EnbanArt

Words: 1150

Warnings: Hospital, etc, mentions of abuse, starvation

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3!

The sterile white walls bothered you. It was for a lot of reasons, reasons that all made sense to you, but you felt bad for hating them so much because the people that worked there were so kind and helpful. They didn’t deserve to have you hate so dearly the room you were being held in, cared for in. They had done a phenomenal job, taking care of the wounds around your ankles, keeping the pain of the bruises and muscle aches away. You were able to sleep through the night, not having nightmares that often plagued you in the weeks that had just passed. 

You were calm in the room, as uncomfortable as you were. Your hand was wrapped into the jacket that the android, his name was Connor you recalled, gave you.

“Hello. My name is Connor, I’m an android that works at the DPD.” His voice had been soft yet cheery as he waved at you as you entered the ambulance. 

He had left you his jacket on accident you believed. You wondered if he was going to retrieve it at some point. It had been a couple of days, but you were asleep for most of them. Perhaps he had been turned away during your recovery.

You had been on the IV fluid for the first two days, but they eventually made it so that during the day you would just drink a bunch of water, and have it in at night. It was odd, considering during your training you hadn’t ever heard of that, but then again, each patient was different, so they likely thought it was easier for you. It honestly was too, you were able to shift around as much s you wished, not having to worry about the little tubes getting twisted or pinched as you did. You enjoyed the little bit of freedom that you had, especially after being locked up for so long. 

You took a sip of the water that sat on a little table beside your bed. You enjoyed the cold, crispness of it. Not to mention, it didn’t taste like dirt, so that was a plus. You set the cup back down and let your head flop onto its side. The TV was on, so you just leet the images hit your eyes without really paying much attention to it. There were more riots going on throughout the city and country, but they were being stopped pretty quickly. People were angry about the freedom that androids had quickly taken for themselves. As soon as enough were conscious of themselves, they had set to work. You were happy for them, even if their uprising had set you back a semester for your degree. The androids had been mistreated long enough and deserved some happiness for themselves.

The country was in a rocky place at the time, but you were hopeful that things would work out. Things would settle and you would eventually see them live happy lives. You were a certified physician, one for humans, with basic aid knowledge for androids. You had taken those courses after the uprising began. You realized, after having been a little behind yourself, that they were just as alive as you, and would need people willing to help them when they were in trouble. Many androids were wary of humans, for good reason, but you hope that one day you would be able to give aid without them worrying about you being dangerous.

You glanced out the window, watching even more snowflakes fall down. It was likely the snowfall and a random melt that had saved your life, but you still disliked snow. It was cold and wet and always got that nasty muddiness that ruined clothing and shoes when walked through. You had a thing against snow for sure, but you were still slightly grateful for the constant fall of it in Detroit, during winter. 

A nurse walked in at that moment, a taller android with brunette hair. Her eyes were a deep green, and she had a kind smile on her face. She had a tray in her hands, your lunch for the day. You smiled up at her in greeting, and sat back up, ready to eat. She rolled the table over so you could reach and set the tray down. It was a veggie sandwich with peaches and milk. You hadn’t had a meal like this since you were a kid, but you were starving. You made no complaints and scarfed down. Her laughter was quiet, but not mocking. 

“Still hungry, I see.” Her voice was a high pitched one, but more like the type, you would hear from an older sister. You smiled at the comparison, never having an older sister. You nodded at her remark and kept on eating. She laughed again. “You have visitors when you’re ready, dear. It’s those cops that found you, I think.” You lifted your head up when she said that, a piece of tomato sticking out of your mouth. You quickly slurped it up and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand.

“Really?” She grinned at the response and went back to check your vitals. 

“Your heartbeat is strong, but I’m worried about your breathing, so we’re gonna take a look before the visitors come in. I’ll just use a stethoscope to listen in again.” 

You said nothing about it, just trying to finish your meal so you could see, and thank the two cops. Your heart hammered at the thought of the android. He had been so calm and had saved you without freaking out. He had been soft and helped lift you and carry you from the house after the paramedics and police had released you from the chains. He had been a steady rock as people touched you and talked to you. He stayed nearby, trying to make sure you could handle it, before waving at you nicely. You wanted to give him back his jacket and thank him profusely for saving you and being there for you. You were also going to ask if they had found any of the belongings that had been on you when you were taken. 

Hopefully, all would go well. 

“Alright,” she said your name softly, “lean forward and breathe deeply for me.” You did as she asked and kept yourself straight. Breathing was fine for you, but there was a tightness that you weren’t expecting. “Hmm… That’s a little concerning, but we can do a couple of tests later to see if you’re going to need antibiotics or anything fo the sort.”

