More Than A Machine || Connor x Reader D:BH

19| Loss

2022

Mount Canobolas

Australia

"Mum! Look over here!" (Y/N)'s voice yelled over to her mother. She complied, watching her daughter's attempt to skate across the frozen over lake.

"I'm looking, sweetheart! You're doing great!" She yelled to her daughter, both of them with faces of glee. They were up at Canobolas for the girl's 10th birthday, even though they had to wait until it was Winter to visit so there'd be snow. As gifts she received an invitation to visit one of the local police stations, & a silver bracelet, which she wore on her wrist underneath her coat. She was a lively young girl, & her mother loved her more than anything. She cherished her like she was the equivalent of eternal life.

(Y/N) steadied her posture, keeping her hands out to each side for balance as she smiled brightly at her mum, who smiled back. She couldn't feel prouder of her little girl, who in 3 years' time would be going to high school. She wished (Y/N) would stay like this forever, her baby girl who she'd drop off to school with a hug & embarrass her with a lecture about not getting a boyfriend until she was at least 32.

Yep, things were certainly going great.

(Y/N) pulled to a halt, looking at her only present parent. "When's dad going to be back from Queensland?" Her mother frowned at the mention of her father, who was rather distant towards the ten-year-old.

"In two weeks' time, honey. He'll be there to give you his present." The little girl's smile returned.

She didn't want to tell (Y/N), but she was in a rough patch with her father after the incident that occurred before the girl was born. He kept bringing it up & (Y/N)'s mother would always tell him to drop it around the child.

"Why don't we head back to the hotel, hm? I have something I want to show you."

"Okay!" The girl stumbled around the snow in her skates, taking hold of her carer's hand.

She could recall the fights she'd had with her husband as they made their way back to the hotel, how they both fought over the child's future.

She didn't want (Y/N) to experience that in a relationship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You worked in Detroit?!" (Y/N) almost yelled as her mother showed her the photo of her old force.

"Well, when I was very young, but yes." At a young age (Y/N)'s mum moved with her own parents to Detroit.
"That's sooooooo cool!" She yelled again, her mother shushing her whilst laughing.

"(Y/N) shh! You'll wake up everyone in the hotel you goofball."

She held her little girl in her arms, smiling. Nothing could ruin the moments & bonds formed by mother & daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2035

Australia

"Oh- Oh my god, Hank... I am so, so sorry." (Y/N) heard her mother's sympathetic voice.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"(Y/N), sweetie, go to your room." She pressed a hand against the phone's microphone so Hank couldn't hear her instruct her daughter. She went back upstairs, waiting with Blue.

Her mum entered the room with a hand to her chest, tears welling in her eyes, the German Shepherd looked at the woman with concern.

"That was Hank...(Y/N), honey...Do you remember Cole?"

"Y-Yeah....He was his son, right?"

She almost started crying again on the spot.

"Well, sweetie...." (Y/N)'s mum sat down on her daughter's bed next to her.

"While Hank was driving..."

"Mum, I can handle whatever needs to be said..." (Y/N) urged. Her mum placed a hand over hers.

"A truck skidded on some ice...It hit the Anderson's car & their vehicle rolled over. Little Cole needed emergency surgery, but the human operator wasn't available...so an android had to.."

"M-Mum...What are you saying?"

"Cole...." She wiped the tear from her daughter's eye.

"Cole didn't make it, honey...He- He passed away last night."

Although (Y/N) never met the boy, her heart shattered into a thousand pieces. He was so young, he was six years old for Christ's sake. She leaned into her mother's embrace, tears streaming down both of their faces.

They say karma is a bitch,
so the world better have something good in store for Hank after what he was put through.

What (Y/N) didn't yet know, was that Hank wasn't the only person who'd lose a loved one's life that year,
but she didn't expect it to be her,

she didn't expect to lose her own parents.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2036

Detroit

Everything felt so new, so different, & (Y/N) loved every colour that was flooding into her senses. This was where she was meant to be. Carefully steering her dog & left-over luggage out of the cab, she looked at her new house, awaiting the moving van. She thought of all the experiences she'd have, the moments she'd share, all inside this bare house.

"We have some work to do, huh bud?" The dog wagged his tail in response.

New country,

New city,

New job,

New life.