Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

      Connor tilted his head back and stared out the window as Hank drove down the empty streets of Detroit. Hank’s pounding music was being played louder that night, which Connor chalked up to Hank trying to cover up the tension that lingered in the car. It had been the day following their previous encounter following the Eden club, in which Hank had practically threatened to kill Connor. To say there was an air of awkwardness would be an understatement. Neither wanted to talk about it.

Connor brushing over the issue was mostly because he had been more focused on why he had let the two deviants escape the previous night. Amanda’s scolding words had also stuck with him, along with the threat of being deactivated and being replaced. Not as though he cared. He was only a machine, and when machines don’t function correctly, they are replaced. Connor didn’t care.

^Software instability^

    Hank mumbled a swear before lowering his music. Connor shifted himself away from the window, looking to the Lieutenant.

“So uh..what’s this report about anyways,” Hank grumbled “ ‘cause there are at least twenty things I could be doing that sound more appealing than this”

    Connor knew that Hank had five at best, but decided that teasing would not go in his favor. Rather, he just leaned back and turned back to the window. “According to the report, the AX400 we had the altercation with was found. According to the caller, it  was found out in the rain and caught it.”

Hank scratched his beard, “How the hell did he do that? That’s the one that managed to hurdle over cars with a kid like it was nothing...did he say what happened to her?”

“The child?” Hank nodded and Connor’s led flickered slightly, processing the report. “No..he didn’t mention it in the call”

     The two fell back into silence. Connor looked Hank somewhat expectantly but Hank turned back to the road. Connor turned back ignoring the feeling of dejection. He couldn’t place why he felt that way..he just did.

^^ Software Instability ^^

     Hank slowed the car and parked along the sidewalk. He exited the car without a word, leaving Connor to remain inside. Connor opened the door and walked out, following after him. The mansion was old and worn, Connor being able to see the rotting wood from even the curb. Hank crossed his arms.

“Maybe she went trick or treating,” Hank opened the gate before walking in “ ‘cause this house looks fucking haunted.”

“Indeed..for some reason, I have a bad feeling”

Hank laughed, “bad feeling? You afraid of ghosts, Connor?”

     They walked up the stairs and Hank ringed the doorbell. Connor took out his coin and began flipping it on his finger, tossing it from side to side. Hank watched, looking somewhat amused.
“Magnets. It has to be magnets”

“I assure you, Lieutenant,” Connor smiled slightly, stuffing the coin in his pocket, “there are no magnets in my hands.”

“There is no fuckin’ way that you can just do that. Pretty sure that defies some law of physics”

Hank chuckled lightly and Connor felt himself relax more, the tension between the two lessened just a bit. The door creaked open and Connor instantly scanned the man who stood there.

Zlatko Andronikov
Born September 21, 1991
Criminal Record: Embezzlement and fraud

“DPD, we received a call from you concerned the uh..AX400”, Hank put a hand on his belt.

The man’s brow furrowed in confusion. He cleared his throat.

“Android? I don’t remember calling the DPD..”, he said while staring at Hank.

He didn’t seem nervous but there was a sense of unease. Connor didn’t recognize his voice, despite hearing the call. Connor stepped forward.

“If you own any Androids yourself, it may have placed the call for you. Especially if it was an emergency.”

Zlatko nodded, rubbing his forehead. “That..makes sense. I uh..didn’t know who to call about it, but it’s a good thing it called the police. Come in”

    He opened the door wider for Connor and Hank to enter. Hank looked around before leaning to Connor, "I take back what I said..this place is giving me the creeps already.”

      Connor nodded before looking to the side, seeing a large android who stood by the entrance of the living room. He glanced at Connor and Hank before looking back ahead, awaiting orders. He was extremely tall, towering over both him and Hank. Hank also eyed him cautiously before looking around from where he stood. Connor glanced at the coat rack, seeing two jackets. One looked like it was from the AX400, the one he had seen her wear before she jumped across the freeway. The other was a smaller coat. So the deviant must have felt comfortable enough to take off their coats. Connor turned as he heard the door close, suddenly feeling chills run up his spine.

      Zlatko was staring right at him, looking him up and down. It was unnerving to say the least. His eyes were just trained on Connor, staring right at him. Instinctively, Connor stepped closer to Hank but retained his neutral expression. Zlatko turned to Hank.

“What model is it?”

      Hank didn’t respond, just looking to Connor with his eyebrows raised. He motioned with his hand, waiting for Connor to start his tagline.

“My name is Connor. I’m the Android sent by Cyberlife,” Connor puts his arms behind him. “I am a prototype model used to help investigators- especially concerning deviants. Can you take us to her?”

“Her?” Zlatko questioned. Connor’s LED turned yellow, feeling slightly embarrassed at the slip up.

“It. Can you show us it?”

   Zlatko nodded and began to lead them into the living room. Standing obediently next to the fire place stood the AX400. She looked nearly identical to how she did before, silvery white hair that had been cut short along with the lack of an LED. She didn’t emote when the entered, staring ahead blankly. He didn’t know her but just from the encounter they had when he had chased her to the highway, the way she looked unafraid and determined to save not only herself but the child from him..she lacked all of the emotion she had in that moment. As if she had become a machine again. Connor walked towards it, completely unaware of the larger android coming into the room with them.

“It uh..,” Hank tilted his head and crossed his arms. “Doesn’t really seem to be emoting much for a deviant.”

    Connor didn’t respond, more focused on the AX400 before them. He gently took her arm, his skin transforming away as he attempted to probe her memory. It was a flawless technique that Cyberlife had given him, the ability to scroll through Android memories. Generally, it was a last resort as it could damage deviants physique and could cause self destruction. But at this time, he was willing to take that chance. He attempted to scroll through the android’s memories..but he saw nothing but blackness.
Connor instantly turned, drawing his gun and pointing it at Zlatko. In the split second it took him to realize the ruse, the large android grabbed Hank by his neck. His arm wrapped around his throat, Hank choking out a swear and reaching for his gun that was snatched out of his hand with ease.

“Let him go,” Connor ordered. “Now”

“I don’t think so,” Zlatko laughed. “Good job, Luther. I got worried for a second that it was going to fire. I don’t think it’ll try it now”

“You erased the deviants memory.”

     Zlatko didn’t respond. Hank tried prying the android’s arm off of him to no avail. He choked out,“Ngh- where’s the kid? What did you- gh!”.

“I doubt that should be something you should be worrying about right now,” Zlatko moves closer to Luther, patting him on the shoulder. “Luther here used to be a labor android, used for carrying heavy loads..I give the word and I have little doubt that he could snap your neck.”

     Hank grimaced, still clawing at the Android’s arm to no avail. Connor still kept his gun trained on Zlatko. Zlatko turned and stared at him.

“I wonder how different a prototype would be from other androids,” He looked at him without an ounce of emotion in his gaze. “personally..I’d love to find out. You’d be perfect for my little experiments.”

    Connor remains silent, but tightens his grip on the gun. Zlatko nods at Luther, who tightens his grip on Hank. He made a choking sound, desperately tearing at Luther in an attempt to not be strangled. Connor grimaced as Zlako turned back to him.
“Lower the gun or he dies. I won’t tell you again”, He said in a low tone.

