A/N: Hello everyone! This is going by so fast but I'm enjoying getting this story out for you all to read. Thank you to everyone who's sticking with it and I do hope you're all enjoying reading it. We're getting to more good chapters soon, so I hope you'll continue to join me on this journey...
Reiterated Disclaimer: I do not own Detroit: Become Human or Assassins Creed. Just my own characters and my own scenes.
Thank you, please enjoy!
Hank's house- 1:05am
Vera
Vera stared at the phone on the table in front of her, thinking of the last call she had with her fellow assassins. She pushed her hands through her hair.
We'll get there. I just know we will. We have to!
She turned in her chair to look at Connor who sat on the couch, Sumo at his feet. His hands sat in his lap as he stared straight ahead. She almost laughed, turning her body all the way to speak to him. But then Hank barrelled out of the bathroom and towards the front door.
"I'm going out!" He announced, not waiting for anyone to respond as he opened the door.
"Wait, Lieutenant!" Connor cried as he hurried after him. Vera was close behind.
Hank had already started the car when the two leapt in before he could drive away.
"Where are you going?" Vera asked, shivering slightly from the sudden sweep of cold air.
Hank didn't answer. He pulled out of the driveway and carried on towards the edge of the city. They stopped at a store, and when Hank got out, Vera leant forward.
"He's been odd since the Eden Club," she said quietly.
"I can't understand what has troubled him. Perhaps I should ask him." Connor made to leave the car, but Vera grabbed his arm.
"Not yet. It's not the right place."
Hank came out of the store carrying a paper bag with a heavy, bottled-shaped object inside. Vera sighed, but sat back as he started the car again.
He drove to the Ambassador Bridge. It was snowing heavily now, and the benches were covered with it already. The stereo still blared heavy metal songs that bled out of the windows and into the night. The lamplight lit up the tree branches from within. Hank opened the car door and slammed it shut, leaving the engine running. Vera held her breath for a moment, watching him storm towards the furthest bench that overlooked the bridge.
She pulled the handle slowly as she got out, not waiting for Connor to follow her. The cold clung to her like icy fingers gripping her shoulders. She pulled her arms tight around herself, hurrying towards Hank who perched on the top of the bench.
"Hank?"
He took a long swig from the bottle. Connor sidled up alongside her, snow settling on his grey jacket.
"Nice view, huh?" Hank grunted, looking out over the bridge. Its lights lit up along the side, the foreground of the city beyond. "I used to come here a lot before…"
"It's beautiful," Vera breathed.
"Before what?" Connor asked, brow furrowing.
"Hm?" Hank hummed, distractedly.
"You said 'I used to come here a lot before.' Before what?"
"Before… Before nothin…'" He shook his head.
Vera sat on the bench, folding in on herself to keep warm. Hank held out the bottle to her. She stared at it, then at him.
"It'll keep you warm," he said quietly.
Sighing through her nose, she took a mouthful and handed it back, grimacing as it burned her throat. Connor crossed his arms in the silence, then turned to them.
"Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?"
Hank scowled, leaning on his thighs with his elbows as he turned to look at the android. He squinted at him.
"Do all androids ask so many personal questions, or is it just you?"
"Why are you so determined to kill yourself?" Connor asked softly. Not a sharp twinge in his voice like Vera expected. She watched Hank's reaction. Waiting for the explosion.
But Hank answered almost immediately. Quietly. Like he was talking to… a friend.
"Some things I just can't forget," he said, his eyes fixated on the snow in front of them. "Whatever I do, they're always there, eating away at me." Connor tilted his head, his eyebrows raised. Listening carefully. Vera felt her heart ache for Hank as he continued. "I don't have the guts to pull the trigger, so I kill myself a little every day." Another drink. "That's probably difficult for you to understand, huh, Connor? Nothing very rational about it…"
"We're here to help you, Lieutenant…" Vera said shortly, although it seemed feeble in comparison. She stopped, unable to say more. Hank just shook his head. Not at them, but into the night. At the world.
Connor sighed, moving towards the railings.
"We're not making any progress on this investigation. The deviants have nothing in common. They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places…"
"Well, there must be some link…" Hank shrugged.
"RA9?" Vera offered.
