"I don't really know what's going on, but I promise we'll figure it out,"
Shortly after an officer had taken Adrian down to the lobby to get medical attention, I found myself inside his apartment with Connor by my side. I couldn't move past what Adrian had said, it felt like my world was being flipped on its head; it was like all of a sudden, the hands of doubt wrapped around my brain and made me question the one person who ever really loved me.
I was clearly distracted as I looked over the living room, scanning every detail but learning nothing. Tilting my head to the side, my eyes traveled up to Connors face. He looked as unfazed as usual, but able to scan the scene for clues and information. Watching him intently as he stepped into the room, I thought that he had to know that something was wrong. Connor was able to detect every slight change in tone or emotion. From what I've experienced thus far, it's impossible for him not to notice. In the moment, I didn't realize I was psyching myself out. I just needed to go on like nothing happened, and that's what I tried to do.
As I went on examining the room, I noticed that the story that Adrian had given the police appeared to match what I was seeing. There was no sign of forced entry and the rest of the apartment was intact besides the living room. The more I looked, the more the story of a delivery android killing the coworker made complete sense. But as per usual with deviancy cases, I was left wondering what had happened with the android.
The other thing I didn't understand was why Adrian had told me about the hard drive and not the officer who spoke to him.
A part of me wanted to believe that he was just in shock, that there wasn't some secret drive that he had kept hidden away all this time. Most of all, I wanted to believe that he and Lena weren't hiding anything from me. But if it was about CyberLife, the more I pondered it, the more I realized that it may have been safest for me not to know.
As everyone in the country has realized, CyberLife isn't just a company, it's a massive corporation. They are everywhere. Stores scattered across the city, thousands more across the country, with their products walking around and answering to us at every waking moment.
People have been scared of their androids listening to them and handing their private information over to CyberLife. As long as devices could do that, we've been so concerned about what they did with said data. But this is so much worse.
I don't know what's on that drive, for all I know it could be an ass-kissing piece to that fuck-stick, Elijah Kamski. But knowing Lena and her reporting, this was serious. Wherever it is, I have to find it. But until I can, I have to deal with the android detective; more importantly, I can't let him know that there was anything taken from the apartment.
"What do you have so far, Connor?" I asked hunched over the body, camera in hand as I took photos of wounds and surrounding blood spatter.
Connor stood over in the center of the living room by the shattered glass coffee table. The room layout was a simple square, with a sofa pushed up against the left of the room across from an entertainment center, the broken table separating them. There was a small armchair next to the couch that was closest to the door, but it was tipped back.
"The victims name was Edward Johnson, thirty-four years old with no criminal record. At the time the android attacked, Mr. Clark was the closest since he opened the door and was then struck to the ground. From the scuff marks on the ground and movement of the furniture, I can say that the victim attempted to attack the android but was overpowered and thrown back into the chair. The traces of thirium that lead to the door suggest that the deviant was injured, but the tracks end outside," I watched him as he walked around the room, carefully moving from event to event as he simulated the scenario in his mind.
"Witnesses from surrounding apartments report hearing a struggle and a loud scream at that point. That leads me to believe that Adrian had tried to call for help because the android went back to the area and struck him over the head, rendering him unconscious for a moment. He fell to the ground between the table and the television. The only thing I cannot understand was the reason for the coffee table being broken."
It was a bit too obvious not to notice since there was glass everywhere. But the odd thing was that neither the victim or Adrian had wounds from the broken glass. I had just assumed the android fell into it during the incident. But if Connor was confused, that means the table had nothing to do with the altercation.
I stood up, careful to avoid the broken glass, and went on to question him.
"You mean the android didn't break it, then?"
"No, it must have, but probably not in the way you're thinking. See, the patterns my program is detecting tell me that the table wasn't broken as the deviant was going after the victim. Also, neighbors reported hearing it break, but only after everything went quiet."
The more I thought about it, the more I believed that maybe Adrian wasn't supposed to have it in the first place. Maybe in order to cover up that it was ever taken in the first place, the android destroyed the table and assumed we would chalk it up to the struggle.
