Chapter Text
You scurried into your office, ducking your head low and praying that Agent Richard Perkins wouldn't notice your tardiness. It was hard being one of the only female agents at your workplace- this was a man's world, after all, and the male agents here seemed to have a particularly awful god complex. The women were hit on or tossed sexist jokes far too often. You would have thought that some of this sexism would have dissipated by the year 2038, yet you were still battling the issues prevalent since the times of your great-great grandmother.
You sat down hurriedly at your desk, cursing as your wheelie chair almost went out from under you, sending your file folders spilling to the floor.
All your years of college and training to become a federal agent could not have prepared you for the high expectations of your training officer, Agent Perkins. He wanted things done only his way- in cases, in the office, in the goddamn break room. If they weren't, he would track down whomever had caused the disruption and squash them like a bug. With your dream career just barely started, you couldn't afford any mishaps that would get you on the man's bad side. You answered to his every whim, and sometimes you felt more like his personal secretary rather than his trainee. You might even say you were being treated like an android, and you hated it.
You straightened the file folders and glanced at one, the first page catching your eye. A picture of a runaway deviant was paper clipped to the page, which speculated her whereabouts and gave her basic information.
The android's name was Angela. She had bright red hair, although it could just as easily have been blond or brown or blue. That was the trouble with these androids- unlike humans, their appearance was easily changed. You wondered if they could even change the bone structures of their faces.
Angela wore a stoic expression in the picture, although that wasn't much help. Neither androids nor humans were allowed to smile in ID pictures. The LED circle on the right side of her head was blue. You tilted your head and squinted at the image. That LED circle had always seemed to you to be the only true sign of an android's feelings. The LED alternated between three colors. It was blue most of the time, yellow when the android was thinking, and red when it sensed danger.
You could give those stages very technical, computer-like terms.
Comprehension.
Processing.
Warning.
Or you could classify them with emotions.
Happy.
Curious.
Panic.
Most of your fellow agents would scoff at you for dreaming up such a notion. Perkins in particular hated that androids were being investigated as missing persons. He took the cases seriously only because he saw androids as a danger to humans.
Knowing what kind of a man Perkins was, you tried your best not to buy into his bullshit. Even so, you couldn't help feeling that he was right about some things. Weren't androids taking jobs? Weren't they replacing humans? If not for the rising fear of deviants, your own job might be in danger.
Still, how could you judge a whole species on the actions of a few deviants?
A gritty chuckle sounded from above you, and you snapped the folder closed.
"Don't think I didn't see you walk in here fifteen whole minutes late, (Y/N)," Perkins said, lips pulling back over his teeth in a grin.
A wolf with his prey. You pulled in a deep breath. You really needed stress putty or something to deal with this man.
"I apologize, sir. The traffic was terrible. It won't happen again."
"And you're reading case files in the office? Don't you do your homework? There's a reason you only come into the office certain days of the week, and it's not so you can lounge around and watch TV while you're at home. It's so you can be productive, and report to me for instructions. Can you do that much? God knows if you finished elementary school, you should at least be able to listen to fucking directions!"
You felt your pulse begin to quicken, a flare of anger and a deep fear at the way he was beginning to raise his voice. You swallowed it down.
"I can do that, sir. I did already read these as you asked, but I was just refreshing my memory."
Perkins smirked. "Huh."
He snatched Angela's file folder.
"Well, you won't be needing this one anymore. We found it."
You stood up quickly. "That's great news! Where was she?"
Perkins glared at your use of the pronoun.
"It's destroyed. Broken. By the side of a house miles from the guy it belonged to. Someone smashed it to pieces, that's what the responding detective said. It probably got into a fight with another android about whose job to steal next."
He chuckled, clearly amusing himself.
"You think it was another android that did it?" you mused.
"Why not a human? What reason would an android have to destroy another android?"
Perkins rolled his eyes.
"Easy there, hun. Remember who's the training officer here. I know what I'm talking about."
You sat back down.
"Yes sir."
You turned back to your files, waiting for him to go away and quit tormenting you.
He crossed his arms. "You got somewhere to be?"
You looked up in confusion. Was he really going to make you go out on a breakfast run?
"It might be an android but we're still being sent in to investigate. I wish we weren't 'cause of how many local cops are gonna be hanging around, pretending to know jack shit... anyway, you're way too pro-android for me to say I like you, but you're less of a smart-ass than some of my other trainees. And not bad to look at, too." You shuddered in disgust at this comment.
"You ready to ride along for this one?"
You jumped up. Finally, a real case! And one with androids, no less. Rid the world of evil, help people... that'd always been your goal in becoming a federal agent. An android was dead and someone was responsible. Here was your chance to find out who!
