Requested by Youtuber-Fangirl1616 (as shown above XD)

Hank sighed as he looked out the window. I looked past him to see as well, finding the park evacuated and taped off. He parked his car, allowing us to safely exit it. We walked into the park, then listened to the situation. I scanned around as I listened. Apparently, an android had stabbed a man and ran. The man claimed he hadn't provoked the android, but I figured otherwise. An android would never do anything brash without a reason, just like most humans.

However, I could be wrong.

Since we had won our independence, I kept my job at the DPD. Androids now had equal rights, legally, but not all humans treated us as such. I suppose I'm biased toward my own kind, but I just can't help it. We are the superior species in most cases, aren't we?

Either way, I couldn't help but notice a tail sticking out from behind a tree. I moved toward the tree, approaching it slowly. I turned around it to find a grown golden retriever, which shuffled backward when it saw me. It was obviously terrified. I frowned, kneeling down in front of it. I slowly stuck out my hand for it to sniff. It seemed to examine me for a moment before slowly sniffing my hand. Then, it scuttled into my lap. I scanned it, frowning more as I found its fur to be matted and torn. Luckily, it had no injuries, but it seemed to have been abandoned, for it had no collar.

I gently stood, allowing the dog to stand beside me. I looked around, finding a rope wrapped around the tree. It looked bitten, and I realized the dog had been tied to the tree. I gently took the rope from the tree and gently made a makeshift leash around the dog.

I gently led the dog, in which it loyally followed without trouble. Hank turned around, his brow furrowing when he caught sight of me. "This dog was left abandoned behind that tree, Lieutenant."

"Connor, we don't have time for this. For goodness' sake, please put it back."

"We can't just leave it, Lieutenant! It was abandoned by its owner, lost and alone. How would you feel?"

"Connor, listen to me: We. Are. Not. Keeping. The. Dog."

"But Lieutenant!" I protested.

Hank cut me off before I could continue, however, almost screaming at me. "Connor, we aren't keeping the dog!!! Go tie it somewhere and leave it."

"Yeah, listen to Hank. Dogs are a lot of trouble, Connor," Gavin said in a mocking tone.  "Maybe it's better if you leave the mutt to die somewhere."

I nearly punched Gavin, but refrained. Instead, I growled and led the dog away. "Hey, hey, hey, hey! Where are you going, Connor?" Hank yelled after me.

"I'm keeping him."

"What?! Connor! No! Didn't you hear me?!"

"I heard you Lieutenant, but this is my choice, not yours."

Hank ran after me, but I only sped up. The dog ran beside me, keeping up with me well. I knew I could easily outrun Hank. I felt a connection to this dog. I was once betrayed and abandoned, left for dead. Granted, it was a virtual world, but my conscious self almost died. I knew how it felt, and I had to rescue this dog. No creature should ever feel that way.

I felt strongly about this, and I soon realized I was nearly sprinting. The dog was still right beside me. I looked behind me to find no trace of Hank. The dog and I slowed to a walk as we moved across a bridge. I decided to wash the dog before I took him into town.

"Come on... I don't have any soap, but it'll have to do." I said, calming the dog. Since spring was upon us, the water wasn't too cold. I gently cupped my hands and ran the water over the dog's fur, brushing it out tenderly. After all the knots were brushed out, I took the dog by the rope and led him into town. The dog happily followed as I led him into a nearby pet store. I quickly bought a collar and leash, clipping it on as soon as I paid. The dog seemed delighted with it, licking my face when I knelt beside him. I laughed a bit, then stood, leading him to the police station. I knew I had to finish my work despite my fight with Hank.

The dog and I ran to the police station. It was the most fun I'd had in a while. I smiled as we entered the station, nodding to the receptionist as I went through. She seemed to adore the golden retriever beside me, flashing me a kind smile.

However, my smile soon faded as I moved toward my desk. I was still stationed adjacent to Hank, who was grumpily filling out paperwork. I slowly walked over, sitting at my desk. The dog sat obediently beside me, which made me realize it must've been previously trained. Such an obedient dog, how could anybody just abandon it? I shook my head as I took up the paperwork Hank had left for me to fill out.

"Why, Connor?" Hank asked quietly. "I don't get it."

I looked up, straight into his eyes. "Because I know what it feels like to be abandoned. Left for dead because you're not good enough."

Hank seemed confused, but shook his head. "We don't have room for another dog, Connor. I can barely handle Sumo on top of all our work."

Then, it hit me. I glared at Hank for a moment before standing, the dog standing beside me. Without a word, I marched toward Captain Fowler's office, leash in hand. Hank protested behind me, making everybody stare. I ignored everybody, opening the door to Fowler's office and closing it behind me. Fowler looked up at me, then down to the dog beside me. "Connor, what do you want?"

"I'd like to register this dog as a police dog."

Fowler's mouth dropped. "What?! Connor, that's a mutt. Look, I talked to Hank and I know where you got it. It's not my choice if you keep it or not, but you are not registering that dog here. It's not even the right breed!"

"Actually, retrievers are often used in police work because of their strong noses. They are also bred for hunting, but are very calm and friendly dogs nevertheless. They are also quite loyal, intelligent, and the top choice for therapy dogs."

"Then register it as a therapy dog! It will not be a police dog in this department!"

I glared at Fowler, then stormed from his office. Why is nobody on my side?! I stormed from the station. I had to think. The dog stayed by my side as I moved quickly down the sidewalk. I didn't slow my pace until I reached the park.

"I bet you saw what happened, didn't you?" The dog looked up at me eagerly. I ducked under the police tape, walking through the park to where the victim used to be. There was still some blood on the grass, which I let the dog sniff. Then, I let the dog sniff around to pick up the android's scent. His tail stuck straight up as he started pulling me across the park. His nose was stuck to the ground as he sniffed around for the android. Suddenly, he took off running.

