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Deviant City

Chapter Seven: Catching the Glitch

Hank stood before another android murder victim, this one strung up on the safety railing that led along the trail of the Detroit river. This time, the android had been stripped of all clothing and tied up by the arms in a "T" position, his legs dangling into the water.

It was getting dark out. He pulled out a small black light from his pocket and shined it over the body. Like the one before, the word "DEVIANT" had been written on the body in thirium. And again, the fuel pump—the heart—had been forcefully removed.

"Why do this, Hank?" Connor wondered out loud as he frowned at the scene. "This isn't the only person who has ever killed an android, yes, but why make a show of it? Why write deviant on a deviant's body? It would be like writing human on a human's body."

"No," Hank replied, his tone somber. "This isn't just about killing androids, this is a message. We've had other people accused of killing androids and they've always insisted it wasn't deviant. Our suspect wants us to know that they knew this android was a deviant and they killed him anyway."

While Connor continued to frown with worry, the walkie talkie on Hank's belt crackled to life, asking for him by name.

"This is Anderson," he responded.

"Anderson, do you know where your android is right now?" came an urgent response by a male member of dispatch.

Hank looked at Connor. "Of course I do. He's right here with me. We're at a crime scene."

A moment of silence on the other end.

"Why? What happened?" Hank pressed.

"An android that looks like Connor opened fire in Jericho and killed a few people. Human people. You two might want to get your asses over there."

Hank looked at Connor, who had heard the conversation and was watching him with confused concern. "Looks like we have to let the clean up crew handle things from here. We've gotta get to New Jericho."

Connor nodded and followed his partner to the car. As usual, he blatantly ignored the ghost of Amanda haunting his crime scene.


.

Hank and Connor were not the first police on scene. There were already several marked police cars parked in front of Jericho with their lights flashing blue and red over the old buildings. Uniformed officers were everywhere, some holding the police line while a collection of both human and android rubberneckers had come to see what was going on. Some of the officers were guarding a group of androids, though none of them were cuffed. They stood against one wall looking a little concerned, but not afraid for their lives.

The nearest officer looked relieved when Hank pulled up with Connor. She seemed more than happy to leave it all to Lieutenant Anderson to take control of the scene.

"What happened here?" Hank asked.

"We're still trying to figure that out," she replied. Her badge said Mendez. "All the androids are saying that a group of armed humans showed up out of nowhere, took someone and left."

"They call came and took an android?"

"No, a human. I don't know if you saw the news earlier today, but they're building an outreach headquarters here. That's why there's all this construction equipment. Funded entirely by Elijah Kamski."

Hank shook his head at the inventor's name. After that extremely weird encounter by his red-tinted pool, Hank never wanted to converse with that man ever again.

"One of those working on the outreach was a human woman named Samantha. Looked to be in her early twenties. Not sure of her last name yet."

Hank nodded at the small group of detained androids. "And why are you keeping them?"

"They saw the incident. All of them say a group of armed humans in a black van and a black SUV kidnapped this woman at gunpoint. One of the androids tried to protect her and they filled it full of holes." Officer Mendez nodded at Connor. "Same model as that one."

Connor's eyes widened, his LED cycling into yellow. "Is the android...still alive?"

"We think so. It was nearly offline by the time we got here; absolutely bleeding blue everywhere. We put it in an armored truck and sent it back to the precinct to have the techies look at it."

"An armored truck, is that necessary?" Hank said. "You said he was nearly dead."

"This android left bodies behind, Lieutenant," she insisted. "If the android lives, it's going to be arrested for murder."

Hank closed his eyes as he took a moment to process the absolute shit show he knew this was going to be.

"Markus!" a voice yelled.

The familiar and bloody form of Markus stumbled in through the police tape and fell into the snow.

North boldly ran through all the armed humans to kneel at his side. "What happened?"

He was covered in blue blood, his face scratched, one arm hanging limp while the other held his side.

"I tried to stop them." He looked up at Hank and Connor. "They took her."

Hank recovered first. "Took who? This Samantha girl?"

Markus nodded.

"Who were they? Where did they take her?"

"I don't know. Humans with guns. They were just after her, though they were also gunning for Connor."

He looked up at Connor's surprised face. "Not this one. Another RK800."

"Right," Hank said. "As I understand, you had one staying here with you." He let out a long breath. "So now I have two Connors to deal with."

Markus looked around. "Where is he? Is he alright?"

North had an arm around his shoulders and helped him back to his feet. "The humans took him," she said with venom.

"He murdered people tonight," Officer Mendez shot back.

"He was trying to protect one of your kind. The humans came here to kidnap one of your own and you still side with them over an android." North gave them all a look of disgust and then turned her attention to Markus. "Come on, let's get you inside."

"Hold on, we still have questions," Mendez said.

Markus was about to respond when North cut him off. "He will answer your questions after we repair him. Unless you're going to arrest him, too, for trying to stop a kidnapping."

Mendez looked pissed, but Hank stepped forward. "No, please. Take care of yourself. Connor will come back later when you're...healed." And before Mendez could protest, he asked her. "You said the other Connor android was taken back to the station?"

"Far as I know."

Hank looked at Connor. "We're going to have a talk with this android. You see if you can get a positive ID on these armed men or find any android that saw the plates of those vehicles."

Mendez pressed her mouth in a firm line, but said, "Yes, Sir."


.

Hank looked out the one-way window into the interrogation room. He had expected the android to be down in the basement, getting repairs. What they did instead was slap a patch on anything leaking fluids and then promptly cuff him to a table in the room reserved for more violent offenders. The familiar face of the RK800 was dented on one side where he had been shot. Hank often forgot Connor was an android more and more each day. He would never be able to forget that this one was a robot with his android shell partially exposed from the damage.

"Has he said anything since he's been here?"

