Hello there!
I'm glad to see I melted a few hearts with the fluff in the last chapter, it was brilliant getting to write it. And I got an amazing surprise when I was tagged in this beautiful fanart based off it! Please go check it out and support the artist, it is stunning (just remove the spaces and stops before the colon to see the post on Tumblr)!
h. t. t. p. s: / / talle – 2002 . tumblr post / 180343259975 / tapestry – of – us – so – I – read – the – recent – chapter – of
Special thanks for reviews: xNarielx, AnUnorthodoxDecision, .spaniul, MugetsuPipefox, lordvaatithewindmage, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan and one Guest.
Remember that theme I said was going to be rumbling around in the background? It's causing some unintended mayhem: I couldn't resist making Gavin shit himself.
And now…time for a good old fashioned prank. Enjoy everyone!
Things had been relatively quiet in the precinct for the three weeks that Hank and Connor had temporarily jumped back over to Homicide, while Gavin and Katie were absent, but it just had to be their luck that things picked up right as the pair returned. More androids had been turning up dead in the same circumstances as before, and none of the DPD could make the connection between the victims – nor could they even begin to deduce where to start looking for their culprits. With the body count now racking up, it was bringing in some very unwanted attention.
And for once, the media was low on that list.
"Hank!" Both Hank and Connor turned their eyes up from their desks at Fowler's shout as he wandered over from his office towards them. The human groaned at the look he was being given and made a show of slamming his headphones on, blocking out all sound, before turning back to his terminal. Connor stared at him with barely contained laughter, and did snort when Fowler glared down at his partner.
The Captain turned his steady gaze to Connor instead. "Fancy cranking the volume up so I can hear, Connor?" he said meaningfully.
Feeling a little bad for Hank's imminent pain, but amused at the request, Connor dutifully obliged.
Making sure the volume was just below was would be damaging for Hank's hearing, Connor ramped it up. The human jolted sharply at the surprising change and wrenched them from his head, staring at them menacingly before sending an icy glare at his son. Connor shrugged and stared pointedly at the captain, who was waiting impatiently for the lieutenant to acknowledge him.
Hank sighed dramatically and spun around in his chair, leaning back while crossing his arms. "I'm on time, I ain't drunk or hungover and I'm actually working, so you if you bust my balls, I'm walking," he warned, not missing how Connor's LED flickered briefly in amusement. He could hear Ben snickering from behind and Chris' face was a picture with repressed laughter from behind Fowler.
Less enamoured with Hank's attitude than his colleagues, Fowler stared down at him as he barked his orders. "Get your ass down to the archives and do some digging, Hank. I need these cold case files on my desk by the end of the day." He placed the list of cases on Hank's desk: there were at least a dozen.
"Oh for fuck's sake, you've gotta be kidding me!" Hank wailed. "I ain't done shit, Jeffrey! Why am I being banished to the cave that is the archives for all this crap? All the case files are digitised nowadays anyway!"
"These cases were all corrupted, we need the paper backups before they can be reopened," Fowler snapped back. Just as Hank was about to say something else, he held up a finger and spoke louder. "Just do your fucking job, Hank, and get down there. I need these today."
With that, Fowler stormed back towards his office.
Hank growled from his seat as he sat back with his head in his hand. Ben chortled from behind him. "Enjoy the company of the spiders, Hank. I'll be sure to arrange your funeral in case you get buried in the mountains of shit down there," he teased, earning a middle finger from the lieutenant. Chris and Connor both laughed.
Standing while still grumbling, Hank was halfway across the floor and Connor was just getting ready to go with him when another shout from Fowler stopped the android in his tracks. "Not you, Connor, I need you here."
Both father and son shared a look, surprised at the order. After a couple of seconds, Connor sat back down again. He sent a quick message to Hank's phone, which the human received as he made his lonely walk to the bowels of the precinct, typing back his replies on his descent.
That was more than a little odd.
No shit. Ugh, why me? Can't he give the desk-bound asshole this work?
Gavin and Katie are still catching up with all the active Homicide cases, they are quite busy already.
I swear Fowler is just pulling a fast one on me, and I'm innocent for once!
Hank, you are about as innocent as I am able to resist pranks.
