Chapter 11, Zero Zone
Chapter 11: Zero Zone.
The recent events at Clover Hills kept banging inside Lewis’ head for many days, the policewoman felt the need to investigate more about the terrorist case, and as cops aren’t wanted in that part of the city, she decided to drive her own car, a silver plated Lexus and dress as a civilian to cruise the streets of the district, hoping to find more information about the cops that have been threatening the zone or the terrorist group, whatever comes first.
Lewis doesn’t want to risk Estevez’ safety anymore and can’t take RoboCop with her, as he can’t be disguised in anything else that is not a police officer. She knows her partner wouldn’t agree with her decision of going there alone, that is why she planned to head up to Clover Hills on a day that another technical visit was scheduled for RoboCop. That way, Lewis felt free to go there alone without her partner watching her footsteps.
The more she gets into the district, crimes in progress can be observed everywhere, Lewis feels impotent to not have her badge and her cruiser to get off the car and perform arrests. The zone is lawless, robbers and smugglers perpetrate crimes in plain daylight, nobody fears to be arrested by the police.
Lewis keeps driving trying to focus on her investigation, a group of Rehab officers sitting outdoors in a bar, getting drunk, call her attention. Most of them are men; just a few of the officers are female.
Lewis parks to start taking photographs from afar, without taking off her sunglasses; she hadn’t been on a stake out for a long time, when all of a sudden someone knocks on her car’s window with the butt of a gun, making her slightly jump on her seat.
Lyle: Hey lady, this is a restricted zone, you can’t be here, are you lost…?
Lewis knows she has to put up a theatrical act now. To be flirty and feminine would help her to get out of this one. She puts down the car’s window, whilst smiling at the officer.
Lewis: Hi… hello, I am, I am a bit lost…
Lyle: Such a fancy car you’ve got there…that means you’re not from here…what is it, a Lexus Tech?
Lewis: Yeah, it is a Lexus Tech007. Are you a police officer?
Lyle: Better than a cop, I am a rehab officer, Officer Lyle, nice to meet you and you are?
Lewis: Nancy…and…what does a rehab officer do, Officer Lyle?
Lyle: We take care of this district, we put order here; we practically rule this town, so Nancy, would you like a ride in my car? My cruiser is not far from here…
Lewis: I am not into…police cars, so tell me; do you train anywhere near here? Do you have a station? Do you have a chief? Capitan…?
Lyle: Hey, hey, slow down honey, those are too many questions don’t you think? You wouldn’t happen to be a cop yourself, huh?
Lewis: I am sorry…I just wanted to get to know you better…
Lyle: Look, I don’t wanna brag about this, but I am the second one in charge here, and after commander McDaggett and our team get rid of all this scumbag people, this neighborhood will be renewed and we all will get our own luxury apartments for free…maybe you can come by and visit me sometime huh?
Lewis: What scumbag people?
Lyle: Don’t you see? Hideous scumbag people everywhere, we are just letting those to kill themselves so there are less of them once we kick them out of here…
Lewis: Hmm I see…hey it was nice getting to know you, but I have to go now!
Lyle: Hey, wait, can I have your Sparkle video chat ID? Do you need help to get out of the neighborhood? I can escort you to the exit of the district if you want?
Lewis: My car’s GPS already figured out the best way to get out of here, but thanks anyway!
Lyle: Why don’t you come back here on Saturday and bring along some friends?
Lewis: That won’t be possible…you see, I have a…very, tall, jealous… husband and he is probably wondering where I have been all this time, so, I will say goodbye for now…
Lyle: But, but you just said you wanted to get to know me better…? Did I say something wrong? Come on, at least tell your friends about us? Huh? I am cool, I don’t mind dating married chicks!
Lewis puts up the car’s window, rushing to drive away from the bar, her heart is beating fast and she is slowly realizing the risk she put herself into by talking to the Rehab officer, at least valuable information has been gathered; she thinks.
On the way out of Clover Hills, more crimes are being committed, Lewis stops for a moment at a gas station to calm down and make sure no one is following her. Alana immediately dismisses any tracking attempt from the Rehab team giving her peace of mind to continue her path.
