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“Wake up, Lieutenant!” Connor could barely contain his excitement as he launched himself at Hank’s bed, jolting the man from his sleep.
“What the hell, Connor?”
“It’s time for work!” Connor beamed.
“Go back to fucking bed, Connor.” Hank muttered, rolling over. Connor sighed.
“Then… I guess I’ll have to work on this Red Ice case by myself.”
“I’m up!” Hank cried, throwing his blanket back over Connor. Connor smiled as he pulled the blanket off. He knew Hank couldn’t resist putting red ice users behind bars.
“What’s the story?”
“A neighbour was worried when she found red ice packets outside her neighbour's apartment and requested for someone to check on him. He is still in the apartment.”
“I’m gonna get that fucker.” Hank growled, his hands tightening on the steering wheel in anger. Connor remained silent.
“Police, open up!” Hank cried, banging on the door with the butt of his gun. When he received no reply, he pushed Connor back and kicked the door open. Connor and Hank rushed into the apartment, Hank running to the nearest room as Connor moved to check the back room. He skidded to a halt when he reached the kitchen.
His LED flashed red.
“Hank!”
“Fuck, Connor! What is it?” Hank rushed into the room. Connor had never screamed like that before and it fucking scared him. “Shit, your… mood ring is red.”
“I-I don’t… Hank…” Connor stumbled back and grabbed at Hank’s arm in… Fear? That sounded right.
On the ground in front of him lay a body, beaten and bloodied with a plastic bag duct-taped over her head and her wrists cable-tied. Connor did a quick analysis.
“Sh-she is the neighbour…” Connor choked, clinging to Hank’s arm. “I-I’m sorry, I-I don’t…”
“Connor, go calm down, okay?” Hank whispered. “Let me take care of this.”
“S-sorry, Hank…” Connor trembled, letting go of Hank’s arm reluctantly. He slowly made his way to the living room of the apartment. Once there, Connor groaned in anger, his LED flickering yellow.
Why had he done that? Why was he so… scared? Upset? Hurt? What emotion was this? He didn’t like seeing the neighbour's dead body. Before deviating, Connor had no problems in crime scenes, but now… Shit, would he ever face a crime scene without feeling like that?
His thoughts were cut off when a plastic bag suddenly covered his face, tightening around his neck.
Connor panicked. His LED flashed red.
With a startled cry, he struggled against whoever had attacked him, and, although he didn’t need to breathe, he panicked at the sensation of the bag against his face, against his lips. He didn’t like it.
“Hank!” Connor cried, only for his voice to be muffled by the bag. Hank wouldn’t hear him.
Connor fought back with all his strength, but the tears in his eyes were blurring his vision, he couldn’t focus. He gasped in fear when he felt something tie around his wrists, preventing him from lashing out anymore as his captor shoved him to the floor.
“Hank! I need help!” Connor tried to call out, only for his captor to throw his hand over Connor’s mouth. Connor felt like he was going to shut down. His thirium pump was working too fast, his body wasn’t responding to his commands anymore.
Bang!
Connor winced at the sound, shaking so hard he didn’t notice the hand slip from his mouth, or the bag loosening around his neck.
“Connor! Connor, it’s okay! I’m here, it’s gonna be okay!”
Connor trembled as the bag was removed from his head. He blinked, breathing heavily as he felt the binds slip from his wrists.
“Connor?”
“Hank…?” Connor whispered, turning to look behind him. Hank knelt beside him, concern evident on his face.
“Fuck, Connor…” Hank sighed, pulling the android in for a hug. Connor nuzzled closer to him. “Fucker was still here…”
“I am fine, Lieutenant.”
“The hell you are!” Hank growled. “You’re allowed to be fucking scared, Connor!”
“I-I do not know why I reacted the way I did in the kitchen.” Connor confessed. Hank sighed.
“That’s gonna be there awhile, Son. Even now, I feel sick at the idea that humans are capable of such… cruelty towards each other.” Hank felt himself breathe easier when Connor’s LED turned yellow.
“Is he…?”
“Dead? Yup.” Hank scowled. “Fucker killed an innocent woman and attacked my kid, he had it coming.”
Connor’s LED flickered to blue at being called Hank’s ‘kid’.
“Come on, let’s go wait in the car for back-up.” Hank whispered, pulling Connor up. Connor smiled gratefully, hoping that next time, he’d be more prepared for a crime scene.