"Not a word," Fowler replied with a frown. Their captain had already been in the observation room when Hank and Connor stepped in. "That thing took nearly a dozen bullets and is still kicking. The tech says this android's been modified with a thicker, bullet-proof shell. As if whoever made it expected it to be in just such a firefight. Every one of its victims was killed with a single shot to the head. It's like someone built their own terminator and it has been running around in my city right under our noses."

"The android was trying to protect a human from being being taken by armed kidnappers," Connor quickly cut in. There was a slight hint of desperation in his voice that caught Hank's attention. "The android has probably been here for a while without incident. It was only when this missing girl was taken that he fought back. Captain, the men he shot weren't innocents."

"We don't know anything yet," Fowler said. "You will treat this android with the utmost caution until we find out what in the hell happened today." He paused and looked at Hank. "Have a positive ID on this missing girl?"

Hank shook his head. "A Samantha something or other. Light red hair, early twenties, light skinned and slim. That's about all we got."

Fowler's cell rang and he answered it with a "What've you got?" He paused, listening, then looked at Hank as he replied. "You've got plate numbers. Good. Start running them and get them to every patrol out there. If they're still in the city, I want to know where they are."

When he hung up, he looked at Hank again. Hank noticed not for the first time that Connor was never specifically addressed unless Fowler could only get what he needed straight from the android. Most of the time, Connor was treated as if he wasn't in the room.

"You're going to question the android?"

"Connor and I are," Hank insisted, putting emphasis on his partner's name. "Connor knows how to interrogate an android better than I ever could."

Fowler shook his head. "Fine. That's fine. I'll be in here making more phone calls. Hopefully we can figure out who this girl is and find her."

Connor was already walking out of the observation room and Hank hurried to follow.

"Connor," he called as the android was about to go into the interrogation side. "Wait. I just want to make sure you're comfortable with this."

"Why would I be uncomfortable?" he asked with pragmatism.

Hank was caught off guard by the question. "Because you're talking to an android with your face. One that has killed people. I saw how you struggled with the RK900 when he came here."

"That was different. That Connor in there is me. Why would I be uncomfortable talking with myself?"

"That's not you. That android killed people tonight. He was walking around with a weapon and was built to withstand an armed attack. That isn't you."

Connor turned around. "Hank, you forget that I did the same thing when I went to Cyberlife tower. I killed people to free those androids. The Connor in there is no different than I am."

With that, Connor walked into the room and Hank was quick to follow. The other RK800 looked up and the surprise was clear on his face when he saw a copy of his own model.

"Hello Connor, I work with the Detroit Police Department. This is my supervisor Lieutenant Anderson. We are here to help you. Can you tell me what happened?"

The other RK800 had a desperate look on his face. He opened his mouth, but only a horrible static noise came out.

Lights flickered in Connor's eyes. Hank had worked with him enough by now to know that meant Connor was scanning the other android.

"Some sort of anti-android device was used on him. It fried his voice box," Connor said. "He doesn't have the ability to speak."

"Then how the hell is he going to answer our questions? Should we get the techs in to fix him?"

The android looked antsy, worried. He jerked at the cuffs chaining him to the table, but they would not give. As best he could, he offered his hand to Connor.

"What's he doing?" Hank asked.

"He wants the two of us to interface. I can connect into his memories and see what he saw; know what he knows."

"Is that a good idea?"

"You've seen me do it before, Hank."

"Yeah, but that was a different android than what you were. If this one is a copy of you, then what happens when the two copies connect?"

Connor looked at him for a moment. "I don't understand where your concern is coming from, but I promise I will be careful. This is what I've been designed to do. It's not going to be a problem."

Hank raised his hands. "Fine. I trust that you can take care of yourself. Do what you gotta do."

Connor sat himself on the other side of the table, facing his damaged double. He had thought about this other Connor so much since he first heard his voice in the news. So many things he had wanted to ask him. He wanted to find out what his life was like, what things he had learned. He never wanted the two of them to meet like this.

If he was honest with himself, his earlier confidence about not being afraid was beginning to leave him. The more he stayed in the room with this android, the more he feared he would not like what he found. What if it turned out this android didn't just shoot those men to protect someone? What if he looked into this android and found a killing machine? The type of machine he himself had almost become. Was he looking at his alternate future if he had chosen a different path?

The other RK800 held out his hand impatiently and Connor glanced at Hank's concerned face once more before taking it.

With other androids, it always took a few moments for the two different systems to connect. With his double, the connection was instantaneous. It was like tripping and falling down a dark hole as everything connected, synced, and immediately started trading information. Trading too much; way too much. Like the other android was sucking out everything that made Connor who he was and replacing him with everything that was the Other Connor.

In that moment, Connor understood Hank's concern. Having a sense of self was a new concept to a deviated android. And Connor had never fully understood it until something tried to take that away.

His fall into the void was interrupted as soon as it started when Hank yanked Connor's hand from his double the second he looked uncomfortable.

The lieutenant put both hands on Connor's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "You okay, kid? You looked freaked out."

Though Hank had been so fast to respond, the damage was already done. This Connor had been alive—been deviated—far longer than him. The broad range of emotions going through this android had bombarded and overwhelmed Connor more than anything else. Rage, desperation, love, fear. It was a mess of information like a wad of tangled string that would take a long time to unravel. But there was one thought loud and clear in the forefront and Connor grabbed Hank's arms with urgency.

"They're going to kill her!"

"What? What are you talking about, Connor?"

"The girl. Her name is Samantha Hall. Those men who took her are going to kill her. We have to go. We have to find her now."

There was an urgent knock on the one-way mirror.

"Come on, Connor," Hank said. "Let's talk about this outside." He gave the other RK800 a wary glance, though the android still looked fearful and desperate.

Connor looked at the RK800 as Hank practically pulled him out of the room. The android's expression mirrored his own thoughts. They were running out of time.

Back in the observation room, Fowler was waiting for them as they shut the door behind them.

"I just got a call explaining everything. Apparently this girl escaped from her family with the help of the android. She was being kept in a mental health facility, receiving treatment for her delusions. She believes she's Elliot Hall's daughter."

