Chapter 3

When you got home with James and he immediately threw himself in your sofa you realized how much you have missed having him around. You actually missed the narcissistic asshole!

"Tv on!" He called out for the machine and it turned on. You let him pick a movie as you prepared some food for the little you actually had in your fridge. Grocery shopping hadn't been your top priority the last many weeks so you lived out of snacks and frozen menus that just needed to be heated up in the microwave. James didn't say anything about the food. He could eat anything anyway. He was like a walking garbage can.

As you had started the second movie you actually relaxed a bit more. You hadn't had many days where there wasn't an android coming to you and you were starting to think that you could enjoy you night in peace. You were about to fall asleep next to James in the couch as there was a knock on your door. Your eyes widened and you got up so fast your eyes blackened for a moment.

"Y/n sit down. If it's a costumer I can tell them..." James started but you signed him to stop getting up with your hands.

"No no no no. It's okay. I'll tell them to leave myself." You said and hurried to the door, hoping that he didn't see the panic in your face. He turned to the TV again but watched you out of the corner of his eyes. Please don't be one of those hysteric crying once!

You opened a door and there stood a very unkempt middle-aged man with an untrimmed beard. He looked really tired but he tried his best to smile anyway. Behind him stood a very handsome android man with brown hair and brown friendly eyes. Compared to the human he accompanied he was nicely dressed in a suit jacket and tie.

"Can... Can I help you with something?" You said curious. The android didn't look damaged so it couldn't be a costumer. The middle-aged man pulled out a police badge from his pocket and showed it to you.

"Lieutenant Hank Anderson. I'm here because I'm investigation cases of deviancy among androids. We got a clue that leads us to this address. Are you Y/n Y/l/n?" He asked and you were immediately alert. What had they found? What had leaded them to you?

"I'm sorry Lieutenant, but I detect an increase in her heartbeat. I think you are frightening her." The android behind the Lieutenant said politely and he smiled at you. The comment only made the Lieutenant sigh.

"I'm okay and yes, I'm y/n. Do you want to come in?" You asked and tried to stay calm. As they both passed you in the doorway, James came up behind you and placed a calming hand on your back.

"What is going on?" He whispered.

"It's the police." You whispered back before you signed for the two detectives to sit at the kitchen table. You sat down with them but James kept standing up and was towering up behind you like it would protect you somehow.

"I'm soryy but before we dpeak any further, can I know your name? I'll like to know whom I'm speaking to. You asked the android as you sat down at the table. The android looked at the Lieutenant hopeful but the man just frowned at the question and gave him a quick hand gesture that told the android to hurry up.

"My name is connor. I'm the android send by CyperLife to assist Lieutenant Anderson in this investigation." The android spoke and nodded his head in a greeting.

"Nice to meet you Connor." You said and you heard the Lieutenant sigh before he spoke.

"So we have come here because we have been following some leads from the latest case of deviancy." The Lieutenant explained.

"So you say. What does that mean?" You asked suspicious. Maybe they caught one of those you had helped.

"That means that we chased one of those bastards over the rooftops of Detroit for it to throw itself out from a building. We could only recover that much data from its memory. One of the things my... partner here could see was that some other deviant told it your address." The Lieutenant said and when he mentioned his android partner he looked disgusted. It honestly made you a little pissed considering that if it wasn't for this Connor they wouldn't even have a clue what to look for. You tried your best to keep a straight face.

"That sounds weird. Was it an android here from this area?" You asked innocently.

"There was no indication of that, miss y/l/n." Connor said and it surprised you that it even dared to enter the conversation when the policeman was acting like he did.

"Strange. I have no idea why an android would have my address." You shrugged. You looked up at James and he shrugged as well.

"I hope you understand that we just have to check all clues that could have an effect on their behaviour. Would you mind if we looked around your property?" Lieutenant Anderson asked and that was what got you. You looked up at James for any help but he just smiled back at you.

