"Agent Perkins?" Reed greeted questioningly as he watched him stride into the bullpen, Colin trailing behind as usual. He nodded to Colin in greeting. It had been a few days since he'd seen him last. Colin nodded back, apparently on edge about something as he flicked his anxious gaze to Perkins before looking at the floor evasively. Not a body then. He's not usually this nervous about that…Reed tried to get a read on Perkins. He looked a little annoyed, though not at Reed directly. "Do you want to go somewhere quieter?" Perkins nodded and allowed him to lead the way to the interrogation rooms. None of them were surprised as a fourth set of footsteps joined them. It went without saying that Nines would follow wherever Reed went.
"I didn't want to bother you with this…We'd hoped to review the footage without getting you involved unnecessarily," Perkins began, not missing the way Reed's body stiffened at the phrasing. If they didn't want to involve him, then that meant it was connected to the real Hickory Killer. To that shop. To Aaron. Reed felt the hand on the back of his neck and leaned into it gratefully. "Let's sit," Perkins suggested, not wanting to risk Reed having a panic attack on his feet and falling. Reed didn't argue as Nines guided him into a chair and sat beside him.
"What-uh…what footage?" Gavin asked with a nervous blink as he swallowed the lump in his throat. There had been no cameras in the shop. It was such an old place that even the electricity had been turned off. Did that sicko plant cameras to record everything? Was he watching when I…
"Mr Hughes' memory core. We had forensics copy what they could and send it to us," Perkins confessed in his usual business tone, not missing the way Gavin's jaw tightened in distaste. Someone had copied Aaron's memories? Like a fucking public folder? Someone had taken a piece of Aaron and copied it onto a USB? He took a breath, fisting his hands beneath the table. He thought androids had rights to protect them from shit like that, but it's a federal case. They have more authority when it comes to bypassing things like that. Gavin tried not to glare too much. They hadn't done it maliciously. They'd done it to help. Aaron would probably have wanted to help.
"You received no prior consent for such a violation," Nines stated sharply, voicing the resentment and violation that Gavin couldn't as his LED span red once and settled on amber. Colin's gaze had dropped to the table evasively. As an android, he should understand Nines' indignation at their rights being swept aside like this. In a normal case, this would mean that anything found would be inadmissible in court. It's a little more difficult to prove though, since Aaron is dead and his only form of relative is…Oh shit…Gavin realised as his wide green eyes flicked up.
"You were expecting me to consent to it," he blurted in shock, watching Perkins' greyish eyes sharpen as he acknowledged that he'd been caught. "If you hadn't found anything, you wouldn't have told me, but if Aaron had something in his memories you were planning on bringing me a backdated consent form, weren't you?" His tone was bitter and accusing as he folded his arms. The worst part was that he couldn't say with any certainty whether he would have agreed to sign it. Hell, Perkins may even have used some sort of leverage to make him sign it. Threatened his job somehow, kept him locked up for a while with constant convincing. Gavin pushed out of his chair with a frustrated hiss and paced to the door and back restlessly. He didn't know what to do with the resentment building in his chest.
"Detective Reed, you know how big this case is and how many people have died…Would you really let the opportunity pass us by over something as vague as consent?" Perkins asked in a level tone. This was a side of his job that he wasn't so fond of. Some parts were black and white. The rest were varying shades of grey. Learning to walk the lines and knowing when to push was part of it. It was one of the things that rubbed people the wrong way regarding the FBI. People thought they didn't care about things like rights, but it was more complex. Perkins had to know when to put the many over the few, and in this case, it had felt like the right choice.
"Vague? Consent is a simple yes or no, how phcking vague can you get with that?" Gavin snapped as he leaned his hands on the table. He was angry. He didn't think he should be angry. It wasn't his rights that had been violated. He just felt like being angry at that particular moment. It felt both wrong and right at the same time. He knew where Perkins was coming from, of course he did, but this was Aaron. This was someone he knew. It pissed him off. Nines' cold expression told him he understood, too. Colin still hadn't looked up from the table, likely afraid of meeting Nines' judgemental eyes.
