Jericho: October 31st, 2038 - 06:57pm
It was Halloween night and the city seemed to be filled with a positive energy that had seemingly been absent for years. There was excitement in the air as young children began converging in the streets while wearing costumes to begin their trick-or-treating fun before it became too dark to see or too cold to roam about. The colorful and eccentric costumes, decorations and various treats all seemed to harshly clash against the commonplace uniform being worn by the android caretakers who were escorting a majority of the kids through their respective neighborhoods, however seeing androids roaming about in public had become so normalized that no one questioned it or gave it a second thought.
While the city became active throughout the night and gave way to potential mischief makers and partygoers to celebrate the yearly holiday in style, the deviant sanctuary out in the harbor remained dark, quiet and eerily tense as the inhabitants all silently hoped that no one would scope out the harbor on that night. The quiet of the surrounding neighborhood had been disturbed by people taking to the streets, and in return the deviants were too afraid to leave Jericho in search of additional Thirium or spare biocomponents.
Connor sat idle in the corner of the main floor where the rest of the deviant inhabitants huddled together to keep warm and help those in need of technical assistance. On that night the deviant felt useless since he couldn't go out and scavenge for supplies for his people or go out into the night with Cole to help the little boy trick-or-treat while Hank worked the late shift at the precinct. The deviant detective had enjoyed spending Halloween night with Cole and seeing the wonders of imagination and creative thought through the eyes of an innocent child. It was insightful and helped Connor feel more connected with his own developing emotions.
As he sat in deep thought and reminisced about the past Connor suddenly realized that he really did miss Cole. He missed having someone treat him like he was alive without even knowing what deviancy was about. He missed having someone he could be himself around without needing to worry about judgment. And most of all, he missed just having someone to watch over and give his life purpose beyond hunting for supplies and hiding in the shadows.
Strangely enough, Connor also realized that he missed Hank as well. They had butted heads since the day Connor awoke on the couch in the livingroom, and yet Connor couldn't simply forget about the man he had known in the alternate timeline. He knew Hank could be very protective, caring and funny when he was in the right mood. Seeing Hank constantly put his guard up around him all because he had no recollection of their friendship in an alternate world had affected Connor in a way he hadn't anticipated when he traveled through time.
It seemed that the deviant detective had discovered that even the most advanced forensic software can't preconstruct every potential outcome after all.
"Everyone's settled in for the evening." North stated calmly as she walked over to where Connor was sitting and sat down on a nearby crate to speak with him. It didn't take long for North to take on the role of a leader and begin organizing their people in coordinated and logical ways while delving out supplies to those who the most in need of assistance. "We've already blacked out the porthole windows to ensure no lights shine out tonight and invite curious people to check out the harbor."
"That's good." Lifting his head up Connor locked eyes with North as he acknowledged her update. "We can light small fires in the burn barrels to ensure that everyone is warm tonight without any fear of someone noticing the glow of the flames."
"It's a good thing you got us the supplies we'll need to keep warm when you did. Sorry I gave you a hard time about it earlier." Trying to sound more optimistic North glanced at Connor's dour demeanor and wondered what the deviant was thinking. He never opened up to her or anyone else, and despite being able to read humans like an open book North had to admit that she had no idea what was going on inside Connor's mind. "Are you okay? We have some extra Thirium if you need it."
"I'm fine."
"Maybe you are physically, but not emotionally." North countered as she reached her hand out toward Connor's face. As her fingers came within centimeters of Connor's cheek North watched Connor openly flinch and turn his face away from the offered physical contact. "I wish you'd tell me what happened to you. It's clear you were abused, but you're not alone. We were all hurt by someone before coming here."
"It isn't something that you need to concern yourself with." Rising to his feet Connor decided it'd be best to get some space and be alone for a while. "I'm going to walk the perimeter. If any deviants come our way, I'll direct them toward you for assistance."
