Work Text:
Lieutenant Jane Donovan rolled her shoulders, hoping it would raise her early morning energy levels. A ride from Flint to Detroit wasn’t that long, but that didn’t matter when she’d had to get up at four in the morning to catch the train.
She entered the DPD reception area, its usual calm reception filled with humans flailing about the receptionist desk. A young, female looking android patiently explained how to fill out a form or something. It sure was something else than the ‘droid that usually sat there, quiet and smiling, when she’d used to visit.
Stepping into good ol’ DPD, she was filled with nostalgia, as per usual. This had been her workplace for fifteen years, and despite how much she enjoyed the people at FPD, it was always good fun to meet up with her old co workers.
No androids were parked at the station anymore. Instead, there was a large banner covering the wall, explaining that the laws surrounding android work were still in progress and that the DPD was working on an android recruitment program, for those who wished to join the force.
It was fascinating, and terrifying.
“Well if it isn’t lieutenant Donovan herself!”
Jane heard Hank Anderson’s rumbling voice across the bullpen, and she scanned the room until she laid eyes upon his rugged face. “Come here, you fucker!"
He looked far better than he had last year. No more shaggy, unkempt hair covering half his face, no old T-shirts or dark circles under tired eyes. Last time she’d been to the precinct, androids had still been considered properties and Hank had been at the bottom of his slow downward spiral. He had shown up in the afternoon. This had been no news to his colleagues, who rolled their eyes and told her to wait three pm, when he’d stumbled into work and crashed into his office chair.
He had reeked of booze, his hair too long and with a scowl on his face that she hadn’t recognized. Even though they’d been keeping in touch on the phone, neither of them had had any time to call and chat since last october. The country was deep down in a crisis that meant extreme changes in the legal system, the social structure of society, and not to mention - so much paperwork!
That was why she stepped into the DPD bullpen with a mixture of fear and excitement bubbling in her chest. Now, on this day, a glimpse of her old partner shone in that smile of his, making her relax, just a little.
Hank was one of those people that looked rough, mean and perhaps even dangerous, but you’d only have to peel off a layer or two before that kind, thoughtful bear shone through.
He had been a good father. A loyal and caring friend, who’d coached her through the roughest year of her life when she’d found out that her mother had been terminally ill.
A nice enough lover, even though their affair had been cut short by her transfer to Flint. By the time she’d been on her way to becoming a lieutenant, Hank had been married for two years and Cole had been a newborn. She’d made a point of coming down a few times in the summer to hang with his family, and especially when she’d met the love of her life, Jenny.
Hank had loved being a father, she thought. His son had meant everything to him.
Poor little Cole. He had been a ray of sunshine, that one. Loved joining his father at work whenever it was his week and he couldn’t get someone to babysit. The officers couldn't help themselves but coming over to talk to the boy, letting him borrow their hats and walkie talkies.
In truth, she thought Hank had enjoyed it just as much, carrying him around on his shoulders between meetings. He'd be smiling fondly at the child whenever his team had to discuss crimes that meant that the boy had to wear giant, pink noise-cancelling headphones at meetings. Jane fondly remembered Jeff’s exasperated face during a conference call, when they’d discussed a particularly nasty drug bust, only to be accompanied by the music from an old My little Pony cartoon in the background.
Then the accident had happened. The one they’d only talked about during the week that followed, when she’d gotten into a cab, driven all the way to Detroit and refused to leave Hank’s side. She knew - even through her platitudes and convincing of Hank to book an appointment with the therapist that the DPD had offered him - that something in him had broken beyond repair.
For the next two years, their visits had been postponed and eventually forgotten.
This day, he looked younger than before. He had his hair tied back in what she only could describe as a ‘man-bun’, a hairstyle that had been the shit back in their days, and which still looked good on him. He was on time. Cleaned up and smiling, it was as if she could see her old friend again.
“Damn Lieutenant,” she drawled, giving him a dramatic onceover with her eyes before he pulled her into a one-armed hug, laughing. “You started using the stairs again?”
“Nah,” he huffed, his crooked smile in place, “Just holding back on the takeout. And what about you? Getting ready for that promotion?” he smirked and she chuffed him on his shoulder.
“Shh, I told you, nobody’s supposed to know that yet!” she chuckled, despite herself, fighting down the butterflies in her stomach that tickled whenever she thought of just how close she was to her dream. The next time she visited, it would be with her own squad, she thought with her heart beating quickly. “But it’s pretty cool though, isn’t it? I’ll be your superior by then!”
Hank snorted in amusement at her barely contained giddiness and drew her into another bear hug. She appreciated that his breath lacked the stench of alcohol.
“Jesus Christ Hank, I got so fucking much to tell you!” She exclaimed, practically vibrating against him. She’d wanted to wait until they saw each other, to determine his state of wellbeing before revealing that she had a ring waiting for Jenny in the glove compartment of her car.
“I’m sure. Hey, sorry I haven’t called you back, we’ve been.. Well.”
“Busy as shit?” Jane smirked.
“You don’t know the half of it, just wait ‘till you meet my new partner.”
“Oh, your mean you haven’t chased them away yet?”
That earned her a light shove on her shoulder.
They kept talking about this and that, Jane’s mind still lingering with excitement on her impending promotion. Fowler passed them and came over to shake her hand in greeting, before marching off to the conference room.
Then a young man that she didn’t recognize entered the bullpen.
His posture was impeccable, back straight as if he had a stick up his ass. One of those prissy guys that insisted on wearing suits for work. A new face at the DPD - Jane assumed he was fresh out of the academy. Those were always a pain in the ass to have around, constantly desperate to prove themselves worthy. She did however remember just how much fun it was to put their ego down and learn just how much paperwork being a cop actually entailed.
The number of high risk stakeouts were few and far between - thankfully. Maybe he was a trainee assigned to work with the lieutenant, maybe he was his new partner. Oh, this was going to be fun.
Hank waved to the young man, smirking and began to introduce them. She reached her hand out in greeting, always happy to meet new people.
Then she saw the blue LED thing on his right temple, and froze.
An android. His partner was a fucking android .
“Lieutenant Donovan, this is Connor,” Hank said, seemingly unperturbed. “Connor, this is Jane Donovan, the--”
“Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant,” the android interrupted with a pleasant smile and reached a stiff hand out to grab hers. Jane faltered. His hand felt human, perhaps firmer than a usual handshake.
They’d had many androids in Flint, but most of them had just handled the receptionist jobs and maybe cleanup. This was the first one she’d met that seemed to have an actual job on the force. After everything that had happened in these months, seeing and talking to an android up close again felt strange.
And why on earth did Hank look so chill about it?
“Umm,” she paused, still shaking hands with the android, and looked over at Hank. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to do this nowadays. Am I supposed to talk to it or is that like speaking to your dishwasher?” Her question was genuine, but she felt the minute tension in the android’s grip, its circle thing turning yellow. It frowned at her and gosh, it looked so human. It seemed she had already stepped in it.
Hank cleared his throat.
“Oh yeah, you might as well treat him like any other person. Christ knows he’ll talk your fucking ears off anyway,” he finished with a teasing grin at the android, before patting its shoulder and passing them. “I need to take a piss before we go inside. The meeting starts in ten. Connor, why don’t you show Jane around for me?” He turned back to her and added, “ We’ve added a new gym and, get this, a coffee machine that doesn’t make you want to burn your fucking tongue until your taste buds fall off.”
