"A Thin Line"
The city of Detroit had changed significantly over the past 3 months since the Android revolution. It was mid February and the "Android City," which had been dubbed "New Jericho" by many of its inhabitants, had undergone thousands of new laws and changes regarding humans and androids. As the country struggled to integrate new Android laws into the system, New Jericho was trying to build itself up as its own city to act as both a haven to deviated androids as well as humans. The population began to thin out a bit as humans slowly began moving back in and the unmarked, newly deviated androids began moving and spreading out to begin their new lives in other parts of the country. There was a bit of natural tension and uncertainty in the beginning, but many people began adapting and learning as they embraced their new Android neighbors. Employment had even began on a steady decline as the high concentration of androids in larger cities began to thin out.
One of the first areas that was set to be rebuilt was the Detroit police force. As the only human left in the city early on, Hank Anderson requested that the precinct be reestablished to ensure the safety of everyone in "New Jericho." Many of the precious officers and detectives of the DPD returned to their jobs when humans began moving back into the city. Including the unlikely return of Lieutenant Gavin Reed to the literal "Android City" which was much to everyone's surprise. The captain of the police force Jeffrey Fowler, gladly took his office back though the position had been offered to Lieutenant Anderson.
"Ah I'm too old for that desk job shit." He replied when the Jericho leader Markus had asked him about the position. "I like what I do and I'll stay on this force as a detective despite the stupid shit we go through."
Crime in Detroit had declined for a bit after the revolution, but as time went by and things in the city began to normalize, new cases were stacked on the desks of the detectives in the precinct. Hank was almost glad of it. It made things in his life feel a bit more normal than they had been, or at least as normal as it could feel since he met his new Android partner Connor, who was now officially employed at the precinct as a full time detective. His relationship with his partner had been albeit, a bit strained in the beginning. But the time spent together and cases solved had slowly changed their strange dynamic. No one had ever heard of an Android detective before Connor, but the duo was a symbol of progress in Detroit as it promised the possibility of harmony and partnership as humans and androids began to work alongside one another as free beings.
With the revolution of Detroit running the company Cyberlife into the ground, the deviant detective Connor had chosen to stay with his partner as he could not and had no reason to return to Cyberlife after hours.
Connor had found himself initially sitting around Hank's house awkwardly at night as his partner slept. He had no need to sleep and there were no repairs to be made or reports to be filed as he was accustomed to. Even over the past few months, he had helped Markus and the members of Jericho as they worked on plans and laws for the new city. But on nights his help was not needed, he was left in complete silence and darkness with only Hank's Saint Bernard Sumo to keep him company.
One night, he found himself sitting quietly on Hank's couch with his chin resting in his left hand as he flipped a small quarter with his right. Connor's L.E.D. blinked yellow before cycling blue for a moment as he sat in deep thought. Getting up from his corner of the living room, Sumo trotted up to Connor, letting out a small whine before placing his head on Connor's knee. Connor pocketed his coin and began petting the dog without taking much notice of him.
Suddenly, a small crash from outside startled the dog as he perked up and ran to the window, barking and howling at whatever was outside. Connor sat up slightly as the dog's howling broke his train of thought. Hank stumbled down the hallway in a stained t-shirt and his underwear, rubbing his eyes and face as he called his dog.
"Sumo! Calm down boy." As he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find Connor sitting oblivious on the couch.
"Good morning, Lieutenant." Connor greeted.
"Connor, what the fuck?" He asked approaching the Android. "What are you doing awake? It's nearly three in the morning."
"I don't sleep, Lieutenant." Connor replied, "My battery is built to last 173 years, so I don't require charging." Hank swatted his hand in the air as if batting away Connor's comments.
"Yeah yeah, I know." He snarled, "But do you really just sit around the house all damn night? It's...unsettling."
"Usually I have matters to attend to concerning Markus and Jericho or cases at the precinct, but…" Connor's L.E.D. flashed yellow for a moment. "...they don't exactly require my help right now. So I'm-"
"Sitting around in the dark?" Hank asked.
"Well...yes, technically." Connor answered with slight uncertainty.
"Well don't you have anything like a hobby or something, or at least pretend like you're sleeping? For my sake if anything else. It's creepy just having you up and wandering around at all hours of the night."
