Dickory

Seeing Red

Nines sighed in frustration ­­ — Confirmed – Frustration ­­ — as he looked around the crowded room. With the various flickering lights and the endless press of people, it was hard to find his colleagues. His sensors were almost disorientated with the mass of pure, unfiltered information to process. Lights. Flashing. Colours. Dry ice. Smokey. Opaque. The pulsing boom of multiple speakers. Loud. The press of bodies. Heat. Sweat. Connor had parted with him some time ago saying that Hank would arrive soon and he had to go out front. He'd hugged him and hurried off with barely another word, clearly excited to get home and see Niles. Nines' lips had quirked at the thought. Niles was likely sitting eagerly by the door with Sumo waiting, unless Chloe had him otherwise occupied. He shook off the thought as he returned to his current task. Locate Detective Reed.

His LED flickered yellow as he caught sight of Tina and Miller. Tina was grinning as she clung to Miller's arm tightly while trying to shout and slur over the music. She was still filled with giddy positivity, but that wasn't something Nines could focus on at the moment. Reed was not present. He'd stated his intention to remain with Officer Chen throughout the night. What could have taken him away from his friends? The possibilities did nothing to calm him. Perhaps he was at the bar? Nines opted to check in with Miller first. Miller was already holding a hand up in greeting as he noticed Nines' rigid form approaching.

"Nines! have you seen Gavin? He was with Pearson and Jackson earlier, but..." Miller trailed off helplessly as he scanned the room, though he stood no chance if Nines was having trouble. Nines stiffened further at the news as he scanned the floor again, finding Pearson and Jackson more by luck than the use of his overstimulated sensors. He left Miller with a simple assurance that he'd look before heading over. He rarely socialised with these two, so they were quite timid as he loomed over them requesting details of his partner's whereabouts. Nines stepped away as they shrugged, saying he'd left them some time ago. They'd last seen him with one of the PC200 androids, but they couldn't say where he was now.

Nines thoroughly stalked the dancefloor, walking along the crowded bar and up to the balcony level. It was supposed to be off limits to guests, but that was of little concern to Nines. Or a few others...He heard a high moan and breathy pants coming from within one of the sheltered alcoves. He only paused long enough to confirm that Reed wasn't a participant before moving on. He looked down at the crowded dancefloor; the height giving him a better and quieter vantage point. He scanned thoroughly, but Reed was nowhere in sight. He consumed a lot of alcohol...With that in mind; he headed down to the male bathrooms on the off chance that he was there. There were many humans loitering, and someone hurling loudly in one of the cubicles. It wasn't Reed. None of the others were, either. He backed out, LED blinking red. That only left outside. Had someone taken him home? Heat pooled in his stomach at the thought. He also felt hurt. Had Reed really left and gone home with someone for the evening? Without even telling him? Would he do such a thing, given their recent closeness?

"Gavin?" Nines called as he walked out front, scanning the people stumbling around with cigarettes and vapes. His thirium pump quickened as he realised Reed wasn't among them. He brought up a map of the surrounding area. There was a smaller alleyway to the rear, closed off from the front. It was accessible via the opposite street or a side door within the club. Nines stepped back inside unchallenged, storming through to the side door without pausing. He pushed it open effortlessly, head snapping to the side as he heard a familiar distressed whimper. "Gavin!" he exclaimed as he stepped out, hurrying to Gavin's side and laying a hand on his bare chest. His skin was cold.

"N-Nines?" Gavin murmured pathetically, apparently too dazed to focus. He was squinting, eyelids rising and falling blindly as he shivered. Nines' answer was to ease him up against his chest, tucking his head against his shoulder and gripping the back of his neck as usual. Gavin sighed into the contact needily, trembling and quivering in the cold. Nines scanned him, LED still spinning red as he took in the evidence of sexual assault. Scrapes and bruises. The raw, abused sound of his voice and the thirium based lubricant on his lips. A small part of him twinged inwardly, niggling away and suggesting that perhaps it had been consensual. No...It was not consensual. It couldn't have been, not with the way Gavin had been left undressed and barely conscious on the ground. His pants were still around his knees, shirt falling off his shoulders.