Chapter Thirty-Four - Interrogated

The world was spinning as Reed opened his eyes, his head throbbing as well as his shoulder. He groaned lightly as he tried to move, but the pain shooting through his shoulder was enough to convince him that that was a really fucking bad idea. Opening his eyes was also a fucking bad idea. The room was too bright. It was also not what he was expecting. He blinked a few times, swearing he could hear birds somewhere. He held back a whimper as he realised his hands had been tied behind his back, despite the unhealed wound in his shoulder. His shoes had been removed, but besides that he was still fully dressed. Well, thank fuck for that…

A grunt escaped as he turned his head to look around the huge room. He was on the biggest bed he'd ever seen. It was larger than a king, with crisp white sheets and a pile of plush pillows. There was a built in wardrobe, or at least a row of tall cupboards, along one wall. There were grey dressers on either side of the huge bed, and a larger set of drawers off to the side. There was also a large writing desk and office chair, and a black leather sofa. The carpet was a much paler grey that complemented the other furnishings. The most garish thing about the room was the huge glass wall. That explains the light. There were no curtains. How the fuck could anyone sleep in here?

Reed didn't have time to be impressed. He was alone in the room, but he had no idea when someone may come and check up on him. He closed his eyes again, scrunching them shut and biting into one of the pillows as he moved his fingers. He tried to feel the restraints. They weren't cuffs, or zip ties. The edges were smooth and perfect. He couldn't even feel a lock of any kind. He settled for twisting his hands, pressing his fingers together to try and make his hands as small as possible. He twisted and pulled his hands, the sharp edges digging into his wrists. They were sharp. Some kind of metal?

Where am I? Why did she bring me here? Gavin wondered, whimpering as he continued to shift his arms and hands. Each small movement send a jolt through his shoulder, and he was slowly working up a stinging burn in his wrists. He'd probably drawn blood by now. This fucker must be insanely rich. What the hell does he want with a simple detective? Surely nothing good. He didn't know how he'd managed to piss off a mob boss, but he was pretty sure he'd be dead within the next hour or so if he didn't get free.

"You're awake." The blonde android observed cheerfully as she opened the door. She'd changed her clothes. She was wearing a similar dress, but in a softer pink colour. Her LED whirled yellow as she took in his physical state. "I'm sorry, I would have returned sooner if I'd known you'd hurt yourself." She added apologetically as she padded across the carpet with matching pink pumps on her delicate feet. Gavin grunted into the pillow as his struggles intensified. There was no way he was about to get killed without a fight.

"Back the fuck up!" Reed snapped as he rolled across the bed, away from the almost concerned looking android. "I'm a police officer, a detective, do you think you can just kidnap me from right outside the station and get away with it?" He demanded, annoyed that his voice was shaking, and not just from nerves. He was in so much pain he was going insane. He was overdue his painkillers, and his shoulder wasn't thanking him for it. The blonde held up her hands, much like she was appeasing a scared animal.

"Please, there are important things to discuss. Won't you cooperate?" She asked sweetly.

"You fucking kidnapped me! I've been cuffed and held here against my wishes, and now you want to talk? If you want to talk pick up a fucking phone!" Reed yelled, backing away as the blonde made her way around the bed. She winced slightly at both her volume and the tone. If she hadn't seen the results she wouldn't have believed them herself. They were just so different, though there was something in the slope their jaws.

"It was too sensitive to be shared by telephone, and we still have things we must confirm first." She added reasonably. Reasonable to her at least. When the fuck did this become acceptable? He wondered, though this girl was quite reassuring. He didn't feel like she was about to kill him mercilessly. She's an android though, that means nothing. "My name is Chloe, I'll be your guide. Please, come this way." She instructed invitingly as she waved a hand towards the door. Gavin sighed. What do I have to lose at this point?

He took a tentative step towards Chloe, who seemed to get the hint and take the lead. There was a wide open hall outside, which overlooked the lower floor. The barrier to stop anyone falling was black glass with a silver rail, and the floor was made up of shiny grey tiles. It was damn pretentious. Looking over the edge he could see some form of large entrance hall, and every wall leading outside was glass, letting light flood into the building. He hesitated to call it a house, even if it did have a bedroom. This place is like a fucking goldfish bowl! Chloe looked over her shoulder every so often to ensure Gavin was still following, but then what else could he do? Running wouldn't get him even part way to the exit. He didn't know where the exit was, and he didn't have his hands free to open the door even if he did find it.

