Chapter Text
NOV 5TH, 2038 PM 11:21
It’s a rainy night, and RK800, Connor, walks through the streets of Detroit, hopping from bar to bar down the long strip of road. He looks up at the sign of the fifth bar along the quiet street. A few cars whizz by, rustling Connor’s jacket and sending dirty water splashing onto the sidewalk, narrowly missing the android. His hair is wet from the rain, but his jacket remains pristine, the droplets sliding and falling off the waterproof material.
Connor adjusts his tie and approaches the door to the bar. He notices a small, red sign saying “NO ANDROIDS ALLOWED” posted near the handle, and he tilts his head slightly, but enters anyway. When he opens the door, the man behind the bar and a few other people look at him. Connor scans his surroundings in search for something, not paying any mind to the humans staring at him.
Connor looks around. Music plays in the low-lit bar, soft rock guitars and whiny male vocalists ring out softly over the speakers.
[Bonfire - Third Eye Blind]
Connor explores the bar. A notification appears on his HUD.
[FIND LT. REED]
Connor eyes the back of the bar, seeing a person leave the bathroom, the wooden doors swaying back and forth as they close.
Connor enters the bathroom, for seemingly no other reason than to stare at his reflection for a few seconds. He makes sure he looks presentable, and of course he is, then turns away.
He looks at a stall and notices graffiti writing with various android hate speech in many different styles of sloppy chicken scratch.
Connor exits the restroom quickly.
A man finally notices that Connor is here illegally. “Shit, I thought androids weren’t allowed in here!”
Another gets annoyed at Connor’s presence, but he ignores him too. His words are almost flirtatious, but dripping in disgust. “What's your problem? You wanna buy me a drink? That's what I thought…”
His vision changes as he activates his “mind palace” program, giving him the ability to acutely scan the faces and access the identities of every person in the building.
SCAN FACES
…
NO FACE DETECTED, TARGET TURNED AWAY
MISMATCH
MISMATCH
MISMATCH…
Connor finally scans the lieutenant, whose name is Gavin, a proud Detroit cop, but a grieving alcoholic with a tragic past.
SCAN
CONNECTING—
SYNC IN PROCESS…
SYNC DONE
COLLECTING DATA…
PROCESSING DATA……….. 100%
MATCH
LT. REED, GAVIN
Born: 10/07/2002 // Police Lieutenant
Criminal record: None
Connor finishes scanning and leaves his mind palace.
[LT. REED FOUND]
The instructions fizzle away and change as a new notification enters his HUD.
[INTRODUCE SELF]
Connor prepares to introduce himself to Gavin, who is currently drinking but is then interrupted by the android. He walks next to the lieutenant, leaning over him, startling a curse out of the drunk man when he finally notices the android’s presence above him. His LED spins blue as he thinks over the conversation.
“Lieutenant Reed, my name is Connor. I’m the android sent by CyberLife. I looked for you at the station but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar.” He says, even-toned and robotic but with a hint of warmth.
The voice is grating to Gavin in his drunken state. He looks away for a bit, staring into his glass of wine. It was dark and bloody, and it wasn’t in the right type of glass. “What do you want?” He says, feeling empty, like the husk a man who used to enjoy life. He has a slight accent, like he was from around here but perhaps his parents weren’t. The song fades, and a guitar solo starts the new track. Gavin hits a nicotine vape, holding in the smoke until nothing escapes his lungs when he breathes out.
[Say it Ain’t So - Weezer]
“You were assigned a case early this evening, a homicide, involving a CyberLife android. In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators.” Connor says, his voice mirroring the exact inflections of a friendly human, yet so uncanny to Gavin’s ears.
“Well, I don’t need any assistance, ‘specially not from a plastic asshole like you. So just be a good lil' robot and get the fuck outta here.”Gavin voice is slurred as he gestures his hand to shoo the android away, and goes back to the wine in his hand. He watches it swirl in the shallow glass.
Connor doesn’t leave, just stands up straighter, looking sternly into the side of Gavin’s head. He lets the silence hang for a beat before speaking. “Listen, I think you should stop drinking and come with me. It'll make life easier for both of us.” Gavin nods as if to say ‘perhaps you’re right,’ eyebrows raised in a mocking expression. He makes no attempt to move, though, instead flipping his middle finger at the android as he takes another long drink.
