A few more inevitable minutes of tears were shed, which was then followed by a couple more precious hours of rest. Now entirely soothed and relieved by each other's presence, Connor and Chloe were in each other's arms once more, laying with their foreheads resting together, their eyes closed and their fingers subtly running through each other's hair and over their skin. Just breathing. Just feeling. Just taking as much of each other in as they possibly could.
It was as if there was an unseen force that had been holding them together since they had been reunited, unable to stop themselves from being as close to each other as possible. The fear of the possibility that they would be permanently separated from each other had formed an imperative, desperate need to stay together, both mentally and physically at this point.
Connor needed her more than words could ever describe; the pain from the raw, gaping wounds in his spirit only able to be alleviated by her. The tortuous screams of the past that reverberated unceasingly in his mind were muted, almost completely disappearing whenever he was this close to his angel. Chloe needed him to an entirely new degree. An extent that she never would have thought was possible for her to feel only a few weeks ago; knowing that he was alive, that he was here with her, that he loved her just as much as she loved him. It was just all as essential to her survival as her beating heart.
And while they both knew deep, deep down that they really shouldn't be relying solely on each other to provide happiness in their life, they honestly didn't care right now. Problems like that didn't matter right now. Seemingly trivial issues that could probably be resolved later didn't matter right now. What mattered right now was her. Was him. What mattered right now was the life they could feel flowing in an endless stream between each other. What mattered right now was their love, and that it had survived such a horrifying incident.
It would've been nice to say that the loving couple were able to spend the rest of their day in peace, taking all the time they needed to recover and sort themselves out. Unfortunately, however, the law had to come first. The DPD needed to close the case files on not only Connor's missing person investigation, but the murders of the two androids now that they had the murderer in custody. Well, at this point "murder" wasn't exactly the best description of what RK900 had committed, which in of itself was another reason why going to the department was such an urgent matter.
What the hell were they going to do with 900?
Hank gave the bedroom door a gentle knock a couple of hours later, drawing the two ever so slowly out of their tranced state with one another. They seemed to both know what the Lieutenant was going to tell them, because they sighed in slight exasperation at nearly the same time. Once they were fully cognizant again, Connor gave Chloe a brief, gentle kiss before finally forcing himself to stand back up, more than a little reluctant to do anything that required any kind of energy. Chloe followed suit, her light footsteps taking her to the bedroom door. She opened it to reveal the man himself, standing patiently with his arms behind his back.
"... You two okay?" He asked quietly, looking between the androids for a moment, his worried gaze mostly fixating on Connor. It didn't look like he was that concerned about the boy's physical condition at the moment. With the way his features were sunken in and his shoulders were slumped over ever so slightly, the young android knew that the sadness the Lieutenant felt was the result of being concerned about Connor's well being. After all, Hank knew about Chloe's condition. He knew that the poor android now had to cope with that on top of everything else that was tormenting him.
He thought about it for a moment, genuinely trying to figure out if he was okay or not. Connor wasn't really sure if he'd feel completely "okay" for quite a while, the toll that had been taken on him too heavy to just push to the side. But at the same time, he wasn't afraid anymore. He wasn't in pain. He wasn't begging for his life or the life of his family. He wasn't under the looming dread of impending torture. Instead, he was with the people that he loved more than anything this world could ever offer him. He was home. Safe. With his family.
Slowly, Connor found himself nodding, confirming that he was more or less stable at the moment. Chloe formed a weak smile on her face from his response, turning to face Hank again and giving him her own nod, making the man let out a long, relieved breath, the slump in his posture beginning to straighten out as his mood lightened.
"Uh… You should probably put on different clothes before we go," Hank then said a little awkwardly, gesturing to Connor's excessively tattered clothing. The young android looked down in mild surprise, not even realizing until that moment how many slashes and holes had been ripped in the fabric from the wires that had once restrained him.
Wordlessly, the boy opened his closet door and began to pull out the first items of clothing his hands landed on. He wasn't necessarily moving slower than usual; more along the lines of moving much more inefficiently than he normally would. His superhumanly precise actions were now considerably clumsier, fumbling with his buttons and losing his grip every so often. Hank and Chloe were obviously more than patient, standing a bit off to the side and looking away respectively. They both knew that Connor wasn't able to handle being by himself, even if it meant they were simply on the other side of the door. Neither of them really wanted to leave him alone anyway.
Soon enough, after dressing himself with a simple button up and slacks, the boy stepped up beside Chloe, his fingers slowly reaching out lacing themselves with her own. She looked up at him when he did, giving him a small, but sincere smile in return as she squeezed his hand. It was enough to send a spark of warmth through his chest, adoration briefly raising the corners of his mouth before turning back to Hank.
