Chapter Six

"We'll be here to pick you up at five," said Hank, stopping the car. Wren glanced out the window at the Detroit Police Department.

"Thank you," said Connor. He opened the door and exited the car. Wren watched him walk into the building. She turned to look toward Hank, who twisted in his seat to look at her.

"You can sit in the passenger side now," he muttered. "No need to make it awkward."

Wren smirked. "What if I run away?"

Hank glowered at her. "Then I'll run you over with my fucking car. Just get in the passenger seat." He twisted to plant his back against his seat and gripped the steering wheel. Wren pushed open the door and got out. She slid into the passenger seat and buckled herself in.

"Going home now?" she guessed.

"I was gonna run by and get us coffee," said Hank, driving away from the police station. Silence filled the car for several seconds. Wren's back remained tense, her hands resting on her knees as they drove. She reached for the radio to ease the silence, but Hank pushed her hand away. "You need to know more about my family, if you wanna be convincing."

Wren folded her hands in her lap. "Okay. Tell me about Blaise, the former love of my life."

Hank snorted. "He was a good kid. Bit of a brat, kind of spoiled. He was in med school for a while. Wanted to be some sort of surgeon. He dropped out because he got mixed up with Red Ice. I think he went back to school. I don't what else happened to him. You'll have to use your imagination."

"I'll say that before I left him, he studied medicine again and he wanted to get married, but… I didn't like the stress of med school on our relationship, so I ended it," Wren murmured. Her brow puckered. She wondered if she'd left anyone behind when Prometheus sucked her in. Her heart clenched at the thought.

"You oughta know about Cole, too," muttered Hank.

Wren glanced at him, her stomach twisting at the raggedness in his tone. "You don't have to give me details."

Hank's grip tightened on the steering wheel. Wren watched his knuckles whiten. Her eyes slid to look at his face without being obvious that she was staring. Hank's jaw tightened. He cleared his throat. "He was my son. He died in a car wreck and… Ellie left me a year later. Said she couldn't take it anymore."

Wren's throat ached with a lump. Her shoulders slumped with a weight and she lowered her gaze to her hands. "Hank, I'm… I'm so sorry."

"I don't need your pity," Hank spat.

Wren looked up. "It's not…" Heat flushed through her body, beginning in her chest. Her nostrils flared. "You know what? Fuck you. You treat me like I am the shittiest person alive because of the things I've done. Newsflash, asshole: some of the things I've done have saved a lot of lives. Stop treating me like I don't give a damn about anyone but myself. I wasn't pitying you, I was empathizing with you, because contrary to what you believe, I am capable of it!"

The silence between them seemed to ring with Wren's yell. Hank stared at the road, but the tension in his jaw loosened. He huffed. "Alright. Fine. Thank you for your concern, sympathy, whatever. Point is, Cole's gone and my wife left me because she blamed me. Got it?"

Wren nodded slowly. She swallowed a few times before muttering, "I could say that caused tension in my relationship with Blaise. Maybe I felt it was unfair of her."

"It wasn't unfair of her. It was my fault. And how fuckin' detailed do you need to be, anyway?" Hank glanced at her, his eyes narrowed.

Wren met his gaze calmly. "Enough to be convincing. The details shine through in little gestures and conversations. I don't expect to be interrogated on my identity, but these are conversation points in case I get asked things like, 'How's Ellie doing?' That way I can explain that I didn't totally get along with her, so I can be vague enough that I don't need to know anything about Ellie, yet it still shows that I did know Ellie. Make sense?"

Hank frowned and looked back toward the road. "Uh, sure." He pulled the car through a drive through and ordered two coffees, one with cream and sugar. Wren took the sugared coffee and cradled it in her hands.

"Thank you," she murmured, sipping from it.

"Sure," muttered Hank. "C'mon. Let's go to the store. If we don't get groceries, Connor will. And he'll make us eat like we're fucking Victoria's Secret models."

Wren chuckled softly before taking another sip. Hank drove to the grocery store nearest to his house. They exited the car and entered the store, Hank pushing a cart with one hand and drinking from his coffee with the other.

"What snacks do you like?" he asked, pausing before choosing a direction.