You slid your gun into its holster and tucked your shirt over it so it was carefully concealed. "I'm ready to go, yes sir!" you said, trying and failing to disguise your excitement.
Perkins sighed.
"Yea, yea, yea. Grab me a coffee and meet me by the car, alright?"
***
Perkins drove the few hours away to the technologically innovative city of Detroit.
"I gotta tell ya, I really don't like dealin' with Hank Anderson. He's a drunk, for one, always messing with evidence, and comes to conclusions before he even has all the evidence! If they'd just sent me on every case Hank fucked up... man, there'd be a lot more bad guys in jail."
"He, uh, sounds like a real piece of work," you commented.
It was always better to agree with whatever Perkins was babbling about.
"Ha- yeah! That's putting it nicely."
Perkins pulled up to an old cottage with vines crawling up the sides. It had unusual charm compared to the cookie cutter houses that usually lined the suburban streets just outside of Detroit. You'd only been to the city a few times, but you were quite fond of it.
"Poor old lady that lives here was scared half to death when she found this thing leaning up against her trash cans," said Perkins.
You frowned. "Angela was missing for months and this woman just noticed the body today? That doesn't seem right."
"Yeah, why would she notice? It's not a corpse. It's not like it smells," Perkins snarled, and your eyes widened.
"Don't try to solve the case here, (Y/N). Just do what I tell ya, okay?"
He slammed the car door as he got out, and you followed. The nerve of this man was ridiculous. An android had died- maybe it wasn't a human body, but Angela had meant something to the family that owned her and the people who knew her. A little respect was the least you could give her.
"Ah, forgot to mention," Perkins said, lowering his voice as the two of you rounded the side of the house. "Hank's got a new toy that he's been lugging around. Just ignore it. He doesn't like it either, and he's real touchy about it."
You nodded, although you had to admit you were a bit excited. You were sure Perkins meant an android, and you'd been dying to work with one since you'd started training under Perkins. Androids were being used more and more often to aid in police work due to their incredible skills in logic, problem-solving, and analyzation. You wondered what an android would have to say about all of this.
You froze in your tracks. The scene before you was horrendous. Blue blood was splattered everywhere, and Angela was half-propped up against a garbage can, the remnants of her head crumbling apart onto her shoulders. Black began to seep into your vision.
No. No.
How embarrassing would it be if you fainted in front of Agent Perkins? You'd trained your whole life to witness images like this, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. Perkins strode forward, squelching through the blue blood like it was nonexistent. He stopped toe to toe with a gray-haired man who had a scraggly beard and sunken blue eyes.
"Anderson," he muttered.
"Perkins."
"Where's your new best friend? He around?"
Hadn't Perkins just told you not to taunt Anderson? Apparently only he was allowed to do that.
"Yea, actually," Anderson said. "Connor, c'mere!"
You finally noticed the man stooping down by Angela's body. He straightened and turned when his partner called his name, and your breath caught. He wore the familiar blue android triangle on his jacket, and white lettering identified him as a model RK800. All of that was irrelevant as soon as you caught sight of his floppy brown hair and soulful brown eyes. Yes, soulful. There was no other way to describe them. They darted around the crime scene, taking in not only the evidence but the people and their emotions. Yet his own face did not reflect the cold indifference of the officers around him- it was filled with an emotion you couldn't place.
This wasn't an android. He was human. You were certain.
"Hello," the man said as he approached you, Anderson, and Perkins.
"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by Cyberlife. I'm assisting Lieutenant Anderson on this investigation." Connor extended his hand for a handshake.
"Yea, I bet you are," Perkins laughed, looking right at Anderson as he brushed past Connor's outstretched hand. "C'mon, (Y/N)."
Connor's eyes drifted over to you. You met them. He raised an eyebrow, waiting. You quickly stepped forward and shook his hand. "Hi! I'm (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N). It's an honor to meet you. I'm new. This is my first case! But, um... I'm terribly sorry about what happened to Angela. I wasn't expecting everything to be this...horrible. Was she a friend of yours?"
Connor looked a bit shocked, and his LED turned yellow. Your eyes flickered up to it, then back to his face. Unlike the other androids you'd met, those who cleaned your office or performed other basic tasks, Connor seemed very expressive.
"No, she wasn't a friend of mine. She was a friend to the family that owned her and she took care of their son. I'm sure she'll quickly be replaced with the newest model, so there's no need to worry."
You'd just been about to comment that the funeral would have to be closed casket when you remembered how the world was. You'd floated out of it for just a second.
"Oh. Right."
