"God, I'm sorry!" Takigawa apologised as he stumbled backwards out of the bathroom and slammed the door. We've been living together for three months. You'd think we'd be over these mistakes by now! he thought as he covered his heated face with one hand and closed his eyes. He tried not to think about Ayako's perfectly sculpted body, standing naked in the bathroom as she towelled off. He'd only seen her from the back, so it was a little less embarrassing than it could have been. He was still pretty flustered as the door clicked open.
"Getting your own back, hm?" Ayako teased in an almost sultry tone as she stepped out of the steamy room wrapped securely in a large, fluffy towel. It was one of the many new items she'd bought since moving in. Takigawa groaned as he remembered earlier in the week when his own towel had slipped on the way to his bedroom. He'd felt mortified, especially as Ayako had eyed him like some kind of prized mustang. She'd teased him once more as the sultry look on her face had caused his member to twitch to life.
"Don't remind me!" He cringed openly as his skin flushed, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose. "Really, I'm sorry. The shower was off, so I just assumed you were finished," he added apologetically as he lowered his hand. Why she hadn't locked the door, he had no idea. This had happened a few times. When Ayako had walked in on him, he'd been in his underwear, brushing his teeth. The first time he'd walked in on her, she'd been fully dressed and putting on makeup. This time, he hadn't been so lucky.
"These things happen," Ayako excused mercifully as she padded down the hall to her room. "If you don't hurry, you'll be late!" she added over her shoulder, leaving Takigawa to rush his shower. Ayako had made him some toast and a coffee for the road by the time he got downstairs. He was wearing a grey suit that day, with a simple black turtleneck beneath. He looked smart but casual, which was his new look for the station. He'd been there long enough to loosen up and lose the shirt and tie.
"You're an angel," Takigawa sighed thankfully as he bit into the toast, enjoying the thin layer of strawberry jam with a small hum. Ayako laughed at his words as she tidied the living room a little, mostly stacking a few magazines and clearing up the glasses from the night before. Takigawa watched her quietly, as he often did. It was amazing how neatly she'd slotted into his life. He was beginning to wonder how he'd managed before. Manage was probably a strong word, considering the amount of takeout and ready meals he'd lived on. "What are your plans for today?" he asked as he sipped his drink.
"I'll tidy up here and buy a few things from the supermarket…I'm thinking of trying your grandmother's stroganoff recipe today," she added, smiling at the way Takigawa hummed appreciatively. She'd slowly been working her way through the small book, and had picked up on a few of Takigawa's favourites. This dish would take a few hours to prepare, so she'd set aside the day for it. She'd found she actually enjoyed the process of cooking. The precise work, the repetitive motions, and seeing the end results were all equally rewarding.
"You know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right? If you're not careful, I'll marry you," Takigawa teased with a wolfish grin, watching Ayako pause. Her cheeks flushed as she looked across at him, and his own skin heated in response. He remained firm though, his expression both teasing and flirtatious. Ayako smiled as she returned to tidying up.
"Are you sure you could handle me, Hou?" she retorted as she passed by into the kitchen and started filling the sink. Something jarred in his stomach at the pet name she'd used. He leaned on the breakfast bar and watched, trying to stop his eyes from roving over her figure. It was like she'd been sculpted from marble, like one of those Greek statues. All curves and gentle angles. He'd never met anyone like Ayako, which wasn't all that surprising.
"Oh, come on! Look at these bad boys. You don't think I could?" he asked teasingly as he flexed his arms like a bodybuilder. Ayako looked over her shoulder and laughed, the sound making his stomach flip. Her voice was so rich, and when she laughed, her shoulders would twitch with each jump of her diaphragm. His smile softened as he went back to leaning and took another bite of his toast.
"I've seen more muscle on a YK700!" Ayako teased as she washed the glasses, glancing over to see Takigawa touching his heart as if he'd been hurt. The YK700 was the newest child model on the market, a pretty girl with brunette hair. Takigawa couldn't get into the idea of child models. They'd never grow or change like a regular child, so if you got one, you'd have it for life. Children growing up was a little sad, but a child remaining a child forever just seemed wrong. Guess the idea is that you get rid of it when you get bored, but that's not what being a parent is supposed to be about…
"Thanks for taking care of things. I'm heading out," Takigawa added with a small salute as he picked up his travel mug. Ayako shouted through to tell him to drive carefully, and he called his agreement as he stepped out into the cold winter day. It was November now, the weather making him shiver as he hurried into his car. We already sound like an old married couple! he thought with a huff as he started up the car. He was already looking forward to coming home to Ayako's cooking and her cheerful how was your day? He smiled at the thought, and still had his good mood when he arrived at the station.