"Yes, this obsession with RA9… It's almost like it's some kind of myth. Something they invented that wasn't part of their original program…"
"But what we need to know is where it originated. How have all these deviants heard of RA9 as soon as they break their original programming? Is it like a transmission from all the other deviants? Is it something to do with what was planted underneath their main programming?" Vera stood, waving her arms in different directions.
"Androids believing in God… Fuck, what's this world coming to?!" Hank glared at the bottle in his hand as he sighed.
Connor turned around, frowning. He still held his arms tightly crossed. As if he was cold.
"You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant," He wandered towards his partner. "Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?"
Vera bit her lip thinking about the frightened looks on the girls' faces. Couldn't we have done something else to help them?
Hank lifted his head. "Those two girls… they just wanted to be together. They really seemed… in love."
"They really did." Vera nodded. "I hope they ended up somewhere safe." Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it.
"They can simulate human emotions, but they're machines. And machines don't feel anything," Connor stated quietly. His lips quirked and his brow furrowed. Doubt.
"What about you, Connor?" Hank stood, anger creeping into his voice. "You look human, you sound human. But what are you really?"
Vera watched anxiously, unable to move. Only watch and wait.
"I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant," Connor began. Vera raised her eyebrows. Hank stared at the android, suspiciously. "Your partner… Your buddy to drink with… Or just a machine. Designed to accomplish a task."
"You could've shot those two girls, but you didn't." Hank pushed Connor sharply. "Why didn't you shoot, Connor? Hm? Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?"
"Lieutenant, please…" Vera started firmly.
"No… I just decided not to shoot, that's all…" Connor reeled, desperately.
Hank whipped out his gun, focusing the barrel at Connor's head. Vera moved forward involuntarily but Hank put up his hand without looking at her.
"But are you afraid to die, Connor?"
"If this is a test, Hank, there are better ways!" Vera raised her voice slowly. He ignored her, pushing the gun further forward. Connor stared calmly into the barrel.
"You shouldn't do that, Lieutenant. Destroying me at this point would deal a blow to the investigation and have negative consequences for your personal situation."
"What will happen if I pull this trigger? Hm? Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?"
"Nothing…" Connor breathed. Panic driving its way in. "There would be nothing…"
Hank's hand shook and Vera suddenly thought he was going to pull the trigger. She leant forward aiming to stop him—
But then he dropped it. She sighed heavily with relief. Hank turned, grabbed the bottle and started walking off. Towards the exit.
"Where are you going?" Connor asked, frowning.
"To get drunker," Hank replied. "I need to think."
They stared after him until he'd disappeared beyond the heavy snowfall. Vera shivered. Connor turned to stare at the bridge again.
Her phone buzzed a second time in her pocket. She took it out, glaring at the bright screen. There was a photo… from Caleb…
"Connor, look at this!"
He turned quickly, startled. His eyes narrowed at the picture in front of him.
"RA9? Where is this?"
"Caleb said they're somewhere called Pirates Cove. Used to be an amusement park but it's abandoned now."
"Probably the androids that worked there. Must be old though, right?"
"Don't know." She glanced at where Hank had left them. "It's freezing out here, I'm going to find a motel room. You coming?"
Connor stared at the footprints in the snow. Vera tilted her head down to look at his face.
"Connor? You okay? Just tell Cyberlife we're on another case. Or leading up to one. Hank will be fine while we do some research. I've got a few people keeping an eye out for him just in case he does get into any trouble."
Connor looked up at her. "You're spying on him?"
Vera rolled her eyes. "No, I'm looking out for him. Do not tell him! He'd go absolutely mental!" She started to hurry back towards the main road. Connor followed, his feet crunching heavily into the snow.
"He wouldn't like that. It might make his personal situation worse."
Vera stopped suddenly. So suddenly, she felt Connor brush against her back.
"I'm doing it so he doesn't get hurt when we can't find him. The deviants are rising up. Who knows what could happen if Hank ever gets caught in the crossfire."
Connor said nothing. He was so silent, she thought he'd shut down or something. But then he stood next to her, nodding at the sky.
"Let's get inside somewhere. My system tells me you're freezing…"
Vera scowled, biting back a sarcastic retort. She marched towards the main road to find a motel.
9:25am— Crest Motel
A loud crash woke Vera, her head snapping up from the table, notes sticking to her face. Her eyes focused on the direction of the crash to see Connor bending over a mug. Or the remains of one.
"What are you doing?" She gasped, breath still catching in her throat.
Connor looked up. He looked guilty.