You watched Connor's LED rotate back from yellow to blue. What did that mean? Had he stopped thinking now? What had he been processing?
You?
Your eyes drifted back to Connor's and you startled to see him watching you just as quizzically. "I'm sorry," you said quickly, shifting your weight nervously.
"What for?"
"I... I was kind of..."
"(Y/N)!" Perkins' voice, like nails on a chalkboard. "What are you doing? We have work to do. Don't make me regret taking you out today."
"Yes sir," you muttered.
You started towards Perkins and were pleased when Connor turned and followed you.
The closer you got to Angela, the more you wished you could turn and walk back to the car. Perkins laughed when he saw your face. "Oh, this is freaking you out, isn't it? Hey, don't worry. It's just like a smashed computer. Don't think anything of it."
That only made you feel worse.
"She's anxious," Connor's voice, confident and matter-of-fact, came from next to you. You looked up to see that he'd appeared at your side.
"If this is her first case, that's understandable. (Y/N), are you feeling nauseous at all?"
"She's an agent, she's fine. She's tough," Perkins answered for you.
You looked at Connor, trying to silently convey your gratitude for his concern as well as your panic. You really didn't want to screw this up for yourself, but you weren't sure if you could handle it. Connor squinted at you, and for a minute you thought maybe he could read your mind. After a moment he simply said "Oh" and held his hand up in front of his body. You watched in confusion as the skin from his hand seemed to peel back and turn a bright white color. Before you could figure out what he was doing, Connor pressed two fingers gently to your forehead and a cooling sensation spread through your mind, chasing away the lightheadedness.
"Thank you," you breathed out in relief and surprise. Connor smiled and walked towards where Perkins and Anderson knelt by Angela.
You soon felt calm enough to join them and attempt to pick apart the crime scene.
"Alright, human suspects in this case," Lieutenant Anderson started, crouching down by the body.
"We've got the family of the android- mother, father, and their 8-year old son. Mother and father both have time-consuming jobs so they buy Angela to take care of their son Jayden. The head of this android is smashed in- a crime of passion. It meant something to the killer. Or killers. With a cause of death like this, it's hard to tell."
"Any android suspects?" Perkins asked. Of course he did.
"The android of the family next store has apparently been acting strange the past few days, and Joseph Warner- that's the father of the household, the guy who owned Angela- he thinks maybe that android's the cause of this. Of course, he could just be pointing fingers and naming names. Connor and I are headed there later to talk to the android."
"What about the woman who lives here?" you questioned. "There has to be some significance to this particular house. Why would the killer leave the body so far away, and in plain sight? It's almost like they wanted someone to find Angela."
"This woman's so old she can barely hear or see," Anderson replied. "I almost feel bad questioning her, but I guess we gotta do it."
The four of you stood. "(Y/N) and I'll handle that. (Y/N)?" You fidgeted, in no hurry to follow your training officer.
"What about you, Connor?" you asked, turning to the android. "What do you think?"
"What the fuck," Perkins mumbled.
Connor peered down at you. "I've scanned the crime scene, and I believe this attack was committed by more than one person, or at least with more than one murder weapon. There are certain areas of the victim's body that are indented or compressed differently than others. One resembles the strike force and impressions of a hammer, the others that of a crowbar. It seems strange that the attacker would use two weapons simultaneously, so then the next best conclusion is that there were two attackers."
"Wow," you breathed.
"Of course, I'll need to do a blood analysis to see if there's any traces of thirium or human blood mixed in with that of the victim's."
"Aw, no," Anderson groaned, shielding his eyes.
"You'll need to take the samples back to a lab? I can help you collect them," you offered.
"No, I can-"
"He's gonna lick it," Anderson warned.
"(Y/N), if you're sensitive to things of this nature, you may want to copy the Lieutenant," Connor advised.
"I'm okay now," you said. You were more curious than anything. Whatever Connor had done to cool your mind was still in effect.
Connor dipped two fingers into the blue blood and placed it in his mouth, then paused as if in thought. Or processing, you realized as the little yellow LED made a reappearance.
"The only thirium here is that of the victim," Connor announced. He stood and looked at you in concern. "Are you still alright, (Y/N)?"
"I'm fascinated," you admitted. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you feel like a science experiment or anything. I keep staring. But you must be an incredible detective." Connor straightened the cuffs of his jacket. "Well... thank you."
"He has his moments," Anderson said, clapping Connor on the back. "But I'm pretty sure your training officer is plotting your death. Good luck with that."
You turned slowly to Perkins, who stood a little ways away with his arms crossed and a smug smirk on his face.
"I don't understand," Connor was saying to Anderson. "Why would Agent Perkins plan (Y/N)'s death? That is illegal. Doesn't he know we'll arrest him?"
