After Connor returned, everything seemed right. There'd be nothing to worry about besides future deviants, we'd thought. We were so horribly wrong. All of Detroit was bolstering itself against their androids, and as I allowed myself solace in my growing feelings for Connor, and he continued to open himself up to us, none of us could've expected an enemy that could destroy us if we made one wrong move.

I'd fully anticipated Gavin to deliver on his threat to smash Connor's face in upon his return - new model or not - but all he did was resort to passive-aggressive quips and juvenile pranks. It weirded me out to the point that I brought it up with him, when we were alone in the break room one morning.

"You're awfully pleasant, what's up?"

Gavin replied, "I just decided not to be a complete asshole, thank you very much."

I nudged him. "People don't suddenly change."

"People can, actually - and no, this doesn't mean I'm suddenly the nicest man there ever was, fuck that shit." He stirred his drink with a spoon and settled against the counter. "I met someone, last week."

"Like someone you're interested in, or...?"

He threw me a withering look. "I don't become interested in people, okay, they become interested in me."

"That's your experience so far?" I smirked.

Gavin set his spoon down into the sink with a loud clink. "I'm a very good looking guy, you know. Anyway, you met with Kamski?"

I paused. "You saw Carl?"

"Who else? Before you ask - while you were dealing with Man-Bun-McDouche-Incorporated, Fowler received a call about a break-in to a CyberLife warehouse. Guess what the fuckers raided?"

"Cyberlife shit."

"Blue blood, biocomponents, some new plastic fuckers - even tried to take one of the plastic workers." My mouth formed a small O. "Yeah, it was Markus. They all got away. But I ran into one of them who'd fallen behind a little bit from the rest."

"What happened?"

He grew taciturn, shaking his cup back and forth and watching the coffee slosh around. "I get surrounded by dogs. I'm about to shoot their brains out - I'm not gonna have them tear me apart - and one of those things drags me over the fence. Tells me its name's Josh, asks if I'm alright, all that shit. Says it hopes humans can get along with it, like - what a load of crap."

"You didn't…" I can't bring myself to finish my sentence. Gavin had never had patience for androids since they were created - to him, they were machines trying to fool humanity into believing they had sentience. They held as much value to him as a broken coffee maker.

"I fuckin' shoulda cuffed it right there. But it keeps talking, like I'm a friend or somethin'. I must've been high on adrenaline, or...I don't know, worried Kamski was gonna test you again - he did, didn't he?"

I took a swig of my tea. "It's fine, just keep going."

He made another PHCK, looking down into his drink. "Fine? That's your response for everything! You know, I've never been able to look at someone who was nice and accept it wasn't for anythin' else. I thought you were tryin' to manipulate me or somethin', but now, I see you're just a decent person. Kamski making you cry again pisses me off. You gave up everythin' to please your mom, and the one time you choose for yourself, it's not really a choice. I'm still surprised you called me about joining law enforcement."

I wasn't expecting to have a heart to heart with Gavin. t left me vulnerable, uncertain how to proceed.

We'd been at university at the same time. His 'friends' had tried to get him to take red ice when they found out he'd planned on joining the force. Gavin had never opened up to me about his personal life, so I had no idea why he stuck with them, but I was there at the right time - or maybe the wrong one - by pure chance. We were heading towards the same bar, probably the only thing we had in common at the time as a fashion student and a law enforcement trainee. I'd had no experience with self-defense at that point, but together, we had fought them off - pitifully, of course. Nothing a good old bottle of peroxide and weeks of rest couldn't fix. Afterwards, Gavin had supported my art. He met Carl with me and he reluctantly tolerated Markus. Then I gave it all up. There were many factors into that decision, of course, ones even Gavin didn't know about.

While I genuinely found him a pain in the ass, a douche, etc., he wasn't a detective for nothing. Much as he'd rather shoot himself up the ass with red ice than admit it, he was just a really insecure guy deep down. He'd let his thorns adorn him like a second skin and every encounter left you a little worse for wear, vowing never to approach him again. But he didn't give a fuck.