Chloe headed towards a black glass staircase, the human unable to hold back a scoff of distaste. Who the hell would design a building with glass stairs? It just seemed flashy. They hadn't even thought about how often they'd need cleaning. Reed looked around as they reached the ground floor, one huge window giving him a view of the city a few miles away. What the fuck? I'm outside Detroit? He didn't even know anyone who lived outside Detroit. The area around looked mountainous, almost barren except a few green shrubs. The grey tiled room was a large rectangle with various paintings hung on the walls.

There were two of Detroit. One a daytime view, likely set outside this building. The second was a nightscape, done from somewhere very high up and looking down at the city. There was a painting of an ST200, perhaps the Chloe that was with him. She was wearing a deep violet dress and pumps, smiling warmly as she sat in a bright garden. The next was a young man Gavin sort of recognised. He was clean shaven, wearing a smart black suit, piercing eyes that were a similar mix of green and blue to his own. He had dark hair, kept in a neat bun at the back with short shaved sides. Where have I seen this guy before?

"This way please." Chloe prompted as she led the way to a set of silver doors, which opened to reveal a lift. He hesitated a moment as she stepped inside. Chloe remained with him, so he could rule out deliberately being dropped in the thing. The lift went down to a basement level and when they opened there was a long hallway, shiny and black. Even the ceiling was shiny. He followed Chloe past a row of doors that blended in so well he almost missed them. A door slid open with a mechanical whir and Gavin stepped inside. It was quite dark, but he could make out a row of dead computer consoles, some weird spiderlike machine, a couple work tables and a few tool racks. It was like being in the basement of Cyberlife. Reed's skin prickled at the memory.

"Hey! What are you-AH!" Reed cried as Chloe dragged him to a plastic chair and lifted his arms to sit him down. The movement in his shoulder almost had him doubling over in pain. He ground his teeth as the burning ache set in at this new position, his arms resting over the back of the chair. He heard Chloe's shoes click on the tiles as she left the room. Reed took what time he had to continue his fight against the bindings.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you. They're quite unbreakable." A steady voice stated, making Gavin jump in his seat and whip his head round. There was no one in the room. Speakers, there must be speakers. He realised as he looked around to see small red lights blipping in the corners of the room. "Tell me, what were you doing at Cyberlife last month?" The male voice asked curiously, Reed's eyes thinning. They were watching me all this time?

"Police business." Reed replied evasively, thinking that he'd heard this man's voice before. It was smooth, like silk, but with an unbearable smugness to it. He just couldn't place it at the moment. It was familiar, but not someone he knew. He knew he'd heard it before. A TV show? A movie? The news? Something like that.

"While you were there you went down to level minus fifty one. That is a secret laboratory that can only be accessed by registered personnel or myself…Imagine my surprise when I received a notification that I had entered the lab." The young man continued, Gavin pausing as he thought back. That lab…That's where Nines was kept! This sick fuck! If I get out of here…Reed tugged on his hands again, gritting his teeth as he tried to slip through. He could feel slickness on his skin now. Phck! I'm bleeding…

"And this links to me fucking how?" Reed snapped, trying to ignore the burning in his wrists.

"You were the only human who accessed the elevator, and it was your blood that unlocked the door, despite being unauthorised." The man continued, Reed clicking his tongue in annoyance. He slumped back in defeat. It almost felt like the metal circles were tightening each time he pulled. He looked around the room, wondering if he could get hold of a tool, but then his captor would see him moving the chair around.

"You were keeping an android trapped down there. He hacked the system and gave me access. It wasn't my blood. He manipulated the results." Reed snapped in reply, though the male voice seemed to disagree. Apparently he'd done a system check and the lift had only been hacked for two of the trips. The second time down and the trip back up. "Well, you got me then. Must be an error in your fucking perfect system." The detective shrugged indifferently.

