Christmas Eve, 2035:
Things had been tense in the household for the past few days ever since Connor and Hank butted heads yet again. While Hank had stopped thinking about the heated argument just hours after it had happened, Connor was still silently replaying the disagreement inside his head as if he had been caught in a perpetual time-loop. It was a real struggle for Connor to not let the previous argument cloud his judgment or hold a grudge when it came to Hank and other humans in general. In spite of his anger and resentment toward the bitter argument eating away at his psyche, Connor didn't want to be a deviant android who began to openly hate humans and blame all humans for the actions and discrimination of only a few humans.
Needing a distraction Connor had opted to take Sumo for an extra long walk in the morning and then proceeded to shovel out the front walk and driveway just to keep some distance between himself and Hank while the detective enjoyed his day off with Cole. Even purposely exposing himself to the cold air wasn't enough to help Connor literally cool off. The deviant wanted to let his anger go, but without any emotional guidance he had no idea how he could even try such a thing.
Connor had finished shoveling the front walk when Cole stepped outside and called out to him in his usual chipper and energetic tone. "Hey, Connor!"
"Yes, Cole?" Turning around Connor faced the little boy standing in the front doorway and saw that Cole was holding a bundle of tangled Christmas lights in his arms and had a bright smile on his face. The deviant knew what the little boy wanted but wasn't sure if he should actually do anything considering his current sour mood. "Do you need help with something?"
"The lights!" Cole confirmed as he held the bundle of lights up and over his head. "We're putting up the Christmas tree and need help with the lights!"
"...All right." Pushing aside his reluctance to socialize with Hank again Connor returned the shovel to the now insulated garage and then followed Cole through the front door and into the livingroom. Seeing the large artificial tree put up in the corner and need of some decorations was an oddly hollow sight. "I'll find a way to untangle the lights and make sure every bulb is properly secured."
Cole happily handed the massive ball of twisted lights over to Connor then rushed over to the couch to sort through the box full of ornaments and other decorations for the rest of the house. The little boy was seemingly unaware of Connor being upset by a past incident at the shopping plaza or of his argument with Hank and went about his own business. In Cole's mind everything was great and there was no need to worry about anyone or anything at the moment.
"Found the tree skirt." Hank announced as he carried the family heirloom into the livingroom to lay down around the base of the tree. "After we get the lights on the tree we can add the ornaments."
"Connor's got the lights." Cole confirmed as he picked up his favorite tree ornament and held it up for Hank to see. "And I found the ornament I picked last time!"
"Good work." Ignoring Connor for a moment Hank took the plastic ornament from Cole's fingers to examine for himself. It was a figure of Batman, Cole's favorite comic hero, and one that was fairly expensive since Hank didn't want his son to get something that'd break over time. "That was a fun day. Did you find mine?"
"Not yet." Cole resumed digging through the box of ornaments and pulled out colorful spheres, stars and diamond shaped ornaments, but couldn't find the unique ornament that Hank had selected for himself. "But I will!"
Connor had silently and swiftly managed to untangle the jumbled-up light cord thanks to his advanced software allowing him to see the easiest way to unknot the lights without damaging the wires or the bulbs in the process. With the lights now freed up and easier to manage Connor wound the lights up into a neat coil then placed them down on the couch to be placed up on the tree properly when it time.
"The lights have been taken care of." Connor confirmed as he attempted to leave the house again. He needed some space and didn't want to be anywhere near Hank for a while longer. "I'll resume shoveling the driveway."
"Driveway's done." Hank called out as he gave Connor a knowing look. The detective knew that Connor was seeking isolation for a good reason, but he couldn't just let Connor walk away with a chip on his shoulder since Cole would pick up on the bad blood between Connor and himself. "Don't go back out there. You'll freeze."
The deviant countered the statement with an insult that would escape Cole's attention but not slip by Hank. "I've recently discovered that I can withstand extreme cold in many different forms."
