Nov 7th, 2038
"You got a ride, Y/N?"
I shook my head, "I took the train; gotta get my money's worth from those tickets."
"Well, if you like" Hank motioned to his car, "why don't ya join me for lunch?"
Connor looked between the two of us.
"And this piece 'o plastic," the litendent turned to Connor, "I assume you're comin'?" He sounded annoyed.
Connor just nodded. Hank turned back to me.
"I've got nothing better to do."
"Then it's settled."
I slipped into the middle of the backseat while Hank and Connor took their places at the front. Hank looked to Connor, then peered back at me.
"No, no!" He sighed, "Y/N sits in the front. 'Cause she's human."
"No," I held Connor's shoulder so he wouldn't move, "I'm in the back and that's where I'm staying."
Hank grumbled but didn't say anything. The drive was silent most of the way. Occasionally, Connor would attempt small talk of some sort. When the android tried to talk to Hank, he was ignored. So instead, he talked to me.
"I've noticed you touch my shoulder a lot, is there a reason?"
I looked at him, puzzled. I'd never really thought about that, I just didn't know where else to touch him. "No," I smiled awkwardly, "but I'll stop if you want. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"I don't find you uncomfortable..." he positioned his head to look back at me, "can I ask you a personal question, detective?"
Who the hell asks someone if they can ask a personal question? Regardless, I was kinda curious, "shoot."
"You looked upset when you were on a call earlier today," his brown eyes seemed to soften in the dim light. It wasn't too late but it was already getting dark which threw me off, "why were you frustrated?"
I turned my head to the window. The city lights danced on the damp road. It had rained earlier today. I love rain when I'm inside. Not when I'm outside, chasing an android who's chasing a deviant.
I looked back to Connor, almost forgetting his question, "Something didn't go as planned for me. Right then what I needed was a yes, and I got a maybe. Does that make sense?"
Connor nodded.
"I hate when I get maybes. I fine with nos but maybes aren't reliable. I couldn't design a concrete plan because I was relying on a maybe."
I had called Tommy shortly after Connor had left to wait for Hank. When she had answered, I'd told her my plan for breaking the deviant free. She was part of the plan; I needed her to drive the deviant to Jericho. But Tommy was busy. Apparently, Jericho had a new leader. At first, I was frustrated because I'd have to somehow sneak the deviant to Jericho myself. Then, the deviant self-destructed and all my plans were canceled. Part of me had been relieved because it was one less thing I had to do. But the other part was disappointed I hadn't been able to save him. The maybe was my chance of meeting tomorrow. Tommy said she might be able to make it. Might.
I hate maybes.
"What didn't go to plan?"
I lifted my head, pulling myself out of my thoughts, "It's a long story. I meet with a friend every week and this week she might not be able to make it."
Connor nodded again and turned back to the front to face the rearview mirror. He sat like that for a little while, watching the cars wisk by on the dim lit street.
Finally Connor spoke up again, "where are we going, Litendent?"
Hank glanced at Connor, "you'll see."
Hank had said something about lunch earlier but I hadn't really been listening. Hopefully the place we're headed to is decent.
I met Connor's eyes through the rearview mirror. We stayed like that for what felt like a few minutes but couldn't have been more than a few seconds. I looked away first, a little flustered. Why was I flustered? Connor is a machine and why would a machine be interested in a human. Humans have expiration dates. Androids/Deviants don't.
I sighed as the car slowed to a stop along a deserted road near the train tracks. The place didn't look very safe but, all three of us knew how to use weapons. We should be okay. Especially with Connor.
Hank got out of the car right away and knocked on my window. I waited until Connor started getting out before I got out of the car and crossed the street. The android walked closely behind me as I approached the Chicken Feed shop. Hank finished up his conversation as he saw me and motioned to the shop.
"Get whatever; it's on me."
"Just fries, thank you."
I tuned out Hank and Connor as my mind wondered back to Tommy. I wondered if there was a way we could meet earlier. Meeting with her this week wasn't an option. So much had happened these past few days. And anyways, I kinda wanted someone to vent to.
I snapped out of my head as Hank said something I didn't quite hear, and handed me a small box of fries. I nodded in thanks and followed him to a table. I leaned my arm against the wet surface. A shop inside would've been a smarter idea considering it's still raining and everything is wet. I played with the fries, moving them around mindlessly as I ate them.
"I don't want to alarm you lieutenant," I lifted my head to look at Connor curiously, he looked to me briefly before continuing, "but I think your friends are engaged in illegal activities."
"Well, everybody does what they have to, to get by," he had a genuine smile on his face as he held this hamburger, "as long as they're not hurting anybody," he shrugged, "I don't bother 'em."
Connor seemed taken aback by that statement. As if he had never before considered what Hank had said. He probably hadn't. Still, his reaction was funny. When the android looked back up, there was something new in his eyes. Something human.
"Your meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol levels," Connor shook his head slightly, looking at Hank, "you shouldn't eat that."
"Everybody's gotta die of something."
The android turned to me, "you're picking at your food, detective," Hank looked to me, "is something wrong?"
I pushed myself off the table; into a standing position, "no," I was slightly embarrassed because the fries were purchased by Hank. Maybe he thought I'm ungrateful? "no, that's not it," I forced a smile, "just a little distracted."
"This morning, when we were chasing those deviants, why didn't you want me to cross the highway?" Connor wasn't looking at anyone in particular. I let Hank speak first.
"Cause you could've been killed," Hank had this 'obviously' expression on his face, I smiled, "and," he waved his hand around, "I don't like filling out paperwork for damaged equipment."
I nodded in agreement. "Technically, you can't die. But you can get destroyed," Connor's eyes twitched as I said that, "getting destroyed would only make the investigation harder," he looked at me, "additionally, you would lose some of your memories. Sure, you'd come back. But it wouldn't be the same you."
"You seem to know a lot about androids, detective."
"I have been working with them for a few months."
There was a long pause, "can I ask you a personal question, leitendent?" Hank just blinked at Connor, "why do you hate android so much?"
I was kind of curious about that, too. I just assumed he thought they would take his job or something but the faraway look in his eyes told another story. He was silent for a long while.
"I have my reasons."
Hank and Connor descended into a conversation about deviants as I doze off, again. I should have made an effort to sleep more last night. Too late now.
"You ever dealt with deviants before?"
Now Connor had a distant look in his eyes, "a few months back. A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl..."
My sleep-deprived brain jumped back in time to that night on the deck.
"Negotiator on site. Repeat, negotiator on site."
"Hi, Daniel."
"I'm not alive."
"These emotions you're feeling are just errors in your software."
"You're not going to die."
The sound of gunshots and the emotionless negotiator who walked out.
I shivered at the memory.
"...I managed to save her."