11:26pm

Lily was just about to clock out of the DCPD when she felt the angry *buzz* of her phone. Grabbing it out of her pocket, she saw the picture of the caller ID on the screen. It was a photo of herself, Hank and Cole at the young boy's 6th birthday party. It was about 2 weeks before the car wreck, before Hank's life spiralled out of control.

Lily pressed the green "receive call" button, putting the phone up to her ear as she remembered that birthday party. Cole had been a really sweet kid, and Lily had been a sort-of carer for him when Hank and his ex-wife got divorced. She'd helped out whenever she could, like picking Cole up from school and taking him to get ice-cream before driving him to the Police station to see Hank as he finished up work.

Hank had been a completely different person. He was an excellent cop and became the youngest lieutenant in DCPD history; he solved many cases simply with his own talent and made a name for himself in the Detroit newspapers. Hank was very friendly and jokey, a great friend and co-worker, but all that had changed when little Cole had left.

"Helloooo?", came the loud, slightly-disoriented voice on the end of the line.

"Hi Hank, what's up?", she asked, logging off her computer.

"Lily, did you send an android to come pick me up? Goddamn prick's just shown up at the bar and demanded I come with him!". Lily rolled her eyes, but felt just a tad happy at knowing that despite being most likely drunk and interrupted, Hank didn't seem exceptionally irritable tonight.

"Yeah, there's a homicide case, apparently. Captain Fowler did say we're getting sent a prototype to assist the department, remember?"

"Well I don't need any assistance! Especially from a plastic asshole like you", Lily knew Hank was speaking to Connor at this point. She grabbed her bag and turned off her desk light before clocking out of the DCPD building with her holographic work-shift card.

"Just be nice to him, okay? Poor android's only trying to do his job"

"Actually, they're our jobs, and we don't need any goddamn metal pricks taking them from us", Hank didn't sound bitter, more like he was a little out of it and he just wanted to be left alone.

"Can I at least trust you to leave him in one piece?", she joked.

"I can't make any promises", Hank grumbled, but clearly not being serious. Lily hadn't heard him to be this reserved about an android in a long time.

"Maybe Connor being here is a good thing?", she thought to herself.

"I'm heading to Jimmy's now, see you in a few minutes"

"Lily, don't come 'round here, the streets are getting dangerous at night; especially with these fricking murders and deviants popping up everywhere", Hank warned her over the phone.

"That is why I have been assigned to this department, Lieutenant. To help with the increasing numbers of android violence-", she heard Connor speak on the other line.

"I wasn't talking to you, prick. This don't concern you, alright? Go away", Hank grumbled before turning back to the phone.

"Seriously, don't worry-", Hank's voice was suddenly cut off as the phone went silent.

"Hank? You there?", Lily called into her smartphone. No reply came, so she hung up and put the mobile back into her pocket.

Walking out of the police department, she looked up at the rainy skies. It was pouring down hard, so she pulled on her black waterproof hooded-jacket and zipped it up tight, before heading down a streetlamp lit sidewalk towards "Jimmy's Bar".

XXX

Connor was having little to no luck with the stubborn detective when he noticed Miss Dover arrive. As soon as she entered the bar, Connor's attention was focussed solely on her, his soft brown eyes analysing her every move.

He saw that a few of the men in the bar turned their attention on her as well, some people winking at her slyly as she went by; but it seemed she either ignored this or didn't notice. The android also realised that she was wearing a casual DCPD jacket, and it made him wonder how long she had been working at the Detroit Police Department.

As Lily came over to the android and lieutenant, a man sitting at the bar turned around and leered at her, letting out a wolf-whistle and jeering, "Lookin' good, girl". Connor felt a sudden heat run through him; it made his blue-blood feel like molten, liquid metal and his hands clenched ever so slightly.

Lily however just winked at the cat-caller mischievously as if he was some lifelong friend, grinning and saying, "Feelin' good girl!", much to the shock of the man who was clearly not expecting to have her talk back. Connor found himself smiling internally, finding the scene funny. He unclenched his fists, only just becoming aware and looking at them in confusion.

"What just happened to me?"

XXX

Entering the hot and stuffy bar, Lily pulled down her hood, letting the ends of her rain-soaked hair drip water down her shoulders and back. She didn't worry about this though, her jacket would make sure the rain didn't get her clothes wet.

Lily immediately spotted her partner sitting, disgruntled, at the bar with the android who was trying to persuade him to leave. Hank was clearly becoming more and more irritable by the second. As she passed through the bar, she joked with a random trucker who catcalled her, which made the man go red (it might have been because of the booze!) and turn away back to his drink.

"Listen for god's sake, I'm not going anywhere. So just be a good lil' robot and get the fuck outta here, before I crush you like an empty beer can", Hank slammed down his half-empty scotch glass on the wooden bar-top, clearly irritated.

"Careful, Connor. He might go through with that threat if you're not wary", Lily joked, patting Hank on the shoulder.

"When did you get here?", Hank grumbled, although he looked relieved to see her.

"Just a few moments ago", she answered cheerily. "He hasn't been giving you grief, has he?", Lily turned to Connor who was watching her intently. There was something about his eyes that made her feel warm and pleasant and… slightly nervous, but she found she couldn't look away.

"Not at all", he said softly. "Unless you count the 12 threats of assault I have received in the last 7 minutes". Lily grinned, although the android seemed unsure of why she was smiling at him.

"Come on, you old grizzly bear", she turned to Hank, trying to get him up from his seat.

"Make the robot go instead! He's the one that's so desperate to stare at a fucking corpse for an hour", Hank complained as Lily did her best to move him. Connor stepped in to help her by putting one of Hank's arms over his shoulders in an effort to hoist the lieutenant to the bar door.

"Get off me, plastic freak", Hank mumbled. Connor didn't let go. The lieutenant finally gave in as Lily and the android managed to push him into the backseat of Hank's police car.

"Give me the keys, Hank", Lily demanded. "I'll drive".

"It's my car, I'm the only one who's allowed to sit at the steering wheel", Hank tried to get back up out of his seat.

"No way in hell is that happening"

Connor stood unsure, wondering of where he would be told to go. Lily nodded to the passenger seat in the front of the car.

"Sit next to me, Connor. It's your best chance not getting puked on by Hank", she laughed. The android found himself internally smiling, although he didn't express this on his face.

*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 2%*