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Chapter 8: Heart To Heart

As the weather forecast predicted, it's raining again.

Connor stands outside of the car, observing the lieutenant as he questions the convenience store worker. He can tell by the human's expression that it's a fruitless endeavour, and it gives him pause, heavy pause, the type where he feels like he's falling again.

The AX400 robbed the store last time. She took the money and used it to stay in the motel across the street, ultimately being caught though and leading to a high-speed chase through the highway of automated traffic. The same highway in which a Connor model got destroyed after disobeying the lieutenant's instructions to not go after the pair. Connor can still remember the feeling of the truck hitting his body, the sickening crunch as his exoskeleton got crushed before everything went dark. He can't remember the pain, he didn't feel pain back then, and he also didn't feel scared in the moment either. Now? Now it's a little strange, he's not scared by the memory of getting hit, what scares him is the thought that it might happen again, that he might die here. But the store wasn't robbed this time, and so they couldn't have stayed at the motel, which didn't align with the previous timeline, and it didn't align with the previous timeline, and it didn't align with the previous timeline, and it didn't align with-

"Connor?"

Connor startles, catching sight of his LED – spinning a bright red – in the store window before it blinks back to blue, a brief stuttering of yellow separating the change. The lieutenant is in his space, and Connor forces himself to focus on the other's face and make it look like he wasn't on the verge of another panic attack just a few seconds ago as best he can. He doesn't know how he manages it but apparently he does, as the lieutenant doesn't look concerned in any way, rather just vaguely annoyed, or maybe slightly confused as well now that Connor can read his face better.

"Yes Lieutenant?" He asks, double-checking in his reflection that his LED is holding at a steady blue, which it is, thankfully.

"You spaced out there, you running outta batteries or something?" He accompanies the question with a gesture to his own forehead, right where an LED would reside should he be an android. It's clear that he's referring to the way Connor's was just red, and since Connor doesn't know how he would even begin to come up with a reason for it being so, he just decides to avoid the hidden question entirely.

"My battery will function adequately for another two hundred years or more without charge or replacement, it is unlikely that I will run out of power."

The lieutenant rolls his eyes and moves off again, seemingly not having the energy to press the android any further about it, which Connor is immensely grateful for. He's already kind of unstable, not knowing what he's supposed to do now that he doesn't know what's happening in this timeline. It's technically his own fault as well. In fact, not even 'technically.' He's the one changing things, the one making everything different, he should really expect changes, but it still somehow manages to affect him and have him feeling like the floor has disappeared from right under his feet. Connor however, also knows he has to calm down and try not to overthink it all, and so he ignores the lieutenant and other cop's conversation in favour of attempting to ground himself. Which doesn't work very well. Idly, he recognises that he's not getting anywhere with that and pulls his coin out of his pocket, flicking it back and forth as he tries again. This time his attempt is much more effective, and he physically feels himself settle down, the tension disappearing from his shoulders, tension that he didn't even realise was there until it finally dissipated.

"We're checking the house over there" the lieutenant states as he brushes past Connor, though very obviously not touching him. It stings a little, and Connor's fist tightens around his coin as he turns and follows the older human, pocketing it as they cross the street. His shoes splash in the puddles, kicking water up with every step he takes, and Connor allows his feet to be a little more enthusiastic in their walking so that a larger spray of water is created every time. It's a silly, childish gesture, but it's fun and not hurting anyone, so Connor considers it fine.