Connor took a moment to review the digital case file while Hank drove them to the Android Housing District, a note had been added by the technicians reviewing the corrupted code samples taken from Blaire. It stated that the virus was unique and unlike anything they'd seen before, it had infected the primary processor responsible for all major motor functions and then hidden itself behind a wall of sophisticated encryption. The technicians believed it would be almost impossible to remove without the decryption key, which would likely be stored in whatever device was used to transmit the virus.
In other words, Blaire would remain effectively paralyzed until they found the people that attacked her. Connor upped the priority of the case to critical before closing the file, opening his eyes to see that Hank had just pulled onto West Avenue.
Connor recognised one of the androids waiting on the sidewalk as Josh from Jericho, they'd spoken a few times, mostly about literature as Connor wasn't equipped with any knowledge of fiction but was fascinated by the subject. Josh had jumped at the chance of a willing student, confiding that he sometimes missed teaching.
As they drew closer the other android turned from talking to Josh to watch their approach. 'EM400' Connor's system identified, he'd had some contact with the various Jerrys over the past months and he knew they possessed a shared neural interface, so this one would likely know him regardless of whether or not they'd actually met.
"Looks like you were right about the cases being connected." Hank parked the car on the side of the street before getting out. Connor followed and greeted Josh who'd walked over to meet them.
"Connor, Lieutenant Anderson." Josh nodded to Hank, who raised a hand in acknowledgement. "You should know there's been a development, we think one of the Jerrys may have been with Blaire at the time of the attack." He gestured to the Jerry next to him, who stepped forward to elaborate."
"Sometimes Blaire spends time at the Orphanage, we see her there. She's very nice." He looked upset, clearly worried about both of his friends. "We, um, the one of us that is missing, saw her yesterday."
"I thought you guys were always connected, didn't you see what happened here?" Hank asked.
"No, we share information periodically. Check in with each other, send updates, that kind of thing. The last connection we had with him was at 3:48pm yesterday afternoon."
"But you think he was with Blaire at the time of the attack?" Connor prompted, drawing the Jerry's attention.
"Yes, we sometimes walk home with Blaire." He nodded enthusiastically. "Our apartments are in the same building and we like talking with her."
"So this wasn't just a random attack, they must have taken the Jerry for a reason. But why?" Connor glanced at Hank, who shrugged back. He turned to Josh. "Can you show us exactly where you found her?"
Josh nodded grimly, and led them to a nearby alley between two tall buildings. Mercifully the rain had stopped, and the proximity of the buildings seemed to have sheltered the alley from most of the water. In the daylight the path was well lit, but Connor calculated that in the evening the location of the nearest streetlights would do little to illuminate the narrow corridor. It was the perfect place for an ambush, which suggested the attack may have been pre-meditated: the perpetrators were likely aware of their target's schedule and route home.
A quick scan revealed a few drops of evaporated blue blood, although the small quantity suggested that there wasn't much of a struggle. That made sense if the attackers had used the same type of device on both Blaire and Jerry, and on closer inspection it seemed likely the blood was from a scrape sustained against the wall when they'd lifted the prone android from the ground.
"Got anything?" Hank walked into the dank alley, having finished taking the details from Josh.
"Yes, I believe those responsible for the abduction may have known where the Jerry would be and when best to strike." Connor replied. Hank raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"You think they were tailing him?"
"I believe it's possible." Connor nodded, before turning to Jerry. "Do you think you could check your combined memories and see if anyone stands out? Anyone unfamiliar that may have been following you to and from the orphanage."
Jerry closed his eyes, it took only a moment for him to connect to the others and filter the memories with the parameters Connor had provided. His eyes snapped back open and landed on Connor.
"There was someone, a woman. Several of us have seen her, but none of us have spoken to her." He held out his hand, the simulated skin receding to reveal the grey plastic underneath.
Connor did the same and grasped Jerry's arm firmly, eyes sliding closed as the data transfer initiated. Several images of the same caucasian woman popped into his head, she looked to be in her mid-thirties with dark shoulder-length hair. Her expression was tense in every image, she certainly had the look of someone planning a crime.
Connor checked the images against the DPD database and a result pinged almost instantly.
Name: Karen Bates / Unemployed
Born: 06/28/2003
Criminal Record: Destruction of Personal Property
He sent a request to the precinct for a copy of the file for the crime in question, before opening his eyes to see the others watching him expectantly.
"I got a hit, she's a previous offender so her address should be on file at the precinct." As if on cue, Connor received a response from Haley with the file attached. He checked it quickly and turned to Hank. "Karen Bates, she was arrested 2 years ago for damaging her neighbor's property. She destroyed his PL600 model android."
"Well this lead just became a lot more promising." Hank replied, "So what; this woman attacks two androids in the middle of the housing district, and then carries one off with her?"
Connor ran a quick calculation.
"No, EM400 models weigh around 189lbs - a woman of Karen's size and stature wouldn't be capable of lifting him without significant difficulty. And if he was dragged there would be marks left behind on the ground."
Hank sighed, "So she must've had accomplices. Jesus, what exactly is going on here?"
Connor considered the facts they'd gathered so far, but there wasn't enough to come to a solid conclusion yet.
"I'm not sure, but I think we should obtain as much information as possible before confronting Miss Bates. I want to check the orphanage, if she really was following them it may be possible to pick up her trail, and we need to find out if Blaire got a look at the attackers."
