From Your Wires to Your Core

Feral

Connor shifted in his seat anxiously as Hank drove. Nines' signal had cut off at about the same time the disc shocked him. The electric current had left him unable to keep the connection open. The only good thing about the situation was that Nines had been in contact with him the whole time, sharing data and his thoughts. Connor had already alerted Hank to Nines' unrest and Hank had suggested they get down there, agreeing with Nines' caution. Never ignore a gut feeling. They'd just left the station when the connection went dead.

"Don't worry, we'll get there soon," Hank insisted gruffly as he floored it the whole way. He'd put his light on the roof and blared the siren, forcing civilian cars to swerve out of the way. Connor nodded stiffly as he gripped the handle by his head. He didn't really feel safe despite the seatbelt across his chest. He'd never known Hank to be in a hurry before, but right now, it was like he'd never left the streets. He used small backstreets where he could, cutting behind main roads and junctions. Connor was impressed with his knowledge of the area.

It was exactly seven minutes, thirty-eight seconds, and fifteen milliseconds later that Hank screeched to a stop beside Reed's car. He shouted at Connor as he dove out and raced towards the yard. It was quiet. Too quiet. He tossed the gate even as he heard Hank running up behind him, gun drawn and ready as he laid a hand on his shoulder to pull him back with a firm look. It was touching that he still believed he needed such protection after all this time.

"Stay behind me," Hank ordered gruffly as he took point. Connor followed obediently, scanning the area as he went. He tried to re-establish contact with Nines, as he had countless times since they'd left. His thirium pump kicked up a notch as the line continued to ring. Either Nines was ignoring him, or he was too damaged to answer. He knew which option was more likely. Hank nodded towards the old hut first, and Connor silently agreed as he crept up to the door and kicked it open.

"Detroit police!" he shouted in warning, ducking out of the doorway just in case. There was movement within, and an old man appeared. He seemed even more unsettled when he saw Connor near the doorway.

"Your android! It's gone crazy! You've got to shoot the damned thing!" he insisted as he peered through the doorway at Hank. Hank stepped a little closer to the hut, so that he could listen as the old man continued his rambling. "It's out of control! I don't know what happened, but it's like a wild animal!" He was hysterical as he hid in the doorway, unwilling to get close to Connor. The man was telling the truth, as far as Connor was aware.

"I've been unable to establish a connection with Nines." But he couldn't believe he'd simply gone feral out of the blue. That disc had shocked him, but not enough to damage his internal systems. Did they attack him afterwards? Or did the shock awaken some deep-set trauma? Connor couldn't help but worry as he left the doorway and scanned the yard. He couldn't see anyone in the immediate vicinity.

"Stay inside, you hear? Shut the door, and don't come out until I tell you," Hank instructed before he followed. The old man made no argument as he pushed the door shut and disappeared from sight, likely hunkering beneath the desk. Connor's LED flickered red as he circled the path and followed the dusty human tracks. Hank caught up to him and quickly tugged him back, taking up the position in front once more. "Ah, shit!" Hank slowly lowered his gun. Connor's LED continued to circle red as he took in the four bodies.

The two younger humans weren't moving. He couldn't even tell whether they were alive from where he stood. They were lying like rag dolls or discarded toys. The amount of red on the dirt path wasn't promising. Connor couldn't help the relief that flooded his chest as he saw Nines and Reed were both alive, though Reed was clearly injured as he pressed a hand against his bleeding shoulder. He'd been hit in the face, too. Blood trickled from his lip as he knelt, hunched over. Nines was crouching in front of him, more like a tiger than a human, ready to pounce anything that came towards them.

"Nines!" Connor took a few hurried steps forward, thinking more with his heart than his head. He stopped dead as an inhuman static noise growled from Nines' curled lips, ethereal blue eyes glaring up at him. "Nines?" Connor was wary, holding his hands out with his palms down in a calming gesture. Reed's breaths were coming in short gasps, quivering in shock as he continued to stem the flow of blood from his shoulder. Phck, it hurts like hell...

