A/N: New chapter, yay ! So this chapter is a bit longer, the first part is simple, it's mostly about showing what Gavin is all about right now, how he handles the actual situation. Then, we fast forward a little. I needed for shit to get down guys, so we could really get into it. The next two chapters are two that I've been wanting to write for a long time now. So just be patient, it should be published soon but I have some stuff happening irl too so I'll try to do my best to update the story as soon as I can ! I'm a bit nervous about this chapter btw, probably because I'm very tired so I'm not sure what it's worth? Anyway... Hope you guys will enjoy it anyway !


"Didn't dad tell you that you couldn't come up here anymore?"

Gavin looked down from his spot on the tree, hiding his face from the sun with one of his hands.

"Dad ain't the boss of me," he told his twelve years old brother.

"Yeah, right!" Elijah said as he started climbing the tree too, until he reached a branch near Gavin's, his usual seat. He sat properly, his back against the trunk. "You're going to fall again, and then what are you going to tell him?"

Gavin sighed as he scratched his beard.

"Nothing, 'cause I won't fall. I'm not ten anymore," he answered. He heard Elijah laugh and he looked at him, seeing a smile on his brother's face.

"You're old, now. I heard mom and dad talking about it," Elijah continued.

"What did they say?" Gavin asked, sitting more comfortably too as he looked at their big garden.

"Mom's sad you won't have kids, dad said you could adopt," he explained. Gavin frowned.

"Dad? But he hates Jacob, since when does he want me to have kids with him?" he asked, mildly-amused by the thought of his dad being ok with that. Elijah shrugged.

"You'll have to ask Connor, he knows more about it than I do!"

Well, that was weird. When did Elijah meet Connor? He was too young. He looked at his brother again.

"Why would Connor have anything to do with this?" he asked. But before his brother could answer, he continued, "What if I don't even want kids? I'm good by myself. Besides, they've got you."

"Yeah, that's lucky, otherwise I don't know what they'd do," Elijah said before laughing.

Gavin's phone rang, and he got it out of his pocket. He grimaced.

"Shit…"

"Mom doesn't like when you swear," Gavin heard Elijah say.

"It's Hank, I need to get that, it's probably for work," he mumbled. He heard a sigh next to him and he looked at Elijah.

"So you're going to leave us again?" he asked.

"Come on Eli, you can take care of yourself," he said, rolling his eyes. He felt his phone slip from his grasp. As he bent to catch it quickly, he fell from his branch.

Gavin opened his eyes, startled. He was staring at his ceiling, now, sitting on his couch. He had fallen asleep, shit. His phone was still ringing. He got it out of his pocket and looked at it. Fowler? He used the opportunity to look at the time. He had been home for about an hour only… He was probably tired from the training session and the walk home. He picked up.

"Reed," he said. He listened carefully to his boss for a minute, closing his eyes as he kept a sigh inside. "Sure, no problem," he said quietly. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."

He yawned as he hung up, feeling tears in the corner of his eyes. He let out a deep breath again. He now had to go to work earlier to have a talk with Fowler, great. What did he do this time? He rubbed his eyes with one hand, getting up. He removed his shoes, leaving them on the floor of his living room, removed his hoodie and his pants, keeping his boxers and his t-shirt on as he went in his bedroom and let himself fall on his bed. Great, now that he was awake again, all his thoughts were spinning in his head. He turned on his back, getting in the center of his mattress.

He contemplated the idea of thinking about everything that had happened that day. Was it that bad to give it a thought? Unfortunately, if he was thinking about that, it meant he had to think about what had happened during his training.

And now that stupid android was even invading his dreams, what the hell?

Gavin stared at his ceiling for a moment. Yes, Connor was attractive. He could say it. He was designed to look like a human, it was perfectly fine to feel attraction, wasn't it? Physical attraction, that is. It had nothing to do with his sweet personality, or the look he'd give you when he'd shut you up with nasty comebacks. That…. That wasn't attracting at all. It also had nothing to do with the infinite patience he had with Gavin, and how he had proven himself to be trustworthy and a good listener. Or how despite everything, he seemed to be trusting Gavin enough to confide in him. It had nothing to do with that stuff. Gavin definitely wasn't feeling closer to Connor on an emotional level. They got closer physically, obviously, with the training, but…

"Fuck!"