"We can't get his consent, but if he has something in his memories that will help, then don't you think it's worth it? Don't you think he'd want us to catch his killer?" Perkins pushed again, watching as Gavin pushed off the table and folded his arms defensively. Of course Aaron would want that. Hell, Gavin wanted that. This sick fuck had taunted him for years. He'd taken everything. The man he'd loved. His peace of mind. His sanity. His ability to sleep at night. His once warm and bright personality, and now a person he'd been sleeping with. "Don't you want to catch him?" Perkins added with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course I phcking do!" Gavin almost hissed, quietly seething at the hinted suggestion that he'd want anything less. His green eyes were burning as he stared Perkins down. He wanted to find the Hickory Killer. He wanted to find out who he was, track him down, climb on top of him, grip his throat, and squeeze. He wanted to squeeze and watch as the man's eyes rolled back and his skin turn red. He wanted to hear his choked pleas for mercy and he wanted to feel the life leave his broken body. Then he wanted to perform CPR, bring him back, and do it all over again. He wanted the fucker to feel it. He wanted him to suffer.
"Gavin," Nines' voice murmured as he reached out. Gavin gasped in a breath as he felt himself being tugged against Nines' firm chest. He hadn't even realised his throat had closed up. He raised a hand and bunched it in Nines' jacket for support, breathing in the light thirium scent of his clothes. "Calm down and breathe." Nines' large arms wrapped around him securely as he gripped his neck and stroked circles on his back. He felt Gavin shudder in his arms, breaths huffing and choking as they slowly levelled out. Agent Perkins was patient as he waited. He knew it was a lot. After a while, Gavin nodded and Nines guided him back to his seat.
"So, what do you need me for now?" Gavin asked tiredly, his eyes a little red from the few tears that had slipped out. They were all willing to pretend they'd come from the panic attack and nothing more. Perkins nodded to Colin, who was reluctant as he raised his head a little and licked his lips nervously. It was never easy to talk, but it was more difficult to meet their eyes when he felt as if he'd done something wrong.
"Mr Hughes' memory files have been encrypted…at least, some of them have. We managed to recover most of his day-to-day footage and work related research. None of it was helpful to our cause, but there were more files in a secure folder. I believe these may be his most personal or sensitive memories. Memories he wouldn't want falling into the wrong hands…Memories he wouldn't want to be tampered with or erased," Colin explained, Nines and Gavin both nodding their understanding. It made sense. It was a security thing. Nines and Connor both had similar fail-safes to prevent case related files being extracted. "It is a common feature, however this particular program is far more advanced, and cannot be hacked into…It has been designed to be opened by a specific android. Only one. If any other android attempts to access this file, then everything inside it will be corrupted," Colin continued, bringing up the code on his palm for Nines to examine. Nines' brow furrowed, somewhat troubled as he analysed the swirling data. He wasn't even sure his advanced software would be able to break it. It was intricate work, possibly custom made. Would Eli be able to figure it out? Gavin wondered as he looked at the dancing symbols cluelessly.
"But I have the original core. Theoretically, couldn't you just copy it again?" Gavin asked, though he didn't relish the idea of giving anyone access to Aaron's private thoughts. It seemed wrong. Violating. Not just for Aaron, either. In all likelihood, a lot of those private memories would be linked to their relationship. If I were an android, I know for a fact that I'd keep that shit locked up tight. If that gets out on the internet it could ruin both our reputations. Granted, it would likely be a lot more damaging to Gavin than Aaron considering his past.
"Unfortunately, the more times this information is copied, the further it will be degraded. There's also the risk that if I were to be the one to extract it, then the original core could become corrupted from registering the previous failed attempt," Colin explained, which would mean either Nines or Connor would need to be the one to do it. Gavin nodded vulnerably. Did he even want to risk that? The things he'd done with Aaron, that he'd allowed Aaron to do to him…Would he ever be able to look Nines or Connor in the eye again if they saw that? He swallowed his apprehension.
