~Connor~
"Where the fuck is Gavin?" Hank growled as he kicked around bulky hunks of gravel. "Motherfucker is making us wait on purpose."
Connor rolled his eyes but shared Hank's irritation. Hank murmured about the many ways he was going to make Reed pay. Though Connor did not fully grasp Hank and Reed's relationship, he was aware that the two parties had a history. A history that remained a mystery, despite Connor's persistence and curiosity.
Even after spending the past two days in their presence, Connor realized the combative nature of the two. They were quick to anger and cursed like sailors at sea. They were both pessimistic in their own right, which only made them hyper-critical of everyone and everything. Too bad, because today the clouds had melted away revealing a pleasant downpour of sunlight. Connor tilted his head towards the sun as the chill winter breeze washed over him. He could not necessarily feel it but enjoyed it nonetheless.
A brief moment of peace was what he and Hank needed. The past two days had been nonstop of collecting androids and filing reports across the city. It might have been so bad had Hank and Reed been in a better mood. Although, Connor could not fault them. He was feeling out of sorts himself. Returning to work had not been what he had envisioned. It had been laborious and demanding. Mainly because he had been adamant about Hank not pushing himself too hard, which Hank had not taken too well.
Connor was well aware that human life was short, that Hank's life was short. Working alongside him now, post-deviance, only fermented the thoughts of death. Connor was reminded, by Hank no less, that enjoying the little things made it easier. If he did not, the reality of his situation would surely overcome him. Connor's plate was overflowing now, he was no longer in the safety of Hank's home. He was at the mercy of the world, and he was fine with that.
Connor's deviant journey had been a rollercoaster of emotions, there were things that even he had been prepared to deal with. For example, the hesitation was a new feeling for him. Connor did not normally hesitate. He would calculate and execute, it was not until he met Hank that he found himself thinking things through more. He did not fully understand why, but he associated it with a need to protect Hank from the truth. The truth was, he was suffering from what he considered to be paranoia.
It was not fair, Connor thought. His thoughts were reminiscent of Carlos Ortiz's android. Life had dealt him quite the hand and he was determined to make something of it by pushing the thoughts back. Connor could hear the chanting of protesters nearby, which too put him on edge. It did not help that he had been assaulted twice since returning to work. Reed was not the only one not happy to see him return to work, humans were not too pleased either that he had been granted amnesty by President Warren. Mayor Cardoso had also been one of the humans to sign off on Connor's approval reinstatement. Because Markus refused to speak with journalists, the FBI, police, or anyone in law enforcement without Connor present.
His fellow androids were not much better. With the exception of Markus, Daniel, Josh, and the androids he freed from Cyberlife, Connor was still referred to as the "deviant hunter" by many. It was true. He had been called worse things by humans: traitor, liar, fucker, and murderer; just to name a few.
Connor might as well have been all of those things as he watched Hank fumble with his phone. The name-calling did not bother Connor, not like it had bothered Hank; whose cursing and shouting only fueled the fire. The truth was Connor was all of those things. It hurt him to think about all the atrocities.
November 9th, 2038 had changed Connor in insurmountable ways. He had betrayed Amanda, become deviant, and killed humans. Ten human lives in total to be exact. Two CyberLife guards; and eight FBI agents, who had been under Agent Perkins' care. Perkins, who had persistently and publicly displayed his displeasure with the President and Mayor's decision to keep him, sent daily emails to Captain Fowler to have him removed as a detective. Connor did not need reminders that he had blood on his hands. He could see it...all the time.
Connor was not human, but after spending two weeks with Hank. Two wonderful weeks of watching Hank go from his highest of highs to his lowest of lows. And still, Hank got up every morning to deal with whatever shit came his way. There were still closed doors metaphorically and literally in Hank's life that even Connor had not opened yet. But he wanted to. He wanted to do so many things.
Human life was short and precious. Hank taught him that. Taking human life taught him that. Android life was precious too. And that Connor's own life was precious.
Connor looked over Hank's shoulder to see Reed pulling into the parking lot. Hank did not hesitate as he approached Reed.
"I'm sure he has a perfectly plausible reason for being late, Lieutenant," Connor said reassuringly.
