Authors Note:

This is based on a wonderful piece of art by tumblr user deep-in-mind67

You can see the art as the cover photo of this fic! Please check out their blog for more amazing art!

They provided the initial idea and were kind enough to give me permission to write the fic. Hope you all enjoy this little fic!

Summary:

Connor thought nothing of it, when he decided to walk back to Hank's alone. The revolution had ended, and peace was settling in. So no cause for concern…right?

As he headed out of the precinct, Connor exhaled slowly. He knew he didn't really need to breathe- no android truly did- but he went through the motion anyway. Since becoming Deviant, he'd been finding any way to become a little more human. And he was slowly getting better at it, every day. He'd learned a lot of things, either from Hank, the other officers- or through countless hours scouring the Internet.

Connor had discovered that his usual state of emotionless calm left people feeling uneasy. He'd also learned a great deal of smaller, everyday things. Like how people would smile if you smiled back, eager for a little more brightness in the world. Like how people would risk being late to work for their favourite brand of heated drink. Or how someone's day could be turned around with something as simple as a gentle hello.

Every new thing Connor picked up made him feel that much more alive, like he was one step closer to being as humanlike as he could be. He knew he still had a way to go- Connor had found that he could often be quite blunt, and whilst he never meant to pry or appear rude, a lot of people took it the wrong way. But Connor also knew that he was a far cry from who he had been before the revolution.

The revolution. An event that had already cemented its place in the history books, no doubt already being integrated into history lessons for generations to recall and retell with awe. Connor smiled slightly, when he recalled his part in that peaceful revolution. How he and Hank had led the androids out of the Cyberlife warehouse, faces plastered on TV screens all over the world.

He'd initially downplayed his part, not sure how to react to all the attention, but Markus had reassured him countless times that Connor's role was no small feat.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Connor almost missed the sound of crying coming from nearby. Once he noticed the sound, he paused for a moment. When he discerned that the crying was coming from a child, Connor picked up the pace. Following the unnerving noise, he soon found himself at the opening to an alleyway.

Focusing through the darkness, he saw two young men cornering a kid- a child no older than six years old. The young men were taunting the kid, and steadily closing in.

Though he knew it likely wouldn't end well for him, Connor knew he had to step in. There was no way he could stand aside while there was someone in danger, particularly a child. He momentarily considered calling the station, but when he remembered how they'd been inundated with calls after the revolution, decided it would be faster…and more effective…to resolve the situation himself.

"I think you should let them go." Connor stepped into the alley.

"The fuck did you say?" the taller of the young men turned.

As his friend also turned round to face him, Connor fought the nerves building within him- and locked eyes with the terrified kid standing against the wall. It was a young boy, wrapped in colourful yet mismatched clothing, shivering despite the warmth around them.

"It's going to be alright." Connor focused on the child.

When the young boy smiled slightly, Connor felt his nerves ease slightly- until he looked back at the aggressive men facing him. Both of them wore intense expressions of disdain, with one even clutching a steel baseball bat in his tattooed grip. It became clear to Connor that there wasn't going to be an easy way out of the escalating situation.

"The fuck do you want…" the one with the bat glanced at Connors LED. "Plastic?"

"He's an android?" the shorter of the two men seemed surprised.

"Yes he is." the other man gritted his teeth.

Exhaling slowly, Connor focused again on the child, who still remained backed up against the wall as much as they could. Taking the two men by surprise, he pushed past them roughly. Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, he knelt down in front of the child. Up close, he could see a purpling bruise on the kid's face- and felt his blue blood run cold. The men hadn't just been verbally abusing the child. No. They'd sunk low enough to hit the kid as well. Which meant they'd likely have no qualms about turning their aggression onto Connor.

"It's going to be alright." Connor reiterated. "I won't let them hurt you. What's your name?"

"E...Evan." the kid sniffed.

"Evan." Connor glanced back as the men approached. "My name is Connor. I'm going to distract them so you can get away."