"Nines...Nines, calm the phck down...It's just Connor..." His voice came out in a weak, growling tone. Nines snarled again as he shuffled further back, closer to his smaller, vulnerable body. Hank slowly made his way forward, barely pausing as Nines let out a fresh static growl. He blocked their view of Reed almost completely. Connor put his arm out as Hank made to step forward. Nines remained crouched on the ground, snapping his teeth, ready to attack.

"Nines! Sit!" Hank snapped as he nudged Connor's arm away. Connor blinked at him incredulously as he simply stepped forward with his hands on his hips. He was like a chastising parent. Nines growled again, but made no move to attack Hank. "I am your superior officer! Sit down, Detective!" Hank's brow remained in a set frown as he remained as he was, watching steadily as Nines slowly lowered his knees to the dirt, but he didn't move away from Reed. Not by an inch. His blue eyes remained locked on Hank's the whole time. He continued to let out low, threatening growls, warning them not to come any closer.

"Nines..." Reed murmured with a wince, leaning forward enough to rest his head against his strong back. Nines paused at the added weight, slowly blinking and looking over his shoulder. "It's okay...You can come back now, yeah?" Reed wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep his eyes open as the sickening warmth continued to flow down his arm and the pain started throbbing. Nines blinked, LED flashing between red and yellow as he assessed Reed's failing health and gentle words. Reed continued to whisper and mumble soothing words, trying not to shake too much against the growing pain in his shoulder.

Seeing Nines was sufficiently distracted, Connor sneaked closer and retracted the skin of his hand. Reed met his gaze briefly as he continued to talk Nines down. Nines let out another protective growl. He had to protect his partner. That was his only mission. His partner was injured. His partner was in danger. Connor smiled softly as he reached out and grabbed his neck. The skin there retracted as Connor started an interface. He instantly felt Nines' panic and fear settle over his own mind. He winced at the sensation, letting his reassurance seep out in response as he dipped into Nines' systems and reordered his thoughts. Nines shuddered as they parted, his body slumping as he went into stasis.

"Connor, check the others. I'll call the hospital," Hank instructed as he knelt beside Reed and tugged his bloodied jacket and top off. Reed grunted loudly as his shoulder was moved, glaring daggers at Hank as he was manhandled. "Hang on, son." Hank was careful as he eyed the ugly hole, which hadn't opened on the other side. He sighed. That meant the bullet was lodged in there somewhere, and he knew how much Reed hated it when he had to have bullets fished out.

"Nines...alright?" Reed managed to grunt, green eyes unfocused as he looked down at his unconscious form. His LED was spinning yellow as he reordered his thoughts on Connor's instruction. Hank eased him back a little, assuring him that Nines would be fine as he called the hospital. He was shivering now. He felt unbelievably cold, despite it being quite warm out. He was going into shock. You'd think he'd be able to handle a bullet or two after all the previous ones. He winced as pain shot through his shoulder and throbbed in his head.

"They're alive." Connor's hesitant report brought good news, but Nines certainly hadn't been gentle about restraining them. One had a dislocated elbow, broken knee, and five cracked ribs while the other had seven cracked ribs and a skull fracture. They'd both be out for a while, but that just meant they'd have more time to ensure they had officers ready to meet them at the hospital. Connor was already calling it through and making arrangements.

"Hey! Gavin! Hey!" Hank cried in alarm as his green eyes drifted shut. His body fell limp, almost slumping forward onto Nines. Hank caught him, doing his best to keep pressure on the still leaking bullet wound as he propped him up. Connor was at his side in an instant, shrugging out of his jacket and using it as a barrier between Reed and the ground as he laid him down. He balled up Reed's discarded top and pressed it against the wound, putting more pressure on it than Hank could. He was careful to measure his strength. He didn't want to fracture any bones.

"Detective Reed...Detective, are you with us?" Connor used his free hand to slap Reed's cheek, watching Hank wince. He vaguely remembered how it felt to be slapped in the face by an RK800. Not something he'd recommend. Reed let out a disoriented groan, faded green eyes barely flickering open before closing again. It was almost like he was drunk. Shit, he's losing too much blood. Hank hovered worriedly as Connor continued to try to keep him awake.