Chapter 3: It Hurts

The driverless taxi stopped outside the circular driveway of the old farmhouse. The July afternoon sun shone bright on fresh patches of cabbage, blueberries, and various other produce. A large, dark form stepped out of the idling vehicle and held the door open for his family.

"Thanks, Dad."

A young girl hopped out, holding a plush toy fox under her arms. She looked around, taking in the sights of the green acres full of growing crops and the smell of earth that was swept through the air. She started for the house but was stopped by her towering father.

"Alice, wait for us, hun." He then looked into the back of the taxi. "Kara?"

Kara slid out a moment later, pocketing a cell phone. She smiled at Luther after closing the vehicle door behind her. "Sorry, I was texting Landon to let him know we made it."

Luther nodded, going around to the trunk of the taxi to get their bags out. Once he was done, Kara scanned the payment into the taxi and the driverless vehicle slowly rolled out of the driveway.

"Look at all the different kinds of vegetables, Mom!"

"Wow, I didn't realize how big Rose's farm was until now."

Luther nodded. "I guess the snow made it look smaller."

The three walked up the driveway onto the front porch. Kara reached for the screen door to open and knock on the front door, but it was already opening. A familiar face poked through the front door with a wide, caring smile.

"There they are!"

"Hi Aunt Rose!" Alice greeted first.

Rose wrapped her arms around the child android, squeezing her tight. "It's so great to see you guys. Come in, come in. Adam and I were just sitting down for a break from working the farm."

Rose beckoned them inside where she hugged Kara and Luther. Luther was directed to put their bags down by the staircase, and the four of them walked through the large living room into the kitchen where Adam was making sandwiches. He grinned upon seeing the android family and wiped his hands clean to hug the three of them.

"Hey guys, long time no see!"

They sat down at the kitchen table to visit and catch up while Rose and Adam ate their late lunch.

"So, how's everything been going for you three?" Rose asked, sipping on a glass of fresh lemonade.

"It's been great, we finally got settled into our apartment. I'm still working at the bookstore. It works out because they allow me to bring along Alice. Luther is still helping Landon with his business. I think he misses us staying with him though."

Rose smiled into her cup, sitting it down afterward. "That brother of mine, I tell ya. He isn't working you to death is he, Luther?"

"No ma'am," Luther softly chuckled. "He's a good man, a good friend. He's done well by us."

"I'm happy to hear that," Rose stated. "Ya know, I've been thinking about you guys. Haven't seen ya since April when we went up there to visit. At least we've been able to keep up with each other through phone calls. Still, it's so good to see you guys. I'm glad you came for a visit."

Kara nodded, a bright smile on her pretty face. "Well, I think we've been a little curious to see how Detroit has changed with all the android rights. That, and of course we knew it was time to come visit you. Alice, for sure, was ready."

Alice nodded her head vigorously.

"How's everything been with you two and the farm?" Kara asked, watching Luther ruffle Alice's dark hair playfully.

Rose gave an exasperated laugh. "Oh, it's been rough to get back on track, but we're getting there. I'm just glad to see an increase in crops this year to make up for what we lost."

Kara frowned. "Oh right, the looters. I remember you telling us about that when you were visiting back in April."

"It was a mess," Adam said. "When we were finally able to get back home in January after the deviant demonstration and evacuation of the city, the house and farm were trashed."

"Gosh, I'm so sorry."

Rose gave a weak smile. "It's alright, most of the things taken were replaceable. I'm just happy we still have a house and farm and that the crops are booming this year. It's been a blessing."

"We would be happy to help you with the farm work while we are visiting," Luther said.

"Always the gentleman, Luther," Rose replied. "We appreciate it."

"It's the least we can do for all that you've done for us," Kara said honestly.

Rose got to her feet and pushed her chair up to the table. She motioned for the bags still sitting near the staircase as Kara, Luther, and Alice joined her.

"Well, let's get you three settled in, shall we? Adam and I will be running errands in the city tomorrow. You guys can tag along and see all the changes."

