I'm so, so sorry my Deviants! I have neglected you for so long and I'm so sorry for that. So many things have happened since I last updated; I changed subjects, started a-level studies, numerous projects and my life has just been so busy that writing has taken a back-seat in my life and hasn't been on the top of priorities for ages.
But, I promised I had written 16 chapters and here are the remainding 10!
I had them all safe on my computer and was definitely going to release them but I was adament I would edit and re-read through them first, as I started writing them 2 years ago and since then my skills have developed a LOT so they're no where near as well-writen as I'd like them to be.
I have been listening to your cries however! So many people messaged me and begged me to continue the story and I felt so guilty about leaving you all for so long, and I felt that I'd spent too long keeping everyone waiting so instead I decided to release them as they are and go back and edit them at a later date :c
I'm honestly so thrilled that people like my work and have enjoyed it enough to ask me to write more! 3 So far I'm halfway through Chapter 17 which is when things start to go down but as before, I need to finish it and edit stuff before we can continue! There are so many more things I'm working on at the same time, and hopefully soon I can start writing them up!
I'll talk more about what my new projects are in my message at the start of Chapter 16, if people are interested to know then you'll find out when you read up then!
Thank you all so much for supporting my work it genuinely means a lot to me that people read my work 3 I promise I'll try to at least start other stories so I won't go completely dead for another year and abandon you all again :c
Take care of yourselves,
EM
XoXo
XXX
She ran down an endless, empty hospital hallway. Each room as blank and useless as the one before. Lily raced faster. She needed to catch up.
She needed to get there in time.
"DAD!", she screamed, sitting bolt-upright. Lily panted heavily, closing and opening her eyes in an effort to calm herself. Finally regaining some strength, and sanity, she managed to look around her.
Scramble and Smartie were both sitting next to her, each cat with bright, staring eyes, indicating they had both been disturbed by her sudden outburst.
"Sorry, my babies", Lily apologised, stroking both of them. The two cats snuggled up to her, Smartie over her legs, Scramble over her lap.
"It's okay, we're here for you"
She looked about her apartment, sunlight was bursting underneath her cream curtains; it was morning. A buzz woke her up further. Reaching for the phone on her coffee table amongst magazines and sweet wrappers, Lily looked at the caller ID and grinned. Madison.
"Hey girl, you coming in today?", came the overly-cheery voice of Lily's best friend. Madison and Lily had been best friends ever since they met at the training school for police, and they had lucked out majorly when both were assigned to the DCPD directly.
"I'm not sure… I legit just woke up", Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly, feeling… something wet.
Was she having a nose bleed?
Quickly examining her finger, she realised she was soaked in sweat! It was drenched all over her, especially down the front of her nightshirt. Rolling her eyes in exhaustion, Lily got off the sofa and headed to her bathroom, phone in hand. Scramble followed her like usual, staying by her side like a dog (which was strange as he was definitely a cat).
"Why're you calling so early anyway?", Lily asked.
"Hun, it's 9am already", Madison laughed from the other end of the phone, before she sounded like she had remembered a sudden realisation. "Oh, is it a bad day?", she asked Lily.
"Yeah, but… I'm alright", the lieutenant insisted.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Lil! I didn't even think and-"
"It's okay, Mads", she reassured her best friend. "I just had a bad night"
"It hasn't happened in a while, has it?"
"No, but I think it's starting again", she said quietly.
"Just… remember to take your meds, you haven't run out, right?", Madison asked worriedly.
"Nope, got enough drugs here to kill a horse", Lily joked whilst looking inside her medicine cabinet above her bathroom sink, trying to get her BFF to calm down a little.
"Ok, you know you can call me anytime, even if it's 3am, yeah?"
"I know Mads, and I'm really grateful for you looking out for me", Lily smiled.
"It's only what any BFF would do! Anyway, don't come 'round today if you don't feel like it"
"Actually, I think I will head over. I've got the whole weekend off anyway, but we've got a lot of cases right now so I'm sure Fowler wouldn't mind another officer dropping round to help out", Lily petted Scramble's furry head, who was sitting on the wash-basket next to the sink.
"Alrighty then… but don't force yourself- HEY! Muffin! Give me back my shoe! BAD DOG!", Lily heard her best friend quarrel with her Yorkshire Terrier as the dog chewed one of Madison's stiletto heels.
"Besides, you'll be flirting with half the department, you're not gonna be paying any attention to jay-walkers or shoplifters", Lily grinned, teasing her friend over the noise at the other girl's house. She sat on the edge of her bath as she listened to her friend talk to her over the phone.
"Hey! No fair! You're one to talk, anyway Miss Casanova", Madison's stroppy voice replied.
"What you mean?", Lily laughed, taking out her capsule of pills from the medicine cabinet.
"They're all looking at you anyway, the gorgeous new Lieutenant", Madison joked.
"They are certainly not! I make sure to keep to my own desk instead of distracting innocent sergeants by lounging about on their chairs", Lily argued but laughing at the same time.
"That was one time! Anyway, he was my boyfriend for a good few months after that, before I saw him making moves on the girl at reception. Then he got kicked to the curb!", Madison giggled. "How is your desk anyway? I'm so jealous you've got your own joint!"
"As far as desks go, I'd say it's pretty sweet", Lily laughed. "Back to the original point, why did you call me at this time anyway?", she grinned as she turned on her shower, getting ready for her morning wash.
"Gavin was asking about you", she said.
"Oh", Lily thought, her happy mood suddenly faltering as quickly as it had come.
