Chapter Text
“They could’ve at least waited until summer to do their dirty work.”
“I don’t think murders are well known for their convenience, Lieutenant.”
Connor and Hank stood on an old, weather worn pier streaked with slush and sleet overlooking a frozen lake. The wind howled as it swirled up snow and sprays of water while the thick sheets of ice capping the lake splintered and smacked the legs of the pier. The perfect ambience to a typical Detroit winter.
Or at least it would be, if one could ignore the rickety boat knocking at the landing announcing the arrival of its deceased passenger. The sound was almost lost amongst the wind and water, but its hollow thud distinguished itself from the fierce weather.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t be sour about it,” Hank griped, hunching his shoulders to raise his jacket as a particularly cold gust bit at his ears. “Gives a new meaning to ‘cold blooded murder’,” he mused, staring at the body propped against the stern of the boat, illuminated by Connor’s LED and the dull light that snuck its way through the overcast sky. The head lazily lolled in time with the push and pull of the waves. It almost looked as though it was nodding, its gaze blank and solemn as it acknowledged its grim fate. Hank suppressed another shiver.
“I’m not too fond of the cold either,” Connor confessed, his internal heater giving off a faint whir as he subconsciously increased its output. He relaxed as he felt the swell of warmth, driving off tension he hadn’t realized was originally present.
“Well, since we’re both in agreement and only one of us has a built-in heater, how about we get this over with,” Hank bobbed his head towards the victim. “Sooner we wrap up, sooner we can go somewhere I won’t freeze my ass off.”
Connor gave a brisk nod in affirmation before stepping closer to the boat, the slush crunching as he knelt down to gaze at the corpse. His LED cast an artificial hue over the body and the ice fragmented the blue light around the hull, but it did little to illuminate anything helpful from his current position. Connor kicked his legs over the hull before sliding into the boat, causing it to rock even more precariously among the turbulent water given the sudden load. The action earned Connor a tense reprimand from Hank as he lurched to grab the side of the boat to balance himself.
“Jesus, son! Give me a warning before you go throwing yourself off a pier,” Hank chided as he carefully picked his way over to where Connor had previously been kneeling. He peered into the boat to ensure Connor wasn’t in immediate danger of being tipped into the snarling waves, bracing himself against the wind.
“Sorry, Lieutenant. I need to get closer to properly inspect the body.” Connor stepped across ripped nets and frayed ropes that floated amongst the shallow water and sloshed against the hull. The swaying boat caused the tendrils to slither around the floor, loosely snaking around Connor’s ankles as he came face to face with the lone body. Water beaded in its hair before dripping onto a drenched coat.
A brief scan presented the information Connor had already been made aware of by Chris, who was assisting Gavin with preserving the crime scene. The body belonged to a middle aged man with records of property damage. The reference photo that appeared in Connor’s peripheral vision was quite a departure from the split lip, crooked nose, and faint bruise the face now bore.
“Guy looks pretty battered, but it takes a lot more than a few scrapes to kill a man,” Hank pointed out, straining to see the abrasions that were smattered across the victim’s face.
Connor hummed in agreement as he leaned in closer, LED flickering to yellow as he tried to identify any outstanding injuries in the pale light. Tiny bubbles trailed from the man’s skewed nose and purple lips, clustering together to form patches of froth. Water streamed around the foam and weighed down the man’s clothes, causing the fabric to sag and cling tightly against the body’s frame, an empty embrace that emphasized the defeated corpse. Both observations pointed towards drowning as the cause of death, and the turbulent lake expressed no remorse.
“Given the froth around the airways and the soaked clothes, it’s most likely that the victim drowned. They must’ve fallen into the lake and became trapped under the waves for a prolonged period of time, hence the froth from water inhalation.” Connor concluded, looking to Hank for his verdict.
Hank furrowed his brow as he moved his attention from the body back to Connor. “So he drowned… and then got back in the boat?”
