Disclaimer: I do not own Detroit: Become Human. This story contains violence, abuse, and dark themes. Viewer discretion is advised.
DATE: December 11, 2038
TIME: 8:02:04 P.M
Gavin watched as the ambulance sped off, taking Eli and Chloe with it. He wanted to follow, but he had a crime scene to examine. Hopefully, it'd give him some kind of answer. Chris also left, having to take the other android, Charity, he believed, to get her damage looked at by an engineer. That left him, Anderson, and Connor to check the crime scene. Connor was still outside—
"He should live." Gavin jumped at the voice. Apparently, Connor was standing right beside him. "From what I could scan of Mr. Kamski, none of the injuries are lethal." The android continued as if he hadn't scared the shit out of him.
"You sure about that?" Gavin asked.
"96.8 percent sure. So, we thankfully don't have a murder case, but an attack on the creator of androids only a month after the android revolution has its implications."
"So, you think whoever did this is tied to the revolution?"
"There's always a possibility." Gavin looked off to where the ambulance had driven off. Of course, many people wanted to hurt Eli or anyone with the Kamski name. But the success of actually doing so was slim to none. Eli had been here for 10 years with not a whisper of conflict, but, as Connor pointed out, after the deviant's revolution was when he finally got caught off guard. But Eli wasn't stupid. Being the creator of androids, he should have been alert at a time when tensions between humans and androids were at their peak.
"Detective Reed, are you feeling alright?" Connor asked, a hint of worry in his otherwise static voice.
"Why the hell is everyone asking me that?"
"I ask because your stress levels are above the healthy amount. I advise that you retire for the night and rest. I can call a cab for you." Gavin couldn't tell if the android was trying to get him out of the way or actually concerned for his wellbeing.
"There's something I must like about you, Detective Reed."
It didn't matter. Gavin wouldn't let himself be pushed aside. Not for this case.
"What you can do tin can, is drop the damn concern and analyze the crime scene." He shrugged off the offer as he headed back to the villa. "You can come inside now, right?"
"Now that the resident androids have left, yes," Connor answered, following after him.
"What happened between you and those other androids?" Connor's LED flashed yellow.
"A rather unpleasant but necessary interaction." The android answered quite evenly, though his LED showed distress. Gavin had a feeling Eli had a hand in whatever had happened; he knew how intense he could get when he wanted to. He wouldn't press further, not now at least.
"You see any signs of a break-in?" He asked, Connor's eyes squinting as he examined the lobby. "Not the front door, but the one leading to the pool room was forced open."
"Oh, that was me." Connor gave him a look with a raised brow. "I mean, I did that when we were initially looking for Mr. Kamski, not when he was attacked. The real damage is further inside." As they walked through the pool room, Connor stopped suddenly, staring at a specific spot in front of the pool, LED yellow.
"You see somethin'?" He asked, seeming to snap the android out of his thoughts.
"Nothing of use." Connor shook his head. They entered the living room full of forensics and officers gathering any piece of evidence they could, including Anderson, who stood in front of a shattered sculpture. While Connor began his own reconstruction process, Gavin went to Anderson.
"Find anything, Anderson?" Anderson finished whatever thought he had before he answered.
"We found the point of entry. A window in the master bedroom. The breaker is also jacked up. The suspect probably wanted to get the upper hand in the dark. But with how much damage there is, I think there's more than one suspect."
"Any evidence of them, hair, fingerprints?"
"Not yet. Though if the suspects were androids, there wouldn't be any fingerprints." Androids? No. Androids couldn't have done this.
"Do you know what statements Chloe made before she left?"
"Well, she said that last night she and Kamski were in the living room, and the other two androids were in the kitchen when the power went out. She says that's when they were attacked but couldn't see who it was because it was pitch black. One of the androids was able to escape through the river, the one who alerted us in the first place. She says no one called the police earlier because their communications had been cut. That's all we got out of her before she left. The other android here was too terrified to say anything useful." Gavin wondered how much of that was true. He already knew that Eli and Chloe wouldn't give the whole truth. No, they would make sure the truth would be buried underneath lies and deception, and he wanted to find it before it was hidden forever.
"Keep me updated, Anderson." He said as he slid on rubber gloves from his back pocket.
"You do too, Reed. This shit reeks of foul play." Anderson had no idea.
Only three forces could have done this, and Gavin made it his mission to figure out which one it was.