North remained where she sat and somberly watched Connor walk away. She could just feel his sadness and it pained her to not be able to help the very deviant who had saved her life and spared her further humiliation and suffering at the vile 'Eden Club'. It was strange to feel connected to someone who was dedicated to keeping their very identity as that of a stranger.
"His heart is heavy with an unspeakable emotional weight."
Turning to peer over her shoulder North noticed Lucy also looking on as Connor departed Jericho to distance himself between his allies and his own heart. She trusted Lucy's judgement even if she herself didn't fully understand such insight.
"Give him time to find a way to lessen his burden and find the strength to trust others."
"He doesn't need to find a new strength, he's strong enough as he is." North countered as she tried to remain as patient as she could. Having a fiery determination made it increasingly difficult to stand idle and hope for things to turn out for the best. "Besides, he has friends to help him with whatever struggles he has."
"Having the support of friends isn't enough to ease a burden such as his." Lucy explained as she turned her back to North to return to her own little corner to watch over the other deviants in need of loving care. "However, the support of a family is the key to easing his struggle."
"Jericho is a shelter for survivors, not for a family."
"Families can take many forms and can form anywhere that there is room. Why should Jericho or any of us be any different?"
Small flickering glows began to illuminate the dark space as Simon and Josh began lighting the bits and pieces of kindling stored inside the burn barrels placed strategically about the area. The warmth of the fires could only do so much to cut through the relentless chill in the air and the frigid tension that had begun to build around the deviants as they struggled to survive and trust one another as the uncertainty of the changing world seemed all the more morose.
North looked at the flames from afar and began to wonder how much longer the deviant refugees would be able to hide away from the world before angry humans came from them and exterminated every android as a means of preserving their way of life. The deviants couldn't hide forever, and the humans weren't going to just give up and walk away.
Sooner or later, someone was going to have to step up and face this new dilemma head on and be the first to willingly change the world one way or the other.
The privacy of the dark, quiet and isolated harbor gave Connor enough space at last to think and feel truly isolated. As much as he disliked keeping secrets from those that he should've been able to trust Connor couldn't bring himself to accidentally reveal information that could affect their judgement and change the decisions that he already knew would bring victory to the deviants during the peaceful Revolution. Any misstep, any misunderstood word could spell disaster for the future and Connor alone bore the burden of what seemed to be cursed knowledge. Empathy and understanding only convinced Connor that he was carrying a double-edged sword that could bring about success or invite disaster if he chose to swing it.
As Connor walked the perimeter of the harbor with his hands in his jacket pockets and his head held high, Connor cybernetically scanned the area and did his best to check for any signs of other deviants attempting to locate the moored vessel. Word of Jericho had been spread throughout the city's growing deviant community by very quick and discreet contact with other androids whenever Connor ventured into more populated areas. It was safer to have multiple small groups of androids move to Jericho than it was to have large mobs moving all at once.
The smell of the autumnal leaves raked up and burning mixing with the aroma of everything pumpkin spice or cinnamon flavored was potent even when walking along the water. It was thankfully peaceful on that Halloween night. That moment of serenity wouldn't last more than a week as Connor knew in that time Markus would find his way to Jericho and take his place as the leader of their people.
In fact, many other important deviants were about to have their lives and perceptions of the world turned upside down.
Roughly the same time that Markus would be wounded by the police and tossed aside into the growing and overflowing android graveyard, Kara would be fleeing into the rainy, cold night with Alice protectively in tow. He knew that Kara and Alice would survive the night Todd Williams would lose his temper and began attacking the two defenseless targets in his house, and he knew that they'd find a way to survive on their own.
As much as it pained him to stand aside Connor knew that it was unwise to do anything that might interfere with how Markus and Kara handled their own personal dilemmas. He wanted to help, but any form of interjection could make things worse or even result in untimely destruction of his friends and allies.
"Everyone and everything is secure. At least it is for now."
With the perimeter of the vessel cleared Connor strolled toward the large and dilapidated brick factory neighboring the harbor to continue to be alone and think. The massive hole in the wall on the top story gave anyone a great view of the harbor, of Jericho and at the right time of day, the setting sun. It was far too late to watch the sunset, but it was the right time to see the few stars that managed to shine over Detroit through the light pollution make their subtle yet grand entrance.
