Completely unaware of the chaos down the alleyway, you pulled your phone out of your purse. Another item made your eyes narrow; there was a random cocktail napkin inside. But you ignored its mysterious appearance in favor of pulling up the lieutenant's contact. [Connor suggested I text you. Some shit went down]
[Fuck. Everything good? Kid didn't get into any trouble, did he?] Hank's response was immediate, so he was probably at home.
[No, he's fine. He's perfect. I'm the one that started shit. I may or may not have gotten cornered, fed up, and tased one of the other detectives.]
[REED. TELL ME IT WAS REED.]
[SAY REED]
[FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK, LADY, TELL ME YOU ZAPPED THAT ASSHOLE]
The succession of texts brought a smile to your face until you ended up laughing. [Yeah, it was Reed.]
There was no instant reply for a little while, but he was polite enough to explain. [Had to stop laughing before I could hold my phone.] Another pause. [Reed has been the bane of Connor's existence from the start. Poor kid just takes it; I know he doesn't get offended easy but it's hard to watch. I've tried to diffuse the situation; doesn't stop him.]
The humor in your eyes died swiftly. [Why? Connor is so innocent...]
[He's an android. Plus he didn't have to go through all the training and experience the others did; he was practically handed the title with no effort.]
This made you frown. [That's not his fault. And Reed just... bullies him?]
[Yup. It never gets past verbal abuse, but that's not the point. Reed just shits all over the kid, and until today, Connor didn't respond.]
The sinking feeling in your gut was nauseating. [... what happened today?]
[Honestly? Reed finally found which button to push to get him to react: you. Connor ran in to ask for help, and Reed started asking stupid fucking questions. I had to cut in, but... Jesus, that kid has a nasty bite.] You lowered your phone into your lap, letting the new information sink in. But the lieutenant added more. [Connor didn't really have to say much to piss him off. Kept his head. Kinda proud of him. But the way he responded... it was so sharp and so calm. Kid got socked in the nose.]
The tension had finally come to a head, then. But was that really the whole reason Reed had shown up? [He found out where our date was somehow. Cornered me when I was leaving the bathroom and tried to convince me to ditch Connor. He wouldn't back off after I told him to multiple times... so out came the taser.]
The pause following your message was longer now. [That's a new low, even for that dipshit. We'll get the video footage as evidence, build a proper case against him. He's been on the edge of probation for years, but this shit went too far.] You began to reply, but stopped at Hank's next message. [You did good. Hell, I'm proud of you, too. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you, but the kid's borderline obsessed. Didn't hesitate to snap back at Reed for insulting you.]
A calming sort of warmth settled in your body, relaxing and knowing you were absolutely in the best hands possible. [Putting up with bullshit shouldn't be necessary, android or not. I'm happy it's finally being taken care of. I told Connor he was worth defending, and he... cried. I didn't know it was that bad.]
[If you want someone to have your back, he's your best bet. Thank God you say that shit to him; fuck only knows I'm not good with words. I think he knows, though.]
Shaking your head, you bid the lieutenant goodnight and slid your phone away again. Connor hadn't returned, but you weren't worried. Your focus diverted to the random napkin, and the calm feeling began to crumble: inside the fold was an address, and a message:
WE NEED TO TALK.
Immediately the napkin was crumpled and shoved back in, buried under everything else in your bag. Your heart sped up and beat rapidly in your throat.
The lettering was the clean and perfect android font. The address led to a home you'd only visited once: Carl Manfred's.
●○●○●
Hand flat against the brick wall, his eyes were closed, completely silent. Whether Gavin survived or not didn't concern the android. His LED continued to flash white, though he was unaware. Connor only knew that he couldn't return to you until his thought process straightened itself out again.
Androids could not physically feel things, but it was as close as it would get: something malignant festering inside his hardware. He'd tried his best to eradicate it himself, but it was evasive and deceptive. Connor didn't want to risk erasing something necessary, just because it looked like the virus at first glance.
His self tests did nothing. The RK800 wasn't fully prepared for an illness, because they shouldn't have infected him. The lush garden he used to escape to had long ago erased Amanda's presence; he alone could enjoy it.
But the malignancy had reached here, too. Tendrils of code, disguised as vines, unfurling across the ground. They crept up the trunk of a tree, draining the life from it until the tree was nothing but a blackened husk.
Connor slowly made his way around the pond, alarmed but not yet panicking. Most of the garden was untouched still, though how long it would remain so was left unanswered.
Beside the path, a lone flower had grown and opened its petals. He knelt down to get a closer look, lifting a hand to touch the thing.
It pulled itself back from his touch, and vines burst from its roots in retaliation. They wrapped around his arm, thorns digging though the fabric in search of something more precious to infect. Connor jerked his arm as roughly as he could, breaking some of his bindings, but more replaced them.
Another bundle caught him around the throat, where the thorns could dig in as they pleased. Android or not, he knew the malignancy was infectious and toxic. But the poison created especially for him would manifest into a sickness that only Gavin Reed had experienced.
All at once he was let go, and Connor scrambled away from the innocuous blossom. He turned to inspect further down the path, and the tears began to fall again.
The flowers littered the grass like a minefield, swaying ever so gently in the breeze. How they'd spread so fast scared him badly; if one flower had stopped him in his tracks, what would happen if he set foot in a field of them? The outer paths were too dangerous to navigate. Anything beyond the pond was the territory of the infection.
Warm eyes focused on the roses still blooming on the pillar. The island and surrounding water still seemed pristine, untouched by the virus.
As Connor carefully made his way towards the center, he realized that those flowers had changed too, but they were not a threat.
The roses, once red, were a deep violet.
YOU ARE READING
Virus (Yandere Connor x Reader)
Fanfiction[COMPLETED] Algorithm: A set of instructions or rules designed to solve a definitive problem. The problem may be as simple as adding two numbers or as complex as ridding the city of whosoever stands in your way.
