I don't really speak English as my first language, so I apologize for grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. Dyslexia is a thing too, so... yeah. I'm a bit trippy with my meds but I've been meaning to write something like this for so long. Warning, canon-type violence - fighting and other... negative and dark stuff!!!
[SYSTEMS_REBOOTING...]
[EXITING_STASIS...]
[RUNNING_DIAGNOSTICS...]
[!THIRIUM_46%!]
[!ENERGY_LEVEL_43%!]
[DAMAGE_DETECTED]
[Pleəse contac--!3"%$_¥]
[MESSAGE_PROMPT]
[Good morning]
- [《paaR u!Ae6》] -
DATE
March 23, 2039
TIME
AM 10:56:32
Thirium. He was bleeding thirium. The blue liquid that replaced the warm life that flowed through a person's veins. Another reminder he wasn't like anyone. He wasn't human. He wasn't alive the way a human is.
"Get out of my way, toaster!"
The harsh impact as hand collided with an android chest. It was metal. Not flesh. Plastic. Imitation. Gavin Reed's voice carried all frustrations.
It has always been like that.
Deviancy. Emotions. It was all very confusing. All disorienting. All frustrating. He knew deep down, an android could never be like a human. They were self-aware, yes, but never alive as a human was.
Gavin Reed had changed. The once promising officer had changed. It was common knowledge. He changed just as their former brilliant lieutenant had, but it seems that he had fallen much deeper, into an abyss of many reasons unknown which he could never get out of. And no one knew the reason why.
Connor didn't understand. He was a deviant for only a third of his short life. He wouldn't understand the complexity. But he was willing to try. Comradering with a former enemy would do him great, but something in his mind stirred at the sight of the detective. Something... off.
Hank hated androids, and he had a reason for doing so. Everyone has their reasons, and Connor's curiousity had gotten the best of him. Hank told him to ask, and not simply scan the situation, something that made him feel closer to the feeling of humanity.
That fateful day. The day he was assigned on a stakeout with an android. The day it all went down.
Outside the police station, Connor had the priviledge to not be thrown into a trash bin with how the detective had been acting. The detective looked horrible, Connor noted. He looked sick. He didn't have pale skin or dark circles under his eyes, but he looked sick nonetheless. Recalling Hank's lecture on scanning people out of the blue, he decided on asking first.
"Detective Reed--"
"What do you want?" Gavin's hushed voice interrupted.
"You seem to be in distress. I would like to communicate my intentions of starting a goo--"
Gavin turned sharply, glaring. He spoke in hushed tones, but danger in his voice was still imminent.
"I told you to do yourself a favor and stay out of my way! I don't need some plastic hanging around me!" Aggression. Where it came from, Connor has yet to find out.
"Wait, Detective Reed--"
"Shut up!" Gavin hissed. "Listen, I wouldn't be here right now if Fowler hadn't ordered it! I don't know why he hadn't waited for Anderson for this one, but I don't give a damn about your 'intentions'."
"I didn't mean to cause--"
"You're not like me, plastic. You're not like me. Remember that."
"... I'm sorry." Gavin huffed as he turned away.
Connor watched from a safe distance from both Gavin and the 2 men infront of them.
They were 5 feet away from a red ice ring and a deal was taking place right before their very eyes.
[Forst, Joseph (27) - 1 Criminal Record: 1 Fraud]
[Madison, Adam (36) - 3 Criminal Records: 1 Fraud, 2 Theft]
Gavin cursed. "Look at that little f--"
"Look out!"
Gavin only had a split second to move out of a -- it wasn't enough time. A crowbar found its way and smashed into his jaw. He crashed into a wall.
"Mads, it's the cops!" The suspects (now proven as criminals) scrambled and scampered away as the last man - Holler, Brooklyn (48) - continued to swing his crowbar towards Connor. He landed a square kick right at Connor's torso. Having grabbed Gavin as a shield, the man was temporarily safe from attack. Connor had to get Gavin away and safe first.
[PRECONSTRUCTING...]
Connro ran right at him and proceeded to make a roundhouse kick that reached behind Gavin's head anf hit the man right at the jaw. Connor threw himself at the man. The man groaned in pain as they met the concrete, Connor struggling to disarm and apprehend him.
