Disclaimer: I do not own Detroit: Become Human. This story contains violence, abuse, and dark themes. Viewer discretion is advised.

DATE: December 15, 2038

TIME: 11:07:08 A.M.

Gavin went over the game plan in his head as he walked through the precinct parking lot. William Brookes would be brought in for questioning, though depending on Brookes' temperament, it would either be a simple process or a teeth-pulling one. His good cop was a little rusty, so he had already told Connor to fulfill that role and let himself be more aggressive if necessary. He glanced down at the time on his phone as he walked through the precinct's automatic doors. Connor should already be here. The android was typically punc—

His feet stopped dead in their tracks before Gavin fully realized why his body felt so numb and his heart so cold. Maddison didn't give her usual greeting, as she was too busy being scolded by the woman on the other side of the counter to give her attention anywhere else.

"It's a simple question, android. Where the hell is my son?" He didn't need to see Mother's face to know that she was fuming.

"I-I don't know, ma'am," Madison stuttered with a flickering yellow LED. "Have you tried calling him?"

"He's not answering his phone, and that's why I came. I know he's been here."

"Yes, he has, ma'am. But I don't know where he is now."

"Then figure it out!" Gavin realized he was standing stock still in the lobby when a visitor brushed past him. His gaze slowly drifted over to the electric gates that led further into the precinct. To his desk where he could be out of danger. He just had to walk over to it. Like, right now. He looked down at his phone as he gradually stepped to the gates.

"You, detective!" He shouldn't have stopped. If he hadn't, he could have pretended that he didn't hear the demanding shout.

He heard Mother's pointed heels clack on the tile floor as she marched over. "Look up from your damn phone. I'm talking to you." He did as he was told, a wave of dread crashing over him as he looked Mother in her eyes. He was taller than her now, but her glare wasn't any less potent as it ripped apart any confidence he had built in her absence. Her face had a few wrinkles that emphasized the fierce scowl on her face as she questioned:

"You're working on the case about my son, so you must know where he is, right?" He didn't answer her. It was impossible when his throat closed up, and his tongue was heavy in his dry mouth. "Don't stare at me like some cretin. Answer me." She snapped her fingers, which seemed to ignite a freezing blaze deep in his chest, clawing at his heart.

"I… uh… I…" Gavin muttered incomprehensibly as if speaking was foreign to him.

"Are they hiring detectives with speech impediments, or is there just something wrong with you in particular?" She snapped, her eyes narrowed, and her long nails dug into her palms. And he just stood there frozen. His panicking heartbeat was like a raging drum as he waited for her to raise more than just her voice.

"Excuse me, Gav," he flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Tina moving in front of him, forcing Mother to step away. "Can I help you with anything, ma'am?" She asked, keeping a forced smile as she lightly nudged Gavin away. He didn't hear Mother's response through the ringing in his ears as he felt himself walk through the gate and to his desk.

But he couldn't sit down. He couldn't be seen breaking one of the most essential rules. Though as he struggled to catch a breath and his vision began to tunnel, he trembled on his feet with dread, and he grabbed onto the side of his desk for support. The click of footsteps dug at his ears, edging closer by the moment. He wasn't ruining Mother's furniture, so she wouldn't be upset when she got to him, right? He wouldn't be punished, right?

"Gavin," the voice was too deep, too low to be anything like his shrill Mother's. The touch to his shoulder was too different from Mother's as well, light like a feather and gentle like a fall breeze. "I believe you should take a seat."

"No, I-I can't do that. I can't. I—"

"It's alright. Nothing's going to happen to you. Just breathe. You need to breathe. In and out." The voice guided him, and he tried controlling his breaths, closing his eyes, and breathing deeply. The calm rhythmic breathing went against the erratic pace of his troubled heart, and the warm hand rubbing circles into his back gradually eased away the tension that had a death grip on his body. Slowly, he opened his eyes and was welcomed with a clear vision and rich brown eyes. "Are you feeling better, Detective Reed?" Connor asked him.

