November 12th
9:14am- Detroit Police Department
Vera
Vera smirked as she watched Ruby slam down papers on Captain Fowler's desk through the glass walls of his office. Hank and Connor had gone to get coffee for them before they went out on a case, so Ruby had taken this opportunity to put herself before Fowler.
Finn sidled up beside Vera. "She scares me sometimes," he whispered, and Vera laughed.
"She's too nice and you know it. For an assassin anyway."
"Every assassin is different. But empathy is what sets us apart from the others." He shrugged, grinning. "You know I always like to have a bit of fun with the Templars."
Vera rolled her eyes, although a small smile graced her lips.
"Yeah, I've noticed. That's why I begged the Council members not to make me work with you again."
Finn punched her arm lightly. "That's bloody rude. I think I'm amazing…"
Vera side-eyed him. "Yeah… Exactly. That's also the reason you're so reckless."
"I'm not reckless. I just… have different methods."
Vera snorted. But Ruby was coming back, her face thunderous. Nothing like her usual sweet features.
Vera shared a worried glance with Finn as Ruby strode up to them.
"What happened?" Finn asked.
"I put my papers in front of him. I thought that would just gently push him towards hiring me and I could just go on cases…" She threw her hands in the air. "Nope. I'm with Gavin and Nines…"
Vera snickered. "Ohh. Gavin is not going to be pleased."
Ruby glared at her. "I'm surprised you're even allowed to step foot in here without every cop in Detroit falling over each other to arrest you."
Vera didn't take the bait. "Nines cleared my name. Hank made sure before we got here."
"What's going on here?" Hank asked behind them, carrying the coffees.
"I'm partnered with Gavin and Nines from now on." Ruby scowled.
"Speak of the devil…" Finn said under his breath.
Gavin sauntered in, looking more annoyed than Ruby had a few minutes ago. Nines, however, looked anxious, trailing closely behind his partner. He almost looked tired. As much as an android could look tired. Gavin was in the process of lighting a cigarette when Nines peered at him.
"Those will kill you. You should stop." Gently, but firmly.
Gavin half-turned to glare at the android, putting the cigarette between his lips and taking a deep breath in. Nines plucked it from Gavin's lips and crushed it between his own fingers without blinking.
Before Vera could pull in a sharp breath, Ruby had placed herself between the partners. Gavin's fingers remained curled into fists, held in the air like time had been frozen.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He demanded through gritted teeth.
"I'm trying to keep you alive, Detective—"
"Not you!" Gavin snapped. He looked pointedly at Ruby. "You! What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Ruby retorted. "If I have to work with you, then I have to make sure you won't kill each other."
Gavin recoiled. "What—"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nines interrupted swiftly.
"It wasn't my idea." Ruby crossed her arms, inclining her head in the direction of Fowler's office.
Nines closed his eyes briefly. "We have a case. We should head to it now..." His eyes flickered to Gavin for a long moment before he turned on his heel and left the station.
"We should go," Ruby added quietly to Gavin, who was still seething. But he nodded silently.
Vera mouthed 'good luck' in Ruby's direction. The latter raised her eyebrows and scoffed as she followed Gavin out.
"We have a case too, on the other side of town," Connor said behind her.
Hank sighed. "Well, we'd better get movin' then."
Finn rubbed his hands together.
"How exciting do these cases tend to get? I bet you chase a lot of people, huh, Connor?" He nudged the android gently, who frowned.
Vera rolled her eyes. "Don't answer him, Connor. He just gets excited at weird things."
Finn laughed as they bundled back into Hank's car.
"So, we're back on general homicide then…" Hank muttered as they analysed the body propped up against the brick wall of the apartment building. The victim still held the knife deep within his rib cage, up to the hilt. A cross was borne on his chest and his mouth was open slightly.
Connor knelt, closing the eyelids over the glassy-eyed expression underneath. He tilted his head as he pressed his fingers to the victim's temple.
"He's an android, Lieutenant…" he said quietly. "How could someone have done this? There's thirium everywhere. He's badly damaged."
"Ah shit," Hank said, placing a hand on Connor's shoulder. "Come on, we'll find the bastard who did this."
"Are there any thirium traces?" Vera asked, looking around even if she couldn't see anything.
"None that I can see yet. Only this handprint…" Connor looked closer at the corner of the wall. Then reached out, pressed two fingers onto it and put them on his tongue.
