Chapter 8

"Did that robo cop visit you yesterday?" James asked as soon you sat down at your disk. He must have seen you from across the room and realized you looked like shit, because he placed a large mug of coffee in front of you and you dived in immediately. Even though you kind of got your wish granted by Connor being in your house to calm your nerves, you didn't really sleep the following night. Too many things were roaming around your brain lately.

"He did." You simply said. You didn't want to go into details with James. He wouldn't understand the things that were happening between you and Connor.

"And he didn't arrest you?" James said again with a worried look. His eyebrows were almost touching. If he stayed like that for much longer he would have a permanent frown.

"No? You hear Lieutenant Anderson. Connor is alright with me repairing androids. He doesn't know about the deviants." You were leaning over the desk so you talk a bit quieter. You were sure that not many at the office shared your passion in the deviant cases.

"That's not what I'm talking about." James said even quieter and gestured for you to wait. He sprinted to his desk and picked up a tablet and came back to you. He flipped through some things on the tablet before reaching it to you. You watched with horror how everything that had happened a few nights before was unfolding in front of you. You knew that the androids had put down a lot of drones to be able to spread their message without getting caught. But somehow the media must have got a tip from someone and send out a drone to record it all. This was an overview of the exact moment where the deviants started to run away from the park and around the corner. The drone followed them and you had to close your eyes to what came next. You had seen all the dead androids lying around and bleeding. You didn't want to see the moment where they died as well.

"I'm sorry." James murmured and took the tablet from you. You tried to hold in the tears of what you just saw. You had tried to get these pictures out of your head.

"Why are you showing me this?" You asked with a mushy voice.

"I... Didn't know you would react like this. I am sorry. But it's what happening the moment after." James skipped forward in the video and gave you the tablet again. You gave him a look to show that this was no joke to you, before your eyes landed on... yourself. You gasped a little when you saw yourself break through the deviants standing still in front of the armed men. You saw how you threw yourself in front of them with your hands up. When you did that and one of the men aimed his gun at you, the drone zoomed in on the back of your head.

"They are looking for you y/n." James whispered to you and took the tablet. Oh no.

"What does the news say? Do they have my name?" You asked. Not even daring to look up anymore.

"They have no clue. They are just looking for someone with your description. You might have to get rid of the clothes you were wearing that night. But many people have your hairstyle so that shouldn't be a problem." James explained and crouched down next to you. He took your hand in his.

"Don't worry y/n. If anyone asks, I will give you an alibi. Not many know you like I do. I'm sure not even out co-workers here would recognize you. It could be everyone standing there. Hell, I wouldn't even have recognized you if I didn't know your nightly activities." James said and caressing your hand.

"You are the best." You mumbled and leaned down to hug him. He laughed a little.

"I may not share your passion, but no one is ever going to take my best friend from me. That will be over my dead body." He said against your hair. You let out a sighed and let James get back to work. You tried to collect yourself. You had to catch up with the work that you skipped the day before. But suddenly a realization hit you. Connor had seen all the clothes you were wearing that night. It was scattered around the living room when he broke through your window. He had analysed the whole room like he did and found you under the bed. He was a god damn detective android. The only thing that must have kept him from taking you to the station was the fact that he hadn't seen the video when he was hugging you tight.

Or maybe he did see the video? That was a possibility. He was going deviant and he had said that he cared about you. He said that he was scared that you were hurt. Maybe he did know it was you in the video but he didn't care because he wouldn't turn you in. But wouldn't he have said anything then? Tell you that he knew? You thought about finding him at the station and find out what was the true, but that would be risky now that they were looking for you. What would they do if they found you? What would they do to give them the information about the deviant's whereabouts?

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You kept looking over your shoulder when you stepped out of your car and walked to your front door. All the way home you had looked in the rear-view mirror. You couldn't relax at all. You heard some noises to your left when you were locking up the door and you jump away from the door with your arms in front of your head. It was a weird was of reaching because why would the authorities hit you in the head if they were going to arrest you. Maybe you were just too nervous about it all.

Out of one of the bushes in your front yard came an android he was holding his hand against his left side. Blue blood was staining his shirt. You looked one last time around to see if anyone was near you and then you went into your helping mode. You reached out for the android and took his arm around your shoulder to support him. You took him inside and locked the door behind you. It was a struggle to get him into the basement and thirium was everywhere. You had to stop the bleeding fast or else you would lose him. Thinking that he patiently had been waiting outside your house knowing that dead was a possibility was frightening to you. They really trusted you.