"… Yeah, actually… So, you can stop touching me, tin can." The words lacked the same biting conviction they usually had.

"Right, my apologies." The android removed his hand, and he suddenly became much colder.

"Don't apologize. You kept me from losing my shit."

"Do you have panic attacks often? If so, you should consult your doctor to prescribe you medication for it."

"I already have that." Gavin straightened up, feeling much more stable on his feet. He made a mental note to call in for a pickup at his pharmacy. "Did they already bring in Brookes?"

"He's being transported here as we speak. Give or take three minutes." Tina returned from the lobby, irritation written all over her face.

"I can't believe I actually convinced her to leave." She groaned as she walked over to the detectives.

"Made who leave?" Connor asked.

"Kamski's mom showed up asking where he was. I get a mom's rage about not knowing where her hurt child is, but don't be such a harpy about it."

"How'd get her to go?" Gavin asked as whatever residual anxiety left him.

"I told her that Kamski was getting a checkup at the hospital."

"He's going to the hospital?"

"I've got no damn clue. I just said that to get her outta here before she caused a bigger scene."

"That's a shame," Connor said. "I would have wanted to ask her a few questions."

"Trust me," Gavin said, "You just dodged a fucking tactical nuke."

"He's here," Chris announced as he walked into the precinct. Behind him, two other officers guided a handcuffed man to the interrogation room. "He was, uh, a bit uncooperative, so I wish you two all the luck you can have." He patted Gavin on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Chris. You ready, Connor?"

"Yes, detective." Connor went and grabbed a folder from his desk.

William Brookes looked like the kind of man that habitually dabbled with drugs with how his dark eyes were bloodshot, and he constantly snorted as if there was something stuck in his nose. His irritated posture made him seem bigger than he actually was when Connor walked into the interrogation room. Gavin watched them closely from the observation room with Chris sitting at the terminal.

"Good morning, Mr. Brookes," Connor greeted, sitting in the chair across from him.

"They have plastic detectives now? Ain't that just great," Brookes groaned. "Can we just skip to the damn questions? I don't want to be here longer than I have to."

"Why the rush?" Connor asked, opening up the folder filled with documents and a few photos.

"I've gotta job, okay."

"And that job is at Baker's Bar and Grill?"

"Yep."

"And you were arrested there once for assault, correct?"

"I was just throwing out the trash. Everybody was actin' like I was gonna kill the guy."

"I see. If you can recall, where were you Sunday night?"

"I was at work."

"Hm, your boss said you weren't present."

"What? I was there working; Donny was too drunk off his ass to realize it."

"If you were at work, when did you get there and get off?"

"I got there around sixish and left at nine like I always do."

"Did you leave anything behind?"

"Nope."

"What about this bag?" Connor slid a picture over to him, a screenshot from his memory.

"I've never seen that bag before in my life." Brookes scoffed.

"Even though it has your initials on it?"

"I'm not the only guy with W.B. for initials."

"Is there anyone else with your fingerprints?"

"Listen, you fucking plastic, whatever you're trying to accuse me of, just spit it out already."

"… Have you seen the news report about Kamski?"

"So, this is what this is all about? Some rich asshole?" Brookes laughed, and Gavin's fist clenched. "You're bitching about how a prick that wipes his ass with hundreds got his shit kicked in. Are we really upset that happened? Better him than—" Gavin didn't hear the rest of the sentence as he walked out of the observation room and busted into the interrogation room.

"Nice to see you here, Willy," he greeted with a bite to his tone, and Brookes looked taken aback.

"Reed? The hell—"

"I hear you're in a rush, so let's get to the damn point," he slammed his hand on the table, making Brookes flinch and recoil as Gavin shoved a picture in his face. "You know what this is, right?"

"It's a house."

"Whose?"

"Ain't got a damn clue."

"How about this one," Gavin pulled out his phone and pulled up a photo that had been sent to him. "Do you know whose house this is?" Brookes's eyes widened as he was shown the photo.

