Red flames and White Ashes: part 3
They called themselves the White Ashes. A minor drug trafficking group, they mostly consisted of wayward teenagers with the occasional young adult. The rumours go that they called themselves the White Ashes because one of the red ice makers botched up a batch, creating a white powder that looked like ash. It was either that or someone was a cricket fan. Hank didn't know which was true, if either were true. All he knew was that he agreed to ask his old contacts in the drug squad and now he had a new lead for Gavin. The victim and original perp both used to be members of the White Ashes. Perhaps they decided to send a message in the form of a fire.
Hank didn't have to do this. After all, Gavin was an asshole, and not the endearing kind like Connor was. He deserved to be knocked down a peg. That said, he couldn't help but feel at least a bit sympathetic. Having to work with a new partner on a bad case was a recipe for migraines.
He sent the e-mail detailing all the information that he picked up and waited. Then he waited some more. Eventually, he got tired of waiting and went to Jimmy's Bar (to Connor's disappointment) and watched the basketball there. The morning after, there was still no response. Hank found it weird. Gavin was, as stated before, an asshole but he was a professional asshole that replied to e-mails in minutes. Heaven knew Gavin was glued to his phone, there was no reason to not reply. It's not like Hank done anything recently to him.
Hank decided then that he should approach Gavin in person. He came early to the office (Connor had some errand to do so he wasn't with Hank) and headed straight for Gavin's desk but stopped in his tracks when he saw something curious. Gavin was mumbling under his breath, fixing up the android's new, very human clothes. Hank hid behind a corner and watched, curiosity filling his being.
"How old did you say you were again?" Gavin asked accusatorily.
"Less than a year old. Why?"
"No reason. I'm just trying to find out why the 'greatest android in the world' can't figure out whether their clothes are inside out or not."
"It's not my fault they look the same on both sides."
"You're supposed to look at the tag and seams, dickhead."
The RK900 scoffed derisively though its yellow LED betrayed his defeat.
When Gavin was done, he took a step back, raising his hands. "I'm not doing more than that."
"Thank you," The RK900 said stiffly. He wasn't designed to give compliments, even less genuine ones
Gavin's hand waved the android, his gaze suddenly moving from the android to a fly on the wall beside them. "Don't mention it," Gavin mumbled. "Literally. Don't mention it."
The two shared an uneasy look that Hank couldn't make heads or tails of. He decided now was the best time to intervene. "Gavin," he waved.
Gavin made a show of crossing his arms at Hank but he could tell Gavin wasn't actually upset. Today, he seemed to be posturing. "What now?"
"You get the e-mail I sent?"
"White Ashes, drug group, yeah, I got it," Gavin pointed his thumb at his android. "Dickhead here decided that he'd rather get dinged up for real rather than look like it."
Hank's brows furrowed in confusion. "What'd ya mean?"
"There are fears that the White Ashes will merge with a larger gang, possibly the Reds," the RK900 explained. "If that happens, they won't be such a minor threat. Action must be taken now rather than later, which is why I volunteered to infiltrate the organization and bring it down from the inside. It will both reduce the rising drug problems of the city and potentially give insight into our arson case."
"And unfortunately for me, this tin can is as stubborn as Connor. Won't listen to reason at all. If he's going to do this, I might as well make sure he doesn't stick out like a sore thumb so I let him…" he waved his hand weakly, "…borrow my old clothes."
Hank blinked. That seemed a little too nice for Gavin. Did he become fond of the android, or did he sabotage the clothing somehow? Both seemed equally likely in Hank's mind.
"I'd thank you again but you seem to react adversely to gratitude so…good riddance, Detective Reed."
Instead of lashing out, Gavin took it in stride. "Yeah, fuck you too," Gavin smirked.
The RK900 headed for the men's bathroom to change his clothes properly. Hank barely caught sight of a suppressed smile on Gavin's face. Something definitely happened between him and RK900.
"Want me to bring Connor?"
Gavin turned to Hank, clearly distracted. "What?"
"I said, do you want me to call Connor for this mission?" Hank asked.
"You wanna get Connor killed, be my guest."
