Chapter Seven: Russian Roulette

November 06th, 2038

06:43 PM

After the deviant got away and we headed back to the department it stayed pretty quiet. Hank rested his head on his desk until it was time for him to head out, Connor went through case files and occasionally spoke with Audrey when the silence was too much to bear. Audrey, on the other hand, either spoke to Connor or bothered Gavin until it was time for her to leave. She still had a few more hours before she could leave, and was becoming even more bored.

"This is crap. Audrey, I'm heading out. Keep the Chief off my ass, will ya?" Hank grabbed his coat and keys before throwing his hand up in a messy gesture and walking towards the entrance. "Of course. Be safe Hank! Give Sumo kisses for me!" Audrey called after him, leaning back in her chair. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. I'll be right back." Connor only nodded and watched as she stood up and made her way to the break room.

She yawned quietly and started the somewhat lengthy process. Pouring coffee into her mug, adding a little bit of creamer, and two sugars afterward. Turning around to head back to her desk she brought the cup to her mouth and hummed in delight once the bitter taste hit her buds. Audrey had just past Gavin's desk when said man poked her roughly in the ribs. She jumped with a yelp, her coffee slightly spilling on her hands. "You asshole!" She groaned slapping him upside the head as he just laughs, "That was great. You're always so easy to get." He spoke, barely able to speak through his laughter.

"Scare? That wasn't even scary! You just got me 'cause you know how ticklish I am!" She rolled her eyes so hard she thought they might drop onto her idiot brother's desk. "What are you still doing here anyway? Don't you usually clock out by now?" Audrey leaned her hip against his desk and sipped on her coffee. Her brother shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair, "I was about to head out. I had some paperwork to fill out before I could leave." She hummed, flicking his forehead with a smirk adorning her lips. "Great. I can only stand seeing your ugly mug for a few hours," He faked a laugh and stood up from his desk, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Treat your older bro like shit." Audrey laughed loudly in response as she watched Gavin put on his jacket and grab his coffee.

"All jokes aside, are we still on for Thanksgiving with Ma and Pa? We still going together?"

Audrey took a sip of her coffee and nodded her head, "Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm gonna make a pumpkin pie for the occasion." Gavin groaned before pulling Audrey into a hug and kissing her cheek, "You and Ma are trying to get me fat with all your cooking." She kissed his cheek in return before waving him off, "You love it, but anyways, be safe. I love you, idiot."

Gavin rolled his eyes before walking out of the department while Audrey just shook her head and walked back over to her desk.

Connor was sitting quietly not moving an inch, which led Audrey to believe that he was making reports. Knowing this, she took the time to get a good look at his features. It still amazes her at how human androids look. Connor, for instance, without his LED flashing on the side of his head and his distinctive uniform would look just like any other guy in Detroit. She loved how even as an android he always made sure his appearance was pleasant. Hank got so mad every time he saw him fix his hair or tie in the mirror, but Audrey found this quirk to be… endearing.

Audrey didn't notice how long she was staring until he rapidly blinked his eyes and tilted his head slightly. "Is something wrong?" Audrey jumped slightly before chuckling nervously, "No, no. Nothing's wrong. I zoned out." She gave him a convincing smile and downed the rest of her coffee. Connor nodded before standing up and pushing his chair in. "We need to find the Lieutenant. Do you know where he lives?" She stood up as well, gracefully putting her coat on and pocketing her gun and badge, "Of course I know where he lives. Why do we need to go there?"

"We have another case. Let's hurry." Audrey furrowed her brows before nodding, "Alright then. That's all I need to hear. Let's go." Connor followed Audrey out of the precinct before waving down a taxi. As soon as they got settled in the vehicle Audrey put the address into the system and watched as the car took off. "Care to tell me what this case is?"

Connor turned to her and smiled slightly, "I'd love to, but it would be better to explain to you and the Lieutenant at the same time." She nodded in understanding, "Sounds fair to me. We should be coming up on his house in about ten minutes. He doesn't live too far out."

The rest of the car ride involved random small-talk about the events that have happened lately and soon enough the taxi stopped outside of the familiar house. Connor stepped out first, followed by Audrey, who placed her hood over her head as soon as she felt the raindrops hit. "He shouldn't be asleep yet." She mumbled to herself as Connor stepped up to the door and rang the doorbell. There was no answer, which prompted Connor to obnoxiously hold the doorbell down.

