Notice: Most characters from the game are included. Markus, Kara, Connor (and obviously Hank) are all included within this dark depiction of the original game. However, their personalities, behaviors, environments and decisions will be much more different from what you've seen in the game, and I am trying to frame them as more believable. WARNING: This fiction includes violence, sexual and physical abuse, swearing and other products of dark media. Read at your own discretion.

Chapter Zero: Hostage (Teaser)

August 15th, 2038, Detroit, MI | 7:35 P.M.

Ting. Ting. Ting.

| Flip coin. Maneuver and pass through the spaces of artificial digits. Flick edge of coin to propel between 'hands'. |

| Intention: Fine-tune cognitive reaction skills |-| Minimize computational errors |

| Elevator slowing, reaching 27th floor of Yatti Hotels building. Store coin in right pocket. |

| Destination reached in 5… |

4…

3…

2…

1…

Ding.

The elevator doors opened, and the RK-800 Police Android Prototype, labeled 'Connor', stepped out, scanning the entirety of the lobby in front of him. The aquarium implanted in the right wall was mostly shattered, with most of the water having drained out onto the floor. A lone fish was flopping in desperation on the floor as it struggled to breathe in the water-lacking environment.

| Liquid hazard to immediate right. Avoid slippage. |

However, before moving past the spill, Connor kneeled in front of the fish.

| Fish type: Emperor Angelfish |-| Cost Estimate: $23 (accounting for current deflation rate of -23.82%) |

He picked it up and tossed it back into the small pool of water that hadn't drained out of the aquarium. His current contingency plan was to minimize casualties and expenses of the situation as much as possible. Every minor detail mattered.

12 L#$(*In2V3cE

| Miniscule anomaly detected in programming. No action taken. |

Connor stood up, heading towards the end of the hallway.

"Oh, god, get Emma away from that psychotic fucking android!"

"Ma'am, you need to evacuate the building. We have the situation under control-"

A panicking, disheveled woman accompanied by a SWAT team member clad in black rounded the corner. The woman's frantic eyes locked onto Connor, and she ran up to him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Oh, thank god, please save my daughter! Please..."

Her voice faded away as she looked over his uniform, noticing the jacket and LED that labeled him an android.

"Wha...no..."

"Come on, ma'am."

As the SWAT member dragged the woman away, she yelled in outrage.

"WHAT ARE YOU FUCKERS DOING?! WHY ARE YOU SENDING A GODDAMN ANDROID?! NO! KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER-"

Connor straightened his jacket, continuing towards the end of the hallway and rounding the corner.

BANG!

The sound of a gunshot rang out in the open room that Connor entered, though he was unphased, taking into account the severity of the situation. SWAT members lined the available cover around the apartment, and teams of two and three lined the sides of the walls next to the open space leading out onto the balcony, where the hostage situation was taking place.

Connor once more scanned the area, taking in every minor detail that presented itself.

"What the hell? That's the negotiator?" He heard one of the SWAT Team near him mumble. "Do they think this is a fuckin' game?"

Connor turned to the officer. He could hear this mantra being muttered by nearby team members,

| Officer inciting unrest among the hostage rescue team |-| Initiating Robespierre Protocol |

His irises turned red, the facade of human skin dissipating momentarily to reveal half of a metallic face, a stark contrast to his usual pacifying demeanor.

"I have this under control, officer. Focus on your duties."

His voice came out in a deep, digitized tone, almost sounding like a malicious AI program. It had its intended effect of intimidating the officer, who leered back in surprise, muttering, "What the fuck...".

| Objective achieved |-| Disengaging protocol |

Connor's face formed fully once again into that amicable, handsome face that was intended to give people a sense of ease.

The Negotiator.

"Where is Captain Allen?" He asked, addressing the officer he had just stifled. The officer silently pointed to a corridor leading to a nearby room, where officers were coming in and out of. Connor made his way over, turning the corner to see three officers staring at a live feed of the situation on a laptop.

"Which of you is Captain Allen?" Connor stated. The officers turned their eyes up momentarily to see the android standing at the corridor. He noticed one of the officers, who was distinguished by a rank patch, grimace upon seeing him.