"What about you?" Evan trembled.

"I'll be fine." Connor spoke reassuringly. "The Police Station isn't far away. They'll keep you safe."

"I…" Evan looked down.

"I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?" Connor questioned, as the footsteps drew closer.

"O…okay." Evan nodded.

Offering one more reassuring smile, Connor rose to his feet. Once he stood straight at his full height, he turned to face the two young men now standing before him. Their eyes were full of unbridled rage, with a deep hatred seeping into their expressions. It was clear that they were part of the few who still opposed the androids plea for freedom, even after Markus' peaceful protest.

"So." the young man with the bat smirked. "Got ourselves an android."

"Lucky us." the other one stepped forward.

Keeping his arms spread out wide to shield Evan, Connor quickly scanned the two young men- looking for any opportunity to get the little boy to safety. A few quick motions told Connor exactly what he needed to do- but it still left a sour taste in Connors mouth. To get both himself and Evan to the relative safety of the precinct, he would have to engage in combat. And whilst he'd normally head into a fight without a second thought, dealing with civilians was an entirely different matter. If he fought them, the noise would attract attention, and someone would no doubt frame the scene to make Connor appear as the aggressor. Which, as Connor realised, would shatter the fragile peace that him and Markus had fought so hard to build.

Knowing he only had one true option ahead of him, Connor focused on the two young men once more. When he'd gleaned every possible piece of information, he returned his vision to normal.

"Darren Carter." Connor focused on the young man with the bat.

"How the fuck did you-" Darren paused, frowning. "Right. Fucking android."

"I can see you have several counts of aggravated assault on your records. I'd advise you to keep from adding to-" Connor started.

"Shut up!" Darren took another step forward.

With Darren firmly in front, his companion several steps behind, Connor saw his chance. Momentarily glancing back at Evan, he nodded slightly, waiting until the little boy nodded back before returning his focus to their aggressors. Exhaling slowly in an effort to calm his own nerves, Connor launched himself at Darren. The young man was surprised by the sudden attack, and so he and Connor went tumbling down- knocking down the other young man as they fell.

"Evan!" Connor turned back for a moment. "You have to run."

"What about you?" Evan sobbed as he stepped forward.

"I'll be fine." Connor spoke reassuringly.

As the kid stepped over them, Connor gave Evan a gentle push to send him on his way. As soon as the kid had vanished out of sight, Connor got back up, straightening as he rose to his full height. Now faced with the two aggressors as they stumbled to their feet, he braced himself for what was to come.

Though he'd readied himself, Connor could not have expected the sheer amount of pain that would quickly ensue.

Swinging hard, Darren brought his steel baseball bat down against Connors abdomen, leaving him winded. Wheezing, knowing he'd been hit dangerously close to his thirium pump regulator, Connor backed himself up against the wall. Reminding himself of what the consequences would be if he fought back, he looked up at the sky for one last time…

Before closing his eyes…

Just as the steel bat hit his face with full force.

Gavin grimaced as he downed the last gulp of his coffee. It was the fifth cup he'd downed in the past hour, and whilst he knew he'd be regretting it when he finally got home to bed, he also knew he wasn't going to get through the next few hours without the copious amounts of caffeine. The precinct had been inundated with calls after the revolution, though a surprising majority were from people wanting to help androids, as opposed to hurting them. Sure, there was still an unnerving amount of violence against the plastic machines, but nowhere near the amount they'd been dealing with before the revolution. Finding his mind drifting on that subject matter, Gavin found himself thinking hard.

He'd been so opposed to androids since the very first one had passed the Turing test. Gavin had thought of them as nothing more than mindless machines, incapable of feeling emotion or emulating empathy. Sure, his judgment had been clouded by the fact that his brother had created the androids.

Not that he'd tell anyone that was the reason behind his hatred, of course.

Up until recently, Gavin had been content with keeping his past a secret, dodging people when they questioned why he despised the machines so much.

