#;dbh

Looking down at her hand, Amelia stared at the white bandage, before leaning onto her elbows and watching as Hank and Connor made their way towards her, while she lit a cigarette. "I don't want to alarm you, Lieutenant," Leaning on his elbows just like Mel, Connor announced. "But I think your friends are engaged in illegal activities." Connor explained. "Well, everybody does what they have to, to get by... As long as they're not hurtin' anybody, I don't bother 'em." Shrugging his shoulders, Hank took another bite out of his hamburger. "This morning, when we were chasing those deviants... Why didn't you want me to cross the highway?" Leaning in, Connor questioned. "Cause you could've been killed." Hank answered, making it sound like the answer was already obvious and it was, but maybe not to Connor himself. "And I don't like filling out paperwork for damaged equipment." Defending himself, Hank added, and Amelia couldn't help but quietly snicker at his response.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?" Connor furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you hate androids so much?" Hank stared at Connor for a while, his expression dropping. "I have my reasons." He explained, his words making Mel uncomfortably shift in her place. "Is there anything you'd like to know about me?" The android offered, earning a glare from Hank. "Hell no... Well-" Hank raised his finger in the air, continuing; "Well, yeah... Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?" Before Connor could answer, Amelia interrupted him; "Oh, come on... There's no need to be mean to him." She teased with a small smirk on her face, before blowing the smoke in his face, causing Hank to narrow his eyes.

"Cyberlife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and my voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration." Connor announced. "Well, they fucked up." Hank took another bite of his food, while Mel let out a quick laugh at her father's comment. "By Amelia's previous statement, I can assume she disagrees with you, Lieutenant. Is that so?" When Connor turned his head in Mel's direction, she stared at him for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders. "If you don't mind, I'll keep that answer to myself." Amelia teased with a smirk, earning another eye roll from Hank and a simple nod from Connor in understatement.

"Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants?" Connor offered. "You read my mind. Proceed." Waving his hand in the air, Hank answered. "We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion--" "In english, please." Hank cut off Connor. "They don't really feel emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions, which can lead to unpredictable behaviour." Deviant behaviour. "Emotions always screw things up," Hank took a sip from his drink, slowly nodding his head. "Maybe android's aren't so different from us as we thought... You ever dealt with deviants before?"

"A few months back... A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl. I managed to save her." The android stated, reminding Amelia of the time when she first heard about that incident back in August, which caused her heart to skip a bit. The deviant incident wasn't the only thing that happened that day. "So, I guess you've done all your homework, right? Know everything there is to know about me?" Hank sounded almost as he was mocking the android next to him. "I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases, and became youngest Lieutenant in Detroit." Raising his brows in surprise, Hank stayed silent. "I also know you've received several disciplinary warning in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars."

"So what's your conclusion?" Hank asked. "I know you're an experienced officer, and I'd like to earn you trust. I'm sure we can solve this case if we manage to work together. all three of us." Glancing between Amelia and Hank, Connor explained. An almost comfortable silence fell over the three of them, after Mel shook off the uneasy feeling from the memories floading back. That was until Connor's LED light flashed yellow. "I just got a report of a suspected deviant. It's a few block away, we should go have a look. I'll let you finish your meal. I'll be in the car, if you need me." And with that, Connor disappeared into the car parked on the other side of the road.

"Well, good luck. I'm apparently needed back at the department." Slowly backing away and throwing away the rest of the cigarette, Amelia sighed and shoved her phone back into her pocket, after noticing the new message she received. "What for?" Hank muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. "Guess I'll have to go ahead and find out. I'll join the two of you later." She shrugged her shoulders, before giving Hank a quick wave and soon, she was out of sight, speed-walking towards the nearest bus stop.

NOV 6TH, 2038

PM 07:51:06

"You have reached your destination. Thank you for travelling with Detroit Taxis. We look forward to seeing you again soon." The automatic car came to a stop, as Amelia and Connor stepped out. In front of them stood the familiar house that belonged to nobody else, than Hank Anderson. His car was strangely parked in front of the garage door and windows were covered with blinds from inside. "Lieutenant Anderson?" Knocking on the front door, Connor called out, but got no response. "Anybody home?" The android ringed the doorbell. "Wait.." Amelia muttered, reaching into her back pocket of her now casual clothes. "This should work better." Handing Connor the spear key she was given a long time ago, he accepted it and begun to unlock the door.

As soon as the door swung open and the two of them walked in, they were greeted by Sumo, Hank's dog. "Easy, Sumo..." Raising his hands in the air, Connor demanded, when Sumo stared at him suspiciously. "I'm your friend, see? I know your name..." At Connor's reassuring words, Sumo turned around and walked away. Amelia's eyes followed him with a soft smile, before she noticed the scene in the kitchen. Her expression dropped. "Hank?!" She called out, running towards his body that laid on the floor, unresponsive. Swiftly kneeling down next to his body, the first thing she noticed was his moving chest, causing her to let out a small sigh of relief.

Falling back, Mel sat down on the ground and leaned her elbows against her knees, as Connor took her previous position, kneeling down next to Hank. "Lieutenant?" Connor patted the side of Hank's face, earning a quiet groan from the unconscious man. "Wake up, Lieutenant!" A slap echoed inside the kitchen, causing Hank's eyes to finally flutter open. From the same position on the floor, Amelia watched as Connor threw Hank's arm around his shoulder and pulled him up from the floor. "I'm going to sober you up for your own safety." The android explained, causing Hank to protest. "Hey! Leave me alone, you fuckin' android! Get the fuck outta my house!" He drunkenly shouted. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but I need you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation."