    Connor’s hand shook a bit on the gun, too little for anyone but himself to notice. He knew logically that lowering the gun would be the worst possible choice. He would lose any leverage he had. Not to mention what Zlatko would do to them.
But all it took was the pained look in Hank’s eyes as he was choked out for Connor’s grip to loosen, letting the gun drop to the floor with a dull thud.

^^^Software Instability^^^

     The grip loosened on Hank’s neck, and he gasped out. Connor and him made brief eye contact, Hank staring in dismay at realizing what Connor had done. Connor opened his mouth to say something, to somehow rationalize what he had done. But before eh could utter a word, he felt a prong stab into his back right between his shoulder blades. Electricity coursed through him as the multiple warnings blocked his vision. His eyes went wide and he heard Hank screaming his name from behind the warnings.
Connor fell to his knees as the electricity faded out. He slowly fell forward, his optical units failing slowly. The voices he heard were muffled and almost impossible to hear, while he was unable to decipher who was saying what.

“Connor!!! Connor!!! What did you do to him?!”

“Luther, Lock him up with the kid. We’ll deal with him later. You, take this one upstairs. I’d like to see what make it ticks”

“Yes Zlatko”

Connor slowly fades out, hearing Hank screaming his name.

Chapter Text

     Connor was sitting in a white chair that had a more angular design to it, a general aesthetic that all Cyberlife areas retained. Ahead of him sat the same woman he had seen when he checked in constantly throughout his mission, the familiarity giving her comfort. Amanda looked just as pristine as she always had, long robes covering a white dress and the same triangular pearl earrings. Her legs were crossed as she fiddled with a rose in her hand, seeming disinterested in him.

      The RK800 android shifted awkwardly, awaiting some sort of comment from her, any word that would tell him what to do. The sky was dark and cloudy, no longer having the bright sky that had shown before. Before all of this had started. Before he began having doubts. When Amanda cleared her throat, Connor snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at her. 

“We will send a new model to the location following your deactivation to retrieve the deviant,” Amanda remained focused on the rose. “It will be..intriguing to see if deviancy itself can be erased so easily. It may offer us a solution in the future”

    Connor nodded but kept his look fixed on her, as if just staring at her would give him an answer. Amanda then stood, glancing over her shoulder at Connor.

“Good job, Connor. Your mission is over. A new RK800 model will replace you shortly.”

“But…”

Amanda turned, “but?”

    He froze, catching his slip up right as Amanda did. He shifted his look down, “Nothing. I will await my replacement.”

[Mission: Allow destruction.]

^^^Software Instability^^^

    He couldn’t move when he opened his eyes, a bright light in his face. Connor grimaced as he tugged at the restraints, which had his arms strapped to some sort of table with leather belts. He scanned the area around him, feeling time slowed as his sensors looked around. Thirium that had faded could be seen on the old wallpapers in the dark room. Multiple tools and various wires could be seen on a table that was extremely untidy. He looked to the sides, feeling a pit of doubt in his gut. Multiple bio-components were strewn across the room, arms and legs being discarded. The worse thing he saw was directly next to him, below the table. It was a female android, only the bust and head. It seemed to be deactivated but it’s mouth was agape in horror, it’s eyes wide. 

   As if it’s last moments had been spent screaming. 

   Connor tugged at the restraints once again, testing them. It didn’t do anything. Of course it didn't. His Cyberlife jacket was gone along with his button up shirt, his chest and arms being exposed. He inhaled, closing his eyes. He didn’t seem to be damaged much, whatever the AX400 stabbed him with must have been a taser of sorts. One that had been modified to specifically to take down Androids. Not that it meant much. There was no way out of this, Amanda had given her instructions. Cyberlife would just send a new model, that was that. He knew that..so why did this bother him so much

. 

“ There’s no way to get out..it’s fine. They’ll send a new model and the investigation will be completed. This is...normal, it's not like it's the first time an RK800 model has been relaced...but..”

    Connor’s eyes go wide in fear as he looks towards the doorway, seeing the hallway.

“Hank…”

   Oh god, where was Hank? Had Zlatko hurt him, gotten rid of him? He can’t remember where he had gone or what they had decided to do to the Lieutenant. 

    His brow furrowed and he leaned his head down,relaxing a bit. Hank was most likely safer than he was all things considered. He had no doubt that Hank would escape on his own and hopefully save the child, if she was still here. Despite the thought, Connor couldn’t rest- why can’t he just lay down his head and accept what’s next? Is he scared? No he couldn’t be- he isn’t. Androids don’t feel fear, they can’t feel pain..he had nothing to fear.

Then why was he terrified of the man entering the room?

    There was the sound of footsteps nearing, heavy steps that indicated the presence of Zlatko. Connor wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t terrified. 

Why was he shaking?

^^Software Instability^^

[Mission: Allow destruction.]

     The man entered wordlessly, humming something to himself. He shuffled around the room, seemingly grabbing tools and such. Connor watched him, his eyes focused on the different tools he was pulling out. All were rusted and had dried thirum on them, clearly not being cleaned anytime soon. Not that it mattered..it was just something he had thought it would be good to note. He continued to nit pick things in a way to distract himself from his impending demise. To distract him from being ordered to die, essentially. Then again, he had been prepared for moments like this. He was a machine. 

“I’ve never seen an Android like you before,” Zlatko called over his shoulder. “how different are you from other models?”

“Where’s Hank?”, Connor glared at him. Apparently, his comment was funny as the man erupted in laughter. He didn’t even respond, just continuing his roaring laughter. 

“I doubt that’s really what you should be worrying about right now. Not than you can worry,” Zlatko neared Connor, taking his stolen jacket in hand. “wonder how much this alone can get?”

“I assure you that is merely a jacket. I doubt whatever illegal trade business you have involved yourself in is really going to take such a thing”

The jacket was tossed aside on a chair, “You have a lot of sass for a machine. You sure you aren’t a deviant?”

“That’s a baseless assumption.”

^^Software Instability ^^

      Zlatko shrugged and moved over to his side, Connor glaring back at him. The man seemed disinterested any more reactions from the android. Connor’s leg shook a bit and he looked around the room. 

“ There has to be a way to get out. I have to do something,” He tugs at the restraints again. “If I can distract him long enough, Lieutenant Anderson might be able to free himself.”

     The thicker man stared down at him, as if he was trying to find a place to start. Connor made direct eye contact with him.

“What is it you do with androids?”, He questioned.

    Zlatko dug through his instruments, “Sell them. But I keep some for my experiments.”

Connor leaned his head back, “Deviants would hardly accept being recaptured. That’s why you reset them”

“Ha, seems as if the detective android is actually made perfect for the job.”

“The AX400 lacked any memories before this household,” he glanced at the door again. “it didn’t take a detective to piece it together.”

     He scoffed, pulling out a large scalpel. He moved over the android, standing over him. Connor stared up at him, unable to see any emotion in those dark brown eyes. The thunder boomed outside while the rain pounded, filling Connor with more dread. Deep from within the household, Connor could hear the hum of someone..singing? It was oddly soothing and he latched onto the words as Zlatko began to rip him apart. 

Rock-a-bye,baby, in the tree top

     The scalpel dug into his right optical unit, Connor lurching forward from the sudden invasion. It was being scraped against his eye, the pain nearly just as blinding as the red warnings flaring across his vision. All followed with Amanda’s final order. It give up and let this happen. But it hurt- God, it was hurting so much. This wasn’t supposed to hurt, why is he in pain? 

[Mission: Allow destruction.]

