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After the revolution, Connor continued to work at the Detroit Police Department working on cases involving androids. He continued to be Hank’s partner, even going on to live with him after everything.
As such, Connor continued to be shot at, stabbed, pushed, kicked, thrown, and injured in various other ways. It wasn’t terribly unexpected in his line of work, being out in the field as a detective.
This meant he put a lot of pressure on his repair systems. Unfortunately, a system like that could only do so much. Not everything could be fixed that way.
Biocomponents would be damaged. Hardware would be rattled. Some hits couldn’t be brushed off.
Sometimes they ended up being brushed off anyway.
Connor was an advanced prototype designed to investigate cases involving deviant androids. He was equipped with such a large database of information that he could access at any time. He was programmed with the abilities to scan and analyze scenes easily, pre-constructing and reconstructing scenes in seconds.
In short, he was an incredibly intelligent android.
But, he could also be incredibly stubborn.
Connor was starting to develop a habit of not speaking up about his problems. He would neglect himself for the sake of convenience.
If it was a problem he could fix himself, he would fix it.
If he thought it would only cause problems to others, he wouldn’t bring it up at all.
Perhaps it was fear of doing something incorrectly. Deviancy had brought a lot of uncertainty to his life. There was a time he knew exactly what to do and when to do it. Now, he wasn’t so sure about any of it.
Interestingly, it’s a common human habit—to withhold information out of fear that it would cause more harm than good. If a person felt they would only become a burden by sharing their problems, they might deem it better to not bring them up at all.
It was around late afternoon when Hank and Connor got a case. A TN400 android who had shot and killed a man. Hank and Connor arrived on scene to put together the evidence and see if they could find any hints as to where the android had gone after the murder.
So there Connor was, standing in front of a large white shed. He had followed a trail of blood red footprints leading from the body. Not exactly a subtle escape.
Connor was unarmed. Maybe not the smartest idea, considering the android likely still had a gun, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. Androids still weren’t allowed to have weapons on them. But that was fine. He was perfectly capable of defending himself without a weapon.
He pushed the door open gently and scanned over the room with his eyes, looking for any threats. His eyes fell on the TN400 android. Her uniform was stained with blood and she held a gun in her hand.
As soon as the android saw him, she aimed the gun at him and fired. Connor moved out of the way just in time.
Connor started rushing at her. He just needed to subdue her.
Three other shots went off. He dodged the first two. The last bullet went directly into his abdomen just as he was wrestling the gun from her hands. He cringed at the sharp, searing feeling of the bullet entering his body. His LED flickered bright red as he registered the damage.
An error message flared in his vision.
[{DAMAGE DETECTED}: Moderate - component #8235v]
Connor didn’t really register anything more than “damage detected.”
While he was distracted, the android took the opportunity to shove Connor away from her. The gun clattered against the concrete floor.
She started reaching for the gun before the door flew open again, revealing Hank and another officer with their guns drawn.
“Hands where we can see them!”
The TN400 froze. There was a look of fear in her eyes, hidden behind the defensive anger she showed.
Connor got up from the floor and stumbled out of the way of the officers. He curled in on himself and held pressure over the wound with his hand. He winced at the feeling. Thirium seeped through his uniform and stained his fingers a bright blue.
The other officer kicked the gun across the floor out of her reach and proceeded to handcuff her.
Hank was already holstering his gun and rushing over to Connor as soon as it was safe to do so.
“Connor!”
His hands hovered around his arms.
“You’re hit.”
“I’ll be fine, Lieutenant.” Connor’s voice came out strained.
“You were just shot!” Hank shouted in frustration.
Concern is what registered for Connor. Through anger was how it always came out, but deep down, Hank was panicking. Everytime Connor got hurt, Hank panicked for his life all over again.
“I’m alright! None of my biocomponents are critically damaged.”
Connor wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but the last thing he wanted was to make Hank panic even more. He was fine. Fine enough, anyway.
