GOOD INTENTIONS
iii. PARTNERS? PARTNERS.
❝WE GOT A KILLER TO CATCH.❞

THE HOMICIDE HAD TAKEN PLACE IN ONE OF THE QUIETER NEIGHBORHOODS ━━ the ones Detroit tried its best to forget as crime ran rampant and drugs coursed through each of their veins. The drive had been muted for Marisol, considering Connor had chosen to sit with Hand to ensure the multiple glasses of whiskey hadn't incapacitated his ability to drive. Fortunately, the trio had made it to the homicide location safely and she had parked comfortably behind the Lieutenant. People had come out of the waterworks to catch a glimpse of the commotion caused by flashing police cars and prying reporters. Marisol exited her SUV, locking the doors behind her as she stepped into the downpour of rain.

"Lovely weather," Marisol commented as she held her hands up to block the rain from hitting her face before she approached Hank, the man wearing the same scowl on his face as her. She stole a glance at Hank's car, noticing Connor was still seated in the passenger seat. She scoffed, raising one of her brows as she looked at Hank's tight-lipped expression. "You know, he isn't going to stay in there, right?"

"Eh, a few moments without it will be peaceful enough," Hank muttered as the two walked past the holographic police line, ignoring the reporters that pressed them for answers. They were greeted by a DPD police android that gestured them forward, and Marisol did not miss the snide glare Hank had sent toward it. The Android remained unaffected as it continued to face the pack of curious onlookers, but Marisol still felt somewhat bad. Hank looked back toward his card, noticing Connor had left it and started to approach them. "Oh, look, your boyfriend is joining us."

"Nice, Hank," Marisol said, rolling her eyes at the annoying comment. It was as if she had been teleported back to high school again, dealing with unfunny jokes that left a sour taste in her mouth more than anything else. Looking back at Connor, she noticed he had been stopped by the police Android, preventing him from coming any closer to them. "He's with us!"

At her shout, the police Android blocking Connor's path had allowed him to pass and join his partners. He greeted them, giving them a mechanical nod as he scanned their faces that had become wet with the constant fall of rain. Despite being a machine, he looked so human with his expressive brown eyes and the slight movements in his face. Technology had come a long way since she was young (probably even longer for Hank since the man could be compared to a fossil when next to her), considering she had spent her childhood playing outside in the sun rather than being surrounded by wires and buttons.

"Sorry, Lieutenant," Connor apologized, turning to look at Hank's sour expression. "Your order to wait in the car contradicted my direct orders from CyberLife. I am to always accompany you and Detective Marisol Mercado on all cases that could involve androids."

"Hey, it's just less work for us," Marisol pointed out, patting the older man's arm when she noticed the anger beginning to form in the wrinkles of his forehead. She shivered, feeling her coat start to feel heavier and heavier as the rain continued its onslaught. "Let's get inside, please."

She chose to ignore the angry grumbles coming from the alcohol-induced Lieutenant as he expressed his disdain for the Android. Though, it did not bother Connor as he happily followed Marisol's every step. The woman didn't mind, knowing Hank would only send insults in the android's direction if he did the same to him. Yet, Marisol wished Connor had been in front of her when she caught a waft of the intolerable smell coming from inside the home.

It reeked of rotten flesh and stale beer mixed with remnants of other bodily fluids in the small rundown house where the homicide had taken place, causing most of the officers on the scene to take multiple trips outside for some fresh air. Marisol breathed through her mouth, limiting her intake of the vile stink of the decaying man that glared back at her with his unblinking cloudy eyes. She would rather stay outside in the rain with the news reporters and the prying neighbors, but she still had a job to do.

"Evening," the trio was greeted by Detective Ben Collins ━━ one of the senior detectives and a close acquaintance of Hank's ━━ as they were led deeper into the house. He walked beside Hank. "Mercado pinged us earlier when she went looking for you, but we were starting to think you weren't going to show."

"Yeah, that was the plan till these two assholes found me," Hank muttered, sending both Marisol and Connor a glare. But, the woman could care less if Hank was in a bad mood. He was always in a bad mood. Seeing the state of the house, it made Hank groan in disgust. Filth covered every inch of the house ━━ dust, blood, vomit, and other fluids coated every surface. It made Marisol stiffen at the state of the house and its owner that had decayed to the same standard.

