Another week passed before Fowler finally agreed that Reed could return to active duty and get out of the station. Mainly because he was becoming insufferable. Dr Marr had cleared him to get back to work. She'd gone over things with him multiple times and listened to his constant complaints and frustrations. He felt like a caged animal. He needed to be out actually doing something! Since he was working with Nines, Fowler wasn't too worried about anything happening. The average thug on the street wasn't carrying anything that would damage an RK900, so it should be no more dangerous than usual. He had, however, insisted on a few precautions. They would work the day shift exclusively for the next few weeks, which Reed couldn't complain about. They would also be expected to wear bulletproof vests under their regular clothes. Reed could live with that, and Nines was disinclined to argue the point. A vest wouldn't stop anything that could damage his hardware, but if it made Fowler more comfortable, then so be it.

During that time, Stan's case had stalled somewhat and Reed hadn't heard much else. He'd met Elijah's fancy lawyer at the hospital and taken him up to Stan's bedside, where Connie had been sitting and fussing. Reed had been relieved to see her, finally. They hadn't had a proper catch up yet. He kept his story simple. He wasn't involved in the case directly, but his friends in the department had confirmed there was no direct evidence linking Stan to anything. So long as they followed the advice of the lawyer, they'd be fine. Connie had been grateful, confessing that Detective Yates had scared her into thinking Stan was in a lot more trouble than he actually was. Upon hearing this, the lawyer handed over his card. His name was Mr John Bowers, and any further contact with Stan was to be directly through him. Stan was not to be interviewed without him present.

Reed didn't have to see him to know that Yates would be seething. Gang members could rarely afford lawyers of Bowers' calibre, at least not the really low down members. They'd generally get state lawyers. The type who could be reasoned with and bought off on occasion. Mr Bowers was working for a lot more than Yates could afford, and he knew it. Besides knowing that Yates would be pissed, he didn't have a clue what was going on. For Stan's security, and his own, he'd stayed out of it. He'd noticed Nines head into Fowler's office more than once, but Fowler hadn't asked him anything directly. Why would he? He was just Stan's guardian, and he hadn't been near any of the evidence or even asked about the case files.

It wasn't like he'd had time to worry about Yates' business anyway. He'd checked into multiple cold cases over the past week, given advice to about eleven different officers, and now he was out on his first homicide in what felt like months. A human homicide for a change. He wondered why he was there at first, but once Nines' LED flashed yellow while looking around the scene, he assumed there was more to it. He shivered as he crouched beside the still open body. The apartment had been vacant for some time, but other people were still living in the building. The only reason it had been called in was because a neighbour had complained about the smell. That smell had sent the responding officer outside retching as soon as he'd opened the door.

Besides the puddle of sticky blood drying into the carpet, the place was pretty tidy and sort of clean. Whoever previously lived there had clearly cleaned up when they'd moved out. There were no furnishings, which pointed to a few things. The perp probably knew the place was vacant. They'd clearly brought their own tools for the job and taken them away afterwards. They hadn't cleaned the floor because they'd known it was unlikely the body would be found for at least a few days. Apartments in that area weren't exactly sought after. The block was pretty run down, and full of folks who minded their own business. So they were probably familiar with the community...

"You know what killed her?" Reed's voice was slightly muffled by the blue mask he was wearing. It didn't really do anything to block the smell, but it was probably better than nothing. It had been a while since he'd worked a human homicide, and the mask thing wasn't something he'd missed. Nines, being an android, didn't need a mask. His silvery eyes were sharp and clinical as he looked over the body. He gave no reaction to the state of decay, and Reed tried his best to match that indifference. It was fucking hard though. He couldn't help but look at the open cavity in her torso and wince. It reminded him a little too much of Edward Morgan. How he'd been sliced open. The way the knife had twisted and-Phck! Don't think about it!