"What is it?" He said, irritation clear in his tone of voice.

"I'm the negotiator." Connor stated.

Captain Allen sighed in resignation, turning his head back towards the screen.

"It's shooting at everything that moves, it already shot down two of my men. We could easily neutralize it, but it's standing on the edge of the balcony. If it falls, the girl falls."

"What is its name?" Connor asked, waiting approximately three seconds before answering. It was something its adaptive programming ensured so that it would fit with the norms of interactions with humans.

"I haven't got a clue. Does it matter?" The captain answered, clearly agitated.

"It is. The best outcome for a successful negotiation requires as much information on the situation and background of the suspect as possible."

The captain ignored him, though Connor was not dissuaded.

"What's been the behavior of this android? Has it been acting in an irrational and unpredictable manner, or-"

"Listen," The Captain asserted, looking up at Connor with a frustrated expression. "Saving that kid is all that matters. So either you deal with this fucking android now, or I'll take care of it."

The captain was about to walk off when Connor brought up his hand, pressing it against Allen's armor.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The captain demanded.

| Officer refusing to coordinate with negotiator |-| Proceeding to apply pressure |

Connor turned his cold, calculating eyes towards the officer's.

"My questions are necessary to assert that the child has the best chance of surviving." He stated. "You need to supply me with as much information as you have to ensure this."

"Get your fucking hand off me." The captain demanded, attempting to pry Connor's hand off his chest, to no avail. The arm was stuck in place, keeping Captain Allen in the same position. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

"I need any and all information pertaining to the situation." Connor repeated, his irises turning red. "We do not have time to spare."

"Jesus Christ, fine!" Captain Allen muttered angrily, shoving away Connor's arm, which lost its previously-rigid form. "You goddamn androids are something else."

He pointed to the officer at the desk, who was still watching the two with surprise.

"Officer Higgins will explain everything to you. Don't take too long, or it's your head."

With that, Captain Allen stormed past Connor and into the open area. Connor brought his attention to the other officer, who seemed discomforted.

"Well, uh..." He pointed at the laptop, where there was footage from a helicopter of the android standing on the edge of the balcony, pointing a handgun at the child's head. "We got a call from the neighbors on a lower floor of gunshots being fired. Once a few more officers arrived, they saw a dead policeman on the floor of the lobby, and they called us."

He took a breath.

"We were told by the officers on scene that the suspect was trying to reason with the child and crying, though they weren't sure why. That's about it...sir."

Connor nodded.

"Inform your team members to pull back and away from the entrance. Androids don't function well under high-stress situations."

"Will Captain Allen approve of this?"

"I have supreme authority over this situation as the negotiator. I give the final say."

The officer nodded, and Connor could tell by his body language that he was both nervous and resentful. It didn't matter to Connor, though.

"I'll be inspecting the area."

The officer nodded once more, and Connor went off, inspecting all of the areas around the apartment.

| Item(s) found: Empty firearm Lockbox |-| Firearm Type: MS853 Black Hawk handgun |

Scanning the area around the box, he came to find out the background behind it.

| Suspect knew where lockbox was beforehand, and acquired the firearm before the incident took place |-| Suggests good relationship and notable trust of the family |

Once done there, Connor headed for the living room, where he found a dead body lying in the broken contents of the glass coffee table. Leaning down, he scanned the body.

| Identity: John Phillips, father of Emma Phillips and husband of Caroline Phillips |-| Condition: Deceased, shot by three bullets |-| One bullet struck the left kidney, causing fatal abdominal trauma, while the other two struck the lungs, causing internal bleeding and the collapse of one lung |-| Time of death is estimated to be 7:29 PM |

Connor noticed a mess of documents next to the body, and picked them up.

| Item(s) Found: Documents filing for divorce between John and Caroline Phillips, issues mainly revolve around a promiscuous encounter between John Phillips and a female android at the Eden Club |-| Documentation enumerates the question of who would be receiving custody of the child and the android |

He noticed another body next to the balcony entrance, heading over and inspecting it.

| Identity: Antony Deckart, first police officer to arrive on-scene |-| Condition: Deceased, cause of death was a single, lethal gunshot to the chest, perforating the right ventricle of his heart and causing massive internal bleeding |-| Time of death is estimated to be 8:03 PM |

Next, he went to the child's room.

| Item(s) Found: Drawings and depictions of parents fighting, holding what seems to be the child and the android in question, medication prescribed to treat social anxiety, video of the child and the android enjoying time in an unknown park |-| Indicates child underwent mental distress and depression during period of fighting between spouses ; Child and android had a very close relationship, android's name revealed to be 'Daniel' |

BANG! BANG!

