"John! What the hell happened?" Takigawa's concerned voice demanded as he stormed into the shop. John looked sheepish as he stood behind the counter with the GT300 hovering close by like an anxious parent. David was taking the day off to think over a few things and Lin was upstairs for now, likely busy with the laundry. He seemed to enjoy folding the sheets. He said it was therapeutic, and the repetitive motions helped him to calibrate. Personally, John found working on androids therapeutic.

"Officer Takigawa! You look different," John greeted brightly, ignoring Takigawa's demanding tone. John had never seen him out of uniform before. Takigawa put his hands on his hips as he stopped before the counter. He looked very different in his blazer, far more respectable. His CH200 was with him, also wearing new clothes. His suit was navy blue with a white shirt, while Takigawa was in all black today. Even his turtleneck was black.

"Don't give me that! And it's Detective Takigawa!" he corrected with a hint of smugness, accepting John's sincere congratulations. "Seriously though, I was worried when I saw the report. You didn't even call it in?" he added in disbelief as he looked around the small shop. It was a quaint little place, not the type you'd expect to attract trouble. Then again, this android business is stirring up all sorts of trouble. Everything seemed to be in one piece at least, besides John himself.

"Well, they were quite covered up, and the camera didn't get a good view of them," John excused quietly, ever so slightly resentful that David had called in the attack. Obviously, there was nothing the police could do if John refused to talk about it, and even less they could do without details and evidence of a crime. Takigawa sighed lightly as he eyed John. He knew he didn't want to risk further confrontations with the locals.

"The chances of a repeat incident are quite high, considering the circumstances," Charlie chimed in with his usual mechanical tone, dark eyes running over the injury on John's head. Takigawa nodded his agreement. From what the reports had said, they'd been aiming to destroy the GT300 and any other androids around. They likely wouldn't give up after the first try, especially if John didn't do anything about it. Groups like that tended to get bolder.

"I'm sure they were just frustrated," John excused quietly, though his nervous expression told Takigawa that he was doubtful.

"That doesn't excuse someone almost...Just tell me about it. At the very least, I can have a patrol car sit out front for a few hours and scare them off," he replied in what he hoped was a gentle and convincing tone. It was funny. He'd stopped John in the street multiple times over the past couple of years, learned he was a robotics expert, and that he owned a small shop. In all that time, he hadn't noticed the smaller things, like the way he bit his lip when he was nervous, or that he fidgeted anxiously under pressure. I guess until now he was never under pressure from me...

"There isn't much to say. Three men came in to cause trouble. One of them tried to hit GT with a baseball bat, and I got in the way. It's really not that bad!" he added as he rested a hand on the bandage around his head. Takigawa probed him a little further, managing to drag out a few more details. He knew they had all been wearing black, they were likely in their early thirties, and at least one had been armed. The best part was that the bat had been left behind. Takigawa winced as he saw the blood on it. "It looks worse than it feels!" John insisted sheepishly as he noticed Takigawa looking at the faded red smear.

"This looks like more than a small knock to the head! Are you sure you're alright? Did you get it checked out?" Takigawa asked worriedly as he handed the bat to Charlie. Charlie inspected the stained wood before taking it out to the car. They had larger evidence bags in the boot. Hopefully, someone at the station would be able to get some prints from it. John nodded in response to Takigawa's earlier question.

"I was a little dizzy last night, but my skull wasn't fractured, and the blood is from a splinter cut. It's nothing serious," he insisted again, watching as Takigawa wrote on his small pad. John worried his lip a little. He could only hope no reporters got wind of this and made some sort of fuss. It wasn't too likely. His store was quite small, and the attack hadn't been all that serious. If my father gets wind of this though...John shuddered at the thought. "Thank you for stopping by. You must be busy now, since you're a detective," John said finally as their interview ended.

"Yeah, I'm handling a lot of deviant cases these days...It's pretty messed up. In the majority of cases it seems to be self-defence, but you can guess how people are looking at it," Takigawa sighed as Charlie returned to stand dutifully behind him, patiently waiting to continue their day. John nodded quietly, watching Charlie's gaze focus more as his heart rate spiked slightly. "Any androids here we should see? Did any get damaged?" Takigawa asked finally as he looked around the small store.

