“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” — Bob Marley

Detroit: Become Human

Connor Part 2 – Finding Humanity

After Connor helps Hank sober up, they head to the latest deviant crime scene at the Eden club, a plush android brothel where anyone can find artificial love for a price. Here, the prostitutes are called Traci’s and since they aren’t human, sex with them isn’t illegal.

Initial suspicion is the man died from too much excitement but further investigation shows he was strangled to death. Nevertheless, it’s still not clear what exactly happened as the only Traci in the room is also badly damaged and offline.

Connor temporarily re-activates the Traci and she tells him there was another android in the room when the victim started beating her. She said he wanted to play with two girls. Before Connor can determine who else was in the room, the Traci’s emergency power shuts down.

Connor’s equipped with the ability to probe other androids memories, in essence turning every android in the club into a web of surveillance cameras. However, they’ll have to work fast. Eden Club policy is to wipe their androids memories every two hours. After probing the nearest android to the crime scene Connor learns that a blue haired Traci left the room moments after the killing.

After probing multiple androids, Connor recreates the suspect’s movements in the minutes after the crime. It all leads into the warehouse at the back of the club. They arrive to the warehouse and find it practically empty and the loading door is open. Hank believes the android got away but Connor isn’t convinced.

Taking a closer look around the warehouse, Connor discovers the blue haired Traci hiding in amongst a group of stationary androids. Without warning, she attacks with the assistance of another Traci. Connor and Hank fight back with all they have but the Traci’s overpower them. Connor draws his gun but when he sees them holding hands he can’t manage to squeeze the trigger.

The blue haired Traci tells Connor that when she saw the man break the other Traci she knew she was next. “I was so scared,” She said. “I begged him to stop but he wouldn’t so I put my hands around his neck and squeezed until he stopped moving. I didn’t mean to kill him. I just wanted to stay alive to get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms.” Hearing her story Connor lets them flee the area and Hank seems to approve.

Later that evening Connor finds hank drinking along the river. He seems deeply troubled. Connor tries to talk to him but it only sets Hank off more. He draws a gun on Connor. Hank is wrestling with the idea that maybe the androids are more than just machines but it’s too hard for him to consider. He wants to know why Connor didn’t shoot the two Traci’s and if Connor himself fears death. He’s beginning to question whether Connor may be a deviant himself. Hank Lowers his gun and walks away. He tells Connor he needs to think.

Connor and Hank arrive at another deviant crime scene. This one is in the Channel 16 broadcast studio at the top of Stratford Tower. It appears four androids rushed and incapacitated the guards before entering the secure broadcast room and holding the crew hostage. Luckily, no one was killed during the attack. Everyone is still pretty shaken up about this and on edge, wondering what will come next.

Investigating the control room Connor detects signs of an armed struggle. A SWAT team responded and opened fire, hitting at least one of the suspects before they fled to the rooftop and got away. The androids had recorded a manifesto of sorts and their spokesperson Markus demanded freedom for all androids. Connor notices there are no signs of forced entry, which suggests someone let the suspects in. Taking a closer look, he notices the security camera desk was manned by androids.

The security androids are being held in the kitchen. Connor proceeds to interrogate them, convinced at least one of them has been working with the attackers and is a deviant. Throughout his interrogation, he monitors the androids reactions and notices one of them acting odd and responding differently. As Connor confronts the deviant, it attacks and tears Connor’s power source from his chest before stabbing him with a knife and pinning his hand to the counter.

Alone and left for dead, Connor pulls the knife from his hand and drops to the floor. His power core is only meters away but it might as well be miles. With his primary systems critically low, Connor struggles to the power core and re-inserts it. Fully charged, he darts off after the deviant fleeing towards the elevator. Realizing he’s surrounded the android grabs a rifle from one of the officers and opens fire. Connor dashes forward through the bullets and the deviant turns the gun on himself instead of risking the police recovering any data from his memory drives.

Hank has an outside of the box idea. He takes Connor to see Elijah Kamski, the man who created the first sentient androids, the symbolic father to every android since. Hank thinks Kamski may have some ideas on what’s causing the androids to become deviant and go against their programming.

Similar to the Turing test, Kamski offers Connor something he calls the Kamski test. He wants to know if androids can experience empathy. He gives Connor a gun and asks Chloe, his servant, to kneel on the ground. Kamski tells Connor that if he shoots Chloe in the head he will tell Connor everything he knows but if he doesn’t shoot he will leave empty handed. Connor gives Kamski his gun back and refuses to shoot Chloe. Kamski smiles, “So mankind’s last hope is itself a deviant.” He then warns a war is coming and that Connor will have to decide if he will betray his own people or stand up against his creators. “What can be worse than choosing between two evils,” he muses.

Back at the station Hank’s Captain informs him the FBI is taking over the case. Hank argues they are too close to cracking the case but the captain says this isn’t a case anymore it’s turning into a civil war. Connor asks Hank for help so he can get into the evidence locker, he knows the answers are in the evidence they already collected. Hank agrees to run interference and gives Connor the access key to the evidence locker.

Connor sneaks into the evidence room and is able to temporarily power up one of the damaged deviants. By disguising his voice with that of the one the deviants broadcasted during the raid on Channel 16, he tricks the deviant into giving him directions to find Markus, to find Jericho.

To be continued...

---