November 10th, 2038
AM 05:00:02
A/N: Hey everyone! Glad to be back!
Took a much-needed break after Part: V, and am super excited to kick off VI with some good old fluff and foundation setting for the next arc. Brooklyn and time with friends outside of the house has rejuvenated me after a long two weeks at work, and I'm ready to get back on the saddle.
Enjoy!
Gavin puffed a cigarette, bandaged to the nines in fresh gauze. You leaned against the column, towering over his wheelchair. Your arm was in a sling, still sore and torn.
Neither of you were supposed to be outside. You'd just been shot, and he'd been trapped here for two weeks already.
Yet here you were, sneaking him out for a cigarette; hiding under the overhang of the Emergency Room roundabout.
"What's your biggest fear in life?"
You didn't have a decent answer prepared. Just kept zoning out in that lifeless daze that was coated in Anthony's blood; your cognizance swept away by his last, dying breath.
"Spiders."
"No, dipshit…" He took another hit, coughing as he let it loose, "I mean your real fear. Shit that keeps you up at night, kind of fear."
You looked down at the bandage across his nose. Cheek. Jaw. Arms.
He'd almost died; savagely. Stabbed and cut 17 times. Mutilated in ways that would've broken a lesser willed individual. You'd taken a bullet, sure. That was child's play compared to what Reed had been through.
Yet here he was asking you the tough questions.
"My biggest fear…" You dug deep for it, sifting through all the sarcastic, deflective answers to uncover the truth, "Is death."
He laughed. Choked. Coughed and beat his chest, "You?"
He turned around, wheeling himself to face you, "The most irresponsible cop I know is scared of 'death?'"
"Well…Dying of old age doesn't scare me." You frowned, "It's dying before I achieve what I want to in life that does. Like getting so close to finding that absolute self-validation, and missing it by an inch, kind of fear."
"You're doing a fuckall job of dodging that one."
You grinned. Remembered the quote that was Anthony's favorite.
"'That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.'"
"Tch…Yeah…" Gavin flicked his cigarette straight at the NO SMOKING sign.
He gave the city a forlorn, almost homesick gaze before wheeling past you.
"…And that which does kill us, makes us dead."
…
A small nudge on your shoulder had you murmuring in your pillow, but a soothing voice and a soft pair of lips tickled your ear.
"Wake up…" There was a smile to the words as your name slipped through them, a delicate kiss landing on your temple.
Your eyes blinked away, sore and heavy from not getting enough sleep.
"Here…" Connor was holding a washcloth, "Close your eyes."
You sat up, rubbing the tired away. Gave him a groggy stare before he held the back of your head, gently pressing the cloth against your eyelids.
"JESUS-" It was ice cold, and sent a jolt through your body, "What was that for?!"
He gave you a playful smile, "To help you with the 'booting' process."
You let out an overly dramatic groan, following it with a "Wah."
"Shit, what time is it…" Your arm was mid-reach before you got an answer.
"It is currently 0500. We have one hour to arrive at Central Station."
You straightened. Ripped the blanket off. Shivered as the warm embrace left you in your panicked flurry to get ready, and was nulled as another took its place.
"Hold on a second-"
"Connor, if I'm late Fowler is going to have my ass-"
He held a finger to your mouth, "Shhh."
You gave him a fiercely irritated look.
"I washed your uniform, and hung it in the bathroom. There is a packed meal and full canister on the counter." He dropped his finger, smiling at your calming anger, "You can eat on the way. I'm driving."
"O-oh…" You swallowed hard, "I see."
You found yourself reeling about how lucky you were, looping your arms around his neck – pulling him in for an apologetic peck on the lips and a nuzzle of your nose against his.
"What's in the canister?"
He smirked, "Coffee, of course."
His eyes crinkled around the folds; forehead meeting yours.
"I love you, Connor."
He hugged you tight at that, face buried in your hair and taking a steep inhale of you.
"I love you too…" And then he let you go, hands dropping to your waist, "But you've got to get dressed."
"I know, I know…"
You swung your legs around the edge of the bed, wincing as you stood and stumbled. You caught the edge of the nightstand in vain, held secure by the man who'd sprung to action.
"What happened?"
You gave him a glare from over your shoulder, holding the aching pit that screamed from somewhere below your stomach.
"You, Connor…" You mumbled, "You, happened."
…
You had your phone pinned to your shoulder, thermos in hand and car keys in the other.
"We're fine, Hank."
Connor had your lunch bag slung, trying to blend in with the rest of the morning crowd – still dressed in Anthony's clothing.
"Yes, he's safe."
