"Eli, I need a favour." Reed was speaking on his phone as he made his way to the bar and sat on one of the high stools. He rested his elbow on the sleek wood and held up his hand as Pipsqueak hopped up and butted his palm, rubbing into his fingers affectionately. Nines headed into the kitchen to reheat one of the lasagne slices he'd saved in the fridge. Reed hadn't eaten since the night before. He simply hadn't been in the mood at the hospital, and afterwards he'd just wanted to get home and start planning as quickly as possible. He needed to get ahead of Yates and do some damage control. "I need a lawyer. The best you know…No, not for me. A kid I know got himself in trouble…the gang related kind…"

Nines prepared a small side salad and carried the meal through once it was ready to find Reed had already hung up. It seemed Elijah had just the man in mind. Reed didn't care how much it would cost. It was one of the rare times he was willing to dip into his inheritance. He wasn't generally a fan of throwing money at a problem. He liked to do his job honestly and get convictions the right way. Technically, he should hate himself for going against his own code of ethics, but this was one of his kids. A kid who'd made a mistake. A mistake he'd once made himself. He was living proof that these kids could get out and turn things around. He murmured his thanks as he accepted the knife and fork, hungry despite the stress he was under.

"I would like clarification." Nines planned to be delicate about the topic. Reed hummed for him to continue as he ate, crunching crisp lettuce. "As a detective of the DPD, it is protocol for you to remain impartial in certain situations. Since you work in homicide, it would also be unprofessional for you to interfere in an ongoing investigation…As your partner, I would like to know what lengths you are intending to go to in order to secure Mr Lent's freedom." Reed seemed slightly more guarded as he considered things. There was a lot he'd be willing to do to keep Stan out of trouble. Things that would be considered law-breaking if they were discovered. Losing his badge would be the least of his problems. Telling Nines the details could result in a few possible outcomes. Nines could object and forbid him from doing anything, in which case he'd have to sneak around him. Not an easy feat. He could also tell Fowler in order to save him from himself, something he likely knew would be considered a betrayal of trust. He could remain silent and allow him to do as he pleased in order to keep his own career safe, or he could wholeheartedly throw his lot in with him and agree to help.

"Whatever it takes, Nines…Guys like Yates give cops a bad name. He'll do whatever will make his own life easier. He doesn't…he doesn't take both sides into account. The why in any given situation isn't something he thinks about. He'll just steamroll in with minimal evidence and scare dumb kids like Stan into giving him confessions at the cost of their records, their freedom, even their lives. Trust me, I know." There was more than a hint of bitterness in his tone as he scoffed. He still remembered it. Sitting opposite Yates and watching him slam a thick file on the table. He'd claimed it was full of evidence proving he was a runner, that they had his fingerprints all over the drug packets. Maybe they had at one point, but Fowler had already warned him beforehand. He'd taken care of any evidence and told him to sit tight, say nothing, and ask for a lawyer. Turned out they didn't have shit, so they'd had no choice but to let him walk, especially once he lawyered up.

He got out of the gang and started at the academy within a few months of that with Fowler's support. Yates hadn't let it slide though. Reed had noticed himself being tailed more than once. He'd even been approached in a club by someone looking to score. Someone who'd said they knew he was good for it, that he was still in the game. Reed had flagged him as an undercover cop pretty damned quickly. There wasn't much he could do about the harassment, and he remembered feeling like more than one of his classmates had been told to monitor him as well. He'd been stopped and searched quite a few times during his first year at the academy, though it had stopped after a few months once he'd talked to Fowler. He didn't know what he'd said, but the stalking and visits had eased off after that.

"Before I can make any plans, I need to know what they actually have." He was anxious. That was going to be the hard part. He couldn't risk openly walking into forensics and asking, or leaving a trail that Yates could follow to prove he was interfering. He knew Yates would be on the lookout for him to step in. As far as Yates was concerned, you were once a gang member, always a gang member. There were no clean slates or second chances in his dusty old book. Reed wasn't exactly skilled when it came to hacking, but maybe he could get someone over there to give him the details. What contacts do I have over in gang crimes who won't blab?

"How do you intend to find out?" Nines knew he was turning the options over in his head. As a human, there were few things he could do if he didn't want to get caught. He could ask someone in forensics or the gang-related crimes division to assist. Nines believed this to be unlikely and perhaps risky. Although he'd made a few friends within his own department, and was likely owed favours throughout the DPD, it was still questionable whether those individuals could be trusted not to talk. Going to forensics and poking around the evidence directly was too dangerous. There would be a clear trail of fingerprints and signatures leading back to him, not to mention he would have to talk to people down there about seeing any evidence directly. The other option was hacking into the computer system to read the details without leaving a trace. Not something that Nines believed to be within his skill set.