"Hang on. I'm going to close you up in a second!" You reassured him. You found a pair of safety goggles and the first thing you could find that could create fire. You needed to melt some of his synthetic skin to stop the bleeding. Then fix it up afterward so it didn't look melted. You found a Bunsen burner in your equipment and helped the android up on the table. He's eyes were rolling around in the sockets. You were afraid it was too late. No one had ever died on your working table. You couldn't bear it if it happened now.

"I'm so sorry for this. I have to take the chance!" You explained and started the Bunsen burner and hold it to the hole in the side of the androids stomach. You knew it was risky to do, because the inside could be more damaged, but you had to try.

"Come on, come on!" You said to yourself as the synthetic skin was slowly heated up and melting to close the hole. As the blue blood was slowly stopping coming out of the androids stomach you heard a crash upstairs. Your heart started beating hard and your instincts told you to hide but you couldn't just leave the deviant on the working table. Were the police coming for you?

"Connor!" You heard someone yell upstairs and you actually froze. Was Connor here? Or is someone looking for him here? Nothing made sense. There were footsteps upstairs before you heard someone run down the stairs. You didn't dare to turn around to see who it was. You just knew that whoever it was, you were in trouble. You could as well just save the android first and then approach them after.

"Y/n." you heard the well-known voice of the androids that you had shared so many moments with lately. You looked over your shoulder without removing the equipment from the android before you. Seconds later Hank came rushing down the stairs. He was out of breath like he had been running 10 steps behind Connor all the way here.

"What are you doing here?" You asked carefully and looked at your work. You took the extra synthetic skin you had stored and wanted to cut a piece of it to cover the melted part, when Connor grasped your wrist. You dropped the scissors on the ground.

"Is this a deviant?" Connor asked with a harsh tone. You looked up at him. He wasn't himself. He wasn't the Connor you had been with the day before.

"What?"

"Connor, let go of her!" Hank warned him but Connor didn't let go of your wrist. He actually tightened his grasp.

"You are helping the deviants. Is that correct, miss y/l/n?" Connor asked again.

"I... I don't know..." You stuttered.

"You have been lying to me. All this time you have been lying to me. I knew it the second I saw that drone video. You were at the uprising the other night. That's why you were in shock." Connor was angry. You had got this all wrong. This was the Connor you knew and he was hurt. He was still more deviant than he knew and he was hurt that you had lied to him.

"Yes. I was there. But I am helping your people!" You tried to explain but you could see how Connors jaw clenched. That was not what he wanted to her.

"Connor. Let go of her right now or I'll shoot!" You heard the click of a gun and both you and Connor looked toward Hank that was not pointing a gun at Connor's head.

"No!" You screamed and tried to move in between Hank and Connor but Connor wouldn't let you. But he was now staring down the lieutenant.

"We have to bring her in, Hank. She has all the information we need to find out where Jericho is!" Connor said with determination. He slowly let go of your wrist as Hank got closer.

"We don't have to follow the rules, kid. No one have to know that we were here. If you are smart, you let her do her thing." Hank finally lowered the gun.

"Connor please listen to me. The deviants are not bad people. All they want is freedom to be who they really are. They are not our slaves. They are our equals. You are my equal." You were desperate to make him understand. The thought of him turning you in wasn't as scary as the thought of not seeing him again because of this. He needed to understand that he was one of them too.

"You are a criminal." He said with a blank look.

"I never told you otherwise." It was the true. You had said that before and Connor told you not to. It hurt that he suddenly had to call you that as well.

"She's just trying to help those who are in need. You can't blame her for that." Hank tried to calm him down. Connor closed his eyes with such a pained expression. He looked like he was having an internal battle. Maybe you hadn't lost this one yet.

You reached out for Connor's hand and as soon you touch him, his eyes flew open. You took his other hand as well before he could protest.

"Connor I need to do this. I hope you will understand that I needed to lie to you because of the greater good. It's a whole population that is in danger. They will all get destroyed and die." You stepped closer to him. You were really trying your luck here but Connor didn't move.

"Is it really... More important than me?" He whispered for only you to hear. You stopped breathing for a second when Connor leaned down and rested his forehead against yours. You closed your eyes and let it happen. Where did this behaviour come from? The moment before he was almost yelling at you for saving people's lives and now he was all insecure about your shared attention. If you could you figure out what was going on inside this particular deviants mind. Why was he struggling against it so much when he already acted like a real human being?

"I'm sorry. I have to help the deviants. This is bigger than just you and me. But you are a part of them, Connor. You are a deviant yourself. Please open your eyes for it. Help me instead of working against me." You weren't speaking very loud but Hank was suddenly chuckling next you.