"Takigawa," Charlie called with a hint of urgency as soon as he saw him enter. Takigawa's smile dropped. Charlie never called him as soon as he walked in like that. He walked a little faster, eyes already on the file that Charlie held up for him to take. He took the file and flicked his eyes over it. No wonder Charlie was so eager…
"Shit," Takigawa cursed as he shut the file. A human was dead. "Alright, let's go. Tell me the details on the way," he ordered as he turned around and headed back towards the parking lot. He didn't need to look and see if Charlie was following. He definitely was. He handed the file over and buckled up, barely needing to wait before Charlie launched into an explanation.
"The case came through thirty minutes ago. A man returned home this morning to find his wife dead, and their family android was nowhere to be found. From the looks of things, the responding officers have determined the android is the likely killer," Charlie reviewed as he watched the road ahead. He didn't need to check the file. He'd already recorded the contents. Takigawa nodded that he'd heard. He, personally, wouldn't level the blame on the android until he'd looked the scene over himself. People were always quick to point the finger at an android these days, when it could easily have been staged to look that way by a human.
"We'll look things over and decide for ourselves, right Charlie?" Takigawa replied with a tight smile. Charlie voiced his agreement. Takigawa was relieved. Over the past few weeks, Charlie had regained a lot of his missing personality, or at least he'd redeveloped it. He was quicker to follow his train of thought, thinking outside of his programmed responses. It had upset and confused him a bit for the first month, but he'd slowly gotten used to it. Poor guy was never built to be a detective. He's just supposed to drive a cruiser, chase down bad guys, and slap on cuffs! "What do we know about the family?" Takigawa asked as he joined the flow of traffic. They were in no real hurry, so he didn't bother putting his light on top of the car.
"Husband, Andrew Rivers. Thirty-four-years-old. Works as site security at the local harbour. He was working a shift last night, and didn't return home until this morning. The time of his call is within acceptable parameters when factoring in the travel time and finding the body." Charlie had already checked in with Rivers' employer to make sure he'd gotten to work on time and remained throughout his shift before clocking out at the regular time. He worked as part of a team, so his absence would have been noticed right away. He'd also been caught on numerous camera feeds throughout his shift. He was definitely not their suspect.
"So you're saying it's unlikely he's our guy," Takigawa cut in as he wove his way through the stream of cars. Detroit morning traffic was pretty heavy, but at least it kept moving for them. Charlie nodded his agreement without elaboration. His word was enough for Takigawa.
"Indeed. The deceased is Emily Rivers, formerly Carter. Thirty-years-old. Private accountant. Her time of death has not been determined yet. They had no children." Takigawa supposed that was for the best. It was always tougher when kids were involved in these sorts of things. He fell silent, unable to formulate an exact scenario without more details and evidence. They pulled up at the small apartment. It was in a nice area, but the block was old enough that it didn't have security cameras everywhere. There was one in the lift and that was about it.
"Can you get the camera footage?" Takigawa asked as they took the lift up. Charlie nodded his obedience as he interfaced with the camera. Takigawa watched the numbers scroll by quietly, hands in his trouser pockets. It was cold. He should have grabbed his coat that morning as well as his suit jacket. As they stepped out, the corridor was fairly normal besides the uniformed officer at the door and the holographic tape blocking the entry. So whatever happened, it only took place inside…"Hey. Detective Takigawa, and this is Charlie. What have we got?" he asked the young officer at the door.
"Not much, Sir. We asked around, but no one up or down heard a thing. The walls and floors are surprisingly thick in these old buildings. No one noticed the android leave, but it's pretty normal for people to come and go, so they're not too sure," he reported with a slight tremor in his tone. Takigawa nodded assuringly to ease his nerves. The officer was a new graduate. He could tell. He had those bright puppy eyes that kids had for the first few months on the job. His voice was a little unsteady as he addressed a superior officer. This was probably his first homicide.
"You're doing good, kid. Anything else?" Takigawa asked as he stepped through the tape, Charlie following behind. The uniformed officer didn't leave the doorway, but he did turn to watch the detectives walk around the dishevelled apartment. An ornament had been smashed, a small cabinet knocked over, and papers had scattered. It looked like a scuffle had taken place.
"Um…well, there was clearly a struggle, as you can see…Oh! Her fingernails, you should check her fingernails!" he added quickly, Takigawa nodding as he walked over to the body. It was a pretty common thing to look at, something all recruits remembered. Their victim was lying on the living room floor. She was on her side, as if she'd fallen. He tugged on a set of blue gloves as he looked her over, though he didn't actually want to move her until the scene had been checked by forensics.