Gavin sat up, mad at himself. Why was he thinking about all this? Why was he trying to justify himself? He didn't like Connor, period. He just couldn't start feeling this way. It was simply because he had been alone for too long. Physically and emotionally. So all this contact and that position… It made him feel things, but that was it. And that…. That stupid attraction for his personality, it just wasn't attraction at all! It was just… some sort of… growing affection… because they were spending a lot of time together and Gavin wasn't used to someone being that interested in him. He also wasn't usually curious about others, but he was with Connor. To the point where it could become dangerous. He hadn't been able to help but ask these questions about Elijah… And after that, if Connor was finding out about them being brother… would he be mad? Would he think Gavin was playing a nasty game all along?

Why was he even worried about that?

Ok, now he wasn't going to be able to sleep. He sighed, letting himself fall right back on his bed.

He wasn't feeling guilty about not telling him about Elijah. They weren't close enough for him to tell him about a secret he had always kept. It had nothing to do with him anyway, right? It was just none of his business. It wasn't a need to tell him that Gavin had felt, it was more like a bit of guilt because Connor was completely honest with him. He didn't want to confide in the only person that had tried to see the good in him, in someone who could clearly see right through him and accept his true self without embarrassing him and telling everyone about how alone and lonely he was…

Another sigh broke the silence of the room as Gavin closed his eyes, hiding his face behind his hands. His head was hurting, now. Too much thinking, probably.

Maybe he could just avoid Connor, maybe he just needed some distance again. He would just have to act the way he did before.

But then, Connor would look at him with those puppy dog eyes and ask him what he did wrong as if he was responsible for every goddamn problems Gavin had with him. But if he was true to himself, Gavin knew that he was always creating the problems, always had, not just with Connor. Self-destructive, he was.

Still staring at his ceiling, in the darkness of his room, he slowly moved his left hand to put it under his shirt, his fingers slowly going up his right side, touching his warm skin. He felt his ribs under the tip of his fingers and thought about his fall, back when he was ten. He really did fall from that tree, back then. He hadn't been very high, but high enough to break one of his ribs. It had been cracked and he had been in pain for some time. He had at first tried to hide it from his parents, but his mother eventually saw the very noticeable bruise on the side of his body. He got scold both for trying to climb the tree and for not saying anything. He was pretty sure it would have been the same result if he had just come clean about it. But he was doing things badly enough already and didn't want to be even more of a burden than he already was for his parents. And he was only ten…

He gritted his teeth.

Still, he hadn't dreamt about something like that in a long time. He hadn't dreamt about Elijah in a very long time, actually. It could happen, now and then, but it hadn't in so long that he had very mixed feelings about all this. Now that he was awake, he had a hard time remembering the voice he had in the dream. He had seen interviews of him on TV, in magazines… But he hadn't directly talked to him or seen him in so long… He wondered what they would have to say to each other if they ever were to meet again.

His hand still resting on his side under his shirt, he started feeling weird about the entire dream. About the conversation and the context… Jacob had been mentioned, even. He had been too absorbed by his past, lately. The reason of his dream was obvious. He couldn't stop taking these old pictures out of the box and look at them since Ava's case. Then, he was seeing Connor all the time and that irresistible prick had that inevitable connection with Elijah… Then there was his stressful job, the pressure he didn't want to admit feeling because of that new threat…

Honestly, Gavin was surprised he hadn't seen Ava's corpse in his dream, at that point. He closed his eyes, trying not to think about that.

Without really knowing how or why, soon after, Gavin was sitting on his bed with his laptop, looking up interviews of Elijah. Mainly those that were videos, so that he could watch him. He didn't really know when he fell asleep again, but the next morning, when he opened his eyes, he directly saw Elijah's face on his screen. He hadn't even shut his laptop down.

.

"They'll have people watching them from afar at all times for their safety." Fowler had been explaining the situation to Gavin. He, of course, hadn't told his Captain that Connor had already told him about the case. He knew that Connor wasn't supposed to say anything. Now, Fowler had just explained that his colleagues were being put under surveillance just to be sure nothing would happen to them. Gavin shortly laughed, sitting in front of Fowler's desk.