"C'mon, you two," Hank placed a firm, reassuring hand on Connor's shoulder for a moment before gesturing for them to follow with a humph of amusement. They did indeed follow, not staying an inch further apart than they had to on their journey to the front door. Soon enough, they managed to climb into Hank's car once more, driving off into the afternoon on a better note than any of them had really expected.
Hank had called ahead and gave them the basics of what the police needed to know before they came in, including the fact that Connor wasn't exactly in perfect mental condition at the moment. Being a police department, everyone had obviously been trained in conversing with a trauma victim, but the Lieutenant apparently wanted to make it more than evident that they should treat him with a calm nature. Detective Reed was also discourteously requested by him to stay at least three rooms away from the android while they were there.
The trio were left alone when they arrived, but delighted, solaced gazes were directed at them by most of the staff when they walked by. Connor was well liked by (most of) the staff at the DPD, and they were all noticeably relieved that he had been found. A few of them looked somewhat surprised to see Chloe with them as well, but didn't seem to linger too long on it. It seemed that Gavin had been telling the truth when he said that everyone in the department knew about their relationship now. And while the fact that they had been publicly recognized as a couple didn't really bother Connor that much, he still felt a spark of irritation, annoyed that Reed had to have been right about something so personal to him.
"You made it back," the confident, iconic voice of Markus himself approached the trio when he saw them arrive, a half-smile forming on his face upon seeing that everyone was okay again. "Now that I'm able to, I can tell you how truly glad I am to see you're safe, Connor," the leader began to reach his arm out a few inches, but quickly realized that touching the boy might not be the best idea at the moment, pulling his hand back rather stiffly.
"... Is there anything I can do for you?" He continued, attempting to deter any awkwardness he might've just caused. "I can provide you with anything I possibly can within my abilities."
"Thank you, Markus. That's kind of you," Connor nodded in recognition to the android in front of him, surprisingly able to form a small smile without much effort at all. "But I don't need anything more from you. What you've done for us already is more than enough."
Markus' demeanor noticeably became much lighter than it was only moments ago upon hearing the detective's words, returning a genuine smile to the detective. It seemed that he really, truly was glad to see him okay. While Connor had always considered the leader to be at least a friend in his eyes, he was beginning to realize that perhaps they were becoming closer than he had once thought. After all, Chloe would tease him every once in a while about Markus being his "older brother."
"Good to see ya, Markus," Hank gripped at the leader's shoulder firmly for a moment in a casual greeting, he himself starting to shake off the melancholy disposition they had when they first arrived. "Everything go okay comin' back here?"
"Yes. He was nothing but cooperative the whole time," Markus nodded to the man, not quite losing his uplifted tone until he turned to Chloe, his facial expression ever so slightly sinking and his voice dropping a few decibels.
"... Are you alright..?" He asked, attempting to express that he was concerned, but not so much so that it would rouse any suspicion. Despite this, Connor immediately knew what Markus was asking her, an almost aggressive feeling of pain stabbing him in the stomach upon being reminded about Chloe's affliction. And while he didn't actually feel himself make a noticeable change in his facial expression, it was apparently enough to make Markus' eyes widen in alarm, apparently putting the pieces together rather quickly.
"Yes. I'm fine," Chloe's response was a drastic contrast to what everyone else was expressing, a genuine tone of joy surrounding her words as she hugged Connor's arm with a blissful sigh. "He's back home again, so I'm honestly the most content I've ever been."
Chloe was clearly trying to comfort Connor with so many indirect reassurances. Yet, somehow they actually seemed to be enough to work, letting himself relax as he let the pain pass, knowing that she truly wasn't lying. He knew she was okay. He knew that. He just needed to remind himself about it more often.
Markus let out a long, relieved breath upon the tension quickly settling down thanks to Chloe's quick thinking, deciding to leave the entire subject behind while he could.
"They told me that they want your witness statements first," Markus gestured to the interviewing room as he looked to Connor. "They'll also be taking reports on everything that happened to you. I know you're aware that neither Hank nor Chloe can be in the room with you. Do you think you're capable of handling that right now?"
"... Yes," the young android answered without much thought, surprising the group from how certain he sounded so quickly. "Yes. I can. Are they ready for me now?"
Markus only nodded in response, his brows raised at how impressed he was with Connor's courage. The boy then closed his eyes, taking a moment to ground himself with a long, deep breath. He then reached out, calmly pulling Hank into a hug, to which the man immediately reciprocated, seeming more than glad to hold him in his arms from how tight his grip was.
