Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

//// Exiting Rest Mode

//    Booting Up

///////    Downloading memory…..  100%

/// Downloading Primary Objective…. 100%

// Diagnostic running…..  96%

...

…

// Diagnostic Complete

...

/// Welcome online, TU880

...

TU880 opened its optical processors and immediately information flooded into its sensors. 

//    Primary Objective: Locate and Apprehend Deviants

//// Location: Detroit Police Station

//// System Instability: Low

“Finally up from your nap, eh tin can?” Said a voice across from TU880.

////// Lt. Thomas “Tommy” Innit

////// Age: 23

///// Prior Arrests: N/A

///// Blood Type: A+

///// Basic Information: Thomas Innit was one of the youngest people in the Detroit police force to rise to the rank of Lieutenant. Awarded several medals and is known for having a good record. Has a dog named Clementine.

////// Additional Notes: Good enough partner. Hates androids. Clementine is a good dog.

“Lieutenant Innit, as I’ve told you many times before, going into rest mode is n-”

“Not a nap, yeah yeah yeah.” Tommy Innit rolled his eyes at TU880, “And for the last time, big man, call me Tommy. You’re way too goddamn formal.”

“If it allows for better cooperation between the two of us, I can call you Tommy when we’re alone,” TU880 said, “However, in the workplace, we should refer to ourselves as our ranks.”

“Literally nobody does that shit but you, Tubbo” 

TU880 sighed. Tommy was very intelligent, as his rank suggests, but it’s times like this when TU880 questions the man’s wit. 

Seeing that the man in question was starting to go back to work, TU880 starts filing through and cataloging every deviant the duo has met so far. TU880’s sensor flashes yellow as it is unable to find any clear link between the deviants aside from the previously known factor of severe trauma for the android leading it to act irrationally.

If it were possible for the machine to feel, it would probably say that it was feeling frustrated about the lack of leads in the case. It could’ve had one if it hadn’t have let one of the deviants go. Tommy had called the act empathy. TU880 called it a brief moment of stupidity. Whatever way you looked at it, TU880 had screwed the case and failed its primary objective.  Its entire purpose was to find out how to stop the deviancy from spreading and it couldn’t even do that at the moment. TU880 started to filter through every deviancy case in the database, trying to distract from the image its memory banks were playing. The hopeful eyes of the deviant who it foolishly let go flashing through its head every time it didn’t have anything else to ponder.

After 38 minutes of searching through files, Tommy interrupts, “Hey tin can. New case.”

TU880 cancels the search and looks up at the lieutenant. “Oh?”

“Double homicide. A husband and wife.” He says, “They’re like 90% sure it’s a deviant, so we got stuck with the case.”

TU880 nodded.

/// Secondary Objective Updated

/////Secondary Objective: Solve New Case

/// Identify Victims

//// Locate Deviant

///// Apprehend Deviant

TU880 would not fail this mission like it had the last.

_______{}_______

Ranboo, formerly R4N-B00, was in deep shit.

/// Primary Objective: Protect michael

//// Assessing Options…. 60%

Ranboo held Michael tighter to his chest. The sleeping child had no clue how much danger the two of them were in.

//// Assessing Options…. 75%

He was sitting in an alleyway, only two blocks from his old owner’s house. He lifted his free arm to touch the side of his face and winced as he felt the exposed wires. His fingers came back covered in thirium.

//// Assessing Options…. 87%

He could hear cop cars in the distance. He knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to be found. He looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon.

//// Assessing Options…. 94%

Ranboo identified a slightly ripped and worn leather jacket about 10 feet from where he was seated. He gently placed Michael on the ground, careful of his right side, before getting up and putting it on. It covered most of Ranboo’s natural android clothes.

//// Options Assessed.

//// Best Option: Pass as Human.

//// Chance of Success… 58%

////// Secondary Objective: Pass as Human 

/////// Find Mouth Covering

/////// Remove LED

Michael stirred from his nap, the nasty red gash on the right side of his face prominent. Ranboo grimaced and went over to pick Michael back up. He scanned over the alley and spotted a black and white cloth, seemingly from a shredded shirt, that he could put over his mouth. He found a half broken-bottle and used the sharp edge to scrape out his LED.

////// Secondary Objective Complete

“Boo?” Michael's sleepy voice rang out.