"What happened next?"

He sucked his teeth. "What do you mean, what's next? I let the motherfucker go. Now I can't stop thinkin' about what would've happened if I'd caught him or shot him. Fuck, I want to punch him in the face." He pushed himself up straighter and turned to me. "You think if I sock Plastic Prick, Josh would feel it?"

I flicked him on the temple. "That's not how it works, and if you hit Connor I'll write you up for harassment and battery. And you called the deviant by his name, you know."

"When someone saves you from being mauled to death by dogs, you overlook some shit," was his argument.

Someone. "That's a step in the right direction," I allowed. "How'd you run into Carl?"

Gavin sipped at his coffee. "I visited him. He's not in the greatest shape; you should see him sometime soon. Anyway, I just wanted to let him know that Markus isn't a pile of scrap. Right as I'm doing that, he gets a call from Kamski, and Carl's all like 'you must check up on her.' Also," Gavin said, stopping me from leaving, "office dalliances aren't banned, but Fowler may say something."

"It's one-sided."

Gavin peered at me with disdain. "If you said the word, Plastic Prick over there would bend you over a table and-"

I spat in his coffee, and he bellowed, "What the shit?"

"I believe he propositioned that activity to you," I said, and Gavin paled, as if the memory of the Eden Club documents physically sickened him. "I may like him, but he doesn't feel the same way - I know that. And if by some miracle he did, it'd be too dangerous."

Gavin dumped his coffee into the sink and then rinsed his mug over and over, as if my spit contained some kind of chemical warfare he might ingest if he didn't clean it properly. "What aren't you telling me? People have relationships with those things all the time." He squinted at me suspiciously. "You're hiding stuff, aren't you?"

I patted the back of his hand. "I'm glad you weren't mauled by dogs."

When I sat down at my desk, I found Connor at Hank's desk, demonstrating his coin trick enthusiastically. Hank was doing a fantastic impression of looking like he'd been dragged into this against his free will, but I knew better. When Connor finished, Hank pocketed the coin, jabbing a finger at the seat opposite him. Like a dejected puppy, Connor returned to his desk, but not before spotting me at mine. He halted in his tracks.

"The fuck are you doin'?" Hank grumbled, leaning over to shove him into motion. Connor blinked multiple times before awkwardly lifting a hand in greeting. I returned the gesture as Connor straightened his jacket and sat down. Or tried to sit, but the chair went rolling out from beneath him, thanks to Gavin, who'd snuck around to ambush him. Connor went down with a crash, taking most of the things Hank and the rest of the station had put on his desk as a welcome back gift.

"Ah, Jesus," Hank said, rounding the desk to help him up. "Detective, what the fuck was that?"

"Nothing, Lieutenant. Plastic here wasn't paying attention." Gavin sauntered away.

Hank pulled Connor to his feet and shook his head at him. "You sure are one awkward son of a bitch."

Connor adjusted his tie unnecessarily and settled down in his seat, scratching at the back of his neck. When he looked at me, his LED sputtered yellow, and then his lips curled up in the strangest attempt at a smile I'd ever seen in my entire life. His mouth tried to say, 'Look at these pearly whites! Such a friendly person!' but it didn't reach his eyes, and his cheeks twitched with the effort.

At a complete loss as to how to react, I smiled back, painfully aware it looked more like a distress signal in a hostage situation. Then he swiveled his chair around so he wasn't facing me and he remained in that position for the remainder of the day. Hank looked on as if he was seeing aliens come down to earth.

Chris walked over to my desk as I was finishing up my last file. "Hey, we're on patrol tonight."

I glanced up at him. "Really? Where?" Strange, I'd been on several patrols already last week. Since I'd been partnered with Hank and Connor for the deviants cases, I wasn't supposed to be assigned to too many other jobs. Unless…

My friend continued, "Around Capitol Park, just a looksie. Fowler said you should make sure this file's a good one."