"Uh…" Wren wracked her brain. What did she like? Prometheus only fed her things to keep her at peak performance. There was no kitchen or rec room at the facility, no fridge filled with snacks. They fed her when they deemed it appropriate, and she ate whatever they gave her. "I like fruit. Any kind."

Hank raised an eyebrow. "Okay… I meant junk food. Chips, candy, things like that." He headed for the produce section anyway.

"Oh," said Wren, shrugging as she picked out some apples. She rolled them around in her hands, checking for bruises. She placed a few in a plastic bag. "I don't really eat a whole lot of junk food. So I don't really have a favorite."

"Jesus," grunted Hank, shaking his head. Something akin to pity shimmered in his expression. "You can pick out some fruit, but I'm gonna introduce you to junk."

Wren grinned. "Okay."

Hank brought her to the chips aisle. He tossed a few different bags into the cart, obscuring the packages of blueberries and blackberries Wren picked out. Hank grabbed different kinds of candy, too. He peered into the cart and snorted. "Connor's gonna shit a brick."

Wren's lips twitched. "I guess he'd rather you eat healthier?"

"Oh yeah," muttered Hank, wheeling the cart down a different aisle, "the meals at the Chicken Feed concern him a great deal. I told him we all gotta die of something. If I so happen to die of high cholesterol, so be it."

The smile playing at the corners of Wren's mouth stretched. "I guess he knows exactly what we're eating."

"Something like that," muttered Hank, pausing before the meat. "We should plan a few dinners, stop eating so much takeout. I try to appease Connor a little bit."

"Okay," said Wren, folding her arms. "I won't be picky."

"Right," Hank grunted. "I don't know a whole lotta recipes. Basically, I can make spaghetti, tacos and pizza."

Wren grinned. "That sounds awesome."

Hank mumbled something under his breath. They grabbed the ingredients for the respective recipes. Hank paid for the groceries and Wren helped load them into the car. They returned to Hank's house, where Wren helped unload the groceries. While she placed the fruit into the fridge, Hank received a phone call.

"Markus?" he demanded.

Wren stilled, her ears perking. She chose not to increase her audio input sensitivity. She finished emptying the grocery bags while Hank talked to Markus. When she finished, she discarded the bags. Hank hung up the phone. Wren's brow puckered as she looked at him.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," said Hank, "he says he's updated his security system. Wants you to take a look at it."

…

Wren worked on fortifying Jericho's security while Hank chatted with Markus. Her android hands mimicked rippling tendons as she typed on a keyboard, closing holes in Jericho's firewalls. Satisfied, she closed the laptop and huffed. She swung her legs over the bench and carried the laptop over to Markus and Hank.

"Okay, it should be pretty protected. If you want, I can bug it so that if anyone tries to hack it, they get a virus. But that can pose a risk to you and others, too." Wren handed over the laptop.

Markus's brow furrowed. "That's alright. Thank you, Wren."

"No problem."

Markus's eyebrows lifted. "Wren, this is Josh, by the way. He's another leader of Jericho."

Wren turned toward an approaching android along with North. Josh smiled softly at Wren and extended a hand. "It's nice to meet you. Markus told me about you."

Wren glanced to Markus but refrained from commenting. She shook Josh's hand. "Nice to meet you, too."

North folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at Wren. The android turned her attention to Markus. "So? Are we good?"

Markus nodded. "I think so. Wren took a look at the system and fortified our firewalls and other necessary adjustments." He turned to Wren, a small smile at his lips. "So, how're you adjusting?"

Wren glanced at Hank, who shrugged. She turned back to Markus. "Alright, I guess. Hank and Connor made it very clear that I'm to be as forthcoming as they require. My programming and training required me to be, uh, pretty emotionless and secretive. But I like being honest. It's just weird."

"It takes some getting used to," agreed Markus, "not that I can relate to the training and secrecy part."

Wren glanced to Josh, who looked politely confused. She figured Markus had yet to divulge everything to the other Jericho leader.

Hank snorted and shifted his weight. "The real problem is figuring out what to tell Fowler. Connor doesn't need sick days, so he can't use that excuse to babysit Wren. Jeffrey's an old friend, so he lets a lot of my shit slide, but there's only so much work I can miss to watch her."

Wren folded her arms. She understood their need to keep an eye on her. Had she been in their position, she would not trust her, either. Yet, she couldn't stifle the flair of irritation in her chest. She suppressed an eye roll.