"Please do, Lieutenant." James asked for you and gave you shoulder a hard squeeze yet again. You both knew that they could bust you in illegal activities as soon they stepped down in your basement. It didn't really matter if you here hiding deviants or repairing androids. Both could end with you in jail but if James could stay calm somehow, you could as well. The two policemen stood up and started to wander around you little house, looking for whatever.

Lieutenant Anderson looked around in the kitchen while Connor went into the living room. You followed the android as we would be the one that could find any possible clue within seconds if they were there. You knew how androids worked and this Connor was a model more advance than anything you had ever seen before. You could see his LED blinking yellow a few times as if he was thinking or analysing something. As it went back to blue he noticed that you had followed him and sends you a smile. It was like something turned on in him, like he had to interact like a human, so he picked the first thing he saw and pointed it out. It was a picture on your wall in the living room of you as a child with your parents. It was before they went totally crazy over the fact that you were a bright child and later be so disappointed in you that they kick you out.

"Is that your family?" He asked politely and pointed to the picture.

"Yeah it is." You said and crossed your arms. It wasn't really something you wanted to talk about.

"No siblings?" He further asked and you shock your head no.

"Just like the statistics. Only one child.... You look very happy in the picture." He mentioned with a kind expression but it still made you feel uncomfortable to talk about.

"I guess I was happy back then." You mumbled and the androids LED instantly went yellow.

"I can see that I am making you uncomfortable. Maybe we should stop the conversation." He said and moved on in the room.

"It's not that I don't like talking to you. Just... Not about my family. There aren't many good memories to pick from, so I rather not think about them." You explained. Connor looked at you for a moment and his LED went back to blue.

"I see. I will not ask you any further." His gaze travelled from you and over your tea table and ended on your couch. He stopped and inched his head closer to one of the pillows. You couldn't imagine what he would find there. Maybe some drool from one of the many times you had fallen asleep in front of the TV. Thinking about it was embarrassing.

"Do you own any androids?" Connor asked you as you stroke the pillow with two fingers and afterwards licked them. Your eyes widened as you had never seen an android behave this strangely. Did he just lick your drool?

"Ermh no? I would never own an android." You admitted but still a little flurried.

"Jesus Christ. Stop licking things. You are freaking the girl out." Lieutenant Anderson suddenly appeared from the kitchen with James after him. They had both witnessed the strange behaviour of the android and looked equal disgusted and confused.

"I am sorry. I was just checked the liquid I found on this pillow. I am certain that this is Thirium; Blue blood." Connor confirmed and you stopped breathing.

"Didn't you just say you didn't own an android, miss?" Lieutenant Anderson asked with a tired expression.

"I don't. I never have or I never will. But I know people that own androids." You said with a bit shaken voice.

"Aha. We will look through the rest of the house. You are welcome to see us around but please don't get in the way." Lieutenant Anderson said and started to move towards the stairs down in the basement. You reached from James hand to get some comfort because you knew that in a minute you would be busted and you would give your parents another reason to be disappointed in you.

He opened the door and Connor followed him. James had to drag you down there as well .There weren't any way you could escape this anyway. You couldn't outrun an android and there were nowhere to hide anyway. As you all were standing in the basement you took a look around you. Both policemen looked shocked at the fact that a girl like you had a whole laboratory full of homemade machines and everything – bits and pieces – to fix any kind of android. Lieutenant Anderson picked up a roll of synthetic skin while staring at the equipment hanging on the wall. All kinds of tools to every little detail of the android body.

"I can explain." You said but James stepped in front of you as the two policemen both looked at you.

"It was my idea. Y/n is incredible smart and she's a waste in the office so I made her take up a side job and send some of my friends here to get their androids repaired when they couldn't afford it at CyperLife. Please, if you want to punish anyone, it was my idea." James blurted out and sighed in the end. You looked from him to the two policemen. You could see that Connor's LED went yellow as James had finished speaking like he was processing something. Lieutenant Anderson on the other hand just nodded and looked further into all the things you had around. Why didn't he arrest you immediately?

