(Y/N)'s P.O.V.

I was still shaking, now due to the fear of losing everything I had worked for. The past few days, my years spent locked up by CyberLife. I would have to go back. My eyes met Connor's, sole confusion in his gaze. I felt my mouth go dry once more, as guilt knawed at my heart.

"Fuck, (Y/N) are you an android? A deviant?" Hank inched closer, pressing the matter.

Automatically, I stepped back, tearing my hand out of Connor's fingers. In fear, I held it close to my body. Lying would have no point. Telling the truth would lead to me failing my mission. What choice was I supposed to make?

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. "No, I am not."

Connor still blankly stared at me, causing me to feel even worse. Just when I had somehow gotten closer to him, I had been disclosed as well. Hank already stood next to the android, suddenly gasping.

"If you are telling the truth then..."

I anxiously waited for him to finish his sentence, my body freezing.

"Hank? Detective (Y/N)?! Are you back here?" Ben Collins' voice interrupted us, hence I cringed. They must've noticed how we had been gone for a long time. Now it definitely was over.

My head spun, as I stared at the entrance to the warehouse, panicking. What to do next? Run away like all the deviants? To live a life, having to constantly hide? That was not who I was. I loved working with my team, bringing justice to those who actually needed to be served some. I had given in to affection once more. I had developed feelings for Connor. My eyes shot over to him, watching his LED still blinking yellow. I could never disappear into the shadows with all of this on my mind.

I gulped, hearing footsteps in the background. Out of nowhere, I saw Connor stepping closer to me, taking off his jacket. Bewildered by his sudden move, I didn't react, even as he put it around my shoulders.

"Use it to hide your hand." He whispered into my ear while his head was directly next to mine. I felt a blush rise on my cheeks, which was utterly inappropriate for the situation.

Hank walked up the few stairs into the warehouse again, holding off officer Collins before he reached the spot where I was standing.

"The android escaped but (Y/N) got hurt. We'll take her to the hospital now. Connor, bring her over!"

I felt Connor's arm moved around my shoulder, as he carefully lead me up the stairs, covering my left side even though I had his jacket already. I was still shocked, whereas I stayed quiet.

"God, what's wrong?" Officer Collins was about to get closer to me but Hank quickly stepped in between.

"It's nothin' too serious but we'll still leave now."

Turning to us, he said, "Let's go."

We continued to pass through the warehouse, as Hank yelled back, "I'll write the damn report later, before you start askin'!"

With those words, we left the Eden Club.

. . .

Sitting in the back of the car, I was still speechless. Both my partners had just protected me from being exposed. Why though?

Connor started the engine of my vehicle and started to drive away from the club. The more distance we got in between us and that place, the more tension dissipated from my body.

"You don't actually need to bring me to a hospital. I'll just pull this thing out and the wound will quickly heal." I finally said, not wishing to go to any public place.

"You still owe us an explanation (Y/N)." Hank's words repeated inside my mind.

I sighed, "I know. I promise to tell you to but please let us go somewhere away from all the other people."

I waited for an answer and then the lieutenant spoke up once more. "Fine. Connor, I'll tell you where to drive."

. . .

November 7th, 2038
01:19 am

We arrived at some isolated park, as Hank told Connor to stop the car. I stared outside, some snow falling down from the sky, reminding me of my current mood. Dropping even faster. Hank opened his door and stepped outside, hence I did the same just like Connor. I had waited with removing the screwdriver since I did not want any blue blood in my car, even if it would eventually disappear from my sight. The memory of the moment I had been exposed would linger.

Connor and I trailed behind Hank, who headed for a bench, which was close to a river and bridge. He sat down on the backrest, as I sat down next to him, while Connor stood in front of us.

"Ah, you probably want your jacket back, don't you?" I weakly smiled at Connor.

Honestly, I enjoyed his scent surrounding me, yet I was sane enough not to admit that. Before I could take the clothing off, the android raised his hand, signalizing me that it was all right. In silence, I nodded.

"So (Y/N), where's the explanation?" Hank asked, eyeing me.

I glanced at his face, seeing curiosity and slight disappointment in his orbs. Sighing, I averted my gaze, looking to the side.

"To be honest, I don't even know where to start..." I admitted.

Using the chance, I gripped the screwdriver and pulled it out my skin, slightly wincing. While my pain endurance limit was higher for these parts of my body, I still perceived aches like everyone else. I felt both Hank's and Connor's gaze on my hand, as the wound slowly closed itself, covered by the robotic skin.

I exhaled, directing my gaze at the far away sky above us. "Back when I was a child, I got into an accident and lost both of my legs plus my left arm."

