Fall Out Boy – I Don't Care
Connor was observing Taylor as she stood in the bathroom, applying her makeup in the mirror over the sink. It was a fascinating process to watch. Right now, she had one eye closed as she carefully swept eyeliner along her lash line. Though she had shown up to the investigation every day with her makeup fully done, for days she hadn't bothered to wear any.
"I'm almost done," she said as she worked on the other eye.
"I like your face without it," he told her. She paused, her hand lowering reflexively, and turned her head to look at him. Her cheeks warmed and she turned back, continuing on.
"Thank you." She cleared her throat. "I've gotten away with it because there's hardly anyone here in Detroit to notice me when I do go out and I haven't posted on the internet in a while either. Much to Alex's chagrin, I'm sure."
"Couldn't you decide not to wear it? If that's what you wanted?" Connor tilted his head. She smiled then, just slightly, reaching for a tube of lipstick.
"We're going back to the real world today." She said, as if that explained anything. "People expect me to look a certain way."
Pressing her lips together, she turned back to him and smiled. Her lips were a deep coral now, but her nose crinkled when she took in his expression. "Oh, don't look at me like that. It's part of my job."
He hadn't realized his brow was creased, lips turned down in a frown. He smoothed his features while she tucked the lipstick in her pocket and stepped closer to him. Reaching her hand out, she waited with it outstretched until his fingers closed around hers.
"Thank you, for yesterday." Her blue eyes stayed on his face. She reached up and tucked the errant strands of hair off of his forehead. "I already knew that he wanted to replace me, but seeing it made it real all over again. It was just as terrifying as when he tried to kill me. I didn't mean to panic on you."
"You don't have to apologize for being afraid." Connor squeezed her hand, then reached his other hand up to place on her waist. He pulled her closer, until she was standing between his knees. "Promise me something?"
"Depends on the something," she said, smiling again. It faded a little when she noticed how serious he was. "What?"
"When we get to Washington D.C., take me with you. Wherever you go." Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth, he assumed to protest, but he persisted. "Don't go off alone. Please."
She pressed her lips together. In the moment of silence where she considered him, she kept her eyes fixed on his. Finally, she sighed and said, "Okay. I promise."
Taylor turned away, stepping back into the bathroom to pack up the last of her makeup and toiletries. He watched her place it in her suitcase and cross the room again, to the unopened package on the nightstand. She had gone downstairs to pick it up from the desk when she woke up.
It was from Alex, she told him at the time, from Los Angeles. The box was small, just a couple of inches wide and around a foot across. If it held her belongings, it certainly didn't hold much. She picked it up, working at the corner of the flap with her fingers. He was curious to know what was so important that it needed to be sent overnight.
She struggled with the box for several minutes. He was just about to offer his help when she finally succeeded, nearly ripping the first flap completely off the box in the process. The rest was easy, and she slid the contents onto the bed a moment later: three spiral-bound notebooks and several folders.
"Oh good, he managed to send the right ones." She picked up the one on top, thumbed through a few pages before she was content to pick up the whole stack and carry them to her suitcase.
"What are they?" She looked up just as she was pulling the zipper closed again.
"Stories. Deviant stories that I've collected. With permission." She lifted the bag off the chair and headed toward the door, but he stood and intercepted her, taking it from her hands. "I don't know if they'll be of any use, but I wanted to have them."
"You hand wrote them?"
"Most of the subjects didn't want to be on camera or be identified in any way. It seemed like the easiest way." She offered him a wry smile as they exited the hotel room. When the elevator doors slid closed, she was still staring off down the hallway. "I'm going to miss this."
Connor glanced over, and she must have read the confusion in his eyes, for she smiled softly and said, "Being here, just you and me." Turning her head, she stared forward into the silver panels of the elevator doors. "Don't get me wrong. Parts of this past couple weeks has been terrible. But I almost don't want to go back."
"Do you like being famous?" She faced him again, a perplexed look passing over her face. The elevator pinged softly as they reached the lobby and the doors slid open. They crossed the lobby together, and he said, "You always talk about it as though you don't particularly enjoy it."
