Chapter 8, The Rehabilitation Officers
Chapter 8: The Rehabilitation Officers.
After hesitating for weeks, Sergeant Reed has finally assigned RoboCop to patrol New Stoneleigh at night, to report directly to him if he finds anything out of the ordinary.
For RoboCop, patrolling and performing arrests without thinking is letting the machine part in him to take over and that has been a catharsis that has helped him to detach from the reality many times, when thinking as a man and not as a programmed police officer becomes unbearable for him.
The best way to describe how RoboCop/Murphy adapted to the computer they integrated and merged with his human brain is as if the machine dominated the rational logical side of his. The machine reigns in the left hemisphere of his head, whereas, somewhere in the right part of his brain, the man hides struggling to not fade away.
RoboCop had been thinking as a man so much lately that allowing the machine override his thoughts for the night, has been comforting to some degree. He reaches New Stoneleigh “Splatterzone” and immediately detects two burglars trying to mug the people that are coming out of a supermarket, RoboCop steps out of the car, aims his Auto 9 at the suspects and proceeds to put them under arrest, the thugs try to run away, RoboCop automatically targets and opens fire.
It doesn’t take long for RoboCop to identify four Splatterpunks that are walking towards him in a threatening manner, flashing their bayonets, daggers and combat knives, that although sophisticated, RoboCop immediately scans from afar and realizes that those weapons aren’t part of the stolen police arsenal he is after. The criminals think that if the police robot is surrounded, they will be able to kill him. RoboCop knows the lawbreakers are going to lose.
The Splatterpunks fire at him and gunshots feel like hot subtle pokes on his chest, that is as far as RoboCop can feel when he is being shot at. Only heavy artillery could make him feel real pain.
RoboCop allows them to shoot at him for a short while, to reassure they resisted to the arrest before killing them, however, one of them is about to throw a Molotov cocktail to him, that can’t be allowed, so RoboCop shoots at the man that is intending to set him on fire, the Splatterpunk drops the flammable bottle on himself and slowly burns in front of him in agonizing pain, at this point, the other three gang members are scared of what they have just seen and have surrendered.
RoboCop looks at them in a senseless way. He knows that these troublemakers will eventually be out in the streets again; causing problems until the day they are found dead on the streets by an overdose. The cyborg police officer is frustrated to not have any substantial evidence to show Reed despite the fact he had been patrolling the area for hours, just the usual robberies and gang loitering problems.
RoboCop knows he has two choices now, either to give up in trying to find more information and drive back with the arrested suspects, or to call for backup and ask someone else to take them to the station and so he can continue in the zone for a couple of hours more, hoping to find more evidence.
He finally decides to call for backup and Reed is smart enough to send Kaplan and Mason to the zone, the sergeant knows that the three officers will eventually team up, so he wants RoboCop to interact more with them.
By the time Mason and Kaplan arrive to the place, both cops observe that Robo has done quite a few arrests, there is blood on the street and there is a burned corpse there too, the stench of burnt flesh is revolting.
Kaplan: Hey Murphy…oh god, look at this mess, you don’t need backup…you need Detroit’s street maintenance service!
RoboCop: Officer Kaplan, I need you to take these arrested suspects back to the station so I can remain in the zone for longer.
Mason: What wait, is he giving us orders now? I thought Reed had sent us here for more than just picking up RoboCop’s dirty mess…
Kaplan: Mason, if he wants to stay in the zone for a couple of hours more, that helps our investigation too, I really want to know who the hell is stealing our police arsenal…
Mason: And why didn’t Reed ask us to come here first instead of the robot huh? Maybe we would have been able to find something by now…we are human, we aren’t programmed like him.
Kaplan: Jesus Mason, just shut up…he is protecting us man…Reed wants him to protect us from being killed…this is why he is here…
RoboCop gets to hear the conversation they are having even if Kaplan has lowered his voice so he doesn’t hear that Mason keeps calling him “the robot”. Murphy is way too tired to hear these kind of disrespectful comments from other fellow officers. Lewis and he are also fed up with the teasing they have had to endure for a long time and the mockery they are usually victims of.
Nevertheless, RoboCop thinks that not all cops in the station are rude; some of them are friendly with him, like Kaplan, although he doesn’t interact much with any officers, other than Lewis.