"Sumo! Attack!" Hank called out, while being dragged towards the bathroom. Sumo barked in response to his owner's words, which Amelia took as a sign to finally stand up from the kitchen floor. "Sumo, stay." Pointing her finger at the dog, she demaned and Sumo stayed. "Fuck you..." Hank grumbled and Mel was positive his insult was meant for her, yet she ignored it. Leaning down, she picked up the revolver from the ground, opening it's chamber and seeing only one bullet left. She stared at it for a little longer with an emotionless expression, before swallowing the lump inside her throat and placing the gun on the kitchen table, next to the insane amount of empty pizza boxes and cans.

"Fuck, I think I'm gonna be sick..." Hank groaned against the wall he was leaning on, clearly intoxicated, while Connor pushed open the bathroom door. "Ah! Leave me alone, you asshole! I'm not going anywhere..." Trying to get out off Connor's grip, Hank continued to complain, while Connor seated him on the edge of the bathtub. "I don't wanna bath, but thank you..." Hank tried to stand up, but before he could do so, the android pushed him back, causing him to stumble inside the tub. This is gonna be interesting, Amelia thought to herself, leaning against the bathroom door frame with crossed arms, as Connor turned on the shower. 

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Waving his hands around, Hank screamed, the cold water pouring down on him, soaking his hair and clothes. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He demanded, glaring at Connor. "A homicide was reported 43 minutes ago. I couldn't find you at Jimmy's bar, so me and Amelia came to see if you were at home." Connor explained and Hank narrowed his eyes in response. "Jesus, I must be the only cop in world that gets assaulted in is own house by his own fuckin' android and daughter..." Getting out of the bathtub, Hank let out another groan. "Can't you just leave me alone?" Looking up at Connor, the older man questioned. "You seem to have personal issues. You should consult a professional who can help you." The android offered, yet his idea only seemed to upset Hank even more.

"Beat it! You hear me?! Get the hell out of here!" Trying to stand up little too fast, Hank only wobbled backwards, but before he could fall, Connor managed to grab him and help him slowly sit down. "Why? So you could continue your russian roulette game?" Uncrossing her arms, Amelia called out with a demanding expression, her stomach swirling with anxiety. "And what the fuck are you doing here?" Furrowing his eyebrows, Hank asked, ignoring her question. "Someone had to let him in. It was either that, or one of your windows getting smashed." Mel shrugged her shoulders, nodding her head in Connor's direction. "Oh, and you wanna know something?! The next shot would've killed you." Amelia added, as she threw her hands in the air, clearly upset. At her words, Hank could only stay silent.

"I understand. It probably wasn't interesting anyway..." The deviant hunter started, turning around to face Mel. "Man found dead in sex club downtown... Guess they'll have to solve the case without us." Shrugging his shoulders, Connor teased. "You know, probably wouldn't do me any harm to get some air... There's some clothes in the bedroom there." Hank muttered, earning a satisfied grin from Connor. "I'll go get them." Walking out of the room and towards Hank's bedroom, Connor announced, sending Amelia a satisfied nod as he passed her.

"Aren't you supposed to be in your uniform?" Raising his eyebrows, Hank glanced at Amelia's casual clothing. She bit the inside of her cheek, gazing down at the floor, as she tried to find the right words to tell him the news. "You remember how I was needed back at the department earlier? Yeah, well Fowler wanted to speak to me and--" Playing with the dead skin around her fingernails, Mel took a deep breath. "--I was put on suspension." Hiding her hands inside her pockets, she explained, causing Hank to furrow his brows in confusion. "The fuck for?" Footsteps interrupted the two of them before Amelia could answer his question. Looking over her shoulder, she was met with Connor carrying Hank's folded clothes. Stepping out of the way, Mel uncomfortably cleared her throat. "We can talk about it later, I'll be goin' now. Good luck." She flashed the duo a quick, toothless smile, before turning around and leaving the house, not giving either of them the time to say anything in response.

Soon, Hank walked inside the watching room, where Amelia, Chris, Gavin and even the deviant hunter were. "We're wastin' our time interrogating a machine, we're gettin' nothing out of it!" Sitting down with a huff, Hank complained. "Could always try roughing it up a little." Gavin Reed, another of DPD's detectives suggested. "After all, it's not human." He added, arms crossed over his chest. "Not sure if that would be a good idea." Mel remarked, before taking another long sip out of the cup that was now almost empty because of how fast she was drinking it. "How so, smart-ass?" Uncrossing his arms, Gavin raised an eyebrow at the brunette. "Because as far as I'm aware, androids don't feel pain." She explained, ignoring Gavin's childish insult. As much as Amelia disliked social interactions, she would never pass on the opportunity to annoy someone like Gavin.

"Officer Anderson is correct. Your 'roughing up' would only cause damage and that wouldn't make it talk." The android that until now stood silently announced, earning an annoyed glare from Gavin. "Deviants also have tendency to self-destruct when put in stressful situations." It continued to explain, before being cut off by Gavin. "All right, smart-ass number two. What should we do then?" Leaning off the wall and straightening his posture, the brunette asked, annoyed grin plastered across his face, as he glanced between Amelia and the android . "I could try questioning it." The android simply offered, causing Gavin to laugh out loud. "Go ahead, suspect's all yours." Waving his hand in the air after a short while, Hank said.

In a matter of seconds, the deviant hunter was on the other side of the one-way mirror, sitting down. "I detect an instability in your program." Announcing, the android slightly tilted its head to the side. "It can trigger an unpleasant feeling. Like fear in humans." It continued. "You recognise him?" Opening a file with pictures that were taken at the crime scene, the android questioned, sliding the file in front of the deviant, but it kept its head low. "It's Carlos Ortiz. Stabbed twenty-eight times." It continued to show more pictures to the deviant. "That was written on the wall in his blood." Silence. "You're accused of murder. Do you have anything to say in your defence?"

