The apartment complex detailed in the case report was a few miles into the inner city, which meant it should've taken the pair approximately an hour to make their way through the tight, overcrowded streets and past the overwhelming number of traffic stops meant to keep the overpopulated place in some semblance of order. With glowing traffic lights sporadically blinking a new color every few moments like some cheap rave show on crack and hoards of people bustling across the roadway in huge, mounting herds, the entire city was a perfect picture of controlled chaos but, of course, the fault in that mesmerizing sort of image was that all it took was one gear in the huge machine to be misplaced and the entire metropolis would come tumbling to its knees...

Hank could not fail this mission.

However, despite the android’s perfectly reasonable estimate of an hour, Connor was whipping the car into a shitty excuse for a parallel parking job before the building in twenty minute’s time… And the detective’s passenger side overhead handle was all but demolished.

The silver walled building the vehicle lay before rose up many stories above the street so that its peak was nearly indiscernible from the ground below, the sleek exterior fading into the pale, fuzzy gray of the overcast sky above. Large, glass paned windows lined every layer of the sprawling complex, many hanging wide open to let in the crisp, cool air of the November chill but others shut up tight and layed over with thick, heavy curtains to conceal whatever may go on behind those secretive walls. The only place this consistent pattern of sleek wall fit tight against sheer glass was disturbed was in the very front and center of the building, where two, huge, glass doors hung wide open, the large entryway crossed over with transparent, yellow glow of digital police lines and guarded by a single man standing alongside the open doorway.

Even from where Hank began pulling himself uncouthly from the cramped interior of Connor’s car, the android could see the man looked far from friendly. Scruffy stubble patched unattractively across the guy’s drawn face where his thin lips twisted down into an arrogant frown and when his sharp, grey eyes fell on Connor’s burgundy hatchback the look deepened into what could only be described as a disgusted sneer. An automatic facial scan identified him as an Officer Gavin Reed, charged with numerous public disturbances and a lone case of public indecency (Details included loudly suggesting to an officer trying to give him a parking ticket to place their mouth upon an indecent part of his body then proceeding to offer said body part for consideration, according to a file paired with the man’s information.)

“Oh, wonderful.” Connor mumbled dryly as his gaze found the sneering man and his pink lips tugged down into a bored grimace, resolute sigh escaping the detective as the man gave the door handle a sharp tug and the metal barrier popped open with a heavy, metallic click. Detective Anderson slipped easily through the driver side door, slimmer built body maneuvering about the cramped space with fluid ease and putting the robot to absolute shame as Hank all but tumbled out into the street beyond, the android hastily rewriting his sloppy posture into its normal state of strict professionalism and giving the sleeve of his suit jacket a straightening tug to reinstate some semblance of neatness to his look.

“Well look who finally decided to show up,” Officer Reed sniped coldly as Connor finally stepped onto the sidewalk and began to approach the building, the detective’s face conveying nothing but bored disinterest but the subtle hunch of his slender shoulders easily cluing Hank into his assigned partner’s masked discomfort. “Captain Stern’s loyal lap dog.” Gavin snarked distastefully, cold smirk tugging at his thin lips. “What? She get tired of you licking her shoes?” The man teased cruelly, cold snicker breaking through his merciless words. “Or did she finally admit she can’t stand you?” The policeman sneered viciously, glaring daggers into the young detective as if Connor had sprouted horns and began chanting prayers of darkness right there on the street.

“Nah, not yet.” Connor played off easily with a dismissive shrug, light smile still tugging determinedly at his pink lips no matter how forced it may read on Hank’s sensors. “I’m just here to make sure somebody actually competent takes a look around.” The detective retorted lightly, even going so far as to throw a companionable nod Gavin’s way as he stepped around the man and passed through the luminescent police lines, smoothly sidestepping the foot the police officer threw in his path without so much as glancing downwards.

Hank trailed his companion wordlessly, not so much as even throwing an acknowledging glance Officer Reed’s way as the android moved through the doors in Connor’s wake. However, the machine had made it not but a step when a harsh beeping blared through the quiet air, a repetitive, vibrating buzz that bellowed forth from some unseen source as the vivid streak of opaque, yellow light flashed to an angry red and drew the prototype to an abrupt halt.