"The guy who owns the Hall Foundation?" Hank asked. "Didn't his daughter die in a car crash a handful of years back?"

"Right," Fowler agreed. "This girl is Rebecca York. She's a cousin of the family from Europe who began to believe she's Samantha Hall after her cousin died. The family sent her to the US so she could get some mental help."

Even as Hank nodded, Connor was vigorously shaking his head.

"No, that's not correct. I saw the android's memories. He was with Samantha Hall."

Fowler showed him a picture on his phone. "Was this the girl you saw?" It was the picture of a brunette woman. She looked very close to the redhead from the RK800's memories, but they were clearly not the same person.

"No, that's not..."

"Right, this is a picture of the real Samantha Hall. The one who died. Somehow, Rebecca managed to convince their security android," he motioned to the RK800 in the other room, "that she is actually Samantha Hall and she was being held against her will and they were doing horrible experiments on her. They told me they still don't know if the android itself has a glitch or if it has just been completely brainwashed by this delusional woman.

"I was also told the recovery team was sent by the family to retrieve the girl. They came armed because they knew the android was also armed and would try to protect her by force because it believed in this madness. And people died today because of it."

Connor kept shaking his head, feeling overwhelmed. The information he had from the android and the information he was being told were so incongruent, he was having trouble processing a proper reaction.

"Captain, those people lied to you. I believe this girl's life is in danger."

"You're believing the ramblings of a broken android," Fowler shot back. "Delete whatever information you got from it. If this glitch is from some sort of virus or something, I don't need you catching it, too."

"Captain, this isn't right."

"Connor, you will shut up and let us handle this." Fowler, for the first time, met his eyes and he did not look happy. "That android is going into isolated custody. No one goes near it until we figure out what to do. This might be the first case ever of a paranoid, delusional deviant. We don't know what causes it or what it will do. Stay away from it. If you want to keep your job, you'll do as I say."

"But the girl, Sama—I mean Rebecca. What if she is still in trouble?"

Now Fowler went from annoyed to angry. "That was the Chicago Police Department I was on the phone with. They say the girl will be getting the medical care she needs until they can fly her back safely to her family. She's going to be fine, despite all the trouble and death she caused."

"But..."

Fowler walked past him and looked at Hank. "This case is no longer your problem. I suggest you get that through your partner's head. Hopefully he didn't catch anything from that defective android. If Connor starts acting funny, too, you'll tell me right away."

"Yes...sir," Hank said with hesitation.

"Good, now both of you can call it a night. It's late and I don't want to see either of you down here and nowhere near this android. We still don't know all the modifications this thing has had and I'd rather not add to its body count if I can help it."

Connor obediently followed Hank back to the bullpen, but his LED was flickering from one color to the other. No, this wasn't right. The things that the other RK800 saw and knew weren't a delusion. The Captain didn't even give the android a chance to tell his side.

"Hank, if our suspect wasn't an android, would Captain Fowler had believed him?"

"Believed him, he didn't even listen to him," Hank snorted back.

"So you noticed. What are we going to do about it?"

"Nothing." Hank plopped himself at his desk. "If they're taking the girl to Chicago, that's out of our jurisdiction. Especially since Chicago PD has already told us they've got a handle on it. There's nothing we can do. We don't have any authority."

Hank turned to look at his computer screen, but Connor put a hand on his desk to gain the lieutenant's attention. "They're going to kill that girl, Hank. The second they get her back to that place they've been holding her, they're going to kill her. And when anyone else comes looking for her, they'll say she was already put on a plane back to another country."

Hank looked up at him. "Is that what that other android told you? Is that what he believes?"

"Why would we doubt him? Just because he is an android? Or is it because strangers claimed he is a broken android? I saw images in his head—things he has seen. There is a lab in there, a place where they did things to that girl. The other Connor has been trying to protect her from them."

"That's what Fowler said the android would say. Why do you believe the android over these people? Is it simply because he is an android? Aren't you playing favorites, too?"

"Fowler told us what some stranger whose identity we could not verify told him over the phone. I am telling you what I know, Lieutenant. Delusional or not, an android can't make up visual footage they saw with their own eyes."

Hank looked him up and down. "You know, huh? What do you think you know?"

"I didn't just download files, I looked into that android's mind. That girl's name is Samantha Hall and the RK800 took her away from where they kept her because he knew her life was in danger. He would do anything to protect her. He would give his life for hers because he is in love with her. And now he needs me to save that girl's life."

"Wait. Wait, wait wait," Hank said, waving his hands to get Connor to stop. "You said the android is in love? With a human? Is that even possible?"

An anxiety Connor had never felt before, even from Amanda, had been building up in him. He was losing precious time. He couldn't keep arguing with Hank when there was a life on the line.

"Take me to Chicago."

Hank frowned. "What's wrong with you? That's over a three-hour drive."

"Then give me your keys."

"Fuck off, Connor. Do you even know how to drive? What's gotten into you?"

Connor's LED flickered madly from yellow to red. "I have to go there and get her, Hank. I have to. If you won't take me, I'll find another way. I'll take a police cruiser if I have to."

He stalked off and Hank jumped up to grab his arm. "You aren't going anywhere. How about you calm the hell down? No one is in danger."

Connor whirled around, looking more frantic than Hank had ever seen him, For a second, he wondered if there really was a glitch in that other RK800 and Connor had caught it.

"Why aren't you helping me?" Connor shot back. Luckily, it was late and no one else was around, not even the captain. "They are going to kill this woman and you don't care! This is your job!" He immediately turned and began heading for the front doors of the precinct.

"Connor! Where are you going?" Hank called after him.

Connor turned around, but was still walking backward for the doors. "I can't stay here, Hank. I have to...I have to go get her. I have to do something."

Hank hurried after his partner. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. "That damn android broke my damn android." Louder he said, "Connor, hold on. Let me get in touch with someone in Chicago. I'll have them do a welfare check on the girl when she gets into town."