Jane gulped, feeling awfully embarrassed. The android stared over its own shoulder, following Hank’s retreating form.
“Well then,” Connor said, turning back to face her. It had a smile on its face again, pleasant and warm. Its voice was melodious, as it said “Shall we get on with the tour?”
The annual conference was a three day mixture of excruciatingly long lectures and workshops for on-the-nose team building and, of course, the real reason every cop showed up each year - getting shitfaced afterwards with your colleagues. The life of a police officer was a tough gig, but the moments in which they got to let it loose would keep them from strangling each other on all-nighter stakeouts.
Last year had been the only time that Jane had not enjoyed the evenings of the conference, only because it was the first time she’d actually realized just how far Hank’s depression had taken him. It had made her blood boil to imagine the friend she’d worked beside for years, the one who inspired her to keep pushing for captain, and then only seeing an empty shell of a human before her.
This time, however, he was different. Almost, almost, like he used to.
She and Connor met Gavin in the lunchroom, Connor listing the new assets to the DPD, mainly spaces and tools customized for androids. It started explaining the toolkit that everyone needed to keep in their police cars nowadays. These were now just as important as the first aid kit. It explained in detail what the banner by the old android parking had read, that Detroit was developing a recruitment program for androids.
Hank did not kid when it came to its mouth running. She was almost relieved when Gavin came up to them and opened his little ferret mouth, no doubt working up to a fresh new insult that he thought would be devastating.
Hank had once likened the man to a small chihuahua, constantly yapping to show just how big and scary he was. It made it difficult to take the officer seriously.
“Officer Reed, this is lieutenant Donovan, Donovan--” Connor began politely, but was interrupted by Gavin who grabbed Jane’s hand.
“I know who she is, dipshit,” he said mockingly and glared at Jane. “Still making heart eyes at Anderson? Hoping for that promotion by going through our official boozer?”
Jane smirked, making a point of crushing his hand in her palm. He winced visibly, which pleased her.
“Reed, still the one officer at DPD less popular than said infamous boozer,” she said, without venom because his insults were pathetic. He had no ambition and resented those that did. She didn't mind.
Connor watched, eyes flicking between them.
“So you're stuck with these as actual cops these days, huh?” she teased, before catching herself. She’d have to practice these things. She looked over at Connor. “Sorry, man.”
“Ouff, don't let Hank catch you calling ‘em that, he'll kick your teeth right in,” Reed continued, subconsciously rubbing a spot on his cheek.
“It is quite alright, Lieutenant,” Connor answered placatingly.
“At least you're nicer than this asshole,” Jane laughed and patted Connor on his back.
“Better at comebacks, too,” Connor added, and Jane had been so unprepared for him to crack jokes that she barked out a loud laugh, causing Gavin to scowl at them. The corner of Connor’s mouth twitched up.
Maybe the robo cop wasn't so bad.
They met up with Hank outside the conference room. Jane had armed herself with a steaming cup of coffee that actually didn’t taste that bad. That was good news, since she’d be gulping it down by the bucket before noon. Connor was standing next to her, every part of its, his , body apart from its eyes rigid like a statue. Hank pointed one finger at Connor with a mock-serious face.
“You ready for the best part of being a cop?”
Jane and Hank cracked up at their own inside joke, which became even funnier when Connor’s circle thingy turned yellow and he kept frowning at Hank. Suddenly she was remembering how they’d used to doodle in their notebooks and pass bits of paper with rude words scribbled on them.
“I think this will be a very educational and interesting day, myself,” Connor added in his strange, melodic voice. Hank huffed.
“Yeah, you would think that, wouldn’t you. Anyway, us humans aren’t blessed with your level of concentration.” He actually raised his hand to ruffle the androids hair. Connor looked affronted, but said nothing. Jane suppressed another chuckle.
“Shall we?” she offered, motioning for the room. Hank nodded but was stopped in the doorway by Connor’s outstretched arm.
“Lieutenant, I feel like I should inform you of your appointment at nine am,” he said. Hank stared at him.
Connor waited.
Hank covered his face in his hands and groaned.
“Fuckin-A. That was today?” He eyed Connor. “You sure it’s not n--”
“-Next tuesday? No, unfortunately not. I was going to remind you yesterday that it was coming up, but since you keep insisting that I stop coddling you-”
“I haven’t fucking said that,” Hank retorted.
To prove a point, Connor opened his mouth and spoke, in a perfect imitation of Hank himself, “For fuck’s sake Connor, you don’t have to act as my personal calendar, I can keep track of my own fucking schedule, y’know.”
Jane made a terrible attempt to cover the snort she made. It earned her a grumpy look from Hank. Seemingly in defeat, he dropped his shoulders and let out a long sigh.
“Fuck. Fine, I’ll see you after lunch then. You tell Fowler--”
“Already informed him,” Connor said cheerfully while Hank rolled his eyes at him.
Jane frowned at the android’s frankness. The spread of deviancy all over the country may have meant that all androids had their own personalities by now, but it didn’t help the fact that it gave her the chills. She’d seen too many apocalyptic robot movies to feel good about the implication of machines, connected to each other and to all the data in the world, having free will.
Even though the peaceful protests in Detroit had reminded her of old images from Stonewall, it didn’t change the fact that these people weren’t - they couldn’t be - human.
Let alone alive. No matter how genuinely Connor smiled at Hank as he waved good-bye.
Jane sat down next to the captains from Ann Arbor, giving them pats on their backs and asking about the wives. Connor stiffly sat down next to her, back straight and hands folded in his lap. She ignored it for the time being, unnerved by his intense stare at her. Her own officers turned up and sat down after greeting the others around the room. It was all familiar and routine when the conference started.
“Well, I think we’ve just passed 10 o’clock,” Jeffrey said with a quick glance at the clock on the wall. “Welcome back to the DPD, and an extra special welcome to the new faces.” His eyes traveled around the room, looking everyone in the eye. “I’d say we call this conference officially open.”
There were a few whoops in the back and some young officers stomped their ground. They were probably there for the first time, having heard the rumours of late night parties. Oh sweet summer child, Jane thought. You haven’t even survived the first lecture.
The theme of the week was, unsurprisingly, the android uprising in Detroit that had been set in motion last year. The demonstrations and outbreaks had influenced society enough to take the case to the White house. Many people were outraged and scared, but the uprisings had been fairly peaceful, giving pause to the masses.
Jane personally didn't know where she stood on the matter. She'd had one of the earlier domestic models, right when they had become affordable to the regular Joe. It had cleaned her apartment every night and made her dinner, but it had been too weird having something that lifelike in your home, when she couldn’t treat it like a person.
Jane had assumed the meetings would involve damage control and figuring out how to arrange workload now that androids were seen as intelligent lives. When the protests began and the android situation had become too political and infected, it was difficult to work in the same way as before. Androids kept leaving their offices, some were violent. A lot of them seeked revenge against the people that had abused them.
It wasn’t that uncommon for humans to do such things, but androids were something else. People were more worried than ever, the phones ran warm every second and the police force now only consisted of overworked, exhausted officers.
Turned out that most of the morning discussions focused on the new admissions from androids who were looking for work at the DPD. They had apparently used the Connor android as a test run, since it was pre-installed with knowledge and abilities needed in their profession. It, he, she reminded herself, had needed to go through psych evaluations as well, since deviancy was an uncharted territory for the techs out there. That explained why he was the only android on the force.
Imagining what would happen when she told her co workers in FPD about this, she shuddered. They had not come as far as the DPD when it came to android rights. It was a surprisingly fascinating meeting, and Jane once again found herself drawing parallels between deviants and activists.
