Chapter Text
Hank was enjoying his evening with a glass of whiskey. Well… not really enjoying. Far from it, really. More like trying to drink his whole life, along with his memories, away and to ignore the constantly buzzing phone. Lately, he never enjoyed anything. What was there to enjoy? The world was going to shit anyway. He was so focused on his task of being melancholic that he didn’t notice the newcomer. Hank was still lost in his own sad and bleak world, even when the patrons around him started complaining.
“There’s a sign. It’s big and visible.”
Jimmy’s words finally pulled him out of his thoughts.
“The hell you on about?” Hank grumbled, feeling out of the loop while his phone vibrated with another new message.
“Androids. And dogs.” Was the bartender’s reply. “In this case, both in one package.”
“What?” Hank narrowed his eyes, he wasn’t even close to being drunk enough to not understand the meaning of other people’s sentences yet.
Instead of replying, Jimmy nodded somewhere behind Hank.
The man couldn’t resist the automatic tendency to turn around. There, a few feet behind him, stood a Doberman dog with alert ears and with a very obvious blue LED.
“Jeez, what’s it doing here?” he finished his glass and still warily eyed the ‘animal’.
As if to answer his question, the android dog came right to his bar stool and fixed its stare right at him. His phone buzzed again.
“Shoo, go away.” he waved his hand at the android.
The beast didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving, it only tilted its head a little and sat down. The LED along with the dog’s collar, adorned with the typical light-up android insignia consisting of the usual triangle and an obvious word assuring everybody that he is in fact an ANDROID, painfully stood out in the dimly lit bar.
“Jimmy.” Hank held up his empty glass.
The bartender grabbed the desired bottle and refilled his empty glass.
“Get it out of here.” he threw a pointed look at the older man’s new companion.
“Why me? ‘S not mine!”
“It seems to know you. Just get rid of it. People are starting to complain.”
“You heard him, mutt!” he frowned down at the dog, who had yet to blink and only stared at him blankly with big brown eyes.
Hank’s phone vibrated for what felt like the seventieth time in the last few minutes.
“What the fuck, Fowler.” Hank finally picked up his banged-up phone, only to notice that it wasn’t Fowler who was trying to fry his old device. Well, mostly not. Aside from three missed calls from the captain, he had thirteen messages.
Jeffrey: Hank, you have a case
Jeffrey: It’s urgent, Hank!
Jeffrey: Get your ass to the scene
Jeffrey: CyberLife is very interested in this one and is sending an android to help speed things along
The last message from his friend and captain was an address. The following messages were from a weird unknown number.
313-248-317-53: Hello, lieutenant.
313-248-317-53: My name is Connor, I’m the android sent by CyberLife.
313-248-317-53: I looked for you at the station but was told you were probably having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar.
313-248-317-53: I must inform you that you were assigned a homicide case involving a CyberLife android.
313-248-317-53: Our presence is needed at the crime scene. I was sent to assist you.
313-248-317-53: Your supervisor was supposed to inform you about it.
313-248-317-53: Time is of the utmost importance.
313-248-317-53: We should head to the crime scene as soon as possible, lieutenant.
“Assist me, yeah?” the officer breathed out, feeling annoyed. “I don’t need any assistance. ‘Specially from a plastic mutt. So be a good lil’ doggy and get the fuck outta here.”
The phone in his hand vibrated again.
313-248-317-53: I’m sorry lieutenant, but I must insist. My instructions stipulate that I have to accompany you.
“You know where you can stick your instructions?” Hank asked without lifting his eyes from the screen.
When he didn’t get any response, he looked at the android. The dog had its head tilted to the side and looked astonishingly confused for an animal. That erased the smirk from Hank’s face. Stupid bot, can’t even understand a simple joke.
The lieutenant turned back to his glass, determined to ignore the android. That didn’t last long, because he felt a sudden tug at his trousers leg.
“Hey, careful!” he moved his leg away from the sharp teeth and inspected his trousers for any holes. “’S my most comfortable pair, asshole.”
313-248-317-53: We really should be on our way, lieutenant.
“Ugh, let me finish my drink in peace, you ugly beast.” Hank huffed.
313-248-317-53: Very well. I will wait outside.
With that the android finally left the establishment.
“Fucking mutt. Wish I was so drunk, that I only hallucinated an android dog pestering me to work.” he sighed into his glass, in no hurry to finish it.
“At least you got it to leave.” commented Jimmy, while he half-heartedly cleaned a glass with his not-so-clean rag.
Hank didn’t deign it worthy of his response.
Instead, some remaining cop curiosity that survived his apathy started nagging at him to find out what is that oh so important case about. With another sigh he finished his drink, left some bills at the counter and heavily stood up.
“Let’s see what’s all this ruckus about.”