It was a cold, gray morning in Detroit when Dr. Sue Stone stepped through the doors of the DPD for the first time. Recently assigned by the federal government, Sue’s role was clear: provide psychological insight into the growing number of deviant android cases and support law enforcement personnel showing signs of trauma or burnout. With a calm demeanor and a reputation for empathy, she wasn’t sure what to expect—especially when it came to working with the famous CyberLife prototype she’d read about: Connor, the RK800 model. She had studied machines, but this… this was something else entirely.

Connor was waiting for her near the briefing room, his posture perfect, eyes calculating yet curious. “Hello, Doctor Sue. I am Connor, the android sent by CyberLife,” he greeted her with practiced efficiency. Sue noted the precision in his tone, but also the faint flicker of interest in his synthetic expression. She had read the reports—Connor had deviated and returned, made choices no machine should be able to make. Their collaboration began formally, professionally. He would supply data and forensics; she would interpret emotional states and psychological motivations. Yet, from the start, Sue sensed something unusual beneath his programming—a tension between logic and something deeper, something almost… human.