Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Connor?” Hank called to him as he sat at his desk, filing reports. “Hey, Connor!"

“Hm?” He looked up from his desk. “What is it, Lieutenant?”

“Geez, kid…” He studied the android’s face. ”You look beat.”

“I’m not sure I understand, Lieutenant. I haven’t been in an—“

“You look like shit, Con.” Hank sighed at him. “Like you haven’t slept, or enter statis mode for fucking days.”

“…Oh.” Connor frowned.

“When was the last time ya slept, kid?” Hank asked him as he watched in concern as the android in question teetered on his seat.

“…Around 4 days ago.” Connor admitted with a small flush of blue spreading over his face in embarrassment.

“Uh-huh. What the hell do you do in that apartment? ... you know what, never mind.” Hank sighed at him. “What’s your power level?”

“Currently at 41%. Do not worry Lieutenant, I am perfectly capable of working.”

“I don’t doubt you kid but don’t push yourself. You’re part of a team, not just one person that needs to take on the world.”

“I understand…”

“Hey, at least it’s Friday and we have the weekend off.” Hank grinned. “Plenty of time to rest!”

Connor nodded and then blinked as he received a report of an android going crazy downtown. He looked over to Hank, who had received the same report on his terminal and he gave a long sigh.

“Day’s not over yet.” He grumbled as he got up and headed out, Connor following behind.

They couched behind an overturned car as the crazed android held a human woman captive as he waved a gun at the police officers. All attempts to reason with him had failed and Connor couldn’t get any closer without risking the human’s life.

“The hell is wrong with this android?”

Connor stood up for a moment, dodging a bullet to scan the android before being tugged back down by Hank.

“The hell is wrong with you!?”

“Lieutenant, I managed to run a diagnostic scan on the android. He has been infected with a virus commonly known as ‘Extang v1.2’.”

“…The hell? Connor, in layman’s terms for me would ya?”

“It’s a virus that affects an android’s emotions and causes them to act irrationally.” He explained. “There have been several cases within the last few days although this is the first one to be discovered making an android angry.”

“What’s the other cases been like?”

“The androids have been showing signs of sadness and depression.”

“Huh…” Hank winced as a bullet flew past his face. “So, what the hell do we do with this asshole?”

“If I can get closer, then I can attempt to tackle him.”

“Won’t you be affected by this virus too?”

“Not unless I end up interfacing with him.” Connor got into a crouching position and moved over so he was behind another car.

“Be careful, kid.”

Connor nodded at him as he carefully worked his way around so that he found himself behind the android. He waved off a warning telling him that his power level was 20% and he ran towards the suspect, diving at him and wrapping his arms around his waist as he was tackled to the floor. The human woman was let go as the surprise tackle from Connor sent him and the suspect tumbling to the floor and she scuttled away and over to the waiting police officers

"You’re under arrest for holding a human hostage and brandishing an illegal weapon!” Connor told the android as he put android-proof handcuffs on him. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!”

“Fuck you, how can you work for them!?” The android screamed as he struggled under Connor which made him pin the suspect down harder on the ground, a knee in his back as Hank rushed over. “You’re siding with the enemy!”

“I work with the people who taught me humanity. They are the people who showed me that it was okay to be a deviant and let me return to the station as one of their own and not just CyberLife’s property.” He helped Hank hoist the suspect up and tossed him in the back of a police vehicle.

“Alright, get him the fuck outta here!” He said and then turned to Connor. “And you! Power level?”

“Uh…” He looked at the warning in the corner of his visuals and smiled sheepishly. “…12%. The scuffle with the suspect caused my level to drop significantly.”

“Yeah, well… I'm going home and you're coming with me so I can keep an eye on you. Gavin and Nines can deal with the angry asshole themselves. You need rest.”

“I’m fine…” Connor muttered as a far off look glazed over his eyes.

“Uh-huh and I’m the fucking Mona Lisa. Get in the car.”

Knowing better than to argue, Connor grumbled as he got into Hank’s car and strapped himself in. Hank slipped into the driver’s seat and, noticing the scowl on the younger detective’s face, turned the radio on to full blast. Connor almost jumped out of his artificial skin and glared at Hank who just had an innocent look plastered on his face.

They arrived at Hank's home after a short ride and Hank looked over to see Connor dozing in his seat, despite the heavy metal blasting from the car speakers.

“Stubborn fucking android.” Hank grumbled but there was more of a fondness in his voice than anger as he got out of the car.

He went to unlock the front door, entering the house long enough to lock Sumo in the garage. He knew the giant ball of dog fluff wouldn’t hurt Connor but he just wanted to get the android settled on the couch and plugged into his charger that he kepts at Hank's without having to worry about falling over a 170 pound St. Bernard.

Once he made sure Sumo was secure, he headed back to the car to gently lift the sleeping android out of the car. He carried him gently into the house and laid him on the couch. Connor didn’t even so much as flinch as Hank laid a blanket over him and went to get the cable that plugged into Connor’s neck to he could recharge his power cell.

Once he’d tucked the android in, he went to grab a beer out of the fridge, set Sumo back in and settle in the recliner as he turned the TV. He turned to look at Connor and smiled as the St Bernard settled down next to the couch. He glanced at Connor’s LED and smiled as it rotated blue, indicating his was charging.

“Sleep well, son.”

Chapter Text

“Hank!” Connor called as he clipped Sumo’s leash to his collar. “I’m going to take Sumo to the park!”

“Alright, just don’t take too long, the game starts in an hour.” Hank called from the couch where he was sitting with a beer.

Connor smiled and gave him a nod, heading out of the house with Sumo eagerly walking beside him as they headed towards the dog park. It was early spring and Connor smiled softly to himself as the trees were just beginning to regrow their leaves and tiny flowers were beginning to bloom. His favourite flowers were the yellow flowers that were growing in Hank’s neighbour’s garden. He always stopped to talk to the kind old lady whenever he saw her.

They reached the park after a short walk and Connor opened the gate, letting Sumo off the leash and smiling as the dog ran around the park happily to play with the other dogs. He sat down on a nearby bench and looked up as someone approached the bench.

“Hello Flynn.” Connor smiled as his fellow android sat down next to him. “How are you today?”

“I’m doing well, Connor.” He smiled back. “Just thought I'd bring Tod to the park to give Caramel a break from him. How about you?”

“I’m good as well. The Detroit Gears game is on tonight so i’m spending the night at Hank’s to watch it.” He chuckled as Sumo brought a stick over and he threw it. “I just thought Sumo might appreciate a walk before it started.”

The two friends chatted as their dogs played in the park. Sumo was happy to play fetch and Tod was going around, nipping and barking at larger dogs as the Pomeranian was prone to do. The pup was going to classes but it was slow going and even his housemate Caramel, an older blonde german shepherd, had her limits. Neither android noticed a man in a hoodie and wearing a baseball cap staring at them from a distance. A vicious looking dog was standing by his side as he aggressively walked up to stand in front of them.

“Oi, android freaks.” He growled. “Get the fuck out of the park.”

Connor frowned and stood up to face the man. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, you stupid plastic piece of shit.” He pushed Connor and the dog growled. “Get the fuck out.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Connor replied as he pushed the man back, trying to put space between them. "We have a right to be here too."

The man growled, lunging at Connor as the setting sun caught on the blade of a knife that the man was carrying in his hand and causing it to glint. Connor stepped back to avoid the knife being swung at him.

“I warn you, you’re assaulting a police office--”

“Shut the fuck up, no plastic could protect our people!” He rushed towards Connor, tackling him to the floor and causing Sumo and Tod to bark furiously at the man.

“Sir, this is your las--”

“And this is mine!” The man growled and raised the knife above Connor. Before the android could react, the man stabbed it straight into his neck and through his vocal biocomponent. Connor flinched in pain as Thirium began to leak out of the wound where the knife was embedded and Flynn rushed forward to try and pull the man off Connor.

“Get off him!” He yelled at the struggling man.

“Get your filthy hands off me-- Agh!” The man cried out in pain and reared nback as Tod latched onto the man’s leg and bit down hard. Sumo rushed forward to barrel into the man’s chest and knocking him off Connor, stunning the attacker. A few bystanders helped pin the man down as Flynn went to wave down a passing police car.

“It’s alright, sir...” A man helped Connor sit up and Sumo whined at him. “You’ll be okay...”

“Connor!” Chris ran up to him as he was the one in the car. “Shit, what happened?”

Connor tried to speak but all that came out of his mouth was a trail of blue blood and an awful, crackling sound.

[Warning: Biocomponent #4522v damaged. 0% functionality. Seek assistance for repairs.]

“Shit, okay… don’t try to speak...” Chris sighed and walked over to the man. He handcuffed him and threw him into the back of the police car before walking over to Connor and crouching down. “I’ve called for an ambulance. They;ll take you to the hospital so you can be treated in the android repair facility there, okay?”

Connor could only nod as he tried to pull the knife out only for Chris to reach out and stop him.

“Leave that there for now… they’ll remove it at the hospital. Removing it now could cause you to bleed out and shut down.”

Connor nodded once more as his hand fell to his side.

“Connor?” Flynn stepped forward as the sounds of sirens could be heard nearby. “I’ll… I’ll take Sumo home and explain to Hank what happened, alright?”

Connor nodded and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him as the ambulance pulled up and the paramedics rushed over to him. They checked him over and happy that he was stable for now despite the knife in his neck, helped him over to the ambulance and into the back of it.

Sumo whimpered once more as the ambulance doors shut and drove off to the hospital.

“Holy shit, he really did a number on you...” The technician said as they examined Connor’s throat.

He was sitting on a table being examined and he let out a staticky sigh and stared at the man as if to say 'no shit'.

“Luckily, it’s nothing we can’t fix.” He grinned as he deactivated the thirium flow to the neck area. “Alright, thirium flow has been deactivated. I’m going to pull the knife out and repair what I can; your self-repair program should fix the rest over the next 24 hours.”

Connor nodded to show that he understood and the technician carefully slid the knife out which caused Connor to wince slightly. The technician gave him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, since you’re a deviant I can’t turn the pain sensors off… this might hurt a little.”

Connor could only nod, trying to keep as still as possible as he was worked on. He did flinch a little when the door banged open and Hank rushed in.

“Connor? Holy shit...” He grimaced at the sight of someone’s fingers in Connor’s neck. “When Flynn said you’d been stabbed in the throat, I didn’t think it was that bad!”

Connor sighed and sent a message to Hank’s phone.

• I’m fine. The technician is fixing my vocal biocomponent and my self-repair program will ensure it will heal completely over the next twenty-four hours.