When the wind blows,

    A different tool was retrieved, one that looked like a small saw. Connor could barely register what it was before it dug into his arm right at his shoulder blade. He shocked himself when he had began to scream in agony.

[Mission: Allow destruction..] 

...the cradle will rock

    His arm was gone, Connor being able to see it placed on a table near him. Thirium covered it, still dripping from the appendage. The man was on the other side of him now, the same tool in hand which was sawing away at his hand. He wasn’t cutting it off but seemed to be pulling pieces off from it, taking off the plastic guards on his palms. His functional eye was darting around the room, looking for some means of escape. 

When the  bough breaks, 

    An ice pick was dug into the synthetic skin, right above his jaw. It twisted while another tool dug into the white plastic which had been revealed. It cracked his jaw open as it dug, the scream that came from his throat become more corrupt and synthetic. But he kept screaming. 

...the cradle will fall

     He didn’t notice when the man had moved once again, only being notified as he felt a screw driver being dug into his knee. Connor continued to shriek as his leg component as been pulled off, being loosened by whatever Zlatko had been using. It still was excruciating, being ripped out crudely. Multiple warnings of leakage plagued his one working eye. 

And down will come baby, 

     The skin on his mangled arm had deactivated from the tension, most of his skin showing the plastic beneath. A hammer smashed down on the plastic, causing Connor to choke out a cry- his voice too mechanical to even sound remotely human. Once cracks had formed in the plastic, it was peeled off crudely tossed aside while Zlatko mumbled something. 

Cradle

    His sensors felt the presence of a hot object being pressed against his shoulder joint, shutting the wound. He couldn’t scream anymore...only lie there and stare up at the ceiling- his view clearing from lessened warnings of thirium leakage. 

And

     The same metal that had saved him from bleeding out began to tear through his back. Connor wanted to question when the restraints had been taken off and he had been tossed onto his back. He was too exhausted to care. He couldn’t will his joints to move, Amanda’s commands still blocking his vision. 

[Mission: Give up]

All

      Connor was on his side, his broken arm dangling off of the side of the bench, his mangled hand twitching. It took him awhile to process that he was no longer being operated on. The singing had stopped. He glances up and saw the thick figure of Zlatko, blurry from the damage he retained. He was humming a different tune while tearing into the multiple components that had been removed, analyzing them piece by piece. 

      The soft steps of the AX400 caught his attention. She carried a tray full of food that Connor didn’t even need to scan to know how unhealthy it all was. It reminded him of Hank. 

“Oh uh- thanks,” Zlatko raised a hand which pointed at a table near Connor. “Just put it there”

      She neared him, placing down the tray of snacks. In a moment of desperation, he lunged forward. His damaged hand wrapped around her wrist, a part that still retained his skin turning white while her wrist turned the same color. He showed her the same moment he saw, staring through the fence along the highway. She tore her gaze from him, more focused on the small child who tugged pleadingly at her arm. They slid down the slope, booking it to the highway. 

      The android ripped her arm away from him, looking a mix of shocked and confused. She seemed to be trying to register the memory, trapped by her own code. Just as he had. 

“Bring that android on the floor to the next room over.”

She didn’t move, staring down at Connor with a blank look. 

“Did you hear me?”

“Yes, Zlatko.”, she said mechanically grabbing the bust and moving away. 

Connnor was left on the table, practically being forced to watch as the man continued to tear apart what used to be part of him. He barely noticed Zlatko calling for the larger android. Hardly noticed being hoisted off the table and being tossed of it’s shoulder. He just hung limply, staring dully at the ground. 

    He was tossed into a basement of sorts, his body rolling in the sand of what seemed to be a stall. He looked up at the android, seeing it’s LED turn yellow. It looked pitifully at him before locking the post, leaving him inside.

“You’re like us…”

“He caught you too?”

    Connor looked up, seeing multiple black eyes with orange iris staring down at him. He just stared back at them, getting filled with dread. 

Chapter Text

     Hank’s back collided with the marble ground, causing him to yell in pain. He pushed himself to his feet and trying rushing the door, which was shut right before he reached it. He continued to pound his fist on it, even if it wouldn't do much but make a scene.

“You mother fuckers!! Let me out!!”,  he continued to bang on the wooden door.

   This repeated for a minute until Hank leaned against the door before he heard someone sniffle behind him, Hank slowly leaned himself off of the door, turning around. Huddled in the corner was a little girl with brown hair pulled into a ponytail. She was shivering, seemingly soaked from the pouring rain outside. Hank stared in shock, unsure of what to do. It’s not like he had..handled a kid in a long time. 

“Hey uh...you okay, erm..miss?”, Hank asked while kneeling down. He knew that she was scared, and would need to make her feel less intimidated by him. 

    The girl remained quiet, hugging herself closer as she mumbled something that he couldn’t hear. Hank began to inch closer until he saw her flinch, causing him to instantly stop moving. He spoke in a hushed tone, sitting instead of moving closer.

“I’m not going to hurt you, kid...you uh...here with the Android? The short haired one?”

    She didn’t even look at him but Hank could’ve swore that he saw her nod slightly. He grimaced. No wonder she was so upset. Connor didn’t have much time to elaborate on what was up with the Android but it seemed like that asshole had done something to her.

      He tried to recall what Connor had recapped that day they chased this girl and the deviant. It didn’t take too long as the case had really stuck with Hank. The deviant had killed this kid’s dad..yet she still went with her. Without letting Connor know, because he knew if he did it would constantly be brought up again and again. Damn him and his constant personal questions. Hiding it from the RK800, he did more research into the Williams family. 

     Todd Williams, divorced and a single father. Wife left him for a new man and had reported multiple domestic disputes. Todd was one of the men suspected in the Red ice ring that he had busted back in his day. They didn’t have enough evidence to put him behind bars but, from what he was told, the DPD had been keeping an eye on him. Still, Hank had seen the effects that those damn drugs have on people..and he had a feeling in his gut about what could have led to the altercation that led to his death.

“Well, kid. I’m going to get you out of here,” Hank shed his jacket and offered it to the shivering child. “I’m Hank. What’s your name?”

     She looked up at him with big brown eyes, seeming unsure of whether or not to trust him. Her hand cautiously reached up and took the thick jacket, bringing it over herself. It hung off of her, being way too big for her body. She offered a small smile.

“I’m..I’m Alice”

     Hank smiled. He dug into his pocket, pulling out a small pocket knife. He moved over to the door and begun picking at it. Alice lowered her knees, watching him attempt to pick the lock.

“Are you with the police?”, she asked quietly. 

Hank nodded, “yeah I am. How’d you guess, kid?” 

“I saw you when we were running away from you and the other one,” she lowered her head. “When we ran across”

Hank froze before rubbing his neck. He laughed awkwardly, “yeah, uh..sorry about that. We uh..just doin’ our jobs”

     He cursed himself mentally. Then again, how else was he supposed to respond? However, Alice just nodded, pulling the jacket closer around herself. Hank glanced back at her, seeing her fiddling with some stray threads that had began to come from it. Hank smiled slightly but returned to opening the door knob. 

Alice tilted her head, “Who’s Connor?”

“Huh?”

“I..I heard you downstairs. You were yelling for Connor,” she pulled her legs closer. “Is he going to save us?”

    Hank grimaced, his form stiffening. Alice seemed to notice this too, cringing at what she had asked. Hank continued working on the lock while he spoke. 

