Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts
Connor was fairly sure he had the concept of a stylist down based on the information he had searched for on their way to the building where he and Taylor now stood. She explained to him as well, saying that the stylist would help them dress for the night's event and get ready. In her case, that meant extensive hair and makeup.
He was more fixated on the point that he would be expected to wear a different suit. Multiple times he had raised the argument with Taylor in the taxi and while standing here, waiting for someone to appear. Each time, she had waived him off dismissively.
"I am required by CyberLife to wear my designation as an android at all times." He tried again, willing her to look up. Taylor was busy tapping away on her phone, however, and paid him almost no mind.
"Connor, it will be fine." She said again, patiently, though she still didn't bother to look up. He was about to protest again when she glanced up at his face and winked. "You have an LED, remember? Everyone will know you're an android."
He was taken aback by her sudden gesture and remained quiet. She returned to the phone screen, fully absorbed by whatever she was doing on the small device. Until the doors across the ante room finally opened, and a petite, redheaded woman swept into the room.
"Taylor, honey!" The newcomer descended on Taylor, pulling her down to kiss both of her cheeks. Then she held on, keeping Taylor at arm's length while she gave her a once over. "You look terrible. When is the last time you slept? So bad for your skin."
"Jen? What are you doing here?" Taylor was blinking at the other woman in a daze, still in a bit of shock from the whirlwind entrance. Jen had moved on, though, releasing her as she looked Connor up and down.
"Alex told me you were going out in public. Of course I came. As if I would let some plebian dress you." She said in response to Taylor's question, but she was still doing a circle around Connor. "Who is this tall drink of water?"
"This is Connor. He is one of my partners investigating the deviant cases, but he is coming with me to the party tonight. I was hoping you might have a suit." Jen turned around with her eyebrows raised, looking personally offended.
"Might have a suit, she says. Don't insult me. Now come, you're wasting time and there's much to do. Those raccoon eyes are going to take forever to hide." Taylor looked somewhat sheepish as she followed Jen back through the door from which she came. Connor hovered there for just a moment before he deduced that he was supposed to follow them.
On the other side of the door was a world entirely foreign. Mirrors lined the walls in so many places they looked to be the wallpaper itself. The lights were hot and bright and everywhere so that he felt like he had stepped out into the noonday sun. Some of the mirrors were vanities, onto which many strange tools had been arranged. Connor could only guess they were all related to the hair and makeup Taylor had mentioned, there were too many for his processors to categorize at once.
Jen had led Taylor to a row of mannequins which were displaying a series of gowns, from simple to intricate, shiny to jet black. Taylor was listening to Jen's explanation about the designer of the dress while she brushed her fingers against the fabric of the skirt. When she saw him looking around the room in a daze, she gave him a smile.
"Yes, yes, pick the one you want. I'll find a nice Armani for your android boyfriend." Jen had followed Taylor's line of sight and rolled her eyes at the blonde. Taylor's head whipped back around, but Jen was already walking off, gesturing for Connor to follow her. "Anton is in the back. He'll help you get dressed. I'll come back to fix your face."
Connor glanced back at the flustered Taylor uncertainly, opening and closing her mouth like a fish, before he decided that he'd better follow the redhead into the next room. The new surroundings weren't any more familiar than the last, though there was a noted absence of dresses. He supposed he should be grateful for that.
"How tall are you? Six foot? Six foot one?" Jen had whirled on him and was giving him another appraising look.
"Six foot." He confirmed, watching her scoop up a tape measure from a nearby table. Instructing him to hold his arms out at his sides, she began taking his measurements.
"How long have you known Taylor?" She asked as she worked, pulling the tape measure around his chest and making a small 'hm' as she noted the number down.
"A couple of days." Connor replied, lowering his arms at her behest and staring straight ahead as she measured his inseam. "How long have you known her?"
"Almost a decade now." She was peering up at him with interest, trying not to smile, though Connor couldn't discern what was amusing about the situation. She penciled the last number down and rolled the tape up as she crossed the room. Connor tracked her with his eyes, his brows furrowed in confusion.
Jen wasn't paying much attention to him now, however. She opened the doors leading into a large closet space that was lined with men's suits. They must have been organized by sizes because she walked down the line, referring to the measurements in her hand, before coming to a stop and sorting through several. She returned with two suits and handed him one. "Try this one."
