Chapter Forty-Nine – Fear and Heartache

Nines slowly opened his eyes, feeling groggy, at least this is what he thought groggy would feel like. Everything was out of focus. At first he could only see darkness, a few shadowy shapes moving in his blackened vision. His audio processor was malfunctioning, sounds muffled and distorted. He was lying on a flat surface. It was a hard surface, but he couldn't figure out what it was. It was like his touch sensors were blocked. He was strapped down, but he couldn't move. He tried. It was like he had no muscles. He could feel the panic rising in his chest, whirring in his core. He opened his communications and dialled Gavin.

Gavin! I need help! Please, don't leave me! He cried internally, unsure whether the human had even picked up. He wasn't aware of the ringing, he was just crying into the abyss for help. He knew his tracker had been blocked, and had even tried starting the backup. He didn't know if it helped, or whether the signal was getting through. He was lost. Trapped. Just as Gavin had feared. Where was Gavin? Would he make it in time? I need to assess the situation like an android. I need data. I need control. He thought, deciding to review his memory logs.

He'd watched Gavin head into the Eden Club, trying not to feel so exposed as he crouched in the alleyway with his back to the entrance. He was running scans of the area, somewhat comforted by the fact that Connor and Hank were parked one street over. It helped the Connor was linked to him wirelessly, keeping him updated on activity in the area. Apparently the street was quiet over there too. Perhaps they'd need to rethink things, give up and try a new approach. The idea was somewhat comforting.

Gavin had barely been gone five minutes and he already felt vulnerable and alone. He pushed the feeling aside, keeping his focus on the ground. He recorded the cracks beneath his fingertips, the sharp fragments of stone that a human wouldn't even notice. It was damp out, the evening air heavy with humidity. A human may feel a slight chill, which would contrast with the day's heat. The dumpsters nearby were full, leaching out a smell that humans would find unpleasant. He could identify various rotting items. Banana peels, chicken flesh, and a myriad of others.

More time passed. He shifted to new patches of cement. He even went right up to the dumpsters, though he refrained from putting anything else in his mouth. There was no need. He just had to appear as if he were working. After almost an hour he heard footsteps. A few quiet words were exchanged, pointing him out as if they'd been told where he'd be. Was someone watching? Did someone know about this mission? He wondered as the figured approached. He told Connor, clicking an image of the masked trio just before the disc was thrown.

It was like the one used before, but stronger. The electric shock sent him to his knees with a whine he was glad Gavin wasn't around to hear. He couldn't help it. He was scared. His blue eyes were wide and soft as he looked up, unable to identify the men, but knowing he could have taken them out in a fairer fight. They weren't even as toned as Gavin, clearly not used to physical work. A static cry escaped his lips as a metal rod was pushed against his chest, sending a surge through his power core. That agonising shock was the last memory he had until he'd opened his eyes bound to the table.

Now, back in the present, he did his best to focus his sight and get a clearer look at his surroundings even though he couldn't move his head. The darkness gradually brightened, remaining dull and grey but betraying shapes. He was in a warehouse, given away by the high ceiling and faded skylights above. He could make out tubes running from his body to somewhere beyond his sight. Tubes filled with blue. His thirium. They were siphoning off his thirium. He checked his internal levels. He barely had twenty percent left, which explained his lack of mobility. He barely had enough to keep his internal systems going.

"Are you crazy? You abducted a fucking detective?" A male voice yelled, footsteps pounding across the ground. Cement floor, littered with…something…Metal fragments? Possibly left over the destroying the previous victims…Nines thought as he listened. This human was clearly displeased, likely the brains of the group. It was always a bad idea to get on the police's bad side. Once things became personal it meant trouble.

"Don't worry about it! By the time we're finished with it they won't even recognise it." A second, slightly younger sounding voice, replied almost smugly. Anticipation was hanging in the air as he leaned over, his face covered by a bandana as he reached out and stroked Nines' cheek with a rough hand. It was calloused, perhaps from handling tools. Could he be the one responsible for hooking him up to be drained?

"The thirium maintains the model numbers you idiot! How did you think they identified the others?" The former man demanded warily. Nines tried again to refocus. Was his communication channel open? He tried to call again. His heart pinched as it bounced back. Please…I don't want to die here…The hand was back, stroking almost affectionately. Nines' blue eyes blinked as he tried to focus more on the covered face. Grey eyes, stormy blues, younger than Gavin. He looked cruel. The other man was smaller, more timid, clearly more of the behind the scenes type than he was active in the streets.