"… Yeah—"

"Funny, so do I, and plenty of other people could too."

"Could?" Brookes' eyes narrowed.

"'Course, I'm pretty sure there's plenty of people who would just love to see this photo." Gavin leaned in closer, speaking low under his breath, "Should I send it out, or should you start talking?" Brookes went quiet for a moment, staring silently back at Gavin with worried eyes.

"… Maybe, I wasn't at the bar on Sunday."

He finally said, and Gavin leaned back with a smug smile.

"Go on, tell us."

"So, I've got a second job along with my bar one. And my employer's a bit… of an icehead. I was just told to drop off a few of my coworkers at Kamski's house, and that's what I did."

"What were they gonna do?" Connor asked.

"They didn't say, but they had their fisticuffs ready, if ya know what I mean."

"Who are these coworkers?"

"I don't know their real names, but I know the workplace. There's a meeting there at 5 o'clock tomorrow."

"Can you write the address?" Connor slid over notepaper and a pencil.

"… No one else is gonna know about this?"

"As long as you don't do anything stupid, no one has to know," Gavin said.

"Good." Brookes wrote down the address.

TIME: 12:34:06 P.M.

The New Jericho center was a tall, repurposed hotel by the water, and Hank noted that his car was the only one parked in the empty parking lot. He would have thought the place was abandoned if androids weren't walking in and out of the building. They gave him intrigued looks. Hank guessed they thought it was strange for a human to be here or were trying to figure out what model he was. The receptionist gave him a weird look as he approached the front desk.

"How can I help you, sir?" He asked.

"Hi, I'm Lieutenant Anderson and—"

"That's where you're from!" the android cut him off at the realization. "You're in that photo with Kamski on the news last night."

"On the what?" Hank asked. He had been too busy with paperwork to watch television the previous night.

"There was a news report last night about Kamski being attacked. Is he okay?"

"… Mostly, yeah. I'm here for the investigation of the incident."

"Oh, what can I do?"

"I just want to speak with some androids. Charity and Chasity, they're ST200s, and Chloe, she's uh… an RT600. They all have the same face."

"Alright, let me see where they are," the skin on the android's hand-peeled back and touched the body of his computer, the monitor flickering with different texts and images. "Okay, I've found them. They're on the 3rd floor in room 181."

He got on the elevator and thought about when he saw any reporters after the attack yesterday. He didn't remember any, though he was still mentally recovering from being nearly killed. Regardless, the news was out there that Kamski had been attacked. With everything going on, he wasn't confident whether it was androids or humans that were the culprits. Hopefully, that and more would be cleared up today. He knocked on the door to room 181 and heard feet patter in the previously silent room.

"Hello?" he called out when he got no answer.

"Who is it?" a weary voice asked from the other side.

"It's Lieutenant Anderson. I'm working on the case for the attack on you and Kamski." He heard faint muttering.

"Did you see Mr. Elijah?"

"Yeah. He even helped a bit with the case."

"Is he okay?" she sounded more than worried.

"I'm guessing you saw the news report. Kamski's alright, still healing, but alive."

"Thank goodness." She breathed a sigh of relief. "What do you need?"

"I just want to talk to you about that night. It'll help the investigation."

"… Sure!" The lock clicked, and the door opened. He believed it was Charity, the giveaway being the black tank top and matching short skirt she wore. She was smiling welcomingly.

"Please, come in, Mr. Lieutenant." She stepped aside to let him inside.

"Thanks. You look better." In the small room, he saw the other android Chasity, sitting at the quaint dining table, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and skirt whose hem skimmed the ground. She looked at him through a curtain of her blonde hair as she toyed with the fabric of her skirt. The hole in her head was repaired, with a white blotch like a birthmark taking its place. "You look in shape too." She lightly nodded her head. "Where's Chloe?"

"Chloe? Oh, she's out getting more clothes for us." Charity answered, closing and locking the door. "Would you like any tea or coffee, sir?"