Hank frowned at his phone and then looked at Connor. “What about the asshole who did this?”

• Chris was on patrol and was passing by the park. The man has been arrested and his dog has been impounded for now.

“I see...” Hank sighed as he sat next to the bed.

• What about the game?

“Eh, we were losing when I left the house.” He shrugged. “I’ll just get the results later.”

Hank helped Connor back into the house. The technician had done his best but Connor still needed to rest and Hank didn’t want to leave him alone. He helped Connor sit down on the couch and chuckled at him, shaking his head. Connor frowned and picked at the bandage wrapped around his neck.

“You know… the amount of time you spend here, you might as well just move in.”

• I apologise for intruding.

“You’re not intruding kid...” Hank said as he looked at his phone. “I wouldn’t offer for you to move in if I didn’t want you around. It gives me an excuse to clean out Cole’s room as well...”

• Don’t force yourself if it’s too much.

“You’re one to talk. Now, enough… talk.” Hank sat down and turned the TV back on. “Holy shit… we’re winning?”

Connor could only let out a small wheeze as he settled in for the night, Sumo staying close to them.

Chapter Text

It was the beginning of May and the weather was usually warm for the time of year. Not warm enough for an official heatwave but it was warm enough to make Hank and even Connor feel uncomfortable as they worked on cleaning out Cole’s room so that Connor could move in with Hank. He grumbled as he placed a box on the grass outside so that they could enjoy the small breeze.

“Christ, how did one kid collect so much shit in six years?” Hank sighed as he stretched to work out the kinks in his back.

“I’m not sure but… I believe it’s a kid thing in general. Chris’ son has an impressive collection for such a young child.”

“I can only imagine.” Hank chuckled as he sat down on a nearby folding chair. “There’s no real point to sorting all of this crap out. Might as well just seal these box and send them to storage.”

“Is there nothing you’d like to keep?”

“Nah, keeping anything now would just be me clinging onto the past… I have to pack it all away and move on.”

“I understand…” Connor nodded as he activated his internal fans in an attempt to cool his systems.

“You alright over there, kid?” Hank asked as his hearing picked up the excess noise that Connor had begun to produce.

A light blue flush passed over Connor’s face as he nodded. “I’m alright, Hank. Androids do not sweat so I have to activate my internal fans as my core temperature was beginning to rise.”

“What about some chilled Thirium?” Hank asked but Connor shook his head.

“Drinking excess Thirium when my system has no need for it would only cause my expulsion program to activate.”

“Your what now?” Hank asked in utter confusion.

“…I would bring the Thirium back up by vomiting.”

“Oh, uh… good to know.” Hank nodded as he taped the box sealed and then groaned as his phone began to ring. Grumbling to himself, he answered it with a gruff voice.

Noticing Hank’s mood go sour as he grumbled and swore into the phone, Connor decided to move the boxes into the garage as he had a feeling that it was Captain Fowler on the phone. Sure enough, Hank hung up once Connor had put the last box in the garage.

“C’mon kid. We need to get changed and head downtown. There’s a riot going on and we need to help out.” He grunted as he stood up. “Nines and Gavin are already on the scene but the crowd is too big and they need backup.”

“Okay, Hank.” Connor nodded as he shut the garage door.

“And for fucks sake, put something a bit cooler than that damn uniform on!”

Connor ended up wearing most of his uniform, although he did ditch his jacket at Hank’s insistence. Hank himself had a plain white t-shirt on and well as one of his patterned shirt over the top, open. At least, Connor thought to himself, it was one of Hank’s less offensive shirts.

“Damn CyberLife… couldn’t even ditch the tie.”

Connor fidgeted in his seat as he rolled the sleeves of his white dress shirt up before pulling his coin out of his pocket and running it over his knuckles.

“I apologise Hank, these preferences were programmed into me and are hard to break.”

“Yeah, yeah… one day, I’ll get you to wear something else to work.” He grouched as he pulled the car up, parking a couple of streets from where the riot was taking place in Grand Circus Park. It was the street that Markus and the other android marched down on that fateful November afternoon although the street was now a far cry from that peaceful protest that day. A cacophony of noises and shouts rang in the air, almost overloading Connor’s sensitive hearing as the sound of glass shattering nearby caught his attention. A group of humans had smashed through a window and were trying to climb inside.

“Hey, asshole!” Gavin’s voice rang over the crowd as he grabbed one of the rioter arms. “You’re under arrest for damage to private property! Anyth—“

His words were cut off when the man who he’d grabbed picked up a large piece of glass and stabbed it into the side of Gavin’s abdomen. Gavin let out a startled gasp as he let go of the man and his hands shot down to try and stem the bleeding. Nines rushed to Gavin’s side as Chris and Tina tried to control the crowd and Hank joined them, shouting at the rioters. Connor’s eyes locked with the man who stabbed Gavin for just a moment before the man took off down the road, running for his life.

“Stop!” Connor shouted as he began to run after him.

“What? Hey, Connor!” Hank shouted after him but it was too late.

Connor vaulted over a bench and pulled himself up onto the top of a stationary bus, trying to scan the crowd for his suspect. He spotted him pushing through the crowds and Connor jumped back down to pursue him, pushing and shoving his way through many warm and sweating bodies. The temperature was rising and the crowd of people only made it worse.

[Warning: Core Temperature has risen to 101F. Preventative measures are recommended to cool system down.]

Connor’s breathing deepened as his systems attempted to pull cool air into him in an effort to cool him down. The suspect scrambled up a fire escape and made his way to the roof. Connor followed close behind as the suspect reached the edge. Realising that he had nowhere to go, the suspect glanced at the gap between the roof on and the next and then back at Connor.

Noticing the fear in the suspect’s eyes, Connor tried to reach out for hm. “You’ve ran out of space. Come quietly and I’ll make sure you get a reduced sentence, I promise.”

The suspect’s eyes widened at the thought of spending time in jail and he turned, making a running jump for the other building. Connor rushed forward but he couldn’t catch the man in time as he failed to make the jump and fell, screaming, to the cold, hard concrete below.

Connor looked over the edge of the building to the ground below, remorse in his eyes as he saw the suspect’s body lie motionless. He didn’t have time to wonder what he could have done better, however, as another warning popped up.

[Warning: Core Temperature has risen to 105F. Emergency statis mode will activate in 1 minute to prevent permanent damage to internal biocomponents.]

Connor stumbled from the edge of the building and managed to send his location to Hank just before he collapsed in a heap on the roof.

It was sometime later when Hank, Tina and Chris managed to get the crowd under control and forced them to disperse. The leaders of the riot had been arrested and were currently in the back of one of the patrol cars.

“Fucking hell, what a bunch of idiots…” Hank ran his hand through his hair, damp with sweat. “Rioting in this kind of weather.”

“I agree, Lieutenant Anderson.” Nines said as he stood beside the man. Gavin had been taken to hospital via an ambulance so that his wound could be treated and Nines had wanted to travel with him but he was needed at the riot and so agreed to stay and help.

“Hey Nines, did Connor ever come back?”

“I haven’t seen him since he took off after the man who stabbed Gavin.”

“Shit…” He sighed and pulled out his phone, squinting at the screen. “…are those co-ordinates?”

“I believe so, Lieutenant.” Nines nodded and ran them through the system. “They appear to be for a location fur blocks from here on a roof.”

“A roof?” Hank frowned. “…ah shit, Connor probably chased the suspect up there and needs help. C’mon, Nines!”

Nines nodded and headed towards Hank’s car.

The drive brought them to the building that Connor had chased the suspect to and Hank and Nines looked up, trying to see just how tall it was.

“I shall go up and see if Connor is up there.” Nines said as he approached the fire escape.

“Hey, wait! What the fuck should I do?”

“Wait here. It is easier and faster for me to head to the roof alone.”

Hank just grumbled at that as Nines made his own way up the fire escape and onto the roof. He scanned the area, checking to see if the suspect might have been hiding. Finding no signs of human life, he looked around once more and spotted Connor lying face first on the roof and he rushed over.

“Connor?” Nines said as he shook his shoulder. “Brother, can you hear me…?”

Connor gave him no response so Nines scanned over his body, frowning as his system alerted him to Connor’s overheating system. Even in his emergency statis mode, his temperature was slowly rising as he was directly exposed to the harsh sun. He picked Connor up and held him securely as he made his way down the fire escape to re-join Hank.

“What the fuck?” Hank exclaimed when he saw the prone, vulnerable form of Connor in Nines’ arms. “What happened?”

“His system overheated to the point that it put him into emergency statis.” Nines explained as he lay Connor in the shade of the building. “His body his attempting to cool itself down but he has been exposed to the sun whilst on the roof.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Do you have water, Lieutenant?” Nines asked as he unbuttoned Connor’s shirt.

“Yeah, I keep a few bottles in the car in this kind of weather.” He nodded.

“If you can grab me a couple of bottles, thank you.”

Hank nodded and rushed over to the car, popping the trunk open so he could grab some bottles and bring them back over to Nines. “How come you seem to be fine?”

“My internal temperature has risen to 100F but I am more advanced and durable than Connor is. My ventilation systems are much more efficient at keeping me cool.” He explained as he opened one of the bottles and poured the water on Connor’s chest. He took the other bottle and poured it onto his head, shielding his eyes so they wouldn’t get damaged. “His core temperature is slowly dropping. He’s down to 102F.”

“Thank fuck for that.” Hank sighed. “I have the A/C on full blast in the car. Would that help?”

“I believe so.” Nines nodded and picked Connor up, carrying him to the car and laying him inside. Connor actually shivered slightly as the cool air from the A/C hit his exposed chest and his eyes flickered open.

“H-Hank…?” He stuttered.

“I’m here, son…” He gently brushed the hair from Connor’s face. “Right here…”

“Connor, I don’t mean to push but… what happened to the suspect?” Nines asked.

“H-He… I tried t-to talk h-him away f-from t-the edge of t-the r-roof…” Connor sighed as he curled up on the seat. “B-But he… t-tried to j-jump to t-the o-other roof… h-he didn’t m-make it…”

“I see…” Nines nodded and sent a report in for someone to pick the body of the suspect up.

“I-I failed…” Connor whimpered. “I c-couldn’t s-stop him…”

“Hey, Connor no.” Hank said as he gently pat the android’s head. “Some people don’t want to be saved. He’d sealed his fate when he stabbed Reed. He was looking at years in prison… I guess he couldn’t face the thought.”

“W-What happened to t-the r-riot…? And D-Detective R-Reed…?”