The man managed to throw him off and Connor landed on the sidewalk, and in that split second the man aimed a hit at his head. Without enough time, Connor braced himself for the impact --
-- that never came.
The man was yanked back by a force so strong, his body jerked backwards as he flung into the wall behind him. Connor watched the man crumple into the ground as he got the wind knocked out of him.
"Damned prick."
Connor was sure his LED flashed red. Then yellow. And it refused to calm down. "How..." His eyes alternated between the unconscious man, the crowbar, the blood, and Gavin. No one should be conscious after that kind of blow to the head. Not without a concussion or in the worst case scenario, they weren't supposed to be alive.
Gavin wiped the blood off his bashed-in cheek. He felt around his 'wound'. "Phck."
One word registered in Connor's mind. The same color his LED refused to return to: blue.
"I don't... I don't understand."
"Can it, tin can."
Gavin huffed. Eyes flitting. Blinking. Registering all that was around him. Trying to stay awak-- to stay online.
[RUNNING_DIAGNOSTICS...(_MANDATORY_)]
[!!!THIRIUM_24%!!!]
[!!!ENERGY_LEVEL_30%!!!]
[!!!DAMAGE_DETECTED!!!]
[!!Pleəse contact 3L1JAH--"%$_¥!!]
His vision filled with red warnings and notices. He felt his processors and gyroscope go haywire.
"Dammit!" Gavin cursed as he stumbled forward. Connor grabbed hold of him before he damaged himself further. "Let go of me, tin can..." Connor didn't budge. Not this time.
"I'm fine!" He shoved him off. Gavin stood straight, this time managing to mantain his balance. Connor stared at him, unsure of what to make of the situation. Gavin cursed at his injury. Plastic gave way to metal; anyone could see where the claws tore through and away with his brittle exoskeleton; exposing the hideous, glowing blue veins. The electric sparks, which could never possibly be human, continued to blink in and out of existence. "Phcking androids."
Connor kept his mouth shut tight this time. But Gavin knew he was dying of curiousity. 'Dying'. Gavin took a long look on Connor's face, before taking a brief sweep at Connor's whole appearance. A beanie over his LED. An oversized but warm hoodie that surely didn't belong to him. Connor looked more human that he-Gavin was.
"Don't think we're the same, tin can." Gavin spat. "You're not like me."
Gavin covered the side of his face with his hand and made his way to the car. Connor only followed him with his stare. Gavin grew more irritated when Connor looked at him blankly.
"Are you gonna get in or what?" Connor blinked. Gavin frowned.
"I hate you," he spoke as-a-matter-of-fact, with the same venom as the usual, "but the station is a long way from here, and you've gotta get that checked." Connor failed to notice that his own left arm was twitching. "Get in or I'm leaving you here."
Connor sat in the backseat. He watched as Gavin started the car, and drove off to who knows where.
"Where are we going?" He can't be planning on showing up at the station, or an android repair shop. Gavin wasn't that type of... person. Gavin's scowl deepened.
"My house." He spoke dismissively as he swiftly changed lanes. Connor blinked, clearly needing more explanation. Gavin snorted. "'State-of-the-art', they say. Can't even understand what I'm saying." He glanced at the rear view mirror. Connor definitely had a yellow LED under that beanie. "I've got all the tools. Some smartass sent them for 'occupational hazards'."
He made sure to leave out the excessive thirium supply he never got around to consuming, no matter how much he bled out each time he got to work. He made sure to leave out the unused charging port.
Of course they need to get stuck in the traffic. Both of them didn't need that -- one was bleeding and one was twitching, thank you very much -- but they couldn't just cut through it. You would've thought that with the speed that cars and other vehicles were now travelling traffic wouldn't exist but noooo it's still an everyday occurence. Gavin stole a glance at the mirror. Connor still had that look on his face. A look that demanded answers, no matter how much he tried to hide it. He couldn't blame him, he was designed that way, unlike hi--- androids like Connor were supposed to be information and evidence hounds.
"Can I ask you something, Detective Reed?"
"No, so keep your mouth shut."
Silence reigned inside the car. Connor fidgeted in his seat, his functional hand gripping his defective arm. Patiently waiting proved to be unfruitful, as they have yet to move an inch from where they were. Connor tried his best to keep quiet, but Gavin's story was... so peculiar. An android that hated androids?