"Then let's make use of it…Once they find this one they'll send out the other RK…Once we get rid of those they'll be stuck. They've already struggled to find us with this plastic's help. They'll be useless without it, especially with the guys we still have on the inside." The younger man replied, Nines' eyes sharpening at that as he recorded their conversation. He had to focus. Even if he didn't make it out of this there was the chance his backup memory core would be missed. If he could record everything now then Gavin and Connor could use that to find the inside man. Maybe they could stop this from happening to Connor.

"They've already arrested three of our members! They're getting closer!" He older man objected, the younger drawing back as he checked the tubing. Nines only had eighteen percent of this thirium left. His pump was pounding as he started shutting down non-essential functions. He even tried to seal off a small amount of thirium to keep his internal organs working after the drain had completed.

"Then we target the whole team…It's not like we haven't killed humans before." The younger added as they moved away. Gavin? No…No, you can't…Don't hurt him! Nines thought, rebooting his trackers and internal communications devices again. He tried to call again. Connor, Gavin, Hank, Elijah, he didn't care who. He needed to tell someone. They needed to know. The two humans were still arguing as they moved away. The older man didn't think their leaders would agree to killing human officers, but the younger didn't seem to care all that much. Nines could feel his LED spinning red. Someone had to hear him. Someone had to answer.

Nines…Nines, can you hear me? Gavin's voice called in his head, the android whimpering out loud at the sound. He felt saline in his eyes, leaking down his cheeks as he struggled to form words in his mind. All he could do was cry out for Gavin as his levels dropped to ten percent. Errors began popping up. He wouldn't be able to keep his tracker and communications running. I'm coming Nines! Hold on, do you hear me? You fucking hang in there! The human ordered, the roar in the background telling the android he was on the road.

Thirium level depleting…Can't keep…Tracker…Communications…Drain…Nines managed, his vision blurring slightly. His thirium pump clenched as he cut the call and deactivated his tracker. Gavin knew where he was. He had to. There wasn't much more he could do. He cleared his vision, determined to record as much as possible. He took in a synthetic breath as he heard footsteps, a lot of them. Voices. Five? Six?

"Transfer's complete. Unhook this fucker. I want the first swing." A large man said almost gleefully, Nines' chest clenching as he saw the thick metal pipe in his hand. It had been torn off something, likely the handle for one of the old machines that had once stood in the warehouse. Nines felt a rough tug on his arm, seeing the tubing rip loose carelessly. The long needle tore from his forearm, leaving a blue trail behind. More hands tugged the restraints loose with rough impatient tugs.

"Roll it over there." Another voice ordered, and Nines felt the table tip, unable to do anything as his body fell hard to the dirty cement floor with a plastic clack. His synthetic skin layer had almost completely dissipated. He watched the world turn as he was moved, rough kicks and shoves rolling him a few feet away to a large empty area. Humans wouldn't be able to see it, but he could see the dried out puddle of thirium left behind. Terror rose in his chest, escaping his lips as a whimper. This was the place. He was on the very spot those other androids had been destroyed. No! Gavin!

"Alright! Choose your weapons, and remember this one's made of thick stuff, so go big!" Another man cried excitedly. The voices scoffed and laughed as the men rummaged somewhere nearby. They had some sort of plastic box, likely filled with various tools. Nines shivered as he heard the whirr of a chainsaw come to life. One of the voices objected, saying they could cut him up later after they'd made a start with the smashing. Gavin…Please…

"He's still awake. I love it when they get to watch!" Another voice laughed, a boot pressing down on Nines' chest. Nines blinked, his lip quivering as the large man returned, long hair in a messy red tail. He raised the pole and swung it down, the impact hitting Nines in the diaphragm. The android whimpered on reflex, and would have curled up had he been able. He couldn't feel pain, but it did knock him, his systems blinking in objection. It had been close to his thirium pump, hard enough to dislodge it in a lesser model.