At noon, they called in a break for lunch and they all rose from their seats. Jane had been ready to discuss a few things with Jeffrey on their way to the break room, but Connor immediately grabbed her arm. It was just a bit too quickly for a human and Jane winced.
“Lieutenant Donovan, would you like to have lunch with me until Lieutenant Anderson comes back?” he asked, politely and yet in such a way that left little room for negotiation. Have lunch with an android?
His dark brown eyes were intense. Dangerous, she thought. Intriguing.
“Um, I thought you guys didn’t eat?” she said, suddenly curious.
“We can still enjoy the socialization part of sharing a meal, even if we ourselves don’t consume anything.”
Jane was torn between joining the others at the break room and finding out more about this strange guy in front of her.
“I was also ordered by lieutenant Anderson to befriend you. I’d like to keep my promise.”
It was so ridiculous that Jane just had to accept.
“Fine, then I get to pick the place.”
Hank didn’t show up for lunch. Jane tried calling him, but his phone rang until it eventually went to his stupid voicemail. She was frustrated, wondering if he’d forgotten it at the station.
The place she and Connor had gone to eat lunch was a busy ramen restaurant around the corner. She sat with chopsticks in one hand, phone in the other. Connor sat straight up, hands on his knees and eyes darting across the room. It was awkward and Jane wished Hank was there.
“I thought he was supposed to be done by now,” Jane grumbled and put the phone down on the table.
“He’s probably forgotten his phone in his car or something. He does that,” Connor offered quickly and Jane hummed in agreement. That damn hipster, she thought fondly.
She prepared to take her first bite of those delicious noodles, still hot enough to burn her tongue. She didn’t care.
“Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?”
Jane stopped for a second and observed him. His expression was open, curious. Like she was an interesting animal on display.
“... Yeah?”
Connor’s eyes lit up and he leaned forward with his elbows on the table.
“For how long were you and lieutenant Anderson involved?”
Jane frowned.
Connor didn’t blink.
Jane prepared to take her first bite of noodles, just to keep her hands and mouth busy.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Connor continued, his voice tinged with just an edge of frustration on it, “When and for how long were you in an intimate, romantic and/or sexual relationship?”
Jane should have seen it coming. She still caught the food in her throat and had a coughing fit, holding up a hand in front of her.
“Excuse me? What has Hank been telling you?” she eventually croaked. One of Connor’s fingers tapped against the table.
“You seem to know the lieutenant intimately. You are both very comfortable in each other’s spaces and often make sexual innuendos. Obviously there’s a personal history between you two, since you feel you can be honest with each other. While I know that’s not a perfect conclusion to draw from the evidence, I thought I’d take a shot and see if my suspicions were right.”
He didn’t add, Judging by your reaction, they obviously were.
“Why do you ask?” she countered, suspicious. Had Hank set her up to this?
Connor rolled his shoulders.
“Because the lieutenant is my partner. He’s spoken highly of you, so I’m curious.” His eyes were fixed on hers. Jane had a feeling he was asking for something else.
“Were you two involved when both of you worked for the DPD?”
Warning bells went off in Jane’s head.
“What’s it to you?”
“I know he’s expressed on several occasions that there’s a reason they don’t encourage romantic involvement between officers. I thought maybe there was a story there?”
He seemed to devour every micro expression, every shift of her breath, even when speaking.
“Well…” she stopped to think. When had they been dating? Now that she thought about it, she could remember that first night they’d had together. Drunk and horny, they’d collapsed on Jane’s living room mat and she could just about recall the way she’d flirtingly joked about how inappropriate it had been to fuck your subordinate.
Her cheeks were warm. Hank had been her superior. Which was, in fact, a big no-no. It wasn’t enough of a transgression in and of itself, now that it was such a long time ago. They hadn’t been working partners at the time, but after three years of disciplinary warnings on Hank’s side…
Realizing that Connor was monitoring her every move, she schooled her face into a neutral expression. That’s when she finally pieced the puzzle together.
Connor’s face.
She’d seen it on the news on several occasions. The deviant hunter. The negotiator from Cyberlife. Suddenly there was a memory of Hank texting about this new fucking piece of plastic following him everywhere.
She was shocked and annoyed with herself for taking this long to piece it all together, even though she knew that her own precinct had been swamped with deviancy cases all throughout these months. She was even more annoyed with the fact that this highly intelligent, calculating machine was questioning her about her love life.
“We had a short fling, or sexual relationship , when we were both young, yes. Didn’t affect our work, if that’s what you’re insinuating,” she gave him a hard look that her officers at home would call the “don’t push it”-look.
Connor looked pleased with this answer and leaned back, his temple circle turning blue once more.
Hank didn’t show up in the afternoon either. Fowler put down his phone and didn’t have time to point this out before Connor filled him in.
“The lieutenant is not feeling well at the moment. He’s decided to stay home for the rest of the day.” Fowler looked instantly worried, which probably made Connor add, “just exhaustion from his appointment, captain. You needn’t worry.”
“Say no more,” Fowler said. “I’m glad it’s working for him.”
Perhaps Hank had gone back to therapy, Jane mused. Then it hit her that she’d tried to contact him all through lunch.
Fowler picked up his coffee mug and went back into the conference room. Connor noticed Jane staring.
“What?” He sounded annoyed.
“He hasn’t answered any calls or texts,” Jane simply stated, carefully observing his neutral expression. Connor shrugged, like he didn’t understand what she was really asking.
“He answered me fine.”
“You on a special phone line or something?”
“Something like that, Lieutenant.”
Officer Tina Chen was easy going, though she didn’t talk much. Jane enjoyed chatting with her on their own, whenever they were getting tired of the usual testosterone-filled department. For all its raving about equality, they lacked in the gender department, for sure.
“I still have a spot for you in Flint, you know,” Jane said, a long running joke between them, “If you get tired of listening to Gavin’s macho displays.” Tina snorted, throwing her head back.
“No way! Do you know how many stupid stories I got on him? He makes a fool of himself without even trying. I should write them all down, make them into an old school sitcom. Just throw him and Anderson in one investigation room, and the comedy writes itself.”
They laughed again, clinking their coffee mugs together.
Jane sighed, laughter dying down.
“Speaking of,” she said carefully, unsure of how to formulate her thoughts. Tina tilted her head. “What do you think of…” she made a tiny gesture with her chin towards Connor, who was sitting down by his desk, staring at the terminal. Tina pressed her lips into a thin line, tilting her head in thought.
“I don’t know. Haven’t worked with him yet. I know Gavin hates him.” Jane snorted into her coffee. “He does seem to enjoy the work, and Anderson says he is good, so I guess I believe him. Still doesn’t change the fact that the guy managed to break into a Cyberlife warehouse on his own, and without any legal repercussions. He’s smart - like, scary-smart.”
“Sherlock Holmes-smart?” Jane asked. It made Tina chuckle.
“I think he’s made the precinct better. But it’s scary to think what would happen if he ever got into the wrong hands, you know.”
Jane observed him all the way from the break room. When she walked past him on her way outside she noticed his eyes darting back and forth between a terminal screen that moved rapidly, faster than she’d thought was possible. He was working through hundreds of confidential files and information. Just like that.
Tina probably had a point, she thought with a shudder.
