Gavin Reed x RK900 (18+)

2

Gavin turned off his car, but didn't step outside yet. His hands have been somewhat shaky since yesterday. I just need a good coffee he thought to himself.

The day before Fowler had informed him that they've been getting anonymous complains for months about him. "It was that plastic freak, right?" he had asked, expecting to get a simple nod in return. But Fowler had confirmed the complaints have come from multiple people, all throughout the station and even some from outside.

"You know that once someone actually tries to sue, we will be forced to take action. We're representatives of the law god damnit. Gavin, if you don't get your shit together we'll have no choice but to fire you." Fowler had said. Reed had swallowed hard at that statement. He's been so sure that whatever he'd do, he'd keep his job. That because he had the second most amount of solved cases -right after Hank and his plastic pet-, he'd be untouchable.

"I had hoped you'd be able to figure it out by yourself, but obviously that's not the case. I should've realized earlier. That's why I've signed you up for the 'android sensibility program'. It'll imrpove your view on androids. Hopefully." Fowler had said. Gavin had only been able to look at the floor, ever since he was threatened with loosing his job.
He had just silently agreed to the program, unconvinced it would actually do much good. Unwilling to actually change.
There was nothing wrong with his behavior and still he was forced to sit through some kind of therapy for an hour two times a week now.

He clenched his jaw, still sitting in his car. He looked at his clock, he was fifteen minutes too early still. He hadn't been able to sleep much that night. After a few hours of tossing and turning he had decided to just stay awake and get ready.
Now he wished he had tried sleeping again, maybe even overslept. In order to not having to confront the situation that he'd be in once he got out of his car and stepped inside the building.

Gavin tried to sort his thoughts once again, tried to take deep breaths and calm his shaking hands. He would be alright. He would keep his job. For now.
Fowler had assured him that as long as he didn't miss the sessions and put an effort into improving, he'd keep it. Could he improve though? He even had trouble calling the RK800 'Connor', instead of a degrading nickname. Let alone treat the android with respect.

He eventually decided it would be best to just get it over with. If they started a bit earlier, surely they'd end earlier too.
With still slightly shaky hands Reed stood up and walked to the all too familiar DPD Central station. Though instead of going to his actual workplace, he took a right turn and headed towards the newer parts of the building.

He knocked on the wooden door and waited a few seconds, before he was told to come in. As he entered he noticed the room seemed to be way more decorated than all the other rooms he'd been in so far. It could've seemed like a normal living room, if not for the akwardly placed armchair that was facing the couch. 'It was designed that way' he reminded himself. This was basically just another interrogation room. Nothing more. He'd interrogated a bunch of people already, it couldn't be that hard to be on the other side.

Within the chair sat a young woman. She smiled and greeted Gavin upon entering. He was relieved to see that the woman didn't have an LED circle at the side of her head. She was human.
He had feared he'd have to talk to an android about all of this.

"Welcome Gavin, please sit down." she gestured towards the couch. Reluctantly, Gavin headed towards it, but decided to stand in the last second. "I'd rather stand." The woman didn't seem to mind.
"My name is Haley, we'll see eachother twice a week for a while." he nodded. Feeling the need to introduce himself, though it was obvious she knew exactly who he was already.

"Tell me Gavin, how did you sleep last night?" she asked politely. He wasn't sure if she'd just tried to make small talk or if the circles under his eyes were really that prominent. "Alright" he lied. She wrote something down.

"How are you feeling right now?" Haley asked. Good question, he wasn't too sure himself. Somewhat akward and nervous for sure. But also mad that he had to go through this because of these phcking plastic things. "I'd be feeling better if I could solve a case instead of wasting my time in here." he replied.

She wrote something down again. 'What the phck is she writing down the whole time?' he wondered. "Alright. Then let's talk about a case of yours instead."
Gavin tried not to seem too surprised. Maybe he could actually get some work done while stuck in here.

"I believe at the time of your last outlash at an android you were working on a case where the android had been raped and then killed." she said, looking at her notes, then back at him.
Reed nodded, realizing where this conversation was going. "What are you feeling when you look at the victim?" she held up the picture of the trashed up android.

He hesitated. He didn't feel much. He wondered why anyone would want to fuck a piece of plastic though. He just shrugged as a response. "Let me rephrase the question then. Imagine the android to be an android you know. The RK800 in your office maybe, you've spent some time with him, right? How would you react if that were him?"

Reed imagined the scene for a while. Thinking back when Connor had so easily beat him last time they were in an actual physical fight. "Confused" he muttered "I doubt a single human could take out that thing by strangeling it."
Haley wrote something down again, but just looked at him afterwards without asking another question.

Gavin felt the need to explain further, knowing she wanted a different answer. "I'd be mad I didn't get to beat it up myself." he hoped he wouldn't get reported again for that answer.
But Haley seemed to be content with that.

"Would you say you feel inferior to Connor?" she asked. "Threatened by him even?"
Gavins blood seemed to freeze, then boil at the accusation. Him? Inferior? To a robot?
Sure Connor could analyze a case within seconds, could perfectly recite every statement of victims and suspects alike and could beat his ass in a heartbeat, but- but...
He didn't give an answer. He wanted to say 'Phck no.' but the words got stuck in his throat

Haley seemed to deem the silence as something noteworthy, as she scribbled something down again. He slowly wondered if she was even taking notes or just making doodles. That's what he'd do probably.

"I want to understand your relationship with Connor better." she said. "Can you give me six adjectives to describe him? Three good, three bad?"

Gavin hesitated a second.
The phcking android was a damn pain in the ass. But that unfortunately wasn't an adjective. "Annoying," he started "uncanny and useless". Haley seemed to write down what he just said. "And the positive ones?"

Gavin thought again. It was undeniable the robot was able to piece things together at a speed at which the smartest humans couldn't keep up. It would hurt his pride to say he was intelligent though. If Gavin had access to all data at every point in time he could surely do the same as the android.

He kept thinking about the time Connor had beat him in a fight without breaking a sweat- could androids sweat even? "Strong, fast..." he started, searching for a third word in his mind.
Skilled? That would clearly contradict his statement that Connor was useless.

Haley looked at him. After Gavin didn't say anything else for what felt like eternity she said "Just say the first positive thing that pops into your head." Gavin took a deep breath, thinking about that shitty android for another second. Picturing him in his mind. He hated the first word, though he couldn't come up with a better one on the spot.

"Handsome?" his heart dropped to his stomach. Did he really just say that? Even Haley seemed slightly suprised. "It was designed to look appealing. He's objectively handsome." he justified himself. Haley nodded, writing it down. Gavin felt the need to take her pen away and scratch that last bit out.

Haley asked another question, but he didn't feel like he was completely in the room with her anymore. His mind drifted to that last question over and over again.
Handsome.
Why?
It was a piece of plastic. Nothing more.