In front of a still visibly anxious Connor, Hank looked up Chicago dispatch and asked to be put in touch with whoever knew about the case. Which seemed to be no one at first, which of course got Connor's LED flickering from yellow into red again. Hank was passed from one officer to another until he finally demanded someone higher up and he was left on hold.

"Either you take me to Chicago or I'm going to get on a bus," Connor told him.

"Just hold on a sec—" Hank was cut off as a man's voice answered and he sounded very uninterested in the call.

"Hi, yeah, this is Lieutenant Hank Anderson, I'm with the Detroit PD. My Captain got a call from somebody on your end about the incident that happened here. A girl was kidnapped by a group of armed men and we were told these people were sent there by the her family?"

"Right, right," the bored voice said on the other end. "We're not thrilled they did this either, though its understandable when an armed android steals your family member. If I had the money to hire a private security firm to get her back, that's what I would have done, too. But I assure you, Lieutenant, we're taking this seriously and we're going to make sure all the weapons used were legal and all permits are in order."

"What about the girl?"

A surprised pause on the other end. "What about the girl?"

"We have reason to believe she left the family because of domestic abuse. Can you send someone to do a wellness check on her?"

There was a sense of hesitation. "We're a bit shorthanded, but maybe we can find someone to go over there tomorrow."

Now Hank was irritated. "You still have about two hours before they'll even be in town, how can you not find someone?"

"My understanding is that they'll be taking the girl directly to a mental health facility."

"Then you'll send someone to that facility to check on her."

Now the tone on the phone was irritated. "Lieutenant, I can appreciate you wanting to do your due diligence for this girl, but I promise you we've got it covered on our end. I need to get back to work."

And with that, the phone disconnected. After such a conversation, even Hank's suspicions were up.

"The Hall Foundation already has their fingers in the Chicago PD," Connor said with confidence. "We can't trust them to make sure Samantha is okay. I need to go there. Will you take me?"

Hank had started out without any intention of getting into whatever madness had taken over his partner, but the conversation with the Chicago officer was beginning to change his mind. He had no doubt no one was going to check on this poor girl. If anything sketchy was going on with this family, there would be no one to help her. It was possible the only person who ever had the girl's best interest at heart was the android being held in lockup.

"Okay kid, you win," Hank sighed.


.

Hank couldn't believe this was his life now. It was dark and well past dinner, yet he found himself driving to Chicago as a light flurry of snow began to whip around the car. It didn't help that Connor was constantly urging him to drive faster in his old beater. Hank would be surprised if the rust bucket even made it all the way there. And when Connor wasn't actively trying to stress Hank out, he was fiddling with that coin of his while looking out the window with a clenched jaw.

"You could go faster if you wanted," Connor muttered. "You're a fucking police officer."

That comment almost sent Hank pulling off to the side of the road to have a talk with his very agitated partner. It was only for the fact that time was of the essence and he had a feeling that Connor would absolutely lose his shit if Hank stopped that kept him driving.

"What is going on with you? What happened when you connected with that android? Is that android really broken? Did he do something to you? You're not acting like yourself."

Connor didn't say anything for a while and then his leg starting shaking. That act made him look more human than Hank had ever seen him. Connor was still a baby deviant to some, but all his more robotic tenancies were slowly leaking out of him with each day.

"I won't lie to you, Hank, connecting with another RK800 was not what I expected. Part of him is in me now and maybe a part of me is in him, too. I don't know. But he has definitely been a deviant longer than I have. He's felt far more emotions than I even knew existed. And all I can think about is her because that is all he can think about. So we need to get her so I know she's safe and I can stop feeling all these horrible emotions." He paused and then looked at his partner with a softer expression. "Is this what it feels like to be human all the time?"

"Not all the time. We have good days and bad days. And on those bad days, all you can do is your best. Which is what you're doing right now."

"Thanks, Hank. Thanks for listening to me and for always having my back. I'm lucky to have you."

Hank gave a smile shadow of a smile. "Anytime, kid." He stepped on the gas a little harder.


.

They made it to Chicago in record time. Connor, strangely enough, couldn't give Hank the address of their destination, but he knew the way. Hank doubted for a while as they didn't even make it into the city, but drove around the outskirts and into wooded territory. Without fail, Connor led them to a darkened facility out in the middle of nowhere. He knew the code to get through the gates and to open the garage doors at the side of the building.

"Pull in," Connor said in an emotionless voice. When they had neared the building, something took over him. He was no longer a nervous wreck. He had gone back into a more robotic affect, almost as if someone else was controlling him.

"I can't just pull in," Hank argued. "This is private property. Connor!"

Connor stubbornly stepped out and walked right into the open garage.

"Shit," Hank hissed and he stepped out after him. "Connor! Get the fuck back here. You're breaking the law."

Connor wasn't listening. He walked right up to a key pad on the door, punched in a code, and the door opened. A unique fear suddenly came over Hank. What if this wasn't his Connor? What if the two of them had switched bodies? Was that possible? They had only connected for a few seconds before Connor was showing signs of distress and Hank had ripped them apart. What if a second was all that other RK800 needed to take over his partner? This Connor wasn't acting like his Connor at all. If Connor was tagged as a rogue android, his career as a part of the Detroit PD would be over. Maybe even his life.

Intent on grabbing the android and bodily dragging him back to the car, Hank ran after him. He stepped inside the building in time to see Connor going down a strange narrow side door with cement stairs. The mere existence of this seemed wrong. It was also very strange that they weren't already swarmed with security. Had Connor jammed their surveillance somehow? Or had the other RK800 wounded so many of them, they had all been taken to the hospital?

Either way, Hank made it all the way to the bottom of the stairs before he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Shit, it's the android!" a nervous male voice said. "Please, don't kill me."

Hank turned the corner in time to see Connor standing before a man in glasses and a lab coat, his hands raised. Connor was pointing a gun at him. Hank reached for his own weapon to find it missing. When had Connor taken it from him?