"Yeah well, I'm not gonna go see that movie," he said sarcastically, a bit amused.

"And so will you, Gavin," Jeffrey finally said. Gavin directly looked at his superior as he straightened up a bit. He was receiving the kind of look that meant "there's no point in arguing."

"Please, don't do this to me, sir," Gavin said more quietly.

"Your safety is what matters to me. I am not going to let this bastard get anyone else here, he already did enough," Fowler said strictly. Gavin gritted his teeth as he looked away. It wasn't that he didn't like Fowler, but he wasn't very comfortable around him.

He had to say, Fowler was very patient with him. Yet, Gavin just couldn't take it. He hated the fact that Fowler knew the last name he used to wear.

"I don't need… protection," Gavin said. He had already a hard enough time letting people in his life, but having other cops following him around? He sighed, regretting it instantly as he met Fowler's eyes.

"You're lucky enough that Miller is the one I chose to lead that surveillance, Gavin," Fowler said a bit louder, "so either you stop complaining, or you'll be stuck following Hank and Connor around until they solve this! Understood?"

Gavin grimaced, looking away again, his fingers tightening around the arms of his chair.

"Peterson got shot while responding to an emergency call… Nobody's safe, Gavin. You stick together until they find out what's going on," Fowler continued. Gavin, still annoyed, only looked in the direction of Connor and Hank's desks. They weren't there yet, as Gavin had to come early. He hoped they were going to solve that case quickly. He glanced at Fowler again.

"Fine," he finally said as he stood up. "I'll be good," he added before sighing again, walking towards the door as he mumbled things to himself.

.

Later that day, during one of his breaks, Gavin found himself in the break room, discussing with Chris Miller when Connor and Hank finally arrived and walked towards the break room. They had spent a part of the day outside, going to the morgue and to the different crime scenes, trying to see if Connor could find anything that could help.

"We're gonna have such a great time," Chris said with a smile as he elbowed Gavin, enjoying this opportunity to tease him. Gavin couldn't do anything because if he was, Chris knew he'd have to stay with Hank and Connor.

"I swear to god Miller, if you don't stop that…" Gavin mumbled, not finishing his sentence and only hearing Chris laugh.

Hank and Connor had walked in and heard the exchange. Gavin directly looked at Connor and gritted his teeth, feeling his face becoming hotter. Hank stopped at the coffee machine and glanced at them.

"Sorry that you're stuck with him, Chris," he simply said, kind of pleased to see Gavin being so bothered by the situation.

"It's fine, Lieutenant," Chris said, still smiling. "We'll soon be besties," he added, putting his arm around Gavin's shoulder who directly shrugged to make him stop. He ended up pushing Chris' arm away as he glared at Hank. Connor was just observing the scene, hands behind his back.

"Lighten up, Gavin, maybe you'll finally make a friend," Hank said, sipping his coffee. Gavin stared at him for a second before walking past the table, stopping in front of Hank.

"And maybe one day you'll do your job properly, and you'll solve that fucking case, huh?" he said.

"I'm tempted to wait just a while longer," Hank said, not feeling intimidated at all. Gavin knew he had to watch himself, so he wouldn't have to hang out with Hank for the rest of the case, and he didn't say anything, he just stayed close to the man, looking at him in the eye.

Connor tilted his head, noticing Gavin's jaw moving as if he was chewing again. He also noted that his cheeks were a bit redder, while his skin around his eyes was whiter, but also darker in places, showing that he hadn't slept well. He looked almost sick.

After this short exchange, Gavin was ready to storm off, but he was stopped by Connor who grabbed his arm. He turned, surprised. So were the other two. Connor had a slight frown on his forehead.

"What the fuck are you doing, tin can?" Gavin asked a bit aggressively. His day had started badly, and he was too tired to be patient. Besides, he didn't want to act nice in front of Hank and Chris. He couldn't show to anyone that he was going soft on Connor. And what did he want, staring at him this way?

"Are you feeling alright, Detective Reed?" Connor asked, examining his features. Gavin frowned.

Without letting go of his arm, to be sure he wouldn't go away, Connor used his other hand to touch Gavin's face, his fingers going on his forehead. He had removed his skin from the tips so that he could check his body temperature. He frowned again.