Connor walked behind the changing curtain she was pointing at, even though he really didn't feel any modesty. He draped the suit over a chair and stared at it, hesitating, glancing between it and his CyberLife issued uniform carefully.
"You freeze over there or what?" Jen's voice brought him back to reality. He must have zoned out trying to decide if he really was going to change. Deciding he didn't have much choice, he slid the CyberLife jacket off and began to put on the suit.
The jacket was black, lined with silk, and slightly textured with a raised pattern. The pants were black as well, and the tie was even thinner than the one he was used to wearing. He adjusted it before stepping back around the curtain, sending one more anxious glance at his folded CyberLife uniform.
"Yes. Perfect." Jen clapped her hands together in approval, grinning at him. "Now come." She steered him back into the ante room where he had waited with Taylor earlier and told him to sit before disappearing again. Connor eased himself into the chair and folded his hands in his lap to wait.
The sun was starting to set by the time he heard the door open again. He could hear voices approaching and turned to see Jen leading the way, though the voice clearly belonged to Taylor. She was batting hands away from her hair that must have belonged to the aforementioned Anton, saying, "Enough. Enough!"
Jen stepped to the side just as Taylor turned to him, and their eyes met across the room. She was wearing a long gown that looked like multicolored scales, iridescent in the light. It was cut into a deep v, and Anton was still trying to place pieces of hair on her head that had been braided along the side of her head and pulled into a bun.
"Girl, if you aren't taking advantage of that then please allow me." Anton was looking him over now. Connor shifted uncomfortably.
"Didn't I just say enough?" Taylor said, somewhere between amused and mortified. Anton just shrugged, batting his eyelashes at her innocently. Connor rose from his seat as she walked toward him, shaking her head and smiling. "I apologize for taking so long, Connor. Thank you for waiting. Nice suit."
"You look beautiful." She froze, still a step away, her mouth dropping open in surprise. Behind her, Anton started laughing, covering his mouth with his hands to stifle it but not being very successful, while Jen started grinning from ear to ear. Connor tilted his head as he watched the familiar shade of scarlet cover Taylor's neck and cheeks, glancing between the three in confusion. "I'm sorry, did I say the wrong thing?"
"No." Still flushing, Taylor closed the gap between them and slid her arm through his. "Thank you, Connor. Now let's go before they tease me anymore." She tugged him toward the door and Connor obediently followed her. They slid onto the elevator that would return them to the first floor just as Jen caught up to them, pressing a silver clutch into Taylor's hand and winking at her while the doors shut.
They rode down in silence. Connor was watching Taylor in his peripherals, the red on her cheeks slowly fading. By the time they stepped onto the street, her color was back to normal. As the cold hit them, Taylor stepped closer to his side, goosebumps rising along her arms.
"You should be wearing a coat. The temperature is dropping rapidly," he said. Taylor glanced up at him and smirked.
"You don't wear coats over Versace. At least that's what Jen would say." She tilted her head toward the car that was waiting for them on the curb. "Let's just hurry."
There was an android waiting by the car, a security model that was both taller and wider than Connor. It opened the door to the backseat for them and stood silently by while they piled in, its LED a solid ring of blue. Taylor frowned when she saw it but didn't comment as Connor slid into the seat beside her.
"Do you know how to dance, Connor?" She asked. Connor looked down, his LED flickering to yellow for a few moments. Then he blinked and raised his head.
"Yes."
"Wait, did you just teach yourself how to dance?" Connor nodded. "That's insane! Also, completely unfair. I had to go to so many dance classes when I was a kid." Taylor paused, her blue eyes settling on his face. "Hey, seriously, thanks for agreeing to come. I really hate going to these things by myself."
Her phone started vibrating in the space between them and she pulled it out of the silver clutch without another word. She started typing away to the person on the other end, leaving Connor to his own thoughts.
The car slid to a stop several minutes later. Connor stepped out of the car first, reaching his hand back inside to help Taylor out as well. When she appeared beside him, the response was overwhelming. Cameras began to flash, people started to shout her name. She smiled into the attention flawlessly, her hand still in his, looking totally unaffected.