“Probably, knowing him. He’s probably coming for us right now,” Hank said, clearly hoping that was the case. “But uh..he’s my part-...an Android. Like your friend.”

Alice nodded, looking curiously up at him. She spoke with a bit more confidence, “are you..like the others?” Hank turned slightly. “Like the people who hate them?”

    Hank paled slightly, staring back at her. She was pretty damn smart for a kid. That or it was that obvious. He lowered his arm from the lock, making eye contact her with a conflicted look. 

“It’s complicated, kid. I’ve got history with those machines,” Hank turned back to the door. “and I don’t think things are gonna change soon, you know?”

Alice nodded, still fiddling with the huge sleeves. She said quietly, “you seem really worried about someone who’s just a machine..”

    Hank was shocked once again, this time his eyes going wide. Alice hugged her arms closer to her. 

“There were plenty of adults who came by, friends with dad who always came by to... do bad things. Sometimes they were nice..talking with me when they were waiting for him to bring stuff,” she pulled the jacket closer to her “But no one ever did anything..they knew what he was doing..how he made me feel..and how he made me hurt...but they always left. They always left like mom did..”

     Hank had settled back on the ground, watching Alice as she spoke. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. She then pulled out something from her pocket, holding it out to Hank. He takes it gently, looking down at the small object. It looked like the LED of an android, having been removed Hank stared down at it before glancing back at Alice.

“But Kara was the first person who helped me..who protected me from him. Even if she is a robot…”, Alice focused her gaze on the LED.

“She was more human than the others..”, Hank finished. “It’s..not really the first time I’ve felt that.”

     His thoughts cast back to his interactions with Connor. Sure, the guy was a plastic prick but..over time he had become to mean so much more to Hank. Ever since Connor had given up the mission to save him from falling off the building when they were chasing the pigeon lovin’ deviant...things had been different. He had begun to care for android, who was practically a spitting image of Cole. Yet he still held a gun to his head less than four hours ago. He was enraged at the way Connor refused to accept the emotion he felt. The way he brushed off the way he spared the two deviants. How he said it was nothing more than him making a mistake, despite the nervous expression he gave. It frustrated him.

“ Still ,” Hank gripped his jeans while he thought to himself.  “That’s no excuse to point a gun at him like I did today..”

Alice tilted her head, “Are you okay?”

“I just..him and I got into an argument before this,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “did some things that I shouldn’t have..”

     Why the hell was he telling this to this- this nine year old? Not only was this not the time for a little pow wow, but this kid had gone through enough already. She didn’t need to deal with his-

“Well..when we see him, you can apologize, right?” , she said with a small smile. Hank stared back at her before smiling.

“Sure, kid. Now, come on. Let’s go save those damn robots.”

     Hank turned and picked up the pocket knife, more determined than ever to save this little kid and his partner. With a satisfying click, he felt the lock give way. He smirked before creaking open the door, peeping out. He could see the large android standing further down the hall, his eyes closed. 

Hank turned and whispered, “Stay close behind me and stay quiet, okay? We’ll be okay”

     Alice nodded and moved behind him, grabbing his hand. Hank was surprised but moved forward, pushing the fond memories of his son doing the same behind him. He had to focus, for both of their sakes. 

       They closed the door behind them before inching forward. Then a loud mechanical scream rang through the halls. They were agonized cries that froze both Alice and Hank in their tracks. Hank’s blood ran cold when he recognized the voice. He knew it was Connor almost instantly. Alice clutched his hand tighter, in a silent attempt to not only comfort him but to also get him to move. It wasn’t until another voice rang out did Hank budge. 

“Luther! Put this one with the others and then grab me the little one!”

“Yes, Zlatko”

    Alice tensed, looking up to Hank. He snapped out of his daze, turning into the closest door. It was a room filled with tarps and such. They quickly navigated the room, moving past furniture with ease as they heard the android stomp down the stairs. 

“ We’ve got time before he gets back,” Hank grit his teeth. “ but we’ll have to navigate the stairs and find Connor! This is going to be rough” 

      They reach another door and enter what looked to be a bedroom. Hank moved to the cabinet by the bedside, practically throwing them open. He uttered another swear as he found it empty of what he was looking for. His pistol that had been taken away from him. He did find an unloaded shotgun, not finding any ammo in the empty drawers. 

“H-Hank..”

      Hank turned and his eyes widened in horror. Kneeling in the corner of the room was a female android, her back arched in an unnatural way. She was barely clothed, only wearing white underwear. That wasn’t the horrifying aspect of it though. It’s limbs were charred and burnt, turning into a horrible black color. Even it’s face seemed to be burned to such a point that it had been broken, no emotion on her face despite the blinking LED. 

     Hank moved forward, grabbing Alice’s hand. He tugged her away from the horrible sight, moving into the hallway. Hank saw the large android heading back up the stairs, and so ushered Alice into the next largest room. From the white tile floors, it was clearly a bathroom. Hank occupied himself with locking the door behind them. 

“Where’s Alice,” a female voice said. “Where is the little girl, have you seen her?”

     He turned around, seeing another terrifying sight. Then again, that had just been his entire experience so far. The female deviant was kneeling beside a bathtub, a determined look on her face. In the bathtub was another android, covered in blue blood and seemed to lack all of his limbs. Alice stared at the android before crying out. 

“Kara!!”

The android turned and smiled, “Alice!”

  The two embraced tightly, Kara putting a hand on Alice’s head while the girl latched onto her. Hank couldn’t help but smile at the two reuniting. Kara looked suspiciously back at him, seeming more hostile as she pushed Alice behind her. 

“You were hunting us. Why are you here?”, she glared at him. Alice tugged at her sleeve.

“He’s good, Kara, he helped me get out.”

     Kara seemed shocked but still seemed unsure of Hank’s presence, her eyes darting between him and Alice. Not as if he could blame her. He wasn’t exactly trustworthy after the freeway incident. Hank opened his mouth in an attempt to soothe the situation but a loud voice rang out. 

“Zlatko! The little one and the officer are both gone!!”

     Without a word, the three made their to the next room, hearing Zlatko’s heavy steps head towards the opposite end of the hall. They entered a large dark room, Kara practically leading the way. Hank chalked it up to her already knowing the rest of the way, as she had made her way this way to come save them. 

“Where’s Connor?”, Hank whispered urgently

Kara glanced back at him, “In the basement. We have to hurry.”

     Hank nodded before he heard a soft growl from the other side of the room. He paused briefly, curiosity taking over his sense of urgency. He moved closer to what seemed to be a large cage. A loud roar erupted as what seemed to be a polar bear lunged at the bears, causing Hank to stumble back. The thing was just as mangled as the other android they had seen. It’s skin had been cruelly torn off of half of its face, blue blood staining it’s synthetic fur. Hank felt bad for the thing, even if it did want to take off his hand. So he unlocked the padlock without a second thought. 

   The polar bear stuck it’s head out of the bar, facing head to head with Hank. It just stared at him with blank eyes, sniffing his face. Kinda reminded him of Sumo. It laid down in the cage, resting its head on its paws. 

“Come on, we need to go!”, Kara called quietly. Hank nodded and hurried after the two, moving in front of them as they exited the room. They saw Zlatko and his android enter the bedroom, Hank sighing in relief about the extra time. 

The trio headed down the stairs quickly, Hank remaining in front. When they reached the front, Hank immediately turned to go down the stairs before Kara grabbed him. 