“No toasters welcome, tin can.” Gavin informed coldly, uncrossing his arms to extend one before the machine, blocking Hank from progressing any further without confrontation. The policeman glared up at the robot with the type of defiance that only comes from weakness glinting viciously in his gray eyes, a long scar slashed across the bridge of the man’s wide nose becoming all the more prominent as his face scrunched up in a snide sneer and his lips twisted into a mangled excuse of a cruel smile.

“For fucks sake, Gavin.” Connor huffed exhaustedly, coming to a halt a few paces from where Hank had gotten stopped and turning on a heel. “Could you maybe not be a complete asshole for, like, two seconds?” The detective questioned incredulously, retreating the few steps back to the doorway to knock the policeman's extended arm dismissively out of the way and grab Hank by the sleeve in the same motion. “He’s obviously with me.” Connor huffed tiredly, dragging the android past the police line and pulling him along towards the elevator before Officer Reed could put up anymore of a fight.

“Wow. A mechanical babysitter.” Gavin sneered teasingly but Connor gave no answer, still determinedly tugging Hank along in a straight B-line for the steel doored lift waiting on the far side of the building’s lobby without pausing to even spare the guy a glance back for the jibe. However, this lack of reaction only seemed to irritate Reed farther, the man giving a low growl and lurching forward a step before seeming to remember they were all in a professional environment and shifting back to his previous post with a final grumble of “Fucking androids, there's not a job they won’t take.”

Connor pressed a single digit into the small, circular button alongside the elevator, beige plastic fit snugly into sleek silver that lit up to glow a pale blue when met with the light pressure of the detective’s fingertip. A soft ding rung out through the empty lobby and the sleek metal doors of the lift slid open with a metallic whirr of motion, allowing Detective Anderson to step inside with Hank on his heels before sliding smoothly closed once more at another press of a button, taking Gavin out of the picture - And with him, all of Connor’s faux indifference.

“If I could just live the rest of my life without ever laying eye on Gavin’s ugly mug again, I would be the happiest man alive.” Connor sighed exasperatedly, shoulders slumping heavily under a relieved sigh as the elevator began to rise, taking the pair towards the top floor of the building where the homicide was reported to have taken place. “Sorry ‘bout his dickery, Robocop.” The detective offered apologetically, reaching a hand into his pocket and producing his lighter a moment later, sleek silver catching the dim, fluorescent lights overhead in a brilliant reflective glare that flashed in and out of existence as Connor purposelessly rolled the thing about the palm of his hand.

“Do not concern yourself, Detective.” Hank dismissed evenly, hands coming to rest behind his back in their usual place of professionally clasping one within the other. “I am perfectly aware of the opinion some humans hold on androids.” The machine went on stoically, sparing a glance over to Connor to watch the man spin the lighter over his fingertip before tossing it lightly into the air only to catch it again a moment later. “And I must remind you, I am incapable of emotion. Such words have no effect on me.” The android concluded stiffly just as the elevator began to slow though all he received in response for his efforts was an entirely noncommentable sound he couldn’t quite describe as a grunt or a “mhm.”

“May I ask your opinion on the matter, Detective Anderson?” Hank inquired after a beat of silence passed between them, deciding his assigned partner’s opinion on such a controversial subject would be a valuable piece of information and could offer some helpful insight into the human’s character.

“I became a detective to help people.” Connor replied immediately, apparently not needing even a moment to consider his answer as the words poured confidently from his lips the moment Hank questioned him. “If an android can do a better job of that, then I’d gladly hand over my badge in an instant.” The detective asserted surely, no hint of waiver or hesitation in his lilting voice and the words coming up as an absolute truth on Hank’s sensors as silence fell between them once more in the wake of the solemn declaration.