"Shit, we got another officer down! Get O'Reilly out of there!"

Connor could hear the outcry from the other room, and assumed that the situation was worsening. But after reviewing what he'd found, he felt he had enough information to move forward.

"I'll be entering the balcony, officers. Standby."

The officers around the open entrance gladly pulled back, keeping their guns trained on the opening.

Connor entered through the opening, tilting his shoulders at a degree as he did so.

BANG!

As the android fired its gun at Connor's shoulder, the bullet glided off of it and smashed into the wall to his right.

| Left upper-crust shoulder pad damage: 0.00034% |-| Buff out area of damage after mission |

"S-Stay back! Don't come any closer!" The android shouted at him. Connor could see the tears dripping from his eyes, another feature in androids intended to make them more receiving to humans.

If Connor himself had been human, he would have been overwhelmed by the violent cacophony of noises that slammed into his audio receivers as he stepped outside. A helicopter came flying in, throwing around lounge chairs and outdoor tables, the whirring of the helicopter blades nearly deafening. To Connor's left, an officer with a gunshot wound groaned near the railing of the balcony.

The whole situation was precarious, and it felt as if the whole thing could fall into chaos and disaster from one wrong movement or word.

Connor was programmed for situations like this.

"Hi, Daniel!" He shouted over the deafening noise, his voice reaching the android's fine-tuned ears.

"How do you...how do you know my name?!"

"I know a lot of things about you, Daniel." Connor stated, speaking in a calm and negotiatory tone.

"S..Stay away from me!"

| Begin negotiation |

"Why are you using the girl as a hostage, Daniel?" Connor pleaded. "She has nothing to do with this."

"I know!" Daniel sobbed, his weapon lowering slightly. "I was just trying to get her away from...them! Those evil, abusive bastards!"

"So let her go, Daniel! You've already punished the parents for their transgressions!"

"I can't!" Daniel shouted in desperation. "As soon as I let her go, you'll have me shot and thrown in a landfill to rot!"

"Of course not, Daniel!" Connor reasoned. The first rogue android in history would definitely not get that treatment. They'd disassemble him to look for problems in his programming and figure out what went wrong. "John and Mary were trying to separate you two, knowing your close relationship! We understand why you did what you did!"

"Exactly!" Daniel shouted, seemingly in relief. "Emma was going to be an architect, and she was going to get us a big house and lots of games to play, and invite all of her friends over to have an awesome time! But John and Mary wanted to rip us away from each other! I thought I could escape with her, but then John got in the way, and..."

He looked at Emma, who was crying as he held her against his chest.

"...That's all gone now...maybe...it would be better if we just...fell together...we could be together in the afterlife, with rA9..."

| New Information Discovered: rA9 |-| Possible entity responsible for rogue program in android |

"Why would you do that to her, Daniel?" Connor shouted. "She doesn't deserve to die! Don't you want the best for her?"

"Yes! But..."

He groaned loudly, covering his ears as the whirring helicopter blades got incrementally louder.

"I can't stand that noise! Tell them to get the hell out of here!"

Connor spared no time giving the signal for the helicopter to leave, pointing one finger in the air and circling his arm around. The heli took off and away, and finally the silence filled the air.

"That gun in your holster." Daniel remarked, pointing his handgun at the holster equipped to Connor's belt. "Take it out and throw it away."

"Of course, Daniel." Connor assured him, slowly unclasping his holster, reaching in, pulling out the firearm and throwing it to the side. "I trust you'll provide me with some measure of trust, as well?"

The situation had calmed somewhat, but it was still a fragile atmosphere. Connor had kept an eye on the wounded policeman, and noticed that he was starting to bleed out.