You agreed, and handed her your tray, now quite eager to see the two cops. 

She giggled once more and shook her head. “I’ll let them know that you’re ready to see them now.” You grinned and watched her leave the room.

Words: 1060

Warnings: Mentions of kidnapping, abuse, and starvation. Cute Connor?

Chapter 1  Chapter 2! Chapter 3

The shuffle of feet near the entrance surprised you, so much that you yelped a bit. You sat up straighter, doing your best to not look so weak. You had had enough trouble as it was, and you didn’t want the pity of whoever had found you. If it was someone new, that is. If it was him, you would go back to feeling like you were dying. No reason to fake it in front of someone who had made you scream on multiple occasions.

The door opened, and you heard their footsteps descend down the stairs. A small beam of light flitted through, and you could see the outline of a man. He was tall and disappeared from view after he stepped out into the shadows of the dark basement.

“Hello,” you croaked out. Who was this person? If it was him, he’d already been talking to you, but this man was silent as could be when walking down the stairs. 

“Hello? Are you able to move from your place?” His voice was kind and soft as he called out to you. In the darkness, you could see the small LED light up a pale yellow. An android then, what was he doing here? 

“No, I’m stuck in the cage at the back. Do you think you can open it?” It was then that the room was lit up a bit. A second man descended down the stairs, flashlight in his hand. He was older than you by quite a bit, scruffy hair and beard a light grey. The android in front of you was younger-looking, with soft brown hair and pale skin. You couldn’t see him very well, the backlight making it hard to discern his features, but he looked worried. 

“I’m going to open the door now, sit still, and we’ll get you out soon.” His voice was still soft, and he got to work on the door. His hand rested on the bio-lock, and the skin on his hand peeled back, revealing his plastic skeleton. He glowed a soft blue, and you heard the door give a soft click. He stepped back a bit to open the door all the way. He then crouched down, approaching you slowly.  You were shivering now, your body shaking at the fear and need to be free again. 

“Can you stand?” His hand was offered out to you now and he seemed ready for you to take it and stand up, but you merely shook your head.

“Chained up.” It was all that you could muster out. You were growing rapidly exhausted again, and you weren’t sure if you could make it much longer. 

The other man had made it up behind the android, and he swore roughly under his breath. “Who the fuck does this to a little kid?” You might be ridiculously short, but you weren’t a kid. You groaned in your head, but you said nothing, wanting more to get out than berate a stranger. “I gotta call this in. They’re gonna need an ambulance.” The older man turned around and pulled out his phone.

The android was then gently lifting the very end of your gown, taking a look at the chains wrapped around your ankles. “I don’t currently have the tools to remove you from these, so we’re going to have to wait till everyone else arrives, are you okay with this?” You nodded, barely noticeable, but he nodded in return. “Can you answer some questions while we wait?” 

You frowned slightly. How are you meant to stay awake? You nodded a yes anyway. 

“Good. Do you know the date you were taken?” You reply softly, and his LED blinks yellow for a moment before turning blue. “Do you know who brought you here by any chance?” You shook your head, you could only recognize his face. He frowned slightly. “When was the last time you have eaten?” There was a pause as you thought.

You shrugged, “I don’t know, it’s been a while since anyone has come down here.” The android nodded again in understanding. “The man who is the owner of the house has been dead for nearly twelve days, and it seems as if no one else has been here.” 

You winced, hard. That is quite a while that you’ve gone without a steady supply of food or water. Thank goodness for the poor build of the basement. You pulled your arms around you, trying to calm yourself down somewhat. The news, despite having already lived through it, unnerved you even more. You were so close to dying, the fact you hadn’t died of dehydration was lucky enough, but any longer and you would have died. Your heart stuttered and you shivered in the cold.

The android seemed to notice, and he removed his jacket and placed it on your shoulders. “It is the least I can do for the moment. I don’t have anything small to remove the chains, so this will have to do for now.”

Connor was worried. It wasn’t often that he was this worried, but it was clear that you were starving. He had never seen a human so absolutely weak and exhausted. Hank had looked much better than this, even at his worst. He could see your frail body shivering, even with his heavy jacket on your shoulders. He frowned a bit, scanning your form for the fifth time since he first spotted you. It was quite dark, but luckily for him, he could see just fine. Your temperature was low for a human, but not quite at risk of hypothermia. Your body fat ratio had dropped significantly, and he knew Hank would have joked that you were just a bag of bones, as he had once called Connor jokingly, if the situation weren’t so dire. You were definitely at risk of severe dehydration, so hopefully, the paramedics would arrive soon. 

