Chapter Text
Reed: Become Android
Gavin Reed felt like he was the only 36-year-old on the planet who’d been a victim of workplace bullying, if not, one of the very few. He couldn’t say his life at work wasn’t all that bad entirely; he’d finally learned to get along with the Connor android and Hank Anderson (mostly after Connor had kicked his ass out cold in the Archive Room a few months ago) and become buddy-buddies with the elderly Lieutenant. Gavin had learned to get out of their way, and he was mostly fine.
Sure, they’d sometimes ganged up on him and isolated him sometimes, but it wasn’t anything he couldn't handle. He knew he’d eventually get used to the android, and he did, but before he really could have, the DPD brought in the latest ‘bad boy’ model: RK900.
The damn thing looked like Connor. Hell, it could’ve been Connor’s older brother for all Gavin cared. He soon learned to stay away from it, too, feeling pretty sure in his gut that this beast of a monster could do more than knock his ass out cold in a room; it could likely tear Gavin limb from limb and enjoy it.
He just stuck to what he knew best: his own damn job.
Hank and Connor seemed to mind their own business as well for the most part, but once in a while, it was as if they had nothing better to do than to loosen the legs on his desk chair, making Gavin once fall directly through the chair, grumbling onto the hard ground. The entire Precinct felt it was appropriate to record it, too. Within a month, it was all over the damn DPD.
After that, they’d uploaded tons of pictures of androids in bikinis modeling and advertising for hot-spot vacation getaways all over Gavin’s computer, and he hadn’t bothered to check if all the files were cleaned and deleted before he called Jeffrey Fowler over to his desk to ask him about a question regarding the follow-up report on a case he’d been wrapping up.
Again, this incident didn’t go without being recorded.
It seemed like Connor and Hank’s pranks were contagious for the entire Precinct. Soon, Officer Tina Chen, Officer Wilson, Ben Collins, and Officer Persons decided to exchange ideas with Connor and Hank on how to annoy the ever-loving-shit out of Gavin.
Life was treacherous for months, and Gavin had to constantly keep his eyes open at work. Androids, humans, officers, sanitation workers! It didn’t matter. Everyone was out to get him and prank him.
Everyone and everything except the RK900.
Connor had said it was deviant, and Gavin didn’t doubt the android’s accuracy of recognizing that sort of thing, but if it was deviant, RK900 sure didn’t behave like it was.
Or perhaps it was because it didn’t act like Connor. It never cackled evilly while it poured salt in Gavin’s coffee, or laughed maniacally when all of the tracks on Gavin’s iPod touch changed to country music suddenly. The RK900 was a silent observer, and soon, everyone in the station had taken an odd liking to him, even going so far as to calling him ‘Nines’.
That name suited Gavin just fine, though he’d never actually held a conversation with the android beyond: “Hey asshat, I’m Detective Reed.”
That conversation didn’t really go anywhere, and it’d only resorted to Hank buying a cowboy hat for Gavin and taping on a photo of a large, hairy ass on the front of it.
No videos were recorded, but plenty of photos were taken.
Hank Anderson was a real bastard.
Life for Gavin Reed was an absolute hell, and he soon found himself hating and fearing going to work every morning.
But there was no way out of skipping this day: It was an arranged dinner celebration for all the officers at the DPD that evening after work.
Gavin tried coming up with every excuse in the book to skip the damn dinner, fearing that the pranksters were going to put glitter or glue in his food (or worse, dog shit). Tina had begged him in the end, and he’d given up just to get her to shut up finally.
They’d driven in her car, the entire police force entering the fancy diner. Half the diner was just the DPD, but certain ‘groups’ and departments sat together strictly, much like they had at work.
Fowler and the S.W.A.T. team including Captain Allen all had their own separate table, while the rest of the officers and detectives sat at other tables, laughing and joking among themselves as they sat and munched on appetizers while waiting for their meals.
