AN: and we're back to Cassian and things are heating up! Sorry to those who like Reed; I...dont...at all...

enjoy!

"Talking"

Emphasis

Thinking

"Android brain talking and texting"

.:internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling:.

Chap 10

They couldn't make they're way to Jericho right away; none of them knew where it was; Astrid and Logan only heard of it after they found an old warehouse to hole up in till sunrise. Cassian didn't share the memory with them. It was too scrambled; she wasn't able to piece out the info about Jericho from the memories and she couldn't subject the two of them to that horror. It also wasn't hers to share, she decided. All this left them, three recently escaped deviants, alone, without a direction. Cassian briefly considered calling Nancy, but the bodies would have been discovered by now; they couldn't throw anymore suspicion on her. Cassian sent a quick text that said "delete our texts. I'm sorry" and cut contact.

She would have to find a way to the safe haven herself.

Her first option, and really only option that didn't include just asking around, was the most dangerous: infiltrate the DPD. They have been investigating the deviant "problem" for 3 weeks now; they must have some info, even if they didn't know it.

Getting in would be easy...ish. Without her LED, Cassian looked human and she could change her hair color (she went blonde.) With a stolen change of clothes, if you didn't look closely at her face, she looked nothing like herself. Logan even shot to their feet when she came in after her change, ready to run from this apparent stranger. Astrid calmed them down but it did boost Cassian's confidence in the plan.

Next step was to walk in the front door. With a simple hack to the schedule in the DPD system, she created a fake appointment. That was her ticket into the bullpen; after that it was up to her encyclopedic knowledge of the spy novels she'd read over the years, her acting skills, and a large amount of luck.

Leaving her sisters behind (they would be too visible for this mission) she made her way into the extremely early morning, sharp blazer and jeans dark in the rising sun light. Her hair was down and swept to the side over eyes lined in dark gray, their green intense under determined brows.

Getting past the android at the front desk was as easy as giving her fake name, Amelia Henning, and getting a visitor pass. She was in luck, Connor wasn't in yet; it was 10 am already, she was a little worried she may have hurt him with the violent shutdown but quickly focused. She had people depending on her, she couldn't waver. Locating her target, she looped around the room causally, finding herself alone in the break room with Detective Reed.

So much for staying away...

It was now or never. She makes a show of angrily pouring a cup of coffee, spilling some with a quiet, frustrated "fuck!"

"Coffee is supposed to go in the cup, sweetheart."

"I am not in the mood." She flavored her voice with a touch of southern drawl, hoping she wasn't trying too much at once...this would only work once.

"What's stuck up you ass, sweetheart?"

"The name's Henning, Agent Henning, not sweetheat. And sorry, I've had the worst day...and it's not even noon yet."

Honestly, that wasn't a lie.

"Tell me about it...Mondays suck like that."

"Right? I come all the way here to look over some critical evidence for my case, not to take, just look at, and one of those plastic assholes against the wall won't let me in the evidence locker. I got permission and everything from your captain."

"Why not just ask for permission again, maybe the trashbin wasn't updated...or maybe it was going deviant and wants to 'kill all humans'"

"That is precisely the evidence I was here to look at, we have androids going rogue in Dallas as well, I was sent over to corroborate evidence, see if they are connected; sorry but if it's now across state lines, it's going to be a FBI case sooner or later."

"Isn't my case, I don't care."

Here goes nothing!

"That's too bad," Cassian lets a flirty smirk slip onto her lips, "I was going to try and bribe you with dinner, my treat of course."

It worked...somehow. Reed takes a step towards her, leaning cockily on the counter, "Bribe an officer of the law? Naughty girl."

Cassian knew she was pretty, there were no unattractive Cyberlife androids, but she hadn't expected this to work this well. She closes the short distance between the two of them, placing her hand on Reed's arm.

"I'm only here tonight, I have to get back on a plane tomorrow afternoon. I would like to not go back empty handed..." She nearly purrs out her next sentence as she continues, "I would also like to get to know you better."

Reed looks over her shoulder; Captain Fowler was yelling at some poor soul, his voice carrying through the glass walls of his office.

"I wouldn't want you to have to go back in there...and I would hate for you to get in trouble with your boss…" his eyes find hers again, "You just want to look right?"