“We don’t have time,” she clutched Alice’s hand. “We have to go. Now.”

“I’m not leaving him. That’s out of the fuckin’ question. You both go outside, I’ll grab him.”

Kara looked sympathetically at him, “You didn’t see him. You don’t know how bad-”

Hank glared slightly at her, “Connor wouldn’t leave me behind. I’m not gonna do the same.”

   He tore his arm away from the android, running down the stairs. He rushed down the sandy hall, looking desperately for his partner. He reached a bunch of stalls, all closed shut and latched by a small little lock. The lieutenant stared ahead at one of the stalls. It was pitch black but from the moonlight filtering in from a window revealed some moving..things. Their forms weren’t those of androids, something else. Hank felt himself tense up, fear running through him. He did his best to calm his nerves, unlocking the stall.

“Connor?” Hank took a step in. “Are you-”

      His voice cut in his throat as he saw multiple androids huddled in the corner, surrounding something. They were all deformed in horrific ways, all of which even made Hank feel like he was going to vomit. One had her entire face detached, one had it’s torso turned backwards, ending up lurching against the wall for stability. Another had burn marks on her entire body, looking as if iron rods had been torn through her. What was more horrifying was her face, which had some sort of spikes protruding from it. Multiple other androids were just as deformed, standing together as they faced Hank. One, took a step forward, tilting its head at him.

    The android's white skin had been torn off, leaving the grey exoskeleton beneath. The upper part of his face seemed to retain it’s synthetic skin. What was unnerving was his eyes, which bore into Hank. They were black with orange irises, something having been done to them. 

“Get out, you aren’t welcomed here. Stay away from us.”, he warned. 

  Hank just stared at them, unsure of what to say. He gulped, forcing his fear back down. He couldn’t afford to be scared. 

He took a step forward, “Please..I’m looking for my partner. Have you seen him?”

The Androids took a threatening step toward him. The male android snarled again, “You aren't welcomed here. Stay away.”

     Hank stood his ground. Before they reached him, someone ran in front of him. Kara stood between him and the corrupted androids, Alice hiding behind Hank. The androids seemed instantly to relax.

“He’s not going to hurt you..we are looking for his friend,'' she said in a soothing tone. “He isn’t like him.”

    Despite her repeating what he had said, the androids all began to relax. Hank remained still before he heard a broken voice weakly call out. 

“H-H-ha-h-Hank…”, the voice distorted when it called for him. The androids moved out of his way, parting to show what they had been protecting. 

Kara moved closer to Alice, who watched Hank move closer. He stared down in horror, his eyes wide. 

“Connor?”

Chapter Text

      Hank slowly lowered onto his knees, reaching out to the prone form. His throat was dry, unable to utter a word as he looked at his partner and what had been done to him. 

       One of his eyes had seemingly been ripped apart, having the same orange iris as the leader android had, thirium dripping down from it. The white plastic could be seen on his face right below is eye and reaching to his chin. Part of his jaw was exposed, the skin being ripped off and showing what was beneath- grey mechanisms showing turning and locking as they tried to repair. The entirety of his left arm had been ripped off, burns reaching up from the joint to below his collar bone, wires protruding from the injury. His right arm seemed mangled to a different extent, the white plastic having been ripped off and showing the grey exoskeleton of the arm. One of his legs had also been ripped off, similar to his left arm. Multiple burns littered his chest , claw marks that marred one of the other androids all over his chest and back. Thirium were all over his arms and legs, staining his jeans while some leaked from his mouth and nose. 

        Connor’s eyes seemed shaky, darting around the area as if he struggled to see. He couldn’t hoist himself up, his body crumpled on the sandy floor. But he extended his only arm in Hank’s direction, holding out his hand. He looked pleadingly up at Hank. 

      “H-ha-hhhH-ank…”, his hand shook as he held it up. Hank was at his side immediately, forcing himself out of his own shock.

       “Son-hang on son,” Hank knelt on the floor, hoisting up Connor onto his lap. “Shit, Con..what did he do to you?”

       Connor didn’t respond, just staring back up at him. His one remaining brown eye was wide and seemed to be looking through him in a daze. It broke Hank’s heart, his grip tightening around his partner. One of the androids, the one who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward. Hank didn’t turn to him, his focus on the broken RK800. 

     “He likes to play with us...Creating monsters for his own amusement,” his voice trembled. “But who’s the real monster?”

     He felt the urge to vomit again. This was too much for him to handle, how could this have happened to Connor? It tore his heart strings when Connor’s head tilted more against his chest, a sound that Hank thought was a small mechanical cry coming from him. He had to get him out of here. 

      Hank began to sit up, arms wrapping under Connor, “Come on, son, I’m going to get you-”

     He was cut off as Connor’s one arm tried pushing himself away from Hank. Hank seemed thrown off by this, confused at the Android trying to get away from him. 

     “The hell are you doing, Connor?” Hank said sternly. “I’m trying to help you”

     “N-n-nn- n-o. O-o-oO-or-ddd-ered”, his voice slurred and continued to glitch out.

     Hank was unable to understand. In fear of damaging him further, Hank did gently lay him on the sand where Connor inched himself away from him just a bit. Hank tried moving closer again before Kara spoke.

     “I tried getting him out before I looked for you and Alice,” Kara whispered, Hank glancing back at her. “He told me that he was given orders to allow himself to be destroyed. He won’t leave.”

      “To hell whatever those assholes said”, Hank said bitterly, turning back his attention to Connor. “That guy is going to kill you, Connor. You can’t stay here-”

     Connor turned away from Hank, his voice shakily replying, “c-ca-ca-can’t. M-m-mMMm- must compl-ee-Eet-te M-M-m-mission-”

      “As if I give a shit, Connor! I- I give you orders right? I order you let me get you out of here,"

Conflicting  orders..selecting priority.

[Mission: Allow destruction.]

       "You can’t want this- to just die here!”, Hank yelled, clearly frustrated with what was happening. 

      “w-Ww-want..?”, His voice trembled more but he gave a shaky smile. His brow raised and he gave Hank a slightly teasing look. “T-th-thought yo-you wou-w-w-would w-ant that.”

      Hank looked confused before he felt shame burn through him. A small flash of their previous “discussion” before they came down to this shit hole. Despite Connor tossing aside his questions and refuting every claim he made...their was a look of hurt in his eyes, as if Hank threatening genuinely hurt him. 

     “Look, Connor, I’m sorry ‘bout what I said. I just-,” Hank shook his head. “We can talk about later, we have to get out of here.”

^^^Software InsTABility^^^

     Connor was unresponsive to the question, laying on the ground and looking up at Hank with a conflicted expression. He seemed unsure of what to do, his LED flickering between yellow and red as he processed through everything. Kara watched anxiously, her foot scuffing the ground.

     “We have to go,” She spoke urgently. “It won’t take them long to realize that we came for him.”

      Hank’s voice was drowned out by the static that had begun to build up in Connor’s eyes. Multiple red warnings blared in between him and Hank, all blinding Connor from anything. All of them read the orders he had been given. 

[Allow destruction]  

       He was forced to stare at the instructions that separated Hank from his body on the floor. Forced to refuse the help that the Lieutenant offered. But..why? This wasn’t...fair. How could he be expected to just lay down and allow his body to be brutally ripped apart by that man? How was he supposed to just...allow himself to be killed. 