Even the androids had their own table, which pleased Gavin, but as soon as Hank and Connor walked in, that changed, very quickly.
The two overgrown brats had pulled the tables of the other officers and androids together, forming 6 large tables in total, and before Gavin’s ears could take it, the entire diner was louder than a rock concert.
He glared at Tina as she munched on a salad.
“Thanks for draggin’ me in here, Tina.”
She smiled at him, salad bits and lettuce stuck between her teeth. “Love you!”
Gavin gave her a sarcastic smirk at the same time a waitress threw a menu on his lap.
“I apologize for the wait sir, please take a look at our menu and see what you like! I’ll be right back!”
Gavin already knew what he’d wanted to order, but she was off without another word.
He sighed, throwing the menu on the table. “Can I fuckin’ leave now?”
He felt Tina throw some bread crumbs at him.
“You’re making me pissed off too,” she turned back to her salad, “…would it kill you to have ONE night of fun?”
Gavin groaned, “But this isn’t fun! This is pain!”
“At least Hank and Connor aren’t getting on your case so far.”
He rolled his eyes, “So far, yeah!”
How could she expect him to trust those two? After everything that had happened the last few months! How could she of all people say that to him!
He didn’t want to start attacking Tina, as she’d been the only close friend he’d had since he’d joined the DPD, but sometimes, she really got on his nerves. He brushed her teasing off, trying to peek through the menu before the waitress came back, when he felt someone staring at him.
Gavin lowered the large rectangular menu, looking up to see Nines dressed in his best (same as always uniform) standing before him. It looked down calmly at him, a neutral expression on its face. If Gavin didn’t know any better, he was certain it wanted to sit next to him.
“Can I help you with somethin’ Nines?” He winked up at the android, but it didn’t return the little gesture.
“May I sit next to you, Detective Reed?”
Gavin mentally promised himself a night out for guessing it right. Drinks were on him.
He gestured down to the empty seat next to him at their booth while Tina scooted over to make room.
“Sure thing, Nines.”
Nines sat stiffly beside Gavin, looking at his menu before looking over at Gavin. Gavin was still a little scared of the android’s eyes, but if he ever admitted that to anyone, it’d be their last day standing. Nines had nice eyes in shape and creation, but their color was just too machine-like and cold for Gavin. He’d never looked into them directly, and never planned on doing so.
“I feel out of place here.” Gavin listened to Nines mildly complain while Gavin looked at Nines’ cheekbones. While he resembled Connor, there were major differences, mostly lying in facial feature structures. Nines’ jawline was more broad, thick, and he also had a few more freckles dancing on his cheeks in comparison to Connor. His brows were also set lower, giving him the appearance he was mostly serious, but he could keep a conversation well enough with just about anyone…except Gavin.
Gavin felt Tina nudge his elbow, and he realized he was staring while lost in his own thoughts and musings.
“Yeah, um,” he coughed, feeling a little silly, “…I’m just gonna get the smallest thing and get outta here while I can.”
“Social events not to your liking, Detective Reed?” Nines asked, looking around the diner at nothing and no one in particular; merely observing.
Gavin chuckled, “Not in the fuckin’ least. I’m glad everything will be back to normal by tomorrow.”
He grabbed his water on the table, taking a short sip before he heard Tina snicker while Nines smiled politely.
“I guess you must’ve forgotten the softball game tomorrow morning.”
Gavin turned and spat most of his water out at Tina.
(“””””””””)
“What a beautiful day: the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the trees are full, and I’m stuck here with you fucks.”
Gavin shook his head as he sat in a goofy officer uniform, sitting beside Officer Wilson and Hank Anderson on the bench.
They were at a baseball field in the middle of the park with the rest of the DPD.
Gavin hadn’t slept a wink that night, dreading and despising the day before it had barely begun. He’d nearly arrived late, missing his coffee, which made him terribly grumpy.
Fowler had assigned teams, and he was on Hank and Officer Wilson’s team, and they were going up against Connor, Nines, and Tina.