The taxi was idling on the curb, waiting for them. Connor loaded Taylor's bags into the back while she waited for him. She hadn't answered his question, but when he glanced at her face, she looked like she was thinking it over, staring at her shoes, hands shoved in her pockets.
He closed the trunk and came back around to open the door for her. When he joined her inside the cab, she slid closer, pressing into his side. With her head, against his shoulder, she said, "I don't know how to answer that. It's like asking you if you like being an RK800. I didn't choose to become famous. My baby pictures were in tabloids."
She reached over and tucked her hand into his, twining their fingers together. "Being famous is a part of me. It's who I am." She paused again, stayed quiet for a few minutes. "I don't hate it. I don't know if I like it, either. I can't imagine being anything else."
He frowned, but she hadn't moved her head from his shoulder. He couldn't see the expression on her face. "Will you go back Los Angeles when this is over?"
Taylor didn't say anything for a long time. He calculated the route to the airport and knew they would be arriving soon. She had told him that they would be taking a private plane to Washington. The time where they would be alone together really was dwindling away into nothing.
"I have to." The lights of the airport were just coming into view when she finally spoke. A plane passed low over the highway, circling to land. The taxi merged toward the exit seamlessly, no other cars around them on the road.
"You could stay." He was running his thumb back and forth along her knuckles. She sucked in a breath but stayed still against his side. They were drawing closer to the main terminal now, passing under the lights.
She finally shifted away, enough so she could turn her head to look up at him. Her fingers were still tangled with his as she came closer, her face leaning in. Her lips brushed against his, and he pressed closer, deepening the kiss.
Pulling away, she smiled and reached her other hand up. Her thumb traced the outline of his lip, wiping a smudge of lipstick away. There was still a touch of sadness in her face when she said, "I can't stay in Detroit."
The car was rolling to a stop. Connor tightened his hold on her hand before she moved to get out of the taxi. "You're going to leave."
"I have to go home eventually." Her words came out stilted, uncertain. A pained look came to her face. "Detroit hasn't been my home for a long time." She reached up, touched his LED, and he realized it was pulsing yellow. "Come on, we're going to be late."
She pulled her hand out of his and moved for the door, leaving him to follow.
Taylor rested her head against the seatback, closing her eyes. Both hands were folded in her lap, and she was twiddling her thumbs distractedly. The plane was just beginning its descent into Washington D.C., but thanks to Connor she had only been able to think about one thing for the entirety of the flight.
The size of the plane had delegated that he sat behind her, so she couldn't see him, but she could imagine he was still watching. One of the men who they had rendezvoused with at the airport was seated across the aisle from her, perfectly straight in his seat. There was a second man behind him, in the seat across from Connor, who she could just see if she turned her head.
"We'll be landing soon. Sit tight." She faced the front again, nodding. Better to pretend she'd been anxious about landing. Not the android in the seat behind her. She couldn't stay in Detroit. Right?
Her home was in Los Angeles. Her career, her whole life. Everything she'd built from the remnants of a life that had been left to her when she was fourteen. Still she had constructed it, brick by brick, into something livable again. A place where she could walk down the street and be in the sunlight, not be afraid.
She closed her eyes again, frowning as Connor's face instantly appeared behind her eyelids. The expression he'd given when she said she had to go back. How was it fair that he could so casually point out that maybe she wasn't as happy as she pretended to be, then make her feel so guilty about wanting to go home?
She didn't want to leave him. Just the thought of it made her chest ache. Staying in Detroit just wasn't an option. She couldn't ask him to come with her, she couldn't be that selfish. He had Hank too.
"Could you fasten your seatbelt, please?" Taylor blinked her eyes open. The man on her right was speaking to her again. Her hands fumbled over the belt, and she snapped it closed. A glance out of the window showed the outlines of the Washington, D.C. skyline coming into view as the plane descended.
"Secretary Headley has arranged a car to take you from the airport. She wants to meet you in person." He was watching her uncertainly, probably gauging whether she was actually listening to him or not.
"Right. I'm sorry, did you tell me your name before?" He hesitated, more taken aback by the question. Then he shook his head.
