Chapter Forty-Eight – Kick Off
"What did we even come back here for Toaster? You really think there's evidence left behind after a week?" Gavin asked with a sigh of boredom and frustration, kicking the dirt lightly with his shoe. It was dim, almost nightfall. The Eden Club had opened just an hour ago and the music was bouncing even from the alley just down the street. There were no people around, but that didn't mean no one was watching. Gavin and Nines had agreed to put on a show, just in case.
"There is a fifteen percent chance of my superior sensors picking up evidence left behind by the human forensics team." Nines confirmed as he looked around the alley floor, crouching down to make a show of examining the ground. It was dirty cement, nothing special, and no obvious signs for him to read. That didn't stop him from running his fingers over the uneven stone, able to identify multiple rock types making up the cracked surface.
"Are you fucking kidding me? I can't believe I let your plastic ass drag me down here for a fifteen percent chance!" Gavin scoffed in disbelief as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the deep blueish grey of the sky. He'd be able to see stars if not for the lights from the surrounding area. Shifting his gaze, he noticed a small security camera belonging to one of the small businesses in the main street, probably for watching the bins to stop littering. It also covered the back door a little way off.
"The chance is slim, but worth pursuing with what little we have to go on." Nines replied in a uniform tone as he continued his examination, following a thin crack with his fingers. He looked up with an expression of mild annoyance as Gavin shifted from foot to foot. He'd certainly slipped into his old character well enough. He looked at Nines like he was an inconvenience, like he'd been dragged there and forced to watch him like a baby.
"How fucking long?" Reed demanded restlessly.
"An hour, perhaps longer…" Nines replied indifferently as he got to his feet and moved to a new spot. He tried not to pay Gavin too much mind. He was, within their narrative, examining the area for evidence. He heard Gavin tsk in annoyance and saw the tell-tale glow of his mobile phone. He made a show of scrolling through a page or two before sighing in annoyance.
"Do you need me here? Surely there's something else I could be doing! I'm not a fucking babysitter!" Reed complained obnoxiously as he took a few paces closer to the android. Nines spared him a glance as he raised his fingers. "Oh, don't you fucking dare you…That's disgusting!" The human groaned as he watched Nines' tongue dart out to lick slowly over the tips of his fingers. In reality they both knew Gavin was having a very different reaction to the show, and he averted his eyes for a whole new reason.
"Perhaps you would like to scour the Eden Club for possible witnesses." Nines suggested, moving to yet another spot. This was it. The moment they'd been building up to. It was time for Gavin to leave the alleyway. He froze for a moment, part of him desperately wanting to refuse the offer and remain where he was. Shit, we signed up for this crap…Time to go.
"Sure. Anything's better that standing here watching you…do whatever it is you're doing. Hit me up if you find anything." Gavin agreed as he turned to leave, waving a hand over his shoulder in farewell as he pulled a small notebook from his inside pocket, along with a pen. He may as well actually do the job he was pretending to do. Getting a witness certainly wouldn't hurt, but after a week he knew they were unlikely to turn up anything. He heard Hank's gruff words of praise in his small ear piece. They were watching Nines now. Gavin showed his badge and stepped into the club unchallenged. It wasn't unusual for police to come around like this, though usually they were clients looking to skip the queue. The club allowed it because it made them turn a blind eye to any illegal activities inside.
The club was a little different to before. A lot of androids were deviant now, so there were way less tubes along the walls. They'd changed their business model to include voluntary workers, both human and android. They'd also installed a bar and a dancefloor. The poles were still there, and currently a deviated android was dancing at one and a human was swinging on the other. Reed kept his badge and pad in hand as he moved slowly around the edge of the room, scanning for any people who might be their suspects.
Figuring he may as well start with the staff he stepped up to the bar and flagged down the server. They'd worked a few nights the week before, but were inside the whole time, and by the time they left it was quiet outside and they hadn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Of course. The staff were helpful though. They were able to point out some of their regulars, the type who came in on certain nights like clockwork. Gavin thanked them and moved around those they'd pointed out. He was met with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. Of course no one could remember. It had been a whole week, and the police had been round earlier in the week anyway. Good thing I'm not actually looking for information, otherwise I'd be pissed.
"Reed? Gavin Reed? Fuck man! I've not seen you in weeks!" A loud voice shouted gleefully over the music. Gavin turned in surprise, forcing a bright smile as he saw one of his old colleagues, three of them in fact. He was on edge instantly. These were ex-police officers, some of the officers who had been let go during Connor's purge. Maybe he should have been surprised to see them in an Eden Club of all places, but then maybe not. Just because they hated androids didn't mean they wouldn't fuck them. It was all they were good for.
