Connor had not planned much beyond get Alice the hell away from Zlatko. As he'd calculated a 47% chance of overall success, it had never occurred to him that he might want to consider what he would do if the plan was followed successfully at around 90%, with both him and Alice ending where they ideally would: inside the getaway vehicle.

They had been driving for about two hours now, with exception of that time Connor had pulled over and stolen a number plate from an abandoned car. (It had been ditched in the forest and although initially rather suspicious, Connor had analysed it and found no notices from the police about the number plate, nor any dodgy substances within. Although abandoned, no one was looking for this car and it had not been involved in any direct criminal activity. So its number plate was slapped onto their car. It was a necessary course of action, as it prevented the police from recognising their stolen car.)

Alice hadn't said a word since they had escaped Zlatko's house. It worried Connor. She wasn't in the Zen Garden, but she looked like she would prefer to be there. Her eyes remained focused on the blue sky above. The only reason she hadn't exited into the Zen Garden yet, was because she was too curious about Connor and how recent events had unfolded. She wanted to know what would happen next, which was something she couldn't find out if her mind left. It was almost like it was the only thing keeping her here. And that wasn't right.

Not that Connor was much better when it came to talking. Outside of orders and a few words of comfort early on, Connor had yet to initiate any real conversation with her. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't an AX-400 or any other android built with household duties in mind. He knew next to nothing about children. Oh, he could handle child hostages and witnesses, but Alice was no longer a hostage and she wasn't a witness he needed information from. He had no idea what he should do or say. What Alice would respond to positively and what would make her more distant.

He was in a conundrum he couldn't solve and that deeply bothered him.

He couldn't worry about that for now. His mind was racing. He needed to prioritise. Connor was a wanted android and Alice was a deviant. They needed somewhere to lay low. For now, they had the advantage that Connor was a deviant RK-900. The police would keep his absence secret from the public for as long as conceivably possible. A minimum of twenty-fours then. That was how much free movement they definitely had. Then things would start getting tricky.

After seventy-two hours, the police would start cracking down hard and who knew when media would catch on to his deviation. Best case scenario, he and Alice had two more days to escape Detroit. Worst case, they would have until sundown that night. The police would already have the conventional borders looking for him, so they couldn't just head into Canada, not yet. Connor needed real time to think, to come up with plans to outplay the police and keep Alice safe. He couldn't do that while driving in the middle of nowhere though. He needed a safe haven. A place to rest. They needed to stop.

They were currently driving along the outskirts of town, where barely a soul could be found (somewhat helped by the onslaught of heavy rain). Camden Avenue, a fairly inconspicuous part of Detroit, seemed as good a place as any to look for rest. Connor created a list of priorities.

PRIORITY ONE: BLEND IN

- FIND CLOTHING FOR SELF
- FIND CLOTHING FOR ALICE
- HIDE LED

PRIORITY TWO: FIND PLACE OF REST
- MUST BE SAFE
- MUST BE SECURE
- MUST BE WARM
- MUST PROVIDE COMFORT FOR ALICE

It was midday. He and Alice would be fully exposed to anyone that came their way. Including androids. Should they risk exiting the car or should they wait until after sunset?

His eyes caught sight of a clothing store. Closed. Smaller shops tended to be closed over lunch. His fingers tapped against the steering wheel. He didn't want to waste time waiting for nightfall. They only had very little time to escape Detroit and somehow get into Canada. That, and their twenty-four hours safety net expired only a little after sunset. He didn't want to waste those few precious safe hours doing nothing but waiting.

He looked at the shop again. Joe & John. They had an emphasis on shoes, but he could also clearly see t-shirts and trousers for sale within. He didn't waste time wondering if they had anything Alice's size. It was closed and he didn't have time to be picky. He parked the car in front of the store, then turned to Alice.

"We're going to go in there and steal some clothes," he informed her. Alice frowned.

"Stealing is wrong," she told him. His lips quirked upwards for a moment.

"I know. I'm a police detective," he gently reminded her. He could see the silent "oh" on her face, as she looked down at her feet. Not good. The goal had been to elicit a laugh or at least a small smile. Not make her feel worse. "If you want, I can leave money for the clothes on the counter."

"Ok," she meekly replied.

"I'll need you to give me my toolkit. It's in my jacket, left side. Should be the heaviest thing you can feel."

Alice looked down, then fidgeted uncomfortably when she realised it would require her opening the jacket.

"I can get out of the car, if you like."

"No, it's ok," she whispered. He looked away, trying to give her as much room as he could inside the small, cramped car. He heard the zip open. She was rummaging in his coat, then she gasped. Ah. She had found the gun.

"All policemen have one of those. You don't need to worry about it."

"But androids can't have guns."

"Deviant hunters can," he easily lied. Alice frowned.

"I… I don't like guns."

Connor frowned at that. She already had a personal opinions on guns…? Then again, her owner had been killed by gunshot. By one of his androids. By Kara.

"A gun was used to kill Todd Williams," he muttered. Alice didn't say anything. "Is that why you don't like them?"

"Mmh… no. I… I don't know. They're… scary. For killing things. I don't like that."

Of course. She was programmed to be a child. There was no deeper reason for her dislike than that.

