"This woman looks real. They all only know her by one name, Karen," Leonard sighed and dropped into his chair.
"She's compartmentalized her entire operation. Nobody knows anything more than they have to," Uhura said. "The patients pay and people like Oscar and Bashir only have pieces of the puzzle."
"We broke the chain. She's got to know that we're looking at her. I mean, there's a lot of money involved," Stiles pointed out.
"If she's smart she'll fold up her tent," Pike said.
"If that happens, and other people's bills come due...there'll be no one there to reset their hearts," Leonard said.
"Because we're doing our jobs, they're all gonna die," Stiles said.
"Not if I can help it," Leonard's mother said as she came down the stairs. "Cardio's not my specialty but I do have some friends that owe me favors and UCSF has some of the best surgical students in the country. If I have to come out of my own pocket, we'll help these people."
"That's generous of you, Ellie," Chris said.
"I made an oath to help those I can and to do no harm. You do your jobs and I'll do mine."
"Nyota Uhura and John Stiles, this is my mother, Doctor Eleanor McCoy," Leonard introduced the other detectives.
"Guys," Jemma walked into the bullpen. "We got two more Crusher Alpha hearts that just stopped. One victim's DOA and the other is on his way to San Fran General."
"Uhura and Stiles, go to the hospital," Pike ordered. "Leonard and Jemma, head back to Crusher Medical, this isn't a coincidence that all the hearts are theirs."
"Do you mind if I join you, dear?" his mother asked Uhura.
"Not at all, ma'am. You're medical expertise would be welcome," Uhura said with a smile. Chris just gave them a nod. Leonard gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before he and Jemma left ahead of the others.
"You sure she's safe with Stiles?" Jemma asked when they got in the car.
Leonard laughed, "We should be more worried about him than her. My mama and Uhura… Stiles has his hands full."
"When people apply to Crusher's aid program, you handle their cases, correct?" Leonard asked Alyssa Ogawa. Thomas, the woman they found in the warehouse and the two recent victims all applied to the program and were rejected for one thing or another.
"Yes. What's this about?" she asked him.
"We have more victims and around a hundred hearts that have been transferred to people that you denied transplants," Jemma said.
"Detective, I assure you I have done nothing but…" Ogawa started but Leonard held up a hand when his comm beeped.
"Oscar and Bashir say she's not the one," Pike told them.
"Does anyone else have access to the list of people denied transplants?" Jemma asked.
"Only I have the decryption key," Alyssa said.
"What about your assistant? Jadzia, I believe?" his partner asked.
"She told me she had an emergency and went home early a few hours ago."
"Jem…" he said, her face was already lit up.
"I got an address," she said, "let's go."
"Can you scan the house?" Leonard asked partner.
"The floor is warm. That's what my thermal was picking up," she told him. "A chemical reaction. Molecular chlorine breaking down blood."
"This room's been washed. There should be more," he sighed as they cleared the house.
"Blood?"
"Bodies. Doctor Bashir said this has been going on for a long time. It's kinda hard to believe that every single recipient was able to keep making their payments, right?"
"So you're saying someone must've been 'turned off' before Thomas."
"Probably more than one. So why haven't any more bodies with modified secondhand hearts shown up?"
"Because these assets are expensive and lucrative. If someone stops paying, you don't just flush an asset like that down the drain. You take the hearts out and give them to someone else," Jemma added to his thought as her face lit up. "P.D. has no records of bodies recovered with hearts missing for the last three years."
"Try missing persons. Cross-reference with the list of patients denied by Crusher."
"I have thirty-six matches found already. No bodies recovered in any of these cases," she said.
Leonard sighed, "Who do we know someone who gets rid of bodies?"
"Henry Mills."
"You two look pleased," Leonard said to his mother and Uhura when he walked into the bullpen.
"We spoke to Miss Ogawa at Crusher," Uhura said. "They've offered to replace every one of the secondhand hearts at no cost."
"And I have surgeons from all over lining up to do the procedures," his mother smiled. "You did good, sugar."
"It's what we do," he chuckled.
"What about him?" Uhura asked, making a motion to Mills, who was being led in by a uniformed officer and Jemma.
"He's got a lot of explaining to do," Leonard said. "Patrol rounded up Jadzia when she was trying to flee the country. They're both gonna get tossed into the cubes for the rest of their lives."
"Probably think it's amusing, huh? All us humans running around, trying to get more time. Must be nice to have all the time in the world, bot," Henry said to Jemma. Almost instantly, every cop in the place glared at him. If it wasn't for Uhura grabbing his arm, Leonard would've strangled the guy.
"I spent four years in a storage room because someone decided that my brothers, sisters and I were more human than they wanted us to be. I was only reactivated because my partner has a very justified problem with the VXs and I'm the only synthetic he can tolerate. I'm waiting for the day that some asshole at HQ decides, despite my impeccable service record, that I'm not worthy enough to do a job that I not only love but that I excel at," Jemma told him calmly. "I'm a good cop. And I'm a good person. Unlike you, I'm willing to sacrifice everything for others. Make no mistake, android or not, I have no more time than anyone else. Officer Greenwood, can you take him to lockup?"
"Yes, ma'am," the kid said before pulling Mills down the hall.
"I never would've guessed," his mother said to Jemma.
"You would've noticed that I don't eat. Or if I did a little disco face," Jemma chuckled. When his mother gave her a look, Jemma lit the side of her face up. "Most of my body can do that if I let it but I usually keep it focused on my face so Bones knows that I'm doing something."
"Okay, I gotta ask. 'Bones'?" his mother said.
