Chapter Text
Not by force,
Not by blood,
Not by honor
Nor duty,
The bond that binds the most
Is the one made
By choice.
After the revolution, there was a need to encourage integration between the human and android communities. One of Markus's "bright ideas," as North had called them, to achieve integration was to lecture kids, educate them, and show them that androids were people. It had some sense, but Hank said it was ridiculous - lectures bore kids, after all.
However, Connor got excited.
He had dealt with kids before, but not human ones - Markus and Simon's adopted YK500, Amy, had begun calling him "Uncle Con" from day one. True, dealing with a class full of children was different than playing Monopoly with a surrogate niece, but Connor was never one to refuse a challenge.
On a cold February day, Connor stepped out of a cab outside an elementary school in South Detroit. It was snowy - Connor hated the snow - it always reminded him of Amanda abandoning him in the zen garden. But today he didn't care - the traumatic memory wouldn't stop him. He was about to meet the future of Detroit.
Connor stood in front of the class.
Connor was excited. He wondered if the Jerries felt the same around children, jittery and energized. The class he was supposed to meet - "Not lecture, meet" - was a class of Third graders - young, but mature enough for discussions about regret directly, without hiding behind excuses.
"Hello," he said," my name is Connor. I am an android, and I work as a detective in the Detroit Police Department. Can you guess why I am here today?"
A few kids raised their hands.
Connor gave the floor to a blond girl who was seated near a boy with ragged clothes.
"I know! Miss Weaver said that you would talk about the ravalution !"
"The revolution, yes, indeed. Do any of you know what happened?"
This time, one of the boys answered.
"My Dad said that some broken androids made some noise."
The kids laughed. All of them, but the neglected boy.
"Not exactly. To talk about the revolution, we need to talk about what was before. "
Connor had started with the reasons for the revolution - androids becoming self-aware and their want - need - for freedom. The children were fascinated by Connor's words, by his stories about Markus, who led Jericho, about Connor himself changing sides, and the notion that the revolution wasn't over yet because people were still afraid of androids, and androids still got hurt by humans.
"So Mr. Connor, do you know why androids became aware?" the boy in rags asked in a small, quiet voice.
As the boy looked at him with his big, sad eyes, Connor saw a large, blue bruise over his cheek.
"I don't know. Nobody does. Many have their assumptions, but nothing more than that." Connor scanned the boy's face. Cade Perl, nine years old, the bruise was a week old and caused by a strong, external, blunt force. The bruise and the tattered clothes made Connor sense that something wasn't right.
He added a new objective: "Find out what happened to Cade."
After class, Connor asked the young teacher to speak with him.
"Cade Perl," Connor asked, "Do you know why he wears torn clothes and has a week-old bruise on his face?"
"I have my suspicions," Miss Weaver said, "His father is not a pleasant person. I complained about everything to my higher-ups, but they ignore the poor kid!"
Connor was livid. If he, the android, cared enough to ask some questions, why did the humans in charge, except Nora Weaver, do nothing?!
"Look, you are a police officer. Please do your best to help him. I tried almost everything, and I know that if his father finds out that I involved law enforcement, Cade..."
"I'll be careful," the detective promised, "Cade deserves more than this."