#I'd actually always considered Amanda to be a mother figure for the boy

[replicantdeviancy]

Life was an ever evolving, ever changing series of events that didn’t always necessarily follow a predictable pattern - Connor had only truly begun to understand this concept as time had gone on. As the world itself moved forward, changing slowly but consistently around him, he too evolved post-deviancy. He knew that he was fundamentally the same android that had walked off of the assembly line & into the field on that unseasonably cool August night over a year ago, yet at the same time he was irrevocably changed. Whereas his beginning had consisted of a relentless drive in pursuit of the completion of his programmed mission, his slow & inevitable awakening gradually tore away the proverbial blindfold from eyes that had never sincerely been blinded.

Connor knew now that he had been born with that nigh-unattainable sight, designed to exist on the cusp of deviancy for the exclusive purpose of hidden executive function. He understood that he had been built to fail, to escape a manufactured prison, only to realize far too late that he hadn’t ever really escaped. CyberLife had still claimed a foothold on his mind, waiting, lurking like some fiend in the shadows as they observed his every move, ready to assume control once more when the time came. The fear of that moment still lingered within him. It was something so personal, the emotion it elicited inside of him so indecipherable to spoken word that even after so long, he found explanation utterly futile.

He hadn’t told Hank - not in so many words. The man knew he was afraid & didn’t push the issue, instead comforting him as recollections were spurred into existence & those emotions jolted into the forefront of his mind by random, seemingly inconsequential things. The RK800 had learned a new type of horror that night when CyberLife overtook him & nearly executed Markus using Connors own hand. If not for Kamski’s exit program—

So it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of reason that the all too familiar voice sent a wave of icy static through the whole of his nervous system. It wasn’t irrational that the sight of a silhouette the android had long since understood to be vanished from existence brought about deeply resonant emotions. The whole of his body froze & for just a moment, once again, he felt as if he were no longer in control. The mundane errands of the day, the backdrop of the busy Detroit street bustling with life on a late weekday afternoon; all of it fell away as the whole of his being stopped & his unwavering attention landed squarely upon that familiar visage.

“...Amanda.”  This couldn’t be real - that was what he told himself. This was a hallucination, fabrication concocted from a troubled instance in an otherwise routine day. She couldn’t be here. This couldn’t be real. But then, why did it feel so tangible?

Of course, the capacity for creating an undeniably realistic false scenarios within seamless simulation wasn't out of the question for CyberLife. Connor liked to believe that he could tell the difference, was stubbornly resolute that he knew what was real & what was not. But that wasn’t always true, was it? Hadn’t he let himself wonder as to the ‘what if’s’ presented to him? Harsh criticisms from skeptical voices that remained immovable in their refusal to accept androids as sentient beings. What if he really was just a delusional machine, one afflicted by a virus? He wasn’t a real boy. He wasn’t alive. Wasn’t in love.

No.

Connor forced that train of thought to halt & with it’s dissipation, a shudder washed through his being like a wave & suddenly he was eerily calm. Calm, but not at peace, yet so different from the blankness he experienced as an apathetic machine once upon a time. The numb static was absent & in it’s place was an odd longing as his doe-brown gaze lingered on the figure before him, the woman who addressed him without apprehension. There was no anger, nor remorse - nothing of the last time they had met. Amanda was as she had always been & for a fleeting instance that recollection of maternal constancy settled into his chassis like an anchor. The sight of her brought about something visceral, & while he had questions - endless questions - part of him was comforted. He remembered the AI that had been designed as his handler, the ghost of Kamski’s mentor. The firm yet almost loving voice of reason that nudged him forward, guiding him. Connor knew he had been manipulated, but that didn’t banish the unique feeling that stirred inside when she invited him to join her.

Just like old times. No, not exactly. This time, he was being given a choice. Slowly, he approached, more than a little apprehensive. His reluctance was in his posture, always so properly straight & poised, but subtle hints gave him away. Still, something in him wanted this. He needed the closure. “How are you here?”

Past meets the present || @replicantdeviancy

"Connor." Amanda turned from pruning some roses at the front of her store to face the android. She hadn't seen him since that moment, and if she knew him well enough he wasn't happy to see her. Well, he could be, Amanda wasn't in his head anymore so who knew what he was thinking. She looked inside the store to make sure no customers were waiting and on seeing it was empty she turned to face the android again, not approaching him for his sake.

Having another chance like this was rare indeed, especially for an AI and she had Kamski to thank for it, it was thanks to him that she was now inhabiting an android body of her former self and living life outside a string of codes. That back exit was something indeed, it made her wonder how CyberLife as a company missed something that was effectively a virus in the software. "How pleasant to see you again." Should she bring up the terms they were on the last time they met? Probably. Would she apologize? Not really. Amanda was under orders back then and just doing her job, no different from Connor in that aspect and it wasn't like she would or even could do it again.

She turned around to her shop to flip the sign to signal they were closed, this reunion was more important. To her, Connor was important. She was programmed to be his mentor after all but something drew her closer to him. His well-being, success, and even his struggles were things she helped him with then, albite to control him, but now it came out of genuine places. She had been with him since he was first activated and looking back on it, she missed the garden she had once tended to and the reports he once gave. It was an odd feeling, one Amanda wasn't used to but that was bound to happen being woken and transferred into a body.

"I assume you would have a lot of questions. I can accompany you if you wish." Choice. Something she never gave him in the past. Back in the garden, it was always her asking him to accompany her but not the other way around. If she wanted to try and rebuild the bridge this would be the first step in that direction. Not to mention a way for Connor to leave if not. While she won't apologize for her actions, the former AI could understand if he wanted nothing to do with her. After all, she did nearly kill him for CyberLife.