"Something I said to her during our first case that doesn't need to be repeated," Leonard chuckled. "So, I was thinking…"
"Jemma," Chris motioned for her to go with him.
"Don't think too hard, Bonesy. I'll catch a ride home with Pike. Goodnight, everyone," Jemma said with a smile before she followed the captain.
"How about I buy you some dinner?" he asked his mother.
"That sounds good," she smiled.
"Uhura?" Leonard asked.
"I have plans with Scotty. I'll see ya later," the other detective told them.
His mother smiled, "That's sweet, Montgomery is such a nice boy."
"So, how deep are you?" his mother asked him over dessert.
"With what?" he asked.
"I see the way you and Jemma look at each other. So, how deep are you?"
"I don't know. I mean, she's still considered property, which means that even if I wanted to do something about whatever we have going on, I'm out of luck."
"You really like her, don't you?" she asked.
"She sings annoying songs in the car and stocks my fridge with healthy food and reminds me to charge my leg and wakes me up when I'm having nightmares…"
"You love her."
"Mama…"
"It's okay, sweetie. You wouldn't be the first person that fell in love with an android. At least she passes for human."
"I'm not… I don't know what I am," Leonard sighed. "I might actually be crazy."
"You're not crazy," she smiled. "I always believed that people find love in the most unexpected places. This is no different. Jemma's a good soul, that's all that matters." Leave it to his mother to put it in the most basic terms.
"What do I do, mama?"
"You're gonna ask her out. I'm gonna get her a lawyer to fight for her independence."
"Mama…"
"Leonard, I watched her, and not just with you. I've been a doctor most of my adult life and I didn't know she wasn't human until that idiot you arrested said so. And your whole precinct was ready to kick his ass for what he said to her. She lives in an apartment and Pike treats her like the rest of you. She has friends. She has heart, more heart than a lot of people. There's no reason why a sentient being shouldn't have rights."
"I… Thank you," he smiled.
"You're welcome. Now, tell me about her."
"Where do I start? Let's see, she's almost as stubborn as I am…"
"Do you know how long it took me to learn that song?" he asked Jemma as he sat next to her on her couch.
"I wish I could learn like you do," she smiled and put the guitar on the stand.
"What? Painfully slow?"
"Yea. I mean, all I gotta do is look something up and I can usually get it in the first try. I would love to struggle with something."
"I'm sure if we ask, Scotty will find a solution for that," Leonard chuckled.
"Probably. What's up?"
"I uh… What did Pike want to see you about?" he asked her. It shouldn't be this hard.
"That's what you want to ask?" she looked at him. "Really?"
"I… It's just…" Leonard sighed. Jemma just looked at him and tried not to laugh. "You're evil."
"No I'm not. You just can't say the words. It's easy, Bones, it's not like you don't already know the answer."
"I already know the… Will you go out with me?"
"I'd love to," she smiled. "See, easy."
"I guess so. We uh… we have the day off on Sunday."
"Sunday works," Jemma chuckled.
"Sunday it is. I'm a…" he made a motion towards the door.
"Yea. Night, Bonesy."
"Night, Jem."
"So, I had a long conversation with your mother. You wanna take a stab at what it was about?" Chris asked him over a drink.
"Uh… Jemma," Leonard chuckled.
"She wants to get her a lawyer."
"And the department is gonna have a fit over it."
"Probably. I'm just pissed I didn't come up with the idea first," Pike chuckled.
"Seriously?"
"She was my partner first. I can't help but think that she wouldn't've been deactivated if she was legally considered her own person. Monitored but not deactivated," Chris sighed. "She aced the Kobayashi."
The Kobayashi was a test, named after some scientist, to determine the 'mental' stability of a synthetic. There were many people, Scotty included, who argued that the test was not a valid way to judge anything, as it lacked the ability to see anything in more than black and white. There was no perspective or perception. Meaning, for example, that a GSK who went off book to save a life would be considered a failure.
"She probably wouldn't now," Leonard sighed.
"No, she wouldn't. She hasn't done anything wrong but you don't exactly follow the rules and she chooses to back you up. It's why I had her assigned to you in the first place."
"And I thank you."
"If whatever your mother is cooking up pans out the way she hopes, it'll be me thanking you," Chris smiled. Leonard gave him a look. "When I was partnered with her… Jemma was like a little sister, I guess. Here she was, new to everything and it was my job to teach her and look out for her. I'm not gonna lie, I missed her. I didn't realize how much until she was back. So, in the tradition of big brothers everywhere…"
"Not you too," the detective groaned.
"Don't worry, you're not that obvious, Jemma actually gave me a heads up," Pike chuckled. "Do I even need to say the words?"
"No. My brain came up with some very painful situations and a bunch of paperwork and a platoon of VXs. Consider me shoveled."
"Good."
"And here I thought you were the 'dinner and a movie' type," she chuckled as she tried to get the paint off her hands. He decided that they should probably do something that neither of them has tried before. Lucky, there's an art studio near the apartment that had art classes.
"Yea, when I was sixteen. It gets old really fast, you don't get to interact much during a movie and I like interacting with you. And you don't eat."
"Aww... you're considering my feelings. I remember the good old days when you would just say 'synthetic, off' and I'd ignore you," Jemma smiled.
"I'm an asshole, you know this."
"I do," she leaned over the center console and kissed his cheek. Jemma started to move back into her seat, but he buried a hand in her hair and pressed his lips against hers before she could get away from him. The kiss was soft and slow and intense. Leonard forgot that he was supposed to be driving when the car pulled into his parking spot.
"You are full of surprises," he whispered against her lips.
"You have no idea."