"So where to?" Jen asked her as she leaned over in the driver's seat to program their course into the car's onboard computer. Her blue suit made her look like some kind of office lady, though most wouldn't look that stylish. Kate sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed, looking at the computer driven car with undisguised loathing. "I don't like these automatic cars," she growled, tugging at the battered 'Pearl Jam' T-shirt she wore. "Tough," Jen surprised her by answering. "It's my turn to drive, so I get to pick the vehicle," she stated simply. Kate gave her a glance that was almost respectful. "Not bad, rookie," the brown hared woman said. She called up the initial report and read off the address, adding with a little smile, "Something going on in uptown." A frown, "Not much detail, though. Hostages again, maybe." "Got it," Jen programmed their route, and with a soft hum the car smoothly started off. "So why do you dislike me so much?" she asked Kate bluntly. Kate looked clearly startled, "What? I don't..." "Well, being surly and snarly isn't a true sign of friendship where I come from," Jen crisply answered her. The tall blonde pushed her hair back, suddenly looking nervous as she quietly asked, "Have I done something to offend you?" Kate looked at the young woman, then looked away with a sigh. "It's nothing personal, Jen," she answered. "I'm sure you're a nice kid," she looked out the window, "but I don't want a partner who's also a friend right now." Jen opened her mouth to say something, then she closed it. There really wasn't much she could say in answer to that. "All right," she acknowledged with a sigh. The car glided along roadways, eventually reaching a lift. They slid inside, and rose to the top of the building, then out on a roadway again. They cruised along for a while, then entered yet another lift to rise even higher. To break the silence Kate said, "The air up here's almost clear. I wonder how many billions of yen a year you need to make to live here?" "More than either of us will," Jen smiled. They slid from the lift out onto a sunlit street, and she was tempted to slow down to enjoy it. But they were here on business, and innocent lives might be in jeopardy. They pulled up in front of the block on the report, and noticed several squad cars parked around it. Police officers waited against their vehicles, their casual air bothering Kate. "What the hell?" she whispered softly to Jen. Jen shrugged eloquently even as they coasted to a stop. "Let's find out," Jen said as she popped the hatches and they both climbed out. Kate strode over to where the officer in charge stood, "What's the situation?" The man looked awfully nervous. He flipped though his papers a moment, cleared his throat, "Hostage taking. There's only one android involved, a housekeeper." "So who's the hostage?" Jen asked. The officer hesitated, then a woman's voice cried out, "Thank god you're here!" They looked up to see a obviously wealthy redhead run over, her face pinched with strain. "You've got to rescue my Poochie," she wailed. "Poochie?" Kate echoed, an odd look on her face. "That horrible android has my dog," the redhead said tearfully. Jen looked sideways at Kate. The older woman's eyebrow was twitching madly, and the veins on the side of her head throbbed. "We'll do our best, ma'am," Jen reassured her. She looked over at the officer, "Where is it?" She noted the information down quickly, and before Kate could say or do anything too career damaging, Jen grabbed her by the arm and nearly dragged her inside. The door shut behind them, and Kate exploded. "A dog?!" Kate growled, waving her arms around wildly. "They called us out here to rescue a dog?" she repeated indignantly. "I suppose we could always complain to Gwen about it later," Jen sighed. Kate surprised her by snickering. "I'm sure she'll get a good laugh out of it," she said. She took a few deep breaths, managing to get her temper back under control again. "All right," she sighed, "let's go rescue the damn dog." They went down the hallway silently, then up to the suite's second level. They neared the back room where they had been told Poochie was. They heard the playful yips of a small puppy, and Jen looked questioningly at Kate. She shrugged in reply, and they cautiously looked around the corner into the room. The android, a dark hared model dressed up in a maid's outfit, was sitting on the floor as the puppy ran around her, yipping madly. She smiled down at the dog fondly, reaching out to gently ruffle it's fur. The dog yowled happily, wiggling under the caress. The android noticed them, and smiled sadly. "I guess you're here to take him back," she said, picking up the wriggling puppy. She gently held the dog close, "She over feeds him, you know. Never exercises him, or spends much time with him." She sighed, "Poochie is just a status symbol, the prestige of having enough money to be able to afford a pet." She got up and walked towards them, the puppy still in her arms, Jen noticed Kate draw her pistol, but the android surprised her by simply putting the puppy in Jen's hands. She turned to Kate and extended her arms, the classic position for receiving handcuffs. "Uhm, Thanks," Kate said as she secured the android's wrists, just a bit thrown off by her peaceful surrender. "You're welcome," the android responded serenely. As soon as they were out the door the redhead ran forward, tearfully pulling the puppy from Jen's hands. It yelped happily, licking the tears from her face and she laughed, holding it close. "Thank you," she cried, kissing Jen on the cheek. She turned to do the same to Kate, saw the look on her face, and decided not to. The android looked kind of startled at that display of emotion. As Kate and Jen began to lead her away, the puppy began to cry piteously. The redhead looked at the puppy, then over at the android. "Wait a moment," she said, walking over to the police officers. The puppy quieted down as soon as it got near her. "You were taking care of him, weren't you?" the redhead asked the android. "Yes, ma'am," the android answered her simply. "You were feeding him too much, and he wasn't getting enough exercise. He would get sick soon, if I didn't do something," she explained. "Just like I told you to," the redhead said thoughtfully. She looked at the puppy, then over at the android. "What happens," she said quietly, "if I don't choose to press charges?" "What?" Kate said, surprised. "I guess," Jen said with a little smile, "we'd probably have to let her go." Kate kept her mouth shut, but the muscles of her jaw tensed. "I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you," the redhead smiled at them, "but I'm not pressing charges." Without saying a word Kate reached over to unlock the cuffs and then stalked back to the car, clearly displeased. Jen watched the android and the redhead walk off, hearing them talking quietly. "Next time, just tell me," the redhead told the maid, reaching over to gently take her arm. "I'll try, ma'am," the android answered, both of them walking close together. Jen raised her eyebrows. She walked away, and joined Kate in the car. "That was cute," she smiled, "and did you see the two of them together? Made me wonder..." Kate groaned, before glaring at Jen. "If you don't stop being so perky," she said dangerously, "I'm going to have to get violent." Jen just grinned back at her. Beth looked at the initial report, and began to laugh. "What?" Gwen asked, coming into the computer room. Beth handed the hand screen over, "Read this." "Poochie?" Gwen raised her eyebrows, and gave a throaty laugh. "I wonder how Kate took that," she smiled. "Badly!" both young woman said together. "Are you going off shift?" Gwen asked her, noticing that Beth had a jacket on over her usual x-rated outfit. This time, the little redhead was wearing short-shorts that left little to the imagination, with a spandex top. "Just as soon as my relief arrives," Beth smiled, and noticed a young woman coming in to the room. "Speak of the devil," she laughed, getting up out of her seat with a bounce. "Hey, Julie," she smiled at the dark hared girl. "Hi, Beth," Julie smiled, giving her a hug. More quietly, "So when are we going out together again?" "I'll take you home with me anytime," Beth laughed at she hurried out. Julie went beet red, and Gwen had to fight the urge to laugh.
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