Ranboo smiled and gently touched his finger to Michael’s nose to which Michael giggled. Ranboo picked up the backpack that he had hastily filled with food and a change of clothes for Michael and hung it off the arm that wasn’t holding the child. He gently shushed Michael and started walking down the alleyway, away from the house that had left them both with deep scars.

Ranboo had to survive. For Michael.

_______{}_______

TU880 stared out the lieutenant’s car window as it processed through the information that had been uploaded to the Detroit police database.

//// Victims: Linda Beloved and Bob Beloved

//// Ages: 36 and 47

//// Prior Arrests: N/A

//// Basic Information: Linda Beloved and Bob Beloved live on 693 Mulberry Road. Middle Class. Have one child together. Linda Beloved called 911 and was presumably murdered on the call. Purchase records show one android bought. When searching the house, their child and android were found missing.

//// Suspect: Deviant Caretaker Android. Model R4N-B00.

TU880 dismissed the information as the car approached the driveway to the modest-looking house it recognized from the database.

“Stop daydreaming, Tubbo, it’s time to fuck shit up”

It weighed its options before slightly smiling and saying, “Let’s catch a deviant, Tommy”

“You called me Tommy,” The man in question said, a wide-eyed expression.

“Once we get into the building, it goes back to Lieutenant Innit. However, since we are technically not in the workplace, I felt it beneficial to use the name you prefer.”

“Fuck yeah, Tubbo!” Tommy said, “Glad to know you can occasionally take the stick out of your ass.”

TU880 rolls its eyes at its partner and goes to exit the car. A holographic police line travels around the perimeter of the house, which TU880 walks through easily. 

The Lieutenant caught up with TU880 and said, “I read that they had a kid. Hope he’s okay”

TU880 nodded its head. They entered the house and found Linda Beloved’s body immediately. She looked almost peaceful, slumped against the wall. The back of the wall was stained with a reddish-brown substance, which TU880 identified as Linda’s blood. A standard little league metal bat lay next to her body, blood on it. No fingerprints. Slight traces of thirium on the end of the bat.

////// Commencing analysis…

////// Death Due to Blunt Force Trauma.

“The deviant smashed her head in then, huh?” Tommy said.

“It appears so.” TU880 responded, “There are no fingerprints on the bat, leading me to believe that it definitely was the deviant. There are also traces of thirium on the bat, so it’s most likely that the deviant was attacked before seizing the weapon and hitting Mrs. Beloved.”

“So it was provoked then?” Tommy asked, “Seems to fall in line with the trend we’ve seen with deviants.”

TU880 inspected the body more closely. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary until it examined her fingers. It was faint, but there seemed to be blood on her fingers. TU880 took the blood and put it in its mouth.

// Blood Sample:

// Michael Beloved

// Blood Type: A+

“Lieutenant.” TU880 said, “Linda has spots of Michael’s blood on her fingers.”

“Michael?”

“Their kid.”

“Poor fella.” Tommy said, “You reckon the deviant hurt him?”

“Not sure. Let me investigate further.” TU880 looked at the thirium trail from Linda’s body and followed it into the living room. The trail went to a closet off the side. TU880 opened it and found it to be cluttered. He spotted another bat similar to the one that was used in the murder and two pairs of baseball gloves. TU880 closed the closet and continued on the trail.

It moved on to the kitchen where he immediately focused on the dead body of Bob Beloved. Like Linda, it was clear how Bob died. Three dark spots of blood covered his chest. A gun lies where TU880 is standing. A quick scan showed that the only fingerprints present on the gun were that of the dead man on the floor. Tubbo spotted large amounts of thirium about 10 feet away from the gun. Next to the thirium were more faint traces of blood. TU880 sampled it and found that it once again was Micheal Beloved’s blood. It looked around and spotted broken dishes on the floor, most likely a sign of a struggle.

“Find anything interesting?” Tommy said, coming up next to TU880.

“It seems that the deviant was shot and then somehow acquired the gun, most likely through the struggle that caused the mess in this room, and shot Mr. Beloved three times. Afterward, it dropped the gun and retrieved the bat from the living room closet. It then proceeded to kill Mrs. Beloved. What I can’t work together is how their son fits into all of this. I found very faint traces of his blood on the floor next to the deviant’s blue blood and on Mrs. Beloved’s fingers.” TU880 summarized.

