Chapter Twenty-Two – Four Hours Too Late
"You look good Son, really good." Hank complimented as he saw Nines enter the bullpen the next day. Reed was leading the way, a bag clutched in one hand while the other was shoved in the pocket of his new jacket. Nines looked happy as he approached his desk, really happy. He signed his thanks to Hank as he looked around, a little disappointed as he didn't see his brother anywhere in sight. "Connor's in the evidence locker, should be back in a sec." The older man added as he noted the android's eager gaze.
"Oh good, well, you can tell him that this is his." Reed stated absently as he dropped the bag almost carelessly on the RK800's chair and left it tucked under the desk. Hank raised a sceptical eyebrow. It wasn't like Reed to buy things for people. He would have thought it were a prank if not for the way the RK900 nodded his agreement. He wondered briefly if Reed had done something he needed to apologise for, but he was sure his partner would have complained about it if that were the case.
"What do I look like? Your damn maid service? Tell him yourself!" Hank replied gruffly, watching as Reed stalked over to his desk and sat. It didn't matter. The gift had been delivered. If Connor didn't find out who it was from then he'd just end up with a cute new sweater from a mystery admirer, no big deal. Hell, that could even be entertaining. He wondered if the android had ever had a secret admirer before. It wouldn't surprise him. He probably got a love letter a week for Christ's sake. He knew for a fact the female staff mooned after him like lovesick teens.
"Nines, good morning." Connor greeted cheerfully as he turned the corner and noticed his younger brother. Nines was almost beaming, at least as much as his stoic resting face allowed. His blue eyes were bright and his lips had raised from their usual slack position. He stood at ease, hands resting behind his back. "That looks so much better! I wasn't going to say anything because I know you haven't been paid yet, but it's nice to see you in a new outfit…That jacket was made for you." He added as he reached out and examined the stiff material, feeling the strong shoulders that sat rigidly on his brother's large form. They would soften out eventually, after a few months of wear. He analysed the material subconsciously. Real leather. Expensive. Very expensive.
Thank you. It was a gift from Detective Reed. He took me shopping yesterday because he also did not approve of my Cyberlife attire. Nines signed to Connor, who nodded his understanding as he continued to eye up his twin. The jeans were much like his old ones, but the shoes were much higher quality, and they looked durable. The heels and soles were both replaceable, a sensible choice. As Nines slipped the jacket off Connor couldn't help the small sigh that escaped his lips as he ran his fingers over the long fluffy sleeves of Nines' cashmere sweater.
"It's so soft!" Connor sighed, missing the amused smirk Reed forced down. He'd had a feeling the older android would like the material. Softness seemed to be a running theme with the gentle machine. All of his vests and sweaters were soft woollen materials, and his coat was always covered in Sumo's thick fur, suggesting the android spent a sizeable amount of time curled up with the dog. He dropped his gaze as he saw Nines motion to Connor's chair. Play it cool, don't let them make a thing of it.
Detective Reed thought so too, in fact he first noticed it while picking a gift for you. The younger android explained, watching his twin's brown eyes shoot open. A gift? For him? Was the detective feeling well? He wondered for a moment, much like Hank, whether it was a cruel joke. He didn't think his brother would take part like that though, so he hesitantly reached for the bag on his chair. Inside was a wrapped gift. It was plain red paper, likely left over from the last human holiday. Connor eyed Hank and Nines before slowly opening it, peeling the tape neatly so as not to wreck the paper.
He was left speechless as he found the sweater neatly folded up inside. It was a deep cream almost caramel colour, and felt just as soft as the one Nines wore, perhaps even a little softer. His LED flickered between yellow and blue before he headed to the bathroom. Nines was worried at first, concerned his brother was upset. He wasn't sure why a gift would spark that reaction, but within a few minutes he returned with his crisp white shirt and grey tie over one arm. The cream sweater was a perfect fit for Connor, having been measured against Nines and taken down a size. It clung to him perfectly, hugging his skin in fluffy softness.