"Right..." Rubbing his palm along his still sore right shoulder Hank looked at Cole digging through the box of ornaments and decided to give Connor a logical excuse to leave the house so that he could have a nice moment with his young son. "Uh, Connor, if you want something to do, then head into town and find something for dinner tonight. I picked up everything me and Cole need for Christmas dinner tomorrow night and forgot to get other groceries. It's been pretty busy for me and I nearly forgot about Christmas all together. Take your time, no rush."
"...Very well."
"You can even take my coat to keep warm." The suggestion was more or less Hank's way of trying to show Connor that he didn't just see the android as a mindless machine and that he did care if something bad happened to Connor. It was a simple act, but one that would go a long way into helping smoothing things over. "Me and Cole don't want you to get sick from the cold again."
"That won't be necessary." The stubborn deviant stated firmly as he grabbed his black beanie from the hook by the front door and slipped it on over his yellow L.E.D. to keep it hidden. "I'll be fine as I am."
Connor's rejection of the kind offer wasn't something Hank was expecting to hear, but he didn't push it. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."
Departing the house with only the beanie to keep the cold at bay Connor ventured back out into the city and toward the very shopping plaza that had fueled his resentment toward Hank's obtuse behavior. The deviant felt entirely alone and like his presence was nothing more than a convenient babysitter for Cole at its best and intrusion into Hank's life at its worst.
"Dad?" Cole wasn't as clueless about the previous confrontation as both Hank and Connor had assumed. "Is Connor going to be mad forever?"
"No, son." Confidently Hank put his palm on Cole's shoulder and offered the little boy a warm smile. "It just needs some time to be alone and think."
Cole pulled out more ornaments from the box and gave his dad a curious stare. "Like you when you have a bad day at work?"
"Y-Yeah..." Such a comparison through the eyes of a young child was oddly humbling. Hank had trouble seeing Connor as someone with genuine emotions, yet whenever Cole brought it to his attention Hank couldn't deny that the android's emotional outbursts seemed genuine and not at all like an error or glitch. "I guess it is something like that."
Wandering the snowy streets on foot Connor found himself getting lost in his thoughts and wondering how much his actions will impact the new timeline and the lives of those going about their own business all around him. He was determined to keep on track and do everything in his ability to ensure that the deviants' peaceful future through the successful Revolution came to pass, and he was determined to prevent Hank's death at the hands of a misguided deviant at that same Revolution's one year anniversary. The only thing that Connor wasn't so sure of was being able to befriend Hank all over again and finding a place where he could belong after freeing his fellow deviants from their life of subservience.
As he walked toward the shopping plaza Connor found himself slowly surrounded by bright and colorful lights, decorations and even holiday music softly drifting through the air. The increasingly cheery atmosphere made it difficult for Connor to remain dour and bitter. Seeing people smiling, laughing and spending time together as the holiday season crept even closer had managed to ease Connor's resentment and help him find a way to stop focusing on something negative and see something positive at long last.
Connor passed through the center of the shopping plaza and discovered that a large Christmas tree had been set up in time for Christmas itself. The green pine tree was glowing with thousands of lights and tens of thousands of ornaments to fill every branch. Such a large number of ornaments meant that there was a massive variety of ornaments to be admired whether someone was standing close up or far away. The white star on top truly stood out against the black night sky overhead and made the tree look like a welcoming beacon of peace.
Surrounding the Christmas tree were two equally large menorahs glowing with the light of flames atop their eighteen total candles. The fiery glow was enough to fill the area with a welcoming warmth that gave Connor that strange sense of belonging that he was trying to find while navigating the anti-android world without a true friend to watch his back during his journey. As the lone deviant approached the inviting decorations Connor finally felt as if he could feel something inside of himself that was more than just aggravation and anger.
"Mom, can we go to the store? Pleeeeeeease?"
Turning toward the sound of an excited child's voice Connor saw a little girl roughly Cole's age tugging on her mother's hand and pointing to a toy store just a few feet away from where they were standing. The little girl was clearly eager for Christmas and wanted to see more of the decorations all around them.