"Lil? You still there?", Madison's voice echoed throughout the bathroom.
"Yeah, I'm just about to get in the shower, I'll see you at the station in about an hour or so, okay?"
"Sure! I'd be happy to see you. Ooh! Got an idea! Let's have coffee. My morning break's at 11"
"I'll be sure to get in the station for then", Lily said as she quickly told her BFF goodbye and hung up. She sat down on the edge of her bath again, Scramble looked up at her from the floor.
"I don't wanna deal with Gavin today", she told the cat. "After the way he was last night, I've never seen him that… violent before. It was like he was almost unstable". Scramble blinked at her, understanding everything. He walked over to sit by the shower, staring at Lily the whole time.
"You're right", she said. "Gavin isn't important, but the DPCD is. I should just get ready and try to help out however I can". Lily picked up her cat, who wrapped himself around her neck, lying on her shoulders like a furry shawl.
"Wow, you ever thought about being a therapist?", Lily joked as she grabbed her medicine bottle and made her way back to the kitchen. Taking out an organic yogurt from her fridge, Lily swallowed her pills with the small breakfast, before going back to the warm shower.
"Radio, turn to DetroitFM"
Using voice command, Lily listened to the music on the city's radio station while she showered. After washing and drying herself off, she chose to wear a stylish white shirt with her practical jeans; being a lieutenant allowed her to wear her own clothes which came as an added bonus to the promotion.
Emerging from her bedroom, Lily grabbed her hooded jacket and purse (it was unrealistic to carry a handbag in her line of work, fortunately, Lily cared little for women's fashion of 2038, so she had a very handy little case that she could slip inside the hidden zipped compartments of her everyday jacket), as well as her badge and DCPD card. She continued to get ready for work, humming along to the music.
"Cause I can't compete with the She-Wolf who has brought me to my knees…", the radio sang as Lily brushed her teeth at her bathroom sink.
"What do you see in those yellow eyes? Cause I'm falling to pieces". She turned off the tap and headed back into the living room to grab her hairbrush.
I'm falling to pieces…
Smartie was snoozing on the sofa, her little furry head lolling back in deep sleep. Lily rubbed the cat's soft tummy as Scramble followed her to the door, slipping out the cat-flap to accompany his mistress outside. She had never a reason to worry about having a cat-flap in her front door, as it was a state-of-the-art microchip cat-door that only Smartie and Scramble could use. Lily locked her front door, and her ginger tom cat followed her down through her stairwell, as she headed outside her apartment block.
"See you later, my lovely", she scratched him under his left ear, where he purred the loudest. Scramble blinked at her slowly, before watching his mistress go off to work. Lily didn't bother to take her bicycle, leaving it in the apartment block's bike-rack.
She thought a walk would do her good, give her time to think. Besides, she didn't need to be in time for anything anyway.
The thought of going home and sleeping, ordering takeout and playing with her cats appealed heavily to Lily, but the dedication to her job and her forthright nature argued against it, so she continued to walk through the Greektown District.
XXX
It felt like no time at all later when Lily came through the Plaza. She passed by the buzz of the district, and one of the liveliest parts of Detroit, glancing at cafés, cinemas, and shops as they came and went. Feeling her pocket buzz, alerting her that she had received a text message, Lily stopped under a beautiful red autumn tree in the square.
Autumn was her favourite season, although many found it sad to see the trees losing their leaves, Lily thought it was more like they were showing off their true beauty before sleeping for a few months and returning in the spring. Taking her phone out of her pocket, Lily looked at the text.
She cringed, it was from Gavin.
"Hey Lil, you gonna be in today?"
Ignoring the message, she threw her phone back into her pocket and continued to walk through the Plaza. The DCPD was only about a 15-minute walk away. Lily looked up at the sky, it was blue and warm, unlike the constant rain of the day before. If it wasn't for the huge puddles glistening in the morning sunlight, one would've never guessed that the day before had been so horrid.
Suddenly, Lily found herself outside the huge CyberLife store in the district. It towered like a big blue beacon above the rest of the city skyline. She could easily see inside, hundreds of androids, all of different models were lined up on display in clear glass cases.
It made Lily shudder, they looked trapped.
She knew that it wasn't right for people to be shown like products, whether they had red or blue blood, they were all alive and all had feelings. The lieutenant suddenly remembered; she had been standing here, in the same place at the same time just 24 hours before.
XXX
It was just an average day. Lily was on morning patrol throughout the Greektown District; she was taking the place of another DCPD member who was assigned to help show one of the new junior officers the ropes. Lily didn't mind explaining things to a newbie, especially when the newbie offered to grab them both coffee.
"How do you take it?", the new guy, Harry, asked. He was pretty quiet mostly, and whenever he actually spoke he was always very nervous and unsure of himself. Lily felt a bit bad for him, she didn't know what he would do if he had to stop a fight or participate in a confrontation between a burly criminal.
"A milky mocha, thanks Harry", she described her drink to him politely as he walked to the St. Clair Café across the plaza. Standing by herself for a moment, Lily only had a few seconds before she began to hear shouting and taunting across the square.
Markus had successfully picked up Carl's order from Bellini Paints, all he had to do now was take the bus back home, it should've been as simple as that. However, the "easiness" of the situation decreased by 65% when he accidentally passed by a group of anti-android protestors; they were standing right by the bus stop, making it nearly impossible for him to get there without running into the angry group.