“And he’s alive!” Ben called when Hank finally arrived at Blinking Cat at nine pm . It was a strange bar that was newly opened, owned by three androids and adapted to host both humans and androids. The lights illuminating the bar were blue and made Jane think of the 80s aesthetic trend that had come back swinging when she’d been in her late twenties - neon lights, Blade Runner-style, clean.
She raised her beer in greeting as Hank squeezed himself between patrons and finally arrived at the table where the cops were lounging. It had been a larger party at the beginning, but the late hours had most people going back home or to their hotels. Jane had been wrapped up in a heated discussion with Gavin about cats, of all things, when a soaked through Hank sat down opposite her.
“Raining outside?” Tina deadpanned, pointing at his dripping hair.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Gavin asked rudely. Hank sighed.
“My fucking car broke down, that’s what happened,” he groaned. “It worked just fine this morning, then I stopped at home to walk my dog before going out again--”
“Sumo’s still a good dog?” Jane interrupted.
“Yeah yeah, anyway, I get back in the car and manage to drive about a mile before it just fucking stops working.”
“Did you call--” Chris began. Hank gave him a dismissive wave of his hand.
“Well I would’ve if my damn partner hadn’t taken my phone off of me this morning.” Despite his exasperated tone, this earned a laugh from the table. “Keeps telling me I need to have it on me at all times to be reachable, then just forgets to put it back in my pocket when he’s done with it.”
Connor had Hank’s phone. He’d had it when she spoke with him at lunch.
“Does Connor do that a lot?” she asked.
“Sometimes I wonder if he just enjoys riling me up,” Hank huffed.
“WI don’t understand why you don’t just get yourself an android maid,” Ben chuckled, then hearing his own misstep, apologized for the joke that had become outdated in quite a short time.
“Eh, ‘S fine, Ben. You know, at first I thought it was an android thing, that he’s been programmed to do all these things for me, writing reports and getting coffee, all that shit.” Hank waved his hand, “But now I’m starting to think that he’s just… Fuckin’ Connor.”
“He’s very fond of you, Hank,” Ben added.
Jane wondered what he’d meant by that.
The conversation steered quickly into the baseball game on the TVs and Jane momentarily forgot the strange conversations with the android. She took notice that Hank stayed away from alcoholic beverages, which made her smile.
The crowd thinned out every hour or so, and then suddenly it was time to wrap up the evening. The officers of the DPD were pleasantly buzzed and cheerily chatting away. Ben had promised to drive home a completely shitfaced Gavin and Tina, who lived close by, decided to walk.
Jane waved them goodbye and picked up her phone to call a cab. She looked up at Hank, who was browsing through his own phone next to her, undoubtedly seeing all of his missed calls.
His car had broken down. He hadn’t had his phone.
“Hey, can Connor call you without a phone?” she asked, trying her best to sound casually curious. Hank looked up from his phone, narrowing his eyes.
“Yeah?”
“It’s just, he had your phone all day and yet he knew you would be home the rest of the day.”
They usually weren’t this blunt with each other, and Hank’s face blushed.
“I tried calling you and he said you might have left it in the car, but he had your phone all along.” She tried not to sound accusing, knowing that Hank was attached to the android.
Hank eyed her, a frown on his face. Like he was calculating something in his mind.
“Does he like, hack your brain or something?” She joked, hoping to diffuse the moment. Hank pursed his lips, looking down the street.
“He called me through my computer at home. Nearly gave me a fuckin’ heart attack.”
Oh.
“That’s pretty cool, actually.”
They were quiet again. Jane thought about Jenny, how she could have eased the tension in seconds.
“Split the fee?” She eventually asked and showed the taxi application on her screen.
“Yeah why not? Not like I have a damn car to drive home now anyway,” Hank said.
They waited for the cab, staying silent for a minute. Rain was smattering on Jane’s umbrella. Then she heard Hank take a breath.
“So..” he began. She peered at him curiously. “What do you think of Connor?”
It gave Jane pause. What did she think of Connor?
You didn’t fucking tell me he’s one of the Jericho guys , she wanted to say. Sheesh, I can’t believe you actually dare keeping him around. What if he’s working from the inside?
“He’s alright. A bit intense though.” She managed a small smile. “Seems to have gotten under your skin, anyway.” Hank grunted in answer. “Do you trust him, and the… The deviants, though? After everything?”
“Yeah, Markus and the others are alright, Jane.” Hank answered.
“Imagine what difference a year can make, huh?” She marveled at the way her friend had changed. She hoped it was for the better. What had happened to the Hank who’d raged against the machines, been pissed off whenever someone suggested using an android for tasks? Maybe he’d gone soft on Connor, seen a substitute son in him.
A son that could access just about every piece of personal information about him in the blink of an eye.
Now, Jane did not have time to unpack all of those thoughts.
“Yeah,” Hank sighed, seemingly letting his thoughts trail. “Connor, he-- He has that way about him. He changed everything.”
“Well, he seems very… Concerned for your well being a least,” she said. Hank smiled.
The cab arrived and the automatic doors slid open, making it very easy to climb in and take a seat. She shook out her umbrella and folded it neatly, scooting over to the other side. Hank made to climb in, but paused and looked behind the cab. His expression was surprised but soon turned into one of annoyance.
“What the fuck. what are you doing here? I can get home myself!”
Jane didn’t have to turn her head to know who Hank was speaking to. She did peek out of the still open doors only to find Connor standing next to what appeared to be Hank’s car. He looked utterly pleased with himself, plastering on a smile so sweet he frankly looked terrifying.
Something was awfully wrong.
“I thought I should pick you up in case you were too inebriated to get back home safely, and besides,” Connor gestured towards the car, “I fixed the engine. It should be running smooth for a while now.”
Despite his nice words, he briefly glanced over at Jane in the cab and she felt something… Not nice. Hank’s lips turned downwards at the comment about his drinking and folded his arms.
“I’m perfectly fine getting home myself, Connor,” he growled and Connor put up his hands.
“Just trying to help, Lieutenant.”
Her instincts told her to get Hank back in the cab with her, to keep him away from whatever harm the android was planning on doing him. No matter how you spun it, fixing your coworker’s car and showing up in the middle of the night to drive them home, in said car, was creepy and suspect.
“Fine fine fine, just call next time? We already got a cab,” Hank said lamely and turned to her. “We’ll still split the fee, Jane! I’ll uhh--” he scratched his beard, eyeing the android with a frown, but then he shrugged. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He closed the doors to the cab and waved as it drove her to her hotel. In the rearview mirrors she could see Hank still standing in the spot, thinking.
So Hank suspected something too.
Jane froze in place when she saw him the next morning, hunching over the terminal on his desk, rough around the edges. She couldn't stop staring at him, or rather at the dark bruises peeking out from under the sleeves of his shirt. It took only a short glance to determine that the bruises had the shapes of fingers pressed into the skin.
Strong fingers. Probably deliberate.
Her pulse speeding up, she anxiously wondered if there were more markings on his arms and torso that were easier to hide.
Hank looked up, caught her staring, then turned back to his desk, face red and hands self consciously pulling at his sleeves. Jane knew that meant that they would not be talking about it. Not that she didn’t already have her suspicions.
The android passed her on its way to him, a cup of scalding hot coffee in its plastic hand. It smiled pleasantly and Hank accepted the drink with a weary look on his face, not even stopping to considering whether he should drink anything that came from Connor.
This was a difficult situation, as Jane tried to piece together what was going on. Late the night before, she’d called Jenny and decided to present the evidence. She had these facts before herself:
One. Hank had been vocal of his distaste of androids for years, yet he somehow had made a sharp turn in his disposition in the past months.