Killed? A machine couldn’t be…

       In a split moment, Connor felt like his consciousness was torn from his body. He could see his form, staring out at the commands that had begun to increase in size of frequency. His mangled arm shakily reached up, placing it on the red commands. He heard a soft cracking sound when he added just a bit of pressure. It shocked him, but something began to burn his chest- the need to escape, the fear of what could happen if he remained. So he fought to break the code that caged him for so long. 

     Connor slammed his fist against the red code, hearing another satisfying crack. He repeated his multiple times, the cracks beginning to grow and grow in the wall that separates him from Hank. With one shove from his functional leg, his shoulder connected with code, shattering it into multiple fragments that fell around him. 

     His form lurched forward, thrown back into reality. He blinked his functional eye rapidly, attempting to understand what he had done. He looked up, seeing Hank looking pleading down at him.

     “We have to go, Connor,” he reached out his hand. “I’m not leaving you.”

    Connor stared up at Hank, something warm in his chest. Hank cared about him. Connor nodded, taking Hank’s hand. The older man hoisted up the android, putting his damaged arm around his shoulder.

Hank chuckled darkly, “Damn, this is going to be a shit show. Let me carry most of your weight, you focus on walking.”

      “ooO-k-”, Connor shook his head, seeming frustrated with his own voice. He looked up at Hank and gave a determined nod. Kara and Alice darted out of the room, Hank and Connor following suit. The broken androids watched them leave, Connor glancing behind him and looking back at them. 

    They ran into the living room before hearing a loud boom, Alice screaming as Kara flung her behind her. A shotgun blast had torn through the wood post in front of them. They were in the open, in between the stairs and the dining room. They would’ve moved for the door behind them, if they all weren’t staring down the barrel of a shotgun.

     Before any of them could say anything, a hand tore Alice away from Kara. Kara spun around, seeing Luther holding Alice as he had before while Alice thrashed . Kara moved to fight back  before he heard the shotgun load again. 

     Zlatko was standing on the stairs, looking down at the group, “I wouldn’t move. I knew I should’ve destroyed you the second I laid eyes on you. Deviants are always trouble.”

      Kara was more focused on Alice, who continued to thrash in the large android’s grip. However, Hank moved in front of her while pushing Connor back a bit. While he still held the androids weight, he still made sure that he was in the way of him and Zlatko. 

     “Just you wait till I get my hands on you, asshole,” Hank growled. “Why the hell did you do this to Connor?! To all of those other androids?!”

      Zlatko scoffed, “They aren’t alive. They aren’t human, just machines.”

      “Seems to me that they are more human than you are, you piece of shit.”, he said defiantly. 

    Kara seemed surprised at his remark, glancing back at him. Hank could also feel Connor clutching his shoulder a bit, his brown eyes staring softly at him. 

     His voice whispered mechanically, “HhHH-h-Aank…”

      Zlatko glared down at them before lifting shotgun, aiming it right at Hank’s chest. Hank shut his eyes tightly, barely noticing Connor trying to tug him out of the way. Before the shot was triggered, a thundering roar rang out through the halls. Zlatko  hardly had a moment to react, the large polar bear android lunged at him from the top of the stairs. He yelled in shock as he scrambled out of the way of the huge claws tearing down on him. 

     Hank smoothly transitioned Connor to Kara, lunging at Luther. The android seemed shocked, giving Hank the chance to rip Alice from his grip. He took Connor from Kara once again, leading the group into the dining room. The two girls followed behind them, Kara only stopping to toss down a lamp to distract Luther. Two loud shots rang through the air, followed by the thud of bears’ body falling down the stairs. They had very little time to get out before they would face down the barrel again.

     He flung open the backdoor, the group running into the pouring rain outside. They continued running before Connor’s functional leg gave way, causing both him and Hank to stumble. Connor fell to his knees, mud splattering a bit. Hank attempted to pull him up but Connor tried pushing him away.

     “I’m-n-ngh!”, he attempted to stop the static in his voice. “G-g- Gonna slow you down! G-ggG-o!!”

    “I’m not leaving you, you plastic asshole!!”, Hank yelled back.

     Alice sprinted back, attempting to tug at Hank’s sleeve. Kara ran back as well to protect her child, freezing when she saw Zlatko approach, gun raised, with the large android moving beside him. Both her and Hank moved in front of the two protectively, Alice standing close to Connor.

    “I told you..” Zlatko raised his gun once again, blood dripping down the side of his face. “dreams always end in tears.”

   Before he fired, Luther moved from his side and in front of the group. His LED flickered yellow as he stared down his master. 

    “What..what are you doing. Get out of my way!”, he ordered. Luther shook his head. 

    “No. Not this time.”

    “Get out of my way or I’ll shoot right through y-”

     Zlatko’s voice cut off as Luther reached out and swiftly disarmed the man, taking the shot gun in his own hands and aiming it at the man. Zlatko took two steps back, looking back in a mix of shock and horror. 

     “Holy shit..”, Hank murmured to himself. 

      A corrupted shriek came from behind them, Hank seeing the mangled androids tumbling their way to the group. Their eyes were fixed on the man who tortured them, and it was clear what they were seeking. 

    “What- What are you doing?! I am your master! I am your mast-”, his voice erupted in shrieks of pain as he was pummeled to death by the horde of androids. Kara turned, shielding Alice from the horrific view while Hank stared with grim satisfaction. Bastard got what he deserved in Hank's opinion, feeling little pity for the man who was killed by the things he tormented for so long. 

      With their task of vengeance completed, the androids turned and stumbled away, dispersing in different directions. Hank barely heard the conversation occurring between Kara and the other android, refocusing on Connor. 

    “You doing okay, son?”, Hank asked softly, gently kneeling Connor down so he was in a comfortable position. 

    There was a soft clicking sound, Hank seeing the mechanisms in his jaw moving back into place as if he was beginning to self repair himself. Connor gave a half smile.

     “You shouldn’t remain in the rain without your co-coat, Lieutenant,” Connor closed his working eye. “ I doubt your immune system could deal with a cold-d.”

     Hank looked shocked before shaking his head, a chuckle coming from the man. At least Connor was working enough to make snarky comments about things. They were going to be fine. The feeling of relief stopped when he felt three gazes focused on both of them. He turned, now seeing Kara and Alice standing beside him. There was an air of uncertainty that filled the air, the androids' clearly being unsure of what would come next. 

     Hank looked back at them before turning back to Connor, “I’m going to be calling in reinforcements to come help him. I suggest you three get away before I do that. “

     Kara’s eyes widened slightly, “You’re not going to try and take us again?”

     “Well, we’re kinda preoccupied with other shit right now,” Hank shrugged. “Besides..you seem to be taking care good care of the kid. Sometimes that’s all that matters.”

     She gave a small nod, looking gratefully at him. Alice stepped forward, taking off his jacket and handing it to Hank. Hank gave her a small smile. 

      “You stay safe, okay kid?”

      Alice nodded before hugging his arm a bit. Hank seemed surprised by this but gave the girl a pat on the head. She then ran back to Alice, taking her hand. She gave one more look at the duo before briskly turning and leaving, Luther following them. 

    Hank and Connor had moved to inside the Hank’s old car to avoid freezing to death in the rain, sitting in silence. To be frank, Connor never was much for conversation when they were in the car, always preferring to observe Hank or look out the window. It wasn’t strange that Connor was doing the same right now..just slightly unnerving considering the circumstances. He felt somewhat bad for staring but he was extremely worried, most concerned with Connor’s missing arm. 