"Where the fuck you going, tin-can?", the leader of the group stepped out in front of Markus. He tried to quickly side-step the man, but soon found his way of escape blocked. "Hey guys, check it out", he called over to his group of protestors, "We got one of those tin-cans here".
Markus quickly found himself surrounded. The leader was standing so close to him that he could see every hair in the man's beard. Suddenly, Markus was shoved to the ground, Carl's parcel dropped to the floor and stamped on by one of the people in the crowd.
"Look at this little motherfucker", a vulgar-looking woman with straight-brown hair spat at him. "You steal our jobs but you can't even stand up". As Markus tried to get back on his feet, someone else slammed him back into the floor, and the crowd began to mock and torment him.
He didn't know what to do; Markus was aware his programming restricted him so that he couldn't harm a human in any way, yet he began to feel anger rise up in his chest.
"How dare they disrespect Carl's property like this", he thought through clenched teeth while staring at the squashed paint package from Bellini's shop. Markus' thoughts were interrupted as he was grabbed by the neck, and the leader continued to humiliate him.
"You ain't going anywhere, we're gonna fuck your bitch ass up"
Lily quickened her pace, getting closer to what looked like a group of people attacking someone on the ground. As she neared the fight, she could hear bits of what the people were shouting cruelly to the victim.
"Yeah! Grab him! Get him down!"
"Get that freak! Take that!"
"Now you know that that feels like!"
"Go on! Waste him!"
"Show that tin-can some respect!"
Finally managing to reach the group, Lily saw what was going on. A violent group of anti-android protestors were beating up an android on the ground. The group were positioned directly outside the plaza's huge CyberLife store; it was obvious that they were waiting for some poor android to walk by, and it seemed that one unfortunate robot had.
She saw what looked like the ringleader of the protestors kicking the synthetic person on the ground in the chest, making it gasp and writhe on the floor. The attacker (some hipster looking guy with tattoos covering his neck, a brown beard, pierced ears and a ponytail) now grabbed the android by the scruff of his collar. Lily wasn't going to wait any longer.
"Alright, that's enough", she pushed her way through the crowd, holding up her DCPD badge, showing the group she was a Lieutenant. The leader still held on to the male android, unaware of her.
"That's enough", Lily demanded. The leader turned to her, and both suddenly recognised each other.
"Elliot?"
"Lily?"
It was Gavin's younger brother.
She had met him before at the DCPD's Christmas Party last year, as Elliot had tagged along with Gavin and the Detective had introduced his family member to the lieutenant. Lily had only ever spoken to him once before, and all she could really remark was that Elliot and Gavin were both very similar.
For better or worse.
"What are you doing here?", he asked, suddenly charming. Lily wasn't swayed.
"Just on patrol, doing my job", she spoke in a chill voice, glancing at the poor android who was now looking at her curiously as well. "Put him down, Elliot", Lily told him, crossing her arms. "Leave him alone".
"Why would I do that?", he grinned as if it was all some sort of childish game.
"If you damage him, I'm gonna have to fine you", she stood her ground with no hesitation, although she doubted Elliot would care much about the legal punishments for attacking an android.
"Let me teach this bastard a lesson", the younger Reed brother turned back to the android, who was still looking at the Lieutenant Dover. "You've already got a front row seat"
"What's going on, Lieutenant?", Harry appeared with a cup of coffee in either hand.
"This gentleman here was just about to leave this android alone, weren't you, Elliot?", she turned back to him. He shrugged his shoulders.
"If that's what the lady wants", he let go of the male android, who fell to the ground, much to the disappointment of the crowd. "But be careful, Lily. Cause he'll have your job next", Elliot angrily pointed to the robot on the pavement.
"C'mon guys", he signalled for his protestors to follow him, as he skulked away. Lily turned her attention to the android, not noticing Harry shyly holding out her coffee to her, as she reached out her hand to the synthetic man on the ground.
"What's your name?", she asked. The android looked her up and down curiously before letting her pull him up off the floor.
"Markus", he replied, reaching for Carl's order. The box was battered, but after a look inside it assured that none of the paint pots were broken or leaking.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, thank you for stepping in, ma'am", he said politely.
"Bellini Paints"
"Pardon?"
"Your art supplies, I get mine from the same shop", she smiled at the android, nodding to his package. "Be careful in the future, Markus", Lily said goodbye to him, as she and Harry headed back to their police vehicle on the other side of the square.
XXX
"Hello Amanda", Connor spoke to the woman who was turned away from him.
The zen garden was beautiful, in the full bloom of spring. The garden seemed ethereal, apart from the rest of the world which was suffering in the current cold of November. Amanda was wearing white and green robes, matching the spring day perfectly. The woman turned to face Connor, holding up one of the red roses she tended to every day.
"Connor, it's good to see you", she smiled at him softly. The android returned the action. "Congratulations, Connor. Finding that deviant was far from easy; the way you interrogated it was very clever, provoking a reaction but still allowing it to trust you", Amanda turned back to him.
"You've been remarkably efficient, Connor". He straightened up proudly from the compliment, happy to be of assistance to Amanda in any way.
"Thank you", he said in polite gratitude.
"We've asked the DCPD to transfer the deviant to CyberLife; for further study of course", she explained.
"Of course", Connor agreed without hesitation.
"The interrogation seemed… challenging. What did you think of the deviant?", Amanda asked Connor, spraying water over the roses.
"It showed signs of PTSD after being abused by its owner, as if it's original program had been completely replaced by new instructions"
"Your new partners", Amanda changed subjects, and looked directly at Connor. "The three of you have all been assigned to the deviancy case; what did you think of them? Lt. Anderson, for example?"
