"Hank, can we talk?"
It was an innocuous enough question on Connor's part, but that didn't stop Hank from scowling up at him suspiciously.
"What's it this time?" The man asked. It was a fair question, Connor could want to talk about any number of things. Markus' ongoing battle for legislation regarding android protection and production, the gradual decline of Cyberlife, a letter from Alice (she'd drawn them some nice pictures of their new house in Canada, cute little stick figures of her with Kara and Luther, they were on the fridge at home), some news about Chloe's progress in turning public opinion on her media tour, Hank's reinstatement with the Detroit Police Department, or his therapy, or his recovery from alcoholism, or his health in general, or just a question about some new symptom of deviancy that Connor was trying to navigate. It had been an extremely hectic four months.
The android shifted nervously, his coin rolling across his knuckles. They were at the station, Hank at his new desk.
"There's something I've been working on, for a while, something for you." He said, and Hank groaned, he hated surprises. Connor raised one hand defensively. "I only kept it from you because I wanted to ensure that my efforts were legitimate before getting your hopes up." The android explained, causing Hank's frown to turn to one of confusion. Connor looked a little lost for words before settling into a determined posture. "I think you should come with me, it will make this easier to explain."
Hank squinted at him, but assented nonetheless. He rose from his chair easily, grateful that all he had left of his injuries was a few scars and the memories, he'd really hated the weeks it took him to recover from his broken rib, Connor wouldn't let him do anything.
The android led him through the halls and into one of the interrogation rooms, where two familiar individuals were waiting. One seated at the table, the other standing with a hand on her shoulder. Hank had to stop and stare, the two androids staring back.
They were the Tracis from the Eden Club, alive and well and smiling tentatively up at Hank.
"Hank, I'm sure you remember these two." Connor said, gesturing to them.
"How could I forget, how are you doing?" Hank asked, stepping forward and offering his hand. The orange-haired Traci shook it and let out a breath.
"We're doing well, thank you." She said, her girlfriend stood up and shook Hank's hand as well.
"I'm glad to hear it, what are you doing here?" Hank inquired, throwing Connor a befuddled glance.
"Connor contacted Olivia and I a few months ago, asking for our help." The blue-haired Traci replied, Hank took a mental note that the orange-haired one went by Olivia now.
"Help with what?" He asked.
There was a long pause while Olivia and her girlfriend looked to Connor, who squirmed a little, taking his quarter out of his pocket and putting it back again. Hank started to feel a little nervous just as Connor spoke up.
"After the incident at the Eden Club, I did some research on the individuals responsible. I knew, with the tech they possessed, that they had to belong to a larger trafficking operation. At the time there wasn't much I could do with the information I discovered, but in the recent months I've been looking further into the case. I contacted Olivia and Diane to see if I could learn the final destination of other kidnapping victims." The android elaborated.
"We weren't part of it for long, and weren't told much, but we wanted to do whatever we could." Diane, the blue-haired android said.
"With their assistance, then the additional resources of the DPD following your reinstatement, we located the leaders of the trafficking ring and the records of the lives they traded in." Connor continued.
"So why didn't you include me in any of this? I could've helped." Hank stated, planting his hands on his hips in mild irritation. Connor shared a look with the two other androids in the room before replying.
"I wasn't just investigating for investigation's sake. I had a suspicion, well, more like a hunch, that came from information I had learned about you and things you had told me, and I was looking for one person in particular." Connor said the last part very slowly. "I wanted to be sure before I told you, in case I was wrong."
"But now we know for certain." Olivia finished. Hank looked around the room expectantly, waiting for an answer. Connor took a deep breath and turned to look the man fully in the eyes.
"One of the names we found in the records of humans sold to other nations as part of the population trafficking scheme…was Anderson, Cole Anderson."
Hank felt like the entire room disappeared around him, taking his heart, lungs, and legs with it. His eyes grew wide and before he even realized what was happening, Diane had eased him into a chair. A moment passed where he remembered how to breathe and focus his eyes.
His ears weren't ringing, but his mind had gone so terrifyingly blank in shock that those words seemed to echo until they were all he could hear. Connor was still speaking, Hank had to work to register any of it.