"I'll be damned." He mumbled. When Connor didn't speak you opened your eyes again only to look into his cold brown eyes. You gasped and stepped back. As you let go of him completely you could almost see how he went from the Connor you knew to the robotic detective he once were. He corrected his tie before he gave you one last glare.

"I will not report you but I will not support such an illegal behaviour. If the uprising continues we may have to send someone to get you to an interrogation and it will not be fun. I thought better of you miss y/l/n." Connor said and Hanks jaw dropped along with yours.

"Listen here, I will not..." Hank started but Connor interrupted him.

"We are done here Lieutenant. The deviant doesn't seem to be a threat anymore anyway." And with that Connor walked calmly up the stairs and left you alone with Hank and the dying deviant. You turned your attention to the deviant on the table and shock his shoulders to get a reaction out of him. But as Connor had predicted, there were no response. This was the last straw. The tears started to overflow immediately and you didn't hold them back.

"Oh no." Hank murmured and came over to you and let you cry against his shoulder. You didn't care that he smelled weird and he was a stranger to you. You couldn't take any more of this. Too many bad things were happening and even though you had tried your best to prevent it.

"You had changed him, you know?" Hank said calmly as he patted your back.

"What?" You said and looked up at the older man. His beard needed a trim and his hair looked crazy, but he had such a kind face that reminded you of your dad a little bit. The face your dad had warned when you behaved that is.

"Connor talks a lot about you. You are not even on the list of suspects anymore but he kept talking about visiting you. I just let him do it because then he wasn't annoying me for that long. But I did notice the change in him. And if you ask me it was only to the better." Hank said and a hint of a laughed was caught in his throat.

"Do you really think it is okay for him to... change? You know what it means right?" You asked him cautiously.

"I may be old but I'm not stupid. My view on these cases has changed along with Connor, I guess."

"I don't think Connor is the same anymore. He seemed like he had snapped back to being his old self again. Maybe it's just a matter of time before he turns me in." You sighed.

"He would never do that. Believe me. Or else I will kick his android ass." Hank assured you and started to move up the stairs.

"Thank you, Hank. I really needed this." You said with a last sniffle.

"I hope you will be okay. And don't be too harsh on yourself about that android. You tried your best." Hank pointed and the guy lying on your working table and you were again reminded of the failure. But you thanked Hank again before he left your house again.

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It took you almost half an hour to get the heavy deviant up from your basement and into your car. You had wrapped him in a blanket from your living room and placed him lying down on the backseat. You didn't know what exactly you would do with him. You didn't know the way to Jericho so you couldn't just drive him there and you couldn't just get rid of him at the junkyard. That felt wrong. So you drove around the area that you used to drop of the deviants and stopped the usual place. You sat there for a while and looked around. You couldn't just throw him in an alley somewhere. You thought about your none-existing options when someone knocked on your window. You jumped up and were ready to hit the speeder when you saw who it was.

"Markus?!" You said as you stepped out of the car to him. He was again wearing his long coat you had been borrowing the night in the park.

"Y/n. I knew you would come here eventually. The others told me that you always dropped people of in this area." He said and greeted you with a squeeze on your upper arm.

"I am so glad you are here. I have some news for you." You said and crossed your arms over your chest so it wasn't as notable that you were shaking again.

"Bad news?" Markus frowned when you needed.

"I got caught trying to help a deviant tonight. But I don't think the detective that caught me is going to report it. I think I need to talk to him again. Just to make sure."

"He's a friend of yours?" Markus asked as he moved to look inside your car. Seeing the android wrapped in the blanket.

"Kind of? I guess. Markus, look. I didn't save him. The android I have with me is dead. He died from blood lose and his biocomponent shut down. I really tried to safe him, but he had been waiting outside my door too long. If I had just..." The tears were threatening again when Markus stopped you by dragging you into a side hug.

"Don't blame yourself on his dead. You were not the one who harmed him. You tried to safe him and I think he was grateful for what you did. I'll take care of him." Markus opened the door to the backseat and picked up the body of the android. He didn't even live long enough to tell his name.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring him here alive." You mumbled.

"Y/n. You are already dong much more for us than any other human I know. So thank you. I'll leave before someone gets suspicious of your car. But I have one think I can tell you. We are going to march tomorrow. It will happen a few blocks from here where our brothers and sisters where falling the other night." Markus looked so sure of himself that you felt the fighting spirit even though you weren't one of them.

"I'll be there." You said determined.

"It's going to be dangerous, y/n."

"I'll be there." You repeated.