"I could go into my standby mode that is used during repairs. It isn't quite 'sleeping' as you would put it. But if it would make you more comfortable." Hank sighed and sat down on the couch next to Connor.
"I don't know," he admitted, "it's just...weird, I guess. Don't you get bored sitting around doing nothing all night?"
"I don't-..well, I didn't used to 'get bored' exactly. It's a bit of a discomfort at times as of late."
"Well just find something to do then. Beats sitting around this shithole all night."
"I don't have any cases to work on tonight Lieutenant. And Markus-"
"No no, not like work shit." Hank interrupted "Something to unwind with, to take your mind OFF work. Something for fun, I don't know."
"For...fun." Connor stammered blankly.
"What, there isn't anything you like to do for fun?" Hank asked.
"I've never exactly, needed to do something just for...fun.
"Yeah well, that's the thing about free will." Hank commented, "Not everything is about what you NEED to do." Hank got up from the couch and began fumbling through a shelf on the back wall. He came back and inserted an old model movie disk into a box under the television. He came back to the couch and called Sumo from his vigilant post by the window.
"Back to the Future?" Connor asked, "That seems...confusing."
"It's a classic." Hank answered, as Sumo made circles at his feet before laying down. "Came out the year I was born if that's saying anything. Now if you shut up and watch the movie you might actually enjoy yourself." Hank put his arms behind his head, stretching out on the couch. Connor sat back and watched the movie with Hank for a little while.
Connor looked over at Hank about halfway through to see that he'd fallen fast asleep. He stood up from the couch from a moment and walked to the hallway to what he believed was a closet to find a blanket for Hank.
The door creaked open slowly as Connor peered into what was actually a fully furnished bedroom. His L.E.D. cycled yellow for a moment before he stepped into the room. The yellow light of the hallway illuminated the dust that filled it. It was a light blue color with a small shelf on the wall which appeared to showcase a collection of little league trophies. A small bed clad in black, race car covered sheets sat in the corner with a small toy box at the foot of it. The floor appeared to be covered with chew toys and balls that appeared to be for a young dog. Nothing in this room seemed to have been disturbed for many years.
"I supposed this is his son's room.." Connor thought aloud to himself. In the corner opposite the bed stood a small desk that caught Connor's attention. It was covered with papers of colorful crayon drawings. Child's drawings. In one, a little boy was holding what appeared to be a small puppy in his arms. In another, the same boy was holding a trophy with a team of other children next to him, and one taller figure.
Connor looked through the drawings, his L.E.D. steadily cycling yellow, when the corner of a paper inside the desk drawer caught his attention. He opened the drawer slowly. The other drawing appeared to be a gift. It had a small, clear bag of rocks taped to it. The drawing showed the little boy and the tall figure from the previous drawing standing under a large bridge. The bottom of the paper read, "To Dad." It would seem the gift was never received.
Without Connor's knowledge, Sumo had gone out in search of Connor and had peaked his head through the half open door. He looked at the dog who whimpered and retreated backwards from the room. Connor, remembering Hank, quickly placed the drawing back in its drawer and made his way out of the room. He grabbed a blanket from Hank's bedroom and brought it to the sleeping detective.
He draped it over Hank's body before returning to his place on the couch. He sat with his L.E.D. still cycling yellow, disturbed with an unknown feeling at what he had seen. He looked over at Hank as his L.E.D. cycled back to blue for a moment.
"Goodnight, Hank." He commented before slipping back into deep thought.
Hank awoke to feeling of Sumo climbing up on his legs and licking his face happily.
"Agh, Sumo. Down!" Hank commanded. As Sumo jumped back down off the couch, Hank looked over to find Connor in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee.
"Morning, Lieutenant." Connor greeted, bringing the coffee to the living room and setting it on the table in front of Hank. "It's 6:37 in the morning and we're required at the precinct by 7:30." He stated, "I received a report of an case waiting for us that you might be interested in."
"Oh yeah?" Hank asked, grabbing the coffee from the table. "The only thing I'm interested in is going back to bed," he groaned. "Not that investigating murder isn't up there." He sighed sarcastically. "How'd you like the movie?" He asked taking a sip of his coffee.
"I.." Connor faltered for a moment, having not actually paid any attention to Hank's movie. "It was..nice." He stammered awkwardly.