Gavin wondered who would win that one for sure.
He felt a mosquito bite his neck, and he slapped his skin violently. What was the point of this again?!? Oh yeah, Fowler wanted the androids and humans to appear together more in public, especially now that androids had rights and privileges, and were fully recognized as living beings with feelings and emotions.
What the fuck was the world they were living in?
“Gavin! You’re next!”
Gavin felt Hank yanking him up as Fowler called out to him, and then he felt someone slap his ass.
He spun around angrily, “What the fuck?!?”
Both Hank and Wilson pointed at each other the same time, both wearing innocent expressions.
“You assholes!”
“REED!” Fowler’s voice was all it took for Gavin to get up and march over to then grab his bat as another officer slammed a helmet down over his head.
Gavin roared, his vision clouded as he tried adjusting the helmet so he could see. The fucking sun was soon in his eyes when he looked up, but he didn’t have time to get comfortable.
On the count of three, the ball was heading for his face…
Gavin felt his instincts kick in, and he swung the bat accurately, the wood making contact with the ball. It flew through the air gracefully, and the spectators watched, huddling over the risers in the park as they watched the ball soar high into the air.
Gavin gaped at it before remembering he had to run.
His feet tore off from the ground into the air, dirt and grass flying behind him as he ran and ran like his life depended on it.
This was the freest he’d felt in months! He was both hot and cold at the same time, and he felt as if his feet would soon leave the ground entirely, and he’d fly like a bird…
Colors and sounds abandoned his eyes and ears, and he only saw white as he sped through time, practically.
He was alive…
And he had stumbled suddenly, his heart burning as if it was about to burst out of the ribcage. It was a pain unlike any Gavin had ever experienced before, and he rolled over his own feet, hands flailing as he came crashing down.
He must’ve rolled over at least thirty times before he finally slammed into the fence surrounding the softball pit. His head knocked against the fence violently, and he closed his eyes as he hissed in pain.
But the pain he felt in his head was nothing compared to what he felt in his heart. He could’ve sworn he was having a heart attack or a fucking stroke.
He tried standing up, hearing and seeing panic around him. Gavin hated it when people felt sorry for him or pitied him, and he didn’t want anyone to know how much pain he was in. He tried getting up on his knees, but all the wind had been knocked clean out of him.
He gasped as he struggled, and Tina was the first to be at his side.
“Gavin! Oh my god! Someone call an ambulance!”
Gavin waved a hand at her, trying to show her he was fine, and he wheezed out at her. He’d been meaning to try to tell her he was fine, but it sounded like someone was squeezing a toy or something, and he couldn’t believe the sounds were coming from him.
He felt more hands around him, the worried faces crowding around him, and that was when he’d had enough of their attention.
“I’m fine! Fuck off!”
He coughed as he grabbed the fence, pulling himself up as his entire body shook. He was still wheezing, but it wasn’t as bad as when he first tried getting up.
Gavin didn’t understand why this had to happen to him now, of all fucking times. And he wasn’t even out of shape! He worked out regularly, he’d hired a personal trainer a few weeks ago, and his last doctor visit had proven he still had a healthy brain, lung, heart, and liver. So what was the problem? He figured he’d pushed himself way too much at once, and he fought back tears as he smiled at his colleagues.
“See? I’m fine.” He stood up to his full height, and his chest burned even more than ever. It was probably from the force of colliding and sailing across the ground, he thought. He would be fine, it was just a scratch…or half his skin being peeled off, but whatever! He was fine.
Captain Fowler shoved aside some officers as he approached Gavin carefully.
“Gavin, that was some seriously insane shit! You can’t be okay, you can’t…”
Gavin bit back a thousand insults. He paused before he laughed it off, “It’s nothin’ Sir. My competitive instincts kicked in, that’s all.”
To prove his point, he laughed briskly, and a few of the other officers laughed, but it sounded cringey and pained, as if they weren’t entirely convinced.