Finally! I shot to my feet and grabbed him in a hug. "Is this what I think it means?"

Chris's laugh was music to my ears. "Talk to Hank, I can't answer that." But I heard the smile in his voice. "There's gonna be a lot to celebrate if things work out. Remember that cruise I mentioned to you last year?"

I let go of him and nodded. "You're going? Chris, that's awesome, good for you!"

"Tomorrow night, actually. Wife's already packed. I'm telling you, sometimes I don't know how she puts up with these hours, but I'm gonna make sure she knows how much she means to me on this trip."

"I'm so happy for you," I told him, and I meant it.

"Well go on, ask Hank before we leave."

I practically skipped over to my superior, who was emerging from the break room with Connor at his heels. Without any warning, I wrapped Hank in a bear hug; instantly, he jerked back, spilling scalding coffee over us.

"What the hell?" we both asked in unison, and then I laughed. "When did you submit it?" I asked. Hank busied himself with cleaning off the coffee on his jacket.

"Submit what, Officer?" Connor inquired, glancing between the two of us, mystified that I'd hugged the lieutenant and hadn't been knocked out stone cold.

I couldn't resist, I was too excited. "When?" I pestered him, blocking him from escaping and ducking to peer up at him with doe eyes. "Come on, don't leave me in suspense."

"I'll withdraw it," he warned and I settled back on the soles of my feet, hands behind my back. My grin grew broader and with an exasperated, albeit not quite-put-out sigh, Hank said, "Last weekend, okay? Now quit busting my balls."

Connor frowned at that last bit, but I whooped with joy. The poor guy became even further lost, but just Hank smiled. He tried to cover it up, but it was too late.

"If you piss me off, I'll withdraw it, got it?"

"Aye aye," I mocked and he rolled his eyes. "When do I take the exam?"

Connor's LED pulsed blue and he said, "Officer, are you talking about the exam required to become a detective?" I nodded so hard I thought my head would pop off. "I appear to have missed many events in the time since I was at CyberLife."

Indeed. Hank pushed past me so I couldn't tease him about what I'd just realised: he'd missed Connor enough that he'd submitted my application; or had it been because both of us had missed him? Whatever the reason, my heart swelled. Connor, who hadn't followed after his Lieutenant, said, "I'm very pleased to hear you're on the way to achieving your goals, Officer. I'm not programmed to say these things, but I think you will advance much further than you anticipate - and to be aware of that probability is wonderful."

I smiled. "Thank you, Connor. Did you want a hug too?" I'd meant it as a joke - partly. Hearing him say something like that was beyond sweet, and I wanted to feel his arms around me again, without the all-knowing stare of Elijah this time.

Connor stepped forward as if to agree, but then he drew his shoulders up and his gaze flicked to the side. He blinked rapidly. "I've not done anything to warrant such a gesture-"

"Hey, Phillips!" Chris called. "We gotta go!"

I turned to wave at him in understanding, then returned to my patrol partner. "Hugs aren't warranted, we do them because it feels nice, and it's reassuring."

Connor's gaze slowly rose to meet mine before he glanced away again. He tilted his head so I couldn't see his LED. Was he…shy? I laughed at the idea and he directed a puzzled look my way. "If it would reassure you, I can oblige."

"You don't hug someone to oblige them," I said. "But thank you for what you said, that really made me happy." Connor's gaze narrowed. "I'll see you later."

Connor reached out and caught my arm. I looked back to find him deep in thought, his forehead crinkled with lines. His grip slackened until he'd let go of me altogether, and he started wringing his hands together. "Have you read the journal yet?"

"Don't tell anyone, but that's what I plan on doing when I get a moment tonight. You'd be surprised how little goes on while I'm on patrol - it's like Detroit knows I'll whip them into shape." I placed a finger over my lips, as if telling him to keep it a secret.