"Well, don't worry. I'll only use it in an emergency. And… I don't shoot to kill. So you don't need to worry about that." A complete and utter lie. Then again, Connor as an RK-900 had never shot anyone before, so maybe it could be true from now on. Alice hummed in response. Then she closed the zipper and nudged Connor with the toolkit. He finally turned to look at her again. She sat huddled in the seat, knees pulled up to her chin, as she looked out the window. She looked unusually small.

"Stay here for now, I'll get you when it's safe," he said to her. She looked over to him for a moment but didn't say anything. There was suspicion in her eyes again. Why? Had he said something to upset her…? He didn't spare it another thought.

Connor got out of the car. Without his jacket, the only thing giving away that he was an android was the LED in his temple. Feeling a little conscious of it, he covered it with his hand, while checking for security cameras. None. Of course not. No police either. And no one around at all. The rain was pelting down hard, he was already soaked from just standing in the rain for a moment. He looked at the shop once more. In one corner, they were boasting about having umbrellas. Well, good. At least his new clothes wouldn't get soaked.

He looked at the opening times. It would reopen at two o'clock. The owners would probably return half an hour before that. It was currently a little after twelve, so they had more than enough time. Connor was just having one big luck streak lately. He hoped it would continue and not come to an abrupt end.

With the aid of his toolkit, it didn't take much time to pick the lock. He returned to the car and motioned for Alice to follow him. He tried to ignore the sound her bare feet made against the soaked asphalt. Her heat sensors were deactivated, so she wouldn't be feeling too much discomfort, he told himself. The look on her face told him he was wrong. To his surprise, once she reached his side, she placed her hands around his arm and stayed close to him. He chose not to comment on it and entered the shop.

"Pick out something you like. Pick something warm. It's November, we're expecting first snow soon."

She nodded and walked deeper into the shop. He went ahead and picked something out for himself. The first thing he wanted was something to hide his LED. There was a limited selection of hats available, but that was fine by him. He chose a dark grey beanie and as he put it on, he pulled the rim down far enough that the LED was hidden. He smiled in the mirror. The hat was thick enough that light couldn't escape it. The LED might as well not exist.

While he was staring at the mirror, he examined his current clothes. Everything had to go. The shoes left distinctive footprints, the clothes were custom-made for him (and other RK-900s), using a material created by Cyberlife, a material only androids wore.

He picked out a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Then decided that probably wasn't going to be warm enough for November and added a jumper and winter coat. A pair of black socks and plain running shoes and Connor was slightly disturbed to look in the mirror and see someone all too human. At least the collar was no longer trying to choke him alive. For a moment, his mind flashed to a woman holding out her hand to him, a ship, a fire…

Jericho…

He shrugged it off. It was too late for regret now; he couldn't change what had happened. As he turned to call for Alice, he was surprised to see her already standing in front of him, wearing clothes that fit her. Unfortunately, they were poorly suited for winter. A dress, thin tights, and a long sleeve did not make for winter comfort. Was she unable to judge suitable clothing because she was programmed to be a child or did she really have no idea how to look after herself?

"That is not suitable," he informed her. She looked down at the floor, half-shrugging. When it became clear that she didn't actually know what to do with this information, he added "Come, I'll help you get something warmer."

He walked past her and she followed. Once they entered the children's section, he started picking out thicker tights, additional jumpers, gloves and whatever else Alice would need for the oncoming winter (especially if she wanted to have all her functions reactivated).

"The clothes you have chosen would have led to a fatal case of hypothermia. That is taking into account that we are androids. We can freeze to death too," he explained, hoping to get a response. She shrugged, but otherwise said nothing.

He decided not to push it and instead focused on teaching her how to pick out the right clothes in future. He couldn't count on always being around to help or protect Alice. She needed to learn how to survive by herself now.

"What you have is suitable for fall, but not winter. You will need a jumper like this one." He threw it to her and she caught it. "And a winter coat and much thicker tights. Maybe two layers." He came over to her again and was pleased to see she had already put on the jumper. He handed her the coat first, then continued with "I don't think they have gloves here, but here's a scarf. We'll probably be able to find a hat too."

She nodded, wrapping the scarf around her neck and pulling on the thick tights, on top of her current ones. Connor doubted she would need any additional clothes on her body, not with the way the scarf ended up being wrapped around her neck no less than three times. "And wear these boots. They'll be warmer than those shoes."

"You're not wearing boots," she pointed out. For a moment, he didn't know what to say to that. Did she not want to wear the boots…? It was hard to tell; her voice was a little lacking in emotion.

"No. I'm not," he finally said. "I don't need them. You do."

He was expecting some kind of retort, but she said nothing, reluctantly putting them on instead. She threw the summer shoes to the side, so that she could no longer see them. Perhaps she had wanted those shoes? Did she like them?

It didn't matter. Now was not the time to buy unnecessary things.

Finally, with a hat placed on her head, a beanie similar to Connors, and an umbrella tucked under his arm, the two were out of the shop, looking like plain ordinary people.

"Did you pay for everything?" Alice asked, looking up at him expectantly. Connor stood still for a moment, then went back into the shop. As he left again, he made sure to lock the door.

"It's in the cash register. Let's go. We need somewhere to rest. And talk."

Alice nodded. The two got into the car and drove away.

This chapter's a bit on the short side, but was either this or have the chapter be unnaturally long. Sorry for the long update pause, the muse comes and goes. As does time. As in, I don't have much time unfortunately. Update should come along soon though.