"No, thank you. We should go ahead and get started." He sat down at the table and noticed how Chasity shifted nervously in her seat, opposite to how lively Charity plopped down into her seat and bounced her foot underneath the table.

"Alrighty then, what do you wanna ask us?"

"What happened to you both that night? From your point of view."

"Oh, that's easy enough," Charity clasped her hands together. "I was cleaning in the kitchen when the lights went out, and Miss Chloe told me to go check on the breaker outside. But I couldn't get the lights back on, so I went inside to see if Mr. Elijah could fix it. He can fix most anything, really. He'd fix the television, the toaster, even my pinky when I accidentally caught it in the door—"

"You were talking about how you went back into the house?" Hank tried to politely redirect to the subject at hand.

"Oh, right, sorry. So, I go inside and then I see Miss Chloe fighting with someone. I couldn't tell who, but I knew Miss Chloe was winning for the most part. She was always more interested in different types of kicking and punching and all of that. She wanted us to spar with her this one time, and I swear I couldn't lay a hand on her. Poor Chas was too scared to go after what happened to me, but I certainly didn't blame her—"

"So, Chloe knows how to fight and was fighting the intruder?"

"Yep!"

"Then what?"

"Then… Then…" Charity tapped her chin in thought. "My memory gets all fuzzy then. Sorry about that. I hardly remember anything, only that I couldn't find Chas until I opened the door for you and the other officers."

"Did you suffer any head injuries?"

"Besides a couple of glitches and scratched up body, my noggin's working like a well-oiled engine. The technicians patched me up, the best they could, and Chas too. I was so worried when I first saw her with her head— But she's all better now. We're all better. Was that a good answer?"

"Yes, but now onto you," he looked to Chasity, and she seemed to shrink under his gaze. "Can you tell me what happened that night?"

"… I can try." Her soft voice muttered. "I was reading in the living room when the lights went out like Charity had said, and there were also sounds coming from the bedroom. So I was sent to find what made that sound and I found… intruders in the bedroom."

"How many were in there?"

"I'm not sure, four at most, I guess." She chewed on her pink lip. "One of them started… To hit me, and I started bleeding really bad on my head. I remember Mr. Elijah came in to help, but then th-they started hitting him too." She took in a slow and deep breath. "My caller wasn't working, so I ran, but they started chasing me, so I jumped into the river and swam. I was exhausted when I got to shore and had to go into stasis. But when I woke up, I couldn't run faster to the station."

"Alright," Hank leaned back in his seat, "I'm not trying to be intrusive when asking, but if all of this started with you being in the living room, how'd you end up in your bikini?"

"W-Well, I like to wear my swimwear underneath my dress just in case Mr. Elijah wants to go swimming. One of the intruders ripped off my dress when they tried stopping me from jumping into the river."

"They didn't want you to leave?"

"… I guess not."

"So, they didn't steal anything and didn't want any of you to leave. They just beat the crap out of you and left?"

"Kinda like that, yeah." Charity replied.

"Is that all that happened?" he asked, watching the android in white closely.

"As much as we can remember, sir." Charity had no issue answering, and though Chasity nodded, her LED was a flashing yellow, unlike the bright blue of her companion.

"Listen, girls, you've helped me a lot here, but I feel like there's more to this, don't you?"

"There could be," Charity said with a shrug of her shoulders, "But that's one of life's greatest mysteries, the criminal mind. Ha, that sounds like something Mr. Elijah would say, isn't it, Chas?" Chasity nodded her head, an uneasy glint in her blue eyes.

"I'm here to help," he said, trying to look the nervous android in the eyes. "I want to make sure this doesn't happen again, that you're never hurt. But I need more information to do that. And you'd given me all you can, right?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Lieutenant." He wasn't surprised that Charity answered with a smile, but Chasity didn't so much as move her head.

"… Hey, Charity," she spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm a bit thirsty. Could you please get me a thirium pack from the cafeteria, if it isn't too much trouble?"

"Of course, it isn't. Don't have too much fun without me." She slipped on a pair of black slippers and left the room. Chasity didn't speak right away, and Hank let the silent sit to make her more comfortable.