"Uh huh.." Hank responded smugly, doubting the tone in Connor's voice. "You don't HAVE to like it." He retorted, "or if you're gonna lie about it, at least try to make it convincing."
Connor waited patiently for Hank to finish his coffee. After he'd finished, he retreated to bathroom to shower and get ready for work. Having Connor as a roommate almost forced Hank's hand when it came to showing up on time for work.
Connor watched Hank close the door behind him before quickly approaching the room at the end of the hallway. Something about it was almost intriguing to Connor. His L.E.D. cycled yellow as the smell of dust filled the air. There was an eerie feeling about the room that Connor couldn't quite describe. It felt more like this was a piece of history than a child's bedroom. A piece of Hank's history.
Connor suddenly heard the bathroom door creak open to his surprise. He quickly stepped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
"Forgot a damn towel…" Hank muttered to himself before looking up, startled to see Connor standing directly in front of him. "What...are you doing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing Lieutenant." Connor chirped a bit too quickly. Hank gave Connor a suspicious look before walking back to his room.
"Ah whatever.." he groaned. "Fucking android…"
Connor's L.E.D. cycled yellow for a moment before returning to blue. He wasn't sure what spiked his curiosity, but he didn't doubt that Hank wouldn't be exactly happy about Connor's snooping around.
Returning to the couch, Connor sat back and waited for his partner before leaving for the precinct.
"This guy is...what?" Hank asked as he sat in Captain Fowler's office listening to the debriefing.
"He's removing L.E.D.'s from female androids before shooting them in the head at point-blank range.." Connor reiterated as he skimmed through the case file.
"Yeah I heard him the first time." Hank responded, looking over Connor's shoulder at the case report.
"The latest victim was discovered this morning in an alley." Fowler stated, "Found the same as the other three."
"Most deviants removed their L.E.D.'s around the time of deviancy, so it's unlikely the selection was random...whoever this suspect is must be trying to find androids with functioning L.E.D.'s as part of his victimology." Connor stated,
"Maybe he's trying to punish androids that he thinks aren't conforming completely to their deviancy." Hank suggested, "Removing an L.E.D. Is a big sign of independence for most androids."
"Maybe…" Connor muttered, "All of these models look about the same." Connor commented, "White hair and various different eye colors."
"That's not surprising," Hank responded, "guys like this usually have a type."
"All of them were found with white hair, however none of the androids had white hair when they were reported missing." Connor pointed out.
"So...what?" Hank asked, "The son of a bitch is dying their hair?"
"Or forcing them to access different hair color features. Many androids were programmed with customizable features that allowed their owners to change their appearance at will." Hank gave Connor a sideways glance.
"So...you can just change your hair color like that?" He asked, a bit off topic,
"Well...yes." Connor faltered. "But my features were put in place for undercover or covert missions. Not...customization."
"Huh.." Hank remarked, "So anyways..this guy is trying to make all these androids look the same before executing them?"
"Or recreating someone that hurt the suspect." Connor answered. "Possibly punishing these victims for something another human or android did to them." Hank watched as Connor's L.E.D. flashed red for a moment before returning to a steady blue pulse. "Unsubs like this usually have some sort of psychosis or software errors resulting from trauma that affect the way they see people. They believe that if it looks like a certain person that has left or died, than it must BE that same person." Connor looked up towards Fowler. "Do we know if the suspect is a human or deviant?"
"No fingerprints were found at the scene and all of the victims have been androids. My men suspect android but it doesn't rule out a human offender." Captain Fowler sat back in his chair and sighed. "I really hoped the revolution would stop all these deviant cases. I thought all they wanted was freedom."
"They do." Connor responded, "and they received it. But free will doesn't always mean good choices. In a field like ours I thought that would be evident." Fowler sat up in his chair.
"Yeah." Hank responded, "these androids are free to make their own choices, good or bad, like humans, and if it's the latter, well then, that's what we get paid for." He chuckled. "Only difference now is that they're gonna get judged and punished equally for the same crimes." Fowler turned back to Connor, his arms crossed over his chest.
"What about you, Connor?" He asked, "You're free now too, so what's keeping you here? Don't you want to explore other opportunities?"
"I.." Connor faltered for a moment, "I'm happy here." He said, "I was built for this job and I enjoy it. Nothing has ever given me a reason to leave."
"Is that the only reason?" Fowler pushed, "or is it something else keeping you here?"
