Flowers of Eden

TWO

"All available units, report to my location. The victim has been found."

Gazing down into the canal, I frowned. I couldn't tell what model this was, exactly, but it was deactivated. The Thirium leaking from its body stained the dirty water around it, leaving a strange tint to the runoff. Distantly, I could hear the cries of a police siren.

The canal wasn't very deep. A foot or two, at most. Cringing as I waded out into the water, I made my way toward the Android, who floated face-down atop the murky surface. I was able to latch onto the sleeve of its shirt and drag it toward me just as the first pair of officers arrived at the scene. They helped me get the body out of the waterway, and then easily pulled me up afterward. I frowned down at my soaked jeans.

"Turn it over," I requested, pulling on a pair of gloves from a small compartment in my car. "Let's see what we're dealing with."

"Another pulled pump," one of the officers sighed, shaking his head. "This is getting worse. News is going to start spreading if we can't keep this contained."

"It won't spread," I sighed, deactivating the Android's skin cloaking. Its model displayed itself on its chest, "It's a TR400," I clarified, though I was certain they could see that for themselves. "A heavy unit. Would have taken quite a big person to get him down. I don't see any damage besides the pump, so there was no weapon involved."

"How the hell do you get something so big down long enough to get its pump?" another new arrival asked. The empty backstreet was now filled with patrol cars, and I found the Lieutenant rushing toward me, shoving people out of the way.

Standing up, I called out, "It isn't your RK800. Don't worry."

The man's features became visibly relieved as he stopped before me, peering down at the Android. He instantly frowned when he saw its yanked Thirium pump.

"Another one," he sighed, shaking his head. "This is just getting out of hand."

"Tell me about it." Throwing my gloves into my backseat, I ran my hands through my hair. "There is absolutely no evidence, just like all the rest," I grumbled, still gazing over the Android. "Whoever is doing this has got to know how to hide their prints. There's nothing here."

The officers, Hank, and I just stood there, glaring at the printless casing. Out of habit, I began to chew at my thumbnail, eyes still searching.

"Intra," I suddenly called out, and the car's lights flickered. "Can you eject your optical unit?"

"Yes," replied the AI's feminine voice. "Do you have an idea, Captain?"

"Yeah," I said, reaching into the vehicle as the scanner popped out of its socket. The computerized image of Intra's model popped up, facing away from me. "Tell me what you see. Any stains?"

"A splatter of Thirium," she said, almost excitedly. I had never asked for her help before. "Scanning now. There's. . . There are no matches?"

I cursed quietly. "Does it belong to this TR400?"

The image on the screen shook its head in defeat. Another curse as I looked down at my soaked sneakers. "There's no use scanning the others," I snapped, holding my hand up as an officer opened his mouth, likely to suggest the idea. "Thirium fades with time. Intra wouldn't even bee able to see it. The newest one is nearly two weeks old."

"Damn it," Hank sighed, rubbing at his jaw. "If Connor were here. . ."

"If your Android were here, he wouldn't be able to see it, either." The Lieutenant looked up, frowning at me in confusion. "Intra is a more advanced model than the RK800. If she can't see it, he can't, either." I started back toward my car and slid the AI back into her little slot. "Thanks, Intra. Maybe next time."

She nodded at me before the screen went off. In defeat, I rested my head against the smooth steering wheel, exhaling a breath through my nose before pulling myself back up. "Let's get this thing into a bag and back to the precinct."

The officers all nodded, and then forensics took over. The Android was in a body bag quickly, loaded up, and driven off. We were left to clean up the little mess that there was. I was quickly becoming unsure of my ability to lead such a simple investigation, and frustrated with the whole ordeal in itself.

But I had to remind myself that there was quite literally no evidence. I had just decided to get into the car when something caught my eye.

In the canal, something shimmered just below the surface. With a sigh, I waded in once more. I was already wet, so it didn't matter as much. I fished for the object on the algae-covered floor, and my fingers finally closed around something. I hoisted it up from the water just as Lieutenant Anderson knelt down on the shore.

"Holy shit," I said, blinking as I turned around. "It's the Therium pump!"

"What?" Hank asked in disbelief as he and another officer helped haul me onto the shore. "They just tossed it into the canal? This could be our lucky break, eh?"

"Maybe," I murmured, looking over the pump. "It's damaged and waterlogged. We're going to have to fix it before we can get anything out of this."