Gavin's scowl deepened, and Connor only wondered how his expression passed all android limitations. Gavin, on the other hand, was getting irritated of that inquisitive, innocent (how the heck does he do that?), puppy-eyed look on Connor's face (he wondered how Hank put up with it.)
"I said no questions."
"I wasn't going to ask--"
"For an android, you're a terrible liar."
Connor pursed his lips in thought.
"You spoke of a someone providing you supplies," Connor began, and Gavin knew where this conversation (if it could be called a conversation) was going. Gavin glared at him through the mirror. Connor decided on another question.
"Why do you hate androids?"
"None of your business."
"I'm afraid it might as well be, seeing that you have been assigned as my partner for the next few months. It is my duty to ensure your well-being while we are working together." Gavin groaned.
"I don't see how it has anything to do with our case or my 'well-being', toaster."
"I understand it is a personal subject for you, Gavin, but I assume I am the one only one who knows of your situation. I only wish to understand you more," Connor paused, "fellow tin can."
"Don't you dare."
The world was so silent, he could hear the shifting of the fabric, the soft ticking and smooth vibrations of the engine. Gavin wished it was because the world was silent, not because of his sharp 'hearing'. He took a deep breath he didn't need.
"Elijah's fault." Gavin spoke in a low voice, fingers tapping the steering wheel. He cursed at how human and 'real' his-- its voice sounded. He focused on his... 'distraction'. The pace was as stable as the pitter-pattering of the raindrops beyond the window and the soft whiring of his paralyzed arm. He frowned. "Smartass didn't want me to rest in peace."
"Elijah? Kamski?"
"He thinks everything can be solved by technology. Thought he could make up to me. I wish he realized what I am."
"Did... you--" Connor treaded carefully. Gavin growled.
"No more questions tin can." He tried his best to make his voice sound as detached and annoyed as possible. But he didn't have to do that. It came off effortlessly. All he had to do was think, and his artificial self would do it with ease. Another reminder. "Or I'll throw you out of this car."
'You're not like me. Remember that.'
Stress levels: 87%
It was only in that moment had the traffic decided to free them from suffering. Roughly 20 minutes (17 minutes, 54 seconds - courtesy of Connor) after, they had arrived at a small house in the edge of small lot with generous shrubbery. A thick hedge, and the typical, basic fence. It looked untouched, like it was simply bought.
"Hey twitchy arm, get in. You're going to rust out there." Gavin stood expectantly in the entrance. He looked absolutely human, a human that has just gotten to a bar fight that is, as the house's light turned the thirium to a simple dark trail on his face. It didn't evaporate, which in Connor's mind raised a lot of questions.
The inside of the house reflected the same as its exterior. It was... bare. A couch at the edge of the room leaned against the wall. A white and pristine fridge sat quietly beside the kitchen counters. There were plates and other ware stored neatly in the cupboards, where dust had already accumulated and fogged the cupboard windows. There wasn't anything that said anyone lived there. It was as clean as a blank slate.
Gavin shrugged off his jacket and threw it across the countertop. Connor silently watched as Gavin took out 5 packs of Thirium from his 'fridge'.
"I've got a charging port there in the corner, in case you're low on bat," Connor looked to his right, and sure enough there was a small blue circle raised slightly from the floor. Running a quick diagnosis, he determined he still had 84% left.
"My energy levels are still sufficient..."
Gavin pulled up a rather large toolbox, and set it on the counter. It propped open to reveal several glasslike tubes, several biocomponents, numerous circuitry and even basic soldering equipment. Wires were stored haphazardly in one clear compartment, and splashes of blue stained the toolbox's insides. Stained. Detective Reed's thirium hadn't evaporated.
"You self-repair right?" Gavin spoke from his side of the room. Connor nodded. Gavin threw 3 packs of thirium in his way. "You're arm isn't as twitchy anymore. You might need to check if you had any external damage. Your prog- you might be trying to heal it wrong." Heal. Not fix.
"It does that?" Connor gripped his hand as reflex.
"Look it up, tin can." Gavin headed for the bathroom and shut the door. His eyes hovered over his supplies, still having no courage to face the mirror. He didn't like staring at himself. It wasn't him. It wasn't Gavin. Unfortunately, the damage required a mirror for it to be fixed properly.