"So the android broke the table after it had killed the victim, but for what?" I pretended to ask, not letting him on to what I already knew.
"It's nearly impossible to say now, but maybe it was trying to cover something up."
"Maybe it took the murder weapon from the table and then destroyed it to cover up what it took," I suggested. "I never found a weapon, and the wounds on the victim suggest that blunt force from an unidentified object to be the cause of death."
Connor didn't look at me as I continued on, and I prayed to anything holy that he couldn't tell I was lying. Technically I wasn't, it was just one of many possible theories after all. I really didn't know what the murder weapon was, but seeing as I knew about the drive and nothing else was taken from the apartment, it had to have been on the deviant at the time.
"Go and take a look at the victim, I need to take photos of the rest of the scene," I instructed him as I took a step back to look at the overturned chair.
I continued to work in silence from then, my body going into autopilot as I took more photos of the evidence. Soon enough, more people showed up to the scene, one of them being Detective Collins.
I tilted my head up to look at him as I aimed my camera at the scratches on the hardwood floor, I grinned at the familiar face.
"Took you long enough, you're usually the first one here," I noted sarcastically as I moved to examine the pattern of the shattered glass.
"Caulfield? What are you doing here? You have specific instructions to stay away from any deviant cases," he said.
"I got a call from the precinct, they specifically told me to come here. On my day off no less."
"I called for the forensic team, specifically not you."
I stood up after he said that. Letting my camera hang around my neck, I walked over to Collins and got in close. It was fair to say that I was still slightly pissed off from having to leave Olivia. Now it comes out that there was some stupid mix up?
"What the hell is going on here, Collins?" I asked in a hushed tone. "I get a call from the station and they tell me to get to this scene as soon as humanly-fucking-possible. Now you're telling me that I wasn't even supposed to be here?"
"Why are you whispering?" He asked in a normal tone.
I really didn't know why, if I'm being honest. There was just too many things going on now and I know that there is something wrong here. First it was Adrian, then it was this godforsaken drive, and now I'm not even supposed to be here.
I take a step away from Collins and look over my shoulder, Connor is continuing to look over the body, but I know he's listening to us.
"Can we speak out in the hallway?" Collins agrees with my request and we walk out of the apartment and take the conversation a few doors down.
"What has gotten into you Caulfield?" Collins continued to grill me, confusion clear on his face.
"Look, today has just been a really weird day. First I have to leave my best friend on our day off together, then I learn that there was a fatality at the apartment of one of my closest friends, and then it turns out I'm not even supposed to be here."
"Exactly, that's one of the reasons why you were supposed to stay away. Never mind Hanks orders, you have a personal connection to someone involved. That could bring down an ethics investigation onto not just you, but the Captain and the whole department."
"Then where is the rest of the forensic team? Why aren't they here already?"
"I don't know, Caulfield," he stated. Taking his hand and running it through his thin, grey hair, he looked down the hall where officers continued to stand guard. "I'll get in contact with them to figure out what's going on, but you need to get out of here. Go back to the precinct, register your evidence, and return your gear. I'll deal with the rest until Hank shows up."
Something tells me that I need to stay close to this investigation; but for now, I think that getting Adrian out of here and learning more about the stolen drive is more important.
"Yeah, alright. I'll get out of your hair," I said plainly and turned around. Collins didn't follow me as I returned to the scene and started gathering my things. But that didn't stop Connor from questioning what was going on.
"You're leaving?" He asked as he stood up from the victim and watched me gather my equipment.
"Yeah, there was a bit of a mix up about who was supposed to be here. It's fine, I'm just going to head out and let the team take over from here," I told him as I slung my bag over my shoulder. As I was walking towards the door, my mood had worsened, and apparently it was noticeable.
"Is there something wrong, Korra?" Connor asked, following my path to the door.
I couldn't tell him everything I knew. It was obvious at this point what had happened here. But as much as I hate to torture him, as if androids could actually be tortured, Connor can't know about the hard drive.