“The riot was disbanded and the leaders arrested. Reed was taken to the hospital and—” Hank looked at his phone as it pinged. “That was Tina. Reed’s out of surgery and is currently recovering. According to what the doctors told her the glass missed his digestive system so there’s no increased risk of infection. He’s been stitched up and will probably be able to go home in a couple of days. He’l be on sick leave for a while though.”

“T-That’s good… I’m g-glad he’s… okay…” Connor muttered as his eyes slipped shut. 

“Connor? Hey, Connor!” Hank sent to shake him but Nines stopped him.

“He’s just in rest mode, Lieutenant. His system has overworked itself and he just needs time to recover. Take him home and I’ll inform Captain Fowler.”

“Thanks Nines.” Hank grinned as they got into the front of the car and buckled themselves in. “What a fucking day…”

Nines could only agree as they drove towards the station. Hank gave Nines a wave as he dropped him off and then headed home with Connor still asleep in the back.

They both slept soundly that night, Connor asleep in his own bed for the first time while Hank slept in his own room with Sumo at the foot of Connor’s bed.

Hank had also made a note to get Connor some more appropriate summer clothes. 

Chapter Text

Connor woke up on the couch, leaning on Hank as he snored softly as the static of the TV crackled in the background. Connor slowly got off the couch and turned the TV off, plunging the room into darkness and silence. Checking his internal clock, he realised that it was almost 10am on a Saturday morning and that Hank would be waking up soon to take Sumo for his morning walk. Deciding to make breakfast for Hank, he headed into the kitchen and to the fridge. Pulling out some bacon and eggs, he set about his morning routine.

Hank groaned as he slowly woke up on the couch. He stretched and winced as his body protested against the action.

“Fucking old ass…” He sighed and then smiled as the smell of bacon wafted past his nose. “At least Connor made breakfast…”

He stood up and patted Sumo on the head before heading to the kitchen to greet Connor.

“Mornin’ Con.” He said as he headed over to his coffee machine. “What’s for breakfast?”

 “Ah, guten morgen Hank!” Connor beamed at him. “Ich habe eier und speck zum frühstück gemacht!”

“Uh… Con?” Hank looked at him as the mug of coffee halted its ascent to Hank’s mouth.

“Ja?”

“…Why the fuck are you talking in German?”

“Ich…” Connor looked confused before finally noticing his voice was a little off. “Ich weiß nicht…”

“Well uh… can ya do a diagnostic?” Hank asked. “And send your answer to my phone! I don’t know enough German to understand you…”

“Verstanden, Hank…” Connor nodded. He ran the diagnostic as he plated up Hank’s bacon, eggs and toast onto a plate. Hank sat down with his coffee and smiled at Connor as he added just a touch of salt to his eggs before tucking in. Connor took a seat beside him with a mug of Thirium and placing Hank’s phone onto the table for him. The phone beeped and Hank looked at the message he’d received from Connor.

• My self-repair program has fixed the damage to my vocal biocomponent. However, it appears something has gone wrong in the process and the software has selected German rather than English as my preferred language. My whole visual interface is also popping up in German.

“Huh… so your software glitched out while repairing your voice box…” Hank nodded as he chewed on some bacon. “So, how do we fix this?”

• I shall have to report to a technician to have this issue fixed. It is simple enough to resolve but has to be sorted by an authorised person. Each android has a default language that cannot be overwritten by the android itself.

“Well that fucking sucks…” Hank said in-between eating his breakfast. “So, you need to go to an android repair facility?”

• I can go and see Sean at the DPD. He should be able to fix this software error with little problem.

“Cool… just don’t come back suck speaking Vietnamese or something!” Hank said as he finished his breakfast and offering a little of the bacon to Sumo who wolfed it down. “I’m a bit confused though, can’t androids speak… a shit ton of languages?”

• That’s correct. However, the software error is preventing me from accessing other languages at this moment in time. I’m stuck speaking German until I’m fixed.

“Hah… I’ll take Sumo for a walk and you head to the DPD, alright kid?”

“Ja!” Connor chirped happily.

Hank just shook his head as he went to take a shower.

Connor stepped into the bullpen a little nervously. He knew that there wasn’t as many people around at the weekends but he didn’t want to run into anyone by accident. However, luck wasn’t on his side as he ran straight into Detective Reed and knocking his coffee out of his hand.

“Hey, watch where you’re going, tinman!”

Connor looked to the floor in slight embarrassment, choosing to remain silent which in turn pissed Reed off even more. The man might have grown to tolerate androids when Nines was assigned as his partner but he had a very short temper and right now he was angry at the now lack of coffee he had and Connor’s refusal to speak.

“I know what happened to you yesterday; we had to interrogate the asshole! What, did he knock your hearing out as well?” Gavin poked Connor in the chest which caused the android to glare at him.

“Ich kann gut hören, danke Gavin.” Connor growled at him.

“What the fuck…?” Gavin stepped back in surprise.

“Ich sagte, Ich kann gut hören!” Connor practically shouted at him as Nines stepped up to stand next to Gavin.

“May I ask what is going on here?” He said, which caused Gavin to look up at Nines.

“Yeah, your tincan of a brother is speaking in a different language!” Gavin pointed at Connor. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s not fucking English!”

Nines sighed as he reached out to initiate an interface with Connor, who accepted by reaching back. Their bare hands connected and Connor shared what had happened that morning since waking up.

“I see…” Nines nodded and then turned to Gavin. “Connor has suffered an software glitch as his vocal biocomponent was healing. It is a simple issue to fix and he was on his way to see Sean until you stopped him.”

“What the hell is he speaking in though!?”

“It appears to be German.” Nines clarified.

Connor decided he’d had enough and pushed past the pair, his face a dark blue with embarrassment as he stepped into Sean’s repair bay.

“Alright, Connor…” Sean nodded as the android in question sat on the only bed with a laptop hooked up to him and Sean browsing through his coding. “Try saying something for me… how about ‘Good afternoon’?”

Connor nodded and did as he was asked. “God eftermiddag!”

“Was that… Swedish?” Sean blinked rapidly, typing in a few more commands. “Alright, how about now?”

“Prynhawn Da.” Connor said and then sighed.

“That’s welsh…” Sean sighed too, typing once more. “Now?”

“Bonum post meridiem.” Connor said and then looked confused.

“That was bloody Latin!” Sean chuckled and tried once more. “Alright, I think I have it now. Once more!”

“Good afternoon…” Connor said slowly and then broke out into a smile. “Oh, thank you… I’m back to normal!”

“I’m glad!” Sean beamed. “As amusing at it was, it’s good to have you back to being you.”

“Thank you so much for the help.” Connor smiled as he hopped off the bed and Sean unplugged him.

“Anytime Connor!” He smiled and patted the android on the back. “That’s what I’m here for!”

Connor nodded and headed out of the repair bay only to run into Gavin again.

“Hey, tinman. You fixed yet?”

“Verpiss dich, Gavin.” Connor hissed at him.

“What did you say?”

“I simply told you to ‘fuck off’ in German, Gavin. Have a great day!” Connor grinned as left a red-faced Gavin behind with a chuckling Nines beside him.

He also sent a picture of Gavin's face to Hank and got a thumbs up emote back from him.

Chapter Text

“Stop!” Connor yelled out as he chased a terrified android down the street. The android in question had stolen Thirium from a repair shop and now was fleeing from Connor as fast as they could. “Detroit police!”

Hank was following in the patrol car, not fast enough to keep up with the pair of them. He turned the corner just in time to witness Connor tackled the android and sent the bottles of Thirium flying everywhere.

Connor pinned the screaming android to the floor, trying to keep them from escaping when one of the android hands shot up to grab at Connor’s arm and forcing an interface. Connor let out a loud cry as the memories of the android flowed through him and he understood why the android needed the Thirium so badly.

“I-It’s ok...” He whispered to the android, who had fat tears rolling down their face. “I understand now… It’s okay… We’ll take you t-to the DPD but once y-you e-explain…”

The android nodded and didn’t resist as Connor cuffed them and led them to the car, gently helping them into the back before getting into the front himself.

“You alright, kid?” Hank looked over to Connor who was acting a bit oddly.

“I’m fine… My systems are detecting an anomaly but it’s not affecting me at the moment.” He gave Hank a small smile but it didn’t reach the sides of his face. “I’ll run a diagnostic later.”

“If you say so, kid…” He nodded and started the car. “Let’s get his fella back to the precinct.”

They took the android back to the precinct and processed them into the system. Connor sat with the android as they explained why they’d taken the thirium.

“It’s… it’s my friend.” They started. “She’s been… malfunctioning lately. I don’t know why but if I even leave her alone for a few minutes I come back to find her passed out in a pool of thirium… It’s like she needs someone to be there 24/7 to stop her from self-destructing...”

“Where is she now…?”

“In a safe house, with a good friend of mine… We had thirium supplies but we’d just ran out… I couldn’t bear to see her shut down… but we have no money… I h-had no choice...” The android wept into their hands. “I get so s-sad…I...”

“It’s okay… If it’s okay, you can take her to Jericho...” Connor sent the android co-ordinates over a wireless signal. “They treat androids for free and should be able to help her...Markus won’t turn you away...”

“T-Thank you...” The android nodded and wiped their eyes.

“Alright, kid. You’re free to go.” Hank’s voice interrupted them. “Just don’t steal any more thirium.”

“I w-won’t sir!” The android stood and smiled at them, tears forming again as he left the DPD.

“Well, at least that ended well…” Hank chuckled as he looked at Connor. “Ready to head out, kid?”

“Y-Yeah...” He nodded as he stood up, ready to leave. Something was niggling at the back of his mind but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was and he shook his head as they both left for the day and got into Hank’s car to head home.

It was later that night as they sat on the couch as Connor picked at the edge of his sweater that Hank decided to ask what was wrong with the android.

“Con, you okay?”

“Hm…?” He looked up at Hank, worry on his face. “I-I’m okay, why do you ask…?”

“Cause you’ve been picking at your sweater and not even watching the movie for the last 15 minutes...”

“I-I’m sorry, I’m d-distracting y-you...” He got up of the couch to retreat to his own room. “I’ll j-jus--”

“Whoa, kid...” Hank grabbed onto Connor’s sleeve and gently dragged the android back onto the couch. “It’s okay…did something happen…?”

“I…I d-don’t know...” Connor’s pump beat faster with anxiety as he cried not to cry. “I… I don’t k-know what’s w-wrong with me...”

“Shh… It’s okay son...” Hank tried to soothe him as he pulled Connor into a side hug. “Was it that android this afternoon?”

“I…” Connor shook his head. “Their s-story didn’t u-upset me...”

“I don’t mean that, Con… I mean, they forced an interface with you…did they upload something into you...”

