The world was still spinning as he opened his eyes. His head was throbbing. So was his shoulder. He groaned as he tried to move, but the pain that shot through his shoulder was enough to convince him that was a really fucking bad idea. Opening his eyes was also a fucking bad idea. The room was too bright. It was also not what he'd expected. He blinked a few times to be sure. He swore he could hear birds somewhere. He held back a whimper as he realised his hands had been tied behind his back, despite the unhealed wound in his shoulder. His shoes had been removed, but besides that, he was still fully dressed. Well, thank phck for that...

A grunt escaped as he turned his head to look around the huge room. He was on the biggest bed he'd ever seen. It was larger than a king, with crisp white sheets and a pile of plush pillows. There was a built-in wardrobe, or at least a row of tall cupboards, along one wall. There were grey dressers on either side of the huge bed, and a larger set of drawers off to the side. There was also a large writing desk and an office chair, and further off he could see a black leather sofa. The carpet was a much paler grey that complemented the other furnishings. The most garish thing about the room was the huge glass wall running along one side. That explains the light. There were no curtains. How the phck could anyone sleep in here?

He didn't have time to be impressed. He was alone for now, but he had no idea when someone may come by to check up on him. He closed his eyes again, scrunching his nose and biting into one of the pillows as he moved his fingers. He tried to feel the restraints. They weren't cuffs. They weren't zip ties either. The edges were smooth and perfect. He couldn't feel a lock of any kind. Hell, there wasn't even a seal! He settled for twisting his hands, pressing his fingers together to make them as small as possible. He twisted and pulled. Thin edges dug into his wrists. They were sharp. Some sort of metal?

Where the phck am I? Why did she bring me here? Reed whimpered as he continued to pull his arms and hands. Each small movement sent an aching jolt through his shoulder, and he was slowly working up a stinging burn in his wrists. He'd probably drawn blood by now. This fucker must be insanely rich! What the hell does he want with a small time homicide detective? Surely nothing good. He didn't know how he'd managed to piss off a mob boss, but he was pretty sure he'd be dead within the next hour or so if he didn't get free.

"You're awake!" She sounded cheerful as she opened the door. She'd changed her clothes. She was wearing a similar dress, but in a softer shade of pink. Her LED whirled yellow as she took in his physical state. "I'm sorry. I would have returned sooner if I'd known you'd hurt yourself," she added apologetically as she padded across the carpet. There were matching pink pumps on her delicate feet. Gavin grunted into the pillow as his struggles intensified. There was no way he was about to get killed without a fight.

"Back the phck up!" he snapped as he rolled across the bed, away from the android. She almost looked concerned. "I'm a police officer, a detective! Do you seriously think you can just kidnap me from right outside the station and get away with it?" He was annoyed that his voice trembled, and not just from nerves. He was in so much pain he was going insane. His painkillers were well overdue, and his shoulder wasn't thanking him for it. The android held her hands up, much like she was appeasing a scared animal.

"Please, there are important matters to discuss. Won't you cooperate?" She sounded as sweet as she looked, but this wasn't the time for compromises.

"You phcking kidnapped me! I've been cuffed and held here against my will, and now you want to talk? If you want to talk so badly, pick up a phcking phone!" Reed yelled, backing away as the android made her way around the bed. She winced slightly at both his volume and his tone. If she hadn't seen the results, she wouldn't have believed it herself. They were just so different, though there was something in the slope of their jaws, and the green of their eyes.

"It was too sensitive to be shared by telephone, and we still have things we must confirm first." She made it all sound so reasonable. Reasonable to her, at least. When the phck did this become acceptable? There was something reassuring about this android. He didn't feel like she was about to kill him mercilessly. She's an android though. That means sweet phck all. "My name is Chloe, and I'll be your guide. Please, come this way," she instructed invitingly as she waved a hand towards the door. Reed sighed in defeat. What do I have to lose at this point?

He took a tentative step towards Chloe, who seemed to get the hint and take the lead. There was a wide open hall outside, which overlooked the lower floor. The barrier to stop anyone falling was made of black glass with a silver rail along the top, and the floor was made of shiny grey tiles. It was damned pretentious. Looking over the edge, he could see a large entrance hall. Every wall facing outside was glass, letting sunlight flood the building. He hesitated to call it a house, even if it did have a bedroom. This place is like a phcking goldfish bowl! Chloe looked over her shoulder every so often to ensure he was still following, but what else could he do? Running wouldn't get him even part way to the exit. He didn't even know where that was, and he didn't have his hands free to open the door even if he found it.