"I'm fine, Connor... But um... How are you with all of this? Have you figured out your next steps?" I asked as I held onto the strap of my bag. He looked at me for a moment, his lead slightly tilted at my obvious redirection of the topic.
"It makes sense for the most part," he began, a sense of frustration in his voice. "Everything's matching up and we have all the information we need, but the table is they key to finding whatever it is the android took."
"You don't think it took the murder weapon then?" I asked, a little too quickly for my own comfort. Connor observed me for a moment, probably scanning me for all I knew.
"We can't rule it out, but there are other possibilities."
"I see," I trailed off before tilting my head to the doorway. I watched as Collins stood in the hall, his eyes carefully scanning the android and then me.
"I'll talk to you later then. I doubt Hank will allow it, but you have my number if you need me." With that, I turned and walked out of the door, squeezing past Collins in the doorway.
The elevator ride down to the lobby was quiet, both in the air and in my mind. I wanted to brush off this whole thing and get to Adrian, but it just didn't feel right. I couldn't think of more than a handful of times in my entire career with the DPD that there was a mix up like this; especially ever since we implemented androids into the force. This couldn't be an accident.
The ding of the opening doors brought me back to reality and I began my search for Adrian. The lobby had cleared out aside from a few lingering officers and the building manager. I peered through the large glass windows that overlooked the street and saw one remaining ambulance.
Outside, the rain was still falling at a persistent rate. There were no signs of it stopping, and the sky continued to get darker as the sun began to set. It was probably around five by now, and the police presence I had seen earlier had dwindled down severely. As I took my first steps out of the building, I made a B-line towards the ambulance.
"Adrian?" I called for him as I picked up my pace. He was sitting inside the cabin of the vehicle. Holding an ice pack to the back of his head, he turned away from the paramedic who was helping him. He waved lightly to me as I approached and stepped up into the ambulance.
"How are you holding up?" I asked as I stood in the doorway. Trying to give us some space, the paramedic stood up and walked over to the other end of the cabin.
"I'm alright... I'm just trying to make sense of everything right now." I nodded at him and gave him a sad smile.
"Yeah, me too."
I stood up to give him some air and moved to the paramedic. She was a younger woman, with light blonde hair pulled tightly back into a low bun. "I take it's a good thing that you're not rushing off to the hospital with him," I joked as she looked up to me.
"Yes, definitely a good thing. It doesn't look like he was hurt that bad, and if he was unconscious, it was only for a moment. He should be okay to go, but someone should stay with him in case he starts to show any concussion symptoms," she explained.
I was simultaneously relieved and worried at this. He should be fine if I look after him, which I absolutely will be taking him back to my place after this, but he could have a concussion.
"So what should I do? Keep giving him ice packs and a pair of sunglasses?" I joked, but I was sort of being serious.
"Those things are handy, but just make sure you are monitoring him. If he's concerned, he should go see his doctor as soon as possible to see if there was any serious damage. I don't think that it's anything that severe, but it's always better to check since we can't see his brain from out here."
I nodded at her and looked back over at Adrian, I think I should get him home now.
"Thank you," I told her and smiled kindly. "I should be getting him back to my place then."
"Be careful with him and you have a good rest of your night, ma'am."
And that's exactly what I did. We took it slow, but I got him into my truck and began cruising back towards the precinct.
He was mostly quiet for the ride, aside from asking where we were going and if I could turn up the heat. I didn't play any music because I didn't want to trigger any headaches, I just wanted to keep the environment calm.
"Hey," I said softly and quickly glanced over at Adrian. He looked tired, he was leaning his arm on the door and laying his head on his chin. The blood was cleaned from his face and the deep wound that trailed into his eyebrow was bandaged over.
"Everything's going to be fine. I don't really know what's going on, but I promise we'll figure it out," I tried to assure him. I couldn't take long glances at him since the car was still in motion, but he looked unchanged; like he was completely unfazed by what I had said.
I couldn't take it personally, I know what he had seen and what he had just been through. I think it would just be best if I didn't say anything unless he wanted me to.
