The drive to Elijah's house, due to the amount of traffic and the general distance between the two locations the group are travelling from and to, took around half an hour until Gavin had reached familiar streets. He chewed on his lip, a troubled look on his face as he got closer and closer to their quite daunting destination.
"Are you alright?" Nines asked, despite having a pretty good guess on what was on Gavin's mind.
"Yeah, no, yes, maybe, I… Fuck," Gavin sighed. "It has been a while since I've seen Elijah, and I don't think I could forgive him for letting our world become distorted and broken like this for greed. I can't forgive him, but… It's not impossible to imagine he would be capable of such a thing. Elijah has always been greedy, and cunning as fuck."
"Today will go fine, I will be by your side the entire time," Nines said. "I will not let you out of my sight."
"Alright," Gavin mumbled. He glanced at Nines for a fraction of a second. "You look so strange, looking like Connor and shit."
"It is imperative, we have to take necessary measures to ensure a safe arrival at your brother's mansion. This car could have, or still may possibly, break down," Nines said. "I cannot risk looking like my usual self as I am a unique model."
"Wasn't Connor like that too? There was one of him as an android detective, that's it," Gavin said.
"I am the only RK900 model android that was ever made. There are no more of me existing anywhere."
"That's a bit dumb, but then again, it would be weird as hell if there was more than one of you. You looking like Connor is whack enough."
"Yes, you have already stated that," Nines said.
Gavin didn't respond as he focused more than he already was on the road ahead of him. He thrummed his fingers against the wheel in a swift paced rhythm, then he took a deep breath in through his nose.
"I wanna die," he mumbled, before saying louder, "Not literally, don't worry about me. I just don't want to see Elijah, but I know I have to."
"You telling me not to worry has made me experience some worry," Nines replied.
"Well, don't," Gavin said. "Have I ever told you that you are gay?"
"You have told me countless times," Nines answered.
"You're an android, I'm sure you can count the times I have told you."
"I can, but I do not want to."
"Okay, valid," Gavin said.
He turned into a street called Merrywood and felt the pit in his stomach grow. They were getting close. He put on the blinker to turn into Oxlade Road when Nines suddenly corrected, "Keep going to Ash Crescent." Gavin gave Nines a hasty, questioning glance, but then understood once he got a glimpse of his expression. Nines was just as nervous as Gavin was.
Gavin turned off the blinker and continued going forward. Not even Connor had said anything about the incorrect instruction that Nines gave Gavin, even though he had visited Elijah Kamski once before and therefore would know where to go.
Gavin entered Ash Crescent where he drove along the road under the speed limit. With every passing second, they were getting closer to the place where Nines' fate will be determined. Closer to the place where the man that Gavin hated the most lived.
Finally, at the end of the street, he turned into the final road before reaching the house - Fuge Lane. A long, winding road that always seemed to be covered in frost, and Gavin presumed it was like that so it could match Elijah Kamski's heart. There always seemed to be an aura of coldness around him that could make any completely non-deviant android shudder.
Gavin's hands were trembling as he gripped the wheel. He will finally be face to face with Elijah Kamski after so long. What would he feel when he sees him? Sorrow? Impeccable rage? Whatever it was, Gavin was about to find out.
Gavin felt a hand on his own, and he slowed down to look at Nines quickly and give him a smile. A smile of hope, and of care, and of absolute terror.
"I love you," Gavin said as he looked back at the road.
Nines moved his hand away. "I love you too."
"Today will go good, okay?" Connor chimed in. "Gavin, just don't hurt Elijah."
"I wasn't planning on hurting him," Gavin said. "I'll push back my anger as much as I can."
"I cannot wait to see you attempt that," Nines said.
"Haha cool! Perish."
Gavin drove down the road and slowed to what was almost a complete halt as Elijah's large house loomed into view. It had such an abstract and quite generally strange design that confused Gavin every time he looked at it - which wasn't very many times, to be completely fair.
He pulled up beside the house and took a deep breath. He couldn't bring himself to open his door and get out of the car. "I can't go yet," he said with a slightly quivering voice.
"That's completely fine," Nines replied, setting his hand on Gavin's. "Take all the time that you need, baby boy."
Gavin didn't say anything. He gave himself around half of a minute before deciding that he was inconveniencing the androids, and he sat up and undid his seatbelt. Gavin got out of the car, and Connor and Nines did the same thing.
"I'm surprised he doesn't seem to have any guards," Gavin commented as he stared at Elijah's mansion.
"Why would he?" Nines asked, standing next to Gavin and staring at the building. "He has no need for security anymore. Androids adore him."
"Exactly," Gavin said. "Have you ever seen fangirls? They're scary."
"I don't believe I have not met a fangirl, I presume that they are quite common," Nines replied.
"Okay," Gavin said. "I mean, they are. Probably not anymore though, how nice."
No one made any further comments or motions. After a stretch of silence that was longer than it needed to be, Gavin said, "Welp, we can't stand out in the cold forever. Come on, gays."
"I am not gay," Connor replied.
"Then perish," Gavin said. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. In this household we love and support bi aceromantics or whatever you are."