He cleared his throat. "You don't need to read everything in there, most of it's nonsense."

"The Connor I know is anything but nonsensical."

After I drove for about six hours Chris and I changed seats, and I stifled a yawn with my hand while I flipped through the moleskine with the other. It was nearly 2AM and we'd yet to be dismissed. This was going to be a lot of overtime, not that I minded.

"This is gonna be a long night," he said, turning down a street.

"Yeah, but I guess it's better than stumbling into another investigation."

He nodded solemnly. "I am not missing this cruise. And you've got an exam to take. Congratulations, by the way. You earned it."

"Save that for when I actually get the promotion - but thanks, I accept your praise."

Chris snickered when he glanced over. "You filled up the last journal already? That's crazy. I can't even be bothered to make a good case file."

Shrugging, I flipped to another page. "It's not so bad."

My friend turned up the radio, drumming his fingers along the wheel.

Connor's neat handwriting flew across the page. He'd certainly been very dry with his notes. Research-paper dry. Most of it was a recount of his investigation of the Stratford Tower, as though he were betting on CyberLife looking through it. Several pages had been dedicated to it, but there were a few little tells here and there. At first, I'd thought nothing of it, but anytime Hank or me came up, there was the slightest shift in his writing - as if he'd put more pressure on the letters. Not so much they became dark, but that they slanted to the side more, no longer the perfect script of CyberLife sans.

When he got to the last part of that horrific investigation, when he'd left us for what had seemed like it might be forever, the text broke off and became a jumble of binary code.

Squinting, I held the journal up close, as if that'd crack the message. I'd never taken any coding classes so there was no way for me to comprehend what he'd meant. Still, I passed over each number, until I noticed that one of the zeros became too rounded, like an O.

"Officer Phillips? Helllooooo?" Chris waved a hand over my vision, and I glared at him. "I asked you if you've noticed anything strange about Connor?"

"He's a little more antsy, I guess?"

He said, "No, I'm talking about those little moments he has when he thinks no-one else is there."

"What do you mean?"

Chris pulled to a stop at a red light. "You haven't seen?"

"No, what are you talking about?"

He chewed on his bottom lip, tapping a beat on the wheel. "Sometimes, he'll go down to the breakroom after most of the officers have gone home. Hank's usually gone too, so it's just a few guys. Well, I often pass by the breakroom to make sure Gavin doesn't steal anymore coffee packets, you know?"

I nodded.

"And sometimes, Connor'll be just standing there, talking to something, but there's nothing there. Saying things like, 'You lied to me', 'I won't disappoint you', 'They mean nothing to me.' It freaks me out a little, you know."

"Why didn't you ask me sooner?"

He sighed. "I thought you knew. You and Hank are with him most of the time, so I figured he might've done that before with you guys. I've gone in and asked him if he's alright, but it's like he's not even in that room with me anymore."

A chill swept down my spine. "Do you think he's talking to CyberLife?" Hank had mentioned Connor would close his eyes to report to Cyberlife, but I didn't know about him talking aloud.

"I don't know if I would prefer that or a ghost. But seriously, am I the only one who's been seeing this stuff?" A sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead.

"I'll ask Hank, I'm sorry you had to see that. I'd have been freaked out too."

The light turned green and Chris glided down the road, streetlamps setting him aglow. "I'm kind of worried about the guy, though. He's not just this deviant hunter anymore, he seems like he cares too much about things that don't even matter to his mission."

Unable to speak, for my mind was whirring with possibilities and anxiety, I flipped through several pages of the moleskine, bypassing all of those illegible codes, until I came to one that stopped me altogether.

It was as if Connor had pasted the photo of Carlos Ortiz's bathroom onto the paper, the one with all of the rA9's plastered to the tiles. Except, in place of rA9, he'd written 'She knows', 'She suspects', 'Mission', 'Hank', and my first name. My name took up the center of the page, dark and layered, as if he'd traced over the letters several times. What made my blood run cold was how he'd tried to cross out my name, and in its place, he'd written 'She'll kill her.'