A young couple are being robbed by two men at the convenience store where the gas station is located, the girl is pregnant and crying, the husband is troubled opening the cash register to give the perps the money “This is it, I can’t keep ignoring these crimes” Lewis thinks to herself, as she takes out her pocket gun, a Beretta Storm Subcompact used in undercover missions, steps into the store and scares the robbers away by shooting at the knife that one of them is holding to mug the store owners.
“Leave them alone, get away from here” That’s what Lewis tells them and when the robbers run away scared, she realizes they were just teenagers. The couple smile at her but before they can even say thanks Lewis gets back in the car and leaves the place.
Back at the police precinct Lewis is proud to show Sergeant Reed the results of her unofficial investigation.
Reed: Do you realize, the danger you put yourself through, by doing this on your own? Without my knowledge? What were you thinking Lewis…?
Lewis: I had to go back there, I needed to find more information about the explosives, we can’t keep ignoring there is a big problem in Clover Hills…we can’t keep ignoring the people there… If you saw all the crimes that happen in plain daylight! Send a squad there Sarge! They need help!
Reed: Lewis, cops are not wanted there, this is why we can’t help them…we need to pick our battles…we have major problems at the moment
Lewis: Admittedly, they threatened me and Murphy the day we attended the call, but they didn’t attack us…although I am sure some of those civilians do belong to that terrorist group
Reed: The only reason they didn’t set you or your cruiser on fire is because Robo was with you, I told you guys to not go there and ignore the call instead…but as usual neither of you listened to me, I don’t know who of the two is the bad influence of the other one anymore…
Lewis: If there were reports from that district, that means some people is actually requesting for police help, not all of them are the same…
Reed: The reports come from the city hall, not from the citizens. The public places the terrorists are destroying belong to the government...
Lewis: So there you go! Ignoring them is working really well huh? It’s because we aren’t sending them any help, those angry civilians are becoming terrorists now! And when that shit rehab team start evicting them from their homes, they will attack us, the real police officers!! They will blow up our station as revenge!!
Reed: Alright, calm the fuck down, what else did that fucker of Lyle tell you?
Lewis: That asshole was trying to impress me, by telling me he is the second one in command, after a guy named McDaggett, do you know who he is?
Reed: I do…he was being a pain in the ass the other day, when Kaplan and Mason and…when both of them were patrolling Splatterzone at night
Lewis: Assign me and Murphy with them, sergeant, I am pretty sure we can find the hidden facility where they are training them; they loiter around the zone, getting wasted and waiting for orders, their station or whatever must be hidden in Clover Hills…
Reed: No…you keep investigating where the explosives came from, that is your case, the Rehab team investigation is Kaplan and Mason’s work
Lewis: It is the same case now!! Theirs and mine! Assign me and Murphy with them…come on! I was the one that found the police jacket first!! Everything is connected! Fucking OCP is behind all these problems!!
Reed: I will think about it, now get out of my office and may this be the last time you do undercover police investigation without my authorization… oh and don’t forget to send the photos you took to my personal account, don’t use the Metro server, the information can be hacked from there.
Lewis: Yes, sergeant…
Lewis walks towards the laboratory, expecting to talk to her partner about the new updated information about Clover Hills, however, RoboCop is still busy being tested by Dr. Lazarus and two of her assistants. There are cables on the floor, monitors and bits of technical equipment everywhere. Dr. Tyler is just leaning on the wall, crossing her arms, in frustration.
Lewis: Hey, doc, what the hell are they doing to him now?
Tyler: Dr. Lazarus, that woman doesn’t seem to give up; Johnson wants RoboCop’s fire skills upgraded so he can be part of that tactical whatever team he is forming…
Lewis: Are you kidding me? Those “officers” are in reality criminals, whatever Johnson is doing, is not as legal as it seems…I need to talk to Murphy about it
Tyler: You will have to sit down and wait…I don’t think she will let you…
Lewis: Because that woman is obsessed with him! Don’t you see it?? Tell her to go away…come on, doctor, you have authorization to do it…tell her to go
Tyler: I am authorized to reject any new proposals that come from the Defense Development Program if Murphy doesn’t agree with them, but I can’t tell them to not come or to leave…we have to endure these technical visits…you know, it’s so funny to see you…
Lewis: To see me what…?
Tyler: Nothing…is there anything you’d like to talk about, Lewis, in the meantime we wait? Do you fancy a coffee from the machine that is in the hallway?