Reed remained intent on his paperwork through all of this. He was aware of Connor leaving and returning, and that he was wearing the sweater, but he was doing his best to focus on his work. He didn't want to draw any attention, though he could already feel Hank looking over at him. He buried himself further in his work as Nines sat opposite and started his own reports. He looked at his screen as he got a new email. It was Connor.
Detective Reed, I know you dislike verbal interactions for such things, so I decided to send you a written message instead. Thank you for thinking of me while you were helping Nines, it was thoughtful. You didn't need to buy me a gift for helping you, but it is very much appreciated. Thank you again, I like it very much. Connor. The message read, the email bringing a small smile to the human's face. He wasn't sure when Connor had started to read him so well. There were few people in the precinct who knew about his various quirks and dislikes. Connor seemed to get it straight away. He knew about his social awkwardness in crowds, how he didn't like noise, how easily distracted he was, his auditory learning, and his inability to write properly without help.
Hey Tin Can, glad you like it. You helped me a lot lately, so thanks. Reed typed back awkwardly, knowing it had none of Connor's finesse. He sent it and refused to look at Connor or Anderson for the next hour. He barely had time anyway. He and Nines were deep in their case now. So far the patrols hadn't picked anything up, but at the same time there hadn't been any more disappearances, perhaps due to the fact that police were now circling the area. It made it risky. Perhaps they realised they'd drawn too much attention to themselves, and left a pattern. If that's the case we might be out of fucking luck…It was a while of thinking in circles later that Reed wandered into the break room for coffee, passing Tina on the way. He didn't think much of it as he murmured a distracted hello and walked by, but the younger woman stopped seconds later and turned towards him.
"You. Stop. Right the fuck now." She ordered as she scrutinised the older man. Reed paused and turned to her, wondering how much trouble he was in. She had a suspicious look on her face as she walked closer, the detective leaning back as she leaned in and peered at him. She was looking at his face, eyes, any bare skin she could see. Whatever she was looking for she certainly seemed to find it as she broke out into a smirk. "Gavin Reed, you got fucking railed the other night." She stated with certainty. Gavin scoffed, having forgotten about leaving Tina in the club.
"Not exactly railed, but yeah, I took a guy home." He admitted, surprised she didn't remember. He'd definitely sent her a message saying he was heading out with a guy and to have a good night. Tina shook her head as she tugged him towards the break room. Gavin went with it, keeping his balance admirably as he was hauled over to one of the tall tables.
"No, I mean it Gav. I can tell. What happened? Who was it?" She demanded almost excitedly as Reed headed over to the coffee machine. He winced as he wondered if she was picking up on his restlessness. He still hadn't confronted that dream he'd had about Nines, not really. He was doing his best to just ignore it and pretend it never happened, but fuck it was hard. He replayed it whenever he closed his eyes or slipped into a daydream.
"You remember Anton, right? He was in the club…He took me back to my place and we fucked on the sofa." He replied with a shrug, watching her enthusiasm drop to judgement. He sighed as he waved a hand dismissively. "I know, I'm an idiot. It didn't work out, we work together now, it's against procedure, yadda-yadda-yadda. It was a one-time thing." He replied, and this time he found that he actually meant it. It was just something about the way he'd prowled around Nines, ignoring his boundaries. It had never made him uncomfortable before, but now it did. He also wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fuck Anton again without remembering the way he'd come, staring into Nines' piercing blue eyes across the room.
"But something else happened. Don't you lie to me Gavin Reed." She added with a pointed finger, watching the slightly older man wince. He hated it when she did this. She could somehow just see right through him, every fucking time. He heaved a long sigh and looked at the ceiling, unsure he could live down the humiliation.
"I forgot about Nines…He saw us." Reed admitted as he took his mug and turned to Tina, who looked confused. "Nines, my partner, the RK900?" He added as he waved a hand towards the android, which was sitting at its desk typing. He could have sworn the android glanced up, but he pushed it aside. There was no way the android could hear from all the way at the opposite end of the bullpen, not with all the bustle going on in between.