"We need to see Santa before it's too late!"
"All right, all right." Laughing with joy the woman agreed to her daughter's request and playfully allowed the little girl to pull her into the store just across the street from the displayed Christmas tree. "We'll go and see Santa, then head for home. We don't want Santa to stay up too late when it's so close to Christmas!"
Connor knew of the myth of Santa Claus and how he connected to Christmas, but he couldn't understand the appeal behind the holiday's chief mascot. Needing to placate his curiosity Connor also crossed the street and entered the toy store to examine the festive atmosphere with his own eyes.
The toy store was warm and felt inviting for everyone who passed by. As Connor glanced about the store he took notice of people buying gifts, new ornaments, colorful decorations, candy, clothes and anything else they could get their hands on just so they could have something to give to someone they cared about on Christmas morning. The selfless displays from the humans gave Connor the encouragement he needed to believe that tolerance, acceptance and equality were still possible since there were seemingly more humans eager to be kind and generous than there were humans who were eager to be cold and selfish.
"This one!"
Recognizing the same voice as before Connor turned and watched as the little girl pointed to a bright purple unicorn ornament hanging on a display hook. Her eyes were bright and her smile seemed eternal. The moment her mother picked the ornament off the hook to hand to her daughter Connor swore that he saw an actual display of true love that stemmed from a simple gesture of understanding and approval just by the girl's mother giving her daughter attention and recognition.
"Curious. Cole mentioned having a special ornament for the tree at the house."
Nearing the other ornaments hanging on the walls Connor glanced at all of the shiny, colorful figures and shapes with a keen eye. He was able to identify numerous characters that were recreated as ornaments and understand small symbols turned into ornaments and their meaning as he gazed over the wall. It was fascinating to see how eccentric yet esoteric a human's taste in decorations and preferences could be at the same time.
"It seems Hank also has a special ornament for the tree. They must have been gifts that Cole and Hank had given to one another last year."
Eyeing the ornaments for a moment longer Connor contemplated how the act of giving a gift could symbolize affection without having to say a word in the process. Such a soundless method of expressing affection seemed to be the ideal solution to Connor's complicated problem.
"Perhaps I can get Cole and Hank gifts to assure them that I am not someone they need to be wary of. It also seems appropriate to show them my gratitude as well since I would otherwise be living on the streets during the coldest time of the year."
Unsure of what kind of ornament to get, if any at all, Connor decided it'd be best to simply go to the grocery store and then back home. After all, Hank would know if Connor purchased something beyond just a few groceries since the man diligently checked his debit card purchases every not to ensure no one had stolen his identity or discovered the P.I.N. to his card elsewhere.
"I'm sure I'll think of something if I give myself enough to time to adapt and find a way to be... creative."
The day he had spent with Cole making Lego models and the little boy's own universe in his bedroom suddenly felt like it was a critical piece of knowledge that Connor could use at his disposal whenever necessary. Getting an imagination sparked by the wonders of a small child was something that Connor never thought was possible.
"I'll be sure to thank Cole for his creative inspirations later."
With his mind made up Connor left the toy store and resumed walking to the nearby grocery store to finish his task. He had an idea of what to get for dinner that night and knew he'd be able to distract both Hank and Cole with dinner while he set out on his own little task in the isolation of the garage.
"I know that Cole will at least appreciate what I have to say even if he doesn't know how to express it."
The tree in the livingroom was covered in lights and a majority of the ornaments, but it still had plenty of room to be filled by the remaining trinkets sitting in the box on the couch. After Connor had returned home with a pre-cooked meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits for dinner, Hank quickly set about getting everything prepared in the kitchen and gave Connor his chance to disappear into the garage once more. The senior detective had been so preoccupied with Cole, keeping Sumo out of the tree and getting the house decorated for Christmas that he didn't even consider Connor isolating himself away in the garage to be anything worrisome or bizarre. As long as Connor was back in the house and out of the cold, Hank didn't care what the android did.
