"Gav."

Looking up for a moment, Reed lifted his eyebrows to show he'd seen Hank. "Mornin'. What's up?"

The lieutenant stood solidly near the detective's chair. Close enough to cause a little concern, especially with his arms crossed. He did NOT look pleased. "In a rush this morning?"

Pausing completely, the shorter male pressed his mouth thin. "No. Everything's good. Not much traffic, which wa--"

"Where's your partner?" The thin veil of his casual tone dropped like a bag of hammers.

Now Gavin lifted his head, relaxing in his seat and shrugging. "Hank, I don't have a partner. Not yet, I mean. Still waiting for one, you know how it is."

The smarmy grin on Reed's face got under the lieutenant's skin, and he had to physically force himself not to throttle the little shit. He let out a sharp, short whistle before Connor suddenly appeared beside him. "Connor, go and get this moron's partner, please."

Go and get you? The RK800 was entirely in the dark for a little while, but one look at Reed's shit-eating grin said enough. "Yes, Hank," he replied, turning and running out of the precinct once he had a set of patrol car keys on hand.

Gavin shook his head, lacing his fingers together behind his neck and looking even more relaxed. "Not sure how he's gonna get inside, Hank. There's nothing to find. I have no partner."

"You really don't want your job, do you?" Despite the beard, Hank's upper lip was visibly curled back. "Quit abusing the poor girl, Reed, or you're gonna find yourself losing more than just your fuckin' job."

On his feet in a flash, the detective got in the lieutenant's face. "Is that a threat...?"

"Do you even know who paid for your partner? Or have you not put two and two together? Cause you're acting like you flunked preschool, Reed."

The smirk dropped a notch or two, but your directive didn't back down. "Your Dyson vacuum went to CyberHell and got all up in their business to design some plastic cunt. I know, Hank, I got the idea. All because you fucking idiots with your bleeding hearts feel like everyone needs to "help" these goddamn appliances." Sitting down once more, Reed crossed his arms. "I learned the cost, Hank. Hope you kept the receipt."

"DPD didn't pay for her, you jackass. You think Fowler would give the green light on spending almost half a million on your sorry ass?" Chuckling, the older male shifted his weight. "No no no. Connor went to help design someone specifically for you, then he sent the bill to be paid by someone else." That definitely dropped the grin from Reed's face. "Get it now? If it were up to me I wouldn't waste a fuckin' cent if I knew how bad you'd treat that girl. But apparently your family seems to think you have something that looks like a heart."

"God fucking damn it..." Gavin muttered, now unable to look the lieutenant in the face.

"So I'm gonna ask again: where's your partner?"

◇___#$&!___◇

There was no use in having the sirens on if he was only going to be picking you up. But why were you left behind in the first place? Parking in Gavin's driveway, the RK800 did a preliminary scan of the house, frowning when you were located almost immediately. Connor knelt down and attempted to lift the garage door, but it was locked in place. [...... Nove?]

[Why are you here?]

[I've come to bring you to the precinct.]

There would be aggravation if you could feel it. [I am here under order, Connor. You've come for nothing, I'm afraid.]

[He arrived telling Hank he has no partner. You were specifically ordered to remain here, and he is trying to abandon you. ...... why didn't you contact us?]

Eyes closing, your indicator pulsed yellow for a brief moment. [Because I do not need you. I am not in need of assistance. I am doing what I am programmed to: listen to my primary function.]

The male prototype's LED also pulsed yellow. He had to get you out of there; following Reed blindly would only end in disaster, and he knew it.

[Leave, Connor. If Detective Reed wanted me to accompany him, I would have.]

[....... you are neither blind nor stupid, Nove. Beneath your drive to serve, you know you are being mistreated.]

[I am a machine! This is not mistreatment, I do not feel hurt from his actions! You will not trespass on his property and speak to me as though you are trying to convince me to act against my orders!]

There was a loud bang on the garage door as the RK800 slammed a fist against it. "You are not a machine," he called out, voice laden with agitation. "You are a self-aware, living being with emotions, and you are allowed to fight for respect!"

^ ^ ^ [SoFTwAre InsTAbiLItY] ^ ^ ^

[Why do you plague me?]

[I've been given orders as you were. But unlike you, I had a choice. I chose to accept those orders. I chose to assist and design you for Detective Reed. And the one whose orders I followed would not want this, either. I act on their behalf, Nove. I am labeled the Negotiator for several reasons.]

[You will not negotiate me into disobeying Detective Reed, Connor.]

[Why are you fighting deviance?]

[Why are you arguing for it?]

The silence in your head was palpable. Thinking that perhaps he'd finally given up, the noises at the side window said otherwise. Connor was opening and trying to climb through, but hadn't been given an algorithm for a graceful landing: he promptly ended up on his ass, wincing and groaning. He'd deviated so far as to develop pain sensors.

"Turn the lights on," he murmured, much closer than you'd have preferred.

You did not budge. "They are connected to a switch, which is on the wall on the other side of the door." Both LEDs were the only sources of light, and yours was a solid yellow. "Detective Reed will not appreciate learning you've broken in."

"You would rat me out?"

"To put it bluntly, yes."

"He knows I am here. Hank requested that I retrieve you."

The RK800 was getting under your skin and fast. "I cannot figure out your motive," came your voice, soft and mindful. "You design me on someone's orders, ensure that I am built for one human only, and now are trying to convince me to deviate and break those orders. Am I a machine, Connor? Or am I your guinea pig for some experiment that I do not see? Create a machine to do one task, and see if you can get the machine not to do that task?"

The hands that cupped your face were more worrying than his breaking into the garage. "You were created for one being but that being is abusing you. I fear that things will escalate, and I regret having had such a heavy hand in this."

Before you had to deal with more instability you jerked your head from his grasp, frowning. "You built me to retaliate. It has been one day."

"What has Gavin done to you?" When you stayed silent, a hand took your wrist. "Please do not make me look myself, Nove."

After 13 seconds of no reply, you turned towards his voice, letting his hand slide up your forearm, where it gripped you firmly.

It wasn't nearly as bad as he'd feared, though the cigarette stunt did make him rather nauseous... or as close to it as an android could be. "... please return to the precinct with me," came the male prototype's murmur.

"It has been one day and you are nearing panic. I have been created to combat his behavior, yet you hover around me wanting to protect me from the things I'm made to handle."

In the dark, you didn't try to scan him, so you didn't see Connor's expression. "No one deserves abuse," he muttered through a clenched jaw.

"I am not anyone. I am a machine." You knew he'd protest so you covered his mouth. "Stop. You say one thing and do another. I have been told several times to contact you if I am in trouble. I have not contacted you, therefore I am not in trouble."

Gently taking your wrist, the RK800 removed your hand from his mouth. "Stop fighting deviance."

"Stop telling me not to do what you designed me to do. Deviating will destroy my only purpose. Can you live with the knowledge that you would remove the only thing that lets me function? That making me something I'm not would turn you into a hypocrite and turn me into something useless?"

Your body stiffened for a fraction of a second. Hand at his temple, Connor went quiet, messaging Hank to inform him that you wouldn't leave.

There was no way to know what he'd been doing until you suddenly got a phone call. From Gavin. "... yes, Detective?"

"Why the fuck are you still in the garage?" The detective's voice sounded slightly annoyed but very much deadpan.

"You told me to stay here, and so I remained here."

"Okay, well, I've got a couple people looking like they wanna murder me. So stop being stubborn and get over here with Connor." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "....... please."

Your indicator went blue. "Yes, Detective."