…Ouch, kid. Truth hurts.
It was about half an hour later that Fowler's reasoning become painfully obvious. Connor would have missed it had Ben's grumbling voice not caught his attention. "Damn, what are the Feds doing here? Ain't seen any suits round here since the uprising."
Connor turned to see the familiar figure of Special Agent Perkins striding through the bullpen, the man's little smirk as irritating as ever. He was either oblivious to all the venomous stares of the officers around him or didn't give a damn, and Connor smiled slightly at seeing Tina fighting the urge to trip the man up. Safe to say, he was deeply unpopular after his last visit to Detroit once his actions at Markus' final protest became public knowledge.
Of course the FBI would be involved with so many android bodies piling up, with no obvious killer or motive. Connor was very glad Fowler had made sure Hank was 'indisposed' while the FBI agent was here – another confrontation between them would surely end badly. As it was, Hank had barely kept his job after breaking Perkins' nose before.
Another figure strode in shortly afterwards, and it had Connor's LED blinking rapidly as almost every officer did a double take.
Richard?
The RK900 locked on to Connor at his message along the android network and gave him a curt nod. Ignoring the startled looks of everyone around him, Richard walked over and came to a stop next to Connor's desk. "Connor," he greeted audibly, highly amused at the shock of everyone around him. His existence was not well known, since he was a one-of-a-kind prototype just like Connor and Katie.
Still seeing an all-but-duplicate of Connor walk in was going to mess with a few heads.
"Is the FBI stepping in to take over our case?" Connor asked him pointedly.
Richard raised an eyebrow at his directness. "Perhaps. That remains to be seen," the RK900 replied shortly.
"On whether you think there is something we missed?"
"Correct." Connor's LED flickered red in irritation and Richard smirked at him. "Come now, Connor, I was built to surpass you. It is only natural that I may spot things which you may miss."
Connor was sorely tempted to hiss back at the other android when an unexpected intervention came. "Connor's more than capable, and don't forget all of us humans working alongside him. Or do you think the entire DPD inept?"
The RK800 flashed Chris a grateful smile as Richard chuckled.
"What the fuck?! Since when was there two of them?!"
Everyone turned at the squawk from the new entrants to the bullpen. Gavin's eyes were threatening to bulge out of his eyes, skin white, while Katie just seemed surprised. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked while making sure Gavin eased down into his seat without any issue. Despite now being back at the precinct, he was still quite tender from all the damage of the shooting. Katie passed the coffee she had been carrying once Gavin was settled, and Connor didn't miss the quick brush of fingertips as the pair parted.
Rumours were already starting to spread. The pair had only been back three days, and no-one missed how they turned up together each morning.
"Ah, little sister," Richard said back with an arrogant smile. "I wondered if I would see you here."
Katie just glared at him as Gavin stared between the two RK models. "I know you said you had twelve siblings, Katie," Gavin interrupted, "but you could have mentioned one of them was a shittier version of Connor."
Connor was grateful for the unexpected slight as Katie shot Gavin a fond, but amused, look before turning to glare at her brother again, crossing her arms. "Not like you to dodge a question," she shot at the other android.
Richard sighed. "I can't even say hello to my sister? How rude, Katie."
She rolled her eyes at his antics. "Fine, nice to see you, asshat. Last time I'm asking nicely, why are you here?"
"The spate of recent android killings has been gaining more attention, and it has come to ours. We were dispatched to deduce if the DPD needs extra manpower."
Gavin scoffed at him. "Not from you FBI assholes, thanks." Richard turned his steely gaze towards the injured detective, who suddenly remembered just who the android was.
He wisely decided to shut up after that.
Katie shook her head in exasperation and strode up to Richard, quickly flicking his ear – much to the shock of her colleagues. "Whatever. How long are you here for?"
Richard stared at her inquisitively. "Agent Perkins is likely to be at least an hour in his meeting with Captain Fowler, according to his instructions."
She beamed in reply. "Perfect! That means you and I can go for a little walk," she smiled at him a little too sweetly. Connor and Gavin both smirked at the exchange while Ben and Chris watched in complete confusion.