"The cut is smooth, suggesting she was incapacitated somehow prior to the procedure." It made sense. If she'd been conscious, she probably would have been writhing and screaming the whole time. Reed nodded his agreement as he looked into the open cavity, which looked like a mess. A mangled, rotting, cloying mess that he couldn't even begin to figure out. He didn't know, but he was pretty sure there was something missing. Maybe more than one thing. "From my current scans, I believe the victim was still alive at the time this opening was made...The procedure was surgical in nature. So far, I can ascertain that the victim's liver was removed, and there are signs that at least one of her kidneys was also taken. Forensics may turn up more during their examination." Nines indicated the area within the cavity as he explained. Reed took his word for it. He didn't know enough about anatomy to pick out the details, but he knew something was missing, leaving a pool of coagulated blood in its place. Doesn't seem like they intended for her to survive the operation...

"Any sign of...I don't know...torture?" Besides the gaping hole, there didn't seem to be any other signs of trauma. She may have been drugged or hit over the head, but he couldn't see any scratches or bruising on her visible skin. He glanced at Nines, whose eyes seemed a little vacant as he stared at the body, LED spinning yellow. Reed waited. He knew he was scanning for further details.

"I can see no physical evidence of it, though I cannot rule out some form of mental trauma." Nines reached out and trailed his fingers through the thick, sticky residue on the carpet. Had Reed been a younger man, he may have gagged as he watched his tongue dart out and lick his fingertips. I am not phcking kissed you later! He grimaced in mild disgust as he imagined what it must taste like after all this time. It seemed Nines had taken the precaution of deactivating his ability to taste. "Tracey Adams, aged thirty-two, multiple convictions for red ice possession...There is red ice in her system, but not enough to have sedated her sufficiently for this procedure to take place..." Since he hadn't listed any secondary substances, Reed assumed she hadn't been drugged with anything else either. Unless it was something Nines couldn't detect.

"So...she was high and let someone bring her here...or maybe she was already here...Whoever it was probably targeted her directly. Question is, did they take specific organs or just whatever was in one piece? Unless they're a collector, there's only one reason someone would take organs like this." Nines nodded his own agreement as he pushed to his feet. Reed joined him as they took a walk around the sparse space. There was really nothing else besides the body. The unfurnished apartment was between residents. A quiet place to get a hit, or a convenient place to dump a body?

"The black market offers a high price for certain organs, though there is always the possibility of this being somewhat more personal." That was something they couldn't rule out. Maybe someone had a sick relative and figured they'd find what they needed, no matter the cost. Maybe they figured a junkie didn't deserve their organs, and they'd kill themselves anyway. It was hardly an unusual sentiment. Reed led the way out, leaving the responding officer to wait for forensics.

"You mentioned the cuts being surgical...any other theories?" Reed pressed as they headed to the car, and he finally tugged his mask off. He noticed a slight pause in Nines' demeanour. That's a yes. Nines waited until they were in the car before responding. Reed pulled away from the rundown block, weaving into the late morning traffic to head back to the precinct.

"There are only two possibilities I can think of. Either the assailant is an experienced surgeon, or they're an android." Nines watched Reed nod his agreement from the corner of his eye as he watched the road. He didn't need to be so alert. Reed was an excellent driver, however, he took some enjoyment in watching the city pass by. He could record a mass of data. The plates of other cars, people on the streets, storefronts and restaurants, a small park, Cyberlife Tower rising in the distance. He could feel the hum of the engine and the texture of the road as the car rolled over it, and enjoyed the sound of the engine purring alongside Reed's slightly gravelled tone.

"Android could be more likely...There's a hell of a lot more androids than there are surgeons." Skilled surgeons were hard to come by, though mortuary workers couldn't be eliminated. Anyone with medical training could perform such a procedure, however, the cleanness of the cuts suggested either experience or programmed precision. The lack of visual evidence at the scene also made him suspect that an android assailant was more likely. "We'll get onto finding friends and family when we get back, see if we can find an android connection. Hopefully, forensics will have more for us in a day or two." That would at least answer the question of how Miss Adams had been rendered unconscious.

