Connor could tell by the look on Blair's face that the visitor at her desk was an unwanted one. She was fuming as she crossed the station. Connor almost had to jog to keep up.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She seethed. The man just gave her a sarcastic smile.
"It's good to see you too, Blair."
"It's Detective, to you." She snarled. "Now what the fuck do you want?" He ignored her hostility and his eyes shifted to Connor.
"What's this?" He wondered, taking a step towards him.
"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife."
"Great," The man scoffed, "so these fuckers are taking our jobs?" Blair rolled her eyes.
"For the last time Richard, what do you want?"
"Alright," He held up his hands in surrender, "I'm checking out a case with one of your coworkers and though I'd drop by, since you blew me off on the phone earlier." So this is the person she was speaking to. Connor thought. No wonder she was so irritated.
"What case needs the FBI?" She ran her fingers through her hair. "You know what, I don't care. I have a lot of work to do and I can't deal with your bullshit right now."
"Come on, I've gotta be better company than this piece of plastic." He jabbed Connor's shoulder who just narrowed his eye as he searched his database.
"The detective is right, Agent Perkins. We really have to work on the case." Perkins took a step towards him.
"I don't take orders from androids." He growled, grabbing Connor by the collar. Blair shoved him away.
"Fuck off," She snapped. "At least he's actually trying, which is more than you ever did." She pushed him again and he grabbed her wrists, clutching them tightly.
"You little bitch." She forced herself not to wince as his grip tightened painfully. Connor felt something rising inside him. Something that made him want to throw Perkins out of a window. Perkins opened his mouth to continue, but another detective called out to him from across the station. He pulled her closer to him, his disgusting hot breath on her skin as he spoke into her ear. "This isn't over."
"It was over the minute you gave up on my sister." she muttered through gritted teeth. "Now get the hell out of my face before I put my fist through yours." He pushed her back as he let her go, her body slamming into her desk. The picture of her and her sister fell to the floor.
Connor picked it up and placed it back on the desk. There was now a large crack over her sister's smiling face.
"Bastard," Blair muttered, straightening the sleeves of her jacket. Connor scanned her wrists for injuries. Possible bruising, but nothing serious.
"Agent Perkins was on your sister's case?" He inquired. She shot him a look.
"How did you-"
"I have access to public and police records." He explained. "I know about your sister's murder." Blair closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"He was a detective at the time. Park of the reason the case didn't get anywhere was because Perkins was too busy joining the feds to even try. That and he was distracted by… other things." She glanced at Connor, feeling her face turn red. She quickly looked away from his brown eyes and stared at her feet. "Anyway, he chalked it all up to a robbery gone wrong, despite the evidence suggesting otherwise. I was just a beat cop at the time so I couldn't even investigate the case myself. Long story short, the son of a bitch is still out there and there's nothing I can do."
Connor could see the tears in her eyes and debated how he should respond. Logically, he should change the subject and get back to the matter at hand. But another part of him wanted to reach out to her, to show her he cared.
"You've solved over fifty homicide cases just in the past two years since you became a detective. Over fifty cases where you avenged a life that was cut short. Where you gave a family closure." He gave her a small smile. "Bethany would be proud."
Blair took a deep breath and snapped out of her emotional state, pushing everything down like she always did. She didn't even know why she was telling Connor any of this to begin with. She told herself that she was just shaken up after Richard showed up out of nowhere, opening up old wounds. It wouldn't happen again.
Blair was cold towards Connor for the rest of the day as they sifted through endless piles of evidence, making a list of people to interview, and trying- and failing- to make a list of suspects. Minutes turned into hours and the sun began to set over the city.
Connor watched as the other detectives started to file out of the station while a few stayed behind to finish up paperwork or work on a case. As much as he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about the way Perkins had clutched Blair. More importantly, he couldn't stop thinking about the way the action had made him feel. He had never had the urge to harm a human as much as he had in that moment. He concluded that it was due to his programming that he was loyal to Blair. If she was harmed, it would be harder to solve the case and he would fail his mission. That was all.
"It is 10:33 P.M." He announced. "Perhaps it would be best for you to go home and sleep."
"Aw, look at you, looking after my well being." Blair scoffed, grabbing her jacket. She knew very well that she wouldn't be getting any sleep, not that she would tell him that. No need to worry the little android. "What about you?" She asked. "Do you like, recharge or something?" Connor chuckled.