A slate sweater with a scrunched collar with a light-brown over-shirt. A brown, leather jacket without a hood – something you always made fun of him for. Worn jeans and a pair of standard Timberlands to keep the snow at bay. All topped off with a dark-grey beanie; one he kept fidgeting with and pawing at.
"I'll make sure he gets changed when we get there. See ya soon."
You said your goodbyes, tucking the phone away. Grabbed Connor's hand and held it so he'd stop tugging at the knit fabric around his crown.
"Is it still covered?" He whispered, cocking his chin so you could see the side that his LED resided on.
"Yes, it's still covered…" You smiled, remembering the sharp, cute blink and the innocent tensing of his shoulders when you'd screwed the beanie over his head, "But it won't be if you keep messing with it."
"Hmph…"
The two of you got in the car, and surrendering the driver's seat was just as weird as when he'd driven you home from the bar.
"So…" He turned on the heat, rubbing his hands together as you waited for the old vehicle to warm up before driving, "Why do I have to get changed when we get to the station?"
"Honestly? I have no idea." You took another sip of coffee, "Hank gave me the password for your locker and a pair of orders to get you in your CyberLife uniform asap."
"Hank's…password?" He cocked his head, "Why would I need his password? I have authorization into my own…Oh. I think I understand…" He frowned, "I'm assuming this is the same reason I couldn't lock the door on our way out this morning."
The security panel had just turned red, beeped at you, and gone silent. You had to use your key.
You frowned, "This is only temporary, okay? Once all this is done, androids'll be allowed to have credentials again."
"How am I going to be able to work without terminal access?"
You smirked, "Hank's password."
"What is Hank's password?"
"Tell you what," You took a bite out of the sandwich he'd made for you, swallowing before continuing to speak, "If you can guess it, you get to not be bored all day."
He shot you a deadpan look, dropping the car in reverse and holding the back of your seat as he turned to look out the rear windshield, "What would a hard-boiled eccentric police lieutenant choose…?"
The last word faded into a hiss, his train of thought lost to predicting. He switched gears, driving out of the parking garage before slowing before a stop sign. The turn signal flickered as he drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel, looking left and right repeatedly before taking the turn.
"Fuckingpassword?"
You nodded, your smiling teeth chattering along the rim of your thermos as you watched the side mirror shudder from a road bump.
He huffed through his nose, a corner of his mouth pinned to one side.
"Obviously."
...
The drive to work had been meek. The smoldering bones of a city with its morals up in smoke. Things were getting out of hand. The wildfire couldn't be contained; not with half the station processing incoming androids going to God knows where…
The briefing room was dimly lit, dark shadows and navy light spewing from the digital display making you more tired than you already were. You looked over through the glass wall, finding a familiar android sitting at his desk, leaning over the divider to talk to Hank. And when he sat down, he watched the line of waiting civilians with their androids standing idly next to them like the lambs to the slaughter they were.
His mouth formed a hard line. His fingers curled until two fists were resting on his desk. Hank reached over to land a hand on his shoulder, and a sad smile lifted on his beard. He mouthed something that seemed to reassure Connor, but you couldn't make out what it was.
Someone started laughing behind you, far in the back of the room…and Chris started coughing.
Which meant he was laughing.
"If you're in this room, it means you're one of the lucky few who passed CERT evals back in July..." Officer Tina Chen dug her knuckles in her hips, "Unless you're Detective Reed…who was put here to babysit."
You and the rest of the "class" turned to look at him, off in the leftmost corner with his feet propped up on a desk and pushed back in a chair. He popped a bubble and kept typing on his phone, holding up two fingers for a wordless "hi."
Tina scoffed, rolling her eyes and raising a hand to the board before looking at it, "With our current shortage of androids, SWAT is stretched pretty thin. Growing concerns in this sector…" A green block highlighted a section of Detroit, "And this one, leave DPD asking themselves not if, but when a situation occurs where riot control and crowd management will be necessary. That's where all you come in."
A cluster of pictures came up at the tap of a button – namely a horse geared in padded armor, a grenadier with riot gear on, and various shields and weapons with small labels next to them.
"This morning, we'll be reviewing Riot Unit formations and tactical equipment. This is to better the safety of your team and yourself."
The DPD was breaking out all the stops, and it was going to be a long day.
You covered a yawn, tuning her out as you checked your phone.
[5 UNREAD TEXT MESSAGES]
Connor
CC: Hank Anderson, Ben Collins, Chris Miller, Gavin Reed
Today 06:25
Officer Miller references "memes" quite often. I thought I would share my favorite to lighten the mood.
[Click to view attached file]
Chris Miller
Today 06:26
! ! ! YESSSSS!
Ben Collins
Today 06:27
Great. Next thing you know he'll be doing the floss dance and playing Fortnite.