"She could stay here at Jericho while you and Connor are at work," said Markus.

"I don't fucking believe this," North hissed. She stormed off, pushing past Wren roughly. Wren's chest clenched. She offered Markus an apologetic smile. His brow furrowed, but he returned the gesture. Hank sighed.

"I don't know, Markus…" Hank's eyes flicked to Wren, who hugged her middle. She'd thought she had actually started to gain Hank's trust, but it seemed he still trusted her about as far as he could throw her. Judging by his physicality and age, that wasn't far.

"Yeah, it seems like you're stepping on a lot of toes," said Wren, glancing at Hank and then down the hall where North disappeared. She looked back to Markus. "It probably isn't the best idea."

"Maybe not," agreed Markus. Wren couldn't help the sinking of her heart at his words. Markus placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can't earn trust if no one is willing to extend it, though."

Wren's lips parted as she gazed up at him. Her knees felt oddly weak. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thank you, Markus."

Markus smiled and patted Wren's arm before dropping his hand. He looked at Hank. "Just drop her off before work and take her home at night. She can work on security, or just hang out."

Josh's lips twitched. "I'm sure we can find something for her to do. We have plenty of work here."

Hank looked at Wren for a long moment before nodding. "Fine. We gotta go pick up Connor. See what he thinks."

…

Connor seemed to trust Markus's judgement, for which Wren was silently grateful. So, each morning, Hank and Connor dropped her off at Jericho for, as Hank referred to it, "spy daycare." For the first few days, Wren avoided other androids, keeping to herself and scouting the building. She planted sticky notes in areas that needed better security measures. She examined the windows, gazing at the buildings across from Jericho to pinpoint possible sniper vantages. She placed sticky notes on the windows that were prone to danger.

However, after four days of analyzing the building and going over its blueprints, she eventually explored the whole thing. So, day five at Jericho, she lacked purpose. She wandered the halls aimlessly and rode the elevator a few times. It was all glass and positioned on the outside of the building, allowing for a scenic look at Detroit. She sat cross-legged on the floor of the elevator and rode it up and down, scribbling a list of security measures in a notebook. The elevator dinged and someone stepped on.

"Bored?" Josh said.

Wren twisted to look at him. "Uh, maybe a little."

Josh smiled. He pressed a button. "I'm headed to my office. Why don't you stop by?"

Wren opened her mouth to decline his offer, but thought better of it. She shrugged. "Okay. Sure." She closed her notebook and stood. She glanced at Josh's T-Shirt. It was grey with the words MARVEL outlined in red. Wren tilted her head. Her lips twitched. "You like superheroes?"

Josh looked at her, his eyes wide. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I know the franchise is kind of old, but… I read all the comics and saw all the movies after the liberation. Are you a fan?"

"I haven't seen any of the movies," said Wren, shaking her head. "Or read the comics. I just know what it is. And the franchise isn't that old. They've been making movies for years. Didn't they reboot a couple of them?"

"They're planning to reboot the series, yeah. They redid The Hulk."

"Ah," said Wren. The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Josh stepped off and led Wren to his office. Bookshelves lined the walls. Real, paper books filled the shelves. A dark wood desk sat nestled in the corner. Picture frames and hero figurines decorated the surface of the desk, barely leaving room for the terminal. Action hero postures adorned the walls. Wren smiled at it. She turned to Josh, who took a seat at his desk. "How'd you get into Marvel?"

Josh rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I saw a few students interested in it, before the liberation. I guess I always liked the idea of it, but I never really got into it until after I deviated."

Wren tilted her head. "Students? You were a teacher or something?"

Josh nodded. "I'm a PJ500 model. I was a university lecturer."

Wren dipped her head. She approached the bookshelf and examined some of the titles. "You're pretty well-read."

"I was programmed to be. I know a variety of subjects, including literature, philosophy, psychology, biology, mathematics, art, history and even theology. I… I still enjoy it, even though I don't need keep up with those subjects anymore."

Wren offered him a small smile. "I'm in the middle of reading The Iliad right now."

Josh leaned forward. "Really? Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I'm enjoying it so far. I especially enjoy the mythology aspect," Wren said, looking at the bookshelf. She neared the literature section.