"No! No...GT was the only one out here, and he was behind me," John replied, his tone a little too defensive for Takigawa's liking. Charlie gave a slight nod in agreement. John was hiding something. Takigawa sighed lightly as he folded his arms. Technically, not my business. I'm here because John's a victim, not to hunt down deviants. "I'm more than happy for you to see GT if you need to," John added as he looked over his shoulder. So it isn't the GT300 unit he's worried about...

"That may be helpful, Sir. I could interface and view its memory files of the incident. The GT300 may have had a clearer view of the assailants than the security cameras," Charlie suggested dutifully, not missing the way John's heart jumped at the suggestion. He was a little reluctant, but called the GT300 over. The GT300 seemed perfectly normal as he crossed the store, his voice as clipped as ever as he walked to John's side. Upon Charlie's request, he held out his hand, and the skin peeled back. The two androids clasped hands and exchanged data. "I have a clear image of two men. The third was too covered, but if we find the other two, we should be able to track down their accomplice quite easily," Charlie announced as he stepped back.

The memory he'd viewed had been clear. The GT300 had been standing by the corner after completing stock rotation on some thirium based products. The thirium didn't exactly go out of date, but John always liked to sell out the old stuff before the new. The men had entered and tried to intimidate the human. The CH200 sensed a strong wave of something as John had been struck. He couldn't identify it, but something seemed to be wrong with the GT300. He could perhaps put it down to him being an older model. He had watched the Chinese man exit from the back to defend the other human, and the men had left. That is where the memory had cut off. No more than that had been necessary.

"Good work. We'll try to track them down. At least if we talk to them, they may back off," Takigawa said as they finished up, watching John nod his agreement. "Alright, I'll have a patrol car sit outside and circle the block regularly for a couple of days. Stay safe, alright?" Takigawa urged in a friendly manner. John nodded his agreement before seeing him out. Charlie nodded his farewell as he followed his partner back to the car and climbed in. Takigawa took a breath as he tugged the door shut. Things were really starting to go to shit.

"Your stress levels are elevated," Charlie stated as Takigawa pulled away from the curb.

"I just haven't had my coffee yet," Takigawa excused as he watched the road ahead. Technically, it was true. He'd barely been willing to pry himself away from Ayako that morning. It was nice, waking up in a tangle of sheets and limbs. She'd almost made him late by tempting him into one more round. He was glad the turtleneck was hiding the marks she'd left behind. He left it to Charlie to send in the details of John's incident report, along with the pictures he'd managed to get from the GT300. Takigawa radioed in about having a car stop by John's shop a few times that day as he made his way to Mai's café. As he approached the café, he could just make out a small group inside speaking in raised voices. His detective instincts kicked in as he quietly stepped inside to watch, sharp eyes motioning Charlie to follow close.

"Damned androids! They're fucking everywhere!" one of the young men cursed as he stepped a little closer to the NA200 and shoved his shoulder. The NA200 barely moved in response, just swaying slightly to the right. Mai had already come around the counter, anxiously standing on the edge of the circle, trying to diffuse the situation with a round tray clutched against her chest. It was almost strange, seeing the NA200 without that Yasuhara guy. The pair had been coming in together for over a week. The NA200's LED span red as one of the other humans shoved him harder. He stumbled back against the counter, but of course he made no move to stop or respond to the aggression. Even in self-defence, he wasn't programmed to harm humans.

"Please stop that! He's a customer, and if you do that again, I'll have to ask you to leave!" Mai insisted with a surprising amount of firmness, despite the timid tremor in her tone. She let out a small cry as a young man grabbed her wrist in a painful grip. She tugged her arm as the tray fell from her hands, but his grip was too strong. His arm had barely moved, and she was putting all of her strength into pulling back. She winced as she was tugged around, the grip making her skin turn red.

"What? You value this robot over your human customers?" the man demanded as he tugged Mai closer, making her stumble in her heeled shoes. Takigawa shot his eyes to Charlie in a silent question. Charlie nodded. He was already recording the incident for future use in court. With Charlie so close, Takigawa couldn't do anything too hasty, but he was itching to step in and punch the guy who'd dared lay a hand on Mai.