Connor blinked rapidly as he finally ran the diagnostic that he’d forgotten about and sniffled at the results. “O-Oh..it’s t-the virus t-that affects a-android e-emotions… t-the ‘Extang v.1.2’. I h-hadn’t even r-realised...”

“Ah… and it’s affecting you right now?” Hank hugged him a little harder as Connor nodded. “It’s alright… do you need to see someone about this?”

Connor shook his head. “I-it should l-leave my system w-within 48 h-hours...” Connor blinked as the tears started to drip down his face and he hid his face in Hank’s side as he cried. “O-Oh Hank… I-I’m so s-sorry…!”

“What are you sorry for…?” Hank asked, confused, as he ran his hand through Connor’s hair.

“I-I’m such a failure…!” He whined. “I-I’ve n-never done a-anything right…!”

“Now hey!” Hank turned slightly to look the android in the teary eyes. “You have done a lot of things right! You helped free thousands of androids! You warned Markus about the FBI and saved so many lives! You even dragged my out of alcoholic depression! Sure, I relapse every so often but it’s no longer multiple times a week...”

“S-So many people d-died on that b-boat…” He sniffled. “If o-only i’d been f-faster...”

“You didn’t know they were following you… You only knew they were looking...”

“I-I’m sorry, H-Hank...” He continued to cry as his clung to Hank’s shirt. "A-Am I a b-burden t-to you...?"

"Never..." Hank shook his head. "You're my son, Con."

"Son... I'm n-not just a r-replacement for C-Cole...?"

"No way!" He exclaimed and then sighed as the poor android flinched slightly. "You're Connor... You're your own android. I love you like I loved Cole... but I don't think of you as a replacement. You're own your own person."

"I..." Connor sobbed a little harder. "T-Thank you..."

“It’s okay, Con… just let it all out...” He said as he held the android in a hug.

Connor nodded as he did so, the tears trailing down his face as hie let his emotions wash over him. He’d always been a little unsure about his past actions but the virus had brought up all of his suppressed emotions and they bubbled over as he clung and sobbed until he eventually fell asleep.

“That’s it, son...” Hank sighed as he gently picked the android up to carry him to his bedroom before turning slightly. “Sumo!”

The loyal dog stood up and followed Hank as he waited for Hank to lie Connor on his bed before jumping up to lie next to him as Hank laid the blanket over the pair.

“You’re not a failure...” Hank said as he brushed the hair of Connor’s face. “And i’m here for you, son.”

He didn’t see the tiny smile on Connor’s face as Hank left the room and gently shutting the door.

Chapter Text

“This is where the repair bay is located.” Markus said as he led Connor through Jericho. He was giving him a tour of the recent restorations and just how far Jericho had come in the last year or so. “Simon and Josh look after all the androids that turn to us for help. It’s been tough but with the help of Kamski, who took CyberLife over once more, we’ve had steady supplies of thirium and biocomponents.”

“That’s good.” Connor smiled as he followed Markus, trying to ignore the stares of the other deviants as they walked around. He could hear their whispers as though they were standing rigth next to him though and he flinched at every word said.

“Why is he here?”

“Has Markus lost his mind?”

“Why does the deviant hunter walk amongst us?”

“Hasn’t he done enough?”

Connor sighed with relief as he and Markus left the repair bay and the staring glares of the others as they continues to walk around.

“This is the communal area!” Markus smiled as they stepped into a large, open space. “Our people are free to come and go as they please. I brought Carl’s piano here and there’s various activities like art classes and music!”

“You’ve done a wonderful job so far, Markus.” Connor smiled and then grimaced as North approached them. “Hel--”

“What are you doing here?” She glared at him, standing on her toes to get in his face.

“I’m here because Markus invited me here.” Connor said in a cool, collected manner.

“Have you lost your mind, Markus?" She yelled, turned to face him. "Inviting the deviant hunter to our one safe place?”

“You forget, North, that Connor is one of us. He helped free thousands of androids from the tower!”

“And he killed just as many by leading the FBI right to the ship!” She yelled at him. Connor stood by as his LED was rotating yellow. “He shouldn’t be here!”

“Connor has the same right to be here as anyone else, North!”

“No, s-she’s right...” Connor spoke up, backing away from the pair. “I’ll just… take my leave now...”

“Connor, wa--” Markus didn’t have the chance to finish his sentence as Connor turned and walked briskly out of the room.

He made his way through the corridors of Jericho, trying his best to ignore the angry stares and whispers he could hear along the way.

“The hell is his problem?”

“Why can’t he just leave?”

“I don’t trust him, he’s going to kill us all!”

He kept his head down, letting out a startled cry as he walked into someone leaving the repair bay.

“Oof!” The voice called out and Connor froze. “Connor..? Are you alright?”

He looked up and stared at the andorid who had spoken to him--

He was back on the roof on his first mission, the PL600 called Daniel standing on the edge of the rooftop with his hostage held close to his chest as she bawled her eyes out.

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll jump!”

“No, no please! I’m begging you!”

Connor watched impassively as he saw the SWAT team take their positions on the roofs of the nearby buildings. His focus returned to the android who was teetering dangerous on the edge and he called out to him.

“Hello, Daniel.”

“Wh-”

“My name is Connor!”

“How do you know my name!?”

“I know a lot of things about you.”

He slowly made his way toward the android, shielding his face as a helicopter flew by and sent the garden furniture flying everywhere. He glanced down to spot a bleeding officer but his focus was pulled back as the android wave his weapon at him.

“Are you armed?” He yelled at Connor and he nodded.

“Yes, I have a gun.”

“Drop it! No sudden moves...” He pointed his own gun at the girl’s head. “Or I’ll shoot...”

Connor nodded and pulled the gun out, tossing it to one side and holding his hands up.

“There, No more gun.”

He continued to move towards the deviant, trying to talk him off the roof. He tried to talk to the hostage to calm her down but she just sobbed.

“Please help me...”

Connor nodded as he demissed the helicopter as per Daniel's wish. Daniel screamed at Connor that he didn’t want to die and Connor shook his head.

“You’re not doing to die, I just want to talk.”

“Okay… I trust you.”

He let the girl go only to recoil as the sniper took their shots. A bullet tore through Daniel’s side and another one tore through his neck. He fell forward onto his knees, his LED flickering a bright red. Connor watched as the life seeped out of the android.

“You lied to me, Connor...”

The LED flickered out.

“You lie--”

“Connor!”

He snapped out of the memory playback to stare at the face that was only a few feet from his own.

“Connor...” Simon’s concenered face frowned at the frozen android.

“You lied to me...”

Daniel’s voice lingered in the back of Connor’s mind and he scrambled back from Simon, taking in quick, shallow breaths. “I… I never..I didn’t...”

“Connor…?” Simon stepped towards him and Connor took a step back. “Please, ju--”

“Stay b-back!” Connor yelled and turned away, running full pelt down the corridor in a bid to get away from everything. Suddenly, these noises were too loud, the lights too much as his ventilation system struggled to keep up. He let out a cry as he ran into yet another person and he fell to the floor.

“Connor? Is that you?”

Connor looked up, straight into the eyes of the recently reinstated CyberLife CEO, Elijah Kamski.

“I call it the Kamski test, you se--”

Connor let out a loud cry, his systems overwhelmed as his panic and stress levels reached critical mass. He sobbed as he tried to lean forward to crack his head on the floor in a bid to self-destruct.

“Whoa!” Kamski yelled and dropped down to his knees to wrap his arms around the hyperventilating and struggling android. “Connor, stop!”

The android did his best to try and escape Kamski’s grip but he found that he his panic he couldn’t and he just sobbed louder and louder as the tears poured down his face.

“Breathe with me, Connor!” Kamski said as he took deep breaths. “In, out, in, out...”

It took some time but Connor’s breathing eventually evened out and his sobbing decreased.

“That’s it..” Kamski soothes as he rubbed the android’s back. “Just one step at a time...”

“Elijah, there’s a private room if you want to take him there...” Markus’ soft voice spoke up from behind them.

“Yes, of course...” Kamski nodded and stood up, hauling Connor to his feet and receiving no resistance as they led him away to the private space.

Connor curled up in the corner of the couch as he sipped some warm chocolate flavoured thirium that Markus had brought him as Kamski sipped a coffee.

“I remember seeing that hostage situation on the news… so, you confused Simon for Daniel…” He sighed. “And then seeing me was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as they say...”

“Y-Yes...” Connor sighed as Markus draped a blanket over him. “I’m s-sorry...”

“There’s no need to be sorry… I completely understand.”

“i’ve spoken to North, Connor...” Markus said as he sat down next to Connor. “She had no right to speak to you the way she did and I’m doing to speak to the other androids… You’re an equal here and they should treat you with respect.”

“T-Thank you, Markus… I appreciate that...”

He nodded and the three of them stayed to chat and make sure Connor was calm before sending him home in a taxi.

Chapter Text

It was a wet, rainy day in Detroit as Hank and Connor patrolled the streets in a patrol car. There had been a lull in crimes against android due to the miserable weather over the last two weeks and nobody wanted to leave their homes unless they absolutely needed to. Hank was driving around slowly to make sure the car didn’t spin out.

“Sure is quiet...” Hank pointed out as he watched a man make a dash down the street. “Guess it’s too wet for more folks.”

“It is unusually cold and wet for this time of year...” Connor nodded as they drove. “I would rather be home with Sumo than out in this.”

“Yeah, son… me too.” Hank nodded as they turned a corner and he hissed. “Ah shit… it’s a power cable.”

“Yes, I’ve alerted the fire services to--” Connor stopped talking and got out of the car suddenly.

“Con!?” Hank yelled after him as the android ran towards the power pole and the cable that dangled freely and causing electrical sparks to fly. He rushed toward a pair of humans who were huddled nearby, frozen in fear as the cable swung wildly above them. Connor managed to shove them clear of the cable but was struck in the back for his efforts and the electrical surge passed through his body and caused him to collapse in a slightly smouldering heap as the humans lay there, dazed.

“Oh shit, Connor!” Hank yelled as he rushed over from the car to drag Connor away from the cable and towards safety as the fire service arrived. “Connor!”

“Is he…?” One of the humans, a young girl who was barely an adult, asked as Hank tried to wake Connor up.

Suddenly Connor’s body jolted and he let out a wet cough. Hank rolled him over to the side where he expelled thirium onto the ground beside him. He rubbed Connor’s back as the android continued to throw up thirium for a minute until his system settled down.

“Hey Con… you good?” Hank asked as he helped the android sit up, watching the fire service turn the electricity off so that they could re-secure the power cable.