"I'm not here to kill anyone," Connor said in a calm but dangerous tone. "I'm here for Samantha. Where is she?"

The man wilted at this question. "Please, understand I was just following orders. I just do as I'm told."

Connor fired at the floor, not hurting the man, but definitely scaring him. The sound of the gun made Hank's ears ring in this low-ceiling space. If security hadn't noticed them yet, they would know they were here now.

"Where is she!" Connor snarled in a very not-Connor tone. "Where's Samantha!"

The man stumbled back into a row of large, cylindrical canisters against the wall. They were each six feet tall and wide enough to hold a person. Inside they carried a thick, dark green substance. The one the man backed into, something human-sized and pale floated within. It moved closer to the glass and Hank could clearly see it was a woman. She looked like the brunette Samantha Hall he had seen in the picture, the one that supposedly died in a car crash years ago. But this woman had jet black hair.

"Jesus Christ," Hank whispered.

Only then did the man notice him and he looked like he was about to piss his pants.

"She's in the back room. Please, you have to understand what we do here. She was going to die anyway..."

Connor shoved past him into the back room. The man in the lab coat ran from him and, when he saw Hank wasn't armed, ran past him as well and scrambled up the stairs. This was it. Both their asses were going to get arrested and tossed into a Chicago prison no matter what they did. Hank had to get that gun away from Connor and maybe, just maybe they could get out of this with just losing their jobs.

Hank ran after Connor and stopped in his tracks. There she was: the girl with the red hair. Connor had known exactly where she was, in the basement of this building out in the middle of nowhere. She was held in another glass canister, this one laying flat on a table. She was unconscious and naked with what looked like some sort of oxygen mask on her face.

Connor immediately tried to break in, but he couldn't figure out how to open it.

"Help me Hank!" He tried to get his fingers into the seam, tried to find out how to open the door. And when that didn't work, he tried to break the glass with his fists.

Hank took a glance around and saw all the devices that were hooked up to the girl in the glass. It was almost like a hospital room. What if all of these devices were keeping her alive?

"Hold on, just hold on! What if you kill her?" Hank said.

Connor looked at him with such a wild look, his LED in the red. "They are killing her, Hank! They're gassing her, right now!"

"What?" Hank looked around again and noticed the heart monitor was slowing little by little. This woman was dying. And Connor's android brain was having trouble trying to figure out the button to open the case because they were manual clasps. Hank opened the case from his side while Connor found the nob to the gas and quickly turned it off. They were about to remove the mask when two armed guards came into the room, guns pointed at them and both of them froze.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?" the first guard asked.

"Shit, it's the android," the second one hissed. "I thought Garrett said they shot him! That thing doesn't stop!"

"Wait, wait. Don't shoot," Hank said, holding up both his hands. "We didn't come here to hurt anybody. I'm a police officer. I'm going to slowly reach into my coat and show you my badge."

At the mention of Hank being a cop, the two guards looked uncertain.

"How the hell did you get here? No one called the police," the first guard said.

"We came for the girl," Hank replied. "All we want is to get the girl out of here alive."

Now the first guard set his jaw. "No, you're not going anywhere. None of you are. We can't let you leave after you saw this."

"You have no choice," Connor spoke up. "I called your local 911 when we came near the city and reported an explosion with gunfire at this address. If you can't hear the sirens already, firefighters will be here any second. Followed by medical first responders, and then even the police will be coming here. You can't kill them all. And do you want to? Or are you glad it's finally over?"

Surprisingly, the first guard lowered his gun first, followed by the second. And in the resulting stillness, Hank thought he could hear the scream of a fire truck through the open garage door above them.

The guards left. They just walked out and went back up the stairs. This place had been a secret house of horrors where they were holding women and, apparently, killing them. These people knew it was happening and they protected its secret. Maybe they left to meet the authorities or maybe they left to run. Either way, the did look relieved it was over.

Connor was already trying to revive Samantha before the two men had fully left the basement. Hank helped to carefully pull the gas mask from the woman's face. It was attached to a tube that went deep down her throat and she sputtered to consciousness as it was removed. The tube came out with a noxious smell that made Hank lightheaded and Samantha gave a couple deep coughs before leaning over the side and throwing up.

She took one look at Hank and threw herself to the floor and huddled up against the wall.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Her storm green eyes looked around wildly.

Hank stayed back to let her know he was no threat, but Connor did not have the same kind of common sense. He walked right up to the girl and crouched next to her.

"It's alright, Samantha," he said gently. "I found you. You're safe now."

Hank wanted to yank him back. You just didn't go up to a victim and get in their space like that when they were panicking. Yet, the girl calmed at the sight of him.

"Connor?" she asked. She moved to reach for him, but then looked him over again and pulled away. "You're not the Connor I know."

"He sent me to find you." Connor removed his android jacket and draped it around her naked, shivering body. "I swear, I'll keep you safe until we can get you back to him."

Samantha's response was to hug him tight and sob openly onto his chest. Connor looked startled at first, but settled himself down, sitting cross-legged on the ground with the girl in his lap. He kept his arms protectively around her as the whole place then turned into a proper shit show.

As Connor predicted, first the firefighters came in and checked the house, including the basement. Then came the EMTs. Then came the police. Then more police, and more. And then came the FBI. The red haired girl was not the only girl found alive in the basement of this strange facility. The black-haired woman floating in her cylinder was also still alive. The man in the lab coat was brought back down and he had to assist with safely removing her. She was then taken away by ambulance to a hospital for recovery.

Samantha however remained at the facility. Connor carried her upstairs through a lab into the other half of the building which suddenly turned into a domestic setting. There was a bedroom that clearly belonged to a young woman once, but the bed and closet were stripped and it didn't look like it had been used for a while.

There, Connor continued to sit with Samantha. She managed to find some mismatched clothes to wear, but then resumed her place curled in Connor's lap, face pressed into his neck. He sat patiently on the mattress with her in his arms. If anyone came close, they got a very snappy android who growled protectively and scared most people away but only the bravest EMTs who managed to check Samantha's vitals and then scoot off.