That is, until he'd seen Connor on the TV. Seeing him leading the other androids out of the Cyberlife warehouse, alongside Hank, had somewhat warped Gavin's perspective. Once he looked past his brothers shadow, he could see the emotion in the plastic detective's face. There was a very clear expression, a far cry from the unnerving calm that Connor had previously been known for.

Given that Connor had risked his life to save the other androids, and that the one known as Markus had revolted without spilling a drop of human blood, Gavin had spent most of his free time re-examining his view on androids.

Shaking his head, he forced himself to refocus on the task at hand- making his way through an extensive backlog of paperwork. They'd been forced to dig up a lot of old files, and so he'd been given the unpleasant task of sifting through the dusty papers.

Just as he was opening a fresh folder, he heard a commotion coming from the foyer. Frowning, he motioned for the other officers around him to remain seated- heading in the direction of the noise himself.

As he made his way out of the main room, and into the reception area, Gavin saw a young boy jumping up and down, pleading with the receptionists. He looked terrified. Noting the panicon the female android's face, Gavin approached the boy.

Crouching down so he was at eye level with the kid, Gavin cautiously tapped his shoulders. When the boy turned to face him, eyes wide with terror, he forced a smile onto his face, though it wavered when he saw the purple bruise on the child's cheek.

"You're safe." Gavin spoke calmly.

"I need-" the kid hiccuped, from crying too hard. "I need some help!"

"Someone hurt you?" Gavin questioned.

"Yes, but…" the kid sniffed. "He helped me get away."

"Who-" Gavin started.

"An android!" the kid sniffed again. "He said…he said his name was Connor. He told me to run. To get help."

"Connor?" Gavin repeated.

"Yeah." the kid started crying again. "He's going to get hurt, and it's all my fault!"

"Look at me." Gavin placed his hands on the kid's shoulders. "Where's Connor?"

"There's an…an alleyway." the kid sniffed. "It's not far...please. He's going to-"

"We're going to help him, alright?" Gavin spoke reassuringly, before glancing backwards. "I need some help over here!"

When an officer quickly appeared, panting slightly, Gavin turned back to face the kid. He vaguely recognised the blonde woman, but couldn't find himself wanting to bother with names, knowing that Connor likely didn't have a lot of time to spare.

"What's your name?" he questioned carefully.

"E...Evan." the kid sniffed.

"Evan." Gavin nodded. "Go with that officer over there. Tell her everything you just told me."

"But, Connor-" Evan trembled.

"I'll help him." Gavin reassured the kid. "You've been pretty brave. But I can take care of things from here."

"O...okay." Evan nodded.

Rising to his feet, Gavin turned to face the officer, straightening up quickly.

"Send…" Gavin paused. "Anyone."

"Maybe you should wait for backup-" the officer frowned.

"Connor might not have that long." Gavin called back as he made a beeline for the entrance.

Now fully backed up against the wall, Connor raised his trembling arms upwards, in a desperate attempt to shield himself from further damage. Feeling thirium steadily trickling down his neck from a fractured gash on his left cheekbone, he struggled to stand upright. His whole body ached in an agony he'd never before felt, head pulsating from the pain of his broken nose. Feeling his energy drain from him with every new punch and swing of the steel baseball bat, Connor fought to remain conscious- though his steadily multiplying injuries made it increasingly difficult. Though he was doing his utmost not to reveal his fear to the men attacking him, he was terrified of closing his eyes for good.

The fear was only reinforced by the knowledge that Cyberlife had discontinued the entire Connor line- meaning that the next time Connor shut down, it would be permanent.

He wouldn't be coming back.

And that scared Connor just as much as the young men attacking him.

When his attackers finally backed away, Connor let his arms fall limply to his sides, eyes swivelling to focus on them. Before he could even properly react, Darren was darting forwards, and swinging his bat towards Connors head again. Raising up his arms, he allowed the limbs to take the brunt of the attack, grimacing when he felt his joints crack painfully.
Unable to stay upright, Connor collapsed rather ungracefully onto his behind.