"He isn't the one causing trouble here!" Mai insisted, wincing as the man twisted his hold slightly. "Let go and get out!" she cried, stumbling as she was pushed aside. She gasped as she toppled, feeling a sharp pain in her ankle as she stumbled and fell towards a small table. She barely knew what was happening before a strong arm slipped around her waist. She was pulled against a firm chest. Her cheeks flushed pink as she realised the NA200 had rushed forward to catch her before she could fall and hurt herself on the sharp corner of the table.

"What the hell is going on here?" Takigawa yelled, his hands resting firmly on his hips as he glowered at the group. Mai sighed in relief, remaining in Naru's comforting embrace for now. Silence fell as the group turned to look at Takigawa, who had taken out his badge and held it for them to see. "Charlie, scan them. I want full names and addresses." A member of the group attempted to make a break for it. He hadn't counted on Charlie being so solid. He tried barrelling into him, only to fall back on his rump as Charlie stood his ground.

"Yes, Sir. Shall I call for back up and have them taken in for disturbing the peace and assault?" Charlie asked dutifully as he played along, worried murmurs fluttering through the group of humans. Takigawa played into it for a moment, but they could really only get one of them on assault charges. The most he could do to the rest was move them on, but that didn't mean he couldn't scare them a little first.

"Mai, are you alright?" Takigawa asked calmly, watching her nod timidly as she leaned into the NA200's chest. She was grateful that his arms remained strong and firm around her, both protecting and helping her to stand. "What do you want us to do?" Takigawa added seriously. If Mai wanted them arrested, then he'd see what he could do. Mai looked up at the NA200, who kept his arms around her almost affectionately. He tilted his head as she looked at him. He had no input to give. He wasn't the one who'd been assaulted in the eyes of the law.

"Um, I'd just like them to leave now," Mai replied timidly, clearly shaken by the experience. It was rare for her to get trouble in her café. It wasn't a flashy, high market place, so they didn't keep a huge amount of cash, and they didn't serve alcohol. She was more used to getting groups of mothers, older people, and businessmen. People who didn't start trouble. This group had only come inside after they'd spotted the NA200 entering. Takigawa nodded and returned his attention to the group.

"Looks like it's your lucky day. Now get out, and I don't want to see you back in here, got it?" he snapped, stepping aside to let the group hurry outside. He managed to catch the guy who'd hurt Mai by his shoulder as he passed. He leaned down close to the man's ear, gripping the joint tightly. "This is my regular coffee shop, and that girl is like a little sister to me...You understand where I'm coming from?" he checked in an almost deadly tone as he squeezed harder. He felt a shiver run through the younger man before he nodded. Takigawa slapped his shoulder a couple of times as he withdrew his hand and watched him run off.

"Are you injured?" Naru asked as he finally released Mai. She instantly missed his warmth as he stepped back. It was surprising how warm and human he felt. She'd never been that close to an android before. His LED was spinning yellow as she looked up, likely scanning her for any injuries. His blue eyes fixed on her right ankle for a few moments, noting that she avoided putting too much weight on it.

"No, I'm fine! Thank you, and thank you too, Takigawa and Charlie. I thought things were going to get ugly there for a minute," she admitted in a brighter tone as she turned to face the detectives in the doorway. Takigawa sighed and slipped into his usual seat at the bar. It was surprisingly quiet, but then the whole town was quiet. A lot of people were starting to get worried because of the rogue deviants. He'd seen a lot of people queuing outside the Cyberlife store trying to return their androids on their way over.

"If you really want to thank me, then sneak me an extra shot," Takigawa replied with a charming wink. It was rare for Takigawa to need the extra caffeine, but Mai was glad to do that for him. She even gave him a free cake, and a thirium latte for Charlie. She watched the NA200 leave with his order, quietly worried that the group was waiting somewhere down the street for him. Charlie seemed to read her thoughts as he turned his dark eyes towards the window.

"I have alerted the NA200 to contact me if it is accosted again," he assured, not seeing Takigawa's expression soften at the news. He wouldn't raise it with Charlie, or anyone else, but that wasn't part of his programming. He didn't have to give the NA200 his private line, nor did he have to tell Mai about it to put her mind at ease. It's about time I got the old Charlie back. I've been waiting long enough, he thought fondly, quietly pleased that Charlie had loosened up again.