Two: Hank had lost his son and as a consequence had been severely depressed for years.
Three: Connor had the face and voice of a young and innocent man - when it wanted to.
Four: Connor seemed very interested in keeping tabs on Hank’s whereabouts and social life outside of working hours.
She didn’t draw any conclusion from these points, and neither did Jenny. It did raise her suspicions.
It all seemed wrong somehow, that Hank would stoop so low as to keep an android around and let it tidy up after him. Even stranger was the fact that this android was a deviant and did most likely find humans untrustworthy at best. So why was it so keen on being near Hank?
Jane contemplated talking to Hank about it, ask him if he thought he was in danger, but the bruises still shook her up. Connor could probably hear them talking if she’d asked to speak to him in private, and if it had something on Hank that prevented him from seeking help...
Until the afternoon, things were relatively quiet. There were two early meetings, before Fowler let the police go about their business. Connor spent most of its time in the background, not once making eye contact with her. It hovered close to Hank, bringing files, getting coffee.
Jane could feel its dark eyes boring holes into the back of her head in the conference room. She was thankful when the last meeting was over and she was able to set up her laptop and get some actual work done, glad for the distraction.
Halfway through the pile of messages waiting in her inbox, she was called into Jeffrey’s office along with the captains of Ann Arbour, Oakland and Dearborn. Hank and Connor joined them in the room as Jeff began to explain that they were to have a workshop with a simulation of a case the next day. Nothing too special, it was a workshop that turned up on most of these conferences, and the captains were supposed to prepare their teams and talk through protocols and such.
Jane glanced over at Jeffrey. Her own captain had not been able to come, thanks to a nasty case of the flu. Only she and three subordinates had come to Detroit for the conference. She wondered if they’d be put in their own groups and silently begged to be with captain Arnie from Dearborn.
As fate would have it, she was stuck with the DPD, which any other time would have delighted her since they’d been her friends for so long. This time, however, she almost wished for the flu on herself.
The next day, Jeffrey had invited an android deviant to talk to the police. He looked young, blond, with a smooth and pleasant voice. Going through the upcoming procedures for hiring androids in new workplaces, he talked calmly and explained in a way that made Jane wonder if he himself was going to apply for a teaching job. It was when she met these deviants that she seemed to understand the deviants’ case.
With androids like Connor, however...
The guilt about Hank was eating her up. Something was wrong, the way he kept distancing himself, quiet and introverted, lost in thoughts. Connor was suspiciously eyeing him at all times, sometimes twitching into a small, pleased smile, when Hank decided to sit down on the chair furthest away from Jane. Did Connor suspect that she knew he was planning something?
Jane briefly wondered if she should bring it up with Jeffrey. The man was an outside perspective of sorts. He also knew Hank very well. Jane was sure he’d noticed that something was up with him.
If it turned out that the leaders of Jericho were targeting the police through Connor, it would have massive consequences on the current negotiations in the White house. So far, the talks seemed to be peaceful and progressive, but a case of a trusted deviant hacking a police department, or even killing one of their decorated officers…
Would someone else be the next target, or was Hank simply chosen because he’d already formed a bond with the piece of plastic?
The case simulation was about to start and their group sat down in one of the meeting rooms. Many of the officers were simply there to avoid work for a few hours and felt no guilt in scrolling through their phones while they presented the case. Hank had been in this line of work even longer than she had and was familiar enough with the material to start it off. He stood up at the end of the table and picked up the file.
“Alright, you know how this one goes. We have a..” he stopped, read the paper again. “Seems captain Fowler finally dug up some new cases.” He flopped the heavy files onto the table, getting the attention even from officer Reed, who’d been snoozing at the back with Jane. “A suspected double homicide, one android, female, and one human, male. We got three neighbors as witnesses who claim they heard someone scream, no apparent signs of struggle…”
Being a new case that also brought up difficult decisions regarding android laws made the time spent on this case longer than estimated. It had been a conscious choice on the captains’ side. For a moment, Jane forgot that she might be dealing with an android spy and simply enjoyed working with her old colleagues.
That is, until she and Connor got into a dispute about the relationship between the victims.
“Lieutenant, with all due respect,” Connor said in a syrupy tone that said that the words were not meant to be respectful, “I think what we’re investigating here is a hate crime done towards a couple, not a personal dispute.”
“You seem to be awfully sure about that, Connor,” Jane retorted, revelling in having at least power in her being of higher rank than it. “We still found no fingerprints on the knife, which makes the android a likely suspect. Unless you’re suggesting that it was forced to kill the man by someone else?”
“She,” Connor corrected, almost the same time as Hank and Chris mumbled.
“ She is still is a suspect, no matter how you wish she wasn’t.” Connor narrowed its - his, damnit - eyes at her. “Isn’t it possible that it was the android that killed the human? Maybe in self-defence, maybe for.. revenge?”
She was cocking an eyebrow at him, grasping at something, anything , that would give Connor away. She was going to break its perfect facade, somehow.
Connor scowled at her and Jane felt her pulse tick up.
“Maybe you need to see that it’s your own prejudices that cloud your judgement,” Connor suddenly snapped at her. “Maybe then you could realize the possibility that the human and the android were in love, rather than owner and slave. But I guess someone like you is unable to empathize enough with people who are different to see that they’re more than your serv--“
Pleased with herself, Jane leaned back in her chair, masking the motion into one of contemplation. Finally Hank stepped in when Connor raised his voice.
“Alright, I think that’s enough,” he said with surprisingly mild annoyance. “Look, we could speculate on the precise motives of the perp later, but right now we need to look at who actually--”
“Is it such a stretch, Connor? I’m not saying that it can’t be a hate crime towards androids, but it is a possibility that it’s just--”
They had to call it a day. Fowler had marched into the room and told everyone to take a breather. Hank had dragged his hand across his face and decided that all of them should just finish up their work and simply go home.
“There’s no point dragging this on tonight.”
Mostly it was directed at Jane and Connor, of course. She rose from her chair, stretched her arms. Something had cracked in Connor, and maybe she would figure out what he had been planning. Once he was out of earshot, she’d talk to Hank and warn him that something was up. She’d find some way to get him alone, somewhere where he could talk freely.
There was no time, however, since the second that Fowler left the room, Hank stood up right away and snapped his finger pointedly to Connor.
“Up,” he called, “We need to have a talk.” His tone was firm and Jane thought that maybe she didn’t have to worry about it, after all.
It didn’t mean that she wouldn’t follow them and make sure that Hank stayed safe.
She gently closed the door to the viewing room, standing by the display window that was on standby mode. She turned on the speakers and watched with rapt concentration. Her pulse went up, the way it did on a stakeout when the suspect finally showed up.
Hank had dragged Connor roughly through the door to the interrogation room. He was visibly annoyed, letting go of Connor's collar roughly before gripping the edge of one of the chairs, dropping his head. The android straightened up and adjusted its tie. It was quiet, the only sound coming through the speakers was Hank’s breathing.
“Okay, you wanna tell me what the fuck is goin’ on with you?” Hank demanded, getting a neutral stare in return. He sighed and sat down on the desk behind him, shoulders tense and hands firmly crossed over his chest.
Connor stood still, its eyes keen and blazing. Jane held her breath, hand unconsciously moving closer to her strap, feeling the metal of her gun in her fingers. If that android started acting up, she'd shoot it through the glass, straight into its brains--
Then she heard Hank continue in a voice tainted with frustration.