Chloe headed towards a black glass staircase. Reed couldn't hold back a scoff of distaste. Who the hell would design a building with glass stairs? It just seemed flashy. They hadn't even thought about how often they'd need to be cleaned. He looked around as they reached the ground floor. One huge window gave him a distant view of the city a few miles away. What the phck? I'm outside Detroit? He didn't even know anyone who lived outside Detroit. The area around looked mountainous, almost barren except for a few green shrubs. The grey tiled room was a large rectangle with various paintings hung on the walls.

There were two of Detroit. One was a daytime view, likely taken outside this building. The second was a nightscape, done from somewhere very high up and looking down at the city. There was a painting of an ST200, perhaps the Chloe that was with him now. In the painting, she was wearing a deep violet dress and pumps, smiling warmly as she sat in a bright, colourful garden. The next was a young man that he sort of recognised. He was clean shaven, wearing a smart black suit with piercing eyes that were a similar mix of green, grey and hazel to his own. He had dark hair, kept in a neat bun at the back with short shaved sides. Where have I seen this guy before?

"This way, please." Chloe led the way to a set of silver doors, which opened to reveal a lift. He hesitated a moment as she stepped inside. Chloe remained with him, so he could rule out deliberately being dropped in the thing at least. The lift went down to a basement level and when the doors opened, there was a long hallway. Shiny and black. Even the ceiling was shiny. A chill trickled down his spine as a sense of déjà vu swept over him. He followed Chloe past a row of doors that blended in so well he almost missed them. A door slid open with a mechanical whirr and Reed stepped inside. It was quite dark, but he could make out a row of dead computer consoles, some weird spiderlike machine, a couple of workbenches, and a few tool racks. It was like being in the basement at Cyberlife. His skin prickled at the memory.

"Hey! What are you-Agh!" He yelped in pain as Chloe dragged him across to a plastic chair and lifted his arms to sit him down. The movement of his shoulder almost had him doubling over in agony. He ground his teeth as a burning ache set in at this new position, with his arms resting over the back of the chair. He heard Chloe's shoes click on the tiles as she left the room. He took what time he had to continue his fight against the tight bindings.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you. They're quite unbreakable." The steady voice made him jump in his seat. He whipped his head around. There was no one else in the room. Speakers, there must be speakers. He looked up, finding small red lights blipping in each corner of the room. "Tell me, what were you doing at Cyberlife Tower last month?" Reed's eyes thinned suspiciously. They've been watching me all this time? That didn't bode well for him or Nines. He was even more guarded at the thought of this having something to do with him.

"Police business," he replied evasively as he squirmed in his seat. He was sure he'd heard this man's voice before. It was smooth, like silk, but with an unbearable smugness beneath it. He just couldn't place it at the moment. It was familiar, but not someone he knew. He knew he'd heard it before. A TV show? A movie? The news? Something like that. It had to be someone famous. Famous and disgustingly rich. It also had to have something to do with androids, considering all the mechanical junk in the room.

"While you were there, you went down to level minus fifty one. That is a secret laboratory that can only be accessed by registered personnel or myself...Imagine my surprise when I received a notification that I had entered the lab." The man sounded almost amused at the mix up. Reed's heart sank at the reminder. That lab...That's where Nines was kept! This sick phck! If I get out of here...He pulled his hands again, gritting his teeth as he tried to slip through the loops. He could feel a warm slickness on his skin now. Phck! I'm bleeding...

"And this links to me phcking how?" he snapped, trying to ignore the burning in his wrists.

"You were the only human who accessed the elevator, and it was your blood that unlocked the door, despite being unauthorised." He clicked his tongue in annoyance, slumping back in defeat as he failed to slip free. It almost felt like the metal circles were tightening each time he pulled. He looked around the dark room, wondering if he could somehow reach for a tool, but he knew his captor would see him moving the chair around.

"You were keeping an android trapped down there. He hacked the system and gave me access. It wasn't my blood. He manipulated the results," Reed groused in response, though the male voice seemed to disagree. Apparently, he'd done a systems check, and the lift had only been hacked for two of the trips. The second time down and the trip back up. "Well, you got me then. Must be an error in your perfect phcking system." Reed shrugged indifferently, giving another sharp, frustrated tug that he instantly regretted. Tears pinched his eyes at the searing ache in his wrists and shoulder.