Josh stood from his desk and pulled a few books from the shelf. "If you like mythology, I suggest reading this." He handed a large book to Wren. She looked at it: Mythology: An Anthology of Greek, Roman and Norse Myths, Legends and Folklore. Wren looked up as Josh placed another book on top of the mythology anthology. "The Canterbury Tales draws on Greek traditions a bit. Dante's Inferno has some themes as well… And of The Odyssey is full of mythology."

Wren widened her eyes as Josh placed said books into her arms. "Josh, I can't… I can't take these."

Josh's eyes twinkled. "Oh, you're not keeping them. You're borrowing them. I expect them back when you're done." His mirth faltered. "Unless I misread this situation and you aren't interested in any of this."

"Oh, I am," said Wren, hoisting the books into an easier holding position, "I just… This is very nice of you."

Josh's face shadowed. "Look, Markus told me some things about you. He didn't tell me much because he said it was dangerous. And North isn't exactly happy about all this, and I know Hank and Connor must be pretty difficult. I don't know what you've done, but to an outsider, you just seem… lost. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

Wren's throat tightened. She looked away from Josh, her eyes pricking. She tried to speak, but her voice caught. She cleared her throat before looking back at Josh. "Thank you. That means a lot."

Josh dipped his head and pursed his lips into an awkward smile. He retuned to his desk and sat down. "I do want those books back when you're finished."

"Deal," said Wren. She set them onto the chair across from Josh's desk. Her brow puckered. "Where's North's office?"

The corners of Josh's mouth downturned. "Down the hall and to the left."

"I'd like to talk to her," Wren explained.

Josh huffed. "North is difficult. That might not be the best idea."

"I need to talk to her," Wren clarified, looking at Josh pleadingly.

He sighed. "Okay. Your funeral."

Wren offered him a grim smile. "I'll be back for those books." She left Josh's office and headed down the hall and arrived at North's office door. Her heart thudded so violently in her chest, she felt it in her throat. She swallowed and knocked on the door.

"Come in," called North. Wren pushed open the door, her stomach quivering. North looked up and froze when she saw Wren. Her eyes narrowed. "I know Markus rolled out the welcome wagon for you and Josh isn't bothered by you. Even Hank and Connor don't seem opposed to you. But I don't trust you."

Wren pursed her lips for a moment. She bowed her head. "Look, I understand. I deserve that."

North scowled. "I don't get what's so special about you. We should've just locked you up. You're too dangerous."

Wren's chest clenched. Her brow pinched as she met North's gaze. "I know you don't believe me, but I'm not going to hurt you or Markus."

"You're right," said North coldly, "I don't believe you. While everyone else is curious about you and giving you a second chance, I'm watching you. If I think that you might hurt any of them, I will personally make your life hell."

Cold hit Wren to the core. She drew in a shaky breath. "North, I came to apologize to you. I put your life in danger. I put all of your lives in danger, and I'm sorry. I understand why you're angry and don't trust me. I don't blame you. If I were in your position, I wouldn't trust me, either. But I am sorry, and I promise I won't hurt any of you. I hope that maybe… maybe you can forgive me, one day."

North merely narrowed her eyes at Wren, who nodded, feeling rather awkward. Wren backed out of North's office and returned to Josh's, where she curled up in a chair and began reading the mythology anthology. Josh said nothing. Wren hoped he never noticed her hands shaking.

…

The past several nights at Hank's house had been quiet. Hank refrained from drilling Wren with uncomfortable questions and her sleep remained free of nightmares and terrors. For the first time in ten years, Wren felt somewhat at peace. She had a boring routine where she spent her days at Jericho, reading from the mythology book Josh loaned her. At night, she let Connor use it so that he had something to do. He had already finished it, so Wren gave him the other books Josh loaned her. She told Connor that when she caught up to him, maybe they could talk about it. Connor seemed eager about this notion. In the evenings after Hank and Connor brought her home, she unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. Occasionally, she did the laundry. She tried to be a good roommate, which Hank seemed (albeit grudgingly) thankful for.