"I'll begin searching now." Nines opened the database internally to inspect Miss Adam's records. During her earlier life, she'd been bailed out by Mr or Mrs Adams. However, in more recent years she'd remained in custody. That suggested a rift had formed between her and her parents. Not unusual in such cases. Looking into her birth records and her parents' details, he found she had a younger sister just barely out of high school. There was little social media for Miss Adams. She'd been inactive for around two years on most platforms, perhaps too focused on her drug habit to care. And few people have noticed or tried to contact her during that time...

He was still gathering details as Reed parked up at the DPD and led the way back to their desks. Nines took his seat as Reed headed into the breakroom to grab a coffee. It was almost a rarity these days, but Nines could see Tina and Miller standing at one of the tall tables, which explained his interest. Nines watched him smile as he grabbed down the decaf and fixed himself a cup before joining his friends. Nines left him to it. They were due a break, and it wasn't like they could do much until forensics had done their work anyway. Looking into Miss Adams didn't require both of them, and he was far quicker at getting details like that. Case in point, he noticed a male name on her most recent prison visitor list. Frank Tanner, a known dealer and pimp. It seems Miss Adams may have been more than a simple addict...

"How's your first case back going?" Connor asked kindly as he appeared at his shoulder. Nines hadn't noticed him upon returning, too invested in gathering information about his latest victim. Judging by Connor's soft expression, he likely understood his distraction. He couldn't deny that it was good to actually be useful again. Over the past week, with Reed in therapy and working exclusively on cold cases, he'd felt somewhat superfluous. Reed worked extremely well by himself and easily caught fresh scents. He didn't need to consult with him much at all, which left him mostly idling. Perhaps it was his lack of activity that had moved Reed to let him do most of the work now.

"Although the circumstances are regrettable, it is good to be working on a fresh case." It was a shame that Miss Adams had been killed, but victims were an unfortunate requirement for homicide detectives. "Our case may be linked to some form of black market sale involving human organs, and our assailant is likely an android." Connor leaned on the edge of his desk, interest clearly piqued. It was a little unusual for an android to be involved in such things. What use did an android have for human organs? Unless the android is an undeviated model working on a human's orders...It was a possibility he filed away for consideration.

"I'll let you know if we come across anything similar," Connor said as he held a hand out for an interface. Nines nodded his agreement and made the exchange, letting Connor look over the data he'd gathered at the scene and his current theories. Connor shared his own current case in return, though it was quite a simple one. An AAL member had gotten drunk and killed an android before going on the run. Connor had the man's details and had posted a notice for his arrest already. It was unlikely the perpetrator would get far.

"Reed! Nines! My office!" Fowler called from his office door. Nines' head turned curiously at the shout. He wasn't exactly angry, more like he was deciding whether he should be angry. Reed's eyes found Nines' with a slight frown, head tilting almost questioningly. The phck did we do? Nines shook his head in return as he got to his feet. He had no idea why they were being called, though there were few possibilities. Reed left his empty cup by the sink before heading up, followed by Nines while Connor returned to his desk. Fowler invited them to sit almost cautiously as he looked between them. "I've had a conversation with Detective Yates," he began after a few moments of thoughtful hesitation.

"You don't say," Reed scoffed almost bitterly, jaw tightening at the news. He could guess what Yates had accused him of. Fowler gave him a look of understanding. He knew their history all too well, and on a normal day, he agreed with him. Nines kept his expression impassive, though he experienced a little nervousness despite being confident he'd covered his tracks. "What did he say?" Reed prompted almost resentfully as he folded his arms, unsure he really wanted to know.

"He's made a few accusations about interference in his case...along with the possibility of evidence tampering." Fowler's dark eyes watched Reed like a hawk. Reed dropped his eyes, one of his tells. "I wanted to hear your side." He knew Reed wouldn't put his career at risk on a whim. He didn't even know for sure that he'd actually done anything wrong yet. Reed nodded his understanding. It was a fair request.