"I'm sorry to have woken you. I thought you would like some coffee for when you woke up. You were up all night writing notes for the investigation..."
Right, the investigation…
Vera smiled. "Thank you. It's really quite alright." She paused, getting up to sweep the glass. "Lieutenant Anderson may need a coffee. Or five…"
"Then we should find him."
"No. It's his day off. Let's leave him be. He'll call us if he needs us." She started to push her notes into a pile.
"But what if his personal situation doesn't allow for that?"
"Connor," She faced the android calmly. "He needed to think last night. A lot. I have a feeling that something big is changing for him and an android and an assassin butting in, will only make it worse. And a longer process."
Connor nodded slowly. Vera sighed and continued.
"Let's just finish some research today and keep an eye on police reports. We'll check up on him later, I promise."
Later that day…
Vera and Connor examined the door of Jimmy's Bar. The 'No Androids' sign still glared proudly on the door just below the 'No Dogs' sign. Vera huffed, pushing the door open heavily, making sure Connor followed her.
The bar was quiet. It was early for the usual crowd, but the locals were still sitting in their booths. Jimmy nodded to her from the bar, but his eyes drifted darkly to her companion. She tapped Connor as she spotted Hank down the end of the bar.
Dark mutters reached them as they passed the men sitting on their right. She ignored them, even as they called them shitty names. The humans' fear was growing, and they were beginning to lash out more than usual.
"Lieutenant…" Vera began as she sat on his right, mainly to keep an eye on the glaring men near the door. Connor leant on the bar, tilting his head to look at Hank's face. The older man grunted, lifting his head slowly to scowl at them.
"Why don't you two ever leave me alone?"
"We left you alone all night and all day. I think that's enough. We have work to do." Hank turned his whole body to glower at her. "I'm sorry, Hank. But we need you to progress in this investigation. You're vital to this investigation, and to us."
Hank turned back to his drink, taking a long, thoughtful sip.
"Please, Lieutenant. We can't do this without you…" Connor affirmed gently. "We might have a lead on another deviant."
Hank turned towards him, eyebrows raised.
"What?"
"Yep. There has been another assault. A woman this time. Although, she's in the hospital, was beaten up pretty rough." Vera shrugged. "They've sent out a call for us to go to the crime scene if you're up for it, then we can question her if she's awake."
"Probably did something to that android…" Hank muttered under his breath.
Vera shared a glance with Connor over Hank's head.
"Then we need to find out why, and if the android is still around."
"But are you sure the android—" Connor began, stopping when Vera shot him a warning look.
"Let's get this shit over with." Hank sighed, slapping a dollar bill onto the bar. They followed him out to the car.
In Corktown, they finally stopped in a richer neighbourhood. The houses were modern, cream-coloured and mostly glass panelled.
Vera wrinkled her nose as she looked out of the window. The sun was blinding as it bounced of the bright walls of the houses.
They stopped in the middle of the street, the police cordoning off the road and one house in particular. She frowned as they passed it, once again coming face to face with Ben.
"You again, Ben?" Hank chuckled, as the other detective turned.
Ben exhaled noisily. "Yeah, always us, Hank. So, you'd better follow me, this is a weird one." The front door was off its hinges, lying diagonally into the hall. Broken glass and porcelain lay everywhere, blood smeared on most of it. A mix of red and blue.
"What's the victim's name?" Vera asked as she knelt down to look at the glass on the staircase.
"A Harriet Silk. Mid-thirties. Called to report a deviant her android was hiding—so obviously two deviants. Then the line went dead. By the time we got here…" Ben shook his head, gesturing to the mess.
"What about the androids?" Hank inquired, grimacing as he stepped on some glass. Connor knelt down to the blood on the stairs, pressing his tongue to his fingers.
"No idea. We've conducted a search, so they didn't jump out at us, but you're better off giving your android a try." Ben raised his eyebrows at Connor who was still analysing the blood.
"This isn't Harriet's blood," Connor declared, standing. Everyone turned to stare at him questioningly, so Connor continued. "This is another woman's blood. Jasmine Novah, in her late twenties. Unrelated to the original victim."
"Have you found another body?" Vera blurted.
Ben shook his head quickly. Hank took out his gun.
"I'll go to the west side of the house, Connor take the east and Vera, you're upstairs. Be careful and shout if you find anything. Ben, keep everyone back. Away from the house just in case."