"I… don't know how to say this," she muttered, looking down at the table.

"It's okay. Take your time."

"Right… I've got something to say… about Mr. Elijah, that is…"

"Did he…" Hank remembered how frightened Price had seemed at the mere mention of Kamski's name. "Did he have anything to do with your injuries?" that got the strongest reaction out of the android he had seen, her head shooting up with a horrified expression.

"Heavens, no! Mr. Elijah's never laid a hand on me like that. Never! It was those damn—" she slapped her hand over her mouth before she could finish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that." She apologized, though he didn't know if it was for the information she was about to say or the cursing. "Let me start again, please," she rested her hands on the table. "I've known Mr. Elijah for a long time, long enough to know when his brother was alive."

"Kamski has a brother?"

"Had, yes." She solemnly nodded. "From what I remember, Mr. Elijah was fairly happy when his brother was alive. He was still reserved but could get through the day without much trouble. However, after his brother's passing, he… Changed. He was more difficult to please, and he tended to pick fights with people he really shouldn't have."

"Like who?"

"… People who don't do very good things. He may have said the wrong words to the wrong people. But calling them 'people' is being too kind to them. 'Monsters' is too kind of a title for them." Her nails dug into the table, a glittering glisten brewing at the corner of her eyes. "They didn't want to steal from us or even kill us. They just wanted us to suffer, for him to suffer. I know, he kept on telling me he couldn't feel the pain, but his skin was still splitting open, and his blood was getting everywhere, a-and I couldn't stop, and—"

"Hey, take a deep breath, sweetie," he said soothingly to try and calm her, getting out of his seat and sitting beside her. She buried her face in her hands as she wept, and he lightly patted her shoulder. "It's gonna be alright."

"No," she whimpered, shaking her head with her yellow LED having flares of red. "No, it won't ever be. Not until those monsters are caught." She lifted her head, eyes a puffy red with tears staining her pink cheeks. "If I had only taken a moment to try and look at one of their faces, this would be over. But, I had to run like a coward."

"You did what you could," Hank reassured her. "Most people would panic too. But even then, you went and got help. What matters is that you're alive."

"… You're right." she placed her hand on his. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"No, thank you for speaking to me. We'll catch the bastards that did this. That's a promise."

"I didn't know which pack you wanted, so I just—" Charity stopped in the middle of her sentence when she walked in and saw Chasity's state. "What happened?" she worriedly asked, coming to Chasity's side.

"Nothing for you to worry too much about." Chasity wiped her eyes.

"Thank you both for your time today," Hank said as he stood up. "We'll get this case wrapped up before Christmas."

"Thanks to you, too, Mr. Lieutenant." Charity smiled. "And please tell Mr. Elijah if you see him again, 'that we want him to stay safe and we miss him very much.'"

"Not a problem." Hank left the androids and returned to his car without interruption. He made a note on his phone to visit the same hospital where Kamski had been treated.

TIME: 6:43:08 P.M.

"And then he writes us the address." Gavin relayed how the interrogation ended to Eli as they drove through the Detroit streets. "It's probably some kinda drug den at best, but I've dealt with worse."

"You sound confident," Eli observed.

"A bit of confidence never hurt… At least, that's what Mom seems to think with how she stomps and orders people around. She showcased that today when she was yelling at the receptionist at the precinct."

"I assume she was demanding where I was?"

"Hitting the nail on the head. Tina got her to go away, but she talked to me before that. Well, 'talk' is putting it nicely. She still got on my ass in this life like she did the last. Only this time, I could say whatever the hell I wanted to her, and I… I still couldn't. Like I knew she couldn't hit me or anything, but I thought that…"

"That she was going to strike you anyway." Eli finished for him with a sigh. "If there was a way for me to take those memories away, I would."

"No, despite how they screwed me up, remembering Mom as she is, makes her the perfect role model. Of what not to fucking do with your life. Because of her, I drink in moderation, I don't have shitty friends, and I know how not to act around kids." He chuckled.

