The time was 07:51 PM.
The rain was pouring, and in Connor's left hand he found an umbrella. He walked across an elegant bridge over water, hazy with the reflection of cloud, and spied his superior gazing with her chin dignifiedly raised. He approached her unhesitatingly, but his steps were slow over the sodden ground.
"Hello Amanda," Connor greeted the woman standing underneath an artificial tree in a cyber concocted garden.
"Connor," She returned neutrally. The graceful woman stared on preeminently. "I've been expecting you. Would you mind a little walk?" Her brown eyes were emotionless and in a way unforgiving, but with a certain play of tenderness to her features that was like the poison that relaxed prey into a false sense of security.
Connor wordlessly opened the umbrella and positioned it over both him and his superiority. "What happened, Connor? Two investigations, two failures. That's very disappointing." He could hear the disapproval in her voice and it resonated in his core. "I expected more from our best model."
"Deviants are completely irrational, which makes it difficult to anticipate their behaviour - but, I should have been more effective."
"Did you manage to learn anything?" Her gaze sharpened and her smile sharpened into that of a snake before strike as she looked upon him expectantly.
"It was fascinated by birds. We've seen déviants interested in other life forms such as insects or pets, but nothing like this. Not only that, the walls were covered in... maze-like encryptions - if there was any possibility of being able to decode them, it would be in the journal that Detective Cadet Y/N had found and registered as evidence - also, like the other deviants, it seemed obsessed with RA9."
"Speaking of your assigned team, how is your relationship with Lieutenant Anderson and the cadet we appointed to you developing?"
"Lieutenant Anderson seemed grateful I saved his life on the roof." Connor's eyes drifted away from his superior in thought, and didn't see hers change. "He didn't say anything but he expressed it in his own way. Y/N is a very...-"
"Detective Y/N." Amanda correctes him, and suddenly Connor's tongue felt very heavy in his mouth. "Right, my apologies. Detective Y/N is a very charming character, with a blatantly hidden background - therefore it's very difficult to predict her next move although I am designed to adapt to this... erratic behaviour. Her motive seems to change with every moment and her eyes portray something I cannot understand."
"You speak about her in fondness?" Amanda's voice questions lowly, fixing him with a sideways stare that makes his blue blood ever so slightly drop in temperature although increasing the speed of it pumping around his body with every second withstanding it. He doesn't reply for a moment, but as he goes to speak Amanda silenced him by slowing down, out from underneath the dry shadow of the umbrella.
Connor turned back around to face her. "We don't have much time. Deviancy continues to spread; its only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this," Her gaze is as colder than the steel of a used knife.
"Whatever it takes."
"I will solve this investigation, Amanda." Connor reassured. "I won't disappoint you again." He pressed further - his voice raising to assure his sincerity.
Amanda looked on at the model with a deadpan stare.
"A new case just came in. Find Anderson and the cadet and investigate it. Do not get distracted by... petty functions."
And with that, she brushed past him and walked away, the flat of her back inflicting a form of machine worry into Connor.
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"Hank? Hank! Open up!" You press the doorbell without pause, and you hear a dog whine in annoyance at the undisturbed ringing of the bell.
You wore a simple scarf that hung loosely over your shoulders and the same coat since the chase of the deviant you let go.
The rain was heavy and Hank's porch offered some relief from the beating of the water over head, but the cold of it still numbed your fingers, a small light illuminating the door ever so slightly in the darkness that was cast by the sky.
"Detective Y/N?" A familiar voice called. You spun around and were met with the warm eyed android walking up the path to the front door where you stood. "Connor!" You grinned happily. "What are you doing here? I just came by to see if Hank was okay since we had somewhat of a rough day."
Connor walked up onto the porch to stand beside you. "That's very considerate of you."
You smiled shyly and placed your hands in your pockets, a wisp of hair whisking across your face - to which you quickly rearranged to tuck in behind your ear, cheeks warming from the compliment in the cold of the climate.
Connor found this slightly charming in his own way, and looked up at the residing warning of Amanda's voice - although he had no idea what she had meant by 'petty functions.'
"We have a new case reported to have happened around half an hour ago - he isn't responding to the door?"
You shook your head. "No, I've been standing here for 15 minutes."
"15 minutes? Are you not cold?"
You shook your head as a lie. Connor scanned you to find you most definitely were - your body heat had decreased substantially from what the normal temperature should have been. "You are cold. We should get you inside."
"I'm not!" You bit your lip to refrain from laughing. Connor found this slightly frustrating. "Why deny it? Your temperature is not what it should be!"
"I'm fine, Connor!" You laughed at him, clutching your sides unconsciously for any retainable heat. "You are, otherwise you wouldn't be doing that!" You laughed more and more, clutching your sides harder now uncontrollably as you were scolded by the android. "We are going in the back way. You must get inside before your temperature gets too low and you are not fit to work. You could get sick."
"I'm fine, Con-"
"No. No you are not. Now come on before I must carry you."
"Sounds like a challenge."
"Y/N." He pleaded, and took in the redness of your nose to match your cheeks and your giggling mouth and crinkled eyes, and found himself, quite annoyingly, to heat up instead.
"Connor, wait!-"
And with that, he swept you up off of your stubborn feet and carried you around the back of the house. "Connor!" You bawled at him humorously, looping your arms around his neck as a form of support, although you somehow knew he would not drop you. "Connor! Put me down!" You kicked your legs like a toddler throwing a giggly tantrum. You spy the beginning of a sly smile on his face and your eyes widen in surprise, and your nose crinkled ever so slightly in delight.
He lifted you up so you can peer through the window, as you wouldn't have been able to with the foundations being as high as they were and you being slightly on the short side. You gasp. "Oh my goodness is that his dog?!-"
"You like dogs?"
"I love dogs! I have a golden Labrador at home and she's such a sweetheart."
"I like dogs, too. What's your dog's name?" He questions. You beam at him. "Her name is Vida." He lifts you back down into his arms again. "Hey, you're getting warmer." Connor notices, and you wiggle your fingers to find them free of that icy paralysis. "Oh yeah. Must have been you making me laugh so much that warmed me up." You smile cheerfully up at him. Connor somewhat frowns but his eyes are slight with something you cannot read.
He takes you around the back of the house and once again lifts you up.
At the sight of Hank on the floor, you knock loudly on the window, your voice not progressing through the thickness of the window pane, then wriggle free of the android's firm grasp - although there was a certain, unrecognised part of you that hadn't wanted to leave his warmth.
"Connor! Put me down and break the window!"
Connor takes one look at the unconscious Hank and does as you say, then proceeds to lift you again and gently deposit you through - to which you then instantly run to the grizzled man lying motionless on the floor. "Hank! Oh god, he had a gun!"