There was not even a single noise around us, as I kept talking. "One day, some people found me and after I had been brought to the hospital they didn't know what to do with me since I had no parents anymore. That was when CyberLife discovered me."

I peeked at Connor, whose LED was once again turning yellow. "They basically adopted me and wanted to use me to test one of their newest ideas. The limbs I had lost, they replaced with parts of an android."

For a moment, I deeply exhaled. "I seriously have no clue how they even managed to connect my nerve system to the robotic legs and the arm but somehow their experiment was successful. From then on, I was kept in one of their laboratories here in Detroit and raised by a few scientists. I agreed on becoming a detective and after many years, when the deviant cases appeared, they let me go and gave me the chance to prove my worth."

I turned to Connor, addressing him. "You're probably asking yourself, why there was no data about me in your system. The people who created you took care of me as well and did that on purpose. They wanted my identity to remain a secret to be able to silently observe how I performed. On top of that, CyberLife intended to watch over our teamwork Connor. They wanted to see how well their newest inventions collaborated."

A sad smile appeared on my lips. "I'm sorry for not having told the both of you. I knew that once the secret was out, I would be locked away by CyberLife again. I couldn't risk that. Not after I had finally obtained my freedom."

I tentatively lowered my head, feeling ashamed. "You don't need to keep this to yourselves now though, I will pay for my mistakes..." I mumbled.

Carrying a secret around would only cause Hank trouble and the way Connor was programmed I was positive he would probably tell CyberLife. I knew Connor was more than a machine, yet I also was aware of the fact how much he fought against any kind of emotion.

"You were the child I saved in 2027. The one involved in a case with Red Ice." Hank's voice tore me out of my trance, whereas I looked up at him, my eyes wide open due to the shock.

"You were part of the Red Ice task force back then..?" I uttered underneath my breath, fully nonplussed. The grey-haired man nodded.

"I can't believe those maniacs actually did that shit to you. Fuck, even your own father..."

I froze, being reminded of my dad. He had gone mad because of the drug influence, yes, but he hadn't hurt me unlike his buddies. He hadn't been the one to push me in front of that damn car.

"It wasn't his choice." I replied, firmly staring at Hank. After the incident, my father did bring me to his underground organisation. Yet he promised me to want to heal my body. Despite that, I had known back then that his friends simply wished to use my destroyed body for their enjyoment.

The lieutenant stayed silent for a second. "I knew that you somehow seemed familiar," he muttered.

I was bewildered that he still remembered me. Then again, how to forget seeing an 11-year old child with only one arm? That was an image that was hard to erase.

"I won't tell anyone. You've been through enough bullshit." Hank's answer caught me off guard.

I turned my head to look at him, tears in my eyes. Unconsciously, I stopped breathing, joy daring to spark within my chest.

"Really..?" I asked, needing an affirmation. He simply nodded.

Unable to hide my bliss, I hastily got up and tightly embraced the grey-haired man. There was something fatherly in his behavior, making me remember the good old times before my own dad had gone crazy. Somehow, I viewed Hank as another father. One that perhaps was cold on the outside but had a gentle heart.

"Thank you so much!" I whispered, slowly letting the lieutenant go. He awkwardly looked at me but I was able to spot a small smile lacing his lips.

Taking another breath, I now turned to Connor, who had been silent this whole time. I unsteadily looked at him, wishing that he would keep my secret to himself as well. Quite honestly, I was extremely scared of his reaction. I knew Connor adhered to his program so could he work against it? The android stared back at me, an ounce of sadness in his eyes.

"Look, I know this might be hard for you so it's-"

Before I could keep talking, he took a step towards me. "I will tell no one about this incident. This time, I will promise."

We were a few centimeters away from each other, causing me to feel his warmth from afar. His words reminded me of when I had asked him to take care of himself a bit more after he had almost been run over by a car. Not wanting to contain my delight anymore, I also embraced he android. I felt him stiffen in the hug but soon he wrapped his arms around my waist. His soft touch made me feel as if I was in heaven, absolutely amazing.

"Thanks Connor..." I mumbled into his ear, leaning my head onto his shoulder.

I wanted to enjoy this moment to its fullest extent. If I would already keep my feelings of love to myself, I wanted to revel in this embrace at least.

"I'll go get my beer." I heard Hank say in the background, footsteps soon following.

Neither Connor nor I broke the hug. I firmly closed my eyes, indulging in this heavenly sensation even more. The fact that the android had went against the algorithms in his program for me, made me perceive sheer elation.

It was then that I noticed how he had already refused to serve it before. Earlier when he didn't shoot the Tracis. When he helped Hank instead of pursueing the deviant.

I slightly gasped, a notion appearing inside of my mind.

Connor was a deviant himself.