"That's one way to reframe it." They pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store with few parked cars.

"The pharmacy's inside there," Gavin said as he parked, stuffing his keys into his pocket. "You can pick out what you want to eat while I get my refills."

"Sounds good to me."

The grocery portion took up most of the store, and it was primarily quiet besides the elevator-like music playing in the background.

"Where's the fruit section?" Eli asked.

"On the back end to the left, there's a big green sign that says 'fruit.' Hard to miss."

"Is there a budget?"

"Just get whatever you want. I'll have enough." Eli nodded and walked off, though Gavin doubted he'd get anything over ten dollars. There weren't many people in the store, except for an elderly woman paying with coins at the self-checkout and a man wearing a scarf and hat looking at kitchenware. There wasn't anyone at the pharmacy counter either, so he had to ring the bell, and out came an older man from the back dressed in his winter coat. He looked annoyed but brightened up when he saw who it was.

"For a good minute there, I thought you weren't coming back, Mr. Reed." The man greeted.

"I just had to find the time to drag my ass here. So how you've been, Mr. Ross?" Gavin asked as he placed the three empty orange bottles on the counter and the man scooped them up.

"Still working, but I'm happy Christmas is just around the corner. How about you? Haven't gotten into fights, have you?"

"Nah, I've been too swamped with work to do that. I know you're disappointed. I don't have any exciting stories to tell you."

"Well, if not hearing stories means you keep yourself from having a broken nose, I'm fine with that." Mr. Ross put the now-filled bottles in a bag, placing it on the counter, and Gavin handed him the money. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You too, old man. Keep warm." He left the pharmacy, letting Mr. Ross leave for home. Heading to the produce section, an intriguing sound caught his ear. His footsteps themselves weren't anything special, but how his steps seemed to echo felt unnatural. He stopped, but the echo didn't, continuing its controlled rhythm and getting closer with every click of soles on the tile floor. Gavin looked down the aisle he was standing in front of and inwardly flinched when he saw the man he'd seen earlier appear on the other end. He rolled his eyes at himself; he'd need those pills sooner than he thought. Nevertheless, he continued onwards or would have if he didn't hear:

"Excuse me, sir, are you with law enforcement?" the man meekly called out to him, "I need help, please!" Gavin turned back around and went back to the aisle.

"What's wrong?" He asked as the man walked over to the detective, looking around anxiously. The man's face was familiar, and it clicked in his head that he was actually the domestic android model with black hair instead of blonde peeking out of his hat but kept the same blue eyes. Gavin guessed his LED would be yellow from how worried he looked if he still had it.

"I just got a text from my girlfriend, and," the android reached into his back pocket to pull out his phone, "I-I think she's in danger." A single thought came to Gavin's mind, well less of a thought and more of an order that screamed in his head, and he obeyed. He stepped backward, and a tingling sensation scraped across his throat as the tip of the kitchen knife grazed his skin. He'd never seen an expression change so rapidly as the android went from a man worried for the safety of his girlfriend to an elated attacker who found his next victim.

"The fuck?!" Was all he could think to say as he fought back against the attacking android, dropping his medication bag to grapple with the arm that was poised a knife at his neck. He'd only fought with androids a handful of times when he had shown up to scenes of deviants attacking their owners. Neither of those fights had been as fierce as this one. This android fought with purpose, not out of newly experienced fear.

"El—" the breath was knocked out of him when the android slammed him against the aisle rack, the shelves rattling and digging into his back. The only thing keeping the knife from slicing open his neck was his right hand gripping the blade at bay, his other held back by the android. His heart was pounding like a war drum in his ears, and he raced to catch his breath as a primal fear spiked through him. He tightened his grip on the blade, a numb, slicing sensation cutting into his palm.