Lewis: I had one earlier, thanks, I really need to speak to him, this nonsense stops now, wait and see
Tyler: Sure, go for it, this will get interesting…
Lewis walks towards RoboCop’s docking station, stepping on the cables in a careless way, upsetting Dr. Lazarus and her crew, moving monitors and everything that is in the way of her and RoboCop.
Lewis: Murphy, stand up, we have to go now; I have updated information about Clover Hills…
RoboCop: They are still performing tests. Why did you go to Clover Hills without notifying me?
Lazarus: Officer…I am sorry but you are in the way, I will have to ask you to leave, you are disrupting an important technical testing session…
Lewis: Just a moment lady, I am talking to my partner here…Murphy, I was working undercover…it’s not like you could come with me, the rehab facility must be hidden there, we need to ask Reed to assign this case to us, we locate their facility, find out how illegal their training is so we can bring them to justice and lock Johnson away for good…you and me are better cops than Kaplan and Mason…we should be working on this case, not them…
RoboCop: Does Sergeant Reed agree with your investigation?
Lewis: Why don’t you believe me? Is there anything you know that I am unaware of?
RoboCop: No.
Lewis: I’ll explain everything in the car, come on, let’s go, get your ass up
Lazarus: Rose, why is this cop still here? Can’t you just tell her to go? Who does she think she is? She can’t come here just like that and take RoboCop with her; we aren’t finished yet…
Tyler: Marie, Officer Lewis is his…partner; she has the right to be here…actually, I believe the officer is right; he should be out in the streets by now, working…
Lewis: Exactly…look, doctor whatever your name is, all of you have to stop experimenting with him! You and your crew just come here to mess him up… you make him waste the time he needs to be doing police work, then thanks to you and your stupid tests he will sleep just a couple of hours tonight, so he is out in the streets again making up for lost time!!
Tyler looks down mortified, she knows Lewis speaks with the truth, the technical visits and unnecessary tests they put RoboCop through only result in subtracting hours from his daily rest.
Lazarus: I don’t believe this! Since when do cops feel with the right to come here and disrespect us like this! Rose? Are you going to let her talk to me like this?? I will call OCP now and let them know that officer “whatever your name is” keeps obstructing an important technical testing session…
RoboCop: Lewis… go, we can start the early shift tomorrow.
Lewis: After you working overnight, how unfair…how many hours are you going to work after this, huh? Twelve, thirteen hours in a row…?
Tyler: Lewis, he is right I am afraid, it’s better if you go now, you’ll see him tomorrow
Lewis: I will go Doctor Tyler…but one day, I will fuck them up, all of them, fucking OCP…!
Lewis walks away from the laboratory, moving things out of her way forcefully, on purpose, and even if Lazarus seems unaffected by Lewis’ words and keeps working on her personal tablet taking notes and smiling to her assistants as if nothing had happened, Tyler observes Lazarus’ hands are shaking out of anger, body language can’t be disguised. Tyler secretly enjoyed the moment of having someone tell Lazarus what she really thinks but doesn’t dare to say out of the fear of losing her job.
The end of the week is near and Lewis has been so consumed doing police work she has forgotten her upcoming date with John Riggs. Nevertheless, a friend is there to remind Lewis about her recent personal choices. Lewis is at the changing room, organizing her locker, when Estevez approaches poking her back in a friendly way from behind.
Estevez: Hey, you mean girl…I just heard the news, I wanna know everything!
Lewis: Damn it, Barbara! Don’t you ever do that again…What news?
Estevez: Your date with John tonight, everyone is talking about it…
Lewis: No….! I completely forgot about that…!
Estevez: You forgot about it?? He’s been practically telling people at the station for days you are going to be the mother of his babies ha ha ha
Lewis: Gross… let me fix this right away; I will call him now and cancel the whole thing…
Estevez: Hold on…so you are not doing this to piss the other one off?
Lewis: The fuck you mean…?
Estevez: Your blue prince, come on, you are gonna tell me you aren’t doing this on purpose to break his heart? Does he even have one?
Lewis: He is alive… he has to have one, it’s artificial I think…
Estevez: And what is it? A Kanemitsu? Yamaha? Nissan? My grandfather got a Nissan last year, you know...