Looking upwards, he saw Darren reaching backwards to swing the bat again.

As the steel glinted in the moonlight, gliding through the air, Connor braced himself, arms coming up to guard his face once again.

When the bat did not connect with his arms, he found himself confused, for a few bewildered seconds…

Until the bat connected with his left leg instead.

The sound of the limb snapping in two beneath artificial skin brought with it an overwhelming sense of nausea almost as bad as the white hot pain that erupted from the broken joints.

Reaching out to hold the crooked limb, Connor didn't even realise he'd screamed in pain until he heard his attackers laughing cruelly.

With his entire leg pulsating in agony, he couldn't even focus enough to scan the injury. But he didn't need a scan to know he wouldn't be walking on that leg anytime soon.

Looking up, unable to stop the silent tears falling down his face, Connor saw Darren bracing himself for one final blow.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, Connor heard a series of footsteps approaching.

"Back the fuck off!" a familiar voice called out.

Looking past Darren and the other young man, Connor found himself stunned by what he saw. Standing at the other end of the alleyway, hands unshaken as they levelled a gun at the aggressors, was Gavin. The Detective wore an expression of pure anger that Connor had never before seen. It was an intense fury, much deeper than any of the anger that had formally been directed at Connor. Yet, underneath the fury, Connor could also detect a distinct sense of…concern.

"Mind your own business!" Darren retorted.

As soon as the young men turned to face Gavin, Connor saw them freeze up, almost comically. With their focus fully on Gavin and the weapon pointed in their direction, Connor took advantage of the situation to scan himself, even though it made the pulsating ache in his body grow worse.

He didn't like what he found.

"Hey, lower-" Darren started.

"I'm not letting you get away with this." Gavin remained firm. "Put the bat down, asshole."

"Alright, alright." Darren raised his arms in surrender.

Dropping the bat, Darren kicked the weapon away. Almost as soon as the weapon had hit the ground, two police officers darted into the alleyway. Connor immediately recognised one of them as Chris. A kind man that Hank had spoken of with a strange, friendly fondness. The very same man who had been saved by Markus himself on the night of the Cyberlife store break-ins.

Connor had no doubt that the night contributed to how warm Chris was with him.

Not that he was complaining, of course.

Offering a sympathetic smile in Connors direction, the friendly man hastily cuffed Darren, his partner moving to arrest the other man. The two officers moved like a well oiled machine, their movements almost completely in sync as they practically dragged Darren and his accomplice out of the alley.

Just as he was bracing himself to get up, Connor saw Gavin walking towards him. The man walked swiftly, a sense of urgency detectable in his movements.

As the Detective crouched down in front of him, Connor watched as he hastily sheathed his gun in his belt holster.

Once the gun was out of the way, Gavin moved to crouch at Connors right side.

"Could've taken them down." Gavin tilted his head slightly.

"If I had fought back, it would have had a negative affect." Connor exhaled slowly.

When the atmosphere slipped into an awkward silence, it became clear to Connor that Gavin had no idea how to respond. It didn't surprise him. What puzzled Connor more, however, was why Gavin had gone out of his way to help him.

"I'm…unsure as to why you're helping me, Detective." Connor grimaced as his wounds twinged painfully.

"Your robot Jesus…" Gavin paused for a moment before continuing. "Made me rethink some shit."

"Oh." Connor was surprised.

"Besides…" Gavin looped Connors right arm over his shoulder. "Anderson would kill me if I let you shut down."

"I see." Connor grimaced as Gavin moved his free arm around his waist. "Thank you, Detective."

"Don't mention it." Gavin looked away, with a slight flush to his face.

As Gavin helped him to his feet, Connor tilted forwards almost instantly- the pain enough to bring fresh tears to his eyes. To Connors surprise, the tears weren't met with jeers or insults from the Detective…

Just a grim look of determination.