"Charlie," he called, nodding to the body. Charlie crouched and looked at her closely. He wasn't like that fancy new android in Detroit, but he still had a better eye for the smaller details. He looked closely at her hands and her head, scanning what he could. Her head was at a funny angle. Even Takigawa could tell that much. Charlie's dark eyes trailed down her arms to her hands, examining her fingers one at a time.
"She has synthetic skin fragments and thirium beneath her fingernails. Her neck is broken, possibly from the fall. It seems she caught her head on the edge of the table…" he reported as he indicated the relevant injuries. Takigawa nodded his agreement. Does that make her death an accident? Were they having an argument? But you can't argue with an android…Well, you can…Sort of…Takigawa got to his feet and looked around the apartment a little more. The bathroom was spotless, as was the android's room. The humans' room however…
"Charlie…What do you think of this?" he asked as he nodded to the messed up bed. Charlie looked closely at the bed and the surrounding objects. He lifted an electronic tablet, flicking through the open internet tabs. His LED glowed yellow in the dimness of the room as he processed the information and started formulating a possible explanation. The heavy curtains were pulled shut against the morning light. Not too unusual, considering the time.
"There is evidence of sexual intercourse," Charlie said as he stepped back from the bed. "Android and human," he added before Takigawa could ask, handing the tablet over as he appeared at his shoulder. So, she was sleeping with their android…Did her husband know? Takigawa frowned as he looked at the various open tabs. There were items to enhance your android's sexual prowess, as well as ads for some of the newer companion models.
"Was she going to enhance him, or replace him?" Takigawa wondered out loud as he frowned at the pad. Either way, this could be what started the fight…It wouldn't be the first time a deviant has flipped out over being replaced…he thought, looking up as the forensics team arrived, in all their plastic covered glory. "Yo! She scratched the thing," he called, watching one of the medics nod as they leaned down and began taking pictures.
"I hope you didn't touch anything…and what is that doing in here?" the head analyst asked gruffly as she approached, covered head to toe in a blue plastic suit with a matching face mask. Takigawa clapped Charlie on the shoulder as he gave her a cheerful smile. The woman was middle-aged, the strict type. Like a principal. She clearly wasn't too impressed with his partner, though Takigawa couldn't blame her. It was an unfortunate fact that androids were making many people unemployed these days.
"Just this, and this is my partner, Charlie," he added as he handed the pad over to the doctor, who chided him about touching evidence before it had been photographed and catalogued. She wasn't too angry. He'd at least worn gloves and steered clear of the actual body. Since Charlie was an android, it didn't matter if he'd touched the body. He had no prints to leave behind.
"An android detective, what next? We're going to be unemployed by next year at this rate!" the woman sighed, giving Charlie a half glare of disapproval. Takigawa let out a small chuckle, somewhere between amusement and agreement. It was happening more and more, humans being replaced by android counterparts. You already saw it in stores, offices, construction, and even the medical field. I guess it's already started in the police, what with that RK-whatever-it-is running around Detroit…
"Let me know when you have something, alright?" Takigawa said as he handed the woman his card. She nodded and returned to work while Takigawa and Charlie returned to the station. They interviewed the husband. He'd been unaware of his wife's infidelity, though he didn't seem too upset about it. They'd been discussing an upgrade. It had been his wife's idea. The android they had was an AP600, and they'd had it around three years now. The AP700 had good reviews, and his wife had recently been promoted. He didn't blame her for wanting to treat herself. The AP600, named Jack, was really his wife's android. He'd interacted with it well enough, but he hadn't been attached to the thing.
"What are your thoughts, Sir?" Charlie asked as Takigawa left the interview room.
"My gut says this guy's clean…He seemed genuinely surprised that his wife was sleeping with Jack, but not really upset by it…" he replied thoughtfully, Charlie nodding his understanding. He could confirm the husband's surprise, having been watching his vitals. He'd been distressed, but he was obviously suffering severe shock and grief from the loss of his wife. "We need to track down Jack. What did the cameras show?" Takigawa asked as he sat down at his desk.
"The AP600 took the lift down, but where it went next is uncertain. I have already requested local camera footage, bus routes, and taxi reports for the area," Charlie replied as he stood dutifully behind Takigawa's chair. Takigawa turned so that he could look up at him. They spent the next few hours bouncing ideas off each other, mostly Takigawa making suggestions while Charlie knocked them down. They both viewed camera footage, tracking the android as far as the Central Park area, but then it disappeared. It's going to be a long day…