RoboCop is clever and knows why Reed sent him to Splatterzone at night, if Splatterpunks already own police weapons, they are prone to kill cops easier and the sergeant doesn’t want that, however, that’s why he is there for, not only to protect innocent civilians, but to protect his peers too, RoboCop wouldn’t like another cop being killed in the ruthless way Alex Murphy was executed. Kaplan understands that, but Mason doesn’t.
Elliott Mason is a great cop, although he can be competitive and impulsive at times. Mason is not really interested in relating to RoboCop in any way, he just wants Kaplan and him to finish the investigation so they both can get credit for it.
Both officers take the arrested suspects to their own cruiser, but before they leave, Kaplan wants to be friendly with RoboCop one last time, he is a nice guy that appreciates the work Robo does for the police force and wishes he was more approachable as a man, cop, person.
Kaplan: And so, Murphy, where is the blonde? Huh? Left her at home cooking?
Mason: Why do you even want to make conversation with him? He doesn’t even talk like a normal person…let’s go Kaplan, let’s get out of here
RoboCop has finally reached his limit and doesn’t want to remain impassive anymore whenever other cops start insulting him in indirect subtle ways with their bad intentioned comments.
He feels a new sense of pride as a man, he hadn’t felt before. Robo is capable to interact with other people; it’s just that almost nobody have made the effort to approach him on a personal level.
Although RoboCop would have liked to reply to Kaplan’s joke and show Mason he can talk in a normal way, suddenly he is more interested looking at the OCP van that is around the block that seems to be picking up Splatterpunks to get them out of the crime scene. That is against the law, RoboCop thinks.
Even with his enhanced vision he can’t really tell how official the OCP van is, it is quite battered and seems to have been badly painted in blue to cover the official logotype of Omni Consumer Products.
RoboCop: You both should get out of here now; I will take care of the situation.
Mason: No, we won’t, if these idiots of OCP are behind this, we will get them right here right now…
Kaplan: No, partner, wait, he is right, if that van belongs to the guys in grey and they are the ones behind this, we can’t let them see our faces…Reed asked us to keep ourselves on a low profile…
Mason: No, Kaplan, this ends tonight…we get them tonight
Mason removes the gun from the holster and walks towards the OCP van, Kaplan and RoboCop follow him in alert mode. Once both cops approach the van, they notice it is a Rehabilitation officer the one that is driving the vehicle.
Mason is trying to get information from him, but he isn’t accomplishing much, the officer in charge seems to be ignoring him, although the heavy artillery just arrived and RoboCop aims his gun to the van, to put pressure on the driver and make him talk. RoboCop can arrest OCP employees now; directive 4 is not installed on his systems anymore.
RoboCop: Detroit police, identify yourself
Lyle: I am Officer Lyle, Rehabilitation concepts and this is a classified operation from OCP, so get lost!
Mason: Whoever you are, you can’t take these suspects in the van, that is our work!
Kaplan: We should call for backup now, Officer Lyle, would you like that? Your operation whatever being exposed to the police force?
Lyle: I get my orders from above, from OCP executives and commander McDaggett, not from any of you, fuckers, I am out of here…
RoboCop: Officer Lyle, you are under arrest for obstructing justice and illegal breaking into a crime scene, you have the right to remain silent…
Lyle doesn’t listen to the cops and tries to start engine to leave, RoboCop shoots the dashboard computer of the van, preventing the vehicle to start moving. Lyle yelps out of fear by thinking RoboCop is intending to kill him.
He tries now, to helplessly run away from the three officers, when Kaplan immobilizes him and proceeds to put handcuffs on his wrists in the meantime Mason is telling the Splatterpunks to put their hands above their heads too, the three officers seem to have everything in control, when two official OCP metallic grey cruisers arrive to the scene, it is commander McDaggett, the leader of the Rehabilitation team, he is there to tell the police to go away.
Paul McDaggett an arrogant individual, was promised fame and money by Johnson once his tactical team was put on the streets and helped evacuate people from their homes so the construction of Delta city could really take place.
McDaggett: Good evening officers, may I ask what the problem is here?