“You were supposed to show Donovan that androids are people!” He said, voice raised in his commander-voice, one she’d heard one too many times on cases in their youths. “Not piss her off and act like an asshole-’”
“She was rude to me first.” it snapped back, actually snapped, Jane thought incredulously. It made Hank bury his face in his hands.
Don't take your eyes off of it!
“For fuck’s sake, Connor.” He suddenly sounded so tired . Jane was puzzled.
“She called me ‘it’, Hank,” the android continued, some kind of emotion hidden in the words. “Officer Miller had to correct her ten times yesterday, and she still pretended I wasn’t a person.”
Hank scowled.
“I thought you said you could handle it!” he retorted, but then his expression softened. “Look, I’m sorry that you had to go through that, but I also fucking told you that this exact shit might happen. Why the hell did you accept doing this in the first fucking place, if you’re just gonna be rude and send me off so I can’t help you?”
“I did it for you , Hank!” Connor said petulantly.
Hank stared at it, his eyebrows raised. There was an edge in Connor’s voice, something other than annoyance and cold curiosity, something more emotional. His eyes were shiny, like he was tearing up.
Jane wondered what perverted psycho had programmed a police android with emotions. “I agreed to it because it made you happy. But she is prejudiced, she is unprofessional. Just the way she was strutting around and flirting unashamedly with you in the office is frankly offensive.”
“Connor, we’re old friends. We talked,” Hank sighed.
“I don’t trust her,” Connor insisted. “She is far too interested in you, what you’re doing and where you’re going. You know she called you several times in a row yesterday?”
“Because you’d taken my phone, asshole!” Hank snapped. “Seriously, are you trying to get into trouble, here? You are barely officially on the force, and if you keep acting like…”
Connor’s eyes were cold.
“Like what?”
“You know what I mean,” Hank backed down. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Look, I’m just trying to understand what’s going on. You’ve been obsessively monitoring me ever since Jane stepped into the precinct, like you think I might explode. Don’t--” he added when Connor opened his mouth, “Don’t try to deny it. Now tell me - What’s happened?”
Hank said these words. Let them hang between them. Then, as if he just thought of something, clicked his mouth shut. His head tilted to the side, eyebrows pinched in thought. Connor started fidgeting with his hands, looking like the idea of Hank’s bad mood was affecting him. His eyes darted, blinked, then he exhaled.
“Look, I don’t want to alarm you, Hank, but I think- I think there may be something wrong with my program.” Hank’s attention snapped back to Connor. “Lieutenant Donovan seems to be a trigger for some… bad part of my programming and it makes me worried that she might be… something. A threat, or a way to sabotage my position here.”
Hank raised his eyebrows, an invitation to go on, though he didn’t look as wary now. Jane still kept a firm grip on her gun.
“My thirium pump goes into overdrive whenever she comes near you, my system overheats and gives me foreign notifications of danger, prompts to do anything to keep her away from you. I’ve had…” He swallowed. Did androids swallow? “Yesterday, when I saw you two together outside the bar, I had a brief prompt tell me to run her over with the car. I wasn’t close to actually do it, but a small part of me wanted to. I think there’s something wrong with - Why are you smiling?” he asked, frustration etched onto his face.
Jane looked over at Hank, who leaned back on the desk again, his shoulders shaking from laughter.
“What?” Connor insisted with a sour face, and Hank managed to stop chuckling, still wearing a shit eating grin.
“Connor…” Hank said in mock-seriousness as he stared at Connor, his eyes twinkling. “Are you jealous?”
Jane’s heart pounded.
“I --No! No, of course not,” Connor answered, too quickly and exactly like a guilty person would claim their innocence. He shook his head and crossed his arms, looking very uncomfortable.
Hank’s grin grew even wider.
“You’re fucking jealous--” Hank laughed again and Connor protested with an emotional detachment that didn’t fool anyone.
“I just told you I wanted to run her over with your car--”
“Sounds like jealousy to me,” Hank shrugged.
“I’m afraid you’re letting your personal feelings for me cloud your judgement, Lieuten--”
“Oh so it’s Lieutenant now?” Hank interrupted with an amused grin. Connor closed his mouth but kept his arms crossed. They were silent for a few seconds. Hank stared at Connor, who stared at the wall next to him. It looked like they were waiting for something. Finally, Connor sighed in defeat.
“I-I don’t mean to, I mean…” He let out a frustrated groan and brushed off his hair with one hand - a motion that looked oh so human. “I don’t like her. At all. She waltzes into our precinct, knows everyone by name and knowing you- ” he gestured towards Hank, “in a way that I’ll never…” He stopped, clawing at his chest like he wanted to wrap his theoretical heart out, “I don’t want this feeling, because it’s, it’s…” he fumbled for the right word, it seemed, and Hank filled in the blank.
“It’s shit, is what it is.”
It made Connor smile a little lopsided smile, and Jane thought she noticed a hint of vulnerability on his face. Up until this point she’d been sure that he only knew how to emulate an emotion in order to placate humans around him, but the look on his face, that careful smile and those big eyes, made him look so alive .
She shook her head and continued to listen. Hank didn’t seem disturbed by what Connor had just told him. His face melted into one of empathy and he smiled.
“Connor, it’s okay. This is a normal, a very human , feeling. Besides, we all feel cripplingly insecure sometimes.”
“Then why are you laughing at me?” Connor insisted.
Hank let out a bark of laughter in response, and when Connor came closer he ruffled the android’s hair affectionately.
Jane realized she hadn’t heard him laugh like that for a long time. If Connor could manage to draw that smile out of her friend, maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
“Because, well - take a goddamn look at me!” Hank straightened himself up and reached out a hand to Connor. “I just don’t understand why the fuck you, ” he pointed at him, “of all people, Connor, are jealous because of an old fucking man like me.”
“Don’t talk about yourself like that, Hank,” Connor said, frowning. Hank shrugged. To Jane’s surprise, he slid his arm around Connor’s slim waist and pulled them close together, Connor invited to the V of Hank’s legs.
What?
“Eh, just sayin’ you can’t blame an old man for getting an ego boost when this hot piece of ass gets--”
“I’m not jealous!” Connor insisted, more out of principle judging by his petulant pout.
“My point is, you have nothing, and I mean fucking nothing , to be jealous about,” Hank explained, squeezing Connor’s waist closer.
Connor’s eyes fluttered shut as their foreheads leaned against each other. The smugness on Hank’s face melted away and he reached up a hand to brush his thumb against Connor’s temple.
“C’mon, talk to me Con,” he murmured, almost too quiet for the microphones to pick up. Jane leaned closer to the window, as if that would help her hear the conversation. She was at this point far beyond caring about just how indecent it was to spy on her colleagues.
Connor hesitated, his circle thing on his temple flickering to yellow.
“She’s. She’s human,” he began, voice small, and Hank hummed. “And a woman. She knew you before… before.” His hand traveled up Hank’s jacket and rested on his chest. Hank did not pull away. “There are so many parts of you that I’ve missed and I hate it.”
Hank sighed, more in agreement than exasperation.
“That’s the very worst parts of being human. Emotions always fuck us over. And these feelings you’re feeling… Well, they just plainly fucking suck.” Connor smiled. “What can I do to help?” Hank murmured. In response, Connor tightened his other hand in a firm grip of Hank’s jacket and closed his eyes. He pressed against Hank.
“Kiss me?” he whispered, leaning closer and closer. Jane’s eyes widened in horror when Hank actually obliged.