"That sounds wonderful," Kara said with a short nod.

Hank lingered in the shower longer than usual that evening, his thoughts mostly pertaining to the puzzling case they investigated earlier in the day. In the past few months life had changed drastically. Androids no longer served humans and were building their way to equals, gaining their own rights, living their own lives. For humans, it was almost learning how to walk again. For so many years, androids, among other technology, had come to their beck and call. Now humans had to learn how to live without their mechanical slaves, and, just like androids, they had to go out into the world and figure shit out on their own. For androids, it was their first awakening, their first independence. For humans, it was a wake-up call that they had become too dependent on machines for far too long.

And even with androids receiving more and more rights in their lives, the struggle to establish themselves next to humans was still a difficult road. Humans and androids fought each other every day, killed each other too. Hank and Connor had seen it all in these past few months. But all that violence between the two races had been from fear, from hate, from not letting go of the past. Humans who thought androids were just machines and shouldn't have rights. Androids that held onto their hatred for humans from their past.

But this case they were on today was different. If Connor was right, which Hank had the same feeling in his gut, then this would be the first known case that an android killed out of love. Out of jealousy, or heartbreak. Hank had seen humans do it over and over again, but to see that an android was capable as well…then it proved that androids were becoming more and more human every day.

Hank got out of the shower and dried off. He dressed in a faded t-shirt and shorts and walked out into the hallway. As he moved into the living room, a hospital drama playing on the television, he smelled food lofting to him from the kitchen.

He stepped over Sumo, who laid at the edge of the kitchen and had no intention of moving. The Saint Bernard dog had his head up, alert to something going on in the kitchen. His tail lazily thumped when Hank stepped over him.

Sure enough, Hank spotted Connor in the kitchen. Now that they were home, his partner wore slacks and a regular grey long-sleeved shirt. He also wore an apron at the moment, which he looked absolutely ridiculous in. He was in the process of juggling several utensils, his LED blinking yellow as he did so. Hank crossed his arms, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Do I want to know what you cooked?" Hank asked, walking over to where Connor stood by the stove.

The RK800 stopped juggling, deftly catching the utensils and setting them down on the countertop. With a knowing smile, he motioned to a plate sitting nearby. "It's fish. Tilapia to be precise. With steamed asparagus and seasoned rice. I thought a healthy meal after your food choices earlier today would be best."

"I hate you."

His tone would've deceived anyone else but Hank and Connor understood each other, and so Connor only chuckled, moving out of the way. Hank took his plate and grabbed himself a beer to sit down and eat. While the lieutenant ate, Connor cleaned up the kitchen and the two talked.

"I gotta admit," Hank said after finishing his plate. "That was pretty damn good. You've come a long way in your cooking…thank fucking god."

"Really?" Connor asked, seemingly excited that he was able to learn something out of his preinstalled database.

Hank nodded. "Yeah. These last few times have been good. At least you haven't caught yourself or the house on fire in a long time."

"I think you overreacted. I had everything under control."

"Maybe the stove fire, but both your arms were on fire."

"A little water would have sufficed, Hank. You emptied an entire fire extinguisher on me."

"I wanted to make sure you weren't going to melt!"

Connor stifled a smile. "Well, I do appreciate that. Surely another mishap like that will be unlikely with my improving skills in the kitchen."

Hank cleaned off his dishes and put them in the dishwater. "If it does, I have a brand-new fire extinguisher under the sink…just in case."

Hank heard his cell phone go off in his bedroom. Connor slightly turned his head, picking up the frequency as well, his LED circling yellow for a few seconds.

"It's Captain Fowler," Connor stated.

Hank groaned. "This better be good."

Hank excused himself to his bedroom and answered the phone. "Yeah?"

"Hey Hank, just calling to let you know that we got that Thirium pump regulator you requested."

"That's usually something you send a text over," Hank said, rubbing his beard. "What else is there?"