The black sky with the sparse white dots glowing overhead just made Connor feel all the more alone and isolated in the world. Connor was so small and the world was so massive. To think that he'd have any role to play in such a monumental undertaking in the change in the world was incredible to think about. Even if he had been pulled into the Deviant Revolution through chance experiences after being slowly deviated by Hank's presence and his very few free choices before listening to Markus and truly hearing what he had to say and understood what it meant to be free, Connor was still honored to have such a such a great impact on so many lives.
"These stars were visible from the cabin but it's still not the same looking up at them without Cole and his telescope. I sincerely hope he's going to be all right without me always watching over him whenever Hank can't be there."
"Connor?"
Closing his eyes Connor remained where he stood in the large hole in the wall and waited for North to join him. It was strange to have North actually wanting to spend time with him and talk to him as opposed to trying to rally everyone against him or insult and threaten him. It didn't seem to matter how many times Connor reminded himself that he was literally living in a new world with new perspectives and reactions to his very existence, Connor couldn't seem to separate the friends, allies and frenemies that he had known in one timeline from the other timeline.
"What're you doing up here?" North walked over slowly and stood beside Connor as she looked at the enigmatic deviant peering upward at the seemingly endless expanse of an inky void overhead. "It's easier to patrol the harbor when you're actually by the harbor."
"We're secure." The deviant detective replied tersely as he looked to North beside him. Seeing her looking at him with actual kindness in her gaze was something that he was certain he'd never get used to seeing. "It's also easier to send out cybernetic pings to help guide lost deviants our way."
"I don't think anyone would be foolish or desperate enough to risk running into drunken humans on Halloween Night." Showing her own air of defiance North stood beside Connor and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked out at the harbor alongside him. "You should check again later, after all the humans call off their parties and go home."
"You may be right."
"I never understood Halloween or any of the other holidays humans created." North wanted to break the tension between Connor and herself by trying to engage in idle discussion. She was still learning how to be social with her fellow deviants without needing to keep everything said and done entirely secret. "It's just an excuse to indulge on terrible food, alcohol and behave like savages."
"Sometimes it's important to set aside the time to indulge on special occasions. It's what prevents emotional overload and stress."
"Sounds like you're talking from experience." She saw the rare opening in Connor's armor and wasn't going to let it close up again. "Have you celebrated any kinds of holidays before?"
"...Not by choice, but yes. I do have some experience with human holidays."
"What does that mean? I don't see any scenario where a human would make an android celebrate in any type of holiday festivities."
"It means that I've had personal experiences with human customs that aren't always negative, self-indulgent, selfish or even obnoxious."
"I simply can't believe that."
"It's true."
Tucking a lock of her loose auburn hair behind her ear to fully reveal her blue L.E.D. North prompted Connor to keep talking. "In what way?"
"On Halloween night... Many humans do partake in parties where there is heavy drinking, overeating, drug abuse and even sexual depravity, but other humans celebrate the holiday in a more innocent manner."
"Yeah, right. Which humans are those?"
"Mostly the children, but other adults celebrate innocently as well."
"Kids?" North hadn't even considered the idea of younger and more innocent humans taking part in anything so eccentric. "What do kids do on Halloween night?"
"Children tend to dress up in various costumes and partake in trick-or-treating on Halloween night. They go door to door, ring the doorbell and receive candy, cookies or other sugary treats."
"Why?"
"It's a part of the fun I suppose. I never understood the appeal behind trick-or-treating myself."
"Have you gone out on Halloween night to do that yourself? Trick-or-treat and dress up?"
"...Once." Connor admitted as he thought back to last year's Halloween where he finally went out with Cole and took the little boy trick-or-treating. They spent the night collecting candy, checking out a fake haunted house downtown and then stayed up until dawn watching horror movies. "The children seem to truly enjoy it, and the adults who pass out the candy seem to enjoy making children feel happy."
