Chapter Text
Connor never really minded whenever Captain Fowler called him in. Usually, whenever such instance occurred, he’d be accompanied by a rather dishevelled Lieutenant Hank Anderson, father figure and close friend who was always somehow there whenever he needed. Today, he was standing next to Gavin Reed.
The extra addition to the duo now turned trio was a bold move from the man behind the desk, who was clearly frustrated with the predicament he had been left behind with. A hand massaged at his temple, a possible sign of a headache beginning to form as he sighed deeply, eyeing the men within the office.
“Quit your bitching, I don’t want to hear it.” Was the first thing he had said, eyeing the two humans presently. Connor could also see how they were both mere seconds away from releasing a tantalising remark, something of which would most likely have been vulgar. Hank and Reed shut up immediately. “I know as much as the next guy how you hate each other’s loins, but for the love of god, there’s a time and place for your fucking bickering.”
Gavin snorted in disregard for what the captain had said, sneering at Connor with distaste before deciding that he had shown them a healthy dose of daily hatred. “Surely there are better officers available in comparison to these fucktards.” A thumb was jerked in their general direction, “You can’t seriously be placing me with an alcoholic and a-“
“Reed, if you seriously do not think that you can handle their presence, I suggest you turn in your badge and your gun and get the hell out of here, I don’t have time for stuck up idiots.” Reed didn’t speak again as Fowler reached behind his desk drawer for a folder, taking the silence as an answer. “Right, if everyone is all happy... the FBI wants us to take on one of their cases.”
Connor frowned as Hank’s face twisted into that of surprise, a questioning eyebrow raised. “Captain, the FBI takes cases from us.” The android pointed out, just as confused as his partners. “Why would they enlist our help?”
“That’s because our DPD has the three of you, all of which were specifically requested to work on this... situation. I don’t know exactly why, but I was told it’s due to your skill sets, Connor being the most advanced android, Anderson the youngest Lieutenant of his time and Reed the most efficient detective in the Red Ice Task Force.” Fowler paused, a hand patting the folder beside him. “You three are to be investigating this case, which due to the complexity, must not be discussed with anyone aside from the three of you. Is that clear?”
Gavin could only wonder what kind of messed up government bullshit he was sticking his hands into as he nodded along with the old man and Android. The folder was not discussed in that moment of time and instead was handed off to Connor who was assumed to give a briefing of the job once done reading the paperwork. It was concerning to Hank, who by then was well aware of the secrecy of the task, giving the offending paper a glare for good measure.
“I wonder what kind of juicy government secretes we’re about to uncover.” Gavin grinned as he flipped through the folder in Connor’s arms. Hank was going to tell him off for his disrespectful rush to see the job description but paused when he took in the way the man’s facial features frowned. “Ok the actual fuck?”
Connor also had taken a look at the file, frowning in a perturbed expression as he scanned for any small errors. “Task, find and locate 02.” Connor read aloud in a hushed tone,“ This format was certainly set our differently in comparison to other cases they’d taken in the past. For starters, there was an insane amount of detail and the cover page had a large “classified” stamp over it, like those stereotypical files in yellow paper sleeves that you’d see in spy movies.
“02? Do they mean the kid in the pic?” The question wasn’t directly aimed to anyone but the silence confirmed their suspicions. Fowler had decided to leave his office for a break by then, looking at the three before shaking his head with a frown, Gavin’s voice already raising in annoyance.
“Well what the fuck you think old man?”
Hank decided to ignore the small outburst as he read over the information. “Shit, they really went into full detail about the kid’s location and behavioural patterns... what, she looks merely 15? 16? What’s the stats?”
Connor scanned the image on cue, only to frown when his GUI turned up empty. “There’s nothing about this “02” girl.” He said, flicking between the thick pages for any more information that could assist in deciphering who they were in search of. “No name, no date of birth, no records.” He looked at Gavin and Hank intently, “She’s not even registered as a citizen of the United States... “
“What the fuck you saying? She some terrorist from some fucking country?” Gavin sneered, a finger dragging along the words of the report. “They seem to have a good idea of where the dumb bitch was last seen, I doubt they’d have needed you two, this could have been a fucking one man job.”
“Shut the fuck up Reed or I’ll make sure you never walk again.” Hank threatened, hands tightening into fists. He stared at Gavin as he folded his arms, the younger man rolling his eyes as he scoffed, seemingly unaffected. Connor scanned him; his heart rate had increased dramatically however he refrained from saying anything, least he wanted the mission jeopardised. “Connor? Is there anything at all that could be useful?”
Connor shook his head, “I can’t access any records outside of the US, but from sources I can gather, she has no background links.” He stared at the girl’s picture, a normal profile photo of a girl who wore a plain white outfit. She didn’t seem to smile, she appeared dazed and confused.
“Ok... so what does that mean?”
“She doesn’t even exist.” Connor replied, turning to hand the file to Hank.
