Good Neighbors
Chapter 3 - Tested
Hank had a sneaking suspicion Fowler had only agreed to let them further investigate the Unspecifieds because had been so shocked at seeing Hank at the office before noon that his brain function had momentarily ceased. The look on the captain's face though… it was almost enough for Hank to want to come in earlier more often.
Almost.
He was on his second cup of coffee and had barely turned on his terminal while Connor had already found phone numbers and addresses for all the doctors who had sent in reports and arranged a meeting with Markus for the next day to cross-reference all their missing people. The only thing stopping his partner from just sending Markus the files via mind transfer was the legality of it. Connor was, after all, still a cop, and sending copies of police files to revolutionaries was against protocol. All this Connor had explained while he was mid-way through his first cup of coffee. He was amazed that he had even caught half of what the android said.
"You have way too much fucking energy, Connor," he groused.
Connor glanced up at him from his terminal (which was mostly for show anyway since his brain was significantly more powerful than the computer on his desk) and sent him a stare that Hank couldn't read. "I have the same amount of energy for 'fucking' as I do all my functions, Lieutenant."
That woke Hank up. He nearly spewed coffee all over his screen. A round of hacking laughter burst from him, painful as he tried to get his breath back but unstoppable. He could hear Connor chuckling. "Jesus Christ," he wheezed as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. Amused and now fully awake, he peered over at his partner who had gone back to work (or was pretending to work if the small smirk on his face meant anything) and asked, "Is that true?"
It appeared that his question wasn't clear to the android; his smirk faltered and he blinked a few times before understanding lit up his eyes once more. "I was teasing you," he stated. "I don't have any sexual functions."
"Really?"
"No." Before Hank could even form an opinion on what he had just learned, Connor added, "But I can easily upgrade."
Hank regarded him silently, the thin line preventing him from fully understanding his partner pulled taut. He often forgot Connor was an android until he stated something that made it so painfully obvious that he was. What must it be like, he wondered, to so easily upgrade your own body? "Is that something you want?" He asked tentatively.
Again, Connor seemed contemplative before answering, "I'm not really sure. There's no reason at the moment. I suppose I would have to find myself in a circumstance where I would prefer to be upgraded."
"Connor," Hank started, mirth beginning to creep back into his voice. "Are you saying you'd upgrade and get a dick if you got yourself a lover?"
His partner merely stared at him, unmoving and unblinking. For a second, Hank was convinced that the android had shut down. He was about to start waving his hand in front of Connor's face when he abruptly frowned and folded his hands neatly on the desk. "I was merely stating that there is no circumstance in where I need the upgrade to give myself sexual functions. I had no particular circumstance in mind since none have made themselves known."
"Whoa, okay," Hank conceded with both hands raised in mock surrender. "I was just asking a question, son. This old man gets curious sometimes, y'know?" He couldn't get the smirk off his face. It was the first time he had seen Connor anything close to annoyed. The urge to poke the bear was strong. "Humor me, Connor," he said, trying his best to keep his voice level. The android raised a brow at him. "Say you met someone you really like. Someone who makes you feel things you've never felt before and all you want to do is be with them and be your best to make them happy."
"Hank," Connor broke in, LED turning yellow. Hank bit his tongue in order to keep from laughing; his partner never called him by first name at work. He was taking the bait. "Your scenario is impossible. I can't relate to feelings I've never felt before because I have no basis on what that would entail."
"Ok, ok," Hank replied, unable to keep a small hiccup of a chuckle out of his voice. Connor frowned harder, causing him to clear his throat. "Let me rephrase that. Before you became a deviant, you found deviants interesting, right?"
"In a sense."
"Now you're just being stubborn," Hank chided. "You can't fool me, kid. They were different from you and you wanted to know why." Connor remained unsmiling and unmoving, proving that Hank had hit his mark. "So imagine you met someone like that. Someone you wanted to figure out, but also leave exactly as they are. Like, you enjoy that they're the way they are. And you want to be around them to see more. And maybe even be a better version of you to make them happy."
