SEQUENTIAL ━ Connor // RK800 ✔️

twelve ━ on the run

Critical details from this whole endeavour seemed to be missing. Connor felt like he couldn't quite see the bigger picture.

The jolt of the nozzle took him out of his mind and back to the task at hand. After returning the nozzle of the fuel pump back in its dispenser, he made his way to the convenience store of the gas station. It hadn't occurred to him before reaching halfway there and spotting the 'no cash' sign on the door that he wasn't in fact Mia's android. He didn't have access to her account, nor any such money source for that matter, since CyberLife had disconnected his access from their project funds a couple of hours ago, probably the moment he was announced as missing.

Before the cashier could spot him, Connor turned away and walked back to the car, facing a difficult choice now that he's already filled the car with the fuel they needed — he could drive off or wake Mia up to ask her to pay for the expenses.

Each of the two options opening up before him had a downside of its own. The latter was particularly dangerous, knowing they'd have to leave the station as soon as she makes the payment. It was undoubtedly likely that, if he was disconnected from his usual access points from the company, her transactions would also be continously tracked.

The first choice was not any better and even just considering going against his programming and committing a clear felony turned Connor's LED to a tense yellow. He had just started forgetting about the instability he had detected in his software the other day and he couldn't allow that worry to come back to him now, when his vigilance was needed, so the choice made itself. He walked around the car, opening the door to Mia's side of it.

Her sleeping figure greeted him once more, but this time from much closer. With the rain already being loud around the gas station, Connor had to lean inside the car, propping his weight onto his right hand as it held onto the dashboard. He inched above Mia until he was able to see her face, and only then did he place his left hand over her shoulder, giving her a short, but firm shake.

"Mia," he called her name at first tentatively quiet. Connor wasn't aiming to scare her awake, but once she seemed to budge very little at his softer attempts, he called her name again, a bit louder, "Mia, wake up." Finally, he gained a reaction out of her: her eyebrows furrowed down and her calm breaths hitched abruptly. "Mia," he called before she could drift back to sleep, tilting his head to get the best view of her reaction and thus spot when her eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened.

At that point, when his name was barely being articulated off of her tongue, he thought being succinct and professional was the best way to go, so he immediately removed his left hand from her, "I need some money."

Mia hummed in return, inquisitive but otherwise still not fully back to her senses. At the very least, Connor thought as he leant back to give her some space without however exiting the car just yet, she started moving. She brought her hands up to her eyes and rubbed them furiously, a groan taking over her as the strange position she had slept in caught up to her with some repercussions of soreness in places a quick scan had revealed to Connor immediately.

"For gas," he explained, insisting to remain talking so she had less of a chance to simply go back to sleep.

Finally, her eyes were wide open, looking around, dazed as they were from the abrupt change from whatever dreams she's been having to the reality of the car. Her immediately frown told Connor all he needed to know about how she most likely would have preferred if the past twenty-four hours proved to be but a nightmare for her to leave to the night.