WARNINGS: graphic mention of murder, graphic mention of android suicide
Also! Do not worry - there will be probably four parts to this particular story. (It doesn't end here!)
PART 1/4
reader: human
edited: yes
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You gazed at the familiar house as you stepped out of your car into the cold. Shocked, you stepped onto the curb, making your way up the driveway.
About fifteen minutes ago, you received a phone call on your way home from work that your uncle had been murdered. The DPD needed you at the scene of the crime right away to help explain what happened and point out possible clues. It shocked you beyond words. You never thought that something like this would happen to you.
You crossed by the police tape and walked into the front garden. The usually green lawn was dusted by a light layer of frost, making it look like the grass hadn't been touched in weeks. Water pooled in the cracks in the cobblestone walkway. You knocked on the door, shivering and rubbing your hands together. After a few moments, the door opened and you were greeted by an android who reached out his hand for a handshake.
"Hello, Miss [Last name]. My name is Connor, a RK800 android deployed by Cyberlife to assist Lieutenant Anderson in this investigation. It is nice to meet you."
You reached forward to grasp his hand and were taken aback for a moment by the emotion in his gaze. His handsome brown eyes showed kindness and sympathy, and his smile was compassionate.
"It's nice to meet you too, Connor," you replied, following him into the house.
You were immediately overwhelmed by the scene. The house was dark and barely lit, the main light source being the red and blue police sirens glaring through the windows. There was yellow police tape everywhere. Several police officers, guns hanging from their hips, walked around the whole first floor (kitchen, living room, and dining room), searching the perimeter of the house for evidence.
"If you'll please follow me upstairs, Miss [last name]," Connor requested, walking to the staircase. "Please watch your step and mind the blood."
You blanched at the sight of dried blood splattering your aunt and uncle's floral wallpaper. You already knew whose blood it was, so you followed the android quickly up the steps into the master bedroom.
The sight that greeted you at the top of the stairs almost made you vomit. Your uncle was lying on the floor, his blood spread across the wall behind him, dripping down onto the hardwood. You thanked God you couldn't see his face, but you sure as hell could see the rest of him. His blood stained skin, his limp hands, the stab wounds leaking blood... it was too much.
"Oh, my god!"
You immediately turned around and covered your face with your hands, tears streaming down your face. Crouching down, you closed your eyes, desperately trying to forget that terrible scene. You were never really that close with him, but that didn't make the sight any less disturbing.
You felt a cold hand on your shoulder. "Miss [last name], are you alright?" You looked up at Connor, who was standing over you, visibly concerned. The android hesitated for a moment, before continuing.
"I have heard that humans have difficulty dealing with loss. Is this the case?"
You shook your head. "We weren't that close," you whispered hoarsely, wiping away the tears. "It's just - it just surprised me, that's all." You rubbed at your eyes, standing back up and taking a deep breath. "Let's just get this over with."
"Your uncle was murdered with a knife. He was stabbed seventeen times in the chest. There are traces of thirium on his clothing and on his skin, which suggests the involvement of a deviant in his death. The murder weapon also has no fingerprints."
Connor turned to you, effectively blocking your view of the body. You breathed a sigh of relief as his tall, broad body cut off the gruesome sight.
"Would it make you more comfortable if we leave this room?" He asked, and you nodded gratefully.
"Connor!" A low voice called from across the room. The android turned towards the voice, and you stepped behind him, still afraid of seeing the body again. "You find anything?"
"Not yet, Lieutenant Anderson. I was welcoming Miss [last name]."
Lt. Anderson came into view. He was a tall, elderly man with messy hair and a full white beard.
"Well stop wasting my fuckin' time, kid. Hurry it up."
"Got it, Lieutenant."
The man looked you over, and then held out his hand for a handshake. You shook his hand quickly.
"No need to call me all that 'Lieutenant' bullshit. Call me Hank."
Connor quickly steered you away from the conversation and out of the master bedroom. He led you to one of your cousin's bedroom and sat down on the carpet. You joined him.
"Was there abuse of any kind from your aunt or uncle towards you or their children?"
"Yes," you responded immediately. "They used to scream insults at their kids, even when I was around. And I used to see the kids with unexplained bruises and cuts. Sometimes there were small burn marks, too."
He nodded. "Did anyone in the house smoke cigarettes?"
"Yeah."
"Who smoked cigarettes?"
"My uncle."
"Do you know the brand of cigarettes he smoked?"
You paused for a second. "I think it was... Marlboro?"
Connor nodded. "Would you do me a favor and wait downstairs for a few minutes? I need to do some reconstructive work, in which I do not require your assistance." The android stood up gracefully from the floor and you looked up at him, realizing just how tall he was. Connor extended a large hand down for you to grasp. You took it, and he effortlessly hoisted you up off the floor. You followed him out of the room. Connor made sure to keep the body out of your line of sight as he led you to the stairs. He took your hand in his own as he led you down the steps. When he got to the bottom, Connor let go of you.