"Oh?" Ben said, stealing a glance back at Marisol and Connor. The Android stood directly behind Marisol, sticking close to the only person he was familiar with and the only one who wasn't going to push him away in irritation. "You got yourself an android, Marisol?"

"What?" Marisol asked, raising a brow at the question. She stole a glance at Connor, noticing the yellow whirl of his LED as he watched her carefully. "No, he isn't mine. CyberLife wants him to investigate all cases with androids or something of that sort."

"So, you think an android did this?"

Marisol shrugged her shoulders. "Can't rule out the possibility."

"Enough chatter," Hank grumbled, giving Marisol a gentle push forward as they stopped in the middle of the living room. They took the time to examine their surroundings, hoping to find any clues to help them find the culprit. "Give it to us straight, Ben."

Marisol took notice of her surroundings, eyeing the abundance of empty beer cans that were scattered across the floor ━━ the sticky residue stuck to them attracting all kinds of bugs ━━ and the remnants of Red Ice and other drugs that coated every surface. She could still smell the bitter scent of Red Ice and cigarettes from the furniture (especially the tipped-over sofa that blocked out most of the living room) and the yellowed walls. It made Marisol feel sick, wrapping her arms around herself as she felt the eerie scene engulf her. The bright white from the lamps that the DPD had set up gave her a headache, making her feel faint as she stepped to the side. She could tell Connor was examining her, but she ignored the android's watchful gaze. Her nose wrinkled, noticing the garbage bags that lined the wall next to the front door. It was devastating to see someone's life turn into this. But, it was expected if a person stayed on Red Ice and a plethora of other mind-numbing drugs. Finally, Marisol looked at the rotting corpse of the victim. He was propped up against the wall with the words 'I AM ALIVE' written perfectly above him. Too perfect, Marisol concluded.

"We had a call around eight from the landlord. The tenant hadn't paid his rent for a few months, so he thought he'd drop by to see what was going on... and that's when he found the body," Detective Collins said as he continued to debrief the trio about what they had already learned. He scrolled through the tablet in his hands as he moved to the next set of notes. "The victim's name is Carlos Ortiz. He has a record of theft and aggravated assault. According to the neighbors, he was kind of a loner, you know? Stayed inside most of the time, they hardly ever saw him."

Hank groaned, kneeling beside the corpse to take a closer look at his injuries. "Uh, the state he's in..." the older man grumbled, wrinkling his nose. "Wasn't worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night. It could've waited till morning."

"Judging by the smell, we'd say the victim's been dead for a good three weeks," Ben responded, gulping as he kept his gaze away from the body. He seemed to be turning green, trying his best to avoid the smell. It was a surprise Hank was able to sit so close. "We'll know more when the coroner gets here."

"I'm sure the perpetrator is long gone then," Marisol commented, kneeling beside the body as well to get a closer look at the wounds. For a moment, her eyes met Hank's. He seemed deep in thought, pondering over the hundreds of possibilities of what could have happened to Carlos Ortiz. She was aware of Connor's presence behind her as he scanned the body as well, getting as close as he could without disturbing Marisol or Hank.

"Maybe so," Detective Collins said, clearing his throat.

"Any sign of a break-in?" Hank asked.

"Nope. The landlord said the front door was locked from the inside, all the windows were boarded up. The killer must've gone out the back," Ben informed. But, then he pointed to a bloodied kitchen knife stuck to the ground by a sticky substance ━━ most likely a mixture of blood and alcohol. It was surrounded by shattered glass from a few beer bottles, seemingly hidden in plain sight. "Kitchen knife, most likely the murder weapon."

Marisol studied the dull knife for a moment before she looked to the back door, noticing it was open to let fresh air in. Perhaps, the killer had entered through the back door? It could have been possible that Ortiz had left the door unlocked, allowing the culprit access to his home. She sighed, taking out her phone to look over the notes on the victim. His file did not have much, but it did mention that he owned a second-hand android. Yet, it was nowhere to be seen. She looked at Ben. "What do we know about his android?"

