They ended up going into the office after that, mainly so that Reed could oversee the decorating of their desks. The small tree from Nines was the only thing set on Reed's desk. Nines had bought a small tree to sit beside his cactus, one that lit up in different colours and patterns. Reed had also insisted he needed an elf. Nines didn't really understand why, but Reed seemed happy enough once he'd sat the small doll on top of Nines' monitor. He'd also added some gold tinsel to string around Nines' notice board. The final touch was a snow globe that contained Santa, his sleigh, and a string of reindeer. Nines did take some delight in this item. He enjoyed the way the snow flurried slowly in the large glass ball.

"Reed? I wasn't expecting you in today," Fowler greeted suspiciously as he walked over, his dark eyes almost giving him a telling off. Reed had been watching his tree quietly. The fibre-optic tips of the branches glowed a gentle blue in a lazy blinking pattern to match Nines' current mood as he turned his snow globe. Reed was still standing, hands in his jacket pockets as he shrugged.

"I'm feeling a little better now. Thought I might squeeze in a couple of hours." He was almost defensive as he replied. Fowler's guarded eyes shifted briefly to Nines, who nodded his assurance. He was keeping an eye on his partner and assessed him to be fit to work.

"Alright, but don't push yourself, you hear?" Fowler added firmly, Reed agreeing before following him up to his office to talk about the Christmas Day schedule. The sooner he got his shift booked in, the better. Despite Fowler pointing out that he'd worked pretty much every Christmas shift and deserved the time off himself for once, Reed insisted he'd work. "You're a good kid, you know that?" Fowler huffed warmly as he brought up the schedule. He booked Nines and Reed to work an early half shift, giving them the late afternoon and evening to enjoy the holiday. They were lucky to have picked up a few more android staff who didn't see the need to take the holiday off. So far the only android booked off for the day was Connor. Hank had insisted he get to experience Christmas properly, and Fowler agreed. The android child coming and going hadn't escaped his notice either.

Reed checked his emails while Nines looked through a couple of cases that had been left on his desk. They were Connor's really, but he'd agreed to look them over and give him a fresh opinion. Connor suspected the crimes may actually be android on android, but framed to look like human on android. Nines had to admit the idea had merit. There was little evidence on the scene to support a human on android attack besides the anti-android slogans had been painted in thirium on the walls of the alley. The victims had been opened up and some of their bio-components had been removed. A human wouldn't need those components, and the average AAL member likely wouldn't even know what they were for. The real question is why? Any androids in need of components can get help from Jericho, so there should be no need for this form of violence…

"Reed," Reed's voice piped up as he answered his mobile. He paused, eyes raising from his screen worriedly as he listened. "Hey-hey-hey, calm down! What about the basketball court?" he urged gruffly, nodding to Nines as he got to his feet and grabbed his keys from the table. Nines could hear a boyish voice on the other end, clearly distressed. It wasn't one of the boys they'd played with before, but from the gist of the conversation, Nines knew they were talking about the plot Reed and the children on his street used. "Just sit tight and don't touch anything! Don't let anyone in there, you hear?" Reed ordered urgently, only staying on the line long enough to assure the boy they'd be there soon.

"What happened?" Nines asked, having missed the earlier part of their conversation. He'd been too busy focusing on Connor's cases, which he was pretty sure were linked. It felt like a new gang of androids. The first, to his knowledge. It was a fascinating anomaly. Androids attacking androids when they didn't need to? It was unheard of. Reed led the way quickly, not quite jogging, but walking at a hurried pace.

"Not sure yet. Jeremy was pretty shaken up…Something about a dead android on the basketball court. I'll have a look and then call it in. He might not be dead, you know how kids are. Might just be a little beat up and playing possum." Reed seemed hopeful, but he knew the odds in his neighbourhood. The majority of residents were anti-android. The only reason Nines hadn't been targeted while in the area was because people had seen him hanging around with Reed and knew he was a work colleague. They didn't want the sort of trouble that came with pissing off the police. "Be ready to call in your folks at Jericho. If this android is alive, they'll need treatment." Nines nodded his agreement.

