[COMPLETED] Corrupted (Connor X Reader)

The back of Lieutenant Anderson's old car was not comfortable. Neither was the screeching heavy metal that he blared, but you tried to focus on that discomfort to distract you. Neither of them spoke to you all the way to the station - Lieutenant Anderson seemed content to listen to the cacophony of noise, while Connor pulled out a silver coin and began flipping it between his hands and across his knuckles. It was mesmerizing - he didn't even have to look at what he was doing, yet he never dropped it. You wanted to ask how long he'd been doing that for to figure out if it was a nervous tick or some fine motor calibration exercise or a mix of both, but before you could, Lieutenant Anderson confiscated the coin at a stoplight.

And then there was nothing to alleviate the growing feeling of dread all the way to the interrogation room. You must have watched too many cop shows because they didn't cuff you and chain you to the table, but there was a giant mirror against the wall that you struggled to avoid looking at.

The lieutenant didn't speak for a while. He settled into the chair opposite you and flipped through an honest-to-god manilla folder with paper inside it. That's probably just for show, you thought, only moments before he thrust a printed version of the photo you'd seen earlier in your direction.

"We've got three dead androids," He started, leaning towards you, "It would really help us out if you could hand over those records - let us know what the victim saw you for."

Why is he saying this again? Your eyes flickered to the mirror, They're recording this... aren't they. Avoiding the urge to bite your lip, you looked the lieutenant straight in the eyes.

"You asked me this earlier, but I can't just hand over those maintenance logs, Lieutenant." You didn't see the use in reliving the previous conversation just for whoever was watching on the other side of the glass.

Lieutenant Anderson leaned in even further. "I'm giving you the chance to help us figure out what happened. Once we know what kind of maintenance the victim received, I'll get out of your hair."

"And I'd be happy to help if you would just tell me who he was. I can figure out which log is his if you gave me his name," You replied, trying not to sound too irritated as you were forced to repeat yourself.

He hesitated and leaned back to scratch his beard. "I can't give you that information."

"Why not?"

"It's...part of the case."

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. "Well, then I can't help you. I'm not going to hand over all those other androids' logs without a warrant!"

Both of you stared at each other, unable or unwilling to give up more information. The hypocrisy of it wasn't lost on you - what, I'm expected to hand over a whole group of personal android maintenance logs, but they won't tell me the victim's name because it's part of their case?

Lieutenant Anderson waited a moment longer, but when he realized you weren't going to speak up, he shrugged and pushed off the chair to leave. "Well, you had the chance to do this the easy way."

Once the door clicked shut behind him, you let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding and glanced back down at the photograph of the three dead androids. What did they die from? You found yourself wondering, still creeped out by the lack of blue blood or evident wounds.

Someone else sat down in the chair across from you.

When you looked up from the photo, Connor's brown eyes drilled into you, with an almost accusatory glare. You felt your heart race, feeling vulnerable once you realized that Connor probably analyzed that.

"Hank may believe your excuse about protecting the androids' privacy, but I don't."

Your heart beat faster.

"In fact," Connor continued, leaning forward and never tearing his gaze away, "I think there's a different reason you don't want us to see those logs."

Why?... You stared back at his perfectly sculpted face, petrified. A chill rushed over your skin as Connor advanced. He was so close you could see the gold flecks in his irises.

"I think," He paused, as if daring you to speak up, "You don't want us to know how many androids you've shut down."

"What?!" You yelped, unable to stop yourself from glancing towards the mirror where you knew others were watching. "You think I...that I-I killed them?"

"How many androids?"

"N-None! I haven't killed anyone!"

"Three androids - All shut down!" Connor was out of his chair now, shoving the photograph in your face. "We know you worked on one of them, why not all three?"

"I-I didn't-"

Connor's artificial breath brushed your skin as he approached you again. "You reprogrammed him to shut down at a later time, once he was too far away to implicate you - you set him to corrupt his own memories so it couldn't be traced back to your little side business."

Fuck, you thought, unable to stop the panic from rising, Oh my God... You tried, and failed, to stable yourself with a deep breath.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Connor leaned in behind you, his hands on either side of yours on the table. You felt his lips brush your hair as you froze, unable to move or even breathe. "I noticed how your heart raced and your blood pressure rose when I interfaced with your computer," He whispered right against your ear, to be sure you wouldn't miss a word. "You panicked... Didn't you?"

It wasn't supposed to be like this - You just wanted to protect them.

"I didn't make those androids shut down," You insisted, unsure if your words even reached Connor as he circled the table.

"It must have been difficult - losing your job. You probably thought you were safe."

He's looking for a motive... you resisted the urge to bury your face in your hands as you realized where he was leading.

"Were you angry when you saw the news?" Connor's palms pressed into the table as he stood over you, "Angry that some malfunctioning machines ruined your promising career at CyberLife?"

You gritted your teeth. "We both know they weren't malfunctioning. Androids are alive. You are alive - Why are you saying this? If I thought they were just machines, I would have just turned over those logs when you asked me to the first time!"

With newfound courage, you met his eyes and returned his glare. If he wants to try and rile me up, let him. I'm not getting clumped into some stereotype - I'm risking myself to protect the privacy of my patients and all he sees is CyberLife. Connor's LED shifted to yellow under the intensity of your stare. Think about that, Connor.

Suddenly, his still-yellow LED pulsed, and his eyes unfocused for a moment. Who is he talking to? You wondered. You didn't have to wait long. A second later, Connor's LED turned blue and his eyes returned to you. Then, the corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile.

"We have our warrant," He announced, and without another word, he turned his back on you to leave the interrogation room.

Your eyes widened. "W-Wait! What are you going to do with me?"

Connor froze. Before he could reply, the door slid open, to reveal Lieutenant Anderson waiting, with his arms crossed. But instead of joining him right away, Connor hesitated. You could see his LED change back to yellow with the way his head was tilted towards you.

"I hope my partner's faith in your intentions isn't misplaced," Connor said, barely loud enough to be heard, "It would be nice if someone from CyberLife really was on our side."