"Not much. The neighbors confirmed he had one, but it wasn't here when we arrived..." Detective Collins trailed off. He looked paler than usual with a tinge of green in his skin, holding his breath as he took a few steps back. "You guys take a look. I'm going out for some fresh air. Can't stand that smell anymore."

The three were left alone, but not without the Crime Scene Investigators that continued to document every inch of the house with their tablets and cameras. Marisol stood, moving toward Connor as she offered him a small smile. He stepped closer, invading the woman's personal space again but she chose to ignore it ━━ the thought of embarrassing Connor in front of everybody made her feel bad. Wait. Marisol caught herself, reminding herself that androids didn't feel any emotions. Connor feeling embarrassed was impossible. "Alright, Con," Marisol mumbled, taking a step back from Connor before she gestured to the Lieutenant. "Show Hank what you can do."

Connor nodded, immediately going to work.

"You have too much faith in that machine," Hank muttered, shaking his head as he went back to ignoring the android. He pointed to the letters, grumbling to himself as he took a closer look ━━ being careful not to step on the corpse. "Each letter is perfect. No human writes like this," Hank pointed out. He looked to Officer Chris Miller, one of the officers that had been dragged to the scene. "Chris, was this written in the victim's blood?"

"I would say so," Chris responded, looking up from his tablet as he gave both Hank and Marisol a quick nod. "We're taking samples for analysis, so we'll know for sure then."

"The font is CyberLife Sans," Connor pointed out. It seemed the more clues they found, the more it seemed as if Ortiz's android had been the one to kill him.

Marisol looked back at Connor, noticing the way he exclaimed the corpse with a pensive expression. It was as if she could see the gears turning in his head. His brows were furrowed while his brown eyes were narrowed, looking over every detail of the man's stagnant body. She stood over him, catching his attention. "What do you see?"

"Carlos Ortiz, five feet and six inches. He weighs about two hundred and eighty-seven pounds. The victim has been deceased for approximately nineteen days and the estimated time of death is roughly half-past eleven," Connor let out a series of facts, tilting his head to get a closer look at Marisol. "He has traces of Red Ice on the skin near his nose, leading to the assumption he must have been intoxicated when the crime occurred," he looked back to the body, examining the corpse's chest. "He was stabbed ━━ twenty-eight times."

"Seems like the killer really had it out for him," Hank pointed out, joining their side as he crossed his arms over his chest. He had begun to watch Connor as well, wanting to know how well CyberLife's Prototype Detective worked.

Connor stood, looking at the letters again. He frowned, reaching forward to collect a sample of the substance. Marisol knew what was coming. Connor placed his figures into his mouth, examining the sample.

"Jesus!" Hank gagged, shaking his head at the android as he wrinkled his nose in clear disgust. Marisol couldn't help but snicker at the older man's reaction. "What the hell are you doing?"

For a moment, Connor looked to Marisol as an expression of confusion flashed across his face. He looked back to Hank, holding out his two fingers. "I'm analyzing the blood. I can check samples in real-time," the android informed. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you. Detective Mercado had a similar reaction when the two of us first met."

"Yeah, it's pretty gross," the woman shrugged, "but it works."

"Okay..." Hank mumbled, waving his hand as he dismissed the thought from his mind completely. "Just... don't put any more evidence into your mouth, you got it?"

"Got it."

"Fucking hell," Hank grumbled, moving away from Marisol and Connor as he made his way to the kitchen. "I can't believe this shit..."

Marisol moved away from Connor, making her way to Hank who was examining the items on a nearby table. "Red Ice," the woman whispered, taking the packet from the man as she looked over the red crystals in the small plastic bag. "Connor confirmed he was a user, saying he was intoxicated the night he died."

"Our friend liked to party," Hank scoffed, taking the packet from Marisol's hands before he tossed it back onto the table. "Better not to touch that shit."

"Yeah, of course."

Hank looked to Officer Miller, leading the man to the drugs on the table. "Chris, I want a full analysis on the narcotics."

"Consider it done, Lieutenant."