The radio transmission screeched to life and I shut the cover closed with a startled gasp. Chris reached over to turn off the radio, and I slid the journal into my bag. I'd have to ask Connor about it later.

"Phillips, Code Eight."

Chris and I looked at each other, shocked. Code Eight? This was serious.

"Phillips, Code Four, Code Eight, go ahead," I replied.

Radio transmission calls relied on codes to represent certain situations, in case someone who wasn't in the force could overhear. In this case, something serious was going on with our dispatcher, and I'd responded to let them know we were alright, to ask for their status, and the implication that we would be there if needed.

The dispatcher continued, "A crowd of androids at Capitol Park, use Code Zero."

Chris cursed. There went our night. I felt for my gun and Chris did the same.

I said, "Copy, Code Four."

"Code Eight," they repeated.

I pulled my gun out. "Copy."

The transmission ended and Chris pulled over. "Let's swap, you're the better driver."

We switched seats and I turned on the sirens. Chris stuck his hand out the window, showing four digits to the officer standing at the street corner, on duty. He raised a four back at us, reassuring us that he was alright, and then I hit the gas, tearing through the night with red and blue lights as our wings.

"Get your gun ready," I told him.

"Why did I complain about it being slow?" he bemoaned.

"Just focus on that cruise, okay?"

I expertly peeled arounda corner and Chris lowered his cap. "Remind me to tell Hank to take driving lessons from you," he said and I laughed despite the situation.

The street leading down to the park was quiet, shadows thicker than the night eating everything in its path, but as I advanced down the street, the glaring screens from the park chased away the night like an artificial sun. I slammed the brakes and threw the car into park. We shut our doors behind us, our guns levelled at the approaching crowd.

I clicked on our radio. "Phillips, Code Eight, Code Eight."

"Kim, Code Thirteen, go ahead."

A different dispatcher, great. "I've responded and am on the scene at Capitol Park. Code Eight, immediately. Possible Code Zero, there are several armed suspects closing in on us."

I switched my safety off at the glint of metal poles in the deviant's hands. They swarmed closer, marching toward us.

"Code Eight," a different dispatcher answered, and then the transmission cut off. Backup was coming. He'd never bothered to inform me who they were, so it was probably a new guy.

"What do we do?" Chris panicked.

I threw the radio cord back into the car and said, "We can't leave the scene. Don't fire."

We held our guns at the ready. They closed in on us. Closer, closer, until I could see their LEDs swirling yellow like a swarm of fireflies.

The sound of footfalls, quick and lithe, sounded to my left, and I caught a glimpse of the moonlight on a DPD uniform. They raised their gun and fired. Several times. Androids stumbled and collapsed to the ground and I gasped. The responding officer raced over to us.

"This crowd's too big to handle," he said.

I cut him off. "State your rank and name, Officer. I did not give you the order to fire."

He snapped, "Jerry Pocks, DPD Patrol. I was down the street when I was dispatched."

"He's as green as they come," Chris said. I cursed.

"Don't you do a damned thing unless I tell you to, you understand?"

The bastard rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever, it's not like you'd handle this well on your own anyway."

"Shut your mouth, Pocks, before I shut it for you." The nerve of this man.

"Alright, Officer A.S."

Android Sympathizer - oh, what a low blow.

Chris shouted, "Say hello to Detective Phillips, Pocks. Now, you listen to what she says or she'll write you up so good your ass will be on the paper tomorrow morning."

Pocks threw him a dirty look as the crowd of androids stopped only a few feet away. In their hands they held metal rods and laser guns. Chris looked to me for direction but I pinned a steely glare on Pocks until he squirmed, and I could ascertain he wouldn't ignore my orders.

Snow twirled down, dusting the streets, our car, and chilling our bodies with the cold.