"Your body temperature is higher than it should be," he said quietly. Gavin, too surprised to say anything at the moment, just stared. Connor's eyes went down on Gavin's chest and he looked for a moment, actually scanning his body. "Your heart is also pumping faster," he added. Gavin suddenly moved backwards so that Connor would stop touching him and he pulled his arm so that Connor would let go of him.

"Stop that, you freak!" Gavin said, feeling embarrassed but only showing anger.

"I'm just worried that you might be sick, after yesterday," he said quietly. Hank slightly frowned. Yesterday? The day Connor had had plans with someone?

"I'm not sick! Shut the fuck up you stupid-!" Gavin didn't finish, feeling his cheeks getting redder by the second. "Fuck you!" He said loudly before finally leaving that room. Connor only watched him leave, a bit surprised by this outburst of rage. Everything seemed fine, the night before, even if Gavin had looked annoyed about some things.

"What exactly happened yesterday?" Hank finally asked, staring at Connor who turned to face his partner.

"He walked home in the cold… He doesn't have his car anymore, remember?" he simply said. He didn't say he accompanied him, just that he knew how he had got home. Hank raised a brow but didn't say anything.

"Anyway, Chris. Not having him around anymore would finally bring peace but…" Hank sighed. "Don't let anything happen to him, alright? It'd be weird not having this asshole around anymore."

"You can count on me, Lieutenant," Chris said, finally more serious. He smiled at Hank and Connor before taking the two cups of coffee on the table to leave the break room. "Oooh Gavin! You forgot your coffee! A chance I'm there to look after you!"

"We better get things done before Gavin chokes him," Hank finally said, giving a tap on Connor's shoulder as he walked towards his desk.

.

And just like that, Gavin started to have a certain schedule, with Chris knowing where he was going, when, how. Chris would exchange his place with another officer at night, someone who would stay in front of Gavin's apartment to make sure no one was lurking.

And yet, neither Chris nor Hank and Connor could have prevented what happened. February was only debuting, it seemed like everything was ok. None of their colleagues had been murdered, at least. But Connor and Hank didn't really have anything more to add to the case. They had so very little to begin with… They almost had to wish for something to happen to be able to find something, but they wouldn't do something like that.

No other car had been destroyed, no other officer had been threatened… they guessed that the surveillance was making the killer's plans more difficult. It wasn't that bad, at least no one was hurt.

And yet, they finally got a call. It was the end of the day, Hank and Connor were still at their desks, discussing, when Hank's phone rang. He glanced at Connor as he picked up. Whenever his phone was ringing, they were afraid that one of their colleagues had been hurt.

"Anderson," Hank said before listening to the caller. Connor waited with anticipation, reading Hank's body language to know how to react. Hank became more tense, demanding explanations about what had happened.

"We'll be there. Yes, tell them to wait for us before leaving. Yeah, I'll take care of that," he said before hanging up. He stood up right away. "Come on Connor, hurry up, we've got work to do," he mumbled.

"Is anyone…" Connor asked without finishing his question, anxious.

"No one's dead," Hank simply said. "But we have a situation. I'll call Chris in the car, let's just go."

They both hurried out of the precinct, Hank explaining that one of the officers under surveillance had been attacked. He was alright, probably because he had protection. And yet…

"But from what you said, there was no gunshot, or real attempt to kill," Connor said as he sat in the car. Hank was already starting it and he directly left the parking, driving towards the address he had been given.

"No. But he's not the only one who's been attacked," he said.

"Gavin?" Connor directly asked, alert.

During the last two weeks of surveillance, he had spent less time with Gavin. It seemed that Gavin was avoiding him. Connor didn't understand but didn't feel like confiding in Hank about it. It would have meant he had to tell him about the time they had spent together, and not only would it annoy his partner, but he would certainly come up with the conclusion that Gavin was just an ass, and that that time spent together hadn't meant anything. Connor wouldn't blame Hank for that, because sometimes, he was thinking the same. Maybe those moments had meant absolutely nothing in Gavin's mind, not even once. He was just not that mean of a person when you learned a bit about him, but it didn't mean he was your friend, or just… someone you really knew.