Hank stared for a beat, taking notice of Connor’s stance. He was hunched over and grasping at an actively bleeding gunshot wound. His LED flickered bright yellow. He looked pained.
“You’re not alright. We can take you to a technician or somebody, you just gotta tell me.”
Connor shook his head rapidly.
“I don’t need a technician. I’m alright. I promise.”
He didn’t really WANT a technician either. His self-repair systems could probably handle the damage.
“You’re bleeding.” Hank was looking more exasperated by the second.
“I know. I’m fine. The damage isn’t bad.” Connor reassured.
Hank eyed him several seconds more.
Connor could tell Hank didn’t believe him. He could also tell he was getting sick of the back and forth. But he was worried; that much was clear.
Connor didn’t want to worry him. At least, not anymore than he already had. Hank had done so much for him since the revolution.
He put up with his presence for the entirety of the beginning of their relationship, and Connor knew that couldn’t have been easy for him after everything that happened. With his son, particularly.
Then after the revolution, Hank took him in and gave him a home. He cared for him in a way he’d never felt cared for before.
Nowadays, so much of Hank’s daily life also included Connor, some days were even centered around his presence.
If Connor could manage to make himself less of an inconvenience, even slightly, he would do so.
Hank stared in silence for a few more seconds before hesitantly relenting. Perhaps he wanted to trust Connor on this. Trust that he’d speak up if something were really wrong.
That made Connor feel even more guilty.
Hank sighed quietly and patted Connor’s shoulder gently.
“Alright, fine. We’ll take a look at it later. Just… be more careful, alright?”
Connor nodded. His LED light continued to flicker the same glaring yellow.
Hank gave him one last look. Maybe he’d give up the act if he stared long enough.
He did not.
Hank sighed and let it go.
“C’mon. Let’s get’ya home.”
Hank moved to the side and gestured for Connor to go first.
Connor took one last glance around the shed. There were footprints of red blood on the concrete flooring, along with some drops of thirium—undoubtedly his. The android was taken away by the officer at some point during their conversation.
Connor turned back around and exited the shed, Hank following close behind him.
Eventually, after filing paperwork and reports surrounding the case, Hank and Connor found themselves back in the car.
Somewhere in between, Connor found time to bandage up the wound in his stomach. He taped a square of gauze to the wound and left it at that. It would at least keep him from bleeding on his uniform even more.
The sun was beginning to set. The world outside was bathed in a pinkish-orange hue.
Connor’s LED had not changed color since he was shot. Bright yellow flickered gently in the reflection of the passenger seat window.
The pain was growing increasingly difficult to ignore. Connor shifted in his seat.
“You’re sure you’re alright?”
Connor glanced over at Hank. His eyes were still on the road. His hands tightly gripped the steering wheel. He looked back to the road in front of them before replying.
“I’m sure. Any internal damage will be fixed on its own.”
Hank glanced over at the passenger seat, eyes flickering between the road and Connor. He noticed the faint reflection of yellow in the window near Connor’s temple and the way Connor’s leg bounced in place. Almost like he was nervous. That was a pretty normal human reaction to anxiety.
That, or he was in pain, which made more sense in this case. He was just shot, after all.
Maybe he was trying to cope with it by moving other parts of his body, Hank thought. He usually had his coin for that.
Hank noticed he hadn’t taken it out. Maybe it was because Hank had taken it from him the last time.
He felt a pang of guilt at that realization.
They both stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. Connor decided to take a closer look at the error messages.
[{DAMAGE DETECTED}: Moderate - component #8235v]
[{SYSTEM ALERT}: thirium leak detected]
[{URGENT}: thirium levels decreasing - active (82%)]
Connor’s eyebrows furrowed at the information displayed in front of him.
Component 8235v was a component with the function of carrying thirium throughout his body. Androids possess several tube-like components throughout the body, all connecting back to their thirium pump. They all function as part of a system, similar to the concept of the human circulatory system.
That’s not particularly great.
Now that he’d registered which component that was, he felt much less confident in his self-repair systems.
If he was bleeding internally, there was a possibility of him bleeding out before his systems had a chance to repair it on their own.