"Gross!" Finn exclaimed. Hank and Vera smirked at each other. They were used to it.
"Another android… They must be wounded."
Vera frowned. "You don't think the other android killed this one?"
Connor shook his head. "There are fingerprints on the handle of the knife. Definitely a human."
A shout came from where the police line stood.
"Hey! Wait! You can't go in there!"
Vera turned to see what was going on. A small group of androids carrying signs marched towards them. The signs read "Justice for Androids" and "Imprison Humans for Crimes Against Androids."
"Fuck sake…" she grunted.
"Be careful, Lieutenant," Connor cautioned, placing a hand on Hank's arm, and coming to stand ahead of them. "I'll speak with them."
"Justice for Androids!" They chanted, beginning to walk in a circle. Connor stood ahead of them.
"Stop this, so I can solve this case. I won't be able to get any justice for either android if you don't leave now."
"You're on their side!" A woman growled. "You just want us to leave to protect your human friends."
"We will get justice for them. But you must let me try. This human… I have to find them first but with you here, it makes it almost impossible."
Vera stepped forward. "You have all fought for your freedom and for justice for so long. We want to help you. The longer we stand here talking about it, the further away the murderer will get."
"The second android might still be alive. Don't put yourselves in unnecessary danger just to prove a point!" Connor added firmly.
The protesters looked angry, but their leader nodded and ushered the others back out of the crime scene area. Connor stared them down until they were out of sight, then he sighed.
"I thought they'd never leave," he said, glancing back at the victim.
"We'd better find this guy quick before they come back," Hank remarked.
"Were there any witnesses?" Finn asked, finally speaking up.
"Uh, none as far as we know but that doesn't mean there aren't any…" Hank replied, rubbing his neck.
"Hank!"
A policewoman yelled across the parking lot at the edge of a line of trees. There were other police officers running through them.
The four of them ran over. Connor hurried ahead through the trees, but Hank stopped to speak to the police officer that called him.
"What happened? Is it the murderer?"
She nodded wordlessly. "Think so. We saw someone run off in that direction."
Vera didn't want to waste any more time. She ran through the trees, feeling the branches nick her as she sped through. The officers, Connor and Finn were nowhere to be seen. They had gone too deep into the forest now. It wasn't really a forest. But more so a small gathering of trees that had been planted on the side of the apartment complex to give it more of a 'homely feel.'
Vera kept running until she heard a loud snap on her right. She stopped abruptly, almost falling over herself. Squinting through the trees, she moved towards the noise, careful not to step on the twigs that littered the forest floor.
Another snap!
Vera's head whipped to the left, slowly bringing out one of her knives. Not to kill, only maim. Slow him down while she arrested him.
Something moved ahead. She positioned herself behind the tree ahead of her, pressing herself against the rough bark.
She watched the figure closely until its back was turned. Then she moved. Easing herself through the trees, she slipped to each one. She was almost there, and she raised her knife.
But the next snap came from above her.
And all went dark…
Ruby
Ruby crossed her arms in the back seat of Gavin's car, watching his glaring face in the rear-view mirror. He looked tired, and that only made him more irritable.
She leant forward slightly. "Nines… What was in that report again?"
He blinked, eyes shifting. Then he turned his head.
"The report stated that there's been a harassment of an android in the Woodbridge district. The caller said that there were a few people harassing this one android—" He cut off, closing his eyes. Ruby frowned and Gavin's attention shifted between Nines and the road.
"Detective, there's been an additional report. The humans are now beating this android. Step on it, Detective Reed!"
Gavin looked like he was about to protest before he saw the panic on Nines' face. He swore under his breath and pressed firmly on the accelerator.
Finally, they came to the site of the report's address.
Ruby looked up at the railings of the park as she got out of the car. But Nines was racing ahead of them, so she followed suit.
Shouting and crying bounded over the grass from where the group stood beneath a large tree. Ruby could just make out the android huddled beneath the feet that kicked her mercilessly.
Nines was just hurtling towards them, but Ruby yelled at them to stop.
"Step away from the android!" Gavin instructed as they reached the group.
A blond man spat at them. "You're just as much filth as they are—"
Nines grabbed the man by the collar, stopping him in his tracks. The others raised their fists, but Gavin pointed his gun at them.