“Fuck.” Gavin cursed, his legs pacing up and down the room, frustratingly tousling his hair. “Fuck, what the hell is the FBI up to? I knew these shitheads were bad news.”
“Judging by the classified name and lack of information in regards to her origins, I’m assuming that 02 is part of something secretive, hence why we were entrusted and no one else.” Connor provided, a frown at his lips.
“Jesus, always thought it’d be Area 51 or some secret Illuminati shit... but this? She’s just a girl...”
“Kinda reminds me of that old Netflix show Stranger Things.” Gavin frowned, staring at the photo. “Recon its a similar story?”
Hank raised an eyebrow at the compliance the detective provided. “Suddenly feeling kind are we?” He questioned, earning a snort and a glare from the man in question.
“The quicker we work through this, the quicker I’m out of the government’s radar. I didn’t sign up for this shit, I may hate the both of you but I hate this case more.” The look of disgust was one that Connor had become well acquainted with, however seeing this expression directed at anything but Hank or him was something new.
“Well, I believe the best idea is to investigate the last known location. She’s human, so her actions are easier to trace than an androids, and judging by the looks of things, she’s on the run.” Connor pointed out, almost wondering aloud as to why the FBI would want to hide a kid away. Hank seemed to be following a similar thinking pattern.
“I think she might know shit and secrets that they don’t want out.” He hypothesised, “Although to do this to a kid? That’s fucked, even if she does know the nuclear launch codes or something.”
Gavin rolled his eyes, snorting in amusement. “Care to elaborate on what you find entertaining Detective Reed?” Connor asked. Gavin snarled at the android’s remark, offering a snide comment in return.
“That kid looks like the definition of an eshay.” Hank groaned and rolled his eyes at the statement, offering no help to Connor who looked just as lost as the girl in the photo.
He did a search for “eshay” but frowned when nothing popped up in his search. He tried again, using a different format but only sighed when he was met with another dead end. “What’s an eshay?”
Gavin laughed, somewhat dishevelled and all over the place as he tried to compose himself. “You dumb or what? Can’t do a little google search or something in your computer brain huh?” He mocked, earning a warning stare from Hank. He cleared his throat, correcting his outburst hesitantly before straightening his back.
“Fine, Jesus.” He retorted, a lack of care presented in his stance. “It’s the Aussie slang for those knocked up messy troubled kids, it wasn’t a well known slang but it was used more often in the early 2010s.”
Connor began to run a search with the additional information he had gathered, surprising himself as he now had access to new information in regards to the type of slang used. He certainly found the early 2000s and 2010s an interesting time, one where androids hadn’t yet existed and humanity was still learning to cope with equality. They still did, which Connor supposed meant that humans were still quite far away from being the “perfect” intelligent life, but that didn’t bother him at that moment. The revolution was a step forward; that’s all he needed to care about.
Hank snapped his fingers before Connor was brought back to the present time, nodding his head to prove he was listening. “Then let’s head there now and see what clues we can pick up on, I doubt it would be hard to find a kid all dressed in white.”
Gavin only spat in their faces before exiting Fowler’s office with the case file in hand, a small “We take my car.” trailing behind like a demand. Connor and Hank shared a look before the lieutenant sighed tiredly. “He’s always been a prick, just ignore him.” He offered, before clapping the Android on the back and guiding him towards the door.
Connor smiled despite the rudeness he’d endured from Gavin, nodding along to Hank’s words. “Trust me.” He said, eyes following Gavin’s form as he pushed aside an officer, bellowing a command for more pathway. He didn’t understand the detective although he figured it would all be in due time. With that in mind, he traced his footsteps.
“I know.”
———————————————————
The adrenaline that pumped through your veins were the only reason you knew you hadn’t collapsed in exhaustion, why you knew you had energy to move, to run, to sneak out of that godforsaken place.
It didn’t matter where your bare feet took you, it didn’t matter that your legs were burning and your lungs threatened to burst. The throb in your throat as you gasped for air, feet hammering as you ran in any direction, it was the first time you truely felt alive after so long.
You rounded a corner, the street sign flickering in a neon light tag, “Lafayette Avenue” it read, making you decide to seek shelter in an apparently nice looking neighbourhood. The sign didn’t provide any clue as to where you were, for all you knew, you couldn’t recognise the surroundings of the environment.
A park was to your left, almost empty aside from the occasional people with their dogs, walking and laughing as their pets exchanged gestures of affection. You felt your heart ache with a different pain, you wanted that closeness too.
With a heavy pant, your speeding slowed to a casual walk, you hadn’t any idea how long you had been running and hiding from anything or anyone that resembled a person from the law. You weren’t even sure of the original location you had been held at, all that you knew was that you had to get back home, you had to find your family. You walked to the park bench and sat down, rubbing your sore feet as you stared at the strange uniform you wore. You were determined to get back.
You just had to.