Coraline thought about her next approach. She was close to having the situation under her control, but she needed to push the deviant just that little bit further.
/ / / GAIN THE DEVIANT'S TRUST
"You have to trust me, Daniel." She motioned towards herself with her hands, trying a more direct approach. "Let the hostage go and I promise you everything will be fine."
Coraline could see Daniel consider her words, if briefly, before thinking about his own response.
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 93%
"I want everyone to leave!" Daniel demanded, waving the gun towards the snipers surrounding him on the rooftops. "And I wanna car! When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go!"
Coraline knew this could not happen, her mission was to gain control of the situation and convince Daniel to release the hostage. He would never be allowed to leave the city now, after what he had done. Coraline was close enough now to have used lethal force, whilst still having the time to stop Emma from falling, had she still possessed the gun that now lay on the pavement by the pool. She considered her other options:
/ / / SACRIFICE SELF
/ / / COMPROMISE
/ / / REFUSE
Refusing outright did not seem like a good idea, and sacrificing herself did not appeal to her either, and also seemed unnecessary. She was so close to convincing him, he just needed more assurances. She had to succeed.
"That's impossible, Daniel." She explained. "Let the girl go, and I promise you won't be hurt."
Coraline knew it was a lie, so she tried especially hard to hide it under a soothing tone and sympathetic expression.
/ / / Probability of success: ^ 99%
"I don't wanna die." It was practically a murmur from the deviant's lips, the fear so evident in its eyes as they locked with hers, blue LED blinking back at Coraline.
The moment of truth.
/ / / SACRIFICE SELF
/ / / REASSURE
/ / / TRUTH
She was about to reassure Daniel when she looked, really looked, into his eyes for the first time. He was so... scared. Scared of death, of the end. Scared of the consequences of his actions, what would happen to him. I don't wanna die. The words replayed in Coraline's head as she stared into wide blue eyes. He was going to die no matter what happened now - they were going to shut him down, she knew that. There was no way out. She looked into his eyes, and she couldn't lie to him.
"You took human lives," The words left her mouth with sincerity and without her permission, "Nothing can stop them from destroying you now."
She watched as Daniel's expression fell, terrified at the realisation that what she said was true. He was dead the moment he harmed a human, and she knew it. All of this was just a ruse.
"Taking one more life won't do you any good." Coraline practically pleaded with him.
/ / / Probability of success: v 79%
/ / / DEVIANT DESTABILIZING
Coraline realized her grave mistake when Daniel's expression twisted into something very ugly, anger evident in every facet of his face. "I've spent my life taking orders!"
Coraline's eyes sharpened, watching his LED flash back to red, knowing what was about to happen, and what she must now do. There was no other choice.
Daniel pulled the gun away from the hostage and held his arm out. "Now it's my turn to decide."
Coraline felt a strange tightening sensation in her chest as she watched Daniel lean back and begin to go into freefall. Her last look was at Emma's face as the little girl screamed, shutting her eyes as they started to go over the edge. With an inhuman speed only Coraline possessed, she pushed her legs into a full sprint towards the edge, briefly wondering if she was going to make it. She called Emma's name as she approached, the little girl heard her and opened her eyes.
Coraline leapt forwards, reaching out her hand towards the girl, Emma stretching her arm as much as she could to reach her. At the last moment, Coraline grabbed hold of Emma's arm and yanked her back onto the roof, hearing the girl scream in surprise. Coraline knew it was far too late to stop her momentum now as she ran straight into Daniel's falling form, her last view was of Emma Phillips landing safely on the rooftop before the two androids disappeared over the edge.
Coraline had never experienced the sensation of freefall before. It was strangely calming. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel it.
/ / / MISSION SUCCESSFUL
The words flashed in the darkness. She had done it, she had saved the girl. She had fulfilled her purpose here. She had no time to wonder what would happen to her now after she reached the end of her fall. Time only to take in the wind in her hair and the seemingly never-ending plummet. She recalled her earlier trepidation towards self-sacrifice and it seemed fleeting now. When it came down to it, she had done what was necessary to complete her mission.
/ / / I AM OF NO IMPORTANCE
/ / / THE MISSION IS ALL THAT MATTERS
Coraline felt the impact of the street below split her body apart. There wasn't even time for her program to warn her of her imminent shutdown before feeling ceased altogether.
*Updated on 26/02/2019
Thanks so much for reading this! It's been years since I've written anything, and even longer since I've written fan fiction. Trust this game to get me writing again.
Couple of things, yes, this is incredibly long and detailed. Subsequent chapters, if I write them, will not include so much detail, the hostage scene just gave me a unique opportunity to be very descriptive.
Secondly, I originally planned to write this just as Connor, but felt I wouldn't be able to write from his perspective and do it justice, so I opted to go with Coraline instead. I hope you like her!
Thirdly, no, there will NOT be any Hank x Coraline in here, strictly a platonic partners/father/daughter dynamic similar to Connor and Hank's.
Fourthly, I am MOSTLY writing canonically to the events of my first playthrough of Detroit, however I am changing some things and adding others as I have now played the game three times and want to create the most interesting and dynamic story I possibly can.
Finally, subsequent chapters will be less recount-ish. After all, no one wants to read about exactly what they've already seen, though I like to think changing Connor to Coraline will alter the story in and of itself.
Please make sure to leave a review if you enjoyed it and tell me if there's anything you'd like to see more or less of in future chapters! :)