"Ohhh…and then what?" Tina asked, somewhat less interested now.
"I got Anton to leave, Nines and I had an awkward conversation and he went to bed." Reed shrugged, watching Tina's eyebrow shoot up. "What?" Reed asked as he tilted his head, the woman actually smirking at him.
"You fucked him didn't you, or should I say he fucked you." She added smugly. And there it is. Reed thought with a long sigh. He wasn't even sure he wanted to talk about this with Tina, or anyone else. It was just fucking weird. He was pretty much dreaming about raping his partner, considering Nines couldn't exactly give consent. I guess it's harmless as a dream, but we fucking work together! This shit's weird. Not to mention damaging. He was finding it increasingly hard to pretend that everything was normal around Nines. It didn't help that Nines definitely had some sort of hero worship going on or some shit.
"No, no he did not. We did not. He's an android, the fuck do you take me for?" Reed scoffed evasively, raising his coffee cup to hide his face and avoid her dark gaze. She knew he wasn't lying, but she also knew that something more had happened than he'd let on. She levelled her best demanding stare at him, not blinking as she waited for him to cave. "I had a dream, alright?" He admitted, watching Tina frown before dropping his gaze to the swirling blackness in his cup.
"A dream? Really? That's what you're going with?" She scoffed in disbelief, but at the somewhat vulnerable expression that came across Gavin's face she paused. "Seriously? You're this upset about a dream?" Tina probed, concern lacing her tone. This wasn't like Gavin. Generally he'd fuck up in real life and then mope about it. She'd never known him to dream, at least he'd never had dreams he'd found bad enough to affect him while awake.
"I know, it's dumb…I've had two now, both about Nines. I thought going out and getting laid would help, but…After Anton left I went to bed, and dreamed that Nines came into my room and we…Fuck, T, it was so real. At the time I really thought it was happening, and Nines was just…" He trailed off, unable to find the right words to describe what it had been like. He'd never had sex like that. He'd had good sex, he'd been wrecked, railed and ruined, but not like that. He'd never felt such a deep connection, such a deep need, and he'd never been needed, wanted or desired like that.
"Oh my God…You've got it bad." Tina purred in a low voice, drawing out the last word into a long whining sound. Gavin shook his head as he sipped his coffee dismissively. He wasn't going there. Not a chance. No hope in hell.
"The fuck I do. Nines in an android. End of." Gavin objected.
"News flash, your dick and whatever substitute you have for a heart don't care." The Asian woman teased smugly, watching Gavin roll his eyes at her. He'd never done the whole 'love' thing. It had never worked out for him. Ever. He'd put a stop to that long before he'd enrolled at the academy, and he wasn't going to catch feelings for a toaster oven on legs. That was harsh, he knew. Nines was way more than that.
"Number one, my dick will fuck anything that moves. Number two, we both know I don't do feelings. Number three, I fucking hate androids. It's not happening." Reed stated firmly, tightening his jaw as he dared Tina to argue. Tina, it seemed, was in the arguing mood today. Either that or she just wasn't standing for Reed's crap that day.
"You don't get to pull the 'I hate robots' card. You're practically glued to your partner these days, and not just for work purposes. You spent a good chunk of this month's paycheque on a jacket for said partner. You also bought Connor a present and you don't do presents for people you don't like." Tina listed, watching Gavin start to fold over his cup defensively. He looked resentful as he glared across at her. He hated the way she could see right through him, and always told him things he didn't want to hear. Granted they're usually things I need to hear…
"How did you know about that?" He muttered quietly, watching Tina smile as she shifted her gaze to Connor. The android was standing beside Hank talking about something, his arms folded as his fingers continued to caress and tease the soft cream material of his sweater. Gavin had to admit it pleased him more than it should have to see that Connor liked his gift. The hand movements weren't a conscious thing, it was an entirely new quirk that Connor had developed. He guessed maybe it was a comfort thing, or maybe the fibres kept his sensors calibrated or some shit.
