Tick Tock Part One - Hickory

The Clock Struck Three

Another week rolled by and things were pretty quiet. Despite thinking he might see Aaron again, he didn't turn up and Reed didn't call. He didn't want to give him the wrong impression. He wasn't interested in anything serious, so he didn't need to make that call. If he wanted to get laid, he could just hit the town, so that's exactly what he did. He went into town with Tina and Miller, drank until he couldn't see straight, and woke up the next morning in the bed of a guy he'd almost mistaken for Aaron. Tall, dark, silk toned, and muscled. It was safe to say that Gavin Reed had a set type. He didn't know whether the guy was human or android. For once, he didn't care.

He'd excused himself awkwardly the next morning, none of the affectionate kisses and coffee he'd experienced with Aaron. Everything was back to normal. A rough, bruising session followed by avoiding eye contact and getting the hell out of dodge. Nines had been positively alarmed when he'd turned up for work the next day. The bruises were still fresh on his neck and arms, and Nines was convinced he'd been abused. I guess he's right, but not in the way he thinks...Reed had finally placated him by agreeing to message him next time he went home with a random guy.

As far as work went, the ritual case had been solved. The guy had been found dead from severe thirium poisoning. Turns out their victim wasn't the only one. His stomach was full of the stuff. They still had no idea what he'd been thinking, or whether it had been an isolated incident or part of a budding cult. Reed really hoped for the former. Still, a result was a result. They closed the case, and he called Morgan to give him the update. He even asked if he'd let him know if he ever came across anything similar. Morgan was eager to agree, and pretty grateful for the information.

It was a Friday morning, the day before his day off, when Perkins strode into the bullpen. Colin was shadowing his footsteps, timid as always, but he perked up when he noticed Connor and Nines at their desks. From the way he walked over to greet them with a solid yellow LED, Reed assumed they'd been getting closer over the past few weeks. Connor was looking at him the same way he looked at Nines. Soft, warm, and protective. If Perkins knew what they were doing, he didn't mention it. He'd come to see Reed.

"Shit, number three?" Reed greeted regretfully as he turned in his chair. Perkins was stiff, nodding his agreement in a way that told him he was starting to feel it. That's not all it is...Reed could tell. He looked tired, sure. He was an agent working a high-profile case that now had three bodies. Reed expected him to be stressed, but there was something else in his dark eyes that just had him unsettled. "It was a bad one, right?"

"Yes...The location was different this time. After murder two, we started keeping an eye out at the old crime scenes. We weren't sure if he'd chance his arm, so we figured it was safer that way. The body was found at an underground dog fighting ring." Reed's jaw tightened slightly at the implication. Looking across, he noticed Nines and Connor's LEDs were spinning red as Colin shared the details. Nines' brow furrowed in thought while Connor looked worried as he got to his feet and approached Colin. His expression seemed to ask if he was alright before he reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Colin was doing a poor job of pretending he was fine. "I wasn't sure you'd be willing to come and look at it this time, or whether it would even be worthwhile considering the change in location." Perkins was only a little surprised as Reed pushed himself to his feet.

"A second set of eyes can't hurt, right?" He heard Nines dart to his feet moments later.

"Detective Reed, are you sure you want to-" He was being protective, and only paused when Reed cut him off.

"I'm a big boy, Nines...It's nothing I haven't seen before." The concern was somewhat touching. He still remembered the state of the body from the original case. The Hickory Killer had dragged his victim to a racetrack, a popular place for gambling. He'd also brought along a pack of starving dogs. The unarmed teen never stood a chance. By the time they found him, there was barely anything left. Just a pack of angry, bloodthirsty dogs and chewed up bones. It broke Reed's heart to put them down as they came for him and Jack. They'd responded to an anonymous tip, likely the killer himself trying to get his first look at the guys heading up his case. He must have liked what he saw. Direct communication had started on case number four.