Lewis: I don’t know and I am not sure if I want to know, and no, I am not doing this on purpose, I was having a bad day the day I messaged Riggs, I know that what I did was stupid, okay? Let me just give him a call…
Estevez: No wait, don’t call him just yet…aren’t you curious to see how much you can affect Robo’s feelings if he sees you dating another man?
Lewis: At this point I am not even sure anymore if he does have feelings for real…at least not for me
Estevez: You know what your problem is? You’re way too nice with him, loving, protective and shit…be a bitch for once, show him that you can fuck another guy if you want…teach him a lesson
Lewis: I am not…that what you say and you don’t have an idea of what he has…
Estevez: Gone through? Oh god, please don’t torture me again with those stories, I must have listened to them a thousand times! So is that your excuse? Time has passed already!! Come on… Do you know why nobody here asks you out?
Lewis: Because I joined the force to be a cop, not to get laid with men in uniform…
Estevez: Anne, think about it, how many women work here at the station? We are fewer girls here, therefore men will always ask us out, it doesn’t matter what you look like…if you’re a girl in a sea full of men…you will get attention from them
Lewis: Okay…not that I care of, but why don’t I get attention from cops here?
Estevez: Because all men here are scared shitless of that killing machine partner of yours… the guys are betting whether RoboCop will beat Riggs up for going out with you…they are hilarious…
Lewis: Are you kidding me? Are they still doing that betting thing? That is not remotely funny…Murphy is not like that…you’d be surprised on how friendly he can be; besides, he has never said anything to any of the guys to scare them away from me as you say…
Estevez: He doesn’t need to, he just stands there, looking at them in a threatening manner so he makes sure you work with him and no one else’s, he doesn’t have a problem with me being your partner at times, because I’m not a dude, but tell me, how many male partners have you had in all this time?
Lewis: No, no… I don’t really think he does that, no
Estevez: The way I see it Anne, is either you find creative ways to fuck your partner or you get over this and start working with someone else, otherwise you will be alone living with ten cats for the rest of your life…he is slowly isolating you but you are so crazy about him, you don’t even realize it…
…Men are competitive, they love to fight over a prize…go out with Riggs, make him react, start treating him like any other guy and see where that takes you…
Lewis: No, man…that would be just…cruel…to do that to him on purpose
Estevez: Ah, then this means you know you will affect him; he must have feelings after all eh?
Lewis: To some degree…although I know he won’t do shit about it…
Estevez: Who knows? Look, I have an idea, ask him for a ride to Zero Zone, perhaps when he sees you all sexy wearing that only dress you have, the tight red one that you think matches your hideous green purse, he turns off the radio…asks you to cancel your date with Riggs and…boom!
…You have a date with him instead! Maybe he will take you for a romantic ride around the city, huh? Would you feel bad if you ditch John at the last minute?
Lewis: No…John will find someone else to sleep with in less than ten minutes if I don’t show up
Estevez: There you go…and if the prince doesn’t react, well, you have fun with John for the night?
Lewis: I just don’t want to…be another person that hurts him in this life he has…
Estevez: But it’s okay if he hurts your feelings right? Do you want to live like this forever? Don’t end up like me, being heartbroken all the time, waiting in a bar for a man that might not come if he couldn’t get away from his family on time…
Lewis: Don’t get me started on that idiot of Simon…you can do so much better than him…and hey I am a bit offended here…my green purse is not that ugly…and I have more than one dress…I think I do…
Estevez: Shit Anne, it’s a granny’s purse…I’ll get you a decent one for your birthday…
The night falls and RoboCop walks to the basement of the police precinct to get his cruiser and start working on a late shift. Sergeant Reed has ordered him to work overnight. He starts the engine and follows the queue of patrol cars that are waiting to exit the parking lot.
As RoboCop waits, something out of the ordinary happens. A woman he doesn’t recognize at first gets in the car with him, a stunning blonde that is wearing a red dress, high heels, smells like perfume and seemed way too confident to get in his car without asking for permission. By taking a second look, he realizes it is his partner, dressed as a civilian and she seems happy to see him.
His night just got better; Robo is excited to see her too. They usually say goodbye to each other on Friday’s evenings and don’t get to see themselves until next the Monday.
Lewis: Hey, partner, can you give me a ride to Zero Zone? I forgot to bring my car…
RoboCop: Are you working undercover again? Do you need assistance?
