Chapter Text
“Adam?”
“Let me in, Adam.”
“I know you’re in there.”
“I’m only being polite here, you know.”
“Adam?”
The door swung open swiftly, revealing a shirtless and very groggy looking Adam Jensen.
“May I ask what business my boss has in the apartment building of his employee?”
He was fuming, for some odd reason. The reason being odd, David chose to ignore it.
“May I come in?” Jensen was a wild dog, but still, he was a dog.
“You may.”
They were getting somewhere.
“It’s your apartment after all.”
Or not.
“You can’t say those things, Jensen.” He snapped, because he had to.
“Whatever you say, boss.”
David stood at the threshold eyeing his employee, who seemed to be doing everything to avoid his look, and further, to act as if he could care less about his boss’ presence there. Jensen was a difficult person all together, but with recent developments…
It saddened him really. So, he accepted it and moved on.
“You haven’t settled in yet.” The boxes and general disorder spoke of more than that, but he bit his tongue.
“Haven’t the time.”
“Oh? You know you should be relaxing right?”
“Yeah. Relaxing is what I’ve been doing.”
David stood in the living room watching Adam loiter about uselessly in the kitchen.
“Can you make us coffee?”
“Haven’t the aug for that, but I’ll do my best.”
“Jensen.”
“Boss.”
Staring down wasn’t gonna do it. So, he sighed his sigh, sat on the couch and picked up the nearest book. Something about children in crime. The machinegun on the table was making it hard to concentrate. What Jensen was going through was beyond bad. But leaving guns and ammo randomly in an apartment, in times when the concept of security means less than nothing, forgoing basic cop instincts…
“Here.”
“Thank you, Adam.”
Silence, while the man seated himself at his desk, back turned and shuffling papers.
David took his time. He could be offended, but he wasn’t. A long time ago he learned the importance of naming your true emotions. Once you knew them, they couldn’t control you. They did their thing and you did yours. Right then he was: angry. But underlying the anger was: sadness. And maybe beyond that was: despair? He wasn’t sure about that one.
So he drank, while the paper shuffling became more and more erratic.
“If you’re here to check up on your apartment, I assure you I’m not taking down any walls soon.”
He was stepping out of line, though.
“But you did break a mirror, didn’t you?”
Adam jolted. Serves him right.
“I’ll have it fixed.”
He set down his cup.
“Sit with me, Adam.”
“I’m sitting right now.”
“Here, son.”
“I’m not your son!” He snarled. His most trusted employee, undeniably most important, and, dare he think it, his most beloved, actually snarled at him, mouth twisted and teeth bared, the whole nine yards.
Anger, again. More of that despair. Sadness was a constant by now.
Alright then. He took his cup back and sat some more. Heard Jensen turn again to his make-believe work.
“I never lost my arm, Adam. I had it cut off.”
Now he had his attention.
“Back in college, you know that Darrow and I were friends, right? Whatever he is now, back then he was… He was and is a genius, but he was also… A hero of sorts for me. He was always a step ahead, you know. I was a follower. I relied on him for assurance and help with my work. I was naïve. Thought he was the future. But he wasn’t. Isn’t.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“To make a point, Adam.” It was his turn to raise his voice.
“Darrow made us possible. But Darrow was always confined. He thought in terms of how to help mankind. Not how to better it.”
“Yeah, that’s so boring, right?”
“I cut my arm off to prove something to myself. To answer my own question. Is my cause worthy? And I got my answer. What do you think’s the answer Jensen?”
“That you’re right and augs are really bitchin’.”
“That transcendence is possible. That we are more than flesh and blood. That my very soul is capable of going above and beyond phenomena. “
“I’m not following.”
“Of course you’re not, Adam. You’re not following because you forget you were dead. You were actually dead. And I gathered a group of great men and women and told them bring him back, and bring him stronger, and they did, Adam. They re-created you out of a beating heart and brain waves. Your soul tied you together.”
“Vicious experimental surgery brought me back! What I had left of my body was cut to accommodate your augs, not the other way, not how it’s supposed to be! You put blades in my arms, David! You didn’t save anyone, you made me into a monster on a leash, your leash!” Adam raged. The chair thumped against the wall and he stood staring ready to pounce. This was it, actually. This was the despair.
David stood and approached him. Placed his hands on his arms.
“Then kill me, Adam. Or if you’d like, cut my hands off. You can do it. Just a thought and those blades will be through my metal and flesh. Both will be useless. Or just cut off my head, I won’t stop you, I promise. Cut my head off and hide it real good, or boil it, burn it, do it anywhich way you’d like, they won’t be able to reanimate me without my head. Hell, you can drink out of my skull if you’d like.”
Sweat beaded on Adam’s forehead, eyes fervent and lips parted.
“I can send a little message to folks saying that I consent if you’d like. They’ll keep out of your hair, and this will be hushed up in-company. No fellow cops coming for you. Unemployment, yes, but Belltower would be happy to have you. How do you want it, Adam?”
Adam was scared.
“No.”
“Why not? Whatever security measure you need me do-”
“Let go, David!”
“You can push me away, Adam. You have the power. Why won’t you use it?”
Jensen instead stared down, silent and so, so destroyed.
David cupped his cheek with the augmented hand.
“Because you’re not that kind of man, Adam. I ordered those blades put there, because you’re not the kind of man to abuse them. You don’t hurt people. You’re a protector.”
“I failed them. Vasili, Declan, Nia… Megan. Dead. Because of me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Adam.” Both hands took his face, turned him with force to face him.
“And that’s what we have to find out. Why? Who? For what? Answers only we can take.”
Tears ran down retinal prosthesis.
“Will you help me, Adam?”
“I will.”