"Is this man you partner, miss y/l/n?" The android finally spoke. You send him a confused look. Of all questions?

"No? No he's my colleague and friend. We have worked together for a few years now." You asked unsure of what it all meant. The androids LED went back to blue but he didn't have the smile on his lips like he had while talking to you in the living room.

"Miss y/n, your friend has made you engage in dangerous and illegal work. I have no other choice than to report this." He explained. Oh no no no you couldn't go to jail. Not for this. James ran an comforting hand up and down your arm.

"Hold you horses, Connor." Lieutenant Anderson finally said and stepped towards the three of you.

"I don't believe I have any ho.." The android started confused but was interrupted.

"I understand where these young people are coming from. There is illegal work like this everywhere because CyperLife's prices are too damn high for normal people to pay. What do you take for repairing an android? A few hundred bucks? CyperLife wouldn't be bankruptcy because a bright young girl fixes a few things for some friends." He said and laughed a little. You relaxed a little but the android still looked determinate to go through with the charge.

"Lieutenant, there is a possibility that she could be helping the deviants down here too. When they get harmed in their escape." Connor went on.

"She didn't even know about the deviants before I told her today. She hasn't watched the news and we haven't experienced any deviant androids in our workplace." James tried to reason with the android but you went over to Connor and placed a hand on his arm as you looked at him, begging him with your eyes to let it go. Connor looked insanely at you and it was again like something switched on in him. You saw a hint of a smile on his lips but it disappeared as fast as it showed up.

"I will scan the area for any deviant activities. I will let the Lieutenant decide what to do with the rest of the information we gathered here. It may need further investigation."

"Further investigations? I know a lot of people like y/n here. She's not harming anyone." Lieutenant Anderson spat. He sounded annoying at the android again.

"I never suggested that she is harming anyone. We just have to make sure that she's not helping any deviants in the future. Miss y/n, there might still be a reason for the deviant to know your address. They might know that you repairs androids here in your basement and will try to contact you. If anyone does show up, you should call the police immediately. Some of the deviants tent to violence and we don't want any harm to come upon you." Connor patted your hand that was still on his arm in a laming matter.

"So I just call you if they come here?" You asked. You couldn't believe how easy you got out of this. You needed to thank James as soon the two policemen disappeared. You finally let go of the android.

"yes but I think we will have to come back on some unannounced visits to make sure that your conscience is clear. Well, as clear as it can be." Connor said while eyeing all your equipment. You didn't like the sound the police sniffing around because you weren't the one that told the androids to come. They came randomly at night or hid in your garden in the daytime until you got home. There could be one in the garden right at that moment and you couldn't do a thing. But you couldn't send them away. Their course was too important and their lives mattered as much as yours did.

"Well. You'll do that. I don't need to see anything else here. The deviant must have heard how good she was at her job here." Lieutenant Anderson said and started to walk up the stairs again.

"Thank you Lieutenant." You called after him and eyes James as he looked a little too excited over the whole situation by then.

"Call me Hank. No need of being so polite all the times." You all walked back up so you could see them to the door.

"What we need to do now is to figure out where those two deviants were communicating. They might have a hideout somewhere." Hank mumbled as they finally walked out the door. The android stopped in the door and flashed you a smile that made your brain numb.

"We will meet again. Sorry I made you uncomfortable by talking about those pictures. I hope that we will find a more comfortable topic for our future conversations." Future conversations, you thought. You were a little too excited about that. Apparently Connor felt it as well because his LED flashed yellow for a second and it made his eye twitch a little.

"Bye Connor." You said dreamingly as you leaned up the door. You didn't want it to come out so sensual but it just happened.

"Bye y/n." And he finally went to join his investigation partner. You were ripped out of your dreaming state as James come up behind you with a laugh.

"Well shit. That just happened!"