Connor nearly huffs in frustration, but tries again with his soft, agreeable voice. “I understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids, but I am—“
“I am perfectly…. comfortable… Now back off, before I crush you like an empty beer can!” Gavin lowers his fist and looks away.
“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, plastic boy?” He puffs a drunken laugh at his own joke. He sees the android stiffen from his peripheral.
[Sex And Candy - Marcy Playground]
Connor tilts his head like an innocent dog, his big, brown eyes staring into the side of Gavin’s face. He takes in the sharp stubble, and the many faded scars and blemishes that cover the lieutenant’s face, telling a dark story. Something in the corner of his eye glitches white and blue. “No... where?”
[GAVIN]
V
[TENSE]
Gavin turns his head then, glaring, eyes glazed over and bored. “Never mind.”
Connor decides on how to get Gavin to join him. A few options appear on his HUD. He could order Reed another drink, which he’s sure the lieutenant would appreciate, but considering the state he’s already in, he really shouldn’t have another. He could also choose to pour out the remaining wine in his glass onto the floor. That would surely anger the human, a high percentage chance that he could react with hostility or violence. Connor decided to remain neutral.
“I apologize, Lieutenant. I didn't mean to bother you.”He says as Gavin looks away, smirking slightly, gaze shifting to the nearly empty glass on the bar table in front of him, and the few other empty ones yet to be cleaned up. Connor follows his gaze, focusing instead on the human’s bruised knuckles, the rough texture of his hands, and the thick, intricate ring on his middle finger. “I'll wait for you outside. Take your time.” Connor continues, about to walk forward to leave, but Gavin reluctantly stops him, leaning back in his seat and looking at Connor fully for the first time. At least, the best he could given his slightly fuzzy vision.
“Did you say homicide?”
Connor smiles, just a slight quirk of the corner of his lip. A final song starts up as they exit the bar together.
[I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys]
Gavin stumbles his way to his vehicle, an SUV model about 20 years old. It has a few dents and scratches from years of ownership, but is an overall reliable car. The man fumbles for his keys before unlocking it and stepping in. Gavin’s blood alcohol level was sure to be nearly at the legal limit, but there is still a high percent chance that they would arrive at the scene fairly safely.
[RIDE WITH GAVIN TO THE CRIME SCENE]
Connor steps into the vehicle, sitting down in the passengers seat stiffly with his hands in his lap. When the car rumbles to life, the ending of a song starts up, then fades into the next song on the same album.
[Losing a Whole Year - Third Eye Blind]
Gavin sits in the car for a few minutes, seemingly preparing himself to get to work. He taps on his phone, scrolling social media and texting.
[Narcolepsy - Third Eye Blind]
The interior of the car was slightly dirty, empty energy drinks cans clinked against Connor’s shoes and paper fast food bags crinkled under him. On the front dash were a few small trinkets tacked to the platform: a realistic rubber snake, a small plastic plant in a red pot, a non-realistic rubber spider, and a red plastic mushroom. A chain necklace with a large black and red spider pendant swung from the rear-view mirror. Finally, Connor turns to the lieutenant, watching as he buckles his seatbelt.
“I have sent the directions of the crime scene to your cellphone, we should arrive in approximately 10 minutes.” Connor says, and Gavin makes a “Hm,” sound before turning the volume up on the stereo all the way to stop Connor from talking any more for the duration of the drive.
Gavin plugs his phone into the car charger, seeing a text from an unknown number, not even a real phone number, but the android’s serial number.
#313 248 317 - 51
(Recognised as Model RK800 | Connor. Add contact?) [X]
6413 Pines Street, Detroit, MI 48226
Gavin puts the address into the GPS, showing on the dashboard screen of the car. He peels out of the parking lot and onto the main street. As the music blared through the speakers, he mouths the words, jaw held tight and eyes focusing intently on the road. Occasionally, Connor’s hand would reach towards the wheel, just in case Gavin doesn’t notice how badly he is veering into the other lane.
They sit in the intersection for a while until the song changes again, and he turns left to get on to the highway for a few minutes until the next intersection. He turns right, then turns right again into a small suburb. He reaches for a half empty bottle of water in the cupholder, but Connor takes it first, unscrewing the cap and handing it to Gavin. He drinks the rest of it and throws it at Connor’s feet. He picks up and takes a sip of an open energy drink can, but winces at the taste of the flat drink, then puts it back into the cupholder.