Gavin Reed
Today 06:27
fortnite was the shit
Hank Anderson
Today 06:28
If I catch him floss dancing, I'm giving him back to CyberLife.
You shook your head, thinking back to how panicked Connor looked just a few minutes ago. You guessed he took the joke seriously.
To: Hank Anderson
CC: Ben Collins, Connor, Chris Miller, Gavin Reed
Let's all just revisit the fact that all of you knew what the floss dance was, and Connor probably had to look it up. Who are the real clowns, here?
Message Sent
Gavin Reed
Today 06:30
not my fault hes a trash millennial
Chris Miller
Today 06:31
IS EVERYONE SERIOUSLY IGNORING THE FACT CONNOR'S FAVORITE MEME IS BONGO CAT?!
Ben Collins
Today 06:32
He's not a millennial at all, Reed…
To: Ben Collins
CC: Hank Anderson, Connor, Chris Miller, Gavin Reed
Today 06:33
Reed was the 12-year-old that called everyone a "filthy casual" and said he was going to "fuck your mom," prove me wrong.
Chris Miller
Today 06:33
SIGH.
Gavin Reed
Today 06:34
tell ur mom i said hi & tnx 4 last night
Hank Anderson
Today 06:34
He's 36 and still texts like he's 15. I can't prove you wrong because you're not.
Ben Collins
Today 06:35
LOL you guys.
Chris Miller
Today 06:36
BONGO.
Chris Miller
Today 06:37
CAT.
To: Chris Miller
CC: Hank Anderson, Ben Collins, Connor, Gavin Reed
2018 MEMES. OUR LEGACY.
Message Sent
Chris Miller
Today 06:38
YEET!
Gavin Reed
Today 06:39
*dab*
Hank Anderson
Today 06:39
Jfc
Ben Collins
Today 06:40
Pay attention in there!
Connor
Today 06:41
I apologize for the distraction.
To: Connor
CC: Hank Anderson, Ben Collins, Chris Miller, Gavin Reed
I don't mind. ;)
Message Sent
Connor
Today 06:42
;)
Chris Miller
Today 06:42
Ayy
Gavin Reed
Today 06:42
fucking gross
Ben Collins
Today 06:43
Gonna have to fill out a relationship form with Fowler eventually, you derelicts.
Hank Anderson
Today 06:44
Jesus, Ben, when did you become such a prude?
To: Ben Collins
CC: Hank Anderson, Connor, Chris Miller, Gavin Reed
Chen is giving me the dead eyes. I'm tagging out.
Message Sent
"Miller." Tina barked.
You'd already locked your phone and put it in your pocket before you looked up. Chris's hand was splayed over his mouth, the corners of his eyes watering.
"Would you like to share with the rest of us what's so funny?"
His eyes widened, and you found him choking the laugh down and coughing and sniffing.
"He's got bad allergies and a tendency to shoot stuff out of his mouth when he sneezes." You leaned back, draping an arm over your chair, "Sorry, Chris. Didn't mean to embarrass you."
Gavin sneezed, a very not-subtle "bullshit," slipping through.
"Bless you." You shot him a look over your shoulder, and he gave you the middle finger from under his elbow.
The door opened, and a team of 6 strolled in. Three of them you'd met, one of them you'd seen outside of the Stratford Tower. They had an air of power to them. Something raw and untapped that couldn't be trained, couldn't be replicated, or measured by any standardized test…
Only focused.
"Now, children…if you're finished…" Chen pinched the bridge of her nose, "Some of the Specialists from SWAT would like to present some of the new technology the DPD will be using in case we need to send you all out to the wolves…"
Specialist Lastimosa hooked her thumbs in her beltloops, nodding at the rest of the team. She looked somewhere off behind you before turning to Chen.
"With all due respect, Officer Chen…"
She waved her hand over the screen, shifting the image with an unknown mechanism.
"…I overheard a certain Detective make a valid point, back at the Stratford Tower."
An audible gasp rippled through the room as a new sort of outfitting was displayed on the projector.
"We don't 'send' anyone out to the wolves…"
One with technology fused with high-impact armor, and a new stockpile of weapons with diagrams and tiny descriptions...
Precautions against a worst-case scenario.
"We are, the wolves."
A/N: II
Not a lot of references I want to put in here - I feel as though they'll fit better in the next one. There IS a Siege quote in here just for shits and giggles. ;) Also, if you look up Detroit: Become Bongo Cat you can see the video that FF won't let me post.
Till next time!
Guest Review Responses:
Jaz: Hahaha, always teetering between adorable, cute, and terrifying. That's why we love him. :P
Guest: He has his moments ;D