"Don't you dare touch him. Put your hands behind your heads right fucking now!"
Ruby sidled around to the android still lying on the floor, ignoring the exchange behind her. She was beaten pretty badly. Blue blood leaked from her nose, her head, and her torso.
"It's okay, no one is going to hurt you. What's your name?"
"I was given the name Cecelia," she answered meekly.
Ruby smiled. "Let's get you up, Cecelia. Are you severely damaged anywhere?"
Cecelia didn't answer for a moment, but her eyes widened at something behind Ruby.
"Hey!" Gavin yelled.
Ruby turned. A foot was coming towards her face!
She grabbed the assailant by the ankle, standing to grab them by the shirt with the other. Then slammed them into the ground.
She pointed her blade into his face. He whimpered slightly. The breath had been knocked out of him.
"Try that again, and you'll be made an example of. Do you understand?" She muttered calmly close to his face. He nodded after a moment. She dragged him up and shoved him back towards Gavin.
Unfortunately, the stupid hadn't been knocked out of him. Or anyone else.
He knocked the gun out of Gavin's hands and punched the Detective hard in the face. Ruby stepped towards him to help but was knocked over by two women who fought over giving her the first hit. She glimpsed the last three jump on Nines including the one he'd had a hold of, as she pushed the fist of one, away from her face.
The dark-haired woman gripped her painted hands around Ruby's neck, squeezing the skin more than Ruby's throat in her anger. Ruby kicked her legs trying to throw her off, but the other woman lay flat on them, pinning her beneath the both of them.
Ruby could vaguely hear two men groaning from the ground as they landed hard on the grass. And then the two women were flying off her.
Ruby rolled away, but Nines wasn't interested in her now. He was bending over Gavin, having stopped him from throttling his attacker. The android took off his jacket, carefully dabbing at the Detective's nose. Or trying to.
"I can do it myself, Nines…" Gavin grumbled, grabbing the jacket from him. But Ruby could see he was grateful deep down. The way his lips tilted slightly upwards before he pressed the jacket sleeve to his nose.
She brushed off her clothes that were now stained with grass and mud. The group were still lying on the ground, pushing themselves into sitting positions and cowering at the glaring assassin above them.
"Are you okay, Gavin?" she asked tentatively, not taking her eyes from the assailants.
"I'm fine," he replied. "I'll call for backup to take them to the station." He wandered away, rubbing the back of his hand across his nose.
Nines stared after him. Ruby frowned, then she turned to the trembling android under the tree.
She held out her hand. "Everything is fine. Come on." She helped Cecelia stand. "Are you badly damaged?"
Cecelia shook her head. "I'm okay. Really. Not severely, nothing some thirium can't fix."
"We'll find you some."
"I know where we can find some," Nines muttered finally. "I'll get you some as soon as we are done here."
"Thank you." Cecelia smiled.
Gavin was stalking back towards them, dragging his feet through the grass. He pushed his phone into his pocket.
"They're on the way." He dragged up the man closest to him. The one who'd hit him. "Come on, get the fuck up." He slapped the handcuffs onto the man's wrists, ignoring the wince that came with it.
Ruby tightened her own handcuffs around one of the women who jumped her and gripped the other tightly. Nines stood over the others with his arms crossed, eyes flickering over each of them.
Twenty minutes later, blue and red lights flashed in the sky over the park gate. Three police officers hurried across the grass towards them, handcuffs flashing on their belts.
Chris was among them, and he grimaced at the blood smeared on Gavin's face as he handcuffed the other woman that Ruby held.
"What happened?" he asked as they dragged them back to the vans. Cecelia followed, positioning herself between Ruby and Nines.
"We did what we needed to do," one woman sneered. Ruby shook her.
"Shut it! You've done enough."
"These androids… they won't ever be free. This is a human world. They have no place here."
"Shut up, or I'll make you shut up!" Gavin hissed, pointing his finger in her face.
Ruby didn't doubt he would, and neither did she—she glared at him but said nothing more.
They were bundled quickly into the vans. Chris and the other additional officers left them and took the prisoners back to the police department.
Ruby sighed, but Nines beat her to it.
"Let's get back to the station. Cecelia needs thirium…"
"I can't fucking wait to get away from here," Gavin grunted as they got back to the car.
Ruby stared back into the park for a moment.
"Me too."
