"Finding out that you're Aaron's listed next of kin must have been quite a shock," Dr Marr pried gently, watching Gavin outright scoff at the assertion. A shock? You got that phcking right! He felt a little guilty for actually resenting Aaron for doing it. What had he been thinking, listing him for such a huge responsibility without saying anything? Gavin had Tina and Fowler listed as his next of kin, and before that, it had been Jack. All three times he'd checked with them first and asked if it was alright. He'd never dream of just dumping that responsibility on anyone. He'd also made it as easy as possible for them. He'd had a will written up years ago, which was kept tucked away in his bottom drawer at home. He also had a life insurance policy, which he'd already paid enough into to cover the cost of a simple burial.
"You could say that…" he trailed off, still unable to come to terms with the fact that he was the only person Aaron had thought of. He'd had no one listed before then. He would have died, his body been scrapped as cheaply as possible, and all of his possessions would have gone to the state. Notes, photos, portfolios, everything would have been tossed in the trash. The saddest thing was that so few people would have noticed him disappear. All those people he must have known and met. Only his boss had messaged him while he was missing, and that had been to tell him he was fired. No one had reported him missing. No one had known. No one had cared. Some friend I was! I didn't even know he was gone!
"And how are you managing?" Marr prompted encouragingly, watching as Gavin huffed out a long breath. How am I managing? How the phck am I managing? he wondered, feeling a weight pressing down in his chest. The honest answer would probably be that he wasn't. Not really. He'd barely be functional at all if it wasn't for Nines and Connor keeping on top of things. He really couldn't fault them.
Over the past three days, since he'd gotten that call, Nines had taken him to the apartment twice to tidy a few things into piles and take some things home. He'd gotten in contact with the lawyer and set up a meeting for them. Connor had contacted Chloe, who was meeting with them later that day so they could bring her up to speed and start making proper arrangements. Connor had also been in contact with Markus and asked if he could help with storing Aaron's remains until they could get things sorted. Markus had been more than understanding, even eager to help. He'd gone personally to oversee the retrieval at the morgue and get Aaron stowed safely at Cyberlife Tower until decisions had been made.
"I don't know…Nines and Connor are helping with everything…" Gavin replied, unsure what else to say. Marr seemed pleased with the honesty at least. He was doing much better than his first session. She'd heard about his altercation with Connor in the gymnasium. It usually wasn't something she'd advise, but it seemed to have worked for Gavin. He was a very physical individual and responded the most to tactile sensations. "I probably wouldn't even be here if Nines wasn't chasing me around like a little kid," he added with an amused huff. He was relentless. Gavin could almost feel his scanners watching him with each glance. He was making sure he ate, ordering him to rest when he was tired even if he couldn't sleep, and he'd reduced him to two cigarettes and one coffee a day. He still had cravings, but at the same time, his energy levels were so low he barely had the focus to think about it anyway.
"So, you're relying on your partner." They'd come quite a way from his prior frustrations about being assigned a new partner. With his previous prejudice and the earlier misunderstandings with Nines, she'd originally wondered how well they would bond. She was pleased to see the progress he'd made. He'd gone far beyond tolerating Nines. He trusted and valued him Gavin nodded his agreement. He doubted he would have gotten through the past week without Nines. He probably would have crawled into bed and stayed there, just staring at nothing until he was too weak to move.
"Is that bad?" Gavin asked almost defensively. Did Nines say something? Am I leaning on him too much? He would have said something to me, wouldn't he? he thought worriedly, watching Dr Marr shake her head.
"Not at all. It's good that you're finally letting someone in. Relying on someone isn't the same as becoming completely dependent on them," she assured as she made a few notes on her pad. Is it really alright? Gavin wondered warily. It was hard. He'd let both Jack and Aaron in, and they'd both been killed. It was weird to think he was actually a lot closer to Nines than he had been to Aaron, despite their more physical relationship. If the Hickory Killer had been watching close enough, he probably would have chosen Nines…What if he's waiting? What if Nines is already on his list? What if he's next? Gavin wondered anxiously, steadying his breathing as his thoughts began to spiral. It was an easy thing to do. Let himself follow that train of thought. "It's also perfectly natural to worry about those you're close to," Marr added as she noticed Gavin's increasingly stiff posture.
