The kiss had been wonderful. It was new and exhilarating, making Lynn feel something she had never even thought to want. The interruption from the lieutenant was less wonderful. Connor was scrambled to his feet, ready to try and explain away their unusual situation. "Lieutenant, I…" Hank held his hand up to stop him. "First question. The fuck is wrong with you?" he jabbed a finger in her direction "Second, what the hell is SHE doing HERE?". He roughly ran his hands thru his hair, in frustration or awkwardness she couldn't tell. She stepped forward to try and placate him "Lieutenant, please…". His annoyed voice interrupted again "Oh call me Hank already, I think seeing you two bumping uglies puts us on a first name basis".
Embarrassment crawled up her neck, she had no idea what had come over her. She had been so afraid when she had seen Connor, lying on the floor. The relief at his safety made her react strangely. Kissing him hadn't been something she had thought thru, it was an impulse. Their second kiss however had been full of intention. Hank groaned in frustration "What are you doing here anyway? In case you didn't notice this isn't the safest place for a deviant right now." Panic struck her, how was she going to explain this? She couldn't tell them she was here to save Simon. Hank had let her escape before, but it was their job to hunt deviant's and she wasn't exactly sure what Connor would do here. Connor stood perfectly still staring at the ground looking troubled and lost. His hand had reached up to touch his lips, his LED a harsh yellow. Startled eyes lifted to meet hers before dropping to the floor again.
Hank was looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer to his question. "I…" her voiced stalled "I can't tell you" she looked away ashamed. She couldn't lie to Hank. He had proven to be a good man, but this wasn't about her. She couldn't let them find Simon. He stared at her with a look that pressed for more, but she held her tongue. Looking away he shook his head, still glancing at her from the side of his eye. "Well, looks like we don't have a choice then. Gonna have to turn you in" Terror gripped Lynn's stomach and she took a small step backwards. Hank's hand reached for her, but Connor's reacted. Clamping a death grip down on the lieutenant's arm. Hank's mouth twitched into smile at an inside joke they weren't privy to.
"What about your mission Connor?" his words dripped with good natured sarcasm. Connor paused before giving a hesitate answer "She is unimportant to the mission, there is no evidence suggesting she was present for the attack". Hank chuckled with a knowing smile "As for our...interaction it was simply…" Hank raised his hand again to prevent Connor from continuing "I don't need to hear it, it's not on my need to know list." When it became clear Hank had no real intention of arresting Lynn, Connor released his grip. The lieutenant shifted his attention from Connor to Lynn "Well, I don't know what the hell is going on, but it would seem inspector gadget has a soft spot for you." Another side glance at Connor "Maybe a couple soft spots for you".
Hank's hearty laugh was cut short by the sound of gun shots erupting from the hall. All three went as stiff as the forgotten androids in the corner. Panicked yelling and more gun fire could be heard from the next room. Connor and Hank were instantly alert, with Hank already drawing his own weapon. The lieutenant's face was hard and serious, ready for anything as he made his way to the door separating them from danger. Connor trailed after him with a determined expression. Lynn's hand reached out to grab Connor's arm. Blue blood still covered his open shirt, a stark reminder of the event that lead her to this room. Connor mistook her concern for fear and rested a comforting hand on her cheek. "You're safe, just stay here." His words were soft and reassuring but also full of implication. Saying that he would in fact not be staying here, where it was safe. With one final look at her Connor, let his hand drop from her cheek and followed Hank towards whatever threat waited in the hall.
Now alone she stood completely still, paralyzed in confusion over what exactly had just happened. This was not what she had been expecting when she had decided to come get Simon. That thought broke her out of her shell shock. Simon, the whole reason she had taken the risk to be here. What had she been thinking? Her actions here could have cost Simon his life if he was found while she had been with Connor. Her resolve hardened and determination spurred her to the door. Slowly she eased the door open. There was panic everywhere, some who had been injured in whatever fire fight had transpired and others barking orders in an attempt to bring order to the chaos.
She moved towards the roof access door. Markus had said they left him there and it was the best lead she had in finding him. Police scramble in every direction, making it difficult to navigate the room to her destination. She scanned the room charting a course to the stairs. Which would have worked, except for in a room full of panicked people there is no pattern. A large paramedic pushing past her in his pursuit of one of the injured men, sending her sprawling to the floor. Polished black dress shoes fill her vision. Looking up Lynn's eyes connect with those of the well-dressed FED from earlier. His face as cold and sour as before, like he smelled something foul. Pushing to her feet she gives a quick dismissive apology and rushes away from his glare. Fear seizes her heart as an authoritative, but no less pompous voice calls out "Stop!".
Lynn's blood runs cold, she's been found out. Maybe he recognized her model, or she was behaving too strangely. She turns to meet his critical eye, scanning over her in so much detail he could have been an android himself. "Find me the idiot they put in charge of this circus, we need to have words" standing a little straighter she gave a quick response of "Right away" and made a hasty retreat. Her heart was pounding, making her feel like it could explode at any moment. Pushing the door to the roof open, wind whipped around her. Cold air with the freezing bite of winter ran thru her hair, snatching away her borrow hat.
The roof was abandoned thanks to whatever catastrophe had happened downstairs. Clean crisp snow dusted almost every surface of the roof except where it had been turned to murky sludge from all the officers inspecting the area. As such it was easy to see where they had been looking. If she had any hope of finding Simon alive she would have to search the untouched areas. She left a trail of clear footprints in her wake, venturing off to the side of the roof that had yet to be combed thru. There was no indication of where Simon had gone or if he was even still here but Lynn did another scan.
