It was a good thing they had an SUV. Apparently there was a picture of Hank circulating now, along with one of Connor.

And not the old picture on his badge, either. They'd cropped him out of last year's Christmas party.

"I knew I would be considered a high priority project," Connor said, grinning widely. "They need me."

Reed looked at Hank in exasperation. "Does he want to go back?"

"I barely talked him out of it," Hank groaned.

"Okay, so what if we hide you both under a blanket-" Reed said.

"Are you stupid?" Hank pushed Reed up against a wall. "You think I'm stupid? As if I'd let you drive us right to Cyber Life Tower yourself. Get a nice promotion."

Reed didn't fight back. He didn't glare or yell. Instead, he said, "I want Connor to make it out of Detroit."

"Bullshit-" Hank was getting ready to punch him, but Connor grabbed his arm.

"He means it," Connor said. "And though his idea was crude-"

"How do you know he means it?!" Hank snapped. "Am I missing something here? He fucking came here, crouched to spring on us-"

"I wasn't trying to spring on you!" Reed said. "I just wanted to check."

"Check what?!"

"If you idiots were still hanging around in the most obvious place everyone would think to look," Reed said. "I didn't want you to see me, I just wanted to watch you go. Or stall for time, I don't know."

"And somehow you're now willing to make a break with us." Hank crossed his arms together, again leaning into Reed. He let his arms rest just below the scumbags throat. "That's a far fetched story."

"I can read his bio-rhythms, Lieut-"

Hank spun around. "And you!" He pointed accusingly at Connor. "Now we're back to Lieutenant?!"

Connor glanced at Reed, looking sheepish. "I was, ah, embarrassed."

Reed and Hank both blinked.

"Embarrassed?" Reed scratched his chin. "With me here?"

Connor ignored him and turned to Hank. He was getting better at controlling his LED. It only blinked yellow for a handful of seconds, then settled back to blue.

Connor cleared his throat. "Hank, he needs to be the one to drive. You and I, well, I was thinking..."

The set up was simple but brilliant.

When Reed drove up to the check point he was conversational with the officer on duty.

"Don't tell me your leaving Detroit too?" The officer said. Hank couldn't tell who it was. Sounded young.

"A'course not," Reed said. Sumo, who was sitting in the passenger seat, excitedly walked over Reed to sniff at the officer, who laughed and gave the dog a generous scratch behind the ear.

That's how Hank pictured what he was hearing, anyway. He had to keep his eyes closed.

The officer maybe glanced into the back seat where he'd easily be able to spot Hank and Connor, who were lying stretched out under a blanket. Heads purposely poking out.

The side of Connor's head with the LED was safely pressed against Hank's neck. Hank had his arms around him, chin tucked on top of his head.

Afterall, it was 4am.

"My uncle is real nervous about this whole android thing," Reed said. "I promised to take him and my cousin to the airport, but you know how clogged it got here in the city."

The officer sounded sympathetic. "They're gonna try the airport in the next city over?"

"Yep," Reed said. "When they're settled I'll come back. Get back to work."

The officer, who was probably still petting am enthusiastic Sumo, said, "But I don't think they'd let a dog this big on a plane."

"Probably not," Reed sighed. "But we promised the kid we'd try and ask."

Connor was too tall to really pass for a "kid" if he were standing, but he would seem smaller bundled under all these blankets.

Plus, his legs were bent, knees on the floor of the car, so that he was actually sorta crouched over Hank instead of really lying on top of him.

"If they won't let him on the plane I'm bringing the dog back with me," Reed added.

"The kid'll be disappointed," the officer tutted. "That's the biggest shame of all this. Poor kids, they're gonna be traumatized."

"Goddamn androids," Reed said.

The officer sighed. "Drive carefully. The roads are icy."

"You be careful too, Dave," Reed said.

And just like that, they were out of Detroit.

oOo

"You deserve a goddamn Oscar, Reed." Hank sat up, clapping dramatically.

He could see Reed rolled his eyes in the rearview mirror. "No one's seen me crying over androids in public the way you have."

"Crying over androids?" Connor said.

"At the Eden Club," Reed said. "And Stradford tower. Anderson made a scene both times."

Hank huffed.

"It was stupid of you," Reed continued, glaring at Hank now. "This fucker always comes back, anyway. He's freaking immortal."

"That's no longer the case, actually," Connor said.

"What?!" Connor was trying to crawl off Hank's lap, but he grabbed the kid by his face to get a good look at him and his LED, which was blue. "What?" Hank said again, when Connor didn't react.

"Any extra RK800 models have likely been disassembled by now," Connor said. "In light of what's happened."

Hank glared at that blue LED. Then he looked over at Reed, whose hands had tightened on the steering wheel.

"So if you die again..." Reed said.

"I die for good, yes."

"How can you be so calm about that?!" Hank said.

Connor was nonplussed. "I thought you'd say it's a good thing."

"A good thing?!"

"You found it disturbing," Connor said. "My resurrections."

Hank felt his mouth fall open. He closed it. Opened it again.

"It wasn't a common function for an android anyway," Connor added.

"But..." Hank started.

"It doesn't matter," Reed said. "We'll just keep him out of trouble."

Connor nodded.

"Th-then no more jumping in front of bullets for me," Hank blustered. "A-and, uh, no more walking around without this damn beanie!"

He shoved it in Connor's hands. The boy had insisted on keeping it off for their little 'nap' crossing out of thr city. Saying it looked less suspicious.

Connor put the beanie on. "Alright."

Then Hank turned to Reed. "What the fuck is your stake in this?"

"I'm helping, alright?" Reed said. "That's all you need to know."

"I need to know why goddammit."

Reed slammed his head against the backrest. "I got attached okay?! Happy?"

"When the hell-"

"Please, Hank. Just trust him on his word," Connor said.

"But when-"

"Hank."

"Fine, you sneaky fuckers," Hank said. "Keep your secrets."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Then, "Pull over, Reed."

"Look, Anderson-"

"Just pull over! I want to drive."

They re-arranged so that Reed was in the passenger seat and Connor was in the back with Sumo. The two of them seemed happiest together.

And Hank wanted to have at least a little control over this mess.