"I suspected he had been kidnapped in the accident when you described it to me. I wasn't sure if the same people would have been responsible, but I knew there was a chance. I didn't want to give you hope only to have it taken away, so I waited." The android explained nervously.
"Do you know where he is?" Hank whispered brokenly.
"We discovered where all the victims were sold to and the DPD passed the information to Interpol. They took the investigation over and so far have recovered just under a hundred people." Connor crouched down so he could look better into Hank's face. "There was a large group of children found together in Spain. They were passed off as orphans in order to artificially boost the nation's childbirth rates, they are in the process of transporting these Children back to the United States."
Hank's heart was pounding in his chest but he didn't dare take a breath in order to supply his rushing blood with oxygen.
"Your confirmation is required, but they believe one of them is Cole." Connor finished and Hank sucked in air like he'd never get another chance. He clutched at the android's arms to anchor himself, looking with wide eyes into his friend's face. Connor smiled hopefully, and Hank, even though he felt ready to pass out, smiled back.
He reached for the androids behind him, grabbing Olivia's hand and squeezing it. He looked up into the teary faces of her and Diane and mouthed "thank you" since he couldn't find his voice at the moment.
He turned to Connor and did the same.
It took time, more time than Hank would have liked, to clear the children through customs and reach out to all of the people they thought were their parents. After three years in another nation, voluntary or not, and most of them being presumed dead, it was a paperwork nightmare. So many were taken in staged car accidents just like Hank's, though usually the parents were taken too, Hank had been left behind due to his injuries.
When the day came, the airport waiting area was crowded with people. Mostly families waiting to reunite, some of the parents had been recovered sooner or had been spared being kidnapped at all. Hank was there with Connor. Kara, Alice, and Luther had insisted upon visiting as soon as they heard the news. Olivia and Diane were also there, holding hands excitedly and introducing themselves to everyone. They were waiting outside the main area along with Markus, Simon, North, Josh, and Chloe, who had all taken short breaks from their work to offer support. North was holding the leash for Sumo, who was a little agitated by all the people but largely just excited about all the new smells. They'd gotten a lot of stares when they walked in. Hank wasn't sure what people thought when they saw him chatting with the leaders of the android revolution, he didn't even know what to think of it most of the time.
Hank had received lots of letters and emails prior to the day from people who couldn't be there. Rupert and the androids he was helping recover from the Pit, they'd been corresponding since the success of the Cyberlife takeover. Plenty of androids who'd been at Jericho that Hank didn't know all that well. Even fucking Kamski (who Hank had not told, but, of course, found out anyway).
Since enough of the kids had been taken from the Detroit area, they were returning through the Detroit Metro Airport. The DPD was out in full force to make sure everything was safe.
Hank was surprised to spot Gavin Reed among the protection detail, he'd asked Fowler, who'd also come to offer support, and apparently the Detective had volunteered. Hank made eye contact with the man, who shied away in disgruntled embarrassment, but it only made Hank crack a small smile. Theo's presence was less surprising.
Only Connor had been allowed to join Hank in the area where the kids were soon to arrive, partly because he had helped to find them, partly because Hank would have lost his mind if he had to do this alone.
He was standing, eyes wide and forward on the grey carpeted hall where the previously missing children would be arriving any minute. He didn't want to take his eyes off of it for a moment, not even to check his watch. He was hardly breathing, the late afternoon light was a golden orange pouring through the wide airport windows. Connor laid a hand on his arm, and Hank took a steadying breath and focused on that hand.
A tiny eternity later, the first figure of a kid rounded the corner, escorted by a group of Interpol officers, some human some android. The entire waiting group breathed in and tensed as the full crowd of children came into sight, Hank felt the air was thick as glass with desperate hope.
The first shout of recognition was simultaneously a wonderful relief and a knife to Hank's heart. Someone pulled a little girl into their arms, both parties crying and holding each other tight. Hank was so happy for them, but what if their happiness was a happiness he'd never know? There was still a small seed of doubt.
What if Cole wasn't there?
Connor pushed Hank forward through the rising chaos of the crowd. All over people were reuniting with their children, the room was loud with joyful weeping, elated laugher, and names being called that hadn't been spoken in far too long. Hank was rising on his toes to search over the heads of the people around him.
What if he wasn't here? What if he was gone? Just like he'd been gone three years ago.