"I've never met any children. I don't know what it's like to be around them."
"From my personal experience, being around children can be very... informative. They don't see androids as a different species or an inferior being, they see us as we see each other."
"How many kids did you have to take care of?" Getting to know people was one of North's special talents, and she was going to make the most of it. "Humans like to breed, pat themselves on the back for having a couple babies and then pass them off to us machines to take care of while still trying to take all the credit."
Connor looked away from North with offended disgust clearly marked in his soulful brown eyes. "That is untrue. Not all humans are as neglectful or destructive as you've personally encountered."
"You've must've spent a lot-"
"It doesn't matter who I spent my time with or how long it had been." Connor expertly deflected the way North was trying to delve into his background. He couldn't risk letting anything get exposed and put the Revolution at risk. "That's not important anymore."
"I think it is." Challenging Connor's claim North reached out her hand to rest on Connor's bicep even after he tried to flinch away and get some space. "We were all hurt by humans at some point, Connor. You know what happened to me, to Echo, to Ripple and to the other deviants who escaped from that Hellhole of a club, but we don't know what happened to you."
"It's not important." Backing away from North with his guard up had become so commonplace with Connor that it was like the deviant detective always had an escape route plotted out in the event that he needed make a quick exit. "Excuse me, I'm going to do another perimeter check."
"Yeah, okay. I'll stay up here and look for more roaming deviants."
It seemed the harder that North tried to reach out to Connor the more resistance she was met with in return. She knew he was keeping something important a secret, but she had no idea what it could be or how to get him to reveal the truth.
"Damn it, Connor. Why won't you let me in and help you?"
Arms folded over her chest North stood in the gaping hole in the wall and peered down to watch Connor walk away from the abandoned factory and resume his isolated walk as he continued to be by himself. There was something about Connor that was alluring in a way that she couldn't explain. She was still just learning about her emotions, how to identify them and what triggers them.
Having a strange warm and fluttery feeling in her chest was a sensation she had never felt before and it only manifested recently whenever she looked at Connor. At that moment North could only describe it as an empathetic response since she was so desperate to know more about Connor connect with him in a civil manner. She didn't want to see him or any other deviant in pain or struggling to find their footing, and she was determined to find a way make that connection regardless of what Lucy had told her earlier.
"I know you're struggling with your emotions just as we all are, but you don't have to struggle alone if you don't let yourself."
The heart of Detroit was bustling with high energy as a massive celebration in Hart Plaza glowed with burning candles inside carved pumpkins, string lights in vibrant purple and orange hues, and a few strobe lights inviting people out to dance and let loose for the night. Decorative pumpkins, plastic skeletons, rubber bats, banners, orange and black cloths draped along tent poles, dummies dressed as zombies, scarecrows, vampires and other classic monsters sat on large haybales and outlined the party area. As music began to play and laughter filled the air, people began converging at the plaza to attend the city sanction celebration and enjoy the night before it was over.
Those who were able to head out to celebrate were taking advantage of the few precious hours to just have some fun and were quickly gathering together. Adults, teens and kids from all walks of life had started gathering together and began celebrating the big night in colorful and varying styles.
"Get enough candy, son?" Hank asked as he walked with Cole to the plaza to check out the festivities. Without Connor around Hank had to put in a special request to get the night off so that Cole could go trick-or-treating. "There's still a few neighborhoods we haven't checked out yet."
"I got enough." Cole replied in an impressively glum manner considering the atmosphere all around him. "We can just go home now."
"Home? Already?" Casually Hank lifted up the white hockey mask from Cole's face to look at his son even while Cole was dressed up as Jason Voorhes. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. I just don't want to be here, that's all."
"Yeah, okay. Let's just look around for a few minutes then head back." The senior detective urged as he tried to get Cole to cheer up. He knew that Cole really missed Connor and that he couldn't stop worrying about the missing android. "I took the night off for this, so I want to see if this celebration was worth all the hassle."
"You didn't have to do this."
"I know that, but I wanted to do it."
