Hank bought an armful of whiskey bottles on his way home that night. He was still covered in thirium, but the cashier didn't blink.
It was an android.
He was still awake when the sun came up, pacing around and taking chugs. But the alcohol did nothing to get Connor's face out of his head. Did nothing to get his blood off Hank's hands.
At one point it occurred to him that he should shower if he wanted to clean off the blue blood. But he fell over on his way to the bathroom. By the time he oriented himself enough to get back up he'd forgotten what he was trying to do.
What he remembered was Connor's death. Then Cole. He saw Cole, dead.
Dead, dead, dead.
So Hank did what he always did on nights like this. He played Russian Roulette.
oOo
Connor pulled him out of the fog the next day. "It's me, Lieutenant."
"No, Connor's dead," Hank mumbled. "I saw him die."
"I'm the new Connor," the android said. "Lieutenant, it's long past noon. You have to get up."
"Leave me alone!"
Hank never wanted to get up again.
"Pardon me, but… this is for your own good."
Bodily dragging Hank up off the floor, the android man handled him into his bathtub.
"I don't wanna bath," Hank mumbled. "Thanks anyway."
"You're covered in thirium." Connor abruptly turned the nozzle, which was still set to the shower head. Hank screamed at the cold water and cussed Connor out.
"I'm still wearing clothes, you idiot!" They clung to him, making everything colder.
"Oh, was I supposed to take those off?" Connor looked genuinely confused and apologetic as he reached for the hem of Hank's shirt.
Waving him off, Hank adjusted the water's temperature and closed the shower curtain. "Just leave me alone! Christ."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Connor said. Hank could see his outline on the other side of the curtain. Stiff military posture again.
"I know, I know," Hank said. He peeled off his shirt and threw it over the curtain, hoping it would land on Connor's head. But it missed. "You need me for the investigation."
"Actually, I suggest we speak with Captain Fowler at your earliest convenience," Connor said. "So that we can remove you from the case."
Hank slapped the curtain open so he could gape at Connor. "What?"
"It has come to my understanding that your… personal issues," Connor's face was as blank as factory setting, but his long pauses made it clear that he was struggling with his word choice. "Are more… severe than I had originally... understood."
"The hell are you talking about?" Still wearing his soaked jeans Hank turned the water off and sat at the edge of his tub, not caring a lick about all the water that had spilled.
"Suicidal ideation," Connor said. His fingers twitched. The rest of him was so still that the small movement was like a kid's tantrum at the grocery store.
Hank stared at him, speechless.
"I saw the gun, Lieutenant." Connor grabbed a towel from the rack and held it out to him. "It's a serious problem. You should consult a professional who can help you."
"Fuck that," Hank said. He grabbed the towel and stood to leave.
But Connor blocked the doorway. "The next shot would have killed you if you hadn't… decided to stop… or did you just lose consciousness?"
"So what?" Hank huffed.
For a moment Connor's face flickered into the same agonized expression he'd had when the Traci was torturing him. His LED blinked red, yellow, red. Hank realized it had been yellow this whole time. Were the colors an android's emotions?
But the grimace only lasted a few seconds, then Connor was blank as a mannequin. Back to blue.
He reacted without thinking, putting his hand on the boy's head. Just placed it there, didn't ruffle his hair or anything. The android blinked at him. "Lieutenant?"
Hank cleared his throat. "I won't do it again okay? So let's just… continue."
Connor shook his head. "It would be better if you were given a different case."
"Then what'll you do huh?"
"Fowler will give me a new partner, of course."
"Oh sure like detectives are just lining up to work with you," Hank said. "Look, you're stuck with me. Whether you like it or not, whether I like it or not. There's nothing we can do."
"But-"
"No buts young man."
As soon as the words left Hank's mouth he knew he was screwed. Connor did not pout like a child who had been denied. Instead he looked confused. He opened his mouth and nothing came out. He closed it.
Then Hank spun around and dove for the toilet.
He puked his guts out.
oOo
They finally investigated the tip Hank had ignored yesterday about a suspected deviant living in a shit hole of pigeons and bird poop. It led them on a chase over rooftops and, when they finally cornered the android, it took a swan dive rather than let itself be taken.
Connor did not take it well. Hank eyed his LED with alarm as it flashed red, red, red.
"H-hey now," Hank said. "It's alright. Um, these things just… happen."
"I've done nothing but fail. Over and over again," Connor said. He started pacing along the roof's edge, peeking over as if he might jump."But I wasn't programed to fail."
"Connor-"
"I should be deactivated," Connor said. The light as his temple turned yellow. "And analyzed to find out why I failed. They need to fix it and-"
"Wait, Connor!" Hank grabbed the kid by the shoulders and glared at him. Connor kept glancing towards the ledge, so Hank grabbed his chin. "There's nothing wrong with you."
Connor rewarded his efforts with a self deprecating smile. "It's alright, Lieutenant. I'm just a prototype. This is nothing more than a… field test."
He gestured at himself and then threw his arms out at the world at large. His LED shone a cheery blue, now. "I've failed, but it's alright. They'll salvage my data and fix it. Rewrite it. They might clear out the footage, that is, the memories… but the next model will-"
Hank slapped him. "Fuck. That."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You want to die? Is that it? You've barely started and already you're done with it all?"
"I can't die," Connor said. "I'm not alive."
"No." With an arm around Connor's shoulders Hank frog marched him to the stairwell.
"Lieutenant?"
"Let's get out of here."
"I should report to CyberLife," Connor said. "I'm sure they'll agree with my assessment."
"Not gonna happen."
"But-"
"No buts."
"Then where are we going?"
Hank sighed. "You'll see."