"I think he's irritable, and socially challenged", he explained; Amanda listened but turned back to her flowers. "But I also think he used to be a good detective. He's an intriguing character"
"And the young Lt. Dover?", Amanda implored, sucking in her breath as she waited for an answer.
"Lieutenant Dover appears to be very dedicated to her job. She also seems to be intelligent, resourceful and optimistic"
"She is also the first human I have ever met to care about androids; it's like her kindness knows no bounds", Connor added. Amanda twitched a little at his words, her back to him.
"Unfortunately, we have no choice but to work with them. I understand that Dover is easier to get along with than Anderson, what do you think is the best approach?", she asked professionally.
"I will try to establish a friendly relationship with both Lieutenants. If I can get them to trust me, it will be beneficial for the investigation", Connor explained, but he sensed something was wrong. Amanda didn't appear to be too pleased with his answer.
"More and more androids show signs of deviancy. There are millions in circulation", she told him a little coldly. "If they become unstable, the consequences will be disastrous". Amanda turned to Connor, walking towards him.
"You're the most advanced prototype CyberLife has ever created", she said with a sudden smile. "If anyone can figure out what is happening, it's you"
"You can count on me, Amanda", he bowed in respect. She walked to the frosted glass bridge, the only thing that connected the small island of land to the rest of the garden.
"Hurry, Connor. There's little time"
XXX
Lily came out of her flashback, trying to figure out where she was. She had been walking for quite some time, deep in thought, but one look up to the building in front of her told the lieutenant that she had, luckily, subconsciously walked to the place she needed to be.
She entered the busy building, ascending the marble steps out the front and walking into the reception. The huge logo on the floor read:
Detroit City Police Department
Central Station
Michigan
Lieutenant Dover recalled the first time she had entered the building, it was her and Madison's first day in the department. Good times. Lily walked past the waiting area's clean white benches, using her DPCD card to unlock the staff gate, allowing her back into the HQ's main office.
It was a vast room with very large windows, filled with dozens of sleek, modern white desks and computer terminals. Holographic screens lined the walls displaying everything from
As she passed by the waiting area's TV, she caught a bit of the 10am news report:
"Tensions in the artic have reached a new level, with a Russian Carrier and an American Patrol boat reported to have clashed last night. Several warning shots were exchanged, but apparently with no damage or casualties to either side"
"And the morning news is as joyful as ever", she grinned to herself, walking past the pretty female android workers at reception.
"Morning Lily!", Chris and a few other DCPD officers greeted her as she entered the department, for which she smiled back in response. Scanning the room as she walked to her desk, Lily couldn't at first find Madison; her pretty blonde best-friend was nowhere in sight.
Shrugging it off and assuming Madison was still on duty, Lily sat down at her desk and began to log in to her computer terminal, the keyboard being built-in to her actual glass desktop. She liked her little quiet corner of the department, having already personalised it with a small collection of cute, colourful pens, pencils and other stationary, a hidden stack of magazines she kept in a drawer, a miniature cherry blossom tree in a teeny pot, a snow-globe from a trip to Detroit City Zoo, and a pinboard which kept all her favourite pictures.
Lily skimmed through the pinboard as her computer loaded up shortly, relishing in the memories of each. Some where of family holidays, many were of Madison, herself and other friends from High School, as well as tribute photos of her cats. Photography was one of her talents and her favourite hobby, Lily loved to take pictures of things that she found interesting or confusing, and sometimes when she was at work on patrol, she would find something mundane to appear extra-ordinary, be it some street graffiti or some coins in a city fountain.
As the lieutenant examined her pictures more closely, she saw a photograph that she hadn't focussed on for a long time. It was a family holiday in Paris, but there was only one face in the shot that Lily properly looked at…
A hand being brought down on the desk woke Lily up, as she looked towards the person who was trying to get her attention, she (internally) rolled her eyes.
"Hi, Lil", Gavin said. He seemed a lot more reserved and politer than yesterday, which she still could remember in explicit detail.
"Morning Gavin, what is it?", she tried to say politely.
"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I was totally out of order and I'm worried that… I might've really upset you", he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, you did seem a little bit… odd", she said, holding in her breath, unsure of how the Detective would react.
"I just wanted to ask if you can forgive me? I'll even buy you coffee as an apology", he smoothed back his hair.
"I-I'm kinda busy right now, maybe another time?", Lily tried to find an excuse.
"Really?", he asked, straightening up. "Cause no offence but, you were sort of spacing out for five minutes". Lily felt her face go red. "I understand if you don't want to talk to me, though", he put on a sad face.
"I… alright", Lily relented. She didn't know where Madison was, but she prayed silently that her BFF wouldn't be too disappointed.
"Great", Gavin smiled, becoming smooth and charming again as he usually was, as Lily left the comfort of her desk and headed to the breaker room with the Detective, slightly regretting her words.
XXX
Connor entered the DCPD, immediately heading to the department's reception. His directive told him to find Lily and/or Hank so he could begin working on the Deviant cases.
"Can I help you?", a very pretty, brown-haired female android with freckles spoke to Connor politely. The name "Amelia" was on her identification badge.
"I'm here to see the Lieutenants Anderson and Dover", he explained in his official voice.
"Do you have authorisation?". The two androids connected electronically via their LED's, which both turned yellow momentarily. Connor's model being the most advanced CyberLife had ever created gave him certain privileges that helped him gain access to many resources to allow him to complete his mission quicker and more efficient.
