The Straight and Deviant Path

Epilouge

"Shit! This is bad." Hank cursed, already standing. Officer Chen moved to call for backup, and Markus was trying the door.

"It's locked!" He growled, tapping the panel over and over to no avail. The small symbol didn't move, watching him mockingly. 

Connor pushed past him, desperately trying the panel as well. He was locked out of all the systems, and couldn't get in. "We have to hack it from the control panel, but I don't know how fast I can do it." Panic was starting to set in. What if Detective Reed was dead already?

Markus put a hand on his shoulder. "Ok. Let's do it." His determination grounded Connor, and he let out a shaky breath, nodding. They were going to save Gavin- they had to!

Skin melted away as Connor connected to the mainframe of the interrogation room. Firewalls blocked everything, but he didn't stop. With Markus' help they could effectively tear them down. He just hoped that it would be in time.

The screen flickered, flashing brief moments of what was happening in there. Gavin on the ground- Gavin struggling against pale hands on this throat- Gavin pressed against a wall. Nines grabbing his face- red, blue- splatters of what Connor hoped and prayed wasn't blood. The panic mounted.

Backup had arrived, and they were trying to break the door in- with little success. Connor's vision blurred. It had to work! Tina Chen was working furiously, typing something on the keyboard, trying to get access. He heard Hank's swearing and yelling, distant in the background. Another flickering screen.

Nines, with red blood dripping off his lips. Gavin slumped against the wall. No! No no no! Connor forced himself into the code with renewed vigor. Markus seemed to be groaning, struggling to follow. Something clicked, and the door unlocked.

He didn't pay attention to anything else, ripping his hand away from the screen and sprinting in. Two officers were trying to wrestle Nines, and failing. Connor moved in, kicking the android's legs so he tripped. In an instant the officers had him pinned down, spitting thirium onto the floor.

"You are fucking crazy!" Gavin shouted, shifting away from the grinning android. He seemed to be bleeding from the nose and mouth and- neck? Connor knelt down in front of him, a hand held out placatingly.

"Gavin, are you alright?" Connor's words seemed to snap Gavin out of whatever shock he was in. The detective looked up, at a loss for words. Blood still dripped freely down his nose. Instead of waiting for a reply, Connor helped Gavin to his feet. They were almost out when Nines spoke once more.

"I was right, Gavin. You do bruise easy." He was grinning. Connor had to practically drag Gavin out to keep him from attacking the android again.

With counts of assaulting two officers, and confessing to sixteen murders, Nines was sentenced  to prison. The first android to have accomplished this. Or, Connor supposed, earned it. Gavin refused to speak about what happened in the interrogation room, but his other testimony was more than enough. Connor worried for him sometimes. Then again, it wasn't really his business. He didn't ask why Gavin had been leaving early, or why he'd been on record for visiting the local prison multiple times a week. Gavin could keep his secrets, Connor figured.