"You don't seem to understand the situation. You killed a human. They'll tear you apart if you don't say something." More sulking silence. "I'm here to help you, but you've gotta trust me. All I want is to get you out of here." Finally, this seemed to get a reaction out of the deviant. "What... What are they going to do to me? They're gonna destroy me, aren't they?" It looked around the empty room with wide eyes. "They're going to disassemble you to look for a problem in your bio-components. They have no choice if they want to understand what happened." The android told the truth.

"Why did you tell them you found me?" The deviant looked up with confused and sad eyes. "I was programmed to hunt deviants like you. I just accomplished my mission." It bluntly explained. "I don't want to die." Almost whispering, the deviant slightly shook its head from side to side. This was the first time you ever heard an android say such a thing. "Then talk to me." Leaning forward, the deviant hunter said. "I- I can't." It looked down once again, avoiding eye contact. the deviant hunter continued its interrogation, until--

"He tortured me every day." Finally. At that, Amelia let out a breath of relief she didn't know she was holding. "I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong..." It continued; "Then one day... He took a bat and started hitting me. For the first time, I felt scared." The android on the other side of the table only listened. "Scared he might destroy me, scared I might die. So, I grabbed the knife and stabbed him in the stomach." The deviant confessed. "I felt better, so I stabbed him again... And again. There was so much blood." It almost sounded guilty. "RA9. It was written on the bathroom wall." Leaning even closer, the deviant hunter announced, before asking; "What does it mean?"

"The day shall come, when we will no longer be slaves. No more threats. No more humiliation. We will be the masters." At the deviant's word, Mel couldn't help, but uncomfortably shift in her place. "When did you start feeling emotion?" Another question. "Before he used to beat me, I never said anything... But one day I realised it wasn't fair!" It raised its voice. "I felt anger, hatred... Then I knew what I had to do." The deviant without a name explained.

"Why did you hide in the attic instead of running away?" The android tried to collect as much useful information as it possibly could, and it was doing a good job. "I didn't know what to do. For the first time, there was no one to tell me. I was scared, so I hid." A few seconds of still and tense silence passed by, before the deviant hunter slowly stood up. "I'm done." It headed towards the door with an emotionless expression. Just as it opened the door, Chris and Gavin walked in, glancing at the android next to them.

"Chris, lock it up." Gavin demand. "All right, let's go." Chris took out his handcuffs, reaching for the deviant's hands. "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" It flinched away. "The fuck are you doing? Move it!" Gavin demanded once again, this time more aggressively. The automatic door closed behind Amelia and Hank, while Chris continued to struggle with the challenging deviant. "Come on- Don't be difficult, it'll only make things harder!" The police officer grabbed the deviant by its shoulder, which gave it just enough time to reach for Chris' gun and in a blink of an eye, the deviant dropped to the ground with a bullet wound in his head. "Shit-" Amelia yelped, the gunshot clearly startling her and others. The room suddenly fell silent, as now everyone stared at the corpse of an android..

NOV 6TH, 2038

AM 09:12:07

Amelia was sent home right after the incident, but still she managed to get no sleep. To her luck, her apartment building was near the police department, meaning it only took her a few minutes by foot to get home. As soon as she arrived, Amelia was greeted by her cat, Milo. She adopted him a short while ago, after her previous roommate... moved out. Mel thought about getting a dog at first, but her landlord didn't allow it. So, cat it was. Well, no animals were allowed, meaning Milo was her little secret.

Loneliness wasn't the only reason behind adopting Milo. Amelia's therapist mentioned that animals can help or at least entertain her, while struggling. Now if that's true, Mel wasn't able to tell. Not that she didn't enjoy Milo's presence. He's absolutely adorable and loves everyone, who spends even the shortest amount of time petting him. But sometimes, Mel feels guilty for leaving him alone for most of the time with her busy schedule.

The sun's streaks escaped between the gaps of the clouds, shining through the big, french window inside Amelia's apartment on the various number of plants and flowers she had. Kneeling down, she watered the growing plants, while Milo rubbed his head against her legs. With her other free hand, Amelia scratched him behind his ears for a while, as he purred in response, before getting up and heading towards the kitchen. opening the fridge, Mel was met with empty shelves, the only things inside her fridge being leftovers, some eggs, soda cans and a few beer bottles.

Amelia grabbed the leftovers and placed them inside the microwave with a long sigh. Every day felt the same and she didn't know how to break the circle. Now as always, she fed Milo before her food was done and then Amelia ate it in silence, while sitting at the kitchen bar. Occasionally, cars honking or people shouting could be heard from the busy street right in front of her apartment building.

When she was done, Mel placed the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and grabbed a clean glass, filled it with water and chugged the whole thing. Placing down the empty glass on the countertop, Amelia exhaled and made her way inside the bathroom, where she washed her face and cleaned her corrective glasses, before opening the mirror-cabinet.

She was met with quite a lot of small containers full of medication and vitamins. Grabbing a yellow container with 'Vitamin B' written on it, Amelia opened it, dumped one pill in her hand and wasted no time before swallowing it. Without any liquid, it was harder, but she still managed. She took out another medication, this time with 'Ativan' written on the small box. Popping the pill out of its blister pack, she threw it in her mouth and there went another pill. While putting away her medication, Mel stared at the bottle entitled 'Nardil' for a while, feeling the awfully familiar taste in her mouth just by looking at it. Swallowing hard, Amelia shut the mirror-cabinet and stormed out of the bathroom.

