SENTIENT

Autopsy

After a few days of rain, today the clouds started to clear. The grey is now replaced with white. Unlike cities in Washington, California, and most of the southern states, Detroit was not equipped with one of those weather-control centers that modify weather.

Again, these inventions are commercialized by CyberLife (stolen from Russian government AI manufacturing) to support the rise of America's agriculture industry after the last pine forest in America burned down in 2036.

They had theorized for now that their victim, Betty Larson, was brutally murdered by the CX100 out of jealousy. If they wanted to take a closer and final look at Larson's body, this was going to be their last chance.

Wayne County Medical is now a minute away and the medical examiner introduced herself as Tara Lang. "The family will be coming to claim the body today – you have one hour."

Lang pulled the steel morgue door open and slid out the body of Betty Larson on the tray. She has been cut open and stitched to a clean finish.

"We're looking for any signs of struggle on the victim that could identify the suspect," he explained.

Lang explained to both Connor and AJ, "There were no signs of sexual abuse. We're still waiting for the lab reports on the traces we found under the nails."

Next, AJ asked if she could borrow a tool from the metal tray. A tiny scraper that went under the victim's fingernails of her right hand.

"Do you mind?" She asked Lang.

"Please, proceed," answered Lang.

"Connor," called AJ. They viewed the result of the scrape under the magnifying glass. A minuscule, thin strand of black hair was visible under the glass. "Can you do real-time sampling on it?" She asked.

Connor did by placing the evidence on the tip of his index. His microscopic vision zoomed to examine each fiber of the evidence.

"I can't extract anything from the hair, but it has traces of Thirium that I can identify," he said.

His system went through database after database of android types within a few seconds and he completed his identification.

"It's an RK400 Model, male androids designed for housekeeping," Connor reported. His LED flickered from blue to yellow, "Registered into a foreign server as Bryan."

"Male? But Betty Larson's housekeeping android was female. Are you sure?" AJ asked, but Connor was certain that he couldn't be wrong. "I can't believe this. We're looking at another suspect."

That could only mean more work and less hours to deliver the suspect descriptions for field officers to be on the lookout. Connor began closely examining the single gunshot wound to the forehead that instantly killed Betty Larson execution style.

There was a gun residue mark invisible to the eye around the wound that suggests the gun was pressed to her head before it was shot. When AJ asked Lang about it, she said, "Whoever did this pulled back before firing the gun. See, he slightly missed."

"What does that mean?" AJ was clueless.

Until Connor realized, "As if he closed his eyes before pulling the trigger."

"Could be a sign of hesitation, possibly remorse?" AJ suggested.

"Possibly, we're looking at two suspects working together. That would explain the inconsistency. The hesitation in the gunshot and the frustration in the stabbing." Connor deducted.

"That sounds about accurate," Lang confirmed.

They decided they had everything they could get from the body and thanked Tara Lang. On the way back to the station, AJ was driving. It helps her think.

She asked, "Can you check if Betty Larson may have purchased the RK400 at another black market? A different server? Perhaps a different name?"

She kept both of her hands at the steering wheel, while Connor checked the information in milliseconds.

"No such information, but wait."

He pulled up the information he found and displayed them onto a hologram screen that he projected from the triangular module of his suit.

"Betty Larson's ex-husband was a frequent user of the black market, the receipt of such purchase is long lost, but the RK400 must have belonged to her after the divorce in 2038."

"2038? That means the RK400 was Larson's first android that escaped," AJ deducted.

Connor paused, "You're right. Two months after the RK400 escaped, she purchased the CX100."

Things were clicking together in AJ's mind. "That makes sense, two months after the Battle of Detroit, most androids were deviant or destroyed by CyberLife. None were available for sale. Larson needed a replacement."

"A replacement?" Connor did not understand that some people have an obsession to fulfill certain needs.

Betty Larson, at her age, divorced, with no kids – unlike most people in her situation, she found an expensive way to fill that gap. The question is what exactly she was doing to these androids that caused them to turn deviant and escaped twice.

"I feel like we're missing something," AJ admitted.

"I feel like we're already there." Connor disagreed, "We know it was a robbery gone wrong committed by two deviants. One of them was organized, the other was disorganized – possibly could have something personal against the victim."

"No, it's just that... You have this incredible ability to reconstruct the crime scene. We know what happens every second of the incident... but... we'll never know what happened before the incident that led to it," AJ realized she was rambling.

"What they're feeling or... What they're thinking at that moment... Do you know what I'm saying?"

Connor tilted his head to a slight degree, "You seem to be saying it's not enough that we figure out the incriminating details of the crime."

"How did Betty Larson meet Ruby Montoya?" AJ wondered.

Connor's LED glowed yellow. He began reading from his discovery, "Their GPS placed them at the same location every Wednesday night. The address registered to an anonymous group therapy that they both attend together."

"Okay, so alcoholic anonymous?"

"Actually no, it's recovery and treatment for sex addiction, porn addiction, partners of sex addicts, and such."

"And when did they started attending?"

"Looks like Ruby Montoya has been a member for nine months," Connor spoke.

"And Betty Larson?"

"Just a month ago," said Connor. "Two weeks after she filed the CX100 missing."

Concept Art by Julien Gauthier https://www.artstation.com/artwork/NGDOP