systolicarray | ://i have no heart

( Hank turns the corner, nearly mounting the curb, and he straightens his car out on the lane for a mere few seconds before it swerves again. His eyes catch sight of the smoking cab, and he pulls over behind it. He's more interested in the moment's reprieve than he is about the circumstances.

He's drawn to the young fellow drenched in the solemn streetlight. The young man looks aloof, oblivious, and bored. Hank brings a hand to rub at his eyes. His head was swimming with the unsolved cases and pile of reports he still needed to document. He lowers his hand from his eyes, looking to the young man once again. He huffs.

It seems like the cab broke down, and the kid was fucking lost; it was part of his duty, after all, to protect the citizens of Detroit. Even something like this was not beneath him. Still, something else lured him to the other, though he was unaware of what.

Hank rolls his window down and yells out for the kid's attention. )

Hey! What're you doing out here? You alright?

[ connor's attention turns to the car as it pulls up, and the moth bumps into his LED one last time before fluttering back toward the lamp. as the window rolls down, he realizes that he's being called out to. he doesn't recognize the voice, but that doesn't stop him from answering. ]

I'm waiting for my cab.

[ a few steps closer to the curb, and if he leans down he can see the face of the man in the driver's side seat. blinking placidly, he runs a background check and comes up with several points of information: this is lieutenant hank anderson, employed as a detective at the detroit police department. born in 1985. no criminal record. connor doesn't smile in greeting. ]

I'm fine. Is there something I can do for you?

( A silver brow rises with disbelief. The LED light catches his eye. He frowns. He tears his eyes from the light on the young man's temple and looks over his face with a frown. He was a good-looking lad.

Then Hank has to remind himself this was an android not a fucking human. )

Christ... I didn't realize you were an android.

( He looks ahead at the cab, still smoking in the night. A ping of trauma tries to nip at his gut, and he quickly shoves that snake down to the pit of his being before he turns his attention to the android. )

Yeah, get in, I'll give you a fucking lift. Where you going?

[ connor doesn't seem to react to hank's surprise, although he does take an extra moment to study the his face before glancing with him in the direction of the smoking cab. his backup cab still hadn't arrived, and he has no guarantee it will be here any time soon. while it isn't imperative he be back at cyberlife tower asap, he knows they would prefer it if he were returned sooner rather than later.

and seeing as hank anderson was a member of the detroit police department, he considered that he was much safer in his car than waiting on the curb.

he gets in, opening the door and then shutting it firmly behind himself. after fastening his seatbelt, he turns to the lieutenant to answer. ]

CyberLife Tower. Thank you for the ride, Lieutenant.

( Hank doesn't know too much about Cyberlife, or androids, but he does know where the huge company is. )

Okay... ( He now has the impression that all the androids who are out doing who knows what return to Cyberlife at the end of the day to recharge. Like a bunker housing a battalion of soldiers.

Hank pulls onto the main road and takes the upcoming corner smoother than the last. The next series of thoughts had to do with questioning why he was even giving this android a ride. He should've just left it there, stranded under the lamp post, waiting to be gutted by the hoodlums in the area.

Well, that's why, ... probably. Hank couldn't be okay with leaving something vulnerable out for the ripening of gang bangs and whatnot.

It then occurred to him, the thing called him Lieutenant. )

How'd you know I was a cop? ( He racked his brain for any recent news coverage that may have introduced him. Nothing was coming to mind, the last time he was in the spotlight was quite some time ago. )

I currently have low-level clearance to access the DPD's police database, so I only had to scan your face to bring up your information. Earlier, a SWAT team was called in and I was mobilized alongside it. Are you aware of the disturbance that occurred on 1554 Park Av.?

[ even if lieutenant anderson isn't aware, there's nothing about the case that needs to be kept confidential now that the deviant has been neutralized and the case settled. and considering that the detective is technically his superior, he can't help the desire to answer honestly.

he watches the lieutenant's face, curious, although he doesn't know why. ]

Well, that's a fucking trick.

( Hank licks his lips with a dry huff afterward. What the fuck was he doing with this android? He glances across to the brunette before he turns his attention forward once more. )

I heard the call on the radio earlier this evening. You don't look like you're geared up for an invasion. What the hell were you doing there?

I was called in as a negotiator. A deviant was holding a little girl hostage.

[ connor watches hank for several seconds before he decides to turn his attention forward also, watching the street lights flicker past. he takes a moment to recall the situation as it happened, and wonders briefly if emma has been reunited with her mother yet, or if they're questioning both of the separately. ]

I succeeded in diffusing the situation.

( Hank was caught up on the word deviant. He didn't know too much about androids, and the word recently surfaced to describe androids that have, well, deviated from their programming. Not only did they deviate, but they were aggressive toward humans, even assaulting them.

After a minute, or so, of silence, Hank responds to the android. )

Negotiator... with androids? They don't have a fucking switch? You know, like a... light switch?

All androids have a deactivation code. But once an android deviates, it seems to stop working.

[ it had been one of the first thing he'd asked, although considering it now he realizes the question was redundant. it would've been one of the first things the SWAT team attempted, and they wouldn't have called him on if it had worked. ergo... ]

( That makes Hank chuckle. Figures. Even androids know when not to listen to dumb fucking humans. He snorts and keeps his thoughts to himself. He glances to his side and then forward again. )

What's your name?