"I passed him earlier and told him what a nice sweater he had…He said, 'Thank you, it was a gift from Detective Reed.' He wouldn't say that if he didn't think of you as a friend." She added, noticing that the idea of being Connor's friend didn't repulse Gavin as it would have a few months ago. A few months ago she'd laughed as Gavin had punched said android in the sternum. She'd apologised for it since then, and Connor had been gracious enough to accept. "My point is, you've moved past your old prejudices. You can't hide behind them as an excuse because you're afraid of your feelings." Tina scolded, watching Gavin wince. She sure isn't pulling punches today.
"Oh, come on T! I'd be laughed out of the precinct for something like that, and on top of that Nines is…different. He's not a deviant. Doing that would make me worse than those sickos that still go to the Eden Club." He argued, watching Tina's brow furrow as she thought her way around the problem. He sort of had a point with the whole deviancy thing, but the other part was horse shit.
"No one cares who you fuck Gav, you're not that important. Even if you were, a fair few people would like to get their hands on the RK twins anyway. They'd be jealous as hell, and no one laughs at Anderson, right? He's totally fucking Connor." She added with certainty, something Reed hadn't quite picked up on. He still wasn't convinced. He knew there was a certain relationship between the pair. They'd been close since before the revolution, and Connor had moved straight into Hank's place afterwards, but that didn't mean it was that sort of relationship. I don't even want to know if it's that sort of relationship. Reed decided firmly, unsure his brain could handle those sorts of images. "You're making up excuses Reed." She added as she crossed her arms.
"Oh, fuck off." Reed huffed as he looked anywhere but his friend's smug face. Usually Tina made him feel better about things, but this time he just felt worse. Part of it was his old prejudice, but another part just felt wrong for looking at Nines like that. He'd found Nines, helped him. He felt a little responsible for him. He's barely been out of that place more than two months, and I'm already…I'm not going to fuck him up even more.
"Suit yourself, but don't be surprised if someone else comes along while you're being a stubborn ass about it." Tina warned as she headed out. Reed watched her go with a small nod, her words bringing him a whole new set of issues. Just because he had enough morals not to pounce a vulnerable android didn't mean other people would be so kind. I guess since I'm his registered owner I could tell him not to engage in that sort of stuff, but would that be fair? He's not a deviant, so that sort of thing shouldn't be on his mind anyway…But he's only half un-deviant…What does that mean when it comes to consent?
He pondered the issue a little longer, nursing his cup of coffee as he stared at the table. He didn't quite feel ready to return to his desk. He'd likely end up staring at Nines if he did. Nines would notice if he wasn't careful. The minutes must have dragged, because suddenly Gavin could feel someone standing over him. He looked up and saw Nines standing in the doorway, looking hesitant but somehow eager.
Detective Reed, we have a case…Another android has been found. Nines signed, watching Gavin's shoulders sag in an almost defeated manner. Shit…Weren't we watching the drop sites? Did they move? Or was this android taken before we started? Reed wondered as he got to his feet, leaving the remains of his coffee on the table as he followed Nines. They stopped by their desks briefly, mainly so that Gavin could grab his new leather jacket.
"Tell me what we've got." Reed ordered as he led the way, automatically looking to his right, where Nines appeared as if he'd been summoned. Reed already had his car keys in hand, walking quickly towards the lift that would take them down to the underground parking lot. Nines was neatly tucked in his jacket, cuffs smartly resting on his wrists.
We have no model number as of yet, however the site is another warehouse located in the south west. The conditions match our other cases exactly. I will be able to tell you more once we have viewed the remains. The android replied, the human nodding his agreement. It was all as he'd expected so far. They'd continued to follow the compass pattern. Perhaps if they got patrols to circle warehouses in the south east they'd get something. They stepped into the lift and went down, both thinking quietly.
The drive was just as silent. Gavin was focused on the road, though his fingers were restless on the wheel. He felt agitated. He'd been so sure they'd catch them before they took anyone else. The only small comfort he had was that perhaps they'd taken the android earlier, before he'd set up the patrols. They wouldn't know that until they found out who their victim was and spoke to family and friends about when they'd last been seen.