Reed turned on the siren and put the light on his car. Quite the rarity. Nines could only assume Jeremy had sounded hysterical to get Reed to do such a thing. Generally, he'd simply speed and weave through traffic. This time he wanted people to move out the way as he flew through the city. Nines scanned the area as they reached Reed's street. The boys were waiting outside the fenced off plot, and rushed over as soon as Reed pulled up. They all tried to speak at once as he climbed out of the car, trying to offer comfort to all of them at once. A couple even latched onto Nines as he stepped out.

"Alright-alright! Calm down guys…Jeremy, what happened?" Reed asked calmly as he looked around. The boy who stepped forward was the smallest, his blonde hair messed up in the wind. He was shivering, bundled up in a thick coat and woollen gloves. Reed bent down to Jeremy's eye level, giving him his most assuring look as he waited. Jeremy turned and pointed to the fenced off plot, though from where they stood Reed didn't have a clear view inside.

"We came out to shoot some hoops, but when we got here…I-it was just lying there…We didn't know what to do, so we called you." Reed nodded his understanding. Jeremy hadn't given him much to go on, but it seemed it would be obvious once they looked. Reed straightened up and reached for his sidearm, shifting his eyes towards the fence meaningfully. Nines nodded his understanding as he instructed the children to wait by the car. Reed didn't draw his weapon. The children hadn't been attacked, so they were likely safe, but it was still procedure to clear the area. Nines followed, scanning the court as they stepped inside.

"Clear," Nines reported confidently, watching Reed relax a little as his green eyes took in the snowy plot. The snow had turned to blue slush beneath the denim clad body. The detectives closed in cautiously, looking around as they stalked over. Unfortunately, the boys had entered the court and walked over the snow, so any footprints there may have been had disappeared already. Nines' brow furrowed as he scanned the inactive unit.

"Goldilocks?" Reed murmured in disbelief as he made to step forward. Nines gripped his arm hard and tugged him back, his LED spinning red as he scanned the area a second time. "Nines! Is it-Is he-" he demanded as he stared at the vacant eyes of the PL600 android. Nines was more concerned about the shape the body had been bent into. The android had been twisted and curled to resemble a G. He immediately sent the details to Colin, his LED flickering yellow as he opened a video connection.

"I am uncertain." Nines couldn't confirm simply by looking. PL600s were extremely common, but the clothing the victim wore matched Simon's usual fashion choices. He was wearing faded denim jeans and a matching jacket. The white T-shirt beneath was stained blue. The crime had happened within the past four hours. The thirium was still dark, and the body still had a vague heat signature. His systems hadn't quite cooled down yet. "I can take a sample of his thirium, but you must remain here." Nines waited for Reed's nod of agreement. He watched anxiously as Nines approached the android and crouched by the blue slush. He sampled, LED spinning yellow as he sent the results to Colin.

"Well?" Reed demanded anxiously, folding his arms and shivering in the cold. Nines closed his eyes in something akin to relief as he shook his head. It wasn't Simon. That wasn't too surprising. Recently North, Simon, Josh, and Markus had all been busy at Cyberlife Tower. They rarely left the building alone these days, and seldom for anything besides business. However, it appears that someone wanted us to believe this was Simon…Nines continued to examine what he could without disturbing the scene.

"It's not Simon…This PL600 was named Peter Lewis. A kindergarten teacher at Happy Honey Bees," Nines replied as he looked over the limited file they had. As a teacher, he'd had a background check with the DPD. No record. Just a standard PL600 android with a teaching program installed. He'd been a child care model before the revolution and retrained afterwards. The situation was troubling. This android resembled someone Reed had come in contact with on friendly terms. He'd been dumped just across from Reed's apartment. His body had been deliberately left in the shape of a G. It seemed that Reed himself hadn't noticed. With any luck, Colin would arrive to take over soon.

"I should call in forensics," Reed murmured in an almost dazed tone as he stepped a little further away and turned his back. It was weird, looking at a face he knew. It wasn't Simon, but he couldn't look at the body and not think of Simon. Nines remained silent and allowed Reed to make the call. It would at least keep him busy for a few moments. Once he'd made the call, Reed headed out to talk to the kids. He needed to take their statements and get the details while they were still fresh. He also needed to make sure that absolutely no one in their group had actually touched the body. Some of those prints had gotten pretty close to the thirium puddle.