[ he peers at the lieutenant as he laughs; he doesn't know what's funny about it, but he files away the moment for later.

he seems almost surprised for a moment when anderson asks his name, his eyes widening minutely— had he been so distracted by the situation that he'd forgotten to introduce himself? he moves quickly to rectify the situation. ]

I'm Connor. The android sent by CyberLife.

[ although, he probably already realized as much— or maybe not? lieutenant anderson doesn't seem that knowledgeable about androids. ]

Connor? ( Hank glances to the brunette once again. Of all the fucking names. He looks forward and gives a small shrug. )

Is that how you introduce yourself to everyone? The android sent by CyberLife? Where is CyberLife sending you? I mean, seems to me, you're the android getting a fucking ride back to CyberLife now. ( He grins. )

Yes, Connor. Is there something wrong with that name?

[ he almost— almost looks baffled, as much as he seems capable of expressing any emotion at all, his eyebrows drawn, the corners of his lips turning downward as his eyes dart away. the expression increases in intensity as anderson points out the obvious.

if he were capable of feeling self-conscious... ]

I'm programmed to introduce myself that way.

Eh, no... no. Just, don't see why you'd tell me something like that. CyberLife didn't send you to me.

If you let me introduce myself, I could have said I'm Hank Anderson, your knight in shining armor... I mean, that makes sense.

Do you understand what I'm saying? ( He glances at the brunette again. Wondering if what he was saying was making any sense, hopefully it was. )

It's to be certain there's no confusion.

[ confusion about what? who his manufacturer is? but that should be obvious, shouldn't it? connor stares at the dashboard for a few moments before addressing the lieutenant. ]

My "knight in shining armor"?

[ he pauses. ]

"A person who will rescue a dangerous situation; a hero." Do you think my situation was dangerous?

Boy, how... ( Hank snorts. He holds his tongue to allow Connor to finish speaking. He then glances to the brunette before he looks forward to the road. There isn't much traffic out tonight, and they're making good timing. )

Fuck yes, you were in danger. Do you know what you're worth? What the bums would do to you? They'd rip you apart.

I do know what I'm worth. I hadn't considered that it would correlate to the amount of danger I was in.

[ the response is perfectly neutral, although he does seem to seriously consider what the lieutenant is saying. a small frown affixed to his face, he gives a nod of acknowledgement. cyberlife hadn't meant for him to have to wait for another taxi. they had probably expected he would be back at headquarters by now. it was possible that, not having taken this into account, they hadn't thought to give him any warning about the dangers of expensive prototypes waiting on street corners.

but considering the amount someone could make by selling his parts on the aftermarket, he can't help but agree with his assessment now that it's been pointed out to him. ]

I'm sure CyberLife will be grateful for your intervention. If I had been destroyed, it might've caused problems with the testing phase.

( Hank throws Connor a quick glance, his face contorted into an expression of disgust. ) Fuck CyberLife. I was doing this for you. Christ.

( Although... ) What testing phase are you talking about?

[ a look of confusion settles on his face, like he can't understand why— but he quickly leaps to answer the question: it's a much easier concept to understand, curiosity. ]

I'm a prototype model. This was my first phase of testing. When I return to CyberLife, they'll study how my program responded to the situations I was exposed to. Then, if they decide it's necessary, they'll make updates to my programming.

That's ... some shit. ( It was like, or it sounded like, a yearly review with your employer. A performance review. Fuck. )

What do you got to say for yourself? I mean, fuck what they got to say, how would you answer those questions? Or.. whatever, do you know what I'm asking?

Questions?

[ the confusion returns to his face. but after a moment of considering what the lieutenant could possibly mean by that, he concludes that he must be making an erroneous parallel between the diagnostics cyberlife will do on him and what a human member of law enforcement might go through after a mission like this.

he quirks his head, considering it. ]

It was a challenging situation, but as my skillset is tailored for investigation, I didn't find it overly difficult. Although... I did have some trouble talking the deviant down. Even after adjusting my strategy, he seemed to somehow intuit that I wasn't being truthful... I had to keep consistent in my assurances in order to fool him.

You fooled him? With that face? ( Hank glances to his side. He just can't seem to keep his eyes on the road. He takes a longer look, this time. Those brown eyes seemed far too innocent, the mouth was a bit pouty, and then that hair...

Hank had a hard time believing this was an intentional design. )

Lie to me, I want to see how you look when you lie.

That would depend on the lie...

[ but what good is he if he can't think of something on the spot? to him, this is simply an extension of his earlier trial period. cyberlife would find it helpful to know how he interacted with someone who was, in so many ways, a peer. but who he, at the same time, wasn't under the authority of. it was a wildcard situation. and sometimes those were the best for finding flaws so that they could then be written out.

and the lieutenant seems to have taken some interest in him, for whatever reason. so...

connor smiles, his eyebrows lifting. the expression he dons is almost conspiratorial as he reaches out with one hand— not touching lieutenant anderson, but clearly intending to. ]

I changed my mind. I don't want to go to CyberLife. Let's go back to your place, instead.

( Hank catches sight of the hand, then Connor's mouth has his eyes redirected to the brunette's face. His lips part to allow a breath to flow through. The sudden change of plans nearly fools him. Hank's eyes return to the road, and he shakes his head slowly and gently. There's a great amount of disbelief in the way he fell for it, even after asking for it. )

That was good. Real good.

I guess you could pass off little lies.

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