"You're right," the Captain of the DPD said, tone casual. That eased Hank…somewhat. "Wanted to remind you about the banquet tomorrow night. Make sure you're there, and for the love of god, make yourself presentable."

"What the fuck's that suppose to mean?" Hank griped. "I don't do those formal dinner parties, Jeffrey, you know that!"

"You're the lieutenant of the Detroit Police Department, Hank. Be there," Fowler replied, tone a bit sharper than before.

Hank grumbled something inaudible to his old friend and superior. "Fiiiiiine. Alright? I'll be there."

"Good."

Fowler hung up on his end. Hank hit the red hang-up icon on his cell phone and tossed it onto his nightstand. "Dick…"

He left his bedroom and went back into the living room, plopping down on the opposite end of the couch from Connor. His partner had headphones in, eyes closed, a flashing blue LED as he listened to music. He was relaxed now as he sat there, not as alert and focused as he was while on duty.

Hank watched television for awhile but eventually started flipping through the channels. He clicked on one channel, and for a moment saw Elijah Kamski talking, and flicked the channel once more. He hesitated, then turned it back.

"That's really quite interesting, Mr. Kamski," the female interviewer said. "How is this affecting CyberLife, and your plans for it, with the lawsuits and ongoing investigations?"

"Connor," Hank called, but the RK800 didn't respond. Hank picked up one of Sumo's dog toys and threw it at his partner.

When the ball hit the android in the chest, his LED snapped yellow for a moment and Connor tore the earphones off. "Yes, Hank?"

The lieutenant motioned for the TV, and Connor looked, recognizing his maker sitting across from the brunette woman interviewer. He wore a dark blue suit, but other than that, his appearance hadn't changed much since Hank and Connor went to his home eight months ago.

"Well, as far as the lawsuits go, they are wrapping up. I won't lie about the repercussions of all that has happened since the deviant demonstration. CyberLife was hit hard, but it isn't close to anything detrimental to the company. As far as the FBI investigation, it's still ongoing. I cannot say much about it. They still hope to find the cause of all this, what allowed the androids to "wake up". It's only human nature, to want to understand, even if it's beyond our level of comprehension, we still have that need to find answers. In this case…to grasp at straws, if you will." Kamski smirked.

"So, this brings us to our next question. Is there anything new you can disclose about your plans for CyberLife?"

Kamski smiled, his icy blue eyes calm as well as his posture. He nodded. "I tell you, it is a popular question. I've answered it in many ways. I've been back in control of CyberLife for six months now, and it has been nothing but full throttle with work and preparation; plans to expand, plans to shape the way into the future. CyberLife will not be making androids for domestic use now, but will instead, focus on our fellow race, to hold hand in hand and make a better future together. We're working closely with the government, plans to give androids their own identity, not just a model number. They will be able to become a citizen with their own first and last name. Of course, the more well-known plans are for anything along the lines of repairs or customization."

"Can you please elaborate on what you mean for customizations, Mr. Kamski?"

"It's a broad spectrum," Kamski replied nonchalantly. "Anything simple from changes in appearance to upgrades in their processing. But it doesn't stop just there. We have a whole range of augmentations planned for the future. Unfortunately, many of these I cannot discuss at the moment. But…I'll give you an example. In the near future, we will have the means to give androids the ability to taste just as we do, and the capability to eat and digest food with a sophisticated series of biocomponents. This upgrade is purely for enjoyment, of course, as any of these customizations will be solely up to the individual android."

"That's impressive! You really have outdone yourself, Mr. Kamski. To take back your legacy and save it from collapse and be able to adapt to so many changes for a, hopefully, better future…it's just amazing!"

"Thank you, thank you," Kamski replied, nodding. "But really, it isn't just me. I have a phenomenal team back at CyberLife, and it's because of them that we will be able to make a better future. I cannot wait to share it with all of you, humans and androids alike."

The interviewer thanked the CEO of CyberLife for his time and soon it went to a commercial. Hank looked over at Connor. His chocolate brown eyes had dropped to the floor and he seemed deep in thought although his LED didn't change. Sumo came around the corner of the couch, the ball Hank had flung at Connor now placed in his drooping jowls. He nudged Connor with his wet nose.

