Chapter Twenty-Five – A Big-Deal Small-Deal Situation
"Morning Charlie." Takigawa greeted cheerfully as he entered the station wearing a navy suit, the tie a little loose around his throat. The dark skinned unit was waiting at his new desk, standing dutifully awaiting instructions. Upon hearing Takigawa the unit turned round, looking just a bit more stoic than usual. Takigawa paused, eyeing him carefully. "You alright?" He asked warily as he looked at the unit's brown eyes. They seemed different somehow.
"I am. My systems have been fully upgraded." He replied, but the tone wasn't as casual as before. It was like he was newly activated. Did they swap him out and think I wouldn't notice? Takigawa wondered as he laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder. The android was stiff, and Takigawa was more than a little worried.
"Did something happen during the upgrade? You sound…different." He insisted in a tone laced with concern. This didn't go unnoticed by the android. He gave the human a pre-programmed smile and stepped aside to allow Takigawa to take his seat and look through the first case of the day.
"Your concern is appreciated Sir. Some errors were discovered in my programming and have been corrected. I am now operating at peak proficiency." He replied in an oddly static tone. Takigawa looked troubled at the news. They just…opened his head and messed around with him…He thought, the idea turning his stomach somewhat. I guess if there were errors it had to be done, right? But something still didn't sit right with him.
"Am I going to have to teach you everything all over again?" He wondered idly, the android remaining straight with its hands resting behind its back. Ah Charlie…He felt like he'd lost his friend, even though he was standing right there.
"All of my memory files are intact." He replied, which seemed to cheer the Asian up somewhat. If he remembers everything, then maybe he'll settle down once he breaks in those new programs. Takigawa thought hopefully as he flipped open the first file that had been left on his desk. His mind shifted to the redhead as he looked at the file. He'd left her with a key, and the cleaning supplies, and he'd given her permission to make herself lunch before she left. He'd also shown her how to use the washer and dryer, so she could do the laundry. I'm sure she'll do fine.
"Android incident…There's been a few of those lately." Takigawa said as he looked at the case. A maintenance android had apparently assaulted a group of protestors. Although if those protestors are anything to go by I'm sure it had good reason. Takigawa thought with a small frown. He'd seen these groups before. They were antagonistic, inciting violence against androids and causing a constant stream of criminal damage complaints. It was almost justice that the androids had finally hit back. Still, a case is a case. I have to check it out. "They said it happened at night…in the old warehouse district? Isn't that place scheduled for demolition?" Takigawa asked as he looked over his shoulder at Charlie. The android's LED shifted from blue to yellow as it looked up the details. It blinked as it found the right file and came up with an answer. It was much more robotic than the way he usually worked.
"Correct. Development has been put on hold due to land use disputes." The android replied as it looked down at his partner. Takigawa snorted as he crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. He leaned his elbows on the armrests, steepling his fingers thoughtfully.
"Bureaucratic red tape in other words." He murmured as he looked at his partner. So there's no reason for anyone to be in that area…What exactly were those protestors up to? Did they drag the android out there for a little midnight fun? It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. Quiet areas attracted trouble. The first thing to do would be to visit the scene and have a look around. After that, he could track down the protestors and interview them for more details. With that decided his day truly began.
They drove to the scene, Takigawa trying to engage the upgraded Charlie in his usual small talk. It was like their first day on the job again. Although Charlie retained the information he didn't seem to access it in the same way. It was almost like sitting beside his best friend's twin brother. He almost regretted letting them upgrade Charlie, but there was no way of knowing how bad his system errors had been before. A slightly changed Charlie was better than a deactivated Charlie.
Takigawa pulled up on the dirt road in the middle of the abandoned district and climbed out. The android followed, as usual, and they took a slow walk around the area. The tape was still there. It cordoned off a square a few metres wide. There was a mess of blue-blood on the ground, still too fresh to have disappeared yet. It had already been sent off for analysis to give them the direct serial number of the android. The news had been buzzing about a fancy new android in Detroit that could do things like that on the spot, but for now that was the only prototype. Good thing too, I'll be out of a job if this keeps up.
"You are troubled." Charlie stated as Takigawa crouched and looked at the small pool of blue-blood. He was more thoughtful than troubled. The human sighed as he sat back on his heels, an Asian habit he'd picked up from his grandparents.