“We also need to find out what drove the Beloveds into shooting the deviant in the first place,” Tommy said.

TU880 pondered this and then said, “Hypothetically if you had a deviant android what would you do?”

“Probably turn it over to the authorities.” Tommy said, “I wouldn’t shoot it if that’s what you’re asking. Wait, but if their android was already deviant before getting shot then what traumatic event could’ve triggered its deviancy?”

“Not sure. I am also unsure of whether Micheal’s blood was caused by the deviant or…”

“His parents” Tommy grimaced.

“This deviant’s particular model is designed to protect those under its care.”

“You’re saying the android could have gone deviant to protect Micheal.”

TU880 didn’t answer, too busy with making his way to the one empty shelf of the pantry.

“The deviant took one shelf of food.”

“Doesn’t that prove that the deviant is trying to protect the kid?”

“I suppose so. If we look at it that way, then this is how the night would have happened: The Beloveds hurt Michael in some way, drawing blood. This provoked the deviant to try and protect the child, to which Mr. Beloved took out his gun and shot at the deviant. There was a fight and the deviant acquired the gun before unloading three bullets into Mr. Beloved’s chest. Mrs. Beloved ran away and the android dropped the gun, presumably to ensure the child's safety. From the kitchen, he could hear Mrs. Beloved called 911 to which he responded by taking a bat from the closet and then killing her with it. He then stocked a bag full of food for Michael and ran away.”
“Based on the evidence we have so far, I’d say you’re right.” Tommy said, “I searched their bathroom and found some red ice stocked away.”

TU880 nodded and immediately turned to go look outside. It examined the dirt outside the house and found prints matching the average size of a CyberLife android. There were also traces of thirium, presumably from the android’s wound. Tommy walked next to TU880 and noticed the spots of blue blood that formed a trail past where the footprints stopped and the sidewalk started.

TU880 allowed a brief smile to grace its face, “Lieutenant Innit, I think we found ourselves a deviant.”

Chapter Text

TU880 noticed Tommy was tapping his hand to the gun at his side, a reassuring motion that he did often when on a stressful case. Tommy had been opposed to the idea, but TU880 insisted to follow the thirium trail leading from the beloved’s house without backup. It claimed it didn’t want to scare the deviant away with large numbers. TU880 did not want to admit to Tommy or itself that it wanted to catch the deviant alone, because androids aren't designed to want anything.

“Remember, Lieutenant, I need it alive,” TU880 said.

“That’s got to be the 8th time you’ve reminded me in the last five minutes.” Tommy said, “And Tubbo quit it with that Lieutenant shit, no one’s around.”

TU880 sighed, “Tommy, the more you touch your gun the more inclined to think you’re going to shoot the first thing that scares you.”

“Nothing scares the great Tommy Innit, tin can.”

“What abou-”

“Nope. Nothing scares me, Tubbo.”

“Okay, Tommy,” TU880 rolls its eyes.

“How far does this trail lead, anyway?”

“As far as I can scan, a couple of blocks before it goes into an alleyway.”

Tommy makes a hum of acknowledgment and goes to tap his gun again before realizing what he was doing and letting his arm go limp. They found the alleyway the thirium trail led to, only to find that the trail stopped halfway through.

“Well shit,” Tommy said, “What now?”

TU880 was already scanning the alleyway looking for clues. It spotted tiny flecks of Michael’s blood on one of the walls.

Tommy checked behind the dumpster in the alley and came up holding a removed LED.

TU880 grimaced at the sight. A removed LED made finding the deviant a lot harder. TU880 should bring that up the next time it writes a report cyberlife. Deviants were way too easy to slip through the system. While thinking this, TU880 scanned a faint trace of thirium at the end of the alley.

“Tommy, the trail didn’t end.” TU880 said, already walking towards the end of the alleyway, “There are still tiny spots of thirium, so small my detectors almost missed them.”

“Lead the way, big man.” Tommy said, “Say, Tubbo, if we do catch this deviant… are you sure you even want to catch it in the first place?”

“I don’t want, Tommy,” TU880 said.

“You seemed to want when you let the last one go,” Tommy said.

/// Software instability ^^

“That was a mistake. I cannot afford to let errors in my code dictate important decisions like that again.”

“But what if this deviant is like Niki?” Tommy asked.