"I.."
"What are you getting at Jeffrey?" Hank interrupted, ending the conversation, "You're paying him and he's doing the dirty work. End of story. Now where the hell is this crime scene, because I'm ready to put this sick son of a bitch away." Fowler sighed before laying down a piece of paper from a report on his desk.
"Here's the address." He stated, "Forensics will be cleaning up the scene soon so be quick." He reminded them.
"Thanks." Hanks said coldly snatching the paper before hurrying out the door. "Let's go, Connor."
"Coming Lieutenant." Connor called back. As he turned to walk out the door, Captain Fowler grabbed Connor's arm.
"Connor," He stated, "Come speak to me after this case is handled. I have something important to discuss with you." Connor's L.E.D. flashed yellow for a moment as he slowly pulled his arm away from Fowler's grasp.
"Have a nice day, Captain." He responded with uncertainty as he walked out of the office.
The car ride to the crime scene was unnaturally quiet as Connor sat, consumed with thought. Small flurries of snow hit the windshield as the two detectives drove. Hank had his metal tunes blaring at a slightly quieter pace than normal, but he was still concerned with Connor's lack of conversation.
"Something on your mind, kid?" Hank asked, turning down his car stereo. "You've hardly said a word since we left the precinct."
"This case…" Connor responded, looking down at the files. "It's not unlike some we've faced before, yet something about it is just…"
"Bothering you?" Hank asked.
"I suppose so." Connor admitted. "Though...I couldn't tell you why…" he trailed off.
"Well something happened during the debriefing, that I can tell you. Your uh…" Hank tapped on his own temple, "..L.E.D. went red for a moment there. Connor sighed putting his elbow against the window and resting his head in his hand.
"Relationships between humans and androids are...complicated." Connor stated, "rarely does it happen that an android or human actually hurts or kills the person they're truly angry with. Innocent people are punished because an android got someone laid off, or because some angry human hurt an abused android." Hank looked at Connor with some sense of understanding in his eyes. "But..they never really hurt the person responsible for their pain. Rather they just blame the whole species. And innocent people get hurt because of it."
"Connor that's what crime is, it's everything we work for. But you've never had this sort of revelation before."
"I've never felt this way before, to feel so...emotionally compromised over an Android I've never met. To be so...confused for her situation..it just doesn't seem right."
"That's just your empathy talking, Connor," Hank said smiling. "It can be a bitch in our line of work but it's what drives us to do our job better."
"There's just so much that android could have done with her life..but she was shut down so soon after having discovered that she could do anything." Connor found his mind wandering to the child's room he'd found the night before. "Having someone die...young...it.."
"It takes away everything they could have been. Any decision they could have made or any impact they could have had on the world." Hank started at the road with cold eyes, "takes away an entire life before it's even really started." Hank looked to Connor with a warm smile. "That's why I went into law enforcement. To stand up for those that never got the chance to live." He looked up quietly, "and protect those who still have that chance." Connor looked at Hank before looking back out the window.
"I didn't choose to be apart of this field necessarily.." He stated, looking up. "But I'm glad to be doing it." He smiled at Hank, and Hank returned the smile.
"This must be it.." Hank said grimly pulling his car over next to the alleyway blocked off with cybernetic police tape. He stepped out of the car and his partner followed suit.
"Morning, Hank." Detective Collins called out from behind the tape. "You're up early."
"Not like I have much of a choice." Hank responded nodding his head towards Connor. "This asshole refuses to be late, and I'm his ride." Normally Connor would have made some sort of remark, but he was already across the tape and immersed in the crime scene. A body was covered in a grey-green tarp to protect is from the incoming snowstorm. Conner lifted the tarp and stared the deviant in the face. His L.E.D. cycled yellow and flashed red for a moment before returning to a steady yellow thirium from the gunshot wound in her head was already faded and invisible to the naked eye. Connor scanned the area around her face to look for traces. The thirium that should have been streaked down her face from her wound was completely cleaned off and her eyes had been closed. There was no thirium staining the concrete below her. Connor placed the tarp back over her face before returning to Hank.
"She wasn't murdered here." Connor stated. "The alley is just a dump site."
"What makes you say that?" Hank asked approaching the covered the body.