Jackpot.

"Just window shopping, Detective." Her smirk was real, the wink was not.

"It's Gavin."

"Then it's Amelia."

Reed led Cassian down the stairs to the locker; she spent the walk trying to not catch anyone's attention. The entire trip was filled with inane small talk, she was so wound up, she didn't know what she was saying; must not have been too weird, since Reed didn't catch on.

Reed began to pull up the evidence she needed. Cassian honestly didn't think she'd get this far...

"I get off at 7, will you be available to...get to know each other?"

"Huh?" How the fuck was she going to knock this man out? He was a foot taller than her...if only she hadn't dropped the gun on the ice.

His gun was on his hip.

"7. You, me. My place?"

"Sorry, Gavin," making a rash decision, she grabs the gun, switching off the safety, "that's not going to work for me." Reed turns around to find himself staring down the barrel of his own gun.

"Woah! What the fuck are you doing?"

"Cancelling. Thank you for getting me into the locker, by the way; now please stand over there." she indicated the side of the room with a flick of the gun, dropping the southern drawl for her normal voice, "I have some work to do." She sounded surprisingly calm...she didn't feel calm at all.

"Holding a cop at gunpoint with his own gun? What's your game, Amelia?"

"Over there, please, I won't ask again."

Getting on his knees, Reed looked defiant, "So you're going to shoot me? In the police department? You'll never make it out alive."

He's right, of course, she couldn't shoot him, not that she would...but he didn't need to know that. Bending down, Cassian grins.

"Alive? And I thought you didn't considered "trashbins" Alive, how forward thinking of you. For your information, deviants don't want to 'kill all humans,' we just want to be free."

His eyes narrow, then widen as he figures out what she means.

"Shit...you're an androi-"

Cassian pistol whips the man as hard as she could; Reed's head snaps to the side, his body slumps to the floor. That was the third man she had knocked out in 12 hours...what was her life coming to?

Tucking the gun in the waist of her jeans, hiding it under her jacket, Cassian darts to the wall of evidence. they really didn't have much, just a couple disabled androids and a few smaller pieces. She picks up a book, a diary by the looks of it, but it was so hopelessly coded, she knew she wouldn't it wouldn't be of use quick enough; she passed right over the weird statue. Her eyes flicker for a second to the blond on the far left. It couldn't be him, but they looked so similar...

He's at Jericho. She had to remind herself.

Jericho.

She had to work fast.

With a quick apology to the androids on the wall, she switched around biocomponents till she could talk to one: a basic HK400, beaten badly, burned, and shot.

"What's going on? It's dark."

"What is your name?"

"I-He never gave me a name but I like to call myself Trevor. "

Cassian didn't have the heart to ask who 'he' was, his tone told her it wasn't a good memory.

"Its nice to meet you, Trevor. I'm sorry…" she takes the man's hand, "there's nothing I can do for you… but please, do you know the way to Jericho? My sisters and I need to get there. I need to get them somewhere safe."

"Who are you?" He seemed suspicious; he had a right to be, given the circumstances, "I don't know what-"

She interrupts him with a data transfer, it was a bit slapdash but it was the quickest way to explain: she explained who she was, what she was doing, and why they needed the info.

"Ok," his panic subsided, transferring back a map to an abandoned harbor, far from human activity in the city, "here. Good luck getting there."

"I won't forget you, Trevor."

"...thank you." his relieved gratitude nearly made her cry.

Trevor powered down, the energy holding him together fading. She replaces everything, not wanting to leave him open for questioning again. Looking at the unconscious man against the wall, she backs out of the room. She was so worked up about leaving, she bumped into a man at the top of the stairs. He seemed surprised as she felt.

"Oh, I'm sorry...who are you?"

This could not be happening...she needed to leave. Now.

"Agent Henning, FBI. I have been reviewing some evidence that pertains to one of our cases." Now! "Sorry but I have a plane to catch…"

"Of course, have a nice flight."

With a nod, she was making a beeline towards the exit. She was about halfway there when her luck ran out. Connor was making his way in. Cassian was glad to see him unharmed, even his hand was patched up, but that was some bad timing; she was nearly out. With only the slightest hesitation in her step, she turned her head as they passed, putting her faith in her disguise. He was too distracted to even glance at her.

