You're Not Alone in This World

Chapter η

Those few days off certainly were needed. Connor notified Andrea that the press was trying to get into the precinct to talk to her, only to be disappointed when they found out she wasn't there. So when she came back from the mini-hiatus, they had practically given up trying to talk with her. She could only imagine what kinds of things they would've asked.

"Welcome back, Lieutenant." Connor smiled when Andrea walked into the station.

"This is, what? The first time you took off for more than one day in a while. So wild." Hank mocked with a laugh as Andrea sat at her desk.

Andrea rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I had a bunch of work to catch up on. Because someone has been slacking." She teased with an added wink.

Hank coughed, his face suddenly getting serious. "Well, the case you've been assigned while you were gone should fit you well enough." He pursed his lips.

Andrea cocked her head at him, logging on to her terminal with furrowed eyebrows. Fit her well enough? What the hell did that mean? She opened up the newest case file assigned to her and blinked. There's been a string of android murders, seemingly unconnected at first since they all use different methods but inside each mouth of each android is a note written in thirium. In the name of the Goddess of Justice. She narrowed her eyes on the pictures. They were horrid. Wires sliced open and heads bashed in hard enough that the skin had retreated to show the glossy white underneath, torsos were disconnected to their legs.

Why would someone say she wanted this? Andrea wanted quite the opposite. She just wanted humans and androids to live in peace. She couldn't have that. At least, not right now.

Andrea glanced at Connor and Hank, biting the inside of her cheek. "Does the public... know anything?" She asked.

"No. Anything they think is pure speculation." Hank set his elbow on his desk as he watched Andrea. She was fairly private, god or not. Any personality she showed to their coworkers was partly because she had to.

Connor nodded at Hank, eyes slightly concerned. "To be fair, most humans think that the androids on the scene were simply seeing things. Which is practically impossible but it is the public consensus." If the world knew Gods were real, then their world perception would break. Andrea didn't want to be known. She just wanted to live among them like any other person would.

Andrea took a breath. She hoped Kamski wouldn't weigh in or that would ruin all hopes of keeping this quiet. Kamski had been staying quiet so far, only continuing his work to create updates and better cosmetics or androids and not much else but as the creator of androids, most humans would believe anything he said about them—

"Lieutenant Cartier! I need you in my office now!" Fowler's voice carried over into the bullpen.

Hank glanced from Fowler to Andrea with a lop-sided smirk. "Someone's in trouble." He teased.

"Hardly." Andrea looked at Hank, unimpressed as she stood up from her desk and walked to Fowler's office.

Connor tilted his head as he focused his eyes on Hank. "Has Andrea ever gotten in trouble before?"

"No." Hank laughed. Andrea had to be one of the best-behaved officers he and Fowler had ever encountered. "But she had punched Gavin a few times. Not in the precinct so... don't tell Fowler."

Connor let out a light laugh. Gavin likely deserved it.

Hank's eyes widened. "Did you just laugh?" For as long as he's been around Connor, he has never laughed. There would be the once-in-a-blue-moon occasion where Connor would say something is "amusing" but Hank had never heard him laugh.