Lewis: What? No…no, I am off duty, I have a date…with Riggs, Are you too busy to drive me there?
RoboCop: No… I have time…
RoboCop’s initial enthusiasm to see his partner getting in the car with him on a Friday’s evening starts to slowly decrease once he finds out she is going out with another man and is not there to work with him.
In his thoughts, RoboCop imagined Lewis was working overnight in another undercover mission and although he was assigned to patrol Splatterzone, Robo thought he could keep an eye on her by assisting her mission too; that way, they could work together for the rest of the shift. He usually works alone on the weekends, having Lewis there with him would have been a nice change for him.
Lewis: So, are you up for the complete overnight shift? Could you, like take a break later tonight…?
RoboCop: No. Riggs is…an incompetent cop, he is not reliable as a police officer.
By looking at the retro visor Lewis realizes RoboCop is so annoyed he’s unable to hide it anymore. She has studied his facial expressions, even if only half of his face is visible most of the time.
She wonders now, if the right buttons for him to react are being pushed, nevertheless, after a short while, Lewis looks down to the car’s computer screen where the Metro grid shows and she is disappointed to see they are getting close to the club, and it seems Murphy won’t do or say anything else.
RoboCop is an officer who is permanently on duty; Lewis is deflated to see her partner is not willing to sacrifice any of his working hours to spend some personal time with her, even if he seems annoyed to see her dating another man. She keeps slightly knocking the car’s door from inside with a closed fist, wanting to break the glass or to break anything to not snap and start yelling to let him know how much his silence and unresponsiveness hurt her feelings.
They arrive to Zero Zone in less than fifteen minutes. Lewis to face Riggs, the date she was hoping could have been cancelled in advance. She feels physically ill now; her stomach is in discomfort by swallowing her emotions. Yelling would have been a relief. As Lewis steps out of the vehicle without even thanking him for the ride, Robo dares to speak again.
RoboCop: Who… will drive you back home?
Things didn’t go along as Lewis expected. She is annoyed, hurt and resentful towards RoboCop for being so robotic, programmed, impassive and obsessed with police work. He didn’t get the hints, he never does. The thoughts that revolve in her mind are tainted with heartbreak.
“Teach him a lesson, torture him, make him suffer, make him hurt, as much as you’re hurting”
Lewis: He will. Don’t worry for me; I might not even go home tonight, but thanks for the ride!
The moment in which RoboCop watches Lewis crossing the street to get to the club, feelings of despair, loneliness and anxiety start to inundate him, his worst fear is coming true, the only person that has ever agreed to connect with him is literally walking away from his life.
Robo remembers that just a few days ago Lewis was about to get into trouble with OCP by telling Dr. Lazarus to stop experimenting with him, and now she is going out with another man, he wonders if Lewis has already stopped caring about him.
The emotional protection RoboCop gets from Lewis has been well corresponded every time he has gone to the extremes to protect her physically if she was endangered, even if that meant defying his superiors to accomplish that. Robo used to think that was enough to make her feel well and safe, but the man in him is slowly discovering Lewis is not really happy with her life and she is definitively not happy working by his side anymore.
It pains him to remember he was the last man Lewis kissed and now she will probably kiss someone else, thinking about that is surprisingly hurtful for him and a new unexpected thought strikes his mind.
“Wasn’t she with me now? In some way?”
His sadness starts to turn into anger, but not against her, against the man RoboCop starts to see as a rival now. Riggs, an incompetent cop that out of the blue decided to call Lewis to take her away from his side. Robo is well conscious of his strength and knows he can’t have a physical fight with Riggs, a direct hit would probably kill him. Nevertheless, he doesn’t want Lewis to spend the night with that man, but he is unsure what to do to stop that from happening.
It is his inner conflict, the mental struggle between the programmed police officer that wants to dismiss what just happened and continue work for the rest of the night and the man that wanted to stop Lewis from walking away what made him remain siting still in the car impassively for some minutes without taking any action.
RoboCop’s thoughts are interrupted when the operator on the radio remind him of Reed’s orders to immediately head up to New Stoneleigh. Work is a salvation for him, the programmed officer wins and perhaps work will make the man forget about the bad evening he is having.
