Comfort Zone (Connor x Reader)

Fifty-Seven

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN SHE GOT KIDNAPPED?!" A male with the voice of a screeching parrot trailed just behind Connor as he ran into the precinct. There was a sigh from the RK900, running a hand down his face. He wasn't surprised when Seán stormed in, a steely glint in his eyes. "Well?! You got answers or what?! Who kidnapped her?! My boy's on the verge of panic, here!!"

Throwing his hands up for a second, Gavin rolled his eyes. "We're working on it! Also, why the fuck are you here, screaming like someone fucking died?!"

"WHY DO YOU THINK I'M HERE?! CONNOR ASKED ME FER HELP, SO QUIT FLAPPING YOUR JAW AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL!!"

"I'M THE ONE WHO FOUND MOB TIES HERE, SO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GONNA DO? DRESS A ROOMBA UP TO LOOK LIKE A FUCKING POTTED PLANT?!"

"YOU'RE SITTING AROUND DOIN' SWEET FUCK-ALL; IF ANYONE'S A POTTED PLANT IT'S YOU!!"

Fed up of the screaming match, both Hank and Cloud stormed over, slapping the other two upside the head. "Oh my fucking God..." the lieutenant groaned, hand at his forehead. "Are you two finished? We have a goddamn kidnapping on our hands and the two of you are throwing tantrums."

"Yeah, I'm done. As soon as this broken radio shuts the fuck up," Reed muttered, rubbing the spot where Hank had struck.

"Why don't you suck the inside of my rectum?" Seán snapped back. "Connor called me, runnin' down the highway, cause he needs my help getting into a casino. So why don't you and your little man, big balls complex eat seven dicks before you go accusing me of doin' nothin?"

"What the fuck did you say to me?!"

Sensing the argument ramping up again, Cloud frowned deeply, snatching the back of Gavin's collar and lifting him up, clear off of his feet. Like a cat holding its kitten in their mouth by the scruff of the neck. "ENOUGH," the taller prototype demanded. "You are going to assist Connor in getting my sunflower back before things get worse. If this is a mafia issue, your fluency in Italian will benefit as much as Seán's undercover experience. Now grow up, Detective Bonaparte." The snort from behind him made the RK900 turn his head to face backwards, glaring at Seán. "McLoughlin, you are no better, charging in and arguing with law enforcement."

Properly chewed out, both Seán and Gavin fell quiet as Cloud fixed his head, setting the smaller male back down and heading towards the RK800, who had tuned out the screaming in favor of delving into the database.

Mouth working, Connor was going down the proverbial rabbit hole of crimes, trying to link you to the mafia, of all things. "If this family has spread its influence across several states, then chances are the criminal database in Buffalo has more information than I am able to obtain."

"These crimes are not severe enough for you to obtain further information," Cloud added, dejected as he stared at the bare-bones profile. "All incredibly minor, paid in full immediately." Crystal eyes caught dark ones, and the taller android went on. "I do recall one instance when we had to arrest one of their family members. Someone on a lower level of power, but notable all the same. He'd been caught smuggling some data, but there was an altercation. She broke his nose before carting him off for questioning."

Arms crossing, the RK800 tried to feel like he was on the right track, but he was grasping at straws. "A broken nose is not enough to hold a grudge, I should think."

"Broken nose, no." Reed stood in front of Connor's desk, hands in his pockets. "But it's an honor thing. They're family, and family is their top priority. It's not the busted nose, it's the fact that part of the family was caught and put through shit from law enforcement. They stand up for one another." He shrugged. "It's an Italian thing, but those guys take it way too seriously and make it fuckin' dangerous."

"So this is their revenge?" Your Roomba shook his head in disbelief. "Someone found out she had relocated here, and took her?"

"It's a fuckin' stretch, man, but it's all we've got." Shifting on his feet, the shorter detective watched the RK800 fighting internally for the answers.

"I have an idea. If you could move aside, please, Connor," murmured the Great White Shark. He grabbed a cable and plugged himself in to the computer; profile after profile popped up, like he was leafing through the pages of a digital book. Faces came and went in nanoseconds, but only Cloud seemed to know what he was looking up. After two minutes and seven seconds a blank document popped up, and a list of names began to form. Beside each was a date, a specific time, and a crime, sometimes several. Nearby, a printer kicked to life as the document printed. Hank snatched it while the taller prototype finally spoke again. "A list of the mafia members that have been arrested and charged in Buffalo. I do not have the extent of each suspect, but I still have some very limited access to the database. I did not search by their family names, however."

"So then, what the fuck is this?" Eyeing the list, Seán peered at it beside him. Gavin soon came to examine it, as well.

With a wry smile, the RK900 replied, "That is the list of when, what for, and who my sunflower has arrested at one point in time." He gazed at his predecessor, a tinge of sadness in his blue eyes. "One broken nose is not enough, but more than two dozen members disrespected in some way is more than enough." Squeezing Connor's shoulder, he added, "Come. We need to get you into that casino, and quickly."

■□■□■

As a strictly-enforced law, androids could not set foot inside a casino with the intention of being a patron. This was, of course, for good reason. It would be easy to manipulate a slot machine or count cards to their advantage. They were, however, spectacular employees for those same reasons.

Connor already seemed to have formed a plan, albeit a loose and uncertain one. He did not like the uncertainty, but he had no choice.

He stood off to the side, arms crossed as he lost himself in his swift research. There was a look of unadulterated concentration in his eyes; a look that Hank knew very well. "What do you have, son?" he asked, only when the android's expression came back to reality. "What's your plan?"

Looking up, your Roomba was stricken for a moment: all four of them were there, waiting for his instructions. "... The casino is on the outskirts of the city, called the Emerald Queen. As I am an android and cannot enter as I am, I will need to pose as an employee. Based on her message, I believe my best chance to gain intel is to pose as a blackjack dealer. Their employee uniform is already fairly similar to what I already wear, but I will need a bit of help." He glanced at Seán, who just nodded. "If they frequent this casino enough, as Gavin has said, then I will be able to get the information I need if I am out in the open." Reed shifted his weight as the RK800 eyed him. "I request that you connect to me through an auditory device; I am an android but your knowledge with Italian and their lingo will help me understand what I hear."

With a nod, Reed sighed. "Got it."

"Hank, I'd like you to be connected as well. I ask that you bring me there, yes, but... you have intuition that is often sharper than my own. If things go south, I may need you as backup." When the human opened his mouth, your Roomba cut him off. "No violence. I want information, Hank. Find out what they've done and where she is. I will arrest someone and we can bring them here for questioning; I believe that would be best."

There was a tiny smile hidden in the lieutenant's beard. "You got it, son."

Gazing at his successor did not give him the hopeless sensation it had in the beginning; now knowing the RK900 had his back was something more like a support system. "Cloud, please take any and all information I send to you and try to decipher it. If there are any clues that may point to her location, however subtle or obscure, I trust only you to piece them together. You have dealt with them before; work with Gavin, as well. If they mix languages, his fluency is imperative."

The tall prototype held out his arms and took a dramatic bow, while Reed snorted. "Okay, drama king, can we get a move on? Sooner we get this done, the sooner we find her."