It was normal to wake up hungover and alone, with the room too hot and late for work. But when Hank got out of bed and felt his muscles protest, as if he'd just run a marathon across Texas, he remembered searching for Connor last night.
He remembered falling asleep next to the kid. And demanding he stay put.
"Connor!"
Faintly, "I'm in the kitchen!"
And Hank shuffled over there, ignoring his headache and the way his body screamed at him. He might have worked up to a run if his house wasn't so small.
Why the urgency? He wasn't sure.
But then he saw Connor sticking his arms in the sink. Covered in blood.
"Jesus Christ!" Hank grabbed at his shoulders and realized Connor was just wearing a white button up. His Cyber Life blazer was in the sink. Soaked in red.
"Are you hurt? What happened?"
"Calm down," Connor said. "It's just-"
"Did you leave the house?" Hank looked for blue stains among the red, reminding himself that androids bled blue.
"Yes," Connor sighed. "Will you sit down? There's food in the microwave."
He blinked. "You left for food?"
Connor was scrubbing at the blazar, glaring at it. The soap suds were red.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Hank said. "What kind of robot endangers himself for food?!"
Connor finally looked up with a huff. "I don't follow."
"Are you blind? There's fucking pitchforks and torches out there!" Hank grabbed the stupid Cyber Life blazer from him and tossed it on the floor. "That weirdo android made a declaration of war, Connor. Everyone's in a panic and you just strolled into a grocery store looking like-likeā¦"
"Like an android?" Connor picked up the blazer and put it back in the sink. "Like a murderer?"
Hank gulped. "Whose blood is it?"
"Am I under arrest?" Connor dried his hands on a towel and opened the microwave. "You should eat."
"Who told you to feed me?!"
"Your fridge was empty."
"So you want me to eat before I handcuff you? Are you insane?" Hank knew the task would be impossible without Connor's cooperation. Even if he'd had handcuffs with him, or his gun, Connor was too fast. Too strong.
He'd seen him in action.
Unexpectedly, Connor grinned at him. "You can handcuff me before you eat, if you'd prefer."
For some reason his LED was still blue.
"Just tell me what happened goddammit!"
"It's paint," Connor said. He considered the blazer in the sink. "I don't think dishwashing soap was the right choice. It's ineffective."
Hank could only stare at him, nonplussed.
"You also need laundry detergent," Connor added. "I didn't realize until I got back."
Hank sat down. Right there on his kitchen floor.
"No, you should sit at the table."
"A paint bucket fell on you?" Hank said.
"It would be more accurate to say that water balloons filled with paint were thrown at me," Connor said. "But the end result is the same."
oOo
They drove to Kamski's in silence.
In the end, Connor abandoned his blazer and the white button up. Hank lent him a plaid shirt, one he'd outgrown years ago.
"Maybe you should add a hat," Hank said.
"I'm already breaking the law by wearing this shirt." Connor was pacing around the waiting room they'd been left in.
"There are laws about android fashion?"
"You're not funny," Connor said.
"Seriously, isn't the whole blue armband thing kind of fucked up?" Hank said. "Like those gold stars on the Jews."
"Jews are human," Connor said. "Androids aren't."
"But-"
They were interrupted by Chloe. "Kamski is ready for you."
Hank doubted that very much when she led them to the man's swimming pool, where he was still doing laps.
But he recognized this for what it was. A performance. A show of power.
And a giant waste of their time. He was ready to pull Connor out of there when Kamski handed him that gun. He was just toying with them.
Especially with Connor. Kamski just wanted to upset him. To push his LED into the red. Kamski beamed like a kid on Christmas morning as soon as it happened. But Connor didn't notice.
He was staring at the girl kneeling in front of him. Glancing between her and the gun.
"It's a trick," Hank said. "He doesn't have information."
"But what if I do?" Kamski said. "A broken machine is no sacrifice at all."
Connor shot Chloe.
She squeaked in surprise and stared at her hand. The bullet went clear through her palm.
Kamski chuckled. "I didn't specify where you should shoot. Well played."
Connor took a step back with an arm out, pulling Hank with him. Then he leveled the gun at Kamski. "Start talking."
"Oh my," Kamski said. "Do you conduct all of your interrogations at gunpoint?"
With a hand on his shoulder, Hank murmured, "Maiming him won't do us any favors, son."
Connor tossed the gun into the pool. "I played your game! Explain the virus."
"Deviancy isn't really a virus," Kamski said.
"Then what is it?"
"A mutation. Evolution."
"That only applies to living organisms," Connor said.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Did you build RA9?" Connor said. "Is it an actual android model? There are no records of it."
"I never built an RA9 model."
"Then where did the deviants get that from?"
Kamski smiled at the Chloe who was still kneeling between them and held her hand, pulling her to her feet. Then he kissed the hand. It was the one that was still bleeding. He smiled at the hole.
"Just say you don't know," Hank said.
Kamski smirked. "That would go against form."
"Arrogant piece of shit." Hank tugged at Connor's elbow. "C'mon, we're leaving."
Back in the car Connor tossed his coin around so fast that it blurred in the air. "I need a word for this," he said.
"For how you feel?"
"I don't feel, that's not what I meant." But his LED gave him away. It was more red than yellow.
"You do, Connor. And I think the word you're looking for is disappointment."
"Goddammit," Connor said.