He shouldn’t ignore that.
He was going to do so anyway. He’d leave it alone to fix itself. His self-repair systems would fix it, or he’d go in and fix it himself if he really had to.
Connor was pulled out of his thoughts by the feeling of the car stopping. He looked over to see Hank twisting the keys out of the ignition.
Hank pushed the driver’s seat door open and stepped out of the car. Connor moved to do the same, stumbling slightly as he stepped out. He didn’t usually have coordination missteps, but the sudden bout of dizziness made it a bit harder to keep his balance.
He brushed off the feeling and closed the car door behind him.
Hank patted Sumo’s head as he walked in the front door. He tossed his keys onto the table next to the door and hung his coat on the hook.
Connor slowly crouched down in front of Sumo, wincing as the movement irritated his wound. He smiled and rubbed Sumo’s head with both of his hands. Sumo licked his face as his tail thumped against the floor behind him.
“Alright. Let’s see that wound of yours.”
“What?”
“You were shot. You said you don’t need a technician, but we should look at it anyway.”
“The bullet didn’t damage anything vital.”
“Sure. You may not have organs quite like we do, but you still bleed like a human does.”
Connor didn’t love where this was going, but he complied anyway. He steadied himself against the wall and slowly stood up.
“Meet me in the living room, I’ll be there in a sec.”
Hank walked down the hall and into the bathroom, presumably to grab some first aid supplies.
Connor wasn’t a human, but Hank still treated him as such. The thought brought a feeling of warmth in his chest.
Connor walked into the living room and hovered by the couch, waiting for Hank to come back.
Hank came out with a large bandaid, about the size of his palm. He grabbed a dish towel from a drawer in the kitchen and wet it in the sink.
“I don’t have any of those fancy first aid kits layin’ around. This’ll have to do.” Hank waved the bandaid in the air.
He walked into the living room and sat on the couch, sighing as he did so. He beckoned Connor over with the dish towel in his hand.
“Alright. C’mere.”
Connor stepped closer to Hank and stood in front of him. His vision blurred in and out of focus. He unbuttoned the bottom half of his blue-stained shirt, struggling with a few of the buttons. He was uncharacteristically uncoordinated. It was odd for an android with so much agility and dexterity to struggle with such a small task like that.
The symptoms of internal bleeding were really setting in now. Connor ignored it.
When he finally figured out the buttons, he moved the fabric to reveal the square of gauze taped to his stomach.
Hank took the edge of the tape and peeled it off slowly. Connor winced almost imperceptibly.
Hank pulled the gauze all the way off and peered at the wound. The thirium seemed to have dried up for the most part. The bleeding stopped.
Hank was vaguely aware of the self-repair systems androids were equipped with. Connor had mentioned that they were most effective with surface level damage, but could also heal some minor internal wounds with time.
Hank didn’t really understand how it all worked. He truthfully didn’t understand a whole lot about androids at all. Much of what he knew was from Connor’s explanations.
Connor said his self-repair systems would fix the damage. Hank wanted to trust him, but he couldn’t help but feel like he seemed off. Sure, it’s not terribly unexpected for a guy who just got shot. He’s actually doing much better than he would’ve expected a human to. But again, he was just shot. Most people don’t brush that off.
Sometimes Hank had to remind himself he was not completely human. Over time, Connor had begun showing more and more humanity; much more than he had before. He felt emotion. He felt pain. All a result of deviancy, he supposed. But he was also picking up so many human traits and habits. It made Hank feel a sense of pride whenever he caught sight of it.
But, being an android, Connor wouldn’t always have the same reactions to certain things as a human would. Androids were always more resilient than humans.
Hank left it alone for the time being. If Connor said he was fine, he was going to take his word for it.
Hank started dabbing at the wound with the towel, trying to clean up some of the dried thirium. Connor immediately hissed and recoiled, his face crumpled in a pained grimace.
“Sorry! Sorry. You alright?”