It was chaste, calm and - this was an actual shock- an undeniable habit.
Connor’s content sigh was loud in the speakers, making Jane squirm. This was far too squicky for her, yet she found it hard to turn away, wondering despite herself what Hank was planning on doing.
She concluded that at least Hank didn’t seem to be in any danger from Connor, going by his relaxed stance that indicated that kissing was normal for them. She could see Connor’s hand resting atop of Hank’s, gently grabbing his wrist and guiding it down his front and--
“Connor,” Hank murmured in warning, his voice tense. Their hands stopped by Connor’s stomach. “We agreed to take it chill at work--”
Despite his protest, Hank’s hand was moving again, index finger teasing at the hem of the android’s jeans. Connor sucked in a shaky breath, staring at the lieutenant through heavy lidded eyes. The heady lust emanating from his expression made Jane’s ears warm. She really, really shouldn’t be watching this. Connor pressed his hand more insistently, earning a low growl from Hank.
“Hank, please,” Connor whispered, kissing and begging, and it seemed Hank’s resolve was cracking quickly. He groaned into Connor’s open mouth, and standing up he pushed him backwards until his back touched the wall behind him. They stood there quietly for a few seconds, Hank breathing heavily.
“You’re gonna be the damn death of me,” he said huskily and buried his face into Connor’s neck, still mumbling something that was difficult to hear. Connor’s eyes blinked rapidly and he clung to Hank, hands in his hair.
“Hank, please-” Connor repeated.
“Fine, but you best be keeping a goddamn sharp eye on the door. The last fucking thing I want is for Reed to stomp in here with my hands on your--”
He stopped, experimentally pressing the heel of his palm into Connor’s crotch, earning him a soft, desperate moan from the android, who squirmed.
Jane frowned.
“What--” Hank backed off enough to stare at Connor’s crotch, then back at Connor, who met his gaze and defensively answered,
“I just wanted to switch it up. And to surprise you,” he added, raising an eyebrow in a challenge.
Hank groaned and stared at the ceiling.
“For fuck’s sake, Connor.”
“You don’t like it?”
“Don’t I--” As if in answer, Hank pressed his hips against Connor again, fixing him with his gaze. “Look, yesterday you barely let me get home before you decided to tie me up and have a go at me, and now this? I never pegged you for the insecure type.”
“I thought you liked it yesterday!”
“Not the point, Con.”
“But you did!" Connor persisted. "...Right?” The light at his temple swirled yellow.
“You damn well know I did,” Hank said impatiently. “So why did you think this was a good solution?”
“That’s not why I--”
“You mean you didn't switch dicks because my ex was in town? And without telling me?” Despite his accusing tone, Jane didn’t fail to see the smugness written all across his face. Somehow, the tension in the room shifted. Jane noticed it in the way Hank cornered Connor in the wall, his hands brackets around the android’s head, the way Connor parted his lips, leaning his head back.
“If I thought you’d have a problem with it…” Connor continued and pressed back into the wall, his neck stretched in invitation.
Dear lord.
Hank pulled him back by his ass, kissing him hungrily until Connor had to lean back.
“I didn’t say I had a problem with it, you damn tease,” he growled. Connor melted against him, pliant and soft. Hank peeled Connor’s arms off of him and, with his large hands on the android’s hips, turned him around to face the wall. It rewarded him with excited pants from the android.
One hand snaked itself around him and the loud rip of a flyer echoed in the viewing room. Hank nuzzled into the nape of Connor’s neck and huffed a laugh when Connor let out a keen whine, hips hitching forward and his forehead and hands pressed against the wall. Hank had his front draped against his back, and it looked like Connor’s skin was slowly peeling away at the ministrations on his neck. Where Hank’s lips kissed, licked, sucked, the skin turned shiny and white, and Connor sighed, a blissful expression on his face as he let himself be touched.
With that, Jane figured she’d seen enough, straightening up to leave them alone and perhaps have a one-hour long shower. She felt of icky all over, yet also oddly intrigued. What had made Hank go from hating androids to screwing them? Was it the way Connor seemed utterly imprinted on him?
What the hell was Hank thinking?
She had almost left the room when Hank’s voice picked up from the interrogation room.
“I love you, you idiot,” he mumbled into Connor’s skin, kissing a trail across his shoulders. The motion was so soft, so gentle that it made her ache for Jenny at home. “Don’t you ever forget it.”
Connor’s soft huffs turned into desperate moans and he reached one hand back to Hank’s hip, knees bending and rocking. Hank bit his shoulder.
“Hey, I wasn’t kidding about keeping look-out. Anyone out there?” his voice was teasing, perhaps even a little commanding, and Connor seemed to clear his head enough to turn his gaze into the viewing room.
Connor stared right into Jane’s eyes, as if he could see her through the one-way mirrored glass. She heard her own heart pounding in her ears, wondering if he could sense her fear. Then he closed his eyes, smiled and murmured,
“No one’s out there, Lieutenant.”
In response, Hank groaned and pulled him closer. It looked like they were making quick work of it.
And that was Jane’s cue to leave. She’d seen far more than enough, hoping to erase all of these images from her head.
She sat back down by the table in the meeting room, stunned into complete silence. She tried listening to Miller and Reed yapping on about the case, but her thoughts were somewhere else completely.
She wondered whether anyone at the precinct knew about it. Did they chalk it down to a perversion of Hank’s? Or did they actually believe that Connor actually was a person?
She thought of Connor’s actions and how they might pertain to Hank’s theory that he was simply jealous. Jealous because she’d known Hank for far longer and could relate to his humanity in a way that Connor never could.
Maybe it didn’t matter that Connor’s emotions were simulated by a program, or hard drives or whatever. In a way, it was the same principle with humans and their chemical reactions, she mused. In a way, they were just a bunch of cells holding together. Who was she to judge?
She probably should have let it slip that she was actually about to propose to her girlfriend back home. Then Connor would have relaxed a little more around her. Jenny probably would have picked up the signals faster and with more finesse than Jane. She had always been better at these things.
Maybe it was the thought of her kind, sweet lover that brought down the immediate implication of her suspicions.
Am I a fuckin’ Android racist?
Fifteen minutes later, footsteps sounded down the hall and the pair showed up in the meeting room.
Had she not seen Hank with his hand down someone’s trousers just moments earlier, she would not have noticed the flush in his face, nor the way his hand on Connor’s back lingered just a little too long before Connor sat down, opposite her. He looked tired, but not as tense and quiet as before.
Connor had his cold, robolike expression back in place, but now that Jane had her eyes opened, she noticed the small motions, the subconsciously human mannerisms. He was smoothing out his clothes, tapping the table with his fingers. What she’d previously translated into cold analytical thinking, she now saw as nervousness. He glanced at her.
Hank eyed Jane, a question in the quirk of his lips. He was looking at her like a friend who urged you on to talk to the hot barista at the coffee shop. She nodded at him.
He stood up, gently closed the door behind them and sat down at his desk in the bullpen, picking up some paperwork that had landed on his keyboard.
Jane watched him. She observed the other officers talking and stretching their arms, getting ready to go home and let this day be done with. She caught Connor’s eyes. He was staring as intently back at her as before.
“Listen, Connor-”
“I’d like to apologize-”
They stared at each other, and though she knew that he knew that she had been watching him fuck Hank in the interrogation room, they smiled at each other. Carefully, slowly. Jane decided to bite the bullet and cleared her throat.