And at the same time, it had annoyed Connor. Way more than he had expected. Maybe because he thought he was finally making a real friend. It wasn't like with the other people he was working with. Them, he greeted them, had small talks with them, but he wasn't actually spending that much time with them, and he didn't feel the need to. Gavin was making Connor curious, he wanted to know him more, to spend time around him, to do activities with him… he wasn't sure why, he just knew that that feeling was there, deep inside, and that he couldn't resist it.

"No, no, Gavin's fine. I think… for now, at least," Hank said, dialing Chris' number. "It was Russell."

"But he was under surveillance too, I don't understand how that could happen…" Connor said, at a loss.

"I think that's why there were no deaths," he said before hanging up. "Why the fuck Chris isn't answering his goddamn phone?" He dialed the number again. Connor could feel his stress level increasing. Was Chris alright? And Gavin? Was Gavin safe? Or wasn't he answering his phone because they had both been attacked too? "Thing is, they were attacked at almost exactly the same time," Hank mumbled. "I think we're dealing with a group, Connor. They probably know they're being watched… They must have attacked to create diversions or something, to be sure we'd be busy while they'd kill the actual target of the lot. It could have been any of them I guess…" He then handed him his phone. "Keep calling until he answers his fucking phone."

Connor didn't know what to say anymore, as he felt that his stress level was rising again. He really wasn't feeling comfortable. His LED had turned yellow and kept flickering as he dialed Chris' number a first time. Hank glanced at him, surprised that he wasn't saying anything, or that he wasn't trying to find theories. He was silent as he hung up.

"Still no answer," he just said quietly.

"Try again," Hank said, taking a turn that would lead them to their destination. Connor put the phone near his ear again as he looked out the windshield, leaning forward a bit. He frowned. They weren't far from Gavin's street. He slowly lowered the phone and he looked at it as Hank parked.

"It's going straight to voicemail…" he then said. He exchanged a glance with Hank before the lieutenant got out of the car. Connor didn't follow right away as he stared at the phone again. He looked out the window. An ambulance was there, Hank was already walking towards it. He could see the officer sitting in it. He kept the phone in his hands as he got out the car, walking towards them.

"What happened to you, Vince?" Hank asked as he stopped in front of the open back doors of the ambulance. The man slowly shook his head, holding a pack of ice against his cheek. His skin had changed color already, and his leg was bandaged.

"I don't even know… We answered a house call and when we arrived… There was no light, no one…" he explained slowly. The officer in charge of his surveillance arrived near the ambulance.

"Hank!" he said, relieved to see him. He was the one that had called him to announce what had happened.

"I was telling them what happened," Vince told him, looking exhausted.

"You should rest," the officer said. "I'll take care of it, an officer will come with you to the hospital," he said.

Soon after, they watched the ambulance leaving.

"The owners arrived five minutes ago," the officer told Hank, discreetly pointing at them. "They were coming back from the theatre, they had no idea, they're not the ones who made the call. It was the aggressor," he explained.

"To lure you in the house…"

"Yeah… He cut the power and everything… I went in with Vince, with flashlights… The door was open, we looked around, I heard a gun shot… I only saw the guy running away, he didn't try to kill him or to attack me. Maybe he didn't know we were two and panicked, I don't know, but he left."

"Was Vince able to defend himself?" Connor directly asked, hoping maybe there would be his blood or something, so that he would identify him. The officer shook his head.

"No, he knocked him out first and shot only afterwards."

"He shot him just once?" Connor asked, getting a glance from the officer.

"Yeah, I think that's enough," the officer said, taken aback, not knowing the killer was usually shooting his victims three times. Another proof that he hadn't tried to kill him. "And to be honest, it could have been way worse. The bullet went through, so we've got it, and he's going to be fine. I couldn't go after him, not with Vince being hurt like that."

"It's fine, you did what you had to do," Hank said, giving him a tap on the shoulder. "What about Russell? We heard he was attacked too."

"Yeah, the guy came out of nowhere, knocked him down too and ran away. I don't get it man," the officer said. Connor, teeth gritted, walked away and dialed Chris' phone again under Hank's gaze.