"Well?" Hank asked.

Connor petted Sumo on the head and reached for the ball but the Saint Bernard stubbornly moved his head away, tail lightly thumping. "Well, what?"

"You know what."

Connor shrugged. "You know I cannot read his physiological indices over the television. He is hard to read. I detected a trace of deceit but I'm not sure what it attributes to."

Hank pursed his lips, scratching his head. "There's something about him…I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

"It is because of Kamski that I was able to return to the Detroit Police Department as your partner, Hank. Are you sure you're not just upset with him trying to get me to shoot that Chloe android?"

Hank turned off the television, thinking. He was sure his gut was telling him something about Kamski, his old detective instincts wanting him to be cautious. Then again, maybe Hank was just growing old and paranoid. He heaved a sigh in defeat, getting up. "Yeah, maybe. Well, I better hit the sack."

Connor had finally fished the ball out of Sumo's mouth and looked his hand over now that it was soaked in drool. He tossed the ball and Sumo went after it.

"Goodnight, Connor."

"Goodnight, Hank."

"Oh, be ready in the morning. We got that plug in."

Connor gave a quick, mischievous grin his way. "I'm always ready."

Hank thumped him on the head as he passed by.

The Jericho Center was a social center for androids in southeast Detroit. It was once an abandoned warehouse but was bought by Markus with the help of Carl, with renovations still taking place. The center was named in honor of the rusted freightliner where androids first sought refuge, where they first came together and chose to fight for their freedom. The ship now rested at the bottom of Detroit River thanks to the raid led by the FBI and the U.S Army eight months ago.

The center continued the freighter's legacy, and it was led by Markus and a large selection of followers that helped androids with nowhere else to go. The center acted as a room and board for those without a home, a sanctuary, and even a place to get repairs. It was a hotspot for androids to find friends, connect, and learn more about the changing laws in their direction. Although the center was for androids, Markus allowed humans that wished to help be a part of the Jericho community and strengthen the relationship between the two races.

Markus walked alongside Simon through the center, his eyes wandering at all the different androids filling the rooms and hallways. Some were doing renovations or cleaning the building while some helped their fellow androids find their way to a room or area.

"It's busy today," Markus stated.

Simon nodded. "Yeah. We had nearly a bus full arrive late last night…said they came all the way from Orlando. We've settled them in, but it's pretty amazing to see how many of our people have flocked here for a change or just to see the sights, to see where it all started on our movement for freedom. You…inspire them Markus."

Markus waved his good friend off. "We all have played a big part. I just hope all the sacrifices we've made will be worth it in the end."

Simon smiled, passing Markus a side glance. "It will. In any case, I think Josh and North have kept watch on Gus all night long. He's still a bit nervous, but a lot more stable. We should be able to talk to him now."

"It's times like these that I wish we still had Lucy with us." Markus sighed.

"Yeah…"

When they entered the infirmary section set up in the center, Markus and Simon found Josh and North waiting for them in the waiting room. Josh stood to the side, arms crossed as he watched the television hanging up in the corner that portrayed news. North sat on one of the many chairs lining the room, one leg up to her chest. She got to her feet when she saw them, smacking Josh on the chest to get his attention.

Markus smiled at them, connecting with North for a moment before Josh motioned them to follow him into the back.

"We got him fixed up but he's still distraught," North said. "I'm not sure what Mel's group did to him, but he should've gotten over it by now."

"It's Gus, you know how he is," Josh explained. "He's always been super sensitive. I'm sure he will be fine in another day or so."

"Well, we need to figure out what happened to him so I can get it turned into Chris. The last thing we need is for Mel to convince the police that Gus attacked them," Markus explained.

"Or whatever other bullshit story they come up with," North mumbled.