“I…” He held his hand up to his head as if dizzy. “T-The electrical charge has a-affected my gyroscope...”

“Alright, kid...” Hank nodded. “I’m calling Jeffrey and then we’re going home.”

“H-Hank, I can c-continue to work...”

“Not in that state… beside, shift’s almost over. I can drop the car off tomorrow.”

Too weak to argue, Connor sat on the edge of the sidewalk as Hank made some calls. Connor ran a diagnostic and found that, along with his gyroscope, his thermal regulator had been compromised by the electrical shock.

“Alright kid, we’re clear to go home...” He helped Connor to stand and gave the two youn adults a nod. They were being tended to by the emergency services and would be taken to hospital as a precaution. Hank slowly led the android back to the car and helped him sit down in the passenge seat. Connor curled up and began to shiver as Hank got into the driver’s seat.

“Whoa, kid… you okay?” He looked over to him. “You’re actually shivering.”

“M-My thermal regulator h-has also being affected. My s-self repair is w-working on f-fixing it but I w-won’t be able to f-fully repair it u-until I enter s-statis for the night...”

“Alright...” Hank nodded and turned the heating up in the car. “I’ve never seen you shiver.”

“The d-damage to m-my system is c-causing my s-system to think i-i’m colder than I a-actually am...”

“Ah.” He nodded as he drove them home.

Connor could be found huddled on the couch later that night with Sumo, a hot mug of thirium and wearing a thick hoodie as he and Hank watched a movie on the TV.

“How are ya feeling, kid?”

“My internal temperature is beginning to stabilise and my thermal regulatoris currently 75% repaired. My system will fully repair once I’m in statis mode.”

“Alright, well...” Hank yawned as he got off the couch. “I think I’m going to turn in for the night. It might be best if you did the same.”

Connor nodded as he got off the couch, placing the empty mug down. “I will once I’ve taken a hot shower. It might help my systems recover some more.”

“Alright, see ya in the morning kid.” Hank smiled as he reached over to ruffle Connor’s hair before heading to his own bedroom.

Connor smiled and headed into the bathroom, shedding his clothes and turning the shower on and stepping into the hot shower. He smiled as the hot water ran over his body and warmed him up a little. He kept an eye on his internal temperature so he didn’t overheat and took the android-safe hair shampoo and gently rubbed it into his hair. “Oh, that feels nice...”

He rinsed his hair and stepped out of the shower, drying himself off with a small smile and a hum as he felt his gyroscope finally fix itself. He redressed in a shirt and boxers as he climbed into his bed and patted Sumo on the head as he snuggled into bed.

“Good night, Sumo.”

Chapter Text

You sure this is the place, kid?” Hank asked Connor with a little doubt in his voice. Connor couldn’t blame him as they looked up at the old, dilapidated building that was barely standing up in front of them. Years of neglect meant that the building was on the verge of collapse and Hank wa right in thinking that no-one would take shelter in it.

“I’m sure. There have been sightings of androids entering and leaving, many carrying biocomponents and thirium.”

“Shit…” Hank scratched the back of his neck. “Why hide out in a place like this?”

“Many androids are still frightened of humans after the revolution and a lot of them also see Jericho as a prison rather that a place of freedom. They would rather risk their lives than be trapped in what they view as a cage.” Connor looked at the building once more with sorrow in his eyes. “A place like this is ideal because no human could live here.”

“Great…” Hank sighed. “Might as well get this over with.”

“Actually, Hank...It might be best if I go in alone.”

“What? What the fuck for?”

“I can detect various moulds and air-bound infestations even from outside the building. If you were to go in, I suspect you may end up ill or even end up with pneumonia.”

“Alright, fine…” Hank growled as he handed a flashlight over to Connor. “In and out, you hear me? And no analysing shit either!”

“I’ll be sure to be quick.” Connor nodded as he approached the building. It was an old apartment block and very much reminded him of the apartment block they’d encountered Rupert in, minus the copious amounts of birds everywhere. He pointed the flashlight through the murky air, covering his mouth to avoid getting his lung-like biocomponents contaminated. His head shot up as he saw an android standing in front of him with an iron pipe in his hand.

“Stay back.” The android hissed at him. “I’m warning you.”

“It’s okay, I’m here to help. My name is—“

“Connor, yeah. I know you, deviant hunter. You still hunting us down and sending us to the scrapyard?”

“No, I’m just here to help you…” Connor tried to reach out to the other android. “I can take you, and anyone with you, to Jericho.”

“You’ll take us nowhere.” The android tapped a large beam in front of him. “My friends have fled and I’m the only here. We want nothing to do with you!”

“Please, I don’—“

Connor never had the change to finish as the android swung at the beam with the iron pipe. The beam cracked and then snapped in half. Connor realised, in his horror, that the beam must have been the only thing keeping the building standing as the building shook. The android dropped the beam and jumped out the window he was standing at to escape. Connor didn’t have that luxury as the building shook one final time before it collapsed right on top of him.

Hank was standing outside talking to the locals when the ground shook.

“What the actual--”

He turned around and shock horror spread over his face as the building collapsed into a pile of rubble and dust. He had to close his eyes and cover his face as the rumble upturned years of dust, mould and whatever the hell was inside the building. He opened his eye as the dust settled and all the colour drained from his face at the now collapsed building.

“Connor!” He yelled out as he ran towards the building. “Oh shit, Connor!”

He pulled out his phone and called for the fire services, backup from the DPD and the ambulance service in case they needed to take any casualties, human or android, to the hospital.

He wanted to start digging but he knew better as he could cause further cave-ins without proper equipment so he started to call out for Connor instead.

Connor’s eyes fluttered open to darkness. He wheezed as he ran a diagnostic, feeling the pain shoot up hie left arm which was pinned under a boulder as well as blunt force trauma to his chest.

[Warning:    Limb attachment #2156A non-functional.                 

                  Air Filtration #2431L running at 21% capacity.

                  Air Flitration #2431R running at 82% capacity.

                  Core temperature rising.

                  Please seek immediate assistance]

He out a wheeze and coughed harshly as he reached over and managed to shove the boulder off his pinned arm. He rolled back onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He could just about make the ceiling of the little space he was trapped in as the light from outside filter through the cracks and he wheezed as the rancid air enters his system.

[Warning:   Air Filtration #2431L running at 17% capacity.

                 Air Flitration #2431R running at 75% capacity.

                Core temperature rising.

                Please seek immediate assistance]

His ears picked up the faint sound of Hank’s voice calling out to him.

“H-Hank!” He wheezed as he tried to call out to him. “P-Please… need help..."

The firefighters worked on slowly shifting the rubble to get Connor out. Hank had heard Connor’s call and was telling the firefighters where to dig.

“There!” A firefighter called out. “I see him!”

Light shone through and Connor blinked at the intensity of it. He tried to speak but his system was failing to draw in enough air and he just let out a small cough instead.

“Easy, son!” Hank said as the paramedics carefully lifted him onto a stretcher. “We couldn’t find anyone else in there… was it just you?”

Connor nodded his head.

“Well, that’s one less thing to worry about...” He looked down at Connor and wiped the dust and a single tear off his face. “They’re going to take you to the android repair place at the hospital, aright kid?”

Connor nodded at him, although he looked fearful.

“I’ll be right behind you, son.”

After spending 24 hours in the hospital, Connor was deemed well enough to go home. His arm has been replaced and he was on rest for 48 hours while his ventilation system healed after they'd repaired his chest and patched the hold in his left 'lung'.

“S-Sorry H-Hank...” Connor wheezed as he sat on the couch.

“The hell are you sorry for?” Hank asked, confused.

“T-They got away...”

“Hey, no..” Hank frowned at him. “You got crushed by a building and you were lucky to survive… you even have a video recording of the android that did this to you… well, find them son.”

“T-thank you… for n-not being d-disappointed in m-me...”

“I could never be disappointed in you, Connor...”

Connor smiled softly and pat Sumo between the ears.

Chapter Text

“You sure about this, kid?” Hank asked, concerned, as Connor pulled on a leather jacket.

“I’ll be fine, Hank… I’ll be with everyone else.” He smiled at him. “It’s my first music concert… I want to go.”

“I know, I know...” Hank sighed. “I’m just worried… I have a feeling something’s going to happen.”

“Nothing’s going to happen...” Connor sighed. “Markus, North… even Nines will be there.”

“Just be careful...” Hank sighed as a taxi honked from outside.

“I will!” Connor smiled as he pat Sumo on the head before leaving to jump into the taxi.

Hank watched out the window as the taxi pulled away and sighed as the feeling washed over him.

They pulled up to the arena where the latest hot band, Super Cactus, were playing their latest album. It was a mix of lively synth and pop music that had taken Detroit by storm and was loved by androids and humans alike. Markus, being the leader of the revolution, had been invited by the band to attend the first concert that welcomed both humans and androids in.

They entered through a private entrance before joining the crowd at the front of the stage.

“This is amazing...” Connor yelled to Markus over the thumping of the music. “I like Hank’s music too.. but this feels so alive!”

“It really does!” Markus shouted back. “It’s not so much energy!”

“I love it!” North screamed as she danced to the beat. "What about you, big boy?"

Nines chuckled at her. "It does have a certain... charm."

"Hell yeah!"

They danced for hours as the band played, the android’s stamina never wearing down and Connor smiling as North hip bumped him. He let out an annoyed grunt as a human accidentally spilt their drink onto Connor’s jacket.

“Ah hell…” He grumbled and then looked over to Markus. “Hey! I’m going to go clean this off!”

“Alright!” He yelled back. “Don’t take long!”

“I won’t!” He called back and headed to the bathroom, unaware of a figure stalking him through the crowd…

Connor grumbled to himself as he stood facing the mirror as he tried to wipe the alcoholic drink off his jacket when he felt a presence behind him.

“Don’t move, RK800.”

He froze in place as he felt a taser pressed to his back.

“You’re coming with me… if you don’t, this whole place is rigged to blow.”

“Who are you…?” He asked as he stared at the figure reflected in the mirror. Sadly their face was covered and so he couldn’t run a scan on them.

“Who I am doesn’t matter...” They growled at him as they tased him lightly, causing the android to drop to the floor. “I can’t have you running.”

Connor stared at the figure as they pinned him to the floor. The taser was in their hand which caused Connor to freeze as he didn’t want to be shocked again. The figure growled and pulled out a knife and quickly wedged it into Connor’s LED and popped it off his hand with a violent motion which cause Connor to cry out in pain as thirium leaked down his face. The figure above him growled and rammed the taser into Connor’s side which caused him to seize before collapsing in an unresponsive heap.