If she hadn't been looking at everything she would have missed it. A small trail of blue blood leading to one of the roof air conditioning units. Cramped though it may be, it looked to be the only hiding spot available and it was certainly her best option. She crept towards the unit, carefully to make sure she was still alone on the rooftop before swinging the door open. She was greeted with the barrel of a 9mm pointed at her face, held by a very frightened Simon. "Whoa! Simon wait it's me!" She thru her hands up in a surrender and back away. Letting him register the person in the police uniform was not a human come to kill him but his friend here to save him. "Lynn?!" his face relaxed in a relieved smile. "Lynn you came for me. I thought I was going to die in here" He smile cracked into a watery grin as tears began to spill down his face.
She pulled him towards her into a soothing hug, she was afraid she wouldn't make it in time. So afraid that Simon would be another of her friends to fall in their endless war to be free. If she could prevent another of her companions from having to sacrifice themselves, she would give everything she had to do it. Simon's weight shifted, resulting in a sharp gasp of pain. It seemed Lynn supporting him was the only thing keeping him on his feet. Frantic hands clung to her again "Lynn I can't walk, I don't know how we are going to get out of here like this". His words coming faster, panic and a fear of being left behind again taking over Simon. He held her firmly, his only life line in a sea of desperation.
She gave him a reassuring squeeze before easing him back into a seated position. "Simon, I think you are forgetting who exactly came to rescue you." With a smirk she pulled the small tool kit from her pocket. "First things first, lets patch up that leg" worried eyes turned away from her. She didn't need to ask to know he was afraid of her deciding he was too damaged to save, scared she would leave him alone on this roof again. It broke her heart to see him like that. She rested her hand on his good leg, giving a reassuring squeeze. His gaze didn't hold back any of his worries or fear from her. "Simon, I promise I'm not going to leave you. We are getting back to Jericho. Both of us."
It took a moment of shared silence before the distress finally ebbed its way out of Simon's eyes. He turned to allow her access to his injured leg, keeping a cautious eye on her reaction. Lynn carefully peeled away strips of the ruined fabric to observe just how badly her friend had been shot. Blue blood had soaked thru most of the pant leg, making it look more sever than it was. All things considered, Simon had gotten away lucky. Even better, Simon would be walking out here with her, or at least limping out of here.
She could feel his penetrating stare on her "So? How's it look?" the worry that she was going to leave him was still there despite her reassurance. She wanted to try and curb his fears, to try and make him feel a little better. "Well I'm not sure of your dancing career but I think you can manage a walk back to Jericho" She smirked up at him while she worked on his leg. He stalled for a moment in the face of the joke, finally his expression lightened with a small chuckle. Her attempt to lighten his mood had been a slight victory, but she was sure nothing would make Simon feel better until they were away from here.
Not much could be done to fix his leg until she had proper supplies, but she was able to get some functionality back. He wouldn't be running any marathons, but she was confident if she supported some of his weight, he would be ok to move. Lynn straightened and held a helping hand out to Simon "ok, let's start slow. I can help you to your feet.". Simon took the offered hand and struggled to his feet. His balance shifted causing him to stumble, but Lynn caught his arm. "Easy there slugger, I got you." Ducking under his outstretched arm Lynn draped it over her shoulders, supporting most of the weight on his injured side. "You're doing great. There's a maintenance door over on the side, think you can make it?" Simon gave a sharp nod. Most of Lynn's concentration was focused on remaining stable and keeping Simon on his feet but Lynn didn't miss the determined mantra Simon repeated "I can do this. I can.".
There journey from the news building to Jericho hadn't been an easy one. An injured rouge android and a phony cop was not something you wanted to be when walking the streets. They had to keep mostly to backroads and abandoned buildings, stopping occasionally for minor maintenance on Simon's leg. It was difficult to move except at night and even then, Simon's injury set a slow pace for them. A trip that would have ordinarily taken a couple hours took them two days. Even with the sluggish pace and discomfort, Simon's determination to reach home never wavered even if his tension and fear remained.
It wasn't until they were finally approaching Jericho that she could sense the relief in Simon. Simon's weight on her shoulder's lifted and he took a small clumsy step forward. She reached out to stop him from straining himself but stopped at the determination in his expression. He might not be strong enough to walk for long on his own, but he was resolved to at least walk back in to Jericho with his head held high. "Lynn" He turned to her and pulled her into an affectionate hug "Thank you for coming for me" she buried her face in Simon's shirt and wrapped her arm's around him "I was terrified on that roof. More than that I felt alone.". He clung to Lynn "But you came for me. I can't tell you what I felt when I saw you open that door. Knowing you had risked yourself to come back for me. Lynn thank you".
Leaning back from Simon she gave him a watery smile "Simon, I will always come back for my friends. I don't want to lose anymore good people". Uncertainty crept in to Lynn's expression, she needed to ask Simon something before they went back inside to face everyone. "Simon? Do you hate them for leaving? For jumping without you?" His eyes drifted downward in thought. "I don't blame them for what happened. I can't say I'm not still upset but I can't hold them responsible for doing what they thought was best for our cause. Markus, he tried to save me when I got shot. I could see he didn't want to leave me". Lynn felt guilty about how she and Markus had left things, she made a promise to herself to talk with him and apologize. But for now, her and Simon needed to get back inside Jericho and get him patched up. She had a feeling things were only going to get harder, and they needed to be ready.
~I am so sorry for how long this chapter took. I was really busy with work and so tired from us having to prepare for inventory and honestly lost motivation for this chapter for a bit. I'm sorry if this chapter seems sloppy and rushed, I wanted to get it out so that we could continue on with the story. Thank you to everyone that just started reading and everyone else that continues to read even though I left you guys hanging for so long. I have a friend that is gonna help keep me on track with writing and getting a consistent schedule and even proof read some of my writing so a big thanks to her.~