Josh led them into a patient room in the back of the infirmary. The infirmary was basic at best, but it allowed the center to do simple repairs to any injured android. Supplies and parts came in a limited variety, as Markus and his followers could no longer steal from CyberLife. Instead, thanks to Carl and his friendship with Elijah Kamski, a small deal was made that allowed Jericho Center to get limited supplies under the authorization of Kamski. Markus had no idea how long this deal would last, considering Kamski's plans for the future of CyberLife, but for now, they had to rely on him.

When they entered Gus's room, he was sitting on the small cot even though he was fully repaired. He sat up close to the wall, legs to his chest, LED blinking a soft yellow in a slow manner, but it snapped red when he looked up and saw them. The ginger haired PL600 grimaced and looked into the wall.

"It's alright, Gus," Josh soothed. "We just want to talk."

North moved in further, and Josh gave her a look, a warning. North didn't say anything, however, and looked back to Markus after checking Gus over. Markus came forward, Simon right at his heels. Their presence closing in made Gus nervous, according to Markus's scan.

"I…I didn't do it."

"We know you didn't, Gus. Just tell us what happened," Simon said gently.

Markus gestured for his friends to move away, to give the nervous android some space. Markus remained nearby and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I need to know what happened so we can make sure those humans never hurt you again," Markus said, watching Gus closely with his different colored eyes.

Gus shook his head, LED blinking back and forth between red and yellow. It was a strange pattern, one that caught Markus' attention. Gus twitched, keeping his eyes on the wall, legs tight to his chest, his fingers clenching.

"W-why's it so noisy?" Gus asked, reaching up to rub his eyes.

Markus glanced back at Simon, Josh, and North. They shrugged. He turned back to the PL600. "What noise?"

"That same…same noise. It hurts my head. I just…want quiet. I want left alone!"

"Alright, alright," Markus said, keeping his tone soft as Gus got a little excitable. "It's probably a glitch from being repaired…we'll fix it. We'll make the noise go away. But can you please tell me what happened with the protesters?"

Gus was quiet for a long time, still twitchy although his LED calmed to a barely flashing yellow. "I was…I was walking alone and came upon them. They…they called me names, they threw stuff at me. I-I asked them to stop. S-someone else attacked them."

His LED flashed red in that moment, signaling a lie. Markus couldn't believe it. He never had one of his own people lie to him before, and Gus of all people was the last he would have expected. Markus scanned the red haired PL600 once more, his software continued to show erratic processing, pointing towards stress.

Markus held up his hand slowly, removing his synthetic skin to reveal the white physique underneath. "How about you show me, Gus?"

"N-no, don't touch me. Something…I don't like. Something is in my head. It won't come out."

Markus's scanning matrix warned of a dangerous spike in anxiety in Gus. It would be best not to continue talking with the android. The leader of Jericho clenched his jaw, knowing he had to figure out what happened. Markus subtly cued North, Simon, and Josh. He heard them move, one of them, Josh he was sure, go to stand at the door.

Markus grabbed Gus's arm, probing him. Gus immediately cried out, flailing but Simon and North seized him. Markus hacked the android's memory with great speed. A loud burst of static roared through his head, making him wince during the probing.

"Stop it! It hurts! It HURTS!" Gus cried.

Markus let him go. But before he could move away and order Simon and North off, Gus broke free from Simon and shoved North back. He attacked Markus. The PL600 and RK200 stumbled to the floor. Gus got a few hits in before Markus could grab Gus. Gus tried to grasp Markus's Thirium pump regulator, to tear it from his torso, but Simon kicked him off of Markus. North was there to grab a hold of Gus then, Josh joining her, but the yelling android broke free of their hold and bolted for the door.

"It hurts!" he yelled over and over again as he ran from the room.

"What the hell?!" Josh said, moving for the door.

Markus took Simon's hand and was pulled to his feet. The Jericho leader dusted himself off. North came over to him.

"Markus, are you okay?"

"What was that all about?" Simon added.

"I'm fine," Markus said, shaking his head as another burst of static went through his central processing before completely going quiet. He blinked hard a few times. "Gus really did attack the protesters."