"I can accompany Lieutenant Anderson to the Care and Maintenance Facility where Blaire is being treated." Josh interjected.
"And I can take you to the orphanage!" Jerry spoke up, looking at Connor expectantly. Connor knew the location of the orphanage, Markus had transferred a map of the district once they'd finished designating the various buildings, but he suspected the Jerry would feel better if he felt like he was helping, so Connor merely gave him a grateful nod.
"Alright, then it's settled. You keep me updated on any developments." Hank slapped a hand on Connor's shoulder. "And no unnecessary risks - none of that heroic bullshit, you hear me?"
"Of course, Lieutenant." Connor replied with a hint of sarcasm that elicited a grunt from his partner.
"You keep an eye on him." Hank pointed at Jerry, who lifted his hand to his head in a salute, before turning to follow Josh back to the car.
Hank pushed down the anxiety he felt from leaving Connor to continue investigating without him. Realistically, he knew the android could take care of himself, he'd witnessed his fighting skills firsthand. Not to mention he was a damn good shot, although he still refused to carry a gun. But his tendency to put the mission above his own wellbeing was what worried Hank, the kid had a reckless streak that only seemed to get worse the more human he became.
He couldn't help but feel protective towards his partner, even before they'd truly become friends. There was something about seeing Connor in danger that triggered the paternal instinct inside Hank that he thought had died with Cole.
If someone had told him a year ago that he'd have an android living under his roof; reading his books, and walking his dog, he would've laughed in their face. But 6 months ago Connor; with his newfound ability to feel, think for himself, want things for himself, had been so confused and unsure of what to do next. He'd betrayed his creators, willfully failed his mission, and severed himself from their influence for the first time since his activation. Hank had taken one look at the lost, dejected expression on Connor's face before inviting him to stay at his house. They'd never actually decided that the move was permanent, but after a couple of months it had just become the new normal.
Connor had insisted that he didn't need much space, that he could spend the nights powered down on the couch in the living room. But after Hank had nearly had a heart attack seeing the man's silhouette one night when he got up for a glass of water, he'd insisted Connor move into Cole's old room.
He hadn't touched the room since the accident, even the bedspread was covered in a layer of dust. But in a way it was cathartic to stop pretending the door at the end of the hall didn't exist, to pack the books and toys carefully away in boxes. Connor was meticulous in the task, delicately wrapping every item with a kind of soft reverence that brought a lump to Hank's throat. But if he noticed the tears Hank hastily brushed away with a cough, he had the sense not to mention it.
The room had looked bare at first, but Connor had slowly started to fill it with various things he'd collected. Books, many given to him by Josh, the others pilfered from Hank, were now lined up perfectly on the shelf. A small potted plant sat on the bedside table, next to a framed photograph. It was a photo of Hank and Connor, taken the day they solved their first case after returning to work. It had been a gift from Haley, as a thank you for his efforts in gaining androids the right to employment. Hank had complained about how old he looked in the picture, but Connor had merely stared at it, led spinning yellow, before giving Haley a large, genuine smile. He'd thanked her profusely, and kept hold of the frame for the rest of the day, before placing it carefully in his room when they arrived home. It didn't occur to Hank until later that it was likely the first gift he'd ever received.
"It's left here, Lieutenant Anderson."
Josh's voice brought Hank's attention back to the present, and he turned the car into the small parking lot outside of the Care and Maintenance Centre Facility. Previously an abandoned care home for the elderly, the building had been repurposed to serve a new purpose for the androids. Inside, a slightly harried looking receptionist greeted them, and Hank noted that she was the same model as Haley, although her hair was styled shorter.
"We're here to see Blaire, has there been any change?" Josh asked. The receptionist's response was cut off by the man emerging from the nearby doors. Simon pushed through the doors with his back, arms full with several bags of blue blood which he deposited on a nearby trolley.
"Josh, Lieutenant, we've been expecting you." Simon greeted them with a smile, and gestured for Hank to follow him down the hall, Josh staying behind to talk to the receptionist.
"Blaire hasn't regained any further function, we're told by your experts-" Simon nodded to Hank, "-that she's unlikely to get any better until we can examine whatever it was they used on her."
"Well Connor's working on it, and we've got a lead, but we were hoping she might have seen something. Don't suppose we'll be able to ask her, though." Hank was starting to think this was a wasted trip.
"Well actually," Simon opened a door on the right that led to a room filled with complex machinery surrounding a bed, where Blaire was laying connected to several monitoring screens. "We've just concluded that the virus isn't transmittable from android to android, Amelia was about to connect to Blaire. She'll be able to check her memories and tell us what she saw."
Hank recognised the blue-haired Traci model from the Eden Club when she looked up from her chair next to the bed when they entered the room. Simon nodded to her, and she reached over and took Blaire's hand. Her eyes closed for a few moments, before she gasped, her hand recoiling in shock.
"She was with Jerry, they were walking but they were attacked from behind. She didn't see anything." She looked up at Simon, who had put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Hank sighed as Simon reassured the troubled girl, he hoped Connor was having better luck.
This chapter was originally supposed to have more plot, but I got a bit carried away with the Hank and Connor flashbacks! I guess the plot will have to wait until next chapter haha
Reviews are very appreciated! :)
