"My name is Connor. I am ALIVE."

Chapter One: Tears

It was a quiet morning at the precinct. It had been almost two months since the android revolution, one month since androids had been recognized as a new intelligent species, two weeks since Connor had flown through his detective tests, and three days and twelve hours and ten minutes since he'd been officially hired at the DPD. He'd been counting. Every second. Checking his internal clock had become a reflex now. Hank called it a compulsion. He wasn't too sure of that. He was still pretty new to deviancy, after all. Emotions, especially his own new ones, easily overwhelmed him. Hank had a label for that too. Anxiety. A tightening feeling in his chest components, an increase in the speed of his ventilation. As much as he felt out of touch with emotions, it was nice to be able to have a label for what he was feeling.

He looked up at his partner, watching Hank as he read something on his terminal. "May I ask you a question, Lieutenant?" Blue eyes flicked up at him. "Somethin' on your mind, Con?" Connor fiddled with the coin in his pocket. "You could say that. I've been thinking about myself. About these new....emotions." Emotions confused him. Androids weren't supposed to have them. Something about deviancy turned everything he thought he once knew upside-down and on its head. Hank merely raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Well, I'm not quite sure I understand. At the time, becoming deviant seemed like a good idea. However, it was just another part of Cyberlife's plan for me. Was it even my own choice? Another part of my programming? Or--" He flinched at a sudden flick at his forehead. "Kid, what have I told you about overthinking?", Hank scolded him gruffly, taking back his hand. "Hank..", he couldn't help but whine in protest. His LED spun a furious yellow. "Ah-ah. Nope. Not everything has to have a logical answer, Connor." Logic was all he knew, though. There was a reason for everything....wasn't there..? "Let's ask someone else then. Chris!"

The dark skinned officer turned in his seat. "Connor's having an issue with overthinking his new emotions." Connor huffed, glaring at Hank. Officer Miller merely smiled. "It's alright, Connor. We all understand how you're feeling. Well, most of us." He shot a sideways glance at Detective Reed. He smiled softly back at Connor. "Don't worry so much, okay? Emotions are a normal thing. For humans and deviants. Have you talked to your android friends about this?"

Connor rubbed his hands together, LED flickering between yellow and blue. "I....have not. It seems to come a lot more easily for them, especially Markus."

Hank snorted, coughing out a word that sounded like, "RoboJesus."

Connor smiled slightly. "He tries to help every time I see him. He tries to show me his own experiences through connection, however I still don't quite understand. It.....frustrates me....I suppose would be the correct description." Hank patted his back. "Well, being able to tell that one at least is a good start, son." Chris nodded in agreement. Hank squeezed his shoulder. "Why don't you get me a coffee? Get yourself a cup of warm thirium while you're at it? Something to calm those nerves of your's..." Connor smiled a bit more. "Sounds good."

He stood gracefully, running his fingers over his new name plate as he went. Det. Anderson, it read. Connor had proudly chosen Hank's last name for his designation on his detective forms. The badge on his belt was another reminder of that pride, labeling him as a detective of the Detroit Police Department. He ran his hands down his black turtleneck sweater, something he'd discovered after installing a new update for deviants the previous week. Touch, especially soft fabrics or Sumo's soft fur, helped with his nerves. He did a quick self-scan, reading his own stress level.