"What? No way," North said.

"Are you sure?" Josh asked.

Markus nodded. "Yeah…I saw it. We have to find Gus…get him contained. Something is wrong with him. I have to get a hold of Chris and tell him."

"On it," North said. "C'mon Simon, c'mon Josh."

The interrogation room was set up and ready. The WR600 sat on one side of the table, handcuffed to the bolted down table and still deactivated. Hank sat across from it, going through the case notes while sipping on a hot cup of coffee. Connor stood at his side, observant of the unmoving android model, doing his coin tricks. The Thirium pump regulator, identified as a #1887c by Connor's scan, sat on the table. Behind the one-way mirror, Gavin and two police officers sat in the dark observation room.

Hank glared up at Connor. "Are you done? I can't concentrate when you do that!"

"Oh, sorry. Was just calibrating," Connor replied, and slipped the quarter into his jacket pocket.

"Let's get this show on the road," Hank grumbled, gesturing to the plug.

Connor dipped his head, stepping forward. He grabbed the plug and went around the table to the deactivated WR600. The android detective lifted up Sam's shirt to insert the biocomponent plug, but before he could fully push it in, Hank stopped him.

"Just…make sure you step back after you plug it in. You know, in case he attacks or something."

Connor's lips twitched, appreciating the gesture that Hunk gruffly hid. He stuck the plug in and stepped back, seeing the WR600 power up instantly. Sam blinked, confused as he looked around. Hank couldn't gauge the android's mood because of his lack of an LED, solely having to rely on behavior and facial expressions, but he knew Connor would be analyzing him throughout the interrogation.

Connor was getting red flags all over the place right off the bat, but he couldn't understand where the source of the problem was. Sam tore on his handcuffs, Hank told him to calm down.

"No, no, why…" Sam groaned, lowering his head. He then stood up, trying to pull on the handcuffs some more.

"Hey, sit the fuck down! We just need to talk with you," Hank ordered. "Tell us what happened. What happened between you and Elizabeth Hubb?"

The name made Sam freeze, and he stared at the police lieutenant, slowly sitting back down. He started crying. Connor stepped closer to Hank, in case the WR600 lunged for his partner. His scanning of the traumatized android put him on edge.

"She's dead! She's dead and I tried to follow her and you bastards brought me back!"

"Why did you kill her?" Connor asked. "Why would you kill her if you loved her?"

"I-it wasn't me!" Sam cried. He yanked on his cuffs again, Connor was picking up high stress levels and emotional shock. His central core processing was overloading.

[Deception detected.]

"It was you," Hank growled. "The same knife used to kill her was lodged in your chest. You killed yourself after you killed her. Why did you do it?"

"I would…n-never purposely. I couldn't…I couldn't control myself! It hurt so much!"

"Hurt? Androids don't feel pain," Hank replied. "What do you mean?"

Tears streamed down Sam's face. He yelled out, banging his head on the table hard. "I loved her. It wasn't me. I wasn't myself!"

[Sam is telling the truth?/Deception detected/Conflicting analysis...]

The WR600 stood once more, panicked now, tearing on the handcuffs that wouldn't budge from the bolted down table. Hank hollered another order for the android to sit down, but Connor knew it was too late.

Just as Sam snapped his hands out of the shackles, mangling them in the process, he lunged at the lieutenant. Connor kicked Hank's chair, making his partner skid across the room and out of harm's way as the android barreled over.

Connor engaged him. He dodged two punches from the sparking, broken hands of the WR600 and countered with a kick. He didn't bother giving Sam an order or try and reason with him, his central processing unit was no longer functioning properly. In other words, the android had gone completely mad.

"It hurts," Same moaned, half-crying, half-laughing. "I just want Lizzie. I want to be with her! It wasn't me!"

Connor struck him with a few punches, damaging the synthetic skin enough where white showed up on Sam's face, but the android kept attacking. Sam shoved into Connor, slamming him up against the wall. Hank came up behind him and grabbed him, trying to tear him off.