"We need to know who that android is. Do you have any idea who it could be? Someone he worked with? A friend?" Perkins asked with the barest hint of desperation. They needed to find him. The one person Aaron trusted. The one android he trusted, Gavin corrected internally as he shook his head. He was unable to think of anyone. He ran a hand through his hair as he sat back. It was Aaron they were talking about. Turns out he'd been a fucking recluse this whole time.
"I don't know! Hell, he listed me as his next of kin. It's not like the guy had a glowing social life!" Gavin huffed in frustration as he sat back. He closed his eyes as he thought of Aaron. Of all those nights they'd spent together. Watching movies. Sharing stories. Their intimacy. The roughness. The painful grips. The teeth on his shoulder. Nines' voice in his ear. When are you going to tell him? He's the one you really belong to. His eyes snapped open as he sat forward in his chair. "Nines…"
"Yes, do you need something?" Nines asked worriedly, surprised by Gavin's sudden lurch.
"No, I mean it's you, Nines. It has to be you." Nines' brow furrowed doubtfully. He had no personal connection to Mr Hughes beyond his relationship with Gavin. They'd barely even spoken. Despite that, it was the only thing that made sense to Gavin. As far as he knew, Aaron had no one else. If he'd stored his memories of their time together, then he'd want him to have access to them, so he'd need to make it so obvious that he could figure it out with one guess. There were only three androids that Gavin trusted wholeheartedly. Nines, Connor and Chloe. Aaron hadn't met Chloe, which ruled her out. Between Nines and Connor, there was no competition. Gavin would choose Nines every single time and, more to the point, these were memories that Aaron would want to share with Nines more than anyone. He'd always threatened it. He'd constantly teased that he'd interface with Nines and show him everything, tell him what Gavin was too emotionally fucked up to tell him. This is just the sort of shit that Aaron would pull.
"Are you sure? We can't afford to get this wrong. We may only have this one chance. Two at a push…" Perkins checked, but Gavin was dead set on it. Nines was the only one who made sense, unless it was something work related that had nothing to do with him. Gavin nodded firmly. The feeling in his gut was telling him it's Nines. "Well…would you try it?" Perkins asked as he indicated Colin, who held out his hand hesitantly.
"Wait! Once you unlock the file, do you have to be the one to look at it?" Gavin asked warily, unsure he'd be able to live it down if Nines saw him like that. It would be humiliating. How would they be able to work together? Gavin couldn't even count the amount of times he'd come to the sound of Nines' voice purring in his ear. He couldn't imagine the violation Nines would feel, knowing that he'd been used like that. Nines hesitated at Gavin's words, his curiosity piqued by his discomfort.
"I am uncertain…It is likely that I can simply unlock the file without processing it, however there is also the possibility that it could download automatically." The program could trigger an automatic download, in which case the files would be installed into Nines' own core. Gavin looked uncomfortable at the revelation. "However, once they are downloaded, I would not be obligated to view them…Would you prefer Colin or Connor to view them instead?" Nines asked considerately, feeling an unpleasant sensation in his chest cavity as Gavin nodded. He didn't like it. It felt as if Gavin didn't trust him, or rather that he trusted Connor and Colin more. He nodded his acknowledgement stiffly before reaching across to Colin and offering his hand for the interface.
It took moments to feel Colin's mind brush his own. He could feel his discomfort, shame, and unease. Nines allowed his assurance to seep out. He understood Colin's reasoning. He wasn't angry with him specifically. It was the situation he disliked. Colin felt a little better after that. He quickly brought up the file and Nines connected. His brow twitched as a floodgate of information was opened and downloaded itself into a secure section of his own core. It was locked off as Nines' systems ran various virus and security checks. It was clean and untampered with. The files were ready to be opened, viewed, and shared. Nines was tempted to copy them. It would make sense for security. He copied the files to a secure folder before sending a set back to Colin.