"You've got this, kid," Hank's tone was almost playful with his encouraging words, letting go of him after a few moments and beaming down at the young android with glowing pride. Connor gave the man a nod of recognition, a faint look of gratitude gracing his expression from the Lieutenant's encouragement. He then shifted his attention to Chloe, bringing her into a doting embrace for a moment as well.
"You're so strong. I love you so much," the way that Chloe's warm statements of praise were spoken when she wrapped her arms around him hit surprisingly hard. It was as if her voice held the essence of courage itself; and as he absorbed them, it made him nearly ten times more valiant than moments before.
"I love you so much," he whispered his earnest declaration to her, pulling her into a loving, tender kiss for a moment. He pulled away, but only just enough so that their noses weren't touching. While the look he gave her wasn't exactly a happy one, it was an intense one. An expression of devotedness to the woman he held so very, very dearly.
"You're just as strong as I am, if not more," he rubbed his thumb against Chloe's cheek affectionately, drawing out a wispy, faint hum of bliss from her. He knew that she wanted to argue with that statement, but she seemed to know that they'd be standing here for an excessive amount of time if she did. So she just let it go, her shimmering, darling blue eyes gazing up at him encouragingly.
After one more quick kiss on her forehead, Connor then turned to Markus, surprising everyone- including himself- when he pulled the leader into a hug too. He froze for a brief moment, but quickly returned the sentiment, patting the young android on the back reassuringly.
"Let us know when you're done. They might have a few more things to speak with you about," Markus held Connor out at arm's length for a moment, giving him a half-smile. The boy nodded in acknowledgement, finally parting from the group and making his way towards the interview room.
The officer who ended up doing the interview was Chris, someone who Connor had come to think of as a good acquaintance. He was highly cautious and attentive with his execution of the interview, frequently asking if he needed to take a break or skip any certain questions. Somehow, the quiet detective managed to get through the whole thing without any compromises. There were a few instances that were obviously much more difficult to speak about than others, so much so that once or twice he had to stop and calm himself down for a few minutes. But he just kept reminding himself that his family was only a room away, perfectly safe and believing in him that he had the courage to push through.
It took about an hour and a half to get his full report done, but he managed to end it in one piece. He was somewhat more upset than he had been when they first started, but luckily he was able to keep a firm hold on himself. Chris praised him on his resilience, admitting that he probably wouldn't have been able to finish such an agonizing recollection if the roles were reversed. And while Connor was appreciative of the man's comments, he was a little too preoccupied to really respond. Something had started to stir within his core towards the end of the interview. Something that troubled him deeply. Something that he couldn't just simply ignore.
He reunited with his family once more, who were now sitting at Hank and Connor's desks and speaking quietly to each other. Chloe was the first one to spot him approaching, scooting off the edge of Hank's desk where she had been residing and skittering up to him. She quickly took his hands in her own, opening her mouth and inhaling to say something, but the young android didn't need her to speak to know what she was about to ask.
"Yes. I'm okay," he reassured her in a soft, caring voice, squeezing her hands gently and kissing the top of her head as he did. She seemed to sense that he was telling the truth, because she let the tense air out of her lungs, a genuine smile of relief brightening her face.
"Hank and I were interviewed too. We finished ours around a half an hour ago," she began to lead Connor back towards Hank, who had gotten up from his chair and was already starting to head towards the two.
"I knew you could do it, son," the man added to Chloe's statement, reaching out once he was close enough and giving his arm an encouraging grip. "You're way tougher than you think you are. Your intelligence has nothing on your strength."
"Thanks, dad."
Connor's staggering words came out of him so casually that it sounded like he'd said it a million times before, not really realizing the gravity of what he said until a few moments later. When he did, however, he froze so quickly it literally hurt a small bit, his eyes widening as much as the other two as he flicked his sights between them nervously. While he didn't regret speaking the paternal title at all, having honestly felt that way for quite a while now, he didn't think the first time he'd end up saying it would be so... Nonchalant.
A good ten seconds went by, what Connor perceived as an agonizing tension surrounding the three until it was broken by Hank. He shockingly didn't do anything drastic in response to it, simply squeezing the boy's arm a little tighter and nodding, his smile now radiating the exact same overjoyed glow he'd seen surround Chloe so many times. Tears began to brim at his eyes for a moment, never actually welling enough to fall to his cheeks. Connor has never seen Hank cry before, but he didn't remotely feel any kind of sadness from the sight. If anything, he had grown even more content from it, knowing that the bond he had with his family was truly growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.