It’s still raining in the neighbourhood. A crowd of people are in the road near an almost dilapidated house, an officer waves some lights, and a car alarm sounds off as Gavin drives along the street of Carlos Ortiz’s home in which the crime scene takes place. The music is too loud, Gavin drives too fast through the suburbs, and Connor can only look at him.
Thankfully, there were no issues as they pull up to the old house on the rougher side of town. Cop cars, citizens, and journalists surround the home. Gavin stops the car and parks it.
“You wait here. I won't be long.” The lieutenant finally says after turning the volume down on the car speakers.
Gavin points at him as he speaks, still a bit uncoordinated but definitely more sobered up than their first conversation. He’s about to leave, and Connor looks at him with eyebrows raised. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be possible.
“Whatever you say, Lieutenant…” He is sarcastic as he speaks, voice lilting slightly to change the tone of the sentence. He is quickly figuring out that being agreeable but teasing is what leads to the best outcomes with Reed. Not quite mirroring his sass and hostility, but matching with an energy that shows Connor is not to be pushed.
GAVIN
^
Gavin rolls his eyes, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “Fucking-A, whatever I say…”
He exits the car and slams the door behind him. Connor watches as he approaches the house, walking through the grass, aiming to avoid most of the people.
CONFLICTING ORDERS
SELECTING PRIORITY…
[FOLLOW LT. REED]
The crowd follows him anyway. A man speaks up loudly, microphone in hand and cameras recording. “Joss Douglas for Channel 16. Can you confirm that this is a homicide?”
“I'm not confirming shit!”Gavin doesn’t even look the man’s way as he yells and enters the front yard. Connor can hear the other people in the crowd yelling and asking questions as well as he exists the car, but Gavin had picked up the pace for the front porch.
“My god! What happened in there?”
“Typical DPD… They don’t tell us anythin’!”
“But have they said something?”
Connor attempts to enter the scene but is stopped by a police android, a PC200 model. It looks him in the eye as it speaks in an even more robotic voice than Connor’s own.
“Androids are not permitted beyond this point.” It holds its arms out to stop Connor in his tracks. It has his LED spinning in annoyance.
Gavin turns to look behind him, seeing Connor has followed him. The man rolls his eyes, a scowl on his face. Reluctantly, he vouches for Connor.
“It's with me.” He grumbles and keeps walking.
Connor finally enters the yard and looks at Gavin, who glares at him for a few seconds, annoyed. “What part of ‘stay in the car’ didn’t you understand?”
“Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant…” Connor sounds somewhat apologetic.
“Fuck me,” He sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. “Alright. You don't talk, you don't touch anything and you stay outta my way, got it?”
The android nods curtly. “Got it.” And they walk together to the door. Again, that wouldn’t be possible, but he agrees anyway.
Connor and Gavin are interrupted by Detective Ben Collins, one of Gavin’s acquaintances at the DPD.
“Evening, Gavin. We were starting to think you weren’t gonna show…” He takes a couple small steps toward them as they walk up the wooden stairs.
“Yeah, that was the plan until this little bitch found me.” Gavin huffed, head tilting towards Connor, hand on one hip.
“So... you got yourself an android, huh?” Ben teases, turning to walk into the house as Gavin and Connor follow behind him.
“Oh, very funny. Just tell me what happened.”
Connor takes in every detail of the briefing as Ben explains it to Gavin, neither of them acknowledging the android as he trails behind them. He looks at Gavin intently as he sees him at work for the first time. His body language changes slightly, face serious as he looks over the bloated, bloody corpse closely. His face contorts in disgust at the smell. Connor can’t technically smell anything, but can sense that the air is filled with the sulphury, rotting scent of a death that had not been taken care of for quite a while.
“Ugh…state he’s in... Wasn’t worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night… Could've waited 'til morning.” Gavin groans. Ben continues telling the lieutenant what he knows as he waves the handheld scanner across the words ‘I AM ALIVE’ neatly printed on the wall in the blood of the victim.
Connor scans the knife on the ground that Detective Collins had mentioned and analyzes it.
NO FINGERPRINTS, ANDROID INVOLVEMENT?
Connor finishes the scanning, coming back to reality. He tilts his head at the knife, then reaches out to touch the blood splattered across it. He looks at the old blood on his fingers index and middle finger, then lifts the digits to his mouth as he parts his lips and pushes his tongue past his teeth. The smallest drop of analytic fluid pools on his tongue, sliding down towards his digits. As his fingers touch his tongue, his processing sensors light up, giving him all of the biological information on the victim.