"Who would you feel most comfortable viewing the files?" Colin asked quietly, giving Gavin the option of choosing Connor. Gavin was uncertain. He sure as hell didn't think Colin would enjoy seeing him like that, but having Connor seeing it wasn't appealing either. The idea of anyone seeing it made him cringe, just imagining the judgemental looks he'd get afterwards. "I can assure you that anything not pertaining to the case will be erased from my own memory banks afterwards." Gavin seemed relieved by the reassurance.
"Okay, you then…but…if those files are what I think they are, then they're pretty…personal," he warned delicately, foot tapping anxiously beneath the table. He felt a little bad as his words dawned on Colin. He looked flustered by the implication, but since it was for the case, he had little choice but to look through it all. He inclined his head in thanks for the warning.
"I understand. Rest assured, anything delicate and non-case related will be fully purged." Gavin nodded his understanding and grumbled his thanks for the polite reassurance. The only other thing they needed was Gavin's signature on the consent form. I phcking knew it, he thought with an internal sigh as Perkins uncapped a smart pen and handed it across the table. Part of him really didn't want to sign it, but this was the best chance they had of catching the Hickory Killer, and he was sure that Aaron would have wanted to help in any way he could. He scribbled down his signature and handed the pen back.
"Are you alright?" Nines asked as they returned to the bullpen.
"I'm fine! I'm…I'm fine." Gavin sighed tiredly as he rubbed his face. He felt bad for snapping at Nines the first time. He'd only been checking in. "Just…wait for me at our desks, alright?" he added tiredly as he made a beeline for the bathrooms. Nines watched him go with a small frown. He had little choice, since Gavin had ordered him to his desk. Nines sighed lightly as he sat, focusing internally as he stared at the file. He'd copied it for safekeeping, so that there would be a second copy in the event that something happened to the one Colin was carrying. Mr Hughes' private memories were stored within it. Possibly his memories of Gavin. The Gavin that Gavin didn't want him to see. He felt something…He felt…curious. — Tempted? Enticed? — He wanted to know. He wanted to see. Why was Gavin so worried? Why didn't he trust him? Had he done something to displease him? Something that made him unworthy?
"You look like you have a lot on your mind…" Connor pried gently as he appeared out of nowhere. He'd actually startled Nines, not that he gave any physical indication of it. Nines nodded silently, unsure of himself. He felt like he'd done something wrong in copying the files, but he'd originally done so with the best intentions…hadn't he? "Would you like to share?" Connor offered, holding his hand out invitingly. Would Connor judge him? Scold him? Nines was hesitant as he reached out.
It took seconds to let Connor review his own memory of the encounter and his most recent temptation. Connor's hazel eyes were understanding as he drew back. He looked around carefully for Reed before rolling his chair over to sit with Nines. He was thoughtful for a moment. Curiosity wasn't a bad thing, and it wasn't bad that Nines had made a copy of the file for safekeeping. The risk was that Nines' curiosity may encourage him to cross a boundary that Reed was uncomfortable with. It would be a violation of Reed's trust.
"Nines, Gavin does trust you," Connor began assuringly, though Nines' blue eyes reflected his doubt of that statement. "It's true…Gavin isn't the type of person who'd take you home with him and rely on you so heavily if he didn't trust you." Connor's insistence gave Nines some level of comfort, but at the same time, his recent actions suggested otherwise. He'd looked horror struck at the suggestion of Nines having access to these memories. Why would it be such a terrible thing if he trusted him? Nines would let Reed view his own memories in a heartbeat. Why would Reed not do the same?
"But why doesn't he trust me with these memories?" Nines asked in a troubled tone, watching Connor's lips curl in contemplation. He had an idea of why, but it wasn't his place to say. What he could do was gently reassure his little brother and offer reasonable insights into human thought patterns. He did his best to look knowledgeable and sure of himself as he sat a little further forward in his chair. This was the sort of thing to be kept quiet.
"It isn't that he doesn't trust you, it's that he values your respect…Humans tend to be very private when it comes to physical intimacy. What he had with Mr Hughes was very…personal. It isn't something he'd want to share, especially with those he values most. He'd feel embarrassed to allow you to see him in such a compromising situation," Connor explained sensitively, watching as Nines nodded his head and bit his lip. He had a confession on the tip of his tongue as he looked at Connor, but he was hesitant. Connor waited patiently as Nines looked around before leaning closer. Connor obliged him by leaning in himself.