"No ma'am. It's Frank."
"Thank you, Frank. Please just call me Taylor." She smiled at him. "Do you work for Secretary Headley?"
"Yes ma'am." He flushed, and her smile widened. "I mean, Taylor."
"Any tips on meeting your boss? All I could glean from our phone conversations is that she's very serious and she likes to hang up on people."
"She doesn't like to waste time." Frank's mouth curved into a half smile of amusement. The plane shuddered as they touched down on the runway. Taylor braced her hands on the arm rests, but he kept talking, "She doesn't like frivolities. She'll be inclined not to like you."
"Good news. I'm used to that."
The sun was just rising as they left the airport, rays of sunlight bouncing like a halo off of Taylor's blonde hair while the man known as Frank pushed her forward toward the waiting car. There were people lined up, shouting her name, and she had ducked her head to follow the other one who had told them his name was David just before they stepped off the plane. Connor was trailing this unlikely precession, unsure how to respond to what was happening.
She was slightly breathless by the time they slid into the backseat of the black sedan. It was not a self-driving car. Frank jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine while David climbed into the passenger side, cursing.
The car started to pull away. Connor glanced over at Taylor, who had taken to staring out the window. He scanned her but found nothing amiss. She was remarkably calm given the circumstances and hadn't seemed phased by the frantic people waiting to greet them as they crossed the tarmac.
He supposed it was just more inherent with her celebrity that he had not yet been exposed to. She had warned him that things would be different here. David was still muttering to himself in the front seat.
"Someone always knows, don't they? Rubbish."
"No use complaining about it. Most of those people probably didn't even know what was happening or who was showing up." Frank glanced at the blonde woman in the rearview, but if she was listening to their conversation, she didn't give any indications. "We'll be there shortly, Miss Taylor."
"Thank you, Frank." Taylor turned back and smiled at him. Listening after all. She glanced at Connor, but when she noticed his stare, went back to watching the window. Her phone started buzzing in her pocket and she pulled it free, occupying herself with the tiny screen for the rest of the car ride.
Just as they were pulling to a stop, she looked up at him again. Her eyebrows raised, just slightly, and she nudged him with her knee. "You ready?"
"For what?" Connor blinked, uncertain. She smiled again, her eyes crinkling, but didn't answer.
"We're here." David announced from his spot in the front, opening the car door. Taylor shifted away again, opening her own door and stepping out before either of them could open it for her. Connor followed immediately, keeping her locked in his sights.
Frank led the way into the building ahead, while David hovered behind, bringing up the rear. While Connor was scanning their surroundings, he realized that both humans were doing the same, in their own way.
"Are you going to be with us the whole time?" Taylor voiced the question he had just been considering himself. Frank glanced over his shoulder briefly but was busy showing credentials to the building security. Once they were through and on their way to the elevators, he answered her.
"I'm not sure. We were only told to deliver you here." They rode up in silence. Connor had gleaned by the high levels of security that they were definitely in a government building. He had also noticed a definite absence of androids since they had entered.
The elevator pinged, and Frank led them onward, down a long hallway. People gave off the distinct air of frantic energy as the hurried past, ducking between offices with tablets and files in hand. Only a couple seemed to notice their passing, pausing to stare at Taylor in surprise. One young man stumbled, then turned his head to watch them walk on with his mouth open in shock.
Connor drew closer to her side. He thought he could physically feel the eyes following her as she moved, a strange paranoia that was new to his senses, but Taylor didn't seem to be bothered by them. Neither of their human escorts were paying much attention either, at a glance, still heading toward their destination with singular focus.
In their defense, people moved to the side as they saw Frank approach, even if they noticed the blonde woman trailing behind. No one dared make an attempt to slow or stop them. One right turn and a short hallway brought them before an office.
The door was open, so Frank knocked on the doorframe as he stepped inside. The woman seated behind the desk looked up from her computer and frowned. "You're late."
"We received a bigger reception at the airport than anticipated." Secretary Alexis Headley stood, her dark brown eyes sweeping over them. Once she deemed them acceptable, she nodded toward Frank.