Hank stumbled forward, only Connor's touch keeping him grounded, giving him the strength to keep looking. More and more people found their children, it was probably a beautiful sight, but Hank was looking through it, looking for that beautiful face with the crooked smile and the big brown eyes and the messy hair.
Oh god, what if he wasn't here? Hank had lost him for so long, this was more than he'd ever hoped for, but what if he wasn't here? What if—
"Hank." Connor breathed, and pointed to a gap between two reunited families, gripping Hank's arm like a vice.
Hank followed the android's gaze, and there he was.
Three years older, a little taller, but Hank could never forget that face. Those brown eyes were searching for him too, the little hands clutching the hem of his shirt, he was bouncing on his toes nervously.
"Cole." Hank muttered, for a second he couldn't move. "Cole!" He shouted and the boy looked up at him. There was that crooked smile, and there was that messy head of hair, longer now.
Hank didn't even register his legs carrying him, all he knew was a moment later he was on his knees and his son was in his arms. He was holding Cole against his chest and he was so alive. The little boy was squeezing Hank as tight as he could and saying "daddy" over and over again, crying against Hank's shoulder.
Hank was crying too, but he felt as if his face would split from how hard he was smiling. Cole was alive and in his arms.
Hank opened his eyes at last and pulled Cole away a little bit to look at him. He smiled at his son, wiping the tears from his face and mussing his hair. Cole giggled, and damn if it wasn't the most beautiful sound Hank had ever heard.
Just behind Cole, Hank spotted Connor.
He scooped his son into his arms and stood up, earning another giggle and the satisfaction of knowing Cole wasn't yet too big for Hank to lift him, he hadn't missed that much time. He still fit perfectly in Hank's arms. He turned so the boy could see Connor.
"Cole, this is Connor. He helped find you." He said, sniffling and trying to control his cracking voice.
"Thank you Connor." Cole said, holding tight to his dad and looking a little shy. Connor smiled at him, and Hank noticed a little glimmering wetness on his cheeks.
"Connor's been keeping me safe while you were gone." Hank said.
"Yeah?" Cole asked.
"Yeah." Hank replied with a smile.
"Is Connor gonna keep me safe too?"
"If you want." Connor replied, looking at Hank for confirmation. The man grinned.
"Of course." Hank answered. The android smiled and Cole reached out with one arm to beckon him closer. Connor leaned in and Cole wrapped his arm around his neck for an awkward hug, Connor chuckled and returned it.
"You can share my room if you'd like." Cole offered, and Connor laughed again, pulling back.
"That won't be necessary." The android replied.
"Connor already has a spot at the house." Hank explained.
"Is Sumo there?" Cole asked suddenly, his eyes going wide and locking on Hank's face.
"Sumo's here, with some of daddy's new friends outside." Hank said, causing Cole to start bouncing excitedly in Hank's arms.
"Let's go!" The boy exclaimed.
"Ok," Hank agreed and started walking toward the exit, "everyone's excited to meet you, and Sumo missed you a whole lot." He said, gazing at Cole like he could scarcely believe the boy was there, eyes wide and watery and happy.
"Is there ice cream at home?" Cole asked, and Hank snorted.
"No, but my friend Simon baked you a cake." Connor answered, Hank and Cole both gasped and stared at him.
"A cake!" Cole exclaimed, and Connor nodded with a smile.
Hank held his son tight as they exited the room. As soon as the doors opened he saw the small crowd of androids and humans all look up and collectively light up like the sun emerging from beyond the horizon. Luther and Kara looked overjoyed, and Alice was thrilled, Hank spotted a wrapped gift in her hands. Olivia and Diane pulled one another close in a side hug. Markus smiled wider than Hank had ever seen, North squeezing one of his hands and Simon pulling the other to his chest, Josh gripping his shoulder. Sumo jumped to his feet and his tail began whipping back and forth in excitement. Chloe reached for the nearest individual with a gasp, which happened to be Theo, and he placed his hand on hers, both of them gazing at the boy in Hank's arms with wonder. Even Gavin and Fowler were happy, it looked odd on them, but not bad.
Hank smiled, reaching to the side and grasping Connor's shoulder as he carried his son. He was so excited to introduce Cole to this big, new family he'd found.