As he looked closer at the destruction, there were signs of bashing, slashing, pummeling, but no shooting. He knew Eli wouldn't let himself be unarmed if he could help it, so why not use his gun? Unless he had been unable to find it in the dark, but he doubted that Eli was that environmentally unaware to not locate his means of protection even when blinded. Maybe his attackers took the gun before Eli could get to it, but if so, why not fire it at least once? The villa was secluded enough that if a gunshot went off, only the people in the vicinity would have heard it. If the attackers' goal had been to kill Eli, shooting him in the head would have been the easiest option.
So, no assassins trying to kill him. Maybe it was a kidnapping attempt. There were plenty of reasons to kidnap a billionaire. But even then, a gun would have certainly been helpful for intimidation if it wasn't used to kill. Eli's androids showed evidence of fighting back, so if the attackers had a gun, why not use it to shoot one of them. Whoever attacked didn't want to kill him and wasn't trying to kidnap him. That ruled out one of his three suspects.
He went to the bedroom to look for any more hints. It had a luxurious bed that looked fit for a king, but it was either just cleaned or rarely used from how neat the bed was. The window on the far wall was busted open, the window curtains blowing in the chilly wind that blew through the opening. With how orderly the room appeared, he assumed barely any of the struggles happened here. Hung up on the walls weren't any photos but paintings. He instantly recognized Manfred's art style, but something else felt off about the placement of one certain painting above the bed. It was too high for the Chloes to put up or try and dust it. He waited for the forensics to leave the room before he investigated further.
He took it off the wall and shone his light on the area the painting had covered and noticed a slight reflection flashing back. It was an ever-so-small camera lens embedded into the wall. A hidden security camera. They wouldn't be of much use with the power outage and if the footage was tampered with. So there had to be something more. He looked through the nightstand next. He found nothing in the top drawer, but underneath a sleeping mask was a photograph in the bottom one. It looked to be taped back together after being ripped apart, but he could still make out who was in the photo. Eli and himself. Though Gabe would be more contextually accurate. He heard footsteps approaching and quickly decided to shove the photo into his jacket pocket.
"Have you found anything, Detective?" Connor asked, walking into the room.
"Not much, how about you?" he asked back, shutting the drawer.
"I've reconstructed portions of what happened, but I'm not certain who did what with the lack of biological evidence."
"You think whoever did this cleaned up after themselves?"
"Possibly. There are cleaning chemicals over the crime scene that match the cleaning supplies in the bathroom. But that brings up more questions."
"Before we get to those questions, care to run me through what happened?"
"Of course." He gestured to the window. "The first assailant broke in through the window while a second one caused the power outage by damaging the breaker outside. One ST200 went to check the breaker while the other investigated the noise in the bedroom." He motioned for Gavin to follow as he walked out of the bedroom and into the living room. "The intruder was able to sneak past the ST200 and went into the living room, where Mr. Kamski was sitting on the couch, and I assume that was where he was attacked."
"Do you know if the attacker had a weapon?" Gavin asked.
"They must have had. To cause this kind of damage to the coffee table, the suspect would have had to use the force equal to swinging a bat like a professional baseball player to cause it."
"If they swung that hard, they couldn't have hit Mr. Kamski's head. He probably raised his arms or something to block but was still hit."
"We'll know for sure when his medical examination is complete. The commotion alerted the RT600—"
"Chloe?"
"Indeed, she got involved in the struggle. That's most likely when the ST200 investigating the bedroom returned to the living room, and I assume when the second assailant entered through the broken window. They began fighting in the kitchen." Connor led them to the said kitchen and pulled one out to the knife stand. "The knife may be clean, but it has signs of being roughly handled. From the scratch marks, it made contact with human flesh."
"So, this suspect is human?"
"Or Mr. Kamski was the one being stabbed."
"You think the assailants were trying to kill Mr. Kamski?"
"A knife is a deadly weapon, so it's a possibility they were." Connor put the knife back. "The other ST200 entered, but I'm not sure which struggle she got involved with." They made their way back into the living room. "This is where I have trouble deciphering specific events. At some point, one of the assailants fractured Mr. Kamski's arm, which most likely took him out of the fight, and one of the ST200s was able to escape through the back door, swimming up the Detroit River. The R— Chloe didn't give a specific time when the suspects fled, but it was most likely late last night or early this morning."
"This fight must have gone on for hours."