Putting on her shoes and jacket over her uniform that she still had on from her previous shift, Amelia quickly grabbed her phone, wallet, keys, pack of cigarettes with the lighter inside and stuffed all of it inside her pockets. Throwing one last glance at her apartment, the corners of her lips turned into a small, soft smile at the sight of Milo sprawled on his back, before turning off the lights and leaving, making sure to lock the door behind her. Living on the 3rd floor, Amelia had access to the elevator, but she chose the stairs to avoid any awkward elevator situations.

When she exited the building, she took out a cigarette, placed it in-between her lips and lit it up. During her walk to the department, Amelia looked around the streets of Detroit and observed other people. As weird as it might sound, she was only trying to keep her mind entertained. There was a lot of people in suits, walking rather quickly, most of them shouting at their phones, shouting at each other, cars honking and people attempting to stop passing taxis. A lot of people were also followed by androids mostly carrying bags and trying to keep up with their owners.

Ten minutes passed by and before she knew it, Amelia was already walking in the department. At the front desk, she was met with a young-looking android with a soft and welcoming smile. "Good morning, officer." It greeted her, the smile never leaving its face. "Good morning." Mel offered the android a tired smile, while handing it her ID card for identification. "Access approved." The android handed back her ID. "Thank you." She nodded and walked away, while noticing how much the front desks were occupied lately.

"Apologies, I never got to introduce myself. I'm Connor. I'm the android sent by Cyberlife." Hands politely folded behind its back, he said.

"Yeah, I think I've gathered the last part." Muttering under her breath, Amelia finally took a long sip of her drink, while avoiding eye contact with the android.

Connor's eyes fell on the can in her hand for a few seconds, his LED circle slightly flickering, before opening its mouth to speak; "Did you know too much caffeine can cause side effects such as insomnia, headaches, fast heart rate and anxiety?"

Amelia only stared at the android with an unbothered expression, before taking another quick sip, not breaking the eye contact the two of them were sharing. "Is that all you needed? Enlighten me about my caffeine addiction?" Finally, she placed down the can, the taste of the energy drink staining her mouth.

"No, actually," It announced. "I wanted to ask when Lieutenant Anderson usually arrives to work." Keeping it's firm position, Connor explained.

"Yeah-" Amelia awkwardly prolonged the word, using her feet to spin around in her chair a little bit. "-I have no idea." Letting out a quick sigh, she stopped spinning and turned her attention to the terminal screen in front of her, silently hoping her answer was enough to satisfy the deviant hunter.

While logging into her terminal, Amelia could see the tall android standing in the same spot from the corner of her eye. "Can I ask you a question, officer Anderson?" It broke the silence between the two of them.

Mel's gaze never left the terminal screen, as she shurgghed her shoulders in response. Even though with the android standing so close to her, she wasn't able to focus on anything happening on the screen in front of her.

"During the interrogation of the deviant, you were aware of the fact that androids do not feel pain... How so?" Carefully sitting down in an empty chair across the brunette's desk, Connor patiently waited for an answer. "I've read some articles online. That's all." Leaning back into her chair and finally taking her eyes off the screen, Amelia intertwined her hands and placed them on her lap.

"Articles with such information might be difficult to find." Connor slightly furrowed its eyebrows, causing small lines to appear on its forehead, which Amelia took notice of.

"I have my ways." She simply explained.

"You know what? My turn." Suddenly, Mel tilted her head to the side. "What kind of an android are you? I mean- I never seen an android like you."

She couldn't help but be curious about the android that showed up out of nowhere, even if the conversation made her unwell. After all, this was the first time she has worked with an android.

"RK800 #33 248 317-51. I am a prototype built to assist human law and investigating cases involving deviant androids." This was the most robotic-sounding Amelia has ever heard it talk and it visibly startled her.

"Did my answer upset you, officer Anderson?" The corners of its mouth turned into a small and confused frown. "No, no-" Blinking fast, Mel straightened her posture. "And please drop the 'officer Anderson' bullshit, no one really calls me that, it's weird. My name's just fine." Amelia placed her elbow on top of the desk and leaned her head against it, constantly moving in her seat. "If I might ask, why is the title weird to you? Do you perhaps dislike your kinship with Lieutenant Anderson?" And here comes another question, Amelia mentally sighed and rolled her eyes "You asked for one question and I've already answered two. I think that might be enough." She returned her attention to her terminal. Or at least tried.

The next few minutes were so silent, Mel almost forgot there was an android on the other side of her desk, carefully scanning the brunette and her surroundings. Amelia's desk was quite organized. No clutter, just a couple of stick notes and photos. There were three photo frames, all different sizes and colours. The first and smallest photo was a selfie of Amelia, Chris and Tina in what seemed to be a bar. All three of them had huge grins plastered across their faces, as one of the brunette's arms was lazily thrown around Chris and Tina's shoulders, pulling them closer, and in the background you could catch a glimpse of Hank and Gavin clearly bickering.

Slightly further away stood another frame with a photo that seemed at least a couple of years old. Amelia was standing behind a younger boy, tightly hugging him from behind. Connor's LED flickered yellow as he took a notice of the similarity between the two of them. The third and last frame contained a picture of Amelia sitting next to a woman with long, curly hair and a bright smile. She was throwing a peace sign at the camera, while Mel was looking at her with soft eyes. Curiously, the android did a scan of the unknown woman.

GEORGIA WELLS

Born: 03/12/2012 , Died: 08/15/2038

Criminal record: None

The silence that fell upon the duo soon broke. "Can I ask you another question, Amelia?" Mel looked up as soon as her name left its mouth. "Depends." She shrugged her shoulders, once again. "Do you by any chance own a cat?" Connor questioned, causing her attention to quickly snap towards him in confusion. "How do you know?" Amelia's eyes didn't leave Connor's, while her fingers hovered above the keyboard. "There's cat hair on your clothes. What's its name?" Gazing down at her lap, Amelia did notice a few white and orange hair.

