Chapter 1

Rose

Hank was muttering to himself as he got up off the sofa he had spent the night on. The doorbell had rung and he was not happy about having to get up at 8am on his one day off that week. Of Course Connor was in the other room working on his laptop and could have gotten the door himself, but he figured the only way to get Hank to get up was to let him do it.

Hank opened the door to reveal a young woman. She was shorter than average. With lightly tanned skin and thick brown hair. Holding a bag in each hand

" hi uncle Hank" she said through a forced smile that turned genuine as she watched his jaw drop.

He spoke after he composed himself " Rose! What the fuck are you doing here?"

Her smile turned into a frown " aww come on is that any way to talk to your niece? Anyway, actually i'm here to talk to Connor" she held up one of the bags. Printed on the side was the word doughnuts " i've brought a peace offering"

He didn't take the bag. Instead he turned around and made a beeline straight to the dinning room where Connor was working. Rose followed him.

" CONNOR!" he yelled

Connor looked up unfazed by the tone in Hanks voice that he had become used to by now " yes Hank?"

" explain this to me" he gestured toward Rose

Connor attempted a smile, something he wasn't quite good at yet " hello Miss Rose, it's nice to finally meet you." he paused for a moment " Hank i invited Miss Rose here after she contacted me asking if i would do an interview.'

" and you didn't tell me because?" hank asked

" because you would have said no"

"And you ever think there was a reason for that?"

" yes" he paused again " but i did not want to pass up the opportunity to tell my side of history, and your niece was the first human to show interest in writing about what's going on here in Detroit"

Hank calmed down a little. He sometimes forgot that Connor wasn't just a deviant but an integral part of the fight for android freedom. He should have known that would eventually mean something like this. But did it have to be a member of his own family. The last time he saw rose she was barely 6 years old. He had done everything possible to avoid talking to any of that side of the family. Maybe getting out of the house was the best thing to do right now.

After hank left the house Rose sat down at the table across from Connor. Right off the bat she realized that they have one thing in common. Neither of them were very good conversationalists. they sat in silence for a minute before Connor spoke up

" where would you like to begin Miss Rose?"

She brought out a pen and notepad from the second bag she brought with her. " i suppose start from the beginning, or wherever you feel the beginning is"

Connor began the story on the first day he met Hank. This was the easy part. He listed off a lot of facts and observations he had made about Hank and the cases they worked on, but he was very thorough. she hardly ever had to ask him to elaborate on something. Rose chose not to write down a lot of the stuff about Hanks personal issues and Alcoholism.

Connor must have noticed that because he stopped to ask his own question

" Miss Rose, are you not at all interested in Hanks part in this story?"

She sighed " no it's not that.." she tapped her pen on the notepad while she searched for the right words " i just dont need to be told my uncle is a drunken wreck any more than i already have by my own family"

Connor tilted his head " if it helps, i have gotten him to drink less than he use to. Although i can't get him to give up beer, though i have tried"

She laughed " if the stories i hear are true you've done a lot more than that"

He smiled and they brought the interview back on track. But something changed about the way he spoke when they arrived at an integral part of the story, Connor beginning to show signs of deviancy.

He paused more often as he had to switch from listing facts to describing how he felt about something. Rose couldn't even imagine what it must be like. Connor was very young even by android standards and he had only been truly awake for a fraction of that time. In contrast, as a human in her mid twenties Rose has way more experience dealing with emotions.

" this is frustrating" he said while trying to find the right words to describe a feeling he had

" we can pick up from here another time if you'd like?" she reached into the doughnut bag and began munching on one

" sure" he seemed to calm down a little " now can i ask you a question? It seems only fair"

"Sure, go ahead" she sat back in her chair

" why did you decide to write about the history of androids?"

" in truth, i wanted an excuse to see history unfold first hand. Androids are making history right now. It's an exciting time to be alive"

Connor tilted his head. Was that not the answer he expected? Did she say something wrong somehow?

" you are telling the truth" he said " i was concerned when you first contacted me that you had ulterior motives"

"Is that something you do all the time?" Rose asked

" I don't understand" he looked confused again

" read people to see if they're lying or not"

" i was built to assist in solving crime. So yes that is one of my features. Hank says i shouldn't do it all the time. I apologize" he looked sad

" there's no need for that" she reassured him " honestly i would kill for a function like that"

Connor smiled, only this time it didn't seem forced in any way.

Connor looked at the time on a watch he had bought himself with his first real paycheck. The black and white minimalist design told him it was well past noon. Rose was reaching into the bag for a second doughnut. He had to admit he was probably equally as intrigued by her as she was by him. Conner didn't even know Hank had a niece until she contacted him a few days ago. But an interview just didn't seem like the right place to get to know her. It certainly didn't work that way with Hank. then he had an idea.

" miss Rose, would you perhaps like to eat something a bit more filling?"

She stopped mid bite " you have a better idea than this?" she asked, waving the glazed pastry in front of her face

" actually yes, follow me"

Connor and Rose took a taxi to one of Hanks favorite places to eat. It was a greasy looking, food truck like place where you ordered you food through a window and sat at tables outside. Connor had been there with Hank enough times now that the cook knew him by name.

" Connor hay!" said the cook when he recognized him " where's Hank?"

" i'm not sure" Connor replies " out drinking somewhere if i had to guess"

The cook laughed " well then, whos the girl? She your date?"

If androids could blush he would be blushing right now, but he looked over at Rose who was bright red and was a little relieved that he wasn't the only one who felt that way

" no..no...this is Hanks niece. Her name is Rose"

" shit man I thought all of Hanks family was dead or something. Anyway did you come here for food or what?"

Rose ordered a burger and fries and when the food was ready her and Connor sat down at a table.

Connor did what he does best and made an observation " you know, this place is known for its chicken, but i've never seen anyone order that."

She laughed before taking a bite of the burger, then her eyes went wide " you know, i think i know why. This is fantastic!"

" glad you like it. Miss Rose may i ask you a personal question?"

She seemed surprised by the question " you may, but can i ask you to do something first?"

"Yes"

" don't call me miss anymore. Just Rose is fine. I'm only 25 and it makes me feel kinda old"

Connor nodded " alright, Rose. what is the rest of your family like? Hank never talks about you and i feel as though your my only chance at learning any more."

Rose leaned back in her chair. She opened her mouth as if to answer but nothing came out.

He had hit a nerve, and she wasn't even trying to hide it. He decided to drop the subject

" its alright, you don't have to answer. I apologize"

She shook her head " no...no you know what fuck it!" she swore. He hadn't expected that " you know i didn't just come here to interview you…. I moved here! Got an apartment downtown so that when i'm done with this book i don't ever have to go back home. My family is a bunch of pricks who think they are better than everyone else! Uncle Hank was right never to talk to them again!….maybe if they had been more supportive when his son died he wouldn't be such a wreck"

The cook heard the commotion and was leaning out the window to listen in. Connor gave him a look and he hid inside again. Rose was looking down at her hands. Very obviously beating herself up over the outburst. Connor had no idea what to do. He was terrible at consoling people. His cell phone rang saving him from having to say anything right away. It was Hank, they were needed at a crime scene.

He hung up the phone " hey, come with me to work"

She looked up " what?"

" you were the one who wanted to know what it's like for androids now. Come with me to work"

"They would let me be there?" she asked

" i don't plan on giving them much of a choice"

She smiled, and seeing that made him feel so much better. He wasn't sure why yet but despite only knowing her for a few hours he couldn't stand seeing her look as sad and defeated as she had been only a moment ago. He made a mental note to work on pissing people off less and turned his focus to this new case he would be working on.