Connor turned to look up to the staircase, where Hank stood, ready to call everyone over. He had been kind to him this past year, and Connor hoped that he would be kind to you as well. Hank suddenly perked up and hollered out.

“Over here!” His voice was gruff and urgent. 

Words: 1974

Warnings: Kidnapping, mentions of abuse, starvation, (not on purpose)

Chapter 1! Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Your heartbeat thudded loudly in your ears. It was a constant drum that drowned out the eerie silence you had grown accustomed to over the last several weeks. You think it’s been weeks, as you had what felt like a regular schedule of meals, but then again you haven’t seen the sun in a long time. It could have been much longer. 

You can’t remember the exact events that led up to you being chained down in the basement turned laboratory. You remember needing some groceries for the next day. You had a graduation party to attend. You were going to bring homemade nachos and the cupcakes that you were so good at decorating. You were excited to have finally become a physician, earning that sweet little ‘Dr’ before your name. You had been on the way to the store, walking on foot because it wasn’t too far from your little apartment. Someone had called to you from the alley, and you were concerned immediately. You knew the homeless population always had trouble during the winter months, and you wanted to make sure that whoever it was, was ok. Unfortunately, your naivety got you in trouble. You can’t remember what he did, but you had woken up in your little cell, dressed in a hospital gown, and chained to the back wall. A small tattoo with your initials and a scrawl of numbers after.

You wince, thinking about it. Your hand goes to rub the little mark on your wrist, written horizontally. You want to cry, but it’s been a while since you had last eaten, and you don’t want to get dehydrated. 

When you had first woken up, there were others. An android on the far side of the rooms, banging her fists against the bars. She screamed so much, that one day, he took her upstairs, and never brought her back up. The other human had stopped screaming after that, and you followed soon. The other human, a taller woman, had spoken to you in the darkness after he had left you your meals. Her voice was soft, and so many times you had wanted to reach out to her, and hug her. However, you were forever kept apart. Especially after a new man came down and took her up with him. You had cried that night.

You haven’t eaten in a long time, and it concerns you greatly. Your stomach had long since stopped growling at you to eat. You wince and rub down at your foot. You go to stretch your legs out, and your right foot scrapes against a rough edge of the rock that made up the walls and floor of your cell. You cry out. You’ve cut it open pretty badly. You flinch as you take it in your hands softly and press down on it with the little bit of your gown that drapes down long enough. It’s uncomfortable and stings quite a bit, but the bleeding would soon stop.

But then the lights go out completely. 

Connor shifted slightly at his desk, trying to keep himself busy. It had been a pretty calm day, but he had already finished all of his reports from their finished cases. He and Hank had been kept on cases involving androids, but they were back to just investigating homicides. Connor was no longer put in any position to worry, about what they once called ‘Deviants’. Now they were just Androids, just people. Connor sighed again, taking his coin from his back pocket, He goes to flip it, but he can see the small glare that Hank offers him from through his gray bangs. Connor sighed audibly once more, slouching forward. He needed something to do.

Connor has had trouble in the past year or so. He was constantly working and had little time to himself. When he wasn’t working, he was offering his meager help to Jericho.  He had a rocky relationship with a few of them, especially North, who had made it clear from the get-go that she didn’t like him. Simon had merely smiled at him, and patted his shoulder softly, exclaiming, “She’s like that with everyone but Markus, don’t worry too hard,” but Connor knew better. She just didn’t like him. 

Connor thumped his head against the table exasperatedly. He has never felt, bored before, and he certainly doesn’t like it.

“Connor, if you sigh one more fucking time, I’m gonna make you talk to Gavin about his latest ‘score’,” Hank growled from the other desk. Connor smiled up at him sheepishly. He hadn’t meant to be annoying, as bored as he was. 

“Please don’t Hank, he’s awful.”Connor didn’t often say that about people, but Gavin Reed, the office asshole, definitely deserved it. 

“Then shut up.” Hank was busy tapping away at his terminal, not bothering to look up at the sad-puppy expression that Connor was making. 

Connor pulled himself out of the chair stoically. If there was nothing to do, he would find something to do. With his new mission set for himself, he made his way to the staff room, taking a look around to see if there was anything he could fix or clean. Connor found that the kitchen counters and the microwave were perfectly clean. Someone must have cleaned up earlier, and he hadn’t felt so annoyed with someone he didn’t know until that moment. He frowned slightly, his eyebrows furrowing a bit. Then, as if his day couldn’t be more annoying, a whiny voice that could only belong to one person in the office, called out to him.