"I don't know…I might have a guy down in gang crimes who owes me a favour…" Just as Nines had predicted. His LED flashed yellow as he turned the suggestion over. He didn't know anyone in that division himself, but having seen two of the detectives, he was uncertain he would trust them. Reed's request would depend upon the other person liking him more than they liked Yates. Nines had found Yates to be distasteful. He assumed Yates' partner experienced a similar dislike, if his demeanour was anything to go by, but that didn't mean he would betray him. Departments tended to have their co-workers' backs. Yates was undoubtedly an asshole, but he was their asshole.

"I believe it would be unwise to get another human involved, particularly someone from Yates' department. Your job may well be in jeopardy should anyone take this matter to Captain Fowler." Reed nodded his agreement. It was risky, but he was used to walking the line at this point. "I believe I can review the required information without detection. Internal security within the DPD network is fairly weak. Their focus has been on keeping outsiders from invading the network, not watching their own people once they login." Reed seemed troubled as he pushed his empty plate away. It was rare for him to drink at home, but Nines watched as he circled the bar and poured himself a large measure of amber liquid. He was touched as he poured a second and pushed it across to him.

"Nines, I don't want to drag you into this…You said it yourself. If I get caught, it's my ass," he pointed out as he took a small sip, savouring the strong and slightly oily liquid. It was expensive, whatever it was. He should probably be relieved that Elijah had stocked the bar. If he'd done it himself, there's no way he would have bought stuff as good as this. He watched Nines' LED circle yellow as he sipped and analysed his own drink. That he then took a larger sip afterwards suggested he approved of it, despite the burn it left on the way down.

"Then it would be wise for you to accept my assistance. We both know that, of the two of us, I am the least likely to be caught." Nines tried not to sound too smug. Being Cyberlife's most advanced android came with its perks. One of those perks was that no one, not even Connor, really knew what upgrades he had installed. He'd been designed with the military in mind, so it was no real surprise that he had high grade espionage software. He could crack into pretty much any domestic network undetected, so sneaking into an internal DPD database that wasn't looking for hackers was no challenge at all.

"Alright…alright, but only if you're a hundred percent sure you won't get caught." Reed was unhappy with the idea of Nines getting in trouble because of him. Hell, if he gets caught, I can tell Fowler I ordered him to do it. I'll be getting sacked either way. That thought set anxiety swirling in the pit of his stomach. The idea of being unemployed in this economic climate wasn't pretty, even if he did have his inheritance to fall back on.

"Understood." Nines' LED blinking yellow as he broke through the security. It was a simple matter of tricking the program into thinking he was someone else. He checked Yates' personal network first, finding that he hadn't yet been given the results from forensics. He passed into the forensics' network next to view the details of the case. They'd found Mr Lent's fingerprints on one of the firearms. The firearm had been fired three times. Two of the bullets remained unaccounted for, but one was lodged in the shoulder of one of the dead bodies. The shot had not caused their death. That bullet had come from a different firearm, belonging to another of the other deceased men. Nines took a copy of the data gathered. "They have Mr Lent's fingerprints on a discharged firearm, and one of the bullets it fired caused a non-fatal injury to one of the deceased gang members. None of the bodies in the mortuary were killed by Mr Lent." Reed breathed a small sigh of relief. He'd injured someone, and they had his prints, so it wasn't ideal, but at least he's not a murderer.

"Okay…Shit, alright…" Reed murmured as he ran a stressed hand through his hair. It was good that he hadn't killed anyone, but he could still be charged for assault with a deadly weapon, despite the victim being dead. The only way to prevent that would be getting rid of the evidence…or changing it…He couldn't just waltz into forensics and take evidence. "How clear is the match? Is there any argument to be made for it being a mistake?" Nines shook his head. The bullet found lodged in the shoulder had clear markings matching it to the barrel of Mr Lent's gun.