“The inaccuracy in my coding allowed me for a moment to perceive that... that deviant , as a human.” TU880 said, “I believe my facial recognition was skewed, as the N1-K1 android lacked an LED. I will not allow myself to get fooled again.”
“Are you sure it was an error and not just… I dunno, compassion for her?” Tommy asked.

“N1-K1 was designed to be an entertainer.” Tubbo said, “It was put under copious amounts of stress, but it should’ve remained an entertainer instead of running away.”

Tommy frowned but didn’t push the issue further. They continued to walk in an uncomfortable silence until they reached a bus station.

/// Downloading Route Information… 100%

“The last bus to leave stops here, Mack Street, Dexter Avenue, and Reflex Street before circling back to this station.”

“Let’s hop on the next bus and see where the blue blood road takes us next,” Tommy said.

“Are you proposing we stop at each stop and I scan for thirium?” TU880 asked.

“It’s the best lead we have, no?” Tommy asked, indignant.

TU880 sighed. It thought it seemed to be making headway with his relationship with the lieutenant, but the previous conversation put the android back at square one with Tommy. It didn't understand how the N1-K1 android's nonhuman status was such a sore subject for Tommy.

The bus pulled up fairly quickly and TU880 started to board the android section of the bus before it heard Tommy grumble and yank TU880’s arm into the human section.

“There’s no one on the bus anyways, tin can,” Tommy said.

“It’s improper that I’m in this section, Tommy.”

“Who gives a shit?” Tommy asked.

TU880 sighed. This was shaping up to be a long day for the android.

_______{}_______

Ranboo knew the cloth over his mouth was only going to hold for so long. He also knew that the police would be on his trail very quickly since he decided to pull a risky move and use Linda’s bus card to get Michael and him further from the scene.

/// Primary Objective Chance of Success: 78%

Those were odds Ranboo could work with. Michael had been awake for a while, babbling and consequently being shushed by Ranboo for the last hour or so. Ranboo knew he needed a place to stay where Michael could sleep comfortably for the night.

/// Secondary Objective Updated

//// Secondary Objective: Continue Acting as a Human & Find Safe Location for Tonight

“Boo?” Micheal said. He could still only open one eye, as the wound from Linda’s nails swelled his eye shut.

“How you doing, bud?” Ranboo asked.

“‘M okay,” Michael sniffled, “When are we going home?”

“We’re going to a new home Michael.” Ranboo said, squeezing Michael’s hand in reassurance, “We just have to find it.”

“Boo?”

“Yes, Michael?” Ranboo said.

“‘M tired,” Michael said.

“Do you want upsies?” Michael nodded and Ranboo lifted him, balancing Michael on his right hip.

Ranboo scanned the street looking for places to spend the night. He saw a motel and a house that was clearly abandoned, as it had graffiti and vines covering the entire exterior.

// Analysing Risk Level… 86%

// Risk Analysed

/// Highland Rose Motel:

//// Risk Level: 63%

/// Abandoned Building:

//// Risk Level: 45%

Ranboo immediately decided to go with the building. The motel not only risked him being noticed, but he’d have to pay money to get in and he knew he had to use Linda’s credit card as a last resort, as the police could be tracking it. He looked around to make sure nobody was looking and then tried opening the door. When it didn’t budge, he set Michael down and shoved his body against the door, causing it to slam open. The sound shocked Ranboo and sent his memory processors into overdrive.

_̵̝͙̼̲͙̹̬̼̰̭͓̹̝̊̈́͜_̷̯̭̝̬̓̉̈́͆͝_̵̢̯̤̹̹͍̻̗̼̝̼̻̻̥̻̓̽̚_̷̙̠̿̌͒̀̍͊͌̆_̸̛͓̝̺̥̫̬̫̗̔̑̈́͌̅̔̑͜͠_̵̧̛̗̮̙̲̹̩̤͒͛̏͒͌̅̈́̔̿̏̽̊_̷̡͔͈͓̞̼̦̥̫̹͍̗̺̜̠͋͐̏́͗̃̒͠{̵̢̟̲̰̟̰̠̫̝̪̝̩̫͐̉̎̈́̇}̷̬̝͉͉̹̬̗̲̠̖͉͑̽_̴̥́͊̍̾̀͊̀_̸̡̹̥͆̊̄̐͘_̸̛͍͛̈́̆̀͝_̸̖̜̦͈̲̀͆̓̔ͅͅ_̶̡̢̰̠̲͙̪̗̒̅͊̓̃̏̆͑̋̈́͌_̷̪̗̙̩͈̗̰̖̭̲́̉_̷̨͖̤̫̦̝̺͚̻͇͇̘͎̤̬͊
̶̛͖̫̗̃͛̍̽̌̐̈́̚̕͝

“Get away from Michael!” Ranboo shouted and stood defiantly in front of the boy, shielding him from the Beloveds.

