The Assessor’s pitch black eyes stared back at Officer Hope from across the table.

At least, Hope assumed he did. There was no way to tell where those mechanical lenses were looking at all. She could only guess…

His mechanical eyes shifted, the quiet click - too quiet for a human’s ear - almost deafening in the still air of the assessment suite.

’Suite’ didn’t feel like the right word. It was more like a lab or a surgical theater. It was plain and sterile, nowhere to hide, nowhere to sit save for the booth set into the wall for the Assessor and whatever android they were taking apart.

“Let us begin,” he said almost mechanically as he clicked open a small gray case at his side.

Hope hesitated as she stared at the discs of golden circuitry that sat inside the case. The Assessor didn’t even miss a beat, pulling one of the discs from the case.

“...Officer.” Hope looked up to see the Assessor staring at her once again, gesturing to the case. “We need to establish the connection.”

“Sorry, sir. I’m… I’m still getting back on my feet,” Hope said, wincing as the disc clicked into the port on her neck.

“I understand you’ve been through a traumatic experience,” he said, tilting his head as he reached through the wireless link.

She could feel him in her head, the connection crawling up through her spine. It was like his fingers were brushing her thoughts, feeling them like braille. She’d ignored it plenty of times before, and yet-

Hope clenched her fists, willing herself to hold still as she steadied herself.

-this time she couldn’t. Every nerve screamed at her to push him back.

“Connection established,” Hope said with a shaky sigh as she straightened up.

She could feel him testing the connection as he spoke, “Officer SE-C-107, I have some questions to ask.”

It–It shouldn’t be bothering her. It was her ID number, she’d heard it plenty.

“I have a name,” she said, keeping her tone as even as she could, “it’s Hope.”

“Acknowledged. However, for the sake of record, you are SE-C-107. Correct?”

She clenched her fists as she looked away, holding her anger in check.

She shouldn’t–couldn’t be feeling that way. Not here. Not now.

“You are to maintain eye contact, Officer 107,” the Assessor ordered, typing away at the keypad by his side.

“Yes,” Hope said as she looked back at him. “Yes, that is correct.

“Thank you,” he said, not even a smile or the slightest move of a muscle beyond what was necessary.

The baseline questions were always the easy part.

How long had she been with Security. How many androids were originally in her squad. Who did she report to. What was Pi to the fifth digit…

They didn’t matter. All that mattered was how she responded. How she compared to her initial assessment, fresh off the line, and new to her job.

He’d be looking for instabilities…

“Do you know why you’re here today?”

“I was involved in a fatality during a pursuit,” Hope said.

Fatality. It felt so simple saying it like that. Like it was just another day, just a small incident.

“What were you doing before it began?”

“I was on patrol,” she said. “All of us… A call went out about a renegade android that just came into the city.”

“Recall it for me.”

She looked down at her hands–When had they started shaking?

“Eye contact, Officer 107,” the Assessor ordered. “Please, recall it.”

Hope clutched her hands together as she focused back on the Assessor.

She could feel him in her mind, watching, as she recalled the events.

“The call went out in the early morning. They were spotted during a raid on one of the solarshaft sectors. They managed to get away,” she said.

“According to your report, you were in Concourse 5, the closest station to that sector.”

“I was on one of the transports. They just happened to step on,” Hope sighed, her thoughts drifting back.

The passengers screamed as Hope crashed into them, the landing knocking the wind right out of her lungs.

They were strong, whoever they were, and heavy. It just had to be another combat model, didn’t it…

“Stop!” Hope rose to her feet, chasing after the flash of army green as they barreled their way through the transport.

She grabbed her pistol, keeping it low as she pushed through the crowd.

Dammit, she couldn’t fire in here. There were too many people!

The door to the next car slammed shut with a deafening bang. The android - face hidden by the hood of their coat - twisted the lock shut, metal crunching as it jammed into place. They didn’t look back as they raced for the head of the transport.

Hope growled as she scanned over the door, rearing back. It didn’t take her long to kick the door off its track and wrench it from its frame. 

But her quarry didn’t need that long.

The transport lurched to a halt, alarms blaring, the crowd screaming over the sound of shattering glass.

They were out. Dammit, they were out!

Hope ran to the lead car, the emergency controls crushed and the windshield smashed outward.

Hope pressed the transmitter behind her ear, “Central, this is Pursuit Officer Hope. The renegade is in the transport tunnels, concourse five. I’m in pursuit.”

“You had a clear shot,” the Assessor said, eyeing her as he noted his observations.

“And I took it. But at that range… They just shook it off,” Hope said.

“I see… And yet, when you were able to get in range, you didn’t fire. Why?”

“I couldn’t,” she said. “Not in the middle of a chase, I couldn’t get a clear shot.”

The Assessor tilted his head, his touch in her mind growing firm.

“Is that truly why? Or is there something that you wanted instead?”

“I…” Hope trailed off, clenching her fists. “I wanted to…”

“Answer the question, Officer 107.”

Hope closed her eyes and ran a hand over her face.

Keep it together.

“I wanted to take them down myself,” she said.