Ben nodded wordlessly. Unable to keep the slight panic from his face. Then he was gone to relay the new information to the other officers.
Vera didn't wait for any more instructions. She hopped over the shards of glass as she made her way up the wooden staircase, staring down onto the messy hallway. A handprint was smeared on the glass under the banister, droplets of blood continued inconsistently over the wide landing.
Moving her gun ahead of her, she made her way slowly into the first bedroom. It was darker in here. The sheets and curtains were both a brown colour, contrasting against the sunlight that tried to push itself through the silky blinds. The bed was unmade, sheets screwed up in a ball and pillows lying diagonally across the top of the bed.
Vera strained her ears for any kind of movement. She opened the closet, sliding the black doors one at a time. Holding her gun up with one hand, she pushed the clothes back with the other. But was just met with the wooden back of the closet.
Vera sighed, checking the others, then leaning down to check under the bed.
Nothing.
But as she was getting up, she spotted red blood spilling underneath the nightstand. Vera pushed it aside, spreading the carpet fibres with her fingers to get a closer look. Pulling out a knife, she placed the tip into the pool of blood. It came away easily, splattering both sides of her knife.
Fresh…
As she examined one side of it, the reflection caught movement behind her. A small stool being brought down towards her head!
She rolled out of the way. Just in time as the stool smashed the nightstand into pieces. Vera backed up towards the closet. But the crazed woman before her was following. Fast. Or as fast as she could go. She was bleeding profusely although Vera couldn't tell where from.
The woman held one of the stool legs in her hand. She raised it to strike.
"Jasmine! Wait! I'm not here to hurt you."
"How do you know my name?" Jasmine demanded, brushing hair out of her face and smearing blood across her dark skin. She pointed the bar at Vera's face, grimacing at the small movement.
"I'm with the police. We're just trying to understand what happened. You're bleeding and you need help…"
Jasmine glowered. "I didn't do anything. I was just trying to protect them! She… she was the one who started throwing things and then hitting back." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Okay, I did hit her first but that was to stop her throwing things…"
Vera began to stand. Slowly. "It's okay. No one will hurt you now. Harriet is in the hospital, and we haven't found the deviants yet. Do you know where they are?"
Before Jasmine could respond, running footsteps sounded on the stairs.
"Vera?" Hank's voice yelled from the landing. Jasmine's face brightened with panic. Vera held up her hand to her.
"Hank! I'm fine. Don't come any closer. We need an ambulance!"
"What—"
"Just get me an ambulance, Lieutenant. Please."
Hank grumbled loudly outside, but he ordered Connor and Ben back down the stairs. Vera turned her attention back to the woman standing in front of her, who was starting to lean over.
Vera grabbed her arms, holding her upright. She threw the metal bar across the room. As far away as possible.
"Come on. Time to go. You're not in any trouble."
But Jasmine, eyes closed, asked her to wait. "I stopped her from reporting the deviants. Her own android was helping the other and I tried to protect them. They tried to reason with her… she lashed out and… I hit her so she hit back. A lot of fighting… then she knocked me out and they must've fought her back. I'm not sure. They tried to take me with them, but I told them to go… without me."
Vera looked at the woman she was carrying carefully. A sadness laced her words. But no regret.
She really wanted to help them… No matter what…
By the time they got to the stairs, Jasmine was completely leaning on her, and Vera began to struggle.
"Connor! Hank!" She called, gasping. Trying not to end up with them both hurtling down the stairs. They both came running to help her.
Once she was safely in the ambulance, Hank turned to the assassin, arms crossed, and eyebrows raised. As soon as Connor joined them silently, she began.
"She wasn't in the wrong, she was trying to protect the deviants from Miss Silk who then proceeded to throw objects at all three of them until Miss Novah stopped her with a punch. They fought and the deviants apparently tried reasoning with her. Miss Silk knocked Miss Novah unconscious and reckons the deviants then tried to protect her, and themselves, in turn by using force against Miss Silk. The deviants tried to take Miss Novah with them, but she told them to leave her and go…"
Connor abruptly turned his head towards the house.
"So they're definitely gone?"
Vera grimaced, shrugging. "I've no idea. But it's likely."
Hank sighed heavily, looking up and down the street.
"Let's go to the hospital and then write this report. I'm gonna need another fuckin' drink at this rate…"
"Me too," Vera chuckled softly.