Bob reached up on top of the fridge and brought out his gun. Ranboo was flooded with fear but he kept himself firmly planted in front of Micheal. 

“Machines are supposed to obey.” Bob hissed, waving his gun, “Ranboo, step away from my son or I’ll shoot.”

“How dare you, I’ve raised him more than y-” Ranboo’s whole world flooded with static as he was shot. It didn’t hurt, but he still felt an absence of part of where his jaw should’ve been, an inherent wrong sensation. He didn’t let himself linger on it. As soon as the static cleared, he launched himself towards the man, grabbing the gun and wrenching it from Bob’s grasp.

“Don’t move, Bob,” Ranboo said, his voice scarily calm. Ranboo kept the gun trained on Bob until he positioned himself in front of Michael again.

“Michael, close your eyes,” Ranboo said, “I’ll tell you when you can open them.” Ranboo quickly glanced down to see that Michael had done what Ranboo asked of him. Ranboo took a deep breath and shot three times.

_̵̝͙̼̲͙̹̬̼̰̭͓̹̝̊̈́͜_̷̯̭̝̬̓̉̈́͆͝_̵̢̯̤̹̹͍̻̗̼̝̼̻̻̥̻̓̽̚_̷̙̠̿̌͒̀̍͊͌̆_̸̛͓̝̺̥̫̬̫̗̔̑̈́͌̅̔̑͜͠_̵̧̛̗̮̙̲̹̩̤͒͛̏͒͌̅̈́̔̿̏̽̊_̷̡͔͈͓̞̼̦̥̫̹͍̗̺̜̠͋͐̏́͗̃̒͠{̵̢̟̲̰̟̰̠̫̝̪̝̩̫͐̉̎̈́̇}̷̬̝͉͉̹̬̗̲̠̖͉͑̽_̴̥́͊̍̾̀͊̀_̸̡̹̥͆̊̄̐͘_̸̛͍͛̈́̆̀͝_̸̖̜̦͈̲̀͆̓̔ͅͅ_̶̡̢̰̠̲͙̪̗̒̅͊̓̃̏̆͑̋̈́͌_̷̪̗̙̩͈̗̰̖̭̲́̉_̷̨͖̤̫̦̝̺͚̻͇͇̘͎̤̬͊

Ranboo’s processors returned to the present.

“Sorry for the loud noise, Michael,” Ranboo said, trying to smile, “We’ll sleep in this nice house for a night, and then we’ll go and search for our new home.”

“Okay, Boo.” Michael said, walking slowly through the unfamiliar territory. Ranboo held his hand and they walked together. They found what Ranboo assumed used to be a living room, a dysfunctional kitchen, and one bedroom, with a tiny mattress in it.

“It’s past your bedtime, bud.” Ranboo said, ruffling Michael’s hair, “I know this isn’t the bed you’re used to, but can you sleep in it for one night for me?”

Michael nodded tentatively and repeated, “For Boo!”

Michael settled down in bed and then said, “Story?”

“Sure bud,” Ranboo said, “But a quick one because we need to get lots of sleep tonight!”

Michael seemed to consider this before nodding seriously, “Sleep is important.”

“That’s right!” Ranboo said, “Okay here goes the story: There once was a dashing prince in a castle. He wanted to be free to explore the world but the people around him told him that he needed to do his duties or he’d turn into a monster. The prince didn’t want to be a monster so he kept to himself and did all that was asked of him. One day one of the tasks meant he had to stand by while a thief was being hurt. The prince decided to help the hurt thief, but the prince turned into a big scary dragon while doing it. The thief wasn’t scared though. ‘Surely a dragon who saved me can’t be such a bad dragon!’ the thief said. The prince fled into the woods and the thief followed and they were at peace together. The prince learned that day that being a dragon wasn’t so bad if it meant doing the right thing. The thief learned that kindness can come from everybody, even big scary dragons. They lived happily ever after. The end.”