RoboCop: Officer Lyle illegally broke into the secured perimeter of a crime scene that concerns the police department, he is under arrest, identify yourself, officer…
McDaggett: Commander McDaggett, I am in charge of the Urban Pacification program and this is our investigation, you are the ones that aren’t allowed here, so I will have to ask you to leave…
Mason: You can’t ask us to leave…you aren’t officially out there yet…
Kaplan: You have no authority here, and those suspects have to be taken to the station with us, would you like to be arrested as well, for obstructing justice?
McDaggett: Well, the robot cop is fond of his gun isn’t he…if he doesn’t stop pointing at me with that thing, I will call Mr. Johnson and I will let you know, you are the ones obstructing our very own arrest…we are the ones cleaning the streets now…
Kaplan: Oh come on! Fuck me! Your officer here is not performing any arrests!! He was helping these thugs to escape!! You are associated to them!! And that is illegal!!
McDaggett proceeds to video call Johnson and puts him on the speaker function, Johnson orders the police to leave the scene by threatening them to get an officer misconduct hearing if they don’t comply.
A hearing for Kaplan and Mason means a salary and benefit cut if they are found guilty, and a hearing for RoboCop means OCP executives meaning to mess with his operating system, the cops have no choice now but to comply to the direct orders of the director of operations even if they don’t agree with them.
They are well aware Johnson is above Reed, so the three of them have now to helplessly watch how McDaggett and other two Rehabilitation officers take Lyle and the suspects in their OCP cruisers and exit the crime scene.
Kaplan was right from the beginning, all Mason did was exposing their faces to the Rehabilitation team and investigating them on a low profile will be more difficult now.
Mason: Dammit, fuck!! They are getting away with it…they are the ones causing these riots… they must be the ones stealing our weapons!! And now we have nothing!
RoboCop: We do. I have recorded enough evidence to show Sergeant Reed tomorrow.
Kaplan: Good Murphy, what a great idea…they aren’t even cops, wonder what they are really up to…
The following day Reed has a private meeting with Kaplan, Mason and RoboCop in the files room where Robo can use his interface needle to show him on the computer monitors the recorded evidence gathered at the crime scene.
Reed is annoyed with Mason for exposing themselves to the Rehab team, but he also understands his reasons, his officers are desperate to resolve the case and find out why they are being sacked. At least the investigation is moving forward, Reed is sure now that the Rehabilitation tactical team that Johnson is putting together is not as legal as it seems.
Kaplan: Sergeant, you think that the CEO is behind this as well?
Reed: Johnson has surprised us in the past, by making decisions over Mr. Highland, so I am not sure, I can inform him of this, not just yet…Mason, the next time, be more careful, you risked a lot last night…Murphy I am so glad you recorded evidence, download everything on a file and send it to me
Mason: I am sorry sergeant, it won’t happen again; do you think we will be called for a hearing?
Reed: No, Johnson is a prick, he was just trying to intimidate you guys, now go back to work, and make sure you keep reporting to me as usual, alright? Not you Murphy, stay for a bit more…
Reed waits for the other two officers to leave the room, so he can speak privately with RoboCop.
RoboCop: Is there anything I can do for you, sergeant?
Reed: You already did, I want to thank you for standing by Mason last night…you know he can be impulsive at times, I don’t want to lose my best men out there…
RoboCop: You won’t.
Reed: Right…anyway, I will let you know on the radio through the dispatcher the days I want you to go over there and comb the zone again, is that okay with you?
RoboCop: Yes, it is.
Reed: And… just one more thing…please, don’t tell your partner about this, you patrolling Splatterzone at night, this investigation is between you and me, agree?
RoboCop: Yes, I agree.
Reed: Good, we are on the same page here. I know I don’t say this often, but you do a great job out there Murphy...
At the OCP building, Schysler, Johnson, McDaggett and Lyle are having a private meeting in Johnson’s luxurious office without the old man knowing about it.
Despite the fact the Rehab team got away with it the night before, commander McDaggett is not pleased to see cops investigating his team, especially RoboCop, he knows that the robot police officer is the biggest threat for all of them.
Johnson had previously hinted, that he could reprogram RoboCop to be part of the Rehab team, but McDaggett doesn’t want a robot in his crew, if anything, the commander would like to get him off the way as soon as possible, this is why McDaggett gets along with Schysler, because they have an interest in common: Getting rid of RoboCop in one way or another.