At the scene Nines got straight to work, working alongside the forensics team who were already there. The humans took photos and measurements around the RK900, who walked silently and stared unblinking at the scene. Gavin watched as Nines crouched down and traced his fingers through what little blue-blood he could find. He licked his fingers, eyes blinking as he analysed the oily substance. Once the humans finished taking pictures they allowed the android to examine the remains slowly. He handed off each small fragment as he finished with it, allowing the humans to gradually pack away the remains for transport.
"Well?" Reed asked as Nines stepped out of the warehouse. Reed had done his walk-through earlier and had decided to wait outside with a cigarette. Nines took a moment to watch as Reed breathed in, the end of his white stick glowing red in the dusky light. He knew Gavin smoked, the scent clung to his clothing at times, but he'd never actually watched the human do it. Part of him wanted to say something about it, but that would likely sour the human's mood.
The victim is an AV400, originally designed for simple office tasks. Our victim's name is Avery Doe, she had not yet chosen a last name. Injuries caused are consistent with the weapons used on our other victims. I also found the same trace particles from the murder site. The android reported, watching Reed nod his agreement. He hadn't expected anything less after seeing the body. The android went offline approximately four hours ago. Nines added, watching Reed drop his cigarette. That he hadn't expected. So soon? Fuck!
"Hey! Are we sure there were no witnesses?" Reed called to the attending officer, who was standing boredly outside the warehouse on the off chance a civilian walked by. The uniformed officer approached at Reed's summons. He had a small notebook in his hand, flicking through to review his own few notes.
"No one saw the drop. The body was reported by Johnathan Howards. He's a contact for narcotics with the Black Wolf gang. They operate in this area and were conducting business when the body was discovered." The younger man reported, keeping his focus solely on Reed. He wasn't sure that Nines noticed, but Reed had been a detective for a long time. The uniformed officer was leaning his weight back on one leg, turning his body so that the android was almost excluded from the conversation.
Do you think there is a need to talk to him? Nines signed to Reed, who shook his head lightly. It was risky calling out contacts, especially ones that weren't his. The man had done his duty in reporting the body. If he'd seen anyone suspicious he would have mentioned it in his report, so they could safely assume he hadn't seen anything further.
"No, we'll head back. Thank you officer." Reed added to the human, who nodded politely to him before returning to his post. Good to see prejudice is alive and well. Reed thought with a small huff as he climbed into his car. It shouldn't have bothered him. He'd been the same up until a couple months ago. If it hadn't been for the effort Connor had put into their relationship he'd probably be just as rude. It would take time for real progress to be made.
They were both fairly quiet as they returned to the station. It was late afternoon, the sun hanging low in the sky. It had taken Nines quite a while to examine the body and separate out all the pieces. Nines was a little confused as Reed left him in the hall, telling him to return to his desk while he went to think. But it would be more efficient to think together…The android thought, feeling slightly dejected as he made his way to his desk and slipped quietly into his seat. He almost felt like a scolded pet that had been sent to the naughty corner.
"Where is Detective Reed?" Connor asked curiously, noticing Nines' downcast expression despite the android putting on his best stoic front. Connor found it quite easy to read the RK900. When his expression was blank there was something wrong, and from the way his shoulders were drooping ever so slightly he believed the android was troubled. Nines looked up at his question, blue eyes almost hesitant. "Did something happen?" The RK800 pressed gently.
Detective Reed said he needed some time to think…I believe he went to the gymnasium. I would have accompanied him, however he told me to return here and wait. The younger android replied, watching Connor's gentle hazel eyes widen slightly. Nines' head tilted as he noticed Connor's LED flicker yellow for a moment. The older android didn't say anything else as he turned and hurried away, likely towards the gymnasium. The RK900 would have followed, wanted to follow, but he was forced to obey his previous order to remain at his desk.