"Right…" he replied, calming himself a little as he thought about Nines. How strong he was, how impenetrable, how advanced. It would take a lot to bring Nines to his knees. As an RK900, he was virtually a military grade killing machine. He was bulletproof, almost physically indestructible by normal means, and from what Reed understood, his software was pretty much hacker proof as well. Connor had the same security measures for his own software because they'd both been produced to work with top secret information. They couldn't afford to have things like the police database hacked.
"I think that's a good place to stop for today…You mentioned having a lunch meeting," Marr added as she closed her notebook and inclined her head towards the clock. Gavin nodded his agreement. Connor had set up a meeting with Chloe at a coffee shop in the Plaza. As he left the small office, he noticed Nines already waiting ready beside his desk, hands resting neatly behind his back. Connor was just finishing up a report, which gave Gavin enough time to chug the bottle of water that Nines had left on his desk for him. He sat in his seat as he drank. He felt a little drained, as he always did after his sessions.
Connor soon finished up, and they left, taking Gavin's car in case Hank needed to go somewhere. He was currently deep in paperwork, but it was around lunchtime, so he'd probably sneak off the moment Connor was out of sight. He's definitely going to sneak to The Chicken Feed, Gavin thought in amusement as he sat in the passenger's seat, letting Nines take the wheel. From the slight pout on Connor's lips as he climbed in the back, Gavin was pretty sure he knew Hank's plan, but there was little he could do about it. The drive was quiet, the trio content to watch the world pass by in their own thoughts. Once they'd parked in the underground parking lot, Connor led the way up to ground level and through the lower floor of the mall.
"There you are! It's so good to see you again," Chloe greeted warmly as she turned from her place, waiting by the door. It was a small café. Quaint. It had a long glass fronting with dark wooden frames, and the inside was all wood panelled. It was a place that had been around since Gavin's teenage years, back when the lower floors of the Plaza had been shiny and new. Chloe wasted no time in embracing all three before latching onto Gavin's arm, smiling sweetly as she led the way inside. She took Gavin to a table as Nines and Connor went to order, soon returning with a frothy coffee and three thirium lattes. "Connor mentioned you needed some help with funeral arrangements," Chloe prompted as they all sat around one of the round tables near the large window.
"Yeah…I've never done this before, so I really don't know what to do," Gavin replied hesitantly, watching Chloe nod as she reached into her handbag and pulled out a pad and some brochures. There were a few. One was for flowers, another for coffins, another was full of more mechanical looking shrine type things that Gavin didn't have a clue about. There were also a few venues to choose from in another glossy book. Gavin didn't know where to start.
"Well, since your friend was an android, we need to decide what form of body disposal you'd like to use…Humans commonly choose burial or cremation, but cremation isn't available to androids due to the toxins that would be released. For androids, you can either go with a traditional human burial, the scrap yard, or body donation…The latter is the most common choice for us. It means that any functioning parts will be donated to similar models in need of repairs," Chloe explained as she opened the weird shrine brochure. Like organ donation…She flicked through and pointed out some of the odd machines. "The parts that can't be donated, such as memory cores or damaged and corrupted parts, can be turned into displays like this one…You can view selected memories stored on the hard drive, sort of like a video display," she continued, watching Gavin's brow furrow. So someone else would be walking around with Aaron's arms or legs, or even his head? That was a creepy thing to think about. Whenever he saw another similar model, he'd be wondering if maybe he was looking at a piece of Aaron. At the same time, it seemed weird to bury an android. They weren't human and wouldn't decompose. Tossing him in the scrap yard is not a phcking option!
