•*•Astra's POV•*•

"Frankie, I'm home!" I yelled as I walked into my apartment. Setting my bag down by the door, I made my way to Frankie's room. I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" she yelled from the other side.

"Hey, I have an idea I wanna bounce off you, is now a good time?" I asked, stepping in.

Frankie closed the textbook she was reading. "Yeah! Come sit," she said, patting the bed next to her.

I laid beside her and stared at the ceiling. "I got a hella good job offer to be a psychological specialist for a police station."

"Ooh! What's the catch? You sound hesitant," she asked, twirling her fingers in my dark locks.

"It's in Detroit."

"Oh fuck that."

"But here's the thing, it's all expenses paid, apartment, food, gas, car, everything, for six months. It's also a paid position, not an internship."

Frankie's eyes widened. "Well shit. Why is it even a question then? Go!"

"But what about graduating? What about you? What about work?"

"Dude, you literally have the opportunity to get a high paying job in your field without graduating. You work at a fucking burger shack right now and I'm certain they'll find someone to replace you easily."

I prop myself up on my elbows. "And you?"

"Shit dude, I'd follow you to the ends of the Earth. I'm more than willing to travel with you! I'll have to move once I graduate next month, but I will move. I promise."

"Well, I guess it's settled then. I'm moving to Detroit." I bit my lip nervously.

"It'll be good for you. Besides, didn't your parents move to Chicago or something? You'll be a hell of a lot closer than Seattle!"

I nodded. "I'm gonna go to bed now. Need to rest up. I have a test tomorrow."

"Sleep well, Astra! Exciting new things are coming your way!"

Shutting the door, I walked slowly to my room, deep in thought. I changed into sweats and climbed into bed. Tomorrow is gonna change the rest of my life, you thought.

•*°•*°•*°•*°•

My alarm blared, waking me up. Groaning, I reached out and grabbed my phone. 9:30am, read the clock. Fifteen minutes to get up and over to Graham's office if I wanna talk to him before his first class, I thought as as I sat up.

I put on a hoodie and made myself a cup of coffee before I set off for my trek across campus.

The apartment complex I lived in was still considered a part of campus. The school wanted to ensure any student not staying in the dorms would have a place to live, which I really appreciated. The little apartment had served us well for the past year, and I'm sad to leave it. But the future's calling, and I would be a fool to ignore it.

I walked up to the building Graham's office was in. I pulled out my ID and scanned it on the badge reader, the door automatically swung open. I ran up the stairs to the third floor, too excited to wait for the elevator. I barged into Professor Graham's office.

"I'll do it," I said, trying to catch my breath.

Graham, visibly startled, rose to his feet. "Oh good! I knew you'd do it. It's too good of an opportunity to let pass you by. I'll let the DPD know right now," he said, sitting back down at his desk. He typed quickly and clicked a few times, followed by a whoosh sound. "Okay, it's been sent."

"Great," I replied. "Let me know when they-"

I was cut off by a ding.

"It's them!" Graham exclaimed!

"Oh? That was fast. What does it say?" I sat in the chair next to me.

"The Detroit Police Department is happy to hear Ms. Veda accepted our request. A flight has been booked for her tomorrow afternoon. Connor, the deviant RK800 she will be working with, will be there to accompany her and ensure safe travels. We look forward to meeting her," Graham read aloud.

"Shit, tomorrow?" I scratched the back of my head. "I haven't even told my job yet."

"Well you might want to do that tonight. Looks like your flight is at 3pm."

"Well, I guess I better get home and pack. You'll let the other professors know I'm dropping out of the program, right?" I asked, gathering my things.

"Yes, of course. Good luck with the packing. Since this will be the last time I see you, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I've seen such incredible growth in you since you started this program. Best of luck, Astra," Graham smiled as he wrapped me in a hug.

My eyes started to tear up. "Thank you, Graham. I'll let you know when I make it to Detroit."

•*•Connor's POV•*•

"I don't understand why we need a psychological specialist, Lieutenant. I was made specifically for this line of work. I know how to perfectly de-escalate most situations!" I said.

Hank sighed, not looking up from his paperwork. "And I thought you were annoying before you got human emotions. Why don't you just shut the fuck up? If the PD wants to give us a specialist, they're gonna give us a specialist, whether we like it or not! That's how I got stuck with you, after all."

"I'm sorry to annoy you with my emotions, but I'm exceptionally frustrated!" I exclaimed, crossing my arms and slumping in my chair. "It's bullshit!"

"Easy there, cowboy," Hank laughed. "Why do you think I have this?" He asked, pulling a flask from his coat pocket. He took a sip.

I shook my head and rested my elbows on the desk. "When are we gonna get another case? All this paperwork is draining me of my thirium."

Hank looked up at me and rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Connor. You're so dramatic."

My computer dinged and I looked up. "It appears they've chosen our new partner," I told Hank, disdain dripping from my words.

Hank rolled his chair over. "Oh? Who is it? Did they send a picture of him?"

I clicked on the email. A picture of a young looking girl with dark hair loaded on my screen.

"That's not a guy," Hank said, matter-of-factly. "That's definitely not a guy."

My brows furrowed. "They're sending a girl to assist us?!" I asked angrily. "She appears to be approximately twenty four years old as well. She's hardly qualified as a 'specialist'."

"She does look rather young, I'll give you that. What are her credentials?" Hank asked, leaning forward to see the screen better.

I scanned the email quickly. "It appears she's still finishing her master's of psychology program at Seattle Pacific University."

"So she's not even graduated?"

"Not graduated in the slightest," I sigh, pressing my lips together. "The best part is that they are sending me to escort her from Seattle tomorrow. I will have to depart from here at 8am, only to fly right back at 3pm."

"That's an incredibly narrow turn around time, my friend. Luckily she's pretty cute." Hank laughed and patted my back. "Maybe she'll be your type and you'll stop following me around like a poodle on our days off."

"Lieutenant, I do not need a woman in my life to distract me from my work. I may be a deviant, but I still prioritize my work above everything else. That is just who I am."

Hank rolled his chair back to his side of the desk. "There's more to life than work. You learn that the hard way when you realize you didn't spend enough time with the people you care about," he sighed as he looked at a picture of Cole.

"With all due respect, you and Sumo are the only people I care about, and I spend ample time with you both."

Hank chuckled. "Firstly, Sumo isn't a person, he's a dog. Secondly, the point is to find other people to care about."

"Perhaps I will adopt a dog of my own. I like dogs. More than most humans," I answered as I replied affirmatively to the email.

"You're so antisocial, Connor. Maybe adding a new person won't be so bad after all. I can't be your only friend forever," Hank said.