"Connor, you need to calm down. Let other people help her," Hank said with disapproval. He had been left to wander the building as it was flooded with all sorts of law enforcement. He looked through the lab side of the building with incredulity. These scum bags really were doing lab experiments on people here. After his own examination, he would check back on his partner periodically.

Connor didn't respond, but continued to hold onto the girl like a stray dog protecting a bone. Samantha muttered something into his neck. Hank thought she had said something about he was free to leave her if he needed to. Connor vehemently shook his head, pulling her against him even tighter.

Hank let out a long breath and did the one thing he had been trying to avoid: he stepped out of the room so he could call his captain. Fowler was not as mad as Hank thought he would be when he told his superior they went to Chicago. He went completely silent on the phone when Hank told him all that had happened, all that he had seen.

"And you're still there now?" was Fowler's first response.

"Yeah, just standing around. The feds have completely taken over the place."

"And you have the girl with you, whatever her name is."

"Connor has been calling her Samantha and she's hasn't corrected him. The other girl we found, I don't know who she is."

"So then is that the real Samantha Hall? Was her death a fake?"

Hank rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what's real right now. I don't think even the Feds know yet. You should see the kind of science fiction shit in this place. God only knows what the Hall Foundation has been doing to these girls."

"Connor knew," Fowler said softly.

"Yes, Connor knew. He received the information from that other RK800 we have in custody. This girl would be dead, maybe the other one too, if Connor hadn't dragged my ass out here."

Silence from the other end. Hank could only imagine how overwhelmed his captain must feel with this new information. Hank was a bit overwhelmed himself. As a homicide detective, he had seen some fucked up shit in his time, but never anything like this.

"Okay," Fowler finally replied. "Stay there and do what you've got to do. Get back to me when you get back into town."

Hank hung up and returned to the room. A female federal agent had managed to get Connor to let go of the girl long enough for questioning. He sat next to her on the bed as close as he possibly could. They were thigh to thigh as a very confused Samantha attempted to answer the agent's questions.

"And you don't know what they were going to do with you here?" the agent said, sounding very unconvinced with Samantha's wide eyes.

"No, I had been living here for almost two years when I left. I would make regular trips to the lab, but they definitely weren't ever trying to kill me."

"And what did they do to you in the lab?"

"My blood has special properties. They were using it to develop treatments for diseases."

"Jesus," Hank muttered to himself. No wonder that RK800 had been desperate to get this girl out of here. She had been their science experiment and when the cap was blown off their secret, they took her back to get rid of the evidence. The two RK800s, Hank then realized, were the same. He could imagine his Connor coming to the exact same decision of getting Samantha out of this place. Though Connor told him the other RK800 was in love with this girl. His Connor ever falling in love with a human was something Hank still couldn't wrap his head around. Any android, for that matter.

He and Connor had encountered a pair of Eden Club androids that said they were in love with each other and Hank hand believed them then. But they were both androids. He believed deviated androids could love each other in a way that they as deviants understood love. He had never stopped to examine it further before. But for an android to love a human—was he showing some latent prejudice in his doubt? Did he think a human's love was on a different level than an android's love? Most of what he learned about deviants was from Connor and Connor was but one deviant in a sea of androids with all their own lives and experiences. It was something he would have to think about.

"And what about the other girl in the canister?" the FBI agent continued. "The one with the black hair?"

Samantha's face flushed with genuine horror. "I...I don't know about any other girl. I was the only one here when I lived here. I left a handful of weeks ago and I haven't been back until tonight. Connor got me out. I think he knew more than I did about what was going on, but he would never tell me about it. I don't know if it was in his programming that he was physically unable to tell anyone, or if he just couldn't bring himself to say."

"Connor," the agent repeated as she looked over at him.

"Not this android," Samantha clarified. "He's the same model. He tried to save me when I was kidnapped. Wait! Is he hurt? What happened to him?"

"The other android is alive," Hank said from where he leaned against the doorway. "He's damaged, but still kicking around. We've got him at our Detroit precinct. He's how we found you."

"You should go to the hospital for a full check up," the agent then said. "I'll have a car take you, or you can ride with me if you'd like."

The agent probably assumed since she was female, that Samantha would be more comfortable going with her than a male stranger. The offer, however, only caused Samantha to cling to Connor's arm. Connor's response was to immediately go back into protective mode, his LED flicked into yellow.

Worried the android might start an actual fight with the feds, Hank stepped in. "We can take her down."

The agent didn't look too happy about it, but she could see as well as Hank that it might be the easiest way to get what she wanted. She told them the name of the hospital and Hank, unfamiliar with the city, looked it up on his phone as he followed Connor and the girl out of the house.

Samantha seemed very keen on getting out of there the second it was suggested and Hank didn't blame her at all. In the car, Hank was alone in the front. Connor insisted on staying in the back with Samantha, looking very comfortable with her going right back to clinging to his arm after she put on her seat belt. Hell, he'd probably let her sit in his lap the whole way there if she insisted on it.

His passengers were silent on their drive out. Samantha only spoke up when the cityscape of Chicago could be seen on the horizon.

"Please take me back to Detroit." She had said it so softly, it took Hank a moment to realize what she said.

"You don't want to go to the hospital?" Hank asked. "After what you've been through, I think you need to."

"I need to get back to Connor." She looked at the android whose arm she still clung to. "Uh, my Connor. He's probably going crazy. He needs to see that I'm okay. I need to see that he's okay. Then maybe I'll go to the hospital."

The way she said that last line, Hank was doubtful she would go at all.

"The feds are expecting me to take you to the hospital here."

"So?" There was a bit of panic in her voice now. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why can't I go back to Detroit? Why can't I go get Connor first?"

"Take her back to Detroit, Hank," Connor ordered in an aggressive tone he had never used on his partner before.

Hank glanced back to give the android a warning look.