"Lt Anderson hasn't arrived yet, but Lt Dover should be at her desk now, I'm sure she would be happy to get a visit", the android receptionist, Amelia, smiled at him; nodding to the staff gate on the other side of the DCPD's entrance.
Connor walked through the glass staff door, into the police department's busy office. DCPD officers marched about left, right and centre; taking calls, exchanging papers, discussing case files, with the android police units standing on the back-wall recharging, out of the way. He approached one such female android, a PM-700.
"I'm looking for Lieutenant Dover's desk"
"It's that one right there", the android smiled, gesturing to one of the many desks that littered the room. Connor made his way to it, finding no Lieutenant Dover in sight. He took the liberty of scanning the entire work-area that belonged to Lily, analysing her office supplies, chair, jacket, potted plant and pinboard. It was the last item that he took the most interest, as the RK-800 carefully looked at a picture of an 18-year-old Lily with another DCPD officer, (whose name he found was Madison Brookes via his scanner) and some other young adults.
The whole group of youths appeared to be in a dance club of sorts, all having their arms linked with each other. Connor analysed the faces of each, finding that the one factor every one of them had in common was that apart from Officer Brookes, all went to the same High-School.
Connor smiled, looking at the happy faces before him, so optimistic and full of life. He knew being caught snooping could have consequential effects on his relationship with Lily, so the RK-800 turned away and instead moved along the office to find Lieutenant Anderson's desk.
*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 35%*
It wasn't difficult to discover; Hank's work area was incredibly messy but fortunately close by to Lily's.
"Excuse me", Connor asked a DCPD officer who was at a nearby terminal. "Do you know what time Lieutenant Anderson usually arrives?"
"Depends on where he was the night before", the guy smirked. "If we're lucky, we'll see him before noon", he turned back to his computer.
"Thanks", Connor told the man before also scanning Hank's desk, finding traces of dog fur similar to the cat hairs on Lily's chair. The android didn't find it hard to believe that Hank was a dog person.
He listened to Hank's favourite Heavy-Metal band on a pair of headphones, as well as examining the other contents of the man's desk: a box of donuts, a mug with stains of cold coffee, a pinboard similar to Lily's but they held anti-android slogans instead, a Detroit basketball cap, a Japanese maple plant which seriously needed watering, and a picture of the Red Ice task force team of 2027 which Hank had been a part of.
Something out of the ordinary was found in Hank's desk drawer, a set of crayons for a child; it confused the RK-800 as to why the lieutenant would have a kid's stationary at his desk, but he didn't think about it for long, it wasn't relevant to the investigation.
"Call Hank Anderson", Connor pressed the call button on the phone on the desk.
"Hi, this is Hank, I'm not here at the moment. You can leave a message if that's what turns you on but don't expect me to call you back", Hank's voice echoed from the phone's speaker. "Beep. Whatever". Connor smiled to himself at the Lieutenant's dry humour.
"Lieutenant Anderson? This is Connor, I'm the android sent by CyberLife. It's almost noon and I'm waiting for you at the office", he left his self-explanatory message.
"Now, time to find Lieutenant Dover", Connor thought as he began to explore the DCPD office. Although he left a call for Hank, it seemed apparent the Lieutenant wouldn't hear it in
XXX
Lily sat at one the tables in the break room, it was a place where the DCPD officers went for their short chats whenever they had a few spare minutes. Luckily enough for Lily, there was only her and Gavin in the room, as the increased amount of work (due to the growing size of anti-android protests that were becoming more frequent and violent) kept almost the entire department on their toes at all times.
She felt pretty bad, having just arrived at work and already taking a 'break' of sorts, although as Gavin reminded her, she was supposed to be off work today anyway so it wasn't like she had to be here.
In truth, Lily just wanted to see Connor again, the android both fascinated and thrilled her. She wanted to get to know him better.
Her attention refocussed on Gavin as he walked to their small table with a cup of coffee in either hand. He handed one to Lily with a smile.
"A mocha with milk, just as my lady has it", he grinned playfully.
"You're a mind-reader as well as a Detective?", she took it from him with gratitude.
"I try my best, it's all part of the profession. So, how have you been?", Gavin settled himself on the stool next to her. "I didn't get to talk to you much last night"
"Just doing my job, staying out of trouble mostly. I saw your brother yesterday, by the way", Lily took a sip of her coffee, relishing the taste. It was an added boost that helped her get through her day, although she wasn't too keen on it's dark, bitter flavour so she masked it with chocolate and cream.
"I haven't talked to him for a while", the detective shrugged. It was then that both cops listened in to the morning news report by CTN-TV, which was talking about the DCPD:
"Several sources report that CyberLife has provided the Detroit Police Force with a prototype detective android to assist investigations", the male news reporter read from his sheet.
"Connor", was the name that went through both officers' heads.
"Although police assistant androids have existed for several years now, this would be the first came of an android being authorized to play an active role in criminal investigations"
The conversation moved, quickly and uncomfortably, to the subject of androids (due to the news report). Lily squirmed in her seat as Gavin proceeded to vent about the blue-blooded robots in great detail.
"Just because they look like us doesn't mean they're our equals. Humans made these robots, so they should learn to respect us, but here we get these fucking deviants assaulting, killing people, like that one last night. It's fucking unbelievable at how this shit is happening, don't you agree?", Gavin eventually paused for breath, taking a swig of his beverage. He had been talking so quickly and fervently he had run out of breath. Lily sat awkwardly on her stool.