It was incredibly hard for Hank keep his face straight as Connor blinked, tilted his head, and seemed to consider the scenario. Surely, for an android as pragmatic as Connor, the abstract idea of love was a difficult one to grasp. But, oh, if the idea of his partner going all gaga for some lovely lady or handsome man wasn't a hilarious one...
Connor's expression changed instantly from thoughtful to irate, causing Hank to choke down a snort. "I can't tell if you actually want me to understand affection or if you just want me to say that I'd get a penis."
Hank's laughter rang across the office, causing other officers to send curious glances their way but he didn't care. The unfamiliar look of absolute displeasure on Connor's face was enough to undo him. To Hank, the android resembled a disgruntled toddler. He was doubled over so much that he nearly missed Connor opening his mouth, no doubt to chastise him, before the his partner's gaze travelled upwards past the laughing lieutenant, a mildly wary expression crossing his face. "Madge?"
Hank instantly sat upright, spinning around quickly to see who Connor had spoken to. He came face to face with a short young woman with wavy hair and sage green eyes. For a fraction of a second he thought he was looking at Markus. He had never seen this woman before; did Connor know her from the resistance? She smiled, one eyebrow raised at Connor. "Wish I had this much fun at work. Lieutenant Anderson," she greeted, offering her right hand which Hank politely shook. "My name is Madge Ramsey. I'm your neighbor."
"Oh, uh," Hank glanced quickly at Connor who let out the tiniest sigh and continued, "Nice to meet you. Is there something we can help you with, Miss Ramsey?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Just 'Madge' is fine." Leaning slightly around Hank, she sent the smallest of waves to Connor with an accompanying wink. "Hey, stud."
Hank's head spun so quickly towards his partner that it was only luck that kept him from getting whiplash. "Good morning," Connor replied tightly. The irritation was back, only this time it wasn't directed at Hank. Curiosity began to bloom in the lieutenant's chest. "How can we help you?"
"How do you two know each other?" Hank blurted out. He could have sworn Connor's eyes had shifted towards him in the briefest of glares.
"We met this morning," the android replied shortly. "Before you woke up."
Madge nodded and gave a small shrug. "I wouldn't have been up that early if I didn't have so much shit to do today."
"I hear ya," Hank agreed. He was beginning to feel like liked Madge, especially since she seemed to unleash an undercurrent of annoyance that was so foreign for his partner. She sent a grin his direction which he returned, if only to bother Connor a bit more.
"I'm actually here to file a missing persons report."
Hank felt his brows raise almost all the way up to his hairline, Connor's face becoming slack in surprise. They caught each other's eye for a moment before returning their attention to Madge. "Case files are usually recorded at the reception area," Connor stated. "Did someone at the front desk send you back here to meet with us directly?"
A shadow of a smirk crossed Madge's face. "They sure did. After I mentioned that I knew you personally." Connor's expression must have given away his distaste at her tactic since her eyes softened as she explained, "Ok, so it wasn't the most honorable way to get to you guys; I'm sorry. I'm just desperate. It's been years since I've been in Detroit and to find out one of my friends has been missing for months and no one's done anything about it… I just need to find him."
Hank felt his stomach sink a little. He understood how she felt; though it hadn't been very long, the week right after the android revolution ended proved stressful without news of Connor's whereabouts. He had no idea whether his partner was even alive. But despite the empathy he felt for the young woman, he and Connor had just gotten permission to downsize the number of missing persons cases they would handle. By the expressionless look on Connor's face, Hank felt like he knew what his partner was going to say. In a sudden surge of respect for the android, Hank opened his mouth to bear the bad news for him instead. "We've actually just been assigned a case, Madge. I'd suggest filing a report up at the front-"
"Is your missing person a human or android?"
Hank turned surprised eyes to Connor. Apparently, Madge had heard the rejection in the older man's voice because she too wore a shocked expression before answering eagerly, "Human, but he associated closely with androids."