"Gavin," Hank started.
"Look, you wanna get your pet killed, that's fine by me, but you gotta put it up with Fowler. He's the one who organised the squad. I'm on recon detail."
"Gavin," Hank repeated firmly. "What's up?"
Gavin grit his teeth in that way he did when he was pissed off. Hank expected to get an earful but then he heard the detective mutter something quietly to himself. Gavin looked up expectantly, saw Hank didn't hear, then rolled his eyes. "I still don't have any idea how the fire got lit."
"That all?"
Gavin bristled. "What do you mean 'that all'? A man's dead, there's no sign of forced entry, I've got an autopsy report saying the man was on antidepressants and red ice and nothing else, and the only two people who could've possibly light this fucker's place up are innocent." Gavin shook his head. "The only known associate of the White Ashes that visited our victim Michael Drew came by three days before the arson attack. Unless he set a bomb up somewhere that Michael somehow didn't know about, I doubt they're involved in the attack. And then there are the two sources of the flames."
Gavin scowled, one hand curled into a fist and slammed onto the desk with a thud. Hank knew Gavin got angry when a case wasn't going his way but there was something else. Something more. "What about the RK900?"
"What the fuck does it have to do with the case?"
"Don't give me the tough guy act. I know you're worried about it."
Gavin grimaced. "I don't care about it. I just don't want to have to deal with all the fees and paperwork and shit involved when the robot bites the dust."
Hank caught the tinge of concern in Gavin's voice that threatened to unravel his lie. Hank suppressed a smile. Much as Hank hated to admit it, Gavin was a lot more like him than he thought.
"At least there's one good thing about this shit," Gavin said.
"What's that?" Hank asked.
"I've got a walking charity case to dump all my ex's clothes on."
As if on cue, the RK900 emerged from the restroom, this time with his shirt on the right way around. Hank wondered what Connor would look like in an outfit like that, long leather jacket and ripped jeans and a plain t-shirt like that. They did have the same face and body, after all. It wasn't too much of a stretch of the imagination.
"May I just say your restrooms are filthy?" The RK900 said.
"And pray tell how it's related to me?" Gavin asked.
"Well considering how filthy these clothes you lent me are, I assumed there was a correlation."
The RK900 smirked, his signal to the humans that he was joking. Hank found his smile was not all that similar to Connor's. Despite the cruel, sarcastic tone he employed the RK900's smile was more humble, more heartfelt.
Gavin flashed his badge for the RK900 to see. "If you can read, you can clearly see it says detective, not janitor, dipshit. Or do I have to teach you how we investigate things here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," The RK900 said. "I took the liberty of looking over your old cases as part of my learning. You have a clear bias against androids and multiple disciplinary files made on you from both civilians and your fellow coworkers."
"Look, I get the criminals in the end. What does that matter?"
"Have you ever stopped and think this might be why you haven't been promoted to lieutenant already?"
Hank could see the faint shake of Gavin's hand. His face was slowly being filled with blood. The scar on his nose was turning a bright red.
"I thought not," the RK900 said. "This case had made it clear you're only capable of cooperating if it'll further your own selfish goals."
Gavin looked conflicted. Hank saw those bloodthirsty eyes, saw his hands squeeze tight by his side. Before he might have throttled the android then and there but Hank saw that something was holding him back. Gavin's nose twitched, his mouth opened but his lips were trembling.
"I-I…" Gavin let out weakly and then he shut his mouth tight. Gavin stormed out.
The RK900 stared confused, watching the detective go. "D-Detective Reed?"
Gavin only gave the middle finger as he stomped out of the building, his angry mutters echoing softly through the precinct. The RK900 turned to Hank with a worried glance that nearly took him by surprise. Was the RK900 already a deviant? Connor said the RK900 wasn't a deviant.
"Detective Anderson, was that...too much?"
Hank didn't know what to say so he just patted the android awkwardly on the back. Once, twice, thrice, but no more than that. "You should, er…you should…probably check up on him. He's probably going to rendezvous with the armed officers."