Gavin walks over and watches with intense eyes, zeroing in when he sees Connor with bloody fingers in his mouth, and he holds back vomit. But also, outside of the context, the sight of a tall, admittedly attractive young man on his knees with two fingers in his mouth sends a shameful shiver down the lieutenant’s spine. He feels like all of the air races out of his lungs. He hates the way his body betrays him, and convinces himself it’s because he can’t see the LED from this angle, and because he was still pretty drunk.
“Euuughh!! Jesus! What the hell are you doing!?” Gavin yells, disgusted and confused, and a little out of breath, heat creeping up his face. Connor stands back up smoothly and gestures his hand around. The lieutenant leans back, not wanting to be touched by the bloody fingers mixed with whatever the fuck an android’s spit is made up of.
“Oh, I'm analyzing the blood.” He points to the knife on the ground. “I can check samples in real time. I'm sorry, I should have warned you…”
Gavin finally tears his eyes from Connor, looking away to hide his face from the android. He gestures his hand in a stopping motion as he scratches the car on his nose with his other hand. “Ok, just… don't… put anymore evidence in your fuckin’ mouth, you got it?”
Connor points to Gavin with his dirty fingers. “Got it.” Then he looks back at his hand, staring intently.
“Fucking hell, I can't believe this shit…” Gavin mumbled in annoyance as he walks away. Connor can see him bend down to examine a few pieces of evidence himself.
SCAN CONNECTING
SYNC IN PROCESS………SYNC DONE
COLLECTING DATA
PROCESSING DATA ………..100%
DRIED BLOOD
DNA Analysis: ORTIZ, Carlos
Sample date: >19 days
Connor finishes scanning and puts his hand down, looking for something to wipe the blood off on. He finds a roll of paper towels on a table nearby, and takes one square, wrapping it around his fingers and scrubbing most of the dried blood from the soft pads of his fingertips. He puts the crumpled napkin into his pocket, eyes scanning the room as he prepares to continue the investigation.
They split up as Connor investigates each piece of evidence, able to reconstruct the exact event that happened on the night of the incident right from his mind palace. Of course, Gavin would have been able to piece the event together himself, but Connor was just faster, more efficient.
Connor scans the victim’s face.
SCAN CONNECTING
SYNC IN PROCESS ………..SYNC DONE
COLLECTING DATA
PROCESSING DATA…………100%
DECEASED
ORTIZ, CARLOS
Height: 5’ 6” - Weight: 286.6 lbs
Estimated time of death: 11:30 pm
He analyses the body carefully, taking in each detail. The blood everywhere, the hands that had traces of narcotics, and then the many, many stab wounds that desecrated his flesh. Flies buzzed around the corpse and maggots crawled in and out of his mouth, eyes, ears, and nose. If Connor were human, he surely would have vomited his dinner by now. But instead, he just tilts his head as he stares, as if he were simply looking at a brick wall.
□ RECONSTRUCT
As Connor begins reconstructing the events, he stands up.
RECONSTRUCT INCOMPLETE
Connor starts the reconstruction, rewinding to before Carlos was stabbed, the projection gets up and moves forward near a chair in which he fell near. He follows where the two silhouettes were backing up.
VICTIM FELL HERE
Connor then rewinds to when Carlos stabbed, walking past officers and detectives as they step out of his way.
VICTIM WAS STABBED
Connor then rewinds from where the attack started in the kitchen.
THEY CAME FROM THE KITCHEN
RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETED
Connor stops and gets back to reality, Gavin joins him and Connor informs him of what he just learned.
“…He was stabbed 28 times.” Connor realises.
“Damn, seems like the killer really had it in for him.” Gavin gives a dry chuckle at the morbid thought.
Connor ponders for a few seconds then continues investigating.
VICTIM EXAMINED
Gavin examines a dime bag of drugs referred to as “Red Ice”, a new drug on the market ever since androids became popular, as it was made from thirium.
Gavin nods his head expectantly. “Red ice… of course. Seems our friend Carlos liked to party, too… Chris, I want full analysis on the narcotics.”
An officer walks over at the sound of his name. “Consider it done, Lieutenant.”
Connor opens the back door, then opens a second one made of metal bars, he checks outside the yard and notices footprints, he scans them.
