Chapter Text
***
“It starts today. You know your mission.”
“Yes, Amanda.”
***
It was only half-past seven in the morning, and you were already sipping your third coffee. Those damn nightmares have been hunting you for about six months now, and they barely let you sleep anymore. So you had gone to work early. There was a calm in the precinct of the Detroit Police Department before the day shift started you hoped would calm your nerves. Unfortunately, what didn’t let you sleep, didn’t let you focus either.
“Those damn eyes,” you said to yourself and downed the rest of your coffee. A pair of brown eyes were haunting you, belonging to the one you had shot.
You should probably make a new appointment with your therapist when she is back in Detroit. She was evacuated like the rest of the citizens because of the android revolution.
Six months ago, that peaceful revolution of androids, to be seen and recognized as living beings, had affected your job and changed the world.
You remembered the 5th of November 2038 like it was yesterday, when it all had begun for you. A smile appeared on your lips, thinking back to it.
A polite voice had stopped you when you were leaving the DPD that night.
“Please excuse me, Detective.”
You had looked up at an android with an appearance that you had never seen before. He—you never could bring yourself to call them ‘it’—was an RK800, according to his jacket, and very handsome. But so was every android, right? Designed to be perfect, you had told yourself.
“How can I help you?” you had asked.
“My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by CyberLife. I am looking for Lieutenant Anderson to assist him with a case he was assigned to this evening, but the ST300 at the reception informed me he had already left the station, and now he isn’t available. Do you know where I can find him?” The android, Connor, had asked you.
It was then that you had remembered the info-mail Captain Fowler had sent you a few weeks ago about an advanced prototype coming to the DPD to assist law enforcement. The usual police androids PC200 and PM700 were used for minor and basic duties like patrolling, guarding and observation tasks, but the RK800 should take an active part in investigations with a wide range of intellectual and forensic abilities, you had remembered.
“Hello Connor, it’s nice to meet you,” you had introduced yourself and held out your hand for a handshake. His LED had flickered yellow before he took your hand for a firm shake.
“This late, when he isn’t at home, he is probably having a drink in a bar nearby, but I’m afraid that I can’t give you the exact one. He often goes from one bar to the other,” you had told him.
He had thanked you for the information and was about to leave when you had offered to give him a ride.
“Thank you for the offer, Detective, but there is a taxi waiting for me,” he had declined and wished you a good night.
“I hope you find him soon. And beware of his mood!” you had called after him and he had acknowledged it with a polite nod.
You were jealous that Hank was the lucky one to work with the RK800, especially having known about his opinion on androids, and with your old partner having transferred to another station.
However, a day later, on November 6th, Captain Fowler had teamed you up with them, after their first investigation had ended with drawn guns. The captain had decided that you had to help with the deviant cases and integrating the RK800, since you had the best history of working with androids.
All this happened within a week, over six months ago, resulting in a deviant Connor, a bond between him and Hank, and with the recognition of androids as a sentient species. It had been an intense week, seeing both Connor, Hank, and the world change. But for you it had ended in loneliness, with your work partners gone and your live-in partners having left Detroit during the revolution.
Connor was also now part of the leaders of the androids after his spectacular freeing of thousands of his kind from the CyberLife Tower. Afterwards, he used his former purpose as a negotiator to fight for the rights for androids along Markus, North, Simon, and Josh. Therefore, you hadn’t seen him much since the events at the CyberLife Tower. However, you refused to think about that right now–the kidnapping, the fight, the shot. The material of your nightmares.
Hank had realized that he needed to get his life back on track after this historical event. He had used his one-month suspension–for beating up FBI Agent Perkins–to look for a therapist to battle his demons and especially the alcohol. He had gotten much help from Connor after he had taken him in, when he had refused to stay with the other androids at New Jericho in Hart Plaza–the place where androids had won their fight for freedom. But Hank had never gotten a reason out of him why he avoided staying with his fellow androids.
So, a month after the revolution, a fresh-looking Lieutenant Hank Anderson had come back to work as your partner.
This was five months ago, and today, both of you would each get a new partner. Hank’s partner would be Connor again, for whom it was more important to conclude the most important negotiations first before coming back to the DPD. For you, a new partner should arrive today. The only thing you knew was that he would be an android. Captain Fowler only had told you Mr. Elijah Kamski—the creator of androids—would send your new partner himself, which made you nervous about what kind of person he would send–knowing his eccentric self.