Splatterzone’s riots have escalated, they are finally using police arsenal to commit crimes. As soon as Robo gets there two tuned jeeps with mounted shotguns start to follow and shoot his cruiser, whilst yelling and cheering frenetically. They are up to destroy him now, the perps feel confident to have enough firepower to get rid of RoboCop and claim the zone police free now.
RoboCop’s orders were to call Hedgecock’s tactical team if he needed backup; however he thinks he can contain the situation himself. He uses the GPS of the cruiser to find a route where he can corner the vehicles and make them crash against each other.
His driving skills are programmed, so he doesn’t have a problem by doing a complex manoeuvre that makes the two jeeps lose control and eventually crash into each other in a no way street. He gets off the cruiser and shoots both the vehicles trunks to open them, he has no patience to do it otherwise, finally police arsenal is found by him kept in sports bags, the three thugs that were in both vehicles are badly hurt and dragging themselves outside the vehicles when RoboCop tells them to freeze.
RoboCop: Stop, you are under arrest, stealing police property is a violation of penal code 456. You have the right to remain silent
Splatterpunk1: You will never get us, fucking tin man; they are planning to blow you into pieces…
RoboCop: Who are they?
Splatterpunk1: They, our friends will destroy you and will give us the TDX units for us to reign here…no fucking cops will ever come back to this zone when we hang your head at the city hall…
Although RoboCop is confused by what the Splatterpunk just said, he is suddenly distracted to see that the other two thugs that are on the ground are opening a small plastic case as if they were about to drug themselves, one of them seems to be in agonizing pain, his leg was perforated by a metal tube in the car crash and as a result, it is bleeding profusely.
He tells his accomplice in a broken voice to help him to“ease the pain” his friend helps the wounded Splatterpunk to inject many drug packets that have small needles on his arms and neck.
Instead of getting better, the addict starts to violently convulse, his eyes are injected with blood and there is foam pouring from his mouth, he dies, shortly after the crisis.
RoboCop is surprised to see there is still Nuke in the city, he intends to take the two alive suspects under arrest, but the other one that is lying on the ground starts convulsing the same way his friend did and the remaining one that was still standing on his feet is now trying to run away from RoboCop taking advantage of the distraction. Robo shoots his leg to prevent him from escaping, he needs more information.
Once he lifts the addict with his hand and starts the interrogatory, the thug starts to laugh hysterically as if he was mentally insane; RoboCop drops him back to the ground just to watch him die the same way his accomplices just died. Lewis was right: “Do you think there is a another factory out there?” there must be another factory that is manufacturing an altered version of nuke somewhere, he looks at the empty canisters and sees that the color is not the same, this new nuke is blood red, thick and repulsive looking.
RoboCop thinks it is time to call for backup and report the confiscated weapons to Reed and the tactical team. He opens the sports bags to recognize the weapons: There are Glock and Sig Sauer pistols, Beretta and Remington shotguns, AK-74 rifles, electronic grenades and GPS radars contained in the bags. Some of the pieces are already numbered by the police department.
Nevertheless, before RoboCop reports the confiscated weapons, he makes a conscious decision; he picks a few pieces of weaponry for himself and stores them in his cruiser’s trunk.
Throughout time Robo has learned a harsh lesson: His existence will always be threatened not only by the lawbreakers that will always aim to his destruction, but also by the company that rebuilt a wounded Alex Murphy, forcing him to live a life he didn’t ask for. Now, as RoboCop, he has the difficult task to preserve his life as a cyborg, by being alert on potential threats both from street criminals and OCP executives.
When Robo is about to call the dispatcher and notify Hedgecock that there is a crime scene they need to attend, he makes another conscious decision and decides to contact Kaplan’s unit first, hoping he was working overnight too.
He is lucky as Kaplan immediately responds over the radio. It doesn’t take much time for Kaplan and Mason to arrive to the crime scene, RoboCop thinks that the ones that have the right to take the confiscated weapons first are his new police partners and not Hedgecock’s tactical team.
Kaplan: Hey Murphy, nice to see you man! The fuck happened here!!…what did you do? You love to make a mess in each crime scene don’t you?
RoboCop: They overdosed to death, you need to order a toxicology exam in their autopsies and take the drug evidence with you.