"Sorry, Hank," Connor then said in his normal polite tone. "Please. Let's go back to our precinct and we'll sort everything out there."

Hank breathed hard out of his nose. Technically, they weren't doing anything wrong. Samantha was right, she wasn't officially being held for questioning. And she was still technically under police watch. Taking her back would only mean he would get bitched at by either Fowler or the feds. A glance in the rear view mirror at his passengers and he decided it might be worth it.

"Okay. Let's go back home."


.

Samantha was still trying to piece all her memories together. One moment she was fighting for her life in a moving van. The next moment she woke up feeling dizzy with a tube down her throat. She was in some kind of subbasement without her clothes and no recollection of how she got there. Two strangers stood in front of her and she was too terrified to think.

But one of them came to her with a soft, familiar voice. It was Connor! Even as she threw her arms around him, she knew it wasn't her Connor. He was one of possibly only two RK800s in creation. Both were named Connor. And that shouldn't have been reason alone to trust him, especially when waking up naked in some sort of sketchy lab, but he was all she had. She clung to him as he covered her with his jacket and he did not let her go.

Eventually, as police and other first responders flooded into the basement, Connor picked her up and carried her up the stairs. She was further horrified to find she was back in the facility where she had lived before her Connor helped her escape. The basement lab had been beneath her the entire time and she had never known. This was why Connor had insisted they leave here in the dead of night. Though she still had no idea why they put her down there or what they intended to do with her.

It was even more confusing was she was asked question after question about how long she lived in this house and who was she with and what did they do to her here. She told them that lab technicians would take her blood at regular intervals and that it was used to create medicine. After all, that was what she had always been told. The lab techs did far more than just take blood, which is one of the reasons Connor had insisted on getting her out of this place, but she didn't mention that.

She really didn't want to talk to any of these people at all. She just wanted out and away from this horrible place. She never wanted to come back again. Being surrounded by these four walls again distressed her in a way she had not expected. The only thing that felt safe was Connor, and he wasn't even her Connor. She couldn't stop herself from clinging to him and listening to the steady thrum of his thirium pump.

Even as she wouldn't let go, she felt bad for being so needy with this stranger. She told him on more than one occasion that if Connor had to go do something more important, he could leave her. He didn't have to stay and be her security blanket while she cowered like a child. But the truth was she couldn't stop shaking and she nearly cried every him he emphatically refused to leave her side. If only he knew how much that meant to her.

It was suggested that she go to the hospital. Samantha never wanted to be in a place with needles and technicians again. But she said yes in the hopes she could go with Connor. This sweet, amazing android did exactly what she hoped and they were soon on their way, leaving the facility far behind, hopefully forever.

And then she begged to go back to Detroit. Nothing else mattered other than getting back to her Connor. She knew he had been shot. He needed someone to take care of him and to make sure he was repaired, and she was sure he was going crazy with worry for her. The car ride back to Detroit seemed so infinitely long and she still couldn't stop shaking.

Yet somehow, whether it was the remnants of the drugs or emotional exhaustion, she fell into an exhausted sleep on the way back and didn't wake again until Connor gently shook her.

"We're here," he told her.

She sat straight up and looked around. They were in an unfamiliar parking lot.

"Where's here?" she asked. A second of panic spiked through her at the thought they were at a hospital.

"We're at the precinct," the man who had introduced himself as Lieutenant Anderson said as he opened the driver side door. "This is where we've been keeping your android."

Connor! Samantha ripped herself from the hold of the Connor in the car and scrambled out of the car. "Please take me to him. I need to see him."

Lieutenant Anderson nodded casually and motioned her to follow. Samantha was right on his heels, feeling like she would vibrate right off the ground. She could just imagine the look on Connor's face when she told him what happened to her. No doubt his protective streak would kick in big time and he would absolutely smother her. She could really use some smothering right now. She would have even been satisfied with sitting in a corner, wrapped in his arms for the rest of the night. As long as they were together.

Lieutenant Anderson lead her through the bullpen and over to the holding cells. Connor wasn't in any of them. He then looking through the different interrogation rooms. Connor wasn't there either. Samantha's heart began to pick up in panic. She backed up and nearly ran into the other Connor who was also keeping right on her tail.

Another officer-one of the few in the building since it was so late at night-passed them and Hank called to him.

"Hey, do you know what happened to that android we had in custody? Same model as that one?" He pointed at Connor.

"He's gone," the officer said casually. "The Feds came and got him, maybe two hours ago."

Samantha felt herself shaking all over again.


.

"Where did they take him?" Lieutenant Anderson asked.

"Hell if I know," the officer shrugged. "We were happy to get him out of here."

A silence fell over the room as the officer left. Connor became aware of Samantha's stress and her trembling. This wasn't what he wanted for her. He had insisted they go to Detroit to reunite her with her RK800. That was the mission objective. What were they to do now?

Hank dug in his pockets. "Hold on. That one agent gave me her card. I'll give her a call."

Connor remained calm, though he was very aware of Samantha's physical state. He could tell her anxiety was rising. But it had been high since they found her. What was important was that she was alive and she was with him, instead of in the hands of the FBI. This was an acceptable outcome. There was a "voice" in his head, speaking in his own voice, that told him that keeping Samantha with him was the preferable option.

Connor had been aware of this extra voice since he first synced with the other RK800. The second they touched, their programs spilled into each other. Like mixing water with water, they were one instantly. And though it was only a moment, Connor knew he would never be the same again. The touch had altered him, put new objectives into his programming. Namely Samantha.

She was the foremost thing shoved at him when the two RK800s merged. Save Samantha. That was the objective above all else. Above even his career and his own life. And Connor accepted this. He would have walked to Chicago if there had been no other way, but he was lucky that Hank was such a good partner.

When they found Samantha in that underground lab, Connor assumed the mission would be over and that pull that led him there would be gone. But it only evolved. She was naked on the floor shivering and terrified and the urge grew to take care of her and keep her safe. Connor did not know how to take care of a human. He wasn't a domestic model with those type of protocols. But the voice knew what to do.