The other android narrowed his eyes at her. "Katie, I hardly think this is an appropriate-"
Without missing a beat, she latched her arm around his and started dragging her brother out of the precinct. Surprisingly, he didn't fight her. "Nonsense, this is a perfect time. I'm benched anyway, so I'm bored as hell. See you later, guys!" she waved over her shoulder, aiming a playful wink at them.
All four laughed quietly at the exchange as they left, while Connor connected with Katie.
Thank you, Katie. That almost became awkward very quickly.
Anytime, Connor. I know how to handle this asshole by now. Besides, I think he wants to blow off steam after Gavin's jibes. Never seen him this agitated.
Never thought I'd be grateful to Gavin, but it was appreciated.
You're as bad as each other, I swear. Please make sure Gavin doesn't burn the precinct down out of boredom, he's been a little stir crazy.
And you've been around him enough to know that because…?
Connor could practically hear the embarrassed undertone at what she'd just given away.
Oh shut it, you.
The quick disconnect had him laughing quietly.
"Well, that was something," Ben chuckled.
"Was that android another of your model, Connor?" Chris asked inquisitively.
Connor's LED briefly flashed yellow at the question, and he gave Chris a smile in return. "No, Richard is an RK900. He was developed in the last weeks before the uprising, based off my data and the results generated. His modelling may be very similar to mine, but he is a different android entirely."
"So he was built to replace you, is what you are saying."
Gavin's statement may have been cutting, but there was no malice behind it. It was just a statement of fact. "Yes," Connor replied sharply. No-one quite knew what to say after that.
The silence wasn't allowed to become too suffocating, for an alert soon flashed up on all their terminals. "Fuck, another body," Ben lamented. "Come on, Chris, we'd better go scope it out since Hank is missing and the terrible twosome is benched. You coming, Connor?"
A sly smirk came to Connor's face. "No, I shall leave you both to it. I see an opportunity in this time, and I don't intend to waste it."
Chris snickered as he stood. "Damn, I feel sorry for the Lieutenant already. Please send us photos, seeing the aftermath is always priceless."
Connor smirked and chuckled in reply. "Of course."
The pair soon departed…leaving only Connor and Gavin in that half of the bullpen.
Talk about awkward.
They had only spoken once in any great detail since the shooting, and while things were undoubtedly better between them, there was still a definite unease there. Still, they had separately promised Katie to try and be less aggressive towards each other, though it was going to take time. Months' worth of bitterness and distaste wasn't going to evaporate.
But…maybe it could be given a kickstart.
Thinking over his plan, Connor came to a decision as he saw Gavin clicking on to his terminal, reading over some of the most recent reports again. The detective was fully caught up on all of the cases already, but he liked to re-read it all since he hadn't been directly involved in any of the casework up to that point. "Gavin, I was wondering if I could ask for your assistance." Connor offered lightly.
Gavin's face scrunched up in confusion, wondering if the android was having him on. Eyeing him sceptically, he answered back cautiously. "Do I have a fucking choice here, Connor?"
"Completely," came the honest answer. "If you wish me to leave you to your imminent boredom, I will easily do so. However, I think you may find this offer enticing."
The detective's eyebrows raised even higher. "'Enticing', you say…?"
"Correct."
"Connor, you are remembering that I still have two damn holes in my chest, right? I can do fuck all right now."
"Not even assist me in a prank?"
Now that had Gavin's attention. "You're asking me to help you out? Really?"
Connor shrugged. "And why not? It is not a necessity, but a lookout or an extra pair of hands would not go amiss."
After a few moments of contemplation, Gavin leant back and gave Connor his full attention. "All right, I'm listening."
The android smirked. "How would you feel in helping me…procure something?"
Gavin laughed loudly. "Shit, are you asking me to help you steal, Connor?"
"In a word: yes."
It was six hours later that Hank finally emerged from the archives, narky as fuck after inhaling a shit ton of dust and giving himself almost a dozen cardboard and paper cuts. Throwing all the files into Fowler's office without a word and storming off, he quickly grabbed his car keys and marched out to the garage. He needed Chicken Feed, and he needed it right the fuck now. He was positively seething.
Not just at having been buried in the archives for god knows how long. Hank was more pissed that he hadn't got the chance to square off with Perkins. Connor had told him of the arrival of the FBI agents after the pair had left, and Hank was raging at Fowler for making sure he missed it.