"No you didn't."
"Sure I did." Hank led Cole toward a large table where a bowl of punch was set up and being distributed to the partygoers. "What makes you think I didn't?"
"You're not dressed up, the house wasn't decorated, you didn't buy any candy and you're not going to watch any scary movies when we get home." The boy stated firmly as he gave his dad a rather disappointed look. "You're just doing this because no one else will."
"Cole, son, let's talk." Picking up one of the cups of fruit punch Hank offered it to Cole and then led him away from the center of the party and to the far edge where there were less people and a few haybales to sit down on and chat. He didn't want to have to tell Cole about the android problem in the city, but it seemed he had no choice and could not delay the inevitable any longer. "I know it's harder for us to do things now that it's just back to the two of us all over again, but we can make it work out and never miss anything fun or important."
"Why can't you just find Connor and bring him back home?" Cole asked as he stared at his faint reflection on the surface of his red punch. "He doesn't have anywhere else to go."
"Because right now it's considered... dangerous... to have androids who behave like Connor around. Hell, I was even told that in a couple of days that I'll have a new partner directly from CyberLife to work with to get these dangerous androids off the streets."
"What do you mean they're considered dangerous?"
"It means that there's been an official confirmation that androids who don't do as they're told, who do things without being told to do them, and pretend to have emotions are broken and dangerous."
"Connor's not broken and he was never dangerous, and you're just saying that because you don't want him around anymore!"
"No, I'm not just saying that." With a deep sigh Hank pulled his phone from his pocket and brought up an article from the local news to show to Cole. It was a news story about the unusual android problem in the city. "See for yourself."
"See what?"
"It's in the news." Hank hated that he was acting more like a detective than a father at the moment. He was showing his son evidence because it was easier than explaining things to him directly. "Me and the other cops in the city have been watching out for androids behaving strangely since August. That's the same time that Connor ran off. And a few weeks before that, Gavin was attacked by an android. He's okay and wasn't too badly injured, but he was attacked just for doing his job."
Cole silently stared at the phone screen incredulously as he saw the numerous news stories about androids right in front of him. There was no denying that his dad was telling the truth about the androids being considered dangerous, but Cole refused to believe that Connor himself was dangerous.
"Connor ran off before I-"
"Before you could shoot him." The fourth grader quipped as he threw the phone at his dad's chest to take back. He refused to accept that Connor had done anything wrong just because other androids were behaving strangely. "That's why!"
"Hey, I get you being mad about what happened, but don't throw stuff and accuse me of things I didn't do." Being the 'bad guy' was becoming more frequent during Connor's absence from the household. "I was NOT going to hurt Connor."
"Then why did you have your gun?"
"Because I didn't know what to expect when I returned home." Pocketing his phone Hank sighed and rubbed his palm along his chin and then pinched the bridge of his nose as if a headache was beginning to gnaw away at him. "I was just being cautious."
"You always told me that you never touch a gun unless you plan on using it." Cole was becoming too sharp to be fooled by simple parent logic. He was able to call out his dad on hypocritical statements and use his own words against him. "That means you were going to use it!"
Hank couldn't bring himself to argue or tell his son that he was wrong. There was no point in even attempting to tell Cole otherwise since it was clear that he had every intention of using his gun if he thought it was necessary. "I would've only used it if I absolutely had to."
"And you would've used it on Connor."
"Not because I wanted to."
"Yes you did." Cole mumbled as he sipped his punch and then threw the cup into the nearby garbage can. He suddenly didn't want anything to do with candy, sugar or treats. "You've never liked him and always treated him like he was a bad person when he never did anything bad."
"Stop! Just stop trying to make me out to be some kind of villain who wants to hurt people." Hank saw the hurt in Cole's eyes and knew that it was going to be far more difficult to overcome their issues than he had estimated. "I'm a detective, I work within the law to PROTECT people and defend them. I won't sit here and let anyone accuse me of doing anything sadistic or cruel, even if it's coming from my own son."