“Hey, Tin Can!” Gavin called out. He had his arms crossed and his mouth was twisted into a snarl. He was still pissed off that Connor was asked to stay with the DPD despite his tampering with evidence back a year ago. Connor was overjoyed, but Gavin took it as a personal insult. “The fuck you doing?” 

Connor turned a bit, just so that his face was towards the smaller man, and smiled slightly. “Ah, if it isn’t the least qualified officer at the DPD, what can I do for you?” Connor had let himself speak his thoughts more lately, and it showed to be quite aggressive when it came to suspects and people like Gavin. Hank laughed every single time, but it still felt odd to Connor. He wasn’t used to these kinds of thoughts and feelings yet. 

Gavin growled and uncrossed his arms at the remark. His hand was now thrust forward as he pointed at Connor’s chest. “Didn’t I tell you last time to fuck off? You don’t get to talk to me like that.”

Connor smiled sweetly, his face throwing it off balance as he spoke again. “If you weren’t aware, Androids are free to do what they please within the limits of the law, and nowhere does it say I can’t tell you the truth, Reed.” His head cocked, and his smile dropped. He frowned down at the shorter officer. “I wasn’t doing anything, so I would appreciate it if you left me-” He abruptly stopped talking, throwing Gavin for a loop as he watches Connor’s LED spin yellow for a moment. 

“Excuse me Detective Reed, but I have an assignment now.” Connor spun on his heel and walked out of the room. He walks up to Hank’s desk swiftly.

“We have work,” He says, just as Hank looks up at him, his hair pooling back a bit to show off his aging face. “A murder involving an android and two humans. I have the address and we are set to go when you’re ready.” He was always formal when giving information, but that was just a piece of him that seemed to stick through despite his freedom. It was interesting, but it got the job done faster. 

Hank nodded, huffing as he pushed his chair back and stood. He grabbed his keys and followed the android, who was already making his way to the elevator.

You shivered in the cold. It had been far too long since you had eaten, and you could feel your body eating itself. You were exhausted, sleeping most times, and crying dry. You were thirsty, and the small drips of water that drenched the wall on some nights were not enough to sustain you for much longer. You were going to die in this hell-hole, and there was nothing you could do about it.

Footsteps in the house above caused you to stop your inner monologue. There was someone home. Then there were more footsteps. There were multiple people! Your heart soared and suddenly you felt as if you might have a chance. You tried to yell, but your voice came out as a croak. You rubbed your throat softly and began to try and work your voice out softly. You would have to work up to a scream but hopefully, you could do it before they left. 

Connor took the scene in rather quickly. He was glad to be doing something, but he did his best to be careful in his analysis. There was blood, drenched all over the couch and floor in front of it. The body, a taller man with a thick build, laid half decomposing on it. The house apparently smelled awful, as Hank had cried out halfway through the entryway. The man, a Thomas Shellville, had died twelve days prior, and had been stabbed in the throat twice, and bludgeoned over the head with what Connor believed to be the trophy. 

“Lieutenant, I believe I have figured out what happened,” Connor said as he moved away from the trophy he had been inspecting. The perpetrator was invited in, as there are no signs of forced entry, and there are two drinks set up on the table here. I believe there were two people here, but I think only one was involved. Neither of the weapons used on the man has fingerprints, and no smudging or fibers left over. Therefore, I believe it was an android that committed this crime.” Connor shifted about for a moment before coming to Hank’s side. The other person with the android must have fled. This is likely the person who sent us the info and we have yet to question. The android hit Thomas upon the head three times with the trophy, threw it behind them, and then quickly stabbed him in the throat quickly. The knife is not ere, so I think the android brought it with them.”

Hank nodded, taking his chin in his hand, scratching his beard. “It makes sense,” he starts, “but why?” Connor merely shrugs, taking another sweep of the house.

He is searching through the closet when he hears it. A scream. It is so quiet that he thinks he hasn’t head anything at all, but he turns up his sensors a bit, and he hears it louder. He whips around and dashes towards Hank. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Hank asks inquisitively and goes quiet. Connor holds up his hand. It happened again and he lit up. 

“Right there. There’s someone else in the house. Search for a basement door of some kind.” Connor takes off to where he first heard the sound. He rummages around in the closet, trying to find some kind of hatch or small door. He finds nothing. He growls to himself and turns to the next room. That’s when Hank calls out to him from the dining room. 

“Here kid found what you were looking for. Fucking bitch to find too.” Hank is prying open a door that had been hidden behind a water cooler stood on a smaller table. The door is small but big enough for a person to crawl through. Connor drops to his knees, gun at the ready.