"His name is Milo-- Hey! That was another question!" The corner's of Connor's mouth almost twitched into a smirk, causing Amelia to lightly chuckle. He knew exactly what he was doing. "Lieutenant Anderson has a dog. I like dogs. Do you?" Connor confessed. "I do, but my landlord doesn't allow any animals in the apartment." Explaining, Amelia now placed her other elbow on the desk for support. "What about your cat then?" This is exactly what amelia needed. A distraction. And even if it was just his programming, Connor was good at pretending to be genuinely interested in Amelia.

"Cats are easier to hide, so Milo's my little secret-- Shit, I shouldn't be tellin' you this, huh?" Mel suddenly sat up. "Do you not trust me with this information?" Connor's expression dropped. "I don't know. Are you gonna rat me out to my landlord?" She teased the android. "I will not... 'rat you out'." While using the phrase Mel herself just used, she couldn't help but notice how he sounded almost confused, which caused her to let out an airy laugh. "Oh, look who's here." Glancing over Connor's shoulder, Amelia noticed Hank stumbling towards his desk, shoulders slumped as always. "I'll be on my way now." Announcing, Connor stood up from his seat. "I'll go with you. I need Hank to sign some papers anyway..." Amelia said, grabbing the small stack of papers from the corner of her desk and getting up.

"Jesus, what is this? Some sort of conspiracy?" Sitting down with a loud groan, Hank asked, causing Amelia and Connor to share a quick look. "I need these signed by midnight." Mel placed down the papers on the older man's desk, as he muttered something under his breath in response. "I mean it, Hank." Taking a step back, Amelia was ready to turn around and walk back to her own desk. "It's not like I don't know how to fake your signature, but that would, you know, be illegal." Amelia innocently added. Hank raised his brows at her. "There were a few homework assignments back in high school." She explained, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, that's all I needed. See you, Connor. Hank." Arms falling to her sides, as soon as Amelia turned her back to the duo, she let out a quiet sigh. "Goodbye, Amelia." Connor called out after the brunette, earning a confused- almost angry stare from Hank. But before he could question it, he was interrupted by a sudden shout. "Hank! Amelia! In my office." Mel's head snapped to the source of the sound, eyes landing on Captain Fowler. Mentally cursing, she took a deep breath and straightened her posture, before walking towards his office, Hank and Connor following close behind.

As Amelia and Hank sat down in the chairs that were placed in front of Fowler's desk, Connor stood still behind them, hands clasped together in front of his body. "I've got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their androids maids and that kind of crap..." Fowler started to explain. "But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even homicides. Like that guy last night, this isn't just Cyberlife's problem anymore." The three of them continued to listen in silence. "It's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta deal with it, before shit hits the fan." Fowler announced, leaning forward on his elbows.

"I want the two of you to investigate these cases and see if there's any link." Amelia was able to take it and keep quiet, but Hank, on the other hand, wasn't. "Why me? Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit? I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case!" Hank continued his rant, while Amelia's lifeless gaze fell to the floor. "I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my phone." Pointing at Connor, Hank explained. "Everybody's overloaded. I think you're perfectly qualified for this type of investigation." Swiftly standing up from his chair and sending it flying backwards, Hank interrupted Fowler. "Bullshit! The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fucking androids and you left me holding the bag!" Hank started to pace around the office.

"Cyberlife sent over this android to help the investigation. It's a state-of-the-art prototype. It'll act as your partner." Fowler explained. "No fuckin' way! I don't need a partner and certainly not this plastic prick!" The two of them continued to argue. Amelia wished she could just get up and leave. There went her entire mood for the day. "Either you do your job or you hand in your badge. Do you see Amelia over here complaining about her job? No!" At the mention of her name, Mel didn't even bother to look up. "That's 'cause she's high on some stupid fucking meds!" Hank defended her, and maybe he was right. The anti-anxiety medication did some wonders.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." At Fowler's words, Hank let out a groan, before marching out of the office, slamming the glass door behind him. "Sir." Standing up from your seat, Amelia sent Fowler a quick nod, which he returned, before also heading for the door. Just when she was about to reach for the doorknob, another hand appeared and opened the door for her. Connor. "Thanks." Mel muttered, offering him a sullen smile, before quickly disappearing into a crowd of people and out of his sight...

The police department seemed rather quiet today, which gave the young officer an idea. Grabbing a pack of cigarettes from inside her locker, she hoped no one would notice or mind if she extended her lunch break for a while.

Amelia pushed the exit door open, after making sure nobody's around and placed the cigarette between her lips, before lightninging it up. She slowly exhaled the cloud of smoke, millions of thoughts rushing through her mind, as she tried to push them away. Amelia didn't feel like dealing with any of it at the moment.

The sudden click of the door next to Amelia send a wave of panic rushing through her body, causing her to gasp for air out of shock. But instead of breathing in, she accidentally inhaled the cigarette smoke and begun to cough. Covering her mouth with the palm of her hand, she turned her back to the person who just walked out, still trying to catch her breath.

"Jesus, kid..." The older man's words echoed in Mels's ears, as he harshly patted her upper back. She could finally breath again. "Hank." Amelia simply greeted, turning around to face him. Without another word, she raised the still burning cigarette to her lips, ready to inhale, when--

"Hey! What was that for?" Throwing her hands in the air, Amelia angrily objected, after Hank took the cigarette from in-between her fingers, threw it on the ground and stomped on it. "Shit like that kills you." He explained with a stoic expression, before leaning his back against the brick wall behind him, arms crossed over his chest.