The RK900 nodded weakly and quickly hurried out the door. Barely a minute after the RK900 left, Connor arrived, wearing the same business casual outfit he wore nowadays. Hank was glad that Connor no longer took to wearing his CyberLife issued clothing.
"Hello, Hank." Connor glanced around the office, finding no one. "Detective Reed is not here?"
"Nope. Going on a drug bust with the RK900."
"Ah. That explains the strange clothing."
"Yep."
Connor looked at him curiously. Hank couldn't hold it in anymore. He chuckled lightly to himself, shaking his head. Connor tilted his head. "Did I miss anything?"
"Nothing really," Hank laughed. "Just those two having a lover's tiff, that's all."
Connor smirked knowingly. It was a wide, shit-eating grin, slightly toothy with just the hint of mischief behind it. It really did not resemble the RK900's smile at all. "You've only noticed now?" He laughed.
"Yeah, alright, alright," Hank said, still smiling. Maybe later he'll start a bet upon who'll ask the other out first. He'll have to talk to Chris about it first but not yet. Hank will wait until everybody else saw it.
With his instructions and the captain's orders, the drug bust went like clockwork. The RK900, dressed in the horrible clothes (he hate to admit it but Gavin's clothes, for all their filthiness, were incredibly comfortable), entered the hideout and pretended to be a representative of the Reds. There was some confusion as they expected the visit at a later date. They took him to a room in the centre and began the process of questioning him but the officers sprung into action, storming the place, taking advantage of the chaos. Most tried to fight and immediately lost against the armoured officers' raw strength and firepower. A few tried to flee but by that time, the exits were all covered. When everyone was arrested, the RK900 had a quick search of the premises before heading to the south exit. It was the exit that Detective Reed was covering.
He approached the unmarked vehicle where Gavin was busy looking in his phone. If the RK900 tilted his head just so, he would see that it wasn't a mobile game Gavin was playing but the recently hacked security cameras for the complex. The RK900 knocked on the vehicle's door twice, startling Gavin who stared at him angrily. He pressed a button and the driver seat's window rolled down.
"Let me guess, you're gonna ask me if I want a good time or not, right?" Gavin snorted.
The RK900 was thankful Connor shared some of his data with him. He wouldn't understand the detective's sarcasm without it. "Why would you when the wondrous World Wide Web can entertain your every whim?" The RK900 countered.
Gavin clicked his tongue. "Remind me to move my porn somewhere where you can't find it."
The RK900 had a witty comeback in mind but stopped himself from saying it. The detective was in a better mood but that didn't mean he wasn't still pissed off. "It's impossible to hide it from me but…" his lips dipped, unsure how to go about this, "...if you want I can install your home computer with a few programs. It won't stop me, of course, but it will prevent any other hacker from accessing your computer."
"O-Oh." The detective's brows furrowed. "That…might be rather helpful actually."
Gavin opened and shut his mouth a few times before returning to his phone, going back to his notes app. The RK900 craned its neck to take a proper look.
Gavin looked up, sighed, and clicked another button in his car. The vehicle was now unlocked. "Just get your ass here before someone thinks I'm trying to pick up some emo android hooker."
The RK900 promptly opened the passenger door and sat down on the well-maintained leather. He closed the door. Gavin didn't say anything, just typed on his phone. "So…" The RK900 started.
"So what?" Gavin continued typing, not looking at the android.
"You're writing on the arson case." Gavin turned to the android, brows raised. "No fancy tricks. I just saw the title of the document."
Gavin relaxed slightly. The RK900 could tell the detective was still not completely comfortable with his presence but the atmosphere was improving bit by bit. "I saw something in the White Ashes' headquarters and I had an epiphany." Gavin closed the note app and opened his photos. He showed the RK900 a photo he took of the autopsy report. "The M.E. said that our victim was on antidepressants and on red ice at the time of the fire. Well, quite like regular ice, excessive use of red ice fucks up your brain."
The RK900 nodded. "It damages and destroys dopamine receptors with long-term use. His hospital reports suggested that he had reduced dopamine activity already."