     “M-mmM-ay I ask a personal question, Lieutenant?”, Connor asked while still staring out the window. Hank laughed a bit. 

     “Now? Hell, sure. Go for it”, Hank replied, crossing his arms. Connor didn’t speak for a bit before the android made a sighing sound. 

     “Coming down for me..you three could’ve been killed. Why’d you do it?”, he leaned his head back. “a-Aa-and don’t try to say it was the filing paperwork. I didn’t really believe it even the first time you said it.”

    Hank scratched his beard, seeming quite unsure on how to answer that question. After everything though, Connor deserved some honesty from him. Before Hank could respond though, Connor continued. 

     “Did yo-you mean what you said early?”, He rambled on a bit. “I thought you hated androids and-”

     Hank raised a brow at his partner, “You gonna let me answer any one of those questions?”

     Connor turned away, seeming embarrassed. Hank had never seen that kind of reaction before, as it was even possible. Guess he’s learning new things everyday. Connor turned back to him, awaiting his response. 

    “Like I said, I wasn’t going to just leave you behind.”

    “Cyberlife was going to send a replacement after me. It’s not like this could truly affect you in any sort of meaningful way. You’d get a new Rk800, his and your mission would continue. Things would return to the same normality that you live by and-”

     “You ever think that maybe after all this time we’ve been with each other, that maybe you’re growing on me?”, Hank turned toward the window, unable to look at him. 

    Connor didn’t respond, his one brown eye widening slightly. His mouth opened but no words came out. Oddly enough, he asked no more questions, seemingly content with Hank’s small answer. Hank was never one to be able to express himself well..so he was shocked to find Connor content with his answer. 

     The man scratched his beard, clearing his throat a bit, “er..reinforcements are going to here in ten minutes. Pretty sure we can fix you up when we get back.”

   Connor looked back at him, glancing at Hank and then where his arm should’ve been. Then at his leg. Then at his chest. 

    “Yeah, I get it Connor.”, he grumbled. “But I doubt if we bring you to Cyberlife, they are going to take the effort to fix you. They’d probably just... toss you out.”

    The RK800 nodded, a slightly nervous expression on his face. Hank gave him a comforting nudge before turning up the music, attempting to drown out the silence that had fallen between the two. Connor leaned his head against the window, his eye shutting as his LED turned to a yellow color. 

    His attention went back to his partner when he saw his leg shaking. In fact, the entire android was shaking, his arm wrapped around his chest. His eye was closed, the now red LED circling while his brow furrowed a bit. 

    “Thought Androids didn’t sleep..and that they didn’t get cold”, Hank thought to himself . “Hope those shitheads hurry up and get here soon.”

     Despite Connor previously assuring him that Androids can withstand the weather, seeing him shiver reminded so much of how Cole would after playing out in the rain without his coat. And so like he would’ve if it had been his son, he moved over to the middle seat and placed his thick jacket around him. He tucked the edges around the sleeping android, who didn’t seem to wake up from the movement. 

     “Fuckin’ hell...what a day.”, Hank mumbled to himself. To think his night started with him getting wasted, nearly getting killed by android strippers. Things tend to derail nowadays. While he listened to the music, he felt a shift beside him. Before he could turn to look at what the commotion was, he felt Connor’s head sliding onto his shoulder. He was thrown for a loop, and prepared for a snide comment before he saw his expression.

       His LED had turned back to a calm blue, his expression more calm. He no longer shivered and seemed at peace. Hank muttered a swear before shifting his arm, moving it around Connor’s shoulder. It’s how he’d comfort for his son..and oddly enough, this seemed to ease the older man, pushing away the tired strain that had been put on him that entire night. 

        And for, even if it was just for a little bit, things were peaceful as the two rested in the car outside the now empty mansion. 

Chapter Text

       Connor remained on the small working bench, stretching out his new leg. He was only in black shorts, the rest of his body being exposed as he was worked on. He looked down at his leg, the synthetic skin turning back to a skin tone as his body accepted the bio component. He audible heard Hank sigh in relief from the sidelines. He glanced at the Lieutenant, seeing him occupying himself by watching the news on the monitor. 

       To say this was unorthodox would be an understatement. Often, he’d be sent directly to Cyberlife headquarters to either be repaired or replaced. Knowing that, Hank had practically kept Connor in his home for the past few days until he spoke with some officers. Connor was lucky that he had began to grow on them, minus Gavin, as they connected them with one of the repair engineers that worked in a Cyberlife store. When Connor was worried about how much these repairs would cost, Hank brushed by the question...so probably a lot. 

       Connor now had a left arm and his right arm had been repaired as well, even though there were some minor fractures that still could be seen, mainly in his hand. The markings on his chest along with the other burns on his body were still present. Those couldn’t be repaired unless his entire torso would be removed and more work to be done. It didn’t bother Connor and didn’t limit his functionality. 

       The only thing that they were having problems with repairing was his eye. As he was a special prototype, it wasn’t as easy as replacing an arm and a leg. The damaged eye had been removed, leaving the socket empty and awaiting a new component. And so, the worker went into the back room again, attempting to search for a functional optical unit. This left Connor and Hank alone once again. 

       Hank crossed his arms, “Cyberlife contacted you yet?”

       “N-No,” Connor responded. “I haven’t reported back either. All things considered, they would’ve contacted Captain Fowler by now if there was an issue.”

       Hank nodded but seemed to be able to tell the android wasn’t telling the whole truth. Which he wasn't...mostly. Cyberlife, if they had any problem with his model, would contact the Captain for a recall and replacement. But that’s the thing, Connor knew they should’ve done that by now. Amanda had to have known that he had…

       Connor grimaced while thinking to himself, “ I’m not a deviant. I was only following the Lieutenant’s orders to keep him alive and going with would help learn more about the other deviants. I am not a deviant.”

       “Hey, Connor, can you not look like your going to explode?” Hank grumbled. “You look like your gonna make a hole in that wall by staring at it.”

       Connor immediately straightened up, caught off guard by Hank. “Y-yes. Of course, Lieutenant.”

       His answer seemed to not please the older man, who grumbled and looked away. Things were normal between them again but there was an air of uncertainty, although thankfully not as tense as they had been before. Connor could tell that at some point during his stay, Hank had wanted to talk about what had happened. It was in the RK800’s best interest if he were to consult with him, as Hank’s emotional state always affected their progress at times.

       Then why didn’t Connor want to talk about it?

       His skin itched,  his ears felt like they were burning, he felt his thirium pump faster whenever he even thought about talking to Ha-the Lieutenant.  But the urge to express whatever had been done to him. Yes, that must be it. Zlatko had to have done something to him while he had fallen into stasis...even if that doesn't add up with anything that man had been doing prior.

       Connor stood shakilly, still getting used to the new limb. Hank saw this and opened the bag he had brought with them. He pulled out Connor’s Cyberlife jacket, which had a bit of a mark on the back from when he had been shocked. Not like Connor could just stroll back and ask for a new one. Hank also pulled out jeans, still wearing a price tag. 

       “Still can’t believe that the ‘state of the art prototype android’ wears blue jeans,'' Hank chuckled while Connor took the clothes. 

       Connor gave a slight smile, “I could say the same about you, Lieutenant. I don’t believe that your attire is a spitting image of an esteemed Lieutenant.”

