Hickory

Hello Gavin

"Is something wrong, Detective?" Nines asked as he watched Reed check his phone again. They'd been at the office for a couple of hours already and even that morning before they left for work, he'd been checking his phone every half hour or so. He couldn't help but notice that he seemed...annoyed. — Miffed? Cross? Fidgety? — Reed sighed as he tossed his phone by the keyboard. Nines was right to pull him up. They had work to do, and he'd barely even started typing up the report he'd opened over an hour ago!

"No, it's nothing." Despite his insistence, it was almost impossible to shrug off his sour mood. He sighed in frustration as he flicked through the latest file on his desk. An android left sitting on a park bench, all dressed up like a doll. He was just beginning to focus when his work email pinged. He looked at the inbox. It was a new address. One he didn't recognise. Who the hell? He frowned as he opened the message. The address itself was pretty weird. 85121215-7122914@cl.org. It was a Cyberlife address. Who do I even know at Cyberlife? Eli? Goldilocks? He looked down curiously to find a street map attached. There was an address for downtown, but no further information. "Hey, Nines. What can you tell me about this address?" Reed asked with a frown as he forwarded the message across.

"It used to be a repair shop for mechanical antiques, but went out of business in twenty-nineteen when the owner retired. The building has been out of use since then." After taking a few seconds to look through the database, Nines raised his silvery eyes to regard Reed curiously. The email didn't seem to be linked to any of their current cases, and yet it had been sent directly to his work email. From Reed's expression, he knew that he was just as confused. He looked thoughtful, green eyes drifting to the clock. The message had come through his work email, so he could probably swing it as a job.

"Let's check it out. It might be related to one of our cases." He got to his feet, made sure his gun was holstered securely at his hip, pinned his badge to his belt, and pocketed his phone before turning off his terminal. "I don't know what this is about, but it's pretty phcking cryptic...What do you make of it?" Reed walked backwards as they headed for the carpark. Nines watched, quietly impressed as he stepped around Miller without warning. He always seemed to have a sixth sense for people being in his personal space.

"I am uncertain. The email is likely either a throwaway account or out of date. Cyberlife hasn't used cl.org for some time now, and they are readily available for purchase online." It was weird, and how the hell had some random person even found his work email? It was on his business card, sure, but people rarely used the email address. Victims always called his phone directly for updates. His inbox was mostly internal emails from Fowler, Hank, and forensics. Could it be one of my informants in trouble? Usually, they called on a burner phone, but if they were in a bind and needed an out, they might have resorted to a more cryptic message. He was still thinking it over as they reached the car. The possibilities made his adrenaline buzz as he gripped the wheel and pulled out.

"Alright, we'll check the doors and see if they're open. If they are, we'll go in and do a full sweep." Nines' LED span yellow as he acknowledged the instructions and brought up the layout of the building in his HUD to begin preparations. It was an old two-storey building, very rare in the city these days, more a house than a store. It was likely an old family home that had been converted into a small business premises a few decades ago. There was a front door on the main street and back door access via a small alleyway. Downstairs was mostly shop space and storage while upstairs had more storage, two workshops, and a bathroom. Theoretically, the building should be completely empty, but there was always the risk of people breaking in for shelter or vandalism. Once they reached the shop, Reed parked outside and headed up the few stone steps to the front door. "Detroit Police! Is anybody here?" he called as he tried the handle and found it open.