"Asexual, questioning biromantic or aromantic…"
"It's Nerf or nothing," Gavin whispered under his breath. "Forward we reign, sandwich uncles."
"What?" Nines asked.
"Oh, just a meme from like… 2025, or something."
No one else said anything, but instead of allowing another uncomfortable period of nothing being said, Gavin began to finally walk towards Elijah's strangely molded mansion. A soft layer of snow crunched beneath Gavin's feet. Snowfall wouldn't be due for at least another week, at least not in Detroit. Is the snow all fake, or is it here to match Elijah's frozen heart? Maybe even a bad omen? I guess that only time can tell…
Gavin dismissed the thought with a small flick of his head and manual pushing of the thoughts back into the corner of his mind. The motion Gavin made with his head got him a strange look from Connor.
They made it to the door where Gavin stepped forward and rang the doorbell. They were met with silence, and then after around twenty seconds just as Gavin was about to ring the doorbell again, the door opened. Appearing in front of Gavin and his two identical android opinions was the sweet face of a Chloe model.
"I'm honestly shocked he'd have her open the door as if no shit is up in the world, even if he is so high and mighty," Gavin commented with a cold laugh to his companions then looking at Chloe. "Hey. Is the big man Elijahh Kamski around?"
"Yes, he is." She looked over Gavin's shoulder and at Connor. "It's the RK800 who almost shot my sister in front of me, but didn't because Hank ripped the gun out of his hands."
Gavin glanced over his shoulder at Connor, whose face had dropped and LED had gone red.
"What the hell is she talking about?" Gavin asked gruffly.
"Drop the topic," Nines answered for Connor. "He clearly does not wish about it."
Chloe looked back at Gavin and smiled her utterly perfect, nearly creepy smile. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to see Elijah, I thought I made that clear."
"Yes, but what is the purpose of your visit?"
"Are you kidding me?" Gavin asked, quickly losing his patience. "I need to see Elijah Kamski! There isn't anything more to it, I am his brother for fuck's sake!"
"If that is so, then what was Elijah's favourite dessert as a child?" Chloe asked.
"Are you fucking- ugh, whatever. He liked sweet but simple things. Vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce always did it for him. Why did you have to ask?"
"I apologise," Chloe replied, "I had to be sure that you were telling the truth and not an android pretending to be Gavin."
Right… My outfit.
"Can't you just scan me or whatever? Was this necessary?" Gavin asked.
"Many android models, including myself, do not have those abilities.
Huh… The more you know. Probably why I've been able to exist without death in this world for so long.
"So can I come in or not?" Gavin asked.
"Yes. Come inside and wait here, I will get Elijah." Chloe opened the door and the group of three walked inside. Chloe smiled at them and left into another room, leaving Gavin, Nines, and Connor standing alone together.
"I'm fucking nervous as all fuck," Gavin said, shaking out his arm.
"As am I," Nines said. "But things will be alright, I promise."
Nines reached out and grabbed Gavin's hand.
"I agree, I'm scared bu- oh nevermind, you were having a gay moment," Connor said.
Gavin laughed. "Yeah, we have a gay moment." He looked at Connor with a grin. "I thought you were used to this by now, you've watched us being gay since our relationship started."
"I do expect it, but I also don't? I don't know," Connor replied.
"Gavin and I have a large variety of homosexual tendancies, which come with desires we often act upon," Nines said.
"Thank you for sharing, please never say something like that again," Connor replied.
A door opened and Chloe stepped back into the room, smiling like always. That fucking creepy ass smile that Gavin hated for no reason for no other reason than it seemed too nice, because obviously, people cannot have nice things.
"Elijah will see you now."
"Cool," Gavin said. "So do we just follow you, or…?"
"Yes, come with me." Chloe replied. She disappeared into the other room with the guests following closely behind her. Chloe led them into what appeared to be a living room. Black leather couches lined the wall with coffee tables in front of them, colourful paintings lined the wall which gave the room a splash of colour, a fireplace with a crackling fire was in a wall with a HDTV hanging above it.
"Elijah will be out in a moment. Please, take a seat," Chloe said before walking away and disappearing into another room.
There was a pit in Gavin's stomach. He wasn't sure whether it was from fear or just a general bad gut feeling, but it was way too late to turn back now. He sat down on one of the leather couches and Nines and Connor flanked him on either side. Nines put his hand on Gavin and they interlaced their fingers.
The door on the far end of the room opened. Gavin looked to it as it opened slower than necessary, probably for the effect that Elijah always somehow knew that he had. Gavin gripped Nines' hand tighter, and felt his own trembling. Gavin was about to see his brother. Someone who he had not seen in years.
A head peeked into the room. It was just a Chloe android. She looked at the three and closed the door again, leaving Gavin, Nines, and Connor alone again.
"Where could Elijah be?" Connor asked out loud. Gavin's bad feeling was making him feel sick at this point.
"He should be out soon," Nines replied. He then gave Gavin a kiss on the cheek and said, "I love you. This will go well, okay?"
Gavin looked at Nines and nodded. He opened his mouth to reply.
Then everything went dark.