Hank reminded Cole that it was important to get to bed after they finished with the tree and to put out a tray of milk and cookies for Santa. Seeing Cole's excitement for Santa and being thrilled for the holiday gave Hank all the energy he needed to keep up with the Santa charade for another year or two. He didn't like having to go the extra mile to keep the Santa myth alive, but as long as Cole was still a happy child and loved the magic of Christman then Hank would happily go through all the motions for as long as it made his son happy.
"Good chicken, huh?" Hank asked as he and Cole ate their dinner together. They were both trying to keep Sumo away from the chicken since the large dog didn't need to eat anything so greasy or fried. "Glad Connor found this for us."
"Me too." Cole was eating his dinner in record time so he could get back to the tree and finish decorating. "Are we having chicken tomorrow?"
"Nope. We're having deep fried turkey tomorrow."
"Fried turkey?"
"Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds, AND it'll cook three times as fast as being in the oven all day. That also means we have more time to hang out on Christmas since we won't spend as much time cooking."
"Cool!"
"Yeah, cool."
"Will Santa leave anything for Connor to open up tomorrow?"
"Don't worry about Connor." Speaking softly Hank kept one eye on the closed door to the laundry room just in case Connor returned to the house through the two side doors from the garage. "Everything will be just fine."
Within the garage itself Connor set about silently sifting through each of Hank's marked storage boxes in an attempt to find inspiration for gifts for both Hank and for Cole. It didn't take long for Connor to have a few ideas that'd reflect Hank's personality and interests since he had already known the man in a different lifetime, but for Cole he'd have to trust his newly developed sense of imagination to guide him.
Using the tools within the garage to create something from scratch, Connor slowly but surely made two entirely unique gifts for Hank and Cole to open up on Christmas morning. Using old bits of wooden boards, some paint, the inner workings of old and previously broken toys and appliances, and a lot of delicate soldering within the confines of the private space, Connor managed to make two things that he truly believed that would be appreciated as gifts since Connor didn't have any money of his own to spend on store bought gifts instead.
"There. Once the paint is dry I'll be able to wrap up the gifts and discreetly place them under the tree to be opened in the morning."
After placing the two handcrafted objects down inside of a box to dry untouched, Connor slid the box under his cot and threw a loose sheet over top of the box to keep the two gifts hidden from potential prying eyes. Despite not fully understanding or embracing the impending holiday Connor still appreciated what it stood for and how important it was for other people to enjoy to the fullest extent.
Laying down on the cot Connor stared up at the glowing plastic stars secured to the ceiling overhead and pulled his blanket up and over himself. He'd be able to enter and exit rest mode before Hank was even awake in the morning, and at that moment he'd have the time he needed to place the gifts under the tree without anyone seeing him. To be more specific, Connor was more concerned with accidentally destroying the illusion of Santa Claus visiting the house. It was important to keep Cole as innocent as possible.
To create the two gifts Connor relied solely on his knowledge of both Hank and Cole's interests and past experiences. In the alternate timeline Hank had shown and told Connor the story behind a watch gifted to the man by his now late father after Hank had graduated from the police academy. The watch was a precious family heirloom in Hank's eyes and something he had wanted to pass down to Cole when Cole had grown up. Such an event would never have the chance to pass in the old timeline but was now entirely possible in the new timeline that Connor had created.
As for Cole, creating something for the little boy was much easier than Connor had expected. Befriending Cole and spending time with him had been very beneficial in many different ways. Not only had Connor made a new friend, he had discovered more about his deviancy through emotional exploration and indulgence.
"I can only hope that Hank doesn't get mad at me for using his tools without his permission."