Sam countered with an elbow to Hank's stomach. It knocked the air from the police lieutenant but he kept a hold of the struggling android. Sam instead flung back his head, striking Hank in the face. Hank cursed, letting go and Sam lunged Connor again.

Connor was ready and grabbed the android by shoulders, flinging him around to slam him into the wall. He tried probing him then as he held him there. An electrical jolt snapped through his circuits as he did so, and he was hit with a rush of static that made him hesitate. It was enough to allow Sam to use a sharp, protruding section of his wrist that was broken in his escape to be used as a weapon. The WR600 stabbed himself through the eye, killing himself.

Connor felt him die. He dropped Sam like he was on fire. The dead android slumped to the floor, Thirium spilling down his face, Connor's matrix informing him of permanent shutdown.

"Connor, Connor!"

Connor was frozen, blinking rapidly, a hand to his head as he felt another wave of shocks go through his processing. His LED flashed red. He didn't come to until he felt Hank grab him and pull him around.

"Dammit son, say something!"

"I'm f-fine," Connor breathed. "I just…"

"Holy shit, man. That was exciting. What the fuck happened?"

Connor and Hank looked to see Gavin stepping in, gun drawn with the other two policemen. Gavin laughed as he stepped over, kicking the dead WR600 in the leg, as if testing to make sure it wasn't coming back.

"That just made my day, watching you guys get your asses handed to you by a trash collector."

"You son of a-" Hank snarled, lunging for Gavin, but again was caught by Connor. "Where the fuck was you when we needed backup?!"

Gavin pointed to the doorway to the interrogation room. "I was right there, but you know, couldn't shoot with you two in the way. I take it you guys fucked up and didn't learn anything?"

"Get the fuck outta my face, that's a fucking order, Gavin," Hank said, clenching a fist.

Gavin's smirk dropped, he gave the lieutenant a glare, wanting to challenge him, but he let it go. With a shrug, he turned and left the interrogation room, taking the other policemen with him.

Hank whirled around to face Connor, grabbing his arm. "Are you alright?"

Connor stared down at Sam's dead body, feeling fear ebbing from his circuits. His LED had finally managed to turn to yellow, but it did nothing to comfort Hank.

"I'm okay," Connor stated, tearing his eyes away to look at his partner. "I just…got some weird feedback when I tried to probe him."

Hank took a breath, and then briefly hugged him before pulling back. "I had flashbacks to Stratford Tower. Don't fuckin' scare me like that!"

Connor was sure Hank was talking about the JB300 deviant that self-destructed after Connor chased it down and tried to probe it. It killed itself to prevent the deviant hunter from learning anything, and in the process, made Connor feel fear for the very first time. The moment traumatized Connor, and he still felt uneasy thinking back to it. He felt it again, just now, when Sam killed himself while Connor probed him for answers. He couldn't show that it bothered him, he didn't need Hank to worry. They needed to focus on what to do next for this case.

"There was something wrong with him. I detected several anomalies in his software. He needs diagnostics run on him, although with the damage he just did to his central processing unit, I highly doubt we will get any answers," Connor said.

Hank stared at him, as if making sure Connor was going to be okay. "So, you think…he just went crazy?"

"Androids don't go crazy for no reason, Hank. I thought it could've been emotional shock, but…that glitchy feedback I received and the errors that kept coming up during our questioning…something else is at play here."

Hank looked down at Sam's dead body, jaw clenched. He slowly nodded, reaching up and squeezing Connor's shoulder. "Alright, let's see what we can figure out then."

A/N: I meant to have this up sooner but got busy! Story will start kicking off now, so be prepared :D And yes, I changed the Stratford Tower/Public Enemy scenario around just a little since Simon is alive in this story and I still wanted Connor to be traumatized. Wow, I'm a bitch, I need to protect that little cinnamon roll :c Thanks for all of the faves/follows/reviews for this story so far! Have a great week. :3