"Connor we are not interrogating a nine year old!" Hank's voice, crotchety as ever, rang out in the hospital corridor.

Connor was taken aback, if his expression was anything to go by "I only meant to ask a few questions lieutenant " Connor's synthetic voice was tinged with seemingly genuine confusion.

"Oh fuck you and your 'questions'. You are not to go within fifty feet of that girl ya hear me?"

Connor paused, processing.

Hank glared at him.

Connor nodded slowly "Very well lieutenant. You will likely have more success as a fellow human anyway"

Hank narrowed his eyes, full of suspicion.

"...but I must advise that feeding her…" He peered at the paper bag in Hank's hand "...Chicken feed's 'Hank Special' is not recommended"

Hank looked genuinely offended "And why the hell not? People eat chicken soup when they're sick, this is just…" he held up the brown paper bag which was leaking with grease "...chicken soup in burger form"

Connor stood with his mouth parted and brow furrowed, unable to come up with a reply to such a statement.

"That it? Good, now stay here. And follow my damn orders this time!" Hank turned and entered the room behind him, muttering a soft, irritated '"fuckin' android" before shutting the door.

On the other side the crotchety detective sighed, dropping his expression and adopting one much, much softer.

Laid on the hospital bed, Alice glared at him with as much venom as a ten year old girl with an I.V in her arm could muster.

Which was an impressive amount, Hank judged as he sat on a seat directly opposite Alice, making sure to be in full view.

Alright, let's get you talkin'

Though Hank gave Connor his excuse the truth of the matter was that the detective felt he could trust Connor not to be a completely emotionless machine around the girl. Maybe the android could of even gotten something out of her.

If she didn't have such a visceral reaction to his presence, that is.

Oh the girl hid it well. Impressively well. Disturbingly well, but Hank wasn't the washed up old detective that some of his colleagues thought him as.

He could still tell when someone genuinely wanted to kill another person.

Alice? Alice looked at Connor like she was seeing the tombstone she'd clobber him with.

It was in the way her eyes focused on the Android when he and Hank walked through the door the first time, the way her jaw tightened, how tightly her fingers gripped her bed.

How her heart started beating faster with adrenaline.

That wasn't fear, something you'd expect from a child looking at a...machine like Connor, knowing what he was. It wasn't just blind anger either.

That reaction spoke of pure, concentrated murder.

And she's only ten years old for god's sake. No kid should have a look like that.

With slow deliberate movements Hank reached into his jacket and pulled out a grocery bag filled with fruit and fruit juice.

Come on Connor, just 'cause I put on a few pounds doesn't mean I dont know what healthy foods like.

Alice kept her glare going but he saw how her eyes were drawn to the bag.

That's right, no kid can resist genuine sweetfruit.

A curious product of the modern age that Hank wished he had when he was a kid: fruit that had been genetically modified to naturally be sweeter without any questionable additives.

And for once they weren't lying, it was actually one of modern science's greatest achievement, earning the egg-heads who came up with it great acclaim.

As well as the heartfelt thanks of many a parent.

Going by how she kept glancing at it, Alice was a fan.

"This here's just for you miss, thought I'd pick some up when we were going to be stopping by" Hank placed the bag on Alice's bedside table where a previous meal lay uneaten.

"She's developing a fever and I dont think she's eaten in a while" the nurse had informed the detective and Connor when they made inquiries "She also seems to react adversely to any android assigned for her care"

Probably because hospital androids either are the AX400 or based heavily on them. She doesn't want to seem to replace the android that she ran away with?

Hank had pulled up Todd Williams' file on the way over and after a quick assessment he wasn't putting too much on the whole 'kidnapping' charge.

Records of drug abuse, domestic violence, on medication for unstable mood and out of work.

It did not paint a sympathetic figure.

In fact, Hank was kind of glad the android shot the guy. This way he wouldn't have to deal with handing over custody of Alice to such an obvious asshole.

Still, they needed to know just a little bit more to close this particular case. Namely, how and why did the android- "Kara"- turn deviant in the first place.

Alice called it by a name.

That meant identity, a sense of self. It had also displayed a sense of self preservation greater than the other deviant he and Connor had encountered before.

But then the scuffle on the highway, something Hank vividly remembered.

The Android -Kara- put Alice's safety at a higher priority than their escape.

Such an action spoke of the sense of care the android must of had for the girl. It wasn't thinking of itself alone.

And don't dismiss the name. Kara was deliberately chosen, but was it something the android picked or was it given to her?

Hank watched in silence as Alice finally gave in to her hunger and took a banana out of the bag, munching on it and washing it down with orange juice.

She still kept the glare up though.

Hank answered with a cheery smile.

It's alright girl, hopefully all this will just be a bad memory in time.

Though he wasn't confident in that, he knew all too well about bad memories.

"So" he said once Alice had devoured the last apple and drained a bottle of mango juice dry. "Why don't we start by introducing ourselves hm? Im Hank Anderson, I work with the Detroit Police as an investigator"

Glare.

Despite everything Hank couldn't help but feel a little stab of disappointment. Detectives were cool dammit!

"And you are, young miss?"

Glare.

Hank kept his smile on.

Glare.

Smile.

Glare.

Smile.

Glare

Hank blew a raspberry.

Alice jerked back, then stared at him, confused.

"...what?" she said.

Hank chuckled "Gotcha there didn't I?"

Glare.

But it was softer this time, Hank could tell.

"Well, it's rude to not introduce yourself to someone who did to you. Or should I just call you…" Hank made a show of leaning back and tapping his chin "...Badger"

"Badger?"

"You're cute, you're small and you're angry. Sounds like a Badger to me"

"...Badgers aren't small!"

Hank shrugged "They are to me"

Alice huffed and puffed and glared but Hank was smiling.

Not so angry anymore are ya?


"How did it go lieutenant?" Connor asked once Hank emerged from the room.

"Hmm. Well, the girl's certainly got spike, can tell you that much"

"...and the deviant?" Connor asked after visibly considering Hank's statement for a moment.

"Went rogue to protect the girl from her deadbeat father"

"Oh" Connor blinked, thinking as Hank ran a hand down his face. "I see. Was there anything else?"

Hank eyed him with an indestructible expression "...No Connor. That's all she said"

"Well, I suppose that is case closed then. The deviant has been destroyed and the cause was emotional overload much like the Ortiz case"

Hank nodded, keeping his eyes on Connor "Is that it?"

Connor raised a brow "Erm, yes. What are you asking detective?"

"Just curious. You didn't seem too eager to have the deviant be recovered"

"I-it was too damaged to be of any use"

Hank nodded, doubtful "Uh huh. The girl crying over the body not have any effect on you?"

Connor's expression was a complicated one "I, n- no. No of course not. My mission was completed in the end"

Hank didn't look convinced but didn't push the issue any further "Alright, let's get back to HQ and have this written up. I need a damn drink after all this"

As the pair walked out Connor took note of the fact that Hank still held the greasy brown bag with all its contents untouched.

Somehow, that fact made him smile just a little.


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