"Just stay close to me, okay?" She must have noticed his hesitation at all of the attention. She slid her arm through his and pulled him forward, closer to her side and down the carpet laid out. In her heels, they were nearly the same height.
Taylor's smile never wavered, and she waved at some of the people shouting her name, cordoned off behind ropes and held back by security. Every few feet she would pull him to a stop to pose for cameras, and he noticed the markers after they'd moved on. They approached the stairs, and Connor caught sight of a tall brunette at the foot, looking directly at them.
"Rachel?" Taylor stopped short when she also caught sight of the woman, apparently waiting for them. Rachel smiled excitedly, and Taylor released his arm to pull her into a hug. "I thought you were in New York?"
"I got sent to Detroit a few weeks ago to cover the deviant story." She pulled away, still smiling. "Speaking of which, you should give me an exclusive. I can't believe you went to CTN of all places."
"Don't start. I'm here for charity."
"I didn't mean tonight." Rachel answered diplomatically, turning her blue eyes on Connor. "And this must be your infamous android friend?"
"His name is Connor. Connor, this is my best friend Rachel."
Rachel Anne Bailey
Date of Birth: August 9, 2007 (Age 31)
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5' 9"
Born in Brooklyn, New York. Charged with two separate counts of breaking and entering. Winner of an Edmund R Murrow award in journalism (2035). Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in journalism (2037). Investigative journalist for—
"Earth to Connor? I think he's scanning you. He does that." Connor blinked back to reality to find both women staring at him, Taylor in amusement, Rachel with her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Bailey." Connor reached out to shake the hand she was offering. Rachel raised her eyebrows in surprise while Taylor laughed at her reaction. "We should get inside. It's getting colder."
Taylor blinked as Connor offered his arm to her again, but she recovered quickly and slid her arm through his. To Rachel, she said, "Are you coming?"
The brunette woman hesitated, glancing between the two of them before shaking her head. "I'll see you in there later."
They ascended the stairs quickly. The tension in her shoulders relaxed a bit when they finally crossed the threshold into the event space. No more cameras were flashing at least, though the noise level wasn't much lower than outside as the clusters of people moving around them were all talking loudly over each other.
"If we keep this up you just might meet everyone I know by the end of the night." Connor finally focused back to Taylor, who was smiling at him yet again. His sensors were overwhelmed by the amount of people and noise around them, but she seemed to be having no problems blocking it all out. "I think the ballroom is that way."
"Miss Kolbeck!" The blonde turned to locate the person who was calling to her, but Connor had already spotted the older woman approaching from down the long hallway. She was wearing a violet dress, her impossibly curly hair piled atop her head and meticulously pinned into place. When she reached the two of them, slightly breathless, she stuck her hand out to shake Taylor's enthusiastically. "Thank you so much for coming!"
"It's my pleasure." Connor observed Taylor's posture shifting as she turned to face the other woman, detecting the change in her expression even though she was still smiling.
"We were so excited when you confirmed for tonight. Of course, tickets sold out almost immediately after. We should be able to finish construction on our newest shelter with the proceeds from tonight." The woman seemed to realize that she was still pumping Taylor's hand up and down, for she released her suddenly, her cheeks turning a rosy pink.
"I'm glad to hear it, Miss...?"
"James. Elizabeth James. I'm the program director." The woman cleared her throat, looking even more embarrassed, but Taylor politely ignored it.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss James. Maybe you could point us to the ballroom? It's been a while since I was here." She gave Elizabeth another winning smile and followed as she ushered them along. The older woman continued to chatter in her nervousness as she walked.
"The dancing will be starting soon. Of course, there's already food and drinks available. I'm not sure who won your ticket, or I would tell you now—"
"My ticket?" Taylor asked, a note of dread creeping into her voice. "What has Alex agreed to on my behalf, if I may ask?"
"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder at them but didn't slow her stride. "You and several other celebrities have auctioned off their first dance of the evening to raise money."
"I see." Taylor clenched her teeth, her jaw tightening, but didn't say anything else. Her blue eyes flickered over the silver clutch on her hand, where her phone was stashed away, as though she might call Alex right then to confront him. She composed herself instead as they entered the giant double doors.