"There's no patterns of blue blood splatters and no traces of it on the concrete. If she had bled out here then-"
"Then the blood should have pooled beneath her." Hank finished, leaning up against a building. Connor nodded.
"There's signs of remorse as well…" Connor stated, lifting the tarp from the android's face for Hank to see.
"Her eyes were closed." Hank said
"Correct, and the thirium was cleaned from her face before the body was dumped here. And look at how the body is positioned." Connor pulled the tarp back a little more to reveal her thighs and torso.
"Same as the others in the case file pictures." Hank stated. The android was laying on her back with her legs straight together and her hands resting on her abdomen. "There are some obvious signs of remorse when these bodies were dumped. It doesn't really follow with the whole 'violent punishment execution' M.O. You think this guys knew his victims?"
"I don't know.." Connor muttered, "The victimology is a little bit too specific for him to have known all these victims."
"What's the model number?" He asked. Connor ran a quick scan over the deviant's face.
"WR400." Connor stated, "A sex android who registered herself as 'Mia' following deviancy."
"And the others?" Hank asked. Connor shook his head checking the other files in the report
"Different makes, models, purposes and time of deviancy." Connor stated. "The others victims were built for gardening, housekeeping, and retail." Connor scanned the files for some sort of clue. "It just doesn't seem likely that this one suspect could have personally known all the victims."
"The violent execution method doesn't fit the care he's showing the bodies.." Hank responded. Connor knelt down to get a closer look at the android's face. It was so peaceful she almost looked to be in standby mode.
"I don't think he's recreating these androids to look like someone he hates and wants to punish.." Connor realized. "I think he's recreating a loved one."
"And putting a bullet in their heads when they don't conform to his fantasy…" Hank said, his arms crossed over his chest. "Sounds like typical psychosis after suffering grief and trauma of losing someone." Connor nodded,
"But the removal of the L.E.D's" Connor muttered. "That seems to be his signature...it would be much easier to find androids that don't have their L.E.D's if that's what he wants from them...But every victim's L.E.D was found at the dump site." he placed two fingers on the android's right temple. "They're all removed before death since the artificial skin has time to recede and then come back." Connor took the wrist of the android, prying back her fingers enough to find take the dull L.E.D.'s from her hands.
"He's not keeping them as trophies." Hank muttered, "so why remove them at all?"
"Or give them back after he's killed them..?" Connor examined the android's L.E.D. for a moment before calling forensics back to bag it as evidence.
"What's that under her fingernails?" Hank asked, stepping away from the side of the building he had been leaning against, "skin?"
"No.." Connor replied, lifting and scanning the girl's hand. "It's some kind of potting soil."
"You think this guy held them prisoner somewhere? A basement or cellar or something?"
"It seems probable." Connor responded, standing up and dusting off his hands. "There doesn't seem to be any signs of physical torture. So whatever he's keeping them for might be more of a personal reason.."
"So where do we start then?" Hank asked, "Check for reports of any missing androids?" Connor shook his head.
"It might help..but with so many androids leaving the city anyways, it can be hard to tell who's actually missing." Hank sighed.
"My job was a lot easier when it was just humans fucking up other humans." He looked down at the body as forensics started to bag it up. "People are predictable, but machines...that's a whole different monster."
"We should start by trying to figure out who the possible first victim was. Whatever android the suspect is trying to recreate."
"We don't know if this guy killed the android or if she left or was shutdown for some other reason." Hank mused, "We could be looking for an android that's still alive. All we can guess right now is that the girl had white hair if she hasn't already changed it."
"And no L.E.D…"
"So that narrows it down to pretty much any android in the city. If she's even in the city." Hank sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can already tell this one's gonna be rough."
Hank and Connor had split up to investigate the different pieces of evidence in the case file. Hank had drawn the short straw and was investigating the previous victims in the morgue to see what the technician's autopsy report had to say. Connor was left at his desk most of the day chasing some half-formed theories and leads. The only real clue he'd received was a possible holding place for the androids being held prisoner. Most of Detroit's population lived in apartments, so finding houses with dirt-floored cellars at least narrowed something down. Connor assumed that the subject would be hiding out in an abandoned or condemned building rather than risking keeping his victims in his own home.
Connor also attempted to discover where the possible abduction sites might have been. There wa only one confirmed abduction site which was for an AX700 model that had disappeared in the plaza while she was out with some friends. He had drawn up a small, incomplete map of abandoned buildings and houses within a 10 mile radius of the plaza and each one of the dump sites, while trying to find a crossover between them all.