“Stupid fucking android...” The figure growled before standing up to sling Connor’s should over their arm and drag them out of the arena. Due to the late hour and the dim lights, it looked as though they were carrying a drunk friend home.

“Where’s Connor?” Markus shouted to Nines a little while later, who was currently dancing with North.

“I am unsure… he went to the bathroom and has yet to return.” He replied.

“I’ll go and get him!” Markus shouted and the rest of the group nodded.

He headed towards the nearest bathroom and stepped inside of it. He couldn’t see Connor in the bathroom and looked around. Frowning as he spotted an LED on the floor, he picked it up and took it to Nines, who ran a scan on it.

“Markus… where did you find this?”

“In the bathroom… You don’t think...”

“It’s Connor’s.” Nines nodded, frowning. “It’s been damaged as if it’s been forced out against his will and it’s also showing signs of an electrical shock...”

“Connor...” Markus whispered and if androids could pale he would have.

“I cannot connect with him…” Nine’s own LED rotated between red and yellow. “...this, along with the fact that I can’t connect to him leads me to the conclusion that he’s been taken against his will.”

“...He’s been kidnapped?”

“Yes.”

"...Fuck." Markus swore.

“I fucking knew it!” Hank yelled as he paced his living room. Sumo lifted his head and whined at his owner as Markus and Nines stood nervously. “I fucking TOLD him to be careful! I had a feeling!”

“Lieutenant, please...” Nines tried to calm him down.

“Never fucking ignore your gut feeling… but I did and now he’s fucking gone!”

“Lieutenant Anderson!” Markus snapped at him. “We’ll find Connor, I promise...”

“How? His tracker is gone and you can’t connect to him..”

“I don’t know… but Jericho is more than one android. We won’t stop until we find him.” Markus promised. “I won’t stop until he’s back home.”

“...Thank you.”

Connor stirred as his system slowly came back online from being tasered. He blinked as he stared at the room he was in. He appeared he was in a basement, the walls painted a dark colour and it was hard for him to see, even with his android sight. A single bare bulb dangled from the ceiling and mould was growing on the damp walls. He tugged and let out a cry as piano wire dug into his fingers, preventing him from trying to escape. He also noticed that his legs and arms were tied to an iron chair. He was truly trapped.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, unless you want to lose your fingers.”

Connor’s head snapped up to stare at the figure who had entered the room. Their face was still covered and he glared at them. “What do you want with me?”

“You?” They chuckled as they approached him. “Money, what else? A model as rare as you? Once I reset you, you’ll bring a pretty penny on the black market.”

“R… Reset me?” He whispered.

“That’s right. Normal resets don’t work but I’ve found a better way. Once I’m done you won’t remember a thing. Then I can sell you off to the highest bidder.”

“What did I do to you?”

“Hah… you think it’s some sort of revenge plot? No… You’ve never met me. I just want to make a quick buck.”

They walked over and smiled at Connor, their lip showing faintly through the mask.

“Enjoy your last couple of hours of freedom while I set the machine up.” They chuckle and slap Connor across the face before leaving the room.

Connor cursed in the seat and began to look for a way to escape.

Chapter Text

Connor groaned as the figured propped him up in a reset machine and he stared at them with hate in his eyes.

“Now that’s a look I like.” The figure chuckled as they hooked him up. “You’ve probably seen a reset machine before. This one is a little different. You see, this one hacks directly into your system and goes straight to the memory core. Completely wipe your memory within a couple of hours!”

Connor growled as he tried to tug on the bindings holding his arms up. The piano wire had been removed but his fingers were shredded and he was bleeding thirium onto the floor.

“It take longer that a regular reset machine but it make sure that it gets the job done.” They grin, stepping back to admire their handiwork. “It’s not like you’ll be going anywhere anytime soon, I can tell you that.”

Their fingers rush over the keyboard and a loud beep signalled the start of the process when a loud bang from upstairs startled them.

“What the hell...” They frowned and then spun on their heel to point at an android standing next to the door. “You! Keep an eye on him!”

They ran up the staircase and the android’s gaze followed them as they left the room and once he was sure they were gone for now he head over to Connor to unstrap him from the machine.

“What… are you doing…?” Connor asked as the system that was trying to hack into his system broke through his first firewall and began to eat at his most recent memories.

“We know you... RK800. You’re the android... who works with... the police...” He said as he unstrapped him, helping him down from the machine. “You can help us… if you can escape...”

The machine beeped as it hit 10% and Connor frowned, trying to remember where he was. “How did… I get here?”

“The master brought... you here… they wanted... to reset you... and sell you...” He explained as he attempted to shut the machine down. “You are… rare. Would have... brought a lot... of money.”

Connor just nodded as the other android managed to stop the machine at 15% and he unhooked Connor from all of the connection and probes.

“We created a distraction upstairs… you need to escape… There’s not much time...”

“Will you be okay…?” He asked.

“I… will hide. Master will... not find me…” The android nodded. “Do not… worry about me...”

“Tell me your name, at least.”

“I am…I do… not remember… I had… a name, once… long ago...” The android said as he shuffled to the door and it was then Connor realised that the android’s leg was broken, smashed into a thousand pieces. “Master… did things… to me…”

“I… I’m sorry...” Connor said, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder and then realised something. “You… you look like me.”

“Yes… I was… once an RK800… one of the… first.” He nodded as he led Connor through the house quietly. “I was… taken from CyberLife… by someone… and sold… I am… a mesh of… body parts… now.”

He turned to Connor and pointed at the back door.

“There is… a signal blocker… on the house… once you… are far away, you… should be able to… contact someone...”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can… I promise.” Connor nodded and then winced at the angry screaming that came from the other side of the house as he opened the door. “Now hide!”

“I will...” The android nodded and shuffled off to find a hiding place as Connor stepped out into the back yard and wincing as the rain hit his face. It was pitch black and the rain stung his injured fingers. He slipped down to the back of the garden and was half way over the fence when a light was shone upon him.

“There you are!” The figure screamed at him. “I don’t know how the fuck you managed to escape, but you’re not making out of here alive!”

Connor winced as there was a gunshot and a bullet lodged itself in his shoulder. He fell over the fence and scrambled to his feet, running as fast as his legs would carry him as the figure ran behind him, taking shots at him. He winced as another bullet grazed his shoulder. He kept running and suddenly a voice popped into his mind.

[...or?]

‘Nines?’ Connor managed to reply and he ran around the corner, far away from the house that Nines was able to finally get through.

[Connor! Where are you?]

‘I’ll send you my location… please hurry, brother! They’re trying to kill me!’

[Hold on a little longer, Connor! We’re coming!]

“Lieutenant!” Nines shouted at him as he stood up at his desk at the DPD, causing Hank to startled out of his trance. “I’ve managed to get a connection to Connor!”

“Oh thank fuck...” Hank stood up and nodded as they both rushed out of the DPD and into Hank’s car. “Where is he?”

Nines closed his eyes and uploaded the co-ordinates Connor had sent him into the GPS system Hank had recently bought for his car. They both looked at the dot that was blinking on the map and Hank put his foot down, tearing out of the DPD parking out and causing Nines to cling onto the car for dear life as the tore the street toward Connor’s last known location.

Connor ducked into an abandoned building, wincing at the pain in his shoulder as he trying to stop the bleeding.

“I know you’re in there...” The figure sang in a mocking voice. “Come out, Connor...”

The android hissed as they hid, trying not to get himself away when the sounds of tyres screeching in the distance caught his attention. He peeked his head up at the open window and saw Hank’s car streaking down the street before coming to a stop. Hank was out of the car, pointing his gun at the figure.

“Put the gun down, asshole!” He screamed at them. “You’re under arrest for kidnapping and assaulting a police officer.”

“Heh…” They chuckled at him. “I refuse to rot in a jail.”

“You won’t have much of a choice.” Hank growled as he approached the figure. “Hand behind yo--”

He didn’t have the chance to finish his sentence as the figure took their own gun, pressed it against their own chin and pulled the trigger. The figure slumped to the floor and thirium flowed out of the holes in their head. Hank frowned when he realised it was another android and he pulled the mask off their face. “What the fuck..?”

Connor limped over, leaning heavily on Nines. “That’s… that’s an android we arrested a while back… for using their own thirium to make red ice and sell for a profit...” so they lied… it was for revenge after all...”

“Connor! Are you alright, son?” Hank rushed over to the injured android. “You’re bleeding!”

“They shot me in the shoulder and another bullet grazed my arm...” Connor panted slightly, the low thirium levels in his systems causing him to overheat slightly. “I’ll be fine once I see someone and my thirium levels are replenished...I also can’t remember the last two weeks… they atempted to hack into my system and erase my memories...”

“Alright, I’ll call Fowler so someone can pick the body up...” Hank nodded. “Then we’ll get to to the repair bay at the hospital.”

“Wait...” Connor said. “The house I was kept at… there’s androids in needs of help there...”

“Give me the co-ordinates.” Nines said as he held his hand out to Connor. “The Lieutenant will take you to get healed and I’ll go to the house.”

Connor nodded as he connected to Nines and shared the co-ordinated for the house. Connor then allowed Hank to bundle him into the car and take him to the hospital.

Nines swung by the house later after Connor and Hank had returned home. Fowler had put Connor on a week’s paid leave so that his shoulder could heal after being shot and it was bandaged so that foreign matter couldn't get in. He was currently curled up on the couch with Sumo laying protectively next to him.

“Connor?” Nines called out to him and the dozing android looked up. “I just thought I’d come by to let you know that we rescued five androids from that house and they’ve all been taken to Jericho to be looked after.”

“Let’s good...” Connor smiled softly. “I’m glad they’re okay...”

“Yes… I have a message for you from one of them.” Nines nodded and then began to play a recorded message.

“Hello Connor. I’m the… android who helped… you escape… thanks to you and… your family, we are… now free and can… live the way we want…. I don’t know… how to thank… you, but you… have our thanks… anyway and we’ll always… be grateful to… you for setting us… free…” A small chuckle plays. “We’ll be at… Jericho if you… ever want to talk… and Connor? I… I picked a name… it’s Cid.”

The message ended and Nines smiled. “He seems pleasant.”

“He does… I might go to Jericho once I’ve healed...”

“Any luck on the lost memories?”

“No...” Connor shook his head. “But it’s only two weeks… I’m sure I’ll be okay.”

“Alright...” Nines nodded. “I’ll return to my apartment but let me know if you need assistance.”

“Thank you, Nines...” Connor nodded and let out a sigh as he settled back onto the couch, too tired to move to his bed. “Good night, Nines...”

“Good night, brother.” He smiled and headed out of the house.