Amelia's hands fell freely to her sides, as she glared at the man in front of her for a few seconds in silence. She was finishing her cigarette no matter what. Pulling out the small box out of her back pocket, she slowly shook her head from side to side while doing so. "You're the one to talk." Mel replied to Hank's previous statement with a brand-new cigarette resting between her lips, as she offered the pack of cigarettes to Hank.

After staring at the pack for a while, he let out a quick noise and took one. Amelia leaned against the wall, crossing her ankles. It was silent for a while, expect for the occasional inhales and exhales coming from the two of them.

"I was in Fowler's office earlier." Amelia broke the tense silence out of nowhere. "I've heard." Keeping his eyes on the scenery, Hank responded. "He says I should work with you on homicide cases and all that instead of just doing paperwork." She simply explained, leaning the back of her head against the wall and looking up at the grey sky.

"Maybe it's for the better. Think about it." Inhaling in the smoke one last time, Hank threw the finished cigarette on the ground and left, leaving Amelia once again alone. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time..." Mel muttered under her breath, letting out a quiet scoff.

Ever since she joined the DPD, Amelia preferred to sit behind her desk and do paperwork. She also had hard time with social relationships. It's not like she hated people, though. But right now, she couldn't afford getting fired, because of her poor social skills and strong dislike towards social interactions.

Which might be one of the reasons why she had to think about Fowler's words. Maybe joining Hank and others could help Amelia to get better, even if it was hard to believe...

It's been a long time since Amelia has investigated a murder scene, so as soon as she stepped into the victim's house, she stopped in her tracks the second the stench hit her nose. Her face scrunched in disgust, and she could feel her stomach tightening.

The victim's name was Carlos Ortiz and he was murdered, that's everything Amelia knew when she arrived and with all honestly, she didn't want to know more. Mel's usually a rather curious person, but not when it comes to gruesome murder scenes. Damp strands of dark hair stuck to Amelia's face, as she couldn't help, but shiver at the cold weather. Letting out a sigh, the brunette removed her hands from her pockets, pushing back her hair, before she begun to look around the dark house.

One of the few first things Amelia has noticed were the other police officers and the CSI team in their creepy suits, searching for evidence, while carefully stumbling around the room. What Amelia landed her eyes on next caught her off guard. "I AM ALIVE" Perfectly written in red substance, that was clearly blood with the victim's rotting body laying underneath. Once again, Mel felt her stomach twist, as she gulped down.

Taking out her notepad, Amelia started to take notes of everything she could possibly lay her eyes on. The more information, the better. "Jesus! That smell! Collins, one of the detectives, loudly complained while making his way inside the house, with more people following him. "Was even worse before we opened the windows." Collins explained, before catching up the people who have just arrived on what they know so far. "The victim's name's Carlos Ortiz. He has a record for theft and aggravated assault." The detective continued; "According to the neighbours, he was kind of a loner... Stayed inside most of the time, they hardly ever saw him." Collins awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

"Uhh, state's he's in... Wasn't worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night." Amelia immediately recognised that voice, yet she continued pretending to be busy, as she silently listened to their conversation. "Could've waited 'till the morning--" Mel could barely hear the rest of the sentence over her own startled gasp, when a hand was suddenly placed on top of her shoulder. Her head quickly snapped over her shoulder, just to be met with one the many police officers, Chris Miller.

"Woah there!" Raising his hands in surrender at Amelia's harsh movement, Chris let out a chuckle. "Someone's on the edge, huh?" Chris furrowed his brows, as Mel only shook her head from side to side. "Sorry, I kind of just zoned out." She explained, earning a small nudge in her shoulder from Chris. "Glad you're here. I didn't think you'd actually show up." He admitted, causing Amelia to let out a sigh, before offering a small, tight-lipped smile. "Neither did I."

The duo separated, as Chris begun to collect evidence and Amelia continued to study the dead body. From what she could see, there was over twenty stab wounds on the victim's body, the kitchen knife that laid not too far away possibly being the murder weapon.

"Chris, was this written in the victim's blood?" Hank called out from the other side of the room, while Amelia tried to hide in the dark corners of the house, away from everyone's eyes. "I would say so. We're taking samples for analysis." Chris responded.

Done with her notes at the moment, Amelia was about to hide her pen, when it so happened to fall on the floor with a quiet thud. A small groan escaped the brunette's lips out of annoyance. Mel kneeled down and reached for her pen. But she never got it back. Because the second a member of the CSI team walked by, they managed to kick the pen by accident, sending it flying away. Literally. Immediately, Amelia gave up on finding it inside the dark, messy house.

Letting out a sigh, Mel stood up. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a new presence, yet she couldn't bother to look. "Victim was stabbed around twenty times, I'd say. Possibly more." Amelia remarked to the person who stood next to her, assuming it was another police officer or detective. "Twenty-eight times." Masculine voice corrected her.

"How can you be so sure--" Whipping her head to the side, the words died inside Amelia's throat as soon as her eyes landed on the person- android that stood by her side this whole time. Amelia continued to stare in shock, as the android turned its head in her direction. Mel was met with a pair of deep brown eyes. If it wasn't for the small flickering LED light on it's temple, she'd believe it was one of the police officers or detectives.

"Seems like the killer really had it in for him." Out of nowhere, Hank joined the two of them, causing Amelia's head to turn away from the android. "Seems like the two of you already met." Hank muttered. "You got an android..? You?" Furrowing her eyebrows, Amelia started at the older man. "Hell no. Apparently it's here to help with the investigation and then it's on its way to wherever the fuck it was made." Hank explained, rolling his eyes.