“Connor, I wanna apologize for my rude behavior.”
“It’s quite alright, Lieu--” Connor began.
“No, it sure as hell isn’t!” Jane continued, feeling so ashamed that the only way to live with herself was to spit it all out. “I might be a bit new to this concept but I should know better than this.” She covered her face with a groan. “Fuck, I remember being at Me Too demonstrations, Black lives matter marches, but still I’ve been so fucking ignorant of a people that just needed support from my kind. Look, I see where I went wrong here and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I called you ‘it’, and called the other androids ‘it’…”
“Lieutenant, if I may,” Connor offered and Jane prepared to defend his right to be offended, when he dryly added, “You also called me a dishwasher.”
Jane dropped her hand and choked out a laugh when she saw that Connor was smirking.
“That I did.” Then, with as much intent as she could muster, “I’m sorry, Connor.”
“It’s alright. Or well,” he seemed to struggle to find the right words, “It means a lot that you’re willing to accept your ignorance and learn from it. Most people take a longer time to get there.”
Jane shrugged, a smile creeping up on her.
“Seems even the woke need to be awoken sometimes.” The android frowned and she saw his circle spinning faster. The idea that he might be searching online for an explanation of the word ‘woke’ was honestly hilarious.
“Oh well, Hank would get the joke,” she said wistfully.
Connor froze for a split second, his frown deepened. She forced down a snort of laughter. Poor guy had to go through these hellish feelings in a way that probably wasn’t far off from human puberty.
“I apologize for my rude behaviour as well,” he eventually said. It sounded like a genuine apology, which she guessed shouldn’t surprise her by now. “I was…” He made a swallowing motion, closing his eyes as if it hurt to express himself. “I was jealous of your friendship with lieutenant Anderson and instead of cherishing the opportunity to know another part of him, I acted like a jerk.”
Hearing Connor say “jerk” made Jane giggle, to her own surprise. She covered her mouth.
“Sorry, it’s not funny,” she said through giggles. Connor didn’t laugh, but his expression changed into one of amusement. “It’s just. You must know that Hank and I will never be anything but close friends, right? Like, I am in a relationship myself.”
“No, of course I know that,” Connor said, but his posture visibly relaxed, his expression slipping into a pleased smile. Jane picked up her jacket from the back of her chair and walked around the table, stopping in front of him. She reached out a hand.
“What do you say we start over, kid?” she asked and was still relieved when Connor grabbed it.
“I would deeply appreciate that. Say, Lieutenant. Would you like to have dinner at our place this evening?”
“ Our ..?” Jeane repeated.
“I told you, Hank is my partner,” Connor explained as if Jane was particularly slow.
“Yeah, I think I got that much,” she deadpanned without thinking and was rewarded with the goofiest little laugh she’d ever heard, making her laugh as well.
“I think I’ll never be able to get out of this chair,” Jane groaned, having to unclasp her belt. “That is a compliment. It was delicious,” she added with a smile in Connor’s direction. He simply smiled back, still doing the dishes in the kitchen. His LED was a calm blue that lit up the place. “You sure you don’t want any help with that?”
“It’s quite alright Lieu- Jane.”
Jane quirked an eyebrow at Hank, who raised his hands in defence.
“I usually try to make dinner for myself. Look, you don’t think I’ve told him not to clean up after me? He insists! Though,” he snorted, “It’s not as bad as when you moved in. Eh, honey?” He turned his head towards the kitchen. Connor’s indignated words followed,
“I was programmed to complete tasks! It’s not my fault you kept enabling me with your messy house and unhealthy habits.”
Jane leaned back in the armchair, wheezing with laughter.
“Hank, buddy, you better step up your household game before I start telling Connor that he’s too good for you.”
That earned her a goofy laugh from the kitchen and she found that she liked Connor more and more.
When she stood up to get another non-alcoholic beer out of the fridge, she noticed a face she hadn’t seen in a while. Cole’s first school photo. He’d dropped one of his front teeth. Such a cute kid. Hank came up behind her.
“Took me forever to actually put him up there.” He reached for Connor, still by the kitchen sink. “Thanks to this incredible guy right here.” Connor let himself be pulled close to Hank’s side, that vulnerable smile on his face. Hank looked down at him and Jane had to look away, as if she’d intruded upon something private.
Which was a bit rich coming from her.
“Hank, please, you’re embarrassing Jane,” Connor huffed and reluctantly pushed himself off, which made Hank grin. His eyes were so warm, and Jane could have kissed Connor for letting her see her old friend’s face again.
“Eh, embarrass away,” she waved them off and grabbed the beer before heading back out into the living room. “I’ll leave you to it.”
It was getting late and after hours of talking, Jane woke up with a start and found she had fallen asleep in Hank’s armchair. She stirred, trying to keep her eyes open. Hank was snoring on the couch, his face smoothed out and peaceful. Who could have guessed that she’d find him in a serious relationship with a guy like Connor?
Connor, who had begun to relax around her and showed his kind, enthusiastic and caring side. Looking back two days earlier, she found herself embarrassed at the impression she had made on him.
As if noticing her awakening, Connor walked through the front door with Sumo, who made a beeline straight to his water bowl in the kitchen. Jane heard Connor toe off his shoes and hang his jacket on the coat rack. She watched him quietly, wondering if he already knew that she was awake. When he walked over to the couch, she decided to stretch her arms over her head and yawn. Connor smiled at her, crow feet around his eyes.
“You’re free to stay here for the night, if you’d like,” he murmured softly and Jane waved him off.
“Nah, I’d rather get back into clothes that I haven’t worn all day. Thanks though,” she added before standing up. Her back stung from the awkward angle.
“I’ll call a cab to pick you up then. On me,” he said.
“Thank you.” Jane stumbled to the bathroom, but stopped by the door and turned around. She heard Connor’s muted voice, soft and sweet. He was kneeling by the couch, face to face with Hank, who was still half asleep.
“Hey, let’s get you to bed, shall we? You’re going to regret it if you stay here all night.”
“Wha-- Connor?” Hank mumbled, sounding so confused and still dreaming.
“Come on, Hank,” Connor smiled and affectionately ran his fingers through Hank’s beard, carding strands of hair out of his face. From her viewpoint, Jane could make out Hank smiling, a private, intimate smile that only expressed one emotion. Love.
It was too much and she had to hide in the bathroom, suddenly struck by a fierce longing for Jenny. She just wanted to be at home now, curled up in bed and listening to her soft breaths.
The next morning Jane didn’t even pay attention to the meeting and the wrap up of the workshops. She was tired and deep in thought. The train was leaving at three pm and the time seemed to stand still.
Connor seemed to enjoy these experiments, reasoning with his colleagues and adding to the discussion with his own understanding of the android psyche. It made Jane’s head spin, to think of just how much they could learn from each other - How much she had yet to learn.
They were going to have to make huge changes back home, and it would take such a long time for people to change - Even the reasonable ones. She was still struggling with using the correct pronouns for androids, to remember that she shouldn’t ask them private questions about their anatomy and function, unless they were questions that she could easily ask her human co-workers. Yet the idea of improvement, of better conditions for these people, made her heart beat fast with determination.
As she shook her friends’ hands and told Connor to keep in touch in case Hank stopped doing the laundry, as she grabbed her bag and left the DPD for this time being, she wondered, and hoped, that there were more androids out there that would be able to join her precinct.
She was eager to go home and kiss her love, happy to have seen her friends and most of all, relieved to know that Hank was finally at peace.