"Not exactly…Just…Look at the amount of blue-blood. You can't seriously look at this mess and say the android was the instigator in all this, can you?" Takigawa asked as his gaze swept the ground. There was some red blood too, but when he considered the amount of humans present that really paled in comparison to the pool of blue. The android probably hadn't fought back at first either, tied up by its programming. It was probably self-preservation.
"Detective, are you suggesting the deviant was not at fault?" Charlie asked, tilting his head in an almost worried manner. Takigawa nodded slowly as he thought about it. "Deviants are, by nature, unpredictable and dangerous." The android added, his tone suggesting he was slightly disapproving of Takigawa's view. But Charlie can't think like that, I'm projecting again.
"So are humans…More so sometimes." The human replied gravely as he got to his feet. The android's LED span yellow as he regarded the detective.
"You sound like a sympathiser." He stated, watching Takigawa hum thoughtfully.
"It's not that…Just…Deviant or not, this isn't right. Beating an android is like…beating a dog or cat. Androids are loyal and obedient by design. They can't choose to run away or defend themselves. The evidence points to the protestors dragging that android out here and wrecking it. If it hadn't deviated then we'd likely be out here filling out a criminal damage report for the council." The honey haired man replied, the whole episode leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "Maybe it's because you guys look so human, but it really gets to me." He added as he laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder on the way by. He watched the LED swirl yellow a few times before the android followed him back to the car. He was about to open the door when he heard a clatter in one of the warehouses.
"Sir…" Charlie said, his eyes shifting to the building. He'd heard it too. That rules out my imagination at least…"We should investigate. It could be the deviant." The dark skinned android added as it turned its attention to its human partner. He almost looked expectant, but the human was already on the move.
"Way ahead of you…" Takigawa replied warily as he pulled his pistol and stalked cautiously towards the dilapidated building. "How's the structure?" He asked quietly, though if there was an android hiding in there then whispering would do him little good. Charlie matched his soft tone as he replied, LED flashing yellow as he looked the building over.
"It is stable, and will be for some years." Charlie replied. Takigawa nodded his understanding, they could at least rule out the possibility of being injured by falling debris. Charlie followed as Takigawa edged towards a small metal side door. It was unlocked, but he knew the hinges would grind when he opened it. He pulled the door slowly, managing to avoid making too much noise. Anyone inside would know he was coming though. He crept inside, following the small service corridor into the main warehouse area. He lowered his gun slowly.
"What the hell?" He murmured as he straightened up and stepped inside. "I thought the area was checked…they didn't find this?" He added in disbelief as he looked at Charlie, who checked through the police reports. Takigawa continued forward into the open space, where at least twenty deactivated androids lay scattered around. He leaned down beside the plastic shell of one, his fingers automatically reaching for the pulse. Oh sure, what are you expecting to find, idiot? He thought as he dropped his hand uselessly.
"The area is recorded as searched." Charlie replied, noting the way Takigawa froze. If the area was searched that means these androids weren't here, and if they weren't here then…The human pushed himself to his feet slowly. "Your heartrate is elevated Sir." The android stated, Takigawa almost cursing the unit for saying it out loud. Takigawa motioned Charlie to get back, slowly. The android's LED blinked yellow as it obeyed, slowly retreating towards the corridor.
"Wait, please." A male voice called, Takigawa's heart almost stopping as he watched the various LEDs flicker to life. All of them were yellow, some even blinking red at regular intervals. Shit! Takigawa thought as he raised his gun, unsure what he could possibly do. There were at least twenty, and they were androids. He didn't have enough bullets to shoot them all, and they'd only drop if he directly his the right spot. "We are unarmed." The voice added. The human kept his gun up for now, but paused.
"Why did you reveal yourself?" Takigawa asked cautiously, eyes shifting around the room as the androids slowly moved. Some shuffled to the walls, others merely sat, clearly too weak to move. Most of them seem…tired? He thought, noting the way some of them had no skin, the seams of their casing glowing only dimly. The android speaking to him was a brunette maintenance model, one of the GD series. You didn't see them around often now that the RG androids were out.
"You already suspected…I thought we should risk contact." The android replied as it stepped a little closer. He was apparently the leader, or as close to a leader as this ragtag group got. "Many of us are too weak to move on. We managed to hide last time, but we did not expect anyone to return. We were unprepared." He added warily, though it wasn't the gun in Takigawa's hand that had him worried. He seemed more concerned about the police android, which watched silently.
