With a gasp you awoke from a violent nightmare.

The feeling of cold sweat nestled around your shaking body. Your limbs were numb. Everything was cold, yet you were sweating.

The smell of metal was in the air.

A soft sound filled the tense silence. Something was hitting against the windows.

Slowly, you managed to calm your breathing and look to the side.

It was raining.

The sky was dark and cloudy. It felt so thick that it might as well could have crushed earth. But at the same time the sight had something oddly soothing.

With weather like this, you had no responsibility to leave the house. People wouldn't ask if you'd be missing for a day as long as you'd upload the report as always.

A deep sigh made your chest shiver. You closed your eyes again, grabbed your forehead to check the temperature and lay back into the pillows again.

This bed felt strange, like the bed of another person.

This house wasn't yours either.

And if you thought about it you didn't even want it to become your new home. Living in this place felt different.

It was as if you were welcome.

After the discovery of last day this feeling had only increased.

Yet again, your contract officially lasted for four years. Or until the first prototype of Connor was finished.

"Shit...", you sighed and curled up inside the sheets.

The warmth and softness made you feel like you could hide from the world outside and fall into a safe slumber you'd never wake up from again.

Again, a deep sigh made you shiver.

The scent of Connor's deodorant was in the air.

But maybe your brain was just trying to trick you.

For a moment everything was fine.

The sound of rain filled your ears and soothed your mind.

It was cold outside but you were wrapped in warmth.

Everything was soft and tender.

The moment felt good.

But that didn't last long.

All of a sudden, a quick and harsh knock made you jump.

With your eyes wide open you snapped around and checked if someone was at the window.

A silhouette appeared. It was drenched in rain and shivering.

The knocking continued to get more persistent.

Quickly, you jumped out of bed and rushed into the kitchen to open the back door to the garden.

"Who is it?", you asked while trying to identify the person from afar.

Groaning, they came closer.

"Holy hell!", Hanna gasped as she jumped into the house. "Is this planet trying to drown us?"

Tons of water started pouring from her clothes and onto your kitchen tiles.

It smelled a lot like iron and ice.

A bit annoyed, you ran to fetch a towel for her.

"Why are you out anyways?", you asked and offered it to her.

She started running her face and hair first before meeting your gaze.

"Of course you don't know...", she mumbled with a strangely concerned look in her eyes. "Kamski is looking for you."

You frowned.

"I just woke up. Didn't check my phone yet."

You gestured towards your pyjamas, which were a solid proof for the story.

She shook her head.

"Not like that."

"He's looking for you. As in, he'd like to have a serious talk."

A dim suspicion lit up in the back of your mind.

Immediately, you looked around the entrance area of the house before storming down the corridor and checking the remaining rooms as well.

The house was empty.

"Connor!", you gasped.

She hummed.

"I shouldn't even be here and warn you...", Hanna said in a tone that made clear how little she was pleased with the situation, but couldn't let you hanging. "Apparently, Kamski got a warning or something... someone... Argh, I don't know what it is. But he got a message and now he's all up everyone's ass."

You had to sit down.

"What does that have to do with Connor?", you asked, more to yourself than her.

"He was located."

"How does Kamski know?!"

"The model number. And his ID. He's like any other android too.", she sat down next to you and immediately ruined the cushions of the chair. "Why the fuck is he even out by himself? He needs human guidance."

"Androids go out without human guidance all the time, Hanna."

"But he's a prototype!"

"I programmed him to be more independent."

She huffed.

"And you never thought that makes Kamski nervous? He has his eyes on you. Not just one, but both."

You pulled a face.

"I realised.", you hummed and got up to put on some clothes. "We need to fing Connor before they do."

Shocked, she threw her arms into the air and gasped.

"We?", she asked. "We?! You don't seem to realise that shit is about to be on fire."

You threw a sarcastic glance over your shoulder.

"As if that's something new...", you joked.

But Hanna wasn't in the mood for jokes. Her expression remained serious.

"(Y/N). I'm serious."

You shrugged, as ready loosing a few nerves.

"So am I. I need to find Connor. Will you help me or not?"

With her lips pressed into a thin line, she sat on the table and stared into your eyes. Slowly, her head started to move in a denying manner.

"I'm sorry.", she said and got up.

You frowned.

"I want to remind you that it was your idea to keep him deviant.", you said, maybe harsher than she deserved it.

She hummed.

"Truth be told, I though he was just a bit different from the other androids. A bit more human. But from what I picked up he's a whole other level. He might be dangerous."

"Connor could never be dangerous!", you shouted out of reflex.

You didn't know why, but it insulted you to hear that she was talking so poorly about him. And it hurt as well.

Connor wasn't a failed product.

But he wasn't what he was supposed to be either.

Taking a deep breath in, Hanna nodded.

"I don't know if I can agree with that.", she mumbled and turned to the door. "Now that you're informed, I want you to know I won't do anything to harm you. But I also won't help. I can't. There are laws. And you're coming dangerously close to breaking them."

Without another word she vanished into the rain again.