"Stevenson! How the fuck are you doing?" Reed asked with a forced level of enthusiasm. He heard Hank saying something, but he couldn't make it out over the noise. On the plus side the older man could hear him, so he'd know he was distracted. He reached out and grasped hands with the tall brunette, who almost looked like he'd stepped out of the eighties with his bushy moustache and clean shaven cheeks, not to mention the bushy hairdo. They were all dressed neatly, various colourful shirts with dark trousers and neat shoes. The perfect going out outfits.
"I've been good! We were lucky, some mutual friends managed to find us work after that plastic prick got us fired. You still on the force?" Stevenson asked curiously, Reed showing his badge in response. The brunette scoffed with his hands on his hips, more annoyed with the bosses than with Reed himself. "How the fuck did you swing that? Thought you were the worst of us!" He demanded in disbelief, watching Reed chuckle in an almost conspiratorial tone. He stepped closer to Stevenson and his two friends, Benson and Dobbs. Good cops, or so he'd thought.
"You've got to go with the times, you know what I mean? I got through well enough for Fowler to give me a pass. Had to completely drop going to meets though." Reed replied as he clasped hands and greeted the other two officers. Shit, they'd all been in the training, and they'd all quietly mocked the speakers and Connor. He also didn't doubt what they meant when they said they got work through mutual friends. They had to be talking about the AAL. He knew they'd been members back in the day, had even been at some of the same meet ups.
"Man, you were lucky. We didn't even make it to the third day before we were cut." Dobbs, a large man with sandy hair and matching eyes complained. Reed nodded his sympathy and decided not to brag. That wasn't the route to getting any information. Not that he'd expect them to actually cooperate. Reed shrugged as he raised his pad.
"Hey, maybe you were the lucky ones. They fucking partnered me with one of them! A new one, supposed to be better than Connor, got it out in the side alley right now looking for evidence on a case. Can you believe this fucking thing thinks it can pick up a clue from a week old crime scene? What a joke! And of course I can't go home until it's done mooching around. Luckily it agreed I could come in here searching for witnesses…Figure you can help a guy out? Can't go back empty handed." Reed complained, finishing with a grateful expression as the men nodded. He let them lean over and see what he had so far. He didn't have any incriminating information, so what did it matter? They sympathised with his words, grumbling about how unlucky he'd been. Reed laid it on thick, making it seem like Nines was now the one in charge, leading Gavin around on a leash. They fucking ate it up.
"Suppose you'd be pleased if he disappeared, right?" Benson added with a smirk, something in his dark eyes setting Reed on edge. He felt prickles running up and down his spine, the hair on his neck standing up. Benson had some Asian heritage, though he wasn't sure exactly what it was, Chinese or Japanese probably. He had just enough European blood to give him a strong jawline and bring out his cheekbones. Handsome guy. Looked like a creep right now though.
"It would mean a lot of paperwork, but sure. Then I could finally get back to normal." Reed replied with a small chuckle, not missing the looks that passed between the trio. Stevenson excused himself, his phone lit up with a call. Gavin wanted to follow, listen in somehow, but there was no way he'd be able to with Dobbs hanging over his shoulders. Fuck, too close-too close! Reed thought, taking in a breath to stop the pressed in feeling. He managed to shrug the larger man off gently and reclaim his personal space, only to realise just how large and busy the room was. He took another breath. This wasn't the time to work himself into a panic attack. He looked at his pad and lowered his head more, determined not to notice the mass of bodies that surrounded them.
"Saw you're working on that android case…Damn shame, am I right?" Benson joked, his tone suggesting it was anything but a shame. Reed allowed the elbow on his shoulder, smirking up at the older man.
"My heart fucking bleeds. You know how much shit I've had to deal with? Kids, grieving widows, fuck, some of them are even human!" Reed complained, watching Benson wince in both sympathy and disgust. How could any human let themselves get involved with an android? Didn't they know they're just glorified sex dolls? They can't really feel anything. These humans must be pretty fucked up. "You know what gets me? They look at me like shit, like it's my fault, like I'm not doing enough, but my partner? Fuck, they accept whatever he says, just because he's a fucking android." Reed continued, scowling in an increasingly familiar manner. It was almost scary how easily he could slip his old hatred on like a shroud. Maybe the old Reed hadn't gone as far as he'd thought. The idea made him shudder.
"The guys are on it." Stevenson said to his two friends as he returned, sharing a knowing smile with them as he raised a bottle to his lips.
"On what?" Reed asked curiously, something stirring in the pit of his stomach.
"Just work stuff, you know how it is." The taller brunette replied nonchalantly, Reed nodding uneasily as he heard Hank shouting in his ear piece. It had started. Nines had been taken and they were following. Reed flipped his pad shut. He had to get back to his car and follow as soon as possible. He took a breath and let out an almost theatrical sigh.