"Get down!" one of the androids roared, and he swung the metal rod at Chris. His gun clattered to the street and rolled down the gutter. They did the same to Pocks, and I let mine roll out of my hands to avoid a possible bone fracture. He raised his weapon at us and ordered us to get down again.

Pocks glowered. "Know what you're doing, don'cha?"

I willed him to shut up but he kept babbling. The android picked up my gun and trained it on Pocks; he clacked his teeth together and fell silent. Out of the crowd, a figure emerged. Blue blood stained his hands. Several weapons adorned him and a metal rod stuck out of the carrier on his back. Behind him, a woman said, "They slaughtered our people."

Another man shouted, "We want justice, Markus!"

Pocks snarled in disgust at me as I raised my face with unbridled hope. The man I'd befriended only a few years ago stood before us, looking down at the one who'd ripped people from his crowd. His green eye was as familiar as yesterday, but his blue eye unnerved me. It changed his entire demeanor. He could be calm and cool as a gentle wave, or crash and drown us in a tempest of rage.

He didn't see me, not at first. Markus took my gun from the man and raised it at Chris. No.

"You don't have to do this," Chris cried, and tears ran down his cheeks.

Pocks snarled, "If you'd let me gun down the rest of them-"

"Shut your fucking mouth," I snapped. Markus glanced at Pocks, then back at Chris. He never seemed to even see me. I guess it made sense, considering I was bundled up, and I had my hair up in a tight bun beneath my hat. Markus focused on the tears streaking down Chris's cheeks.

"Please," Chris begged. I wanted nothing more than to take his place.

"Markus-" I started but he'd already lowered his gun, and his whisper was so soft I almost didn't hear him.

"An eye for an eye and the world goes blind." Then he said, stronger, "We won't punish a crime with another crime." He handed my gun back to the android who'd stolen it from me and turned around. I cried his name.

He halted, back tensing as if he didn't believe it. The androids around us turned stunned gazes on me. "Phillips?" Markus whirled around and pulled me to my feet. "I don't - what are you doing here?"

Another voice, dove-velvet, sounded to my left and Simon bounded over, eyes wild. "I didn't even recognize you. I'm glad you're alright."

Markus was staring at me as if I were a ghost, and maybe I was, I sure felt light-headed from him nearly killing us all. "I didn't even see you there. I could've killed you." He drew me into a hug and it was like I'd gone back in time to sunny days, piano lessons, and painting. "How's Carl?"

"I'm going to see him today, he's fine, from what I've heard." I said. "But what are you doing here?" I pulled away and looked him over, then at Simon, a laser gun in his hand. A woman hung in the back, her hair auburn and her eyes burning with the desire to spill blood. She was beautiful and intimidating all at once.

"North," Markus said. She walked over to us, a purposeful saunter, and I noticed the film of tears in her eyes, the hatred in her clenched jaw.

"So you're just gonna let them go after what they did to our people?" she asked him.

"North," Markus said, as if trying to calm her down. "This is Phillips. One of the friends I made with Carl. She's on our side."

"She's a human, Markus."

Simon argued, "She got me out of there alive. She's not a threat."

"Then what's she doing here with them? She could've been the one who shot our people dead!"

"I'm very sorry about what happened," I told her, and I meant it. She only shook her head and spun around, disappearing down the street.

Markus winced. "She's like that with everyone," he tried to reassure me, but I understood her pain, somewhat. Losing people was hard. "We should go, before more back-up arrives."

Simon said, "It's good to see you again, please take care. Josh, can you make sure North doesn't wander too far? The cops will be everywhere soon." His fingers brushed against Markus's before he patted his shoulder. "Come on."

"Sure," a deep, whisper-soft voice answered and a tall, wise looking man followed after North. Could he be the same Josh that Gavin had spoken of?

Markus took my gun back from the android, and held it out to me. I took it back and he gave me a small smile. "I wished there were more time to talk, see how things are." Then he led his people away, their strides hurried. The glow from the huge screens in the park painted them in harsh blues.