"Thank you, Miss [last name]. I'll be back in a couple of minutes to talk to you again if we find anything."
"Okay. Thank you," you said, smiling at him in gratitude. He smiled back at you kindly, and started to walk back up the stairs. "Oh - Connor!" The android turned back to you with an expectant expression on his face.
"Yes, Miss [last name]?"
"You don't need to call me that, Connor. You can just call me [name]."
"Got it," he said, and turned back around to walk back up the stairs.
You smiled to yourself as you took a seat away from the investigators. You rubbed your hands together, your breath clouding in the cold. You started thinking about Connor more and more. Even though Connor was only an android, you felt weird about him. He seemed like he was something more than just blue blood and plastic - the emotions in his eyes were too genuine to be a program.
"Lieutenant Anderson!" Connor's voice came from upstairs. Hank turned around, a glass of amber liquid half raised to his lips. "What?" He yelled back gruffly, taking another swig of whiskey.
Almost immediately after that, loud footsteps came down the long stairway. Hank moved protectively in front of you as an unfamiliar android ran down the stairs, heading straight for the front door. Blue blood was spilling from its eyes and dripping down its damaged face onto the floor. Its LED light was flashing red. It was missing an arm, but that didn't stop it from running as quickly as it could down the stairs and into the kitchen. Its mouth opened in a grotesque display of fear as it started screaming and bashing its forehead against the marble countertop.
You started crying from the shock, thoroughly rattled by the sight.
Hank broke away from you and jumped on the android, trying to restrain it. "Connor!" He roared. "Get the fuck down here! It's trying to kill itself!"
Connor came running down the stairs, looking almost comical. He grabbed the deviant's wrists, attempting to pin it down, but he failed. The android snatched Hank's gun out of its holster.
"No!" Hank yelled, reaching forward. Before he could do anything, the deviant aimed at Connor and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed him, but the deviant paid no mind, aiming at its own throat and pulling the trigger.
Blue blood splattered across the wooden cupboards as the deviant slumped to the floor, lifeless.
"Holy shit," Hank cursed, rubbing his forehead with his palm, but Connor was already gone.
"[Name]!" Connor cursed, running across the room in a few short seconds. You lay on the floor, appearing to be unconscious. He scooped your body into his arms and pressed his hand to a wound in your side. Connor's hand came back a violent red.
"What happened - oh, shit!" Hank repeated.
The bullet that missed Connor had hit you in the side. While the two restrained the deviant, you bled silently on the floor, the pain too intense for you to say anything to aware them to your situation.
"She got shot," he responded. "I've already called an ambulance."
"She's still awake!" Hank said, kneeling next to you. "Shit - uh, I'll - I'll look for something to stop the bleeding." He got up again and ran off to the downstairs bathroom.
Your eyes fluttered open as you heard him speak. The scalding, unbearable pain in your torso had lessened to a dull throb as shock set in. You looked up at Connor, who was holding you protectively against his chest with his arms wrapped around you. His brown eyes were full of guilt as he looked over the wound.
"I am so, so sorry, [name]," Connor whispered. "It'll be okay. You'll be okay."
You leaned into his shoulder and closed your eyes again, tears running down your cheeks. He took one of your hands and squeezed it tightly in reassurance.
"I think she's in shock," the android shouted over his shoulder to Hank. His gaze quickly returned to you, his hands rubbing soothingly at your shoulders.
"The bullet missed all major arteries and organs," Connor said, analyzing the situation. "But you're bleeding significantly."
"Would this help?" Hank asked, giving him a hand towel. Connor took it and pressed it to your wound, making you wince in pain.
"I'm sorry," He apologized, squeezing your hand again. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
A loud siren came from outside, getting louder and louder. Even more red and blue lights flashed as the ambulance pulled up to the house, the lights coming through the windows.
"It's time to go," Hank said, opening the front door. "We'll come back later. Right now we need to make sure this chick doesn't bleed out."
"Connor?" You croaked, looking up at him.
"It's okay," he said again, his LED light flickering between yellow and red. "Everything's fine. We need to go to the ambulance." He hesitated for a moment. "I'm going to have to pick you up. This might hurt."
Connor put a strong arm underneath your legs and picked you up off of the floor. You let out a soft whimper, and Connor looked down at you nervously. "It's okay," he reassured again. "You'll be okay."
You sighed and rested your head on his chest, letting him carry you out of the front door. The paramedics took you from him and laid you down on a stretcher.
"... do you think we should go with her?" Hank muttered.
"Yes, we should," Connor said, stepping onto the ambulance. None of the paramedics questioned Hank or Connor accompanying you to the hospital as they rushed around you, stopping the bleeding and sewing up the wound.
"Who knew this was how this case was going to end up," Hank groaned, sitting back on the plastic seat of the ambulance. "Poor girl. Didn't deserve that."
Connor could only nod.