"Or you really are related to me…I'll admit, I was rather lazy when programming that particular security. I left it open for anyone in my direct bloodline to gain access. As an only child it wasn't a particular concern of mine. My parents never visit the tower, and I have only a few distant cousins." The man continued, watching Reed sigh in frustration and disinterest. He glared at the camera in an almost demanding manner. "I'd like to run one final test to confirm my earlier results, and depending on those results we may have something to discuss." He added, Reed rolling his eyes in response. he heard the door slide open and the Chloe returned. No, not Chloe…She's the one from the painting, the one with the violet dress.

"Open up please." She said kindly as she help up a cotton swab. Reed shut his mouth tightly as he met her gaze.

"If I do this, will you let me go?" He asked warily.

"Of course, you will not be harmed either way." The android assured warmly, though Reed opted not to mention that in tying his hands they'd already hurt him. He opened his mouth, watching the android's bright blue eyes as she leaned in with the swab. She was extremely focused as she took the sample. He grunted as she plucked a few more hairs and hissed as she ran another swab along his wrist. Why the blood sample?

"While we wait I'd like to confirm a few things…Your name is Gavin Alexander Reed. Thirty six years old. Born in South Detroit. Your mother was Maria Amelia Reed…Your father is not listed." The male voice listed off. He was right on all counts. How the hell did he get access to my birth certificate? Reed wondered, though with a place this expensive it was likely easy to get things like that. There were corrupt people everywhere. Flash a little money and they'd do anything.

"Never knew him." Reed replied in case it was expected. The male voice hummed with interest, asking various details, trying to pry into his childhood. Was he sure? He didn't remember ever meeting him, not even once? "Look, the guy got my mum pregnant. That's it. Only reason I know he was aware was the money he left…I got a small trust fund when I became an adult." Gavin explained, unsure why he was making things so easy for this prick.

"So you know nothing about your father's lineage? You've never wondered how he made the money? Or wanted to find him?" The voice continued with undertones of disbelief, making Reed scoff at the thought. He shifted uncomfortably, not relishing the content of their conversation so far. He couldn't figure out if it was an interrogation or a therapy session, either way he could get fucked.

"Fuck no. The fucker didn't care about me or my mum beyond leaving a locked account. I didn't even know it existed until I was legally entitled to it, and I only used some of it to buy a house. I don't need, or want, any more of his money…As far as I'm concerned we're square." Reed replied, his voice more tired than bitter. Sure, when he'd been younger he'd sometimes wondered about his father and what kind of man he was, whether he'd come back one day. He'd grown out of that pretty damn quickly when his mum lost her job and no help came. His father didn't care about them, so why should he care? At least he'd gotten something out of it as an adult. Unfortunately that hadn't helped his mum.

It was almost like this mystery man didn't believe him. It was a bad interrogation technique, but Reed went with it. He answered the same questions quite a few times, while refusing to give out too many details about his trip to Cyberlife. That had been police business, and the less this guy knew about Nines the better. He didn't want to risk having him taken back to a lab and poked and prodded like some animal or lab experiment. If he can even do that…Nines is registered to me.

"Detective Reed…We need to talk." The voice announced finally. What the phck do you think we've been doing all this time? Reed thought in annoyance as the door opened and the ST200 with the violet dress returned. He was surprised as she removed the restraints from his wrists, the human hissing as his injured shoulder moved. "Chloe, get him cleaned up." The voice added, the blonde replying in the affirmative before gesturing Reed to follow her. What the hell is going on?

"Please, come this way. You can use the shower and clean up a little while I get the first aid kit." She added amiably, returning Reed back to the same room he'd woken up in. "Do you require assistance with your clothing?" The blonde asked as Reed hesitated in the middle of the bedroom. Reed insisted he'd manage and she left. If he didn't use the shower the android would probably wrestle him out of his clothing, so he headed into the large dark tiled ensuite. It was harder than he expected, removing his clothes with a busted shoulder. I probably should have remembered from last time…Guess I have a matching pair now. He thought dryly as he stepped into the shower and stood beneath the spray.

He dreaded to think how Nines was doing. He got shot in the fucking head! Of course he's not okay! He thought with a shiver, remembering the way the bullet had bounced and left blood flowing down his forehead. How was he coping with being alone? This would be the first time since leaving Cyberlife. Connor and Hank are there. They'll take care of him…make sure he doesn't blame himself or some dumb shit like that. He sighed as he used the shower products to clean up quickly. He needed to get back, or at least contact the station.