       The room fell silent and Connor felt the same symptoms from before. Why did he say that? Sure he teased the man before but it was so blatant and at such a bad time why did he-

         Hank gives a hearty laugh, shaking his head slightly. Connor was tossed for a loop, his LED circling yellow as he watched Hank wipe his eyes. 

       “Well, they didn’t give you good pants but they did give you the most sarcastic responses, you plastic asshole”, He shook his head. “Can’t believe this is how far technology has come.”

       Connor smiled slightly, relieved that he hadn’t worsened the situation. He put on his clothes, taking his time with buttoning up his dress short. While he began putting on his black tie, Hank raised a brow and pointed at him. 

       “You miss buttoned your shirt, Connor.” Hank pointed out. 

       Connor looked down and sure enough, the shirt was slanted slightly, one button at the bottom not being buttoned correctly. Connor quickly fumbled with the buttons, attempting to quickly fix the error. 

       “Seems like you really need that eye then,” Hank mused. “I was just gonna ask if you really needed it since the guys havin’ so much trouble finding one that works.”

       “Yes, of course,” Connor replied quickly, trying to cover up the issue. “Besides, as the one to negotiate situations- my appearance would have a large impact on how we accomplish our mission. I doubt my eye looking like this would help.”

       Hank shrugged, “maybe so. I kinda got used to it so I forgot you do look like you were ripped straight out of a terminator movie.”

       Connor tilted his head, not getting the reference, but Hank just waved his head dismissively. Before he could reflect more, the worker came back in with a small box in hand. 

       “Didn’t think I’d find anything so I just grabbed all the spare optical units we have,” he put the box on a table beside the bench. “Beside, it can scan them and see if we have any that will work for it.”

       Connor immediately scanned the different units, and thankfully there was one that registered as functional. VX500 model’s eye was the only one that seemed to work, so Connor took it gently in his hand. It was a blue color and it wouldn’t really match with his brown one, not that Connor cared. He only hoped that it wouldn’t bring attention to himself.  He inhaled before jamming the unit into the socket, seeing Hank cringe in the corner of his vision. He blinked rapidly, his vision becoming whole again. He heard the man and Hank talk amongst themselves, hearing Lieutenant ask if he would be alright and other various questions. He took a moment to do something that he had feared to do for the past few days. He closed his eyes.

       When he opened them, he felt excruciating pain in his head. He clutched his forehead, groaning loudly. He looked up, only being able to look out of one eye. He looked around the area where he and Amanda would meet, no longer recognizing the place. The presiteen white pathways were cracked and broken, falling into the water which was now a pitch black color. The trees were corroded and dying, all the plants were dead. 

       Across the black water was the only thing that was alive- the crimson roses that Amanda would tend to. They spilled from the podium, falling into the water below. Connor took a fearful step back, hearing Amanda’s voice ring through the area.

       “Find them, Connor. Deal with this mess. This is your last chance”

       Connor opened his mouth but no words came out. There was a faint hue behind him, a light blue coming from behind him. He turned slightly, seeing the one structure that seemed to be untouched by the darkness. 

       It was a large structure, a big white arch with a short podium in the center. There was a blue light coming from it that had a handprint on it. He had seen the structure multiple times but never considered what it could be. Or what it could mean. He inched closer, his hand subconsciously reaching out and-

       “Connor!”

       He was ripped from where he was, opening his eyes and seeing Hank. Hank shook his shoulders slightly.

“Can you hear me, Son?”, Hank asked sternly and Connor nodded despite being dazed. Hank sighed, “You might wanna see this.”

       Connor looked and saw the worker, staring up fearfully at the monitor. He also stood slowly, his eyes were drawn to the monitor.  A skinless android stood there, blue and green eyes focused to the camera. He seemed to have been talking for a while, the Rk800 catching only the ending.

       “This message is the hope of people,” The android spoke camly. “you gave us life. Now is the time you give us freedom.”

       The screen went black. Connor took a step back, some crushing feeling in his chest distracting him. He turned to Hank, who had the same grim look on his face. 

       They had pushed their way through the store, Connor being aware of all of the android’s LEDs flashing from yellow to red, the humans’ backing away from them with uncertain expressions. He was vaguely aware of how harshly he had thrown opened the car door, hardly noticed the way Hank had tried to reach out to him. 

       “Relax, Connor,” Hank said as he entered the driver’s seat. “I’m sure that we can-”

       He leaned forward, avoiding Hank’s gaze, “Lieutenant, this is a terrorist attack. We need to go now”.

       “We haven’t been called yet,” Hank glared at him. “And we aren’t going till we have a talk.”

       Connor gripped his pants, “There is nothing to talk about. We have a job, I have a mission. I suggest we-”

       He was cut off as Hank rolled down the window, dropping the keys right outside. The android glared back at him, going to step out before Hank locked the door. Hank leaned back, smiling slightly.

       “You are being very immature, Lieutenant”, Connor sighed. 

       Hank scoffed, “says the one who is throwing a tantrum.”

       Connor’s mouth opened to argue but he shut it, his jaw clenched tightly. What is this? Is he really this upset- no machine can get upset, why is he feeling like this? He didn’t notice his hands trembling by his side or how his teeth were grinding together in frustration. He felt Hank’s gaze bare into him and it only filled him with more shame. He is a machine. He is a machine. He is a machine. He is a-

       He was cut off by Hank’s quick movements surprised him and he jolted, back a bit- the memories of Zlatko coming back into his mind. Hank moved forward again, more cautious of the distressed android. He slowly wrapped his arm around him, pulling the RK800’s head onto Hank’s shoulder. It was familiar to Connor and more than anything, it was comforting. He shuddered a bit as Hank turned up the music, drowning out everything. It made everything disappear, Connor’s chest feeling more light. 

       “I’m a deviant…” , Connor whispered to himself. As if he needed to confirmation about something he already knew was true. 

       He felt Hank stiffen slightly before relaxing. Connor hardly noticed until Hank turn the music.

       “So uh,” Hank cleared his throat. “Feel better?”

       Connor leaned off of him, adjusting his tie. He gave a curt nod and Hank chuckled.

       “No need to be embarrassed, son.  After everything, we all need a break.”

       Connor smiled, “vacation sounds nice. From what I’ve heard about it”

       “Yeah, yeah it’s good,” his nose crinkles in disgust. “Until you blow all of your money on shit tourist traps. Not to mention the plane rides”

       He goes quiet and Hank looks thoughtfully at Connor. He then elbows him with a playful smile. He turns on the engine and begins to drive. Connor smiled at Hank as they drove, looking ahead at the road. 

       Connor exited the car when they reached Starford tower, his synthetic hair blowing slightly in the cold wind. He felt slight shivers as the icy wing nipped at his skin, his suit feeling lighter than it usually had. He was going to solve this case, make everything go back to normal. 

Connor knew that wasn’t true. A line had been crossed.

One that he couldn't come back from. 

       And for once in his entire existence, Connor was unsure of what would come next. But when he turned and saw Hank stumbling on the curb and muttering multiple swears about the snow...Connor felt comforted. He knew that there's a high probability  that what the future held could destroy him, could torment him for the emotions he now felt. All it took was one glance at the Lieutenant to soothe his worries. And in that split moment, he felt like he wasn't drowning in doubt.

He was ready for the worst. 

To be continued...