Finally, the elevator lurched to a rough halt, jerking in place a bit as it slowed and then came to rest far above the ground floor with a mechanical groan. The jostling motion sent Connor stumbling a bit, the man’s body falling forward an inch and his arms flying out to the side a centimeter until one hand caught the sleeve of Hank’s suit jacket and the detective pulled himself back into an upright position with the stabilizing grip, the android completely unaffected by the rough jerk of the elevator as his internal balancing components instantly countered the destabilizing motion.

The metal doors of the elevator slid apart as Connor’s fingers quickly untwisted themselves from the material of Hank’s suit and jerked back away from the android as if the cloth had burned him. “Uh, sorry.” The detective managed to mumble out awkwardly, coffee eyes widening a fraction and full cheeks flushing a light pink before the man quickly fled the lift, all but scrambling to escape the scene and swerving off down the hallway before Hank could assure his companion he was unbothered by the action.

The android was prepared to follow but just before he could step foot from the elevator and into the beige carpeted hallway beyond, something odd caught his keen eyes: A small, metallic glint shining brilliantly against the dark, evergreen floor of the elevator. Hank reached down a large hand and plucked the tiny item from the floor, instantly recognizing it as Connor’s lighter the moment he drew it up from the ground and could actually see it for what it was. The human had probably dropped it when he’d stumbled and grabbed for Hank, based off the item’s position near the door and off to the side of the elevator floor that lead the android's automatic reconstruction of events.

The lighter was heftier than Hank had anticipated, a solid weight against the palm of his hand as the android curled his digits over the small item and ran a quick scan of the thing in search of anything particularly noteworthy about it. 100% steel. Essential lighting component: Spark wheel - Damaged. Produced in the year 2023. Well used… Nothing all that essentially helpful prevailed in the rapid onslaught of facts and findings running across Hank’s vision in pale, opaque letters as the android rolled the small device around to examine the opposite side and finding nothing new of note there either. However, when the machine turned the device over to give the underside of the lighter a quick glance, the android finally found some disturbance in the sleek, nicked up metal.

Two letters: N and A - Carved in bold, jagged lines marred the underside of the lighter, the sleek, silver distributed by the series of deep cuts marking out the letters directly in the center of the flat bottom of the thing. The font was neater than the scrawl Hank had seen smudged across the pages of Daniel’s case file on Connor’s desk, the lines a little straighter and the strokes a little smoother than what the android had come to identify as Connor’s handwriting.

Not Connor’s? A notification appeared in the corner of Hank’s vision; but just as it did, the detective himself came skidding back to the elevator to bring the android’s attention away from the device as the human slammed himself to a halt with a heavy hand against the elevator doorway.

Panic was written clearly all over Connor’s face, sending off numerous alerts in Hank’s field of vision as the android took in the man’s rocketing heart rate and already pale skin turned paper white. The human’s chocolate eyes were wide and troubled but the moment they locked on the small chunk of glinting metal still resting in Hank’s hand it all washed away to intense, unadulterated relief. “Oh my god, you found it!” The detective breathed softly, voice strained as he reached out two, shaking hands and the android carefully delivered the fallen lighter into them.

“You’re a lifesaver!” Connor declared shakily, clutching the small item close to his chest and squeezing the tiny metal thing like a lifeline, knuckles going white with the sheer force of his desperate grip.

The android opened his mouth to correct the misinformation but never got the opportunity to do so, forced to let his mouth fall shut once more as Connor shook his head firmly, coffee eyes locking with Hank’s stormy blue to fix the android with an intense look of unwavering determination, his chocolate orbs glimmering with gratitude as the residual panic finally began to drain from their gaze.

“Don’t give me that bullshit about only being an android.” Connor insisted surely, tucking his lighter safely back away in the deep recess of his pocket as his panicked heart rate slowly began to subside once more. “You really are a fucking lifesaver, Hank.” The man said again, the seriousness of his voice and the gratitude glimmering in his eyes leaving no room for argument, so Hank didn’t bother to try.

“You’re welcome, Detective.” Hank replied simply, the luminescent LED glowing against his temple flickering a short burst of pale yellow before fading to cool blue once more.