“Not without some help.” The bruise that lay across the victim’s cheek bloomed from four dark indents that sat atop each other. Connor held his own knuckles up for comparison, unsurprised when the blemish measured up. “There must’ve been foul play… but why go through the trouble of rescuing a dead man- especially in this weather- when it would’ve otherwise gone unnoticed?” Connor rambled before a particularly violent bout of waves threw the boat off balance, forcing the android to scramble backwards to avoid face planting into the evidence.
“Guilty conscience, maybe?” Hank offered. “And get out of that damn boat before I have to go fishing for my partner,” He joked, although Connor could detect concern laced in his tone.
Connor heaved himself onto the deck, grateful to exchange the rocky vessel for solid wood.
Hank watched until he was confident that Connor wouldn’t suddenly slip into the dark waves that had been so keen to tip him into their frigid grasp. “Alright, I’ll go let the guys know that we’ll need to be on the lookout for potential suspects, maybe see if anyone in the area saw anything.”
A brisk sleet had kicked up, hammering the duo with icy pellets. Connor squinted his eyes against their harsh sting as Hank dug his hands further into his jacket’s pockets.
Connor still felt irked. If he had been able to locate Jericho, infiltrate CyberLife tower, and solve the various cases in between, surely a simple homicide shouldn’t stump him. “I’m going to have one last look at the scene. Ensure we didn’t miss anything.”
“Don’t be too long,” Hank instructed Connor. “I’m fuckin’ freezing,” he grumbled as he strided towards Chris and Gavin, his outline growing hazy as it was obscured by the growing onslaught of snow.
Connor scrutinized the scene as he tried to locate any disturbances that could reveal where a potential suspect may have scurried off to. But any scuffs in the sand, a mark on the wood of the landing, or objects that may have been left behind were covered by the falling snow and the waves that tugged at the shore. He traced the outline of the shore to a rocky outcrop that crawled its way from the depths of the lake until it was perpendicular to the sands.
The snow was working hard to hide the shining stones, slick from the tide. If he waited much longer, the chances of finding a suspect in the growing blizzard would lower significantly.
Connor jogged over to the outcrop. He roved over the landscape on his way, scouring the beach for any clues or disturbances-
A flash of red caught his eye, magnified against the falling sheen of snow.
“Detroit Police! Stand down!” Connor yelled, straining to peer through the screen of sleet. He heard the scuff of feet on sand and followed the sound with his gaze, catching a crimson LED stark against the white veil.
He locked eyes with the shrouded android, their gaze betraying unbridled fear and surprise. Connor took a slow step forward, cautious to not startle the already shaken suspect. His careful approach went unappreciated as the other android spun and darted towards the landing, feet pounding, kicking up a mix of snow and slush.
Connor tore off after the android, easily keeping stride as he pushed his systems to gain on the interloper. A series of startled shouts let the RK800 know that the android had stumbled across Hank’s briefing, unaware of the cluster of cops blocking their escape route. As he neared, he saw the android double back, desperation gleaming in their eyes, before racing to the pier.
Connor quickly changed his path to compensate, bounding on the heels of the suspect before they both skidded to a stop before the looming drop into the murky depths.
The close proximity offered a much clearer view of the distressed android, LED flickering red as they shuffled away, fearful eyes shooting between the end of the pier and Connor.
“I-I wasn’t, he wasn’t-“ The android stuttered before their scrambled protests trailed off. Their eyes locked onto Connor’s jacket, shooting from his serial number to scrutinize the glowing identifiers that still decorated his arm and chest. “You,” the android breathed, newfound terror lighting their scattered gaze.
Connor raised his hands in front of his chest in a placating gesture. “I’m not here to hurt you. My name’s-“
“I know who you are,” a grim realization slid over the panicked edge to the android’s voice. “I know what y-you do to androids like me.” They took a step back, heel edging off the end of the landing.
Feet pounded faintly against the dock. They were only a few seconds away, but by the time the others reached the end of the pier it’d be too late.