"No, Connor, just... ugh. You gotta update your 'Phrases and Slang' dictionary every once in a while, okay?"
"I just want to make sure (Y/N) is safe."
Your heart swelled a little at that, even as you headed to your inevitable termination. You weren't entirely sure why, but Connor made you feel calm.
You reached Perkins and looked him in the eye.
"I don't know what you're doing screwing around on your first case. You can't just waste people's time whenever you feel like. I'll make sure to note this on all of those fancy training evaluations I have to fill out." He grinned and headed into the old woman's house.
The house smelled of mothballs and old lady perfume. You tried to breathe through your mouth. The old woman sat in a floral-patterned armchair, caged in by her own walker as police flooded around her.
"There's Helen," Perkins said, motioning to her. "She talks really slow. Here's your chance to redeem yourself- you interrogate her. I'll stand here and make sure you don't say anything stupid. Remember to be firm if you want to get anything out of her."
You pulled up a chair next to the woman and totally ignored Perkins' suggestion for an approach. You spoke in an upbeat tone and asked Helen about the pictures on her mantel. Finally, you asked some questions about how she'd found the body, what her initial reaction had been upon finding it, and finally, the question that had been plaguing you- why had she only noticed after a month?
The words she said didn't matter so much as her body language. You weren't sure that a woman this old could fake anything, but you watched for the telltale signs- fidgeting, not making eye contact, and the like. Helen exhibited none of these symptoms.
"What do you mean, a month?" she asked, sounding appalled. "My goodness, it hasn't been there that long. I may be almost blind, but I'm not an idiot."
After a few minutes, you thanked her for her time and stood to leave.
"Agent (Y/L/N), may I have a word?" The voice was far too polite to be Perkins', and it was female. A woman with black hair and tan skin stood in front of you. She could probably be a model in her spare time. "My name is Monica. Monica Chavis. I'm the Special Agent in Charge here."
You still couldn't believe that was the name of an actual title in the agency. SACs, the other agents called them. Still, it was extremely rare for a SAC to show up for a small case like this. "Nice to meet you, Monica." You shook her hand nervously. Had Perkins already gotten to her? Was this it for you?
"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to..."
Oh shit. This was it.
"...assign you to your new partner."
What?
"As endlessly fun as I'm sure it is to work with Perkins, we're going to need to partner you up with one of the local officers. They know the area and the people, and we have the expertise. I've assigned Perkins to Hank Anderson," she chuckled. "Because I think it's funny. And then by default, you'll be working with Anderson's android, since you're still in training. That won't be a problem for you, right?"
Your heart skipped a beat. "No, not at all. I would love to. Thank you."
"I don't know that I've ever been thanked for a reassignment- usually it's the opposite- but you're welcome. I'll see you around, (Y/N)." She gave a small wave and moved to talk to some of the other officers.
You turned abruptly and stumbled into Connor's chest. He seemed unfazed by this or by your now beet red face as he placed his hands on your shoulders to upright you.
"I'm glad to be your partner, (Y/N)," he said, his voice like water rolling up onto rough sand. "I will miss working with Lieutenant Anderson, but it's just for this investigation. You seem rather quiet, but I have scanned you and I believe that you remain that way out of fear of Agent Perkins. Is that correct?"
You glanced at Perkins over your shoulder, hoping he hadn't overheard. "Sometimes I don't even feel safe with him," you admitted. "Some of the things he says... well, I never trust a man who laughs at others' expense."
Connor nodded. "Yes, he is rather offensive."
One of his eyebrows went up.
"Am I offensive to you, (Y/N)? Many of the officers despise me, but I was hoping we could be friends."
"How could I dislike you? You're as threatening as a puppy dog." You stepped closer to Connor, feeling more comfortable with him. Since you'd started working here, he was the first to make you feel truly wanted and welcome.
Connor frowned. "I... I like dogs, but I'm not sure that that's a compliment. I can be quite threatening. I'm very good in hand-to-hand combat and I'm an amazing shot."
You smirked. "I'm sure you are. Dogs can bite, but they're still cute."
The words left your mouth too late and you couldn't take them back. "That was definitely a compliment. Thank you, (Y/N)."
He straightened his tie. "We should get going. You and I need to go talk to Angela's family and neighbors. Do you have anything left to settle here?"
Perkins was storming at you from the kitchen, a scowl on his face. You waited until he stood directly in front of you. Waited until he opened his mouth to speak to you.
"(Y/N)," he sneered. "What-"
You grabbed Connor's hand and yanked him towards the door. "Nope, that's it, all done here. Let's go."