"I agree. We'll have to get more information from Mr. Kamski once he's recovered enough to speak. Did he tell you anything at the dock?"
"No, he was out of it. He was more interested in my name than saying anything about the attack. He was probably in shock or some shit."
"Being attacked in your own home is traumatic," Connor said almost sarcastically, or maybe Gavin just thought he did. "What are your ideas for a motive, Detective?" Gavin put a hand to his chin as if he were thinking.
"Maybe pissed off androids that have it out for their creator or greedy humans who wanted to get some money. Though they would be pretty shitty thieves as they destroyed nearly everything valuable here."
"Or perhaps," Connor started, "If the suspects weren't trying to kill Mr. Kamski, failed to kidnap him so they could ransom him for money."
"Who would they get the money from?"
"Saul Kamski is the current CEO of CyberLife, one of Mr. Kamski's cousins. They would most likely get the money from him. With the added pressure of handling the Deviant Revolution, he would most likely cave." Gavin knew that the slimy piece of shit wouldn't have paid a dime to save his brother's life. "There's a lot to pull apart here, and at this moment, we have more questions than answers. One being why was Chloe so calm after such a traumatic event?"
"Is she deviant?" Gavin asked, the question making Connor's LED flash yellow.
"I'm not certain."
"Well, if she is, she could have returned to a robotic-like state after the attack. I think that's why she said Mr. Kamski was fine because he told her so."
"Maybe." Gavin flinched when he felt his phone start to vibrate in his jacket pocket and pulled it out. An unknown ID was calling, though he had an idea of who it could have been. "Who is it?" Connor asked.
"Tina."
"Officer Chen?"
"If you want to be all professional. I'll be outside." He exited the villa, going out into the cold. He walked far away from any officers and detectives to an isolated area. Leaning up against a tree, he looked back down at the phone and answered, putting it to his ear. He couldn't hear any breathing on the other end.
"Hello?" he started.
"You need to stay out of this, Detective Reed," The voice of Chloe sharply commanded him.
"The hell I am." He snapped back. "You can't expect me to act like nothing fucking happened this time."
"Elijah is fine," Chloe argued. "It could have been much worse."
"Did he tell you to say that?"
"He suggested that I did, and I agree with him."
"Your friend that ran into the police station screaming bloody murder would disagree." It was a struggle to keep his anger in check when he was being blatantly lied to.
"She didn't mean to get you all involved in this. She was just scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Dying… And Elijah fears the same for you if you don't go home now. So please live your life in peace."
"That won't help him." He exasperated. "Who fucking did this? I know it wasn't the Orlavs, so it's either the Zimmerman bastards or the goddamned Kamskis. Which one? Might as well tell me before I find out for myself."
"You know I cannot say."
"You need someone to tell you what and what not to say? I thought androids were supposed to have a mind of their own." That quieted her for a moment.
"I obey him because I choose to, Detective Reed. I trust him with more than my life, as he has trusted me to keep what he cares about safe. And I never intend to break his trust. You should do the same." It was his turn to get wrapped up in silence as he angrily sighed and kicked at the snow. "… Go home, please, Detective."
He could, really. He could just call a cab or Tina to come to drive him back to his apartment and sleep in late and act like everything was rosy with the world. But could Eli do that too, have a peaceful tomorrow? Could he ever have one? It was one of the few times Gavin could hear his conscious, asking him how he could live peacefully when life could be hell for Eli. It was more than cowardice.
"Can I at least speak with him?"
"He wouldn't—"
"Just ask him! Please, Chloe." He pleaded.
"I—," she abruptly cut herself off. "Excuse me for a moment." Gavin anxiously chewed on his lip as the line went quiet, straining his ears to try and hear the whispers in the background. "Are you still there, Detective?" Her voice returned.
"Never left."
"Elijah is willing to speak with you, but it will have to be tomorrow." Finally, he was getting somewhere. "But Elijah says not to show up alone."
"I know. The Lieutenant and the detective android want to speak with him. So, I'll just go with 'em."
"It's a plan then. I wish you well, Detective."
"You stay safe too. And tell Elijah not to die before I get there."
"I'll make sure to do so." The call ended.
"Detective Reed?" he put his phone away at the call of his name and headed back towards the villa, where he saw Connor looking for him.
"Over here, tin can." He called back, catching the android's attention as he walked over to him.
