Only Half Bad (ON HOLD)

Which Side Are You On? (Pt. 2)

"Okay."

Conner watches me for a few moments, LED yellow. He seemed frozen. Obviously about to open his mouth before he looks down.

Struggling.

"Conner." I speak softly, stepping forwards and grabbing his wrist. If I had learned anything about androids it was how much their deviancy messed with them. The ones I had met and helped weren't made specifically to fight Deviants. Conner's system must be a shitstorm right now. "It'll be okay. I know it's hard, but things will begin to make sense."

"...You're different." Conner whispers after a thoughtful pause, his hand suddenly gripping onto mine. The android opens his palm and sets it against my own. Without either of us realizing his skin dissipates, the underlying plastic pressing against my flesh. My other hand twitched at this. If he had only held onto it instead... "Androids are the same as humans to you."

"Yes, Yes they are." I smile softly up at Conner, my fingers curling in between his. They grip onto his plastic hand tightly. Slowly, as if confused, I feel Conner do the same.

"Why?" He asks, watching me closely. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to, Conner." I chuckle, leaning closer to him. My eyes close slowly as our foreheads press together. Peace flows over me at the feeling, Conner's sudden change weird and oddly touching.

We stay like that for a moment, my eyes closed and him standing still. You could tell I was the only relaxed one in the situation. Conner was as still as a statue, almost afraid to make a wrong move. I didn't blame him.

"I have a mission to complete..." Conner suddenly speaks, his forehead pulling away from me. I blink, eyes opening.

My smile failures as I pull away. Our hands drop from one another, fingers parting and hands slipping back to our sides. "Eventually you will understand..."

I point to the store behind us, eyes traveling to the glass door. Hank stood in front of the cash register. Of course he was staring right at me. Probably more confused than Conner at the whole thing, yet, surprisingly, he seemed calm.

The detective turns from me as soon as he catches my eye, the clerk speaking to him nonstop. As I watch Hank slips his hands in his pockets. His muscles relax, a smile even finding its way onto his face.

That was new.

Conner turns to the door before looking back at me. He seemed willing to say something, yet changes his mind right before he did.

"Go Conner." I speak up at his silence. My head falls slightly, frowning at his ignorance. He had been so close, it seemed. "Complete your mission."

"...I would do anything to complete my mission..." He had spoken those words far too many times in the past few days. This time, however, it was different. They were faltered. Questioned by Conner for the first time in, well, probably ever.

Conner turns away from me before stepping inside of the store, not saying another word. I was met with nothing more than the almost nonexistent mechanic sliding around as the door closed. Conner was gone.

I was left alone. My mind wondering and racing as Conner passed through it. His words echo and repeat over and over again in my mind.

'You're different.'

Those words could mean so many different things. Even if he had justified them a few moments later, I couldn't help but worry that wasn't all it meant. After all he had seen the blue blood on my hands... what if he could find my records? Would be guess more than I wanted him to?