"Very well, you may go. Both of you." Both men stepped out without a second thought, pulling the door shut behind them. Taylor gave Connor the briefest of glances before she stepped forward, extending her hand across the desk.
"It's good to finally meet you, Secretary Headley. I'm Taylor, and this is Connor." They shook hands. Connor stepped forward, offering his hand as well. The Secretary appeared surprised, her eyebrows arching upward just slightly, but her hesitation was hardly noticeable before she shook his hand as well.
"Thank you for coming. Have a seat." Taylor's lips quirked slightly, but she sat, smoothing her coat. Connor took the seat beside her, watching Alexis Headley resume her seat. She folded her arms and leaned into the desk.
"This is a little informal. I thought we would be meeting with President Warren." Taylor glanced around the office.
"There will be hearings, starting tomorrow. Any legislation involving androids will be passed through the House and the Senate, so that's where we will begin." Secretary Headley paused, considered the both of them again. "I called you here to discuss the more pressing matter to me, which is our national security."
"I see." Taylor shifted in her seat. "It seems like solving one would readily solve the other."
"That is a charming sentiment." Alexis Headley smiled, slight and indulgent, leaning back into her chair. "But let's be practical."
"I don't understand what you're afraid of." Taylor folded her hands in her lap. Connor was reading her stress levels, but they hadn't shifted. Her fingers stayed still in her lap. "Any violence from deviants has been isolated. The revolution was peaceful. Have you received a threat?"
The two women stared each other down for at least a minute. The Secretary pursed her lips. "Even if I had, you would not be privy to that information."
"Well I know that Markus hasn't threatened you, so what exactly are you asking me?"
"I have to know what Markus intends now that he holds Detroit." Connor glanced back at Taylor, expecting her to react. She didn't, not more than the puckering of her lips into a frown. Secretary Headley had leaned forward onto her elbows again, waiting for her to respond.
"They only want their freedom." She took a breath, in her nose. As still as she was, he couldn't imagine she wasn't struggling with some emotion. The timbre of her voice had shifted slightly. "It's not that complicated."
Another beat of silence descended. Alexis Headley moved her gaze from Taylor to Connor. "Your co-ambassador doesn't speak much, does he?"
Taylor turned her head. Their eyes met, and her frown eased into the smallest of smiles. "I bullied him into coming with me. He'll be content not to say anything."
"I'm here to assist Taylor," Connor affirmed. "Markus chose her to be our ambassador. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have, though."
Secretary Headley arched a single eyebrow at him. "Is Markus planning on building more androids in Detroit?"
"No." Taylor sat forward in her seat, drawing the Secretary's attention back to her.
"Is he planning on converting every android in the country?" She pressed, her frown deepening. Taylor stiffened, and Secretary Headley sighed. "Try to understand. I'm not accusing anyone of anything. It is my duty to protect this country from any and all hostilities."
There was another bout of silence. The two women considered each other. Taylor leaned into the chair again. "Markus sent me here because he wanted his people to have rights. He doesn't plan on overthrowing the government or converting anymore androids. He is trying to take care of his people."
"Very well." Secretary Headley stood abruptly, extending her hand across the desk again. "I sense that we're done here."
This time the surprise was apparent on Taylor's face. But she collected herself quickly, standing as well, accepting the handshake. Connor followed suit.
"I will have Frank and David escort you to your hotel. We will be in touch." Taylor nodded as she pulled her hand back. "There is one more thing."
This time it was Alexis Headley who hesitated. It was the closest to squirming that she probably ever came. Taylor was watching with interest, not moving now. Alexis glanced away for just a moment, then finally squared her shoulders again.
"A favor." Taylor shifted on her feet. Waited. "Optional. It won't curry you any favor in Congress. It's more of a personal nature."
"What is it?"
"I'll send you the details, when I send you the schedule for the hearings. You'll have to make a speech." Secretary Headley smirked, sliding easily back into her confidence. "It's for a good cause."
"I'm a fan of those." Taylor tried to smile in return, but Connor could tell it was forced. Alexis Headley shifted her dark brown eyes back to him, her smile widening.
"I know."