"Ha! Poor baby! Look at it, so pathetic!" Another voice chimed in. A thick wooden post was smashed down on his head, splitting his remaining synthetic skin but not damaging his skull structure. Yet. The humans were laughing. Nines felt cold. He wasn't supposed to feel it, but it was like ice trickling down his spine. A side effect of the shut down? This was a side of humanity he'd never seen up close. He'd heard about it, seen the results of it, but to experience it was something so alien. The men in the lab had been clinical and cold. This men were far worse. They were burning with pleasure and glee as they struck him again.

"Four!" Another voice cried, something thin and metal smashing against his temple. A golf club. His LED circled red. A shoe prodded his head to the side so that they could all laugh about it. This was worse than the Cyberlife lab. At least at Cyberlife they'd been fairly impersonal. They'd kept their hatred to a minimum, just methodically testing things out. His lips trembled as saline leaked from his eyes. Gavin-Gavin-Gavin-Gavin!

"Look! It's crying! Most advanced android my ass!" A voice mocked, which only made the saline drip faster. Were they right? Would one of the other RK900s have been more effective? More efficient? Would they have seen a way out of this without help? A shard of metal stabbed down and ground into one of his shoulders. His casing managed to hold off the assault this time, but it annoyed the humans to no end. A foot stamped on his knee in frustration.

"Damn! This one isn't breaking up like the others." A young man complained, a hammer knocking his collarbone and bouncing off. His synthetic skin was wavering further, both from thirium loss and the abuse on certain joints. Another human slammed down a baseball bat right on his power core. A warning flashed up. A few more hits and it would knock it out of alignment. Gavin…

"Hey, more smashy-smashy time for us!" Another young man chimed in gleefully, a foot grinding down between his legs almost smugly. They seemed to forget he didn't feel pain the way humans did. The man was disappointed by Nines' lack of reaction, kicking him hard in retaliation. Gavin…Hurry…I'm scared…He didn't even know how long it had been going on for, or how long it continued. All he could do was cry internally for Gavin and hope that he arrived in time. I don't want to die here!

"Back the fuck off!" A new voice bellowed, one that sent Nines' thirium pump racing as he searched around helplessly with his eyes. "Detroit Police! Get back!" The voice repeated, a couple shots ringing out as pounding feet raced across the cement towards him. A second voice chimed in. Connor was there too. More feet. There was a scuffle close by, shouting that Nines couldn't decipher as he tried and failed to turn his head.

"Hey! Hey! Don't you fucking move!" Hank's gruff voice yelled, more voices arguing. Shots rang out and then a warm weight landed on Nines' chest, green eyes looking down at him in terror. Gentle hands grabbed his pale cheeks and stared down at him. Gavin! He blinked as more saline trickled down his cheeks.

"Nines! You alright? Can you hear me?" The human asked worriedly, Nines lips twitching as he tried and failed to speak. He took in a sharp breath, wide blue eyes giving Gavin warning. The human turned to see the large man with the wooden post ready to swing down. Gavin! Get away! Nines urged internally, a whimper of objection breaking free as Gavin held one arm over the back of his own head and threw his body down to protect Nines' power core. GAVIN!

The post swung down, an almost sickening crunch sounding as Gavin grunted, his body going limp. Nines couldn't see the damage. He couldn't scan from where he was. Not with the power levels available. More saline rolled down his cheeks as the man raised the beam and took a second swing to the same spot. A gun shot rang out. He didn't get a third attempt. Connor still had the gun raised as he approached, lowering it as he assessed the man was no longer a threat.

"Hank! I'm calling an ambulance now." Connor called as he crouched beside Nines, one hand resting gently on his brother's head as he looked down at Gavin's limp form. His LED was spinning red, and as he looked at Nines he didn't give him any assurances. His lips were a thin line as he looked around at the figures moving around them. "Rest for now, save your energy reserves. I've already informed Mr Kamski." The RK800 said softly, his voice quivering, clearly shaken.

Nines' breathing became more urgent, small whining sounds escaping as saline blurred his vision. Connor tried to hush him as he reached down to his chest port. Nines could feel him opening it up. He would have shaken his head if he could move. All he could do was whimper as he felt gentle fingers reach inside. No! Stop! Don't do it! Gavin! What about Gavin? Connor! Connor don't! His blue eyes implored Connor, begging him not to do it. A small apology was whispered from his brother's lips before Nines' vision went black and he was forced into stasis.