Mason steps out of the car and starts checking if the Splatterpunks still have life signs in them, once he confirms they are all dead, he starts seeking out for evidence inside the vehicles with his flashlight and finds the sports bags were the confiscated weapons are.
Mason: Hey, look at this, some of our weapons are back…!! Finally!
RoboCop: Lt. Hedgecock and his team are on the way, you need to inform them you have been assigned to this mission before they attempt to take the evidence with them.
Kaplan: Sure, thank you…for calling us first…
RoboCop: Report to them you were both working with me on the overnight shift. I have to go now.
Kaplan: Ok, partner, we will take care from here… go get wasted now! The night is still young…
RoboCop: Thank you officer Kaplan, goodnight.
Mason sees from afar that the conversation between Kaplan and RoboCop is over and now Robo is getting in his cruiser ready to leave the crime scene without saying a word to him, Mason walks towards Kaplan, confused by not knowing what is happening.
Mason: Hey Kaplan, where the heck does RoboCop think he is going?? He has to wait for the team too…
Kaplan: Who knows…let him go, man, don’t you think he’s done enough for the night?
Mason: Yeah…I guess you’re right…hey, Robo…? Thank you for calling us! Huh? Bye…?
RoboCop hears Mason trying to make conversation, but he is uninterested to reply. Robo hasn’t forgotten about the bad intentioned comments Mason has said about him, furthermore, he has more important things to think about in that particular moment, he leaves the crime scene, trusting Kaplan and Mason will collect all the evidence in an efficient way.
Back at Zero Zone Lewis is having a miserable time at the bar. John Riggs is an attractive man, light brown hair, blue eyed, although his ego overpasses his looks. He is a self-centered overconfident hollow-head that underestimates women’s intelligence by thinking he can impress any kind of girl and talk her into bed by using the same silly anecdotes and stories over and over.
Riggs: I am surprised you wanted to go out with again me after that day when you dumped me at that hotel…came out of the bathroom and you were gone…
Lewis: Right, I knew that was coming up at some point tonight… I am sorry to have left you there; I wasn’t feeling well that day
Riggs: Baby, It doesn’t matter, you are here now so we can finish what we started that day, huh, so where is it gonna be this time? Your place or mine…?
Lewis: I don’t take men to my house John…
Riggs: Oh yes…I had forgotten about that weird rule of yours, oh and you don’t like to sleep next to anyone either, right? Anything else I should learn about you tonight?
Lewis: No…can we ask the waitress to come? I want another drink
Riggs: Sure baby, ask as many mojitos as you want, they are on me tonight…
John has been painfully trying to impress Anne for the last two hours with no luck, he was initially elated to see how sexy Anne was looking when she arrived to the bar, but as the night develops, the woman seems more interested in finishing her glasses rather than talking to him, Riggs is running out of stories, topics and funny anecdotes to convince her to leave the bar with him, he has started to think he won’t be lucky tonight.
John is also aware he has been the mockery of the station for days, for asking out the girl that always has a robot watching her back. He knows the topic has to be brought up in one way or another.
Riggs: Anne, tell me, does your friend the robot know you are here? Is he allowing you to hang out with human cops now?
Lewis: I don’t need anyone’s permission to do what I want
Riggs: Perfect, that’s my girl, so hey, if I approach him and say hi, would he break my legs, eh?
Lewis is downhearted looking down on the table, playing with the sliced lemons that are on a plate, thinking that John just reminded her of the one, she is struggling to forget about tonight.
Lewis: He will…he will break your legs, so stay away from him…
Lewis looks at the environment as if everything was happening in slow motion. She is gradually detaching herself from John’s talk, people laughing, couples having fun and the band playing remind her why she never goes out on dates, it’s because the emptiness of her personal life becomes evident and painful to her, the alcohol in her body make her reality numb, but can’t really make her forget. Hurting Murphy’s feelings wasn’t as fun as Barbara promised it was going to be.
However the perfect excuse to leave the bar pops out, since Lewis notices her phone is going crazy sending her many voice notifications from her personal safety assistant. She stands up, leaves money on the table and gets ready to go. Lewis feels light headed and the night has become unbearable for her.
Riggs: Babe? You want to go? Yeah, let’s get this over with now, my place is a mess at the moment, but I can make a hotel reservation now if you just give me five minutes to log into the Lotus hotel website…
Lewis: No, John I am sorry, I am not leaving with you; I have to go…I just got an important message from someone…
Riggs: Who? The fucking robot…? Is he calling you??