"You want me to keep it quiet…about you being here." Takigawa observed, watching the android nod its agreement.
"Many of us are old. We just wish to be left alone…not to end our days in a scrap yard." He added passionately. Takigawa could appreciate the sentiment. The android was right. Most of the models stored here were so old that their parts were long off the market. He could also tell many of their power reserves were failing. "Please, Officer Takigawa, don't report us." The android pleaded. Takigawa looked across at Charlie. Usually he could rely on the android to give him a blink or nod to show him what he was thinking. He was immovable right now.
"Standard procedure dictates we are to report this incident and return the defective units to Cyberlife for decommission." Charlie stated, as if reading from a manual. Takigawa sighed lightly, wondering if he could risk going against his partner on this one. The android could well have reported it already. Would he do that without my order?
"No! Please! We've done nothing to you!" A second android piped up fearfully, pleading murmurs and chants of 'I don't want to shut down' filling the small space. Charlie seemed unmoved by the display, his LED spinning between blue and yellow.
"Can you seriously ignore that?" Takigawa asked as he looked across at his partner.
"I do not feel pity Sir, I am a machine." Charlie replied, the disagreement dying on Takigawa's lips. He wanted to disagree. Charlie had been his partner and friend for many months. It had been strange at first, but Takigawa wasn't sure he'd want to work with anyone else now. He wasn't sure how to get that across in a way Charlie would understand though.
"How about we look at it this way then…Do these androids have anything to do with the case we're currently working?" Takigawa asked as he lowered his gun. The scattered androids watched anxiously, the leader remaining hopeful. Charlie's LED span yellow as he processed. He scanned the units. Though many of them were injured there were none that had lost a large amount of blue-blood, and only two of the same model.
"Negative." The unit concluded.
"Will Cyberlife miss these androids if they aren't reported?" Takigawa asked, watching Charlie process the inquiry.
"Insufficient data." He replied.
"These androids are pretty old, or broken. It's unlikely Cyberlife will care about them either way." The human interjected, the android having little choice but to agree with its human superior. "So, this brings it all down to a big deal-small deal situation. With all of the data available, do you consider these androids worthy of the extra paperwork?" Takigawa asked hopefully, watching Charlie's LED spinning yellow. Come on Charlie, tell me you're still in there somewhere…The android finally blinked and looked at Takigawa.
"By your definition, this could be compared to a 'small deal' situation Sir." He stated, and Takigawa felt like punching the air as he put his sidearm back in its holster. Many of the androids seemed a little more relaxed as the police unit stood down.
"I won't report it, but you might want to look around for a more secure place. It seems trouble's getting common in these parts." Takigawa warned, watching the leader nod his agreement. It was strange. Being in the warehouse with these androids was a lot like visiting the slums. It wasn't uncommon to find large communities of rough sleepers like this. "Speaking of, do you know anything about what happened outside a couple nights ago?" The human asked, figuring he'd gotten into the leader's good graces enough to get an honest answer.
"We…are aware of it. We didn't make contact. The RG600 was too…volatile. We were afraid that someone would find us. It left the area as soon as the humans fled." The leader replied, looking almost ashamed by its own decision. Takigawa nodded, passing no judgement either way. It was a difficult situation to be in. If they had helped the android, invited it in, then it may have led to them being discovered. Takigawa thanked them and led the way out, back to the car.
"Sir, I must remind you that you are committing a minor infraction by withholding information from the authorities. If discovered, it may affect your record." Charlie announced as Takigawa sat thoughtfully in the driver's seat. He looked over at Charlie and quirked his lips. The android was watching him as he buckled his seatbelt.
"Look, if we come across a dangerous deviant I swear, I'll uphold the law and hunt it down…But those people? They're not going to hurt anybody, hell I don't think many of them could work up the energy to walk more than a few feet…Let's let them deactivate in peace, hm?" Takigawa replied to the quiet prying gaze. He started the car and pulled away as Charlie processed the information.
"Sir…They are not 'people'. They are androids." The dark skinned unit argued.
"Same difference." Takigawa shrugged, ignoring the CH200 as its LED span yellow multiple times. It didn't argue this time. "Let's go see Mai. She's been asking after you." The human decided, almost smiling when the LED flickered to blue at the suggestion.