"Please provide his name, date of birth, and any additional information that could prove useful in an investigation." By the even tone of his voice, Hank knew that Connor was filling out the proper documentation on his internal screen. Blue eyes glanced quickly at Madge before Hank politely pulled over a chair from the desk beside his and gestured for her to sit.
Madge accepted the offer and answered, "Desmond Maine, born January 27th, 2015." Something about the way her tone had suddenly mirrored Connor's unsettled the lieutenant. "The last time I saw him he was working at Woodward Mall Center as security. He got along better with his android co-workers than his human ones." Her gaze drifted towards the floor, hands folding neatly on top of her knees. "He preferred androids to people, honestly."
"You believe he may have gotten caught up in the android revolution," Connor stated.
"Yes."
Connor blinked a few times, a twitchy sort of blink that Hank had long ago learned to associate with his partner finding or receiving information. He was about to ask but Connor's eyes suddenly widened before turning to Madge, whose face remained passive. He glanced quickly at Hank before looking sternly at Madge once again, his LED blinking yellow. Her expression remained neutral for a few seconds before she frowned and tilted her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Connor's LED shifted back to blue. "My apologies," he replied. "I looked up Desmond Maine, but the information I found may not be useful to the case. I've filed it away for further investigation at a later date if need be."
"Right," Madge answered slowly with an air of suspicion. Hank might have been imagining it, but she almost looked a bit uncomfortable. The thought was banished quickly from his mind as she returned to a more slack posture, slouching back in the chair, arms crossing in front of her. "Like I said before, I've been out of state for a few years so I'm not sure how this whole android revolution went down. I saw the news reports, but I have no idea how much of what they said was true and how much was made up. If androids were in the front line fighting for their freedom, Desmond would be the type of person to be right up there with them."
"Connor is meeting up with the resistance leader tomorrow," Hank said. "If anyone knows anything about your guy, it'll be Markus."
With a nod, Connor confirmed, "That's right. I will pass on the information you've given us and see what we can find. Please leave us your contact information. We'll get back to you when we've found something." Hank raised a brow as Connor held out his hand, palm up. He had only ever seen his partner make the gesture when he had awakened the other androids in Cyberlife Tower. Understanding hit him like a punch in the gut. Madge was an android. Or at least, Connor thought she was. But Hank had already shaken her hand and despite how hard it was to tell nowadays, her skin had felt distinctly human.
Madge looked from Connor's hand to his face. "What exactly do you want me to do?" Hank's confusion only grew when Connor retracted his hand instantly.
"Nothing," Connor replied, "I was just checking something."
Hank fully turned to give the android an incredulous look. He had no idea what his partner was playing at.
Madge shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You're cute. Weird, but cute." She reached forward, took a pen and post-it note from Hank's desk, and wrote down a phone number. Finished, she stood and held her hand out to Hank. "Thank you for your help, Lieutenant. I hope you hear from you soon, and I hope we can get along well as neighbors." He accepted her hand with a small nod. Turning back towards Connor, she raised her hand in a sort of half mock-salute. "See ya."
Hank waited until she was completely out of the office before rounding on the android across from him, filled with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "What was that all about?"
"What do you mean?"
A chuckle escaped him as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, first you had this pissy attitude when Madge walked in."
"I did not-"
"And yet you still filed a report for her knowing full well it might not be relevant to our current case. Then you looked at her all funny and treated her like an android with that hand-information-transfer thing that you do."
"I have reason to believe that she is, in fact, an android."
Laughter escaped Hank once again. "Kid, how is it possible that you're built to be a genius and yet you're so oblivious to the obvious? That girl is human, no doubt about it."
The expression on Connor's face clearly showed his disbelief. "What makes you think so?"
"Connor, I shook her hand. Sure as hell didn't feel like synthetic skin to me." He could tell his partner didn't take that as proof, so he continued, "Trust me, I can tell."
"Forgive me Hank," Connor replied, "But I'm going to have to disagree. I have my reasons for believing she is an android."