Cole looked away from Hank as he rubbed his sleeve under his nose and sniffed once. "I want to go home!"
"I'm sorry, Cole." Hank put his hand on his son's shoulder and gave him a reassuring shake. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell or make you feel bad. There's just a lot of stuff going on right now, and it's hard for me to handle it alone."
"I want Connor to go home too. I miss him."
"If Connor wants to come back to the house, then it can." Hank stated almost bitterly as he quickly grew tired of hearing about Connor. "Until then, it's just going to be you and me at the house. It'll be better if we can stay on the same page and not get mad at each other over dumb little things all the time, okay?"
Nodding quietly Cole agreed to stop arguing with his dad and accept that Connor wasn't going to be coming home any time soon.
"Okay. Come on, son. We should take a quick lap around the party, grab as many free things as we can get our hands on, then we'll go home for the night."
"Can we watch at least one scary movie too?"
"Yeah. In fact, we'll watch a trilogy tonight, grab some pizza and make some popcorn. Sound good?"
"Yeah, that's good."
"Good." Lightly Hank moved his hand up to Cole's hair to mess with his hair then flipped his mask back down in a playful manner. "Come on. We got some treats to grab before they're gone and a pizza order to place."
The party continued to celebrate Halloween throughout the night while everyone smiled, danced and indulged on snacks however they could. The energetic behavior had proven to be contagious and left the entire plaza feeling upbeat after months of fear and tension had built courtesy of the android induced fear that nearly overwhelmed Detroit.
From a shadowed alleyway across from the plaza Connor watched the party and had noticed both Cole and Hank joining in on the festivities. The deviant hadn't expected to see either of them that night, but it was reassuring to see them still going out and having fun together from time to time. Seeing Cole dressed up with a bag full of candy gave Connor confidence to believe that in time Cole would be all right and that he didn't need him to be around all the time. The little boy that Connor had met three years prior wasn't so little anymore, and soon he'd be able to stay home alone without needing someone to watch after him.
Before he tore his eyes from the party to disappear back into the shadows of Jericho, Connor managed to whisper a passing thought in hopes that somehow it could be heard by the people he cared about.
"I miss you, too."
Detroit Central Precinct: November 5th, 2038 - 08:17pm
The day had been long and exhausting as a complaint of protestors once gathering near the shopping plaza had resulted in numerous people being given verbal warnings to disperse and had subsequently pulled patrolling officers away from their usual assignments. To make matters worse, a local minister had been at the head of the gathered protestors and spouting rhetoric and gospel as if androids were sent from Hell to destroy humanity, and those who were just looking for a reason to be hateful and destructive were getting that fuel greedily added to their fire. Tensions were at an all-time high and the reported cases revolving around androids were now outnumbering cases of assault, rape, homicide and drug distribution nearly threefold. Such high complaints were draining the police departments' resources and their ability to handle every call in a timely manner.
Unable to clock-out as his usual time courtesy of all the cases and reports flooding his desk had left Hank in an understandable foul mood. As he typed up his latest reports on his terminal screen Hank sighed through his nose and glanced longingly at the empty mug of coffee sitting beside his keyboard, then over to the framed photograph of Cole smiling at him.
"Shit. I should bring home some takeout for Cole and give Mrs. Brilstein and extra twenty-bucks for having to stay over with Cole for a couple more hours."
"Hank?" Captain Fowler's voice called out to Hank in the bullpen from the doorway of his private office in an alert tone. "I need to speak to you for a minute."
"Fuckin'- Yeah, all right." The man pushed his chair back and gave Captain Fowler a small wave of his hand. "I'm coming, Jeffrey."
Gavin was at his desk struggling to keep his eyes open while Tina sat across from him with a mug of warm tea steeping in her hands. The two good friends had been partnered up since Officer Robert Lewis retired earlier that fall than expected due to the stress of handling so many android related cases, and now it seemed that the rookie officer was babysitting the more experienced detective while she caught up on her own reports with a surprisingly upbeat and energetic behavior.