"Honest, Detective G! We really didn't touch him! We were too scared to get too close, and you always said if anything happened, then we should call you right away," one of the slightly older boys insisted, which was true. They were good kids. He was glad they'd listened to him. He was also glad they hadn't been around when the body was dumped. There was no telling who'd done it just yet, and the last thing he wanted was for the kids on his street to get caught up in something like this. If they'd seen too much, they could have been hurt, or worse.

"Alright, did you see anything? Any cars you didn't recognise, or people hanging around?" Reed asked, looking at each kid as they shook their heads, shrugged, or looked at each other questioningly. Reed paused as he noticed one of them, a boy of around fourteen years old, frowning as he looked at his feet. It wasn't an angry frown, it was an almost thoughtful look. Reed leaned down a little to catch his eye, his brow quirking questioningly. The boy seemed almost frustrated as he shook his head, long chestnut hair sweeping his shoulders. "Tommy?" Reed prompted, knowing the boy had something on his mind.

"I don't know…I just…I might have seen someone," he relented hesitantly, following the pull on his arm as Reed led him a little way away from the others. Reed levelled him with a serious look as he waited. "I didn't think about it at first, but when we were walking here, I'm sure there was a guy crossing the street. Sort of average looking, short brown hair, but lighter than yours. I didn't get much else. He was a little way off…I guess he could have just been crossing the street. I didn't see where he came from exactly." It wasn't much, but it was enough for Reed to note it down. It was something to look into anyway. There weren't any cameras in the area though, so they'd have to get creative. Reed looked up and down the road.

"Which way did he go? Can you show me? And did you notice anything about his clothes?" Reed asked as he wandered a little way down the path with Tommy. Tommy paused a few moments, looking thoughtful as he stared up the street, likely trying to think back. It had been at least half an hour.

"He walked across and then went that way, up the street. I didn't pay too much attention after that. He was dressed pretty light for the weather though. It's freezing out here, but he was just wearing jeans and a denim jacket," Tommy replied, which was probably why he'd remembered. Reed paused, a chill running down his spine. A chill he was going to put down to the weather. Not his gut. He thanked the kids and gave them each ten dollars, telling them to head straight home for now. Once they were gone, he headed back to meet Nines, who looked like he'd been crouching over the body the whole time.

"Hey, Terminator…" Reed trailed off with a lot more bravado than he felt. Nines seemed to see through him, too. He held his hands behind his back as he got to his feet. He almost seemed a little stiffer than usual. "I sent the kids home…They didn't see anything concrete, but one of them said he saw a man heading up the street right as they got here. Average guy, light brown hair, not dressed for the weather…We should get the CCTV footage from whatever shops are around here, see if he got caught on camera." Reed was nervous. He had a bad feeling. That feeling didn't get any better as Nines looked over his shoulder and a new set of footsteps approached, crunching in the snow.

"Actually, it is my belief that this may be linked to the Hickory Killer case," Nines confessed in a sensitive tone, pausing as Reed shook his head firmly.

"No…no-no-no-no. Not right outside my phcking house, no way." He was clearly in denial about it, despite the feeling Nines knew he had in his gut. Nines would have stepped forward if Perkins hadn't beaten him to it. Gavin's whole body stiffened at the unfamiliar hand on his shoulder. He turned at Perkins' urging, almost seeming resentful. Nines wanted to step forward, but was halted by Colin, who requested further details and assistance in examining the scene before forensics arrived.

"Let's take a walk," Perkins said in a level tone as he tugged Gavin towards the exit. It wasn't a good idea to have a victim anywhere near this case. He would have accused Gavin of purposely getting involved if Colin hadn't assured him that wasn't the case. He'd genuinely been called in by coincidence because a group of kids he knew had found the body. Almost as if it were planned that way…"What can you tell me about this, Detective?" Perkins asked as he opened the door of his car and let Gavin sit on the edge of the backseat.

