An Android's Tale - Part 20 (An Original Story)

The heavy rain had abated somewhat as the two men hurried into the plush, ritzy building. The decision to take a taxi instead of organising an in-house squad car to drop them off had not paid off. Running late for the appointment had meant hastily paying off the cab driver and sprinting the remainder of their journey for a block or so. The wide sliding glass doors merged shut behind them as they shook themselves off before making their way to reception. “First the hospital visit and now this. Take note, next time we grab an umbrella on the way out.” said Drucker as his partner spluttered out a chesty cough into a pocket handkerchief. A lone synthetic dressed in a black tuxedo approached and greeting them with an affable smile. “Welcome gentlemen. Hope you’re having a good day. Right this way to the reception desk.” They both returned a friendly nod but oddly no directions were required as the desk was literally just a few steps away.

An expensive, sparkling chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling as a beautifully patterned mosaic decorated the rest. The area was almost empty save for the odd guest either making their way to the elevators at the far end or exiting the building. An array of small illuminated globes encompassed the walls of the lobby giving the whole place a soft, almost ethereal glow.

A middle-aged man wearing spectacles and grey formal suit spoke first from behind the desk. The neat, pasted down side parting in his greying hair gave him a rather dignified and classy look. His eloquent posh-sounding English accent only added to his persona. “One of you is Mr. Drucker, I presume?” he inquired in a well-mannered, articulate fashion. “Yes, I am.” Drucker replied taking a step forward. “This good sir to my left is my partner, Mr. Drayfort. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with us. If you’re not too busy now, may we proceed?” The slender, short man made his way round to the front and shook both their hands firmly in turn. “Pleasure to make your acquaintances. I’m Mr. Dunbar.” He gestured politely to follow him toward the elevator.

“The events of a few days ago were quite troubling, gentleman.” said Mr. Dunbar. “As much as I do hope you find the synthetic that carried out the attack, I’m also praying that it’s not the couple who I called you about. However, I felt it’s my duty to inform you just in case.” They waited patiently by the sliding doors as he continued. “Mr. and Mrs. Dullet have lived there for quite a number of years now and there could never have been a nicer synthetic couple than those two. So very friendly and gracious, they were never any trouble at all.”* Doug abruptly chimed in. “Well, Mr. Dunbar, I think it’s safe to say that goes for all synthetics. Don’t you find it’s like they’re almost trying too hard to become a part of our society. That’s the feeling I get, anyways.” The doors slid open and the men entered. “Yes, I do know what you mean. But wouldn’t you rather be surrounded by pleasant synthetics than drunken, loud-mouthed humans, Mr. Drayfort?” Doug grinned and chuckled quietly to himself, not expecting such a direct confession of where his preferences lay. “Well, sir. I gotta tell you that having more humans see them in such a fond light as you do would simply be every synthetics wet dream.” Drucker cleared his throat loudly as Doug receded to the corner of the cubicle.

They made their way silently down the brightly-lit corridor of the 34th floor of the apartment complex. “If I may ask, how is the investigation coming along so far?“ Mr. Dunbar asked with a mild tilt of his head. “Are you any nearer to capturing the assailant?” Drucker couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed with his soft-spoken and professionally formal demeanour. They all paused at a large white door enclosed by a thin wooden frame. “Well, as you can imagine, attempting to track a synthetic requires a very different methodology than that of our human counterparts. No fingerprints, no blood, no sweat. Nothing of the traditional biological nature that we detectives are so used to. Everything is digital so we have to adapt ourselves to a new way of problem solving. This case is, as you know, the very first of its kind so sometimes admittedly it can feel like groping in the dark searching blindly for clues. So any leads we get are gold dust to us.” He shot a quick glance at Doug who stared back at him blankly. “Therefore we’re really hoping that this visit here today proves fruitful to some degree at least.” Drucker spied a small indentation in the bottom right hand corner of the door. “You know how that got there?” he asked curiously. Mr. Dunbar moved back slightly to examine the mark in more detail. “That’s strange. Can’t say I’ve ever noticed it.” he answered with seemingly genuine surprise.

“Well, you have my full co-operation, gentlemen.” he continued. “This will be the first time I have entered the apartment since I attempted to make contact with them.” He waved the card over a small square panel emitting a hypnotic blue glow. One muted click later and they all entered the premises. The open plan space before them was an unblemished brilliant white. Drucker would have been willing there and then to make a bet with Doug if he could actually locate a speck of dust. “As you can see, this apartment was modified to accommodate a synthetic’s unique lifestyle.” said Mr. Dunbar as the two detectives scanned the room. A white leather couch to the far right blended seemlessly into the background. It almost hurt their eyes as they checked for anything that might give them a clue about this elusive couple.

“Can you give me any more details about them please, Mr. Dunbar?” Drucker pressed, still scouring the immaculate apartment for clues. “I mean, even things you may consider irrelevant. Any information would be really appreciated.”

“Of course, Detective.” he replied willingly. “Well, their first names are Dee and Sy. Again, they mostly keep to themselves and enjoy a relatively private relationship together. A few friends would come over now and then, though still that’s somewhat of a rarity. The only times we ever spoke were bidding each other good day in the downstairs lobby or passing them in the corridor. I mean, they really are exemplary residents here. Never had any problems or cause for suspicion.” Drucker had no reason not to believe the kindly Mr. Dunbar. He sounded confident and self-assured with his answers. Drucker had been in the game long enough to spot a potential fraudster and he didn’t even come close to fitting the bill.

Further along into the apartment, a custom built stasis pod for two synthetics hummed softly on their right with a beautifully designed balcony straight ahead. “Jesus, Doug. These guys live better than most humans I know.” joked Drucker. Doug grunted in acknowledgement. They both moved toward the bi-folding double glazed windows and opened them to admire the stunning view from above. “Look down there, Doug.” he said, still stricken in awe by the view of the magnificent city below. “Makes you really stop and think how many different lives inhabit this vast expanse of a city, doesn’t it?”

“Sure does, Druck.” he replied wistfully. “Somewhere down there an out-of-control synthetic is on the loose with a small child. This sure is a crazy world we live in.” The sound of Mr. Dunbar’s shoes clacking noisily on the marble flooring brought them back to focusing on their current objective. “Well, thanks for your time, Mr. Dunbar but with the greatest of respect this is ending up being as useful as a dog chasing it’s tail.” he muttered with a hint of frustration. “This place may as well be abandoned. No kitchen, no bathroom. No wonder they don’t have anybody coming over. You would have thought there would be at least some backward compatibility for us humans, right?” Doug’s phone rang noisily in the background as Mr. Dunbar proceeded back toward the front door. “Well, that’s their prerogative, Mr. Drucker. We leave that decision up to them. I’m so very sorry, Detective. If I could have been of more assistance to you, I certainly would have.” Drucker made his way through the dazzlingly clean lounge one last time. Doug could be overheard speaking to someone on his mobile. “I understand that and sincerely apologise for wasting your valuable time. Mr. Dunbar. If they do come back though, please let me know…”

“Druck! Druck!” shouted Doug as he hastened clumsily back into the lounge. “What is it? What’s the problem?” Drucker asked, eyes wide with anticipation and alarm.

“It’s the synthetic and the boy!” Doug exclaimed. “I think we found them!”

Hope you enjoyed this post, please look out for more on the way... (author: @ezzy)