“Yep.” The word came out strained. Connor’s face uncrumpled slightly and he nodded, letting Hank know he could continue.
They both stayed quiet for a moment. Hank focused on being as gentle as he could cleaning the wound.
“You don’t really have to do this. I’m an android. My body doesn’t react to injuries the same way your’s does.”
Hank paused.
“Right… But it’s probably not good for any debris to get into your thirium pumps or whatever, is it?”
“...I suppose not.”
They both fell silent again. There was an unsteady tension hanging in the air.
In the silence, Connor took notice of other feelings occupying his body. Aside from the burning sensation in his abdomen, he felt lightheaded and dizzy.
His hands felt sort of tingly; a symptom that usually resulted from lowered blood pressure and poor circulation.
The body would prioritize vital organs rather than limbs. So, the extremities wouldn’t receive as much oxygen, causing tingling.
Although, in an android’s case, it meant prioritizing biocomponents rather than organs, and circulating electrical signals and information rather than oxygen. That would inevitably cause glitches and malfunctions in his coordination.
…He couldn’t have lost that much thirium already, could he? He’d have to check his thirium levels—
Before Connor could ponder it more, he heard the crinkle of the bandaid wrapper. Connor looked down to see Hank gently placing the bandaid over the scabbed wound in his stomach, which had been cleaned up rather nicely.
It felt good to be cared for like that, Connor thought.
“Alright. That should do it. You alright?”
Connor made a noise of acknowledgement. “Thank you.”
Connor stepped around Hank and sat down on the couch. A wave of nausea suddenly washed over him as he moved. His LED flickered red momentarily.
“You’re sure you’re good? Nothing else I should know about? Have you run one of those diagnostic checks?” Hank asked.
Connor squeezed his eyes shut and tried to compose himself. He blinked a few times and looked up at Hank, his eyes slightly unfocused.
“I’m sure.”
Hank’s eyebrows furrowed. His eyes scanned over Connor’s face, like he was searching for something. His eyes lingered on the LED on his temple.
“You’re lying. Your LED light is red.”
“My injury is causing me some pain, and I lost my balance. I’m just…not used to it, I think.”
He lied. Straight to Hank’s face. Again.
Hank stared at him, looking completely unconvinced. It was almost as if he could see straight through him.
“Your light hasn’t stopped spinnin’ yellow since you were shot, and now it’s red. What aren’t you telling me?” His voice raised as he spoke.
Before Connor could give him an answer, or even think of a lie, Connor felt a rush of liquid coming up his throat.
He shot up from the couch and stumbled to the kitchen sink.
“Woa! Hey!” Hank jumped up and followed after him as quickly as his body would carry him.
Connor practically threw himself at the counter, holding himself up using the edge of the counter. Thirium splashed into the sink and dripped down his chin. It tasted bitter and metallic, leaving a tingling sensation on his tongue.
Hank stared frozen in place a few feet away as the android threw up his own blood.
Were they supposed to be able to do that?
His sink, and some of his counter, were splattered and stained with a very vibrant blue. That color had really come to unsettle him.
Connor struggled to keep himself upright. Everything about his posture was unsteady. The room was spinning and his head was pounding. His stomach hurt and everything felt wrong.
Connor was wrong. He shouldn’t have left it alone. How often was he wrong like that? In the entirety of his life, which at this point had only been months, how many times was he incorrect? Not often, he imagined. But this time he was. Deviancy was a funny thing like that.
He put a little too much faith in his body’s ability to heal itself.
Connor’s legs gave out from underneath him and he lost grip of the edge of the counter. Hands caught his body before he hit the floor. He felt himself being moved; although at the moment, it was difficult for him to tell which way was up or down. His ears were ringing. He could hear a muffled voice. It sounded like shouting. He just couldn’t seem to focus on it. He found it hard to focus on anything at all, really.
“-onnor! Hey!”
Hank’s voice. It finally registered to Connor.
He felt light tapping against his cheek.
“Hank…” his voice crackled with an unnerving static.