By the time Ranboo was done with his story, Michael had fully passed out.

/// Secondary Objective: Completed

Ranboo smiled and quietly left the room and went to find a mirror or any other reflective surface. He needed to see the extent of damage done to his face. After a couple of minutes of searching, he found the bathroom. He stood over the sink and carefully removed his mask. The sight was horrifying. His wiring was fully exposed and blue, and trails of thirium seemed to have poured down his chin. If the mask had been any smaller, Ranboo would have been caught so quickly.  He took a musty towel off a rack and wiped what he could down. It seemed that his system had patched up where the thrirum had been leaking from, as no thirium was falling anymore. Ranboo briefly considered changing his hair color but decided against it, as he didn’t see how that would hide his identity any more than the mask already did.

Ranboo, somewhat satisfied with his appearance, quietly crept back into Michael’s room where he watched the boy’s small chest rise and fall until his programming forced him into rest mode.

_______{}_______

TU880 was frustrated. It wasn’t supposed to feel, and yet it could clearly identify the fact that it was about a hairpin away from snapping at Tommy. Not only had the bus lead gone nowhere, but Tommy hadn’t talked to it about anything aside from the fact that they had no leads for the last three hours. TU880 was certain that its programming was the cause of this buildup of annoyance, as the lack of anything substantial made it restless on a normal day. TU880 was so close to having something to work with that it felt its program urging it to continue the search despite it knowing that they’d be looking in vain. TU880 knew the thirium trail would dry up eventually- CyberLife androids were designed to replicate human platelets when injured to prevent loss of blue blood- however, TU880 hadn’t expected it to work so quickly. 

It was back at the station and was counting down the seconds until Tommy’s shift was over and TU880 could work without distraction.

“Hey,” Tommy said, a smirk on his face, “Hey Tubbo, found anything yet?”

“You asked me the same question 3 minutes and 39 seconds ago,” TU880 said, “The answer is the same.”

“Well you better get on that big man,” Tommy said. TU880 knew enough about humans to realize Tommy was just trying to provoke a reaction from the android. TU880 would not give the lieutenant the satisfaction.

“What are you even looking at, tin can?” Tommy asked.

“I’m looking for all possible locations and routes the deviant could've taken,” TU880 replied.

TU880 had about two seconds of silence before Tommy said, “I’ve got a suggestion.”

“What?” TU880 said, slamming its hands on the desk, “Give up? Like you suggested an hour ago? Stop doing the one thing I’m designed for? Great idea lieutenant. Why don’t I just deactivate myself? CyberLife is certainly thinking that after the failure of the last mission. Apparently, I can’t even do the one goddamned task I was made for.”

/// Software Instability ^^

TU880 took a moment to realize what it had just said. Tommy looked shell-shocked.

“I apologize, Lieutenant, those were callous statements.” TU880 said, LED flashing red, “Forget I said that. What was going to be your suggestion?”

“I… I was going to say to maybe hack into the security cameras on streets near each of the possible stops,” Tommy said, “But I’m thinking maybe you need a break.”

“Believe me, Lieutenant, a break is the last thing I need.” Every bit of TU880 was screaming at it to keep working until the case was solved. It said, “I’ll look into the security camera idea. It would be a breach of several anti-hacking laws but I’m sure CyberLife would be willing to settle any lawsuits if it meant finding deviants.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come over to my house again?” Tommy asked, “You could pet Clementine. She misses you y’know. Can’t say I understand why.”
“I’ll visit Clementine when I complete my mission.”

Tommy groaned, “Fine, fine. I’m going to head home then. Text me or call me if you find anything.”

TU880 nodded and Tommy added before he left, “And listen Tubbo, I’m sorry about purposefully annoying you today. It was stupid. But you’re also being stupid. Because I know that you can’t deny the fact that you saw humanity in Niki. And I think you’re scared of what that means to you.”

/// Software Instability ^^

“That’s preposterous, I don’t feel anything,” TU880 said.

Tommy smiled knowingly and said, “Don’t overwork yourself too much, Tubs.” before turning and leaving.

If Tommy had some deluded idea that TU880 letting Niki go was anything more than a software glitch then he was wrong. TU880 pushed the conversation out of his mind and started combing hours of footage from every angle until the sun rose.

“Found you.”