Chapter Nineteen – An Unexpected Promotion
Takigawa whistled softly as he headed through the station, waving a good morning to the detectives along the way. It was rare for regular beat officers like him to be called in here, but whatever it was had to be important. He stepped into the glass office to find his partner already waiting, standing smartly with his hands uniformly held behind his back. He stood straight, looking forward like an obedient machine.
"Morning Charlie." Takigawa greeted as he clapped a hand on its shoulder, his superior raising an eyebrow. The dark skinned android turned to regard him with something the human was almost convinced was warmth. He nodded smartly, as he was programmed to.
"Good morning Takigawa." He replied politely as the pale human slumped into one of the leather chairs in front of the large wooden desk. The desk was almost bare besides the work terminal, but there was a small family photo by the monitor. The large man behind the desk almost sighed at the officer's casual nature.
"You named the thing?" The balding man asked almost incredulously, the android and officer looking at each other momentarily. The android quickly returned to its former position, awaiting instructions and recording relevant details. Takigawa tried not to feel bad for the CH200, its presence clearly making the older man uncomfortable.
"Of course; you didn't expect me to call him CH200 forever, did you?" The human retorted, and the older man relented. Charlie did roll off the tongue better. "What's going on? It's rare for you to call me up here." Takigawa stated, thinking it was probably better to get straight to business. The older man nodded his agreement. They were a little short staffed with investigations lately. There was a marked rise in android incidents, which Takigawa didn't need to be reminded of.
"To put it bluntly, you're too damn good to be wasted on the streets. What do you think? Can you help me out here?" The older man asked, knowing from experience that Takigawa was set in his ways. His father had been a beat officer up until retirement, and the Asian man was keen to follow in his footsteps. He loved the thrill of chasing down bad guys, and racing through the streets, the danger that went with being the first responder. It was a lot to give up for more paperwork and slow detective level tasks.
"Sir, you know I'm not the desk job type…" Takigawa replied evasively as he eyes the CH200, but the unit remained silent, refusing to look at the human. The Asian quietly wondered who would get the CH200 next if he got promoted. Would they treat him well? He knew a lot of beat officers despised these new androids. They took human jobs, and with all the incidents there was a growing distrust.
"How about I sweeten the deal? I know you like this…Charlie thing. I'll have him upgraded. He can act as your desk clerk. You do the legwork, he'll do your writeups." The older man compromised, watching the Asian man pause. It was a good offer. The excitement of a higher rank with less desk commitment, and he wouldn't have to worry about Charlie either. He looked at Charlie and tilted his head a little, giving the machine a subtle 'What do you think?' look. The dark skinned unit didn't move, but its eyes blinked once. Takigawa's lip quirked.
"When do we start?" He asked, the older man looking relieved as he held a hand out.
"As soon as I get your new badge and you get out of that uniform." The man instructed, taking Takigawa's badge as he handed it over. "Go home for today. I'll have…Charlie updated overnight." He added, watching Takigawa clap a hand on Charlie's shoulder assuringly before leaving. Since he now had the day off Takigawa drove home and changed. He didn't have many suits, so he headed into town to get measured up and place a couple orders. He could hardly go into the office in jeans and a t-shirt, not on his first day. The detectives were usually smartly dressed unless they were on a stakeout or undercover, though he noticed a few of the more experienced officers were laxer with the dress code. Maybe I should get Charlie something…He'd worked alongside the unit long enough to know his model size.
While in town he stopped by his favourite coffee shop. It was small, squeezed into the main square. On the beat he'd often take Charlie there for lunch. The unit would sit patiently while he drank coffee and ate a sandwich or cake, depending on how hungry he was. The android had often warned him about the excess of sugar. His lip quirked. It was almost strange, going there alone. He stepped up to the counter and was greeted by his favourite sight.
"Morning Mai!" He greeted brightly, the petite teen looking up at him in delight. This was her parents' shop, or had been. It was currently being kept by Mai's grandmother until she came of age. Mai's parents had been killed a few years ago in a robbery. He'd found the girl, shaking and crying over their bodies in the middle of the café. He'd been protective ever since. Her hazel eyes were bright as she began preparing a caramel latte, his usual drink of choice.
"Good morning! No Charlie today?" She asked, looking around a little sadly. She had a soft spot for the android. He'd tilt his head in confusion at Takigawa's jokes and try to reason them out. Mai would laugh brightly as she explained the jokes to him, watching him file it away for later. He liked to think Charlie liked Mai too. He always had a smile for her.
"He's getting an upgrade. I was promoted this morning." Takigawa said brightly, accepting Mai's congratulations as she declared his coffee on the house and added his favourite chocolate cake. When the café was busy Takigawa would usually sit by the window, but today the counter beside the register was free. He took a seat there and talked to Mai idly while she cleaned. He watched the girl pause and wave hesitantly at the window, where Takigawa saw the most stunning woman he'd ever laid eyes on. The redhead's hazel eyes widened as she realised she'd been seen and she hurried away. "Someone you know?" He asked curiously, swearing he'd seen her before.
"No…Not exactly…She's just turned up for the past few days…She doesn't come in though." Mai replied, which was strange. Maybe she doesn't have money? The officer pondered thoughtfully, smirking as he saw a familiar face headed their way. Mai's cheeks flushed, her hands clenching in her little white apron. She tugged her cute maid styled dress straight as she waited. The bell sounded moments later and Mai brightly greeted the handsome Asian unit. Takigawa had to admit, the people at Cyberlife knew what they were doing. He was a handsome boy, who looked barely older than Mai. He had the bluest eyes Takigawa had ever seen besides John's, with thick glossy black bangs brushing his perfectly curved eyebrows.
"I would like." The unit began in a neutral tone, cut off as Mai started the coffee machine.
"Two flat whites, one cappuccino, a decaf latte, a caramel latte with three pumps, two Americanos and a double espresso." The young girl listed as she worked, the android voicing his mechanical agreement. Takigawa felt sorry for them. Both of them. Mai was flushed and shy as she made the order, knowing the office android would never look at her twice, while the android himself simply waited for the order to be completed with no comprehension of Mai's feelings. The pale android didn't even blink as he stared forward at the board and waited with neither patience nor impatience. He was wearing a new Cyberlife suit, black with a blue triangle on the back. His model number was embroidered on the chest. He was a fairly new model, the NA200.
"Good to see you again, how have you been?" Takigawa asked politely, watching as the unit processed that he was being spoken to. Some form of social program kicked in and he turned his head with a polite business smile. The older man returned the friendly look, noting the way Mai fumbled as the android started to talk.
"I have been well, and you Officer Takigawa?" The male replied in a deep and ever so slightly gravelly tone. It was a surprising choice for an office android, but then maybe the tone helped a little with speaking different languages. The NA200 series were designed to be both office workers and business translators. Takigawa returned the friendly small talk until Mai had completed and packed the order. She accepted the wireless payment, her cheeks flushing as her hand brushed his. It felt so warm, even though he was a machine. He took the bags from her and nodded before heading out. Mai sighed as she leaned her head on her hands and watched him head back up the street towards the offices.
"I should probably take this moment to remind you he's a machine…" Takigawa teased gently, though from her somewhat sad expression he knew she was more than aware. He ruffled her hair affectionately and she was soon back to her bubbly self.