"We'll take care of the rest, thanks," Hank simply said before approaching Connor. "He still isn't answering?"

"No…" Connor said. "It's not a coincidence that they've been attacked around the same time and that Chris isn't answering!" Connor said more firmly.

"Calm down, Connor, we'll figure it out. We'll send someone at Gavin's place, he's supposed to be there anyway."

"What if there's three of them, Hank? What are we going to do? We've got nothing on them," Connor said, looking desperate. Hank was starting to get frustrated too and was about to answer when the officer they had been talking to came back.

"Hank!" He was almost running in their direction.

"What's going on?"

"The precinct just transferred a call. Someone informed us of a breaking and entering in Detective Reed's building," he said.

"What?" Connor asked suddenly as he got closer to them.

"A woman called the precinct, she said she heard some noise, cracked her door open and saw someone go in his apartment. She said it wasn't the first time she saw her inside the building, but she's almost certain he doesn't live there."

Connor didn't even answer. He started walking backwards before turning and running towards the car.

"Connor! Fuck… Thanks, we'll go check it out," Hank said quickly before following Connor who was already getting in the car, in front of the wheel. He started the car, waited for Hank to sit and close the door before driving right away.

"Connor wait, I need to ask for his ad-"

"I know where he lives," Connor only said.

"How?" Hank first asked before reminding himself that Connor was an android. He wouldn't be surprised if he could just find this kind of stuff thank to his programs. "Nevermind that," he quickly said, "you stay with me once we're there," Hank said. Connor didn't answer.

.

He parked in Gavin's street and got out of the car, pointing at the building. He didn't take the time to look around and scan the plates on the different cars to check for Chris'. He crossed the street, running towards the building, followed by Hank. He stopped in front of it and looked up, looking at the windows.

"No light in his apartment," Connor said quietly. Hank frowned.

"You've been here before?" he asked, looking up too.

"There's no time to talk about this," he just said.

"Connor, I don't see his bike, I don't think Gavin's here," Hank said as he was looking around. "Chris isn't here either," he added.

"Well then, maybe we'll just find the killer. We need to get in anyway," he said.

"So what, we'll ring the bell and he's going to open to us? He's obviously waiting for Gavin to come home to get him," Hank said, looking around again. "He's supposed to follow his schedule, I don't get it… Where the fuck are they?"

Suddenly, they heard the door buzzing. They looked at each other, frowning, as it wasn't stopping, Hank took his gun out, walking towards the door slowly before pushing it open. The buzzing sound stopped and the light in the hallways was turned on as they stepped in.

"What the fuck is going on…"

Connor reached for his gun too, under his jacket, getting it out. They heard footsteps in the stairs, exchanged a glance and they pointed their guns in that direction.

They waited. After a moment, the footsteps stopped and were replaced by a little scream. The woman was against the wall and had quickly put her hands on her mouth. She was shaking, clearly scared. Hank and Connor directly lowered their gun and Hank walked quickly towards the woman. She seemed to be in her mid-sixties.

"It's okay, it's okay!" He quickly said. "We thought you were… Are you the person who called the police?" he asked. The woman, still shocked, only slightly nodded. "And you opened the door for us?" Again, she nodded.

"I… The man I had on the phone told me to stay in my apartment…" she began quietly, looking up to check there was no movement upstairs. "He told me to wait for the cops to arrive… When I saw you… You weren't coming in so I opened, I didn't want to talk from the window… I was afraid he would hear."

She had finished her sentence even more quietly, as if the man would have been able to hear her from there.

"Stay behind us," Connor said as he started to climb the stairs, passing both Hank and the woman. Hank started to walk with her and gave her a glance.

"Which floor do we have to go to?" He asked.

"Third." Hank looked at Connor. They had both said the number at the same time. Connor had some explaining to do. When they arrived, Hank turned again to face the woman.

"You didn't see or hear him get out?" he whispered. She shook her head. "And you're sure he broke in?" This time, she nodded.

"He's been around a few times," she whispered. "In this hallway… I've known Mister Reed for years and I have never seen this man… I know that Mister Reed doesn't have visitors," she said, getting a bit sidetracked, "He is very kind, Mister Reed, he always steps by on Sundays… You know, I don't think he would spend time with such people," she continued. Hank, who at that point was just relieved they hadn't scared her to her death, stopped himself from sighing but also from laughing at the idea of Gavin going to her place every Sunday and being nice.