SCAN CONNECTING
SYNC IN PROCESS………SYNC DONE COLLECTING DATA
PROCESSING DATA……..100%
SHOE PRINT
Model KS2 DPD - 10’
Less than 60 minutes ago
Connor stops scanning, he stares outside and Gavin accompanies him. He hears the lieutenants voice before he notices his presence.
“Door was locked from the inside. Killer must've gone out this way…” Gavin gestures his head out toward the backyard, implying that the deviant must have jumped the fence to escape.
“There are no footprints, apart from officer Collins' size 10 shoes.” Connor replies, not looking at Gavin.
Gavin moves forward a bit, eyes squinting as he looks out, seemingly trying to see what Connor was looking at.
“But, this happened weeks ago. Tracks could've faded.” He tries.
Connor and Gavin look back at each other. Connor’s face is serious, confused in a way as to how this deviant escaped, or if it did at all…
“No, this type of soil would've retained a trace…Nobody's been out here for a long time.”
[DEVIANT DIDN’T ESCAPE THIS WAY]
Connor goes back inside and Gavin follows him, looking slightly confused to mirror Connor. Gavin turns his head back again, and briefly checks the backyard for a few more seconds and then heads back inside.
Connor finds the victim’s blood on a door frame. More blood, this fight must have taken place across multiple rooms.
Connor picks up a magazine. It is an article about android sex, sponsored by the Eden Club. After setting it back down, he scans the kitchen in his mind palace.
DEVIANT TOOK A KNIFE
RECONSTRUCT
Connor keeps rewinding with the video showing the android being beaten with the bat.
DEVIANT WAS ATTACKED: EMOTIONAL SHOCK
RECONSTRUCT COMPLETED
Connor ends his analysis and stands up straight.
Gavin walks around the kitchen for a bit, observes a chair, checks a drawer, looks at knives, and examines a bat, then mumbles and walks away.
REPORT TO LT. REED
EVIDENCE REVIEWED: 80%
After five minutes, Gavin tries to leave.
Connor looks for Gavin to tell him about his reconstruction, but is nowhere to be found. He looks around the house, walking through the musty living room with the body and more officers scanning it and the blood surrounding. He almost gives up, until he hears the lieutenant’s voice from around the corner. He sounds bored.
“All right… I’m outta here. Thanks for the ride. Great party.” He says sarcastically, and he exits the kitchen in an attempts to leave but Connor stops him.
“Wait, Lieutenant! I can’t stay if you leave.” He sounds like a kicked puppy, and Gavin almost feels bad for the machine. He stops and turns to Connor.
“Much as it breaks my heart, this is where we part ways, plastic.” Of course the lieutenant is joking, but the idea of Gavin feeling emotions for him sends another, familiar now, glitch of blue and white across his vision. These glitches are beginning to distract him.
“I just need five more minutes to finish my investigation, I have reviewed nearly everything.” Connor pleads.
Gavin stops and ponders for a moment, then reluctantly agrees to help.
“Five. Minutes.” He holds up five fingers to emphasise his point.
Connor sighs graciously. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
“Whatever!” Those five fingers begin waving him away, as he puts in a single earbud, looking down at his phone and scrolling away.
And so, instead of giving Gavin the information on his reconstruction, he just walks to the back of the house to finish reviewing all of the evidence. So much for trying to talk to the lieutenant when he was already frustrated and ready to leave.
Connor enters a bathroom, he finds a shower curtain and opens it, and finds symbols reading “RA9”.
OBSESSIVE WRITING
Connor then finds a sculpture in the shower, he picks it up.
RELIGIOUS OFFERING?
Connor sets the statuette back down and exits the bathroom.
EVIDENCE REVIEWED: 100%
REPORT TO LT. REED
Gavin is seen leaning against a wall, still tapping on his phone, one earbud in.
Connor speaks with Gavin. “Okay, Lieutenant, I think I've figured out what happened.”
Gavin takes out his earbud and puts it back into its case, closing it with a clack. “Oh yeah? Shoot. I'm all ears.”
“It all started... in the kitchen.”
They look to the kitchen, with a table turned to the right, a metal bat, and a set of kitchen knives.
Gavin nods. “There're obvious signs of a struggle... The question is, what exactly happened here...”
“I think the victim attacked the android... With the bat.”
Connor can practically see a memory play of Carlos Ortiz attacking his own android with a metal baseball bat repeatedly.