"Well… I think it's definitely bad that people are being killed-"
"Shit", Gavin interrupted, nearly spilling his coffee cup over at the sight of the person who had just entered the break room. Lily followed his stare.
"Oh god… it's Connor"
Her focus quickly snapped back to her beverage, hoping that somehow the RK-800 wouldn't get noticed. Eyes downcast, Lily turned pink, praying silently that all would pass without an incident like last night.
The android had his back to the pair, oblivious to the drama that was about to unfold.
"Fuck, look at that", Gavin mocked, nudging Lily to get her attention. "Our friend the plastic detective is back in town; we were just talking about you", Lily felt her face go pinker in embarrassment as Gavin took a confident gulp of his drink. Connor was standing still, obviously understanding every word, but not turning around.
"Congratulations on last night, very impressive!", he sarcastically clapped. "We could've got something else outta that android if you hadn't gotten in the way and fucked everything up".
Connor slowly turned around at the sound of Gavin's voice. The android felt his robotic heart stop momentarily when he saw Lily was with the office loud-mouth; were they on a date?
He didn't look at Gavin who was making fun of him, Connor only watched the young woman, seeing her blush told him she wasn't participating in, or agreeing with, her (supposed) boyfriend's mockery. He took in everything about Lily: those soft grey eyes, her billowing, long hair the colour of chocolate, the stylish white blouse that caught her figure perfectly…
"Hello, Detective Reed", he said in his official, programmed voice. "Good morning, Lieutenant Dover", the android turned his attention back to her.
Lily went an even brighter shade of pink, as Gavin noticed up the soft, caring tone Connor had used specially for her. The detective drummed his fingers on the break room table he had been sitting at with Lily, as he arrogantly strutted over to Connor, facing the android squarely. He felt embarrassed due to the fact that he had to look up to meet Connor's eyes.
"Never seen an android like you before", Gavin said sourly, his eyes flickering up and down Connor like a snake's; trying to intimidate him. "What model are you?". Lily gulped; Gavin was clearly making fun of the android, Connor's model was displayed on the front of his grey jacket.
"RK-800", Connor replied, before looking past Gavin uninterestedly and focussing on Lily. "I'm a prototype", he said to her somewhat proudly. She felt her insides go warm at his gaze, as everything around the two people faded away, it was all unimportant to them…
"Ooh, a prototype", Gavin sneered, getting no reaction. He noticed that the android was paying him no attention, Connor was staring directly at Lily. Gavin stepped in-between the two, breaking their line of sight.
"A prototype?", Gavin repeated mockingly. He turned around to face Lily and pointed to Connor. "Android Detective", he joked.
"So machines are gonna replace us all, is that it?". Connor just blinked at the question, unfazed.
"Gavin…", Lily tried to intervene, but the detective was having too much fun trying to torment the RK-800.
"Hey, bring me a coffee, dipshit!", he ordered. Connor made no sign of complying, he just stared blankly at the Detective. "Get a move on!", Gavin roared, face to face with the android.
"I'm sorry, but I only take orders from the Lieutenants Anderson or Dover", he explained clearly.
"Oh, is that so?". Connor nodded at the detective, then looking at Lily and doing the same as if to say "It's true".
Gavin brought all attention back on himself when he suddenly slammed his clenched fist into the android's abdomen. Lily watched, wide-eyed, as Connor slumped to the ground, clutching at his body.
"GAVIN!? What the hell!?", she cried, rushing out of her seat without hesitation to Connor's side.
"When a human gives you an order, you obey!", Gavin spat at his victim on the ground. "Man, if Lily hadn't been at the interrogation yesterday, I would've fucked you up for disobeying a human"
"You can't just attack people like that, Gavin!", Lily stood up to him, squarely staring at him face to face despite her having to look up a lot to meet his eyes. "You're out of order"
"He's not a person, Lily. He's just a fucking piece of plastic. I'm only showing him how he should respect us", he retaliated maliciously. Connor silently glared up at the detective, clearly agitated.
*Software Instability: Corrupted Drive at 40%*
"Stay out of my way, and stay out of her way, if you know what's good for you", Gavin pointed to Lily possessively as he glared at Connor. "Cause next time, you won't have anyone to fight for you, and you won't get off so easy", he cruelly poked Connor's LED, making the android turn his head and look at the ground in shame.
"Come on, Lil", Gavin said as he began to walk out of the break room. Finding he was alone, he turned around to look back. "Lily, come on"
"Are you alright, Connor?", she asked the android, glaring at Gavin all the while. The detective clenched his teeth in aggravation and jealousy, walking off without a word, leaving Connor and Lily alone in the break room. The lieutenant helped her android partner up off the floor, which was a little bit difficult as Connor was nearly twice her size.
"Thank you for your assistance, Lieutenant", he said with polite gratitude, as Lily brushed the dirt off his jacket. "But I would prefer in future for you to refrain from challenging Detective Reed; he may turn his anger on you", he straightened his tie professionally, but all the while staring at Lily in concern with his big brown eyes.
"It's no problem, Connor, really", she reassured him. "Is your blinker damaged?"
"I beg your pardon?", he stared in wide eyes, having no clue what she was talking about. Lily pointed to his LED. "You mean my processing unit?"
"I didn't know what it was called", Lily blushed a little. Connor smiled, deciding that 'blinker' was a good nickname for his LED.