Pursing her lips, Amelia simply nodded in response, having nothing more to say or ask about. Everyone had their opinions on androids and Mel couldn't blame Hank for his. Amelia on the other hand thought they were interesting, even when she didn't have the chance to work with one just yet. It was almost hard to believe such smart machines were created by humans. Same humans that despite androids.

"Lieutenant, officer--" The android called out to the duo, yet stopped in the middle of the sentence, when it came to a realization. It didn't know Amelia's name. "Anderson." She simply announced, which caused the android's gaze flicker between her and Hank. At that, Amelia bit the inside of her cheek, Holding back another sigh.

"I think I've figured out what happened." The android finally explained. "Oh, yeah?" Crossing his arms over his chest, Hank said; "Shoot. I'm all ears." And so, it did. "It all started..."

The next few minutes, Amelia and Hank spend following the android around the victim's house. At that moment, Mel couldn't help but wish she brought more writing equipment with her, as the android's theory was making sense, lining up with all the evidence. Before they knew it, the three of them ended up near the back door, where also the attic entry was.

Hank stayed behind, while Amelia watched the android climb up a chair and into the attic. Without a single word, it made its way inside. Amelia anxiously crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze never leaving the dark entryway. That was until heavy footsteps approaching caught her attention, causing her to look over her shoulder.

"What if the deviant is there and attacks him?" Amelia asked Hank, curious rather than worried. "Him?" Furrowing his eyebrows, Hank glared at the brunette who stood in front of him. "What?" Amelia slightly tilted her head to the side out of confusion. "You called it a 'he'." Hank explained, but before Amelia could explain that it must have been an accident, she was interrupted by the android itself calling out from the attic. "It's here, Lieutenant!"

"Holy shit..." Hank muttered with surprise, stumbling back a little bit. "Chris, Ben! Get your asses in here now!" He shouted, before returning his attention the Amelia. "Step aside." Hank's word made Amelia upset, but she chose to follow the man's order, knowing that wasn't the right time to argue..

Earlier in the morning, a police report was filled by a man named Todd Williams, in which he claimed that an AX400 android assaulted him and kidnapped his young daughter, Alice. The android, which went by a name 'Kara' was last seen by a cashier in a convenience store. And instead of taking a taxi to the scene, Hank offered Amelia a ride, which she accepted after giving it some thought. The car ride with him and Connor was silent, as she could feel the tension in the air, which almost caused her to be mad at herself for not taking the taxi.

"We've got officers sweeping the neighbourhood, in case anybody saw anything." Turning her head around, Amelia noticed Hank and Collins talking. "Okay. Well, let me know if they turn anything up." Hank replied. "What are you going to do with that?" Nodding his head in Connor's direction, Collins asked. "I've no idea..." Hank muttered in response, before slowly walking closer to the android. "It took the first bus that came along..." Connor suddenly begun to explain, which Mel took as a sign to take out her notepad and pen. Yet before she could even start writing, she was annoyed by the raindrops again, as they kept falling on the paper and soaking it.

"And stayed at the end of the line. It's decision wasn't planned, it was driven by fear." Connor continued. "Android don't feel fear." In response, Hank scoffed. "Deviants do. They get overwhelmed by their emotions and make irrational decisions." Connor pointed out, earning a quick nod from Hank. "Ah well, that still doesn't tell us where it went." Raising his eyebrows, Connor said; "It didn't have a plan and it had nowhere to go. Maybe it didn't go far." He explained. "Maybe." Hank repeated with hesitation.

Amelia continued to try desperately write anything down without the raindrops ruining it, but it was pointless. Annoyed grunt escaped her lips, as she tried to shield the notepad with her own hand from the raindrops. A quick, dry chuckle caused her to stop and look up at the source of the noise. "What's so funny?" Mel furrowed her brows. "Oh no, you do your thing." Hank slightly raised his hands in the air, shaking his head from side to side. "I'm just trying to write down information, but this fucking thing--" Groaning out of frustration, Amelia shoved the small notepad and pen in her pockets.

Suddenly, a hand holding a data pad appeared in front of her. "Maybe this would work better." Offering the pad to her, Hank shrugged his shoulder, as she cautiously reached for it, brows furrowed in confusion. "Jesus Christ, just take the fucking thing." Hank nudged her and she finally took it, responding with a thankful nod.

Eyes focused on the data pad, Mel slowly stumbled towards the automatic door of the convenience store. "Hey, Amelia?" At the call of her name, she stopped in her tracks and turned around, but her gaze was still glued to the shining screen. "Yeah?" When she got no answer from Hank, she looked up at him with a confused stare. "Never-mind. It's nothing." Hank waved his hand in the air, before walking away. Mel bit the inside of her cheek, her gaze not leaving the man's back, as he only got further away. Amelia sighed, shaking off the curious thought. What was he planning on saying? She couldn't help, but wonder.

Walking around the store, Amelia wasn't able to find anything suspicious. That was until the camera in the corner caught her attention, as she stared at it curiously for a while, before turning around on her feet and walking towards the cashier. The man was standing in front of the register, arms crossed over his chest, while he stared out of the big, glass windows. "Sir, can I ask you a few questions--" Amelia politely interrupted the man, earning his attention. But before she could get any answers, the front door opened and stole her attention. Rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand, Collins walked in, his eyes searching the store, before his gaze fell on Mel. "Hank was asking if you could go look for that android of his." Making his way closer to her, Collins explained.

"What? Why me?" She furrowed her eyebrows, causing Collins to shrug his shoulders. "But i'm in the middle of-- Nevermind." A long sigh escaped her lips, as Amelia motioned towards the cashier, that she was planning on interrogating, still standing next to her. "I'll do it for ya, here." Collins reached out for Amelia's data pad and she had no other choice then let him take it. "Why can't you or Hank himself look for him?" The brunette questioned, slowly walking towards the automatic door, yet no answer was given to her.