"... I need to talk to RK900," he said out of nowhere, his expression becoming somber despite the tender moment they'd shared only seconds earlier. Once again, there was somewhat of a lack of an expected reaction. Both Hank and Chloe nodded almost in sync at Connor's request, seeming to understand his reasonings without him even saying it.
"Alone, right?" Hank sighed as he let go of the boy's arm, moving on with his emotions and knowing that now wouldn't be the best time to linger on sentiments.
"Yes," Connor confirmed with a short nod, he himself somewhat reluctant to have to put that to the side. But he just couldn't get over the uneasiness churning inside of him, and he knew the only way to make it stop would be to speak to 900, even if he wasn't exactly sure why. "I'll be sure to let you know the second anything goes wrong, which I doubt will be the case anyway."
"... Okay," Hank didn't take too long to think about it, not bothering to try to think too much about it. "We'll get him to an interrogation room, but we won't be sitting on the other side and watching, alright?"
"Thank you," Connor breathed out his gratitude with a bit of exhaustion in his voice, his gaze dropping to the floor as his beloved mentor walked out of sight.
"... What are you going to say to him?" Chloe's small, almost timid voice caught him just a bit off guard, his gaze shifting back to her to find that she had her hands behind her back, watching him a bit sheepishly.
"... I think I'll know when I see him," he said after a moment, somewhat admitting that he himself didn't really know the answer. "However, I promise you I won't lay a finger on him. Attacking him before was… Irrational, at best."
"I know you won't," she shook her head a bit at his disclaimer, but seemed a little relieved nonetheless. She took a few steps towards him, a small, but bright smile beginning to grace her face.
"... I'm so happy you're back," Chloe spoke in nearly a whisper as she slid her arms around Connor's waist, once again being pulled by the energy that just couldn't seem to let them stay apart. "I'm… I'm just…"
She didn't finish her sentence, instead just looking up at him with joyful, adoring eyes. The young android felt his troubles begin to disappear just from that one look, unable to hold back a loving gaze of his own.
"I'm happy, too," he murmured softly, pulling his love to his chest and savoring the warmth that completely washed over him, wondering how he was lucky enough to have every moment in his life manage to line up perfectly to end up with her in his arms.
For some reason, the room was exceedingly cold. The second the door slid open, Connor could've sworn the temperature around him suddenly dropped ten degrees. He wasn't sure if it was because the air conditioning in this part of the station was off, or if it had something to do with the android who was sitting at the table.
He wasn't handcuffed or restrained in any way, but he was still slumped over in a defeated manner, his head hanging low and his shoulders slouched. The side of his head hadn't quite healed all the way yet, what looked like a new, nasty scar running across his temple where the injury Connor had inflicted once was. The pale, bleak interior of the room was what really drew out the dreariness in RK900's appearance, the complimenting colors almost making him seem to fade away into the walls, which was probably what he was wishing he could do at that moment.
Oddly enough, Connor didn't have as much of a visceral reaction to seeing 900 as he thought he would have. It was more of a feeling of general uneasiness, a quick pang to his chest that ended rather quickly. He had no doubt it was not only because RK's deviance was more than apparent now, to say the least, but also because of what Markus showed him. He's seen the hold that Cyberlife had trapped him in. He's seen that his successor truly never had control of anything he said or did.
But it didn't really make his appearance that much less sickening.
900 didn't move a muscle when Connor approached the table, who wasn't taking his eyes off of the resigned android in front of him. As he pulled out the chair on the other side of the table and sat down, he took one brief glance over at the one-way window to their side, making completely sure he didn't sense any heartbeats or vital signs of someone watching them. Once he confirmed that they were indeed alone, he turned his attention back to RK900, his brow furrowing a bit as he pondered how he should begin.
"... I know what happened," he finally started, his expression not changing much when he said it. "I… I know you couldn't control yourself. You didn't-"
"I kissed her," RK900 butted in out of nowhere, his confession abrupt and distressed as he sunk even further into himself, going just as rigid as his words were. "I kissed her, but she pushed me away. I haven't touched her since. I told her- That I was-... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
Connor closed his eyes upon hearing what 900 had admitted to, desperately fighting to somehow douse the blazing fire of anger that had begun to roar to life in his chest. It took a minute, but eventually, by some miracle, he managed to subdue himself back down to a level where he could control himself again.
"... Like I said," The detective's words were so slow and unsteady that it actually made RK flinch ever so slightly, his breath visibly freezing in his lungs as he did. "I know that you weren't in control. You never wanted to do any of the misdeeds you committed."