The people scattered out in the hallways were nothing compared to the crowd gathered around the ballroom. Connor stared around at the multitudes of humans that all seemed to be talking at once. The lights from the chandeliers were turned up, bathing the whole room in bright light, bouncing off the fancy gowns and jewelry all around them. His LED was flashing yellow, then red trying to take it all in.
Taylor brushed her fingers against his, drawing his attention back to her. He realized he had frozen just inside the doors and that there were other people trying to enter behind him, stepping around and giving him strange looks. She tilted her head to the side and started for the edge of the crowd, beckoning for him to follow.
They approached a long table lined with food, and Taylor turned to face him. Her face was lined with concern as she stepped closer to be heard over the noise. "Are you okay? It's loud in here."
"I'm fine." Connor nodded, his brown eyes shifting around the room again, wide with wonder. There were at least a few hundred people scattered around the ballroom's floor. The table near them was loaded down with all manners of finger foods and hors d'oeuvres, which many of the guests were picking over as they chatted. There were arrangements of roses all around the room, alternating between a deep turquoise and violet.
When he looked back at Taylor, her blue eyes were glued to his face, lips quirked at the corners in an amused smile. He felt suddenly self-conscious and reached up to adjust his tie. "What is the purpose of all of this?"
"To raise money for charity." She replied. When his expression didn't change, she elaborated, "To help people. People buy tickets for the event. There's food, drinks, dancing, celebrities," she gestured to herself, "sometimes other events, and all of the money goes to a good cause."
"Taylor!" They both turned again as someone called out to the blonde from somewhere across the room. Connor again spotted the approaching human before Taylor, this one a tall blonde male who was cutting through the crowd with efficient speed, his blue eyes fixed on the pair of them. Connor shifted his weight so that he was standing between the two. He needn't have bothered, for when Taylor finally caught sight of them, she ducked around him and practically leapt at the on comer.
"Oh my god! Jake!" The man lifted her off her feet as he hugged her, making her laugh and cling to his neck.
Jakob Xander Kolbeck
Date of Birth: December 17, 2007 (Age 30)
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 6' 2"
Family: Ayla—
"Why didn't you call me when you got back to Detroit?" Jake had placed Taylor back on her feet and was frowning down at her. "I can't believe I have to reunite with my own sister at a charity event."
"I was busy." Taylor answered defensively, though she did look quite guilty. "I've been helping the Detroit Police with the deviant cases." She turned back to Connor then as though suddenly remembering he was there and motioned him forward. "This is Connor, he's one of my partners. Connor, this is my brother, Jake."
"Busy pissing off Michael Brinkley, you mean?" Jake raised his eyebrows at her before he stuck his hand out toward Connor. "Nice to meet you, Connor."
Connor returned the handshake, his brown eyes meeting Jake's blue as they shook. His eyes were almost identical in shade to Taylor's, but Connor could tell his LED had flickered to yellow as the taller male gripped his hand harder than necessary. He released him a second later, turning back toward his sister as though nothing had happened.
"God let's not talk about that please. What have you been up to lately?" Taylor was eager to change the subject, but she was glancing between his flickering LED and her brother with interest.
"Oh, you know. Living the non-celebrity life. Or trying to. Sometimes I can even go grocery shopping and not one person recognizes me." He was grinning cheekily at her. Taylor rolled her eyes. "If it makes you feel better, I've also auctioned off my dancing virginity for the night. Though I'm not nearly as expensive as you are, dear sister."
"Well you're not nearly as pretty as me either," Taylor responded with a shrug, though she was giggling now.
"You're right," Jake said solemnly, "I'm twice as pretty as you. This is an outrage!"
"I'm pretty sure it's an auction, therefore the people have spoken." Taylor said, nodding sagely. Whatever Jake was going to say in response was cut off by the sound of silverware tapping on glass, amplified over the speakers around the room.
The small raised platform at the head of the room was acting as a makeshift stage, and Elizabeth James was standing at the microphone lowering her champagne glass and fork. A hush settled over the crowd as the lights dimmed, all conversation lowering to a muted hum as the crowd turned their attention toward the curly-haired woman smiling out at them under the spotlight.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming tonight. I would like to personally thank CyberLife for allowing us to host this event here free of charge and Rita's for catering. I don't do speeches, so please enjoy yourselves! Before we start the dancing, the C.E.O. of CyberLife is here to say a few words. He has made a very generous donation to ensure that our west branch doesn't close down at the end of the month while our newest shelter will finish construction by the end of the year."