As I pulled in, I noticed that the precinct parking lot wasn't as full as it was earlier. The officers who were on the night shift had already been there for a while, but all seemed to be still for the moment.
I turned off the truck and unbuckled my seatbelt, again taking a look at Adrian. "I'll just be a few minutes, okay?" It took a moment, but he looked at me and nodded and went back to looking out his window.
I wanted to be in and out as quick as possible, so I reached into the back to grab by bag and stepped out of the car. The weather from earlier had not improved, in fact, the rain felt like it was falling harder the faster I walked to the building. By the time I walked into the lobby, I wasn't completely soaked, but I definitely regret not bringing an umbrella.
Just as I expected, the office was nearly empty. The cubicles and office chairs were vacant except for a few officers, but that made getting to the evidence room easy.
Taking out my ID card, I tapped it onto the scanner and the glass door instantly slid open. I adjusted the strap of my bag as I approached the control panel and lightly placed my hand down on the palm scanner and put in my password. Once access was granted, I watched as the room lit up and the storage from the deviant case appeared on the wall ahead. I only had photographs from the camera so this would be easy.
Walking up to the center storage where all the cubed shelves were, I picked up an empty data pad and set my bag down. I placed the tablet on the ground next to it and picked out my camera, proceeding to sync the photos with the device. It only took a few seconds, so I swiftly returned the tablet back to the shelf.
As I held the memory card in my hand, I hesitated putting it back in my camera. Department policy required that I wipe the memory after registering the photos, but something in me was screaming not to. This case was already strange enough, I needed every detail of information that I could get; maybe these could help?
It was something easy I could have covered up with a simple "I forgot" or "I didn't realize I had it", so I knew that I wouldn't get any shit for taking it; that is, if anyone even realized that it was gone in the first place.
So I slid it into my pocket without much more thought and grabbed my bag as I began to leave. I heard the wall cover the evidence again as I walked out. The precinct was still quiet as I dropped off the rest of the equipment and walked out of the lab.
We arrived at my building just after nine o'clock; the street was filled with an unusual silence as we got out of the truck and made for the side entrance.
As we walked up the stairs, I guided Adrian by hovering my hand on his lower back. He seemed to be more put together after we climbed up to my floor and got to my front door.
As I cracked open the door, the sight of an eager Koda made me smile. I looked to Adrian as Koda welcomed our guest with licks and excited yelps.
Soon enough, we had settled on the couch with a bottle of chardonnay that I had been saving for a shitty day.
For a while, we stared blankly at the local news anchors as they spoke about different stories from across the city. There were feel-good pieces, the weather report, and deviant stories. As one headline flashed across the screen, I noticed Adrian flinch in the corner of my eye.
"DELIVERY DEVIANT KILLS DOWNTOWN: STILL AT LARGE"
Reaching for the remote, I instantly changed the channel to a random movie 2000s vampire romance movie. I looked back to Adrian then, and noticed the slightest tug of a smile pull on his lips. "I remember my sister telling me how she got to see this in theaters, I was just a baby when it came out so I missed out on the whole series." Out of all the things he could be telling me about right now, he wanted to talk about this?
I couldn't help but laugh lightly as I returned my eyes to the main protagonist, the poor thing looked like she was constantly in pain from all that lip biting.
"It's crazy to think how colorblind fans were to all the red flags in that love triangle. I mean it was either a stalker or a future sex offender," Adrian lightly laughed at my comment. As he his eyes briefly met mine, I saw the usual glimmer return to his eyes. But it quickly faded away as he stopped giggling and returned to silence.
"Adrian, I-," I started quietly and continued to watch him carefully. He couldn't leave me hanging like this. I know that he's hurting, but I've died a thousand times over trying to move past her. "We don't have to talk right now... but I have to know. If something happened to Lena, I could never forgive myself if I didn't figure it out."
He was silent, avoidant, for a while. Quietly, he began to lean his chin against his palm, his mind obviously racing in thought. The movie continued to play, and the noise from the TV was the only sound that could be heard through the entire apartment. Sometimes he looked like he was about to speak, only for him to sink back down into his mind.
Until finally, he spoke.