That would then make three android-human teams in the DPD, with the addition of Detective Gavin Reed and Nines, the RK900 who Connor had found in the CyberLife Tower a few days after the revolution.
It was also good for PR, to show that androids and humans could work together. This should also ensure that they were properly treated under the law, supervised by ones of their own kind. Therefore, the android leaders had negotiated that more androids should join the police and judicial system.
For the moment, the DPD could only assign androids as consultants, since they hadn't attended official police training and a special training and test had to be developed first.
Although his last actions at the DPD to find Jericho should have let Connor be permanently banned from the police force, Captain Fowler agreed to take him in again to build the new Android Police Program. (However, he would never admit that he had also agreed to this because over half of the human staff had quit after the revolution and he accepted every help he got.)
Just then, the smell of a fresh unburnt coffee pulled you out of your thoughts. This was the good stuff and not the burnt dishwater coming out of the old machine in the break room. Looking up, your eyes found Nines smiling down at you and your mood instantly lifted, making you beam up at him.
“Good morning, Detective. We brought you fresh coffee from down the street. The good stuff to reign in your anxiety on this special day.” For outsiders, he was always that grim and aloof looking android, but as his friend, you knew he was one of the kindest and funniest living beings on the entire planet.
“Nines, I hope you know how much I love you! Thanks!” You stood up to embrace him.
“Hey, what about me? It was my idea to treat you with your favorite coffee,” Gavin was standing behind Nines, his arms crossed and a pout on his face.
“Of course I love you too, Gavin,” you turned to him to embrace him too. “How did you know I was already here?”
"Come on, I know you. You never can sleep before such events and I asked Nines to check who had already clocked in,” Gavin said and patted your back.
He was right. You knew each other since the Police Academy and had grown close like siblings since then. He, the protective big brother, and you, the annoying little sister, and since neither of you had an easy life until then, you had bonded over it. Gavin had fought hard to become a police officer, and he had gotten quite anxious when androids took away the jobs of the people. But his behavior towards the police androids, and especially Connor, had led to a crack in your friendship.
It had taken a few months to be mended again, when Gavin had realized that androids wouldn't replace him in the end. He had formed a work partnership with Nines that had grown into something more in the end.
“Yeah, I don’t trust Kamski, after meeting him once. Why didn’t I get more information on my new partner?” you asked them.
“You are right not to trust him. He didn't even tell me, his last living family member,” Gavin sighed, a tad bit too dramatically, making you both snicker. "But he loves surprises and to make others uncomfortable."
You let yourself fall back into the chair when an idea occurred to you. “What about a second Nines?” you beamed at them. “We would definitely be the best team!”
“No way!" Gavin said, "I would catch him away from you and with two of them, I will get promoted to lieutenant even younger than Hank was!”
“Please, Gavin. You could never handle two RK900s,” Nines rolled his eyes playfully at both of you. “But I have to disappoint you. There is only one of me.”
“Damn,” Gavin whined. "A guy can dream, can't he?"
“Go away with your dirty mind!” you laughed at him, and Nines led them to their desks, both chuckling. It warmed your heart to see them both this happy, especially after Gavin’s moody episode and behavior towards androids. In the end, Nines had cracked him with his patience and sensitive nature. The silence of the precinct let you hear Gavin’s whispered reassurance that Nines was, of course, enough for him. Your heart melted once more for them.
Left alone again, your thoughts wandered to the day that Captain Fowler had introduced Nines to the DPD. It was also one of the few times you had seen Connor since the revolution.
Connor had stridden into the precinct to Captain Fowler’s office, followed by Hank and an android you nearly mistook for him. But on closer inspection, you noticed his sturdier build, more striking facial features and especially the ice-blue eyes instead of warm brown ones.
After they had spoken to the captain, he had introduced the new android as Nines, a new consultant for the DPD.
All hell broke loose when Fowler had announced that he would partner Nines with Detective Reed. Gavin had yelled obscenities for getting assigned a partner, especially an android, Connor had shouted back his opinion that Nines was assigned to an android-hating asshole, and Fowler’s voice was roaring over them to accept his decision. Hank had left for the break room, cursing that it was too early for this shit, and Nines had said nothing, simply observing the scene. When everybody had calmed down again, Connor had left for New Jericho again. He hadn't looked at you that day once.