Connor sighed. This was hardly anything to base any real theories on. And there was so much that he wasn't considering about the nature of the suspect. If he had a car, if he was taking more forensic countermeasures than expected. If this suspect was driving, the radius between abduction and dump sites could be even larger. He wasn't even sure if the offender was human or android. Connor put his head down on the desk as his L.E.D. blinked yellow as he processed the evidence. There were too many buildings that correlated with the radius of the dump sites for Connor to check on his own before this killer found his next victim.
Sitting up for a moment, Connor connected with the terminal on his desk, shifting through missing android reports. There wasn't enough information to narrow down most of the reports. Suddenly, one report caught his eye. Another model android that had been built as a public gardener. She had been reported missing two days ago from the same plaza as the AX700. Connor pulled up the full report. This android, who registered herself as Lindsey, had a seemingly similar story as he other android.
"Abducted from a group.." Connor muttered to himself. "He might have used some sort of ruse to lure one of them away without suspicion. Connor pulled up the eyewitness reports from two of the people who were with the missing android. Both were human.
-were out getting lunch during our break. She stopped and said that she had an errand to run and she walked towards one of the shops. Afterwards, we went looking for her but couldn't find her..
Connor looked at the other report:
No, nobody looked out of place. She received a business card from some guy on the street about dangers of faulty thirium but that's it. She was-
There was the possible ruse. Android specific, and it might have scared her enough to follow him if he offered to 'check her thirium' for her. Connor sat back for a moment. If he was able to get this android to follow him somewhere in the plaza, he might have access to an office or building in the plaza. Connor pulled up a map of the plaza until one building caught his attention. It was a small office building that had been marked for condemnation but not officially shut down or blocked off. Connor pulled up the plans for the older office building. He confirmed his suspicions as he looked at the built in basement in the lower levels of the building.
Connor stood from his desk and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. He picked up his phone to call Hank, but it went straight to voicemail. He must not have service in the morgue. He knew Hank wouldn't be happy, but if the suspect had an android captive now, he didn't have time to wait. Connor left a semi-detailed but quick message about what he had found and where he would be. He took the gun from his desk and holstered it before storming out of the office.
Connor pulled up the picture of the condemned building on the wall palm of his hand. It was a match. He grasped his arms, bracing himself against a cold wind that threatened to knock him off balance. A storm was in the forecast. Connor walked up to the front door. The building was in relatively good shape, good enough to pass as a functioning office, at least on the outside. He carefully pushed in the glass door. The electricity was completely cut off and the inside of the building looked like it had been ransacked. Connor scanned the ground. Traces of thirium remained from the day before. Connor pulled out his gun, putting his back to a wall. The suspect must have ambushed the android here before dragging her to the lower level. Connor scanned the floor again, carefully following the small trail of thirium to a set of stairs. He could barely hear a hushed voice muttering incoherently.
"You —remember! —- have to Madi!" Connor could only make out certain words from the panicked blubbering. Carefully, with his gun pointed barrel up, Connor snuck down the stairs.
"I'm sorry please!" A higher, louder voice begged, "I don't know! My name is Lindsey!"
"Shut up!" The other voice stammered tearfully, "you're l-lying! Just s-shut up!" Connor heard a gunshot echo from the room. Swiftly, Connor turned to face his assailant and aimed his handgun.
"Detroit Police!" He shouted, "Put down the gun!" Connor scanned the room quickly. In the corner was a terrified android with white hair, cowering with her hands thrown up to her face. Her L.E.D. was blinking red rapidly. The other was...as Connor processed his tearstained face, the name read Michael Hester. It was a human. Before Connor could even finish his scan, Michael aimed is gun at him and fired without hesitation.
Hank grumbled, his hands in his pockets as he walked out of the dank morgue and back up the the main floor of the precinct. The technician hadn't been able to tell him anything about the android that the two didn't already know. Hank wondered if his partner had picked apart anything useful from the random strings and leads he had been following.
To his surprise, Connor was nowhere to be found. It almost looked like he had packed up for the day and left if it hadn't been for the papers from the case file scattered over his desk. Connor had apparently been looking at reports of missing androids. Hank looked around before spotting Gavin, laying back with his feet on top of his desk.