"What did Officer Chen say?" Connor asked.
"She was asking how everything was going on our end, which would be pretty shitty. I think we've done all we can here. Tomorrow we can go and talk to Mr. Kamski at the hospital."
"Agreed. Do you need a ride back to the station?"
"What?" Gavin asked, surprised by the question.
"Your ride here was with Officer Miller, but he left to take the ST200 to the repair center. The Lieutenant and I are heading back to the station; we can give you a ride there if you'd like." Gavin wanted to be creeped out or angry that Connor kept on pestering him with offers, but he couldn't. Androids, in general, had always bugged him with their services, asking if they could help organize his files, lock up a suspect, or even tidy his desk. However, with Connor, especially a deviated Connor, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction that the android was going out of his way for him. Somewhere in his unsettled mind, Gavin knew it was because of the android's face, how his brown eyes always gleamed with the desire to help.
He couldn't let himself be tricked by how human he looked. He scowled as he crossed his arms.
"And be stuck with Anderson in a car ride, I'll pass. A cab's just fine, and no you can't pay for it." Connor bit his lip, eyes losing their shine.
"I understand. Have a nice night, Detective."
"Yeah, yeah, buzz off, tin can." He turned away before he could see Connor's expression. He didn't plan on staying at the station long. Just getting his things and then driving back home. He'd had to prepare for what was to come: whatever dangerous shit Eli had gotten himself into.
DATE: - -, -
TIME: 07:13:05 P.M
A soft knock on the bedroom door pulled Gabriel from his book.
"Young masters, your dinner is ready," Peter said through the door. Eli gave an audible groan at his desk, his pen scratching roughly on his paper.
"Tell Mother we'll be down in a moment. I need to finish this problem." Eli did little to hide his frustration.
"Mistress Kamski said for me to wait until you come out. She doesn't wish for your food to get cold."
"Fine, we're coming." Eli set down his pencil and looked over to Gabriel, who sat down on the bed. "Ready?" He asked, voice much softer than the course one he had used with Peter.
"Yeah, I just have to mark my place." He put the bookmark in to mark his reading spot before setting it on the nightstand and sliding it off the bed. He followed Eli, who opened their bedroom door. Peter stood on the other side with his black slakes and dress shirt.
"Thank you for your quickness, young masters. Please follow me." Peter led them down the hallway and again down the stairs to the first floor. The set dining table sat below a crystal chandelier. Mother was seated, her pale lips stretching into a grin only reserved for Eli.
"I'm so glad you came in time, Elijah. I hope you're hungry." Eli scoffed at her words, taking his seat across from her. He took his own seat, sitting down on a cushion on the floor beside Eli, where a chair was absent. As a result, he couldn't see the top of the table. Though he could see that Eli had his arms crossed, and the white sheet over the table kept him from seeing underneath it.
Rebeca walked in from the kitchen carrying three plates full of steaming food, her ivory flats clicking on the tile floor as she put the first plate in front of Mother and the second in front of Eli. She had to crouch down to give him his plate, setting a napkin down on his lap before it.
"Thank you, Miss Rebecca."
"You're welcome, young master." She smiled brightly with a gracious nod. Then, she stepped away from the table, where she stood, hands behind her back as she silently observed. Peter did the same on the opposite side of the dining room. His plate had seasoned broccoli, boiled potatoes, and a cut of seared beef pre-sliced by Rebecca. It didn't taste bad in the least. It was one thing he'd give Mother credit for.
"Elijah," he paused at the sound of Mother's weary voice.
"Mother," Eli replied tonelessly.
"Eat while your food is still warm."
"I'm not hungry."
"But you must be. You didn't eat breakfast."
"I ate the apple."
"You are an intelligent boy, Elijah. You know well that isn't a meal."
"I wasn't hungry then either. I only ate the apple because I hadn't eaten yesterday."
"That's the issue. You can't just decide not to eat."
"I am now." Gabriel cringed at the screech of silverware on a glass plate.
"Are you not eating my food just to spite me, Elijah?" Mother's light tone dissipated in that one question. He shrunk down even if Mother couldn't see him. Eli continued to sit up straight, adjusting his glasses as he held the angry gaze he imagined Mother had.
"I'm not eating because I'm not hungry."
"I took time out of my precious night to prepare this dinner for you. You will not waste it because you're 'not hungry.' So, eat it."
"I respectfully decline."