"The markings on the bullet are a clear match of over eighty percent." He watched Reed's brow furrow. Eighty was too high to pass off as a simple mistake. The only comfort he had was that Elijah's lawyers were good. Better than good. That was something, but that may only lessen the time served, not get him off completely and protect his record. He's still a minor though, maybe an arrangement could be made to seal that record…He still didn't want to risk it. The best way to protect him was to get rid of the evidence entirely. No bullet, no evidence…

"That bullet needs to disappear, phck!" He didn't have a clue how he could get into forensics, remove the bullet, and get out without being directly tied to the tampering. He'd need a solid reason for being in the department. He never went down there. It wasn't like he could randomly turn up at the morgue either, not that he'd need to. The physical evidence would be stored in the lab. A lab that I don't have a single reason to go to…

"It may be an easier task to simply erase any evidence of his ownership of the firearm." Nines was probably right. It didn't matter that they had the gun and the bullet if there were no fingerprints linking it to Stan, and the current record was wiped clean. That would still mean a trip to the lab though…"However, it would be a breach of the law to do so," Nines added meaningfully, watching Reed nod in resignation. He absolutely understood that Nines shouldn't have to go along with this. There was a big difference between sneaking into a network to look at evidence and directly tampering with it.

"I get it, and I understand if you don't want to be a part of it…Hell, it's probably against your programming to do shit like that." He didn't know the nuances of Nines' software, but he was an android in law enforcement. It would make sense for there to be fail-safes to prevent him from breaking the law. Then again, he'd been built for the military, so he probably had some leeway when making those decisions in the event he got involved in covert ops. Nines smirked at the suggestion, though it made sense that he would think that.

"To an extent, you are correct. However, I am not registered to the DPD directly at this time. I have placed your orders as my highest priority. I can sidestep the law to follow those orders, should I deem it necessary to do so." Nines watched Reed's brow furrow. He found it slightly concerning, if not a little sweet. There was one thing he definitely wanted to clarify though.

"I would never order you to do this, Nines…I wouldn't even order you not to tell Fowler." Nines' expression softened at that. It wasn't a huge difference. His lips simply relaxed into one of those barely there smiles, and his sharp eyes filled with a warmth that made his stomach flutter. He felt his heart skip as Nines reached out to cradle his chin, thumb brushing over his bottom lip. His tongue darted out nervously, flicking the digit as it ran across his lips.

"I know…" Nines replied softly before drawing back to sip his drink again. Reed drained his own glass before refilling it. It seemed Nines was busy thinking, LED spinning yellow as he considered various options. "The easiest option would be to submit a re-test request for the firearm. It is currently being held in an evidence locker, however if the fingerprint data becomes corrupted, a re-test will be necessary. I can alter the current data to reflect that, at which point, the gun will be removed from storage. From there, it will simply be a matter of ensuring that the transfer is…interrupted." Reed had no idea what he meant. The evidence locker was just down the hall from homicide, and the labs were down below in the basement. That meant they'd have to interrupt transport before the carrier reached the elevator. They'd also need to know who the carrier was and when it would happen.

"You're really going to help with this?" He knew it would be difficult by himself, but he didn't want Nines to get in trouble. Breaking the law on his own was one thing, but dragging Nines down with him was another. Hell, I'm a good cop! Doing this shit is putting my name in the gutter. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel dirty doing it, but this was one of his kids! Stan was barely sixteen. He had his whole fucking life ahead of him!

"You believe in Mr Lent and his capacity for improvement. I trust your judgement of character, and from reviewing his story I believe you are correct." Reed softened somewhat at his reassurance. There were few other people who would take a chance like this. Jack might have, and possibly Tina, but outside of that, it would be too risky to involve anyone else. Fowler, though he may agree morally, was a captain with responsibilities now. Hank was the same with his rank, and Connor was a do-gooder who believed in justice too much to take the chance. He may sympathise, but he'd still agree that Stan should serve the time.

"Thanks Nines…Not many people would say that, or take the risk." Nines nodded and sipped his drink again as he searched the database. Haley was working the case. Either she or Brad would be the ones collecting evidence. He slipped silently through the network, altering the fingerprint image so that it looked inconclusive. He also altered the results on the paper and flagged it to be re-tested at exactly eleven thirty the next morning. It wasn't unusual to have re-tests scheduled, and if Brad did that side of things, he probably wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, Haley was an android with perfect recall. If it was information she deemed pertinent enough to store…She's not an investigative android like me and Connor.

"I have formulated a plan. We must remain in the bullpen between eleven o'clock and eleven thirty tomorrow morning." He knew they wouldn't collect the item until around the time of the test. Standard procedure was to minimise the time collected items spent outside the evidence locker. It limited the chances of tampering or deterioration. Leaving things lying around in the open, even in the lab, was unwise. Accidents happened, and corrupted evidence could throw a whole case. Reed seemed almost anxious as he nodded his agreement. He didn't know what Nines was planning, but he knew better than to question him when it came to strategizing.