Evelina Lenoir

“I see, I see. Umbrella is still a bit squeamish when it comes to testing on humans, alive or dead, I understand?” that’s what he got from her little report. If things didn’t develop quickly enough, there was mostly some higher up that said ‘no’. Luckily, in here, they didn’t need to worry about ethnics. But before he introduced her to the ‘subjects’ he wanted to test out her limits. They didn’t need someone who was just as squeamish about testing on humans… alive or dead.

“You are free to wander around the factory, but don’t go into the lower levels without me, for your own safety. Also be careful with your steps, some floors are rather rusty and we don’t want anymore.. casualties.” what he didn’t say was that the factory was well known in the village for its ‘casualties’ but dead bodies didn’t grow on trees, you had to make them.  

“Some at Umbrella are, unfortunately,” she agreed. “My team wasn’t. We managed to create a few B.O.W.s of note, though none were quite on the level I was hoping for. Many of the experiments were lacking, at least somewhat, in brain function. Some of the weapons we created were so volatile they would attack their comrades as much as their enemies, even when created from a normal human host.”

That was the real issue. They were often impossible to teach or control, and had next to no capability to learn. They would work, in certain situations, for certain tasks. Causing chaos, clearing out an area, etc. But that wasn’t what Eve was striving for. 

Pushing the limits of physical capabilities was nothing if the mind was just useless mush.

X

❄️ - she and I both don't care for getting drunk.

X

❄️ - Evelina and I share disinterest in most people.

It was a waking nightmare. Thomas had never been more scared in his entire life.

‘Comply? Wh-what do you mean? How bad is it? Please, I’ll consent to whatever procedures you want. I haven’t taken any drugs for years.’

With a sigh, she reached beneath his cot and released his restraints. She had a feeling he wouldn’t try anything. 

“Yes, I suppose I do,” Connor nodded, “If you look at time as merely linear, than everything is pre-determined and therefore fate does exist. It’s merely a matter of the fact that nobody can actually know what the future entails that keeps life from being pointless. However, I don’t view life as linear. It’s far too complex and unpredictable to bother with something as basic as ‘yes the future exists and therefore everything you do is already done’. It limits the mind. I have better things to think about than whether or not my actions are predetermined.” 

It’s not a matter of whether or not he believes it exists, more that it wasn’t something he bothered with. He is determined to find a way to live the life he has been gifted and worrying about whether or not his actions are his own is bad enough with the memory of Amanda still lingering in his mind. He does not need to be wondering what little influence he has on the ‘fates’ as well. It’s better to take it ‘one step at a time’, as Hank had told him when he would overthink too much. 

“Fascinating,” she mused, giving him another sideways glance. “Given this is your opinion, I’m very interested to see how you handle everything that is to come.”

People of Connor’s opinion tended to be more anxious - but this was exactly what she expected from him. Most androids, as well. 

‘D-dead? Fuck.’ Thomas’s own voice was barely a whisper, his mouth going dry as he listened to Dr. Noir. He tried desperately to remember who he was with, but felt sure he had been exploring alone with no plans to meet up with any of his friends. He hoped with all his heart that no-one he knew had been hurt.

‘I… I’ve been arrested before. Petty stuff, public disorder, but I never, ah–’ He swallowed thickly. ‘I would never kill anyone.’

Eve wrote that down, nodding. “I believe you. Since I have reason to believe you’ll comply, I’ll explain to you what’s going to happen from this point. There were several types of dangerous drugs in your system when you came in.” This wasn’t technically a lie, as the tranquilizers could be deadly in excessive doses. 

He had not lied when he said that he was the most successful experiment. Maybe he even undersold himself in his statement but now she caught a glimpse at his true potential. No one before or after him had a better compatibility with the Cadou. Miranda had called him perfect, if it wasn’t for him being a man. At the time he had been furious about this statement but now, after he found out why, he was really glad about it.

“Oh she knows.” he said, that was why she let him get away with more slip ups than his siblings. “And you will be too, I have no doubt.” the man flashed her a grin and led the last part of the path towards the factory, the heavy iron gates closing shut behind them and the equipment still floating next to him.

“How much do you know about our research?” Heisenberg asked her while he walked into the stuffy, dark, yet strangely welcoming factory.

“I know only a little, admittedly,” she answered, keeping up with him. “What I was told was that there was a branch between us and another organization with similar goals of human mutation. Our experiments weren’t as successful as I hoped, so I asked for this unique opportunity.”

That was the truth. She was always hoping for greater and greater successes, and Umbrella hadn’t given her what she’d been hoping for. This, however... was a great start. 

Connor considers her question, thinking over what he has experienced and what he believes, “Well, when you get down to the basics like that, it does imply there is structure, though not fully understood, to how humans think, and I do believe that is true. However, humans have proven time and again that chaos reins behind structure. I personally believe that genetics and experience actually help develop structure within the human mind, allowing them to have more influence on choices in their lives and that is how free will is developed. I think, if a human knows the difference between right and wrong, selfishness and selflessness, and act according to what they believe is the right choice, than that is an example of free will. People with similar backgrounds and even genetics will not necessarily make the same choices.”

The second question was a bit easier for him to answer. After all, it falls into his line of work, “To put it simply, the answer is both. It depends on the person and the reason behind the action. For various reasons, people do the wrong things on purpose, whether it is to gain attention from peers or because they feel they have been wronged in some way. They are well aware that what they are doing is wrong and many of them experience guilt over their actions. However, some people feel that their actions are justified or that their beliefs make it okay to do things that society has deemed as immoral. There are even cases where they don’t believe that society, as a whole, has a right to tell an individual what they should or should not do, often making them dangerous to the people closest to them. This is not always the case, of course, but it does open the question of what is right and wrong.”

This is something Connor understands a lot more than he feels he should. He was programmed to stop deviants at all costs. Cyberlife programmed him to believe that they are a danger to society, ready to destroy their creators with no remorse. Yet, he helped Hank instead of stopping a rogue deviant, let the Tracis escape, and ended up joining the revolution he was built to stop. His moral compass told him that they were people, his people, that just wanted freedom. 

"So you believe in free will?" She asked, curious and amused over his answer. It was a tricky question, and it was one that was very difficult to prove one way or another. The way one answered usually said a lot about them. 

Thomas breathed out at Dr. Noir’s confirmation, relief washing through him. The feeling only lasted until her next set of questions, though.

‘Does that… does that have anything to do with why I’m here?’ he asked. ‘Please, I need to know, whatever it is. I wanna know what I did.’

Eve hesitated for a moment, glancing towards the door as if wary or uncertain. She wanted to build trust with him, to keep him placated - ignorant enough for him to blindly obey. She suspected he was smart - smarter than the usual uneducated, unlucky homeless people they often brought in. This meant she had to play this carefully. 

“I’m not meant to tell you anything,” she told him, leaning closer and lowering her voice to a whisper as if others might be listening in. “The truth is, we don’t know much about what happened to bring you here. Several people were involved, some of them are dead or like you, seem to suffer memory loss. This is a very tricky situation.