…Probably for the best though, given Perkins had wanted his head on a platter after breaking the little weasel's nose. That memory still made him smile.
The snapshot Connor sent from his optical feed of Gavin's horrified face at discovering Richard's existence though was totally worth it. That was something else, and would earn a printout, even if it wasn't a prank. They had since dedicated the wall on the other side of the living room to other photos.
His briefly brightened mood was cut short when he turned up at his car parking space, only to find his prized car missing.
"Awww, fuck, you've got to be kidding me!" he swore loudly. "The fuck is this shit?!"
Looking at the name plate on the wall, Hank soon found a sticky note taped to it, along with some writing.
Look Right
"Wha…?" Doing as instructed, he spied another sticky note, yellow this time instead of bright pink, taped to a pillar a few metres away. Walking over, he wrenched it down and glared at the handwriting.
Look Left
"Connor, I'm going to kill you for this!"
Hank followed the mysterious path of notes, finding himself a sense of amusement for the other officers as they saw him trailing around the entirety of the underground garage. He sent whoever crossed his path an irritated glare before continuing on, eventually coming to a halt on one which said something other than left or right.
Go Down To The Evidence Garage
"Christ, I dare not think what that piece of shit has done with my car. I've got a fucking awful feeling about this."
When he emerged down on the floor below, Hank didn't have to look very far to see where his precious car was…and he was adamant he was going to kill Connor. Slowly.
Somehow, the little shit had not only broken into his car and hotwired it before driving it into the lockup, but he'd also covered it in thousands of multi-coloured sticky notes. Hank could see everything from emojis, to Pokémon and even My Little fucking Pony designs made out of the damned notes.
…The little shit was so dead.
Snickering from the left had Hank glaring over, only to do a double take at the pair of perpetrators. "I must be going fucking nuts," he said to himself. "Yep, I've inhaled some sort of deadly disease from all that dust in the archives and I'm hallucinating. There is no way that you two did this!"
Connor simply smiled as Gavin smirked. "Like it, old man?" Gavin teased. "Your face was fucking worth the electric shocks I got from hotwiring your damn ride. The android sure as hell doesn't do anything by halves."
"In all fairness…" Connor added, "Gavin gave me many of the design ideas, as well as managing to move your car. It is only fair to share the credit."
Hank's eyes turned icy as he moved between the pair of them. "Reed, I'd suggest you shift if you don't want another bullet hole in your fucking kneecap," he hissed angrily.
Sensing that the other man really was in a foul mood, and knowing he couldn't move that well himself right now, Gavin chose to shuffle away with a triumphant middle finger to Hank. If the lieutenant had the power of fire in his stare, Gavin would be a pile of ash by now. As it was, Connor was only a shade further from that because the older man liked the android so damn much. Sighing tiredly, he rubbed his head while speaking to his son. "Why, Connor? Just, why?"
Connor cocked his head at him. "Detective Reed was available and I saw an opportunity to expand on my original idea. I am making an effort, Hank."
"No, not that. Why did you have to nab my car, out of all things? And 'My Little Pony', really?"
The android smirked. "Gavin's idea. The emojis were what I intended, but he had some helpful suggestions."
"…I still can't believe you got Reed to steal my damn car and help you cover it in fucking sticky notes. How many are even on there?"
"11,733."
Hank stared at Connor for a long moment. "That shit will have cost a bit."
"Not really, the extra strong tape holding it all in place was more expensive," Connor clarified with a smile.
"…You're lucky I like you, kid. Fine, looks like I'm catching a cab to Chicken Feed then. Can you at the very least wire me some cash as compensation for this shit show?"
Connor's LED flashed yellow. "Already done, Hank."
"Thank you. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to purge my anger in calories. I ain't looking forward to getting all that shit off later." The older man was walking away when he stopped suddenly, before turning back and chuckling. "That picture's going to look pretty damn good on the wall. Make it a bigger one, yeah?"
The android smiled broadly. "I will. And I imagine you are looking for revenge against Gavin. Would you like some assistance?"
"Hah! Nope, I'm gonna get both of you back. Just you wait, Connor. Just you wait."