McDaggett: Why is the police force after us, Mr. Johnson? Hadn’t we agreed that forming this team was going to be a classified OCP project?
Johnson: Commander, with all due respect, if your hired goons wouldn’t have been stupid enough to display police arsenal at crime scenes, the police wouldn’t have started to sniff around New Stoneleigh…
…Besides, you were supposed to take the weapons that weren’t numbered and those junkies stole everything they could without noticing if the guns they were taking, were already registered by the Metropolitan police department…
McDaggett: Hiring a criminal gang to get the arsenal we needed for training was the only option you left us, after declining our request to get weapons to train the guys at the facility we have in Clover Hills. Apparently the professional relationship you have with the CEO is not as good as you say it is…
Johnson: You have no idea what my professional relationship with the old man is…if I didn’t approve your request and we chose a…different path to get you the training materials you needed is because the CEO is focusing in other projects at the moment, I don’t particularly want to disturb him
McDaggett: And the fact my boys have criminal records have nothing to do with it? You see, I don’t have a problem with training ex-mercenaries outside the police academy, as long as you provide what we need, should I remind you, the candidates were chosen by you, sir?
Johnson: That part is not relevant…those men have paid their debt to society and they have been given a second chance, to serve and protect the city of Detroit, to redeem themselves and find the glory in it…
McDagget: Making you some sort of fucked up Messiah in the process? No wait…those are the Nuke for Christ gang waiting for their Nuke lord to come to Earth…
Johnson: How dare you to speak to me like this? Know your place, commander…
Schysler: Gentlemen, we are deviating from our main problem here. We need to get the team together, once they are qualified enough, they can be in charge of the stored TDX-1000 units and that way, the outskirts of Detroit can be cleaned up for the upcoming Delta city construction…
Johnson: No, Oscar, you are getting things wrong…the Rehabs won’t be in charge of those units. RoboCop will. Once he has been reprogrammed, he will be a team leader in the rehab crew, we will install new commands on him, so he’s able to control the TDX units remotely…
McDaggett: What if I don’t want a robot cop on my team? That thing you built that was ready to kill my second in command the other day…showing no mercy or remorse
Lyle: He was…intending to kill me, I moved inside the van to save my life…but he was aiming at me
Johnson: I…don’t think RoboCop was actually going to kill any of your officers…he is programmed to perform arrests…not to be a killing machine, he follows his prime directives
Schysler: I have told you, countless times, RoboCop will go nuts one day…he is a faulty product…
McDaggett: Faulty or not, your metallic gorilla and his partners were interfering with our operation, do you realize Mr. Johnson, how bad will OCP look, if the police force finds out about our methods?
Johnson: That is not going to happen. I will make sure RoboCop gets reprogrammed. And the other officers, well, won’t dare to do any more research into this. Their pension benefits would be compromised. I will speak to Sergeant Reed about it. As a matter of fact, Dr. Lazarus from the Defense Development Program will be visiting Metro West soon. RoboCop will be controlled, from now on.
After the meeting is over, McDaggett and Lyle leave the OCP building to privately talk about the OCP executives before heading up to the Rehab training facility in Clover Hills.
Lyle: Commander…I didn’t want to say anything in front of the executives, but fucking Splatters are keeping the last batch for themselves… what are we going to do now? Not even money is making them return the weapons to us…
McDaggett: Don’t panic Lyle…I think we have more than enough arsenal for training. We allow our friends, the Splatterpunks to keep the rest. They want to kill the other ones, let’s just sit down and enjoy the show.
Lyle: They are fighting the territory of Clover Hills and Cadillac Heights…they want that new stuff that is out there…
McDaggett: And whose fault is that? The very incompetent police department that hasn’t been able to stop them yet…the more riots the two gangs cause, the more people they will kill in the process making the cops distract their attention from us…
…At the very end, we wipe out what’s left and “evict” the few survivors that will still be in the outskirts of Detroit, hiding like hungry scared rats. We cash our money and we will be the heroes that made the construction of Delta city possible…
Lyle: What about that resistance group? The scumbag people?
McDaggett: I believe we already taught them a lesson…the police didn’t even show up that day…what are they going to do now, without a leader?