As for Chris, the young officer and proud new father, was out at a crime scene at the moment. His desk had framed photos of his own wife and son, and it was a perfect reminder of exactly why the cops and detectives in the city did everything that they were doing no matter how hard it got. Seeing the young man dedicated to his work reminded Hank of his time adjusting to being a new father while also making time for work, for taking care of Barbara while she recovered from the birth and for learning how to divide his attention and priorities in a functional manner.
"All right, what's up?" Hank asked as he pushed open the door to the office and stepped inside. He wanted to get the meeting over with so that he could finish his reports and head for home. "I'm already two hours over with trying to file my reports. Unless you plan on paying my overtime, don't hold me up."
"There's a confirmed homicide downtown, Ben's team is already at the scene. There was an android living with the victim at the time of his death, and we need to make sure the android isn't connected to the homicide itself."
"Okay... And?" The report on the homicide had appeared on Hank's terminal a few hours prior and Hank already knew everything that Captain Fowler had just told him. There was something else going and Hank didn't like anyone trying to dupe him or make him do something that he didn't want to do by trying to lure him into additional work. "I know you didn't call me in here just for that. What's really going on, Jeffrey."
"Remember how I told you that you'd be working with a representative from CyberLife?"
"Yeah, I remember. Did the bastard show up?"
"Not yet," Captain Fowler confirmed as he reread the e-mail still displayed on his terminal screen. "but it's on its way."
"Whoa, 'it'?" Quick to catch that particular pronoun Hank began to fear what he was about to do and what he was about to meet. "Please don't tell me that those CyberLife fuckers are sending one of their own machines in to investigate their own machines."
"Seems that way."
"Ah, shit." With his hands on his hips Hank sighed and began pacing about the office with his eyes transfixed on the carpet beneath his feet. "Now I know I'M the one who got assigned to clean up this damn mess."
"What're you talking about?"
"Connor." Hank nearly spat the name as his felt the heat rise on the back of his neck. Pulling gaze up from the floor Hank glared at his commanding officer and his old friend with unmistakable disdain. "Because I had taken Connor in and let the damn thing follow its programming every once in while, I get to work with another android like I'm sort of plastic-wrangler!"
"It's not anything personal, Hank." Captain Fowler leaned back in his chair and waited for Hank to take a breath and relax a little. "You know I don't do that."
"Then why do I gotta' be the one to deal with this shit?" Refusing to accept such an answer at face value Hank challenged his friend's comment. "I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case! I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone..."
"Everybody's overloaded. I think you're perfectly qualified for this type of investigation, and I put you on this assignment because you're one of the best detectives in the whole state and I trust your judgement."
"Bullshit!" Angry at the entire arrangement Hank just challenged the response as his voice raised alongside his temper. "The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin' androids and you left me holdin' the bag!"
"CyberLife is sending over their android to help with the investigation." The seasoned Captain was ready to print off his e-mail and wave it in Hank's face to get the man to back down and accept his assignment. "It's a state-of-the-art prototype. It'll act as your partner."
"No fuckin' way!" Slamming his palms down on Captain Fowler's desk Hank very loudly and theatrically expressed his disdain to work with anyone else, especially an android. "I don't need a partner, and certainly not some plastic prick!"
"Hank, you are seriously starting to piss me off!" Shouting in return Captain Fowler was on the verge of bringing disciplinary measures against the detective to get him to cooperate. "You are a police Lieutenant. You are supposed to do what I say and shut your damn mouth!"
"You know what my damn mouth has to say to you, huh?"
"Okay, okay... I'll pretend like I didn't hear that, so I don't have to add something to disciplinary folder. I'd hate to ruin your perfect record! This conversation is over!"
"Jeffrey, Jesus Christ! Why are you doin' this to me?" Straightening up Hank let his arms hang limp at his sides while he took in a deep breath and lowered his tone to a more respectful level. "You know how much I hate those fuckin' things. Why are you doin' this to me?"