"I also did a double check on what exactly caused the two fires so I went to the arson squad in person. They said both fires were the same type and that there were traces of a flammable solution in the debris. Most likely a cigarette or a match lit them both up, one after the other. There's no evidence for what lit either up."
The RK900 tried to keep up. Where was the detective going with this? "And…?"
"Think about it, he was on antidepressants which meant he had depression, maybe even suicidal tendencies. Depression and drugs together make a sick combination together and maybe he decided to try and light himself up like a Christmas tree. And then the AP500, god knows why, decides to try and stop its master from lighting the house up but ended up setting off another fire. Maybe Michael told the android to go away or something, causing it to go deviant, which is why it didn't call 911 until after it got out of the house."
"So it was a suicide?"
"Yeah…it's the only explanation for why he didn't leave the house when it was on fire. He wanted to die in the inferno."
Gavin looked down at his hands. The phone dropped onto his lap. The RK900 scanned the detective, just to see if his sensors were deceiving him or not but it was there. Gavin Reed was sad. "Detective?"
"You've probably read my file. You know I come from a deadbeat family, right?"
The RK900 nodded. There was no point in lying to Gavin.
"No one ever had much faith in me. Both my mom and my older brother committed suicide. One look at my family's track record and everybody expected the worst from me. The people who doubted me were scumbags and I thought at the time that the greatest revenge I could give was to become a cop. But not just any cop, a great cop, the best cop ever. I vowed to be better than any of them."
"Hence your animosity with Hank and androids such as myself. You think we are a threat to your position."
Gavin scowled. "It's not complete bullshit. We've got Connor and you in the precinct. What's to stop everybody from replacing all detectives with tin cans like you?" Gavin looked down to his hands over his lap. "It's only a matter of time before I'm either fired or replaced. Screw being promoted, I'd do anything just to keep my job."
"You shouldn't be worried."
"And why the fuck not?"
The RK900 paused, lips pursed slightly. He was not designed to comfort and to befriend, he was designed to uphold the law and to make sure it was followed to the letter. He wasn't designed to make a bitch like Detective Reed feel better.
He didn't have to do this and yet he wanted to. He wanted to so badly.
SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^
"You're smart," the RK900 admitted quietly. "Smarter than all the humans in the precinct, in fact. When you put your prejudices aside and observe without bias, you have exceptional perception skills. And despite your rough methods and crude nature, you are capable of instilling yourself in a position of leadership."
Gavin scoffed. "I don't know about that last one."
"I'm still here, aren't I?"
Gavin's mouth was agape. He violently wrenched his head away before he could show a trace of emotion but the RK900 saw a glimpse of a blush. Gavin was trying to hide how pleased he was to hear that. The RK900 blinked, amending a preconception he made about the detective that was now false. ENJOYS GRATITUDE AFTER ALL
"So you see, it is only a matter of time before you become lieutenant, Detective Reed. The captain knows how skilled you are as an individual. You just have to show him you're also capable of leading people as a team."
Gavin was quiet for a long time. A very long time. The RK900 was worried it went overboard with the praise, worried that his initial assessment was wrong but then Gavin turned to him slowly. His gaze was soft and his smile was gentle.
"T-thanks. I-I guess."
The RK900 felt something in its chest, something warm, like a component was overheating or something like that but there was no overheating warning in sight. He didn't know what specifically was causing this strange heat, just that looking at the detective's smile increased the temperature he perceived by approximately 0.32º.
The android turned his head forward and was relieved to feel his chest rapidly cool. He made a note in his mind. Possible cause-effect relationship between chest overheating and Detective Gavin Reed's emotional state.
RK900 was relieved to see he had his own desk now. No more crowding around Gavin's computer, no more having to talk to him unnecessarily, and no more dealing with his wild mood swings. It was a standard issue computer with new software but very old hardware. Already the RK900 could see which components he needed in order to upgrade the computer. He'll have to ask Captain Fowler for permission, of course, but it shouldn't be too difficult. He can acquire the necessary components from scrap yards and thrown away computers.
As the android reconstructed what he thought were the perfect words to say to Fowler, Gavin approached his desk. His LED blinked yellow. The detective was trying to look casual but it was very clear both by his stiff posture and the reflection on the desk that he was hiding something behind his back.