"Phck, I don't know…Some local kids found the PL600 and called me. They were pretty freaked out, so I came down and…They're wrong, right? Tell me that fucker didn't just come right to my front door." It wasn't hard to find him. He knew that. The killer could have silently stalked him home any day of the week over the past two years. He shivered at the thought. Had he walked here with the killer right behind him? Had the man watched him from a car? Had he been inside his building? What if he came home one night and-

"Your partner seemed pretty certain…I have to say, I don't blame him. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened." Perkins didn't enjoy the way Gavin trembled at the thought. He knew Gavin wasn't a coward. His record proved that much. He was agitated. He bounced his leg nervously as he eyed Nines and Colin through the chain-link fence. "It's time to consider protective custody." Perkins sighed as Gavin shake his head. No way. No way was he running away like a fucking coward to be holed up in some shabby apartment twenty-four-seven, for god-knows-how-long. Not a fucking chance.

"It was him," Colin confirmed as he handed a note to Perkins, whose brow furrow as he read it. His jaw tightened as he folded it and tucked it in his inside pocket. Gavin had seen the ornate G. The letter was meant for him. He looked between the agents impatiently, but neither seemed willing to enlighten him.

"It was addressed to me. What did it say?" Perkins was clearly reluctant to involve him in the case. Colin wouldn't speak without permission, though there was always the chance he could wheedle it out of Nines later. "There might be something that only I'd understand," Gavin prompted, which was technically true. Just because there didn't seem to be a deeper meaning to Perkins' eye, didn't mean there wasn't a secret message for Gavin.

"You see the note, you go into protective custody," Perkins compromised firmly as he held up the neatly folded paper. Gavin glared at him. That was a low blow. Protective custody was basically imprisonment. "Just for a few weeks…Your disappearance may force his hand." That was a distinct possibility. The killer wouldn't see much point in his kills without his desired audience.

"Fine. Give it here," Gavin relented as he held his hand out expectantly. Perkins handed the message over. Dear Gavin, I'll have to be more creative to get your attention now that your friends are involved. Did you like my latest gift? Unfortunately, Goldilocks wouldn't leave the bears' house, but I did my best to find a suitable replacement. It's nearly Christmas! I'll prepare a special gift for you as a token of my affection. I remain yours, HK. Nines was quick to pluck the note from Gavin's hand before he could crush it in his frustration. For one thing, there hadn't been much in the note. For another, the fucker was taunting him. That sick phck came right to my front door! Phck, I don't even know Goldilocks that well. We've met twice! How does he even know about that? Holy phck…Was he watching that night? Has he been following me right from the start? What if he never actually went away for those two years? He felt sick as the thought crossed his mind. The prickling up and down his spine almost made him more certain. He'd probably been watched regularly over the past two years, only he'd never noticed. How else would the fucker have known exactly when to come back for maximum impact? He spent the last two years waiting for me to heal so he could-

"Colin will send Nines the address of the safe house. Go home and pack a bag. A car will be along to pick the both of you up within the hour," Perkins instructed swiftly. Nines nodded his understanding as he tugged Gavin along behind him. Gavin was preoccupied as they headed towards his apartment. He didn't say a word as they climbed the stairs, or as he opened the door. He vacantly lifted Pipsqueak as the cat darted around his feet, meowing for attention. The softness of his fur and the gentle purring seemed to ease his distress a little.

"Shall I pack a bag for you?" Nines asked softly, Gavin shaking his head as he tried to shake off the pit of dread swirling in his stomach. He wasn't totally incapable. Despite that, Nines followed him into the bedroom and dug out the large rucksack that Gavin used for hiking on occasion. He hadn't been in a few years, but he always kept a large bag handy for cases and things like that if he had to go out of town. "Leave your phone in the safe. We don't want anyone tracing it," Nines instructed as he opened the empty bag and headed to the drawers. Gavin let Pipsqueak down as he did as he was told, taking an extra ammo clip from the metal box as well as some cash he kept locked inside.

"I'll have to bring Pips. There's no way I'm leaving him alone when I don't know when we'll be back," Gavin grumbled firmly as he turned off his phone and tossed it in the safe. Nines didn't raise any objections as Gavin tossed odd items of clothing in his direction to be packed. He had enough for a week. There'd be a washer and dryer in the safe house in the event they stayed longer. Nines added some of his own clothing since he would go with. Gavin packed a small carrier bag with Pipsqueak's bowls, toys, food, and bed before grabbing the cat carrier. "Come on, Pips…Good boy…" he crooned gently as the cat sauntered over and stepped into the box. Nines soon got an alert on his internal HUD. The car had arrived.