"I believe the third option would be the most…respectful," Connor suggested sensitively, watching Gavin nod his hesitant agreement. If given the choice, he was pretty sure that Aaron would have chosen the same. He'd never truly liked humanity, even if he did like a select few humans. He wouldn't have wanted to be treated like one. At the same time, he doubted he would have wanted to end up in a scrap yard. That would be too close to what the AAL wanted. Nines quietly nodded his agreement with Connor, and with all three leaning that way, Gavin went with it.
"Okay, option three it is…" he murmured as he looked at the odd displays. They were like small sculptures made of android components. They were mostly round with a holographic display above. It was likely made using the same technology that Connor and Nines had in their palms to display images. At the press of a button, you could start to play pre-recorded images or videos on a loop. They came in various sizes, with various abilities. Frozen image displays, full video playback, different video qualities, with or without colour, with or without sound. Gavin wasn't sure which he should choose, or if he even wanted to choose. He'd also have to look through Aaron's memories and choose what he wanted to keep. There was no way he was ready to do something like that. There was also a lot that he wouldn't want added to the display.
"You don't have to choose right away. The components needed for this sort of display can be kept safe until you're ready," Chloe decided after watching Gavin's green eyes dart around the different options cluelessly. He was grateful to be given an out, so to speak. He nodded silently, though he kept hold of the brochure. He sipped his coffee, finding it was the right temperature for drinking now. Just hot enough to burn his tongue a little. "Why don't we look at the venues? You'll want a ceremony to commemorate his life, won't you?" Chloe added as she opened the next book. Gavin nodded. That would be nice. Aaron deserved that much.
"How many people will you invite? Do you know yet?" Connor asked, watching as Gavin shook his head. He didn't have a clue. Maybe the people at Aaron's work? I should give Morgan a call; he might have an idea…He seemed to know Aaron at least…Maybe some people in his apartment complex? His editor? Publisher? Gavin thought as he looked over the various options. They all looked horribly expensive, though perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised considering Chloe's standard of living. It would probably take a big chunk of the few savings he had to pay for all this, but Aaron deserved that much.
"Phck, I don't know…I can't even make a guess. I never met anyone he knew, besides that Morgan kid, and they only knew each other in passing," Gavin replied, feeling guilty again. He couldn't believe how little he really knew about Aaron. Why had Aaron trusted him with this final responsibility? He felt a small hand grip his wrist supportively and looked up to find Chloe's crystal eyes watching him sympathetically.
"Maybe we can make a list. Who would you think of inviting?" she asked as she picked up a pen. Gavin ran a hand over his face thoughtfully before listing off what he had so far. Chloe nodded her agreement, using her own abilities to look into various areas. She looked up the Detroit Daily team and Aaron's boss. Once she had that, she looked at the employee database to find out how many people worked in that particular office. That gave her about twenty names. Edward Morgan was an extra, and he may know of other people with other papers that Aaron had interacted with regularly. She set an estimate of another twenty for that. She set aside a few places for neighbours on his floor of the complex. She then added Gavin, Connor, Nines, and Hank to the list, thinking it was likely that they would go to support Gavin. She also added herself and Elijah, knowing his brother would want to support him.
"Wait! There is a place!" Gavin said suddenly as he pulled his phone out. What was it called? He looked up Italian restaurants in the area. He couldn't remember the name, but when he found the pictures, he showed Chloe. It was quite a small family run venue. It looked cosy. "This was Aaron's favourite place. He told me once…Took me there the first time we met. The staff all knew him by name," he added, watching Chloe note it down. The restaurant was called Vittoria. She added the staff to the list and made a note to contact the eatery to see if they could hire it as the venue. She doubted they'd refuse once she gave Elijah's name and suggested a price.