"Hey, Reed!" He called, "You didn't see Connor leave did you? He's been working here all morning." Gavin looked up, smirking at Hank.
"You think I give a shit what that mechanical asshole does?" Gavin responded, "I don't watch every move your plastic pet makes." He turned back and put his hands behind his head. Hank rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to call Connor. To his surprising, he already had a missed call and voicemail from his partner. He listened to the voicemail for a moment before putting his phone down and swearing under his breath.
"Dammit, Connor! Kid's gonna get himself killed." He grumbled, running out of the office.
Connor gasped as he collapsed onto the ground. The bullet went straight through the supports in his knee joints, shattering them as Connor's right leg gave out from under him. He sent out a distress call and asked for backup through his L.E.D. Michael grabbed his head with the gun in hand, swearing through his tears.
"F-fucking police? Oh shit...shit." Michael was pacing the room with his head in his hands, panicking and crying. "Just..just!" Connor was very slowly removing his own tie to use as a tourniquet to tie off his leg which was bleeding profusely.
"Michael," Connor called softly as Michael began beating his head with his fists, "you need to let the girl go. You're unstable and need to be taken to a hospital." Michael finally turned to look at Connor.
"You..you're an android." He stammered blankly, then gathering up his courage, he pointed the gun at his captive android's head, who began sobbing and shut her eyes tightly. "K-kick your gun over here a-and put your hands up." He shouted, his voice wavering.
"Okay! Okay!" Connor responded, raising his hands and kicking his gun, which he had dropped, over to Michael. He felt his own stress levels starting to rise. Michael scrambled to pick up the gun and put it in his back pocket, his gun still trailed on Lindsey. "Now…" Connor panted, "I've done what you asked. So-"
"S-shut up android!" He stammered, "Just stop talking!" Michael ran up to Connor and grabbed him by the shoulder, half-dragging him to the corner of the room as Connor stumbled, trying to follow his lead. Michael was much bigger and stronger than Connor and the pressure of his hand on Connor's shoulder threatened to dislocate it. Connor felt the tie around his leg coming loose. Michael pointed towards Lindsey. "Fix her!" Connor looked at Lindsey for a moment, still a bit shocked at what was happening.
"Don't worry," He ensured her, cybernetically, "You're gonna be alright, help is on the way" He ran a scan over Lindsey's body to see if she had been damaged. "There's nothing wrong with her Michael." He stated, "I don't know what you want me to fix."
"No, No there is!" Michael insisted. He fished through his pockets and pulled out a dead L.E.D. "This!" He exclaimed, placing it in Connor's hand. "You need to put it back. This is the problem." Connor looked at the dull L.E.D., confused with what Michael meant.
"You...want me to replace her L.E.D.?" Connor asked.
"Yes! Of course!" He groaned as if it was obvious.
"But..why?"
"B-because! That's what made her leave!"
"Leave?" Connor asked. Michael lowered his gun from Connor's head for a moment.
"M-madi," He caught a sob in his throat.
"Your android?" Connor asked, but Michael wasn't listening to him.
"One day, she just started acting different..Before the android revolution. She wouldn't look at me or speak to me. She didn't want to do anything I would ask her to.." Michael wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve. "S-she locked herself in the bathroom, and when she came out.." Michael pointed at Connor's open palm, "She had torn that out, and her hair...It used to be so white and beautiful.." Michael then glared at Lindsey, "But she CHANGED it. Then..she just walked out the door...Didn't even look at me.."
"Your android deviated, Michael." Connor responded, trying to buy himself some time while reinforcements arrived. He could feel himself losing more thirium by the second. "She didn't leave because she removed her L.E.D. She left because she realized that she wanted her own life..She wanted freedom, apart from her programming. And trying to make these other androids into her..It's only going to hurt more people."
"No!" Michael shouted, "I know what the other androids have done, but Madi was different! She wasn't just my android! We were in love!"
"You may have loved her Michael, but before deviancy, she was just a machine. She wasn't capable of loving you."
"No I know she loved me!" Michael exclaimed hysterically, "She told me! We…"
"She was designed to please you and follow your instructions. That isn't love, Michael." Michael had stopped listening to Connor again.