"But I want to see him like that…or rather…" Nines trailed off with an uncertain frown, seeming quite vulnerable for once. Connor wasn't prepared to have such a private moment shared so publicly. He blinked, his LED flashing yellow as he called Nines internally. Nines' LED matched his own as he accepted the call.
You want to be in a similar situation with him, Connor concluded, watching as Nines nodded. He felt ashamed somehow. He shouldn't view Reed like that. They were partners. Work colleagues. Friends. He shouldn't want such intimacy with him. It wasn't appropriate. It wasn't professional. His attention was likely unwanted. There's nothing wrong with that. If you want that sort of relationship with Gavin, then you have to speak openly with him or show your interest…Just think about it, Connor encouraged, watching Nines exhale lightly. He'd been thinking of little else. That night at Elijah's manor had been difficult.
Gavin had looked so appealing with his glassy eyes and red stained lips. His smile had been warm and inviting as Nines had guided him to the bed. His body had slumped into him more than once as they'd walked, and he'd been absolutely shameless in the way he'd stripped his clothing and fallen upon the bed. He'd fallen asleep within seconds, coaxed to slumber by the alcohol in his system. Nines had settled on the bed, not bothering to undress. There'd been no need. He'd liked that. Lying beside Gavin. He'd watched him innocently for a while, but then Gavin had turned over to roll carelessly against his body. At first, Nines had remained still, afraid of rousing him. Gavin had shuffled further into his warmth, nestling against his chest as he'd reached up to grip his shirt. Nines had experienced an overwhelming sense of contentment with Gavin nestled in his arms, breathing in the scent of his hair and skin. He'd gone into stasis, relishing the sensations.
But I find…Nines trailed off uncertainly, his blue eyes searching the air for the right words as Connor waited patiently. I understand the concept of wanting, but don't know how…I don't know how to prevent my wants either…Perhaps it is part of my programming, but I find myself unable to…to…Nines sighed in frustration as he failed to finish the thought. He watched as Connor's lips curled in something akin to amusement, but he didn't understand. He hadn't said anything funny. Connor's eyes softened in apology as he rested a hand on Nines' knee.
It's not your programming, and you do have wants. Your hesitancy in acting on those feelings stems from a subconscious fear of rejection. You're afraid that if you tell Gavin how you feel, then your partnership will be irreparably damaged. Connor watched Nines nod his agreement reluctantly. What Connor said made sense, and it was a valid concern. It was a positive sign that Reed had had an intimate relationship with an android, but he'd once held a firm anti-android sentiment. Reed was kind to him. Far kinder than he had been at the start. Did that mean they had an emotional connection though? Nines wasn't even convinced he was able to have a true emotional connection. What if it was a bug in his programming? What if his feelings changed if he deviated?
What do you suggest? Nines asked, hopeful for some advice.
Make a move…Do something that he can't mistake for simple kindness, Connor advised, quietly certain that Reed would accept any advances Nines made. He may be surprised at first, and perhaps a little hesitant, but he'd already shown clear signs of attraction to Nines. But wait a while…Give him time to heal from this loss while you consider your options. Connor was unsure how long humans usually left between relationships and loss, but he understood the human need to heal. Nines nodded his agreement. It did seem in poor taste to seduce someone so close to such a loss. He understood that much, despite his limited social programming.
"Hey, ready to get back to it?" Reed asked as he held up a file. It was a new cold case they'd volunteered to look through. Nines nodded his agreement as Connor ended the call and rolled back to his own desk in a single smooth glide. Reed watched him go with a small frown. "What were you talking about?" he asked curiously as he handed Nines the file. Nines fixed him with an almost sinful smirk, his eyelids lowering just enough to look sultry.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" he teased in his usual silken tone. Reed snorted with a fond shake of his head as he sat down. The brothers were entitled to keep their secrets, and besides, they had work to do.