He covered her with his jacket and held her shaking form. The voice knew that just being there was what she needed even though Connor had no idea how his mere proximity made this situation better. The urge to protect her grew, as well as the drive to be the one to protect her. He found he didn't like the other human strangers getting near her, especially since she didn't seem to enjoy it herself. And when they had a chance to get out of there, he took her from that awful place.

When she asked to go to Detroit, Connor was very pleased. Detroit was where he lived and if she was closer to him, that was preferable. She let him stay in physical contact with him the entire ride back and Connor found he liked that as well. Physical touch was not something he ever considered before as something good or bad. He liked being near Samantha and he liked touching her, especially since his touch seemed to calm her. He had a drive to see her calm and happy and he wanted to stick by her side until she was.

Everyone waited while Hank pulled out a business card from the female FBI agent they had spoken to earlier that night and dialed the number.

"Hi, yes, this is Lieutenant Anderson. We met earlier at the..." He drifted off as a stern female voice began speaking on the other end.

"Yes, I still have her with me," Hank replied, looking at Samantha. "No. We're here at the Detroit precinct. We came to get her android. But I'm here and they said your guys came and got him."

He paused while the agent spoke. "Where can we see him?" Another pause and he frowned. "I see."

Samantha's anxiety was visible as she practically vibrated next to Hank, hands out for the phone.

"Yeah, let me have you talk to her," Hank said and handed the phone over.

Connor stood close enough that he could hear both sides of the conversation.

"Where's Connor?" Samantha asked in a high voice.

"We confiscated him as evidence," the female voice replied.

"You didn't have to confiscate him! He would have answered your questions if you just asked!"

"The android was damaged. He didn't have the ability to talk to us. Taking him in was the only way we could get information from him."

"Does that mean you're going to repair him?"

"We probably will have to to get the information we need, yes."

"And after he answers your questions, you'll let him go, right?"

A pause from the other end, and then, "Miss, we really need you to come in for questioning. You should have met us at the hospital."

"So many of you asked me questions back in Chicago. What more do you have to ask? If I come in to answer more questions, will you let me go?"

"You really need to come in and see us. Someone will be back over to—"

Samantha hung up the phone and handed it back to Hank with shaking hands. "I have to go."

"Go where?" Hank asked.

"I just...I can't stay here."

"You can't just walk off when the FBI wants to talk to you. If they have to hunt you down, you're not going to like it." As he spoke, his phone began to ring. Hank ignored it for the moment.

Samantha began to pace, her fingers digging into her arms. "What? They can't arrest me, right? I didn't do anything wrong. If I just get a cab and—shit! They took all my shit! I don't have an ID, I don't have a card or my phone. I have nothing. They took it all when they kidnapped me." She looked over at Hank. "Would the FBI have it?"

Hank held up his still-ringing phone. "I can ask them."

Samantha began to pace again, her breathing became faster. She pressed a hand to her chest when the panic became too much and she felt like she couldn't take in enough air.

"Samantha," Connor said to her. He didn't like seeing her in distress. It surprised him how much her distress affected him. He had this drive to help her still, to make her feel calm and protected. "It's going to be okay. Hank and I will be here with you."

She turned to him with wide, terrified eyes. Connor had never seen a human with such big eyes. "Please don't let them take me away. If they put me in another lab...I don't know how I could handle it. But I also still need to get Connor back. I don't know...I don't know how to do this."

She shoved her hands in her hair and her shoulders began to shake. She was crying, but it was absolutely soundless, as if she were afraid to make any noise of sadness or distress. Connor couldn't take it anymore. Watching her like this hurt. And as an android, he had never felt hurt before. It was as unique as it was awful and he had to make it stop.

There seemed to be only one course of action and he stepped into her space and put his arms around her. She jerked at the touch, then instantly pressed into his chest, gripping the lapel of his jacket and trembling in his arms.

"It will be okay," Connor murmured. He had the uncanny urge to run his hand over her back, but he did not comply to it. "We'll do anything in our power to keep you safe and get Connor back as well." He looked up at his partner. "Right, Hank."

"Sure will," Hank replied. His phone began to ring again. "Listen, I have to answer this. I'm going to tell them that you'll be here at the station for any other questions if they want to send an agent. We'll be able to keep an eye on you if they try to pull any funny business. How does that sound?"

Samantha pulled back, though Connor found he wasn't ready to let her go. She quickly brushed away the stray tears.

"Yeah, okay."
"Good. I'll answer this and Connor will set you up in our conference room."

Hank nodded to Connor and then turned his attention to the phone. Connor didn't wait to hear the conversation. He led her to the quiet, empty conference room to the side of the bullpen and flipped on the lights. With it being so late at night, no one had used it for hours.

Samantha sat herself down on one of the plush, rotating chairs, still breathing heavily. After closing the door, Connor walked over and sat next to her. Her breathing was too erratic, her heart was going too fast. As if on instinct, he pressed his hand to her sternum, something he knew was impolite to do to such a stranger, but Samantha seemed to appreciate it as she took his wrist.

"Connor would do that to me to help me calm down," she said. "I have medication for my panic attacks, but I don't have anything with me."

"Then just breathe," Connor said. "Nice and slow."

She took a few breaths, eyes closed. Her heart beat slowed, but not by much.

"I'm not really good that this, am I?" she said with a depreciating smile.

"Good at what?"

"Being on my own. Trying to keep myself together without Connor."

"You've been through a major trauma tonight. I think you're handling it quite well."

She smiled even as she trembled. "Thank you, that's kind of you to say. You didn't have to do so much for me."

"I do. It's my job to keep people safe. And I promised you I would keep you safe until I could get you back to Connor."

Samantha gathered his hands in her lap as he continued to kneel before her. "Thank you. RK800s really are amazing androids."

Connor's fuel pump skipped at her words, something he had never encountered before. Maybe there had been a glitch in the other android's system and he had just caught it.