Lewis: No…it’s a girl that lives in my phone
Riggs: A girl…that lives in your phone? Hahaha, you are fucking drunk sweetheart, come on, let me drive you home, maybe you can break your rule tonight and you let me stay with you? I won’t snore I promise…hey I can even make you breakfast tomorrow; I do that for all my ladies…
Lewis: I said no…make breakfast for the waitress over there that has been flirting with you the whole night, I am out of here, see you at the station
Riggs stands up as well and holds her arm, preventing Lewis from leaving; he can’t believe she is dumping him for a second time. He is always successful with women, these kind of things never happen to him.
Riggs: You can’t do this to me again, you’re starting to seriously piss me off Anne, come on, you owe me this, get your stuff and come with me in the car…be a nice girl and do what I say…
Lewis: John…let go my arm, I don’t owe you shit, what are you gonna do now? Huh? Force me to go with you? I don’t have a problem with beating the crap out of you, but if we make a scene they will call security and once they find out we are both cops our badge numbers will be reported and we will get suspended…I can survive some days without a salary…but can you?
Riggs: Whatever, you really are some fucked up woman!! Get the fuck outta here in that case…but I will remember this…!!
Lewis walks away from Riggs trying to find an exit to the club that is not crowded, finally, she manages to get back on the street and walking under the cold the breeze helps her lightheaded-ness, Lewis is eager to hear what her personal assistant has to tell her, maybe Alana has updates on the criminal cases she’s been working on, suddenly a familiar voice starts calling her.
RoboCop: Lewis, get in the car, let’s go.
Lewis turns back in shock to see RoboCop is back, driving slowly by the sidewalk waiting for her to get in the car with him and although her world starts to spin around, Lewis is still upset with Robo for being slow to react, plus, his cocky demanding attitude doesn’t help at all.
“Does he have the nerve to give me orders even when I am off duty? Why can’t he be nicer with me for once” Lewis thinks to herself as she keeps walking, annoyed, whilst declining his offer.
Lewis: No thank you… I am fine; I can walk home from here
RoboCop: That is not possible. Your building is at least 3.3 miles from here.
Lewis: I will call a taxi cab in that case.
Some of the local neighbors that are outside the club recognize RoboCop and Officer Lewis, they have seen them patrolling around zone 4 together, it is a small group of young boys and girls the ones that think the scene is funny as they got to hear RoboCop asking Lewis to get in the car with him, they believe they can help Robo by repeating what he said in chorus, almost as a chant, to convince officer Lewis to leave with him. Whatever thing Robo has done, they think Lewis should forgive him.
“Hey Officer Lewis!” “Get in the car!” “Poor Robo, come on, get in the car!” Far from being offensive or disrespectful with any of them, the youngsters just want to be friendly with the cops that have been protective with the citizens of that area.
RoboCop’s attitude and tone of voice have softened and his demand has now turned into a plea that is gradually making Lewis forget how annoyed she is with him.
RoboCop: Lewis, let me drive you home…
Finally, Lewis stops walking. Those kids outside the bar made her chuckle. RoboCop has stopped the car and is patiently waiting now. His determination to not leave without her melts her heart and Anne has to admit she can’t be annoyed with Murphy for a long time.
Furthermore, she thinks to herself, this is by far the most romantic thing he has ever done for her. The night is cold, her jacket is thin, her legs are freezing and those high heels are torture, finally, Lewis gives in and as soon as she gets in the car the group of youngsters start cheering and applauding in a funny way.
RoboCop indulges in the new personal satisfaction he just obtained by winning over Riggs, he is back in his comfort zone by knowing Lewis won’t spend the night with that man, all Lewis says to him is “You’ve got fans” Robo is in a good mood and replies to her “Let’s get out of here”.
However, not everyone is cheering and applauding at the scene, Riggs had followed Lewis outside the bar just to watch in disgust and anger, the way his date had just left with another man.
John is the one that usually steals girls from other men, not the other way around, and this is the first time he loses a woman over a robot. With crossed arms and an upset face, Riggs is infuriated thinking this is personal; he will make sure RoboCop suffers for stealing a woman from him.