There was a spattering of applause and cheers around the room, but Connor started as he felt Taylor's hands on his arm. Her fingers were clenched into the arm of his jacket and she looked like she was about to pull him toward the door, but her eyes were wide and fixed on the stage in an expression of horror. Every bit of color had drained from her face, and now that he was scanning her, he could detect her stress levels skyrocketing. "Please welcome Anthony Jacobsen!"
The applause grew louder. A man who looked to be in his fifties stepped up onto the platform and into the round halo of light. Behind Taylor's head, Connor could see Jake clenching his jaw as well. He stepped closer to them and placed a hand on Taylor's arm. "Taylor, you should go."
The blonde woman didn't react, her eyes fixated on the man onstage, not blinking. Connor knew if he could feel discomfort that her grip on his arm would have been painful. He was glancing between her and the man known as Anthony Jacobsen in confusion, searching the man's file for some sort of clue but coming up empty.
"Thank you very much! I'm not a man for speeches." Jake was shaking Taylor's shoulder, trying to bring her back to reality, but she was immobile still, dazed. Connor reached over with his other hand and placed his fingers over hers, but she didn't spare him a glance either. He could detect her heartbeat, ticking wildly in her chest, her breathing rapid and shallow. He was concerned she might faint if she didn't snap out of it.
"There will be more opportunity to give tonight, but I want to set the precedence myself. You can only practice what you preach, after all. Therefore, I've pledged $50,000 of my own money to the first ticket of the night for a dance with my daughter-in-law, Miss Taylor Kolbeck."
The crowd erupted into cheers as a second spotlight suddenly illuminated the three of them. Jake had been a split second from bodily lifting his sister and carrying her from the room, but he froze under the sudden attention, dropping his hands away. Anthony stepped down from the platform and walked out onto the dancefloor, the spotlight following him from the stage and people clearing the space to make room.
"Taylor, don't go." Jake leaned in close to speak into her ear, but he still had to shout over the people cheering around them, so Connor heard him as well. Taylor finally glanced around at the crowd, at the phones that were held out, taking pictures, recording. Then she looked back at the dancefloor, where her stepfather was standing with his hand outstretched, waiting.
"I have to." She released Connor's arm and started to walk forward, but Connor stepped forward with her and linked their arms together as she had done to him earlier. He wasn't sure what was happening, exactly, but he knew the blonde was terrified. He wouldn't let her go alone. She met his eyes for just a moment, surprised, but then she tucked her other hand into his elbow and allowed him to lead her forward.
"Taylor!" Jake hissed from behind them, standing on the balls of his feet like he still wanted to leap forward and drag her away. Taylor ignored him, stepping out onto the dancefloor with her head held high.
They approached Anthony at what felt like a slow pace, but the distance was almost nothing. He was smiling at the two of them, his hand still outstretched. Connor gave Taylor's fingers one last squeeze as he handed her off and stepped away. She glanced back at him as the music started, trying to smile, her face a grimace of panic.
Connor knew his LED was a solid ring of red as he stood at the edge of the dance floor, scanning the room. He should not have led his partner out there, though he couldn't figure out why. She had gone voluntarily, but he could still detect her heart like a hummingbird in her chest, her hands shaking slightly as she stepped in time with the melody.
He knew from his scans that there was three minutes and forty-nine seconds left in the song. The people around the dancefloor were all holding their phones up in the direction of the dancing couple, smiling, seemingly oblivious to the blonde woman's terror as she smiled. He could see Anthony Jacobsen's lips moving as they twirled and knew he was saying something but couldn't catch enough to know what it was.
He glanced up at the ceiling, to the music coming out of the speakers. Scanning further, he could see that the wiring suggested the system was running on a wireless network. Reviewing the list of networks, he found that one that was most likely controlling the sound system and hacked into it. It took less than five seconds.
