Partners - Reed900 series

Replacement

It is 8.32 AM. The detective is two minutes late. He is never late. Depending on traffic and the stress of their week Gavin Reed always enters the precinct between 8.15 and 8.30 AM. Except when they have the night shift, a rotating schedule that has the detectives and other higher ranking officers work nights on thursdays to sundays. Crime never sleeps, especially not on the nights that most of the bars in Detroit are open until early morning. When they work a night shift, the detective arrives during the fifteen minutes before 8 PM.
He might be hungover, sleep-deprived or unshaven, the detective's punctuality never falters.

Three minutes late. Nines checks their work calendar; there is nothing scheduled that would keep the detective out of the office. He has a dentist appointment next week, the android put it in when he heard him talk to the assistant on the phone. He also set an alert to inform detective Reed of the appointment an hour beforehand.

Four minutes late. There are no traffic warnings for the roads between the detective's home and the precinct.

Five minutes late. Nines decides to send a message to the detective's phone.
> You are running late, detective. I hope there isn't anything wrong.
He deletes the last sentence before he sends out the leftover five word text.

The message is read three minutes later. There is no reply. Nines ponders on whether he should worry or not. There is a multitude of reasons that could make the detective run late, from simply having overslept to being kidnapped by Red Ice dealers. The list in his brain is long, one reason even more improbable than the other. The fact that the message was read means detective Reed is alive, unless someone took his phone from him. That seems highly unlikely; like a true child of his time the detective is glued to his phone.

Connor walks past his desk with a cup of coffee for the lieutenant in his hand. "Good morning, Nines," he says pleasantly. "Something on your mind?"

The RK900 schools his face in an even more neutral expression. There are not many people who pick up on the only minimal expressions his facial features are capable of, though it is easier for androids than humans. It's something the detective keeps surprising him with; he seems to have a high alertness to his android partner's mimic.
"I'm sure it's nothing."

"That doesn't mean it's not worth sharing." Even in casual conversation the negotiator in Connor pops up.

"The detective is running late."

"I see." Connor is silent for a second, no doubt running his own checks on traffic and other events that would have an effect on the detective's arrival. "Maybe he overslept?"

"He read the message I sent him."

"A personal appointment perhaps?"

Nines nods. "That must be it."

"He'll show up. The detective is harder to get rid of than a mustard stain on your favourite shirt."

"White vinegar should help to remove the stain," Nines replies, before realizing it was only an empty expression. The RK800 is significantly better at emulating human behavior and speech than he is. Connor ignores his silly answer and smiles before walking away to present the lieutenant with his coffee.
His predecessor is probably right. The detective has personal business to attend to and will arrive at the office when he is done.

Detective Reed enters the bullpen at 11.07 AM. Nines' sensors are immediately on alert. Hunched shoulders, a drag in his step, dark rings under his slightly red eyes... The detective must have hardly slept last night. His brows are furrowed like he has a headache. The android's systems alert him of the possibility of a hangover. Maybe the detective drank too much last night and that's why he is late.