"Go back inside, Misses, please. We will take care of it and we will come back take your statement afterwards," he said. Connor was staring at Gavin's door. It was closed. He saw the window at the end of the corridor, it was open. Connor slowly walked in the hallway, his gun still between his fingers. He approached the window and looked down. He heard a door close and turned his head. The woman was back inside her apartment and Hank walked towards Gavin's door.

"There's no fire escape, Hank," he said quietly. "If he came from there…" There was a silence.

"You think it's an android?" Hank asked. Connor approached the door too and stopped on the other side of it. They were staring at each other, guns in hands.

"Could be," Connor said. "After what happened during the revolution… the number of androids the police and the army killed… Maybe they have a grudge," he said.

"We'll soon find out," Hank said. They looked at each other, slightly moving their head as they counted to three. Hank smashed the door open with his foot, entering, soon followed by Connor. He had no difficulty seeing in the dark and he directly went in the room on his left, opening the door. The light behind him was turned on and Hank starting to move in the apartment too. Connor was in the bathroom and he turned on the light. It wasn't that big, and his eyes went everywhere in the room. Nothing. He got out and walked further in the apartment.

He somehow knew Gavin could afford a better place. Instead, he was living in a little apartment, his kitchen, dining-room and living-room were just one big room, he had his bathroom, and he guessed that the door on the right was his bedroom. None of the things he owned came from Cyberlife, even though it was what everyone was using.

"No one's here," Hank whispered, starting to wonder if the woman hadn't just seen things. Connor opened the bedroom, slowly pushing the door. The light from the living-room was lightening the room as the door moved. The bed wasn't made but it seemed to be the only room that was a bit untidy. He looked around, stepping in.

The door suddenly hit him and he fell down, letting go of his gun. Hank reacted right away, running in his direction and shoving the attacker inside the room before he could reach Connor. They fell inside and struggled as Connor got up. He grabbed the man that was above Hank right after he had punched the Lieutenant and pulled him. The man let go of Hank and turned around, meeting Connor's eyes. Right after, he tried to hit him. Connor blocked the punch and hit back, making the man stumble. He was stopped by the door frame but soon threw himself on Connor again. They stumbled, hitting the chair that fell down and the table. They fell on the chair and Connor rolled on the side, ending up laying on the floor. The man used the opportunity to try and escape, but Connor grabbed his leg, pulling it and making him fall. He struggled to get back up, still holding the man.

He was about to grab his shirt to make him get up but the man turned on the floor, Connor's gun in his hands.

He shot and Connor avoided the bullet, directly moving on the side. However, he heard a noise behind him. A grunt, someone falling loudly.

"Hank!" Connor's LED turned red and flickered dangerously. The man used the distraction to finally get up. He didn't shoot, didn't even keep the gun. He directly ran towards the door and turned to the side of the window.

Connor didn't move for a moment, his eyes fixed on the door. Why wasn't he running after him? Why wasn't he running towards Hank? His LED was still flickering, and he felt himself shaking. He was anxious, devastated, desperate, angry… too many of his new emotions were conflicting and it took him a few more seconds to move, going to Hank.

"Hank! Hank!" He put his hands on Hank's shoulders, shaking him a little. He was already unconscious. He quickly scanned the body. His heart was beating, so it was something already. He quickly located the wound. On the side of his stomach. The bullet was still in. There was a chance. If the android had actually tried to shoot Hank, he would have been dead by now, and Connor knew it. But he had tried to kill Connor instead. And he avoided the bullet…

Connor gritted his teeth as he started to move Hank's clothes out of the way, moving his jacket, then unbuttoning his shirt. There was too much blood. He put his shaking hands on the wound, feeling something wet on his cheeks.

"Hank, come on, Hank!" His chin was shaking as he pressed his hands on the wound. The blood needed to stop. He usually knew what to do, how to process this kind of situations, how to react in case of emergency. But the emotions… they were getting in his way. His LED was still red as he looked behind him. The door was still open. He called for help, shouting for someone to hear him.