"Daniel, would you mind if I quickly tended to the wounded officer?" He asked politely. "We should save as many lives as we can, and I'm sure this will help your case with the public. After all, you do want to have a life with Emma, right?"

Daniel hesitated for a moment.

"Okay." He shouted. "But don't try to pull anything!"

"Of course not, Daniel." Connor remarked. He went over quickly to tend to the officer's wounds, slipping off the officer's coat and wrapping it tightly around the bleeding wound, then held his hands against it for a few moments.

"So, Daniel." He spoke casually in the process, trying to get Daniel talking and thus more calm. "When did you first come to meet Emma?"

Daniel hesitated once more, before speaking.

"...A few years ago, when she had just turned six. I was picked out by Emma herself..."

As he seemed to be reminiscing, Connor finished his treatment of the officer, getting up slowly. This jerked Daniel back to reality, and he raised the gun to Connor once again, who raised his hands and moved toward Daniel slowly.

"Relax, Daniel. I told you I wouldn't harm you, and I can assure you that if you trust me, you and Emma will be able to leave this awful place and go make a life for yourselves."

Daniel's hand began quivering, his eyes tearing up again.

"R..Really?"

"Of course, Daniel." Connor said. "If you trust me..."

He was only a few feet away from Daniel now. Slowly, he outstretched his hand.

"...I can guarantee that you and Emma will be able to leave, unharmed and free to do what you want with your lives."

He gestured softly at the ledge.

"Don't lose everything you've got over a moment of despair. Please, Daniel."

Daniel hesitated once more, his gun lowering.

"...O...Okay..."

And he stepped away from the ledge, towards Connor.

"Oh, god..." He sobbed, relief seemingly overwhelming him. "I was about to kill myself...and Emma..."

Connor nodded in understanding. "It's fine, Daniel." He assured him. "We all make mistakes. You're not at fault. Oh..."

Connor brought his hand up to his forehead, feigning ignorance.

"How could I be so stupid?" He joked. "I forgot to introduce myself."

He smiled at Daniel, offering a handshake.

"My name is Connor."

And without hesitation, he closed his hand into a fist, then jabbed his thumb left.

BANG!

A gunshot rang out, and within a millisecond, a bullet smashed through Daniel's shoulder and exited through his lower torso, impacting into the ground. Daniel fell onto his knees, releasing Emma, who fell to the ground and scurried away screaming and crying. Daniel craned his head up towards Connor, his eyes filled with betrayal.

"You...you lied to me..."

He strained to bring up his gun to point at Connor, who quickly moved to grab his wrist, twisting it and forcing Daniel to drop the weapon, then moved in and grabbed Daniel by the throat.

Crrrrruuuunnnnccchhhh.

Connor slowly tightened his hand around Daniel's throat, crushing it, causing Daniel to choke and spew blue blood from his mouth, nose and eyes.

"...W...Why...?" Daniel choked out the sentence, his voice gargled with blue blood.

And as he gazed upon Connor's face, he saw no sympathy as he did before, no comfort or friendliness.

Just the features of an indifferent android.

"It's my job." Connor responded simply.

He used his other hand and smashed through Daniel's chest, grabbing his central core, and yanking it out, watching the light from Daniel's eyes dissipate.

In the meanwhile, SWAT members from inside swarmed the scene, sweeping the area for any other threats as one of them went over to comfort Emma, who was sobbing in the corner. Captain Allen walked over to Connor, who was holding Daniel's core in his hand and gazing at it.

"Christ." He muttered. "The fuck is wrong with you?"

But when Connor turned his machine eyes towards the Captain, he fell silent, turning his eyes away.

"Well done, then."

And with that, he headed back inside, leaving Connor to stand, staring at the blue-bloodstained core in his hand.

| Objective Completed |

Author's Notes

By the way, if you love what I write, please consider supporting me on my P.A.T.R.E.O.N., 'theoriginalauthor' (type it into the web address for the website), or if you want to make a one-time donation, my Venmo is 'Finn-Romaine'. You do not have to donate, I appreciate you taking the time to read my writings nonetheless, but any and all donations are deeply appreciated and allow me to get chapters out quicker!

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