He opened his eyes to see Hank’s face directly above him. His head was in his lap and Hank was cradling his head.
“I’m right here, son. What’s wrong? What is it?”
“‘ve lost too much thirium.” Connor forced the words out, his voice strained.
“You said you were fine!” Hank’s voice was panicked. It almost sounded angry.
“I’m bleeding out. Internally.”
Hank felt like he couldn’t breathe. He almost wanted to yell at the android for not telling him sooner. He was always stubborn like that, but this could get him killed.
But fear overrode his frustration. This could get him killed.
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit… alright. You’re alright. You’re gonna be fine. Just hang on, son. Hang on.”
Hank’s mind was racing, and yet he couldn’t seem to make his body move. Seconds delay was far too long. He did the first thing he could think of and picked up Connor under his shoulders and knees. He was heavy, being made out of metal and hardware components and whatever else, but that was the least of Hank’s concerns at this point.
He quickly grabbed his keys and phone on his way out. He didn’t bother with anything else.
He laid Connor’s limp body in the backseat. He wasn’t actually sure he was still conscious. The only proof he was even still alive was the bright red LED light on his temple.
How did it get so bad so quickly? Connor was alert and talking only just a few minutes ago.
Hank slammed the door shut and got into the front seat. He twisted the keys into the ignition and sped out of the driveway.
“You with me, Connor?”
He heard a staticky mumble from behind him. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
“Fuckin hell.” Hank murmured to himself.
“Just hang on, son. You’re gonna be fine.”
He wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort Connor or himself.
Hank pulled out his phone and set his GPS to the nearest android technician building.
Hank finally pulled up to the building, after running several red lights and driving way too far over the speed limit.
He parked in front of the building and jumped out of the car. He didn’t bother turning the car off. He opened the backseat door and looked down at Connor.
His body was in the same position he’d left it. Limp and unmoving. More thirium had dripped from his mouth and onto the seat.
Hank pulled Connor out of the car by the shoulders and hoisted him into his arms the same way he had before.
He ran to the entrance, trying not to rattle Connor in the process. Not that he would’ve been able to feel it anyway. He had to be in some sort of stasis mode.
Hank wasn’t entirely sure how bad the situation was, but Connor was down for the count, and that was enough to make him panic.
The last time he had to take his son to a hospital after an accident, he died. He lost his son, and he never forgave himself, or any of the androids who’d worked on him.
If he lost Connor, he didn’t think he’d survive it.
“I need some help over here!” Hank called out.
A lady who sat at the front desk stood up when she heard Hank’s voice. Her eyes widened when she saw Connor’s unconscious body in his arms.
It was all sort of a blur for Hank. His heart felt like it’d beat out of his chest. Nausea ate at his stomach.
An android came over and helped Hank lay Connor onto a gurney.
“He was shot a couple hours ago. He said he was fine! I didn’t realize how bad it was- please just help him.”
Hank’s words came out rushed and panicked. The android nodded sympathetically at him and rushed away with the bed Connor was laid on.
Hank couldn’t do anything more than watch.
He sat down on a nearby chair. His mind raced. Connor could die. And it may as well be his fault. He should’ve pushed further. He should’ve known. Nobody’s just fine after being shot.
He should’ve known.
He ran his hand down his face. He was exhausted and rundown. It was getting late by now. But he was also absolutely terrified. He couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to.
For several minutes, Hank couldn’t bring himself to do anything more than stare. He found himself going over it in his head again and again. He should’ve pressed for an honest answer. He was suspicious from the beginning. If he had trusted his gut, Connor would be fine.
His mind also drifted to why Connor wouldn’t tell him honestly from the get-go. Connor was generally pretty honest. Why would he lie this time? When his life was at stake, no less. Did he not know how bad the damage was, or did he just not care?
Eventually, Hank found the will to stop spiraling in his thoughts and focus on something else. He brought his attention to the world around him.
The lobby was relatively empty, save for a few people and androids wandering around looking busy. A couple people not unlike him sat in other chairs. It was sort of laid out like a hospital might be, although it didn’t have that blindingly white interior.