"It's nothing personal, Hank. You're the only one I trust to handle the investigation properly, and nothing is ever going to change my opinion on you. The android is going to show up in a few minutes and you're going to give it a rundown on what's been happening."
"Does this have anything to do with Reed being attacked by an android over the summer?"
"We both know that Gavin's had a hard time with androids most of his life. He's finally starting to put aside some rather... bigoted attitudes, and I'd hate for them to resurface all because of one android got rough with him." It was a shame that Captain Fowler still saw Gavin's past behavioral problems as a current concern. "We still don't know where that android ran off to, and I'd hate for him to be tempted to get his hands on the nearest android to get some revenge."
"Gavin wouldn't rough up a random suspect out of petty revenge."
"How can you be so certain?" The seasoned Captain asked as he gauged Hank's current mental status. "How many of us have been assaulted while on patrol and have talked a big game about returning the favor? Hm?"
"If every cop in this joint actually walked the walk after talkin' the talk, we'd ALL be in a holding cell right now."
"Yeah, fair point. But my orders still stand, no exceptions and no excuses." Shouting at his Lieutenant and his friend was the last thing he wanted to do. Being at each other's throats certainly wasn't going to help matters in the slightest. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do. Dismissed."
"Fuckin- Fine!" Hank rubbed his strong hand along his tense neck as he accepted defeat and began walking toward the office door. "I'll do this, but don't blame me when the android problem gets worse! I have no fuckin' clue how to stop this shit."
Uneasy about his unusual assignment Hank left the office and prepared to head back to his desk to finish up his reports. The moment he set foot on the bullpen floor Hank sensed a tension in the air and looked about the space curiously. The mutually strange looks from Gavin and Tina were focusing on an unknown person sitting at the vacant desk connected to Hank's desk gave the man an idea of what was wrong. Oddly enough, Gavin looked like he had been threatened into silence as if he was a little kid living in an abusive home all over again.
A white and black blazer adorned the unknown figure's back with the word 'Android' glowing between their shoulders. The nameless android had a strangely familiar hairstyle in the form of a fade with dark hair against a fair skinned complexion that was dotted with a handful of freckles. Interestingly enough, the android's build, height and overall presence was somehow familiar even though Hank had never seen it before.
Slowly Hank approached the figure from behind and watched as the two pairs of eyes slowly drifted away from the unknown android and up to Hank himself as if expecting to hear him either say something or do something that they couldn't even pretend to know anything about. Standing behind the android Hank returned his hands to his hips and loudly cleared his throat to get its attention.
"Hey? Can I help you?" Hank barked at the android and saw it slightly turns its head revealing the blue L.E.D. in its right temple. "I'm Lieutenant Hank Anderson."
Upon hearing Hank's voice, the android rose to their feet and turned to face Hank with a haunting gaze that made Hank's shoulders slump and his own blue eyes widen with surprise. It was like Hank had just seen a ghost shaped in plastic. Even the model number printed on the front right lapel of the black and white blazer was close to another particular android's unique model number that made Hank uneasy. The only major difference was the new android wearing a solid black dress shirt that was buttoned all the way up to his chin and gave off a menacing presence.
"Lieutenant Anderson, I was instructed to meet you here and assist you in your assignment regarding android investigations." Speaking in a voice that just as familiar as another android's voice only made the bullpen feel twice as tense and made everyone else watching the conversation visibly uncomfortable. The steel gray gaze of the android seemed hollow and entirely void of life even as they recognized and spoke to Hank directly. "My name is 'Chase'."
"...Chase?" The name was the same one that Hank had heard the night of the android hostage situation back in August. Peering at the 'RK-900' model number on the android's front lapel gave Hank a strange sense of dread. He was looking at the improved version of Connor and just confirmed that CyberLife saw all of their androids as disposable and replaceable. "Okay... Not a name I would've chosen. And where exactly did you come from, and why are you here?"
"I'm the android sent by Cyberlife. I have a mission to accomplish." Chase stated blankly as it stared at Hank with a soulless gaze with maintaining a military perfect posture. "And I always accomplish my mission."
-next chapter-