"Well, I'd best get back to it. Can't leave him out there all night." He said in a casual manner. The trio laughed heartily, Stevenson stepping in his path as Benson laid a hand on his shoulder and Dobbs looped an arm around his back. He felt trapped. Not good. He stiffened under their touches, on edge as he looked between them.
"Don't be in such a rush, we haven't seen you in weeks! Have a drink with us." Benson insisted, keeping up his casual nature. The other two looked a little less certain. They almost seemed worried. They didn't want Reed to leave the club just yet. Something must have slipped on his face. Perhaps realisation, perhaps apprehension, whatever it was it made Benson's hand tighten its grip. Reed licked his lips as he looked between the three.
"I'm still on the clock, you know how it is…My partner will come looking for me if I don't get out soon." He added, finding it hard to keep up the annoyance in his tone as he was overcome with worry. He knew that Nines had already been taken, but they clearly didn't. "Step aside." Reed ordered, his tone at least maintaining it's rough nature. He still had his sidearm, he could force them to move, but that would not only completely blow his cover it would also scare the regulars. He could start a fight, but with three against one it wasn't looking good. Shit, how do I convince them to let me through?
"You heard the man…Step aside." A new voice purred in a silken tone, Gavin's whole body stiffening as a taller body pressed against him from behind. A familiar cologne hit his senses and he knew who it was without even looking. He sighed lightly as he relaxed into the gangster's gentle, almost protective, hold.
"Anton, the fuck are you doing here?" Reed asked, though he couldn't hide the fact that he was relieved to have an ally. The other three backed off a little. Not because of Anton, but because of the four men in suits who'd appeared along with him. The gangster hummed almost dismissively as he rested his hands on Reed's hips, something that felt almost wrong now.
"Just a little business…It looks like you require a little assistance Detective." Anton replied, his tone almost dripping with honey as he felt a little lower down and caressed Gavin's thigh with one hand. Gavin looked over his shoulder almost reproachfully and the Italian drew back. Feeling a little more confident Reed tucked away his pad and pen.
"I was just leaving." Reed insisted, glancing at the trio of ex-police officers. They'd run these streets for some time. They knew who they were dealing with. Anton's gang was hard to miss. The trio backed off with expressions ranging between worried and annoyed. Reed walked through, knowing that Anton was at his back without looking. Once he was at the door he ran into the alleyway, cursing under his breath even though he'd known what he'd find already.
"Something happen here?" Anton asked curiously as Reed shoved him out of the alley entranceway. He already had his phone in his hand. He had to call this in and get forensics down here. They might find something, some small bit of evidence.
"My partner just got taken, fuck!" Reed swore as he called it in, Anton remaining silent as he watched Reed call out a forensics team and some officers to watch the area. He had no choice but to wait. He cursed under his breath as he pulled his phone out and brought up the GPS. They still had a signal on the tracker, but it was moving away fast. They must be on some less busy backstreets. He couldn't follow yet, but at least he knew Hank and Connor would be on it. Fuck, I hope he's okay…
"You seem upset…Getting attached to the pet robot?" Anton teased lightly, his playful expression dropping as Gavin levelled him with a hard stare. "Sorry I asked…" He murmured awkwardly as he looked towards the club. His guards had stepped out to watch the area, and to make sure those other guys didn't cause trouble. He regarded Gavin. They'd had something once. Not a relationship, but as close as either of them were willing to get. He'd known the man for some years, and he'd never been so defensive over anyone else. His foot was tapping, he was restless, constantly looking at his phone or towards the mouth of the alley, even though he knew his people wouldn't be there for at least another twenty minutes.
"Stop fucking staring." Reed mumbled guardedly as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Anton sighed as he signalled to one of his guards. Gavin frowned questioningly, looking up as a sleek black car pulled up beside them. The guard tossed the keys to Anton, who waved them in Gavin's direction. "My men can keep an eye on your precious crime scene. Get in the car." The gangster ordered as he climbed in the driver's side without looking back. Two of the guards silently took the back seat while the other two approached the mouth of the alleyway. Gavin paused. He shouldn't leave the scene without an officer taking over for him. It was protocol. These men could plant evidence. When forensics reported this he'd been in deep trouble. Anything found would be inadmissible due to possible tampering. Tampering with what? There's nothing fucking here!
"Shit, drive the fucking car." Gavin caved as he climbed in the Mercedes and buckled up. He pulled out his phone and brought up the GPS, watching the Italian glance at it every so often. He wove quickly through traffic, many cars moving aside as they noticed the black merc speeding towards them. Gavin gripped the handle above his head, wondering how he'd explain it if the traffic department saw them. Gavin looked at the GPS. It had left the main city, heading to the outskirts. There were plenty of places around they could turn off to. He scrolled along the map, eyes widening as he noticed the old nuclear plant. Fuck! He knew what was going to happen before it did. "The signal's gone!" He cursed as the red light blipped out.