Hank furrowed his brow and scuffed at him before rolling his eyes.
"So, now you're defending that asshole after what he did?" Hank remarked with a snarky undertone that made Connor's temple light flicker yellow.
"Not defending, I simply wish to maintain some semblance of peace between two imploding balls of gas."
Hank spun around with a cocked eyebrow. "Was that you trying to be a fucking smartass?"
"Not trying," Connor smirked as Reed approached.
Hank belted out into a fit of laughter that both stunned Connor and made his own chest ache. Reed stood before them confused.
"About fucking time," Hank remarked, stepping in front of Connor, acting as somewhat of a buffer between the two.
Reed said nothing as he pulled an envelope from his brown leather jacket and held it in front of Hank.
"What the fuck is this?" Hank asked without accepting it.
"Just fucking take it," Gavin ordered, avoiding eye contact.
"Fuck that," Hank said, swatting Gavin's hand away before walking off.
Reed grunted and shoved the envelope into Connor's chest.
"Fuck you too, old-timer!" Reed shouted as Hank flipped him the bird. "Deposit that, plastic."
Connor scanned the envelope and was pleasantly surprised that it was a check for ten grand. (Reason: Compensation for bodily harm) (Signed: Gavin Reed)
Connor grinned as he followed Hank and Reed into the CyberLife demolition site.
"Hey, wipe that stupid grin off your face and get your plastic ass over here," Reed ordered assertively.
Connor complied, knowing that Reed liked to be in control. He could do that much for him after such a kind gesture to mend the damage he had done. Connor placed the envelope in his coat as he re-examined the parameter.
The CyberLife headquarters had been reduced to a pile of stone and metal. Most of it was being sorted and recycled by both humans and androids. Mostly TW400 models with a few exceptions as humans supervised. They seemingly worked well together in spite of everything that had happened.
"Are you the site manager?" Hank asked a middle-aged woman with long red hair draped over her shoulder.
"Yeah, the name's Carla, nice to meet you." She greeted. "I called because we captured footage of something or someone sneaking on and off the property during the night. The security androids haven't been able to locate anything, and the police drones only capture brief glimpses."
"Sounds like whatever it is. It knows what it's doing," Reed said as he rotated his shoulder with an irritated twitch.
"I'll take a look at the footage," Hank said, gesturing for Carla to lead the way.
Carla walked over to a small desk with a damaged drone and computer sitting on top. Connor stood watchfully as Reed silently walked around the large demolition site. He wanted to stay close to Hank, but also keep an eye on Reed just in case.
Connor lingered for a moment before scanning the piles of debris. There were no abnormal disturbances that he could see, but that did not mean anything. There was too much he could not see.
"Hey, plastic," Reed called. "See that?" He asked, pointing to a small opening in the wreckage. Small enough to go unnoticed, but large enough to warrant concern. "Well?"
"Well, what?" Connor replied.
"This is an investigation, plastic," Reed clicked his teeth. "Investigate."
Connor looked back at Hank, before encouraging Reed to lead the way. Not that it took much to influence Reed. Connor knew he liked proving himself right.
"Hey, old man, sit tight," Reed said.
"Take Connor with you," Hank ordered.
"As if I had a fucking choice," Reed muttered.
Connor assessed the size of the whole, performing another surface-level scan of the area. His scanner indicated a slightly elevated heat signature that should not have been present. As he attempted to conduct a deep scan, his temple light flickered red reporting interference.
"Something's here," he admitted, surveying the wreckage once more.
Reed pulled out his flashlight and pointed it into the small opening. "Take a look."
Connor peered over Reed's injured right arm to see that the hole descended deep into the ground. Far more profound than he had initially calculated. Connor noticed something reflecting the illumination, he snatched the flashlight from Reed to get a better look.
"What the fuck tin-can?" Reed shouted, stumbling backward.
"There …it's a door." Connor denoted, simulating their possible options for further investigation.
"Lift this," Reed ordered cocking his head towards the massive piece of concrete.