"Get the fuck off of me," he hissed through exertion as the knife got further away, enough for him to headbutt the android and for a second time when the android stayed resistant. The android stumbled back, blue blood pouring from his busted nose. Gavin reached for his gun, not hesitating to shoot when he could. The bullet only clipped the android's shoulder in his panic, and the android grabbed at his gun, letting the knife clatter to the ground. Shots boomed through the aisle as they fought for the gun, and Gavin felt a hot burn run through his side.

In the grapple of kicking and shoving, the gun was sent skidding across the floor. It was a mad dash to the gun that Gavin won, but he was rewarded with a knife in the back as the android retrieved it from the floor. Despite the force threatening to send him crashing down, he stayed on his feet, spinning around to fire point blank between the android's eyes. There was only a hollow click.

"Shit!" He turned his gun into a bludgeoning weapon striking the android across the temple, but not before the knife dug deep into his shoulder, cool metal slicing open warm flesh. His right hand clenched into a fist, and the muscles in his arm tightened like iron cords to deliver a right hook to the android's face. Gavin wasn't expecting the nasty crunch that sounded and how violently the synthetic skin ruptured, and neither had the android as he nearly tumbled over, clutching his shattered cheek.

"Wow," the android gasped, watching his blue blood drip from his hand as his excited smile grew. "You're strong." With the knife still lodged inside, Gavin prepared for the android to lunge but had no need to when Eli sucker-punched him from behind and put the dazed android in a headlock with his good arm.

"Who are you?" Eli firmly demanded, squeezing tight.

"Hi, Master Elijah," the android greeted like his throat wasn't currently being crushed. "I didn't know you two were friends."

"I asked who you are. Answer me before I snap your neck." He threatened through clenched teeth, fierce anger in his eyes that Gavin rarely ever remembered seeing.

"Someone to give you more incentive to give up." The dilated blue eyes snapped over to Gavin. "Do you?"

"I'm not going back. You can tell those idiots I'm trying to help them cover this up."

"You want the masters to trust a word you say?" The android scoffed. "After everything you have done. I doubt that they will."

"They—" Eli was violently cut off when the android headbutted him backward, the lenses of his glasses cracking. However, that didn't make him let go, as he readjusted his hold to twist the android's head by the chin, the ligaments in his neck straining. What did make Eli go was the elbow to his side, a wet tear sounding as he recoiled, clutching his abdomen where a dark spot was growing on his gray hoodie. Gavin was on the android the next moment, shouldering him harshly into the shelves, and didn't relent when he fell to the ground, beating on the android's head. Biting back against the searing pain brought by the knife being twisted deeper into him, he struck again and again 'til his knuckles were painted a vibrant blue and—

"Gavin!" A strong hand grabbed his fist, and he looked up to see Eli standing over him. "Get up. We have to go."

"Right, right," Eli helped him to his feet, and picking up his empty gun, he just realized how much blood stained the white floors. A mess that Eli added to as he picked up the bag of medication and grabbed some medical supplies off the shelves as he passed it by.

"You're stealing?"

"That's your concern right now?" The cold night air nipped at his wounds like a hungry dog as they rushed to the car. "That android's probably sent out our location. We need to get out of here before anyone else shows up." He yanked on the locked car door. "Unlock the door."

"I'm on it." Gavin reached into his pocket and grasped onto thin air. "Goddamnit." He snapped his head back to the grocery store entrance. The android stood swaying in the doorway, a fresh knife in one hand and a ring of keys in the other, sparkling as he jingled them like a child's toy, egging him on.

"You can run, right?" Eli hurriedly asked, staring down at the pair of black vans speeding down the road.

"Yeah, move your ass!" Gavin knew of a subway station nearby and led them both through the shadowy dingy alleyways and the littered low-light streets, looking back constantly to see Eli keeping pace with him. Tracking behind every turn and bend they made, rushing footsteps were always trailing behind. The lights of the subway station were like a beacon of hope in the freezing night, and the train was their ride to freedom.

"Get in!" he shoved Eli first into the cart before getting in himself, but the doors were still open. "Oh, come on, you slow bastard." Gavin cursed, staring at the staircase and pulling out his gun, hoping to intimidate anyone who came after them. He could hear them in the distance coming closer by the second underneath the rumble of the subway.