It was lucky that androids were beginning to be recognized as people in some areas for a place like this to be up and running
Regardless of that fact, he hoped he wouldn’t ever have to walk in here again.
It was maybe 2 or 3 hours before that same android from before came out to update Hank on Connor’s status.
“He’s alright. There was some damage to one of his internal tube components. All we had to do was take out and replace the damaged component.”
Hank deflated in relief. He was alright.
“The amount of thirium he lost internally was the biggest issue. We’re replenishing the thirium he lost now. It shouldn’t be too much longer. You can see him, if you like.”
Hank nodded. “Thank you.”
The android led Hank to the room where Connor was, then left without a word. Hank walked in slowly. Within seconds, his eyes fell on Connor. He was laying on some sort of padded table–like something you’d see in a doctor’s office. His clothes had been changed from the damaged, thirium stained uniform he wore before. Thirium no longer stained his face either.
His eyes were shut; he didn’t seem to be awake. His LED, however, was no longer red. It instead spun a steady yellow. It was relieving.
He was alright.
“Connor…” he murmured.
Connor’s LED flickered a few times. Connor’s eyes twitched before he opened them. He looked tired. Awful, really. But he was okay.
“Connor!”
Hank rushed to Connor’s side.
“Jesus Christ, you scared the shit outta me.”
Connor blinked a few more times and looked up at Hank.
“I’m alright”
Hank let out a deep sigh and grabbed Connor by the shoulders, gently pulling him into a tight hug. Connor leaned into his chest and closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort it brought.
They stayed like that for a few moments before pulling away.
“For fuck’s sake, Connor, you can’t do that! You could’ve gotten yourself killed! You’ve gotta tell me shit like that!”
Connor looked startled for a moment, blinking a few times before looking down at his lap. Hank was correct and he did not like it.
He briefly wished he had his coin on him to fidget with. It probably only would’ve heightened Hank’s frustration.
Hank stood with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for an explanation.
“I wasn’t trying to get myself killed. Believe me. I’d gotten an alert that the bullet caused some moderate damage and a leak, but I expected my self-repair systems to take care of it. I realized later that it had gotten worse, but…”
Connor paused, looking for the right words.
“I didn’t want to worry you. I thought I’d be fine. You’ve done so much for me, and ever since the revolution, I feel like I’m doing so many things wrong.”
Connor absentmindedly adjusted the hem of his sleeve.
“Before, I never had to worry about damage like that. I always returned to Cyberlife, and they’d fix whatever needed fixing before sending me off to do my job again. I didn’t fear death. I didn’t feel pain. Now, I feel everything. I’m scared of disappointing you and of worrying you. You’re the first person I think I’ve ever really cared about like that.”
Hank stared in disbelief at Connor’s words. The tense atmosphere shattered like glass.
“Oh, Connor,” he whispered.
Hank stepped closer again, pulling Connor into another hug.
Hank was silent for a second, running his fingers through Connor’s hair with one hand, and rubbing his back gently with the other.
“I love you, kid. You don’t ever have to worry about things like that. Ever.”
Connor’s eyes widened at that statement. He hadn’t expected those words to come out of his mouth.
“You can tell me anything, y’know. Doesn’t matter what it is. Doesn’t matter if you think it’d piss me off, or worry me, or disappoint me, or whatever else.”
Hank paused for a moment. His hand rested in Connor’s hair.
“My point is, you can trust me. With whatever you wanna tell me. I wanna be there for you when you need it. You’re a good kid, Connor. You deserve to be treated well. You deserve to be treated like a person.”
Connor struggled for a moment to find the right words, or any words at all, really. Tears filled his eyes, threatening to spill over. He worried his voice would betray him if he tried to say anything.
Hank sounded genuine. He meant every word he said. Hank cared about Connor in a way nobody else had up until this point.
After a long moment, Connor returned the hug, squeezing even tighter. When he finally spoke up, the words came out quiet, only audible between the two of them.
“I love you, too.”