"What's there to say? I got a call from the hospital when Stan was taken in...He's one of the kids who lived on my street, and I was one of his emergency contacts. I knew he was in trouble, so I acted as his guardian and told him not to say shit until he had a lawyer." Nines voiced his agreement as far as that went. He'd been a personal witness to the incident in question. "After that, I didn't do shit. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to...Stan's a dumb kid who made a mistake. He doesn't deserve to have his life tossed in the gutter just so Yates can have it easy! He's a good kid." Reed's tone softened, something in his voice appealing to Fowler for understanding. Fowler almost huffed fondly, likely thinking back to a time he'd made a similar call. A call that had paid off.

"You really didn't get involved? Not at all?" Reed knew he was giving him the chance to lay his cards on the table if there was any chance of him getting in trouble. If he came clean now, there was still a chance Fowler might find a way of smoothing things over.

"Detective Reed has been nothing but professional in this matter. I informed him shortly after the encounter at the hospital that it would be unwise to risk his career and Mr Lent's case by getting involved. It is my belief that the lawyer recommended to us is more than capable of handling things appropriately." Nines' reassurance seemed to put him at ease somewhat, though it didn't completely remove suspicion as he turned his attention to Nines. He'd been in this job a long time and he knew the bond between good partners all too well. They covered each other's backs and did the dirty work too, where necessary.

"And what about you, Nines? Did Detective Reed ask or order you to help with anything?" Fowler waved a hand as Reed scowled resentfully. He wanted to speak in his own defence, say he'd never order Nines to do shit like that. He was almost hurt that Fowler had even asked. Nines seemed to share some of those feelings as his silvery gaze sharpened.

"Absolutely not. The furthest Detective Reed asked me to go was to run probable outcomes based on any theoretical evidence. He never looked into it himself or asked me to do so." That was when Fowler laid a paper on the desk and pushed it across to Nines. It was the paperwork for evidence handling from forensics. Nines' signature was in place right below Brad's. He knew this may come up at some point, however he already had an alibi in mind.

"You handled evidence for that case!" Fowler waved at the paper accusingly.

"I handled a piece of evidence while assisting the technician, however I did not know which case it belonged to, nor did I examine it directly, or compromise its integrity in any way...If it would put you at ease, I am willing to interface with Connor, or any other android staff member, to verify my memories of the incident." Nines watched Fowler's expression soften in relief. It seemed an interface was exactly what he'd wanted to request. He couldn't force him to comply legally. It was now illegal to force any android to share their memories unwillingly. Deviant or not. Reed did his best to remain neutral on the outside, but inside, his heart was pounding. He didn't know exactly what Nines had done, but he had a pretty good idea. Nines wouldn't offer to interface and prove himself if he thought he'd get caught...

Since Connor was his brother, and therefore too close, Fowler called Haley to come to his office. Upon her arrival, Fowler asked if she'd be willing to interface with Nines to prove his innocence. She agreed, though she clearly didn't like that she had to invade his privacy in that manner. That worked in Nines' favour. Connor's software was far more likely to pick up on his memory tampering than Haley's. Nines made the connection and shared the incident, both of them reliving the moment Reed had walked into Brad and the few minutes directly after. He let her see right up to where he'd met her in the lab. Fowler dismissed them straight after, apparently wanting to talk to Haley about it alone.

"You're agitated," Nines observed as Reed slumped down in his chair with a scowl. "I'm sure Captain Fowler didn't truly believe you ordered me to assist you. He was likely being cautious and following protocol." He spoke softly, intending for their conversation to remain private. His words didn't seem to ease the sting. Reed sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, almost seeming a little defeated.

"It's fine, Nines...I used to be in the AAL, and I phcking hated androids for a long time. It's not surprising he'd ask." His tone suggested that he was still a little hurt by the question. Not knowing what else he could say to ease his sore feelings, Nines settled on stepping closer to caress his neck affectionately. "So...what did you find out so far?" Reed asked with a sigh as he rolled back to his desk and booted up his terminal. Nines dutifully returned to his own desk and prepared to share his findings. They had a case to solve.