Pocks said, "Oh, great. You just happen to know all of them, don't you. The Captain will love hearing about this."

I ignored him, knelt down before Chris, and held him. My friend trembled and broke in my hands and he cried into my shoulder. While Pocks grabbed the radio transmission and complained about everything, I held Chris and thanked Markus for not taking his life away, unable to imagine a world without him.

We were found by several other officers, who took one look at us and rushed us back to the station. I discovered my phone had been blasted several times by Hank. I called him back and said as soon as he picked up, "I have to talk to Carl, there might be a lead. I'm at the DPD."

"Jesus fuck - you finally answer. Do you have any idea-" There was the low, throaty bark of a very agitated Sumo in the background. "Connor, calm the shit down. She's fine, okay? Fuckin' androids, alright Phillips, I'll be there. Connor's coming with me."

I paused. There was a lot I needed to ask him. "I probably shouldn't be leaving, just so you know. Fowler's wanting to ask about what happened, but I don't have time. Do you know about this ass named Pocks, by the way?"

The guy was currently preoccupied, trying to conceal the act of shoving a finger up his nose to scratch for gold. Were he and Gavin long lost brothers?

"No, but Miller's word is better than half of the station. I'll get you outta there."

True to his word, Hank walked in several minutes and pulled me out of the office, ignoring Pocks entirely, who'd jumped to his feet and said, "We're to wait for Captain Fowler, Phillips."

I had the satisfaction of responding with, "Oh, you mustn't have met Lieutenant Anderson?"

Judging by the look in his eyes, Pocks had refrained from giving Hank a once-over. Hank said, "This got into the DPD? Who the fuck is letting them through the academy, huh?"

I gave Chris a small hug. He was shaken up, really badly. I'd wished I could've done more for him, but in this job, you ended up fending for yourself more than anything else. If Chris knew even half of what I had locked away, he'd be horrified. It was for the best he didn't know about what else I was hiding from my friends and my partners. Then again, it's not like I was doing a good job of that anymore, since I was a walking bleeding-heart. We passed through the lobby and out into the frigid early morning, the barest hint of a flush on the horizon as dawn woke up to kiss the world.

Right as we approached the car, Hank said, "I didn't realize it was you and Chris in that mess until I saw the story. I'm glad you weren't killed." He opened the backdoor for me and took a moment to collect himself outside.

The second I buckled in, Connor asked, "Did they hurt you? Hank refused to let me call your number even though it'd be faster for me to do so than for him to dial you."

"No, they let us go. And…I need to talk to you later."

Connor's gaze dropped to the floor. "You read the journal entries, I take it."

I said, "Yes, and Chris also told me something." I didn't elaborate further on the threats against my life and Connor's apparent plunge into deviancy. He fiddled with his coin. Would I dare ask him if he was going deviant? Or even, why he was?

"I understand, Officer." He shuddered. I couldn't see his face from behind his seat and when I slid closer to see what was going on, Hank opened the driver's door.

"Tell me how to get there." He jostled Connor lightly. "You sick or something?"

"Androids don't get sick, Hank."

Hank grumbled and fastened his seatbelt. "Then quit acting like you caught something or I'll leave you at home."

As Hank drove, Connor curled in on himself, as if the world saw his sins and was threatening to devour him. I knew I'd have to ask him some hard questions, and when I did, it might trigger a reaction I'd not anticipated. I hoped it was the right decision.

In law enforcement, radio transmissions are coded specifically to ensure the well-fare of the party involved. I searched up their codes online and implemented that into the story, since I wanted to make this as close to reality as possible.

Chapter 12 features Carl Manfred and his advice to Connor on how he can become human, which I'm so excited to share. Chapter 13 finally solves the reader's background, explaining why you're hiding so many secrets, what those secrets are, and allows Hank and Connor the choice to decide how to proceed. That kiss scene is so close! XD Thank you so much as always for reading!