Christmas Day, 2035:
It was snowing as the sun proceeded to rise and shine through the thick clouds to give the city natural light on that special day. As expected, a majority of the city had woken up extra early to celebrate the holiday together and Detroit was buzzing with a palpable energy that exuded raw positivity. It didn't take long for thousands of excited children to awaken before their parents and coax them to get out of bed and check out the Christmas tree to see what goodies had been left behind during the night before. No one was safe from an early wake-up call that morning; not even the androids who lived in the celebratory households without actually having any desire to celebrate whatsoever.
Connor had managed to slip his two gifts under the tree without anyone noticing his secrecy, not even Sumo. However, the deviant android hadn't anticipated Cole getting up so early and waking him up before his scheduled rest mode ended at the time that he had set for himself.
"Connor!" Cole shouted as he burst into the garage and grabbed Connor by his arm to try and drag him off the cot. "It's Christmas! Come on! Santa came!"
With his eyes wide open and his L.E.D. flickering between blue and yellow Connor sat upright on the cot and just nodded at Cole as he tried to get his arm back from the energetic little boy. "A-All right, I'm awake."
"Come on!"
Stunned by the hectic reaction Connor just watched Cole sprint back through the two doors and into the house to get to the Christmas tree. He had no idea that even young children were capable of such energy and enthusiasm. Standing up casually Connor entered the house and saw Sumo already eating from his bowls in the kitchen and Hank sipping at a mug of coffee.
Staring at the man for only a silent minute Connor decided to break the silence with a pleasant morning greeting. "Good morning, Lieutenant."
"Yeah, good morning." Pointing toward the livingroom with the mug still in his hand, Hank sighed and motioned for Connor to prepare for Christmas. "I take it Cole let you know it was morning too."
"He did."
"Did he jump on ya'?"
"No. He merely threw open the garage door, shouted my name and grabbed my arm."
"Lucky." Hank sipped his coffee again and then placed the mug down on the kitchen table. "He jumped on me. Landed right on my nu-"
"Dad! Connor!" Cole ran back into the kitchen and grabbed them both by their hands to lead them into the livingroom. "Come on! You too, Sumo!"
"We're coming!" Hank promised as he followed after Cole into the livingroom with Connor right beside him. "Come on, Sumo. You get a gift too."
Once everyone was together in the livingroom Cole grabbed the first gift from under the tree and saw his name on the tag. "It's for me!"
"Hold your horses, bud." Calmly Hank picked Cole up and put him down on the couch to open his gifts one at a time. "You know how it's done. Everyone opens their gifts together. You don't need to tear open every box at the same time."
Cole smirked and nodded his head with understanding. "I know."
"Good." Fishing out Sumo's gift from under the tree first, Hank unwrapped the new chew bone and waved it toward Sumo to entice the large dog to come over and take it for himself. It wasn't long before Sumo happily took his treat and laid down on his pillow to chew on it. "All right, let me get the rest of the gifts all passed out so we can open them together."
Cole excitedly studied the wrapped gift in his hand while Hank meticulously grabbed each remaining wrapped gift from under the tree and placed them down on the coffee table to be divided between Hank and Cole as per usual while Sumo chewed on his new rawhide bone. Only on that Christmas Day, there was one unexpected gift added to the pile that had another name on the tag.
"Here, Connor!" Cole picked up the small blue giftbag with Connor's name on the tag. "This is for you!"
"...For me?" Stunned by the offered gift Connor approached the couch and took the bag from Cole's hand before sitting down beside the little boy. "Thank you."
"Open it up!" Too excited to see Connor open his own gift Cole seemed to forget about the still wrapped up gift still in his hands. "You'll like it!"
Unsure of how to react or respond, Connor just did as Cole asked and opened his gift to peer at the item tucked inside. What was awaiting Connor's discovery was something he hadn't expected. "Did... you make this?"
"Yup!" The little boy beamed as Hank too began watching Connor's reaction to the offered gift. "I used some Legos to make it for you!"
Connor eyed the hand-crafted ornament in his palm and found the small item to be quite charming. The ornament was in the shape of a five-pointed star made out of blue Lego bricks. The center of the star was made out of black bricks and Connor's name was painted over the black bricks in beautiful white paint that was undoubtedly courtesy of Hank helping Cole make the gift. It was simple but perfect for Connor's taste.