“That lines up with the evidence... Go on.”
“The android stabbed the victim… obviously…” His head gestures in the direction of the bloody knife and rotting corpse.
“So the android was trying to defend itself then, right?” Connor can almost see the gears turning in Gavin’s head as he thinks, and the android nods. “Okay…then what happened?”
“The victim fled to ...the living room.”
Carlos Ortiz had tried to get away from his android, but got stabbed by it, as he crawls to the living room. Connor can imagine it in his mind palace like a flashback.
“And he tried to get away from the android… All right, that makes sense…” Gavin puts his hands in his pockets as he speaks.
“The android murdered the victim...with the knife.”
[GAVIN]
^
Gavin raises his eyebrows, one of his scars becoming more prominent among his slight forehead wrinkles. “Ok, your theory's not totally ridiculous…” He shrugs. “But it still doesn’t tell us where the android went.”
“It was damaged by the bat... and lost some Thirium...” Connor’s gaze raised to the top corner of his vision as he speaks, looking to be deep in thought.
“Lost some what?” Gavin stares with his brows furrowed, confused.
Connor looks back to Gavin’s face. “Thirium… you call it Blue Blood’. It’s the fluid that powers androids' biocomponents. It evaporates after a few hours and becomes invisible to the naked eye.”
Gavin parts his lips, piecing it all together. He understands now that they are much closer to getting the killer than he first thought when they’d arrived. “Aaah….. But I bet you can still see it, can't you?”
“Correct!”
“Yeah... so I guess you’re the only one who can figure this out, then. Get to it, Robo-boy.”
Connor scans the room once more, realising now how much thirium was splattered on the ground, and staining the walls. Still, there was an obvious trail that lead out of the living room, and into the hallway before stopping completely. He walks past Gavin, determined now. He turns his head, eyes landing on the outline of where a ladder must have lain there for years, untouched until the crime occurred. The brighter beige of the wall’s original paint color stood out slightly against the heavily smoke stained portions.
He looks up, seeing the hatch to the attic. There’s one place no one has thought to look yet, and he just found it. He turns around, headed back to the kitchen to find a way to reach the hatch.
[GAVIN]
^
[TAKE A CHAIR]
He walks swiftly over to the table, grabbing one of the chairs in his hands and walking away, body language showing he is locked into the mission.
Gavin tries to stop him when he sees Connor literally messing with the crime scene, fucking robot. “Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doin’ with that chair?”
“I’m going to check something.” His voice raises as he walks away, not even stopping to reply to Gavin.
“Uh-huh... gonna check something.” The lieutenant’s voice is high-pitched and nasally, attempting to impersonate Connor’s voice.
Connor takes the chair to the hallway and places it above the hatch. He steps onto the chair, then reaches up to the rope attached to the hatch, moving his head to the side as it falls open. Dust scatters to the floor as Connor lifts himself up into the attic.
When he looks around, he sees nothing, but notices a presence near him. He sneaks through the claustrophobic space silently, his LED shining yellow in the dim light. He sees a humanoid silhouette from behind a brown curtain, the streetlights from the outside making the outline of the figure more obvious. In an effort to catch the deviant off guard, he pulls the curtain back suddenly, only to find it was just a disproportionate mannequin. He bristles, knowing he had just blown his cover, and whatever was in here with him was fully aware of his presence now.
He hears stumbling, and turns his head to see a piece of wood wobbling and fabric shaking as a dark figure moved past it. He runs as best as he can through the attic, finally circling back to the open hole in the floor, where it turns to Connor, nothing but fear and terror in its deep, dark brown eyes, knowing it was cornered. It has countless injuries, including on his face, making small patches of cracked white chassis show beneath its dark skin tone. It speaks to Connor, voice low and full of static due to its biocomponents failing.
“I was just defending myself… He was gonna kill me.… I'm begging you… Don't tell them.”
Gavin heard the commotion, and the muffled talking from in the attic, and he jogs over to the open hatch to yell up at Connor. “Ay, Connor, what the fuck is going on up there?”
Connor eyes the deviant with a dark glare, hesitating only for a beat, seeming to consider the other android’s pleading, but then he speaks. He turns his head downward to let his voice carry further. “It's here, Lieutenant!”
Gavin’s eyes go wide, mouth hanging open as he registers what Connor meant. “Holy shit… Chris, Ben, get your asses in here now. Come on!”