Fowler looked him up and down, looking unimpressed.
“Wash yourself off, you’re getting blood on my uniform.” That was all the care Gavin knew he would get from the Captain, and it was good enough for him.
He nodded as he pushed past the small concerned crowd, heading for the men’s room slowly. He knew he was limping, and when his back was turned towards everyone, he pressed a hand against his stomach, sighing and wheezing in pain.
(“””””””””)
Gavin washed his hands, face, and arms off as best he could. He glared at himself in the bathroom mirror. If his father was still alive, he’d be so ashamed of him, and he knew it. He hated the fact that he was such a god damn wimp. His father never raised him to be a wimp! How could he do this to his father?
Feeling more angry and embarrassed, Gavin punched the sink violently.
It wasn’t the best of ideas, and a burning, dull throb flew through his hand and up his shoulder.
“Fuuuck.” Gavin wheezed.
He heard himself wheezing through his nose, and he wondered if it was broken. The sounds coming from it were just…messed up. It seriously sounded like an old train being fixed or something…groaning as it came to life.
Gavin shook his head, trying to will his overactive imagination to calm the fuck down as he brushed off his uniform, spinning around in the mirror as he did so.
He was almost halfway through a second circle, when his heart clenched tightly in a ball in his chest. The same pain from before was back, and this time, with a vengeance.
Gavin felt his chest about to explode, and he doubled over in pain. He couldn’t breathe, and he was certain he was going to die right there.
He fell down on his knees, gripping the sink for dear life as his vision grew blurry and dark. He tried calling out for help, but when he opened his mouth to do so, he felt he had to cough…or throw up…
Gavin leapt up to his feet, coughing and wheezing violently all over the sink.
He saw little bits of blood flying out of his mouth and spraying over the inside of the white sink, and he immediately closed his eyes. It wasn’t that Gavin was afraid of the sight of blood and gore (he was a Detective, after all), but he couldn’t stand seeing the sight of it coming out of his own body. That was an entirely different issue altogether.
He waited until the worst of it was over, his body signaling to him it was over as his heart rate returned to normal, gradually, and the coughing ceased all on its own.
Gavin felt his arms and knees go numb, and it was only then that he understood how tightly he was gripping onto the sink. He really thought he was going to die in that bathroom, and he was beyond scared.
He rested his forehead against the front of the sink, closing his eyes and breathing as slowly, deeply, and evenly as he could.
His lips felt slimy and wet, and he knew he was going to have to get the fuck up, gather his balls, and wash his bloody mouth. He just wanted to prolong seeing that shit for as long as he could. That would actually be difficult, considering how he was positive someone was soon going to knock on the bathroom door to check on him.
He had to hurry, so he stood, avoiding looking at his pathetic face in the mirror as he took a quick peek down into the sink.
Yep, it was blood, and there was quite a lot of it.
Gavin wondered if he’d caused enough damage to cause internal bleeding, but there was no way he could confirm that now; he just had to hide the shit as soon as possible.
He turned on the water, allowing it to swirl around as he stuck his hands in the sink and washed away the blood.
He felt himself getting dizzy the longer he looked at it, and soon enough, Gavin felt he had to cough again.
Unsure of what else he could do but stay in the bathroom until whatever the fuck was happening to him had run its course, Gavin bent down over the sink again, and coughed as softly as he could, not wanting to draw attention.
Again, a few drops of blood fell and mixed into the sink water, and as Gavin began to worry how long it would continue for, the ruby red pouring from his mouth soon turned into a few drops of deep blue.
Gavin gasped and cried out in shock, practically diving into the sink as he opened his eyes widely, staring at the pinky-red water in the sink.
It spun around, sloshing grossly as Gavin removed his hands from inside the sink. As fucked up as he was from the accident, Gavin knew there was no mistaking the few drops of blue that had followed the red, spinning around in the sink before it washed down, disappearing as if it’d never been there.