Connor scanned his surroundings as he muttered a quick excuse me to Marisol as he stepped around her and began to wander toward the kitchen. Marisol found herself enjoying how Connor worked ━━ the quickness, effectiveness, and indifference allowed him to come to conclusions faster than a human would. His kind was definitely coming for their jobs. At least, Marisol had a couple thousand in her savings to keep her afloat until she ultimately became homeless as well. But, the woman struggled to save and tended to spend every bit of her paycheck on the things she desired most.

"I'm going to get some air," Marisol muttered, moving past Hank and the party table where Carlos Ortiz's supply of drugs sat. "Going to throw up if I stay here any longer."

"Yeah, yeah," Hank muttered, wrinkling his nose as he agreed about the smell. But, he had dealt with such things much longer than Marisol had. "Come back soon. Don't want to be left with this piece of plastic for long."

"He has a name, Hank," Marisol reminded, making her way toward the door as she passed by Connor who was studying the dried blood splatter on the floor. For a moment, Connor looked at her. He glanced down for the briefest moment before meeting her eyes again. However, he didn't say much as he went back to his analysis. No doubt, the machine had done another scan of her but Marisol did not care anymore. It was what he was programmed to do. "See you in a little bit."

Most of the crowd had dispersed, deciding that standing in the rain was not worth the drama inside the building. Marisol took in a deep breath, feeling relieved at the fresh air. A few raindrops hit her despite being underneath the cover of the porch, but she didn't care since she was already drenched. It was nice to be away from the whirl of police work. However, the peace didn't last long when she felt her phone vibrate. She sighed, taking it out of her back pocket to see the message she had gotten.

E ━━ The lawyers are still trying to find suitable evidence. No luck so far.

Marisol shoved her phone back into her pocket, taking in a shaky breath as she ran a hand through her hair to calm herself down. Her heart felt as if it was going to burst out of her chest, making her feel nauseous as she leaned against the pillar that kept the small roof over the porch stable,

"Everything okay?" The voice of Detective Ben Collins filled her ears. It made her flinch, looking to her right to see him smoking a cigarette.

"I'm fine," Marisol muttered, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. Her mind still on the text she received as she tried to ignore the urge to cry. It would definitely get the senior detective next to her concerned and she didn't need or want that kind of attention.

"Want one?" Collins asked, holding out his pack of cigarettes for Marisol to take. "It always helps me take my mind off whatever is bothering me."

"No, I don't smoke," she answered, shaking her head. Neither should Detective Collins, but she was no judge on what someone did with their body. "Thank you, though."

"So, how's the Android working out?" He asked, curious about the RK800 model that followed her around like a lost puppy.

Marisol shrugged, facing the man as he took another drag of his cigarette. "Fine, I think. Definitely think he's coming for our jobs though. I wouldn't be surprised if the D.P.D. is crawling with them by next year."

He chuckled, nodding his head as he agreed with Marisol's words. It was something that happened in every career and field. No escaping technology. "At least, I'm planning on retiring soon."

"Lucky you," Marisol laughed, wishing she could retire as well. But, she still had thirty to forty more years of work under her belt. "Well, duty calls. I should head back inside."

He hummed, nodding his head. "Good luck."

Marisol returned inside, walking toward Hank who stood in the hall that connected the kitchen and the living room. "Find anything?"

"You know, this Android isn't too bad," Hank chuckled, watching as Connor walked around. He held special attention on the walls and ground. "He's looking for blue blood. Apparently, he's the only one who can see it."

"Looks like the Android did it, after all," Marisol mused, watching as Connor picked up a chair from the kitchen and led it down the hallway to the end where he placed it down. She glanced up, noticing that there was an attic hatch right above. With quiet steps, she walked to him. "So, what are you thinking Connor?"

"The Blue Blood or Thirium leads into the attic," Connor informed, meeting Marisol's eyes. "There is a ninety-eight percent chance our culprit is up there."

"Alright," Marisol muttered, stealing a glance at the hatch. Looking back at Hank, she noticed that he was busy speaking to Chris as they discussed something out of her earshot. "Want me to come with you?"

Connor contemplated her question as he weighed out the pros and cons faster than Marisol could blink, but one glance at the gun at her side made him come to his decision. "Yes, you could be of use if the culprit is up there," he answered, standing onto the chair before he opened the latch and allowed the ladder to come down. "I will go up first."