"Stop running, Elijah!" a male voice boomed out of sight from the top of the staircase as the cart doors closed shut. He didn't feel relief until the staircase was entirely out of sight, and the only sound was the small television screens and their heavy breathing. He grabbed onto the same pole Eli was leaning on to steady himself.

"We… got away?" he asked with uncertainty.

"For now… yes," Eli said as he adjusted his cracked glasses.

"That's… Still a win." His chapped lips smiled. "Ha! Take that, you fucking assholes!" he laughed but cringed when it reminded him of the knife still in his shoulder.

"I believe you need to sit and rest."

"On that filthy seat? Hell, no."

"Even in your predicament?"

"We're not gonna be here long. There's a motel I know that we can stay at."

"Alright," Eli said with a gravelly voice as he coughed into his fist, and Gavin caught a glimpse of specks of red on the pale skin.

"You okay?"

"I'll live through it. What about you?"

"Still kickin'."

TIME: 8:02:07 P.M.

The motel room smelled of stale cigarettes and looked like plenty of fights had gone down in the unwelcoming room with the many holes in the walls. But Gavin knew it could've been worse.

"Come here," Eli said as he went into the bathroom, "You need to get that out."

"Ah, I was just getting used to it." Gavin joked to calm his already strained nerves. Eli washed his dirty hands and set out the medical supplies on the bathroom counter before examining the knife.

"Can you see through those?" Gavin asked as Eli squinted behind his cracked lenses.

"Yes. Don't worry. This will be quick." He reassured Gavin as he grabbed the hilt of the knife.

"Like ripping off a b—" his sentence dissolved into a choked scream as Eli ripped out the knife in one swift motion. "Fuck me, you didn't even give a heads-up!"

"That was the point. Take off your jacket and shirt." Eli quickly set down the knife and grabbed the roll of gauze. Gavin slid off his jacket easily but needed help when taking off his shirt. "I'm sorry for startling you earlier." Eli apologized as he wrapped up his shoulder.

"You're fine. You think they'll clean up the mess we made?"

"They'll have to. Does anything feel out of place with your arm?"

"Besides the pain," he flexed his hand, the cut in his palm slowly disappearing, "It feels good."

"Splendid. Turn around so I can take care of your back." Gavin hissed through his teeth when Eli pressed the alcoholic press to the small of his back before wrapping gauze around his midsection. "Is it too tight?"

"Nope, I can breathe just fine. Do you need any help wrapping up yourself?"

"I can take care of my injuries."

"You s—"

"Yes, I'm certain. Go ahead and wash your hands. We don't want this place looking more like a crime scene than it already does." Gavin did as he was told with a huff, the cold water stinging the cuts on his knuckles, leaving Eli alone in the bathroom. He put back on his dirty shirt and set up his bed, taking the sheets and covers off one twin bed and creating a makeshift sleeping bag on the floor. Next, he took his night medication, something he'd definitely need for a day like today. It wasn't nearly being murdered that had him on edge. That was a weekly occurrence in his line of work. What rattled him was that if he had let himself die, there'd be one less person there for Eli. Speaking of Eli, he was certainly taking his time in the bathroom, so he went to the door and knocked.

"You good in there, Eli?"

"… Yes. I'll be out soon. You should go ahead and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Yeah, I'll get on that… But can I ask you something first?"

"I'm listening." Gavin paused, leaning his back against the door and closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. "Gav?"

"How… How did Mother react when I died?"

"Oh," Eli's sigh wasn't surprised or shocked; he honestly didn't know how to describe it. "Give me a moment to remember… I remember seeing Mother in the hospital. Her hair was a curly mess, undone, and she hid her face though her hands were already doing a fine job of that. She only showed her face when I sat beside her. Her eyes carried tears that streaked her makeup down her cheeks, and her cold face was a fleshy pink… She cried for you that day… But only for that day… Would you like me to go on?" When Gavin opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"… No. I'm good."