An awkward sense of familiarity had begun to permeate through the house, though it tasted stale to Wren. A stagnancy clogged her progress in her relationships with Hank and Connor. Some part of her wanted them to be more than just… Whatever they were to her. Babysitters? Colleagues? Acquaintances? She lacked a term for them. As much as she tried not to care, she failed to shake the want for friends. At the very least, she wanted them to at least respect her. She didn't want Connor to treat her with kindness out of obligation. She was grateful for Hank's gruff attitude toward her, as it felt more genuine than Connor's politeness. Her stomach twisted and she grimaced at herself. It wasn't fair to Connor for her to think that his polite demeanor was anything but honest. In her experience, though, a polite smile hid a wolf's bared teeth. A smile was a threat. She doubted Connor's kindness hid any sinister ulterior motive toward her, but somehow, it still unnerved her. She supposed it was merely the obligation he felt to treat her politely. She wondered if perhaps she was overanalyzing Connor's intentions, as she really hadn't tried to get to know him, and it was unfair of her to make these assumptions.

Wren glanced up from her mythology tome at Connor, who sat across from her, reading The Canterbury Tales. She closed her book and huffed.

Connor looked up, his features pensive. "Are you going to bed? You probably should, since you go to the station to speak with Fowler tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, to start police school," muttered Wren, leaning forward to place the mythology book on the coffee table. Hank had long since gone to bed, leaving Wren and Connor to their devices in the living room. Anxiety spiked through her body, causing her stomach to churn. She licked her lips. "Are you enjoying that?"

Connor looked at the book in his lap. His indicator flickered for a moment before he returned Wren's gaze. "It was difficult to decipher at first, but now I am."

Wren eyed the book. "Yeah, Middle English is… not easy to read."

"Have you read this before?" Connor queried, marking his place in the book and placing it on the coffee table.

Wren frowned. "I… I think so. I probably read some of it in high school."

"It is interesting," said Connor, his brow puckering. His eyes flicked to the mythology tome. "I noticed you are rereading that."

"Just my favorite myths," said Wren. "Since I finished The Iliad and Dante's Inferno, I thought I'd revisit it before I read The Odyssey."

"Which myths are your favorite?" Connor inquired.

"Well, I really like anything with Aphrodite or Athena or Artemis… Though the Hades and Persephone myth is really fascinating, too," said Wren, eyeing the cover of the mythology book. It depicted Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus on it.

"Why those goddesses specifically?"

"Good question," replied Wren. She shrugged. "I don't know… I guess they're just really powerful in different ways."

"I think you'll enjoy The Knight's Tale in this one, then," said Connor, patting The Canterbury Tales. "It depicts Venus and Diana, as well as Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. I look forward to discussing it with you."

Wren frowned. "Really?"

Connor nodded. "While I have access to a score of knowledge, I haven't really studied the arts or discussed it with anyone who enjoys them. I find our discussions about literature stimulating."

Wren gazed at him for several seconds. His LED flickered and his brow pinched. Wren tucked her knees under her. "Connor, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why haven't you removed your LED? I haven't really met another android with theirs still intact." Wren watched Connor's indicator cycle yellow. His eyes lowered and he drew back, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He met Wren's gaze after a moment. "I never felt the need to," he answered. "I think… I think some androids see the LED as a mark of slavery. I think some just want to be human, which is why they removed theirs."

"And you? What do you see it as?" Wren pressed.

Connor fidgeted and broke eye contact with Wren. He avoided her gaze, his brow knitted. "I… Many androids are far more emotive in their expressions than I am. I've been told that I can be hard to read. I think the LED helps with that."

Wren frowned. "You kept the LED so people can read your emotions better?"

Connor met her gaze. "I'm also more comfortable with the mechanical parts of myself. Some androids would rather be human, but… I know we're not. We're alive, and we feel, but we're not human. I don't see the LED as an insult, but a part of who I am."

Wren's eyebrows raised and her lips parted. Then, she smiled softly. "Thank you for telling me, Connor."

Connor tilted his head, his gaze soft. "You're welcome."

Wren cleared her throat. "I should, uh, get some sleep…" She switched the lamp off, laid down and pulled the blanket around her. "Goodnight, Connor."

"Goodnight, Wren."

˄Connor

...…

Shorter chapter, but I wanted to establish the grounds for future friendships and relationships in this one. Wren and Connor are slowly but surely warming up to each other! Next chapter will be the start of Wren's police career and the investigation of her past. Thank you to everyone who added this story to their alerts and/or reviewed. It really encourages me to keep writing this story. Please continue do support me if you want more!