The music shifted suddenly into the next song. The people in the crowd were looking around in confusion as Taylor jerked away from her stepfather. Connor was next to her a second later, pulling her hand away. Anthony was gaping, his mouth open in shock, but Connor just nodded to him and said politely, "It would seem the song is over."
Indeed, people were filtering onto the dancefloor now and coupling for dances. Connor pulled Taylor closer and spun her away. He stuttered for a step or two, trying to translate the dance instructions he had downloaded into movement, before he was leading the blonde flawlessly across the floor.
"Are you okay?" Connor tilted his head to try and see her face. She had tucked her head against his shoulder, face pressed into his jacket. His arm was circled around her back so that he could feel her still trembling, but she followed his steps perfectly as they danced. Her smaller frame fit perfectly against him and he could feel the rapid rising and falling of her chest with every breath.
"You stopped the music somehow, didn't you?" He was beginning to detect a pattern of her asking questions to avoid answering them. Still, he could sense her stress levels slowly dropping, the taut muscles in her shoulders slowly easing.
"I hacked into the wireless network." He confirmed. A breath of a laugh escaped her, and she turned her head slightly so that her face was no longer hidden by the fabric of his suit.
"Thank you, Connor." The song faded out, but Taylor didn't move to pull away, so Connor led her seamlessly into the next song. They danced through it in silence, Taylor slowly easing back into herself. Still, every few moments her eyes would dart about the room as though she expected Anthony to appear and snatch her away again. Each time, he tightened his fingers around hers, bringing her eyes back to him.
When the blonde finally stepped away, she managed a smile that actually reached her eyes. "You really did teach yourself how to dance in like, three seconds."
"Obviously." He smirked. Taylor laughed and pulled him away from the dancefloor, back towards the table where they had been standing before. She lifted a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter and brought it to her lips as she glanced around the room again.
Connor scanned the ballroom but didn't see any sign of Anthony Jacobsen, though he did find Jakob dancing with a very red, stuttering young woman. Taylor must have spotted him too, because she was grinning into her champagne as her eyes followed the pair. It wasn't long before people started to approach her, however, asking for pictures and asking questions.
He stood just behind her as they came through, and the blonde smiled flawlessly in every picture, accepted new glasses of champagne and laughed at jokes. Jake rejoined them, causing even more of a stir.
At least an hour passed before they got a break, and Taylor turned back to him, still smiling. Connor noticed that her eyes had become slightly glazed; the glass in her hand was the seventh and it only had a sip of champagne left swirling around the bottom. She hadn't touched any food since they'd arrived.
"You should eat something." He said, gently taking the glass from her fingers. She frowned at him and reached to take it back, leaning into him. He held it out of her reach. "You're going to get sick."
"You can't tell me what to do." She said petulantly, abandoning the glass he'd taken and looking around for a waiter instead.
"He's right, Taylor." Jake intercepted the blonde as she made a beeline for the cluster of waitstaff standing several feet away. "Alex really will fly here and murder you if you cause a 'drunk celebrity at a charity event' scandal."
"Both of you suck." Taylor glared and tried to duck under his arm, but Jake was not intoxicated, and he easily caught her and pulled her back.
"Don't act like you don't love to eat. Look, they have mini quiches. And cheese." When Taylor turned, Connor presented her with a small plate that he had loaded with food. She blinked at it for a moment, but he pushed it into her hands without giving her a choice on taking it. Now that she was holding the food, she was just as content eating as she had been drinking champagne. "Maybe you should go home, sis. You've put in enough time, right?"
"We have to work tomorrow," Connor added reasonably. Taylor paused, a cube of cheese halfway between the plate and her mouth, narrowing her eyes at the brunette android.
"You're on his side now?" She asked as she pointed her cheese at him. Jake sighed and took the plate from her.
"Go home, Taylor." He frowned as he sat the plate down on the table. "Where are you staying, anyway?"
"At the house, obviously." She stepped away as Jake paled, linking her arm with Connor's again. "Come on, Connor, let's go."
"Hey, Taylor—!" Connor found himself stumbling slightly as Taylor pulled him toward the door, but he quickly matched her pace. The hallways were nearly empty as they made for the exit. Taylor was tapping away in an app on her phone, ordering a taxi to pick them up.