"I don't get what Gavin's deal is lately, I know why he hates androids but I don't understand why he's picking on you, specifically", she continued. Connor didn't say anything, his gaze only focussing intently on Lily as she absentmindedly drained the last of her coffee.
"Well, I doubt it matters much now. I just hope he doesn't give you anymore grief in the future", she smiled, playfully punching him on the shoulder. Connor flinched slightly.
"I'm sorry, did that hurt?", she asked worriedly.
"No, not at all", he said quickly. "Just, no one has ever willingly… touched me like that before". Lily didn't bother questioning whether Connor was lying or not, his eyes spoke nothing but honesty. The two gazed at each other for a few seconds, both moving closer together… until suddenly Lily spotted Hank skulking in to the department.
"Oh, Hank's here", she pointed past Connor, embarrassed at the unexpected, intimate moment and eager to get away quickly. The android followed her as always, as both walked across the office to speak to Lieutenant Anderson.
"Morning Hank", Lily chirped, sitting on top of his desk.
"God, how can you be so plucky in the morning?", Hank rubbed his forehead, taking a seat at his desk.
"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant", Connor greeted the hungover DCPD lieutenant.
"Ugh, Jesus. You're still here too, huh?", Hank shook his head at the android. He was already having a major-headache without the android.
"Hank! Lily! In my office, now", Captain Fowler's voice boomed across the department.
"Double-Jesus", Hank grumbled as he got back out of his chair. "What have I done now?"
"Well, it's probably more like what you haven't done", Lily teased. "Come on, Connor", she called to the android. All three ascended the steps, as Connor held the Captain's office door open for them.
"Thank you", Lily smiled at the android as she walked past, sitting down with Hank in front of the Captain Fowler. The RK-800 stood behind them, hands behind his back, observing the scene.
"I've got 10 new cases involving androids every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maids and that kind of crap", Fowler began. Lily and Hank exchanged looks.
"But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even homicides, like that guy last night. This isn't just CyberLife's problem anymore; it's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta deal with it before the shit hits the fan", the Captain turned from his computer screen to Lily and Hank. "I want you both to investigate these cases and see if there's any links, any connection between them"
"Why us?", Hank immediately demanded. Lily put her head in her hands, there was no way he was going to take this assignment lightly.
"Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit?", he complained. "I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case. I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone".
"Everybody's overloaded!", Fowler argued. "I know you're perfectly qualified for this type of investigation"
"Bullshit!", Hank stood up angrily. "The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin' android, and you've left us holding the bag!", he angrily pointed to himself and Lily.
"There is no discussion over this Hank! Besides, Lieutenant Dover is obviously going with you, she'll be very helpful, I'm sure. CyberLife also sent over this android to help with the investigation", Fowler gestured to Connor, who nodded with an adorable smile on his face. "It's a state-of-the-art prototype, it'll join you and act as your partner"
"No fuckin' way!", Hank roared. "I already have a partner, and I certainly don't need any help from this plastic prick!", he angrily pointed behind his back at the RK-800.
"Hank, you are seriously starting to piss me off! You are a Police Lieutenant, you are supposed to do what I say, and shut your goddamn mouth!", the Captain gestured angrily.
"You know what my 'goddamn mouth' has to say to you, huh?", Hank crossed his arms.
"Ok, ok", Fowler held up his hand to silence Hank. "I'll pretend like I didn't hear that so I don't have to add any more pages to your disciplinary folder, 'cause it already looks like a fuckin' novel! This conversation is OVER!", he turned away from the furious Hank. The older lieutenant wasn't taking that as an answer however, and slammed his hands on the Captain's desk, regaining his attention.
"Jeffrey, Jesus Christ!", he rolled his eyes agitatedly. "Why you doin' this to me? You know how much I hate these fuckin' things", Hank gestured to Connor who said nothing in his own defence. "Why're you doing this to me?"
"Listen, I've had just about enough of your bitching. Either you do your job, or you hand in your badge, is that clear?", Fowler stated. "Now if you'll excuse me, we've all got work to do".
Hank slammed his fist on the desk in anger, stomping to the office door and barging past Connor in the process as he let out a yell of frustration. Lily awkwardly sat in her chair.
"Um, boss…?", she tried to get his attention.
"Yes, Lieutenant Dover, you can go now", the Captain gestured to the door without looking up from his computer.
"No, it's not about that. I just thought that… with all due respect, don't you think you're being a bit… unfair to Hank?", Fowler looked up at her from his desk. "I just mean, after everything that's happened"
"I can assure you, Lieutenant, I didn't assign both of you on the case just to try and get under his skin", he explained. Lily let out a sigh of relief. "We are seriously struggling right now; these fucking androids are stirring up the whole city, crime has gone through the roof in only a couple of days!", the Captain looked over Lily's shoulder to Connor, who gave him a cute little wave. Eyeing up and down the android in suspicion, he turned back to Lily.
"Thank you, Captain. We'll try our best", she said as she got up out of her seat.
"One more thing, Lieutenant Dover", Lily turned back to face Fowler.
"Well done for figuring out that Ortiz had a weapons stash, it was smart thinking. I knew I made the right decision when I promoted you", he smiled.
"Thank you, sir", she politely excused herself as she walked after Hank. Now it was Connor who was left alone, but he was being paid no attention to.
"I'm honoured to be working with-"
"Close the door on your way out", Fowler interrupted him, not even looking up.
"Have a nice day, Captain", Connor said politely before leaving the office. Descending the stairs, he headed over to Hank's desk. Lily was trying to console the lieutenant but with little success.