"That's good. I'll be sure to invite the staff and see if we can hire it," Chloe said, watching Gavin smile a little. He'd finally done something right. Aaron would like that. He'd like his final send-off to be at his favourite place. Chloe turned to the next brochure, which was flower arrangements. Gavin had no idea what to do with that side of things. He wasn't exactly the decorative type, and he had no idea what sort of flowers Aaron had liked, or if he'd even liked flowers at all.
"I guess white? Maybe some blue ones, if there are any?" Although truly blue flowers were virtually unheard of naturally, there were options for artificially coloured roses and such. Chloe noted down the colours and set a reminder to look up options online. Gavin pointed out a few arrangements that looked nice. Tasteful. He was hesitant to pick out anything heart shaped, but there were some nice circle wreaths, triangles, and rectangles. He wasn't sure what he'd write as a message yet, but that was something he could think about. Shit, I'll have to write an epitaph! What the phck am I going to say? I don't even know about his life before we met!
"I'll reach out to some people he knew and try to get an idea of what sort of person he was. Some of them might even want to speak at the ceremony," Chloe suggested as she continued writing notes. She was so focused. So organised. She really had been built for this sort of planning. Gavin could almost see the various files she was making in her head, building a schedule to complete the work on. "I can help with any speeches. If you like, I can even sort out an officiator to do the speaking," she added, watching Gavin nod his agreement. That would be better. He wasn't the best at public speaking, and the last thing he wanted to do was to ruin Aaron's funeral. Wake? Ceremony?
"There are a couple more things," Gavin added hesitantly, waiting for Chloe's nod to continue. "Aaron was most of the way through publishing a book. The first prints arrived and everything. I want to make sure that the printing still goes ahead. I want Aaron's work to get out there…I'm also not sure what to do about the apartment. I guess I should sell it, or rent it?" he added hesitantly, watching Chloe start a fresh page as she noted down the publisher's details. It would be a simple matter to ensure the publishing went ahead. The company would want to make money on the book, and Elijah's name held a lot of weight in various circles. The apartment was also an easy thing to sort out, especially since Nines had already found a lawyer who was happy to help. Chloe would be sure to contact him to get things started. It would make sense for Gavin to keep the apartment for the extra income, so renting may be the way to go.
"I'll look into it. Did you contact any of his subscriptions, banks, or utility companies yet?" she added, watching Gavin cringe in embarrassment at his lack of progress. "It's alright, these are all easy things to sort out. Did you find any insurance details?" she asked as she looked between the three, both Connor and Nines nodding. Aaron had had those stored in both his paperwork and his computer. Connor reached out to interface with Chloe, who accepted the various details and noted them down.
"Is this really okay with you? I feel like I'm palming off all the work…" Gavin checked warily, knowing that Chloe had a lot of responsibilities already as Elijah's personal assistant. She smiled softly as she closed her notebook and neatly stacked the brochures to pack away.
"Of course! We make time for family. Elijah has released me for as long as I'm needed, and he's eager to help in any way he can," Chloe assured gently as she cradled her thirium latte. "If anything, I'm grateful for the opportunity to get out of the tower," she added impishly, though she didn't really mean it. At Elijah's side was her favourite place to be. She never tired of his intelligence and wit. Even after all these years, he still managed to surprise her with his innovation. His various projects were gradually making progress and would soon be ready for long-term trials. Gavin nodded with a grateful sigh as he relaxed and sipped his own coffee. He seemed tired as he closed his eyes, a sure sign he was having trouble sleeping again.
"Thanks…Really…I couldn't do all this by myself." He directed it at Chloe, but also looked around the table at the RK brothers. They'd all done more than he'd ever expected of anyone. Nines had been a constant pillar of support, pretty much taking care of him around the clock. Connor had taken on the bulk of the funeral responsibility until now, setting things in motion and having Aaron taken care of. Now, he had Chloe on top of organising everything, with Elijah's support in the background.