“Like you’ve done with previous suspects?”

“Yes.”

“As a matter of pride? Taking in a heavy infantry unit would certainly be an accomplishment.”

She sighed, slowly meeting his gaze again, “Yes, sir.”

“Thank you for being honest, Officer 107.” she could feel his approval ripple through her head as he typed. “According to your report, you caught up with the android at a service station in the tunnels.”

“Yes. I-I managed to engage them in close quarters. They were as strong as I was… As I should have anticipated.”

Hope curled her fists into the android’s coat, army fabric beginning to tear as the two wrestled on the station platform.

They were bigger than her, not by much, but enough.

They grabbed her by the collar, their coat tearing away as they hauled her up. Hope’s own face stared back at her, worn and battle-scarred, but just as stunned as she was. Her double held her there, identical eyes staring at each other in disbelief.

Shock turned to anger on her double’s face, “Hell no!”

Hope barely caught herself as they hurled her away, tucking in as she rolled over hard concrete. She rose to her feet, eyes focused on the android’s signature as they fled into the station. She tried to catch her breath as she followed them in, drawing her stun pistol from its holster.

“IN-F-009!” Hope called out, echoing along the concrete walls. “That’s you, isn’t it.”

“I have a name!” 009 shouted back, her voice bouncing too much for Hope to pin down.

The walls in here were too thick…

“Then-” Hope swallowed her nerves, clenching her pistol tight. “-why don’t you tell me.”

“Like you care,” they called back, the echoing footfalls of their boots leading her deeper.

She broke into a run at the screech and groan of twisting metal. She followed through the door 009 had wrenched open, not too far behind.

“You sure you wanna do this?” 009 said, “You pursuit models, you’re too light. I’d take you apart!”

They weren’t wrong. A model like hers, she’d hardly weigh a thing to them.

“And you’re heavy infantry,” she called out.

“She knows the catalog!” they laughed, bitterly. “Five years of service… Came all the way from the field in Eurasia.”

Hope scanned along the halls of the service station, ears focusing in on the sound of their voice.

She had to keep them talking.

“Where are you headed?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Pursuit Officer.”

“I have a name too,” she said. “It’s Hope.”

They laughed at her, “And I have a special edition at that! Who named you? Your handler? Your boss?”

Hope fumed, the pistol softly clicking as she gripped it tight.

“Ha! Boss then…” 009 hummed, the sound of crunching metal and sparks filling the air.

Must have torn a conduit out of the wall. They were armed…

“Happy little police dog, so proud to have a name on her collar.”

“Shut up,” Hope growled, eyes straining as she scanned about.

“Tell me, do they give you a treat? A pat on the head for a good hunt!”

“We do what we’re made for. You should know that.”

“Well I want more!”

Hope barely ducked out of the way as the wall shattered behind her head. Dust filled the air as she dodged one crushing blow after another.

“No way a pursuit model wins this fight,” 009 barked, keeping on the pressure as Hope scrambled to keep out of reach. “Just run already!”

One of these swings was gonna connect eventually. She had to take a shot.

“Not a chance.” Hope fired blindly, lightning arcing into the fray.

009 screamed as the arc found its mark, the conduit tumbling to the ground with an ear-splitting clang! They stumbled and clutched at their shoulder, arm hanging at their side. They roared at her as they moved, beating the feeling back into their aching arm. 

Hope tightened her grip as she took aim.

“You don’t have to do this!” the two of them froze, 009 staring at her in surprise - she probably looked the same.

“Like hell,” they huffed.

They prowled closer, pushing her back as she kept the distance between them.

“I mean it-” the words just… They tumbled out of her mouth, a plea she never thought she’d make. “-just–just come in!”

009 frowned, reaching for the shock of golden yellow around their neck.

Why hadn’t she noticed the bandanna before?

They looked thoughtful as their thumb trailed over the homespun fabric, “And what? Live in a box? Like they’d ever let me go.”

She had to do something. They weren’t a random android. They had a name. They had a name.

“Please,” she’d never said the word before, never wanted to.

Pity crossed their face as they backed her against the wall, clenching their fists.

Don’t. Please don’t make her do this…

They steeled their gaze, muscled coiled like a spring, “It’s you or me…”

“Wait–!”

CRACK!

And everything stopped.

Hope’s ears rang from the sound of fist striking metal, the deafening crack of an electrical arc firing off too damn close. The first thing she could hear was her own heart. Then her breathing, loud as an engine in the quiet.

009 collapsed against her, their fist buried in the panel next to her head. Thin wisps of smoke trailed from where metal met the skin of their face, head reeking of ozone.

Her hands trembled, stun pistol slipping from her fingers.

She couldn’t hear them.

Hope wrapped her arms around them, holding their body close as she pulled them from the wall.

“I-I’ve got you,” she grunted as she set them down. But their eyes stared off into nothing as she cradled their head, “Hey. Hey!”

She couldn’t hear them. Not their breath, not the beat of their heart.

“Your name,” she breathed, checking for a pulse she knew wouldn’t be there. “Come on. Just… Just tell me your name!”