"It's disrespectful to waste your Mother's food."
"It's disrespectful to pull me away from my studies."
"Ugh, you can sound just like your father at times."
"Indeed, he can." Eli's shoulders visibly stiffened at the voice from behind them. Gabriel didn't know he could get a shiver so fierce that it made his hand shake, the fork rattling in his grasp.
"I didn't know you would be joining us for dinner, dear," The sweetness in Mother's voice returned.
"This is more of an impromptu visit, Judith," Gabriel held his head low, losing sight of Eli, as footsteps headed towards them, deliberately slow. "But I'm glad I came to see my sons." A shadow descended over him, and he could feel the powerful presence of Father standing behind him. He shut his eyes as a hand slowly patted the top of his head, Father's ring tugging at his hair. After Father took his hand away, he kept his eye shut, just like Eli had told him to.
"Is there something the matter with your food, Elijah?"
"Not at all. I'm simply not hungry at the moment."
"So, you shouldn't eat?"
"Not now, at least."
"Not now?... You believe that is a decision for you to make, Elijah?"
"I—"
"Quiet now. You have no time for talking when you're eating." A delicate porcelain plate shattering, rang piercingly in his ears, like a school bell alerting that it was time to take the next grueling test. It wouldn't stop echoing, a pestering rhythm that couldn't escape his head, matching the fast beat of his pounding heart.
Gavin's eyes snapped open, the light from his ringing phone blinding him. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes from sleep, sitting up from his place at the coffee table. He was still too hazy from sleep to read the caller ID or the time, though, with no sun in the sky, it was either still night or early morning. He answered the call.
"Who the fuck is calling this late?" he grumbled.
"Good morning to you too, Gav," Tina answered, sounding as tired as he was.
"It's morning?"
"Three twenty, to be exact." She yawned. "I stayed up all night doing paperwork for last night's case. Chasity had her speech module or whatever damaged, so I had to decipher everything she said for the report. Took hours."
"Who's Chasity, and what the hell kind of name is that?"
"She's the android that ran into the precinct, and I'm not an expert in android names."
"Wait, Kamski's android?!" He questioned, sitting up straight and more alert.
"Yep. She'll recover, like her twin, but I can tell they're still scared. I heard Kamski was pretty jacked up too."
"Yeah, a broken arm and probably more shit that's wrong with him. The crime scene itself was cleaned of any blood stains, so Anderson, detective android, and I are gonna talk with him tomorrow, or today, I mean." A chirp diverted his attention to the couch behind him where Junkie was waking up, arching her back with a yawn before hopping off the couch. Her soft paws pattered over to him, where she curled up in his lap, purring like a motor. "So, did you just call to tell me about your paperwork?" He asked as he stroked her head.
"No. I called to ask if you were okay. Chris told me you were fuming more than a raging bull."
"That's a bit overdramatic."
"You put a hole in Chris' dash."
"… I said I'd pay for it."
"That isn't the point, Gav." Tina sighed. "Chris and I know you haven't been on your game in a while, and we don't want Fowler thinking you've lost your touch. I could be here without you so, if there's anything you want to talk about, we're all ears."
"I'll make sure to store that somewhere in my brain for later. Now, I'll try and get some more sleep before I have to bust my ass." Tina paused on her end.
"… I may not be a detective, but I'll crack you open one of these days."
"That's not gonna be pretty."
"I don't mind getting down and dirty. Sleep well, Gav."
"You to Tiny."
"I'm not that damn—" he ended the call with a soft chuckle. He leaned back against the foot of a couch with a heavy sigh. He doubted he'd be able to fall back asleep. Though he was glad Tina had woken him up from that "dream." That life did seem like a dream now, almost like an imaginary identity that he crafted with whatever creativity he had. He was Gavin Reed. But Gavin never called Eli "Eli." Only Gabe ever did. And he was dead to the world. So, should it be Gabe or Gavin to speak to Eli tomorrow? He didn't know which would be worse. Gavin Reed, an angry orphan, failing to fight his way through the DPD ranks, or the botched virtuoso that was the bastard Kamski, Gabriel.
He cringed as he felt a rough tongue scratched across his face. Junkie cooed, rubbing her head up against his cheek.
"Okay, fine, enough moping for now." He sighed, pushing away the thoughts that threatened to crawl to the front of his mind. He could worry about all that shit later, for now he'd stick with Gavin Reed.