BROKEN CODE

Old Friends

Detroit, Michigan

02.09.2039, 08:29:27 AM

Everything looked the same since you got departed; every wall had the same stain it had years ago. The scent of watered-down instant coffee and sweating police officers was just the same. Even the ringing of the phones was still the same. It still was the old DPD, as you remembered.

As you made your way to the main area, you could already see Fowler with a fake smile on his face and his hands resting in front of him. You smiled lightly at him before it shattered.

Right behind him was a man you had an awful ending with; Hank. You bit your tongue, trying to seem neutral and composed, but you felt your pump beating faster to keep your system working at high speed.

Fowler called your full name as a greeting.

This made Hank's attention jump. His eyes met yours.

"Mr. Fowler, it has been a while.", You pressed out a slight smile, trying to keep your eye contact away from Hank.

"How long has it been? Two years? Three?"

The conversation was dry, but you kept your mask on. "It's been three years, yeah."

You switched your glance for a second to Hank; his hair was now long and unkept, his clothing lazy and sad, he himself had gained some weight. He looked horrible since the last time you saw him- tired and sagging instead of well mannered and awake. His face was surprised- you couldn't tell if it was positive or negative. But something else caught your attention...

An android staring at you. Right at you. His brown eyes could pierce right through you, if he wanted. His LED was flashing yellow, with knitted eyebrows as he watched every move of your body. Like a predator waiting to attack.

"Now,", Fowler said, stepping slightly aside, "you probably still remember him."

It took you a few seconds to loosen your view from the android. You looked back at Hank; "Yeah. Still do."

Fowler turned to you, putting on his real face- the meet and greet was over; "I assume you already have the files for the case?"

You gave him a short nod.

"Good. You know what you have to do, so you better start now. And stop slacking off."

And just like that, Fowler turned his back and trotted back into his office. You couldn't help but sigh.

"Hey kid.", Hank looked at you, unsure what to do or say.

Even with all the thousands and thousands of lines your system had, you didn't know how to respond. You felt lost, awkward, and uncomfortable. You'd much rather have Reed as a partner than Hank.

"It's been a long time, huh?", You smiled awkwardly, placing your hand behind your neck as an instant reaction.

"Yeah, you, uh... have grown."

You let an airy chuckle out: "Right-"

'Cut the tension with a knife' would have been the perfect quote to put all of this into perspective. Right, how do you even start a conversation with somebody after so long? Especially after a fight? You didn't have the answer. Not even your thousand-dollar system knew better.

You looked back at the android; he still had his eyes on you. Did he even look away once? It didn't seem like it. While his LED turned back into a nice calm hue of blue, his eyes were still dark and darted at you.