Laughing, Audrey pulled Connor's hand away. "That won't get him up. Go see if you see him through the windows. He has a spare key around here I can grab." Connor nodded and turned to check the car and garage before walking around the side of the house. Audrey was looking under the welcome mat when she heard the sound of glass breaking. "What the hell?" She yelled as she ran around the side where Connor was just at.

Upon arrival, she saw that the window was broken and Connor was sitting on the floor with Sumo in his face. "Sumo. Down!" She spoke loudly, causing the dog to look up at her. "Hey, boy. Hang on. I'll come love on you in a second."

"Connor! What the hell are you doing? I said I was grabbing the spare key!" Audrey scolded as she carefully crawled into the now broken window. She managed to cut her hand on a shard but ignored it as she helped Connor up off the floor. "I saw Lieutenant Anderson on the floor." As soon as he said that her eyes focused on the body lying on the kitchen floor. "Goddamn, again? Come help me."

Connor followed her over to Hank and did an analysis to make sure he was still alive. "He's still breathing. He's just passed out." Audrey nodded and looked at the gun lying beside his open hand sadly. "Wake him up and toss him in the shower. I'll grab him some clothes and clean up the place."

Nodding, Connor kneeled beside Hank and gently tapped his face. "Lieutenant? Wake up, Lieutenant!" She heard Hank grumbling and then a loud smack resonated through the room. With wide eyes, Audrey turned to see that Connor had slapped the shit out of Hank to get him awake. "I'm going to sober you up for your own safety," Connor spoke firmly as he grasped Hank's arm and pulled him up so that he leaned on his side. As soon as he pulled, Hank started fighting. "Hey! Leave me alone, you fuckin' android! Get the fuck outta my house!"

Audrey took this as her cue to actually step in and at least help get him to the shower before Hank started trying to throw punches. "Calm down, Hank. We need you sober right now." Hank glanced over to Audrey before his head automatically dropped to his chest. "Thank you in advance for your cooperation." Connor slowly started walking toward the hallway as Audrey gave directions to the bathroom. Both had to ignore Hank's childish comments and movements as they pushed open the bathroom door and tossed him gently into the bathtub. "Can you handle him from here?" Audrey asks gently, earning a nod in return. "I'll grab him clothes and start cleaning." As soon as Audrey reached the bedroom she heard Hank's screaming as Connor turned the water on and sprayed him into sobriety.

She could hear them speaking from the bedroom, but tried to ignore Hank's annoying yelling. She walked back into the bathroom just as Connor started speaking about the case. "Wow, man dead in a sex club? Hank, you're definitely coming. I'm not going through that awkward shit by myself."

"Audrey? You're here too?" She mocked a bow, "In the flesh. Now hurry and change, they're probably waiting on us." Hank opened his mouth to probably say something sarcastic but ended up with his head in the toilet bowl.

"Let's give him a few minutes… Agh, disgusting." She mumbled to herself, pulling Connor out of the bathroom. "I guess I'll have to clean up later. We wasted so much time trying to get his ass awake." Audrey sighed, shaking her head at the mess in front of her before walking over and kneeling beside of Sumo.

"Such a sweet boy. I'm sorry you have to witness this all the time." Sumo just licked her face happily as she hugged him close to her. "What were you doing with the gun?" Audrey heard Connor yell out, causing her throat to close up. "Russian roulette! Wanted to see how long I could last… must've passed out before I could find out." Audrey looked down to Sumo and rubbed his head sadly as Connor replied, "You're lucky. The next shot would've killed you."

Audrey took a deep breath. She didn't want to snap at Hank right now. It would have to be another time. They had shit to do and she couldn't let her partner's personal problems interfere with their investigation. No matter how upset it made her. She shook her head and kissed Sumo on the head before standing up and watching Hank step out of the bathroom fully dressed.

He avoided her gaze like he always does when he plays that stupid game and looked straight at Sumo. "Be a good dog, Sumo. I won't be long." Hank and Connor made their way outside while Audrey gave Sumo one last kiss. "I'll bring you back a treat, Sumo. Don't you worry."

With that, she stood up and walked out the front door while letting out a huff. "Hank Anderson. I hope you know I'm crashing here tonight, so you don't do anything stupid. So after this investigation, we are stopping by to feed my cat and grab some clothes." She smiled slightly as she heard Hank groan. "You do this every goddamn time."

"Of course. I gotta make sure you stay alive and out of trouble, don't I?"