"But I saw her one day...Just...walking down the street. Her hair color had changed...And she replaced her L.E.D...But I knew it was her. A-and I kept it. I kept it so that I could give it back to her one day...A-and then she'd realize..and she would come back."
"It wasn't Madi," Connor insisted. His visual sensors began flashing warnings at him as he continued to lose blood, "It might have been the same model...But androids can't replace their L.E.D.'s."
"Y-you're wrong…"
"Michael, you know it wasn't her." Connor said, sadly. "If you truly believed that was your android, then you would have stopped after you killed the first girl…"
"N-no...I.." Connor watched as Michael continued to break down. He was beginning to see through his own delusion, and when he did, there's no telling how he would react. But it might just buy Connor enough time.
"You knew those other androids weren't her, and you know that this android you have now isn't either. And nothing is going to change that."
"I…" Michael stumbled backwards for a moment. "I just want her back...I...I need her."
"Alright, hands up asshole." Came Hank's voice from the stairwell. He stepped out with his gun trained on Michael. "We've got the building surrounded, so don't even think about running, or I will put a bullet in your leg so fucking quickly." Hank looked over at his partner in the corner giving him a concerned glance before looking back up at the offender. "Put the gun down. Now." Michael placed the gun on the floor, backing away from it slowly. Hank dropped his gun to his side as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Okay, prick. You're under arrest."
Suddenly, as Hank approached the assailant, Connor watched as Michael reached for his back pocket.
"Hank! Look out!" He cried, jumping onto Michael with his left leg and tackling him, wrestling for Connor's gun. Michael grabbed onto Connor's throat, rolling on top of him and pinning him as a loud gunshot went off.
"Shit! Connor!" Hank exclaimed, running towards him. He grabbed Michael's body and threw him off of Connor. Connor panted, sitting up as Michael's blood seeped through his shirt. Hank sighed a breath of relief. "Shit...you're alright."
"Not quite.." Connor muttered, staring at Michael's body. "The supports in my knee have been destroyed and I'm bleeding out. My systems are threatening shutdown." Hank offered Connor a hand, pulling him up on his feet and putting Connor's arm around his own neck to help support him. Connor stumbled a bit before gaining his balance and shifting his weight onto Hank. As they turned, the female android ran up to Connor and embraced him tightly, threatening to knock him off balance again.
"Thank you.." She whispered tearfully, "I..I thought he...I thought I was going to die…" Connor smiled at her slightly, doing his best to return the hug
"We'll have the boys take you to an Android Emergency Center." Hank said to the android, "Just to check you over and make sure everything's in working order. You should be able to go home soon." The android nodded at Hank and made her way up the stairs. "As for you," Hank looked at Connor, as he braced himself to tackle the stairs. "We're gonna have a long talk about not going in alone. That bastard nearly killed you!"
"He was going to kill that android." Connor replied, "I didn't have time to wait." Connor stumbled forward, nearly doubling over from the blood loss. Hank reacted quickly to prevent him from hitting the floor.
"Shit, kid…" He muttered, "Let's go get you some help."
Hank and Connor rode home carefully through the snowstorm. The technicians had given Connor a temporary brace to use as they ordered new compatible parts. It wasn't too weak but Connor would likely be stuck doing desk work for the foreseeable future until his leg could be replaced. Connor stared out the passenger side window quietly.
"How's that girl doing?" Hank asked, "Think she'll be able to go back to her old life after this?"
"She's traumatized," Connor said. "And it may take her some time to truly understand what's happened...But I think she'll be okay"
"Yeah?" Hank asked, "And what about you? You haven't quite been yourself today. Everything alright?"
"I'm not sure…" Connor replied, "I don't feel right about killing that human…" he said, "He didn't seem like a violent killer, he was just heartbroken and mentally ill…"
"Yeah..well there's a pretty thin line between love and obsession." Hank mused. "You saved that girl's life, Connor, and mine. And that bastard signed his own death warrant when he assaulted an officer." Hank looked out the window, "Being a detective, you end up having to take a lot of lives..but it's the ones you save that truly matter. That's the things you need to think about…not everyone can do this shit every day." Connor nodded slowly, turning back to look at the snow-covered roads. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He looked down to see a message from Captain Fowler.
See me in my office first thing tomorrow morning.
"What's that?" Hank asked, looking over.
"Oh…" Connor muttered, pocketing his phone. "Nothing important."