"We're your friends. We're happy to help," Connor insisted earnestly, steering the conversation away from the funeral before Gavin got too embarrassed or thought about it too much. They'd actually passed the end of their official lunch break, but Connor had been given the go-ahead from Hank to stay a little longer. It wasn't often that he asked for personal time, and it was to help a colleague in need, so Fowler would be fine with it. It was surprising how long it had taken to bring Chloe up to speed and get all the notes made. It had been almost two hours since they'd sat down, and Gavin's drink had gone cold ages ago. He'd drunk most of it and seemed content to sit and finish the rest.
"Nines shared the program with you?" Chloe asked curiously as she noted the way Connor licked his lips and stared at the mug as he drank. It wasn't like the program was exclusive, but she was interested in getting more feedback. She even had the upgraded version ready and available.
"He did, and with Colin, our other brother," Connor replied politely, the three androids falling into conversation about the program. The first step had been experimental at best, giving them the ability to experience sensations, but not complete flavours. Chloe explained the second step in the program, where Elijah had used human tastebuds as a base for his design. He'd actually worked with doctors to artificially produce software for their sensors that would mimic the biological human functions.
"That sounds fascinating…Does that mean you can actually taste what a human can?" Nines asked curiously, rather enjoying the chance to speak technically with someone on his level. Connor was also interested in hearing more. Chloe hummed thoughtfully as she sipped her drink and set it carefully on the table.
"There's no way of knowing for sure, since it's an artificial reproduction, and even humans have different preferences. I believe it's as close as we'll be able to get without a human experiencing it directly and saying whether it's accurate though," Chloe replied, offering an interface to update their programs. Once she'd completed the update, they tried their lattes again, and there was a definite difference. Connor could tell for a fact that he didn't like cold thirium lattes. Nines was fairly indifferent to it in a similar way to Chloe. "Thirium food will be hitting the market soon, as will artificial stomach components…I can get you the upgrade now though. You just need to swing by the mansion some time," she added in a conspiratorial tone from behind her mug.
"That would be kind of you. Can I bring Colin?" Connor asked as he put his mug on the table. Chloe jumped on the chance of meeting the third RK brother. Their paths hadn't had the chance to cross yet. Connor was the only active RK800 she'd met so far. She hadn't actually realised that others had been activated, though they had found one beyond repair in the bowels of the tower. Elijah had tried to repair the damage, but the bullet had destroyed some major components within the cranium, including his memory core. Replacing those components would mean a whole new RK800 would be born. It wouldn't be the same one as before. The body was actually being held in the event that Connor was injured on the job, though she knew Elijah was keen to study it.
"Maybe you could all come for dinner one night this week. Elijah would love to see you again," she added as she looked at Gavin hopefully. Gavin was a little hesitant as he looked between Nines and Connor. This would be his first time meeting up with friends while being officially known as Elijah's brother. Would it be weird? Spending time with them and his brother at the same time? He glanced at Nines warily. He gave his usual nod of encouragement.
"Sure, sounds good," Gavin agreed a little stiffly. Chloe beamed as she brought up her schedule to start making plans. It would be tough trying to link up four different schedules, and Connor would need to check in with Colin, too. From the yellow of Connor's LED, Gavin assumed he was already doing just that. It wasn't long before they settled on Sunday night. Colin was supposed to be off work, Connor would be on an early shift, and Nines and Gavin weren't officially on duty anyway. Sunday was also good because Elijah was having Markus and North over for a business meeting in the afternoon, so they may end up staying for dinner as well. It had been a while since Connor had met up with Markus and North in person.
With the plan now set, they slowly split up. Chloe had a lot of work to do regarding funeral arrangements and was eager to get started. Connor was overdue back at the station, and Nines and Gavin planned on heading back to work in the archives for a while. Gavin decided he'd also use that time to give Edward Morgan a call and see what he knew about Aaron's friends in the business. He'd see if he could get him to pass around the news, and get contact information for anyone interested in going to the ceremony. He hesitated to call it a funeral. It just didn't feel the same.