"Goodnight Blair." He walked away and got in the elevator. Blair watched the doors close and was almost sorry to see him go. She was starting to get used to his company. Plus it'd be easier to work while he was there, but she could manage just fine on her own. Just as soon as she got a good cup of coffee first.
It had been two years and there were still boxes in her living room. They were filled with books and DVD's and even a couple VHS tapes. Things Blair and her sister had collected over the years. They liked to call themselves connoisseurs of forgotten things. Maybe it was just too painful to open them without Bethany.
She was sitting on her sofa with her tablet, scrolling through cases while one of her favorite movies played on the TV, still trying to find connections that weren't there. She checked the time in the corner of the screen. It was almost 4:00 in the morning. She felt the exhaustion coursing through her but she knew sleep wouldn't find her. She'd barely slept in the last two years and didn't expect to be getting much any time soon.
He cat eyed her from his place on the window sill. HIs white fur rippled as he stretched, leaping down onto the floor. As he sauntered into the kitchen, Blair noticed the sorry state of her hair. Maybe a shower would help ease her mind. She stripped out of the T-shirt and leggings that she had changed into after work and turned the water on so hot that steam billowed up from the floor and wafted through the air.
Meanwhile, deep within Connor's software, he discussed the case with Amanda- the A.I. installed as his handler.
"Detective Laurent has a troublesome past," Amanda stated plainly. "I fear her emotions will get in the way of the case."
"From what I have observed so far, Detective Laurent is extremely dedicated to her position and this case." Connor disagreed. "If anything, her sister's murder makes her more driven. She's the most capable person for the job."
"Ah, but she will never match your own capabilities." Amanda pointed out. "Remember Connor, you must stay detached from Detective Laurent and the case. Emotions cloud judgement. Your lack of feeling makes you perfect for this kind of cases." She gave him a hard look. "Stay that way."
He straightened his tie as he rode up the elevator of Blair's apartment building. There was another murder. This time it was a woman in a high end penthouse on the other side of the city. He reached her floor and found her apartment. He knocked.
"Detective!" He shouted where there was no response. He heard shouts inside and the sound of broken glass. Something was wrong. "Blair, I'm coming in!" luckily, her apartment had key card locks so he was able to hack the mechanism. The door buzzed opened he stepped inside.
As he closed the door behind him, he heard the shower running and quickly realized that the shouts had come from the television. Two children were in a car that was being attacked by a tyrannosaurus rex. He tilted his head, identifying the film as the 1993 science fiction titled Jurassic Park. As he stepped further into the living room, a white blur darted past him, hissing at the intruder. Connor smiled down at the cat, leaning down to pet it. It seemed untrusting at first but eventually lifted its head to his touch. He examined the name tag on its light blue color. Maximus.
"What the fuck?" A voice said behind him. Blair stood with a pale green towel wrapped around her body, her hand holding it up so it wouldn't fall. Her blonde hair was still dripping from her shower. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard shouting and thought you were in danger." Connor stammered, his system faltering from the sight in front of him. He quickly focused on the TV. "I didn't realize until I came in that it was just the movie." Blair looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
"Well I'm going to go put on some clothes." She motioned to the sofa. "Just have a seat and make yourself comfortable or whatever." She went back down the hall. Connor listened to her bare feet against the hardwood floor. He started to watch the movie, interested by its plot.
Blair wrung out her hair, having changed into a sweatshirt and jeans. She smiled to herself as she watched Connor's LED blink, his eyes glued to the screen. He noticed her standing in the doorway.
"This movie is very unrealistic." He informed. "There wouldn't have been enough DNA to reconstruct an extinct creature. It's a fascinating concept though, despite the inaccuracies."
"Funny," she chuckled, "People used to say the same thing about The Terminator." She curled up on the chair across from him, pausing the movie. "So why are you here, anyway?"
"There's been another murder." She jumped up.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She shrieked, going back into her room to change into more work appropriate attire.
"You seemed preoccupied." Connor shrugged. Blair came back down the hall, slipping her arm through her blazer sleeve.
"What are you waiting for?" She scoffed. "Every second we waste could cost us evidence. So next time there's a murder, I would appreciate it if you didn't stare at my breasts." She rushed out of her apartment with a bumbling Connor behind her.
"I-I wasn't- it's against my programing to-"
"Whatever, Tin Man. We can discuss this later. But right now," She pressed the button for the elevator. "We've got a killer to catch."
Here's chapter two! Please leave reviews, it really means a lot to me to know what you think.