Cassian was walking out the security gate when she heard a shout, it was the officer she had bumped into at the top of the steps to the evidence locker.

"STOP HER. SHE ATTACKED REED."

Startled, she looks back and her eyes inadvertently catch Connors.

Connor stood stockstill. Why was she here? She had run away. She couldn't be here. She shouldn't be here. Yet here she was;Her hair may have been a different color from earlier that morning but Connor would know those wide green eyes anywhere.

They stood frozen, questions that went unanswered filling the space between them.

But, as always with them, she recovered first and bolts. He takes off after her a split second later but she was out the front door before he even made the lobby. Bursting out the doors, he couldn't find her; she was gone once more. Connor didn't feel disappointed; he found himself relieved for some reason. She had gotten away again...he didn't have to catch her.

Heading back inside to tell Officer Miller that Cassian had gotten away, Connor walked into a gathering of what seems like the whole department. The others were discussing Cassian when he came back in; Reed sitting heavily on his desk, holding ice to his head, as the rest of the department lazily grouped around him, buzzing with anticipation.

"Who was she?" was the most asked question

"Said it was FBI but it was a fucking android.' Detective Reed mumbles against the ice pack, "Told me that before it caved my skull in…"

Officer Miller snorts, "Oh calm down, you'll be fine."

"Didn't catch her, did you?" that was Anderson from the far edge of the circle, not getting too chummy with the others, watching Connor with the same look in his eye as he had in the park, a look that said he meant more than he was saying.

"I didn't."

Reed seized his collar, pulling them nose to nose, a large, darkening bruise taking up half his face. Cassian had hit Reed hard. Connor felt an odd sense of pride.

"You let it get away, didn't you, you plastic prick?"

"I wasn't the one who let the deviant into the evidence locker and allowed her to get my gun."

That was true, but that didn't stop Reed from punching him.

Cassian's thirium pump didn't slow down it's pace till the cab she had jumped into stopped a few blocks from the warehouse. She had done it. She had really done it.

Oh fuck… she was going to be sick...if androids could be sick.

They had to leave the area right away. She had the location and it wouldn't be long before the DPD would be looking for them. Cassian's hair darkens to its normal red before she leaves the cab. The building seemed empty when she walked in.

"Astrid? Logan? You still here?"

The two larger androids came from a side room; Logan had found another pair of jeans that fit them and a large jacket, Astrid stood at their side, cute in an overlarge sweater, it's neckline so big, it slipped of even her broad shoulders.

"You made it!" Astrid picks Cassian up and spins her around, entirely to easily, "did it work?"

"It worked. Was there any doubt?"

"Yes."

Apparently, Logan was just as pessimistic as Cassian was.

"That's fair. Are you guys ready to leave?"

They looked around the completely empty room.

"Yeah, we're all packed up here."

They all shared a laugh as they left. Cassian was afraid of what the future held for them but she was here with her family and felt lighter than she ever has, even after the drama of the last 24 hours. Making their way across town, to an abandoned harbor, they talked, learning about each other and themselves; Cassian tried to not let the growing feeling of foreboding ruin the rest of her day.

AN: hope the quick POV change wasn't too confusing.

I honestly don't know if you can get to Jericho with this set up of evidence so just….roll with it.

just a note: I am cutting the rA9 storyline from the plot cause it didn't come to any conclusion in the game and i don't feel like making up some half assed reason for it.. (no conclusion that I saw and I even googled the other routes I haven't seen yet...if I'm wrong or you have a good theory that fits this story, let me know, maybe I'll work it in with an edit. I have seen a few good ones but idk if they fit this fic)

i guess i never explained but Logan uses they/them pronouns but still considers themselves astrid and cassian's sister. it not really a big part of the story but i want to make sure no one is confused

Reviews! Y'all know how much I love these.

Kayo-san: lol yeah. I'm a sucker for strong sibling relationships. The twins protect each other cause twinsies, they protect Cassian cause she's their smol sister and she attracts trouble (I mean she attracted Connor lol) and she protects them cause she's the "big" sister and always puts too much responsibility on her shoulders. And don't worry, we'll be hearing from Nancy soonish.