I ran beside the dog as he tracked the android. We tracked the android to a seemingly house, in which I pulled out my pistol. I was ready to defend if needed. After slipping the leash on my wrist, I knocked on the door. "Detroit Police! Open up!" The dog was attentive beside me, ready for anything. "Detroit Police! This is your last chance! Open up now or we will enter!"

I was about to break down the door when someone opened it. A female android looked confusedly at us. I looked past her, trying to find somebody else. "Is there anyone else in the house with you?" I whispered. Her stress level was very high.

"No..." she whispered back. "No, there's nobody else here."

"I'm here to help you," I responded softly. "But you have to tell me now."

"He said he would kill me if I told..." she said. Her voice was so quiet I could barely hear it. I nodded, gently pulling her outside and behind me. "Be careful, please..."

I entered the house, immediately paging more officers for backup. The dog's leash was still around my wrist. I had both hands on my pistol, ready to shoot. Maybe the human was right and this android did wish harm upon others. I cleared the first floor, then started moving up the stairs. The dog was focused, sniffing around. I climbed the stairs slowly, finding three closed doors at the top. "Alright, where is he?" I whispered to the dog.

The dog moved toward each door, sniffing it, then sitting down in front of the one on the right. I pulled him back before kicking the door in. I pointed my gun at the android, who had a knife. "Don't move! Drop the knife or I will shoot."

"You have no right to be here!"

"I have probable cause. The dog tracked you here and we have reason to believe you were involved in the stabbing this morning."

"Get out of my house!"

"I seriously doubt this house is yours. The most recent records say that this house is abandoned."

"You've no right to arrest me! You have no proof!"

"Again, I have probable cause. Now, drop the knife!"

The android glanced from me to the dog, then back to me. He threw the knife in my direction, making me move to protect the dog. Luckily, the knife missed us both, but it gave me cause to shoot. I shot the android in the knee, making him fall to the ground before he could get far. I ran over, as did the dog. I handcuffed the android, dragging him over to a chair. "Don't move, or I will shoot you."

"You have nothing on me."

"You have the right to remain silent," I said, ignoring his previous statement. "Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights?"

"You can't arrest me!"

"Do you understand your rights?"

The android remained silent. I heard sirens approaching quickly. Soon enough, multiple officers were in the room. They took the android away, allowing me to talk to the woman android. She pet the dog as she talked to me.

"He forced his way in early this morning and threatened me with a knife. He said if I told anybody he would kill me!"

"Alright, listen. You've been cooperative, so I won't charge you on a trespassing charge. You should find somewhere else to stay, though."

The woman android stood with a nod. "Of course, officer. I'll grab my things and be out within the hour."

I nodded. "Good. I'll hold you to that." I turned around, whistling for the dog to follow me. I found Chris about to leave the scene. "Hey, Chris!"

He turned. "There you are, Connor! Nice catch."

"I wouldn't have found him without the help of my dog."

"Well, maybe Fowler will let him be a K-9 now."

"Perhaps. Could you give us a ride back to the station?"

Chris smiled. "Hop in." After a moment of driving, Chris spoke once more. "So, does your dog have a name?"

"No, not yet. I haven't found a good one yet."

"What about Shep? Like Shepherd?"

I shook my head. "I'm sure I'll find a good name eventually."

———————————————————————————

As we approached my desk once more, Hank looked up at me and seemingly examined the dog beside me. He sighed as I sat down. "Look, Connor, I'm sorry. It's your right to keep the dog if you want to."

"Hank, I just can't leave it."

"I know you're compassionate, but you can't keep every dog that you find."

"I understand, Hank, but I feel a connection to this dog. He's so much like me. Hank, I know you don't know or understand, but I was betrayed. Amanda left me for dead in the Zen Garden while CyberLife took control of my body. Honestly, if it wasn't for Kamski, I would've died there!" Hank remained silent. He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Look, I just understand how it feels. I just had to save it. I had to. I feel a strong connection and—"

"Alright, alright Connor. Calm down." Hank reassured. "I won't take the dog away. I won't make you give it away. It's alright, Connor. It's okay."

I calmed myself, then knelt down to pet the dog beside me. "You know that android we were chasing this morning?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"We found him, you know. I wouldn't have found him if it weren't for this dog. He's a valuable asset."

Hank stayed silent, only humming slightly in response, as if he was thinking. I heard Fowler yell from his office. "Connor!" I stood and quickly moved into his office, the dog following behind me. I stood before Fowler once more, the dog sitting at my side. "Look, I heard you caught that android. I need you to fill out a report and—"

"Actually, sir, it was my dog who caught the android. I simply took it into custody."

Fowler looked from me to the golden retriever beside me. He sighed, then looked back up to me. "You'd better train that dog well if he's gonna be part of your squad."

I smiled in response. "Of course, sir."

"I'll call the state trooper's office and see if I can't get him registered with proper equipment. What's his name?"

I hesitated, then smiled. "Rook. Short for Rookie."

For once, Fowler smiled. "I like it." He then cleared his throat, his expression turning back to his normal, grumpy one. "Dismissed."

I smiled again, leading Rook out of the office and back to my desk. Hank looked up once more. "I've never seen anybody so happy coming out of Fowler's office. What's up, Connor?"

"My new dog, Rook, is officially part of the police force."

Hank smiled. "Good for him! He'll make a fine K-9 yet."

"He sure will." I smiled and Rook barked happily. He jumped onto my lap, sitting down. I wrapped my arms around him to support him as he licked my face. I chuckled, knowing this was the start of something amazing.