"Okay," Marisol answered, watching as Connor climbed the ladder. She looked back at Hank, noticing he was still busy. So, she climbed up as well.

Every inch of the attic was covered in a thick layer of dust, making a cough escape her lips as she stood behind Connor. He scanned his surroundings but quickly stopped when he noticed a humanoid figure covered by a white cloth. Connor approached it slowly, gesturing to Marisol to stay behind him. She did as she was told, watching over any movement. Connor gripped the cloth, ripping it off.

"Jesus!" Marisol gasped, staring at the angry expression of the punching bag. Why did companies have to make punching bags shaped like people? It was as if they wanted to give people anger issues.

"Your heartbeat has elevated to approximately 120 beats per minute," Connor said, staring down at Marisol as he watched her carefully. "Would you like to join Hank downstairs?"

"No, it's okay," Marisol said, waving her hand dismissively at his words. "It's just creepy up here. I've seen enough horror movies to know that attics and basements are definitely a no-go."

Connor nodded, pushing forward as they walked around a couple of boxes. Most of the attic was filled with random furniture, a Christmas tree in the corner, and other junk. Marisol froze in her tracks, seeing something dart in her peripheral vision. It seemed that Connor had noticed it too.

"It's here," Marisol whispered, pulling out her gun from the holster as she kept it trained on the ground. She wasn't sure how the Android would act but remembering the hostage situation from a few months ago, she knew it could become dangerous.

Connor stayed in front of Marisol, moving toward the end of the attic. It was the only place that the Android could be hiding. "Come out," Connor said, holding a hand out to shield Marisol. He stood tall, speaking in a low voice. Marisol tried to peek over his shoulder to see the Android as it peeked at them from around the corner. "Now!"

"I was just defending myself," the Android said softly, taking a small step into the open and Marisol could see the blood that had dried onto its white clothing. It shook in its spot, taking in shaky breaths as it watched them. She could see the damage he was in, noticing the parts of his body where the white plastic came through. "He was gonna kill me," he continued, staring at Connor and Marisol. "I'm begging you. Please, don't tell them."

Marisol found herself lowering the gun, watching as the Android continued to watch them with wide eyes. "We're not going to hurt you," she said, putting her gun away. "But, I'm sorry. We have to arrest you."

"Please!" he gasped out, taking a step back. "I was only defending myself!"

"Connor! Marisol!" Hank's voice sounded from downstairs, making the Android flinch. "What the fuck is going on up there?"

"It's here, Lieutenant!" Connor shouted without hesitation, keeping his eyes trained on the Android.

"Holy shit..." Hank's voice sounded, clearly surprised at Connor's words. His voice grew distant as he called out to Chris and Ben.

"They're going to kill me," the Android whispered, keeping his eyes trained on the ground. He glared at Connor. "It's all your fault."

Marisol didn't say anything. But, she found it strange how a machine could show such fear. She didn't have much experience with deviants, only the hostage situation. So, it was unnerving to see, but she couldn't help but believe his words.

♡

So, it's been a long time since we've seen an update for this book (over a whole year!) and I don't know why it took so long because I had 80% of the chapter written. Though, I think it might be because I kind of fell out of the DBH fandom and that played a huge role in why this book got shelved. But, I really missed this book and writing for it made me realize how much I love Connor and Marisol. I feel sad that I abandoned them because they deserve a lot better. I hope to get this book finished soon because it isn't a super long book ━━ only 30 or so chapters. It may not be small to other people, but compared to my Marvel fics that all should go well into 60 chapters, this book is shorter!

But, I notice that I don't make progress in my books. I rewrite over and over again because I am never happy with anything I write. But, I just want to write honestly. I don't want to care too much about if something sounds perfect because it will never be. I am sure I will look back at this chapter a week from now and hate it. So, I just need to move on and keep pushing forward. Or else, I will stay stuck where I have always been.

I hope the next chapter will come out within the month. I have it around 70% written, but it is a draft I wrote over a year ago so I think I may need to rewrite it to fit my writing style today. But, I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I like it, personally. It was fun to write and a little mysterious. I think as we learn more about Marisol, things will start to seem more clear!

━━ AMARA
[ PUBLISH DATE ━━ 08.01.2021 ]