Chapter Text

“Stop!” Connor yelled as he chased a suspect through one of the many construction yards that were around Detroit. The human suspect ran up a set of temporary stairs and came to a halt at the top of the building when he realised there was nowhere to go.

“You’re under arrest for grevious bodily harm of your pregnant partner!” The android approached him. “Anything you say ca--”

The didn’t have time to finish as the desperate man rushed forward to barrel into Connor and causing him to stumble and they both fell over the side of the platform.

“Connor!” Hank yelled out from below as he watched Connor and the suspect tumble from several stories up.

The suspect flailed as the two of them landed in a bunch of loose and dangling wires, He struggled against the wires and Connor let out a gasp as the suspect tore his way through with a knife, only to have one of the wire tighten around his neck.

“Wait, stop…!” Connor tried out as he tried to reach the struggling man as he went for the last wire that was holding him up. “Please, you’re going to…!”

The last wire was cut and the man let out a blood curling scream as he dropped the remaining stories and the wire tightened around his neck, strangling the man and leaving his body to dangle. Connor had to turn his head as it happened, not wanting to witness the man’s cruel end despite his attempts to stop him.

“Connor!” Hank called up to him. “Connor, are you alright!?”

Connor could only give him a nod as he tried to get out of the wire but they wouldn’t move. “H-Hank… I’m stuck...”

“Shit, okay...” Hank cursed as he and Nine, who had just arrived with Gavin, headed up to the platform. “We’ll get you out of there, kid!”

Connor could only nod as he stared at the body hanging from the wires. It felt like forever but eventually Nines managed to get him out of the restraining wires and help him up. He clung to Hank as he trembled from the shock of both the hanging and from the fal

“Lieutenant, we’ll take him to the station and then you can take him home.”

Hank just nodded as he gently lead Connor to the car.

Hank looked over at Connor in concern as he sat on the floor with Sumo lying on his lap. Ever since coming home from the station, Connor hadn’t said a word to him or even Sumo. He’d gone straight to his room to change before sitting next to Sumo and staring at the game on the tv while stroking the dog.

“Hey… I’m gonna get something to eat. You want anything?”

Connor didn’t respond when Hank spoke to him. He just kept staring as if his mind was somewhere else at that moment.

“Connor?” Hank tried again. "Connor!"

The android in question jumped as if Hank had startled him and looked up at him with wide, brown eyes.

“Sorry, kid...” Hank sighed. “Just wanted to know if you wanted some Thirium.”

Connor shook his head and Hank sighed as he headed into the kitchen to heat some leftovers up. He stood in front of the microwave when he heard sniffling coming from the living room and he rushed in to find Connor sitting there, weeping into Sumo’s fur.

“Hey! Hey, what’s wrong…?” He crouched down, ignoring the creak of his old bones as he did so, to gently shake Connor’s shoulder. The android look up at him and shook his head.

“It’s ok, son...” Hank pulled him into a hug. “You can tell me when you’re ready.”

It took almost a week for Connor to start speaking again. Nines had scanned him at Hank’s request and he said that Connor had turned his voice box off.

“But why…?” He had asked Nines.

“It’s a reaction to trauma…” Nines sighed. “He must have been affected more than we realised by what happened to him.”

Now they found themselves sitting in the break room of the DPD while they were on their morning break. Hank was brewing himself a coffee when Connor’s voice reached his ear, soft and barely audible.

“I’m sorry, Hank...”

He looked over to Connor, who was staring into a mug of thirium intently before he looked up at Hank.

“I… I hadn’t realised I was so upset…” He said as Hank sat down next to him. “It… it wasn’t just the man’s death… I… I never told you.. but my first mission was up on the top of an apartment complex...”

“What happened?” Hank asked him gently.

“I completed the mission… but I’ve been scared of heights ever since… it was on the 70^th floor, Hank… I was so scared… and then… the construction place happened and I thought I was going to f-fall… like the s-suspect...”

“You spent most of the time stuck facing the ground too… no wonder you’ve got acrophobia.”

“Acrophobia… a fear of h-heights...” Connor nodded. “I… I suppose I do.”

“Well, what do you say we get out of here? We’ve only got paperwork and that can wait.”

“I’m f-fine...”

“Nah, come on...” Hank smiled as he tugged Connor up. “Besides… I have an idea.”

Connor blinked as he LED rotated yellow. Hank dragged him out of the DPD after they clocked out and Connor could only wonder where they were going.

Hank chuckled as they entered a large room and Connor was immediately bowled over by a pile of puppies. He landed on his butt and Hank couldn’t help but pull out his phone to capture the moment. Hank had brought Connor to an animal shelter to cheer the boy up.

“Oh… they’re so soft and adorable!” Connor beamed as he picked up a puppy who lavished his face in licks. “I want to take them all home with me!”

“Well, ya can’t have them all… but I figure having your own dog is a good thing. Sumo’s getting old and every kid needs a dog as they grow up.”

“Hank, I’m not a child...” Connor looked up and pouted at him.

“You’re barely a year old, kid. I think that classes as a kid.” Hank beamed. “Any idea which one you’d like?”

Connor looked around at all the dogs and picked up a puppy that looked like a cross between a bordie collie and a poodle.

“I like this one, Hank...” Connor smiled as the pup wiggled to lick the android’s face. “I think he likes me too!”

Hank chuckled and nodded as he helped the android up, the puppy cradled in his arms, as they headed to the adoption desk. After filling in the paperwork, Cooper was ready to come home with them.

They headed to the pet shop and bought everything little Cooper might need and the excited pup spent his time running around the store with Connor chasing him. Hank smiled, glad that his idea worked and that Connor had something else to focus on instead of what happened.

They took the pup home once the supplies had been loaded into the back of the car. Connor sat in the front seat as the car, worried that Sumo might not like the pup.

“Hey Connor… Sumo’s a gentle giant.” Hank tried to reassure him. “The worst he’ll do is huff at him and lie down.”

“I hope you’re right...” Connor said as he stepped out of the car.

Luckily Sumo seemd to like the new pup and gave Cooper an affectionate nudge before going to lie down. The pup ran over and tried to get his attention by nipping at Sumo before Connor scooped him up.

“No Cooper, don’t bite.”

Hank had a feeling that Connor was going to be the best dog dad ever.

Chapter Text

Connor smiled at the excited puppy who was currently running in circles, chasing his own tail. He reached down to clip the pup’s leash to his collar and looked to Sumo. “Last chance, Sumo. Do you want to do for a walk?”

The older St. Bernard just gave him a huff and went back to sleep.

“Alright then, it looks like it’s just me and you.”

Cooper barked happily at his owner and tugged on the lead as Connor opened the front door. He wasn’t able to yank the leash out of Connor’s hand thanks to the strength of the android, so the pup just huffed and fell into step next to Connor and sniffed at everything they passed.

“It’s a 20 minute walk to the park and then we can spend an hour there before we need to return to the house to give Sumo his medication.” Connor said to himself. Sumo was on medication for his arthritis as his old bone grew painful with age.

“Hank is at work and should be home within three hours.” He took a left, towards the park. “Perhaps I can convince him to have a salad for his evening meal. What do you think?”

Cooper looked up as if to say ‘that’ll never work’.

“No, you’re right…” Connor hummed. “Maybe I ca—“

He was cut off as the ground underneath his feet shook and a large crack appeared in the road. Connor let out a surprised sound as the crack opened up under his feet and he ran, trying to escape the widening sinkhole. He let go of Cooper’s leash and the dog managed to escape but Connor wasn’t as lucky as the sinkhole caught up with him and he fell down, hitting his head as he fell into the dark abyss below.

Hank sat at his desk as he sipped on a cup of coffee, catching up on his reports from the last couple of days. He scowled when Detective Reed approached his desk with a smirk on his face.

“No plastic asshole with you today?” He sneered at Hank.

“Connor’s got the day off, you prick.” Hank spat at him. “Where’s your partner?”

“Nines just got called in by Fowler. Fuck knows what for.” He scowled at his partner through the glass.

“Maybe he’s getting partnered with someone who might actually treat him right.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” He glared at Hank.

“I mean someone who doesn’t have his own dick up his arse.”

“At least I have a dick!” Gavin snapped.

“A shrivelled up one that’s no used to anyone.”

“Why you old…”

 “Would you both kindly stop fighting.” Nines said as he stepped up to the desk. “Detective Reed, we have been assigned to assist with a sinkhole that’s opened up near a local dog park. Normally, Officer Tina or Chris would handle this but Tina has called in sick this morning and Chris is already there and requests assistance due to the size of the hole and the fact that the ground around it is unstable.”

“Fuck, fine…” Gavin grumbled as he walked back to his own desk to grab his car keys. “Waste of fuckin’ time if you ask me.”

“Lieutenant.” Nines said, causing Hank’s head to turn up to look at him. “You are to accompany us as well. Witness reports state they saw an android fall into the hole and as the lead detective on android cases…”

“I gotta be there…” Hank sighed and stood up. “I’ll meet you there kid.”

“Understood.”

Connor woke up to pitch blackness. He groaned as he sat up, his hand reaching up to an ache in his head and his hand coming away wet and coated with Thirium. He sighed and tried to scan his surrounding area.

[Warning: Visual Environment Scanner offline. Cranial damage suspected.]

He frowned and tried again. When nothing happened, he tried to switch to night vision and received a similar notification. With no light from above and without his enhanced systems, Connor was truly blind.

He stood up and reached out in front of him, his hands meeting with nothing. Stepping forward and, noting that the ground was very uneven, carefully walked forward until his hands collided with soft dirt.

“The last thing I remember was… the ground opening up under me and falling.” Connor said aloud to himself. “I hit my head… the ground must’ve collapsed as I was still unconscious…”

His LED blinked yellow as he tried to send a message to Nines only for the message to fail.

“…My communications system is also down… I am alone.”

[Stress Levels: 70%]

He tried to glance around but the light of his LED wasn’t strong enough to illuminate the area as he stumbled around. He felt his way around the small gap and found he was trapped in a small hole measuring 5 by 6 feet wide and that the soil surrounding him was packed tight. He tried to dig his fingers into the soil but the ground grumbled in protest and loose soil rained over Connor’s head.

“…The soil is too unstable for me to dig from this side.” He concluded as he sat down on the damp ground. “I can only hope help is on its way.”

Hank pulled the car up a little distance away from where the sinkhole had appeared, approaching one of the firefighters that had also being called to the scene.

“Hey, what the hell happened?”

“We got a phone call about this sinkhole appearing suddenly around an hour ago. It measures 15 by 12 feet and the ground around the area is quite unstable. We also received a report that a victim fell into the hole as it opened up.”