"Or you really are related to me somehow...I'll admit, I was rather lazy when programming that particular security system. I left it open for anyone in my direct bloodline to gain access. As an only child, it wasn't a concern of mine. My parents never visited the tower, and I have only a few distant cousins." Reed sighed in frustration and disinterest. He really didn't give a shit about this man or his family history. What he cared about was getting the hell out of there and finding Nines. He glared at the camera in an almost demanding manner. "I'd like to run one final test to confirm my earlier results. Depending on those results, we may have something to discuss." Reed rolled his eyes in response. He heard the door slide open, and Chloe returned. No, not Chloe...She's the one from the painting. The one with the violet dress.

"Open up please," she said kindly as she help up a cotton swab. Reed shut his mouth tightly as he met her gaze.

"If I do this, will you let me go?"

"Of course, you will not be harmed either way." Reed decided not to mention that by tying his hands, they'd already hurt him. He opened his mouth, watching the android's bright blue eyes as she leaned in with the swab. She was extremely focused as she took the sample. He grunted as she plucked a few more hairs and hissed as she ran another swab along his wrist. Why the blood sample?

"While we wait, I'd like to confirm a few things...Your name is Gavin Alexander Reed. Thirty-six-years-old. Born in South Detroit. Your mother was Maria Amelia Reed...Your father is not listed." He was right on all counts. How the hell did he get access to my birth certificate? It was probably a stupid thought. With a place this expensive, it was likely easy to get things like that. There were corrupt people everywhere. Flash a little money and they'd do anything.

"Never knew him," Reed grumbled, in case it was expected. The voice hummed with interest, asking for various details, trying to pry into his childhood. Was he sure? He didn't remember ever meeting him, not even once? "Look, the guy got my mum pregnant. That's it! Only reason I even know he was aware I existed was the money he left behind...I got a small trust fund when I hit eighteen." He wasn't sure why he was making things so easy for this prick. It's probably better to play nice until I have a chance to get out...

"So you know nothing about your father's lineage? You never wondered how he made the money? Or wanted to find him?" The man sounded surprised at his lack of curiosity. Reed scoffed at the thought, squirming uncomfortably. He didn't relish the content of their conversation thus far. He couldn't figure out if it was an interrogation or a therapy session. Either way, he could get fucked.

"Phck no! The fucker didn't care about me or my mum beyond leaving a locked account. I didn't even know it existed until I was legally entitled to it, and I only used some of it to buy a house. I don't need, or want, any more of his money...As far as I'm concerned, we're square!" His voice was more tired than bitter. Sure, when he'd been younger, he'd sometimes wondered about his father and what kind of man he was. Whether he thought of him. Whether he missed him. Whether he'd come back one day. He'd grown out of that pretty damned quickly when his mum lost her job and no help came. His father didn't care about them, so why should he? At least he'd gotten something out of it as an adult. Unfortunately, that hadn't helped his mum.

It was almost like this mystery man didn't believe him. It was a bad interrogation technique, but Reed went with it. He answered the same questions over and over, while refusing to give out too many details about his trip to Cyberlife Tower. That had been police business, and the less this guy knew about Nines, the better. He didn't want to risk having him taken back to the lab and poked and prodded like some sort of animal or lab experiment. If he can even do that...Nines is registered to me now, and androids have rights...

"Detective Reed...We need to talk." What the phck do you think we've been doing all this time? Reed scoffed in annoyance as the door opened and the android with the violet dress returned. He was surprised as she removed the restraints from his wrists. He hissed as his injured shoulder moved. "Chloe, get him cleaned up." Chloe replied in the affirmative before gesturing for him to follow her. What the hell is going on?

"Please, come this way. You can use the shower and clean up a little while I get the first aid kit," she added amiably, returning him to the same room he'd woken up in earlier. "Do you require assistance with your clothing?" she asked as Reed hesitated in the middle of the bedroom. He insisted he'd manage, and she left. If he didn't use the shower, Chloe would probably wrestle him out of his clothes and bathe him herself, so he headed into the large, dark tiled ensuite. It was harder than he expected, removing his clothes with a busted shoulder. I probably should have remembered from last time...Guess I'll have a matching pair now. He stepped into the shower and stood beneath the spray.

He dreaded to think how Nines was doing. He got shot in the phcking head! Of course he's not okay! He shivered, remembering the way the bullet had bounced off and left thirium flowing down his forehead. His silvery eyes had been so wide and hurt. He'd looked fucking terrified! How was he coping with being alone? This would be the first time since leaving Cyberlife. Connor and Hank are there. They'll take care of him...Make sure he doesn't blame himself or some dumb shit like that. He sighed as he used the fancy shower products to clean up quickly. He needed to get back, or at least contact the precinct.