"Yes?" The RK900 asked.
"Look, I was an asshole earlier." The RK900 quirked one eyebrow. "OK, I still am an asshole, but you weren't a complete waste of space during the investigation. You might have even…" the detective grit his teeth, "…helped a little bit."
The RK900 glanced around the room, noting many furtive gazes quickly turn away when he caught their gaze. The android chose to ignore it. What did it matter if people were watching him or not? "Where are you going with this?"
"Well I'm your superior and everybody said I should do this so…here."
Gavin pulled his arms out from behind his back, hands extended to the RK900. His fingers opened up and in his palms was a gleaming new detective's badge. The RK900's eyes widened. He took the badge out of the detective's hand gingerly, scanning it, holding it in the light.
The RK900 wasn't a detective by law. Technically, it was a contract worker filling in the role temporarily until a suitable replacement can take on the job more permanently. There was no need for a badge, there really wasn't, and yet that heat in his chest built up again.
Before a real overheating warning could pick up, the android quickly put the badge down on the desk beside him. It was the only thing on the desk beside the computer.
Gavin crossed his arms. His lips formed into a barely repressed half-smile. "It was Connor's idea, OK?"
The RK900 smiled knowingly. "You can just say you did this as an apology. I'm not as much of a dickhead as you think I am."
"Fine. I got it for you. I even paid extra to get it done quickly. You happy now?"
"I am, actually," The RK900 said, hoping he sounded as sincere as possible because he was. Gavin really didn't need to do this. "Thank you, Detective Reed. Really."
Gavin let out a sigh of relief. "You're welcome, dickhead."
He smiled at the detective and the detective smiled back. The android was too young in this world to have developed true likes and dislikes but he was starting to believe he rather liked Detective Reed's smile. It didn't suit the man's personality, which only made it more memorable. Gavin was a man made of idiosyncrasies, the RK900 found, and he had this strange compulsion to find out all about Gavin's many different facets.
"About the name thing—" Gavin started.
"I figured you wouldn't have a name still so I decided to do my own research into naming customs." The RK900 interrupted. "From what I gathered, you might appreciate it more if I chose my own name rather than you picking one for me. It's not like I'm missing out on a lot not being registered."
"Whatever." Gavin shrugged but the android could tell a significant weight had been lifted from the detective's shoulders. His fingers tapped twice on his bicep. He turned back to the RK900. "So does that mean we're OK? Or do we have to kiss and make up too?"
The android sighed. "If we must." He suddenly stood up and moved forward. He leaned his face toward Gavin, lips puckered and eyes closed only to feel Gavin's hand push his hand away.
"W-what the FUCK are you doing?!" Gavin asked incredulously. There was a tinge of fear in his voice.
His eyes opened. His LED flashed yellow. "You don't actually kiss?"
"NO!" The RK900 sees the flash of red on the detective's cheeks, which he equated to 'embarrassment'. He didn't know why. It was his mistake, not Gavin's.
The RK900 frowned. "If I did anything you do not like, I—"
"Enough, dickhead." Gavin raised his hands over his mouth, obscuring only part of his blush. "J-Just forget about it. Get your fucking paperwork done and send it to me by the end of the day, OK?"
He would've tried to explain himself but Gavin had already stomped off to his own desk just opposite him. As he sat down, their gazes caught for a fraction of a second but Gavin whipped his head away, tapping loudly into the computer.
The RK900 sighed and held the badge in his hands again. There really was no need for this, it was an antiquated artefact only useful in very limited scenarios involving other police officers. Scenarios that the RK900 was extremely unlikely to be in. Despite all that, Gavin did it anyway. Gavin bought him this anyway.
It took him a few seconds of observation before he realized the significance of the piece of metal in his hands. He shot a look at Gavin but the detective was now seriously typing into his computer. Did you get this because you think I'm an equal, Detective Reed?
He looked down at the badge in his hands and gripped it tightly to his chest. He couldn't stop the smile spreading on his face even if he tried.
SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^