Connor obliged, returning the light to Reed's belt. He moved the slab of concrete four feet off the ground when Reed slipped through the opening and disappeared into the darkness without a word. As he was about to alert Hank, he heard Reed grunt aloud as he slammed up against a solid black door.
"SHIT," Reed exclaimed.
"Are you alright?" Connor asked.
"Shut up," Reed ordered, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to relieve some of his pain.
"Do you see an access scanner?" Connor asked from above as Reed used his flashlight and examined the doorway, hoping to find one.
"No, nothing," Reed replied with a hint of distress and increased vitals.
"Move aside," Connor warned before maneuvering his way into the tiny space and sliding into the hole. He landed inches away from Reed.
"Hey, watch it plastic," Reed yelled, shifting his weight around.
Connor placed his hands on the door, his skin retracting as he felt around for a palm scanner. Then, suddenly a mechanical click echoed as the doors snapped open, sending Gavin and Connor rushing down a long tunnel lit by teal lights that flickered inconsistently.
Reed screamed like a wild banshee as they hurdled down what Connor assessed to be some sort of disposal shoot for damaged android parts when the facility was active. He quickly measured their descent speed and impact distance, as they were headed on a collision course that would surely result in crippling Gavin.
Briefly, Connor hesitated as the thought danced around his head before tossing it aside. He grabbed Reed by the collar and used his feet to slow their fall. Metal scraped and screeched like nails on a chalkboard as they gradually slowed. Reed's cries had faded.
"It's a seven and a half foot drop," Connor explained. "I'll catch you...promise."
"You'll what!?" Reed shouted as Connor slipped under him and landed on his feet evenly.
Reed fell, but to his chagrin, he landed perfectly in Connor's arms.
"I believe a thank you is in order," Connor smirked, trying hard to keep his face neutral.
Reed wiggled out of Connor's grasp. He only watched as Reed's face morphed into disgust from their closeness. Reed ran his left hand awkwardly through his brown hair as he let out an audible sigh of frustration.
"Don't tell a fucking soul," Reed ordered.
Connor held back a sly chuckle as Reed flicked on his flashlight to see a pile of disembodied androids beneath them. At least here the androids had been inactive Connor noted. It was not like a solid waste landfill. A place Connor had only been to once for good reason.
President Warren had ordered it to be set on fire and destroyed. Connor had been there that fateful day too. It was the same day his charges had been dismissed. The same day Markus had welcomed back into the Jericho community.
"Gross," Reed complained as he searched the room for an exit.
Reed located a ladder and barely managed to climb out. Connor eyed Reed curiously, who had irritated his rotator cuff. He climbed out behind him.
"Reed, your shoulder?" Connor started before matching Reed's pace as he wobbled through the rubble.
"It's nothing, so piss off. What is this place?" Reed asked.
"A disposal shoot," Connor replied, wanting to inform Hank of Reed's injury. But is signal was jammed.
It was dark on the sublevels. Connor determined that they had to be beyond the levels presented on the elevator. Reed's light barely lit up the space separating them from the miles of dark that stretched out before them.
Connor attempted to analyze their surroundings and send word to Hank once again, but static tipped his stability into the red zone. His LED circled repeatedly on red which he tried to hide from Reed but failed.
"That's not good," he stated sarcastically, shoving Connor aside to lead.
"No, you stay behind me," Connor ordered, taking back his place ahead of Reed.
Reed sighed. "I don't need to give the Lieutenant another reason to hate me or get me kicked off this case."
"What?" Connor closed the gap between them. "He'd never do that, Detective Reed. Despite his ill-temper, he believes you to be quite capable."
Reed scuffed, coming to a halt as the sound of metal hitting metal rained down somewhere nearby.
"What the fuck was that?" Reed spun around in a circle as Connor's head jilted forward.
Connor fell on his hands, face clattering against the broken marble floor. Something had hit him and hit him hard it did. Reed stepped back, stumbling towards Connor. Peering into the dimness, Connor struggled to identify a cause.
Reed strung up his flashlight and captured a figure shrouded in darkness. With a quick snap of his wrist, the light illuminated a face. Connor knew that face all too well.
"Why the fuck does that THING have your face?" Reed shouted before bolting down the hallway in pursuit.