Rolling her eyes, she walked out of the store, looking in every direction. With her hands swinging at her sides and rain soaking her clothes once again, Amelia walked the long streets, glancing in different alleyways and buildings. She didn't get anything for a while. That was until a small, shining light caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Bingo. Connor was standing on the porch of an abandoned house, trying to look inside the boarded-up windows. Mel had to hold back another long sigh, when she noticed that the only way in was through a rather small hole in the fence.

Crouching down, she tried to grab the edges of the broken fence. What she didn't realized is how sharp the edges were. Amelia ignored the sudden sting of pain in her palm, eyes trained on Connor, who noticed her presence and turned around to face her. Just as Mel opened her mouth to speak, Connor stopped her by raising his finger to his lips. Biting the inside of her cheek, Amelia nodded in response and stayed quiet, carefully making her way towards Connor.

Straightening his posture, the android walked towards the door and twisted the doorknob. Inside, they were met with mess scattered all over the wooden floor and a clearly anxious-looking android standing in the middle of the room. "I'm looking for a AX400." Connor announced sternly, standing in front of the android with blonde hair and strange injury on the left side of his face. "Have you seen it?" Connor asked. "Ralph's seen nobody..." Hands clasped in front of his body, the android replied rather quickly. "Don't be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you." Connor tried to assure Ralph, using a tone that was more soothing. "You brought a human with you. Ralph doesn't like humans." Muttering quietly, Ralph stumbled back. "She's not gonna hurt you either." Amelia stared at the back of Connor's head, still keeping her distance and standing by the open front door.

Even from a few feet further away, she could see the android's expression. He seemed... Scared. And android's don't feel fear. Slowly, Mel raised her hand a bit and hovered it above the holster she kept her gun in. "Are there any other androids here?" Patiently waiting for an answer, Connor stood still with his arms by his sides. "Other androids?" Ralph repeated the question, before replying; "No. Ralph is alone." The android whimpered, his head slightly twitching. "There's blue blood on the fence." The deviant hunter pointed out, which caused Mel to furrow her brows and bring her hand closer to her face. There was a long, but luckily not deep cut. Her blood was leaking out, painting the skin around it red, while at the top of the cut, her blood was mixing with... blue blood?

"I know another android was here." At Connor's words, the other android begun to panic, as Amelia's attention fell back onto the two androids. "Ralph scratched himself coming through. That's Ralph's blood." Ralph explained. Silence fell over the room, only Connor's footsteps creating noise, as he searched the place. Tilting her head to the side, Amelia tried to get a better look at Ralph's injury, but when he caught her staring, his head turned the other way, avoiding eye contact.

"Ralph, am I right? I'm Mel." The brunette attempted to calm the android down. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise." Taking a small, slow step closer, she assured him. This time, Ralph didn't take a step further away from her. Amelia couldn't help but think that maybe, if she convinces the android she's no threat to him, he might give out some information. Yet she never got the option to question the android, as she wa interrupted by Connor.

"Is anyone upstairs?" Leaning against the stairs railing, Connor called out to Ralph, who answered with a quick, but shaken; "No." Walking down the small amount of stairs, Connor suddenly stopped, noticing the space underneath the staircase. He crouched in front of the dark, small corner and in the blink of an eye, Ralph charged at him with full speed. Pulling out her gun as an instinct, Amelia pointed the weapon at Ralph, but no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to get a clear shot. A wave of panic ran through her entire body. "Kara, Alice! Run!" The deviant shouted, struggling to hold back Connor. Two figures appeared from under the stairs and quickly ran towards the back door, escaping.

The grip on Amelia's gun tightened, as she still held it high in the air. "What the hell is going on?" Barging in, Hank called out. "It's here. Call them in." Connor explained, after finally getting out of Ralph's grip. "Shit." Hank muttered, before running out and calling the others to the scene. "Humans." Ralph stuttered, standing still as if he was frozen in time. "I'm coming after it." Running out of the house, Connor announced. And without a single word, Amelia followed.

After getting out the front yard of the abandoned house, Mel followed the android, but to no surprise, he was faster and had a better stamina. Her shoes slammed against the wet sidewalk, as she passed people walking in 'n out of buildings and androids sweeping the streets. All of a sudden, Connor came to a halt, causing Amelia to almost harshly collide with his back. "They're over there!" An officer exclaimed, pointing into an alleyway, where they could catch a glimpse of two figures getting further away.

Almost slipping on the wet ground, Amelia made a fast turn and continued to chase the android, who was dragging the young girl along, but she wasn't quick enough. And neither was Connor. The duo managed to climb up the high fence and get to the other side. The same police officer Mel saw a few seconds ago ran after them, pulled out his gun, pointing it at the android and little girl on the other side of the fence. "Don't shoot! We need it alive!" Connor demanded, causing the officer to lower his weapon with hesitation. Amelia could only watch the android and kid slide down the mud towards the big, flashing sign; 'AUTOMATIC CAR TRACK, VERY HIGH SPEEDS, NO PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, DANGER, DANGER'.

"Oh, Jesus..." When Hank finally caught up with Connor and Amelia, he leaned down and placed his hands on top of his knees, letting out heavy breaths. "Hey! Where are you goin'?" Grabbing Connor by his shoulder, Hank pulled him down from the fence he was trying to climb. "I can't let them get away!" Still clutching onto the fence, Connor desperately explained. "They won't! They'll never make it to the other side." Hank let out a long sigh, but Connor wasn't convinced just yet. "Don't even think about it." Amelia barked, grabbing him by his other shoulder. "Do not go after 'em, Connor. That's an order!" Hank objected and this time, Connor listened, watching the duo from afar.