On the other few occasions you had met Connor, you merely talked about professional topics, nothing really personal to get to know him better. Even after exchanging numbers, your topics of conversation never got on a personal level. Every time you had asked how he was doing, he changed the topic to his work at New Jericho, Hank, Nines, or Sumo. You couldn't count the number of pictures he had sent you of the St. Bernard anymore.
Then, even those exchanges had stopped, and you hoped to speak to him in private before your shift started.
After taking a sip of coffee, you went back to work.
It was an hour later when Hank arrived.
"Good morning, Lieutenant!" you gave him a mock salute with a big smile.
"It's too early to be friendly and I didn't have any coffee. Stop it right now," he grumbled, but you could see his eyes crinkle. You looked behind him and noticed he was alone.
"Isn't Connor with you?" Your face fell.
"What, am I not enough?" Hank teased you. "You disappointed to only see the old man?"
"You know that isn't true," you sighed. “I wanted to catch up with him because we have hardly seen each other since… the Tower. He was always busy with being an Android Leader. Or he avoided me, I don't know.” You fidgeted with your pencil.
“True, kid. Although he is living with me, I rarely see him either. He’s always away with the ongoing negotiations and stuff at New Jericho. At home, he either helps Nines to get along or drags my ass to therapy.”
“But it is helping, isn’t it? You are looking great and like a respectable lieutenant again,” you beamed at him. When his therapy had started, you two had spoken about his deterioration after Cole's death, and he had apologized for letting himself fall so deep and not having let you all help him. But you simply couldn’t stop to compliment him on his progress. He was still the reason that you had joined the force.
"Watch it!" he warned you, but couldn't hide the small smile and light blush he got after hearing your compliment. “Yes, Lieutenant!” you answered and Hank went to his desk while shaking his head at your behavior.
***
At 9 o'clock sharp, Connor walked into the precinct.
He had donned his CyberLife uniform after the revolution, but his new style was identical to it: fitted dark jeans, a white button down, and a gray dress jacket. One prominent thing from before the revolution that was missing was his tie. But he was one of the few androids who hadn't removed the LED on his temple.
A small gathering surrounded him to welcome him back. Unfortunately, you didn’t get your turn, because at that moment a delivery man entered the precinct, wheeling in a large crate labeled with the CyberLife logo. Connor chose the distraction to escape to his desk.
“Delivery for the DPD Central Station, sent by Mr. Kamski himself. Where can I leave it?”
“In the meeting room over there,” Fowler shouted from the stairs of his office.
All eyes were on that box now, but when the captain cleared his throat in warning, everyone got back to work. The moment you walked towards Connor's desk to greet him, the captain called Connor into his office, most likely to welcome him back. When they had finished, you saw a new chance and cut him off on his way back to his desk.
“Hello Connor, it’s nice to meet you here again. Welcome back!” you held out your hand for a handshake like the first time you had met him. His LED flickered yellow. Did he remember? But of course, as an android, he couldn’t forget anything, could he?
“Thank you, Detective, it is good to see you again, too”, Connor greeted you with a court nod and brief handshake, and somehow, he seemed more rigid than before his deviancy. He didn't even try to continue the conversation. Perhaps he doesn’t have any interest in getting to know you, let alone in a friendship, you thought. Your great connection before his deviation must have resulted from his social module.
Before you could talk to him more, Fowler, who ordered Hank, Connor, Gavin, Nines, and you, to join him in the briefing room, interrupted you again. A sigh escaped you when your next attempt to talk to him had failed, and you shuffled along behind the others.
When everyone had taken a seat, Fowler began his debriefing, all eyes fixed on the suspicious box.
“Mr. Elijah Kamski himself informed me about sending us help for the DPD, but I wasn't expecting this,” he gestured to the CyberLife-branded crate.
"You have to expect everything when he is involved," Connor grumbled.
Fowler raised an eyebrow at his accusation but said nothing when he went to open it.
The crate contained an android in standby mode who looked identical to Connor. He was wearing clothes that resembled the standard RK800 uniform without the android and CyberLife identifier. All your attention, however, focused on one particular spot: the prominent scar of a bullet wound on his forehead.
You knew who this was. But it couldn’t be him, could it? After all, you were the one who had put the bullet in his head and you saw him every time in your dreams since you had shot him–the RK800-60.