"I'll get you some coffee, Hank", Lily said as she got up, heading to the break room. As she passed by Connor, she whispered into his ear, "Don't worry about Hank, he'll come around. Just, try not to deliberately annoy him, if that's any help". The android was left to try and reconcile with the grumpy lieutenant.
"I understand that my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that", he said sincerely. Hank didn't look up at him, he just sat in his chair with his arms crossed.
"In any case, I'd like you to know I'm very happy to be working with you and Miss Dover. I'm sure we'll make a great team". Hank still hadn't responded. "Is there a desk, anywhere that I can use?", he asked politely.
"Nobody's usin' that one", came the gruff dismissal as the lieutenant pointed to the desk opposite himself. Connor moved to the desk and sat down, taking in the feel of his own chair. He felt almost important, as if he was a DCPD officer just like the rest of the department. The android understood why Lily and Hank loved their seating areas so much.
The named Lieutenant appeared, handing Hank an espresso from the break room's machine. She pulled out a portable holographic tablet, one that was standard DCPD use as she skimmed through it. Connor decided to try and initiate a conversation between himself and his new partners, in order to break any tension.
"A lot of people don't appreciate having androids around", he began, relating to the anti-android slogans Hank kept on his desk. "I was wondering… is there any reason in particular that you despise me, Lieutenant Anderson?". Lily looked up, sensing the delicate topic.
"Yeah… there is one", Hank muttered sourly.
"Care to explain?" Connor implored, giving Hank an innocent look. The lieutenant said nothing, continuing to ignore Connor by intently staring at his computer screen as if it had suddenly become extremely fascinating.
"Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death?", he changed subjects. "I really like that music, it's full of… energy"
"You listen to Heavy Metal?", Lily looked at the android questioningly, a smile upon her face.
How he loved it when she smiled.
"Well, I don't really listen to music as such, but I'd like to", he said in earnest. Lily jokingly nudged Hank who said nothing.
"You have a dog, right? And Lieutenant Dover, you have two cats?"
"How do you know that?", both said in unison.
"The traces of animal fur on both of your chairs", he explained. Lily sidled up to Connor, showing him a picture of her two pets on her smartphone as they chatted happily to each other. "What's your dog's name?", Connor asked Hank, trying to include him into the conversation.
"What's it to you?", he responded aggressively.
"Connor was only asking", Lily said defensively. Hank grunted and turned away. "He calls his dog-"
"Sumo", Hank cut Lily off, eyeing her. "I call him Sumo". Connor smiled, but Hank didn't look impressed. Lily returned to her own desk to view the files on her own computer, leaving Hank and Connor.
"If you have any case files on deviants, I'd like to take a look at them", the android decided it was a time to begin working.
"Terminal's on your desk", Hank indicated to the computer, as if Connor was an idiot for not understanding. "Knock yourself out", he said sarcastically. The RK-800 nodded his head politely, as he connected to the DCPD server and began to scan all the known cases on deviants.
"243 files, the first date back nine months, all starting in Detroit, but quickly spreading throughout the country". Hank rested his head in his hands, in no attempt hiding the fact that he was bored. "An AX-400 is reported to have assaulted a man last night, that could be a good starting point for our investigation", Connor stated, but Hank was obviously uninterested.
Getting up out of his seat, the android marched over to Hank, who turned away, ignoring him and pretending to stare at his DCPD tablet instead.
"I understand you're facing personal issues, Lieutenant, but you need to move past them and-"
"Hey! Don't talk to me like you know me. I'm not your buddy, I'm not your partner-"
"But Captain Fowler said-"
"I don't give a shit about Jeffrey's orders, you know where he can stick them?", Hank glared at the android.
"No, where?", Connor asked innocently.
"Never mind", Hank grumbled before getting back to the point. "I'm not your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?", he snapped. Connor decided that reasoning hadn't worked.
"Listen, Lieutenant", he stood over Hank. "I've been assigned this mission, and I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working"
XXX
Lily scanned through the files on her computer, finding the most recent case. Deciding to go report back to Hank, she grabbed her hooded jacket after pinning her hair up in a bun and turning off her desk terminal. As she made her way back through the office, Lily saw Hank grab Connor by the collar and slam him into the case-board at the side of his desk. She rolled her eyes, it was gonna be a long day.
"Listen asshole, if it was up to me I'd throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it. So stop pissing me off!", he roared angrily. Connor only stared blankly at him, clearly not threatened in the slightest.
Lily felt a wave of concern over Connor, even if it was just only Hank who was threatening him (and she knew Hank was as dangerous as a teddy bear), but still the worry she felt didn't subside as she approached them.
"Jeez, put him down, Hank", she said as one of their co-workers, Chris, appeared.
"Excuse me, Lieutenants?", all three people turned to him, Hank still holding Connor. "Uh, sorry to disturb you, but I have some information on the AX-400 that attacked the guy last night in Corktown. It's been seen in the Ravendale District".
"We're on it", Hank said, finally releasing the android.
"Thanks Chris", Lily said gratefully as the officer smiled at her before returning back to his work. "God, I leave you two alone for 30 seconds and you're already at each other's throats", she crossed her arms but both Hank and Connor knew she wasn't actually angry.
"Well, it appears we have a case", Hank gruffly responded, as he proceeded to walk to the exit.
"You all right?", Lily asked Connor. He nodded and gave her a small smile of appreciation, as the two followed after Hank.
XXX
"So the investigation begins…", Amanda said, smiling to herself.