"Now you have an ornament for the tree too!"
The deviant smiled at the ornament that was no bigger than his palm as he thanked Cole for his thoughtful gift. "Thank you, Cole."
"Do you like it?"
"I do. I really like it." Eyeing the red giftbox sitting on the coffee table Connor handed it over to Cole to open and see for himself. "This is the gift I made for you. I hope you like it as much as I like this ornament."
"You made me a gift?!" Cole was so excited that he could barely sit still. Taking the box from Connor's hands Cole remove the paper and opened the box to peer down at the handmade gift that had been created by Connor just the night before. "Cool! A telescope! Thanks, Connor!"
Despite his limited tools Connor managed to find the bits and pieces necessary to make a small but powerful telescope to let Cole see the stars on cloudless nights. The telescope was made out of cylindrical wood and metal bolts, and the telescopic lenses came from old prescription lenses and a few other pieces of glass that had been physically warped into concave and convex shapes to allow Cole to see at greater distances.
The best part of the gift was how Connor had hand painted the entire telescope in dark blue and inscribed Cole's name on the side in white paint that would glow-in-the-dark at night.
"Dad, look!" Cole showed Hank the gift and pointed out his name on the side of the telescope. "I can see the stars now and it's all mine!"
"That's pretty cool, son." Hank examined the telescope for a moment and was impressed with how sturdy it felt and all the details that Connor put into the gift. Handing the gift back to Cole to take Hank gave it a nod of approval. "Not bad at all."
Connor spoke up again and pushed a blue giftbox toward Hank to open next. "This one is for you, Lieutenant."
"...Yeah?" Hank wasn't expecting a gift from Connor, and it showed on his face and in his voice. "Uh, thanks."
Carefully Hank opened the gift and was glad he exercised caution in doing so. The gift was a clock that Connor had built by hand out of old gears, springs and screws, and the clock had an inscription carved into the wooden back. The shape of the clock was reminiscent of a German cuckoo clock, but it had its own base to sit on without any pendulums swinging at the bottom or a little bird to pop-out every hour on the hour. All of the numbers were hand painted onto the clock's face in what looked like perfect calligraphy to give the clock a truly elegant appearance.
"What's this say?" Slowly Hank read the inscription carved into the back of the clock and felt a lump form in his throat. The clock made him think of his own father and of the very watch that Hank had been gifted all those years ago. "'Merry Christmas to the man who saved my life. I hope this clock helps you remember all the best moments in life.' Signed, Connor."
"I... wasn't sure what get you for a gift." The deviant admitted in a sheepish manner as he tried to feign ignorance of the memory that Hank shared with him while living in an alternate timeline. "I did the best that I could."
"Connor, this- This is the absolute best and it shows." Hank admitted as he tried to not let his voice crack with emotion. He hadn't received such a thoughtful or elegant gift for a very long time, and he appreciated all the effort and care that had gone into the clock's design. "Thank you."
The appreciation made Connor smile. "...You're welcome."
Cole peered around the livingroom with his new telescope and focused on the ornament still resting in Connor's palm. "Hang it up!" The little boy insisted as he watched Connor sitting beside him. "It's your turn to put up an ornament now!"
Wordlessly Connor carried the ornament over to the tree and looked for the perfect place to hang it from a branch. Incidentally, the only open place left on the tree was right beside Cole's own ornament from the previous year. Placing the ornament beside Cole's ornament just made the tree seem complete.
"Merry Christmas." Hank stated in a jovial tone as he carried the gifted clock over to the mantle above the fireplace and promptly placed it down front and center for everyone to see. The man wound up the clock, set the time and stood back to watch the hands begin to rhythmically tick away in a soothing manner. "Somehow I get the feeling that this Christmas is just the beginning of many more special days to come."
-next chapter-