Connor felt his thirium pump speed up. A comforting beat turned frenzied and fast. It sounded like the incoming footfalls. The other android noticed them too. But, unlike the hollow thuds, he was close. He could do something. This android wasn’t Daniel. They wouldn’t fall out of his grasp.
He wouldn’t fail.
The android stepped off the pier. Their feet left the deck. Connor lunged forward. The android pitched backwards. Snow pounded down. Connor shot his hands out.
Connor tensed as he teetered on the edge, but he felt his hands collide with something cold and firm. He felt his fists lock around soaked fabric. He yanked, hard, and pulled the now squirming suspect back onto the dock, pivoting to place himself in between them and the water. Connor locked gazes with them, their eyes alight with anger and fear. But he could also see Hank right over their shoulder, now only a few feet away, followed closely by Gavin and Chris. He felt relief flood through him, the rigidity to his stance and grip lost to the overwhelming emotion.
Deviancy seemed to be a constant hurdle in Connor’s life. It was what he had been created to combat as well as succumb to. However, analyzing it with strict rationale and clear statistics was much simpler than trying to sort out the complex emotions of others while shrouded by his own. There was a reason Amanda tried to reclaim Connor as her own, to cut away the complexities of feelings and emotions in favor of an analytical, unstoppable machine. An android plagued with emotions would’ve been no better than a human counterpart.
And humans make mistakes.
Connor’s involuntary moment of ease couldn’t have been more than that; a moment. But it was a moment too long. Maybe if he stayed vigilant he would’ve retained a steel grip. Maybe he would’ve moved away from the drop off the landing. But as it was, he was a flimsy obstacle between the other android and their escape. He should’ve noticed the subtlety of the android’s weight being shifted onto their left leg.
Deviancy and its charms.
The android wedged their right knee up to their chest and planted their foot onto Connor’s chest in one swift motion, resting menacingly over his thirium pump. As reality finally caught up to Connor, his preconstruction scrambled to find a solution under one directive: Save Android. He could try to pivot, use the incoming blow to push himself back onto the deck, but the other android would fall, and the force of the kick on his pump would make it impossible to recover in time. But if he let the kick come, he’d have time to push the android to Hank.
He felt the android’s leg recoil in anticipation.
He wished deviancy wasn’t so complicated.
He hoped Hank wouldn’t be too mad.
Connor gave the android’s shoulders a harsh shove as their heel drove into his chest. The force of the impact caused a sudden disruption to his thirium flow, bringing with it a temporary burst of weakness and confusion, and a foreign weightlessness. It felt as though the static that popped and cracked in his vision had also wormed into his head.
He heard a surprised cry followed by a worried yell. It sounded like the same person. Did they say his name? Connor wanted to ask them what was wrong. He just needed a second to clear his head and get back on his feet first, metaphorically speaking.
Or perhaps literally, as Connor realized that he was alarmingly horizontal, and falling. His systems had almost resumed their normal functions from their brief lapse before the unforgiving impact from something colliding with his back shocked them back into a daze. The crack of ice was unmistakable as frigid water rushed up to envelop him, digging its icy talons into his sides before plunging him beneath the surface of the lake.
Connor gasped at the piercing cold jolt that raced through him, his finally stabilized programs bringing with them an unwelcome clarity as his sensory acuteness made a return. Icy water raked down his throat, eliciting a harsh cough that brought down another burning rush of water before he forced his ventilation system to stop. He saw the bubbles created by his own breath glint and intermix with the ones the waves dragged down as they crashed overhead, scattering the few rays of light that peeked through into a disorienting dance.
His arms flailed and his legs thrashed, but the lake tossed Connor around like a feather in the wind. His back raked against the bottom of the lake before he was flipped and dunked over and over and over. He breached the surface a number of times, the howls and spray a new nightmare as he clawed to cling onto tilting ice, but the sheets flipped him back under before he could hope to gain his bearings.
He was trying to decipher up from down as an ice flow collided with his head, forcing the world around him to halt.