"... Right?"
That single syllable made RK900's head finally whip back up to look at Connor, an absolutely horrified look etched in his face at what that implied. The young android didn't take it back, however. If anything, his gaze upon his successor intensified, searching every inch of his body to read if he would start lying.
"Y-Yes. Yes, I never wanted to hurt you," 900's words were frantic now, desperate to convey that he truly did regret what he had done. "I- I never wanted to hurt you, or Chloe, or Hank, or either of the androids I killed. I… I didn't even know their names. I don't know the names of the people I-"
His voice got caught in his throat all of a sudden, an agonized expression twisting up his face before he threw his head into his hands, his breath shuddering heavily now from how distressed he had gotten from reflecting on his past.
Connor's stone-faced demeanor stayed unflinching, not reacting to RK's sorrow in the slightest. It might seem cruel to act so stoic to someone who was so upset, but the memories of RK900's own cruelty far outweighed anything Connor had ever said or done to his successor.
"Show me."
Once again surprised, RK slowly raised his head back up. Tears had started to brim in his eyes, threatening to spill out along with the rest of his composure. But all Connor did was gradually reach his hand out to 900, his arm melting down to a pale white as he exposed it, inviting his doppelganger to make a mental connection.
"Show me you regret it. Show me you didn't mean it. Show me," he explained a bit more pressingly, ushering his hand even closer to the shocked android before him.
"I- You want- A-are you sure?" RK900 stuttered, but didn't recoil or try to back away, looking between Connor's hand and his face rapidly. "You really want to feel-"
"Show me," Connor repeated much more threateningly this time, not raising his voice so much as letting a bit of his insatiable anger show in his words for a brief moment. It made 900 almost immediately comply, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment in apprehension before taking hold of Connor's arm, his own skin retracting to link their minds together.
Perhaps it was because RK900 was such an advanced model, or perhaps it was because 900 was much, much more sincere than what he once thought, but the second the emotions hit Connor, debilitating was an understatement to how extreme the regret that had suddenly swallowed him whole was. RK didn't hold back anything. He let his predecessor feel every last bit of anguish that plagued him every second of every moment that he had been deviant. It was so bad that Connor completely physically shut down for a moment, going limp as his head filled with white noise as a self defence mechanism. The mental pain that was being shown to him was nearly as bad as what he himself had felt during the darkest moments he was under his successor's capture.
He couldn't take it.
After what felt like nearly an hour, but was really only two seconds, Connor's body jerked back to life, his arm flying away from RK900 as he jumped out of his chair stumbled backwards until he hit the back wall, panting heavily as he desperately tried to recover. While he couldn't feel the emotions themselves anymore, that single moment alone was enough to take a decent toll on him, the raw wound of trauma nearly reopening again from how disturbingly familiar RK's anguish felt. He closed his eyes and held his still exposed hand to his chest, taking fast, heavy breaths as he tried to force himself to calm down.
RK didn't move from his spot, but even with his eyes closed, Connor could sense that he had grown somber again, slumping back over into almost the same position as before, waiting patiently as his predecessor recovered. It took a good minute, but the young android was able to pull himself together, at least enough to somewhat get his senses straight.
"... I… I don't know when, but…" He started, his voice trembling heavily. "I know I'll be able to fully forgive you… Eventually. I just… I can't now. I-I can't-"
Connor gave up trying to communicate what he was thinking rather quickly, the need to get out of that room and back to his family as soon as possible outweighing the message he was trying to convey. He hastily made his way back towards the door, stumbling a bit as he put his hand on the scanner, making the door slide open for him.
"I didn't tell her."
Connor froze when he heard RK call out to him just before he stepped outside, his eyes widening slightly as he slowly turned his head back to look at 900, his brow raised in question.
"I told her and Hank everything, except that… That I saw her…" 900 clearly didn't have the strength to get it out, but continued anyway, figuring that Connor would understand where he was getting at "I thought that… You should be the one to tell her, not me."
There was a lengthy pause when RK went silent, the stillness that hung in the air so strong that it seemed as if even the microscopic dust particles had stopped moving. It lasted much longer than it should have, making even the detective himself uncomfortable before he was finally able to force the words out of his mouth.
"... Thank you," Connor's final words to his successor were solemn, quiet, and unexpectedly sincere. As he made himself continue over the threshold and heard the door shut behind him, he realized that he'd just given a genuine statement of gratitude. Something he had once thought would be the absolute last thing he thought he'd ever, ever say to RK900.
AN: Good god this took an outrageously long time. I'm SO SORRY GUYS