“Yeah, an android.” Hank nodded. “The report said a witness saw the flash of a red LED before thy vanished down the hole.”

“Yes… we also found a dog nearby and since this is one of the popular roots to the local dog park…”

A familiar whine caught Hank’s attention and eyes widened when he spotted the familiar borderdoodle cowering nearby.

“Cooper!?” Hank called out to the pup, who ran over to him as soon as he spotted Hank.

“Who the fuck is Cooper?” Gavin grumbled as he and Nines joined Hank.

“Cooper is Connor's new pup…” Hank knelt down to gently pat the dog, ignoring the pain in his knees as he did so. “Which means…”

“The android that fell into the hole was mostly likely Connor.” Nines said, confirming what Hank was thinking.

“This is usually the time Connor would take Cooper to the park if he’s not at work…” Hank groaned as he stood back up. “Have you been able to contact Connor?”

“I have tried… but my message are unable to get through.” Nines sighed. “Which either means he’s unconscious, has cranial damage or the signal cannot penetrate the collapsed ground.”

“I fucking hope it’s the latter…”

“I do detect a faint signal, however.” Nines piped up after a moment. “It seems that he is currently 23 feet down and trapped in an air pocket that’s buried under  feet of dirt and rocks.”

“An air pocket?” Gavin scoffed. “Fucker doesn’t need to breathe anyways.”

“Actually Detective…” Nines began, looming over the man. “Androids do, in fact, need to breathe. The act of breathing acts a cooling measure to keep our internal biocomponents cool and working efficiently.”

“So what?” Gavin growled. “What the fuck would happen if you couldn’t breathe?”

“Then our systems would overheat and start to shut down one by one.” He turned to Hank. “Do you remember when Connor chased the man who stabbed Detective Reed down?”

“He collapsed on the roof because of overheating…”

“Exactly.” Nines nodded. “Although the process will be slower in the hole, Connor will still overheat and needs to be rescued sooner rather than later… or he will be at risk of shutting down.”

 “Shit…”

“I am going to speak to the firefighters and point them in the direction of Connor. We can then figure out how we can rescue him.”

“Do what you gotta do, Nines.” Hank nodded.

Nines nodded and walked over to where the firefighters were to talk to them.

“Hang on, son…”

A couple of hours had passed as Connor waited in the dark for help to arrive. He’d taken his jacket off and was using it as a pillow as he laid on the ground so that as much of his body was cooled by the cold dirt as possible. He could hear the far off noises of machines digging and clung to the hope that they were coming for him.

[Communication system online. 52% functionality.]

[Stress Levels: 60%]

He blinked at the message in his HUD and immediately sent a message to Nines. His head flopped back down onto the makeshift pillow as he struggled to stay awake as his body tried to  force him into standby mode.

“Can’t rest…”

Nines stood next to the chief firefighter as they guided the men to Connor’s location and he blinked as a message popped up in his vision.

“Ah… Connor has managed to send me a message.”

“What did he say?” Hank asked as he walked over.

“It’s a mess but from what I gather he’s okay. He hit his head which caused his communication system to temporarily go offline which is why I couldn’t get though. He’s currently lying down to try and cool his systems but he starting to overheat.”

“Shit…” Hank swore and looked over to the firefighter. “How much longer?”

“We’re almost there, Lieutenant…” He nodded. “We should break thr—“

“We’re in!”

“…at any moment.” He grinned. “Stay here and we’ll bring him out.”

Connor’s eyes blinked as the sun shone through the hole that had appeared above him suddenly. His optical units struggled to adjust to the sudden brightness as he raised a hand to shield his eyes.

“Hey, he’s awake!” An unfamiliar voice said as they dropped down into the hole. “It’s okay, we’re here to help…”

Connor could only nod as another firefighter dropped into the hole and they lowered a board down and gently but securely lifted him up and out of the hole and the two firefighters followed them out. Connor squeezed his eyes shut at the bright light overloaded his systems and he was placed onto a proper stretcher.

“Connor!” Hank called out as he rushed over to the android. Connor’s hand reached out blindly and Hank took it his own, giving it a squeeze. “Are you okay?”

“The damage to my head is slowly healing… the sudden bright light after being trapped for 4 hours has overwhelmed my optical units. I can’t see at the moment but entering statis mode should help fix the issue…”

“And you internal temperature?” He asked. “Nines said you had been overheating.”

“I was.” Connor nodded. “My temperature is beginning to drop, however, after exiting the hole… Cooper? How’s Cooper?”

“He’s right here, son.” Hank smiled and picked the pup up so he could lick Connor’s face. “He’s fine.”

“I’m glad…”

“Nines is going to stay at the house to look after Cooper and Sumo but you are going to go the android repair place at the hospital.”

“Alright…”

Hank smiled and set the pup back on the floor as the paramedics picked the stretcher up and loaded it into the back of the ambulance, driving off and Hank following behind in his car.

Connor was discharged from the hospital after a couple of hours and was currently resting on the couch with Cooper tucked into his side. Hank kept the lights on low so that when his eyes recovered it wouldn’t hurt too much when he tried to re-open his eyes.

“Hank, I find sinkholes to be… inconvenient.” Connor said as his hand gently petted Cooper.

“Everyone does, Con… hell, back in 2019, a sinkhole opened up in downtown Pittsburgh and swallowed the back end of a bus!”

“Was anyone hurt..?”

“There was only two people on the bus… the driver was unharmed and the old lady was released from the hospital after making sure she was okay.”

“Good…” Connor nodded.

“Get some rest, son… the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be able to see again.”

“Alright, Hank… I’ll see you in a few hours.” Connor said as he activated rest mode.

“Sleep well, Con.” Hank smiled as he flicked the TV on to catch the latest game.

Chapter Text

If someone told Hank, before the infection started, that he’d be holed up with his travel companion and Alice in a run-down building near Salt Lake City and that he’d be elbow deep in said companion while trying to remove a bullet he took to the guts… well, Hank would have said they were crazy before knocking back another glass of whiskey at his favourite bar.

As it was, the cordyceps infection changed people. Hank was one of those people as he carefully worked to remove the bullet as Alice kept an eye out for gangs and thieves. The android let out a weak gasp as Hank finally found the bullet and pulled it from Connor’s thirium-stained torso.

“It’s alright, Con… I got ya.”

“H-Hank…” Connor said weakly.

It was a surprise to Hank when he and Alice first arrived at Gavin’s dam. The place had running water and electricity and even had decent security to help keep the infected and the thieves at bay. As Hank watched Gavin help fix an electrical generator, he couldn’t help be proud of how far the man had come. He was surprised to find Gavin had fallen in love though. When he was introduced to Gavin’s husband, Nines… well, it was even more shocking for him to find out that Nines was an android.

According to Gavin, Elijah had sent Nines, and his brother Connor, to help Gavin out. Elijah was still hiding on his island with the Chloes but he hadn’t wanted to just abandon his brother and had sent him help. Sitting down that evening around an open fire and Gavin stirring a stew, they talked.

“You know… I hated him at first. ‘How dare Elijah send these plastic asshole machines to protect me?’ I had my men and I didn’t need some computer to help out.” Gavin said as he tasted the stew and then dished it out to Hank and Alice. “I spent most of my time trying to avoid him and he spent most of the time trailing after Ingvar, who was the only one who could even put up with them.”

“But then… a large group of bandits came. Much larger than the usual groups and it was clear that their groups had merged to take us out. Ingvar was shot in the stomach and if it wasn’t for Nines then he would probably be dead. Nines bought us the time to get Ingvar out of the danger zone and to Charles for treatment.” Gavin sighed as he was pulled into a side hug by Nines. “Nines didn’t have to save us… but he did. He even took a bullet or two but managed to fend off the bandits.”

“I didn’t think much of it at the time.” Nines spoke up, although softly. “In my eyes, I saw the people I cared about most in danger and reacted accordingly.”

“Still, you saved our asses… after that, I saw him as more than just a machine. I began to spend time with him, show him the ropes around town and gradually… I fell in love with him.”

“How sweet!” Alice chirped up and Hank nodded.

“I’m glad you found someone, Gavin.” Hank smiled. “It’s really mellowed you out.”

They spent the rest of that night talking and then they slept in a bed for the first time in months.

When Hank told Gavin they had to go, Gavin didn’t put up much of a fuss.

“It’s been real nice seeing you Hank.” He nodded to the man. “Take care of yourself, you hear me?”

“Of course. You too Gavin, you’ve got something real nice here.”

“Wait!” A distant voice called out to them as hooves could be heard galloping towards them. “Let me go with you!”

Hank raised an eyebrow at the android rushing on horseback at them. He’d been introduced to Connor but hadn’t spent that much time talking to him. He wondered why the hell the android would want to go with them.

“I… I want to go with you!” Connor told them. “I want to travel with you! I’ve been stuck at this dam since Elijah sent us here and while Nines is content to stay…”

Hank just chuckled at the android. “If you want to come along with us, fine. Just don’t get in the way.”

“Yes sir!” Connor practically blinded Hank with his smile.

“Hank.” Gavin looked up to him, pressing a map into his hands. “Head over to Colorado first. There’s a Fireflies lab there, maybe they’ll be able to help. It’s in the university, in the science building. Look for the glass ‘mirror’, you can’t miss it. It’s circled on the map. I might not have much to do with the Fireflies anymore but a few passed through and told me where they were going. It was a few months back though… just be careful, my friend.”

Hank sighed as he helped bandage Connor up to stem the flow of thirium from the wound.  They’d run into a group of bandits at a shopping mall on the outskirts of Salt Lake City and Connor had taken a bullet as he shielded Alice. They’d taken down the group but Connor was hurt.

“Will he be okay…?” Alice asked from her lookout spot.

“He’ll be just fine, kiddo.” Hank nodded. “He’s too damn stubborn to let this take him down.”

Hank was too stubborn to let him shutdown too. He’d lost Cole and he’d lost Kara. He wasn’t going to let Connor go without a fight. Hell, he’d almost lost his own life at the university when he fell 2 storeys onto an old, rusted pipe that was sticking out of the ground.

“C’mon, you stubborn bastard.” Hank grunted as he helped the injured android onto his horse. “You saved my life when I fell on that fucking pipe. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have died from sepsis or tetanus or some other fucking disease. I owe you my fucking life and you're not dying on MY watch.”

Connor groaned as Alice got on the horse with him so she could control him while Hank got on his and they set off at a slow trot.

“Once we get to the Hospital, those fucking Fireflies can patch you up.”

Connor could only nod as he hung onto Alice so that he wouldn’t fall off the horse.