The older man felt the sides of his lips curling into a smirk. "Wanna bet?" A small part of his brain whispered that placing a bet against an android was not a good idea, but his pride and self-assuredness drowned it out.
At first, Connor regarded him with a blank expression but it began to bloom into a smile that almost made Hank regret his challenge. The android returned his smirk and shrugged, casually leaning forward on top of his desk. It was in those so incredibly human moments that Hank felt a deep fondness for his partner, his partner who was truly becoming his own person and less like a stiff machine. "All right," Connor agreed. "If I'm correct, you let me pick and prepare your meals for a month."
"Christ," Hank replied with a grimace. He should have known. Connor had been trying to get him to eat healthier since he moved in. "Fine," he concede with a sigh. "But if I win I get to choose your clothes for a month."
Connor's smile dropped slightly. "Even for the office?"
"Even for the office."
Hank watched as Connor seemed to consider his terms. It was common knowledge that Connor didn't agree with Hank's sense of style and preferred to wear either his Cyberlife uniform or a simple suit. Hank was more than ready to get his partner into something more… amusing. The crab suit hidden deep in the garage was his first prospect.
But as much as Connor couldn't stand Hank's fashion choices, the older man knew that it was his horrible eating habits that bothered the android most. There was no way his partner would pass on the chance to feed him "rabbit food." As if on cue, Connor rolled his shoulders and stuck out his hand. "Deal."
Chuckling, Hank clapped his palm against his partner's and gave a firm shake. "Deal! You're gonna regret this, Connor."
With a devious smirk that Hank mentally noted was a new expression on Connor's face, the android replied, "I doubt it, Lieutenant. You forget that I'm a state of the art prototype with incredible accuracy in all aspects."
Hank burst out laughing a third time, barely managing to choke out, "Oh, shut the fuck up!"
Nearly twelve hours later, Hank pulled into the driveway and turned off the car's engine. He and stepped out onto the melting snow, thankful to finally be home and more than ready to go to bed. He followed Connor to the door, stopping abruptly mid-yawn in an effort not to walk right into his partner's back as he stilled. Slightly disgruntled, he opened his mouth to ask Connor what the hell he was doing but froze as his eyes settled on what the android was looking at.
Madge was sitting on the landing of her porch, staring straight ahead into the darkness of night. To Hank, she looked incredibly distracted. He was about to urge Connor inside, to leave the girl alone with her thoughts, but her head turned towards them. Instantly there was light in her yes and a grin on her lips. She sent the pair a lazy wave.
"Hey. Long time no see."
"It's late," Connor replied. Hank rose a brow at the tightness in his voice. "You should go inside."
Madge let out a dramatic sigh before getting to her feet, stretching as if she had been sitting there for quite some time. "Jesus, all right, dad."
"She's being sarcastic," Hank informed his frowning partner.
"I know, Hank."
A small giggle accompanied by the sound of a door opening reached the lieutenant's ears. "Whoa, don't argue on my account. I'll be a good girl and get myself right to bed."
Hank snorted, fully aware that Connor didn't understand his amusement. The android shook his head and made for their own door, Hank following suit. But before Madge could disappear into her house, the older man couldn't resist and called out, "Hey, Madge!"
Connor sent him a suspicious look that he pointedly ignored as Madge turned back around. "Yeah?"
"You're human, right?"
Green eyes met blue before blinking a few times, a laugh erupting from Madge's lips. "Seriously? Come on." And without another word, she disappeared into her house, the door shutting with a soft click.
Connor rounded on him instantly but before he could speak, Hank stated, "She's human."
"There is absolutely no proof-"
"I can tell, Connor."
"And I have actual legitimate reasons why I believe she isn't."
They bickered up until they went into their respective bedrooms. Hank only hoped that Connor was having as much fun disagreeing as he was. He could have sworn he had seen a smile on his partner's face when he had bid him good night with an endearing, "Fucking android."
And, if his hearing was still decent, he was pretty sure he had heard Connor reply rather fondly, "Stubborn human."