He assesed the damage. There was a slight dent that could be easily fixed and a large tear where the crowbar's claws dug through his skin and plating, exposing the intricate wiring beneath it. He'd have to replace the plating, but that would take a while and Eli- Kamski would definitely freak first when he tells him. Instead of fretting over replacing it, he decided on more pressing matters. He was still bleeding, so he'd have to take care of that first.
Grabbing his soldering iron, Gavin proceeded carefully.
He watched his reflection on the mirror, longer than he should have. A busted lip and jaw. Glowing blue tubes and wirings that scattered all over the place. Springs and motors and gizmos that made him smile, frown, or in this case, look horribly disgusted. Shedding off the human skin and its hair retracting - fading into nowhere, the illusion has finally been lifted. No trace of 'Gavin'. That made things easier.
Gripping the bag of thirium and downing it before any second thoughts came to mind made everything infinitely easier.
[INCOMING_CALL]
[CALLER_ID:HVF173]
[BLOCKING...]
[BLOCK_UNSUCCESSFUL]
[INCOMING...]
[REROUTING...]
"Gavin? Are you alright?" Elijah's voice echoed from his phone's speaker. He sounded so worried. It was sickening. "I received a damage alert, Gavin! A broken arm, head trauma, and your energy levels are critical. You were losing thirium! I'm heading over there right now." I'm worried Gavin.
"It was just a stakeout. Don't get them in a twist. Get over it."
"Your thirium's stopped lowering. Have you replenished it? Were those the ones I sent you last week?" Mom and Dad... they...
"Stop it."
"I'm worried about you Gavin. Your energy is still low, and... Gavin, are you still not using your charging port?" We'll take care of each other, Gavin. I promise. We'll...
"I'm not Gavin."
"Gavin, please." Elijah didn't bother hiding his panic. "You have to get that fixed--" Elijah...?
"I've fixed it already. I'm handling it just fine!" Kamski...?
"--No you are not Gavin! I--" 'see what's happening. These numbers can't lie'. He can't say that. He can't say his only family, his brother, Gavin, wasn't human. Both of them haven't accepted it yet.
"You can't fix that by yourself. A thirium tube's snapped and shattered, and you're bleeding internally. Your thirium pump has slowed down to reduce the amount of leakage and the 'clotting' functions have also begun, but that won't last long. The... 'joint' also broke off. You can't reattach that and make it work in any way. You need help. I know you, Gavin. I'm coming over right now. Chloe, enable lockdown." The line cut off. He chuckled bitterly. Fix not heal.
Gavin clenched his fist.
The day still had 12 hours and 16 minutes left.
Pray for sanity.
Notesies!: (Long A/N)
So uh...
1) Idk how to Gavin. Or how to android. Or how to Kamski. Or how to write clearly. Sorry about that. I feel sad about ending the chapter here as it is but I can't wait any longer. Not a good ending but... sigh. I'm rewriting this if I get the chance.
My main story is still Bleeding Red (have a read if you haven't yet. I'm jk.) and that's where I'm most focused at. I've got another story I'm working on and I'll post the preview at the next Bleeding Red chapter. (Psst. It's a 》uV əs.lə/\ə.l《 )
Things I wanna say/'explanations-ies':
I. Why it's written like this-sies:
a) So at the beginning, I wanted who the story's about to be vague. Yeah. But I don't think I did too well on that.
b) I been sneaking little bits of clues as to how Gavin thinks of Connor as a 'person' (not shipwise ok?) I don't think it's very obvious though. Ugh.
II. Story-ies
c) I don't know if I'm portraying Connor and Gavin's characters and their interactions well. Ugh. Sorry.
d) Yes. This is an 'Elijah and Gavin are bros' fic.
e) Uhh... Can I ask a question? Can I have your feedback on how the fight scene and the 'revelation' parts went? I really want to improve my writing for you guys.
f) Do you know why the title is like that? I don't really know how to font-ify it like other people do, but it has a secret 'meaning'(?) which you guys probably know by now.
N!AV6 -- 9AV¡N
g) I'm really curious as to what you guys think happened. I know this is not much, but what do you think transpired?
Yeah... see ya next chapter... ies.